Research about Dr Cohen's diets?

[Karel]

I want to know a bit more about Dr Cohen and his credentials before signing up for a program. I know from talking with a couple of people that the diet works, but I'm unsure about the health effects of the diet. I am a born sceptic as well, so wanted to know how hormone levels would affect my ability to maintain a healthy weight.

I've read the clinic website but it has not really helped me as I cant find any published or peer reviewed research by Dr Cohen.

That led me to ask his university in Wittswaterand in South Africa about his credentials - they refuse to confirm he studied there and there is no listing for him in the alumini section of the university website.

I then asked his professional association in South Africa about his medical experience, again they refuse to confirm his membership, citing privacy, which sort of defeats checking up on doctors credentials before you pay for their services.

I've tried to find his registration status as a doctor in Australia, USA and South Africa - all I'm afraid to no avail.

So my questions are - how do I find out about this doctor? Is he a doctor? Is he a real person? Anyone ever met him? Does he do consultations in Perth?

Any help would be appreciated from people who have checked up on his credentials before starting the diet.

[bitten]

great questions karel-

it would be fantastic to know more!!!

bitten

[kagiesen]

Whilst I understand a need to check up on things, there are also other deliberations. And off course, a lot of institutions are bound by privacy laws. He should be registered in the US. He has got a provider number for Australia, a number you need in order to get the blood test results released to him directly.

I know it is a lot of money. However, it works. There is lot of research available on the net on how hormones influence your weight. You can read loads about insulin resistance, fat storage, and human growth hormone.

I think the closest to him would be the Perth clinic, as they were the first in Australia. Maybe they can help you.

You know, calories in, calories out makes sense, but for most of us it's not working. Insulin resistance makes sense, and tackling that works for a lot of us. Keeping it off is intertwined with emotional issues for most of us, so that needs to be tackled as well.

Katrin

[Karel]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Well he's not registered as a doctor in WA according to the Medical practioners Board.

Name Registration Number Qualifications
COHEN, STEPHEN 6697 MBBS (University of Western Australia) 1982; DA (UK) 1986; DipRACOG 1988; FRACGP 1992; MPM (Australia) 2001
COHEN, RONALD 12008 MBBCh (University of The Witwatersrand) 1982; FFPATH (South Africa) 1988; FRCPA 1996
COHEN, MICHAEL 2595 MBBS (WEST AUST) 1963; FRCPA 1970
COHEN, LEON 7418 MBBS (WEST AUST) 1985
COHEN, ISAAC 11819 MBBCh (WITWATERSRAND) 1947; FRACP 1992 This is the nearest
COHEN, HENRY 1320 MBBS (MELB) 1947
COHEN, HARRY 1829 MBBS (ADEL) 1955
COHEN, ALEXANDER 1568 MBBS (ADEL) 1950; MD (ADEL) 1968; FRACP 1965
COHEN VAIZER, MAURICIO 21884 MD (University of Chile) 2002
COHEN-JONES, DEBORAH 15793 MBBS (University Of Western Australia) 2001

I've tried the American Medical Association list of registered doctors and his name does not come up at all - so I'm not sure how you got the info that he is registered in the USA.

About the only thing I have discovered is that his real name is Rachamim Cohen and that came from the clinic in WA.

As far as privacy goes, my right to know that I will receive professional services from a doctor far outweighs a doctor's right not to disclose if they are registered as a doctor and what qualifications they have. In fact I'm only doing what all the reputable medical associations advise you to do when seeking out a doctor's services - check and make sure about the doctor before you let them near you.

I am getting some really bad vibes about this, his name just does not pop up on the Medicare database, other medical registration databases, Witts University databases, professional associations. I'm not sure where else to look, the Human Growth Hormone research papers I've read dont mention him at all, I've gone to the citations and acknowledgements and you'd expect someone to say thanks to Dr R Cohen somewhere.

From the Cohen Clinic website "Dr Cohen assesses, monitors and deals with each client's Eating Plan personally. " If he is doing that then he MUST legally be registered in Australia, its a consultation, but I cant find him at all.

Still looking.

[Jayne]

Hi Karel,

i dont really care if he is for real or not - all i know is that the diet works, is very effective and healthy.
I havent looked this good in years.
I think you need to be careful your not sabotaging yourself as this diet really works.

