Naturopath "disciplined..." (yeah right)

[Archae]

Naturopathic “cancer specialist" disciplined

In 2016, Washington's Board of Naturopathy suspended the naturopathy license of Lucinda Messer, N.D., for at least five years. The board's action was based on its conclusion that she had "failed to meet the standard of care, resulting in harm or unreasonable risk of harm" to two patients with advanced colon cancer. (The patients are identified in the board's public records as "Patient A" and "Patient B.&quot At that time, Messer operated a clinic called Pacific Health Restoration Center and a residential "retreat" called The Goddess Sanctuary, both located in Kirkland, Washington. In 2011 and 2012, her Web site described her as specializing in "integrative oncology" and claimed that she was "able to help all cancer patients with alternative medicines." The methods she offered included Gerson therapy, laetrile, mistletoe injections, thymus extracts, and intravenous vitamin C and hydrogen peroxide, none of which has been proven to benefit cancer patients. As noted below, the board's investigation concluded:

Messer offered, facilitated and rendered diagnostic and therapeutic interventions with unproven and/or disproven claimed beneficial effects and failed to obtain adequate informed consent.
Messer falsely represented in advertising that she was able to treat cancer.
Naturopaths who treat cancer patients are required to consult with or co-manage their care with a medical or osteopathic doctor. However, Messer failed to do this.
Messer told a board investigator who posed as a cancer patient: "You know, we can't say we treat cancer, but that's silly because we do. I have extensive training in integrative oncology and treat cancer patients all the time."
Messer self-reported that she had issued prescriptions for drugs that were beyond her scope of practice.
When Patient A examined her billing records, she found that she had been charged for services that had not been rendered.
Messer doctored Patient B's records in an attempt to protect herself from possible repercussions from the patient's death one month after starting treatment with Messer.

In 2016, a malpractice suit was filed against Messer and her clinic by the woman identified as Patient A and the wife of the man identified as Patient B.

http://www.casewatch.org/board/nat/messer/order_2016.shtml

http://www.casewatch.org/board/nat/messer/about_2012.pdf

http://www.casewatch.org/civil/messer/complaint.pdf

[AuntPatsy]

1. N/W

[HuckleB]

2. K & R.

[Major Nikon]

3. Pretty sad when a board of quacks calls you out for quackery

[bhikkhu]

4. Yup

this comes to mind: