Believers stand behind noni healing powers

[TexasStooge]

By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8

Noni juice, which comes from a fruit that grows on islands in the South Pacific, has a following of people that swear it's a natural healer.

But in 1998, Tahitian Noni International agreed to stop claiming in its advertising that Tahitian Noni Juice could treat, cure or prevent a wide range of diseases including diabetes, depression, hemorrhoids and arthritis after four states cited the company for making the claims.

The agreement also called for the company to pay $100,000 dollars.

Scott Tiedt is just one among many dealing with painful arthritis.

"On the worst day, I would say it was probably a 7 or 8, something like that," Tiedt said of his pain based one a 1 to 10 scale. "And it wasn't like that every day, but especially in the winter when it was cold and wet it would be the worst."

A neighbor noticed Scott massaging his hands and suggested he try Tahitian Noni Juice for his chronic pain.

"When I first was approached about it, I will admit I was a little skeptical," he said.

Scott drank two shots a day for two months and now claims his arthritis is gone.

"From the benefits of it...it's a lifesaver," he said.

Noni is a fruit that grows in the rich soil of Tahiti and French Polynesia. Islanders claim it helps with everything from fever and coughs to diabetes and liver disease. Polynesian healers have used it for 2,000 years.

In 1996, the juice was introduced to America and in ten years Tahitian Noni became a billion dollar industry.

Tahitian Noni is such a phenomenon that Tahitian Noni cafes have popped up in the U.S. There only two so far, which include one in Atlanta and one in Dallas off McKinney Avenue.

Food in the cafe is made from noni fruit and next door they sell noni juice and products.

While many at the cafe said it has helped their health, some dieticians have not bought into noni's healing powers.

"I am kind of skeptical about noni juice," said Elizabeth Schaub, dietician. "I'd like to see if it really does lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. I'd like to see it done as an independent study with a larger population and the general population, not just smokers."

In a recent study by noni manufacturers, 106 smokers drank the juice and lowered their cholesterol levels by 45 points. But Schaub cautioned clients about noni juice and any dietary supplement.

"There is no way to know you are getting true noni juice because it is not regulated," she said. "I would hate to see someone spend their money on it and put their hopes into it and not get noni juice, so they actually just end up wasting their money."

Bruce Boyd tried the product for several years and while he said he enjoys it, he said he didn't see any other benefits.

"I really didn't notice a big difference with the noni, probably nothing at all," he said. "Nothing changed...I'm not knocking it. [I'm] not in on research they've done on noni; however I know things tend to have a placebo affect."

But Pamela Carey, another believer, said she did see a change.

"It did me some justice," she said.

Carey was paralyzed and told recurring blood clots could kill her.

"I cheated death by drinking the juice," she said. "...At first I was drinking it and then I stopped...Then I started back drinking it, which helped me to decrease the blood clots."

She said she believes noni juice helped her see the birth of her grandbaby.

The medical world on the other hand said studies of this rare fruit are still in their infancy.

[HurryKane]

I ain't drinking it unless it shrinks my butt.