Talk:Deepak Chopra/Source dump

Untitled

I made this page as a depository for sources about Chopra to supplement discussion on talk:Deepak Chopra without cluttering up the code there. If you're adding source, it's helpful if you paste a snippet of relevant text with enough context, so it's easy for other people to know which part you're reference without we digging through the original source. For now, I've only pulled out snippets that are related his controversies and criticism as there has been considerable time spent on the talk page debating how these issues should be addressed in the article. I'm only capable of focusing on one aspect at a time, but it's not meant to be a POV. PermStrump(talk) 14:29, 17 March 2016 (UTC)

Relevant quotes from paywall articles

Feel free to ask me on Talk:Deepak Chopra if there are any articles behind paywalls that you can't access. When I have time, I'll see if I can get them through my work database and then paste any relevant quotes here. Please feel free to give me a heads up if you ever think I went overboard with quotes and might be bordering WP:COPYVIO. PermStrump(talk) 17:50, 31 March 2016 (UTC)

Quotes from paywall articles

Brackets are my edits, everything is direct quotes from the sources. Baer (2003) (*Baer reused the majority (if not all) of the content from this article verbatim in his book and there's a decent amount available for preview on google books. Also, these are quotes that I copied into a google doc 2+weeks ago and I can't remember anymore if I some of these are direct quotes or if I might have abbreviated some things here and there or left out ellipses. So double check with me/the source before using any quotes in the article.) Parts I found particularly interesting I argue that both Weil and Chopra represent the limitations of the holistic health/New Age movements, such as their tendencies to downplay the role of social structural and environmental factors in the etiology of disease, particularly as manifested in the United States. They also fail to suggest substantive remedies for improving access to health care, biomedical or alternative, to millions of people who lack any type of health insurance or face difficulties accessing health care, such as Medicaid, that were created with them in mind. Most of Weil's and Chopra's views of health, disease, and healing are unique to them but are part and parcel of concepts widely promulgated within the context of the larger holistic health/New Age movements. These two health gurus have been the leading disseminators of these concepts in the United States. Chopra asserts in Perfect Health that "perfect health" is a state found in every person "that is free from disease, that never feels pain, that cannot age or die" and is an entity that every person must choose for himself or herself. He maintains that the physical body functions as the portal to the "quantum mechanical body" that exists at a subatomic level where matter and energy are interchangeable. Chopra adopts an even more metaphysical view about the mind-body connection, in which the human body consists of energy and information rather than solid matter. Chopra believes that bodily toxins adversely promote biological aging. Chopra initially favored Maharishi Ayurveda... later came to promote his own brand of positive thinking as the primary vehicles for improving health and overcoming disease. He is a staunch proponent of what he terms quantum healing-a method that entails a shift in the fields of energy information to facilitate correct thinking... In keeping with Ayurveda and New Age healing approaches, Chopra continues to recommend meditation as a very significant technique of quantum healing and an important means for lowering one's biological age... For Chopra, the path to a healthy and fulfilling life is integrally intertwined with prayer and the broader quest for spirituality. Chopra asserts that "God is another name for infinite intelligence" [Chopra is] the most preeminent figure in a long tradition of positive thinkers in American society [Chopra and Weil] replicate several patterns characteristic of biomedicine, namely the individualization of health care, its commercialization, and problems of access to it. Like the larger holistic health movement, both Weil and Chopra engage in a rather limited holism in that they both focus largely on the individual rather than society and its institutions. Rather than encouraging people to become part of social movements that attempt to either reform or revolutionize society, they take the larger society as a given to which one must adjust. Like many other holistic health practitioners, their discourse does not take into consideration "such things as class, race, age, or the like"... downplay or ignore occupational and environmental factors, such as air and water pollution and toxic waste... moralism that places the onus of responsibility for wellness on the individual rather than the larger society. [According to Todd Carroll in his Skeptics Dictionary] He charges $25,000 per lecture performance, where he spouts a few platitudes and give [sic] spiritual advice while warning against the ill effects of materialism. In keeping with the overall corporatization of U.S. health care, James Gordon, a leading holistic MD in his own right and an enthusiast of holistic health centers, warns that there is a danger that they "will continue to be primarily a luxury for the wealthy, that their doctrine of self-help and individual responsibility will be perverted to public neglect" Danforth asserts that the New Age movement legitimizes "utilitarian individualism" and a "materialist concem for upward social mobility" (1989:260) despite their purported concern with social problems such as racism, poverty, and environmental degradation {The prominence of Weil and Chopra, both trained biomedical physicians, as the leading holistic health/New Age gurus, exemplifies the danger that the holistic health movement as a grassroots phenomenon is increasingly becoming co-opted by biomedicine Although some biomedical physicians are undoubtedly genuinely sympathetic to holistic and alternative approaches, patients and other health professionals appear to have created the climate that demanded an increasing number of biomedical physicians would gravitate to the holistic health movement. Biomedical physicians increasingly face the danger of losing many of their most affluent patients, namely white, upper- and upper-middle-class individuals who have become disenchanted with biomedicine. [According to Berliner and Salmon] "because holistic health is generally provided on an ambulatory basis and stresses prevention and health maintenance, alternative modalities tend to be less expensive than scientific medicine interventions; thus, they [g]ain an advantage in policy discussions if their efficacy can be assured" Despite ongoing skepticism of Weil, Chopra, and holistic medicine in general within biomedical corridors, biomedicine increasingly has been coming to terms with the reality that many of its patients want alternative therapies. Most insurance companies that provide coverage for alternative therapies tend to favor certain modalities, such as acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic, and nutrition, and eschew others, such as herbal medicine, Ayurveda, and craniosacral therapy Within biomedical and scientific circles, both Weil and Chopra have their fans and detractors. Biomedicine and mainstream science also have expressed mixed reactions to Chopra, but generally more negative ones than to Weil. [Per Skeptics network] "modern-day magic and quackery." General background info on Chopra Deepak Chopra was born in 1947 as the son of a New Delhi cardiologist and he graduated as a biomedically trained physician from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 1968. After completing an internship at a New Jersey hospital, he did a residency at the Lahey Clinic and the University of Virginia Hospital and obtained board certification in internal medicine and endocrinology. Chopra established a successful private practice and served as chief of staff at New England Memorial Hospital. His disenchantment with biomedicine prompted him to turn to Ayurvedic medicine in the wake of his conversion to Transcendental Meditation (TM). Shortly after meeting Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1985, he followed his guru's instructions to establish the Maharishi Ayurveda Health Center for Stress Management in Lancaster, Massachusetts, and dedicated his earliest books to the Maharishi. In 1993, Chopra abandoned his Massachusetts connections and apparently his connections with the TM movement. He moved to San Diego where he became the executive director for the Sharp Institute for Human Potential and Mind/Body Medicine and the chief consultant to the Center for Mind/Body Medicine. He left Sharp in 1996 and became the educational director of the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, California

