Look again: Naturopath to be reinvestigated in death of mentally ill patient who got vitamin infusions

A British Columbia naturopath who gave intravenous vitamin infusions to a mentally ill man who later died of pulmonary embolism should be re-investigated for her possible role in the patient’s death, according to the province’s Health Professions Review Board. Acting on a complaint filed by the patient’s mother, the board ordered the College of Naturopathic Physicians of B.C. to reconsider its decision in the case, which it investigated and dismissed in a Feb. 2 letter that said the treatment was safe and that the naturopath acted appropriately, according to a CBC News story. The board, however, found the investigation inadequate and its conclusions unreasonable. Of particular note, according to the board, was the college’s failure to speak with the patient’s psychiatrist, who had called the naturopath after learning about the IV treatments and asked her to stop providing them. "There was ample evidence to support the prospect that there was a medical concern about these treatments," HPRB panel chair Douglas Cochran wrote in the decision. "The complainant states that the patient's day-pass privileges were cut off when his treatment team learned that he was being treated by the registrant. That should have led to further investigation to determine what concerns the hospital treatment team had." The board also noted in its written decision that the naturopath did not keep proper treatment notes for this patient, and that some notes were made after the patient died. The patient, who had been hospitalized involuntarily for mental illness, received IV treatments from the naturopath three times over five weeks in the summer of 2019, while he was out on day passes. He died about five months after getting his last infusion. Read: Dr. Julie Connolly: Medical DisCare "For any (naturopathic doctor) to inject IV solution into a mentally ill person who is an involuntary patient in a psych ward is reprehensible," the mother wrote in submissions to the college. "To do it three times without prior communication with hospital authorities of her intent is morally wrong." Dr. James Douketis, a professor of medicine at Ontario's McMaster University and a physician who specializes in thrombosis, said that while the efficacy of these treatments is questionable, it would be unusual for a vitamin infusion to cause a fatal thrombosis, especially months after it’s administered. He also noted that, according to the review board decision, the patient had a history of deep vein thrombosis, which had already put him at risk of blood clots. "In Canada, there's hundreds of thousands of people that have blood clots and the majority of them happen without any provocation, so, just kind of out of the blue," he said. Administered by B.C. naturopaths at a cost of between $100 and $300 per treatment, IV vitamin infusions are marketed as hangover cure or an immune system boost, with putative benefits that include increased energy, better sleep and improved circulation. But there’s no evidence of these benefits, said Bernie Garrett, an associate director and professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Nursing who studies deceptive health practice. He called IV vitamin infusions a scam and said it was “appalling” that such a treatment was administered to a patient whose mental illness was severe enough to result in hospitalization, and without consultation with his other healthcare providers. "Anyone with a mental health issue that's asking for specific therapies that are not warranted under provisions within the normal health services needs to be looked at very carefully," Garrett said. He added that he would like to see the naturopath lose her licence. "Secondly, I'd also like to see regulations to stop naturopaths administering IVs, period," he added. "There's no reason why they should be giving them. It's purely a commercial business … and it's putting the public at risk." Carina Herman, the registrar for the College of Naturopathic Physicians of B.C., said in an email to CBC News that naturopaths who offer IV therapy are required to have special certification. She also wrote that HPRB's decision "indicates that the system is working as it should by providing checks and balances, allowing decisions to be made fairly and in the public interest." Read: Three nutrition trends to stay away from

Look again: Naturopath to be reinvestigated in death of mentally ill patient who got vitamin infusions

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics