Star Magazine has an amazing story about Gwyneth Paltrow and her many, many “gurus.” If you’ve been reading her Goop-letters for a while, you may know that Gwyneth seems to have a huge assortment of holistic healers, yoga gurus, herbalists, pseudo-doctors and questionable “specialists” available to her at a moment’s notice. She often promotes their work, their theories, their “specialties” and their fake sciences on Goop, and I’m consistently amazed at just how many of them Gwyneth seems to know personally. Turns out, she would make Edina Monsoon balk at the sheer size of her health/beauty/body/soul entourage.
For Gwyneth Paltrow, it really does take a village to keep her forever young!
“Gwyneth has an army of people looking after her health,” says a source revealing that the actress keeps a battalion of 20 medical care providers on call, including an allergist, blood analyst, naturopath and osteopath Vicky Vlachonis, whose actual skill set is murky.
She also has a stress-relief team comprising a meditation teacher, a yoga guru, a Qi Gong expert and not one but four different massage therapists for cupping, Rolfing, hot stones and shiatsu.
And while Gwyn touts herself as a kitchen all-star, her lithe figure is really due to her four nutritionists, three personal trainers and “detox advocate” Dr. Alejandro Junger, who puts her on his signature cleanses.
“If anyone balks at all her gurus, she fires back that with her high-profile lifestyle, it’s necessary. Gwyneth should be the healthiest human walking the planet based on all the medical support she has!”
[From Star Magazine, print edition]
“…Vicky Vlachonis, whose actual skill set is murky…” Let’s be real, almost all of these jobs are very “murky.” I actually had to look up “Rolfing” because I thought it was just the elite way of saying Gwyneth has an eating disorder (“She doesn’t have bulimia, darling, she just Rolfs.”) Does anyone else find it funny that Gwyneth doesn’t have a GP (general practitioner)? It doesn’t seem like ANY of the “20 medical care providers on call” actually have a medical degree from an accredited medical school. Granted, I bet many of these healers have PhDs in Feelings from Sunbeam Granola University.
Sigh… this whole thing makes me sad. This is the very definition of #FirstWorldProblems. And what’s worse is that Gwyneth is only paying these people to tell her what she wants to hear – I doubt her health situation is any better or worse than the average peasant on the street. It might even be worse considering all of those stupid cleanses.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
The only thing I can say is that she is contributing to the economy. So I guess, “Yay”?
I’m not saying this to be mean, but she really needs a hobby – maybe some volunteer work? Any healthy, relatively young woman who needs to keep 20 “practitioners” on call has too much time on her hands.
And her face in the first picture -you’d think she’d look a little better for someone with all the resources and supposedly healthy lifestyle she has. She has a good figure, but she just looks so tired.
Of course she looks tired, it’s exhausting being her.
😀
Volunteer work? Contacts with peasants! No way Goop will ever agree to that…
One can always dream :).
I’ve never heard of Goop doing any kind of volunteer work, at all. She is too self-absorbed for that.
She looks haggard. Her mother looks far better, IMO.
Right?!? I try to refrain from commenting as I know I’m super judgemental and have no position to be so. However, what bothers me so much about her elitism and best of the best of everything is that she has absolutely no physical attributes that I covet-none!!!! Her skin is not great, yeah, she’s slim , but her body doesn’t conjure envy in me. Her hair is terrible. I don’t get it with her at all. Sorry.
She is her own hobby. Her thoughts are all she thinks about, she maintains her flexibility by cramming her head all the way up her ass, and her sense of obligation is completely satisfied by allowing the great unwashed (us) to collect the priceless pearls of wisdom that fall from her lips. Thanks, G.
LOL at “she is her own hobby,” @kri. Honestly, doesn’t that get tiresome? My husband and I volunteer a lot together and besides the feeling you get from helping others, honestly, it’s nice because it takes you out of yourself, too. Sometimes when a lot is going on you don’t want to live in your own head 24/7 – well, maybe just me.
Ha! That’s true, huh! She is her own hobby. Not even an accomplished and interesting husband, children or access to a global audience where she might do some good can distract her from it.
A few years ago, Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner appeared in a TV spot urging people to become involved in volunteering. I turned to Mr. Sandwich and said, “I don’t know about Blythe Danner, but I do not hear about Gwyneth Paltrow being an active philanthropist. I’ll take this lecture from Matt Damon, but not from Gwyneth.”
I think it would be good for her, but it would require her to leave her bubble, and I don’t see her doing that. I’m sure she donates money to various causes, but what she really needs to do is along the lines of visiting a refugee camp and working in a London soup kitchen.
If there is ONE thing that hacks me off, its people who lecture others about doing volunteer work, when they don’t do it themselves!
no, she donates clothes she’s worn from her closet, That’s how she helps the poors!
Volunteering would do her a world of good. She seems way too wrapped up in herself and puts way too much focus on these things.
Heaven help her if she ever does actually get sick – this many quacks on hand, she could end up seriously ill.
So true! Notice how celebrities with genuine health issues like Michael J. Fox or the late Patrick Swayze and Christpher Reeve never have/had an entourage of “healers”.
This^^^. I follow MJF’s foundation and interviews, and he doesn’t push any specific medicine or treatments because different things work for different patients. Patrick was an example of strength and grace during his illness.
And yet her hair looks like straw.
That is what I was thinking… Imagine if she didn’t have the twenty people around her then… Omg Lochness monster would be scared to death… 😀
I have better hair and last appointment I had with a hairdresser was two years ago… :/
Well, since the article doesn’t mention a ‘hair therapist’, does this make your comment a strawman argument? Bwahaha. I’m an idiot.
