Sydney naturopath arrested after baby comes close to death on treatment plan
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Version 0 of 1. An eight-month-old baby boy came close to death after he was placed on a naturopathic treatment plan which left him suffering severe malnutrition and developmental problems, NSW police have said. On Thursday child abuse squad detectives arrested a naturopath, a 59-year-old woman from Leppington in south-west Sydney, alleging she ordered a treatment plan for the baby which resulted in serious harm. Police were told the boy’s mother had sought alternative health treatments for his eczema in April, and that she was allegedly told by the naturopath to cease all conventional medical and dermatological treatments for him. Naturopathy is an alternative practice based on the premise that diseases can be successfully treated or prevented without reliance on conventional medicine. Some therapies that fall under the naturopathy umbrella, such as iridology and homeopathy, have no evidence for their effectiveness. Other aspects of naturopathy, such as diet and exercise, have an evidence base. On 28 May, the baby was admitted to Westmead hospital, having lost almost one kilogram. He was close to death, police said in a statement. He was not released from hospital until 8 July. The naturopath, who was also a registered nurse and midwife, was taken to Narellan police station where she was charged with reckless grievous bodily harm and failure to provide for a child causing danger of death. She was granted conditional bail to appear at Fairfield local court on 27 July. The child’s mother is facing the same charges. She appeared in the same court last month. “Child abuse squad detectives are continuing their investigations into the naturopathy practice, particularly in relation to the treatment of children,” police said in a statement. “They are asking anyone who can assist them with information to come forward.” The child abuse squad is comprised of detectives who are specially trained to investigate crimes against children, including sexual assault, physical abuse and serious cases of neglect. An evidence-based medicine specialist with Bond University, Professor Chris Del Mar, said the naturopathic industry was almost “impossible” to regulate, given there were no restrictions on who could call themselves a naturopath. The most sure way to prevent harm from naturopathic practises was to question its practitioners and understand what constituted good evidence for the effectiveness of treatments, he said. “The only effective way to prevent this is to try and encourage people to be more health literate, and that means not just knowing about stuff, but knowing what to ask and how to evaluate the answers provided,” Del Mar, who is also a general practitioner, said. “Parents should ask all practitioners; how do you know this works, why are you treating that in this way?” He said the parents of a sick child seeing a naturopath might not realise illness was the effect of the treatment rather than a cause, and therefore might end up seeking further naturopathic treatment. “It can be hard for some parents to know what is cause and effect, so you can see how easy it would be to fall into the trap,” he said. “There are some simple questions people can ask to avoid this, and we all need to learn how to ask the right questions about medical treatment.” There has been ongoing debate in Australia as to whether naturopaths should have to be registered through the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Dr Brian Morton, chair of the Australian Medical Association’s council of general practice, said while forcing naturopaths to register with an agency might lead to greater accountability, it might also “send a message of acceptability or validity as a health profession, so that’s a problem”. “I think many of the disparate groups that call themselves naturopaths, on the whole, are not in possession of scientifically based qualifications,” Morton said.“I think even people who don’t believe in or follow the medical establishment should see a doctor and travel down the normal medical pathway as a first port of call. “There is also a conflict of interest for people who go to naturopaths and come out with handfuls of directly sold potions which the naturopaths profit from. But while doctors prescribe medicines, we don’t directly sell and dispense them.” |