Gillian McKeith agrees to no longer call herself 'Doctor'

Black Mambo · #1 02-13-2007, 04:48 AM

About damn time, too.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,2011151,00.html

Quote:

Owen Gibson, media correspondent
Monday February 12, 2007
The Guardian

Gillian McKeith, the You Are What You Eat presenter, has agreed to drop the title Dr from her company's advertising after a complaint to the industry watchdog. She has made millions from book and health food spin-offs, but her credentials have been questioned by some experts.

After the Advertising Standards Authority came to the provisional conclusion that the honorific was likely to mislead the public, McKeith Research said it planned to drop it from its advertising, obviating the need for a full investigation. The complaint was brought by a Guardian reader who learned of Ms McKeith's academic credentials from a recent Bad Science column by Ben Goldacre.

The self-styled health guru has consistently argued she is entitled to call herself a doctor because of her distance learning PhD in holistic nutrition from the American Holistic College of Nutrition.

It is understood the ASA was minded to rule that the adverts were misleading, because the college was not accredited by any recognised educational authority at the time she took the course, and she does not hold a general medical qualification. While the adverts usually stated somewhere in the text Ms McKeith was not a medical doctor, the initial impression given was that she was, it said.

According to documents seen by the Guardian, the agreement prevents Ms McKeith calling herself a doctor in any advertising or mailshots relating to her company and its products. They include a Dr Gillian McKeith-branded range of health foods and the Dr Gillian Club, which offers online health plans.

She told the Guardian she understood the offending ad was a leaflet without the usual disclaimer she was not a medical doctor. She said she understood the honorific had to go from leaflets, but not from all adverts. "As far as I'm concerned, because of the hard work I have done, I'll continue to put PhD after my name; I'm entitled to use the word Dr as and when I choose."

She said she had become a target for critics of her brand of nutrition because of her public profile. "I am on a mission to change this country's eating habits. I've been doing it for 15 years, and I have had amazing results. I believe strongly and passionately in my mission."

Her PR representative, Max Clifford, said her degree had not played a part in her career. "Personally, I wish it had never been mentioned. She never needed it, and it's done nothing but cause her embarrassment."

Ms McKeith is on her fourth series of the Channel 4 show.

welshboyrich · #2 02-13-2007, 10:39 AM

good

she examines people shit for fucks sake

BleedingHeart · #3 02-13-2007, 10:43 AM

there's nothing wrong with examining fecal matter, you can really tell alot about a person's diet and how sick or deficient someone is.

Its the poo sculpture on her bathroom wall is what's the scary part.

Its supposed to be inspirational to her visiting patients to make the perfect 'poo'

Thats a step too far Gillian, you fecalphillic fiend.

kelis · #4 02-13-2007, 10:47 AM

I want a German toilet with a poo shelf.

Cup_Cake_Kid · #5 02-13-2007, 11:45 AM

Who Cares

The Bitch gets results!
She turns the fatties Thin again.

Give the gal a medal.

Black Mambo · #6 02-13-2007, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cup_Cake_Kid

Who Cares

The Bitch gets results!
She turns the fatties Thin again.

Give the gal a medal.

I mean, yeah, that is commendable. And it's also a good thing that she inspires interest in people to try to be healthier.

However, she gives out some really unusual advice regarding certain foods and their nutritional value, some of which is just outright scientifically unsound. I don't think she has ever advocated any foods that are actually bad, but she has recommended foods on the basis of them having nutritional value that they don't actually have. If people are heeding her advice and eating those foods instead of foods that really do have nutritional value, comparably it would be worse for those people. That is essentially the issue with her.

Having her stop using the title 'Dr' before her name doesn't really change much about that. But if it makes people sit up and think "why?" and they subsequently look into her credentials and her practices, it is a good thing. This woman desperately needs to come crashing down. There is plenty of effective diet advice out there to be found, and plenty of warmhearted support to be had. She, with her humiliation tactics and dodgy pseudoscience, really needs to step off.

LadyShambles · #7 02-13-2007, 12:18 PM

don't you thik she is rude?
especially in this series where they go stay at her house

"this is my room, you're not allowed in there, ever" - but really agressively

and "you'll have to wait in there I'm doing pilates with nadia from BB"

ok maybe some bad examples when written down but if you saw the show you'd know what i mean, she's an evil little dwarf!

welshboyrich · #8 02-13-2007, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BleedingHeart

there's nothing wrong with examining fecal matter, you can really tell alot about a person's diet and how sick or deficient someone is.

Its the poo sculpture on her bathroom wall is what's the scary part.

Its supposed to be inspirational to her visiting patients to make the perfect 'poo'

Thats a step too far Gillian, you fecalphillic fiend.

a poo sculpture on her bathroom wall??? now that is scary

LadyShambles · #9 02-13-2007, 12:48 PM

AND she looks malnourished (sp?) to me
she may have perfect poo
but she still looks ill

gelflinggirl · #10 02-13-2007, 12:57 PM

she is ill though isn't she? she has some kind of back problem that makes her stoop funny.

ThePirate · #11 02-13-2007, 07:51 PM

so now she's Self-Righteous Junkie-Lookin' Up-Herself Scat-Fetishist Gillian McKeith?

i dont see how anyone could take dietary advice from someone who looks so fucking unhealthy. LET ME SEE YOUR POOOOO

badbadllama · #12 02-15-2007, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadyShambles

don't you thik she is rude?
especially in this series where they go stay at her house

"this is my room, you're not allowed in there, ever" - but really agressively

and "you'll have to wait in there I'm doing pilates with nadia from BB"

ok maybe some bad examples when written down but if you saw the show you'd know what i mean, she's an evil little dwarf!

yes! she is so fucking up herself it's ridiculous. I mean, I know she's meant to be helping people lose weight and shock them into eating more healthily but the extent to which she belittles them is ridiculous. She's rude to them about things which have nothing to do with their health or weight - like the whole "you're never allowed in my room" thing. I watched her show a few weeks ago and when the two women arrived at her house she was like "okay, go and get your bags from downstairs and bring them up" which was fair enough. But when she then turned up to stay at one of the women's house she goes "my bag is downstairs, you can bring it up for me now" as if she still expected this woman to obey all her orders even though she was no longer part of Gillian's weight-loss programme and therefore had no reason even to obey her regarding food choices, let alone carry her bags around like a slave.

I just really can't stand her. Her health advice may be good to some extent, but her rude, patronising and downright bullying manner cancel out any good advice she might have to give on nutrition. end rant.

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