Doctors Selling Info On Celiac?

[Pegleg84]

Hi all,

 

So... not quite sure where to put this but thought I'd bring it up. A gluten-free advocate (she runs a bi-annual gluten-free food/info fair and posts a lot of info and recipes) I follow just posted the debunked "19 cross-reactive foods" list, which we all know has no scientific basis whatsoever. I called her on it, and she said she was surprised since it came from a source she trusted. The source was a Dr Amy Myers' website. Now, I did some googlind and Dr Myers seems to be pretty prominent in the gluten-free info scene, lots of articles in HuffPo, etc etc. However, looking at her website I saw that she is not only posting non-scientific information (with links to 'cross-reactivity testing'), but she is selling online courses on Celiac/gluten-free diet for $100!! (oh, right now its only $49. what a deal). I imagine these "worksheets" have no more information that you can get here, or many other reliable places on the internets, FOR FREE!

 

Anyway, take a look for yourself and tell me this doesn't look sketchy:

Open Original Shared Link

 

Yeah, I'm sure there's lots of good info here, and maybe she figures since she can't see everyone, selling her services as an online course is better than leaving people out? ?? It seems like a big cash-grab to me. People are gullible. Also, since she's posted misinformation, WHO KNOWS what kind of info is actually in these courses.

Anyway, does anyone know anything about this lady, aside from her writing collumns all over the place? Are there other doctors out there selling their services (and supplements, and god knows what else) like this? Has anyone actually taken any of these courses?

 

I am thoroughly creeped out and a little ticked off at this. Aargh!!!

Opinions and imput encouraged.

 

Thanks!

[kareng]

There are quite a few of these people on-line selling on-line "coaching" for gluten-free nonsense.  Sounds like your "advocate" is a bit shady, too. Probably gets a payment for each person that links through her site.  Glad you are able to tell the difference between legit and make believe.

[Pegleg84]

If it wasn't for you, Kareng, the dispeller of all things shady.
I should just pass everyone over to you for some personal coaching. $100 an hour, of course.

[kareng]

If it wasn't for you, Kareng, the dispeller of all things shady.

I should just pass everyone over to you for some personal coaching. $100 an hour, of course.

 

 

LOL Too funny.     Maybe I will change my profile picture to a flashlight?

 

My son and I thought that if we made a really slick website -we could sell pills that allow you to eat gluten.  They come in pretty colors with a pleasant fruity taste.  The white "S" printed on them is not for "Skittles" but the name of the medication "Stupigulliblex".  Maybe we will include "Celiac Coaching" and also sell a course to get a "Celiac Coach" certificate.  (Have you seen those sites?  Selling a "credential"?)

[gilligan]

Read the reviews on Dr. Myers from patients.  They aren't good!

[Pegleg84]

Maybe we need to compile a "Quack Celiac Doctor" database? Or People repeating things they read on the internet but charging for it".

There can even be points for:

- Best miracle cure

- best deal on bogus testing

- Best Unsubstantiated Evidence Given as Fact

 

Seriously, though, the whole idea really got me riled up.

 

(Also, Kareng, you really are the best! Flashlight, indeed!)

[Veritas]

Someone asked about Amy Myers here.  She's had a variety of careers.  She studied psychology at the University of South Carolina after which she worked as a banker.  Next, she worked in agriculture in the Peace Corp in Paraguay.  Then, she worked was in school at the University of Washington in Seattle, after which she returned to New Orleans and worked in a bakery.  She attended medical school at Louisiana State University then completed a residency in emergency medicine in Baltimore at the University of Maryland where after she worked for a year or two as an emergency room physician in Austin before opening her clinic.  For most of her life, she was a vegetarian.

[StephanieL]

Someone asked about Amy Myers here.  She's had a variety of careers.  She studied psychology at the University of South Carolina after which she worked as a banker.  Next, she worked in agriculture in the Peace Corp in Paraguay.  Then, she worked was in school at the University of Washington in Seattle, after which she returned to New Orleans and worked in a bakery.  She attended medical school at Louisiana State University then completed a residency in emergency medicine in Baltimore at the University of Maryland where after she worked for a year or two as an emergency room physician in Austin before opening her clinic.  For most of her life, she was a vegetarian.

