The Shady Activities of Kurt Donsbach

I have been closely monitoring Kurt Donsbach's activities since 1971. His primary activity since 1987 has been the operation of Hospital Santa Monica, a Mexican facility which he describes as "the most advanced wholistic hospital in North America." The hospital's Web site has stated that he "has long been recognized as a world leader in charting effective wholistic treatment programs for chronic degenerative diseases; particularly, cancer, cardiovascular disease, candidiasis and arthritis, as well as for detoxification and rejuvenation." Donsbach's Web site states that he has produced more than 50 books and pamphlets that have sold a total of 14 milion copies. Most of these were booklets titled "Dr. Donsbach Tells You What You Always Wanted To Know About . . . ." Donsbach's other activities and enterprises have been so numerous and complex that no one—including Donsbach himself—can document all of them with certainty.

Kurt W. Donsbach

Donsbach graduated in 1957 from Western States Chiropractic College, in Portland, Oregon, and practiced as a chiropractor in Montana, "specializing in treatment of arthritic and rheumatoid disorders." From 1961 to 1965, he worked in "research development and marketing" for Standard Process Laboratories (a division of Royal Lee's Vitamin Products Company) and the Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While Donsbach worked for Lee, he lived in California, did literature research, and gave nutrition seminars, primarily to chiropractors who were interested in marketing the company's products to their patients. In 1962, while Donsbach was still employed, Lee and the Vitamin Products Company were convicted of misbranding 115 special dietary products by making false claims for the treatment of more than 500 diseases and conditions. Lee received a one-year suspended prison term and was fined $7,000. In 1963, a prominent FDA official said Lee was "probably the largest publisher of unreliable and false nutritional information in the world." Lee died in 1967.

After Lee became ill, Donsbach left his employ and opened Nature's Way Health Food Store, in Westminster, California, and Westpro Laboratories, in Garden Grove, California, which repackaged dietary supplements and a few drugs. In 1970, undercover agents of the Fraud Division of the California Bureau of Food and Drug observed Donsbach represent to customers in his store that vitamins, minerals, and/or herbal tea were effective against cancer, heart disease, emphysema (a chronic lung disease), and many other ailments. Most of the products Donsbach "prescribed" were packaged by Westpro Labs. Charged with nine counts of illegal activity, Donsbach pleaded guilty in 1971 to one count of practicing medicine without a license and agreed to cease "nutritional consultation." He was assessed $2,750 and served two years' summary probation .

In 1973, Donsbach was charged with nine more counts of illegal activity, including misbranding of drugs; selling, holding for sale, or offering for sale, new drugs without having the proper applications on file; and manufacturing drugs without a license. After pleading "no contest" to one of the "new drug" charges, he was ordered to pay a small fine and was placed on two years' summary probation with the provision that he rid himself of all proprietary interest in Westpro Labs.

In 1974, Donsbach was found guilty of violating his probation and was fined again. Donsbach then sold the company to RichLife, Inc., of Anaheim, California, for $250,000 plus a promise of $20,000 a year for occasionally conducting seminars and operating the company's booth at trade shows. The agreement also gave RichLife sole right to market Dr. Donsbach Pak Vitamins, among which were Arth Pak, Athletic Pak, Dynamite Pak, Health and Beauty Pak, and Stress Formula Pak. These products, which were marketed in interstate commerce, were unapproved new drugs and misbranded.

In 1975, Donsbach owned and operated Metabolic Products, a company that marketed supplement products with unsubstantiated claims. That year, he also began his fourteen years of service as board chairman of the National Health Federation, a group that promotes the full gamut of quackery.

In 1976, Donsbach acquired a license to practice naturopathy in Oregon, based on a document that was later revealed to be a forgery (see below).

In 1980, the District Attorney of Orange County charged RichLife with making false and illegal claims for various products, including some originally formulated by Donsbach. In a court-approved settlement, RichLife paid $50,000 and agreed to stop making the claims. In 1986, RichLife was charged with violating this agreement and was assessed $48,000 more in another court-approved settlement.

In 1979, Donsbach began operating Donsbach University, a nonaccredited correspondence school that awarded bachelor, master, and doctoral "degrees" in nutrition . The fact that his "university" was not accredited did not deter Donsbach from stating that it was—by the National Accreditation Association (N.A.A.) of Riverdale, Maryland. An investigation by the National Council Against Health Fraud revealed that this "agency" was formed in 1980 by a California chiropractor and had "accredited" Donsbach University a few months later. In 1981, Dr. William Jarvis, President of the National Council Against Health Fraud, visited N.A.A. in Maryland and found that its "office" was a telephone in the living room of its executive director, who said he received $100-a-month salary. Although N.A.A. correspondence had designated the man as holding a "Ph.D." from the Sussex College of Technology in England, the British Embassy informed Jarvis that it did not consider the "school" or its diplomas valid. N.A.A. quietly disappeared after the California Department of Education warned Donsbach to stop misrepresenting the significance of N.A.A. "accreditation."

