Hulda Regehr Clark
Encyclopedia
Hulda Regehr Clark was a naturopath, author, and practitioner of alternative medicine
. Clark claimed that all human disease was related to parasitic infection, and also claimed to be able to cure all disease
s, including cancer
and HIV
/AIDS
, by destroying these parasites by "zapping" them with electrical devices which she marketed. Clark wrote several books describing her methods and operated clinics in the US. Following a string of legal difficulties and actions by the Federal Trade Commission
, she relocated to Tijuana
, Mexico
where she ran the Century Nutrition clinic.
Clark's claims and devices have been dismissed by authorities ranging from the US Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration
to alternative medicine
figures such as Andrew Weil
as scientifically unfounded, "bizarre", and potentially fraudulent. Clark died 3 September 2009 of multiple myeloma
(a blood and bone cancer
).
, Canada
, where she was awarded the Bachelor of Arts
magna cum laude, and the Master of Arts
with a High Honors major in biology
. After two years of study at McGill University
, she attended the University of Minnesota
, studying biophysics
and cell physiology
. She received her doctorate degree in 1958 from the University of Minnesota. Her own biographical sketch states that her degree was in physiology
, but the Graduate School's Register of Ph.D. Degrees conferred by the University of Minnesota, July 1956-June 1966, states that she received a Ph.D. in 1958 with a major in zoology
and a minor in botany
, with a thesis entitled "A study of the ion
balance of crayfish
muscle; evidence for two compartments of cellular potassium
."
In 1979, Clark left government-funded research and began private consulting and her own research. From 2002 until her death she operated the Century Nutrition health clinic in Tijuana
, Mexico
, where her focus was primarily on late-stage cancer
patients. Meanwhile she and her son, Geoff, separately owned businesses that her patients and others used, including a restaurant, her self-publishing company, and a "self-health" store that sells her inventions. Her son continues to operate the self-health store. She published several books, including The Cure of All Cancers, The Cure for HIV/AIDS and The Cure For All Diseases. According to civil court records, her books had generated over $7 million in sales by 2002, although Clark disputed this figure.
She held a naturopathy degree from the defunct Clayton College of Natural Health
, a school that lacked accreditation from any accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
and virus
es from the body using herbal remedies or electrocution while removing pollutants from the diet and the environment would cure all diseases.
In her book The Cure For All Cancers, Clark postulated that all cancer
s are caused by the flatworm
Fasciolopsis buski
. However, this worm does not live in the USA and Europe but mainly in India
, parts of China
, Vietnam
and other east-Asian countries, and only in rural areas where people are eating unboiled food from water plants, or where pigs live close to humans. Clark also said that HIV is a worm virus and that the worm is responsible for AIDS
: "I find i in every case of HIV, Alzheimer's disease. Without this parasite you can't get HIV." According to Clark, depression
is caused by hookworm
s. Epilepsy and seizures are caused by swelling in the brain, attracting calcium and heavy metals, created by the parasite ascaris
as well as by malvin
, a natural dye found in strawberries, chicken, and eggs.
Clark claimed that she could actually cure all diseases whereas, she asserted, conventional treatments for diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS often only aim to relieve symptoms. She was described in the book Denying AIDS as "perhaps the first quack AIDS curer." David Amrein's website contains a disclaimer stating that her treatments are "not prescribed as treatment for medical or psychological conditions" and that "...the treatments outlined herein are not intended to be a replacement or substitute for other forms of conventional medical treatment." Nonetheless, Clark advocated for the use of her methods as a substitute for standard medical care:
Regarding the effectiveness of her treatment, Clark wrote, "The method is 100% effective in stopping cancer regardless of the type of cancer or how terminal it may be. It follows that this method must work for you, too, if you are able to carry out the instructions."
brought a complaint against the Dr. Clark Research Foundation because of the foundation's claims about the effectiveness of the Syncrometer, the Super-Zapper Deluxe and "Dr. Clark's New 21 Day Program for Advanced Cancers." In November 2004, the case reached stipulated judgment, wherein the case's judge ordered the foundation's operators to offer refunds to the purchasers of these devices and to refrain from making a number of claims about those devices. The Director of Enforcement at the Food and Drug Administration
has stated that Clark's devices seem to be "fraudulent."
