3,233 people killed, 222,977 injured and over $272,944,000 in economic damages

What's the harm in quackery?

Quackery is the use of medical techniques or procedures that have never been tested or validated through science. Amazingly, this is still common. Read more about quackery

Here are 44 people who were harmed by someone not thinking critically.

Lady Sally Baldwin Oxford, England	Died (untreated breast cancer) 1998
She travelled to Tijuana, Mexico to seek an alternative treatment for her breast cancer. She continued the "Gerson therapy" at home, but died two years later. Read More

Philip Barasa Bungoma, Kenya	Genitals mutilated March 2005
The AIDS epidemic in Africa has spawned many quack cures. Philip was attacked in the belief that his genitals could be used to make an HIV/AIDS potion. Read More

JoAnn Burggraf Age: 58 Tulsa, Oklahoma	Died (undiagnosed leukemia) October 2005
Energy medicine, Quack medical device, (EPFX) Read More

Antonio Campos Age: 5 months Los Angeles, California	Died (untreated cancer)
Antonio's mother looked for an alternative to the painful chemotherapy treatments he needed for cancer. She found a clinic using a energy medicine machine. Antonio died anyway. Read More & More

Julianne Charell Age: 64 New York City, New York	Blinded 1997
She searched for an alternative treatment for uterine cancer. The practitioner she found prescribed ridiculous treatments and declared her cured when she was not. A court fined him over $2.5 million. Read More

Sylvie Cousseau Age: 41 Paris, France	Died March 31, 2001
Sylvie was diagnosed HIV positive, but pursued alternative treatments for her disease including homeopathy, acupuncture and drinking her own urine. She eventually died of AIDS. Read More & More & More

Lucille Craven Age: 54 Pelham, New Hampshire	Died (untreated cancer) 2000
Lucille concealed the diagnosis of breast cancer from her family. She secretly consulted a naturopath and took homeopathic remedies. She also used quack treatments like blood irradiation. Her cancer raged out of control and she died. Read More

Patti Davis Age: 39 Sacramento, California	Died (cancer) March 20, 1999
Patti's relatives encouraged her to have conventional breast cancer treatments, Her mother had survived for 22 years using them. Instead she pursued quack alternative treatments at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. She died. Read More

Sean Flanagan Age: 19 Wheatridge, Colorado	Died December 19, 2003
Sean was dying of cancer, there was no stopping it. His parents sought out alternative therapies simply to ease his pain. A naturopath claimed he could cure him. Nine days after starting treatment, he was dead. The naturopath was sentenced to prison. Read More & More

G. Fowden Sandy, Utah	Died
A lifelong believer in natural cures, she shunned conventional medicine. When she got sick she saw nearly every form of alternative practitioner. When she finally allowed herself to be taken to a hospital, it was far too late to help. Read More

Mr. Fowden Age: 49 Sandy, Utah	Died
After finding a brain tumor, his doctors recommended chemotherapy and radiation. His wife hated conventional medicine and insisted on a natural cure. He died within three weeks. Read More

Chad Green Age: 3 Scituate, Massachusetts	Died (cyanide poisoning) October 12, 1979
His leukemia was in remission via chemotherapy, but his parents sought out alternative therapy anyway. When he showed signs of cyanide toxicity (from laetrile) he was made a ward of the state. He later died. Read More & More

Ellen Green Post Falls, Idaho	Died (untreated cancer) January 2005
Ellen's husband (a massage therapist) bought a PAP-IMI energy medicine machine for his practice. She tried to use it to cure her own breast cancer. She did not succeed. Read More

Petra Hall Age: 54 Hamilton, Michigan	Died February 6, 1996
An osteopath injected Petra with herbal tea to treat her leukemia. Later that day she was in a hospital with multiple organ failure. She died 11 days later. The osteopath was fined and got five years of probation. Read More & More

Stephen Hall Age: 43 Poole, Dorset, England	Died (untreated cancer) June 2002
He sought out alternative treatment for his pancreatic cancer. He was sold a medical device and other cures. He died 10 weeks later. His practitioner was later convicted of two crimes related to his case. Read More & More & More

Betty Harlan Age: 76 Windsor, Wisconsin	Died May 9, 2005
Betty had multiple chronic health problems including diabetes. Seeking treatment for a leg ulcer, she went to a wellness center run by a naturopath. Her daugher feared she stopped taking her conventional medicine. Read More

Lori Hoeksema & her family Michigan	Father died of untreated cancer March 1996
Her father discontinued his chemotherapy to seek an alternative treatment in Tennessee. Just over two months later, he was dead. The operator of the clinic later paid back the money he spent and went to prison. Read More

Joseph Hofbauer Age: 9 New York	Died (untreated Hodgkin's disease) 1980
His parents skipped conventional therapy for Laetrile and metabolic therapy. A court fight ensued which the parents won, but the boy died of his disease only 2 years later. He had a 95% chance of 5-year survival with conventional treatment. Read More