Donsbach also operated the International Institute of Natural Health Sciences, through which he marketed numerous misleading publications and a "Nutrient Deficiency Test" used nationwide by chiropractors and bogus nutritionists to defraud consumers.

In 1982, Donsbach formed and became board chairman of Health Resources Group, Inc., which sold supplement products to health-food stores through HRG Enterprises and a multilevel company named Nutrition Motivation. HRG also operated two clinics and a syndicated radio talk show, which Donsbach hosted. In 1984, Donsbach announced that he had repurchased from RichLife the rights to sell products with his name, and HRG began promoting such products as Orachel (falsely claimed to be effective against heart disease), C-Thru (falsely claimed to be effective against cataracts) and Prosta-Pak (falsely claimed to provide "nutritional support for the prostate gland").

In June 1985, the FDA sent Donsbach and HRG a regulatory letter indicating that claims made for Orachel made it an unapproved new drug that was illegal to market. A few months later, New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams had Orachel seized from several retail outlets in the New York City area and filed suit to block further sale and distribution of the product throughout the state. However, before either of these actions took place, Donsbach had transferred ownership of HRG Enterprises to a business associate. Marketing of Orachel was stopped, but Ora-Flow, an identical Donsbach product, continued to be marketed.

In July 1985, the New York Attorney General brought actions against Donsbach, his university, and his International Institute, charging that they lacked legal authorization to conduct business within New York State and that it was illegal to advertise nonaccredited degrees to state residents. Abrams also charged that the institute's "Nutrient Deficiency Test" was a scheme to defraud consumers. This test was composed of 245 yes/no questions about symptoms. When the answers were fed into a computer, a report of supposed nutrient deficiencies and medical conditions was printed out. The questions did not provide a basis for evaluating nutritional status. A scientist with the FDA's Buffalo district office who analyzed the computer program (in connection with prosecution of a Donsbach University "graduate") found that no matter how the questions were answered, the test reported several "nutrient deficiencies" and almost always recommended an identical list of vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes. The questionnaire also contained questions about the subject's food intake during the past week. However, the answers given did not affect the printout of supposed deficiencies.

In 1986, Donsbach and his Institute agreed to: (a) stop marketing in New York State all current versions of its nutrient deficiency questionnaire and associated computer analysis services, (b) place conspicuous disclaimers on future versions of the questionnaire to indicate that the test should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any disease by either consumers or professionals, and (c) pay $1,000 in costs. Donsbach and the university agreed to disclose in any direct mailings to New York residents or in any nationally distributed publication that the school's degree programs were not registered with the New York Department of Education and were not accredited by a recognized agency. The university also agreed to pay $500 to New York State.

In 1987, Donsbach filed for bankruptcy, listing no assets and over $3 million in debts claimed by more than 100 creditors. The largest debt was for for more than $2 million in unpaid bills for satellite broadcasting of his HRG radio programs. During the same year, Jacob Swilling assumed ownership of Donsbach University, which was renamed International University for Nutrition Education but soon went defunct.

In 1988, the Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Board of Examiners revoked the license of a naturopath after determining that he had used a counterfeit credential to obtain it —a diploma dated "17st June 1961" from the "Hollywood College School of Naturopathy" in Los Angeles. The authorities concluded that no such school had existed and that the "diploma" had been created by making altered photocopies of a 1961 diploma from the Hollywood College School of Chiropractic. Authorities in Oregon then determined that Donsbach and four others had acquired their licenses in the same way. In 1990, Donsbach was prohibited from holding a naturopathic license based on the forged degree .

In 1988, a U.S. Postal Service Judicial Officer ordered Donsbach and his nephew Richard to stop misrepresenting in mail-order sales that a 35% solution of hydrogen peroxide is effective against arthritis and cancer. Under federal law, these representations also made the product an unapproved new drug and misbranded.

