Self-regulation in health care questioned
Health Minister Adrian Dix says investigations of a naturopath who gave a misbehaving child a remedy with saliva of a rabid dog should help determine whether self-regulation of health providers is working in B.C.
In an interview this week, Dix said one of his biggest concerns about the case of Anke Zimmermann and her handling of a four-yearold boy is why Health Canada has three times in the past few years approved a homeopathic product called lyssinum. Zimmerman gave lyssinum pellets to the child after his mother complained the boy was acting aggressively toward other children, was growling like a dog and was afraid of werewolves and monsters.
The naturopathic practitioner said the product brought the boy back from a slightly rabid dog state to a more human state. She documented the case along with several other interventions on her website.
Dr. Jennifer Gunter, an obstetrician-gynecologist who often scrutinizes the claims of alternative health practitioners, saw the post, wrote about it and then Tweeted about it. Health Canada has approved more than 8,000 homeopathic products, giving them a drug number that denotes the product is safe but without requiring proof they are effective. The approval process has been called a sham by some medical experts.
Dix said he’s also concerned that some naturopaths are aggressively anti-vaccine and may be undermining public health experts and influencing public perception of vaccines. Unlike homeopathic remedies, vaccines are subjected to extensive clinical trials to show they are safe and effective before being sold.
Medical experts worry that naturopaths persuade naive people that they can forgo proven treatments, Dix said.
“The ministry has reached out to the College of Naturopathic Physicians to understand their position on naturopaths who appear to be anti-vaccine,” Dix said, adding that he has no problem with naturopaths who promote exercise, healthy diets and good lifestyle habits, but is concerned about those who promote homeopathic remedies — which have been shown to have largely placebo effects — instead of proven treatments.
There are 568 naturopathic practitioners in B.C. and if the volume of complaints is any indication, Zimmermann will be one of about 25 to be investigated this year. The College confirmed Zimmerman is licensed to practice in B.C. and that lyssinum is an accepted remedy. Now that the B.C. Naturopathic Association has filed a complaint against Zimmermann with the College, it will be obliged to investigate. The association is alleging possible violations of the code of conduct, ethics and other matters.
“Dr. Zimmerman’s statements on her website and to the media have raised the concerns of B.C.’s provincial health officer and minister of health,” Victor Chan, an association vice-president said. “We are concerned that certain statements and posts she has made, in person and online, appear to be contrary to the public interest in the practice of the profession — and therefore require action on the part of the regulator to intervene.”
Although Health Canada initially said the rabid dog remedy was approved, late last week it said the one Zimmermann used may not have been obtained from a distributor with a licence to sell the ingredients. So the federal agency is also investigating.
Like other self-regulating health professional colleges, the one overseeing naturopathic doctors is mandated to protect the public interest. The college last took action against a naturopathic practitioner in 2017. Allan Strauss was suspended after allegations that he injected patients with substances for cosmetic purposes. The suspension is still in effect.
Under the Health Professions Act, self-regulating colleges are supposed to be transparent and accountable to the public, but the naturopath college has not posted an annual report since 2015. Phillipa Stanaway, deputy registrar of the College of Naturopathic Physicians of B.C., called it an administrative error that “we are currently in the process of correcting.”
Howard Greenstein, the registrar, said 20 complaints led to investigations in 2017, 35 in 2016, 26 in 2015, 27 in 2014 and 16 in 2013.