Miracle Mineral Supplement

Miracle Mineral Supplement, often referred to as Miracle Mineral Solution or MMS, is the name given by its promoter, former ScientologistQuack defends bleach enemas to ‘cure’ autism. Rawstory, May 2015. and sometime Colonel Sanders lookalike Jim Humble ,Special Announcement. Archived from jimhumble.co, 5 September 2023.Here's Why Authorities Want to Stop the Sale of Jim Humble's Miracle Cure by Craig Malisow (November 1, 2016 | 4:00am) Houston Press. to an aqueous solution of 28% sodium chlorite (NaClO2), a toxic industrial chemicalGoldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, McGraw-Hill Professional; 8th edition (March 28, 2006), ISBN 978-0071437639Belgian Poison Centre, "Chlorates" accessed 2011-02-17Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products. Robert E. Gosselin, Roger P. Smith, Harold C. Hodge, Jeannet Braddock. Uitgever: Williams & Wilkins; 5 edition (September 1984) ISBN 978-0683036329Sodium Chlorite — Summary Report of the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products — Veterinary Medicines Evaluation Unit Health Canada, "Health Risks Associated with Use of Miracle Mineral Solution"], 12 May 2010 known to cause fatal renal failure,Acute sodium chlorite poisoning associated with renal failure. Lin JL, Lim PS. Ren Fail. 1993;15(5):645-8. PMID 8290712 in distilled water, prepared in a citric acid solution resulting in the formation of chlorine dioxide (ClO2), a potent oxidising agent used in water treatment and in bleaching.FDA Warns Consumers of Serious Harm from Drinking Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) (July 30, 2010) U.S. Food & Drug Administration (archived from August 3, 2010). The name was first coined by the inventor of the "medicine", Jim Humble, in his 2006 self-published book, The Miracle Mineral Solution of the 21st Century.The Miracle Mineral Solution of the 21st Century by Jim V. Humble (2006) ISBN 0982471203.
MMS is promoted as a cure for HIV/AIDS, malaria, viral hepatitis, the H1N1 flu virus, COVID-19, acne, cancer, and much more (though apparently not gullibility). All evidence in support of this comes from Jim Humble's book and from anecdotes promoted by the ironically-named Humble who claims to be a billion-year-old God from the Andromeda Galaxy.Warning letter (January 06, 2009) U.S. Food & Drug Administration (archived from July 10, 2009).Backyard cancer 'healer' deceived patients by Marissa Calligeros (April 24, 2009) The Brisbane Times (archived from July 15, 2009). MMS is often described as a water purifier (especially on eBay, where sales of quack remedies are notionally banned) so as to circumvent regulations prohibiting the sale of unregulated medicines.Deadly chemical being sold as miracle cure by Erik Jensen (January 9, 2010 — 12.00am) The Sydney Morning Herald. In January 2010, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that one vendor admitted that they do not repeat any of Jim Humble's claims in writing in order to circumvent regulations against using it as a medicine.'Miracle' chemical dubbed a danger" by Sarah Harvey (05:00, Jan 24 2010) Sunday Star Times.
MMS is so self-evidently bullshit that even whale.to expresses skepticism,Miracle Mineral Supplement whale.to (archived from June 1, 2008). Tinfoil hat recommended. preferring "proven" radionics devices.Radionics: Shadow government whale.to (archived from October 11, 2019).
In claiming to cure a broad spectrum of disparate and unrelated conditions, all without the basis of credible evidence, it fails the "Barrett Test" as proposed by Stephen Barrett, who advises to "be skeptical of any product claimed to be effective against a wide range of unrelated diseases — particularly diseases that are serious. There is no such thing as a panacea or 'cure-all'."Ten Ways to Avoid Being Quacked by Stephen Barrett, (2 April 1997) Quack Watch.
Welsh blogger rose to prominence with his tale of taking on promoters of MMS in a forum for support of Crohn's sufferers (Morgan has Crohn's). He was hounded off the site and banned for criticising MMS.The man who encourages the sick and dying to drink industrial bleach: Vulnerable people with cancer, Aids, influenza and malaria are being urged to drink Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) – described by the FDA as 'industrial bleach' by Martin Robbins (15 Sep 2010 07.30 EDT) The Guardian. At least one importer has been convicted in the UK.
