Michael H. Cohen: Nutritional Practice – Legal Issues

Hello. I’m Michael H. Cohen. I’m an attorney in Beverly Hills, California. I’d like to say a few words about nutrition and the legal risks involved in giving nutritional advice.

If you’re a licensed professional, you want to check as to whether nutrition is within or not within your legally-authorized scope of practice. All clinicians other than medical doctors have what’s called a scope of practice, which is usually set forth in the statute, and it sets forth the legal boundaries of what the practice can be.

If you’re not a licensed practitioner, you have to be careful because some states have mandatory licensing for nutrition, which means that if you practice nutrition and you don’t have a license, you can get investigated by the board.