Richard Thompson

Cytotoxic testing is touted as a way of tracking down and curing ills by on-the-spot testing of blood for food allergies. While the idea may sound plausible, there is no proof it works. Yet such testing has been highly promoted. The promotions began in 1983 with newspaper ads that invited investors to get into the “profitable field” of allergy testing. For an investment of about $30,000 the promoters supply test kits and training and show the investor how to operate an allergy clinic. The investor purchases the kits, chooses the location, and provides clinic staff. Ads like the one shown to the right were run in national newspapers, among them The Wall Street Journal. The ads said investors could get rich using “a scientific breakthrough that …

Had you called a certain 800 number a few months ago and said you were looking for treatment for cancer, you would have found yourself talking to a woman in Salt Lake City. She would have made travel arrangements and an appointment for you at one of several “cancer clinics,” in particular the Universal Health Center in Matamoros, Mexico, just across the bridge from Brownsville, Texas. The woman is no longer taking calls. She and her husband were indicted for interstate wire fraud, pleaded guilty in March 1985 to a lesser offense, and now await sentencing. Both have been arrested by Texas authorities and face state charges. A dozen other persons with ties to the center were indicted on medical fraud and drug charges. They …