Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory : How To Release Your Superpower Memory In 30 Minutes Or Less A Day

Rating:
Summary: just check with the Federal Trade commission first
Review: Run this guy's name thru Google and you will find an interesting article on FTC action against this author.

Frankly Amazon, who i trust, should not sell this garbage...

Hopeful as any of us are, there are quacks out there, who laugh all the way to the proverbial bank when you buy this stuff....

Happy customers are meaningless, the only thing that counts are published studies in reputable journals....

Save your money...





Rating:
Summary: I would give it a zero if that was offered
Review: The very engaging personality of Kevin Trudeau often gives the viewer of any of his infomercials the idea he knows of what he speaks. Memory theories have been around for decades, if not centuries, and they all use gimicks to improve upon memory. The problem with all such books is they view learning only from one aspect, and at most, maybe two. People all learn in different ways: some are visual learners, some auditorial learners, some kinesethetic learners, and some a combination of all of the above. What does learning have to do with memory? Well, quite a bit. If you are an auditory person, and that is the main way you learn, that is through hearing, being forced to memorize visual cues to remember things does absolutely nothing at all, except increase frustration. If you are a kinesthetic learner, you need to be feeling, touching, moving etc. in order to learn. Just memorizing a few confusing pictures won't do a thing for you. Yet, if you were required to move, or physically do something to reinforce the learning process, you would remember better. This system presupposes that all people are visual learners. There are even experts who presupposed that of all the males of the population. The problem with all that is when the system doesn't work, it usually is because the person is not accutely able to use that form of learning.

Now putting that aside, there comes the idea of word association and image association to remember things, dates, people's names, etc. Those ideas have been around forever, and they work for next to no one. Some people really notice an improvement, while most have a very different reaction, or result -- they have a terrible time remembering the stimulous that is supposed to trigger the memory to remember the important thing they are trying to remember. Sounds like a very complicated sentence, doesn't it. Well, that is exactly what is happening in the person's mind. They don't remember well to begin with, and now they have to remember an entire encyclopedia of information all of which is supposed to help them remember the important things they were having enough trouble remembering. Instead of just remembering their aniversary, or the boss's wife's name, now they have to remember all the images and junk they dreamed up to help them remember these other things. So, instead of remembering the original 10 pages you were required to remember, you now have to remember 50 more so you can recall the original 10.

If all these memory tricks were so successful, they would not need reinvention every so many years and to be resold. The first time they were discovered would have done the trick and we would have used them from that time on, they would have become time honored techniques. However, they had only marginal success when they first came out, and that is why they all went the way of the dinosaurs. Then the ideas are resurrected by a new author, repackaged, and once again we have more memory secrets that will help you recall all those things that are in your brain. This book is nothing more than rehashed hash. Oh, some will find the explanations new and inviting, but the real test is your memory. And sadly, you cannot judge that honestly yourself. If you think it is better, because maybe you finally concentrated on what you were doing for a change, was it the technique that improved it, or was it the fact you finally paid attention to what you were doing? The real judge is asking someone you loved if you are remembering the things they ask you to do, are you remembering your aniversary, or those phone numbers you never remember, or events you were supposed to be at but failed to get to. If, in the long run, nothing substantial has changed, and those that live with you still offer the complaint, "You never remember anything I tell you." then I can guarantee you your memory never improved one bit.

Personally, it did nothing for me. I have a nearly photographic memory now and can recall conversations, data, written word, nearly perfectly and for years after. That is just the way my mind is, and I noticed no change in it whatever. Most of my friends who used the book threw it away before they even finished it because it was frustrating and accomplished nothing.

Rating:
Summary: Read This!
Review: This page is on the Web site of Quackwatch, not the FTC.

For Release: January 13, 1998

Infomercial Marketers Settle Various Charges:

Ad Claims For "Hair Farming," "Mega Memory System," "Addiction Breaking System,"
"Action Reading," "Eden's Secret," and "Mega Reading" Were Deceptive

Eight marketers of self-help and health-related products promoted in radio and television infomercials have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that ad claims for their products were false or unsubstantiated. The defendants will pay a total of $1.1M to settle the charges and one defendant will be required to establish a $500,000 escrow account, which will be used to repay consumers should he commit similar law violations in the future. A ninth defendant faces trial on FTC charges in federal district court.

Kevin Trudeau developed and hosted radio and TV infomercials for a range of products in conjunction with two infomercial production companies, Mega Systems, Inc. and Tru-Vantage, L.L.C. Many of the infomercials had names such as, "A Closer Look," and were formatted to appear to be commercial radio and TV interview programs or talk shows, not the advertisements they actually were. Five respondents, including Trudeau himself, invented or manufactured the products or services that were featured in the infomercials and appeared in the infomercials promoting them.

