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What's the harm in vitamin megadoses?
Unusually large doses of vitamins, famously espoused by Linus Pauling, can be very dangerous. Read more about vitamin megadoses
Here are 100,174 people who were harmed by someone not thinking critically.
Anne M. AdkinsWichita, Kansas |
Kidney failure |
| She traveled to Utah to be treated by a holistic naturopath. She received large doses of vitamin C, chelation therapy and colonics among other things. Within weeks she was suffering from kidney failure. Read more & more | |
Christopher ArbuckleAge: 25 |
Died |
| He was taking a Scientology "Purification Rundown" which involved extreme exercise and vitamin megadoses. He died of liver failure and his parents filed suit against the church. Read more | |
Leslie BramstonAge: 44 |
Died (untreated cancer) |
| Seeking a cure for her cancer, she was sold vitamin and herbal treatments for thousands of dollars. Finally she was injected with cesium chloride as part of an ozone therapy, and she died. Read more | |
Catherine "Cat" Elizabeth BresinaAge: 17 |
Cardiac arrest |
| Cat's family took her to Colorado for what they thought was an inventive therapy for her disease. An injection she was given during the treatment caused her heart to stop. Charges were later filed against the naturopath. Read more | |
Jocelyne DorfmannAge: 34 |
Died (untreated epilepsy) |
| At a Narconon center (run by Scientology), Jocelyne was taken off the medication that controlled her epilepsy. When she had seizures, they assumed it was withdrawal symptoms. After she died, the center was closed & charges filed. Read more & more | |
Paride EllaAge: 22 |
Died |
| Just beginning Narconon treatment, he endured 5 days of agony including vomiting and diarrhea. He was taken to a hospital and died. Read more | |
Linda EppingAge: 8 |
Died |
| Linda was scheduled for surgery to remove a tumor, when her parents met a chiropractor who said he could cure her. He had her swallowing up to 124 pills a day for months. He was convicted of second-degree murder in 1967. Read more | |
Dennis ErlichClearwater, Florida |
Burst appendix, hyperthermia |
| Two weeks after finishing a "Purification Rundown" in Scientology, his appendix burst. He also suffered hyperthermia and frequently breaks out in sweats since then. Read more & more | |
Dominik FeldAge: 9 |
Died (untreated cancer) |
| His parents chose an alternative treatment for his cancer involving vitamin and mineral doses. The government tried to intervene. The boy eventually died. Read more | |
Mrs. Robert E. GearyMedina, Ohio |
Hallucinations, nervous breakdown |
| When she lost sleep and had hallucinations during a "Purification Rundown" others in Scientology told her this was a good sign. Later she suffered a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized. Read more & more | |
Anita GergaskoAge: 58 |
Died (cancer) |
| She refused chemotherapy for her breast cancer, instead choosing massive doses of vitamin C and herbs. The cancer spread. On her deathbed she made her husband promise that he would not allow any of her family or friends to make the same mistake. Read more | |
Carol LemaistreAge: 42 |
Died (untreated cancer) |
| She shunned conventional treatment for cancer; alternative treatment was administered by her husband. He calls himself a doctor despite having no formal qualifications. He used touch, vitamin C and calcium supplements. She died within a month. Read more & more | |
Noah MaxinAge: 11 |
Died (cancer) |
| His parents stopped his chemotherapy three months into a 3 1/2 year plan. A court fight ensued over this decision. They won the right to treat him holistically with diet and vitamins. His cancer returned and he eventually died. Read more & more | |
Marietta NdzibaCape Town, South Africa |
Died |
| 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 NgaloDu Noon, Cape Town, South Africa |
Died |
| She was being treated with vitamin megadoses for AIDS, but died of liver failure. Read more & more & more | |
Carol Jean RubickNew York, New York |
Died |
| After a lumpectomy for her breast cancer, the doctor recommended she forgo chemo and radiation in favor of antioxidants and vitamins in the "Ukraine protocol". Other doctors disagreed, but she went forward. She died of cancer, and her estate sued. Read more | |
Guissepe TombaAge: 26 |
Died |
| Just beginning Narconon treatment, he endured days of agony including vomiting and diarrhea. Then his heart stopped. Read more | |
Johnny Warren (athlete) & 149 othersAge: 61 |
Died (cancer) |
| A long-time smoker, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. His family pleaded with him to give up the unproven "wonder drugs" he was being given in Queensland. He died, and the doctor he was seeing was later investigated by authorities. Read more & more | |
Jerry WhitfieldCape Coral, Florida |
Liver failure |
| Jerry had undergone a "Purification Rundown" as a Scientologist, and later discovered it had caused permanent liver damage. Read more | |
Eliza YoungAge: 1 |
Permanently stunted growth |
| Quack nutrition advice Read more | |
"Noluthando"Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa |
Died |
| Diagnosed with HIV in 2002, she was was on a waiting list for antiretrovirals. She started taking an alternative treatment, and in three days she could not even walk. Soon she was dead. Read more | |
"Ntombekhaya"Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa |
Died |
| HIV positive, she was being treated for TB when someone offering alternative remedies contacted her. She stopped taking her TB medicines and later died. Read more | |
"Patient X"Cape Town, South Africa |
Died |
| He was being treated by a quack when his disease got out of control and he was hospitalized. He never had a chance to beat AIDS because of the time he wasted on the treatments. Read more | |
"Jane Roe"Age: 4 |
Hospitalized |
| The child was pale and chronically ill. She had diarrhea, vomiting, fever, loss of hair, enlarged liver and spleen. It turned out her mother was a "food faddist" & had been giving her large doses of vitamins A and D. These were stopped. Read more | |
thousands of Airborne customersBonita Springs, Florida |
Misled that it could cure colds |
| Airborne is based on Chinese herbal remedies and large doses of vitamins. The box claimed it could cure a cold based on a study that was discovered to be bogus. A lawsuit awarded $23.3M to defrauded customers. The product is still on the shelves. Read more & more | |
"Federica X"Age: 33 |
Died |
| Federica complained of stomach pains while at a Narconon center, a few days later she was dead. Read more | |