THE SCAMMING OF FAT, SICK, LONELY AND GULLIBLE PEOPLE CONTINUES.
The self-proclaimed and imaginary, Hollywood nutrition expert, JJ Virgin has hooked up Dr. Phil and another looney snake oil douche bag, and is taking the country by storm with her own brand of health advice. Trouble is that she is probably unqualified to do what she is doing — or else she is as qualified as any sensible person who prepares food. Sadly, she might make you sicker.
Below is her bio from her own web page.
Everything you read in brackets and bold type is my commentary. The rest is her bio — ENJOY!
Biography of JJ Virgin, C.N.S., C.H.F.I.
As a 20 year veteran of the health and fitness industry, JJ Virgin has worked extensively both in the business side and the performance side of the industry. {What does that mean? It means that she worked in a gym.}
She began as a dance teacher and aerobics instructor {Anybody can do this} and quickly moved up to running and owning gyms and aerobics departments, hiring and training other instructors, making videos and teaching and training internationally. { See, she’s a chick who worked in a gym}
In the mid 1980’s she became one of the first personal trainers in the country. {This is a total lie. People have had personal trainers since before Christ}
After graduating from UCLA in 1986, {She graduated? Where is the BA or BS after her name? She seems to like putting degree titles after her name, so where is this basic one?} she went on to do her graduate studies at CSUN in biomechanics. {Where is her degree in biomechanics? I do not see that above in the various titles she gives herself} taking one year off to study Sports Medicine at University of Miami. {This probably means that she took a course in something while she was dancing or teaching aerobics in a gym — We don’t know what courses she took and we don’t know if she failed or passed these courses.}
She went on to do PhD work in exercise physiology, nutrition and aging at USC. {That’s nice. She took PHd Courses but where is her PhD from an accredited university? The truth is that she doesn’t have a real PhD and in reality all courses are PhD courses — even a course in pottery}
During her PhD work {but she has no real PhD} she discovered that she really wanted to pursue the nutritional field and left USC to focus on nutrition research. {This means she went back to working in a gym} After 5 years of independent study, {This means nothing — this means she had a job in a gym again} she joined the Masters Program at the University of Bridgeport and then shifted to her current program of study at the American Health Sciences University in Colorado. {But where is her Master’s degree — I don’t see it in her titles above. She may have “joined” the Masters Program but she didn’t get a Masters as far as I can see.}
JJ is currently certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health and Fitness Instructor with enhanced qualifications in nutrition, advanced personal training and exercise for the older adult. {This is like taking a CPR and lifeguard safety course and a lot easier.} She is a Certified Nutrition Specialist with the American College of Nutrition and a Certified Nutritional Counselor with the American Association of Nutritional Consultants and an Associate Nutritionist with the Designs for Health Institute. {An invented association with it’s own corresponding and invented certifications — they are meaningless} She is a member of MENSA, the UCLA Alumni Society, the American College of Nutrition and the American Nutraceuticals Association. {None of this has anything to do with knowing anything about disease processes and anyone can join any organization. The MENSA thing is questionable. The word nutraceuticals pops up on Spell Check as being misspelled because it’s a fake word. Spell Check is smarter than the average consumer. }
Throughout her career, JJ has spoken for groups as large as 500 on fitness and nutrition, has appeared on TV and radio and has been featured in magazine and newspaper articles. { So has Jim Jones and Osama Bin Laden. } JJ is the health correspondent for The Healthy Living Show and a medical host { What is a medical host? Shouldn’t that be a physician’s job?} for the Wellness Hour, appearing regularly on TV with health updates and medical minutes and contributes to the affiliated website www.thewellnesshour.com. She is currently the nutritionist for Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge and appears frequently on his nationally syndicated program Dr. Phil and contributes to his website www.drphil.com. {This all means that she is probably fucking Dr. Phil who is almost as much of a bullshitting skank as she is}
She recently produced a series of exercise videos with Dr. Diana Schwarzbein author of the highly touted Schwarzbein Principle 1, 2 and companion cookbooks {books that mean nothing and probably do more harm than good} and is working on a second series with Dr. Schwarzbein. JJ has had nutrition and lifestyle coaching practices in Rancho Mirage, Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas and Beverly Hills for many years which she has recently discontinued to focus more on lecturing, television and writing. {All grubs banding together to increase their grub factor}
Final analysis — JJ Virgina is a cafeteria lady who used to work in a gym.
