Chia Power

Lifemax scam

(Note: these are not my words. I am reposting from this website. A well thought out opinion, IMHO.)

http://www.deekoo.net/peeves/lifemax/

"Thinking of joining Lifemax? I recommend against it, for the following reasons:

• First of all, their science is bad. They're relying on testimonials to sell the product, which don't do a good job of determining which effects are the result of Mila (their flagship and apparently only) product and which effects are the result of chance or unrelated changes - and to make the testimonials even more worthless, LifeMax is not printing any of the UNFAVORABLE testimonials out there.


• Second, they're charging at least thrice their competitors' rates. Amazon wants $49 a pound for Lifemax/Mila brand chia, $15.39 a pound for Bob's Red Mill brand chia.


• Lifemax appears to have been involved in some rather nasty legal disputes with some of their former business partners; back in 2010, Dr. Wayne Coates was claiming that they borrowed tens of thousands of dollars from him and refused to repay him. The original source link is no longer available, but the argument is mentioned on a chia enthusiast site and on Wayne Coates' Twitter.


• Their distributor contract includes an agreement to the effect that distributors may not disclose the address of Lifemax(!) or recommend anyone change their business relationship with Lifemax for 12 months after termination of distributorship. I'm not sure if this is legally enforceable, but it seems clear to me that the point of that clause is to give them grounds to sue former distributors should they recommend others quit Lifemax. This is likely to lead to an unwarrantedly positive impression of the business when you do websearches, as even if it is unenforceable former distributors will probably be unaware of that. Distributors also are not allowed to communicate with Lifemax's suppliers or vendors for some reason.


• They're an MLM. MLM commission structures encourage market saturation - whoever recruited YOU will also be recruiting other distributors, all of whom will be competing with you, and add a great deal of overhead - the retail customer isn't just paying YOUR commission, they're also paying the commissions for people higher up on the pyramid. (In the case of Lifemax, the commission plan was also rather confusing when I read it - but that's just opinion.)


• Many Lifemax distributors are misrepresenting both the product and the business. I found out about Lifemax because I ran into a flyer claiming that Mila helped a laundry list of ailments *and* would make you wealthy. A quick websearch shows that Lifemax distributors are flooding the search results for 'lifemax scam' and 'lifemax fraud' with positive testimonials, sometimes disguised as neutral. (There's also the girl selling 'LGN Prosperity', whatever that is, disguised as a warning about the dangers of Lifemax. From what I can see, LGN Prosperity seems to be a scam - more information would be appreciated.)

Finally, if you want to see the ad that drew my attention, the full text is here:

---

MILA, the miracle seed bringing health and wealth to you!

This is a unique exciting event - eat scrumptiously, learn about a remarkable Superfood called MILA (health benefits and fun biz opportunities).

Mila is the highest plant source and the most nutrient dense food on the planet which is a blend of chia seeds.

Come to listen to the presentation that will transform your health! Heart disease, high blood pressure, weight loss, cholesterol, healthy skin, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, depression, autism, inflammation, mind clarity.

Wednesday, August 3rd4th at 7:00PM

5285 Diamond Heights Blvd, San Francisco

(recreation room)

Don't wait and try Mila! Your body will thank you!

Call Anyo at 510-666 1334 to reserve your seat and empower your energy with a glass of Mila!!!!!!

We look forward to seeing you there!

---

Yep, that's right. Unsubstatiated and incoherent implications that it's good for everything from autism to cancer. Even if Lifemax itself WERE a good idea, this sort of stupidity is a nearly inevitable consequence of MLMs."

Dr. Bob Arnot Endorses Salba

Here's the latest news on Bob Arnot's endorsement of Mila by Lifemax:

He's changed his mind!

In the most recent edition of Men's Journal, Dr. Arnot reports:

"100 grams of salba will yield 70 percent of your daily requirement of calcium and 50 percent of your iron requirement. It also contains 10 times more magnesium than milk, 25 percent more fiber than flaxseed, twice the potassium of bananas, 30 percent more antioxidants than strawberries, and 50 percent more vegetable protein than soybeans. I eat it on a salad every day to control my weight; just 100 grams of chia is so filling that it quashes my hunger for hours. I was able to lose seven pounds in just a month by incorporating the grain into my diet — dropping me below 200 pounds for the first time since my 20s."