"Eden's Secret Nature's Purifying Product," claimed to clean and purify the body of toxic waste matters and to "purify" the body's blood supply. The infomercial said ". . . the pH balance of the blood's better, the microflora of the colon's better, you're simply enhancing the overall integrity of your body," and claimed the product could cure PMS and other illnesses and cause significant weight loss. In fact, the claims of benefits were false, according to the FTC.
"Doctor Callahan's Addiction Breaking System," promised to cure addictions, including the compulsive desire to eat, use alcohol, cocaine, heroin or tobacco. The infomercials also claimed that the system could lead to significant weight loss without the need to diet or exercise. "We're going to be sharing Dr. Callahan's revolutionary breakthrough that he had discovered while studying quantum physics," the infomercial said. "Dr. Callahan came up with the breakthrough that in 60 seconds can eliminate your addictive urge to overeat, to smoke cigarettes, to do any compulsion, any type of addicted behavior, whether it be alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, food . . . Now this technique will take 60 seconds to apply and works virtually 100 percent of the time." In fact, the video tape sold in the infomercial showed Dr. Callahan demonstrating his "revolutionary addiction breaking system"-- a series of gestures, including tapping his face, chest and hand; rolling his eyes; and humming, which, if mimicked, were the supposed addiction cure. The claims were false, the FTC alleged.
An infomercial for Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory System claimed that scientific studies of his system showed that it could help anyone achieve a photographic memory, even people with learning disabilities or low IQ's. "Kevin Trudeau's breakthrough techniques were developed while working with blind and mentally handicapped students," the infomercial said. "Their recall ability increased from 15% to 90% in just 5 days," it said, and stated that the techniques were ". . . guaranteed to work for you." In fact, the FTC alleges, the memory system would not enable users to achieve a photographic memory, and the advertising claims were false.
Another infomercial touting a reading program promised that anyone who could "see, hear and talk can learn to read, guaranteed." Jeanie Eller's infomercial claimed that, "her product was successful in teaching reading 100% of the time." In fact, according to the FTC complaint, she had no reasonable basis to substantiate the claim that the program is successful 100 percent of the time.
Defendant Jacqueline Sabal, also known as Jacqueline Sable, is the promoter of the "Sable Hair Farming System." In a complaint filed in federal district court, the FTC alleged that Sabal's infomercial falsely claims that her "hair farming" method will prevent, reduce or reverse hair loss, and is superior to Rogaine and Minoxidil. In her infomercial, Sabal said, "I should be in most of the major medical journals in the world in the next few months, which will finally end baldness in the human race." The FTC also alleged that Sabal falsely claimed that scientific studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the system.
Mega Systems International, Inc., and its principal, Jeffrey Salberg, produced the Eden's Secret; Dr. Callahan's Addiction Breaking System; Mega Memory System; Jeanie Eller; and Sable Hair Farming System infomercials. The FTC alleged that through the formatting of those infomercials, Mega Systems; Salberg; and Trudeau deceptively represented that the commercials were independent television and radio programs, not paid commercial advertising.

A sixth infomercial, "Howard Berg's Mega Reading," produced by Trudeau and Tru-Vantage International, L.L.C., claimed that the home study program could improve anyone's reading speed and comprehension by as much as ten times. Berg claimed, "I have a letter here from a girl who has brain damage. . . . Brain damage. She was in a car accident and half her brain stopped functioning. It was electrically dead." Berg went on to claim that after using his system for a brief time (on a coffee break) the brain-damaged consumer's reading speed increased from three to 600 words per minute. According to the FTC, Berg had no basis for claiming that his program could teach anyone, including adults; children; and disabled individuals, to significantly increase their reading speed while substantially comprehending and retaining the material, and the claim is false.
The Settlements:

To settle the FTC charges, Kevin Trudeau, who developed and appeared in all the infomercials, including the one for his "Mega Memory System," will pay $500,000 in consumer redress and will be barred from making false claims for the products in the future. Trudeau will be required to establish a $500,000 escrow account or performance bond to assure compliance. Infomercial producer Mega Systems International, Inc., and its principal, Jeffrey Salberg, also will pay $500,000 for consumer redress. Kenneth Wright, inventor and promoter of "Eden's Secret Nature's Purifying Product," and Roger J. Callahan, promoter of the "addiction breaking system" will each pay $50,000 in consumer redress.

Trudeau, Mega Systems, Salberg, Wright, Callahan, Eller, Berg, and Tru-Vantage will be barred from making the alleged deceptive claims relating to their products in the future. In addition, Trudeau, Salberg, and Mega Systems will be required to have substantiation, which, when appropriate, must be scientific, for claims about the benefits, performance or efficacy of any product or program they advertise; promote; sell; or distribute in the future. They also will be barred from misrepresenting the existence, contents, validity, results, conclusions or interpretations of any test, study or research. Wright, Callahan, Berg, and Tru-Vantage will be required to have substantiation, which, when appropriate, must be scientific, for claims about the benefits, performance or efficacy of any product or program like those they allegedly deceptively promoted.

In addition, both Trudeau, Mega Systems, and Salberg will be required to disclose "THE PROGRAM YOU ARE WATCHING IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT FOR [THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE]" in television ads that are at least 15 minutes long, and to disclose the same audio message in radio ads that are at least five minutes long.

All the settlement agreements contain recordkeeping and reporting provisions to allow the Commission to monitor compliance.

The Commission votes to accept the proposed consent agreements and to file the complaint were 4-0, with Commissioner Mozelle W. Thompson not participating.

Note: Consent agreements are for settlement purposes only and do not constitute admissions of law violations. When the Commission issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation of such an order may result in a civil penalty of $11,000.

The complaint against Jacqueline Sable was not settled and will be tried in federal district court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.

Note: The Commission files a complaint when it has "reason to believe" that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The case will be decided by the court.



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Copies of the complaint and consent agreements [Trudeau] [Salberg] are available on the Internet at the FTC's Web site or by calling 202-326-3627. Copies also are available from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-326-3128; TTY for the hearing impaired 202-326-2502.

Media Contact:
Claudia Bourne Farrell
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2181

Staff Contact:
C. Steven Baker or Russell W. Damtoft
Chicago Regional Office
55 East Monroe Street, Suite 1860
Chicago, Illinois 60603
312-353-8156
(FTC File No. 942 3278)



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This article was posted on July 23, 2000.