Company History

Bringing Innovative products to you during the last 44 years has always been rewarding but not always an easy task. I thought people might be interested in learning how our unique products were developed and how it was necessary to fight for their continued existence, therefore, I have published this short company history.

Since 1978 I have been involved in the cause of health freedoms and introduced many innovative and beneficial health products. My companies have successfully marketed products previously unavailable to the US market, including Cantron and G-H3.

We stood at the forefront and helped pave the way for the current boom in the Alternative Medicine industry. Those who take for granted the availability of the numerous supplement products on the market today may not be able to appreciate what we went through to change the laws, to gain the acceptance of the general public and the medical community which is currently progressing towards Integrative or Complementary Medicine (a combination of orthodox and alternative approaches).

Like their predecessors in the past, many of the products on the market today would be banned, blacklisted and discredited if it were not for the hard fought battles of my organization and many others like mine. During this era people desperately clamored for health products they read about but were not able to procure. Widespread anger towards the government and the orthodox medical establishment abounded. Such was the climate that existed when I first became involved in this industry.

Dr. Alan Kratz and the Advent of G-H3

My original involvement in this industry started in 1977 through a neighbor and friend, Alan Morgan Kratz, PhD. A doctor of pharmacy (or Pharm D), Alan was widely respected in the pharmaceutical field. His credentials included board member and editor of the prestigious Merck Manual – the pharmaceutical handbook for physicians.
Dr. Kratz became interested in the Romanian formulation Gerovital H3 (G-H3), which was developed and extensively researched by Professor Ana Aslan, MD, head of the National Institute of Geriatrics in Bucharest, Romania.

In the US, G-H3 was an elite product, being consumed only by the rich and famous who could afford to travel abroad to receive these expensive treatments in order to gain renewed physical and mental vigor.

Kratz Develops Oral Liquid G-H3

Dr. Kratz was the first to formulate G-H3 into an oral liquid. Previously Aslan administered it by injection along with a maintenance dose of capsules. He was also the first to make G-H3 available in the United States by discovering and implementing an interesting legal concept.

A tremendous amount of publicity on his project swept the country. The national media reported on the sudden availability of the product, the dramatic testimonials of those who were using it and the FDA’s staunch opposition to it as well.

I became interested in the project after the Miami Herald Tropic Magazine (Sunday supplement) ran a multiple page cover story on Dr. Kratz’s G-H3 in 1977. Promptly afterward (1978), I wrote and published a booklet telling people how they could acquire G-H3 through Dr. Kratz’s Club Senex. I followed up the booklet by writing the book ‘G-H3 Discovery’ in 1979.

In the process of writing the book, I Interviewed many enthusiastic G-H3 users. I learned first hand how the health and well being of G-H3 users dramatically improved after traditional orthodox treatments had failed them.

The user’s were euphoric about their revitalized health conditions and grateful for Dr. Kratz’s vision in bringing this product to them.

These interviews had a profound effect upon me. I experienced a strong feeling of compassion for these people and a new sense of purpose in my life. It became clear, this is what I wanted to do – to help in the alleviation of human suffering. It subsequently became my life’s mission.

My First Marketing Experience is Aided by a Fortuitous Event of Fate

An advertisement to sell my original booklet on G-H3 was placed in the tabloid magazine, “The Midnight Globe”. It would be 7 weeks before my advertisement was to appear in the magazine.

I anxiously awaited for the publication to hit the newsstands and questions of doubt kept popping into my mind. Would anyone respond to my ad? Was it all for naught? Was my newfound career over before it even started? Or, would I receive a mail box full of orders?

I was optimistic at first but with each passing day I became more and more pessimistic. I was certain that my mail box was going to be empty. No one was going to place an order, my skeptical mind kept telling me. As fate would have it, a truly remarkable and unexpected chance event occurred, which sealed my destiny.

When the magazine hit the newsstands in July of 1978, it included a front page headline on none other than Ana Aslan and Gerovital-H3, with my advertisement directly following on a subsequent page.

This was such a fortuitous co-incidence (or was it co-incidence). This positive story on the benefits of G-H3 created a huge demand for the product and my booklet as well. Needless to say, the first time I opened my mailbox it was full of orders for the booklet. This fateful event inspired me and was the impetus that launched my new career.

However, not all was rosy for long in G-H3 land and events that were to occur sealed the next phase of my destiny.