In recent years, MMS has been promoted as a "cure" for autistic children.MMS, or how to cure autism with bleach. Brought to you by AutismOne (May 30, 2012) lbrb.Dangerous Interventions: MMS and Autism by Emily Willingham (June 6, 2012) Thinking Person's Guide to Autism. In addition to the obvious dangers of subjecting a developing child's gastrointestinal system to industrial bleaching agents,MMS: Yes, It Is Bleach by Emily Willingham (January 11, 2013) Thinking Person's Guide to Autism. forcing MMS on a non-consenting child almost certainly qualifies as child abuse and could potentially lead to legal repercussions for the caregiver, including loss of custody of the child. MMS has also been promoted to the anti-vaccination movement (antivax) at a summit known as Autism One.Bleaching away what ails you: In an attempt to cure autism, some parents have taken to using Miracle Medical Solution (MMS), a "supplement" that is in reality a form of powerful bleach. They’re even giving autistic children bleach enemas. I wish I were kidding, but I'm dead serious. by David Gorski (May 28, 2012) Science-Based Medicine.
==Toxicity==
When taken as directed by Humble, the likely effects include "severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, dehydration and hypotension. If the solution is diluted less than instructed, it could cause damage to the gut and red blood cells, potentially resulting in respiratory failure."Warning against consumption of Miracle Mineral Solution (24 September 2010) Food Standards Agency.Alert issued on danger supplement (24 September 2010) BBC News.
Chronic exposure to small doses of chlorine dioxide could cause reproductive and neurodevelopmental damage, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.Chlorite (sodium salt) (CASRN 7758-19-2) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (archived from February 24, 2003). 
In animal studies, chlorine dioxide has been shown to impair thyroid function and reduce T4 cell count in monkeys after 6 months.Subchronic toxicity of chlorine dioxide and related compounds in drinking water in the nonhuman primate by J. P. Bercz et al. (1982) Environ. Health Perspect. 46:47–55. doi:10.1289/ehp.824647. Another study in rats resulted in reduced red blood cell count when exposed to 100 mg/L of chlorine dioxide concentration in their drinking water, after 3 months.Toxicity of Chlorine Dioxide in Drinking Water by M. S. Abdel-Rahman et al. (1984) International Journal of Toxicology 3(4):277-284. doi:10.3109/10915818409009082. 
The United States Department of Labor restricts occupational exposure through inhalation of chlorine dioxide to 0.1ppm since concentrations at 10ppm resulted in deaths in rats after 10 days, while a case where a worker was accidentally exposed to 19ppm resulted in death.Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Chlorine Dioxide United States Department of Labor (archived from March 22, 2011). According to the same organization, "chlorine dioxide is a severe respiratory and eye irritant in humans."
After using MMS, some users may see appearances of "worm-like" objects in their feces and may believe these are actual parasites (sometimes described using the pseudoscientific term "rope worms"). These "worms" are, of course, misidentified as causing the autism symptoms or other ills that they want to treat, and the users may see the "worms" as a sign that the MMS is working. In reality, the "worms" actually are shedded gut lining that has been destroyed by the chlorine dioxide bleach, and they are a sign that you really should stop drinking toxic shit that is ripping your intestines apart."Helminths as a Cause or a Potential Treatment for Autism?" by William Parker, Autism Research Institute"Rope Worms: C’est la Merde" by Herbert Hall, Science-Based Medicine, 2014 May 27Compare to Morgellons disease, a fictitious "disease" often blamed on subdermal "parasites" that, when clawed out by a sufficiently insane/paranoid and determined hypochondriac, as often as not turn out to be the sufferer's own nerve endings. No, we're not kidding (as much as we wish we were).
From 2014 to 2020, the recorded over 16,000 cases of chlorine dioxide poisoning, including reports of approximately 2500 cases involving children who are under 12 years old."'You have no authority over us': Church leader, sons jailed for insisting chemical's power to heal trumps laws of the state" by Michael Braga, USA Today, 2020 September 4
===Deaths===
Between 2009 and 2019, the FDA has directly linked seven deaths to people who have ingested MMS.Don't Drink Bleach, the F.D.A. Says: Alarmed about misinformation online, the agency warned about bleach solutions that are being marketed as cures for autism, H.I.V./AIDS and cancer. by Christine Hauser (2019 Aug 13) The New York Times.
One man reported that his wife died after trying MMS a single time while traveling abroad. She had been dancing happily the day before, took MMS under the impression it would protect her from and died in her husband's arms hours later.Husband Says Fringe Church's 'Miracle Cure' Killed His Wife, ABC News
Worst of all, people who don't believe in modern medicine may fail to get help during a life-threatening emergency. "The majority of people that use this product are not going to be calling the poison center," warns toxicologist Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor.There’s Been an Uptick in the Use of the Crackpot Cure, Miracle Mineral Solution, Fair Warning Thus, it's hard to say just how many serious poisonings have occurred.
