Dear Ed: I've been reading the archived mail on your website since I found it a couple weeks ago. I've had this incurable affliction known as psoriasis for a while now.

Recently, I've been reading a lot about this disease and what people do about it. One thing I've read about, that I am quite skeptical of, is the John O. A. Pagano Book/Diet [see Thoughts on the Pagano Diet]. On the cover of his book, it says that this "Dr." is a "chiropractic physician," not an M.D.

Of course I am skeptical of any "cure" being sold on the Internet, so I went to www.quackwatch.com to search for any mention of this book or its author. I didn't find any mention, but I did find a link to www.chirobase.org , a website that exposes quackery in the chiropractic profession. After reading many articles linked from that website, my skepticism seems to have been well placed.

Here is a quote from Pagano's website:

Dr. Pagano defines psoriasis as the external manifestation of the body's attempt to throw off internal toxins. Because of thin, porous, intestinal walls these toxic elements "seep" through the walls of the intestine (now referred to as "The Leaky Gut Syndrome"), causing a pollution of the lymphatic and blood circulatory system. The body then attempts to rid itself of these toxins by expelling them through the sweat glands. Dr. Pagano further emphasizes that a proper DIET and adequate ELIMINATIONS are a major part of the solution.

The following link from the www.chirobase.org website seems to indicate, in my opinion, that such claims are ridiculous.

"Gastrointestinal Quackery: Colonics, Laxatives, and More"

Thanks for your time. I am enjoying your website very much. -Justin

*****

Ed’s Response: Thanks for sharing your research with us, Justin. I did read the article you linked from chirobase.org and found it enlightening. For one, it’s the most understandable definition of "leaky gut syndrome" I’ve read so far. The author, Stephen Barrett, M.D., writes convincingly ... but then, so evidently does Dr. Pagano.

It’s also revealing that you can’t find any direct accusations of quackery in reference to Pagano. I would have been surprised if you could. Too many people have braved Pagano’s savage regimen and lived to rave about it. I don’t have the nerve to call Pagano’s claims "ridiculous," even after reading Barrett’s article. What I would call ridiculous — and for assorted reasons — is the prospect of me, personally, undertaking Pagano’s regimen.

Share with us whatever else you discover out there, Justin! -Ed

From the archives: Pagano’s Diet Works

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