Ha, ha, Kiddo–good one!
😀
No you’re not! Thanks for the laugh. 😉
Lol. Hard to deny! (The point about my comment, not the one about you being an idiot, which is easy to deny)
As she has naturally wavy or a bit of kink in her hair she flat irons/dries to death hence the straw look. She needs to stop it as it’s v damaged and her skin looks dry/sun damaged too.
I was just going to saying something about her hair. Its awful……..its it from bleaching/colouring it? It looks like straw.
I think Gwyneth’s brain is “murky”
I’m sure she has a GP. She has to right? I hope so. I’m sure Applebutter and Moses have had their shots and such.
If her osteopath is a real osteopath, I.e., an “OD,” she or he is a real doctor (just not an MD).
@daphne
This. OD’s go to medical school too people.
ND’s study biochemistry, anatomy etc like medical schools, and other evidence based areas like nutrition. There are evidence based NDs out there, don’t discount them.
Even if many of these modalities are purely a placebo effect (therapeutic relationship with practitioner, belief in the treatment efficacy etc), if it makes someone feel better and isn’t causing harm who gives a shit?
She is healthy. It makes sense for reasonably healthy people to focus on preventative medicine and natural treatments for minor ailments. There is some good science behind certain herbs, and certainly nutrition, even for sick populations. The stigma against “natural” medicine needs to be re examined.
Also, she runs a lifestyle website very often focused on health, and it seems to be a passion of hers – I don’t see why her consulting a wide variety of expertise in this area is strange.
@Davy
Except she is not healthy. She has bone problems, and she’s only in her forties.
Also, she isn’t consulting a wide variety of experts — she’s consulting a wide range of quacks in addition to a few real doctors who are, regardless of their credentials, trying to sell her something.
And then she’s imperfectly parroting that bunk back to people with an air of authority she does not have, secure in her bullet-proof narcissism that she must be wise.
Gwyneth is a menace. People need to get their health information from reputable experts, not some barely-educated actress who got all her information second-hand from people who were trying to pry money out of her.
I work for both a naturopath (ND) and an MD who is also a homeopath. Both are accredited and paid by insurance (including Medicare). Not all alternative medicine is quackery. The MD became a doctor with a successful medical practice before he studied homeopathy. Why would he feel the need to become a homeopath if it’s fake? People who have horrible side effect for mass-produced pharmaceuticals are healthy because this man mixes customized medicine for them without the additives they react badly too. You cannot possibly claim that’s a bad thing. Too many ignorant people judge things they haven’t bothered to do cursory research about. It’s annoying.
The problem, Shannon, is the legitimate stuff gets lost in the overwhelming tide of BS, surrounding it. You’re backing up one person in that pack of twenty, seems to me one out of twenty is not a ringing endorsement. She seems gullible and if she wants to waste her time and risk her health, she is free to do so but I see nothing here to make me think any of her suggestions are sensible.
A fool and her money…..
Yep. And i couldn’t think of a more deserving fool.
Meh. Her life, her health, her body. If that is what she believes in and attributes to feeling good, more power and gurus to her.
My entourage consists of my furry friends, a bag of Doritos and some human folk. I am not someone who needs people to keep me in check. I exercise how and when I choose and eat what I want whether is be extremely healthy or unhealthy .
I have better things to spend money on.
I agree. It makes her feel healthy and she’s got the money.
Me? What I lack in cash I make-up for in self-discipline and maybe some common sense. If I need to exercise, I exercise. If I want to eat healthy food, I shop for it and then I get my ass in the kitchen and prepare it. If I’m feeling unwell, I go to a doctor my insurance covers. Fortune seems to complicate life.
Right on. I do what I need to when I feel it is needed.
I stopped. jogging/running for a while and started up again Monday because I felt physically and mentally it was needed. I cut out coffee recently because I felt it was needed.
Eliza, my hats off to your “specialists”. I can get behind that!
Goopy, no amount of massage therapy, Rolfing, cupping, or analyzing your own turds is going to make you a non-narcissistic , shallow , elitist tw@t.
Lol@ the turd analyzation! Dr.Oooooze (Oz) is OBSESSED with turds.
My specialists are AWESOME AND they are FREE! Haha!
Who has worse hair colour, Goop or Claire Danes?
All I see is yellow, bland, beige. That’s Goop.
All I see is Chris Martin
All of these things aren’t the same kind of quackery just because GOOP does them. I’m sure many celebs have an on site yoga instructor and LMT (Jen Aniston I’m looking at you girl). It’s more her idiot know it all attitude that bothers me then get New Agey practices.
As much as she annoys me, the thing I like about Gwyneth is that she dives into things– whether it’s singing,or cooking, making a website, or trying alternative health methods. But the way Angelina Jolie dives into humanitarian work makes all these pursuits seem silly and frivolous. I wonder if that annoys Gwyneth.
LMAO at Edina Monsoon!!! That is such a perfect reference I cannot stop laughing about it.
Look, I know she’s annoying, but why do people place so much faith in medical doctors? They’re great if you have an injury, accident, or appendicitis or something, but otherwise, not much help. I’ve gotten way more improvement in my health and well being from alternative practitioners, or medical people who thing originally like my chiropractor.
I don’t think anyone is implying that you should only consult MD’s or that these practitioners are not helpful. It’s just the way Gwyneth presents her life and goes over the top with things. It’s just like what you said. She’s annoying. Harmless really, but annoying.
because science-based medicine actually works, and has been proven time and time again to work, both in scientific trials and in everyday life.
Meh.
