Now we are going to take a closer look at alt-health cancer quack Leonard Coldwell's "medical credentials" and "cancer cure" claims. They are on his Bio site, which has been on the web since late June. In a previous post we took a detailed look at a page on that site on which he attempted to document ways that his critics were "defaming" him. However, the site contained legally actionable lies about the very people he claimed were defaming him. It was reported as abusive and that page is now gone. But the "credentials" and "cure rate" claims are still up there and beg for a closer look.
I suspect that some of you are profoundly bored with this subject, and I'm getting a little bored with it myself, but I promised a Part 2, so here it is. (There's even going to be a Part 3 and 4.) After that I intend to get back to more important topics, or at least more amusing ones. There really is a big horrid Scamworld out there far beyond the lunacy of Loony C, as I am reminded every time Salty Droid -- one of the bloggers Coldwell tried unsuccessfully to sue -- publishes a new post. (Like this one.)
And by the way, the fourth word in that title above is not a typo.
~ CC
In Part 1 of this originally two-part but now four-part series, we explored the spurious claims of "defamation" and some of the other outright lies that Not-doctor Leonard Coldwell -- the former Bernd Klein aka Bernd Witchner of Germany, and the former b.f.f. of jailed serial scammer Kevin Trudeau -- put on his new Bio web site. The site, clearly built to get even with Coldwell's critics, got its little nuts cut pretty early on because it contained some seriously defamatory lies about some of the very people Coldwell was accusing of defaming him.
In fact that site has been through quite an ordeal since its launch around June 20, 2014, with Coldwell falsely claiming that his most persistent critics hacked into it. Before we get to the main topics of this post, which include Coldwell's questionable medical creds and his lame attempt to "prove" his "92.3% cure rate," let's review what really happened with the site. If you already know most of this story from reading about it on Bernie O'Mahony's GINtruth blog, I apologize for the redundancy but as always, I think it is important to document things here as well, and in more detail than you probably need. I'm obsessive that way, you know. If the web site stuff bores you, go straight down to the big Bernd-shirt pink subhead for a closer look at the certifiable Coldwell's not-so-impressive certificates.
Coldwell's bio site glitches, and he lies that it was hacked
The controversial page on Coldwell's Bio site was one tagged, "Defamation." After complaints from several people about whom Coldwell wrote blatant lies that page -- people such as Bernie, whom Coldwell falsely accused of being a child rapist -- the web host, WIX, demanded that the site owners take the page down. Apparently the webmaster tried to comply.
But it seems there was a glitch somewhere. For a day or so, the entire site was down. Not long afterward it was up again, but the menu was missing, and the only pages you could get to were the home page, which had an abbreviated bio and summary; and the extended bio page, which you could get to from the home page only because there was a link on the body of that page. You could not get to the other pages except by typing in the direct links to them, if you happened to have saved the links.
There was one exception, however: the "Defamation" page -- which could not be reached even by typing in the direct link. That link would take you straight to the home page.
During this time Coldwell was all over his little Facebook universe, complaining that I had hacked the site and/or that Bernie had hacked it under orders from me.
Not long after the first flurry of accusations, the site was back up -- including the menu, and including the intact Defamation page that had been the target of the complaints in the first place. Oops! The only difference was that the pictures loaded a little more smoothly and didn't obscure the text, as had originally been the case. So it was much easier to read Coldwell's false accusations about Bernie, as well as his accusations about me and several others.
I will note again, as I did in Part 1, that my name was not actually mentioned on that Defamation page, nor did my picture appear. However, Coldwell wrote about a woman who had allegedly tried for years to have sex with him, and he wrote that because he had refused her, she went on a hate rampage against him. In light of the fact that this is one of his newest lies (or twisted fantasies) about me, and in light of previous things he had written about me on Facebook, as well as subsequent Facebook posts where he told the exact same story and posted my full name and address, it was very clear he was talking about me.