FDA stops Dr. Kratz’s G-H3 distribution

In 1979, because of my booklet which promoted Dr. Kratz’s G-H3, I received a visit by an investigator of the Food & Drug Administration who interrogated me for hours and wrote up a report.

The FDA, shortly afterward, took Alan Kratz to federal court for distributing what they cited as an unapproved drug. He gallantly fought a good battle but in the end the court issued him a temporary injunction order to cease and desist from making the product because of medical claims which were made.

I attended the trial and as a young and impressionable man (26 years old), I was extremely disturbed at the way the government handled this case. I, like many other people had the naïve opinion that the government would be on the side of helping people. Certainly they would want to help the suffering masses, wouldn’t they? But things are not always what they seem and I received a stark lesson on the real facts of life.

The government was represented by a cold, hard team of prosecutors who were determined to carry out the letter of the law and to win the case at all costs with little or no thought about the welfare of the people – the taxpayers – which they were commissioned to serve.

They dispassionately ignored the facts that users … were extremely happy with the product…  desperately wanted access to this product…believed the product dramatically improved their poor health conditions. Likewise, it didn’t matter that there were no complaints about the product or that no harm was caused by this product.

I wondered how these prosecutors could believe that they were acting to protect the public interest. After all this is the intended purpose of government isn’t it? From my viewpoint, they were detached from the plight of the suffering. Their only interest was in serving the letter of the law. It was win at all costs and win they did.

On the way home from the trial, Dr. Kratz told me he was no longer interested in fighting the governmental machine, therefore, he was never going to make the formula available again. He never said this, but the attack on his character and reputation in the media and in the courts was probably too much for this wonderful, proud man to take. Judging from his demeanor he was extremely hurt by these occurrences.

I felt that the prohibition of this wonderful product would be a tremendous loss to my fellow countrymen and I wanted to do something about it. I asked Dr. Kratz if he would mind if I continued this fight and find another way to make the product available. He answered in the affirmative.

Freedom of Speech or Oppression?

At that time I was disillusioned and outraged at the outcome of this court trial and couldn’t bear to let this injustice stand. Many were helped by this formula. More importantly I felt they needed their freedom to take G-H3 and other products like it. After all, this is America isn’t it? Shouldn’t health freedoms be part of our constitutional rights?

This event began the advent of my political activism career. I was prepared to do anything in the interest of Health Freedom. This included searching for legal methods already on the books to make health products such as G-H3 available, lobbying for new and better laws and if necessary I was prepared to pick up where Dr. Kratz left off. I was prepared to battle the United States of America in court over what I believed was right.

I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task, after all I was just one small person, but I knew someone had to do it. Luckily, in the grand scheme of things, I was not alone. Subsequent to my involvement in this field, many other organizations took up the good fight and together we were instrumental in gaining many health freedoms.

G-H3 Goes Back on the Market

In 1979, I started two companies, Rejuvenation Products, Inc. And The Institute of Medical Research, Inc. to make G-H3 and other products available. We made G-H3 available under different legal parameters than those of Dr. Alan Kratz’s company, Club SeneX. The satisfaction levels with my product were equal to those of Dr. Kratz’s product.

Reputation as Market Specialist Flourishes

It didn’t take long but due to my success with G-H3 and other controversial products, many people came to me with innovative products they wanted to put on the market. We were perceived as the marketing experts for Alternative Medicine. I had to decline most of those opportunities because I was not convinced of the effectiveness of most of those products nor could I handle the sheer volume of the offers.

A researcher from the prestigious Rutgers’s University came to us in late 1980 who wanted us to market a fabulous product called Candicidin which was very helpful for prostate health. We eventually put that product on the market and it achieved tremendous results. Unfortunately, the laboratory in Denmark eventually stopped manufacturing this wonderful product and it had to be discontinued.

While in the company of the Rutgers’s professor, another chance occurrence happened. We came across a 5 story building in Hollywood, Florida with a large sign adorning it, ‘The Anti-Aging News.’

The professor wanted to go in and see what ‘The Anti-Aging News’ was all about. Upon entering we met the editor and publisher of the magazine, Saul Kent. I asked Saul what subjects he wrote about in his Anti-Aging magazine. His response to me was; “Did you ever hear about a product called Gerovital H3?”

Fact is that Saul had just published an article on the very product I was so intrinsically involved in. I informed him that I wrote a book on G-H3 and that I was now making the product available. He was amazed because he knew that G-H3 was one of the products which was banned by the FDA at that time. I explained that I was making this product available on some solid legal grounds.

