Henry G. Bieler - Famous Patients

Famous Patients

Bieler's reputation of success using diet to treat disease attracted numerous celebrity patients. Among these were Gloria Swanson, Jeanette MacDonald, Anthony Quinn, Greer Garson, Hedda Hopper, Greta Garbo and Lucille Ball. Hedda Hopper, whom he treated for exhaustion, is quoted on the back cover of Food is Your Best Medicine (1st edition) saying "I’ve known him for twenty-five years and if I’d always taken his advice, I’d never have had a sick day during all that time." While the successes were many, treatment of actress Allison Hayes was associated with a continued decline in health, later found to result from lead contamination in a bone meal supplement. This case was pivotal in prompting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate food supplements. Although Bieler treated many high profile patients, he shunned participation in celebrity culture, priding himself in treating all who came to him, regardless of social status and fame.