She is probably a failed actress because nutrition and animal welfare organizations are fields where a lot of failed actresses with moxy usually end up.
She most likely failed as an actress because she has a horrible speech thing that makes you sick to your stomach but it works to her advantage in the nutrition field because it makes her less threatening to women.
The truth is that all one needs to do is eat in moderation. There are no miracle diets that will cure illnesses unless those illnesses are caused by nutritional deficiencies — something that is very rare in REAL medicine.
Regular people eat regular things and do just fine. Regular people also eat shitty things and do just fine. Benjamin Franklin ate rancid and contaminated foods and he only drank ales and hard ciders yet he lived to be a very old man.
The “science” of nutrition is a fake science and a lot of people make money telling you things that any grandmother knew 100 years ago. Don’t be scammed by people like JJ Virgin.
If you have cancer you need to eat, and if you have terminal cancer, you need to eat whatever you want and as much of it as you want. There are no such things as a nutraceutical or macrobiotric diets. They are scams.
I will look at you link. Thank you for the information. My version of organic is from my garden, as natural as that can be. I do know in the super markets organic is a loosely used term. Which is why I choose to grow my own. I totally see your viewpoint.
Do you Damien, try to stay chemical free? It isn’t a issue for me either way how you eat, but I see what goes into food that is regulated by the government. While we can’t get away from it all, I try to do what I can. Not a fanatic I just like home grown better.
Regards.
Sarah
I avoid processed foods and fast food. I could not survive by raising my own food and I would not slaughter animals. This is why, if I were king, Mark Zuckerberg would be forced into a nuthouse.
Macrobiotic is a philosophy of eating a balanced diet. Japanese macrobiotic diets have been promoting fresh, local foods for years. Dating back to 1968, a macrobiotic restaurant on Sunset Blvd. in L.A., down the road from UCLA, had tiny, delicious plates of food that eaten slowly with small cups of green tea were quite amazingly filling.
According to Wikipedia, “macrobiotica” was coined in the writings of Hippocrates and has a long history of describing a balanced diet.
Yes — and it still does not cure cancer. Thank you for telling us what it is…I’ll do the job of telling what it isn’t.
Damien-When I first saw this website, being a Clayton graduate with an MS and PhD in holistic nutrition (like JJ Virgin) I thought you were just a bitter, mean person with a problem. But then I started thinking about it and it’s taken me a few years, but I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a lot of merit in what you say, even though your delivery is terrible lLearning basic grammar would really help your cause, BTW. Toning down the 4 letter words would help too). But having been in the holistic health/alternative medicine and nontraditional educational side of it, I can tell you that there are so many people out there who either are consulting with people or want to be, who know next to nothing. I am in a position where I advise people who want to become nutritionists and I tell them to become RDs. Period. BTW, I no longer use the PhD or MS in my bio. It’s not that I am ashamed of it, but I have to admit, my schooling in no way had the rigors or depth of a regionally accredited nutrition MS. I just can’t see it as a real degree. And as far I can see, I do not know one non accredited natural health school that does have the rigors of accredited graduate degree.
But just so you you know, most people turn to alternative health methods because mainstream medicine did not help them. I know that’s why I went alternative.
Someone on this blog made a comment about University of Bridgeport being a moonie school. That is true, but their MS in nutrition is very rigorous. Bastyr University, also a naturopathic school has a BS in nutrition that is approved by the AND (formerly the ADA) has being acceptable for the RD track.