I’m in my second year of TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) study and I’ve done clinical observation now for three terms. I’ve seen, in this short time, quite a few people who were deeply injured by their allopathic (Western biomed) treatments. Once the surgeon is done cutting them up, too bad if they have nerve damage or the problem wasn’t fixed… or they have a long list of prescriptions, many of which are prescriptions to fix the side effects of the original slew of meds. Trust me. Until you’ve seen it, you wouldn’t believe the damage that “regular” doctors can do (and will do) to patients.
Acupuncture, herbs, and Tui na (medical massage) can do wonders for many conditions and lab testing studies are beginning to demonstrate that.
As for myself, I got into TCM because if there is a wacky side effect to a prescription drug then I’ll have it. I just can’t tolerate most drugs. I eventually found an acupuncturist at a point in my life in which I was getting prescriptions for some health conditions (and nasty side effects from the prescriptions) and I just could not take it any more. TCM keeps me healthy and sane. Western medicine just made me sick. I do have an MD that I could call if I ever needed an appointment, but I don’t need appointments with her when I have my normal (Chinese) physician as a healthcare partner.
So…
Science based medicines can work, but they also have side effects that can cause just as many problems, as we are finding out more and more. I personally think it’s healthy to have at least one MD to consult and some sort of holistic healer to give you advice on foods, essential oils, herbal treatments etc… Scientific medicine should not be ignored if needed, but whenever possible, natural is the way to go.
@Frieda_K I don’t think that science-based medicine works 100%, it’d be a naive statement to make. or that medications don’t have side effects – of course they do.
nor do i believe that there is anything “wrong” with yoga or massage. whtever makes one feel good (if it doesn’t harm others, of course).
if people know what they are getting into with any type of “treatment,” more power to them. it’s disturbing, though, when people like goop, who have a wide platform, push and advertise various shady “treatments” to people who might get into them with zero aforethought as to the actual consequences to their health or the actual efficacy of those treatments (or financial well-being). a lot of those people confuse anecdotal “evidence” for proof that something actually works.
i’ve taken chinese herbs and gone to acupuncture on many occasions, and i honestly believed at the time that it helped me. but i think i might have confused causation with correlation there. or, it all just helped me feel better as a placebo, i have no clue. either way, there is no evidence that any of it actually works to cure anything.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/what-is-traditional-chinese-medicine/
Ag, are you a doctor? I’m not trying to be snarky. I’m genuinely curious.
My experience thus far is that I’m quite surprised by how often I read “and we don’t know why…” (or how) in my Robbin’s Pathology textbook. As much as the average Western biomedical doctor acts like s/he has the answers, my pathology textbooks tell another story.
Also, there has not been a lot of evidence-based study of Chinese medicine in the United States due to language barriers and politic ideologies. That doesn’t mean that it does not exist. In addition, integrative and Chinese medicine are garnering increasing attention in recent years. If you google “Evidence based Chinese medicine” you will see.
Here’s just one hit with that key phrase:
http://evidencebasednaturalhealth.weebly.com/chinese-medicine.html
To say that there is “no evidence that any of it actually works to cure anything” is simply incorrect.
Here, Ag, here’s a new study that is quite interesting:
http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1335-acupuncture-improves-head-trauma-recovery-new-research
There is much greater cultural exchange now than there was in the 1970s when acupuncture and Chinese medicine started coming to American shores. Expect to see more and more evidence based studies.
And when medical doctors are taking weekend courses in dry needling alongside the chiropractors, do realize that they are doing this because they know that patients benefit and they want to horn in on the income stream. Myself, I’d go to a real acupuncturist who is trained in real Chinese medicine (and we’re starting to sue to protect our scope of practice, as you will note in Texas), but there are people who will go only to an MD (even though the whole philosophy and way of treating illness is quite different.)
Anyway, there are studies.
And I, myself, need to go study, while I’m on the subject.
Frida, I’m sorry, but citing a free weebly site that I could make in 10 minutes isn’t something I’d consider as a good source.
There needs to be a moderation though. It scares me when people completely shun western medicine. It saves lives. It is generally incredibly proven and helpful. I love western medicine.
That being said – I’m not completely going to shut down the possibility of alternatives – even on a placebo level. If it makes you feel better, and can improve your headspace – great.
But people that will not go to western medicine when it’s needed, and people that completely shun vaccines, and the people who judge other people for seeking a regular, MD, are dangerous.
No, it doesn’t! There are many illnesses that are treated with surgery and drugs, and it helps some people, but there are side affects and diminished quality of life. They don’t talk about cancer cures, rather cancer survival rates, meaning 5 or 10 years more before cancer often recurs. If people ate a proper diet, disease would virtually disappear. It’s alternative medicine that has demonstrated this, not MD’s. My chiropracter’s father is a cardiac doctor in charge of thousands of medical people. He watched his Dad work and felt inspired to help people achieve health in a far more effective way.
I agree with you and I am kind of surprised by the amount of hostility here for anything outside the realm of conventional western medicine. I know nothing about Gwyneth’s choice in naturopathic and osteopathic doctors, however, osteopathic physicians are trained as MDs and then receive additional training on top of that. It’s not outside the realm of science or western medicine.
As someone with a chronic health condition, I’ve been helped considerably by naturopaths and osteopaths when allopathic doctors have told me there’s nothing to be done and to take a pain pill.
In addition, what’s wrong with yoga and massage? If it makes you feel good, I’m not sure I understand the problem. Yes, Gwyneth’s spending is excessive, but if I had all kinds of money to help myself feed good, I’d totally go for it too.
