Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Scientology Comes to Vietnam

Diep and I were watching VTV1 this morning, a national news broadcast station in Vietnam, and caught a piece on Vietnamese war veterans affected by dioxin (agent orange) receiving treatment at a facility in Thai Binh Province. The detoxification treatment these veterans were undergoing included an aerobics program, steam room treatment and vitamin supplements such as niacin, etc.

The broadcast was in Vietnamese, but the doctors who were interviewed and the reporter kept referring to a method that sounded like Hubut when they pronounced the name in Vietnamese.  Afte a quick Google search on keywords "dioxin", "treatment" and "method". it became quickly clear the news report was referring to the Hubbard detoxification method. Yes, Lafayette Ron Hubbard of pulp fiction and scientology fame.

The symptoms these dioxin victims described were not necessarily those described by our own Vietnam war veterans, and more closely resembled those symptoms experienced from old age and inactivity. Clearly, exercise, nutrition and sweating out the body's toxins in a steam room can do wonders for the latter symptoms.  Nevertheless, these veterans can thank L Ron Hubbard and the scientologists for their reportedly improved health and well-being.

Maybe Tom Cruise will be visiting Thai Binh Province in the near future.

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