The Health Institute With Dr. Josh AxeReviews of thehealthinstitute.com

My husband and I already trust Dr. Josh Axe’s information and use a number of Ancient Nutrition supplements. $27 for an initial consultation about cellular health is not a lot, but for the extended time I was given (husband sat in) of 1 hour 45 min, there was very limited value. The consultation marketing overpromised and under delivered. The senior health analysts were nice but it was a young woman who brought in her father, a cancer survivor. I also had a mild cancer dx in 2016 & pursued healing prayers and an integrative path of healing. I spent 1.5 hours writing and answering the questionnaires in detail hoping that I would get some helpful feedback within the promised 60 min even if I did not pursue the program. I was disappointed that I was asked several times to clarify and repeat what my top concerns were when I had been very clear. It took my husband and I finally pressing and asking politely about the commitment financially and time wise for the program that our long call came to a close. The commitment is 6 months and $9000. I know the program is not a good fit for me & my wanting to optimize my health did not justify such a commitment. While the senior health analysts were very nice and polite, I did feel my time was wasted and it did, for me, hurt Dr. Josh Axe’s brand. We’ll still seek information from Dr. Josh Axe and team, buy books, listen to youtubes & continue subscription to supplements, but will be wary of any other programs or blood tests. The nuggets of things I learned: 1. When they look at blood markers and tests they shoot for optimal numbers not acceptable ranges and my HbA1C was not optimal 2. We should be getting most of our nutrients from food not supplements (but ironically the program includes supplements!) 3. Diagrams of cellular health & its mechanisms I would suggest please: 1. not extending these calls unless you really are answering questions 2. Listen to the prospective client/patient better. I kept repeating myself and kept being met by a repeated spiel of generic info with no customization 3. Please even make the initial consult of value even if people don’t pursue the program 4. For example, If someone’s HbA1C isn’t ideal how does the program get one there and any general recs for people’s health issues after all it was promised to be a helpful consultation (& not just a sales pitch). 5. Be upfront earlier without patients not having to ask like we did about program financial commitment and time commitment 6. My husband is a chemist and scientist and he really wanted to know what parameters were measured and if program effectiveness was measured more than subjectively eg people expressed satisfaction & feeling better.. We did get some answers to this and objective health measures are used. We do appreciate time of senior health analysts and their efforts but found in the end, it was not a consultation that served or helped me but was for the purpose of marketing of the Health Institute program. That did not feel good as people who already know Dr Axe’s and his mother’s healing stories and trust his brand and subscribe to supplements and products.

Had I known what this program was really about, I would not have signed up. First, it is more of a marketing pitch to have you buy supplements. Sure, they give you a blood test at the beginning, but the test is more like bait to get you to buy the $8K+ program and be a lifelong subscriber to their expensive supplements. One of the supplements recommended by the health coach even caused me to have dizzy spells - dangerous! Second, the info provided in the program is generic and not evidence-based. They do not recommend that you take a blood test after the program to see if your numbers have improved. Instead, success from the program is based on how you “feel.” I need facts, not feelings. Third, the doctors who run the program - Dr. Axe and Dr. Cole - are not medical doctors (MDs). Instead, they are chiropractors. There should have been disclosures about their credentials (particularly since the general public assumes the term “doctor” refers to an MD, not a chiro). There should have also been disclosures about their financial interests in the supplements sold. Finally, while some good health information was provided in the program, it was not individually tailored and it seems everyone in the program received the same supplements regardless of sex, gender, age, or health condition.

They advertised a Health Cellular Assessment for $27 and it was too good to be true. Afterwards, no blood work or analysis was included in that price as advertised. It was a "consultation" for your health with no scientific assessing tools, such as bloodwork. The blood work assessment is an upgraded purchase that I did not find out about until AFTER I purchased the advertised bloodwork for $27.