+1. In this case, people just don’t like Gwyneth so anything she does is automatically criticized. If it were a different celebrity, the reaction would probably be different.
I do yoga and get massages, and even get acupuncture. And I am not a celebrity, just an ordinary person. That’s why it kind of hacks me off that celebrities act like they are the only ones who do these things.
+2…what’s so bad about seeking alternatives.
Many Americans have a gp, allergist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist to keep up with a myriad of issues. Somehow that’s ok I guess
+1
In Canada, at least, “osteopath” can refer both to a medically trained MD who specializes in bones, as well as NON-medically trained “alternative” practitioners who have much less rigorous credentials such as an RMT certificate or chiro degree, plus an osteo certificate. And I say this as someone who swears by my RMT and “fake” osteopath, both of whom have helped my extreme chronic TMJ when GPs, ENTs, and dentists totally failed me. Addendum: it’s a “western med” physiotherapist who has finally brought me true relief after I ran the gamut of medical and alternative practitioners, from ENT and “jaw specialist” dentists, to chiropractors, etc etc. But fun fact? My amazing physiotherapist incorporates acupuncture into my therapy.
Two worlds collide.
I wonder if GP has some medical condition we don’t know about that’s made her desperate to try anything, as I did?
I would just like to weigh in. In australia, which I presume is similar to other western countries, GPs used to “the quacks” while what we call “alternative” was the norm (this is way back maybe in the late 18C early 19C, not recently). GPs began a political campaign where they rallied the government to propose laws that benefited GPs, while excluded other alternative practitioners. This gave GPs an image of authority and contributed to their takeover of the medical system. They also recieved more funding so that their methods could be tested. This is one of the key differences between western and alternative medicine – a lot of alt medicine has not been studied and tested as vigorously as western medicine. This has basically been used as a slandering mechanism because how can u argue with a test?if something hasn’t been tested, it becomes seen as a risk.
Whether western medicine is actually better remains to be seen. I grew up with western medicine but I now use both. My GP is pretty useless though. I just go to her to get antibiotics if I absolutely need it, referrals etc.
I will say that osteopaths are amazing, for years my neck ached and I went to the osteo once and the pain has not bothered me for years since.
@Erinn,
Did you look at the web site? It’s a compilation web site. It links to the original articles at a variety of peer-reviewed sources. See? Here’s the first article on the page:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0096177
Again, and for the last time–Chinese medicine lacks evidence-based research in English but that is changing.
As to the rest of it–just because one doesn’t appreciate Western medicine does not mean that one is an anti-vaxxer.
That said–just because you love Western medicine does NOT mean that I have to or that anyone else does. Just because it works for you doesn’t mean that it works for me. And I have seen, with my own two eyes, people who have been horribly, horribly, horribly damaged by surgeons who do not a thing to help the suffering patient once the sutures heal. They just don’t care. They shunt the patient off to a “pain management specialist” and that’s that. It’s horrifying.
Anyway, I can’t argue with people who don’t want to listen. I wish you all the best with your choice of medicine and I will continue to study (and eventually practice) mine.
And I have seen chiropractors and other alternative healers do horrible horrible damage to patients as well. There are incompetents and/or uncaring people in every profession, and it’s the other practitioners who by the nature of their profession see them walk into their own practice as patients try the next thing on their list (so, you know, selective perception).
BUT yes, I totally agree with you re. the goose/gander fallacy thing. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another (which is why I have zero tolerance for motivational speakers…). The one universal? RESEARCH THE PEOPLE YOU GO TO before you take their advice and KNOW THE PRACTICE.
I have to agree with you. I started to have chronic lower back pain at 25 years old. I just got it treated three years later — by a chiropractor. He showed me how to align my spine, and lo and behold, my pain has been reduced by about 90%. No more chronic pain. Natural methods, no painkillers. Additionally, my depression was treated by a naturopath. Different methods of course, for everyone, but for me, natural medicine WORKS.
To quote Napoleon: “Hold on, I forgot to put in the crystals.”
idiot.
All that money spent and that’s the best she can do? Ha!
Of course she does. She’s one of those people who believes that the more money you throw at a problem, the better it gets. Listen, I can support her right to employ quacks if she wants to – it’s her money, it’s her body, so let her do it. I can even totally get behind employing a massage therapist. But what the hell is a blood analyst? My blood gets analyzed anytime I have it drawn. A nurse of MD can easily read a blood chart and figure it out. What exactly is this person doing to justify getting paid? Is it like that blood type diet that was around a while ago?
I’m starting to think GP is probably a Godsend to all these people. She’s rich and doesn’t ask too many questions. It’s probably their dream client.
A good blood analyst is a wonderful thing. People with problems like chronic fatigue, general aches and pains, things their doctors can’t find rhyme or reason for can benefit greatly. I suffered for years with doctors telling me there is nothing wrong, one trip to the blood doctor and the mystery was solved. Saved my quality of life.
I agree with someone upthread that there are probably many celebs that do and believe this. The thing is you can believe all the crazy theories and trends. But you open your beliefs for public opinion when you put it out in the public. Those other celebs that are doing this are not preaching it and telling everyone to do as I do.
I notice that many of these fitness celebs that always talk about hair, exercise, eating habits many of them have terrible hair.. all stringy and lifeless.
Were all these people on staff when she had her vitamin deficiency?
Oh well, a fool and their money et cetera…
I believe that an osteopath can certainly function as a general practitioner; they are licensed doctors. (Not MDs, but rather DOs.) Don’t know why Gwyneth’s doctor is described as having a “murky” skill set, but being an osteopath is perfectly legit. (As is being a naturopath.)
