Quackery in Florida                         

A quack is a person who pretends to be a doctor and yet practices medicine. One such person is a man in Florida called Brian Clement. He claims to have a doctorate in naturopathic medicine and a PhD in nutrition from the University of Science, Arts and Technology (USAT), based in Montserrat, West Indies.  USAT president Orien Tulp said, “Brian Clement, he is not a naturopathic doctor from USAT. I can guarantee that. He shouldn’t be making false claims for (having) one. If he is, I’ll withdraw his (nutrition) degree.” Despite the disclosure, he is still, passing himself off as a doctor. He also claims he is the medical director of his Hippocrates Health Institute. Prior to CBC’s (radio) investigation, the Clement and his wife used ‘Dr. ’to describe themselves on the institute’s website, but have since deleted those titles.

George Gollin, a professor at the University of Illinois who has investigated USAT, calls it a diploma mill. That makes Clement’s Ph.D in nutrition just as phony as he is. He is a charlatan who claims that he can cure cancer and other terminal diseases. Hundreds of people suffering from various diseases pay thousands of dollars a week to receive is so-called miracle cures.

                   

Canadians represent a significant part of Clement’s Hippocrates Health Institute's business, with sources telling CBC News that more than a third of its customers at any given time come from Canada. Any Canadian in the Province of Ontario who has cancer would be stupid to go to Florida to get treatment from Clement’s phony health Institute because Canadians living in Ontario can receive treatment for cancer or any other diseases requiring treatment and hospitalization and without having to pay any money for the treatment or hospitalization whatsoever.

The Health Institute looks like a serious of two-story town houses in a semi-circle fronting a large pond.

In July, 2014, 11-year-old Makayla Sault (a Canadian Aboriginal girl) attended the Hippocrates Health Institute after abandoning chemotherapy at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton. She wanted to stop the treatment because it made her nauseous. She was suffering from leukemia

 

The Brandon Children’s Aid tried to prevent this but a court ordered that she was free to get treatment where ever she wanted to go. Her parents heard of the quack’s s-called health Institute and contacted him and he told them that he would cure her of leukemia. Subsequently, she and her parents flew to Florida for the quack’s “miracle” treatment.  It didn’t work so her parents removed her from Clement’s vacation resort and as to be expected; she later died in January of this year from leukemia—naturally. Doctors had given Makayla a 90 to 95 per cent chance of survival if she continued with the aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Unfortunately, she didn’t continue with the treatment.

Her parents claimed that the real purpose of bringing her to Clement’s health Institute was for a vacation. They paid several thousands of dollars a week for phony treatment at Clement’s vacation resort and obviously, it was money thrown down the toilet—I mean the Health Institute. If you want to go to a resort for a vacation, go to Cuba where they have top vacation resorts where the fees are under a thousand a week and the food is great and the wine is free.

What kind of treatment does this quack give those fools who go to his clinic for his so-called medical treatment?  Makayla received IV vitamin therapy at Clement’s Hippocrates Health Institute.  She also received massages and ate raw food consisting largely of sprouts and wheatgrass. Obviously, she wasn’t nauseous during her visit to this resort while her cancer was continuously attacking her blood cells.

The spouse of one former patient had this to say about this specific spa;

 “I had to rescue my better half from this place after a 3-week stay and over $20, 000 spent. She lay wound up with excruciating stomach pain and an infection due to this ‘health institute’. The place is one of the biggest rip-offs I have ever seen and I can tell you so much more horrendous things about this place. She wound up in a real clinic to deal with the illness that she acquired from Hippocrates’s phony doctors and their treatments. This place needs to be exposed. I heard of a woman, who because of them, needs an enema just to go to the bathroom 3 years after being there. The place is absolutely disgusting considering how much money goes into it.  You would think it would at least look nicer.”

Another complainant about the West Palm Beach Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida said;   

“It is a waste of money and another health 'mill' that makes big promises and delivers nothing more than what you would get from purchasing a book on Amazon, watching one episode of Dr. Oz on television, and/or visiting your local health food store. The formula works for them but not for those suffering life threatening diseases. A massive disappointment and one to best avoid. Take the time to read the negative reviews that are all true. I would never recommend it to my friends.”

Former employees of the West Palm Beach Hippocrates Health Institute have issued a claim against that outfit. They claim that that the Institute is a scam.

“The one in West Palm Beach was huge disappointment. Way overpriced, paying $6,000 for 2 weeks for private room, you don't even have a private bathroom. And if you try to save money (paying $5,500 instead) by sharing a room, you can end up with four people in the room. Open house reminded me of a presentation of Time share. My friend who had a health issue and was told that with all those doctors on staff to answer her questions if she participated in the program, she would have to make 30 a minute phone appointment with one of the doctors and pay $150 for the information she was seeking. I'm not joking. Pay$150 to them for telling you it's OK for you to come! What a rip off! Don't waste your money.”

A letter from the Florida health authorities hand-delivered to Clement and dated February 10, 2015, ordered him to "cease and desist" and accuses him of misrepresenting himself as a medical doctor. Clement has been ordered to pay a fine of $3,738 US and was given 30 days to respond. In the letter, it said; “The investigation is continuing and the Department of Health warns (that) this citation does not prevent other administrative, civil or criminal prosecution.” Former employees are suing Clement.

Practicing medicine without a licence is a felony in Florida, and if convicted, Clement could face a range of penalties including jail time.

Here is some irony for you. The Hippocrates Health Institute bills itself as an educational institution, but Florida has licensed it as a massage establishment. According to a 2013 tax return, the institute earned $22 million US in revenue and the Clement and his wife took home over a million dollars. WOW! I didn’t think that many foolish people went to that quack’s so-called healing centre.

He even has the unmitigated gall, to say; “We've had more people reverse cancer than any institute in the history of health care.”  Is this quack totally stupid? 

Steven Pugh worked at Clement’s Health Institution for over a year as a nurse. He was concerned the Clements were giving false hope to patients. He said that the Clements routinely interpreted laboratory blood tests, ordered IVs and prescribed supplements. He also said that they also placed restrictions on when staff could call an ambulance to take patients for emergency medical care at local hospitals. Pugh told CBC News that lives could have been placed at risk because the Clements prescribed treatments to patients. Worse yet, Clements not only prescribe but actually canceled the physician's orders and advised the physician’s patients to take something totally different, or even a different amount of the drug that the physician prescribed.

It shall be really interesting if the Florida authorities finally close this quack’s so-called health Institute down.  I will give you an UPDATE at the bottom of this article as soon as I get more pertinent information.

UPDATE March 11, 2015:  The Florida Department of Health has ordered that Brian Clement's wife Anna of the West Palm Beach Hippocrates Health Institute is to immediately stop practicing naturopathic medicine since she doesn't have a licence to practice as such.  


UPDATE March 18, 2015: The Florida Department of Health reversed its decision of ordering Brian and Anna Clements to cease and desist their practice of medicine. 

UPDATE:  April 2015: The second Indian girl who went to the Florida clinic left it and when she returned to Ontario, she continued with her chemo treatment She also participates in Indian rituals.