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Stay Away from Donsbach University Graduates

During the past 25 years, nonaccredited correspondence schools and other organizations have issued thousands of "degrees" and certificates which suggest that the recipient is a qualified expert in nutrition. These documents are promoted as though they are equivalent in meaning to established credentials—which they are not. Whereas nutrition degrees from accredited schools generally take several years to acquire, Donsbach degrees could be obtained in less than a year. Some cases involve no schooling at all but mere payment of a fee.

The most prominent nonaccredited school was Donsbach University of Huntington Beach, California, whose president, Kurt W. Donsbach, D.C., is one of the world's most notorious promoters of dubious health information and treatment. I have been closely monitoring Donsbach's activities since 1971.

Although Donsbach has placed various letters after his name, he has never acquired an accredited degree. In 1957, he graduated from Western States Chiropractic College, in Portland, Oregon, and practiced as a chiropractor in Montana, "specializing in treatment of arthritic and rheumatoid disorders." Later he acquired a license to practice naturopathy in Oregon, based on a document that was later revealed to be a forgery. From 1961 to 1965, he worked in "research development and marketing" for Standard Process Laboratories (a division of Royal Lee's Vitamin Products Company) and the Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While Donsbach worked for Lee, he lived in California, did literature research, and gave nutrition seminars, primarily to chiropractors who were interested in marketing the company's products to their patients. In 1962, while Donsbach was still employed, Lee and the Vitamin Products Company were convicted of misbranding 115 special dietary products by making false claims for the treatment of more than 500 diseases and conditions. Lee received a one-year suspended prison term and was fined $7,000. In 1963, a prominent FDA official said Lee was "probably the largest publisher of unreliable and false nutritional information in the world." Lee died in 1967. After Lee became ill, Donsbach left his employ and opened a health food store in Westminster, California, and Westpro Laboratories, in Garden Grove, California, which repackaged dietary supplements and a few drugs. From 1975 to 1989, Donsbach served as board chairman of the National Health Federation, a group that promotes the full gamut of quackery.

In 1970, undercover agents of the Fraud Division of the California Bureau of Food and Drug observed Donsbach represent to customers in his store that vitamins, minerals, and/or herbal tea were effective against cancer, heart disease, emphysema (a chronic lung disease), and many other ailments. Most of the products Donsbach "prescribed" were packaged by Westpro Labs. Charged with nine counts of illegal activity, Donsbach pleaded guilty in 1971 to one count of practicing medicine without a license and agreed to cease "nutritional consultation." He was assessed $2,750 and served two years' summary probation.

In 1973, Donsbach was charged with nine more counts of illegal activity, including misbranding of drugs; selling, holding for sale, or offering for sale, new drugs without having the proper applications on file; and manufacturing drugs without a license. After pleading "no contest" to one of the "new drug" charges, he was ordered to pay a small fine and was placed on two years' summary probation with the provision that he rid himself of all proprietary interest in Westpro Labs. In 1974, Donsbach was found guilty of violating his probation and was fined again.

In 1996, after a lengthy investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, he was indicted and pleaded guilty to smuggling unapproved drugs into the U.S. and not paying income tax on the money he made for selling them. In a plea bargain with the U.S. Attorney's office, he forfeited about $165,000 and paid an additional $150,000 in back taxes. In 1997, Donsbach was sentenced to a year in federal prison by a federal judge, but the sentence was later changed to six months of "house arrest," during which time he was permitted to conduct business as usual in Mexico and elsewhere.

History of Donsbach University

During the mid-1970s, Donsbach affiliated with nonaccredited Union University and reported that he had acquired MS and PhD "degrees" in nutrition from the school. During 1977, Union formed a nutrition department with Donsbach as its "dean" Donsbach subsequently launched and became president of his own school, Donsbach University, which in 1979 became "authorized" by California to grant degrees. This status had nothing to do with accreditation or other academic recognition, but merely required the filing of an affidavit which described the school's program and asserted that it had at least $50,000 in assets.

Donsbach University, which operated mainly by mail, initially offered courses leading to B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. "degrees" in nutrition. Its original "catalog" was a 4-page flyer. The original "faculty" had seven members, including Donsbach, Alan H. Nittler, M.D., and Ray Yancy, an unlicensed practitioner of iridology. Its 16-person advisory advisory board included Nittler, Richard Passwater, "Ph.D.," Betty Morales, Benjamin Colimore, "Ph.D," and Bruce Halstead, M.D.

Colimore's "Ph.D." was issued by Donsbach University. In 1980, he and his wife were prosecuted by the Los Angeles City Attorney for conduct during the operation of their health food store. Prosecution was initiated after a customer complained that the Colimores had diagnosed a bad heart valve, pancreatic abscesses and benign growths of her liver, intestine and stomach—all based on an analysis of her hair—and prescribed two products from the store. After pleading "no contest" to one count of practicing medicine without a license, the Colimores were fined $2,000, given a 60-day suspended jail sentence, and placed on probation for two years.