In addition, Coldwell wrote on the Defamation page that he would gladly share the full names, addresses, and contact information of everyone mentioned on that page; all one had to do was write to him at a specific email address, which he also included. To many of us this seemed like more than a veiled threat and a call for some sort of vigilante "justice" against Coldwell's critics. (Unfortunately he later made good on that threat with me, posting my name and address all over his Facebook platforms in conjunction with more actionable lies and false accusations.)
I believe Bernie complained again, as he had every right to do. Remember, Coldwell had falsely accused Bernie of being a child molester. My husband Ron also complained. (I never did, however.) And the entire site disappeared again, for a very short while. Once again Coldwell whined that Bernie and I had hacked into his site. At some point, hilariously, he also turned his wrath upon the Jewish people, simply because web host WIX is in Israel.
But that's not really all that surprising, for as violence in the Middle East has escalated Coldwell has once again let his inner anti-Semite out to play. Sooner or later, the hater monkey in this great "humanitarian" always comes out on social media. (Here is Bernie, weighing in on that matter on GINtruth, with some hilarious but disturbing screen shots.)
Meanwhile, as the July web shenanigans were going on, Coldwell's webmaster offered a little more perspective about the situation. She indicated that WIX had notified her of complaints about an abusive page on the site. She said that WIX requested that the page be taken down, and she complied. But after that, the rest of the site didn't function correctly. She reported that some of Lenny's other WIX-hosted sites were down too, but I never checked those so I don't know. The webmaster blamed WIX, but apparently not the Jews or Bernie or me.
Coldwell's lies continued, however. Even as he was blaming the Jews in Israel, Coldwell was also still blaming Bernie and me. He complained that Bernie and I had finagled things so that the single "Defamation" page disappeared, because we were afraid of the world learning "the truth" about us.
At some point while all of this was happening, Coldwell came up with perhaps the biggest whopper of all: he falsely accused me of poisoning his dog, and, as I mentioned above, he also shared my name and address. Some people believed his lies, even after presumably reading posts to the contrary. I'm still dealing with blowback from that. (Coldwell has seemingly tried to slink out of the situation since then; a little over a week after his first rants about his dog and me appeared, he used his main Facebook page to post a list of plants toxic to dogs, noting that he'd learned about this list while trying to save the dog's life. Again, there's more about that here, for those haven't caught up on the story yet.)
Were the sporadic disappearances of the entire Coldwell Bio site actually due to WIX's foul-ups, or to the webmaster's errors, or to a combination of the two? Beats me. I have a vague idea of how vexing web problems can be, which is why you don't see me messing much with web design. All I know for certain is that Coldwell's web problems had nothing to do with Bernie, me, or any of Coldwell's imagined "enemies." Coldwell knows it too, but lying is what he does best so that's what we can pretty much expect from him in response to any setback in his life. At any rate, as of this posting, the site is back up again, functioning marginally better than before, though extraordinarily slow loading.
Notably missing in action is the "Defamation" tab, which previously could be reached via the drop-down menu under the category "MORE." It has been replaced by a highly condensed version of itself, under a new title. As of this writing, there is a new tab under "MORE," called "Enemies." Presently it contains only one item from the original "Defamation" page: an April 2014 affidavit showing that one woman who had previously accused Coldwell of sexual impropriety in 2007 recanted her accusation. The affidavit makes mention of the woman having made the original accusations "under duress," but it's natural to wonder if it was the retraction that was made under duress. There's no explanation on the "Enemies" page, just a picture of the poorly redacted affidavit.
In short, Coldwell's Bio site was having problems not because Bernie "hacked" the site, although he and others did complain to the host about it -- in other words, they went through legitimate channels. It is not because I "hacked" the site or told Bernie to do it. I don't know how to hack sites and don't want to know. But I suppose there's no convincing the diehard Coldwell fans.
Here is Bernie's early take on some of Coldwell's recent lunacy-- the dog poisoning and hacking allegations -- and here's a subsequent post. Unlike me, Bernie doesn't mince words.
Certified... or certifiable?
