Curious about other skepitcs thoughts on Mona Vie

[jbuck]

My apologies if this has been brought up before.

Lately I've been having a lot of people telling me how Mona Vie is a life saving drink, how it can cure cancer and make you feel the best you have ever felt in your life. To be honest it makes my B.S. detector go crazy because for year I have always seen advertisements for miracle substances, rare fruits recently discovered and other crap like that which are usually just laughed at and a few people partake hoping that for once one of these actually works. Well I view Mona Vie as being more of the same, my reason being that I really can't find any real scientific studies proving the "powers" of acai berries.

I'm honestly not sure what to think, so many people I know say it made them feel better, but I think because of the price tag on it they just want to make it work so badly for that price that they believe it does. I'm asking you, the skeptical community, Mona Vie, is the jury out or is it a real miracle fruit or just another scam to rip off willing people?

I wll appreciate any responses.

-JB

[Leviath]

Yes, once something claims that it can cure cancer the BS meter should explode (unless it comes from peer reviewed sources). It's basically fruit juice with that extra little exotic touch of Acai berries.

From their website it seems they are yet another product that is high on antioxidants, which seems to be the cool woo these days. Seriously, how many ground-breaking products with lots of antioxidants have we seen pop up the last few years?

Some science:
We could not find convincing evidence that antioxidant supplements prevent gastrointestinal cancers. On the contrary, antioxidant supplements seem to increase overall mortality.
http://mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD004183/frame.html

[Bob Blaylock]

It's a scam, plain and simple.

Horrendously overpriced fruit juice, touted as a magical elixir to cure whatever ails you.

This product, from the company that employs me (http://www.v8juice.com/Products.aspx?SectionID=fusion&ProductID=120827) is every bit as as good as MonaVie, but at a tiny fraction of the cost, and you don't have to have dealings with spammers and con-artists and similar vermin in order to buy it. I know that Wal*Mart sells the 46-ounce bottles of it for three dollars (that's about 6½¢ per ounce), and most supermarkets for a bit more. Compare to forty dollars for a 25.5-ounce bottle of MonaVie (that's about $1.57 per ounce).

MonaVie costs twenty four (24) times as much, and isn't any better.

There's a name for people who pay $1.57 per ounce for fruit juice; they are called “suckers”.

[Safe-Keeper]

It's amazing how, despite the beliefs of the alternative crowd, conventional medicine often works just as well as alternative drugs and herbs, with fewer side effects, and at a far more affordable cost.

[CynicalSkeptic]

MonaVie is also an MLM. Check out the Amway thread (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=116252) for discussion on that.

[jakesteele]

It's amazing how, despite the beliefs of the alternative crowd, conventional medicine often works just as well as alternative drugs and herbs, with fewer side effects, and at a far more affordable cost.

You've got that a little backwards. Herbs usually don't work as powerfully as conventional medicine, but they do have less side effects in general. And for the most part they are less expensive that AMA type drugs and less invasive.

I've been into herbs and alternate medicine for many years and I have found that like anything else it is Caveat Emptor. I noticed every year or so that they would come out with the Herb of the Year award and tout some new herb as being the greatest thing since mother's milk. It's some kind of confirmation biase or anticipatory bias. There is an initial groundswell of positive testimonials but it eventually dies down and another one rises.

I wouldn't come down on the alternate health industry for trying to market things at an outrageous fee. After all, they are only doing what the rest of the system of free enterprise is doing: trying to make you think their product is indespensible so they can sell more, more, more......

Acai is just the new kid on the block. Yes, it is good for you just like eating oranges or drink rose hip tea is good for you. If an herb really had incredible and true testimonials it would be call Cocaine or opium.

[sanguine]

You've got that a little backwards. Herbs usually don't work as powerfully as conventional medicine, but they do have less side effects in general. And for the most part they are less expensive that AMA type drugs and less invasive.


In general, the absence of side effects strongly correlates with the absence of effects (and thus the natural supplements that have demonstrable effects tend to also have demonstrable side effects; consider gingko, which can lead to increased risk of stroke).

So most natural supplements do have fewer direct side effects, chiefly because they're not really doing anything.

[Pup]

You've got that a little backwards. Herbs usually don't work as powerfully as conventional medicine, but they do have less side effects in general.

I think that's because the herbs that work as powerfully and have strong side effects have been weeded out (no pun intended) by regulations, fear of lawsuits, common sense, and so forth. What about datura, foxglove, ergot and other similar common medicines from a century or two ago?

[jakesteele]

In general, the absence of side effects strongly correlates with the absence of effects (and thus the natural supplements that have demonstrable effects tend to also have demonstrable side effects; consider gingko, which can lead to increased risk of stroke).

So most natural supplements do have fewer direct side effects, chiefly because they're not really doing anything.

That's a good point about ginko, however, there's not always a direct correlation between side effects and efficacy. Take aloe vera juice, for example, it has demonstrable beneficial effects and is very benign. I have an ulcerous condition that I take aloe and an herb called cat's claw for and they work better in combo than prilosec, which, when I was prescribed it years ago when it wasn't OTC, my doctor said, "This is the Atomic Bomb of ulcer med, but we can only keep you on it for 60 days because it causes tumors in rats.":jaw-dropp

By the same token, some regular meds like aspirin have very demonstrable effects with little down side. Aspirin is used for a plethora of aliements, including daily doses for heart health and emergency aid in the event of a heart attack.

[jakesteele]

I think that's because the herbs that work as powerfully and have strong side effects have been weeded out (no pun intended) by regulations, fear of lawsuits, common sense, and so forth. What about datura, foxglove, ergot and other similar common medicines from a century or two ago?

Also add poppy plants, coca leaves and now ephedra root:p.

There are many herbs that have strong effects that are used frequently: kava kava root, valerian root would be the most notable ones, I believe.