The Right stuff in Science!

The right-wing National Review today slammed potential 2016 presidential candidate and Tea Party darling Ben Carson for hawking a line of so-called "glyconutrients" whose maker claims will cure cancer, heart disease, autism, and pretty much everything else.

In 2007, three years after Carson’s first dealings with Mannatech, Texas attorney general Greg Abbott sued the company and Caster, charging them with orchestrating an unlawful marketing scheme that exaggerated their products’ health benefits. The original petition in that case paints an ugly picture of Mannatech’s marketing practices. It charges that the company offered testimonials from individuals claiming that they’d used Mannatech products to overcome serious diseases and ailments, including autism, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and life-threatening heart conditions. Separately, the suit alleges that the company sold a CD entitled “Back from the Brink” that “provided example after example of how ‘glyconutrients’ (i.e., Mannatech’s products) cured, treated, or mitigated diseases including but not limited to toxic shock syndrome, heart failure, asthma, arthritis, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Attention Deficit Disorder, and lung inflammation.”

According to one investigative report, sales reps for Mannatech even claimed that their product could cure AIDS. 
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Damien's note: Well, he is certainly not the first snake oil salesman to run for president -- and to gain lots of support for peddling hot air.