For most people, questioning a person's credentials is a natural thing to do when that person makes extravagant claims, as Coldwell has repeatedly done. Perhaps his most famous claim is that he cured more than 35,000 people of cancer, though he has also posted modified versions of that claim on various sites, including his new one (more on that in a little while). And when someone claims to have four PhDs, or eight doctorates, or several master's degrees, and other similar claims -- all of which Coldwell has made at various times -- it's natural to want to find out where he got those degrees.
So it is not at all surprising that I am far from the only person to have questioned Leonard Coldwell's credentials. The snarky, opinionated (but NOT-me) writer of the RationalWiki page about Coldwell (I'll have more about that in Part 3) makes note of some of the various questionable creds Coldwell has claimed to have. This is from the "Qualifications" section:
Coldwell claims expertise in virtually any sphere where he thinks there's a quick buck to be made and backs up his 'expertise' with a variety of phoney or worthless qualification none of which are worth the Microsoft Paint and clip-art enhanced 80gsm they were ink-jetted on.
At various times Coldwell has laid claim to the following not-necessarily-exhaustive list of 'qualifications'.
ND – Naturopathic Doctor.
DNM – Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine.
LCHC – Unknown. Leonard Coldwell Health Certificate?
CNHP – Certified Natural Health Professional.
DIP.PHC – Unknown... Diploma in something or other? Diploma in Phoney Healthcare. Yeah... That'll be it.
PhD – Doctor of Philosophy. (Four of them).
'Doctor Degrees' (Four of them whatever they are supposed to be).
D.Hum – Doctor of Humanities. (Honorary).
Determining when or where this impressive hoard of qualifications were obtained is remarkably difficult largely due to the fact Coldwell is quite determinedly tight-lipped on the whole subject and the claims vary from one bullshit website to the next.
In written evidence for an ill-fated 1999 German defamation case... Coldwell uncharacteristically and probably unwisely let slip a few details about his credentials. He claimed to have a doctorate in psychology from Columbia State University which sounds impressive enough until you discover Columbia State University is, or rather was, a diploma mill operated by stage hypnotist Ronald “Dr Dante" Pellar. Columbia State University was closed by court order in 1998 when “Dr Dante” got 67 months in the big house on a string of dishonesty charges.
At the same time Coldwell was also claiming to be a professor at the Virginia Health University of Delaware. While absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence in cases like this an internet search for the exact term “Virginia Health University of Delaware” produces exactly two hits both of which relate solely to a certain Mr Leonard Coldwell. Make of that what you will.
Coldwell is the proud holder of an honorary Doctor of Humanities award from the "Non Accredited, but very prestigious, Louisiana Baptist University." which is probably the nearest thing he actually has to a genuine qualification as honorary degrees do not actually require any academic work.
Where Not-A-Doctor Coldwell obtained his other three PhDs and his 'doctor degrees' from is anybody's guess.
Well, Mr. Unknown Writer, maybe we can clear some things up for you here, since Coldwell has become a little more loose-lipped about his creds.
The people who don't ask questions about Coldwell's credentials seem to be those who have a deep need to believe his tall tales. I'm sure they all have their reasons. Perhaps some need or want to believe that there is secret information about some simple, natural "cures" out there, and/or that other "forbidden" information exists that is being hidden from them -- and that only people such as Coldwell are brave enough to fight to get that information to them. Perhaps they are simply and justifiably fed up with mainstream medicine, having had a series of bad experiences in that area, and they are desperately seeking alternatives. What seems clear to me is that people seem to need their heroes, no matter how unlikely, and Coldwell panders to this deep need (I'll have more about that in Part 3).
In this passage from the 2008 print version of Instinct Based Medicine (a precursor to Coldwell's "best-seller," The Only Answer to Cancer), Coldwell mentions a Ph.D. and a few master's degrees. But he doesn't answer any questions about where those degrees came from.
In Part 3 I will have more about Coldwell's history of defending himself and his degrees.