Dr. Coates New Website

My friend, Dr. Wayne Coates, just told me that he has begun posting information about chia seeds on his new website:  www.drcoateschia.com/

Dr. Coates is the world's leading authority on chia seeds. He's been doing research on chia seeds since 1991 and is the co-author of Chia: Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs, which, although somewhat academic, is the most thorough and accurate source of information about chia seeds.

Dr. Coates says that he is no longer affiliated with Lifemax.

If you are considering becoming a Lifemax distributor, you might want to see what Dr. Coates has to say about his dealings with Lifemax!! Apparently, Dr. Coates and his wife loaned Lifemax owners, Jim and Sherri Wear, a substantial sum of money so that they could buy their first batch of Mila, but now he is having trouble getting them to repay him.....

Dr. Coates mentions that Lifemax has hired Dr. Bob Arnot to replace him as Lifemax spokesman. Well FYI, Dr. Arnot knows so little about chia seeds that he had his assistant troll the web for information, and she wrote to me for help!!! I've copied our correspondence here. Download Arnot correspondence

Lifemax and Dr. Wayne Coates Part Ways over "Truth" and "Philosophical" Differences

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) May 15, 2010 -- In what could only be considered a suicidal company move, Lifemax, a network marketing company that sells one product, a chia product called "Mila The Miracle Seed", sealed their fate recently when they cut ties from the only guy in the company who knows how to produce the product. Dr. Wayne Coates.

Who is Dr. Wayne Coates? In the chia world, he's known as "Mr. Chia". Wayne Coates is a retired a research professor in the Office of Arid Lands Studies at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Before his venture with Lifemax he used to run a successful chia company called "Arizona Chia". His extensive research on chia (http://eatchia.com) is unsurpassed & very well documented and in 2005 he co-authored a book with Richard Ayerza Jr. in 2005 titled "Chia: Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs.

When Lifemax founders, Jim & Sherri Wear, met Dr. Coates in 2008 they apparently talked him into using network marketing to promote chia and Dr. Coates agreed. Now, after almost two years of working with Dr. Coates, they have traded him in for TV personality Dr. Bob Arnot (who, by the way, knows nothing about growing chia).

What's going on? Rumors abound, but recently Dr. Coates started twittering about a new website on the horizon with high quality chia seed at 1/5th the price of Lifemax's Mila. There's also mention of a touted "clinical study" that Lifemax might have defrauded Dr. Coates and both clientele & their own distributors with. A study that was conducted by a man, Howard Richman, who is currently serving time in a Federal Prison.

This should get very interesting. Run Dr.Bob, run while you still can.

8/14/14 EDIT: Updated PRESS RELEASE here.

Wayne Coates Videos for LifeMax

UPDATE: This has ended badly. Videos are taken down. See Dr. Coates New Website 5/19/10 MVC 

At the Official Launch of Lifemax Mila on October 10 and 11, 2008, Brian Bilbro of Lifemax sits down with Dr. Wayne Coates, the foremost expert in the world on the growing and harvesting of Salvia hispanica, better known as "chia".

Part 1 (7:29min): For 18 years, Dr. Coates has been selecting seed and assessing the role of climate, altitude, soil, rainfall on the quality of chia seed. Brian Bilbro finishes his introduction (at 3:36) to audience applause. Dr. Coates goes on to talk about the start of his project, including the challenges involved in learning how to grow chia, and how to harvest it mechanically (6:39). Why does he say he hates to use the word "miracle" to describe Mila (7:17)?

Part 2: (1:37min) Where are the optimal areas to produce the highest quality seed? "The seed is basically from the southern Mexico--Guatemala region, the region where the Aztecs came from. And because of that, there's limitations on where it can be grown. It can't be grown in the continental U.S., for example."  Dr. Coates describes starting in Argentina, and trying in other places in the world. He mentions that Mila is an "oil seed" containing about 30% oil and states that for all oil seeds, "The cooler the climate, the higher the oil content." For that reason, higher elevations are preferable.

Part 3: (1:26min) Brian Bilbro states that there are about 200 "different variations" of chia seed out there, and some of the chia out has "little to no efficacy." Dr. Coates elaborates: "The Aztecs had a multitude of varieties of chia seed," and goes on to talk about how he began his work with a mixture of seeds, which varied in their nutritional value. He notes that seeds and plants that have a darker color generally has more phytonutrients. Over the years he has been able to selectively breed those varieties of chia that have higher nutritional value and are best suited to particular growing regions. This is an ongoing process.

