Quacks Who Kill
In an extraordinary series, "Miracle Machines: The 21st-Century Snake Oil," Christine Willmsen and Michael J. Berens of the Seattle Times uncovered a global network of manufacturers that rake in millions of dollars selling unproven medical devices, unaccredited health-care schools that peddle bogus diplomas, and practitioners who prey on desperate patients. It makes for a deadly combination. Here's what happened when "Doctor" Brian O'Connell treated 18-year-old cancer patient Sean Flanagan:
O'Connell would take a vial of blood from Sean's body, expose it to ultraviolet light from a device, then inject the treated blood back in a hydrogen-peroxide solution. Although the treatment was unconventional, the Flanagans took comfort in O'Connell's charisma and in his impressive credentials as a naturopathic doctor.
"The certification and accreditations were plastered all over his wall," David Flanagan said. "There wasn't a bare spot. Everything seemed legit."
Everything was not.
Two days after Sean's treatment by O'Connell began, the young man was rushed to the hospital with an infection caused by the injection. Six days after that, as O'Connell administered another round of treatment, Sean begged, "Please, God, no more." The next day, Dec. 19, 2003, Sean died….
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/medicaldevices/