Wink tries to do damage control
Before taking a closer look at the individual creds, let's backtrack for a moment. I promise you that this is relevant to current issues. At various times in the past couple of years, Coldwell's bidness partner and good buddy Peter Wink has campaigned to get people to back off on their nonstop criticism of Coldwell. He tried it with me for a while, to no avail. (Peter, as you may recall, was formerly Kevin Trudeau's marketing director for GIN/Website Solutions, and before that, he worked for Whirled favorite snarget Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale.)
Peter also tried his manipulations with Bernie at GINtruth. At one point in early 2013 he told Bernie that he, Peter, had seen Coldwell's degrees and certificates with his own eyes, and they were the real thing. This was around the time Bernie was publishing his first blog posts about Coldwell; on an early Coldwell post on December 15, 2012, Bernie questioned Coldwell's degrees -- and then some. Perhaps Peter thought that Bernie, who had previously been such an ally in the fight against GIN and KT, was still salvageable for Peter's and Lenny's purposes.
But by the time Peter began engaging, the train had already left the station. In fact Lenny had already fired off numerous angry private messages to Bernie the previous month, and had pretty much figured out that Bernie was not on his side. Apparently oblivious to all of that, Peter wrote a private message to Bernie on or about January 2, 2013 -- shortly after the New Years Eve/Day fiasco when Bernie was pummeled by a group of Japanese thugs and posted a picture on his Facebook page, along with the story of what had happened. In this January 2 Facebook conversation Bernie shares Peter's private message to him.
Apart from its relevance to the topic of Coldwell's "credentials," and the lame excuse-making about why Coldwell had been so cagey about those creds, Peter's comment about Bernie's injury indicates that Peter was very well aware of the story of what had happened to Bernie in early January 2013. Yet to my knowledge Peter said nothing in July 2014 when Coldwell posted that same pic of Bernie on the "Defamation" page on his Bio site, as well as on Coldwell's own Facebook page -- and wrote that it was a picture of Bernie after he had been caught raping a child and had been beaten up by the people who caught him. Not one word did Peter write in Bernie's defense.
I sense that he was a wee bit embarrassed about his lunatic friend and business partner and hoped the fuss would just die down and go away if he simply ignored it... or perhaps he just didn't care. Maybe he even feels that people who continue to criticize Coldwell get whatever they deserve. He's welcome to comment here if he wishes. Perhaps he could also say something about Coldwell's lies about me poisoning his dog and my so-called sexual obsession with Lenny.
In any case, Peter's efforts to head off Bernie's Coldwell criticism were as futile as Peter's earlier attempts with me. Bernie continued to publish critical posts about Coldwell, as well as Coldwell's and Wink's GIN ripoff, the IBMS Master's Society, which was also launched in January 2013. As of now, its web site still appears to be down for all practical purposes; I'm still getting a message from Firefox that the site is "untrusted."
Lenny's creds, such as they are
I was not convinced by any previous efforts to validate Lenny's credentials, and I am even less convinced now that I have finally seen those vaunted certificates and "degrees" with my own eyeballs, after Coldwell proudly and defiantly published them on his new Bio web site.
The creds are all showcased on Coldwell's Bio site on a page labeled "Accredation" [sic]. Nothing screams "legitimate credentials" like seeing the word "accreditation" spelled incorrectly. Although I suspect that soon after this blog post is published, the mistake will be corrected.
A quick glance at the "Accredation" page will reveal that the credentials of which Coldwell is so proud really aren't that impressive. For one thing, contrary to the blurb shared above from Instinct Based Medicine, they do not appear to be "master's degrees" or "doctorates." And there's no evidence of a doctorate in psychology, or any PhD at all. Or maybe those degrees are still being hidden, and Lenny will whip them out during the next incarnation of his Bio web site, or as soon as little Amy can get the ink jet printer fixed. I made Lenny a PhD that he can use while he's waiting. You're welcome, Lenny.