, a former patient complained to the Indiana attorney general
. An investigator for the Indiana Department of Health and a deputy attorney general visited her office incognito as part of a sting operation
. Clark proceeded to test the investigator and "told him he had the HIV
virus [sic], but said that he did not have cancer
." She told the investigator that she could cure his HIV in 3 minutes, but that he would "get it back" unless he committed to returning for six more appointments. She then ordered blood test
s from a laboratory. Upon learning of the undercover investigators' status, Clark stated that everything she had told them had been a "mistake". Two days later she had vacated the premises and disappeared.
Six years later, in September 1999, Clark was located and arrested in San Diego, California
, based on a fugitive warrant
from Indiana. According to Clark, this was the first time she learned about the charge. Her lawyer protested the long delay before her arrest, but a prosecutor implied that she fled Indiana "when she learned that she was being investigated by the state," and that the local police department had limited resources to devote to finding her. She was returned to Indiana to stand trial, where she was charged with practicing medicine without a license. The charge was later dismissed for failure to provide her with a speedy trial
. The judge's verdict did not address the merits of the charges but only the issue of whether the delay had compromised Clark's ability to mount a defense and her right to a speedy trial.
. Joseph Pizzorno, a prominent naturopathic physician, evaluated Clark's claims and found that her books mixed patients with conventionally diagnosed cancer with those whose cancer diagnosis was based solely on her use of the "Syncrometer". The patients with medically diagnosed cancer did not respond to Clark's treatment, while those she had diagnosed using the "Syncrometer" were "cured". Pizzorno concluded that Clark's treatments were ineffective and that treatments based on Clark's recommendations "pose a substantive public health danger".
The Swiss Study Group for Complementary and Alternative Methods in Cancer (SCAC) issued a strong warning to cancer patients considering Clark's methods:
Prominent alternative medicine proponent Andrew Weil
has written, "No studies have backed up [Clark's] bizarre claims, and it’s unclear whether the cancer patients she’s supposedly cured ever had cancer to begin with."
In 2002, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Clark and her son Geoff operated a restaurant and leased housing for patients at Clark's Tijuana clinic. The article described a couple whose daughter, suffering from spinal muscular atrophy
, was treated for 10 months by Clark at a cost of approximately $30,000 without improvement. Despite the cost and lack of improvement, the couple stated that Clark insisted she was close to curing the child, and that stopping treatment might endanger her. The patient's mother commented, "People don’t understand why we stayed so long, but Hulda Clark did a very good job of preying on us," and Clark, while stating she could not respond to the parents' allegations on grounds of patient confidentiality, denied their statements in general.
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
. Clark claimed that all human disease was related to parasitic infection, and also claimed to be able to cure all disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
s, including cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, by destroying these parasites by "zapping" them with electrical devices which she marketed. Clark wrote several books describing her methods and operated clinics in the US. Following a string of legal difficulties and actions by the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
, she relocated to Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
where she ran the Century Nutrition clinic.
Clark's claims and devices have been dismissed by authorities ranging from the US Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
to alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
figures such as Andrew Weil
Andrew Weil
Andrew Thomas Weil is an American author and physician, who established the field of integrative medicine which attempts to integrate alternative and conventional medicine. Weil is the author of several best-selling books and operates a website and monthly newsletter promoting general health and...
as scientifically unfounded, "bizarre", and potentially fraudulent. Clark died 3 September 2009 of multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
(a blood and bone cancer
Hematological malignancy
Hematological malignancies are the types of cancer that affect blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. As the three are intimately connected through the immune system, a disease affecting one of the three will often affect the others as well: although lymphoma is technically a disease of the lymph...
).
Background
Clark began her studies in biology at the University of SaskatchewanUniversity of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where she was awarded the Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
magna cum laude, and the Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
with a High Honors major in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. After two years of study at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, she attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, studying biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
and cell physiology
Cell physiology
Cell physiology is the biological study of the cell's mechanism and interaction in its environment. The term "physiology" refers to all the normal functions that take place in a living organism. Absorption of water by roots, production of food in the leaves, and growth of shoots towards light are...
