The BluePrint Cleanse Lindsey Lancette HONR 401: Pseudoscience and the Paranormal

What is the BluePrint Cleanse? Series of fruit and vegetable (“green”) juices that a client consumes in place of food Ratio of fruit to green juices varies depending on specific cleanse Amount of time consuming juices also varies by specific cleanse Juices are to be consumed in particular order (hence numbering on bottles) Clients also drink water between juice consumption (“Which is Best for You?”) Photo Credit: (“Which is Best for You?”)

What Can the BluePrint Cleanse Do? Claims to cleanse the digestive system by ridding the body of built- up matter and cleansing the blood Fight off degenerative diseases (Sakoutis)

Continuum Mysteriosum Borderline Paranormal Claim (Lower- level paranormal claim) Does not violate laws of physics (Smith 6)

Is the Source Credible? Claims from founder Zoe Sakoutis Certified Nutritional Consultant via the American Association of Nutritional Consultants (“Zoe Sakoutis”) American Association of Nutritional Consultants Applications have no questions about qualifications If application has fee enclosed, anybody can be a member Not necessarily limited to humans! (Barrett) Photo Credit: (“Poodle”) Photo Credit: (“Cat”)

Is the Logic Valid and Sound? Deductive Argument for Claim One: Premise: In order to maintain optimal health, the body needs aid in cleansing the digestive system after periods of overindulgence of food. Premise: BluePrint Cleanses provide aid in cleansing the digestive system after periods of overindulgence of food. Conclusion: Therefore, BluePrint Cleanses maintain optimal health. Does the body actually need help to clean its digestive system? David Colbert, MD, New York internist “With a juice cleanse, what are you really cleansing? Really, nothing. The bowel self-cleans.” (Newman) Michael D. Gershon, professor of pathology and cell biology at Columbia “The inside of the gastrointestinal tract is simply not dirty in the sense that it needs cleansing.” (Johnson) Body detoxifies naturally after a binge and juicing can interrupt this process (Johnson)

Is the Logic Valid and Sound? Deductive Argument for Claim Two: Premise: Healthy diets help to prevent degenerative diseases. Premise: BluePrint Cleanses are part of a healthy diet. Conclusion: Therefore, BluePrint Cleanses help to prevent degenerative diseases. Are all healthy diets created equal when it comes to preventing degenerative diseases? Some evidence indicates that Mediterranean Diet may prevent degenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and Alzheimer’s. Eating large amounts of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, as well as occasional consumption of fish and olive oil for healthy fats and moderate red wine consumption (Sofi et. al ) BluePrint Cleanse only has three of the five characteristics. Are these three enough?

Are Claims Based on Observation? No scientific studies found Rely on testimonies of celebrities and “medical experts” with little to no verifiable credentials (“What Health Professionals Are Saying”) Photo Credit: (“Olympic Weightlifting”)

Is it a Case of the Placebo Effect? Possibility of clients feeling healthier because they think that they are doing something healthy for themselves May inspire clients to make healthy lifestyle changes after cleanse is finished Positive effects could come from lifestyle changes, not juices

Conclusion BluePrint Cleanse is currently pseudoscientific. Claims cannot be properly verified through the scientific studies. “Expert” credentials are questionable. Positive results likely due to placebo effect

Works Cited Barrett, Stephen. “The American Association of Nutritional Consultants: Who and What Does it Represent?” Quackwatch. n.p., Web. 3 April Johnson, J.D. “Cleaning Out Your Body’s Closet.” Maclean’s. Maclean’s Mag., 28 Feb Web. 11 April Newman, Judith. “The Juice Cleanse: A Strange and Green Journey.” The New York Times. 27 October Web. 11 April Sakoutis, Zoe. “How Does BluePrint’s Live-Juice Cleanse Work?” BluePrint Cleanse. n.p., Web. 3 April Smith, Jonathan C. Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal: A Critical Thinker’s Toolkit. Malden, MA: Wiley- Blackwell, Print Sofi, Francesco, Claudio Macchi, Rosanna Abbate, Gian Franco Gensini, and Alessandro Casini. “Effectiveness of the Mediterranean Diet: Can it Help Delay or Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (2010): Web. 11 April “Which is Best for You?” BluePrint Cleanse. n.p., Web. 11 April “What Health Officials Are Saying.” BluePrint Cleanse. n.p., Web. 23 April “Zoe Sakoutis.” BluePrint Cleanse. n.p, Web. 3 April 2013.

Picture Credits “Poodle.” Photograph. I-Love-Dogs. n.p., Web. 11 April “Cat.” Photograph. Fanpop. Fanpop, Inc., Web. 11 April “Olympic Weightlifting.” Photograph. Olympic Weightlifting. Eric Wong Training systems, Web. 23 April 2013.