Those of you who thumb your nose at the medical establishment, as Coldwell does, probably will not care about the particulars of these "certifications." Those who disdain the educational establishment probably won't care either. So feel free to skip this whole part and leave it for those who are on the fence or who are suspicious of people with iffy degrees. Still, you might consider the fact that Coldwell, as well as many other faux-degree holders (particularly in the selfish-help/McSpirituality/alt-health industries) often make a big deal of exploiting their "degrees" in order to boost their credibility and authority. If degrees weren't all that important, why would they make such a big deal of them? I had written about that on this blog numerous times before I'd ever even heard of Lenny.
Let's look at Coldwell's credentials one by one, starting at the top of the "Accredation" page -- as it exists at the moment, anyway -- and moving on down. I will also provide contact information for each of the institutions in question, in case you want to write to them or call them and verify Lenny's standing (for whatever you think that is worth). I know you could easily look this info up yourself, but on this Whirled we're all about the one-stop shopping, though I've also provided plenty of links for further info.
Degrees and Diplomas
The "Accredation" page begins with a picture of two certificates and the implication that Coldwell obtained them on the advice of "Naturalization and Immigration Service experts" in order to have his "German Education" accredited in the U.S. He adds that the "German Education," combined with some mandatory courses in the US, earned him the "accredation." (Lenny doesn't name the "Naturalization and Immigration Service experts" who supposedly gave him this advice, but perhaps the point is irrelevant.)
In any case, the certificates pictured in this section are from two sister organizations, the American Alternative Medical Association (AAMA) and the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). Maybe they had a two-fer deal: Buy one certification, and they'll throw in one from the sister org for free. It's sort of like those BOGO deals at Payless ShoeSource, except without the shoes. Anyway, both certificates were sold to Lenny in November 2002.
On a Linkedin page of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, Executive Director Donald A. Rosenthal, M.D., N.D., states:
Your professional affiliation with AADP can provide free patient referrals and an impressive AADP Certificate of Membership. Your name will be made available to the general public - allowing potential patient referral. The AADP will call or write to state licensing boards to inform them of a practitioner's qualifications. Licensed laboratories offering non-invasive patient testing will be made available. These laboratory tests can bring hundreds of dollars into your practice each month. Also, consultations on how to start a practice or increase an existing one can be provided.
(Of course Lenny has been careful to say that he "no longer sees patients," claiming that all of his creds were obtained so he can be a better "educator.")
Here is additional information about the American Alternative Medical Association -- basic info, as well as their Code of Ethics.
Further on down the "Accredation" page, Lenny displays laminated wallet cards from the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, stating he is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, and the American Alternative Medical Association, indicating that he is a Board Certified Alternative Medical Practitioner.
Here is the contact information for the two organizations:
American Alternative Medical Association
General Information
office@joinaama.com
membership Information
office@joinaama.com
To Find A Practitioner
office@joinaama.com
American Association of Drugless Practitioners
General Information
join@aadp.net
Member Information
members@aadp.net
To Find a Practitioner
referrals@aadp.net
To Update Member Contact Information
newsletter@aadp.net
Members Benefit Request
benefits@aadp.net
If you're interested in further insights about these organizations from a more skeptical point of view, here are some links that might interest you.
A 2007 article about a Denver teen whose death from late-stage bone cancer was apparently hastened by a "health practitioner" with bogus creds: http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2004024299_miracle20m0.html
Skeptic and retired doc Stephen Barrett, M.D. weighs in on Credential Watch: http://www.credentialwatch.org/reports/iin.shtml
Dr. Barrett offers more insights on Quackwatch: http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/nonrecorg.html
Next up on "Accredations" we have the...
Honorary Degree
This is the "degree" that Coldwell is so proud of that the little feller devoted half of the space on his expanded Bio page to yapping about it. On May 6, 2011 -- during the time, it should be noted, that he was still flying high on Kevin Trudeau's GIN scam and aggressively pushing this fraud to who knows how many thousands of people -- Leonard Coldwell was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from an unaccredited religious school.
