Today we taking a look at emails, videos, and radio ads by Barton Publishing, which claims to have a way to “cure” or “reverse” diabetes.
This article was first penned in mid-2012 after we received an email with the subject, “Learn How Diabetes Has Been Cured!” The email also contained a familiar footer, discussed in an earlier article. Since then, we have encountered the sender, Barton Publishing, on many occasions. Let’s first go back to that first email we received.
The Email
This message – and dozens we’ve received from Barton since then – are typically marked “spam” by Gmail, Outlook, and others. Consider:
- The text was one large graphic, perhaps to avoid spam filters
- The vague use of the phrase “weird trick” has been used in spammy ads and emails for years.
- The footer connects this company to a huge spammer network, as discussed in our PandaPancake article.
The email linked to a video on the website diabetesreversed.com (not at the main url, but a long affiliate link).
The Video
This is one of those voice-over-whiteboard videos, very similar to the Stansberry Research video discussed several years ago. Many viewers find these whiteboard videos to be annoying, but sit through them anyway in hopes of discovering this “weird trick” to “curing” diabetes. These types of videos often hide the rewind or pause buttons, forcing you to watch all of it without seeing how long the video is or how much time is left once you start watching. The narrator rambles without ever really saying anything except, “I’ll explain it all in my newsletter.”
Although the email and radio ads mention a “weird spice” that we probably all have in our kitchens, the video barely mentions it. Instead we are shown the scary side of diabetes with photos of cataracts, damaged hearts, and damaged feet – all of which are in fact real problems. After an excruciatingly long setup, we’re asked if we would like to reverse our diabetes in less than four weeks. Who wouldn’t?
Throughout the video we keep hearing about this mystery “system” using a “simple home remedy” that is so inexpensive “it might as well be free.” This comes from Joe Barton, founder of Barton Publishing. His self-proclaimed life mission is to “see people healed.” Not to mention selling a few books along the way.
After painfully sitting through an inordinate amount of empty hype, we’re finally told that this “weird spice” is cinnamon. He spends about 10 seconds on it, saying he’ll tell us more about it later. That’s it.
The entire video is a long, rambling sales pitch for a “kit” starting with a $2.97 “processing fee” which leads to another $17 charge three weeks later. (When we first discussed this video in 2012, it was a $4.97 processing fee, and $15 three weeks later.) This leads to the promotion of more books on natural remedies which he has for sale.
If you attempt to exit the page before the video is finished, you’ll receive an annoying popup asking you to stay. After the popup, we are sent to another page which is designed as a last-ditch effort to get your money. That page tell us:
In the next few seconds, you can download the full Diabetes Solution Kit and try it for a full 21 days…
…you pay nothing today, except for a small $2.97 processing fee. That’s way less than one bottle of dangerous and side-effect-ridden drugs!
After your 21 day trial, we’ll apply the $2.97 processing fee towards the cost of the kit and you only pay $17 more.
The email and the video are all about selling this “kit,” and once you are a customer they will keep trying to sell you more products. Be sure to scan the comments below from unhappy customers who complain about additional charges after purchasing the kit.
Cinnamon and Diabetes
Cinnamon as a “cure” for diabetes it’s not a new concept, nor is it “weird,” but it has been touted by “natural cures” salesmen for years. Kevin Trudeau’s Natural Cures book from 2004 discussed it. His work, however, was criticized by everyone from skeptic Michael Shermer to the New York State Consumer Protection Board. Trudeau also hailed cinnamon as a natural cure – and we should point out that Trudeau is currently incarcerated due to his shady marketing claims. Most studies, even those finding positive results with cinnamon as a treatment, don’t use such verbiage as cure or reversal.
If you want to learn more about cinnamon and diabetes, here are a few articles which cover the pros and cons. And you don’t have to pay $20 to read them.
Radio Ad
In recent months, Barton has been heard on talk radio advertising the website 44diabetes.com. This url merely forwards to a page at diabetesreversed.com, which shows a version the infamous whiteboard video above.
The video at 44diabetes.com is narrated by “Lon.”
Conclusion
Barton Publishing is a known spammer, as evidenced by mass emails sent out promising a diabetes cure over the past several years, and the fact that most major email clients automatically mark these messages as spam. The email, video, radio ads, and website focus more on selling “kits” than promoting a “cure” for diabetes – which does not exist. The email we received by Barton in 2012 clearly stated that there is a cure for diabetes. Other times we see that it can be reversed. Most of the testimonials for Barton that we’ve seen are promoted by Barton Publishing itself, such as the “Barton Testimonials” channel on YouTube.
Be sure to read the comments below for a variety of opinions on Barton’s claims.
Your Opinion of Barton Publishing
Have you purchased any of Barton Publishing’s products or watched the video? Or have you used cinnamon to treat your diabetes? If so, we’d like to hear from you in the comments below.
Updated February 4, 2014
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