Photo: Prayers for Ezekiel via Facebook
On April 26, David and Collet Stephan, the Alberta couple who treated their sick toddler with horseradish and onion smoothies for two weeks, were found guilty of failing to provide the necessaries of life to their 18-month-old son, a sentence that carries up to five years in jail. Ezekiel died of meningitis in 2012.
It?s a tragic story, even more so because nobody doubts that David and Collet Stephan loved their son. Instead, they seem to have misguidedly believed that alternative therapies, including an echinacea tincture they bought at a naturopath?s office, would help him get better. The boy eventually stopped breathing, and they phoned 911. He later died in hospital. (The parents testified that they thought Ezekiel had the flu, although a family friend and nurse had suggested he may have meningitis.) Doctors, government, and the alternative medicine industry all have a duty to do better here. Horseradish and echinacea are no substitute for conventional, science-based medicine. Patients across Canada need better access to family doctors, and they need to know?without a doubt?when it?s time to seek one out, and forego the naturopath.
?I hope this sends a strong message about the nature of [alternative] services,? Tim Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy at the University of Alberta, who has been following the case, told Motherboard on Monday, shortly after the verdict. ?And I hope it causes policymakers t...