A California author who preaches alternative medicine has been ordered to pay $105 million to a mother-of-four who said he falsely promised to cure her breast cancer.
由于向一位4個孩子的母親虛假允諾治愈其乳腺癌,加州一位鼓吹替代療法的作者近日被判賠償1.05億美元(約合7.27億元人民幣)。
San Diego jurors ordered Robert O Young Wednesday to pay medical expenses and damages to terminally-ill Dawn Kali, 45, after she was convinced by Young to forgo chemotherapy and spend thousands for his treatments.
周三,圣迭戈的陪審團判決羅伯特-歐-楊向癌癥晚期病人、45歲的道恩-凱莉支付醫(yī)療費和賠償金。此前羅伯特-歐-楊說服她放棄化療,花費數(shù)千美元使用他的療法。
She later sued for fraud and negligence when the cancer ultimately spread, giving her just four years to live.
之后凱莉體內的癌細胞最終擴散,醫(yī)生說她只剩4年生命。她起訴羅伯特-歐-楊詐騙和過失罪。
早在2年前的一次非法行醫(yī)指控中,他就已經當庭承認自己并不是什么微生物學家、血液病專家、醫(yī)學專家及自然療法師,也沒有受過任何科學訓練。沒有行醫(yī)資質,連文憑也是買來的假貨。
This comes over a year after Young was convicted of practicing medicine without a license and sentenced to nearly four years in prison. He ultimately served just a few months.
在一年多前,羅伯特-歐-楊被判無證行醫(yī)罪,并被判處近4年監(jiān)禁。但他最終只服刑幾個月。
羅伯特-歐-楊自稱是自然療法的倡導者,畢業(yè)于克萊頓自然健康學院,獲得多個學位,包括營養(yǎng)學碩士、化學博士、生物學博士、科學博士、自然療法博士……
2002年,他出版了一本名為《酸堿奇跡:平衡飲食,恢復健康》的書,介紹了他的酸堿體質理論,并先后出版了《酸堿奇跡》系列叢書,屢屢成為熱銷榜上的暢銷書,風靡全球,一時間圈粉無數(shù)。
他在書中提倡堿性飲食療法,聲稱可以“減肥”、“治糖尿病”、后來又補充了“治療艾滋病”、“治療癌癥”的功效。
Young wrote The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health and several other best-selling books promoting an alternative theory of fighting illness.
羅伯特-歐-楊曾著有《PH奇跡:平衡飲食,恢復健康》等數(shù)本暢銷書,推廣其抵御疾病的替代療法。
His treatments are based on the theory that acidity causes disease and preaches an alkaline diet as a cure all.
他的療法基于酸性體質會導致疾病這樣一種理論,并鼓吹堿性飲食包治百病。
很多人上街買菜,有時還得對照食物的酸堿表。
Kali said Young had advised her to delay regular chemotherapy treatment and instead spend thousands on massages, colon cleansing and baking soda infusions at Young's Valley Center retreat.
凱莉說,羅伯特-歐-楊建議她延緩常規(guī)化療,而是讓她在其山谷治療中心花費了數(shù)千美元進行按摩、灌腸和小蘇打輸液治療。
She finally sought medical help in 2013 after the cancer spread to her bones and developed into stage four. The mother-of-four has been given four years to live。
在癌細胞骨轉移、發(fā)展到四期后,她最終在2013年去醫(yī)院就診。醫(yī)生說她只剩4年生命。
凱莉的律師帕特里克-斯旺說:“陪審團認真聽取了法庭辯論,了解到了證據(jù)的嚴重性,最終宣布的裁決與凱莉女士已經受到,以及將要承受的損失相當。”
He also told the San Diego Tribune that he hopes the verdict 'will have an effect on the miracle, cure-all cancer industry.'
他還告訴《圣迭戈論壇報》說,希望這一裁決“能影響到這一神奇且宣稱包治百病的抗癌產業(yè)。”
The $105 million award includes $90 million for pain and suffering and $15 million for punitive damages.
1.05億美元的賠償金中包括9000萬美元身體疼痛和精神損失,以及1500萬美元的懲罰金。
But on Friday, Young called the ruling 'totally outrageous'.
不過,周五的時候,羅伯特-歐-楊表示這一判罰“讓人憤怒”。
His attorney Conrad Joyner said he plans to appeal the ruling.
他的律師康拉德-喬伊娜稱其代理人計劃上訴。
'No matter if you believe in The pH Miracle or disbelieve it, it's clear that Robert believes it,' Joyner said. 'He sincerely believes what he is doing.'
喬伊娜說:“不論你是否相信酸堿值理論,顯然羅伯特是相信的。他完全確信他正在做些什么。”
His theories and treatments of intravenous fluids mixed with baking soda went for as much as $500 each.
按照他的理論和療法,他在給病人靜脈輸液時混入小蘇打,每支要價500美元。
The judge called Young a 'fraud' Friday while Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas said he took advantage of desperate and dying people with his pseudoscience.
周五,法官稱羅伯特-歐-楊是個“詐騙犯”,地方副檢察官吉娜-達爾瓦斯說他宣傳偽科學,利用了身患重病的人們極度渴望求生的心理。
She argued that his degrees came from a non-accredited 'diploma mill' Young received a doctorate in eight months in 1995.
她表示,羅伯特-歐-楊的文憑來自一所不被認可的“野雞大學”。他在1995年僅用了8個月時間就拿到了博士學位。
Treatments are no longer provided at Young’s property and he was ordered to publicly announce that he is not a medical or naturopathic doctor nor a trained scientist.
羅伯特-歐-楊的診療室不再提供治療,法院還要求他公開宣布自己不是一個醫(yī)生或自然療法醫(yī)師,也不是受過培訓的科學家。
說白了,就是一個外國版的“老戲骨神醫(yī)”。
【揭秘最扯的偽科學】
其實,從這一理論誕生的十幾年以來,國內外眾多科學家、醫(yī)生和科普工作者,就在強調它就是一場騙局。
然而仍有一些黑心商家,利用大眾對健康的渴望、對癌癥等疾病的恐懼,不斷大肆推崇偽科學的概念。
還有人用這套理論指導生男生女,讓沒用的藥丸銷量飛漲。
其實,普通食品的酸堿度,與胃液的酸度和腸液的堿度相比,根本不值一提。且人體對于酸堿度有極強的調節(jié)能力,可以通過呼吸和腎臟代謝等方式來調節(jié),使之在一個穩(wěn)定的范圍內波動,只要人體機能沒有“失代償”,無論多吃酸性食物還是多吃堿性食物,人體都會將其調節(jié)過來。
是不是恍然大悟,發(fā)現(xiàn)自己這些年交了不少智商稅?面對網(wǎng)絡上形形色色的養(yǎng)生理論,各位還真是要擦亮眼睛,拒絕謠言啊。
不過好在,現(xiàn)在騙子頭兒受到了應有的懲罰。
想要吃得健康,記得均衡飲食、營養(yǎng)充足就好!