I think there’s a lot of miscommunication going on here. CB has a lot of non-US posters, and “osteopathy” means different things in different countries.
Depending on the country, it can mean an MD (or equivalent, like DO … someone who can do a wide range of medical things, and has prescribing rights), a physiotherapist (or equivalent … someone who is trained, but only in one very narrow part of medicine, and can’t prescribe drugs), or a completely untrained person who decides to do massage and call themselves an osteopath.
I just googled Goop’s osteopath (Vicky Vlachonis). She has a Masters from the European School of Osteopathy, which is in the UK. so she’s not an MD/DO, and has no prescribing rights … I’d say the US translation might be a Masters in Physical Therapy? (I suspect Star might be calling it “murky” because they’re confused, and used to the US MD-type osteopath. Honestly, I was happily surprised to find she had a degree at all. “Murky” was making me think “total quack”.)
Rolfing is awesome! I have to say I’d be just like her if I had the money. I’d have a rolfer, shiatsu person, acupuncturist, trainer, yoga instructor and plastic surgeon.
Rolfing IS awesome! I’m midway through the basic 10 set. Rolfers train extensively and often continuously. It’s not quackery.
yes, it sadly is. i am not saying that people aren’t into it, or think that it helps them, but there is nothing but anecdotal evidence behind it.
http://www.skepdic.com/rolfing.html
I know right!! If I had the money I’d have a therapist, massage therapist, nutritionist, guru,
plastic surgeon, lol Id go crazy with it. Id get my own chair in my house for pedicures so I didn’t have to go to a nail salon, buy my own dental equipment, I have thought about this way tooo much. Id grow my own food, have all my own gym equipment with a personal trainer.
All celebrities have this type of stuff, if this article was about Madonna no one would bat an eye. Just bc its Goop people get bent out of shape. LOL.
They’re not ALL murky. Yoga and Qi Gong are great for anxiety and depression sufferers, as well as great alternative activities to do with your kids (‘specially if they’ve been ‘diagnosed’ as hyperactive). The thing is, nobody needs 20 of anything if they’re truly attempting to secure their own health and well being — just common sense and awareness of what works with your body. Neither scientific medicine nor natural remedies alone are a cure all. She’s definitely being taken for a snake oil ride.
And massage therapy is proven to be incredible both as a preventative and therapeutic. I have huge respect for RMTs but I am aware that I am privileged to live in Ontario–even within Canada, only a handful of provinces have real certified RMTs with proper training. Often, depending where you are, it’s a crapshoot. So, yeah, go Ontario, where RMTs are worth their weight in gold. 🙂 Massage therapy is my first go-to therapy of choice for anything that can be traced back to stress–which is an awful lot, as we all know.
I’m all for some yoga and meditation, healthy diet. The rest, meh.
However, I’m not sure how much worse her crap is than other famous types with their psychics, fad religions (cults), crazy diets, extreme plasticizing, etc.
agreed.
If I received my fantasy windfall of wealth tomorrow, I would purchase hired help. My staff would include: a chef, a couple maids, a swim trainer, and a fitness trainer. As far as health is concerned; I’d have the usual dentist and primary care doctor and nutritionist. I wouldn’t mind trying a Chinese healer because I want to try acupuncture or a holistic healer because I have chronic migraines and body pains. Other than that, I’d be good.
I’d hire a lot more help for my kids. Both my boys are autistic and we could surely use some extra help around here.
I hear you. My daughter has been diagnosed with autism, and no matter where they are on the spectrum, it is exhausting work.
@ Lori ; @ Tragic Sandwich
Extra sets of hands with the kiddo’s would be a huge help to any mother but especially the mothers of special needs kids.
@ Godwina,
As good as a message therapist sounds, I’d rather have hydroponic messages. I’d purchase the hydroponic message machine and use that.
– May all of our dreams come true. 🙂
I’d hire a massage therapist, stat.
To be honest, Gwyn sounds mentally ill. Why does she have this unhealthy obsession with her body? I’m all for being healthy and active, but… wow.
At least 10 of those people are just around to hurt her drinking water’s feelings
…small wonder she’s going broke.
If it was any one but Gwyneth, people wouldn’t mind this so much. If she’s going to employ such a crew, maybe she should bring on board someone to clean her aura BC it is offensive and repellent to so many people .
All that money and she can’t hire a good publicist? But I could see her being in contact with all those people. Her personal well being is her full time job. She doesn’t really have a career, just an occasional acting gig.
aren’t most of these people getting a plug on goop.com? she’s not paying for it.
the legit doctors she actually pays for need to be diverse so she can get her pharma needs met without raising any red flags and/or getting her treatments that aren’t approved/illegal.
she is not all light and goodness homeo-natural. didn’t she post on goop that she took a sleeping pill with wine on a flight? her hair and skin (and personality) seem like she does plenty of pharma and eats a minimal amount. she’s definitely gone under the knife.
she is totally a do as i say not as i do huckster.
Hey’all. I follow that Junger cleanse once in a while. Don’t judge.
“Granted, I bet many of these healers have PhDs in Feelings from Sunbeam Granola University. ”
Howling! Yes!!!
Sorry but I find your comments ignorant on this post. Just because she shuns western medicine doesn’t make her health care practitioners ‘fake doctors’.
I’ve been seeing an Osteopath for 2 years now and she has put my body back into alignment after a few falls. Osteopaths are miracle workers. Not a lot of people know what they do because it’s a newer type of healing and massage in the western world. I find it incredibly ignorant and rude to openly make fun of that which you clearly do not understand.