Jayne

[baloo]

I think Kristine did a similar thing and found out quite a bit about the good ole Doctor. Not sure if she still comes here but she knew all about his previous research work in fertility and how that developed into obesity management.

One thing I will say though is that when I first heard of the programme, being the sceptic cynical buzzard I am, I searched high and low for Cohen's detractors. What amazed me is that it was very difficult to find anyone that had bad things to say about the diet or the programme. There were some general commonets from nurtritionists and doctors trumpeting the old line that rapid weight loss is bad, but they seemed to be commenting purely on the speed of Cohen's success without analysing the diet itself. Comparing Cohen's to the cabbage soup diet isn't a fair comparison. While searching for negatives, all I found were glowing reports not from marketing types, but from people who were successful on the programme from all walks of life.

In the end, it was the lack of negatives that helped me make the decision to hand over the cash.

I've also fielded questions about how personalised the diet really is. Is it a computer programme that randomly alters some weights just to give it an individual look, or does the good ole Doc (and his support team) do a full analysis. At the end of the day I don't know and I don't care anymore. Whatever way they did it, I lost 50kg in 6months. To me the results matter more than how they derived my diet.

I will say though that I think the marketing could be better. I really did get annoyed hearing "Doctor Cohen will do this and that" when realistically it's not one man. There's bound to be a team/lab setup in SA or somewhere that analyse the results, suggest modifications if required and derive the initial diet. To keep trying to suggest that Santa does it all personally himself made me, and I am sure others, more suspicious about how personalised the diet really is.

[shell]

Hi Karel,

If the results of the people on this forum are not enough to show you that this program works, I don't know what will.
I don't care either if he is "registered" or not in Australia, all I know is that it works & has changed mine & a lot of other peoples lives.

If you want to loose weight, join up and be amazed at the losses like the rest of us!
Good luck with your decision- you have to be 100% sure!!
Shell

[Karel]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I think that as Baloo says its not one man doing this - BUT the website hype and advertsing all seem to push the one man and his barrow claim. Does anyone know where this clinic is located?

I have no doubt that rapid weight loss can occur with the diet - I just want to be sensible and checkout the doctor making the claims. I dont want to have serious health problems in ten years time because I took this diet. I just need to know the risks, if any. If he's been at this for 25 years he must have research which enables potential customers/patients to make an informed choice.

Shell - If Queensalnd Health had been half as dilligent as I am trying to be, over Dr J Patel, then his patients would not be suffering from his botched activities and diagnosees.

[keishu]

I think another key thing to note here Karel is you freely admit you have no idea how hormones affect you body's biochemistry so may I suggest that instead of spending so much time searching for the medical credentials of a doctor that will never give you a physical exam or prescribe you prescription medicine, that you should actually spend a bit of time researching the processes of glycolysis, the Kreb Cycle and Oxidative Phosphorylation and how the liver and hormones play a part in carbohydrate, amino acid and lipid metabolism.

Then after you've read up on that subject then when you do track down Dr Cohen you'll have some relevant questions to throw at him.

Just seems like you are trying to put the cart before the horse.

Not everything in life is trying to rip you off or is part of some major conspiracy theory. At the end of the day nothing will work if you don't put 100% of yourself into. There's no one else to blame if you don't.

Good luck and hope to see you here with some success soon.

[Faithy]

Interesting question.. my clinic told me Santa did the whole lot himself.. I'd like to think that he does.. he has privacy issues because in the past when he shared his theories he did actually get ripped off did he not? Someone may be able to clarify that perhaps.. so is he Santa, to me he is..

He's been doing this for over 20 years.. Does anyone know if anyone has had an serious health issues over that period of time? I'm sure if there was anything serious health wise you sure would be able to find that in google no problems.

I've has NUMEROUS doctors tell me that perhaps this wasn't a 'safe' diet, yet blood test after blood test has confirmed to them AND to me that I am most definitely healthier now than what I was 12 months ago. I was borderline diabetic, high blood pressure, heart palpitations etc etc. I'm wondering if it really is possible for me to be healthier at 158 kilos than 68.. forgive me if I sound a little on the nasty side, cause I'm actually not (hard to tell in type I know).. & I certainly dont want to say dont look into this more seriously if that's the way you feel you need too.. we all do what we feel the need to do.. but I have never heard of anyone suffering down the track from loosing weight with lean meats, fresh veggies, fresh fruit & regular blood tests along the way to ensure that our kidneys etc are doing OK.. plus as far as I'm aware a lot of people have decided to include regular check ups with their own GP's just to make 100% sure that their bodies are OK & dealing with the rapid fat loss without putting too much stress on vital organs.

