CalMax - Complaint for false advertising

To: Canadian media regulators, members of Parliament, Health Canada, the Competition Bureau and other interested parties.

Subject: Complaint - CalMax and Michael R. Pinkus on CKGL - NEWSTALK570

This is an official complaint against a paid half-hour commercial broadcast by CKGL AM570 radio in Kitchener. CKGL is a Rogers Communications owned station.

The program was not logged by Bowdens in Mississauga. It was part of a full hour of infomercials that run on early Sunday mornings. The usual disclaimers appeared before and after the shows. Rogers says that they are not responsible for its content or its claims. That is pure an utter rubbish.

The following unsubstantiated claims were made for a product called CalMax that is sold by its spokeperson and pitchman, Michael R. Pinkus from Minnesota. He was interviewed by a host for the entire time.

The product is a powder that you dissolve in water to take in an acidic environment to release its calcium, magnesium, and vitamin-C powers.

According to Pinkus, Calmax can prevent or treat the following:

1.  osteoporosis
2.  PMS
3.  stress
4.  ADHD
5.  sexual dysfuntion in both females and men
6.  prostate problems
7.  helps aging
8.  sleep better

Pinkus made the following claims, also unsubstantiated:

1. There are so many hormones in PMS being released in sequence and with
PMS you have an abnormal sequence. Magnesium is reponsible for 325
reactions in the body. When you take magesium it normalizes the
hormones.

2. Ritalin is identical to Cocaine and Calmax treats ADHD

3. He was the official chiropractor for the U.S. wrestling team that
went to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He claimed that had a number of
athletes using this before their event so they could sleep well, and
their muscles were in real relaxed shape.

4. 5 million American men have osteoporosis

5. American diet and nutrition has greatly changed in the last 50 years

6. Many medications that people take block the absorption of calcium and magnesium

This is the voiceover of the advertisement:

Dr. Pinkus closing remarks. These are exact quotes.:

Links for your investigation:

This clinic is also the same phone number of Michael Pinkus' listing.

L'allier Chiropractic
           4950 Lincoln Dr
           Edina, MN 55436-1071
           Phone: 612-933-4727

His California connection is mentioned here:
http://www.bookaguest.com/tntpage/clients/hh/hh33.htm - Although Michael R. Pinkus uses pictures of Hollywood stars on a web site, he sure seems to change the way he looks.

http://www.drpinkus.com/ -- His web site where he makes statements about Olympic team

http://www.mpcatalog.com/calmax.html -- A CalMax home with a different look

http://www.bookaguest.com/tntpage/glist.htm -- guess who else is on this list with Michael

http://www.freelit.com/f_059/ -- CalMax site.

Remarks:

I find it offensive for a health professional to be allowed to come on Canadian radio shows to sell their products without any evidence that they work.

I find it even more offensive when the ASC and CRTC or CBSC do nothing to prevent these foreign scam artists from penetrating our local broadcasts. The broadcasts are generally a shared revenue fund raiser for the local station. In other words, the program distributors pay for the time, or share in receipts on those people who order through the 800 number. There are dozens of scams that are hosted by the folks in Maine who run nothing more than a phone shop.

We ask that the Federal government do something to stop these deceptive practices immediately.

Close down these unethical infomercial outlets and place the stations on notice that their license to broadcast will be reviewed if they continue this kind of programming.

Sincerely,
Terry Polevoy

• HealthWatcher.net
• ChiroWatch.com
• Dietfraud.com