加州醫生Christine Daniel，多年來向病人宣揚她的獨家草藥可以治愈癌症，導致多名患者延誤治療，包括一位本來治愈率極高的淋巴瘤患者耽誤治療而死亡。她經此斂財百萬美元。DA在起訴狀上寫“她不但謀財而且害命”。檢測發現她的藥主要含濃縮牛肉精(beef extract)和防曬霜防腐劑(sunscreen preservative)。訴11項罪名成立，今年5月被判入獄14年。
無論何病，尤其是癌症，請接受根據循證醫學(Evidence-based medicine)為基礎的正規治療。雖然現代醫學尚未能攻克所有癌症，但是舉個例，01年美FDA批準新藥Gleevec（精準攻擊 bcr-abl蛋白）後，98%的慢性粒細胞白血病患者顯示完全緩解，該病的5年生存率從30%一躍升至89%，這就是現代醫學的進步。Gleevec現在很貴，美國患者每月需付$2400---$3500左右，但好消息是這個專利明年就失效，其它藥廠可以生產，屆時每年大約隻需$500了。
來源: Christine Daniel: Doctor who claimed herbal concoction could cure ...
Doctor who claimed herbal concoction could cure cancer and duped $1m out of patients is jailed for 14 years
- California doctor robbed patients of 'hopes and dreams of cure'
- Herbal cure found to contain beef extract and sunscreen preservative
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A California doctor who duped patients out of more than $1 million after claiming her herbal supplements could cure cancer has been jailed for 14 years.
Christine Daniel charged patients up to $100,000 for six months of treatment, which she claimed could also cure diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
'Daniel robbed victims of more than money – she also stole their hopes and dreams for a cure,' U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. said after the doctor was sentenced.
Fraud: Dr Christine Daniel has been jailed after conning patients out of money for her herbal cancer cure
The 58-year-old was also ordered to pay back nearly $1.3 million, by U.S. District Judge Robert Timlin, who sentenced her over four counts of mail and wire fraud, six counts of tax evasion and one count of witness tampering.
The doctor and Pentecostal minister claimed her natural cancer treatment had a 60 to 80 per cent chance of success for advanced stages of the disease.
Claims that the supplements were natural and blended specifically for individual patients were found to be false in court.
It actually contained sunscreen preservative, beef extract flavoring and other ingredients that would not have any effect on cancer or other diseases, expert testimony proved.
Some of the Los Angeles doctor's patients died from complications after taking her supplement, including Paula Middlebrooks, who was charged nearly $60,000, the court was told.
After five months Daniel claimed Ms Middlebrooks was free of cancer, and threw her a party. However, the Georgia woman's breast cancer had spread and she died soon after.
Debra Harris, whose sister Barbara died after being treated by Daniel, submitted a letter to the court saying: 'I live with the guilt that I should have seen that none of what she was going through was helping her, but instead was hurting her.'
It wasn't only Daniel's patients who were convinced they could be cured, Ms Harris said. Their families 'wanted to believe it just as bad,' The Washington Post reported.
Another case highlighted during the trial was that of a 22-year-old woman who was suffering from neck lymphoma.
Although her condition could be cured, the woman died because Daniel recommended that she should avoid having radiation or chemotherapy.
Callous: From her Los Angeles clinic Daniel would prescribe her supplement and advise against chemotherapy
'Daniel is responsible for a shockingly cold-hearted fraud that has brought her a richly deserved federal prison sentence,' Mr Birotte said in a statement published by the Huffington Post.
The court heard from 28 former patients and family members of cancer sufferers who had died.
Some told the court they were advised to avoid chemotherapy and to not take pain killers while being treated by Daniel.
This led to some spending the last few months of their lives in agony, Cal Coast News reported.
Daniel was also accused of trying to influence at least two witnesses at her trial, including a former patient.
And, in an attempt to make her clinic, which operated under names including Sonrise Wellness Center, appear as a non-profit organization, Daniel told patients to classify medical service payments as donations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Johns said in court documents that Daniels had 'a merciless and callous indifference to the suffering of her patients and their family members'.
He added: 'It is unlikely that our federal criminal justice system will see the like of defendant Christine Daniel again.'