+1
An osteopathic doctor IS a doctor. The United States recognizes the D.O. degree as conferring the ability to practice medicine. A D.O. can prescribe conventional medications as well. They are trained under scientific guidelines and pass extensive exams to become licensed. The article is empathically NOT talking about you.
Not everywhere. See my post above.
Check out Lucrezia’s comment up-thread, however. An osteopath is not (yet?) a well-regulated entity. One osteopath might be a quack; one might be a top-notch expert.
I’m glad you got the latter and that she has helped you so much. It doesn’t mean that anyone using the title “osteopath” automatically deserves respect, however. There’s too much ambiguity in what that title means.
You are wrong. DO’s in the USA attend med school. A simple Google search will give you the info. They practice alongside MDs in hospitals. You wouldn’t know the difference except for the nametag titles would be md or do. Some DOs also practice manipulation and work with the musculoskeletal system, etc . There is more to it but not all DOS practice traditionally. Though it is increasing as more consumers and patients are interested. In Europe, DO is more of a chiro or physical therapist. In the us some dos are surgeons, some GPs etc . It varies.
I find it amazing that ppl think that other people must simply think that different approaches help them. Vs. Actually helping. Um yeah cuz we must be idiots who don’t know if something really helped. Speaking of this how can someone not be sure if acu abd herbs helped them, IF they felt better? With that logic, then how do you know that drugs helped either? Placebo is bandied around here but that word can equally apply to western med.
Also skepdic dot com is why rolfing is quackery? ??? Aaahhhhhhaaaaa that is the proof that it doesn’t work?
Remember that yoga meditation and nutrition were considered quackery not that long ago too. Now ppl say well duh we should eat well it affects health. We now accept that stress affects health too and that meditation can help reduce stress. Not long ago, they were all topics of full on ridicule. I feel sorry for the close mindedness that I read. Also, celebitchy should take some care that many of their readers may use or make a living off from these. No need to be hostile and alienating, attacking others. I have been reading the site for years now and it seems certain subjects are tabboo but other prejudices such as towards alternative health care are perfectly acceptable. Don’t assume as writers that are not being biased. Not cool.
All those ‘healers’ and she is in what seems to be a constant state of poor health. Skinny, sure – but listless hair, tired looking all the time, has osteoporosis from years of eating disorders (it’s not just bulimia and anorexia – there are mental conditions that can spiral out of control as you become more and more obsessed with the hygiene and nutritional content of your food until you have restricted and obsessed yourself into a really bad place. My sister in law is a pretty good example. For all her macrobiotic, organic, and holistic ways, she is nutritionally pretty void and her health – and the health of my brother and their 3 kids – is terrible.) and more.
A vast ocean around her, and not a single drop of real energy/strength/peace to drink. She has gone from being incredibly annoying to me… to just kinda sad. All that money, fame, and opportunities and she seems a pretty miserable person. Wealthy, skinny and doing what she wants… but not really happy or at peace at all in her life. Just kinda depressing.
oh, wow, we have very similar sisters in law.
Well, THAT’S just depressing. Kinda had hoped that by us having her, she was unique. At least dealing with her various issues seemed like maybe a bit of “well, at least we’ve got a way to limit her actions on the world” type of thing!
I should say – I adore my niece and nephews, but I worry myself sick about them. So many strange limitations (and I’m saying that as a celiac with the kind of allergies that mean my husband has had, a time or two, to stab me in public when something slipped by and I started to struggle to breathe. So… I’m weird myself and try to be open about others) but at the same time… well. She won’t let the kids have sugar or cows milk, makes them take powdered fish oil (gross as it sounds) because they ‘need the supplements’ – but they only need them because she hates to cook and won’t learn how. She limits THEM, but eats crap whenever she is out on her own. One of those people who make scenes about their food, go on and on about how they can’t have this that or the other – then orders the chocolate cake because “everyone has to cheat sometime, and she deserves a break!” Allergies don’t work that way. Which makes me absolutely crazy when dealing with her – I’m so sorry you are stuck in a similar situation!
No I can’t be bothered, I had actually typed a long reply to this and decided it’s not worth the time and effort. I am now officially in idiot fatigue mode. One of the few things that might work on this profoundly silly woman is to shift her focus outside of herself, do some real charity work, get her hands dirty, it could save her. She clearly needs help of some kind, but she seems to be looking in all the wrong places for it.
she reminds my of my sister in law. with lots of money and time on her hands, she just spends her days self-grooming, shopping, and doing stuff for herself. and jumps from one thing to another. but nothing ever seems to satisfy her, or to help her in the long term. yet, she has never thought to look outside of her limited paradigm and do stuff for others. it’s both sad and infuriating. so many wasted opportunities there.
“idiot fatigue mode” is the perfect phrase here.
I have a sister who used to be exactly the same, constantly believing that the latest material goods would make her happy, that a particular handbag could change her life. Then she went broke, had to go back to work as a full time carer – the only job she could get – and yes, you guessed it, she loves her job and is happier now than she’s ever been. Giving makes most people happy, taking never will. Maybe that’s why the ‘takers’ always end up being emotionally needy and never satisfied. If Goop wasn’t such a moron I could almost feel very slightly sorry for her! (but it would be very, very slight and extremely brief) 🙂
Just proves that motherhood doesn’t confer an instant “shift outside of yourself” mentality after all…
Sometimes I don’t get why people hate Gwyneth so much. That Goop website is aimed at specific people. It’s for rich people with time and money on their hands. Full stop. As for the holistic stuff, she’s not telling people that holistic treatments are better than going to a doctor. Gurus, yoga,etc, all of this stuff seems pretty harmless.