Oscar Kituyi Age: 15 Bungoma, Kenya	Genitals mutilated March 2005
The AIDS epidemic in Africa has spawned many quack cures. Oscar was attacked in the belief that his genitals could be used to make an HIV/AIDS potion. Read More

Karen McBeth Age: 59 Seattle, Washington	Died (untreated cancer) September 3, 2005
Energy medicine, Quack medical device, (EPFX) Read More

Steve McQueen (actor) Age: 50 Juárez, Mexico	Died (lung cancer) November 7, 1980
Dying of lung cancer, Mr. McQueen sought out treatment with the controversial drug Laetrile in a clinic in Juárez, Mexico. He died there. Read More

Marietta Ndziba Cape Town, South Africa	Died October 2005
She was given a quack medical cure, including large doses of vitamins, for AIDS. She even endorsed the cure on the salesman's website. She later died of AIDS. Read More & More

Noxolo Ngalo Du Noon, Cape Town, South Africa	Died October 30, 2005
She was being treated with vitamin megadoses for AIDS, but died of liver failure. Read More & More & More

Danny Oppenheim Jr. & another patient Age: 33 Kansas City, Kansas	Died January 2004
He flew to Michigan to undergo a controversial rapid detox program. He died during the procedure. The doctors were sued and their licenses suspended. Read More

Diane Picha Janesville, Wisconsin	Died (untreated cancer) April 2000
When her cancer recurred, Diane tried homeopathic treatment. She was sold unapproved substances and a machine. After she died, her daughter sued the practitioner. Read More

Jack Piper Age: 5 North London, England	Bowel perforated in 12 places 1998
Jack was subjected to a needless colonoscopy that perforated his bowel and left him gravely ill. This was alleged to be a treatment for his autism. The hospital publicly apologized and the doctors involved were investigated. Read More

Ryan Pitzer Age: 2 months	Died 1978
Ryan was given potassium chloride for colic, based on the advice in a book. After the boy died, his parents sued the publisher and the book was taken off the market. Read More

Hollace Schafer Age: 40 New York City, New York	Died 1995
A PhD in musicology, she had cancer since 1977. Twice she went into remission via chemotherapy. The third time, she sought alternative treatments based on a test of her hair. A jury awarded her husband $282,000 after her death. Read More

Roy Smith Age: 42	Years of useless treatments before he died July 13, 1998
Roy contracted ALS, and even though his doctor had screened him for mercury and found none, websites convinced him it was the cause. He had all his fillings removed and underwent years of chelation and oxygen therapy. Read More & More

Mark Snider Beverly Hills, California	Died 1989
Quack AIDS drug (Viroxan) Read More

Sheri Spencer's mother Boise, Idaho	Died June 25. 1991
The alternative treatments for her cancer consisted mostly of treatments on an energy machine and she was told she was "completely cured." She died two months later. Read More

Susan Strasberg (actress) Age: 60 New York, New York	Died (untreated cancer) January 21, 1999
Diagnosed with breast cancer, she sought out a psychic healer from Russia, who later claimed to have cured her. She died from cancer three years later. Read More

Liam Williams-Holloway Age: 5 Otago, New Zealand	Died October 2000
His parents refused chemotherapy for his cancer, but health officials obtained a court order. His parents went into hiding and took him to Mexico for alternative treatment. Read More & More

Brendan Woolhead Age: 34 London, England	Died 1996
A heroin addict, he was treated with a controversial and expensive ultra rapid opiate detox procedure. His doctor had a financial interest in a company that was commercializing the procedure, and he lost his license as a result. Read More & More

Dr. John Yiamouyiannis Age: 58 Delaware, Ohio	Died (untreated rectal cancer) October 8, 2000
Quack medical treatment (Laetrile, etc.) Read More

Return to the list of topics

What's the harm in quackery?

Lady Sally Baldwin

Philip Barasa

JoAnn Burggraf

Antonio Campos

Julianne Charell

Sylvie Cousseau

Lucille Craven

Patti Davis

Sean Flanagan

G. Fowden

Mr. Fowden

Chad Green

Ellen Green

Petra Hall

Stephen Hall

Betty Harlan

Lori Hoeksema & her family

Joseph Hofbauer

Oscar Kituyi

Karen McBeth

Steve McQueen (actor)

Marietta Ndziba

Noxolo Ngalo

Danny Oppenheim Jr. & another patient

Diane Picha

Jack Piper

Ryan Pitzer

Hollace Schafer

Roy Smith

Mark Snider

Sheri Spencer's mother

Susan Strasberg (actress)

Liam Williams-Holloway

Brendan Woolhead

Dr. John Yiamouyiannis