Parents refuse chemotherapy for alternative medicine for 11 year old leukemia patient

[FramingDragon]

Can't decide who is worse, the parents foolish enough to fall for this man and kill their children or the man himself exploiting families in such fear.

UPDATE: The first girl Makayla Sault is not expected to survive, she is in critical condition after a severe infection

A First Nations mother is defending her decision to remove her child from chemotherapy treatment. Her daughter underwent chemo for 10 days at McMaster Childrens Hospital in Hamilton before the family decided to discontinue treatment because it conflicts with their beliefs.

In a letter to CBC News, the mother wrote, I will not have my daughter treated with poison. She has to become a healthy mother and a grandmother. I have chosen treatment that will not compromise her well-being and quality of life.

Lawyers from the McMaster Childrens Hospital in Hamilton have gone to court in an attempt to force the Brant Children's Aid Society to intervene and return her to chemotherapy treatment.

In a similar case earlier this year, the Children's Aid Society decided not to intervene when 11-year-old Makayla Sault left chemotherapy treatment at McMaster to pursue traditional indigenous medicine. Her case was never sent to court.

In this case, Judge Gethin Edward has imposed a publication ban on anything that would identify the girl or family involved in the case. The court proceedings resumed today and are are expected to continue tomorrow.

The mother dismissed the court proceedings.

As a member of the Six Nations Confederacy I will not have my decisions of health care for my child debated and judged in the Canadian judicial system. The Canadian judicial system does not have the authority to determine our law or practices, which predates the existence of Canada, valid or otherwise.

She also says that before McMaster went to court, the Children's Aid Society decided not to intervene and force her daughter back into treatment.

They investigated and reported they didn't have a protection issue with my decision as I had a comprehensive health-care plan. We would not make a choice that would compromise her health or life. There is enough case evidence behind Onkwehonwe medicine and the practices at [the Hippocrates Health Institute​] that we know we have made the right choice.

Dr. Peter Fitzgerald, president of McMaster Children's Hospital, does not agree.

"This child has a life-threatening illness [and] without standard treatment will not survive, so our sole focus is trying to bring this child into treatment so we have an opportunity to provide her with a long healthy life."

The family left McMaster to seek treatment at the Hippocrates Health Institute, a centre that focuses on nutrition and naturopathic therapy in Florida.

I decided to treat her cancer with our traditional medicines from our ancient indigenous knowledge coupled with the practices of nutrition as medicine, plant-based supplements along with other therapies, her mother wrote.

The release also contained a letter from the child describing her experience during chemotherapy.

She wrote, I don't want medicine they were giving me in the hospital. It made me really really sick. [it] hurt my belly for lots of days and my hair fell out. I know now that all those things happened to me because poison was being put in my body. Me and my mom cried a lot.

The case is similar to another First Nations girl who refused chemotherapy while being treated at McMaster earlier this year. In May, 11-year-old Makayla Sault left treatment at McMaster Childrens Hospital to pursue traditional indigenous medicine.

Sault's story made national headlines and after an investigation, CAS decided not to intervene and her case never went to court.

Some more information on the "doctor":

A Florida health resort licensed as a massage establishment is treating a young Ontario First Nations girl with leukemia using cold laser therapy, Vitamin C injections and a strict raw food diet, among other therapies.

The mother of the 11-year-old girl, who can not be identified because of a publication ban, says the resorts director, Brian Clement, who goes by the title Dr., told her leukemia is not difficult to treat.

Another First Nations girl, Makayla Sault, was also treated at Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach and is now critically ill after a relapse of her leukemia.

The resort has declined CBCs request for an interview with Clement, who is described as a naturopathic doctor on the resorts website.

But the Florida state health authority has said Clement is not a licensed doctor or naturopath, and inquiries regarding the institutions where he is described in online biographies as having earned degrees have raised questions about their credibility.

The 11-year-old girl was receiving chemotherapy at McMasterChildrens Hospital in Hamilton. Doctors gave her a 90 to 95 per cent chance of survival with chemotherapy. But her mother says she wanted to pursue a combination of traditional indigenous medicine and alternative therapies because she believes chemotherapy is poison.

The names of the mother and daughter are protected by a publication ban imposed by an Ontario Superior Court judge who will rule on Friday if the girl is a child in need of protection.

He could rule that the Brant Childrens Aid Society should take her into custody, potentially forcing her back into chemotherapy.

The family of Makayla Sault, who is the same age, has the same type of leukemia and lives in a nearby First Nation made a similar decision to leave chemotherapy earlier this year.

Both families travelled to West Palm Beach and paid more than $18,000 each for Clements Life Transformation Program at the Hippocrates Health Institute (HHI).