Dr. Axe has lost all credibility! I joined his Health Institute Concierge Program to address issues that his blood testing protocol showed. Don’t get his blood test and consult with a salesperson. It cost $7917.00. I have records that I got a 10% discount off that price. The discount was a lie. I was charged full price and $3294.70 in hidden charges to my total embarrassment and shock! A 46% increase in cost over a year. I was told it was an interest free payment program. It may be technically not “interest”, but far worse than being charged interest and a highly deceptive practice. Dr. Axe is a sneaky, greedy charlatan. I never agreed to this and would have never agreed to it. His team is well meaning and I don’t think they know they are being manipulated by his slick system.. Don't get sucked in. Don’t buy his blood test. This is how he hooks you. I have used some of his products for close to 10 years. Never again. He is a total money scammer under what looks like and I thought was a trusted practitioner, health coach and Christian. Don't be deceived and make the same mistake. So disappointing. The Concierge Program, Cellular Health Regeneration, did not yield any major improvements after 4-6 months. I am not saying it won’t help you to some degree. The program is super expensive even without the scam charges. Don't waste your money. Go see a functional health practitioner in person.

I ordered the bloodwork and paid money for it only to get a sales pitch at the end for over $8000 for them to send you vitamins and give you counseling on eating and detox I guess. But here’s the kicker, after this process of 4 to 6 months there is no blood test done afterwards unless you order to see how it worked. How do they know if the counseling and supplements made any difference at all? I like Dr. Axe and listen to his podcast and got his new book “Heal Your Cells”. I believe in the concept and know he is a strong Believer but the bloodwork is catalyst to sell you this $8,000 program. I am Very Disappointed!!! One other thing. I thought I was signing up for the bloodwork for a deal of $29.00. It turned out to be just a conference. Well we had nothing to talk about so I ordered the bloodwork. Which comes with the conference and they did reimburse me for that after I emailed them.

Update again: They don’t admit it below, but the incorrect number was printed and now the correct number is posted. That part isn’t a scam apparently, but they would have looked better had they just admitted it was a typo. I haven’t checked if it’s legit tho. So update:: I called the number and it makes the scam even greater. Its an AI bot that sells direct tv and other things. There is no way to get to the extension. There is no connection to THI. Makes the Christian connection even worse. I double down on my original review and would like to give negative stars if possible. This company is HORRIBLE. Hmmm. WWJD? Expensive Lesson: NOT an Advanced or Individualized Program ($8,400 Mistake) I deeply regret enrolling in The Health Institute’s (THI) Cellular Health program, for which I paid $8,400. I am sharing this to warn consumers—especially those who already have a strong foundation in nutrition—to look past the high price tag and celebrity doctor associations (Dr. Will Cole and Dr. Josh Axe) before committing. The Consultation: My introduction began with a $27 blood test. The follow-up call to "review results" turned out to be a high-pressure sales presentation. I explicitly told the salesperson that I already had extensive lab data from Function Health and wanted sophisticated, data-driven optimization, not basic wellness principles. She assured me I was a "perfect fit" and promised an individualized approach. The Reality: While my coach was pleasant, the program itself was incredibly foundational. THI does not provide follow-up blood testing. When I repeatedly asked how we were objectively measuring whether interventions worked, the framework relied entirely on subjective questions like, "What were your wins?" and "How do you feel?" The staff could not provide deep, clinical explanations for their supplement recommendations. The Refund Denial: Recognizing the program fell completely short of the promised personalization, I requested a substantial partial refund (accounting for the supplements and coaching I did use). THI flatly denied it, hiding behind their contract. Advice: Before buying, ask exactly how your external lab data will be clinically integrated and what objective follow-up testing is included. Do not assume a massive price tag equals advanced healthcare guidance. I learned this at a cost of $8,400.

Update: The Health Institute response provided phone number for some free medical device offer with AI agent and could not speak to anyone as requested. So I hold to the following review: Had my one hour appointment to discuss lab results. Told the advisor that I had another appointment in an hour and they said they needed an hour and 20 or so minutes. So they cut my analysis review down and did not cover all the results as they proceeded to pressure sale to sign up for their program at $8 thousand plus dollars and wasted the last 20 minutes of my hour on this. Would have been nice to have the real review of my labs. But pressure sale to sign up for their program is focus of the appointment time. Not very genuine to say the least. I later gave survey result back to them and they ignored this as well. Seems like a get rich scheme for Doctor Axe??

My initial assessment was scheduled for September 13 at noon. That is a Sunday. I went on my zoom call at 11:58. I stayed on the zoom call until 1220. No one ever showed up! I sent at least four emails asking for my $27 back they never even replied to my emails I have since asked my bank to refund the money. I think this is irresponsible especially because I am a person in need and they presented themselves as knowledgeable and helpful, but they are neither!! I would say this company pretty much sucks. If I could give it zero stars and still write a review, I would.