Customer Reviews

Advanced Mega Memory

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Folks... if you are like me, looking to improve your memory and get that promised "Photographic memory" skill, then don't buy this book. Too bad! I bought the whole kit for US $160.00. I have gone through the whole course, and did exactly what Kevin said. I was able to remember phone numbers, and other little things, but that was it. You must always keep repeating what you ought to remember often and if you lose the "funny" graphic images, you lost the info. The kit is more of a good salesmanship than a decent content. For the price I paid, it was not worth it.

Kevin Trudeau: Operates on the assumption that all people think in pictures. I and the small population of people do, but what about those that can not visualize a Pepsi Can and rotate it about it axis within their minds eye (not from the tapes/book but from an engineering professor when I was in college.) Only about 10% of the population are capable of visualization, this is not a problem with me but a warning to those who can not visualize pictures. Kevin, uses the technique of hanging thoughts on a hanger and using obscure action methods of filing the information or hanging this on a body part. The filling method is not a new method as kevin claims, while stationed in Germany in the 80's as an Intelligence Specialist, I read everything on memory improvement, the filing method was mentioned in a book that I purchased for about $4.00, it was lost in transport back from europe. Honestly in the 2 tape package, nothing is included but false hype to get you to purchase the Mega Memory eight audiocassettes, workbook and pocket guide. It appears to me that Kevin wants to make a buck with a bad product, nice sound effects and no meat to the product. I will be calling on the next business day to see if Nightingale actually will honor their claim to a money back guarantee. I'll let you know.

I have bought this book hoping to find some tools to improve my memory. Instead I had to listen to two hours of a monotonous drill on one basic idea - that remembering is better if there is an association with a movement, picture, colour, feeling, etc. in our brain. Although true, that idea is not even original. You can find it in books by Tony Buzan published more than 20 years earlier!

The title of the book almost makes me lough - Advanced Mega Memory! A nicely packaged junk food. If you are really interested in improving your memory, in how the brain works and in learning how to use it, then I can highly recommend books by the above mentioned Tony Buzan - Use Both Sides Of Your Brain and Speed Reading.

Kevin Trudeau (born February 6th, 1963) is an American entrepreneur, bestselling author, and convicted felon who is now a multi-level marketing executive and television infomercial spokesperson. His news-style infomercials - broadcast frequently on late night TV in North America - have promoted a range of products, including health aids, dietary supplements (coral calcium), real estate investment strategies, and memory-improvement courses. His latest series of infomercials features his book Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About (ISBN 097559950X). In it he makes various claims about the safety and health of our food supply, arguing that diseases such as cancer can be cured with naturopathic remedies. He likewise maintains that the pharmaceutical industry is actively suppressing these miracle cures, so that they can continue to profit from their patented treatments.

Critics of Trudeau point to his established criminal history and warn buyers to be wary of his advice. He has been called a confidence trickster, and a deceptive marketer, and has been called the epitome of the snake oil salesman, quack, or flim-flam-man. Nevertheless, Trudeau's commercials have been quite successful: as of Sunday, September 25, 2005, according to the New York Times, this book is the number one selling current nonfiction book in the United States.


*Criminal history*

1990: Larceny & prison
Trudeau's legal problems are long-standing. In 1990, he posed as a doctor in order to deposit $80,000 in false checks, and in 1991 he pled guilty to larceny after he had provided false information to obtain credit cards which he used for his own purposes. He spent two years in prison because of this conviction.(Choi, 2005) Most people in opposition to Trudeau's claims point to this felony conviction as a good reason not to trust him.

1996: SEC
Trudeau rebounded, making a small fortune working for Nutrition For Life, a multi-level marketing program. However, in 1996, his recruitment practices ran afoul of the states of Illinois and Michigan, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Michigan went so far as to forbid him from operating in the state.

1998: FTC fine
Then, in 1998, he was forced to pay $500,000 in consumer redress to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), relating to six infomercials he had produced and which the FTC determined he had made false or misleading claims.

2004: FTC ban, fines
More recently, on September 7, 2004, the FTC announced that they were banning Trudeau from "appearing in, producing, or disseminating any future infomercials that advertise any type of product" because he repeatedly made "fraudulent" and "unsubstantiated" claims in them. [1] In addition, Trudeau paid $500,000 in cash and transferred ownership of a luxury vehicle and a piece of residential property in California to satisfy a $2 million fine against him. Lydia Parnes, Acting Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection stated that "This ban is meant to shut down an infomercial empire that has misled American consumers for years." The charges arose from work Trudeau did on an infomercial featuring Bob Barefoot and British actress Debbie Flett advertising coral calcium, a dietary supplement. However, Trudeau's infomercial advertising his book still airs on a daily basis because he is still allowed to promote publications. Airings of these infomercials in 2005 have included a guest appearance by Tammy Faye Bakker.

