Friday, April 27, 2012


State Threatens to Shut Down Nutrition Blogger

We read:
"The North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition is threatening to send a blogger to jail for recounting publicly his battle against diabetes and encouraging others to follow his lifestyle.

Chapter 90, Article 25 of the North Carolina General Statutes makes it a misdemeanor to “practice dietetics or nutrition” without a license. According to the law, “practicing” nutrition includes “assessing the nutritional needs of individuals and groups” and “providing nutrition counseling.”

Steve Cooksey has learned that the definition, at least in the eyes of the state board, is expansive.

When he was hospitalized with diabetes in February 2009, he decided to avoid the fate of his grandmother, who eventually died of the disease. He embraced the low-carb, high-protein Paleo diet, also known as the “caveman” or “hunter-gatherer” diet. The diet, he said, made him drug- and insulin-free within 30 days. By May of that year, he had lost 45 pounds and decided to start a blog about his success.

But this past January the state diatetics and nutrition board decided Cooksey’s blog — Diabetes-Warrior.net — violated state law. The nutritional advice Cooksey provides on the site amounts to “practicing nutrition,” the board’s director says, and in North Carolina that’s something you need a license to do.

Unless Cooksey completely rewrites his 3-year-old blog, he could be sued by the licensing board. If he loses the lawsuit and refuses to take down the blog, he could face up to 120 days in jail.

The board’s director says Cooksey has a First Amendment right to blog about his diet, but he can’t encourage others to adopt it unless the state has certified him as a dietitian or nutritionist.

It’s not necessarily against the law to give your sister or your friend nutritional advice, she said. And it’s not necessarily against the law to use a blog to tell people what they should eat.

Where it crosses the line, Burill said, is when a blogger “advertises himself as an expert” and “takes information from someone such that he’s performing some sort of assessment and then giving it back with some sort of plan or diet.”

Cooksey posts the following disclaimer at the bottom of every page on his website: “I am not a doctor, dietitian, nor nutritionist … in fact I have no medical training of any kind.”

In fact, he brags about his lack of formal training throughout his blog.  “It’s so simple,” he told CJ. “I cut carbs, I reduced my drugs and insulin until I didn’t need them at all. If I can figure that out, why in the hell can’t all these other people [in the medical field]?”

“Anyone can talk about anything they want,” Burill said. “That’s a First Amendment right, so to speak.”

For example, a person could write a blog advocating vegetarianism, she said.

Source

Sounds like a clear 1st Amendment violation.  He is just presenting his view and not claiming to be professionally qualified

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

So are they going after Paula Dean?

Anonymous said...

Just what we need, yet another pseudo expert telling us what is best for us. There are enough of these cranks on Oprah and Dr. Oz.

Anonymous said...

You're right Jon. His problem is, he's not complying with the state-sanctioned propaganda. Of course, if you pay the state off, (see: extortion) then you can tell people all the lies you want. That would be called, advertising.

Stan B said...

After reading the whole article, I have to say that it's not quite as "cut and dry" as Free Speech advocates would like it to be. The man also charges for "dietary counseling sessions," which may bring him into conflict with the law. Free Advice is one thing, professional services are another. If a man says "I'm not a doctor but I've looked at your case and here's how to treat your individual cancer..." he's practicing medicine without a license. If a man has you send health-related information to him and charges you to respond with his "best advice," he's no longer some crank writing a blog advertising the wonders of fiberglass insulation consumption, he's now a "counselor" diagnosing and treating conditions.

Bird of Paradise said...

The Food Police are at it as usial

Anonymous said...

The only "truth" that the state will allow is the Truth THEY say is the truth.

Welcome to 1984 comrades!

Anonymous said...

I would have to agree with Stan B... this is not a cut and dry 1st amendment thing, he is not simply "telling his story". He is soliciting information and providing a diet based on that information which, like it or not, means he is providing a so called "professional service" which is governed by the state.

Anonymous said...

MOre "equality" lefty style.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/keeling-pilaro-male-field-hockey-player-banned-being-160713816.html

Anonymous said...

Stan,

This story has been kicking around for awhile. While you make a good point about dispensing advice, it seems when you look at the papers that he was served with there was as much "we disagree with this advice" as there was any "professional advice."

The question is whether a person who makes it clear that he is not a registered dietician should be able to make a living dispensing dietary advice.

Should someone like Jenny McCarthy be banned from making money on her anti-vaccination / autism campaign?

The problem is that there is a financial incentive for regulations and certifications of dieticians and other professional groups. So while I agree that one should be wary of taking advice from a person who is not studied in a university to be a dietician, that does not mean the college trained dietician should have the right or the ability to use the government to protect their dietician monopoly.

Anonymous said...

never ever believe anything from the government, they are all liars..the truth is out there,but not with the government.

Anonymous said...

The State licenses for several reasons. The one they tell you about is public safety and fraud protection. The ones they never tell you about is supply control and information control. They create barriers to entry for new professionals to ensure that the proper “type” of individual is practicing. In areas of undefined science such as nutrition, or psychology/psychiatry it develops an aristocratic good old boys club of “conventional” bureaucrats to make sure that others conform to their view points.

Anonymous said...

So many of the health problems people suffer from can be quickly improved with diet. This is a proven fact demonstrated by study after study. Since this is not profitable, drug companies along with physicians throw up their hands and say "yes, but the patient won't follow the diet!" Well, some won't but many will if given the information. If the establishment has a vested interest in the status quo, guess who's message will be allowed.

Anonymous said...

Just face it - why are so many Americans so grossly over-weight? And not helped by the media (tv, movies) showing them stuffing themselves with chips and junk food all the time. The rest of the world think Americans live on pizzas, burgers and other fast-food.