Physician

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• Note: The template automatically puts the entire search query in quotations, but I didn't want the whole thing in quotations, so I added the "a" at the end as a workaround. I get the same # of results when I do a google search for:

"deepak chopra" intext:physician OR intext:doctor.

• Also note that this count is slightly misleading because some hits are talking about other people being doctors or Chopra being an "ayurvedic doctor."

Sources are separated by year to show the difference between media mentions while Chopra was licensed in MA and living in MA (pre-1993)*, when he was unlicensed in CA and living in CA (1993-2004), and when he was licensed in CA and still living in CA (2004-present).

*Sources say he left TM and moved to Cali after being on Oprah, so for at least part of 1993, he was still in MA. He was licensed in CA in Jan 2004.

Sources saying Chopra IS a doctor/physician

Sources saying Chopra IS a doctor/physician

Work in progress 19:39, 23 March 2016 (UTC) Pre-1993 Lewis (1987) Deepak Chopra, an Indian physician trained in his country who finds U.S. medical practices sadly wanting, takes matters one step further by insisting on the triumph of mind over medical traditions. Shlain (1988) Book review of: Return of the Rishi: A Doctor's Search for the Ultimate Healer by Deepak Chopra In a charming series of personal anecdotes, Chopra tells of his early total faith in Occidental medicine. However, when he reaches the pinnacle of success as a practicing endocrinologist here in the United States, his disenchantment begins. Franklin (1990) Title: The Maharishi's medicine man Byline: Physician Deepak Chopra is not a screwball, say his critics, but that makes him all the more dangerous. Today a physician and author, Chopra sees the dream as an early vision of his own quest to restore modern medicine's soul. Barnett et al. (1991) ...endocrinologist, Deepak Chopra, former chief of staff at NEMH... Bavley (1991) Title: Indian medicine proponents' tactics stir controversy Promotional efforts of Dr. Deepak Chopra and other practitioners of Ayurveda are questioned First sentence: Dr. Deepak Chopra considers himself immortal. "The establishment panics when doctors try to wake up a patient's own healing ability instead of pumping him with drugs or cutting his body open," Chopra said A recent convert Trained in India and the United States, Chopra had practiced endocrinology as a mainstream physician since 1971. But Chopra has said he became disillusioned with impersonal, high-tech medicine. He began practicing Ayurveda in 1985, although he has said he continues to use conventional medicine when appropriate. Goldman (1991) Dr. Deepak Chopra, the Boston endocrinologist who serves as president of the American Association of Ayur-Vedic Medicine. Renner (1991) Dr. Chopra owes an apology to both the Kansas City medical community and the lay community for making such unsubstantiated, potentially dangerous health recommendations. Ryan (1991) Drs Chopra and Sharma are followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Skolnick (1991) Such are the widely promoted claims of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement and Maharishi Ayur-Veda, some of which were presented by authors Deepak Chopra, MD, Hari M. Sharma, MD, FRCPC, and Brihaspati Dev Triguna, in their "Letter From New Delhi" Warrick (1992) Title: Medical Muddle A Magazine Essay Has Triggered a Brouhaha Between Meditating Doctors and Guardians of the Scientific Method ...respected Boston endocrinologist and best-selling author of such books as "Quantum Healing" and "Perfect Health," Well, not exactly, demurs Dr. Deepak Chopra, the most famous of the three doctors who wrote the original JAMA article. ABC Oprah promo (1993) A doctor who says there's actually a way we can live past 100. Find out how. 1993-2004 Perry (1994) Born in New Delhi and educated at India's best medical school, Chopra immigrated to Boston and built a lucrative practice in endocrinology and internal medicine. Chopra and Fox (1995) In this compelling interview, endocrinologist and Ayurveda proponent Deepak Chopra presents his premises of mind/body medicine. As a respected New England endocrinologist, educated in Western medical methods, you began your real search for answers when you saw pts in your own practice recover after being given months to live. Frazier (1995) Chopra is a good and well-intentioned doctor, but it's clear that he's not been drawn to fiction because of an irrepressible talent for prose. Pais (1995) But as the media-savvy doctor knows, fan followings are fickle, so he will have to ensure that the mud does not stick. Labash (1996) in recent years, he's pressed his publishers to remove the "Dr." from his book covers -- the very title from which he derives much of his authority. Marino (1996) Chopra, a successful endocrinologist for more than 20 years, accepted ayurveda after seeing the limitations modern medicine offered his patients. O'Brien (1997) Chopra must be among the very, very, very few doctors who have done both of the following: taught at Harvard's medical school and worked for the Beatles' former guru, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In fact, Chopra has evolved from endocrinologist to millionaire mystic in a single lifetime. Cronin (1997) I heard Chopra speak in person once, for free, nearly four years ago. He was promoting "Ageless Body, Timeless Mind." Back then, he emphasized his medical credentials; the letters "M.D." were prominent on the book cover beside a photo of him holding a stethoscope. Leland (1997) Deepak Chopra, M.D.--educator, author, lecturer, endocrinologist, Hollywood guru and scribe of the Playboy essay Perry (1997) Western-educated endocrinologist who veered from conventional medicine in search of answers from the ancient Indian folk wisdom of ayurveda Barker (1998) Following his father’s career in medicine, he graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 1968 His 1989 book, Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind Body Medicine, combined Hinduism and Western medicine Spano (1999) ...physician and New Age luminary Deepak Chopra Richards (2001) An M.D. and neuro-endocrinologist, he is the founder and present CEO of the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, California. Aravamudan (2001) Deepak Chopra is a medically trained, highly successful, media-savvy Indian guru 2004-present Krohn (2004) In 1993, Deepak Chopra, a doctor from India appeared on Oprah's show Wheen (2004) Harvard-trained endocrinologist who turned to transcendental meditation (TM) and ayurvedic medicine in the early 1980s Johnson (2007) Chopra, a former endocrinologist, moved to the United States in 1970 and taught at Tufts University and Boston University medical schools and became chief of staff at the New England Memorial Hospital. Kovar (2008) When Deepak Chopra guested the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1993, the Queen of the Talk Shows ratified the teachings of this healing guru as someone who has had a deeply profound impact on our world. The very day of his appearance on the show, his book Ageless Body, Timeless Mind sold 137,000 copies and helped to launch him into the New Age stratosphere of influence. Chopra and Lemon (2009) Physician Deepak Chopra, a personal friend, said he knew Jackson was taking narcotic painkillers. Oprah (2012) Deepak was trained as an endocrinologist (or as he puts it, "I used to be a doctor, and now I'm a witch doctor"). Schnall (2012) In the interview, taped in India, Dr. Chopra talks about his ground-breaking work in the field of mind-body medicine Harrison (2012) Price lambasts the much-revered Dr Deepak Chopra, for his “casualtreatment of the Bible The Law Attraction Library (2013) Deepak Chopra is a Hindu Indian-American physician, a holistic health/New Age guru, and alternative medicine practitioner. Chopra and Coyne (2013) Deepak Chopra, the physician and alternative medicine figure... Robb (2015) When Deepak Chopra was a young doctor As a doctor, he says his intuition led him to conclude that the body has an ability to heal itself. Hassani (2015) There are three categories of scientists (MDs included)... People like Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Dr. Oz, Rupert Sheldrake, Fritjof Capra, and the authors of the "manifesto," by their own admission, are no longer mainstream scientists. Nutt (2016) Chopra, an endocrinologist whose résumé includes New England Memorial Hospital (now Boston Regional Medical Center) and Harvard Medical School.

Controversial New Age guru

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* Note: This phrase was used by the NYT in 2013, but newspapers have been writing about Chopra since the 80s, so I'm not making a comparison between this one and the number of search results. They should be considered independently of one another.

