Deepak Chopra is Ethically Challenged

Article

The authors [Chopra/Sharma] misrepresented Maharishi Ayur-Veda to JAMA as Ayurvedic medicine, the ancient, traditional health care system of India, rather than a trademark for a brand of products and services marketed since 1985 by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's complex network of research, educational, and commercial organizations.

JAMA is serious about its policy regarding authors' disclosures of potential conflicts of interest, says George D. Lundberg, MD, editor of THE JOURNAL, who adds: "Even if the financial association between the author and organizations that may profit by his or her article is remote, we need to know about it. The associations between Chopra, Sharma, and Triguna and the promoters of the products and services they wrote about may well have affected our decision to publish their article had we known about them. At the very least, the reader should have been informed of the author's involvement with those who profit from Maharishi Ayur-Veda."

Lundberg says that "JAMA has long had an interest in publishing responsible articles on traditional health care practices from other parts of the world. We published 'Letter From New Delhi' in THE JOURNAL's international health theme issue believing that the authors were acting in good faith and that they were disinterested scientists who had expertise in the long-practiced system of folk remedies of India known as Ayurvedic medicine. At that time, we did not know that 'Maharishi AyurVeda,' 'Transcendental Meditation,' and the 'TM-Sidhi' programs promoted in the article are brands of health care products and services being marketed by the TM movement."


It gets worse, including blatant lies knowingly told by Chopra.

From another article:

"Among other things, Chopra did not acknowledge [to JAMA] that he collects hundreds of thousands of dollars from his seminars on Maharishi Ayur-Veda and by providing Maharishi Ayur-Veda treatments."