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/whats-the-harm/
Here’s an old article in The Guardian profiling one of Paltrow’s favorites, ‘Dr.’ Nish Joshi:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/nov/12/healthandwellbeing.features2
The man is an big bloated quack, who gives alternative medicine a bad name, and could be damn dangerous (he recommends a patient immediate getting off antidepresants).
I wonder that myself too. I find reality celebrities waaayyy more annoying disturbing frustrating lol……I cant really throw my hands up at anything this woman does, bc shes just herself. Shes not a awful person….shes not on TV going see my sunglasses ???$25,0000.00.
Her problem is she puts herself out there as someone who wants acceptance from the public, and they used that to lash out on her…..????? So she shills hipster rich mom stuff, big deal.
Its never anything offensive to me. People just attack everything she does , and says I mean she gets the level of vitriol, some one like charlie sheen should get from the public….
I just think she is not that relevant anymore…and shes had a really bad career arc, a strange public image and a baaadddddd publicist.
People attack her because she likes to rub her elitist lifestyle in everyone’s face. Even other celebrities don’t like her.
As for reality tv, I’d much rather meet a reality tv star in person (like Trista from the Bachelor), than meet Goop in person. Any day.
Health is an extremely personal thing. I admit to being a bit obsessive lately over mine. If I had the money I would invest in a trainer/nutritionist and massage therapist as well as a skin care specialist, and I wouldn’t be adverse to trying other alternative medicines, depending on what they were and my comfort level with them. The point is, do whatever works for you. If having all these people on hand to makes her feel better, whether we think they are quacks or whether we think they’re working or not, its her prerogative and her money. So, meh.
Lets also remember this is Star, not really the bastion of journalistic integrity here… although this wouldn’t surprise me at all…
All those people and she still looks so haggard.
Eh. These are paid friends that are there to prop her up at any time and in any way. Each one contributes what they know (or what they think they know) to create the shiney, multitalented Pillar of Perfection that is Gwyn, the Celebrity Extraordinaire, the Special Snowflake that rises (floats, actually) above the random, sludgy ice found in the background of a two story home in nowheresville or the dirty streets in LA. They are at her beck and call to guide, affirm, encourage and do any bidding that springs to mind. And if they fail, they’re swiftly replaced. Yes, Gwyneth, no Gwyneth, right away Gwyneth, yes, that looks beautiful, I prefer the red but the blue is equally nice if that’s your preference, Gwyneth. I sense your Chi is off by one degree, allow me to correct it Gwyneth. Ten minutes more to make sure? Of course. Anything for you, Gwyneth. Aaaaanything for you.
That is just bang on, LOL , I can actually see that all happening in front of my very eyes! 🙂
This is A. how you end up bankrupt eventually and B. proof that Paltrow has too much free time on her hands. Also suggests a ridiculous degree of gullibility.
yes–gullibility along with an inconsolable feeling of inadequacy.
Listen, I think she’s a kook. But as long as she’s supplying proper medical care to her children, she has a right to do whatever she wants to herself. I just hope that when the kids are sick, she’s addressing their needs responsibly.
That said, I think she’s an odd duck.
Excess to this degree is not constrained to “first world countries.” First world country problems are more like, “I shouldn’t have eaten such a big lunch, now I won’t be hungry for the four-star restaurant I’m headed to for dinner.” Rather, this level of excess is apparent in many third world countries where the distance between wealth and poverty is more or equally vast.
Excellent point.
Such a phony, an underserving of an Oscar.
Isn’t she still a heavy smoker?
I’m not sure why an osteopath would be considered as having a murky skill set. Maybe there are other meanings, but osteopathic physicians in the US are real physicians. My current doctor happens to be one, the only difference I’ve noticed in his case is that he actually listened when I told him my problems with cipro and immediately marked me as allergic and got me onto an antibiotic combo that didn’t do me in… As opposed to the quack with an MD who prescribed the stuff and couldn’t be bothered looking up something else to use. I did ‘t go looking for DO instead of an MD, just went to someone recommended. Their training seems to be the same as MDs these days, they are accepted to practice in hospitals just like MDs, and I’ve never noticed any great difference, although perhaps DOs might be more inclined on the holistic side than MDs in this country. I wouldn’t guarantee that is correct, but if a DO is well recommended by patients I wouldn’t advise any hesitation.
Naturopaths are just practitioners using a variety of traditional approaches, I would assume. I don’t think such a designation rules out other approaches. My cats old vet started experimenting with many traditional (old) approaches when she was unsatisfied with the cost and results of the modern approaches. Also physicians in other countries often are more willing than US physicians to prescribe alternative traditional approaches- the US rigid divide seems to be political in origin (going back a hundred years, the history us interesting) and not based on efficacy or safety concerns.
Gwyneth Paltrow is like my mother. I’m sure no amount of cleansing will help her feel better about herself. Maybe she should try a psychiatrist instead of a juice cleanse next time and stop surrounding herself with co-dependent enablers. :/
But guys, she NEEDS all these “health” practitioners. Remember, her life is sooo much harder then the rest of us working moms.
Whatevs.
*holds up The Hand for Goop to talk to, sashays away sassily* 😀
I think she never got over losing Brad and so she fills her time with fluff…(but then I would never get over losing him either.) Yep, BP fangirl here.
And yet, her face still looks like an old shoe.
I think she’s kept herself underweight and under-nourished for about 20 years now. That’s why her hair and skin look dry and crappy and she looks haggard and older than her years.
^this^. Dressing up ‘I basically don’t eat’ wears thin, if you’ll excuse the pun, when you age that badly.