Let us all know how you go in your search hey .. and whatever you decide to do I wish you luck & awesome success on your road to weight loss.

[baloo]

Two last points from me. Cohen's is a programme designed by a Dr Cohen. It's not, in real tearms, a medical programme. he just happens to be a doctor. because of the fact there are no medical claims in the diet, you have as much right into his knowing his backround as you do about Jenny Craig or any of the other people behind other established weight loss programmes. Like Atkins really, Dr Atkins was a Doctor but his weight reduction methods are not a medical programme.

Atkins is a good comparision here. Plenty of negative press about his methods yet none about Cohen's. Cohen's as a weight reduction method is well known in the weight management industry. The fact that many slimming magazines "Slimmer of the Year" competitions have many Cohen's finalists and winners is bringing more focus to it. Knowing the weight management industry, if there was even a hint of suspicion over a successful competitor's programme, there would be plenty of "sponsored studies" into the risks involved. An example of this type of indutrial sabotage is the amount of wheat and grain industry sponsored studies about the perils of Atkins.

Lastly, this programme, to be successful, requires you to be 100% dedicated to it, it's principles and it's goals. If you find that you feel uneasy about the programme because Dr Cohen decides to remain a private person, then that is entirely your perogative and I can understand where you are coming from. But my advice to you is not to spend your money on the programme because it will be tough for you to buy into it totally.

[sundaymorningstaple]

After Baloo's 2 posts, I can't add anything. I also did almost 3 months of research trying to find a reason to NOT do the program. My research also turned up nothing. I could care less if there is an MD after his name. The program works. There is nothing negative about it anywhere in print (except for the odd disgruntled dieter who couldn't keep to the program and is trying to blame everybody except themselves). Not even any false negatives.

You sound much like I did about diets in general. Always trying to find a way to talk myself out of what was necessary. This is exactly what you are doing. I don't think you would make a good candidate at all for this program as you really don't want to be convinced looking at the objections you are bringing up.

[FotoHijinx]

Yay - I want to play too!!!

Here's my two cents worth (probably only worth one cents).

I also did some research and couldn't find anything negative about this diet except for those that have never done it - the nay-sayers and believe me, when you start this diet they just come out of the woodwork!! All of a sudden everyone is an expert - you learn to ignore them or politely nod.

Anyways...it may be called Dr Cohen and somebody is actually receiving the blood tests and giving back results but I have never heard of anyone having to do anything medical because of the blood results. My point is (sorry I dither), there is no prescriptions, no medicine (except vitamins - and you can choose your own vitamins to take), no going to see an actual doctor - just a good basic healthy eating plan - a diet if you like. You can't go wrong with sensible eating of lean meats, fresh veggies and fresh fruit.

Thats what I loved about this site and it was this site that finally convinced me that this is the diet for me. These are all real, mostly Australian people that are doing or have done this diet. No one could make this stuff up - there is just too many of us on here constantly showing our results with pictures!!! That alone meant more to me than someone claiming to be a doctor - I don't care if he's a doctor or not - I'm getting the exact results that he (or they) claim that I would get.

You only pay a once only fee for the eating plan - there is no more hidden costs (you need to pay for half a dozen blood test at $11, but they tell you that up front, no surprises) - no continually buying shakes, or powders or tablets etc - unlike other diet plans. All you need to do is buy lean meat, fresh veggies and fresh fruit - thats it (oh and vitamins if you want, but you won't die if you don't)!!

For me its a no brainer - I'm buying just a eating plan from Joe Blow - if I choose to follow it to the letter I will get these amazing results - which I have - yay me. If I wasn't successful it isn't because he's not a doctor - its because I didn't follow the rules set out in the plan.

Anyway, I've rambled enough

We are all passionate about this eating plan because it works, there is no hidden evil here and no one can kill us as we are in total control. Now if the good doctor told us to eat only apples and cabbage for 20 days straight then I would be very concerned and not do it - that just doesn't make sense. Its just a good, sensible eating plan that works - trust in that.