==Government alerts==
In December 2009, an alert was issued by the Belgian Poison Control Centre to the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists. In response to this, an evaluation was performed by the French "Comité de coordination de toxicovigilance" in March 2010, warning about a dose-dependent irritation and possible toxic effects. They also warned that patients affected by serious diseases could be tempted to stop their treatments in favour of this alternative treatment.Evaluation des risques liés à la consommation du produit dénommé «Solution Minérale Miracle» (MMS) by Patrick Nisse et al. March 2010) Comité de coordination de Toxicovigilance.
A similar notice was released in July 2010 by the US Food and Drug Administration warning that the instructions for preparing the solution by mixing it with an acidic solution (e.g. orange juice) would produce chlorine dioxide, "a potent bleach used for stripping textiles and industrial water treatment." Because of reports including nausea, vomiting, and dangerously low blood pressure as a result of dehydration following instructed use, the FDA has advised consumers to dispose of the product immediately.
In the UK, the Food Standards Agency also released a warning, following the warnings from Health Canada and the US FDA, in it they stated that "MMS is a 28% sodium chlorite solution which is equivalent to industrial-strength bleach."Praise for Rhys Morgan, 15, over 'miracle' cure alert (15 October 2010) BBC News.
After four were hospitalized in the state of Victoria in 2014, the Australian Theraputic Goods Administration division of the Department of Health and the Victorian state Department of Health and Human Services released Safety Advisories on MMS, with one spokesperson describing it as "this isn't like drinking bleach, it literally is drinking bleach."Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) Safety Advisory, Australian Government Department of HealthHealth Warning on 'Miracle Mineral Solution' (4 November 2014) Department of Health & Human Services, State Government of Victoria, Australia (archived from March 4, 2015).
Following media attention towards MMS seminars in Ireland and New Zealand, politicians in both countries have taken up bills aiming to ban any sale of the compound.Senator to raise ‘Miracle cure’ group's Irish seminar in Seanad by Fiachra Ó Cionnaith (20 September 2014) Irish Examiner.Bill to ban unethical products like Ebola 'cure' before Parliament by Kurt Bayer (5 November 2014) The New Zealand Herald. Irish parents who have used MMS on their children are facing criminal investigations.Parents quizzed over bleach treatment for autism by Seán McCárthaigh (13 April 2015) Irish Examiner.
Similar media attention towards Kerri Rivera, the main promoter of MMS as an autism cure, prompted the Illinois attorney general to send agents to Rivera's presentation at the 2015 Autism One conference and serve her with a subpoena. Unable to present proof of MMS' benefits, Rivera was forced to sign an agreement barring her from further promoting MMS or appearing at conferences in the state of Illinois.State Takes Action Against “Miracle Treatment” For Children: "There are people — complete quacks — that are out there promoting very dangerous chemicals," Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan says by Phil Rogers (Published June 24, 2015 • Updated on June 24, 2015 at 11:01 pm) NBC Chicago. Rivera has since announced that she will no longer do MMS consultations for autistic kids, but her following of anti-vaccine parents remains active on social media.
Jim Humble's church was forced to move an MMS seminar in East Sussex, England to an undisclosed location after two venues refused to host the event. The meeting was infiltrated by reporters, and undercover footage they collected led to accusations that speakers violated Britain's 1939 Cancer Act.The fake cancer cure conference the 'healers' tried to keep secret: "That's what I need!" an elderly lady called out from the audience, her frail voice filled with excitement by Laura Donnelly & Justin Stoneman (10:02AM BST 25 May 2015) The Telegraph. Another seminar in Surrey was raided by police and Trading Standards agents.Trading Standards take action on 'Miracle Mineral Solution' by Dave (June 20, 2015) Skeptical Science.
==Government and legal action==
On 27 May 2015, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Washington returned a guilty verdict against Louis Daniel Smith for selling industrial bleach as a miracle cure for numerous diseases and illnesses, including cancer, AIDS, malaria, hepatitis, lyme disease, asthma, and the common cold.Seller of "Miracle Mineral Solution" Convicted for Marketing Toxic Chemical as a Miracle Cure (May 28, 2015) The United States Department of Justice. On 27 October, Smith was sentenced to 51 months in prison.
On 9 May 2016, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan filed an injunction against Shane Hawkins of Angleton, Texas for promoting MMS at Houston-area hotels on behalf of the Genesis II Church. Ryan aimed to stop Hawkins from hosting further seminars, and kept open the possibility that Hawkins will be criminally charged.Harris County attorney sues to stop church's sale of toxic 'miracle cure' by Todd Ackerman (May 9, 2016 Updated: May 9, 2016 6:36 p.m.) The Houston Chronicle. During the 2019-20 COVID-19 outbreak, the FDA issued a warning to this same "church", as they were touting this poison as a cure for the coronavirus."Coronavirus In Texas: FDA Orders Church To Stop Promoting COVID-19 Miracle Cure" (April 10, 2020 at 8:28 am) CBS DFW, 2020. 
