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posted by FatPhil on Monday July 22 2019, @01:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the dietetics-dianetics,-what's-the-difference dept.

The judge noted that the "health coach" was free to offer pro bono advice.

A federal court on Wednesday rejected claims by an unlicensed "health coach" that the unqualified health advice she provided to paying clients was protected speech under the First Amendment.

In rejecting her claim, the court affirmed that states do indeed have the right to require that anyone charging for health and medical services - in this case, dietetics and nutrition advice - be qualified and licensed. (State laws governing who can offer personalized nutrition services vary considerably, however.)

Heather Del Castillo, a "holistic health coach" based in Florida, brought the case in October of 2017 shortly after she was busted in an undercover investigation by the state health department. At the time, Del Castillo was running a health-coaching business called Constitution Nutrition, which offered a personalized, six-month health and dietary program. The program involved 13 in-home consulting sessions, 12 of which cost $95 each.

Under a Florida state law called the Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Act (DNPA), anyone offering such services needs to be qualified and licensed to protect against bogus advice that could cause significant harms. Those qualifications include having a bachelor's or graduate degree in a relevant field, such as nutrition, from an accredited institution; having at least 900 hours of education or experience approved by the state's Board of Medicine; and passing the state's licensing exam.

Del Castillo had completed none of those things. Her only credential for providing health services was a certificate from an unaccredited, for-profit online school called the Institution for Integrative Nutrition. Otherwise, she had a bachelor's degree in geography and a master's in education. [...]


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 22 2019, @05:43PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 22 2019, @05:43PM (#870018)

    Implying that livestrong.com has bad medical advice. I know Lance Armstrong has been exposed, but I thought the website itself still had good information. Admittedly not as good as talking to your own doctor, but better than homepathic.example.com.

    Can anybody who knows more about this comment on the quality of their website?

  • (Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday July 23 2019, @01:21AM

    by Coward, Anonymous (7017) on Tuesday July 23 2019, @01:21AM (#870163) Journal

    Go to the link and read the first four nutrition-advice author bios. Only one is a dietitian.

    Whitney Hopler has authored numerous articles and several books in more than 20 years as a professional writer. As an editor, she’s served at The Salvation Army’s national magazines, Crosswalk.com and several newspapers.

    James Young began writing in 1969 as a military journalist combat correspondent in Vietnam. Young's articles have been published in "Tai Chi Magazine," "Seattle Post-Intelligencer," Sonar 4 ezine, "Stars & Stripes" and "Fine Woodworking." He has worked as a foundryman, woodturner, electronics technician, herb farmer and woodcarver. Young graduated from North Seattle Community College with an associate degree in applied science and electronic technology.

    Susan Ferrandino began writing in 2005. She started writing health and nutrition articles online during the summer of 2010. Some of her articles focus on Omega 3 fatty acids and nutrition with pregnancy. She has been working in the health-care industry for over 10 years and is pursuing her Master of Science in women's health.

    Janet Renee is a clinical dietitian with a special interest in weight management, sports dietetics, medical nutrition therapy and diet trends. She earned her Master of Science in nutrition from the University of Chicago and has contributed to health and wellness magazines, including Prevention, Self, Shape and Cooking Light.