The GIN mention seems relevant because at one point after Coldwell had been booted out of GIN in May 2012, he claimed that he had known for at least a year before he "left" GIN that it was a fraud, and he "tried to tell people about it," and notified the authorities and whatnot. From all appearances, however, it seems that in reality he spent that last year as per usual: trying to sucker as many people into his downline as he could.
But I digress. Of this honorary "degree," Lenny writes:
Dr. Coldwell is very proud of the honorary Doctorate of Humanity [sic] that he received from the Non Accredited, but very prestigious, Louisiana Baptist University.
Well, I'm not so sure that LBU is all that "prestigious," except to a small cadre of Bible-toting Christian fundies. LBU is apparently not accredited because it does not want to be, according to this entry on Theopedia:
Louisiana Baptist University is not accredited by any accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Government, this is due mainly to the fact that LBU chooses not to seek accreditation. LBU is one of six approved colleges and universites of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International and those who graduate with a concentration in missions can be approved as a missionary for the fellowship.LBU also has the approval of the Association of Christian Colleges and Theological Schools (ACCTS) which is a Christian agency involved in approving Christian schools. Though LBU is not regionally or nationally accredited it is however, well known throughout the Christian academic and theological community. Some of the keynote speakers at LBU commencement ceremonies have been well known Christian leaders like Jerry Falwell of Liberty University and Dr. Paige Patterson of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. LBU claims that in some cases Liberty University accepts transferred credits or degrees from LBU as well as other well known seminaries. This is not unusual considering the fact that credits and degrees of other institutions like Bob Jones University (unaccredited until 2005) have been widely accepted by accredited schools of higher learning.
Wow. Jerry Falwell. Bob Jones U. Scintillating company, if you fancy narrow-minded, sexist, homophobic, hate-filled theocrats. I can see how Lenny would almost fit right in, though, except maybe for a few personal habits he is said to have.
On the main Biography page on his Bio web site, Coldwell displays a picture of himself supposedly receiving his "doctorate" from an elderly gentleman, presumably a fundamentalist Christian type. I wonder what the gentleman -- not to mention the church ladies -- would think about some of the more unsavory allegations about Lenny. Would they be shocked, or would they defend their honoree, rationalizing that Satan or one of his handmaidens is responsible for spreading these rumors? (After all, Lenny did refer to me as "the women from Hell.")
You can draw your own conclusions. But do feel free to visit the Louisiana Baptist University web site, and drop them a line or give them a phone call if you feel so inspired. Here is their contact information:
Louisiana Baptist University and Seminary
6301 Westport Avenue
Shreveport, Louisiana 71129
(318) 686-2360 (Phone)
(318) 688-2148 (Fax)
lbuinfo@lbu.edu
Here is the link to the page about their staff members.
And in case you haven't seen this previously, Bernie had a few words about the value of an "honorary humanities degree" from an unaccredited religious "university" a while back on GINtruth.
Next up on "Accredation" are three certificates...
Additional Education
Lenny writes:
Once here in America Dr. Coldwell continued his education in order to better grasp the English language assisting him in more thoroughly understanding the American approach to Naturopathic Health and Healing.
Apparently his education didn't do much in assisting his written English... but even so, as I've noted before, his written and spoken English are far superior to my written and spoken German (which are nil). I believe in giving credit where it is due.
This section displays three certificates from the Institute of the National Association of Certified National Health Professionals (CNHP). Here is their main web site: http://www.cnhp.org/.
The pictures on Coldwell's site indicate that he has "certifications" from this org in three areas: "Body Systems," "Body Work" (eeeew), and "Practicum." I didn't see a link on the site for "Body Work," though. Maybe we really don't want to know. All three docs are dated within a few days of each other in October 2007. 2007 was a big year for Lenny. That's the year that police report was filed.
And for what it's worth, Lenny islisted on the CNHP site as a "graduate." Despite the site's claims about study and learning requirements, I really couldn't tell you what it actually means in the real world to be a "graduate" of that diploma mill institution, but if you're curious, here's more info about the process of becoming a CNHP.