The original catalog listed 14 "textbooks" required for the "core curriculum." Four of these were actual textbooks, but the rest were books written for the general public by promoters of questionable nutrition practices who recommend dietary supplements for the prevention and/or treatment of a wide range of diseases. In addition to Donsbach, these included Carlton Fredericks and Lendon Smith. Fredericks, who had no formal nutrition training, was convicted of practicing medicine without a license in New York in 1945. Smith, a pediatrician, was placed on probation by the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners from 1971 through 1979 for "inappropriate prescribing of drugs" to adult heroin addicts. In 1988, he permanently surrendered his license to settle charges of insurance fraud filed by the Oregon Board.

The catalog also listed 18 textbooks under the "Advanced Graduate Study" program. Of these, 15 were not recognized textbooks but were written by promoters of questionable nutrition practices who recommend dietary supplements for the prevention and/or treatment of a wide range of diseases. The authors included Donsbach, Smith, the Colimores, Passwater (2), and Emory Thurston, Ph.D., who in 1973 was convicted, fined and placed on two years' probation in the State of California after selling laetrile to a woman who told him she had cancer.

The 1981 Donsbach University tuition schedule listed a registration fee of $100 and a tuition fee of $3,045, with a 20% discount for prepayment. In 1985, the MS/Ph.D. tuition was $4,495 with a 20% discount for prepayment. Donsbach claims that the school served over 4,000 students. The significance of this number is unclear.

In 1980, the California Board of Registered Nursing approved Donsbach University as continuing education provider. However, after receiving complaints, the board concluded that his credentials and training were problematic and that substantial portions of the course materials for his "Nutrition in Action" course were "inaccurate and not related to scientific knowledge required for the practice of nursing." In 1984, the board withdrew its approval but, after Donsbach petitioned for a rehearing, the case was settled by a stipulation in which the board set aside its withdrawal and Donsbach surrendered his provider number and agreed not to apply for another one for at least five years. During the proceedings, Donsbach submitted a CV in which stated that Union University had awarded him a Master of Science degree in molecular biology in 1975 and a Ph.D. degree in nutritional science in 1976. However, Union University president Robert Pfeiffer stated in a letter that (a) that Donsbach had never been a student at Union, (b) the school had never offered the degrees Donsbach claimed (molecular biology and nutritional science), and (c) the school lacked the laboratories and other facilities that would be necessary to provide such degrees. Donsbach's petition for rehearing vigorously disputed this, but the the stipulated settlement prevented further consideration of this issue.

In catalogs and advertisements during the early 1980s, Donsbach University maintained that it was accredited by the National Accreditation Association (NAA). This "agency" was bogus. It was created in 1980 by a California chiropractor and two members of his family. A few months later, Donsbach University announced that it had become accredited. In 1981, Dr. William Jarvis, President of the National Council Against Health Fraud, visited NAA in Maryland and found that its "office" was a telephone in the living room of its executive director, who said he received $100-a-month salary. Although NAA correspondence had designated the man as holding a "Ph.D." from the Sussex College of Technology in England, the British Embassy informed Jarvis that it did not consider the "school" or its diplomas valid. NAA was never recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation. In 1981, California authorities ordered Donsbach to stop representing that his school was accredited without mentioning that the agency was not recognized.

In 1984, Donsbach University announced that it had been recognized as a candidate for accreditation by the National Association of Private, Nontraditional Schools and Colleges (NAPNSC) as of March 3, 1984. Documents in my possession indicate that NAPNSC began trying to gain recognition from the U.S. Secretary of Education in 1976 and from the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation in 1977 but was not successful. An NAPNSC position paper dated March 20, 1984, stated that neither agency had any intention of permitting NAPNSC to become recognized.

Donsbach also operated the International Institute of Natural Health Sciences, a company through which he marketed numerous misleading publications and a "Nutrient Deficiency Test" which was taught to students and used nationwide by chiropractors and bogus nutritionists.

