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The "Winner"...
Beth M. Ley (not a Ph.D.)
Who Ms. Ley says she is
I bumped into this future Hall of Shame “winner” by accident while reviewing CortiSlim’s fraudulent claims. Beth Ley was one of two people in the ‘Success Stories” section of the CortiSlim web site who had a last name. The first person was an obvious fabrication, because there was no doctor with that name in the town mentioned. Beth Ley, described herself as having a Ph.D. and being a nutritionist http://www.cortislim.com/Success/beth.htm. In her testimonial, she states:
" With CortiSlim® I sleep soundly and through the night! I also noticed that my ‘stress-eating’ is greatly diminished. I am simply not interested in food so therefore, only eat when hungry."
Sounds great doesn't it? When I went to Amazon.com, I found that she had authored or co-authored 27 books (go to http://www.amazon.com and type "Beth M Ley" into the search function):
• Alpha Lipoic Acid: Nature's Ultimate Antioxidant
• Bilberry & Lutein: The Vision Enhancers
• Calcium: The Facts
• Castor Oil: It’s Healing Properties
• Chlorella: The Ultimate Green Food
• Coenzyme Q10: All-Around Nutrient for All-Around Health
• Colostrum: Nature's Gift to the Immune System
• Cordyceps: The Chinese Longevity Mushroom
• DHA: The Magnificent Marine Oil
• DHEA: Unlocking the Secrets to the Fountain of Youth - 2nd Edition
• Discover the Beta Glucans Secret!
• Diabetes to Wholeness: A Natural & Spiritual Approach to Disease Prevention & Healing!
• Fading: One family’s journey with a woman silenced by Alzheimer’s
• Flax! Fabulous Flax!
• God Wants You Well!
• Health Benefits of Probiotics
• How Did We Get So Fat?
• How To Fight Osteoporosis and Win: The Miracle of Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite
• Maca: Adaptogen and Hormonal Regulator
• Marvelous Memory Boosters
• Medicinal Mushrooms for Immune Enhancement: Agaricus Blazei Murill
• MSM: On Our Way Back to Health With Sulfer
• Natural Healing Handbook
• Nature’s Road to Recovery
• Phyto-Nutrients: Medicinal Nutrients Found in Foods
• The Potato Antioxidant: Alpha Lipoic Acid
• Vinpocetine: Boost Your Brain Power with Periwinkle Extract
Most of these books are short, inexpensive, and a mix of diet recommendations and religious advice.
Ms. Ley’s Phony Credentials
I decided to review Ms. Ley’s educational background. She says that she has a Ph.D. so I searched Dissertations Abstracts, which is a database of doctoral dissertations. She was not listed. Her description on Amazon.com made it sounds as if she received her doctorate at the North Dakota State University http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1890766151/002-2112566-8584050?v=glance.
“ Beth M. Ley, Ph.D., has been a science writer specializing in health and nutrition for over 12 years and has written over a dozen health-related books, including God Wants You Well, and the best sellers, DHEA: Unlocking the Secrets to the Fountain of Youth and MSM: On Our Way Back to Health With Sulfur. She wrote her own undergraduate degree program and graduated in Scientific and Technical Writing from North Dakota State University in 1987 (combination of Zoology and Journalism). Beth has her masters (1997) and doctoral degrees (1999) in Nutrition.”
The problem is that North Dakota State University does not offer a doctorate in nutrition. I contacted Dr. Bradford Strand, the chair of Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences, and he said he would investigate Ms. Ley’s claim. After discovering that Ms. Ley only has an undergraduate degree from NDSU, Dr. Strand called her.. She said that her graduate degrees were actually from the Clayton College of Natural Health in Birmingham, Alabama.
Information on the Internet about the Clayton College of Natural Health
When I did an Internet search for this college I not only found their web site http://www.ccnh.edu/default.asp, but I also discovered in many web sites, such as http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/Nonrecorg/amna.html, in which this "college" is accused of fraudulent activity. The US Department of Education’s U.S. Network for Education Information provides information about diploma mills (http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-accred-fraud.html) and links to the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization. (http://www.osac.state.or.us/oda/unaccredited.html), which provides a listing of schools with questionable credentials. The Clayton College of Natural Health is in the “Illegal Degrees in Oregon” section with the following comment “ODA has no evidence that this is a legitimate provider of postsecondary education meeting Oregon standards. Degree holders (are) ineligible for Oregon professional practice or licensure.” In an October 7, 2004 document (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/Non-accreditedSchools_78090_7.pdf, the State of Michigan gave the Clayton College of Natural Health a similar designation.
Information from a Clayton College of Natural Health representative
Based on this information, I decided to call the college for more information. A representative told me that there is no actual campus; the college is actually a correspondence school. When I asked an admissions official if their school was accredited, she assured me that it was accredited by the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. Later, I contacted that organization and Michele Chartier, the executive director, informed me that they do not accredit schools or businesses.
Information from the Clayton College of Natural Health catalog
When I reviewed their catalog in the mail, I found interesting information. On page 12, the accrediting boards listed are the American Association of Drugless Medicine and the American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board. The American Association of Drugless Practitioners has accredited many “colleges” that have been described a diploma mills (http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/Nonrecorg/bernadean.html). The American Naturopathic Medical Accreditation Board is listed as a Dubious Accrediting Board on the Quackwatch.com web site (http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/nonrecorg.html). U.S. Secretary of Education does not recognize either group as a legitimate accreditation board (http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html).
At the bottom of the Accreditation and Associations section of their catalog, it says, “Clayton College is licensed and approved by the Alabama State Department of Postsecondary Education.” I decided to contact that agency. When I read that statement to Amy Green, a representative of that agency, her comment was, “There they go again.” She said that their department only licenses schools; they do not approve them. She went on to say that she has called the school five or six times to stop them putting the “and approved” statement on their web site or publications. She said that she was going to call them again as soon as we ended our conversation.
In the Administration section of their catalog, the educational level of their higher level administrators is extremely low. Usually, even at the community college level, vice presidents and directors of academics have doctorates. At the Clayton College, they only have masters’ degrees. Also, most of their faculty members have non-doctoral degrees. Two of 8 faculty members only have BA/BS degrees. Legitimate universities in most situations require that doctoral-level students be taught by professors with doctorates.
Using a nutritionist professional title in Minnesota
What does the State of Minnesota, where Beth Ley lives, say about the Clayton College of Natural Health? Based on their publications (http://www.mheso.state.mn.us/main.cfm?pageID=887) and the lack of accreditation, her degrees are not accepted in Minnesota. When I asked the Minnesota Board of Dietetics and Nutrition representative if it was legal for Ms. Ley to call herself a nutritionist. The answer was "No" and that agency will be investigating Ms. Beth Ley's illegal use of the "nutritionist" title.
What you can do?
Ms. Ley has books on Amazon and other web sites. You can write a review to warn potential customers that she does not have graduate degrees from an accredited university.
Accidental Finding: Using a nutritionist professional title in Oregon (and a consumer warning)
Out of curiosity, I contacted the Oregon Board of Examiners of Licensed Dieticians’ Executive Officer Douglas Van Fleet (http://www.bld.state.or.us/about.htm) in my home state. I asked if anyone could call themselves a dietician or nutritionist without a license in Oregon. I was stunned to find that neither “dietician” nor “nutritionist” are protected titles in Oregon. Anyone can use these titles, even if they no training. I am not sure how many states lack this consumer safeguard, but the idea that consumers may be getting advice from someone who calls themselves a dietitian or nutritionist is frightening, and possible life threatening.
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