Part 4: (2:14min) We've only just begun to develop chia as a crop. Wheat has been a crop for thousands of years, but we just began working on improving and selecting chia since 1991. Mila is a mixture of seeds, combined to select the highest level of antioxidents, fiber, nutrients, etc.

Part 5: (1:00min) Is the white seed superior to the black seed? Dr. Coates says that he and Ricardo Ayerza were the ones who planted the original seeds. They've planted them side by side in different climates in different countries, and there is no difference between the two. Don't believe what you read on the internet.

Part 6: (3:34min) The Delivery System.  Bilbo says, "Chia is so new...It's like the wild wild west out there in the chia world... Slicksters and people come in with untruths trying to make a fast buck and take advantage of the public." Coates responds: I've seen chia in stores and often the quality is terrible: dirty seed with weed seeds, plant parts, all of that. Another product, chia flour, is low oil content and so is low in omega-3. In our process, we don't "grind" the seed, because this squeezes out the oil and makes a paste, which also would heat and oxidize the omega-3 oils. We are improving bioavailability by breaking the seeds into particles so that they can be absorbed faster. We are still working to improve this process.

Part 7: (4:09min) The Omega-3 Market.    Bilbo says: About 98% of people are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil and flax oil are a $20 billion dollar in global sales last year. This will continue to grow to a multi hundred billion dollar market. Question: How does Mila compare to fish oil.  Coates responds: Our bodies cannot make ALA (alpha linoleic acid) is truly the only essential fatty acids.  Your body is going to convert ALA into DHA and EFA. There are toxins and contaminants in fish oil and fisheries are unsustainable. Chia is  a sustainable source. Your body will convert ALA into long chain omega-3s (DHA and EFA) as long as you don't have too much omega-6 in your diet. Mila has a ratio of 3:1 omega 3s to omega 6s.

Part 8:   (2:01min) Comparison with flax. Flaxseed is not approved by FDA as a food and is illegal to sell as food in some countries. It doesn't even have GRAS status (Generally Recognized As Safe.) You have to grind it fresh every day, and because it has no antioxidants, it will start smelling fishy after a few days, which is the degradation of omega-3s.

Part 9: (1:11min) Dr. Coates' Personal Thoughts. Well I guess the bottom line is, once we found out how great this particular seed was, and we could see what it could do, teaming up with Jimbo and Sherri, an opportunity to get it out there faster and in a superior form to the world, it's just tremendous feeling, and I thank you all for getting involved and in particular Jimbo and Sherri for their leadership and getting to know them as friends, and I must say that what I saw up here today, that's Jim and Sherri when I talk to them on the phone or in their offices that's not a 'standup routine', that is them.

In addition to these videos, Lifemax has made available several interviews with Dr. Coates.

Chia Duck Eye

NEWS: According to Sarah Enriquez, Lifemax Distributor in Orlando, her pet duck, Mingming, has made a miraculous recovery from an eye infection with the help of chia seeds! She says, "I noticed her right eye wasn't moving. It was shut close for a few days and when she finally opened it, it won't see a thing. It won't respond to any movements and it looked as though there was a clear film on it." 

Sarah learned of the reports of ophthalmic uses of chia seeds among native Californians:

"...seeds were dropped into the eye, and rolled around or left in overnight.  The Cahuilla tribe used chia seeds in this fashion to remove sand in the eyes acquired from sandstorms encountered after a long day of hunting . Seeds were sometimes mashed with a rock or hammer and placed in the eye overnight The film that resulted from the gelatinous seeds in either method absorbed any foreign body or irritant and helped to ease inflammation." (This is from a  USDA document on Golden Chia)

So Sarah sprinkled some MILA (ground chia seed) on Mingming's eye and says, "the next morning, the clear film was gone. Her eye is still not as good as the one on the left but it really did get better with MILA. I will put more tomorrow so it will completely heal."

P.S. Sarah has also used MILA to heal her chick's broken leg!

Mila by Lifemax

Here's my growing collection of Lifemax distributor's links. You'll find lots of information on these sites.

• Lifemax
• LifeMax :: Changing the Health of the World
• http://itsthegrain.com/
• Introducing Lifemax and Mila!
• lifeMax::logicmax
• LifeMax - Lance Feldman - Fast Pitch Professional Networking Profile
• Kevin Wear & Big Daddy's LifeMax Team Blog
• New MLM opportunity - The Signature Grain
• The Signature Grain
• The Perfect Grain...The Signature Grain

Note: "The Signature Grain" has been renamed "Mila, the Miracle Seed."

