Pseudoscience: Why Medical Medium Isn’t Medicine

So I got a gift from a patient recently that was as much a “thank you” as a Manifesto for the manifestly murky. It was done in a kind wind, I hasten to add - a sort of insight into her revolutionary perspective in the same way I issue a leaflet on FODMAP to someone with a shite diet.

The book was a fresh, hard backed copy of Medical Medium by Anthony William.

If you’ve never heard of him, congratulations — you’ve either avoided social media wellness hellscapes or you don’t see patients with unexplained symptoms, exhaustion, and a pile of books trying to make sense of their health.

Anthony William — aka the “Medical Medium” — claims to diagnose illness through divine messages from the “Spirit of Compassion,” and prescribes things like celery juice to cure everything from lupus to fatigue.

He has no medical qualifications.

He’s not a doctor.

But his books sell millions.

His Instagram? Huge.

His influence on patients? Bigger than we’d like to admit.

So let’s debunk the myths, not to sneer — but to protect the vulnerable, the misled, and the exhausted.

Because when evidence fails to meet experience, people reach for hope. And if we don’t fill that gap with compassion and science, someone else will fill it with celery.

(Note going forward - this is going to be very USA heavy but you have to fight on even grounds)

The Epstein-Barr Virus Isn’t the Villain You Think

One of William’s boldest claims is that Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is the root cause of basically every chronic illness: fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis (MS), lupus, chronic fatigue, thyroid disease.

The lot. But the science doesn’t back this up.

Yes, EBV is linked to some autoimmune diseases. A 2022 longitudinal study in Science found a 32-fold increased risk of MS after EBV infection in military personnel — which sounds damning until you realise the study also said EBV is a necessary but not sufficient trigger — one factor among many, not the sole cause (Bjornevik et al., 2022).

For lupus, the picture’s more nuanced. Research has shown that a protein made by EBV can interact with DNA regions associated with lupus susceptibility (Harley et al., 2018), but again, this isn’t the same as causation.

As for fibromyalgia and thyroid conditions? There’s no credible evidence linking EBV as a causal factor. Not one systematic review. Not one convincing mechanism.

William claims there are over 60 varieties of EBV (there are 2), that it “drills” into tissues, and that it progresses through four mystical stages — none of which exist in virology or immunology texts. This isn’t misunderstood science.

It’s fabricated.

Celery Juice: Miracle Cure or Hydration in a Green Coat?

Let’s get this out of the way: celery juice won’t hurt you (unless you’re on blood thinners, or hypertensive, or allergic to psoralens… more on that later). But the claims made about it? Utter nonsense.

Celery contains antioxidants like apigenin and luteolin, which show anti-inflammatory effects in lab studies (Zhou et al., 2022). Cool. But lab studies in mice ≠ curing chronic illness. There is no clinical trial proving celery juice cures fatigue, anxiety, autoimmunity, or the fallout from some mysterious liver virus.

And don’t get me started on his invented term: “sodium cluster salts” — magical compounds that allegedly kill pathogens. These aren’t real. They don’t exist in scientific literature. Even Cleveland Clinic has weighed in: celery juice “isn’t unhealthy, but it can’t reverse an unhealthy diet or fix all health issues”.

There’s also a sodium load to consider — 800mg per 16oz serving. That's two portions of fries. And high vitamin K content? Dangerous if you're on warfarin. Add psoralens (which can make you photosensitive), and you’ve got a “cure” with real potential for harm in the wrong patient.

Real Nutrition: What Evidence-Based Looks Like

Contrast that with the low-FODMAP diet — probably the best-studied nutritional intervention for IBS. A 2025 network meta-analysis in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology found low-FODMAP was ranked highest across all symptom endpoints and “superior to a habitual diet for almost all symptom endpoints” (Cuffe et al., 2025).

It’s backed by clinical trials, endorsed by the American Gastroenterological Association, and applied via dietitian-led, structured, time-limited phases. No spirits required.

This is what real dietary therapy looks like: personalised, iterative, grounded in physiology. Not permanent restrictions based on vibes.

The Human Cost of Pseudoscience

This isn’t just academic.

Stephanie Tisone, 36, was told by William that the lump in her breast was part of a detox reaction. She delayed medical treatment. She died from stage IV breast cancer (Vanity Fair, 2023).

This isn’t rare. A Yale study found that breast cancer patients who chose alternative therapies over standard care had a fivefold increase in mortality (Johnson et al., 2018).

Pseudoscience doesn’t just mislead. It kills. And it targets the desperate.

Why It Works Anyway — and What We Can Learn

People don’t believe in this stuff because they’re stupid. They believe because they’re exhausted, disempowered, and want an answer. They want agency. They want someone to look them in the eye and say, “I know what’s wrong with you, and I can help.”

And when conventional medicine offers “normal tests,” “watch and wait,” and a waiting list longer than your last bowel movement after a night shift — that story sells.

Research shows limited health literacy (only 12% of US adults are proficient - nothing personal US people but we knew that already) correlates with reduced question-asking and greater reliance on authority figures (Berkman et al., 2011). In other words: the simpler the message, the more it sticks.

So what do we do?

We listen first. We ask what matters to the patient. We don’t dismiss outright — we offer better explanations, grounded in evidence and empathy. We lean into what most regulatory bodies now call “misinformation resilience” — teaching patients and professionals how to critically appraise claims and build trust without bulldozing beliefs.

Final Thoughts

Medical Medium isn’t medicine. It’s not evidence-based. It’s not safe. And it’s not harmless.

But it’s popular. Because people want answers, and if we don’t offer them clearly, kindly, and credibly, someone else will.

So let’s fight misinformation — not just with facts, but with the kind of listening, presence, and patient-centred care that doesn’t leave room for fantasy in the first place.

Stay clinical.

— DW