Makayla relapsed after returning from HHI. She was hospitalized last week and is said to be critically ill.

The other girl has also returned home, but her mother says HHI is continuing to provide care by analyzing blood test results sent by mail.

CBC News is looking into the claims and credentials of Clement.

Hes been giving lectures in and around both girls communities in recent months, including one event attended by Makaylas family this past May.

In a video obtained by CBC News, Clement says his institute teaches people to heal themselves from cancer by eating raw, organic vegetables and having a positive attitude.

We've had more people reverse cancer than any institute in the history of health care, he says.

So when McGill fails or Toronto hospital fails, they come to us. Stage four (cancer), and they reverse it.

The mother of the girl whose identity is protected says she knew as soon as her daughter was diagnosed that she wanted to seek treatment at Hippocrates, a clinic she was familiar with through a relative, but didnt have the money to go.

After securing financial support from family, she called Clement from the hospital waiting room on the 10th day of her daughters chemotherapy.

He had the tone of voice where he was so confident, she says.

By him saying, Oh yes no problem we can help her, that's the day I stopped the chemo.

A list of Comprehensive Cancer Wellness treatments on HHIs website includes: Aqua Chi IonicFootbath, BioEnergyField Intervention and The Power of The Mind in Getting Well Program.

An online biography for Clement reads: A Naturopathic Doctor and a licensed Nutritionist, Dr. Clement is a graduate of the University of Science, Arts, and Technology where he earned his Ph.D. and N.M.D.

A different biography, posted on a site run by Clement, says his post-graduate degree came from Lady Malina Memorial Medical College.

According to the Florida State Health Authority, Hippocrates Health Institute is a licensed massage establishment. It says Brian Clement is not a licensed doctor or naturopath.

Hippocrates Health Institute did not respond to questions from CBC News seeking clarification about where and when Clement attended university.

In the May video, Clement told an audience that he went back to school to earn his PhD 15 years ago, despite being at odds with conventional medical teaching.

When I went back and got that education I had to actually lie on half the tests because I would have failed if I applied what I knew from all the work I did decades before that, he says.

Further inquiries about the University of Science, Arts and Technology (USAT) and the Lady Melina Memorial College raise questions about their credibility.

Those are diploma mills, says George Gollin, a professor at University of Illinois who has investigated these and other medical schools which dont require their customers to do any meaningful academic work.

Its horrible, Gollin says. I could have printed him a degree on a laser printer and it would be just as indicative of training and skills. What I think is terrible is that he`s using this, as I understand it, to treat patients who are desperately sick children.

USAT is on the Caribbean island of Montserrat and says on its website it has satellite campuses or offices in Colorado, Florida and Kentucky. In the past, it has claimed to also offer classes in London, U.K.

In a recent promotional video, USAT president Orien Tulp says that his students graduate faster and score better than those in conventional medical schools because we coach them through the exams, we guide them through the exams in a very targeted system that they can not fail.

CBC News contacted some of the organizations USAT says have given it accreditation.

We have found that USAT is not a legally recognized degree-granting institution of higher education approved by the Ministry of Education of Montserrat, says the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)

Steve Slade, director of the Canadian Post M.D. Education Registry (CAPER), says nothing is correct about the claims linking it to USAT.

CAPER has nothing to do with accreditation We will send a message requesting that this incorrect information be removed, Slade wrote in an email.

Sources in Montserrat confirm that regional accreditation authorities are also wary of USATs operations and have refused it admission.

USAT has not provided sufficient evidence to indicate teaching activities were actually taking place, wrote an official with the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine following a visit to the oceanside campus in 2012.

When contacted by CBC News, USAT owner Tulp said that all those who criticize his university are lying to the CBC. He refused to give an address for his campus, or the names and contact info of his professors. He said he has 1,000 students, and that USAT is one of only two legitimate universities in the Caribbean and one of the top 100 medical schools in the world.

As for Clement, he remembers him and he did not receive a NMD from his university. But he believes he was probably Clements professor in nutrition.

I never created a fraudulent degree in my life, and I never will, Tulp told CBC News. Brian Clement he is not a naturopathic doctor from USAT. I can guarantee that. He shouldnt be making false claims for one. If he is, Ill withdraw his degree.

Hippocrates Health Institute declined CBCs request for an interview with Clement.

[LordCanuck]

why should I care?

[CanadianLoonie]

High-THC cannabis oil...

[Captain Aerosex]

The parents are just stupid. The man in question is a dirtbag of a low, low order.

[Guest]

How is this man even allowed to pedal such BS?

