Desperation Can Make Us Vulnerable to Bad Health Advice
Why chronic illness can make us vulnerable to people who promise answers
When you’ve spent years taking medications, trying protocols, being referred to specialists, and experiencing symptoms that disrupt your everyday life, it makes sense that someone promising answers would feel like winning the Powerball. That’s why the controversy surrounding Cheyenne Bryant isn’t just about credentials, but how desperation for answers can leave us vulnerable to being taken advantage of by wellness grifters. There are reasons why people gravitate to Bryant, who “self-identifies as a doctor” (which, honestly, I didn’t know was a thing). When we’re desperate for a solution, we’re often willing to risk working with someone who sounds like they have real answers.
For those of us living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or other autoimmune conditions, we know what the alternative looks like. The alternative is often medications that can negatively impact our quality of life, protocols that are too hard to maintain, and specialists who we pray are covered by our insurance. I don’t believe most people enter health professions intending to cause harm. However, good intentions don’t replace your education, ethics, or scope of practice. Bryant is a perfect example of when misrepresenting education not only calls into question a person’s ethos, but also how much they might be operating outside of their scope of practice.
When I was diagnosed with RA and Sjögren’s syndrome, I was already a nutrition coach. However, managing autoimmune disease was well outside my scope of practice at the time. Through the process of vetting health professionals who specialize in autoimmune health, I discovered Mickey Trescott, M.Sc., and Angie Alt, CNC of Autoimmune Wellness. While I appreciated that they openly shared how they’ve managed their autoimmune diseases, what drew me to them was that they invested in their health education to ensure they operated well within their scope of practice. There are some fields where educational credentials might not be needed. In my opinion, healthcare isn’t one of them. What do you think?
Whether or not you believe credentials are a requirement, there are a few things that I do hope you consider before hiring a health professional.
#1. What are their credentials and scope of practice?
If this is a hard question for them to answer or if they’re being evasive, this should raise immediate red flags. You have the right to ask health professionals what their credentials are to ensure they’re best positioned to support you. When someone operates outside their scope, they may keep you from getting the support you actually need.
#2. How personalized are their recommendations?
When you’re investing in a health professional, you’re not coming for one-size-fits-some health advice, but for personalization. They should be able to explain what their process to support you is and how their recommendations take into account your unique situation. If they’re unable to explain that, or even push back on personalizing their approach, it’s time to lace up your Brooks and run far away.
#3. Do they encourage informed decision-making or dependence?
Unless this person plans to live with you 24/7 (which is actually a thing for a certain income bracket in society), they should ensure you have the information you need to make informed health decisions. That means creating space for you to ask questions and not enforcing rigid rules that leave you no room for when life happens. The goal isn’t dependence. It’s empowerment.
You deserve personalized support that helps you truly understand your body. That’s why my personalized nutrition coaching isn’t about giving you another generic meal plan (which would be outside my scope of practice), but actually nutritional guidance so that you can make informed nutrition decisions. Whether you cook every single meal or are the queen of ordering out, with the right support, nourishing yourself becomes a lot easier.
If you’re ready for a more personalized approach to nutrition and autoimmune health, send me a DM and let’s chat.
Talk soon,
Tomesha
#3 tho!! Yes! Even though I’m not coaching any longer, I still notice how pervasive the dependency vs. empowerment issue is in the health & wellness space . . . Actually, I think AI being introduced exacerbates it. The lack of empowerment folks feel individually in arenas like their health spreads into other aspects of their lives & eventually becomes a community problem. The empowerment you offer your clients has positive effects beyond even just themselves. 👏🏻
And...the internet is not a medical doctor..period and even if they say they are, that information might not be applicable to you. You can't reduce the individual attention and history that your medical doctor knows to a sound byte on a publicly written up website, even if it is powered by AI!