Are you outsourcing health to Chat GPT?

A new phenomenon is sweeping around the health and wellness world. People and practitioners are outsourcing health to Chat GPT, AI, or other computer programs, for advice.

The beauty of those computer generated programs is that they are very quick and efficient. They can pull data from everywhere on the web to give you the support you need.

But, does it truly work?

Here’s a fun example.

My husband caught a cold and sore throat, and was feeling really run down.

He lives with a health coach and herbalist (both of those being me), so naturally, I told him to start taking strong ginger-slurry tea (ginger, lemon, cayenne, honey) immediately, and have it all day (4-5 cups).

It brings strong heat and circulation into the digestive system (where over 70% of immunity lives) and helps to kill virus and rogue bacteria pretty quickly.

I’ve seen that ginger slurry tea work wonders for people to help them nip a cold, flu, or virus in the bud to stop it from blooming.

And, more importantly, I recommended that he fast while battling the infection.

So, what did my hubby do?

He checked in with his new best friend, Chat GPT, to get health advice.

Chat gave him the below herbal protocol for his cold/hoarse voice/sore throat:

Category: Throat pain & irritation / vocal cords

• Primary: Marshmallow root – as cold infusion or tea, sipped often to coat throat.
• Slippery elm (lozenges or gruel)
• Licorice root (short term, assuming no BP issues)
• Optional support: Sage + salt gargle, honey in warm water/tea

Category: Thick green/brown phlegm (chest + post-nasal)

• Primary: Mullein leaf – tea or tincture for expectoration and lung support.
• Elecampane root – for deeper bronchial mucus and possible infection.
• Thyme – tea or tincture for antimicrobial + expectorant effect.

Category: General immune / antiviral support

• Primary: Elderberry (syrup or tincture) – short-term while acute.
• Echinacea (short-term, 5–7 days max)
• Garlic (food or caps)

Category: Warming / circulation & sinus drainage

• Primary: Ginger – tea or added to blends, especially before bed.
• Cayenne (small amounts)
• Cinnamon combined with ginger/honey

Simple Daily structure (adjust as you see fit):

• Morning: mullein (or elecampane/thyme) + marshmallow/slippery elm + elderberry.
• Midday (work/voice): licorice or marshmallow-based tea; avoid over-talking.
• Evening: thyme + mullein/elecampane again, plus demulcent (marshmallow/slippery elm) and ginger.
• All day: warm fluids, as much as possible; avoid whispering and forceful talking.

I looked at the recommendations with my professional eye, and thought it was very good. It was thorough and covered a LOT of bases.

There were a few things I would not offer someone that was actively infected with green or yellow mucus – one of them being Echinacea. I cover that here: Everyone is Getting Sick – Do You Know What to Do?

The overall “Simple daily structure” Chat offered seemed like a lot of work, and too complicated for someone to implement when they are sick.

When given too many separate things to do at one time, most people often won’t do any of them.

But, most importantly, Chat’s protocol did not emphasize fasting.

From both personal and professional experience, when someone is sick with an active infection, I recommend that they fast.

Why?

• Digestion requires energy.
• Healing requires energy.

When you are sick and fighting something, don’t waste vital energy on digestion.

If you can, fast for the first 24-48 hours at the beginning of an illness (eating/drinking only broth and herbal tea), this gives your body the best chance to put all of your energy toward healing and knock it out very quickly.

So, my hubby tried the best he could with Chat’s recommendations – but he couldn’t do all of it, AND he didn’t fast.

Within one day, the illness descended deeper into his lungs, and he developed a fever and headache that wouldn’t budge. It was clear this was more like a flu (without the body aches) than a regular cold.

This is where I pulled out the big guns. I said, “okay, take these three herbs for 72 hours, 3x daily.”

• Calendula – for lymphatic support and bronchial support
• Andrographis – a natural antibiotic used for centuries to treat influenza, pneumonia, fevers, and malaria.
• Cryptolepis – traditionally used for stomach and intestinal disorders, fever, parasites, and immune support

A couple of weeks prior to my hubby getting sick, I remembered him complaining about some odd bowel movements. So, my Spidey senses kicked in, and I wanted to make sure we cleaned his gut of any little rogue bugs that had overgrown, or weren’t supposed to be there – while we treated his now flu-like symptoms.

When I brought the herbs to my hubby’s bedside, he said… “Wait, let me ask Chat what it thinks.”

Chat advised that he should “NOT” take all three of those herbs at the same time. Chat said they were too strong.

I told Pablo, “Yes, Chat is correct… they may be too strong. Especially, if you are a big baby afraid to take some herbs.”

He decided to take all three herbs.

The following day he woke up feeling great! So, great in fact, that he stopped taking the 3-herb blend I recommended, and reduced it to just the one herb that Chat suggested.

Within 24 hours, Pablo regressed again, and the infection came back stronger.

So, we included the 3-herb blend again, and Pablo was finally able to kick the infection.

Having Chat GPT and other AI models at your fingertips to dish out health advice is great, but they lack boots-on-the-ground experience. Those programs live inside a computer system, not inside a flesh and blood human body system… at least not yet.

Chat is excellent at pulling data from the web. But, we cannot experience health and wellness using data alone. There is nuance to healing that the computer models simply don’t understand.

Using Chat GPT or other AI models for your health is akin to working with a medical doctor that is in med school: they have NO real world experience –  just data and cadaver work (dead bodies).

Plus, it’s important to keep in mind that those AI programs are all pulling data from the web, and most of that data is negatively biased when it comes to herbal and/or natural remedies.

But, the main thing to consider is that real experts don’t just rely on “data” to help people heal. They also use intuition, gut feelings, and real-world experiences to shape their formulations.

You can’t get that kind of experience living inside a computer. You can only get it from experiencing life inside a living, breathing, human body.

If you are a health coach or wellness practitioner and want to increase your healing knowledge and real-world skills, so you don’t lose your job to AI programming, consider taking my New Healers Master Coaching Program.

It’s a system that was created using ancient healing knowledge to help you understand the body on a deeper level, plus you get hands on experience practicing what you learn on living breathing humans.

If you want a sneak peak, download my Organ and Meridian Assessment Guide.