[drummer4now]

why should I care?

Then why post in the freaking thread?

[Denguin]

Reminds me of the idiots who try to sell "miracle water", and claim it cures every illness known to man.


It's unfortunate that the parents' ignorance is going to affect the prognosis of an 11-year old who doesn't know any better. Chemotherapy is nasty, yes, but it's one of the best practices for certain types of cancer. I couldn't care less if the parents did this to themselves. Might be better that way... we'd have two less nutcases on the planet.

[JohnLocke]

Terrible. I remember in my med school interviews there was a scenario where I had to confront a patient who prefers naturopathic medicine. It was so hard to not call them an idiot. Also, N.M.D? lol that's not a real doctor. That also isn't protected in some of the provinces/states. So technically anyone can call themselves that anyway.

[WilliesStache14]

[2SKATES1STICK]

Terrible. I remember in my med school interviews there was a scenario where I had to confront a patient who prefers naturopathic medicine. It was so hard to not call them an idiot.

[Aladeen]

i think you should seriously consider changing the title of this thread. He can call himself whatever he wants but D.N.M stands for doctor of Natural medicine. Here in British Columbia at least Naturopathic Medicine is governed by BCNA and is regulated and listed in the health professions act and is given the title of N.D. Or Naturopathic Doctor

The difference? Anyone can become a D.N.M. I believe everyone on here could apply and become one if you pay the money and this is not "Naturopathic Medicine"

An N.D. Must go through training closely equivelent to an M.D.

If you care to look at the differences between an N.D. And D.N.M. I encourage you to look at the governing body of Naturopathic Doctors website www.BCNA.ca

A legitimate naturopathic doctor would NEVER tell his or her patients to refuse any treatment recommended by their primary medical physician, and I believe in order to be part of the association a legal document must be signed declaring so much.

Also in British Columbia some Naturopathic doctors are able to prescribe prescription drugs and medical labratory tests.

[Aladeen]

also I believe this part of the article is worth highlighting

But the Florida state health authority has said Clement is not a licensed doctor or naturopath

So i dont know what you would call what the Charlatan in the article was doing but it was NOT Naturopathic Medicine

[riffraff]

Terrible. I remember in my med school interviews there was a scenario where I had to confront a patient who prefers naturopathic medicine. It was so hard to not call them an idiot. Also, N.M.D? lol that's not a real doctor. That also isn't protected in some of the provinces/states. So technically anyone can call themselves that anyway.

im resisting the impulse to call you an idiot.

[THERETOOL]

why should I care?

get lost ..

[-DLC-]

So sad that children have parents who are so misguided that they put their kids' lives at stake like this. God, just awful.

Sure, use "other" treatments as supplementary to or after having tried conventional methods. But it's sad to know these kids could die because their parents are misinformed.

[Ghostsof1915]

Do you know what they call naturopathic medicine that's proven to work?

Medicine.

There's this wonderful stuff from the bark of a willow tree that contains acetylsalicylic acid. Know what the stuff is?

Aspirin.

Leave the snake oil salesmen on the side of the road.

[BanTSN]

Aspirin, btw, is anticarcinogenic.

[RRypien37]

I can't believe some of the comments in this thread.

Did you bump your head and wake up in the 50's?

Chemo does so much damage to your body and the industry is worth billions.

You are criticizing someone who CLEARLY wants best for their own child and has chosen an new, modern and possibly more effective way, while making the child's time more bearable.

Unbelievable. I bet some of these comments are the same people who believe GMO's are safe just because the USDA/FDA has proclaimed them to be and have nothing to do with the sky rocketing cancer rates.

Edit: Just saw Doc's gave her 90-95% chance to live, that changes things.

But overall, this story asides, my opinion remains the same in general terms.

[JohnLocke]

im resisting the impulse to call you an idiot.

Whys that? Obviously it wasn't a real person. It was a scenario much like this one printed on a sheet of paper and we had to respond to it.

[JohnLocke]

I can't believe some of the comments in this thread.

Did you bump your head and wake up in the 50's?

Chemo does so much damage to your body and the industry is worth billions.

You are criticizing someone who CLEARLY wants best for their own child and has chosen an new, modern and possibly more effective way, while making the child's time more bearable.

Unbelievable. I bet some of these comments are the same people who believe GMO's are safe just because the USDA/FDA has proclaimed them to be and have nothing to do with the sky rocketing cancer rates.

Riiiight she wants the best for her child? Then she should do chemo unless what she wants to risk her child dying.

Also lol at the fact that you state naturopath medicine is more effective.

You sound like someone who's also against vaccines. Tell me more plz