For someone who has so much help, she looks shite.
Actually, she has a much larger group than that – her total staff is far over 100! And since Chris has left her, and he is so happy and moving further away from her daily, she has gone really over the edge is what I have heard from members of that staff. She is also attempting to and increasing # of employees since Chris left her because she has gone totally over the edge now! I have heard reports from some of them (all unhappy with her, but can’t speak out because of confidentiality clauses, many have quit, many have stayed for the kids only, or to be there for them when Chris is not there) that even they are shocked by her current behavior – and they already know how odd and cruel she is! She has a huge turn-over rate with her staff, and now that Chris is gone, her household staff is all begging him to take them with him and/or leaving her, just as her “friends” and business ventures are vanishing. She is a total fraud, pretending to be SuperEverything to make others feel like failures, when all she does is obsess over her image, work on her looks, and do all these really weird rituals. Plus she is now, reportedly, constantly plotting how to get Chris back to her (not for love but she sees he is an “asset” now and will never live down this divorce which he is pursuing BTW, and what other more absurd demands to make on him now. AND, sickeningly, heard from someone that personally overheard her Skyping that she is out to get Alexa personally and publicly which is really upsetting Alexa and infuriating Chris no end! And her PR team alone, plus litigators, glam squad, people that work on her houses, assistants, nannies,glam squad etc. are all the best, yet she still can’t seem to keep it together. Also heard that only a few of her medical doctors is even remotely approved of by the medical community even the alternative medical community. I happened to see a friend yesterday who is a highly regarded, very serious dermatologist and she has discussed for years how harmful Gwyneth’s advice is and how the AMA is outraged with her for dispensing ignorant and dangerous advice to public! But the good news is that even the most naive out there have seemed to finally see through her godawful facade. If she did not have the good fortune of having the largest and best PR team, agents, managers, etc. this chick would not even be on our radar now….but she does and she is not gonna go away. Now that Chris made it out finally, and he will have more time and decision making with kids, honestly, no one I know even cares about her at all . Even the NICEST people EVER (including me, I give everyone the benefit of the doubt to a ridiculous degree..except Gwyneth, because I have witnessed her shocking treatment of people, and have stood up to her about it quite vocally 🙂 are enjoying watching her fall – just because she has made so many people so miserable during her lifetime that is just impossible to feel normal emotions towards her – just apathy at best. And hope that ALL the “GOOP” that she still has hidden comes out – there are so many dirty secrets she still has that they even outnumber her enormous staff!!! Still worry for her kids though, there is no way they are going to come out unscathed, but Blythe, Chris and other family and staffers, teachers, etc. that care are looking out for them, so hopefully they will be okay – in fact better than they have been the last couple of years.
If even people in the alternative medical community are side-eyeing her “doctors,” I think that pretty much says it all.
Also, how are you getting this info?! It’s gold!
First, in the United States, a DO actually has additional time in medical training – in addition to the time spent getting and MD and specialization. It’s actually a good thing. Goop’s “DO” doesn’t appear to actually have a medical degree from the US, so if this person is practicing medicine on Goop here in the US, she is practicing without a license; not just murky, but actually illegal.
Second, Goop looks like hell. She has vitamin deficiency, the beginning of osteoporosis, straw for hair and leather for skin. So whatever her “medical team” is doing, it’s making her look sick on the outside, and it doesn’t seem to be doing much good to her insides. There are plenty of natural/ alternative/ complementary/ whatever you would like to call it practices that advocate taking good vitamin and mineral supplements to avoid just such the deficiencies she has admitted to suffering.
Third, too many people go way too far to one extreme or another, completely shunning either traditional Western medicine or any form of what many consider “alternative” or “complementary” medicine. There are some illnesses which flat-out require Western medicine intervention – I’ve seen a few. But even with those, the patients benefit from integrating other medical practices.
Why is it one or the other? I’ve started using many different things in addition to Western medicine. I have a few things which require specialists – and I find the very best specialist I can in that field to treat me. I don’t change my treatment or integrate any supplement without letting my doctor know, in case I need to schedule them at different times of the day to avoid interactions. But I’ve found most of what I prefer to call “complementary” medical practices I employ to be beneficial, and when I inform my doctors of this, they are perfectly satisfied that it is safe, I am using these practices responsibly, and it is benefiting their patient. A couple of them have even been suggested by my doctors.
Goop doesn’t have the brains or self-awareness to even think about striking this kind of balance. She strikes me as thinking she has all the answers. And she doesn’t appear to carefully vet the people she lets treat her; if she did, I doubt very much she’d have the beginning stages of osteoporosis at the age of 40.
Her health situation’s worse than that of most American women her age, but I don’t care what she does to herself. I care that she advertises for these con artists. That makes her one of them too.
Omg.. Posts are like movies… Keep them short
Any time you can compare a real person to Edina Monsoon ( and have Edina come out on top) you know there is a problem.
Gee – she has everything, but a CAREER!
As a 50 year-old entering menopause, let me just say this about Gwyneth: ROFLMAO! Just wait a few years until she starts riding the hormone dragon. Oh, this will be fun! What Gwyneth is doing is what I like to call “swimming against the tide”. There is nothing her 20 Kumbaya gurus can do to stop all-powerful Mother Nature when she starts doing the horizontal mambo with Father Time inside your body. That’s why God invented tequila. 🙂
All those medical professionals on her staff, and not one of them can convince her to wear sunscreen? I doubt cleanses can protect her from melanoma….
*sigh* I just wish I could afford an assistant. It’d make my professional life so, SO much easier.