Where the hell do come off telling me to learn basic grammar? My grammar and my insight are both light years ahead of your dull and uninspired comment. Where is my grammar an issue? What did I write that was improperly worded? This is the one time I am genuinely pissed off. Normally I just “sound” pissed off, but you pushed the enevelope, lady. This is the closest I ever came to not publishing a comment simply because the first three sentences annoyed me. Listen, you pompous brickhead. When you can write dopey articles in 12 minutes or less and in turn get 2,345.988 people to read them over the course of 3 years, give me a call. Until then, mind your manners.
Now I can really see this is about all about your ego. I agreed with you, Damien. I agreed with your whole premise. And this is from someone who has been in the holistic health field for 30 years. But what did you focus on? My comments on your delivery and grammar. You’re just a big baby. You can fling it out, but you can’t take it. Yawn…
I can also see that this website is really about getting hits by being controversial so you can get advertisers for your shlockly and ugly website. Double yawn…
You agree with me yet you start out insulting me — for no reason whatsoever — about my grammar like some demented school m’arm? What frigging planet are you living on? If I were looking for hits on my site, I would have kissed your ass and thanked you. You made a bad entrance — and you probably do that a lot in your life.
Again, when you get nearly 3 million people to read your blog over the course of 37 months, let me know, honey.
Damien, I agree with you regarding the validity of JJ’s “miraculous health products,” as well as her touted background “degrees”/expertise.
After seeing a news story showing a brain damaged teen…I was interested-
I thought the story and videos showing the male teen’s recovery, rather uplifting…. that changed when I saw another link that touted the teen’s recovery was due to “Fish Oil!!!”
After seeing yet another link, which led to JJ’s “hawking” site of “miraculous” shakes, books, and advice, I just SMDH!
The “testimonials” and other comments from that site’s shills, are farcical and repetitious. These shills claim to be cured from all that ailed them, on top of losing pounds of unwanted (fat) weight.
I only came across one or two comments about the $$$ price of S&H was too much. One of the orders for shakes in a 3 multi-pack would come to $72.00!!!!
That right there blew my away at the mindset of some people! That did not include the $$$ cost of the shakes… I didn’t bother reading anymore of that mind boggling bullshit.
…which led me to find a site that would not be led by the Jim Jones type of drinkers. 😉
…which led me here.
I can see why there are so many telemarketing harassers and internet spammers, etc… because there’s too many sheep and koolaid types of mentality that line their pockets.
I enjoyed your blog and found your information to hit the nail on the head. 🙂
Thank you, Skeptic — I appreciate your insight and awareness. This is why the Damien Zone — while holding to its credo of exposing human stupidity and dumbness — still looks forward to the rare instances when human achievement and intelligence sneaks onto the website under the guise of an informed reader. Hey. I did a thing last year about Dr. Chauncey Howell and his “4 signs of a heart attack” rip off as well. It’s a little angry and rude, but this guy took the medicine sideshow one step too far. https://thedamienzone.com/2013/08/24/dr-chauncey-crandall-rip-off-scam-four-things-heart-attack-rip-off-yes/
Thank you
Damien LeGallienne
Editor
You are quite welcome Damien. I just wish the delusional uninformed dumb dumb and dumber would at least listen to intelligent plausible information, instead of burying their heads…
The more blogs I go to and read the comments, shows me that there are far more ignorant humans that I thought possible! Many lack having a shred of common sense, thus enabling the JJ’s and Dr. CC’s scammer types.
Their koolaid drinking mindset erodes my faith that the general population uses common sense and critical thinking skills. There’s nothing wrong with having a healthy dose of skepticism, which is another function they are lacking in.
I have found many religious fanatics to be the worst of the lot. There’s no grey areas in their inflexible rabid beliefs. They use “their God” to damn you and malign you. All in the name of “God”…whoever THEIR God might be- is THE only God. Praise the Lord Hallelujah Amen blah blah blah
I did read and comment at the link you provided. Very cool exposé on that quack. I like angry and rude. 😉
Thanks for the link.
