Recently a reader left a comment for me about an unfortunate interview in which Dr. Drew discusses celiac disease and leaky gut with a famous actress.
As those of us with celiac disease know, we are often questioned (not always in a constructive manner) by family and friends who do not understand the medical challenges we face.
Here is what we are often told about our conditions and the steps we take to remediate them:
- just a little bit won’t hurt you (fill in that sentence with gluten or other substances that make you ill)
- it’s all in your head
- you’re just following the latest fad
These types of questions are not malicious, they come from a place of ignorance and lack of education.
Unfortunately, it seemed that during his show, Dr. Drew was not entirely aware or informed when it came to his subject matter and did not display a comprehensive understanding of celiac disease and leaky gut. This is most regrettable as the doctor missed an opportunity to educate his audience on a disease that is widespread in the American population and around the world.
Celiac awareness and education is much farther along in other countries; in fact, in Italy, children are tested for celiac disease before they reach the age of 6. Celiac disease meets the World Health Organization standards for universal screening and is considered an epidemic by this organization.
Here is the video in which Dr. Drew takes a less than sympathetic tone towards an individual with celiac disease and leaky gut:
As you can see from the video Dr. Drew is not familiar with leaky gut and does not entirely understand the concept of this medical disorder. Dr. Drew, here is a description of leaky gut from Dr. Andrew Weil, who says that leaky gut:
..affects the lining of the intestines. The theory is that leaky gut syndrome (also called increased intestinal permeability), is the result of damage to the intestinal lining, making it less able to protect the internal environment as well as to filter needed nutrients and other biological substances. As a consequence, some bacteria and their toxins, incompletely digested proteins and fats, and waste not normally absorbed may “leak” out of the intestines into the blood stream. This triggers an autoimmune reaction.
Leaky gut can lead to the following disorders:
- chronic inflammation
- food allergies
- skin rashes
- joint pain
- fatigue
So, here is my urgent plea to Dr. Drew: please use your platform as a public persona to further education regarding medical issues, rather than perpetuating common stereotypes and misinformation. This is a small request from those of us in the celiac community who work so hard in the name of celiac awareness and education.
Now is the time to rectify the unfortunate interview of Jennifer Esposito with a story on what celiac disease actually is and how it impacts the lives of millions of Americans. Leave a comment below if you wish to urge Dr. Drew to remedy this situation.
T says
Dear Doctor Drew:
I am writing to thank you for you have done all chronically ill patients a huge service by demonstrating in front of the world in your interview with Jennifer Esposito the type of treatment we get from doctors day in and day out. Thank you for showing that doctors are completely capable of showing:
-A lack of understanding basic diseases, and the possible nutritional deficiencies associated with them
-A complete dismissal of the patient, her illnesses, and treatment goals,
-An utter lack of compassion, and likewise,
-A lack of empathy with your guest and audience,
-An inability to let a speaker continue uninterrupted,
-An inability to listen to the person speaking to you,
-A complete lack of preparedness for the subject at hand, and
-An inability (or lack of motivation) to read your guest’s body language to gather clues about her reaction to your rude treatment.
Thank you, Dr. Drew, you have shown me the light.
Thank you so much Dr. Drew for showing publicly many of the very reasons I have fired doctors myself. How would you respond to this kind of treatment from a doctor? As gracefully as youmguest did?
Most Sincerely Yours,
A Patient who is getting better despite her previous doctors efforts to medicate her with all manner of painkillers and antidepressants, and whose mother went to her grave untreated of many of her problems, partly because she was treated like this.
P.S. Maybe you should consider staying off gluten for at least a month. It can do wonders for the brain fog and mood issues it seems could be plaguing you and preventing you from preparing more effectively for your professional duties on this program. Could you be pushing yourself too hard and working too many hours? There are many effective relaxation strategies that can help, too.
Kimberly says
I am horrified that this man would attempt to diminish the effects and seriousness of a disease he seems unwilling to educate himself about. It would be only the height of professionalism if Dr. Drew took it upon himself to understand and put forth correct information regarding something that does not seem to fit into the diseases he would prefer to focus on.
Thank you, Elana, for posting this. I’ll be forwarding this along to my family as they, too, seem to have little understanding of what goes into taking care of someone (my son) with Celiac.
Beth Crean says
I couldn’t watch the interview till the end. You’d think he’d do some research on a condition he knows nothing about but was going to interview someone with the condition.
Dr. Drew: you owe Jennifer an apology and you owe the public a show that accurately describes celiac disease and all of the ramifications it causes.
micki kaudewitz says
For Dr. Drew to do a show to clarify what celiac disease and leaky gut syndrome is, he would have to humble himself. Does anyone really see this happening?
Jenn says
I really can identify with this post along with the arrogance of Dr. Drew. I have been flabbergasted by the lack of understanding and support from mainstream doctors.
So here is what I’d like to say to any MD who reads this: BE THE CHANGE. You wonder why so many of us skip coming to you and go to NDs instead. Well, TAKE A CLUE. You have lost the compassion – PLEASE find it again. I also urge you to step outside the box and be up to date on research.
I had been told by several md’s to “stop coming in” because “there is nothing wrong with you.” It was humiliating and depressing and I had thought on several occasions that I needed to check myself into a facility. How awful is that?? We do need better education. It crushes me.
Marie says
He was completely unprofessional and came across as a real jerk in this interview. While watching it, I felt so bad for the actress because the interviewer certainly wasn’t listening to her and didn’t even seem to believe that what she was saying was true. In my opinion, he owes her an apology.
Lynn says
I agree with you that Dr. Drew should fully educate himself on celiac disease and CERTAINLY before interviewing a guest who has the disease. Shame on him and his apparent giant ego. Come down off of your platform, please! Jennifer is quite a warrior. She has been through a barage of both good and bad criticism since her problem with CBS vs. celiac disease. I applaud her and her efforts. We all support her and the celiac community to educate the public…so sad. Any other autoimmune disease would never be treated this way.
Angela Stroup says
Like the majority of doctors, Dr. Drew needs to learn to listen. The average length of time that passes before most doctors interrupt a patient is 18 seconds. He also needs to learn that an MD does not mean that he is a medical diety.
It would be wonderful if he would educate himself and really be of service to his audience. I am a retired mdical school professor who has a nursing background. I know there are many kind, caring, and open minded doctors. Unfortunately Dr. Drew does not appear to be one of them.
BJ says
I am appalled at the ignorance of this so-called doctor. How is it even possible for someone in the medical profession to be so ignorant?
Belinda says
And this guy is a doctor??? Scary stuff.