** This part was taken out of the lead before I got around to listing sources that use that expression, so I put this on hold indefinitely. PermStrump(talk) 19:05, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

Sources on controversies

Issue raised: Lead gives undue weight to negative commentary vs. undue weight to pseudoscience

• Relevant policies/guidelines: WP:BLP
• WP:BLPSTYLE
• WP:NPOV
• WP:DUE
• WP:FALSEBALANCE
• WP:PSCI
• WP:FRINGE
• WP:FRINGEBLP
• WP:FRINGE/PS

In Chopra's words

These are sources (some primary, some secondary) with direct quotes from Chopra talking about common criticism that he receives.

In Chopra's own words

Chopra (2014) Most of the skeptic editors on my article believe me to be a very dangerous man -- and believe that it is Wikipedia's responsibility to warn the world of how dangerous my ideas are. seeking to frame the work of pioneers in this area as fringe charlatans who cannot be taken seriously by any informed or educated reader. Chopra and Coyne (2013) In my own case, to be sneeringly tagged as a pseudoscientist is an absurd allegation. Bavley et al. (1991) “They [JAMA] accused me of belonging to a worldwide conspiracy; they branded me a cult follower.” Nutt, Bill (2016) Author Deepak Chopra admits that he is no stranger to controversy. “I’ve been accused of New Age mysticism.” Roston (2013) Roston: I need to know why Chopra has entrusted me with—actually paid me for—dissecting his belief system. I ask him why he agreed to this Chopra: My interest in your project is to see if... you can empathize with people who are not part of the mainstream paradigm and say that they are not deluded or quacks or psychotic. Strauss (2015a) If Ms. Strauss or any other skeptic believes that these issues are woo or the fantasies of a self-aggrandizing guru—a title I’ve rejected for thirty years—they are victims of psychological projection. Warrick (1992) “So when they call this a cult, it is all a question, you see, of what you are accustomed to.”

Fringe

Chopra sources mentioning "fringe"

Denis (1994) It's clear from the moment [Chopra] begins to speak that his ideas fall far--very far--outside of the medical mainstream. Dvorsky (2016) Leaky gut syndrome, on the other hand, is supposedly an ailment of the intestinal tract that Senapathy rightfully describes as a condition “promoted by pseudoscientists” and “not recognized by the mainstream medical community.” Hassani (2015) People like Deepak Chopra, Andrew Weil, Dr. Oz, Rupert Sheldrake, Fritjof Capra, and the authors of the "manifesto," by their own admission, are no longer mainstream scientists. Strauss (2015a) Newton: First, Dr. Chopra flips between presenting himself as an expert and as an interested outsider, wearing whichever coat suits him best in a given sentence. Strauss (2015b) Newton: Chopra is so on the fringe, it’s actually fun to read him usually Senapathy (2016) Though “leaky gut syndrome” is largely promoted by pseudoscientists and is not recognized by the mainstream medical community…

Charlatan/quack/woo

Sources labeling Chopra and his ideas as charlatan, quack, woo, etc.

