The Iowa Attorney General has reached a settlement where two chiropractors who sold a weight loss program in the state will give customers refunds.
AG spokesman Lynn Hicks says Bradley Cook sold the NutriMost program in Marengo and Cedar Rapids, while Madison, Wisconsin chiropractor Emmett Blahnik sold it through a franchise in West Des Moines. “In some cases they used a technology called zyto scans. They would put your hand in these cradles and scan them and come up with a hormonal fingerprint — and this would come up with the perfect recipe for you to burn fat,” Hicks says
He says they promised you could lose 20 to 40 pounds of fat in 40 days. “They didn’t tell people — at least the advertisements did not tell people — that basically their program meant that you had to starve yourself and you also had to buy some nutritional supplements and other things,” according to Hicks.
Cook agreed to pay $50,000 and Blahnik agreed to pay $30,000. Hicks says this is not the first settlement over the NutriMost program. He says some people who purchased it from the franchiser got a settlement, but that didn’t cover those who purchased it from the Iowa franchisers, and that’s why they pursued this settlement. Hick says they felt the sellers didn’t give the full story or overpromised what the NutriMost could do.
“We run into this all the time, especially when there’s health-related products and services. If it sounds too good to be true — probably is. We advise people to go to a doctor or trusted health professional to try to get second opinions,” Hicks says. He says you should remember that supplements are not regulated and their claims don’t have to be proven — so you need to do your own research.
“Check it out with the Better Business Bureau or other sites to see what the reviews are with other people who have done this,” Hicks says. But generally, be wary of claims of extraordinary results when considering a weight-loss program. And things that sound really high-tech, really do your research on that as well, because that can be misleading.” Hicks says the Attorney General’s Office will contact the customers of NutriMost about getting a refund.