On Deepak Chopra
Dear Victoria General Hospital Foundation,
In July 1995, Californian Jonie Flint filed suit against Chopra,
Triguna, The Sharp Institute, and various other individuals and
organizations. Flint’s husband David, who was suffering from leukemia,
had consulted Triguna in April 1993. According to the complaint,
Triguna was represented as a licensed health professional (which he is
not) and concluded that David’s liver function was down and that he
had “heat” in his spleen and bone marrow, “wind” in his stomach, and
pressure on his nerves. Triguna recommended dietary changes,
“purification” treatment, and various herbal products. David then
underwent treatment at the Lancaster clinic and purchased and used
Maharishi Amrit Kalash and several other products. He also consulted
Chopra, who performed pulse diagnosis and provided a mantra for
“quantum sound treatment.” (This is a technique—also called
“primordial sound treatment”—described in one of Chopra’s books as
“similar to meditation, but … prescribed for specific illnesses,
including those we consider incurable in the West, such as cancer.”)
In December 1993, Triguna retested David’s pulse and declared that his
leukemia was gone. It was not, however, and David died four months
later. The suit charged that the $10,000 he spent for ayurvedic
services and products was obtained by fraud. Unfortunately, Jonie
Flint lacked the resouces to pursue her suit, so the accuracy of her
allegations could not be investigated under courtroom conditions.
It is unfortunate that such desperate people would believe such
nonsense, and unfortunate that a hospital would sponsor such behavior,
James V. Odett