And here is the contact info for the org:
The Institute of the National Association of Certified Natural Health Professionals
220 Parker St.
Warsaw, IN 46580
Toll-Free: (800) 321-1005
Local: (574) 267-4230
Fax: (574) 268-5393
Email: info@cnhp.org
The National Association of Certified Natural Health Professionals
email: info@cnhp.org
But all of the above wasn't enough. Lenny had bigger dreams. He wanted the very best education for himself. So he became a bona fide...
Certified Natural Healthcare Professional (CNHP)
Actually, however, this is just another cred from the diploma mill institution where he got those three blue certies pictured above.
Here are a couple more articles you might find of interest:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2014/03/12/reason-com-defends-the-medical-neglect-of-sarah-hershberger/
http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/Nonrecorg/aanc.html
............................................................................................
Immediately following the CNHP "certificate" -- but with no headline of its own -- is a picture that has no explanation...
This document, issued by the World Organization of Natural Medicine Practitioners, states that Coldwell was deemed to be "Board Certified" by that organization on May 1, 2009. Further on down the page there are also two laminated wallet cards from this organization, also claiming that Coldwell is "Board Certified." I'll discuss the organization in a little more depth in the "Wallet cards" section below.
............................................................................................
Apparently saving the best for almost last, Coldwell next shares one of the most impressive credentials of all: something that looks like a faxed certificate showing that Lenny participated (that's what that word teilgenommen means) in an event called Berlin Dentist's Day back in 1994.
Said my snarky pal Tim, "I guess that means he brushed his teeth?" Possibly. Or maybe his dentures.
............................................................................................
Finally, we have the real proof of Lenny's "Board Certification": four laminated wallet cards...
We've already discussed the two-fer: the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and the American Alternative Medical Association. Lenny has a wallet card for each, but he also displays two other "board certification" cards: one for The World Organization of Natural Medicine Practitioners (WONMP), and one for the Sacred Medical Order of the Knights of Hope (aka SMOKH, aka SMOCH (Sacred Medical Order of the Church of Hope).
On first glance the WOMNP seemed to be just a membership organization. I did not understand how one could be "board certified" by this org, until a little searching landed me on this site, which is apparently the certification board for the WONMP and other orgs. The WONMP card indicates that Lenny is a "Board Certified Doctor of Natural Medicine" (I suppose that's the "DNM" he has been known to use on occasion).
The Sacred Medical Order of the Knights of Hope, as the name implies, claims to be a "sacred medical order." According to the main site, SMOCH/SMOKH is...
...a Church of special and sacred ministry and medical religious Order. As an ecumenical Order, membership of the Sacred Medical Order is by invitation to both men and women who are of good character and standing in their community, want to learn about our sacred medicines, and who wish to help suffering mankind.
So it's more or less a ministry, at least according to this November 2009 version of a SMOKH Consent and Disclosure Form I found on the Googles. Here's a snippet from that form (which is offered by an Aiken, South Carolina natural something-or-other practitioner named Dr. Brice E. Vickery):
SMOKH practitioners are clergy and are classified as such under state law, and any information you provide during private sessions is considered confidential. As such, no information may be released without your express consent, except as required under law. As a standard rule (which may vary by state) if the Practitioner becomes aware of information concerning abuse, danger, harm or threatened harm to you or others, he or she is expected and required to report such to the proper authorities.
But what if the practitioner is doing the abusing? Well, there's this, from that same form...