I’d like to see a scathing (rip him a new one)exposé on the despicable POS quack ass {Dr. Paul Byrne}
I’m wondering how in the hell those “Doctors” ever made it through the rigors of medical school, obtained their M.D. degree, and passed the USMLE!?
They must be highly intelligent, yet lacking in other critical areas of the brain… [***right temporo-parietal junction] *** 😉
Have you ever considered publishing an e-book or guest
authoring on other sites? I have a blog based upon on the
same information you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my audience would appreciate your work.
If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e mail.
I have considered it — I am already a professional journalist and a columnist with a major publication — under a pen name — but I usually assume emails or comments like yours to be spammy — not saying you are — but that has been my experience. I also would charge you too much money.
Damien
Damien,
Yes, J. J. Virgin has no real credentials. Agreed. And her advice is so random, as to pick on sugars, that she makes no scientifically well-known distinctions between ‘added’ sucrose/fructose vs. natural sucrose/fructose occurring in the plant itself. She thinks grapes, for example are bad, because they are high in sugars. And she forbids potatoes as high in carb transition to sugars. So, she is simply jumping on the bandwagon of well-known foods that transition carbs and fructose to sugars in the body much quicker than complex carbs, like steel cut oats, etc. It’s all about complex carbs, whole foods, not additives in processed foods; as I’m sure you know.
But — and it’s a big but — You state in your diatribe above that there are no nutritional cures for illness, & that nutrition is basically a bogus science.
I can only tell you that this is easily well-documented with 100s, if not 1,000s of empirical, validated widely-accepted studies as good science: I.E. That eating a whole-food, plant based diet, drastically & quickly reduces Omega 6s (inflammatories) in the body, and reduces a wide range of chronic disease onset symptons, including: High BP, Cholesterol, Type 2 adult-onset diabetes. In fact, your claim can’t possibly hold muster, against the now national best-seller authors like T. Colin Campbell of The China Study, the most comprehensive meta-analysis of nutrition studies in history; and Drs. Caldwell Esselstein of the Cleveland clinic, who has reversed heart disease & plaque in 1000s of people; and Dr.s Dean Ornish (a pioneer in the field); Ornstein, Joel Fuhrman, & John McDougal. All these pioneers with decades of tangible success with 1000s of patients, can’t be wrong. Hypocrites said: Let food by thy medicine, and medicine be thy food. Most of our chronic disease in this country, vs. highly plant-based diet countries, onsets for one reason — Americans consume enormous amounts of Animal protein in meat and dairy (cheese, milk).
So, before you make such a claim, that all nutrition is bogus as a science – you might want to check with the AMA, as even hard-nosed doctors agree – Nutrition is THE key to health. So, rather than criticize J.J. Virgin, you might want to go get some education yourself, and read The China Study. Then, after reading irrefutable evidence about how nutrition prevents chronic illness, we’ll wait, while you retract your above comments.
Dude you can write . It was a pleasure. I don’t know what that woman was talking about your grammar and style is epic . I was just researching JJ Virgin and when I read all her credentials I thought wow she’s got a PhD in blah blah blah, I was impressed. Then I got to thinking those are all BS degrees she’s like a gym rat and then when I checked on Clayton College what a joke . I know I know people think chiropractors aren’treal doctors but I went to a real school and spent 6000 our hours and went through boards and clinical internship .
But I must agree a lot of the stuff out there is total crap but people want to believe in something and I always say just because you look good in spandex outfit does not make you a health expert .
Again you’re spot on and a pleasure to read keep up the good work
Thank you, Doctor Dan
I live in Liege, Belgium, and here we have strict rules about people like JJ Virgin. In the USA it seems to be open season. When I return to the USA in November, I am going to do a follow up on this — try to get an actual video interview with her.
Thank you for the kind words. All the best to you.
Damien LeGallienne ~Editor~
It was good!!