FDNY officials are worried by the clinic's requirement that firefighters abandon their inhalers and medication. FDNY Deputy Commissioner Francis X. Gribbon told us that Downtown Medical "is not a bona-fide detox program. It should not be a substitute for the medical treatment that our doctors have advised. We don't endorse it."
A woman suffered a personality change after she was sucked into the grasp of the Church of Scientology and subjected to mind-control techniques, the High Court was told yesterday. Ms Mary Johnson has sued the church for damages. Among courses Ms Johnson reluctantly signed up for was a "purification rundown", the court heard. The starting point for entry to the church was a personality test which was "not a proper psychological test".
Some physicians and a former Scientologist say the treatment, called a purification rundown, is dangerous and ineffective. Two members of the state physician's board are questioning whether a health-food store with ties to Scientology is practicing medicine illegally by offering a church-sanctioned vitamin regimen.