. She received her doctorate degree in 1958 from the University of Minnesota. Her own biographical sketch states that her degree was in physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, but the Graduate School's Register of Ph.D. Degrees conferred by the University of Minnesota, July 1956-June 1966, states that she received a Ph.D. in 1958 with a major in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
and a minor in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, with a thesis entitled "A study of the ion
Ion
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
balance of crayfish
Crayfish
Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads – members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea – are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related...
muscle; evidence for two compartments of cellular potassium
Potassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
."
In 1979, Clark left government-funded research and began private consulting and her own research. From 2002 until her death she operated the Century Nutrition health clinic in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where her focus was primarily on late-stage cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
patients. Meanwhile she and her son, Geoff, separately owned businesses that her patients and others used, including a restaurant, her self-publishing company, and a "self-health" store that sells her inventions. Her son continues to operate the self-health store. She published several books, including The Cure of All Cancers, The Cure for HIV/AIDS and The Cure For All Diseases. According to civil court records, her books had generated over $7 million in sales by 2002, although Clark disputed this figure.
She held a naturopathy degree from the defunct Clayton College of Natural Health
Clayton College of Natural Health
The Clayton College of Natural Health was a non-accredited American distance-learning natural health college based in Birmingham, Alabama, offering classes in various forms of alternative medicine. The school was founded in 1980 by Lloyd Clayton Jr. as the American College of Holistic Nutrition...
, a school that lacked accreditation from any accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Treatment claims
According to Clark, all disease is caused by foreign organisms and pollutants that damage the immune system. She asserted that eliminating parasites, bacteriaBacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es from the body using herbal remedies or electrocution while removing pollutants from the diet and the environment would cure all diseases.
In her book The Cure For All Cancers, Clark postulated that all cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
s are caused by the flatworm
Flatworm
The flatworms, known in scientific literature as Platyhelminthes or Plathelminthes are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegmented, soft-bodied invertebrate animals...
Fasciolopsis buski
Fasciolopsiasis
Fasciolopsiasis results from an infection by the trematode Fasciolopsis buski, the largest intestinal fluke of humans .-Infection cycle:...
. However, this worm does not live in the USA and Europe but mainly in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, parts of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and other east-Asian countries, and only in rural areas where people are eating unboiled food from water plants, or where pigs live close to humans. Clark also said that HIV is a worm virus and that the worm is responsible for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
: "I find i in every case of HIV, Alzheimer's disease. Without this parasite you can't get HIV." According to Clark, depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
is caused by hookworm
Hookworm
The hookworm is a parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestine of its host, which may be a mammal such as a dog, cat, or human. Two species of hookworms commonly infect humans, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus. A. duodenale predominates in the Middle East, North Africa, India...
s. Epilepsy and seizures are caused by swelling in the brain, attracting calcium and heavy metals, created by the parasite ascaris
Ascaris
Ascaris is a genus of parasitic nematode worms known as the "giant intestinal roundworms". One species, A. suum, typically infects pigs, while another, A. lumbricoides, affects human populations, typically in sub-tropical and tropical areas with poor sanitation. A...
as well as by malvin
Malvin
Malvin is a naturally occurring chemical of the Anthocyanin family. It is a diglucoside of malvidin mainly found as a pigment in herbs like Malva , Primula and Rhododendron...
, a natural dye found in strawberries, chicken, and eggs.
Clark claimed that she could actually cure all diseases whereas, she asserted, conventional treatments for diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS often only aim to relieve symptoms. She was described in the book Denying AIDS as "perhaps the first quack AIDS curer." David Amrein's website contains a disclaimer stating that her treatments are "not prescribed as treatment for medical or psychological conditions" and that "...the treatments outlined herein are not intended to be a replacement or substitute for other forms of conventional medical treatment." Nonetheless, Clark advocated for the use of her methods as a substitute for standard medical care:
Regarding the effectiveness of her treatment, Clark wrote, "The method is 100% effective in stopping cancer regardless of the type of cancer or how terminal it may be. It follows that this method must work for you, too, if you are able to carry out the instructions."