Baer (2003) Skeptics network: modern-day magic and quackery Bavley et al. (1991) [Chopra] faces a controversy over the tactics he and other followers of the Maharishi are using to gain publicity and respectability for Ayurveda. JAMA launched a retaliatory salvo last week: a lengthy investigative article - an unusual effort for the scholarly journal - that turned up substantial evidence of deceptive tactics used to associate Ayurveda with respected universities, professional organizations and journals. Chopra and Coyne (2013) Coyne: Although [Chopra] began life as a respected physician, he went off the rails when he encountered holistic, ayurvedic, and “alternative” medicine (the last is synonymous with “quackery”), and now he makes millions peddling questionable remedies and phony wisdom to credulous New Agers. Coyne (2013) But the real loser is Chopra, whose own lucrative brand of woo is finally exposed as a lot of scientifically-sounding psychobabble. Demy Basic (1998) The best-known proponent of Ayurvedic medicine in the US is Deepak Chopra, though some claim he misrepresents traditional Ayurveda... Many Ayurvedic practitioners today in India use modern pharmaceutical preparations. Dvorsky (2016) Obviously, this is hardly the first time that Chopra’s taken some brazen liberties with the truth. And it surely won’t be the last. Gubernick et al. (1995) Call it, if you will, the pink pill effect-- a placebo. People believe the pills cure them, it makes them feel better, and sometimes the symptoms go away. It's they who did the cure, but the pink pills were a useful prop. Whatever you think of these happiness hucksters, modem technology has given them a mighty boost. Hassani (2015) Title: Post-materialist' science? A smokescreen for woo. Hassani (2016) Chopra came to prominence by publishing Quantum Healing, a trend-setting book on mind/body medicine in which he beguiles his readers into believing that Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicine, has a scientific basis. An intellectually honest author of a nonfiction work writes a second edition only when there are substantial changes in the content of the work, usually several years after the original edition. These changes, and the reason and purpose behind them, are clearly stated in the preface of the new edition… if you compare the pages of the first and second editions [of Chopra’s Quantum Healing], as I did, you'll see practically no change in the content except for the removal of any reference to Maharishi. What makes all of this suspicious is that there is absolutely no explanation for any of these changes in the book itself. Any intelligent reader who is not mesmerized by Chopra's insidious charm can see in the Huffington Post article the power struggle between an old guru and a conniving disciple who is trying to steal the guru's congregation for personal gain. A follower, on the other hand, believes every word of the narrative and spreads the story to other potential followers. This is the audience for whom Chopra wrote the article. And this is the audience who should be made aware of his professional dishonesty. This article has documented sufficient evidence to demonstrate that Deepak Chopra's professionalism in the writing of Quantum Healing is of such a low quality that it borders on charlatanism. Labash (1996) There are overt shortcomings, primarily involving the questionable promises [Chopra] makes to his readers. In Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, the man whom the anointed the "Lord of Immortality" advertises nothing less than the reversal of the aging process. "Because the mind influences every cell in the body," he writes, "human aging . . . can speed up, slow down, stop . . . and even reverse itself." Leland (1997) William Jarvis of the National Council Against Health Fraud, whose profile has risen along with the doctor's, accuses Chopra of substituting superstition for medicine, and depriving patients of several centuries of scientific advances. He is especially critical of the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, where patients with anything from cancer to stress get Ayurvedic massage, aromatherapy and spa food, for upwards of $2,750 a week (lodging not included). Strauss (2015b) Newton: Chopra’s misappropriation of scientific terms in the service of his nonsense mirrors the way Scientology operates, and for the same reason: to make a buck from the gullible. Park (2000) Physicists wince at Chopra's use of "quantum" in the context of curing cancer. Much of the sort of New Age quackery that is so popular these days is peddled for vague chronic symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, back pain, or digestive disorders. Rao (2010) Joining these local marketers were the Indian-origin marketers, with the lead being taken by the savvy Deepak Chopra – the glib, red-sneakers-and-red-designer-glasses-wearing Hollywood guru who would make PT Barnum proud. Roston (2013) I want to know why it is that [Chopra] so brazenly makes money off of inner peace and science with cheesy products, like $300 DreamWeaver glasses that emit light and sounds to induce sleep states. Salerno (2009) Not by coincidence is CAM most avidly touted by a loose alliance of self-help gurus (Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, et al.) and veteran hucksters like erstwhile infomercial king Kevin Trudeau. Salzberg (2013) His website heavily promotes his line of … Ayurvedic supplements, which he claims provide a wide range of vague health benefits. This is little more than modern snake oil. Shukla (2011) But to profiteering yogis such as [Chopra], please remember that on the road to moksha there are still the signposts of satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing) and aparigraha (abstention from greed) guiding the way. Skolnick (1991) The authors [Chopra et al.] claimed in their JAMA article that this procedure (which critics such as William Jarvis, PhD, president of the National Council Against Health Fraud, Loma Linda, Calif, describe as a variation of palm reading) can diagnose diseases not limited to the cardiovascular system, including asthma, cancer, and diabetes. Chopra, who identified himself as president of the marketing company… An investigation of the movement's marketing practices reveals what appears to be a widespread pattern of misinformation, deception, and manipulation of lay and scientific news media. This campaign appears to be aimed at earning at least the look of scientific respectability for the TM movement, as well as at making profits from sales of the many products and services that carry the Maharishi's name. In his capacity as executive director of the New York Academy of Science in 1986, Pagels submitted an affidavit on behalf of a former TM member who was suing the movement for fraud. "There is no known connection between meditation states and states of matter in physics," Pagels wrote. "No qualified physicist that I know would claim to find such a connection without knowingly committing fraud. . . .The presentation of the ideas of modern physics side by side, and apparently supportive of, the ideas of the Maharishi about pure consciousness was only be intended to deceive those who might not know any better. . . . To see the beautiful and profound ideas of modern physics, the labor of generations of scientists, so willfully perverted provokes a feeling of compassion for those who might be taken in by these distortions." Taylor, Prentiss (2011) Chopra’s critics have pointed out that he has become wealthy advocating theories of self-enlightenment. Waters (2010) April 18, On Faith panelist Aseem Shukla wrote an essay [“The theft of yoga”] on yoga’s American popularity and Hindu heritage. Shukla: Deepak Chopra’s rejoinder to my column on the appropriation of yoga presents a veritable feast of delicious irony. Chopra is the perfect emissary to fire a salvo against my assertion that delinking Hinduism from its celebrated contributions to contemporary spiritual dialogue–yoga, meditation, Ayurvedic healing, the science of self-realization–renders a rich tradition barren and unrecognizable to its adherents... The empire of wellness he has built on the foundations of... yoga, ayurveda and Vedanta… His Web site is devoted to selling products and literature related to yoga, meditation and ayurveda.

