Yolanda Hadid is a reality show star who has been one of the most visible promoters of the fake chronic Lyme diagnosis.
Hadid’s story has been critically examined in The Daily Beast, Jezebel, and the blog Real Skeptics of TV. It’s also discussed in New York Magazine’s exposé.
More details on Yolanda Hadid and her 20+ dubious diagnoses can be found on our coinfections page.
It’s important to understand that chronic Lyme involves an ecosystem of health fraud including quacks, fake testing, fake diagnoses, and fake treatments. The red flags of this pseudoscientific ecosystem can be readily observed in the cases of Yolanda Hadid and her children Bella and Anwar. And the physical and psychological mistreatment of Bella and Anwar when they were minors are typical of Medical Child Abuse.
A disturbing array of treatments
Yolanda Hadid created a large display of treatments she said she tried. This display is transcribed in the table below. She divided the treatments between “conventional” and “alternative”. However, it is still quackery if a drug is FDA-approved but used in an inappropriate manner.
The CDC has been warning the public about the dangers of long term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease:
Studies funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)External have not shown that people who received prolonged courses of antibiotics do better in the long run than people treated with placebo. Furthermore, long-term antibiotic or alternative treatments for Lyme disease have been associated with serious complications.
More specifically regarding alternative, non-antibiotic treatments, the CDC warns:
Antibiotics are the only known effective treatment for Lyme disease, but a quick search on the internet will introduce you to other untested remedies that claim to cure Lyme disease or chronic Lyme disease. These products—available online or from some health care providers—may be dangerous, deadly, or simply a waste of money.
Nevertheless, according to US Weekly, ex-husband David Foster “shelled out nearly $5 million on Yolanda’s treatments.” The LymeScience herbs and supplements page explains why many of these treatments were unlikely to help.
| Conventional | Alternative | ||||
| Medicine Done | |||||
| Daptomycin | Mepron | Chinese Herbs | IV Phospholipids | Lufanuron | |
| Albendazole | Vancomycin | Zithromax | Bio-Quinone | IV Glutatione | IV Vitamin C |
| Rocephin | Nystatin | Wellbutrin | Lactorn | Artesunate | GcMAF |
| Bicillin Injections | Diflucan | Plaquenil | Nature- Thyroid | Colloidal Biolog | |
| Flagyl | Rifampin | EDTA | Solidago | MSM Injections | |
| Azithromycin | Belsomra | Tetralysal | Absinthium | Pau D’arco | |
| Alinia | Macrobid | Adderall | Avena Sativa | Oxy-Mag | |
| Quetiapine | Tindamax | Hydrocortisone | Luttlox | SAM-e | Natto-kinsase |
| Nozepam | DMPS | Hydrocodone | Paragone | Citricidal | Chinese Herbs |
| Xanax | Minocycline | Ativan | Procaine | ||
| Albenza | Ritalin | Hydroxychloroquine | Clarkia | Methylene Blue | |
| Quinolone | Lunesta | Codeine | Nimbicidin | Metalsweep | |
| Clindamycin | Deplin-Algal | Naltrexone | Orthosilic Acid | Essential Pro | |
| Savella | Ambien | Spironolactone | Bio Plasma | Probiotics | |
| Singulair | Rilutek | Ketek | Taraxacum | ABM Mushroom | |
| Nuvigil | Atovaquone | Alprazolam | East Star | Alkala | |
| Valtrex | Fluconazole | Naproxeno | Haelan 951 | Mycocyde | |
| odiol | Seraquel | Zofran | Neo 40 | ||
| Metrium (sp?) | Redoxon | Diclofenac | Fulvic Acid | Zeolite | |
There are many other treatments Hadid tried that are not listed above, for example detox foot baths and coffee enemas.
Hadid’s book Believe Me shares some of what she was sold, including:
- One protocol involving: “quintessence, liposomal artesunate, Brazilian green propolis, liposomal stevia, cistus tea, and Sporanox; getting IVs of vitamin C, IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin), ozone, silver, and neurotherapy into my abdominal and lower back scars; and doing ion-cleanse footbaths with cilantro drops three times a week.”
- A “protocol of supplements, stem cells, a very strict gluten- and dairy-free diet, and doing the hyperbaric chamber and colonics twice a week. ”
- Later: “colonics three days a week with special herbal enemas for parasites. I set up a parasite lab in the guest bathroom with disposable gloves, a tray, cups, and sticks, and I literally start dissecting my own poop.”
- Biltricide anti-parasitic drug
- A port in her chest and high doses of IV antibiotics
- Multi-hour sessions with a rife machine from a naturopath operating out of his garage.
- Stem cell treatment in Mexico by William Rader, MD, who Yolanda understands “practices in Tijuana because it’s not legal in the U.S.” Soon after, Rader’s California medical license was revoked.
- Treatments along with her then-17-year-old daughter Bella at another stem cell clinic in Tijuana.
- Treatments at a Korean stem cell clinic, along with her children Bella and Anwar despite their father Mohamed Hadid being “not on board with this decision.”
- A bizarre protocol involving 150 pills per day from supplement peddler Richard Helfrich
- “Thousands of dollars’ worth of biological medicine that I can’t buy in the United States, like homeopathics for my IVs, injectables, pills, and a complex protocol.” from Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland
Hadid has also used unproven or disproven diagnostic techniques. One silly technique she’s used is called “muscle testing” (aka applied kinesiology, Autonomic Response Testing, or ART), which is based on magical beliefs that have no basis in reality. Hadid also used a ZYTO machine.