Major methods and topics
- Diet Cleanup: Clark said that foodFoodFood is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
and supplementsDietary supplementA dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
were sullied by contaminants such as heavy metalsHeavy metalsA heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...
, byproducts in manufacturing, residue and moldMoldMolds are fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. Molds are not considered to be microbes but microscopic fungi that grow as single cells called yeasts...
. - Homeography: According to Clark, a "new science ... which is the electronic analog of homeopathyHomeopathyHomeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
." She said an electronic signature of a substance can be transferred into bottles making a "bottle copy" of the original substance and that it can be done indefinitely. - Liver flushBody cleansingDetoxification is an alternative medicine approach that proponents claim rids the body of "toxins", accumulated harmful substances that are alleged to exert undesirable effects on individual health...
: She advocated the use of a 'liver flush'. She said it removes gallstoneGallstoneA gallstone is a crystalline concretion formed within the gallbladder by accretion of bile components. These calculi are formed in the gallbladder, but may pass distally into other parts of the biliary tract such as the cystic duct, common bile duct, pancreatic duct, or the ampulla of...
s and parasitesParasitismParasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
from the liverLiverThe liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and bile ductBile ductA bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry bile.Bile, required for the digestion of food, is excreted by the liver into passages that carry bile toward the hepatic duct, which joins with the cystic duct to form the common bile duct, which opens into the intestine.The...
s. This involves fastingFastingFasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
, epsom salt laxatives and a mixture of olive oilOlive oilOlive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
and grapefruitGrapefruitThe grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
juice. - ParasitesParasitismParasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
: Clark said people have parasites that cause numerous problems. She described herbal and electronic methods to remove them, such as her Zapper device (see below). - Syncrometer: A "bioresonance" device developed by Clark and claimed to detect contaminants in substances up to one part per quadrillion (ppq).
- Zapper: A device thought to pulse low voltage DC current through the body at specific frequencies. Clark said this device kills virusVirusA virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es, bacteriaBacteriaBacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and parasites. In one case, a patient with a cardiac pacemakerCardiac pacemakerright|thumb|350px|Image showing the cardiac pacemaker which is the SA nodeThe contraction of heart muscle in all animals with hearts is initiated by chemical impulses. The rate at which these impulses fire controls the heart rate...
suffered arrhythmias because of interference from the "Zapper."
Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration action
The Federal Trade CommissionFederal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
brought a complaint against the Dr. Clark Research Foundation because of the foundation's claims about the effectiveness of the Syncrometer, the Super-Zapper Deluxe and "Dr. Clark's New 21 Day Program for Advanced Cancers." In November 2004, the case reached stipulated judgment, wherein the case's judge ordered the foundation's operators to offer refunds to the purchasers of these devices and to refrain from making a number of claims about those devices. The Director of Enforcement at the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
has stated that Clark's devices seem to be "fraudulent."
Indiana
In 1993, while Clark lived and practiced in IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, a former patient complained to the Indiana attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
. An investigator for the Indiana Department of Health and a deputy attorney general visited her office incognito as part of a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
. Clark proceeded to test the investigator and "told him he had the HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
virus [sic], but said that he did not have cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
." She told the investigator that she could cure his HIV in 3 minutes, but that he would "get it back" unless he committed to returning for six more appointments. She then ordered blood test
Blood test
A blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a needle, or via fingerprick....
s from a laboratory. Upon learning of the undercover investigators' status, Clark stated that everything she had told them had been a "mistake". Two days later she had vacated the premises and disappeared.