*Criticism of infomercials*

Trudeau's infomercials typically consist of a conversation with a co-host. This is a recent program for his updated Natural Cures.Since the Federal Trade Commission's ban on Trudeau applies to almost everything except publications, Trudeau has gone into the publishing business. The FTC concluded that prohibiting him from selling publications would infringe on his first amendment rights. All of his recent infomercials advertise his book, Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About, and he has a minimum of five different versions of this infomercial that have aired in 2004 and 2005. In the newer infomercials, he appears to accept phone calls, although the same callers are featured on each version of the advertisement. On the Amazon.com product page for his book, it has been proven that Trudeau has employed confederates to write thousands of fake "positive" reviews to counteract the legitimate negative ones.

Pharmaceutical companies
Trudeau argues that pharmaceutical companies (he never mentions specific ones, but it is reasonable to assume that he is referring to the likes of Merck, Pfizer, etc.) "don't want us to get well" because, if all diseases were cured, these companies would be out of business. He states in one infomercial that there are twelve known cures for cancer, but they are being kept from the general public by the FDA, the FTC, and the pharmaceutical companies. He goes on to say that the FDA and the FTC are two of the most corrupt organizations in America. Trudeau also promulgates a conspiracy theory, claiming that the drug industry and the FDA work "in tandem" with each other to deceive the public. In other words, Trudeau claims that the FDA bans all-natural cures to protect the profits of the drug industry. In addition, Trudeau claims that FDA commissioners who leave the FDA to work for large drug companies and are paid millions and millions of dollars as soon as they leave the FDA. In any other industry, according to Trudeau, this would be called "bribery", a "conflict of interest", or "payoffs". Trudeau also claims in his infomercials that the food industry is including chemicals (such as MSG) to get people "addicted to food" and to "make people fat". Some of his points may be valid, such as the issue he takes with television ads for prescription drugs. Many people, including Trudeau, believe prescription drugs should be advertised to doctors, not the general public (he frequently cites the number of advertisements on television for prescription drugs).

References to scientific studies
One of the major complaints about Trudeau's infomercials is that he makes only vague references to scientific studies, making them impossible to cross-check for accuracy. The same is true for the anecdotal evidence he presents in the infomercials. He never mentions names of people who have been cured by his methods, making it equally difficult to verify. For example, he tells a story in an infomercial about "a friend from England" who came to his house and complained of heartburn. Trudeau advised him to drink a sip of vinegar to alleviate the symptoms. According to Trudeau, his friend's burning sensation in his esophagus went away within seconds. He also references a study done on the antidepressant qualities of St. John's Wort compared to two prescription medications. The media reported that St. John's Wort was "proven ineffective in study", but, when the study is read carefully, it becomes clear that none of the medicines tested were effective at combatting depression. Again, by failing to reference the study, it is impossible to substantiate this claim. This is where he gets into a conflict with the FTC. The infomercials seem to imply that these subjects will be addressed further in the book, but most who have read it disagree. Readers of his book are often referred to his website to find the supposed natural cures, where a monthly fee must be paid for its use.

Newspaper article
A Sept. 18, 2005 Miami Herald article on the infomercials elaborates on the success and problems of the programs. By repeatedly mentioning government sanctions against him, Trudeau "anticipated any backlash with his cuckoo conspiracy theory" and can partially deflect any criticism of him or his infomercials; Trudeau's use of the word "cure" is also an issue for regulators. Bookstores are polled on how they sell one of the most successful and controversial self-published books in history. [2]

Book: "Natural Cures"

Trudeau's bookKevin Trudeau begins his book, Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About, with a personal story: at the age of 21 he discovered he had a mitral valve defect in his heart, and claims that this was an incurable debilitating condition according to established medicine. He writes that his life was saved by a procedure which was performed in Mexico because it was banned in the United States. The story has been criticised by consumer watchdog groups and medical doctors as being inconsistent. The symptoms of the condition he names (mitral valve prolapse) are generally surreptitious. Consumer groups and doctors claim the treatment he describes could not have altered the structure of his heart.

FDA
Trudeau, who has no known medical training or expertise (although he says that this fact makes him the most qualified to make these claims because he is not part of the drug industry or the FDA), claims that the Food and Drug Administration is actively banning all-natural cures so that consumers are forced to buy drugs and therefore support the drug industry. He also makes claims that there are all-natural cures for serious ailments such as cancer, attention deficit disorder, arthritis, acid reflux disease, herpes, and many other diseases, but fails to substantiate these claims.

Treatment plans
A repeated criticism of the book - at least the original version - is that there are very few actual treatment plans for any illnesses within its pages. A possible explanation for this is that he is afraid of civil lawsuits from parties who may be harmed as a result of taking his advice in lieu of more traditional medical treatment. Instead of detailed cures, the original book presents only general concepts, and then promotes a companion website which sells subscriptions to further detailed information and a monthly newsletter. However, the latest edition of Natural Cures features specific claims of cures for many diseases, such as removing all metal dental work from the mouth and using products like CMO or crocodile protein peptide to cure arthritis, apple cider vinegar to cure acid reflux and red marine algae, hydrogen peroxide, DMSO and larrea to cure herpes. Nearly all his cures for conditions such as back pain and PMS, however, seem to require an enema.