Dangerous

Sources saying Chopra's ideas are dangerous

Labash (1996) Dr. John Renner reported in the Kansas City Star in 1991 that Chopra had encouraged conference attendees to "wash the eyes out with saliva" as "an effective treatment for even well-established cataracts." Dr. Renner talked to numerous ophthalmologists who concurred this was a dangerous procedure with no proven benefits, especially since mouth bacteria could cause corneal ulcerations. Of course, Chopra stressed one's mouth must be clean, which can easily be achieved with one of his silver tongue scrapers ($ 10.95 from his mail-order catalogue). Leland (1997) William Jarvis of the National Council Against Health Fraud, whose profile has risen along with the doctor's, accuses Chopra of substituting superstition for medicine, and depriving patients of several centuries of scientific advances. Molé, Phil (1998) Yet, arguments based on superficial logic are not only persuasive, but also dangerous, since they may lead us into errant patterns of thinking. CP wholeheartedly endorses the unification of medicine and spirituality. His solution is to develop a new model of medicine relying heavily on meditation--a practice he believes will enable us to alter the quantum-mechanical structure of our bodies… In order to truly influence our bodies, therefore, we would have to observe all of the atoms in the body parts we wanted to heal. But how can someone with lung cancer, for instance, "observe" the atoms deep inside his chest cavity? How can a potential heart attack victim "see" the atoms of calcium forming plaques in his arteries? Park (2000) Treatment such as magnet therapy, homeopathy or reflexology, which have only a placebo effect… But if something like Chopra's spiritual healing is substituted for genuine medical intervention in the treatment of cancer, it may deny patients any prospect of a cure, while adding a sense of guilt to their suffering. Renner (1991) Chopra's message not only indicates extreme hostility to medicine, it also contains numerous examples of unsound health advice. A typical example, and one of the most disturbing is Chopra's recommendation for improving vision: "And then take a little swish of water, and swish it around in your mouth, a little a half cup or so. Mix it copiously with your saliva, take it out into an eye cup and wash the eyes with it.” Almost everyone knows that the mouth contains bacteria of many kinds. I have consulted numerous ophthalmologists; all concurred this is a dangerous procedure with no proven benefit, and much possible harm. This is not sound, proven medical advice designed to improve vision. This is a ritual typical of the rituals involved in such prescientific health folklore systems as ayurvedic. Dr. Chopra owes an apology to both the Kansas City medical community and the lay community for making such unsubstantiated, potentially dangerous health recommendations.

Cult

Sources comparing Chopra and and his followers to a cult (re: TM or a cult of personality

Bavley et al. (1991) The Journal of the American Medical Association, the voice of orthodox medicine, published in May a "Letter From New Delhi" by Chopra and other associates of the Maharishi that described in glowing terms herbal Ayurveda remedies sold by the Maharishi... The editors of the journal found out later, when they opened numerous letters from outraged physicians and anti-cult groups, that the authors had failed to disclose their financial and professional ties to the Maharishi, a serious breach of the medical association's rules. Demy Basic (1998) Ayurvedic medicine’s intimate association with the transcendental-meditation movement in the US should lead to the same cautions raised regarding meditation. Denis (1994) TM's vocal critics say the doctor's credibility has been seriously undermined by his association with an organization they regard as a cult. Labash (1996) Unlike cults that promise character transformation through strict adherence to a charismatic leader's demands, the cult of Chopra requires only that you purchase his wares. Leland (1997) He holds book signings but no question-and-answer sessions--a cult of personality spun around a refutation of the self. Newton (2015) Chopra’s misappropriation of scientific terms in the service of his nonsense mirrors the way Scientology operates, and for the same reason: to make a buck from the gullible. Renner (1991) I have come to the conclusion that Chopra qualifies as a guru. A guru is defined in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary as: 1. a personal religious teacher and spiritual guide in Hinduism. 2. a) a teacher and especially intellectual guide in matters of fundamental concern; b) one who is an acknowledged leader or chief proponent (as of a cult, movement, or idea.) Perhaps ”front man” is a better term. Warrick (1992) According to Skolnick's article, the Transcendental Meditation movement is "a cult."

Pseudoscience

Sources saying Chopra's ideas are pseudoscience, unscientific, unsupported by evidence, etc.