In July 1985, the New York Attorney General brought actions against Donsbach, his university, and the International Institute, charging that they lacked legal authorization to conduct business within New York State and that it was illegal to advertise nonaccredited degrees to state residents. Abrams also charged that the institute's "Nutrient Deficiency Test" was a scheme to defraud consumers. This test was composed of 245 yes/no questions about symptoms. When the answers were fed into a computer, a report of supposed nutrient deficiencies and medical conditions was printed out. The questions did not provide a basis for evaluating nutritional status. A scientist with the FDA's Buffalo district office who analyzed the computer program (in connection with prosecution of a Donsbach University "graduate") found that no matter how the questions were answered, the test reported several "nutrient deficiencies" and almost always recommended an identical list of vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes. The questionnaire also contained questions about the subject's food intake during the past week. However, the answers given did not affect the printout of supposed deficiencies.

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Some Notes on Donsbach University

During the past 25 years, nonaccredited correspondence schools and other organizations have issued thousands of "degrees" and certificates which suggest that the recipient is a qualified expert in nutrition. These documents are promoted as though they are equivalent in meaning to established credentials -- which they are not. Whereas nutrition degrees from accredited schools generally take several years to acquire, Donsbach degrees could be obtained in less than a year. Some cases involve no schooling at all but mere payment of a fee.

The most prominent nonaccredited school was Donsbach University of Huntington Beach, California, whose president, Kurt W. Donsbach, D.C., is one of the world's most notorious promoters of dubious health information and treatment. I have been closely monitoring Donsbach's activities since 1971.

Although Donsbach has placed various letters after his name, he has never acquired an accredited degree. In 1957, he graduated from Western States Chiropractic College, in Portland, Oregon, and practiced as a chiropractor in Montana, "specializing in treatment of arthritic and rheumatoid disorders." Later he acquired a license to practice naturopathy in Oregon, based on a document that was later revealed to be a forgery. From 1961 to 1965, he worked in "research development and marketing" for Standard Process Laboratories (a division of Royal Lee's Vitamin Products Company) and the Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While Donsbach worked for Lee, he lived in California, did literature research, and gave nutrition seminars, primarily to chiropractors who were interested in marketing the company's products to their patients. In 1962, while Donsbach was still employed, Lee and the Vitamin Products Company were convicted of misbranding 115 special dietary products by making false claims for the treatment of more than 500 diseases and conditions. Lee received a one-year suspended prison term and was fined $7,000. In 1963, a prominent FDA official said Lee was "probably the largest publisher of unreliable and false nutritional information in the world." Lee died in 1967.

After Lee became ill, Donsbach left his employ and opened a health food store in Westminster, California, and Westpro Laboratories, in Garden Grove, California, which repackaged dietary supplements and a few drugs. From 1975 to 1989, Donsbach served as board chairman of the National Health Federation, a group that promotes the full gamut of quackery.

In 1970, undercover agents of the Fraud Division of the California Bureau of Food and Drug observed Donsbach represent to customers in his store that vitamins, minerals, and/or herbal tea were effective against cancer, heart disease, emphysema (a chronic lung disease), and many other ailments. Most of the products Donsbach "prescribed" were packaged by Westpro Labs. Charged with nine counts of illegal activity, Donsbach pleaded guilty in 1971 to one count of practicing medicine without a license and agreed to cease "nutritional consultation." He was assessed $2,750 and served two years' summary probation.

In 1973, Donsbach was charged with nine more counts of illegal activity, including misbranding of drugs; selling, holding for sale, or offering for sale, new drugs without having the proper applications on file; and manufacturing drugs without a license.

After pleading "no contest" to one of the "new drug" charges, he was ordered to pay a small fine and was placed on two years' summary probation with the provision that he rid himself of all proprietary interest in Westpro Labs. In 1974, Donsbach was found guilty of violating his probation and was fined again.

In 1996, after a lengthy investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, he was indicted and pleaded guilty to smuggling unapproved drugs into the U.S. and not paying income tax on the money he made for selling them. In a plea bargain with the U.S. Attorney's office, he forfeited about $165,000 and paid an additional $150,000 in back taxes. In 1997, Donsbach was sentenced to a year in federal prison by a federal judge, but the sentence was later changed to six months of "house arrest," during which time he was permitted to conduct business as usual in Mexico and elsewhere.

History of Donsbach University

During the mid-1970s, Donsbach affiliated with Union University, a nonaccredited school in Los Angeles. During 1977, Union formed a nutrition department with Donsbach as its "dean" and he allegedly acquired MS and PhD "degrees" in nutrition from the school. Donsbach subsequently launched and became president of his own school, Donsbach University, which in 1979 became "authorized" by California to grant degrees. This status had nothing to do with accreditation or other academic recognition, but merely required the filing of an affidavit which described the school's program and asserted that it had at least $50,000 in assets.

