Hi All
I've been doing some digging around on the Optimum Health Clinic in London run by Alex Howard. Many of you may know him from his book "Why ME". He was a psychology student at Swansea University, he got sick with a viral illness around the age 17 and it was gone by age 23. During this period he did his A-Levels - sick, and then went on to attend University full-time. He left University to set up the Optimum Health Clinic.
From what I can gather Alex Howard had some relationship with Phil Parker of the Ligtening Process, but moved away to form his own clinic. He was originally big on Neuro-lingusitic Programming but has branched out to more general health.
It seems he was taken under the wing of his Uncle who set up some independent TV channel to promote alternative treatments for illness and health. Alex has become a master of the TV channel PR, with multiple videos on YouTube and his various websites promoting his own clinic.
I have concerns that this person didn't really suffer from ME in the first place, or if he did he recovered reasonably quickly and did many things durning the 4-or more years he says he was unwell. He seems to have recruited many of his so called patients to either work for him or help him promote his business. One such person is his badly named Head of Psychology, Anna Duschinsky, a languages student who also claims to have had ME whilst at University, but who too recovered very quickly and played sports and took part in most things at University whilst sick. She claims to have used the power of mnd to recover. She is somehow an expert in Psychology without any academic formal qualifications in this field. Alex has most recently recruited a medical doctor to advise him, Dr. Crowley, she has a background in psychiatry; and according to her video she too claims to have had ME but continued to work as a doctor, before becoming a patient of Alex Howard. She is now proclaimed as the Director of Research in the obligatory online video with Alex.
What strikes me is the terms used to convey something that isnt exactly reality, such as 'clinical' 'research' 'world expert' 'director of psychology' and so on: really its a psychological ploy to make this look like a medical clinical, when it fact it is not. What might surprise some people is that The Optimum Health Clinic is a dormant Limited Company that does not trade, ie it does nothing, it is just a front for other companies such as Alex Howard and Associates LtD. How can a world clinic doing research not actually be trading, but appear to be? I worry that Alex has taken his undergradute psychology degree, his insights from Phil Parker, and his Uncles guidance to present something to the World, that in every respect isnt what it appears.
Now, another thing that worries me a lot is the fact that Alex Howard has set up the Optimum Health Clinic Foundation, which is a charitable trust which receives donations, from patients most likely, and this money I imagine, might be spent back in the Optimum Health Clinic, which we know is really Alex Howard and Associates Ltd. I think this is unethical.
If you look up Alex Howard you will see that he is director or associated with more than 9 companies
Company Name Company Status
PEAR ASSOCIATES LTD Active
NAKED BUDDHA LIMITED Active
THE OPTIMUM HEALTH CLINIC FOUNDATION Active
THE OPTIMUM HEALTH CLINIC LIMITED Active
ALEX HOWARD & ASSOCIATES LIMITED Active
INTEGRAL HEALTH LIMITED Active (Director Resigned 31/03/2006)
HOWALIVE PRODUCTIONS LIMITED Dissolved
HOWALIVE LIMITED Dissolved
PREMIER PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED Dissolved
It appears to me as if he is focused on having his finger in as many pies as he can, maximising his profile on the internet and social media, using past patients and friends to do many of the tasks his companies require.
It is impossible to gauge the success of his work with ME patients. From what I can gather he makes a lot of his money from day work shops e.g. 20 people times £300 x or so--called Practitioner Training Courses as much as £3000 per person for a two day course. What exact training he offers is beyond me, and the cost smacks of some life coaching skills at insane prices. Then there is his clinic, the dormant one, and his online tools and stuff you pay for, plus the online or telephone support provided by staff.
There are clever marketing ploys to reel you in - 1. a free booklet or DVD and 2. a free 15 minute chat. These are straight out of the manual of the 'sales man 101'. Just be aware of the hooks.
Alex Howard is a master of PR. He has found a niche in the market and he is exploiting it. From what I can gather he wants to move more into corporate areas, and he has said himself he works with insurance companies. I see he now works with PEAR a corporate business model.
I just wanted to put these details here for others to view so they know what they are getting from the Optimum Health Clinic, which I believe is Optimum Marketing and Profit Maximising with a great deal of spin.