Chopra and Coyne (2013) Coyne: This is pseudoscience, pure and simple, and no set of credentials, however impressive, can launder it into real science. And yes, he’s a pseudoscientist, showing all the characteristics of that genre, including the use of meaningless jargon that sounds profound, a refusal to discuss serious criticism of his views, and a deep sense of persecution by “the establishment.” Coyne (2013) Indeed, it takes one purveyor of pseudoscience to understand another [in reference to Chopra and Sheldrake]. Demy Basic (1998) The best-known proponent of Ayurvedic medicine in the US is Deepak Chopra, though some claim he misrepresents traditional Ayurveda... Many Ayurvedic preparations have been subjected to research, but there is no evidence to support the claim that these can cure disease, especially serious illness. Dvorsky (2016) Deepak Chopra is at it again, this time spouting his patented food nonsense. Chopra explained that the vast collection of microbes in our gut are actually capable of listening to our thoughts. Chopra spoke to Hyman in a one-on-one, but instead of talking about fats in our food, he used the opportunity to address a different subject, namely “leaky gut syndrome.” Chopra linked the gross-sounding and possibly fake condition to the human genome, the epigenome and the microbiome. Leaky gut syndrome is a hypothetical condition, one that’s not taught in medical school. Leaky gut syndrome, on the other hand, is supposedly an ailment of the intestinal tract that Senapathy rightfully describes as a condition “promoted by pseudoscientists” and “not recognized by the mainstream medical community.” Senapathy: According to the celebrity butcher of science, the microbiome has likes and dislikes. Chopra’s suggestion that the microbiome doesn’t like things that are “GMO’d” is clearly problematic. Terms like “GMO” and “Genetically Modified Organisms” are scientifically arbitrary. Moreover, Chopra failed to describe how it is exactly the trillions of bacteria in our guts can actually discern something that’s “GMO’d” from something that’s supposedly natural. Well, aside from some kind of specious “conscious” link… What we know about the microbiome, epigenome and genome is dwarfed by what we have yet to learn, and Deepak Chopra exploits this, taking brazen liberties to fill in the gaps. Hassani (2016) One of the early trivializers of fundamental physics is Deepak Chopra, whose indiscriminate use of words such as quantum, energy, field, and non-locality renders them as frivolous as a burp after a course of tandoori chicken. Accordingly, it is worthwhile to examine his "physics" and unravel the egregious conceptual blunders he incessantly concocts, especially when these blunders serve as the foundation for the conclusions that he touts as scientific facts to his readers and followers. This is so not only because [Chopra] is writing about (his distorted version of) science, but also because he commands millions of followers who literally regard him as a prophet. His words, fogged by a plume of terminology stolen from science--a discipline revered and trusted, albeit misunderstood, by the public--are powerful maxims and mottos for his disciples. Molé (1998) Each component of this philosophy has serious flaws... There's no reason to say that the apparent similarities between quantum theory and mysticism are anything other than coincidental. This is the nature of Chopra's argument, which finds connections where there may be none, and recklessly superimposes the laws of one level of reality on the matter of another. This is an important distinction, because the results of quantum mechanics experiments bear no relation to our ideas, after the fact, of what happened during the experiment. Chopra confuses his terminology further in other parts of his books... His reliance on the Copenhagen Interpretation has now been completely shattered. If we merely visualize what we think will happen in a quantum mechanics experiment, without taking a measurement, we won't collapse the wave function, and we will play no role in the experiment at all! Chopra has also been less than scientific in documenting the effectiveness of his herbal remedies. No evidence from peer reviewed studies was cited to justify his claims. Naulty, Reg. (2014) Mlodinow is frequently able to dismiss Chopra’s views by remarking that there is no evidence for them. Renner (1991) This is not sound, proven medical advice designed to improve vision. This is a ritual typical of the rituals involved in such prescientific health folklore systems as ayurvedic. Roston (2013) But I pose to him that using complex language that appropriates science doesn’t really help his cause. It makes him sound like a kook. Why not just be more open about the fact that he sees the universe through a different map, and that he is playing with scientific terminology because it is so limited? I suggest that his use of words, such as quantum, as metaphor can be misleading. Salerno (2009) Is there anecdotal evidence that unconventional therapies sometimes yield positive outcomes? Yes. There's also anecdotal evidence that athletes who refuse to shave during winning streaks sometimes bring home championships. George D. Lundberg, a former editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, who said: "There's no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data." Salzberg (2013) Chopra’s claim that photons have consciousness, I have to say, is the purest nonsense. [Chopra