COMPLANTS & REMEDIES: Practitioners are accountable to the private SMOKH Standard Code of Ethical Standards (CES), which may be viewed on-line at www.wonmp.us. Complaints may be filed in accordance with instructions in the CES. In the event Counselee is dissatisfied with services provided by Counselor, Counselee is entitled to file a formal complaint. In such event, the terms of the CES as scripturally valid will govern any action. Counselee agrees that if he or she is not satisfied with remedies provided for in the CES, that non-judicial arbitration will be the exclusive remedy. Such arbitrators will consist solely of Counselors peers, and will include (2) arbitrators chosen by the Counselor, and (2) chosen by the Counselee. In the event of any disagreement in choosing arbitrators, location of arbitration or otherwise, SMOKH Board of Examiners will intervene, and all decisions by such Board will be accepted as final by Counselor and Counselee. In no event will Counselor or Counselee act to move any complaint or action to a judicial level, outside of or beyond agreed arbitration, and both hereby agree, as a contracted condition of services, to accept the arbitrator’s decision as final and exclusive remedy in settling all disputes and civil complaints. This agreement for remedies does not extend to or include criminal acts which should be reported to the proper authorities.
In other words... you agree not to sue me if I perform a little hands-on healing that takes you beyond your comfort zone. And don't tell your husband either. Oh... did I say that?
Anyway. According to the picture of the card on his creds page, Lenny is a "Licensed Clinical Health Counselor" (LCHC) through SMOKH. Or SMOCH. Or whatever acronym you want to use. Frankly, I think they're mostly just blowing SMOKE.
Both the WOMNP and the SMOKH cards bear the same "sacred cross" logo and have a similar format/design, leading me to believe Lenny might have taken advantage of another two-fer deal. He received these credentials in May (WOMNP) and June (SMOKH) of 2009. In other words, to put things in perspective in case you are wondering, he was probably not acting as a LCHC through SMOKH during the alleged incidents reported in the 2007 police report.
And that's it for the impressive lineup of creds on the "Accredation" form.
Before we leave this section, here is one more article of interest -- and I know this may not convince those who are determined to cling to their Coldwell-as-heroic-healer narrative -- but take a look at this resource about alt-health diploma mills. You will see some familiar names on this list.
I recognize that many people have an issue with naturopathic and other alt-health practices and will claim that Coldwell's credentials are spurious by default, since they are in a field not recognized by mainstream medicine in the U.S. and many other places. Recently a Facebook friend shared a link to a strongly opinionated post on the Baxter & Friends blog about this very matter. Though some may be offended by the obvious condescension of anyone who embraces "alternative medicine" (a condescension that I do not share), the post, written by Chris Ruiz, still offers excellent perspective about what a naturopath is. Here's that link.
So there you have it: the life's work of Leonard Coldwell -- or at least the part of his life's work that he can hang on a wall, carry around in a wallet, and summarize in a string of letters after his name.
About that 92.3% cancer cure rate (and other cure claims)
Apart from his string of questionable creds, Coldwell's most famous claims center around his "cure" rates for cancer and/or other devastating diseases. The claims take slightly different forms, depending upon which site you are reading.
For instance, there's this, which appears -- among many other places online -- on the "About" page on his main site:
Throughout Dr. Coldwell’s successful career, he has to date, cured over 35,000 cancer patients (studies have concluded that he has a 92.3% cancer cure rate).
However, a more modified version appears -- again, among many other places -- on an old Blogger blog that Coldwell has apparently abandoned:
An independent statistical institute estimated that Dr. Coldwell worked with over 35,000 patients.
See the difference? And yes, I know I've also discussed this issue previously. But it's worth noting again.
On his new Bio web site, Coldwell doesn't really appear to be making the specific and more extravagant claim about the 35,000 cured cancer patients. Nevertheless he devotes a page on his the site to "proving" his cure rate -- a page titled, appropriately enough, 92.3% Cure Rate.Apparently this was one of the main reasons for creating the new site in the first place, apart from showcasing his dodgy credentials and, of course, trying to defame his critics. Since the burden of proof is so heavy in the medical field, and since he has often referred to "independent studies" that supposedly proved his impressive cure rate, you would think he would have tried to include as much documentation as possible. But all that appears on that page is a redacted January 2010 letter from his longtime friend and bidness partner, Dr. Thomas Hohn. Or Höhn, for the punctuationally correct. Or Hoehn, as Coldwell sometimes spells it. Anyway... <a href