Manganiello credits a Santa Monica shaman with helping him through a serious illness, but available accounts do not establish that the shaman caused his reported improvement. The actor later underwent reconstructive surgery on his digestive tract and is reportedly now symptom-free and off medication, according to The Independent. His memoir, Bloodlines, is due Oct. 13, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The personal toll
Manganiello has said his illness strained his seven-year marriage to Sofía Vergara and that he gave away his gun because he feared he might act on suicidal impulses. The Los Angeles Times describes these details as part of his account of the illness and its effects; they do not establish the cause of the couple’s separation.
Finding crisis support in West Los Angeles
For local support information, the 988 Lifeline directory lists Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services’ Suicide Prevention Center in Century City.
An illness without a formal diagnosis
Manganiello has said he never received a formal diagnosis. His reported symptoms included fevers, rashes, headaches, fatigue and bleeding from ulcers in his digestive tract, according to USA Today and the Los Angeles Times. In 2016, an emergency operation removed part of his intestines; he went home 60 pounds lighter and with a colostomy bag, the Times reported.
Doctors tried medications commonly used for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, but Manganiello said they did not help, according to the Los Angeles Times. He also sought alternative treatment, including a ritual in Cuba involving a goat’s pituitary gland. The Times reported that he later consulted a Santa Monica shaman, who attributed his ailments to generational trauma. That is the shaman’s explanation as relayed in Manganiello’s account, not an established medical explanation.
What the account can—and cannot—show
General information from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences notes that some uncommon autoimmune diseases are difficult to diagnose and that many autoimmune diseases have no cure, while some require ongoing treatment. That context does not identify Manganiello’s condition or establish what led to his reported improvement.
