Maureen Kennedy Salaman (April 4, 1936 – August 17, 2006) was an American author, proponent of
alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
, and candidate of the
American Independent Party for
Vice President of the United States in the
1984 election.
Biography
Salaman was born in 1936 in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
. Her father, Ted Kennedy, served in the
United States Navy and was killed in
World War II when Maureen was a child. The family then relocated to
San Mateo County, California.
Salaman claimed to be a nutritionist with a Master of Science degree from Donsbach University, an unaccredited entity, and was prominently involved in
alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...
. She was elected president of the
National Health Federation
The National Health Federation (NHF) is a lobbying group which promotes natural medicine. The NHF is based in California and describes its mission as protecting individuals' rights to use dietary supplements and alternative therapies without gov ...
, an alternative medicine lobbying group, in 1982. She held that position, with two interruptions, until her death. Critics noted that she had been "very active in promoting questionable cancer remedies". Psychiatrist
Stephen Barrett of
Quackwatch wrote that her books "contain hundreds of unsubstantiated suggestions for using foods, dietary supplements, and herbs for a wide range of diseases and conditions."
Salaman was nominated on the right-wing American Independent Party's ticket in 1984 along with
Bob Richards, a former Olympic pole vaulter. They received 66,324 votes (0.07%).
Personal life
Salaman married Gerard Morton in 1957, and that marriage produced two children,
Sean and Colleen. The couple divorced, and after several years she married Frank Salaman. In 1976, Frank Salaman was charged with conspiracy to smuggle
laetrile into the United States. He was found guilty by a jury in 1977, fined $10,000, and placed on probation for three years.Maureen Salaman was an outspoken advocate of laetrile usage as a cancer preventive and treatment. In 1999, she married a third time, to Ross Burdette Gordon.
Salaman died at her home in
Atherton, California
Atherton () is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 7,188 as of 2020.
Atherton is known for its wealth; in 1990 and 2019, Athe ...
in 2006 from pancreatic cancer.
Selected publications
*''Nutrition: The Cancer Answer'' (1984)
*''The Diet Bible: The Bible for Dieters'' (1994)
*''Nutrition: The Cancer Answer II'' (1995)
*''How to Renew You: The Complete Primer on Age Reversal'' (2003)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salaman, Maureen Kennedy
1936 births
2006 deaths
20th-century far-right politicians in the United States
Alternative cancer treatment advocates
Alternative medicine activists
1984 United States vice-presidential candidates
People from Glendale, California
People from Atherton, California
Pseudoscientific diet advocates
20th-century American women writers
Populist Party (United States, 1984) politicians
Christian fundamentalists
Female candidates for Vice President of the United States
Women in California politics
Activists from California
21st-century American women
Writers from California