Donsbach University, which operated mainly by mail, initially offered courses leading to B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. "degrees" in nutrition. Its original "catalog" was a 4-page flyer.

The original "faculty" had seven members, including Donsbach, Alan H. Nittler, M.D., and Ray Yancy, an unlicensed practitioner of iridology. Its 16-person advisory advisory board included Nittler, Richard Passwater, "Ph.D.," Betty Morales, Benjamin Colimore, "Ph.D," and Bruce Halstead, M.D.

Colimore's "Ph.D." was issued by Donsbach University.

The original catalog listed 14 "textbooks" required for the "core curriculum." Four of these were actual textbooks, but the rest were books written for the general public by promoters of questionable nutrition practices who recommend dietary supplements for the prevention and/or treatment of a wide range of diseases. In addition to Donsbach, these included Carlton Fredericks and Lendon Smith. Fredericks, who had no formal nutrition training, was convicted of practicing medicine without a license in New York in 1945. Smith, a pediatrician, was placed on probation by the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners from 1971 through 1979 for "inappropriate prescribing of drugs" to adult heroin addicts. In 1988, he permanently surrendered his license to settle charges of insurance fraud filed by the Oregon Board.

The catalog also listed 18 textbooks under the "Advanced Graduate Study" program. Of these, 15 were not recognized textbooks but were written by promoters of questionable nutrition practices who recommend dietary supplements for the prevention and/or treatment of a wide range of diseases. The authors included Donsbach, Smith, the Colimores, Passwater (2), and Emory Thurston, Ph.D., who in 1973 was convicted, fined and placed on two years' probation in the State of California after selling laetrile to a woman who told him she had cancer.

The 1981 Donsbach University tuition schedule listed a registration fee of $100 and a tuition fee of $3,045, with a 20% discount for prepayment. In 1985, the MS/Ph.D. tuition was $4,495 with a 20% discount for prepayment. Donsbach claims that the school served over 4,000 students. The significance of this number is unclear.

In catalogs and advertisements during the early 1980s, Donsbach University maintained that it was accredited by the National Accreditation Association (NAA). This "agency" was bogus. It was created in 1980 by a California chiropractor and two members of his family.

A few months later, Donsbach University announced that it had become accredited. In 1981, Dr. William Jarvis, President of the National Council Against Health Fraud, visited NAA in Maryland and found that its "office" was a telephone in the living room of its executive director, who said he received $100-a-month salary. Although NAA correspondence had designated the man as holding a "Ph.D." from the Sussex College of Technology in England, the British Embassy informed Jarvis that it did not consider the "school" or its diplomas valid. NAA was never recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education or the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation. In 1981, California authorities ordered Donsbach to stop representing that his school was accredited without mentioning that the agency was not recognized.

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Its first editor was Alan Nittler, M.D., a California physician who had lost his license to practice medicine in 1975 as a result of using unproven "nutritional therapies." After three issues he was replaced by Hans Kugler, Ph.D., president of the International Academy of Wholistic Health and Medicine, and author of Seven Keys to a Longer Life. In 1981, the journal was renamed Health Express, Donsbach took over as editor-in-chief, and marketing was begun through health food stores and newsstands.

During most of 1982, Holcomb served as editor, general manager, and director of sales, while Donsbach was listed on the masthead either as editorial director or as editor-in-chief.

For the first few issues after the merger that formed AANC, its national board of counselors was listed on the journal's masthead with Donsbach as chairman. But a few months later, this listing was dropped and Donsbach's name appeared as one of six contributing editors. At various times, AANC's letterhead listed seven, eight, or nine members on its national board of counselors, one of whom, Gary Pace, sported a "Ph.D., degree from Donsbach University.

Pace's schemes, said Abrams, had induced hundreds of consumers to pay him for improper physical examinations, worthless laboratory tests (including hair analysis and herbal crystallization analysis), bogus nutritional advice, and unnecessary vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements. Abrams said that at least 251 clients had paid Pace an average of $307 during the previous four years. Some of Pace's female clients reported that Pace had examined their breasts or genitals. Several clients underwent significant expense to obtain medical reassurance that they did not have various diseases that Pace said they had. One was advised by her medical doctor to stop taking vitamin A because her palms had become yellow as a result of overdosage. Pace also taught in the extension division of a local community college and hosted a radio program. The case was settled with an injunction forbidding Pace from engaging in the unlawful practice of medicine or using "Ph.D." or "Dr." in dealings with the public unless he obtains recognized credentials. During the same period, Abrams obtained a court order forbidding Donsbach University from marketing its courses to New York State residents.