I hope you do join Karel and have wonderful success like we all have. Believe me, if you put in your rewards are spectacular!!

Cheers
Irene

Karel,
All I can add to this, is that I know for a fact that he practiced in Jhb as a gynae about 15-20years ago. I was in the medical industry ( labs) and we dealt with him. If I recall correctly, it was in Sandton.
Annie

[Tuti]

Hi Karel,

Good on you for trying to do your due diligence. There is nothing wrong with that. I read about this diet probably two years ago and since then have kept coming back to it to find out more and finally took the plunge this year.

I have never eaten so healthy. Fresh fruit and vegies and lean meats every day. I really think I am the healthiest I have ever been.

Yes it is a strict diet and the only negative comments I could find was that some people found it too strict. There is a post on this site explaining any possible side effects of this diet eg gallstones.


I was trying to think why there wasn't more information out there about Cohens but I really believe it is to stop copycat programs.


Good luck with your research.

Tuti

[hexi2]

Simple...

Cohen's has changed my life

I am full of vitality, energy, my skin is the BEST it's ever been and I feel fabulous...not to mention I am 37 kilos lighter than I was in November...

Worth every single penny - this is life changing stuff and I feel the same as many others Jo Blo could have written it...I for one don't really care because....

IT WORKS!

And that is all that matters....

If you want to change your life then be warned...this is the most AMAZING JOURNEY you will ever have

[ConnieK..]

OK now my two cents ( this is probably not gonna make me popular LOL)

I think you are looking for reasons to NOT do the program ... honestly.

You want to know the health effects in 10 years of the program ... well first lets compare them to the health effects of carrying around an extra 20kg-40kg of lard for the next 10 years??? What about the long term known effects of the preservatives and artificial products and fatty processed foods which you have been eating for the last ten years???? Did you check the credentials of the people who recommended you these?

Is the program enough to live on ??? Hell yes ... unless we are all just haunting this place. I was on a far stricter regime of under 800 calories a day AND at least 1hr of exercise for almost 2 years .... I was unhealthy as hell, tired, looked sick and my cholesterol was through the roof, my blood sugar was all over the place and I was taking insulin sensitisers in an effort to stave off symptoms of my PCOS and hopefully prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes in the next 2 years............... what crazy unknowing lunatic put me on this downward spiral of chemical cocktails and a diet which plain and simply was killing me slowly with no weight loss benefits as I hurled towards type2???

Several Doctors (all duly registered) at the metabolism and Obesity clinic at Royal Prince Alfred in Sydney........... their solution when it wasn't working??? replace all meals with diet shakes for a month... don't like that idea, because it has a few side effects like unknown implications on your digestive system... ok then take reductil to stimulate your metabolism, but wait that's a derivative of speed, a chemical boost which speeds your heart rate and causes palpitations, but aren't they dangerous.............. yes but you need to lose weight and these are all medically backed methods of weight loss........ all with long term side effects and no process to maintain weight loss. In fact they freely admitted it was a short term solution and 'most' people will regain within 12 months to 2 years' and have to use artificial means to lose again.

Then along comes Cohens and after an almost 2 year plateau I lost weight .....so far almost 18kg to be exact. I am lighter than when I left high school.... My cholesterol ... Normal . Blood sugar... managed. PCOS... not symptomatic at the moment. Insulin sensitisers.... no thanks, the diet is doing that for me.

So conventional medicine would have me filled with synthetic hormones which cause reliance on an artificial compaund because they had no way to solve the underlying problem... I needed to lose weight ..... now I don't need the cocktail of drugs and I for one am ecstatic ..... personally ..... I don't care if Dr Cohen is actually a witch doctor and he wants to wave a dead chicken over my head and chant in swahili, or dance naked around a fire wearing nothing but a pith helmet.

The program is giving me the chance to remain synthetic drug free and not develop a dependence on artificially produced insulin receptors, which WOULD have led to type 2 diabetes within ten years.

My regular doctors comments ... 'give me the information on this program I have some women who may be interested, and keep it up, you are almost back to normal in your hormone levels and your sugars have been stable for the last 3 tests'. Does he care how??? nope ...... what does he care about ??? The fact that the 3 inches of fat that was probably around my heart and sitting on my liver and resting over my kidneys is slowly going. That my skin has cleared up and all my allergies have not flared for the time I have been on the program.

