The Miceli Proposal: Testing Scientology's Purif

The "Purif" (Purification Rundown) is a "spiritual" cleansing regimen used in Scientology churches to supposedly rid the body of "toxins". It involves long sauna sessions intermingled with running, large doses of niacin, and drinking an oil concoction. It is identical to the detox portion of the Narconon treatment program.

An independent (non-Scientology related) study of the Purification Rundown was proposed in 1985 by Dr. Joseph Miceli, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Pharmacy, Children's Hospital of Michigan. Dr. Miceli's proposal suggested that the method might actually have some value in reducing toxins (PBBs and PCBs) from the body - but not for any of the reasons suggested by its author, L. Ron Hubbard. However, the Human Subject Review Committee at Wayne State University refused to allow the study to proceed because it was deemed unfit for human experimentation, according to Dr. Doug Spathelf, research director at Central Michigan University, and Dr. Daniel Graf, research director at Wayne State University.

-- Robert Lobsinger, former editor of the Newkirk Herald Journal

The Miceli Proposal (59 page PDF file, 1.7 MB)
Note: persons or organizations with the handwritten notation "Scn" in the margin are either Scientologists, or affiliated with known Scientology front groups such as FASE, the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education.
More on Narconon's fraudulent claims concerning treatment for PCB exposure.
The Newkirk Herald Journal Series on Narconon, for which Mr. Lobsinger received the Leo J. Ryan Award from the original Cult Awareness Network.

Dave Touretzky

Last modified: Tue Mar 16 04:46:21 EST 2004