 

What is your point of posting her CV on a thread over 8 months old?  She is apparently not very liked/trusted in the Celiac community. Knowing her background doesn't change the incorrect information she was posting about.

[bartfull]

None of the information given is available on the internet. Therefore I conclude that this poster "Veritas" is either a friend of Amy Meyers, or possibly Amy Meyers herself. Either way, I encourage this person to read here and LEARN something.

[Debbie Stevens]

Hi I'm new on here. I am 61 years old and was diagnosed with 3 autoimmune disorders last year: Hashimoto's thyroiditis, narcolepsy with cataplexy, and Celiac disease. My celiac disease was diagnosed by an integrative medicine doctor when I persisted in asking her to checked my blood levels for the immunities. It was later confirmed with a biopsy of my intestine. My mother, sister, and brother had been checked about 10 years prior and were found to have celiac disease. But when I had asked my family doctor to also check me for celiac when my other family members were diagnosed, she stated I did not have enough digestion issues to warrant getting checked for celiac! So I ended up adding 10 more years of damaging my gut and my brain! Thanks MD! The reason I persisted and asked an integrative medicine doctor  (has both MD and functional medicine certification) was because of Amy Myers MD website. She is a Medical Doctor and therefore has been trained to evaluate research studies. She, as well as several other researchers, have studied thyroid problems and other autoimmune disorders and finding very helpful information in the literature for us patients. Our regular medical doctors are ignoring these bits of helpful information that helps us heal because it does not involve a new pill to fix it.  It mostly involves healthy eating and avoiding certain offending foods. Where's the "quack" in that? Are you guys jealous because you are maybe not up to date on the exploding amount of information on this topic and its treatments? I really value the in depth information supplied by these researchers on line. Face it, sustaining a career by having a website to showcase your research and products is the way many people make a living nowadays. If a doctor is selling something other than a pill for you to get better and heal, it doesn't always mean that the doctor is a quack. And they always say to check with your doctor before you make any changes to your medical regimen. I follow several different holistic practitioners, on line and personally, and much of what they say is the same thing. Thanks for allowing me to voice my opinion.

[SLLRunner]

Welcome, @Debbie Stevens!

I'm glad you found something from Amy Myers that helped you. However, keep in mind that she is not a celiac specialist, and when you go to her website your first image is her smiling face with her book behind it. She is clearly on a sales campaign. Besides, candida and celiac are two different things.

[Gemini]

"She is a Medical Doctor and therefore has been trained to evaluate research studies. She, as well as several other researchers, have studied thyroid problems and other autoimmune disorders and finding very helpful information in the literature for us patients. Our regular medical doctors are ignoring these bits of helpful information that helps us heal because it does not involve a new pill to fix it.  It mostly involves healthy eating and avoiding certain offending foods. Where's the "quack" in that?"

Debbie......I have 4 AI diseases and have been managing them for a very long time. I also have a functional medicine MD who has been very helpful......she was actually the one who I asked to run the Celiac panel because I did not have a trustworthy PCP at the time. However, mostly everything a Celiac patient has to learn to manage this disease well can all be learned for free.  You said it yourself regarding healthy eating and avoiding your known allergens....that doesn't cost anything except for food.  There are also so many medical charlatans out there who charge for information that can be gleaned from surfing the internet on reputable medical sites....or asking a real Celiac expert on your next appointment.

As for the exploding amount of information on this topic and treatments..........well, there are exploding amounts of information but a lot of it is bunk with no basis in real information about Celiac.  Treatments?  There are a few in the pipeline but I wouldn't hold your breath.  None of them are intended for people to eat gluten again, just guard and prevent the autoimmune reaction from cc.  That would be great for travel but the only real treatment for Celiac is a strict gluten-free diet.  That has not changed and will not change for a very long time, if ever.  This forum just wants people new to this diet to access reputable information so they won't get suckered into spending money on information they don' have to pay for. If you find her website helpful, that's great.  But after looking at her website and seeing her eCourses on gluten for $39.00?  I don' think so...........