To think this 'naturopath' should be prosecuted?

[HeroOfFerelden]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37572771

This guy sold parents looking for help 'medicine' that not only didn't work but actually hurt him, and could have killed him. People really shouldn't be allowed to do stuff like this, so many people think these so called alternative therapies are harmless or helpful but that's not always the case.

[takemetomars]

how do you think this could be stopped?
This industry is unregulated, difficult to stop it without changing numerous laws.
Watching. with interest to see how long it takes for the woo contingent to appear.

[mrsfuzzy]

personally it always treat the 'fringe' aspect of medicine warily, but i guess if someone really believes in that something will work what can you really do or say to them that it might be too good to be true ?

[Giratina]

Why should the naturopath be prosecuted rather than the parents that chose to give their child the "alternative medicine"?

[ErrolTheDragon]

What would happen to a proper medic or pharmacist who overdosed a patient?

[ErrolTheDragon]

The parents share some if the culpability (esp not mentioning the 'holistic' treatments for several days after the boys admission to A&E). But this 'practitioner' should at least have known the limits on vitamin D.

[Atenco]

I agree that this person, claiming to be something they are not, should be prosecuted.

There are always quacks who make money under the umbrella of other people's successes. A friend of mine was cured of Lupus by a naturopath many years ago, so I don't think naturopathy in itself is to blame.

[YelloDraw]

Parents should be prosecuted for being complete idiots

[pigsDOfly]

Amazing what and whom people will put their faith in.

Seems highly unlikely a quack who practices naturopathy would have successfully cured someone of Lupus Atenco given that there is no known cure.

If that were the case then this person would be highly regarded and famous as the only person able to find a cure for this debilitating disease.

[Salmotrutta]

I'm sure your friend believed that naturopathy "cured" their Lupus Atenco but I suspect it may be more likely that their symptoms coincidentally quietened down at the time.

There is no cure for Lupus.

There are a few evidence-based research studies that show some promise for herbal treatments (e.g. St Johns wort for some people with depression) but not many.

[ErrolTheDragon]

The problem with herbal medicines is that many of them are biologically active. So while some might be beneficial, others can have interactions, side-effects, dosage issues - the same safety issues as beset conventional medicines but without standardisation, regulation, testing. At least homeopathy is a harmless placebo (other than if its used as an 'alternative' rather than complementary therapy and therefore real treatment isnt sought).

[acasualobserver]

I would like to see people like this prosecuted under existing laws (fraud? administering a noxious substance?) rather than introducing more regulation and bureaucracy.

[LurkingHusband]

A friend of mine was cured of Lupus by a naturopath many years ago

No they weren't.

[Moreisnnogedag]

No she wasn't cured by a naturopath of lupus. Otherwise the pharmaceutical industry would be hammering down her door. Why the fuck do people think doctors wouldn't be interested in anything that helped alleviate someone's illness?? I couldn't give a shiney monkey if I had to administer a tincture of jasmine wearing a bear suit whilst doing the Hokey Cokey if there was evidence it cured a life-limiting disease like lupus. Note the important word there - evidence. Preferably backed by a multi-centre single blinded randomised trial comparing its effects against the waltz.

[KayTee87]

Parents should be prosecuted for being complete idiots

^ this

[LurkingHusband]

Parents should be prosecuted for being complete idiots

But where would we stop ?

[ferngarden]

The clue is in the name.

Naturopaths and other alternative healers by name and nature practise 'complementary' therapies. They are designed and provided to complement mainstream, evidence-based medicine.
There are obligations to be honest about the limitations of what they can offer, and other countries, have definitely ended up in court over questions about misrepresenting their services.

[LIZS]

Police are investigating, however I would suspect the outcome depends whether the actual remedies were prescribed or parents acted independently based on suggestions such as to use a vitamin d supplement but they chose the wrong one for a young child. Think of what Holland and Barrett pedal , unregulated and with limited training of their "advisors". Yet they portray themselves as an authoritative source. Equally how many people buy natural remedies over the Internet with no idea what is in each bottle, its origin , the conditions in which they are packed or the credentials of whoever's advice they may have taken for recommendation.

[Temporaryname137]

On top of all the other valid points made about this type of treatment is that this "naturopath" has preyed on the parents by promising a "cure" for autism. That alone should need investigating, in addition to whether what s/he prescribed here was inept and dangerous.

[MadAsABagOfCats]

My friend works in Pallative care. They had a very sad case , whereby a woman went the "natural" route instead of the medical route for her illness. By the time she sought medical advice again, she had stage 4 terminal Cancer and her young daughter was being left without her mother. Such a tragedy.
I know of another 'practitioner' he comes from a family of Doctors but he is not a Doctor or anyway medically qualified of Complimentary medicine, who travels to certain places and has led the locals to believe that, he is a Medical Practitioner and they call him Doctor after he gave them his title
It reminds me of a man, I heard on the radio a while ago, who had recently been discovered practicing in a Hospital as a Doctor, without a Medical License Admin had a backlog so hadn't followed up his paperwork before he got caught out. He said "I come from a family of Doctors, so why would I not call myself a "Doctor". He was still looking for medical work.

[acasualobserver]

Why have you crossed through so much of your post?

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

It baffles me why some people regard 'natural' as an indication that something is good for you. Arsenic is natural. Bacteria are natural. Venomous spiders are natural. None of these things are good for you.

[TheFreaksShallInheritTheEarth]

The woo contingent, someone said. I think that's about right.
I tend to lump naturopaths and other healers along with psychics and other woo practioners; not only for their ridiculous claims, but for their shameful exploitation of the desperate or vulnerable.
Surely only those panicking because conventional medicine was proving ineffective or working too slowly would even consider such nonsense, because, hey, anything's worth a try when things look bad?

[ErrolTheDragon]

In this sad case, vitamin D is as natural as it comes - hell, we can make it ourselves - and jolly good for you but not in excess.

[TotallyOuting]

Hmm yes, read this earlier.

I particularly liked the BBC's decision to use quotes from someone that made it possible to somehow blame this on doctors:

"This awful case shows we need more professionals in place to give families accurate advice and talk to them about what really helps and how to find the right support.
"It's crucial that doctors and healthcare professionals take the concerns of families seriously and are able to talk through the potential risks of alternative therapies, even when they might seem harmless."

[Atenco]

LurkingHusband and Moreisnnogedag

I find your comments extremely offensive, actually. I don't tend to make things up even on anonymous internet forums, but you don't know me, so granted you are suspicious, but you also don't know enough to say that I am lying.