The BluePrint Cleanse

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

2. 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?”)

3. 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)

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

5. 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”)

6. 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)

7. 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. 795-801) • BluePrint Cleanse only has three of the five characteristics. • Are these three enough?

8. 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”)

9. 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

10. 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

11. Works Cited • Barrett, Stephen. “The American Association of Nutritional Consultants: Who and What Does it Represent?” Quackwatch. n.p., • 2007. Web. 3 April 2013. • Johnson, J.D. “Cleaning Out Your Body’s Closet.” Maclean’s. Maclean’s Mag., 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 April 2013. • Newman, Judith. “The Juice Cleanse: A Strange and Green Journey.” The New York Times. 27 October 2010. Web. 11 April 2013. • Sakoutis, Zoe. “How Does BluePrint’s Live-Juice Cleanse Work?” BluePrint Cleanse. n.p., 2011. Web. 3 April 2013. • Smith, Jonathan C. Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal: A Critical Thinker’s Toolkit. Malden, MA: Wiley- • Blackwell, 2010. 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. 20.3 (2010): • 795-801. Web. 11 April 2013. • “Which is Best for You?” BluePrint Cleanse. n.p., 2011. Web. 11 April 2013. • “What Health Officials Are Saying.” BluePrint Cleanse. n.p., 2011. Web. 23 April 2013. • “Zoe Sakoutis.” BluePrint Cleanse. n.p, 2011. Web. 3 April 2013.

12. Picture Credits • “Poodle.” Photograph. I-Love-Dogs. n.p., 2011. Web. 11 April 2013. • “Cat.” Photograph. Fanpop. Fanpop, Inc., 2013. Web. 11 April 2013. • “Olympic Weightlifting.” Photograph. Olympic Weightlifting. Eric Wong Training systems, 2011. Web. 23 April 2013.