EC: “A friend of mine is spending a lot of money on ‘Dr’ Eric Berg stuff, could you please shed light on him. I’ve seen that he is not a medical doctor online. Any help is greatly appreciated.”
Eric Berg, DC, is a legitimate chiropractor; however, chiropractors are not medical doctors. They have extensive training in chiropractic care and are licensed, but they do not generally hold medical degrees.
Dr. Berg is a very popular internet personality who sells everything from sleep aids to massage tools.
Consumers should be aware that Berg, who operates the Health and Wellness Center in Alexandria, Virginia, has been reprimanded, fined $1,500, and ordered to stop using and promoting a variety of bogus muscle testing techniques in 2007. According to this report, at one time, he was using an Acoustic Cardiograph which supposedly provides a “readable signature” of heart sounds that is used to detect imbalances of body chemistry which are then corrected with dietary supplements.
The consent agreement notes that “Berg had made many therapeutic claims that were not supportable by reasonable scientific or medical evidence.”
Sheila Kealey, nutrition researcher and health writer who has worked with researchers at the University of California, San Diego, for over 20 years, included Berg on her list of Health and Nutrition “Experts” You Shouldn’t Trust. Kealey described him as a “chiropractor who has ventured beyond his realm of expertise.”
“Some of his treatments relate to “adrenal fatigue” – a term not recognized by any endocrinology society and a syndrome that experts have confirmed does not exist,” she adds.
“Some of his diet advice is extremely and unnecessarily restrictive (anti-wheat; anti-carbohydrate); he advocates weight loss based on a bogus hormone body type (adrenal, ovary, liver, thyroid); talks about “fat burning” hormones (they don’t exist); and includes a “detox phase” in his diet plan (a term that should raise your quack alarm).”
She cites his website which includes a shop full of “unproven supplements” that, beyond being a complete waste of money, “could quite possibly do you more harm than good.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
