The family of a woman who died after attending a slapping workshop and stopping her insulin has urged for greater regulation of alternative therapies. Danielle Carr-Gomm, 71, had type 1 diabetes and died in 2016 at a retreat in Wiltshire run by Hongchi Xiao. He was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter last Friday. Carr-Gomm’s son, Matthew, says he wished she had done more research on Xiao, who had been sentenced for a previous offence in Australia, where a young boy died. The Department of Health and Social Care has urged individuals seeking therapy treatments to use qualified practitioners who are on a professional register.
Xiao practiced “paida lajin” – a therapy in which people slap themselves or others to remove toxins from their body. While she suffered from diabetes, Carr-Gomm was always looking for different ways to manage the condition. She began fasting at the workshop and announced on the first day that she had stopped taking her insulin, which Xiao “congratulated her on”. By the third day, Carr-Gomm was seriously unwell, and by the fourth day, she died of diabetic ketoacidosis. Her son said she was “risk-averse” and “naive” and he wished she had done more internet-based research before attending the workshop.
The case has highlighted the need for greater regulation of the complementary and alternative medicine sector. In the UK, apart from chiropractic, anyone can practice complementary medicine legally, whether or not they have formal qualifications or experience. A doctor and associate professor of diabetes at the University of Exeter, Rob Andrews, believes NHS waiting lists may be prompting more people to seek alternative treatments. He says monitoring the sector would be a significant undertaking, considering the number of individuals claiming to be doctors or experts in areas they are not.
While many complementary medicine practices have benefits, following on from Carr-Gomm’s death and other high-profile cases, individuals are becoming more aware of the risks. Another woman, Irena Stoynova, undertook a raw food diet and juicing for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which left her dangerously ill and requiring chemotherapy. Stoynova and Carr-Gomm’s family are not against alternative medicine but urge others to be careful
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