Who is Dr Edward Group? Alex Jones' pal behind claims drinking URINE 'cures' Covid
Since the beginning of January, there's a new claim doing the rounds on far-right websites and social media - that drinking your own urine can cure Covid-19. The theory gained a lot of steam in mid-January when it was promoted by the anti-vax leader and conspiracy theorist Christopher Key. After some digging, it appears that Key isn't the man behind the theory itself, merely one of its biggest proponents. He claimed he was following Dr Edward Group.
The claims that urine can cure Covid join the long list of dangerous and debunked claims anti-vaxxers have made in recent months. Rather than take a safe and fully approved vaccine, the far-right have resorted to a myriad number of alternatives from the horse medicine Ivermectin to even Senator Ron Johnson's claim that Listerine works. Fuelled by not just sitting Congressmen, but also celebrities like Joe Rogan, these claims have now gripped the far-right and fuelled vaccine hesitancy despite the emergence of Omicron.
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Drinking urine is just the latest, and is unlikely to be the last crazy theory that anti-vaxxers promote. "Urine therapy" as it is being dubbed has been widely debunked by the press, and it hasn't been approved by either the FDA or CDC. Nonetheless, it still continues to grip the far-right. In light of that, here's the man behind the bizarre idea.
Who is Dr Edward Group?
By his own admission, Key noted that Dr. Edward Group is his "guru" on drinking urine. "He told me that he and his team have been looking over those who have been vaccinated and taken the jab, and they have anecdotal evidence of blood clots totally disappearing from using urine therapy," Key told The Daily Beast. The son of a chemist, Group is currently based in Texas and the man behind natural health expert company Dr Group.
The company's website says Group served in the US Army in Korea but left after three years "to pursue his calling in health and wellness." He reportedly turned to natural health after losing both his parents to cancer, an event he claims "opened his eyes to the flaws in our modern medical system." Group claims to have a "diverse medical knowledge", but those credentials are dubious at best. He does have a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Texas Chiropractic College, but no other medical degrees or licenses.
On the Global Healing website, Group claims to be an alum of Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management, but reportedly this is not entirely true. According to one website, Group paid to attend some open-enrollment seminars at both schools. Despite this, the claims remain up on the Dr. Group website and another one for Global Healing Centre. That website appears to be an e-commerce front for Group's supplements.
Group also has extensive links to Alex Jones, the far-right talk show host who has time and again been found to be spreading conspiracy theories. In 2017, John Olliver revealed how Group frequently appeared on InfoWars to sell supplements and has since been promoting theories like the vaccine causes autism. It has been reported the relationship is extremely vital for Global Healing, bringing in millions since InfoWars buys 13 supplements from the company and rebrands them under its private label.
Promotion of urine therapy
Group is also linked to the Global Healing Institute, a website that provides courses on natural health. Amongst those courses is one on urotherapy or urine therapy. "As a 5,000-year-old practice, the rejuvenational method of Urotherapy (also known as Shivambu) uses your own perfect medicine to heal the body from the inside out," the website claims, adding, "it would cost the medical industry billions of dollars if everyone knew of the free healing modality that is gifted by their own bodies."
Group claims drinking urine can cure not just Covid-19, but also HIV, cancer, leukemia, and obesity. Despite having no clinical or scientific backing, he claims one can gargle, snort, inject or even massage the body with urine. The outrageous claims appear to have found a home with the far-right. In November 2021, Group appeared at a Nashville conference with Eric Trump, and thanks to his frequent appearances on InfoWars, he has now become a darling of the anti-vax movement. Numerous health experts told The Daily Beast that Group's claims have no validity, with one comparing it to snake oil promotion in the early 20th century.