Alternative medicine
Even some advocates of alternative medicine point to the fact that many of the remedies Trudeau cites as too controversial to talk about on television or even in his book, and are widely available in other publications or on the Internet. For example, one of his suggestions for losing weight is to have 15 colonics over a span of 30 days. On his very first infomercial advertising his book, Trudeau gave out "medical facts" such as if your body's pH is alkaline, you can virtually never get sick. He goes onto say that, through his research, all cancer patients he has observed have an acidic body. Critics have disputed with this statement, asserting that one's body can neither be basic or acidic as blood pH is fairly neutral but slightly alkaline at 7.4; [3] and any significant deviation from that could result in serious illness. On one of his latest infomercials, Trudeau offers a companion CD with a title that has been "censored by the FTC" according to Trudeau. That title is "Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days - The Weight Loss Secret 'They' Don't Want You to Know About".

Media interviews
Trudeau has caused a stir in the media, having been interviewed by CNN's Paula Zahn, NBC's Today Show, and CBS's The Early Show. Video footage of these interviews can be seen on Trudeau's Natural Cures website.

Retail
In August 2005, the drug store chain Walgreens pulled the book from its shelves, but the book continues to be sold at Sam's Club and elsewhere. Millions of copies have already been sold through retailers Waldenbooks, Costco, and Wal-Mart.

Audio Tapes: "Mega Memory"
Kevin adapted techniques used to improve the memory of the blind and the mentally challenged to create Advanced Mega Memory and Mega Memory audio tapes. He also founded the "American Memory Institute".

His promotion of memory-enhancing products was put to an end by an FTC crackdown, which determined that the programs involved resulted in very little success, if any.


*Other criticisms*

No medical training
One common criticism by consumer groups is that Trudeau has had no medical training. Trudeau responds that by not having such, he is not biased towards pharmaceutical companies and the FDA. (This has now turned into an infomercial fad of sorts, as it is now not uncommon to see an infomercial touting FDA conspiracy theories.)

No basis in research
Another criticism is that Trudeau's claims are usually not backed by research and that much of his information is an overpriced repackaging of preexisting natural cure remedies. For example, "A Complete Handbook of Nature Cure" is a widely available PDF book with natural treatments that claim to cure a range of ailments.

No proof of claims
Kevin Trudeau has also been critized for his inability to provide substantial evidence to back up many of his claims. Although he is willing to provide anecdotal evidence he has yet to provide evidence that such customer claims have been evaluated by a licensed medical practioner. In many instances where Mr. Trudeau has been asked to provide proof of his claims, he often misinterprets medical studies or cites dubious or fictitious studies. This includes, but is not limited to, a nonexistent 25 year research study involving a natural cure for diabetes at the University of Calgary.

The author does a great job in this book. He talks as if he is there talking to you in person. At the beginning of the book he has you read a list of 20 objects, then see how many you can remember. Most people remember less than 5. After the first chapter in less than 30 minutes you can remember them, even weeks later. You will be able to remember names, peoples phone numbers in seconds, and recall them even weeks or months later. I haven't finished the book yet, but I can say it is well worth purchasing.

I've studied Kevin's techniques and find them very useful. These methods work well with people from all walks of life. I've used them with children, adults, dyslexics and have seen very good results. Some people are resistent to these methods because of the apparent absurdity, but don't let pride stand in your way.If you want to memorize names, dates, events, outlines, lists, words...a little more easily, then get the book.

Advanced Mega Memory is great. It teaches you great techniques to memorize any number or numbers and recall them without a mistake. It also teaches you to memorize playing cards. I would highly recommend this to anyone who works in areas where remembering numbers is needed.

I purchased the advanced mega memory program and received it through e-mail. I read the program, and I was shocked with these techniques. The techniques are fun, easy and effective for me. I just couldn't believe how easy these techniques were to apply. My main purpose for purchasing this program was for memorizing names. Before I took this program, I was terrible with names. Now, I have the ability to permanently retain and instantly recall anyone's name, without being stuck in the think stage, which is what has been happening to me in the past before I took this advanced mega memory program. This program really works. I didn't think it would, due to the low cost, but it really did. This program benefited me in more ways than one. It's worth a hell of a lot more money than what I paid for it! I encourage everyone to get this program because these techniques really do work. If they worked for me I'm sure they can work for everyone else because I'm no brainer I'm just an average person. Andy Allen Toronto, Ontario

You should purchase my book first before criticising it. It took me over 2 years of research to write it.

Every negative review of my book is fake and was written by people paid by the pharmisudical companies to destroy my excellent reputation.

Rather than go by what you hear, purchase my informational, virus-diease curing book today, and get on the road to health!

I purchased the 2 cassette version knowing full well that it is much lighter than the 9 cassette version also available. I figured it was worth the dead presidents to find out if this method is worthwhile or not. I'm considering buying the complete version but the 2 tape version didn't send me running to Amazon to order the full set. The prices have dropped considerably and they are now available at the Amazon zShop.

http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y02Y2148373Y9876462/qid=946397475/sr=1-5/002-0769272-9212215

I may buy it to explore a little more. If I don't like it I'll sell it on eBay!