Is it easy?? ... hell no ... I struggle a lot, but at last I have the tools to lose the weight and the guidelines to keep it off. And after all if it was easy everyone would do it! Is it cheap .. Nope ... But what I have saved in buying medications, and would have spent eventually on bariatric aids to get my fat a$$ around and more soap to cover my larger expanse of skin ...... should cover it over the next 10 or so years.

So heres the thing...... we can all sit here and tell you why the program has helped us, we can tell you that the benefits are great, we can point to the fact that the program is sold in many countries and has been around for a while now (long enough for law suits to be in the headlines if anyone had developed major problems due to the diet). BUT... what it all boils down to is this -

You will do what you want to do and if you decide you are not ready to commit to saving your own life you will find ANY excuse to justify why you can't.

As was said earlier, its a program developed by a doctor, not a doctor administered program. You do not get an appointment, he does not claim to provide a consultation service, he does not say he will be your practitioner. He says ... I will tell you how to lose weight ...and keep it off.... ultimately it's your decision.

I am sorry if I have offended you, I don't mean to really, I just think the more perinent question is 'what are your motives in looking for reasons not to do the program'.

** picks up soap box, puts under arm and wanders off **

[drexyl]

Freakin' Awesome post Connie!
LOVE your work!

I hope Karel sees all the positiveness in it & decides to take the plunge!

[ropemaha]

wow, what a hornets nest this has stirred up hey?

you never know, he may not have marketed his product with full personal disclosure for another reason....he might be gay for example and not want the public scrutiny so he used a psuedonym....

or 'he' might be a collective, a group that isnt interested in the exposure....personally i like the fact that cohens isnt marketed to death, i like the fact that they dont use famous fat people to promote their product....there a reason for that too i reckon....they dont need to....it works

good luck with your search

penny

[Annabelle Joy]

Karel, I had similar questions to you before I started. I still have them. I no longer have access to lit searches, but I couldn't find anything at all on Dr Cohen looking around the Internet -- his supposed pioneering of in vitro fertilisation in South Africa, his prior cardio work, his research on this diet, etc.

I assume that he managed to convince someone in Australia that he had medical qualifications, otherwise how can he be ordering blood tests for me? I'm prepared to accept that he is medically qualified in South Africa, but as someone has already said, I don't really care.

The US site refers to a team of doctors. Again, my assumption is that there are a support team, and a computer program, and he doesn't actually sit down and work out an individual program for everyone.

I have traced the email addresses and web sites. The web sites (Australian and US) are hosted in the US and email you send to an Australian clinic in fact is directed to a US site. I assume that someone at that site forwards it on to the relevant clinic in Australia, or the Australian clinics log onto the US site to check email.

I don't know if the individual programmes for everyone are really necessary or a marketing ploy that ensure that no one else can copy what he is doing, and the only way to do the programme is to pay the up front fee.

I am convinced that whatever his background may be, Dr Cohen has hit on a formula that works. The food is good, natural food. I cannot believe that there can be any long term adverse effects still to be discovered if I eat wholesome, natural food. My husband, who doesn't need to diet, is eating the same meals as me and constantly comments on how much he is enjoying the food.

I have been on the diet a little over four months. My blood pressure has dropped from 138/88 to 122/78, my cholesterol from 5.8 to 4.4, and all other blood tests my doctor ordered came back well within normal range. I was glucose intolerant. I haven't been tested since starting this, but I expect that condition also to be corrected by this diet. My hair is healthier than it's been for years my hairdresser tells me. I've even had people who are meeting me for the first time comment on how clear my skin and eyes are.

I agree with everyone above. I don't care about whether Dr Cohen is one person or a team, whether he is a doctor or not or whether my prescribed programme really is based on my blood test results. I had long ago given up on getting back to anywhere near the weight I'm aiming for, and now I know I will get there. Not only that, but my health is already much better than it's been for years.

Perhaps Dr Cohen's background and 'research' really are largely a con for marketing purposes. The question for you is, do you want to follow a healthy diet of natural food and get to your goal weight, or do you want to stay as you are?

AJ