I believe this chance meeting not only altered the course of Saul’s and my career but the history of Alternative Medicine as well. Saul eventually started a company called Life Extension Foundation which became one of the leaders in this field. They expounded upon the latest scientific research, promoted new innovative products and became one of the most successful lobbyists for the health freedoms that we are enjoying today. In turn, Saul’s successful efforts influenced my ultimate course.

I was involved in a national conference on Holistic Health in 1980 (Heed University Holistic Health Conference). In 1981 I was involved in promoting my company’s own Anti-Aging Symposium in Miami Beach, which received local and national press attention. Guest speakers included Saul Kent, Durk Pearson and Gary Null amongst others.

I never hosted another convention, but have attended several others including those promoted by Saul Kent, Gary Null, National Health Federation and the National Nutritional Health Food Convention. I must add that all of these entities have been very beneficial in bringing you the health freedoms you enjoy today.

Among the First Importers of Lapacho and Aveloz Herbs from South America

My company was among the very first to introduce the South American herbal products Lapacho and Aveloz to the public. When several stories on these amazing herbs were written in Spotlight magazine in the early 1980’s it created a great demand for the product. We located it, imported it directly from South America and introduced it into the marketplace. Lapacho also known as Pau D’arco and Ipe Roxo has now become a very popular product in health food stores, but it certainly wasn’t readily available before we introduced it.

Advent Of Entelev/Cantron/Cancell

Through the promotion of my book on G-H3 in 1978, I became acquainted with a gentleman who played an important role in helping promote my G-H3 business, and played the major role in my Cantron/ Entelev project. His name was Don Wilson. After conducting business by phone and through letters for over 3 years, we met for the first time in 1981 when he lectured at my Anti-Aging Symposium.

Don not only helped promote my book G-H3 Discovery and the product G-H3 but also was a user of many of my products, G-H3, Candicidin and Lapacho. He was impressed that I was willing and able to put these many products on the market where others had failed. Don also viewed me as a person of honesty and integrity and I felt the same about him.

In 1983, Don Wilson started conversing with me about the product Entelev which was invented by James V. Sheridan. Don was writing a book on Entelev and as a result was conversing with Mr. Sheridan on a regular basis.

Mr. Sheridan just received a cease and desist order from the FDA to stop his distribution of Entelev in May of 1983. As he was supplying roughly 1200 people with the formula, this ban caused widespread panic among those who were using Entelev. Mr. Sheridan was very concerned with the welfare of those who wanted to obtain his formula, but he was powerless to give it to them due to the order.

Based on his impressions and experiences with me, Don recommended me to Mr. Sheridan as a person who could help make this product available to his network of Entelev users and to the general public as well. I eventually took on the project and we subsequently renamed the product Cantron. We started producing it in 1984 under different legal premises. To read more on this please refer to my article, The Origins of Entelev, Cantron and Cancell.

I set up a new corporation, Consolidated Marketing Unlimited, Inc. D/B/A Medical Research Products which initially only sold the Cantron formulation. Now all of my products are sold under this one corporation.

I decided to sell all of my products as dietary supplements and relied solely on the word of mouth advertising from satisfied users of my products. From that point on, we simply manufactured the products and hoped that the phones would ring. Fortunately based on the reputation of my company and my products, the phones continued to ring and people have received benefits from my products for all these years, right up to the current time. Read more: Origins of Entelev, Cantron and Cancell

FDA Search and Seizure

In February, 1994 our establishment suffered through a search and seizure from the newly formed criminal division of the FDA. Armed agents stormed our office and confiscated much of our property including computers, products, company records and manufacturing equipment. This new division was initiated by a health fraud organization which in truth was funded by the large pharmaceutical companies.

I always expected that I would go to court to argue the merits and the legalities of my products but I was not quite prepared for this devastating action. I was now facing criminal charges just for selling these wonderful and harmless health products.

This event caused a great deal of consternation in my life, too much to truly explain in this short article. I was at the end of my rope and ready to give up until two important things happened.

The word rapidly spread about the search and seizure and many customers flooded my office with phone calls. They were in panic states – some were angry – some were crying. They all expressed their concerns and fears about being cut off from their source of my products, especially Cantron and G-H3 which had played a vital role in their health and happiness.

Customers pledged their loyalty and support  and expressed their shock and disillusionment over the Government’s tactics. I remember customers telling me things like… “Please don’t quit … Your products are helping us … We need you… We love you… We will be behind you… We won’t let you go to jail.”