has] been throwing around the term “quantum” for decades with apparently no understanding of what it means. Coyne wrote that: “[Chopra's] lucrative brand of woo is finally exposed as a lot of scientifically-sounding psychobabble.” Visiting Chopra’s website is a deep dive into the world of pseudoscience. Senapathy (2016) Though “leaky gut syndrome” is largely promoted by pseudoscientists and is not recognized by the mainstream medical community, scientists are learning that “the gut,” or intestinal tract, can “leak,” allowing substances through microscopic openings in its lining and into the rest of the body. And although our understanding of intestinal permeability is changing, Chopra’s misinformation-laden messaging is a far cry from evidence-based. In other words, what we know about the microbiome, epigenome and genome is dwarfed by what we have yet to learn, and Deepak Chopra exploits this, taking brazen liberties to fill in the gaps. Either disingenuous or ignorant of these facts, frequent criticism doesn’t seem to deter Chopra from spouting microbiome misinformation. Stone (2014) Suffering from conceptual confusion and metaphysical mental cramps, Deepak Chopra argues for an empty god in a vain attempt to preserve the superstitions of the theist. Positing a radical subjectivity that borders on solipsism, Chopra deploys his unique brand of “quantum mysticism” to reject a common sense understanding view of the world he labels as “naive realism.” Perhaps even more problematic is to assume science can, or even should, address such such profound questions of metaphysics and epistemology. Strauss (2015a) He has connections to several universities, including Northwestern and Columbia, even though many scientists and doctors have criticized his views about science and medicine as being unscientific. Newton: If he is publishing scientific claims and actively collaborating in scientific research, he cannot claim to be merely an amateur. And if he has chosen to leap into the practice of science, he cannot exempt himself from the scientific process. Scientists disagree vigorously with one another as they attempt to build the case for new advancements; this peer review is the heart of the scientific process, one of the tools and techniques scientists have developed to encourage the flow of good ideas and sift out bad one. Unfortunately, Dr. Chopra chooses to circumvent that path, publishing his claims as self-help books rather than subjecting them to the rigors of scientific review. Not surprisingly, his claims about the role of “consciousness” in evolution do not hold up to even cursory scrutiny. Indeed, the idea of a unique human “consciousness” echoes 19th century misunderstandings, both the debunked notion of vitalism and the vision of biology which placed human beings at the apex of a single ladder of progress. The idea of a supernatural “consciousness” directing evolution would find a home among advocates of intelligent design creationism, for whom the “intelligent designer” creates the “information” of biologic systems, with humans occupying a special, privileged status among other animals. Dr. Chopra’s claims about the science of evolution and how “consciousness” may have influenced it fail the minimal standard for any scientific claim: testability. [Chopra] asserts as a “bald fact” that human evolution has proceeded “far faster than random mutations can account for.” This claim is a staple in creationist writings, and not a conclusion supported by science. Dr. Chopra’s assertion that evolution is somehow deficient because its claims cannot all be tested in the laboratory is a staple of creationist writings, and not one which scientists or philosophers of science who study the matter would endorse. Dr. Chopra has a substantial audience and is seen by many as a scientific expert. It is tragic that he uses that credibility to spread the long-debunked claims of creationists. Strauss-2 (2015) Newton: Perhaps I’ve mocked his surrealistically bizarre anti-science pronouncements among my friends a few times, or a few thousand times. Chopra’s notion of consciousness has more in common with that book The Secret, which says if you just think really hard you can change reality. (A lot of children engage in this magical thinking, but as they mature they outgrow it—apparently with some exceptions.) Why does he have to hurt my brain like this—what have I ever done to him? Darwin “wrong”? Consciousness directing evolution? Evolution being affected by the thinking of beings that haven’t yet evolved, in some sort of tachyon-induced time warp? His words quantum-entangle my mind in a synergistic charlie foxtrot of howling madness. I am tempted to say, indeed, that his Higgs boson meditations on objective reality transmute existential silence into intrinsic photons—oh, wait, that’s just some nonsense from the Chopra random quote generator. Chopra promises proof for his outlandish claims that Darwin was wrong and that consciousness drives evolution, but I’m not going to hold my breath. Holding my breath would lead to low oxygen saturation in the blood and a slightly delusional state, which might make me susceptible to hearing incoherent babbling strewn with scientific terms—quantum! electro-chemical! wave-particle duality!—and mistaking it for meaningful statements. Chopra’s misappropriation of scientific terms in the service of his nonsense mirrors the way Scientology operates, and for the same reason: to make a buck from the gullible.