I've been doing some digging around on the Optimum Health Clinic in London run by Alex Howard. Many of you may know him from his book "Why ME". He was a psychology student at Swansea University, he got sick with a viral illness around the age 17 and it was gone by age 23. During this period he did his A-Levels - sick, and then went on to attend University full-time. He left University to set up the Optimum Health Clinic.
From what I can gather Alex Howard had some relationship with Phil Parker of the Ligtening Process, but moved away to form his own clinic. He was originally big on Neuro-lingusitic Programming but has branched out to more general health.
It seems he was taken under the wing of his Uncle who set up some independent TV channel to promote alternative treatments for illness and health. Alex has become a master of the TV channel PR, with multiple videos on YouTube and his various websites promoting his own clinic.
I have concerns that this person didn't really suffer from ME in the first place, or if he did he recovered reasonably quickly and did many things durning the 4-or more years he says he was unwell. He seems to have recruited many of his so called patients to either work for him or help him promote his business. One such person is his badly named Head of Psychology, Anna Duschinsky, a languages student who also claims to have had ME whilst at University, but who too recovered very quickly and played sports and took part in most things at University whilst sick. She claims to have used the power of mnd to recover. She is somehow an expert in Psychology without any academic formal qualifications in this field. Alex has most recently recruited a medical doctor to advise him, Dr. Crowley, she has a background in psychiatry; and according to her video she too claims to have had ME but continued to work as a doctor, before becoming a patient of Alex Howard. She is now proclaimed as the Director of Research in the obligatory online video with Alex.
What strikes me is the terms used to convey something that isnt exactly reality, such as 'clinical' 'research' 'world expert' 'director of psychology' and so on: really its a psychological ploy to make this look like a medical clinical, when it fact it is not. What might surprise some people is that The Optimum Health Clinic is a dormant Limited Company that does not trade, ie it does nothing, it is just a front for other companies such as Alex Howard and Associates LtD. How can a world clinic doing research not actually be trading, but appear to be? I worry that Alex has taken his undergradute psychology degree, his insights from Phil Parker, and his Uncles guidance to present something to the World, that in every respect isnt what it appears.
Now, another thing that worries me a lot is the fact that Alex Howard has set up the Optimum Health Clinic Foundation, which is a charitable trust which receives donations, from patients most likely, and this money I imagine, might be spent back in the Optimum Health Clinic, which we know is really Alex Howard and Associates Ltd. I think this is unethical.
If you look up Alex Howard you will see that he is director or associated with more than 9 companies
Company Name Company Status
PEAR ASSOCIATES LTD Active
NAKED BUDDHA LIMITED Active
THE OPTIMUM HEALTH CLINIC FOUNDATION Active
THE OPTIMUM HEALTH CLINIC LIMITED Active
ALEX HOWARD & ASSOCIATES LIMITED Active
INTEGRAL HEALTH LIMITED Active (Director Resigned 31/03/2006)
HOWALIVE PRODUCTIONS LIMITED Dissolved
HOWALIVE LIMITED Dissolved
PREMIER PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED Dissolved
It appears to me as if he is focused on having his finger in as many pies as he can, maximising his profile on the internet and social media, using past patients and friends to do many of the tasks his companies require.
It is impossible to gauge the success of his work with ME patients. From what I can gather he makes a lot of his money from day work shops e.g. 20 people times £300 x or so--called Practitioner Training Courses as much as £3000 per person for a two day course. What exact training he offers is beyond me, and the cost smacks of some life coaching skills at insane prices. Then there is his clinic, the dormant one, and his online tools and stuff you pay for, plus the online or telephone support provided by staff.
There are clever marketing ploys to reel you in - 1. a free booklet or DVD and 2. a free 15 minute chat. These are straight out of the manual of the 'sales man 101'. Just be aware of the hooks.
Alex Howard is a master of PR. He has found a niche in the market and he is exploiting it. From what I can gather he wants to move more into corporate areas, and he has said himself he works with insurance companies. I see he now works with PEAR a corporate business model.
I just wanted to put these details here for others to view so they know what they are getting from the Optimum Health Clinic, which I believe is Optimum Marketing and Profit Maximising with a great deal of spin.