The FDA issued a similar injunction to stop selling bleach as a treatment for COVID-19 to a branch of Genesis II located in Bradenton, Florida on April 17, 2020."Feds issue injunction against Bradenton church distributing ‘Miracle Mineral Solution’" by ABC7 staff, 2020 April 27 The "church" ignored the warnings, so the church was raided on July 8, 2020. Four individuals (Mark Grenon, Jonathan Grenon, Jordan Grenon and Joseph Grenon) were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and criminal contempt."Federal agencies, hazmat crews respond to Florida church selling COVID-19 ‘miracle solution’" by ABC7 staff, 2020 July 8 In April 2021, a United States federal grand jury indicted the Grenons for fraudulently marketing and selling chlorine dioxide under the name "Miracle Mineral Solution". The indictment says that the men made more than a million dollars claiming that their product could cure COVID-19, cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, autism, malaria, hepatitis, Parkinson’s, herpes, HIV/Aids, and a range of other medical disorders.Edward Helmore, Florida family indicted for selling toxic bleach as fake Covid ‘cure’. The Guardian, 24 April 2021.
In 2020, the FDA issued a new injunction ordering Genesis II to stop all sales of MMS.US orders group to stop selling bleach 'miracle cure' for coronavirus, The Guardian
===Bans===
The sale of MMS is banned in Canada.The man who encourages the sick and dying to drink industrial bleach - The Guardian
On May 2, 2020, Emma Dalmayne excitedly announced via Twitter that MMS had been banned in the United States. Dalmayne tweeted an image of text from court papers.Tweet by Emma Dalmayne
===Bolivia's bad decision===
In a frightening turn of events, the Bolivian senate approved the use of MMS as a treatment for COVID-19, despite no evidence of efficacy and tons of evidence of life-threatening risks.Bolivia's senate approved 'miracle mineral solution' — a toxic bleach with no medical use — as a treatment for COVID-19, Business Insider
===Criticism on government responses===
The US government and the FDA have been criticized for failing to take strong decisive against MMS until the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people believe that it has failed to enforce laws strongly enough to protect people from poisoning.Why Did It Take a Pandemic for the FDA to Crack Down on a Bogus Bleach 'Miracle' Cure?, Consumer Reports
==Activism against MMS==
Autistic activists have worked hard for years to get MMS banned.
Autistic mother Emma Dalmayne has campaigned against MMS for years.The fake cures for autism that can prove deadly - The GuardianParents are poisoning their children with bleach to 'cure' autism. These moms are trying to stop it. - NBC NewsDisabled mum seeks ban on dangerous ‘snake-oil cures’ for autism, Disability News Service Her petition to ban fake autism "cures" (including MMS) has gathered over 60,000 signatures.Make Autistic 'Cures' Illegal In The UK, change.org
Fiona O'Leary, also an autistic mother, went undercover to join an MMS Facebook group online and gather evidence.This activist is calling out parents who feed their autistic children bleach, Daily DotFiona O'leary fighting for a brighter tomorrow, Autistic Rights Together These groups include photos of severely ill "detoxing" children and advice on hiding the truth from social services.How conspiracy theorists who claim drinking 'MMS' bleach is a cure for autism reached millions of people on YouTube, Business Insider She shared evidence in courtAppeal over 'miracle' bleach cure is struck out, RTE and worked to help Ireland ban MMS. O'Leary has posted screenshots of happenings in the group on her blog, and it's truly horrifying.IRISH MMS/CD BLEACH PARENTS EXPOSED on Fiona O'Leary's blog. Don't scroll down unless you're prepared to see photos of pieces of children's internal organs outside their bodies.
==Crank magnetism==
MMS has become particularly popular amongst various far-right activists and conspiracy theorists, including Alan Keyes (who promotes it on his show)Alan Keyes Is Helping Sell a Toxic Bleach 'Cure' to the Vulnerable and Desperate: The politician fronts a conservative web-based TV channel and appears in broadcasts with bottles of "Miracle Mineral Solution" on his desk. by Kelly Weill (Updated Dec. 07, 2019 7:21AM ET) The Daily Beast. and several top supporters of the QAnon movement. Among QAnon supporters, it is commonly touted as a supposed prevention and cure for the 2019-20 COVID-19 outbreak, which according to one of the pundits was created as part of a depopulation scheme backed by Bill and Melinda Gates. Take MMS to combat a depopulation scheme? The irony abounds…QAnon Influencers Are Encouraging Their Followers to Drink Bleach to Stave Off Coronavirus by Matt Stieb (Jan. 28, 2020) New York Intelligencer.
