flesh-eating paste scam
- From: J <configuring@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 19:42:10 -0400
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8930644/
Doctor investigated in flesh-eating paste scam
Physician accused of helping man who sells concoction to cancer patients
Updated: 6:25 p.m. ET Aug. 12, 2005
ROCHELLE, Ga. - A doctor is accused of assisting an unlicensed
practitioner who allegedly treats cancer patients with a flesh-eating
herbal paste that leaves them with horrible disfigurements, including
mutilated breasts.
Georgia?s board of medical examiners has accused Dr. Lois March, an ear,
nose and throat specialist, of aiding and abetting Dan Raber?s practice
over the last three years by providing pain medication to patients who had
received the treatments. One patient?s flesh was eaten so badly from his
shoulder that the bone was exposed.
Raber is under investigation and could face a felony charge of practicing
medicine without a license. Raber, who has declined interview requests,
claims on his Web site to offer a paste made with bloodroot that dissolves
cancerous tissue, and when used in conjunction with his enzyme tablets,
can eliminate cancer from the body.
The medical board said seven patients had sought treatment from Raber for
breast cancer and that March knew or should have known that his use of the
paste ?mutilated their breasts and caused excruciating pain.?
?All I can tell you is I?m not guilty,? March said when reached by
telephone at her office. ?These are wild accusations that aren?t true.?
March can respond to the charges, but if her efforts fail she could lose
her license to practice medicine in Georgia.
Raber?s Web site advises those considering his treatments to arrange for
pain management through a licensed physician. ?This allows the doctor to
help the patient take care of his health the way he, the patient, sees
fit! Yet it allows the doctor to stay out of jail,? the site says.
The board contends Raber was practicing medicine without a license ? which
carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $1,000 fine. No
charges have been filed but prosecutors say they are reviewing the
allegations.
Raber claims his paste contains bloodroot, an extract from the root of a
flower that grows throughout the eastern United States and Canada. Juice
from the bloodroot plant is classified as an escharotic, a substance that
can kill human tissue.
Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council,
said bloodroot has been used for years by nontraditional healers to treat
skin cancers but he acknowledged ?the efficacy has been unproven from a
scientific point of view.?
Raber?s Web site includes disclaimers that note that the products lack
government approval but he could still run into problems with the FDA,
which has the authority to regulate herbal remedies that make claims about
treating or curing diseases.
.
- Follow-Ups:
- Re: flesh-eating paste scam
- From: J
- Re: flesh-eating paste scam
- Prev by Date: Re: toleration of chemotherapy
- Next by Date: Re: flesh-eating paste scam
- Previous by thread: 心 痛
- Next by thread: Re: flesh-eating paste scam
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
