I hope this won’t be taken as an ad hominem attack. That is not my style. However, when a person has a longstanding pattern of questionable or illegal activities, I do take it into account when weighing their claims, and without “Dr.” Greg Cynaumon’s claims, the product Cortislim wouldn’t even be under discussion, and might not even exist.
This is not medical advice. In fact, due to liability concerns I want to make it clear that I am posting this as just my ‘everyman’ research of available web info.
I draw a distinction between Cortislim and the scientific work of Dr. Shawn Talbot, who Cynaumon originally called the sole inventor of Cortislim Dr. Talbot seems to be a legitimate, qualified researcher. I may or may not agree with some of his theories, or believe they are as fully supported by good research as I might like, but the same can be said for many legitimate avenues of research.
I don’t know Dr. Talbot’s exact relationship to the product, company or marketing campaign (Cynaumon has given contradictory accounts), but I suspect that it is no accident that Talbot plays no active role in any of it, despite having written several books on his theories of the effects of cortisol modulation (which is indeed, a major steroid hormone) on weight and health.
I reviewed the Cortislim™ product info page quite some time ago, and found it a deliberately confusing hodgepodge of trademarks within trademarks (e.g. the ingredients are themselves trademarked proprietary formulations) with the ultimate ingredients having poorly investigated or documented effects. It is my impression, verified by many user accounts across the web, that its primary effect on most people is a mild-moderate reduction in anxiety.
The underlying principle seems to be “micromanagement” of cortisol and other endogenous substances – tiny changes within the normal range-- which are somehow miraculously more effective than the body’s own chosen serum levels within the same normal range. This is crucial: any significant change in such major hormones would have significant undesirable effects in the general public.
I always warn people that “any medication that has an effect, herbal or not, can and probably will have side effects”. God didn’t create cures for various diseases then hide them in the rainforest for millenia, nor do plants have any evolutionary drive to evolve cures for our diseases: it’s all accidental chemistry.
This page is a fairly comprehensive outline of questionable practices in Dr. Cynaumon career over the past 15 years. It has a somewhat outraged and hysterical tone, but the facts I tried to verify all checked out.
Highlights:[ul]
[li] “Dr.” Cynaumon apparently got his doctorate from a diploma mill[/li][li] He has publicly called himself a “certified marriage and family therapist,” “licensed school psychologist” and other controlled professional titles, in books, TV interviews, and other public forums, despite not being licensed or registered as any form of counselor or therapist in California where he lived during the period in question. This is illegal, but I’m not sure how he could be prosecuted if the statements were only made outside California, and he did not actually seek to practice these specialties. (merely having a degree in psychology -even if it is legitimate- would not entitle him to use these titles. We all know people with degrees in psychology who couldn’t figure out what motivates a dog to eat dinner.[/li][li] He marketed a highly questionable, but highly popular/profitable, “educational phonetics game” in the 1990s, using a radio/TV media blitz much like Cortislim[/li][li] The game (the original source of the outrage on the webpage, written by an educational specialist) claimed backing by studies which are false/unverifiable[/li][li] At least one of Cynaumon’s books (u]Discover Your Child’s DQ Facto is supposedly based on “family observations” which appear to have been fabricated. Another site listed another Cynaumon book whose quoted patient interviews seemed to be "‘literary inventions’, but I’ve lost that link.[/li][li] Dr. Cynaumon’s website and books make claims about his past career [e.g. nationally syndicated TV host] that appear to be false.[/li][li] In the past year, he headed an employment agency that was successfully sued for fraud[/li][/ul]
I haven’t fully read either Dr. Greg’s website or the “debunking” web page linked above in many months. Both sites are in flux, and I am working from my personal recollection, which is fallible. However, when I did check them, the charges made by the webpage seemed to be correct, to the extent that I could check. I make no personal claims of regarding Greg Cynaumon, I’m merely reporting what I have read, and giving a pointer to one detailed source. I suggest you check the current facts yourself and formulate your own opinion.
I do note that Dr. Cynaumon’s past claims in various media outlets, press releases, and his website contradict each other, and have been changed over time. These older statements are still scattered on outside sites across the web. I find it difficult to reconcile these contradictions with a single underlying truth.