==Genesis II Church of Health and Healing: The chemical church==
Probably in response to the growing regulatory crackdown on MMS, by 2018 Jim Humble formed a "church" known as "Genesis II Church of Health and Healing".Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (archived from August 31, 2018). Genesis II's two main functions are promoting MMS quackery and supporting the antivax movement.
Genesis II claims that MMS and other substances are its sacraments:Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (archived from April 25, 2020).Sacraments MMS Wiki (archived from May 29, 2017).
This is perhaps the first and only church to include a Quack Miranda Warning.Jim Humble (archived from February 7, 2020). "Disclaimer: The protocols described on this site are official sacraments of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing. The reader accepts 100% responsibility for any and all use made of any information herein."Contact Jim Humble (archived from March 4, 2020). "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."
With membership, Genesis II offers a "letter of religious exemption from vaccinations and/or mandatory medications" and a membership card that states that "All members are exempt from any means not chosen, including but not limited to: vaccinations, medications, X-rays, scans, implants, mandatory voting, and health insurance mandated by a human government or authority."Articles of association: Letter of religious exemption from vaccinations and/or mandatory medications (November 29, 2016) Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (archived from January 11, 2020).Our Church Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (archived from January 7, 2020). The text of this statement is alarmist because US governments have been loathe to actually arrest, subdue, and vaccinate people — rather that has been compulsion (a fine in the precedent-setting case, and typically denial of public school entrance for unvaccinated children in modern times). The letter attempts to claim a religious exemption, primarily by citing , but hypocritically, the website states elsewhere that the "church" is non-religious:
The letter includes a list of chemicals that are (sometimes) contained in vaccines and their alleged dangers:
Vaccines have repeatedly been shown to be safe and effective, and the risks have been shown to be far outweighed by the benefits, both individually and for the population as a whole.General Vaccine Safety Concerns Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (archived from November 24, 2014).
Genesis II is thus engaging in a curious form of simultaneous irrational chemophobia (with regard to vaccines) and irrational chemophilia (with regard to MMS). Like homeopathy, Humble is blissfully unaware of the concept of "the dose makes the poison" that is central to evidence-based medicine, but unlike homeopathy, Humble is promoting dangerous doses of chemicals in MMS while promoting chemophobia over safe doses of chemicals in vaccines.
Alternative medicine relies strongly on the appeal to nature fallacy, and so Genesis II is unusual among alt-med proponents in that it simultaneously promotes ingestion of known dangerous chemicals, some of which are synthetic (sodium chlorite, chlorine dioxide, and calcium hypochlorite), while claiming chemophobia for vaccine adjuvants, some of which are natural (squalene, formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, phenols, MSG) and all of which are safe).
Jim Humble is not the first person to put forth the idea of forming a church based on chemical usage. In 1965, inspired by Timothy Leary, Arthur Kleps came up with the idea of forming a church based on LSD as a sacrament: the It didn't end so well the first time around.
===Legal action===
In July 2023, four leaders of Genesis II — Mark Grenon and his sons Jonathan, Joseph, and Jordan — went to trial for conspiracy to defraud and contempt of court after they continued marketing MMS as a cure for COVID-19 despite a court order to stop selling it due to health risks. All four were convicted by a Federal jury and sentenced to a total of over 12 years in prison.'Church' leaders who sold bleach as 'miracle' cure get 12-year prison sentence, Raw StoryLeaders of ‘Genesis II Church of Health and Healing’ Sentenced to Over 12 Years for Selling Toxic Bleach as Fake COVID-19 Miracle Cure
==See also==
*Child abuse
*Pseudoscience
*Quackery
*Snake oil
==External links==
*Enforcement Actions against Miracle Mineral Supplement (MMS) Marketers (Quackwatch)
*"Archbishop" Jim Humble's online bookstore
*Genesis II — archived copy of the website before it got the axe in July 2020
*MMS Wiki — apparently affiliated with Humble and Genesis II
*A link to a YouTube video of a 2014 BBC TV program showing how so-called "Miracle Mineral Solution" is promoted by Jim Humble's "Genesis-2-Church" .
*A 2016 attempt to reboot the MMS franchise … www.quantumleap.is, fronted by Kacper Postawski.
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Alternative medicine
Category:Autism woo
Category:Cancer woo
Category:Pseudoscience
Category:Religion