Placebo

RE: The previous conversation at Talk:Deepak Chopra#Remove revert placebo about RS using the term "placebo" in reference to Chopra's methods.

Sources calling Chopra's methods placebo

Gamel (2008) Now a multi-millionaire thoroughly seduced by the placebo effect, [Chopra] is the author of 35 books plus 100 audio, video and CD-ROM titles that advocate virtually every form of alternative therapy. Gubernick et al. (1995) Call it, if you will, the pink pill effect-- a placebo. People believe the pills cure them, it makes them feel better, and sometimes the symptoms go away. It's they who did the cure, but the pink pills were a useful prop. Whatever you think of these happiness hucksters [Chopra and others], modern technology has given them a mighty boost. Labash (1996) After obtaining a list of the herbs present in these remedies from Quantum Publications, I ran them by Purdue University's Dr. Varro Tyler, a professor of pharmacognosy (the study of drugs that come from natural sources). Tyler said none of these herbs was proven to have the alleged effects, though he did allow that products like OptiCalm contain ingredients that can be calming. And, he added, "anything has a placebo effect if you believe it. It acts about a third of the time in a positive fashion -- especially for subjective sensations like headache pain." Park (2000) Treatment such as magnet therapy, homeopathy or reflexology, which have only a placebo effect… But if something like Chopra's spiritual healing is substituted for genuine medical intervention in the treatment of cancer, it may deny patients any prospect of a cure, while adding a sense of guilt to their suffering. Warrick (1992) Dr. Herbert Benson, president of Harvard Medical School's Mind/Body Medical Institute [says]... "[ayurveda] lacks the scientific documentation that the relaxation response has." The warm oil massages, special seasonal diets and aroma therapies that may be prescribed by ayurvedic physicians, says Benson, may have more to do with another well-documented medical phenomenon . . . "the placebo effect, where belief and expectancy can lead to truly remarkable medical improvements." Chopra, Deepak (2012) Some people benefit from being given a sugar pill instead of an actual drug... The placebo effect is real medicine, because it triggers the body's healing system. One could argue that this is the best medicine, in fact, since: a. drugs do not trigger the healing system and b. the placebo effect has no side effects.