Six years later, in September 1999, Clark was located and arrested in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, based on a fugitive warrant
Warrant (law)
Most often, the term warrant refers to a specific type of authorization; a writ issued by a competent officer, usually a judge or magistrate, which permits an otherwise illegal act that would violate individual rights and affords the person executing the writ protection from damages if the act is...
from Indiana. According to Clark, this was the first time she learned about the charge. Her lawyer protested the long delay before her arrest, but a prosecutor implied that she fled Indiana "when she learned that she was being investigated by the state," and that the local police department had limited resources to devote to finding her. She was returned to Indiana to stand trial, where she was charged with practicing medicine without a license. The charge was later dismissed for failure to provide her with a speedy trial
Speedy trial
Speedy trial refers to one of the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution to defendants in criminal proceedings. The right to a speedy trial, guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, is intended to ensure that defendants are not subjected to unreasonably lengthy incarceration prior to a fair...
. The judge's verdict did not address the merits of the charges but only the issue of whether the delay had compromised Clark's ability to mount a defense and her right to a speedy trial.
Mexico
In February 2001, Mexican authorities inspected Clark's Century Nutrition clinic and ordered it shut down, as the clinic had never registered and was operating without a license. In June 2001, the Mexican authorities announced that the clinic would be permitted to reopen, but was prohibited from offering "alternative" treatments. The clinic was also fined 160,000 pesos (about $18,000), and Clark was barred from working in Mexico, even as a consultant; however, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported in 2003 that there was evidence that Clark continued to work at the clinic.Evaluation of claims and criticism
Hulda Clark has been criticized because her claims lack scientific validity and consist of anecdotal evidenceAnecdotal evidence
The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. Because of the small sample, there is a larger chance that it may be true but unreliable due to cherry-picked or otherwise unrepresentative of typical cases....
. Joseph Pizzorno, a prominent naturopathic physician, evaluated Clark's claims and found that her books mixed patients with conventionally diagnosed cancer with those whose cancer diagnosis was based solely on her use of the "Syncrometer". The patients with medically diagnosed cancer did not respond to Clark's treatment, while those she had diagnosed using the "Syncrometer" were "cured". Pizzorno concluded that Clark's treatments were ineffective and that treatments based on Clark's recommendations "pose a substantive public health danger".
The Swiss Study Group for Complementary and Alternative Methods in Cancer (SCAC) issued a strong warning to cancer patients considering Clark's methods:
Prominent alternative medicine proponent Andrew Weil
Andrew Weil
Andrew Thomas Weil is an American author and physician, who established the field of integrative medicine which attempts to integrate alternative and conventional medicine. Weil is the author of several best-selling books and operates a website and monthly newsletter promoting general health and...
has written, "No studies have backed up [Clark's] bizarre claims, and it’s unclear whether the cancer patients she’s supposedly cured ever had cancer to begin with."
In 2002, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Clark and her son Geoff operated a restaurant and leased housing for patients at Clark's Tijuana clinic. The article described a couple whose daughter, suffering from spinal muscular atrophy
Spinal muscular atrophy
Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in progressive muscular atrophy and weakness. The clinical spectrum of SMA ranges from early infant death to normal adult life with only mild weakness...
, was treated for 10 months by Clark at a cost of approximately $30,000 without improvement. Despite the cost and lack of improvement, the couple stated that Clark insisted she was close to curing the child, and that stopping treatment might endanger her. The patient's mother commented, "People don’t understand why we stayed so long, but Hulda Clark did a very good job of preying on us," and Clark, while stating she could not respond to the parents' allegations on grounds of patient confidentiality, denied their statements in general.
Personal
She was married to John Burt Clark from 1956 to 1965. During that time she had three sons: Geoffrey Allen Clark, Douglas Burt Walcerz, and Robert John Clark.Works
- The Three Owls Reading Method (1965–67)
- The Cure for All Cancers (1993)
- The Cure For HIV / AIDS (1993)
- The Cure for All Diseases (1995)
- The Cure For All Advanced Cancers (1999)
- Syncrometer Science Laboratory Manual (2000)
- The Prevention of all Cancers (2004)
- The Cure and Prevention of All Cancers (2007)
External links
- Official website
- Federal Trade Commission Action Against Dr. Clark Research Association
- State of Indiana v. Hulda Clark, Probable Cause Affidavit. Filed August 16, 1993.
- The Bizarre Claims of Hulda Clark at QuackwatchQuackwatchQuackwatch is an American non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett with the stated aim being to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere."...
, which has been involved in litigation with Clark