Shortly after Abrams filed suits against Pace and Donsbach, Pace was removed from the AANC board and Donsbach's name disappeared from the masthead of The Nutrition and Dietary Consultant.

In 1983, Sassafras Herbert (a poodle) became a professional member of AANDC and Charlie Herbert (a cat) secured professional membership in IANC. Both were household pets of Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D., a prominent nutrition scientist. All Dr. Herbert did was submit their name and address plus $50. Donsbach reacted to this news by claiming that that professional members in IANC were required to have "adequate professional background . . . either a degree in the healing arts or a graduate of Donsbach University." The IANC application had asked four questions on professional background, but "Charlie" had left them blank. Despite widespread publicity of the pets' entry into the world of nutritional consultation, their memberships were not cancelled. After the AANDC membership year was up, Dr. Herbert obtained a new "professional membership" in AANC by sending $50 plus the name and address of another dog.

Winston W. Greene, BA, BS, DC, practices "nutrition" in Houston, Texas, and offers a free "nutrition health survey" that resembles Donsbach's "nutrient deficiency" test. An article on his site addresses the National Cholesterol Education program as "you dumb bunnies" and claims that, "Cholesterol is the best thing going in our bodies. So are the naturally occurring fats such as tallow and coconut oil."

I stopped tracking AANC in 1989 and saw no further indication of its existence until January 1998, when Donsbach announced that he had reassumed its leadership in 1994 but later passed it to Wendell W. Whitman, B.A., M. Div., N.D. The announcement appeared as an editorial in the first issue of Healthkeepers Magazine, which was described as a quarterly magazine formed by "a merger of the former Journal of the Certified Natural Health Professional and the HealthKeepers Journal into an all encompassing publication which is a voice for all natural health professionals and nutritionists."

a protégé of Lee, replaced Fred Hart as NHF's board chairman in 1975 and held that position until 1989. In 1971, after agents of the California Bureau of Food and Drug observed Donsbach tell customers at his health food store that vitamins, minerals, and/or herbal tea were effective against several serious diseases, he pled guilty to one count of practicing medicine without a license and agreed to cease "nutritional consultation." In the ensuing years, Donsbach has marketed supplement products, issued publications, operated nonaccredited correspondence schools, marketed a bogus "nutrient deficiency" test, and administered dubious treatments at Mexican cancer clinics.

John N. Ritchason, N.D., wrote The Vitamin and Health Encyclopedia (1986) and The Little Herb Encyclopedia (1982), both of which recommend vitamins, minerals and/or herbs for more than 150 health problems. The books state that Ritchason had a Ph.D. from Donsbach University and was a naturopath, iridologist, herbalist, Touch-for-Health Instructor, and Registered Healthologist.

In 1986, a company controlled by Kurt Donsbach published The Great Medical Monopoly Wars, a book which claimed that the American Medical Association, the FDA, drug companies, and various individuals were conspiring to "destroy the American free-enterprise system in the health care field." The book contained false and defamatory statements about antiquackery activists John H.

Renner, M.D., and Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D. Despite warnings from the pair's attorney, NHF and several allied individuals, organizations, and publications promoted the book and made additional defamatory remarks. Dr. Renner filed suit in Missouri against six defendants and wound up collecting $60,000 in an out-of court settlement with Donsbach, Clinton Miller, and Maureen Salaman.

In 1989, Donsbach left under bitter circumstances and launched a new organization. A special NHF report distributed in July 1990 stated that Clinton Miller had been fired for setting up an unauthorized bank account, and that attorney Dilling was suing NHF for $64,633.17 for allegedly unpaid fees in the Herbert and Renner cases. NHF wound up suing Donsbach, Miller, and various other former NHF members. These difficulties, added to other financial problems and decreased membership, appear to have greatly weakened NHF.

One of the most widely available sources of information about the use of DMSO in unconventional cancer treatments is the booklet commonly available in health food stores, Dr. Donsbach Tells You What You Always Wanted to Know About DMSO (263). In this booklet, it is claimed that "while DMSO has not brought 'cure' for health problems, it has been and is now the source of comfort for millions of medical consumers." Donsbach states that DMSO acts by making cancer cells "behave more normally by bringing about a mitotic turnabout." He proposes its use as a treatment to relieve pain, to slow the growth of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, to control inflammation and swelling, to relieve burns and sprains, and to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, herpes, tuberculosis, sinusitis, and cancer. Another source in the popular literature discusses the use of DMSO in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs (593).