See also: Does anybody know anything about this new chia product The Signature Grain? How is it different than Salba? - Yahoo! Answers

Also, you might want to download the July08 issue of Direct Selling News. The cover article is about Lifemax.

Meet Mila

LifeMax no longer calls its chia seed "The Signature Grain." I'm not sure why.

Now it's "Mila the Miracle Seed."

Similar price*, same MLM distribution.

Note: You can read some terribly negative things about this company at The Chiaters. I do not endorse this site, nor have I checked its accuracy. However, I believe that anyone considering becoming involved with LifeMax should be aware of the claims being made. (Edit: The Chiaters was taken off-line on October 28.)

I have had a conversation with Dr. Coates and Jim Wear, and am impressed with their stated philanthropic goals.

But I do have one complaint about LifeMax, and it's not what you might expect.

It's a tiny little picky thing that bugs me, and any other biologist that reads LifeMax advertising copy: Throughout its marketing materials, LifeMax repeatedly MISSPELLS the scientific name of the plant.

This error is something that every high school biology student can recognize.

The scientific name for chia, "Salvia hispanica L." consists of 3 parts.

The first 2 parts are the genus and species name and they are in Latin so they must be either underlined or italicized. Only the genus name is capitalized. Most of the time one or both of these rules are broken. To me, this is a sign of either ignorance or negligence on the part of copy editors. "Salvia Hispanica L." is simply wrong!

I will write about the third part, "L."  in a later post.

*Pricing is $45 wholesale/$50 preferred customer & $55 retail & they increased the packaging to 16 ounces.

Feed the World

Recently, I had a long telephone conversation with Dr. Coates and Jim Wear of Lifemax. This is what they said! What a terrific goal! I wish them all the best!

From our first meeting with Dr. Wayne Coates, Sherri and I knew that our life mission would be to team up with him to change the health and wealth of the world. We didn't know how we were going to do it; we just knew that we would!  That was over six months ago, and our mission has not changed. It has actually taken form and is on the way to becoming a reality!  Our biggest challenge was to determine what we could do differently than all the other incredible world organizations that shared the same vision!  After several conversations with some of the most dedicated “world changers” that you could ever meet, it became obvious how we were different!  The difference is that we are not just going to send food and feed those in need for a day. We are going to teach them how to feed themselves for a lifetime!

How can we do this?  The answer is simple. With an incredible man like Dr. Wayne leading the charge, he is dedicated to teaching the mom and pop farmers in areas like Africa, India , Asia and South and Central America how to grow this amazing seed!  The journey has begun and our first shipment is being prepared for delivery to one of the most impoverished areas in the world, and we can only hope and pray that this incredible seed will grow, as it will truly create an agricultural and economical infrastructure that will be world changing! 

This is just the beginning, as we are working with some of the largest ministries in the world to coordinate and prioritize the regions that are in most need! Obviously, this is not going to happen overnight; but it will happen and we appreciate all the love and support that is getting behind this world mission!

LifeMax (The Signature Grain) and What Happened to Arizona Chia (Part 2)

UPDATE: This has ended badly. See Dr. Coates New Website 5/19/10 MVC

It's taken 10 weeks, but the news is beginning to leak out.

As I reported below, Arizona Chia, which for many years sold excellent quality chia seed at $6/pound, has has been acquired by LifeMax, a company based in Orlando, Florida. Founder Wayne Coates is no longer directly involved in sales; he has joined the company to provide scientific expertise. You can listen to a LifeMax sponsored interview with Dr. Coates, here.

LifeMax launched in mid May and sales are taking off!  Chia seed ("micro-sliced") is being sold through a multilevel marketing business,  as "The Signature Grain." The price is now $80/pound (not a misprint).

LifeMax provides distributors with a personalized website, a generous product discount, and, of course, a commission on sales. This is just one example of a distributor's website. You might want to sign up to become a LifeMax distributor, yourself!

This is a new business, and, like all multilevel marketing businesses, should be evaluated as a possible Ponzi scheme. That is the opinion of blogger, Cheryl-Lynné   Rose    Henderson, who is familiar with prior real estate dealings of LifeMax founder, Jim Wear.

If you are considering LifeMax distributorship opportunities,  you will find Cheryl-Lynné's research to be of interest.

UPDATE: See my more recent post on the name change: The Signature Grain is renamed and repackaged. It's now "Mila, the Miracle Grain."