Another chance event happened just one or two days after the seizure. Ed Sopcak (Cancell producer) appeared on a syndicated radio show in Florida and talked about Cancell and his own problems with the FDA (he was permanently enjoined from making Cancell). Co-incidentally, Mr. Sopcak was pre-scheduled for this radio interview without any knowledge that a FDA raid was to take place on my establishment.

During Mr. Sopcak’s interview, someone from the listening audience called in, talked about Cantron and gave out my phone number on the air. Thousands of people called looking for the product. The program hosts were so impressed with the product that they continued to speak about Cantron/Cancell every day for an additional 6 months.

Due to the loyal support of our customers and the chance events of the radio show, I felt that destiny was pushing me once again in the direction of continuing my fight. I decided to stay in business and prepared to defend myself in criminal court, no matter what the cost. I was given the mandate by my loyal supporters and once again by fate itself.

I must add that I harbor no animosity towards those agents of the FDA who served the search and seizure on my establishment nor do I believe they have done any wrong. They were fine people who were only doing the job they were commissioned to perform. All the agents handled themselves in a professional and courteous manner. I blame the establishment, not those government employees.

New Dietary Supplement Laws

Right after the FDA seizure, much lobbying was done to change the laws regarding dietary supplements in the United States. Clinton Miller an important lobbyist for Health reforms was constantly in touch with me. After the search and seizure he asked me to appear before congress to explain my plight. Although I would have been honored to appear before congress, I declined at that time because I was spread too thin. I had to rebuild my business from scratch under the most trying of circumstances.

I no longer had employees because they were threatened with co-indictment. I didn’t have raw materials nor the manufacturing equipment to produce my products. I didn’t have operators to take phone orders or the computers to process them.

Phones were ringing off the hook from frantic users of my products fearing they could no longer be supplied… from those who listened to the syndicated radio show… and from customers who were looking for fulfillment of their past orders that we had no records of (several orders along with customer checks were seized).

In addition to all of this, I had to prepare my legal defense, meet with lawyers regarding my criminal case and had to pull and deliver hundreds of customer files which the FDA subpoenaed. For a 3 or 4 month period, I was able to sleep no more than 20 hours per week as I needed every minute I could spare to get my business back on track.

My brother Gary’s girlfriend at that time, Melissa Myers, after witnessing my plight and having pity on my situation, insisted on helping me as a volunteer. She bravely stated, “I don’t care if I go to jail, I believe in what you are doing.” After some time working as a volunteer, she became a paid employee. We then hired additional employees and eventually got back to normal operations. In 1999, Gary, himself, became a valued employee of the corporation.

Saul Kent’s Life Extension Foundation and other similar firms were also raided by the FDA. In 1994 the Foundation lead an organized national phone protest to the offices of the FDA which we joined forces in. We were effective in shutting down the FDA’s phone system for one full day as thousands of angry customers throughout the country called in with their complaints.

Clinton Miller asked me to write the definition of a dietary supplement for the legislation he was working on, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which I was proud to do for him. This act was successfully passed into law in late 1994. It is a landmark piece of legislation which helps us afford some of the health freedoms we enjoy today. It clearly spells out the do’s and don’ts for dietary supplements as opposed to the vagueness of the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act.

I am very happy with this favorable legislation and am committed to staying in full compliance with it. This goes to show the greatness of America where we the people can make a difference in the way we are governed. A side note: Clinton Miller regularly took my G-H3 product and claims that it gave him the physical and mental energy for this project. Without it he stated he could not have got the job done.

In October of 1998, I received a letter from the criminal division of the FDA stating that I can pick up all the evidence which was confiscated in the 1994 search and seizure. This signaled the end of the criminal investigation. Needless to say this was a great relief and a great cause for celebration. For over 4 years I suffered the fear of losing my personal freedom or being financially depleted by the court system. I also rejoiced in the fact that my products would continue to be available to those who needed them for a long time to come.

We are proud of our products and our achievements, but we want to remind everyone, to never take your freedoms for granted. They came at a very expensive price to many of us. We must never grow complacent and we must always fight for what is right.

I appreciate all the loyalty and support I have received throughout the last 43 years and will always continue to serve my clientele knowing that they are behind me. Without this support I would be powerless to achieve any of my goals.

Special thanks go out to all the people who helped me and contributed greatly to my company, to Alternative Medicine and to the present Health Freedoms we are finally enjoying.

Yours in perfect ‘Wellness’,

Jerome Godin