Several additional adverse effects of DMSO are mentioned in the Donsbach booklet (263), including "possible damaging effects to the liver, the kidneys, bloodforming organs, and the central nervous system"; and "headache, dizziness, nausea, and sedation."

Hydrogen peroxide is given in dilute form by various routes -- oral, rectal, intravenous, vaginal, and in bathing. Proponents state that hydrogen peroxide oxidizes toxins, kills bacteria and viruses, and stimulates immunity (364). One unconventional practitioner, Kurt Donsbach, who treats cancer patients in Tijuana, formulated a line of products using hydrogen peroxide, including ear drops, nasal spray, and tooth gel. Donsbach states that every cancer patient at his clinic in Tijuana receives dilute "infusions of the 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide throughout their entire stay" (262). In 1988, the U.S. Postal Service issued Donsbach a cease and desist order to stop him from claiming that the hydrogen peroxide used orally or intravenously is effective against cancer or arthritis, or that it is fit for human consumption (69). Another clinic, the Gerson clinic in Tijuana, has recently added ozone therapy to their regimen, partly on the basis of the laboratory study by Sweet and colleagues referred to above (401). Patients at the Gerson clinic are commonly given ozone enemas, consisting of 500 to 1000 cc of ozone given rectally in less than one minute (318).

Like Donsbach, Rowland has developed training programs, credentials, and political support for "nutritional consultants" who advocate dubious practices. In 1983, he founded the Nutritional Consultants Organization of Canada (NCOC), a nonprofit association claimed to "help inform the public about nutritional consulting and to provide standards of practice for Nutritional Consultants." Rowland has stated that he served as "elected president" from 1983 to 1988 and as one of ten directors after that. In 1991, NCOC's seven-person "advisory board" included: Linus Pauling, Ph.D.; Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D. (a proponent of megavitamin therapy for schizophrenia); Morton Walker, D.P.M. (a nonpracticing podiatrist who writes about questionable health methods); Lendon Smith, M.D. (who surrendered his medical license rather than face charges of insurance fraud); Maureen Salaman

by Kurt Donsbach; Psycho-Nutrition by Carlton Fredericks (convicted of practicing medicine without a license); Nutrition from Tots to Teens by Emory Thurston, Ph.D. (convicted of offering laetrile to treat cancer); and the Vitamin Bible by Earl Mindell, whose Ph.D. was from the nonaccredited University of Beverly Hills. Canadian Government education officials have stated that the Canadian Nutrition Institute was not a recognized degree-granting body and had no standing whatever in Canada's academic community .

Does not mention that, in 1985, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of "oral chelation" products and that the New York State Attorney General filed suit to stop the marketing of one of Donsbach's oral chelation products .

Barrett S. Kurt Donsbach sentenced to prison. Quackwatch Web site, revised May 23, 2000.

Benedetti P. Donsbach's Canadian connection. Nutrition Forum 8:30-31, 1991.

262. Donsbach, K., Hydrogen Peroxide, booklet, (no publisher listed), 1987.

263. Donsbach, K., and Walker, M., Dr. Donsbach Tells You What You Always Wanted To Know About DMSO (Huntington Beach, CA: International Institute of Natural Health Sciences, Inc, 1981).

None of the above "credentials" reflects any legitimate training in health or nutrition. Donsbach University and International University of Nutrition Education were nonaccredited correspondence schools that did not teach science-based nutrition. During the 1989 deposition, she said that she "never used any of the degrees" because they were not accredited. However, in recent years, she has used them in promoting her books. I have seen no evidence that she contributed to medical science by working with the unspecified "research teams."I suspect that her attitudes toward health, disease, and health care were shaped during her childhood. Her book The Diet Bible states that during her childhood, her mother prepared meals "according to the gospels of Gayelord Hauser, Adelle Davis, and Carleton Fredericks" and that "vitamin and mineral containers seemed to occupy acres of kitchen counter space."

Deposition of Maureen Salaman, May 16, 1989. In John Renner, M.D. v. Kurt Donsbach et al. U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Western Division, Case No. 88-0838-CV-W-9.

In 1987, Jacob Swilling assumed ownership of Donsbach University, which was renamed International University for Nutrition Education but soon went defunct. Some "graduates" of these schools are still in practice.

Donsbach (updated 12/16/09)

Barrett S. The shady activities of Kurt Donsbach. Quackwatch, Feb 13, 2006.

Dr. Donsbach Tells You What You Always Wanted to Know About DMSO,