Woman who died after refusing chemo had daily coffee enemas
Gabriel Shemirani was at Tuesday's hearing in Maidstone, Kent, and he cross-examined Ali Ajaz, a forensic psychiatrist who spent seven sessions with Paloma on the recommendation of her mother.Mr Shemirani asserted that those meetings were "coloured by my mother's control", which Dr Ajaz said was speculation.Dr Ajaz added that it was not his job to comment on the efficacy of her devised treatment programme."My sister was having coffee enemas daily, would it worry you now if she had told you that?" asked Mr Shemirani ."I don't know anything about coffee enemas," said Dr Ajaz.The inquest also heard that Paloma's cancer treatment revolved largely around a strict diet and "lots of green juices"."Do you think my mum might have been scaring Paloma and making her think she was the only one who could save her?" asked Mr Shemirani."I don't know, you can speculate for sure," said Dr Ajaz.
Previously the doctor had provided an assessment of Paloma during High Court proceedings which read: "I have no concerns that Ms Shemirani has been coerced or unduly influenced by any individual when making a decision about her own medical treatment."Also shown was an email exchange between Dr Ajaz and Paloma in which he described her concerns about having been treated against her will in hospital as "utterly shocking and sickening revelations"."How did that email get there? It certainly didn't come from myself," he replied.Dr Ajaz has also appeared on Kate Shemirani's controversial podcast as a medical expert three times, and she had referred multiple patients to him.
Ms Shemirani was struck off as a nurse in 2021, and a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) committee found that the messages she had spread during the pandemic had "put the public at a significant risk of harm".Ms Shemirani, who attended the inquest via video link, was warned for a second day in a row that her conduct during the hearing was "unacceptable".She was seen raising signs in front of the camera while on mute, along with trying to introduce new allegations during her questioning of Dr Ajaz.Coroner Catherine Wood told her she was "bordering on contempt of court".The inquest continues.
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Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I felt sick at home - I've had to relearn how to walk and talk'
Melissa Clayton was left paralysed and unable to speak A woman who was left unable to speak or walk after suffering a stroke at the age of 33 has "had a bit of a glow up" and is "excited to be back" to her normal life – including being back on the dating scene. Melissa Clayton, now 34, had a stroke in hospital following a seizure at her home in January 2024. She spent the subsequent three months in hospital being fed through a tube, during which time she underwent surgery to remove a bone from the top of her spine to alleviate pressure on her brain, and had a shunt – a thin, hollow tube – implanted into her brain. Now, however, she is gearing up to return to work as a PR account director full time, after gradually increasing her hours since early February 2025, and is confidently back on the dating scene – an endeavour that is providing her with some unexpected connections. In January 2024, at 33, Melissa was "thriving" in her high-flying PR job, working with major clients like McDonald's. She resided in a shared house in Hackney Wick, north-east London, and was in the process of moving into her own flat in Old Street, central London. One evening after work, Melissa felt "a bit sick and feverish" and decided to retire to bed early. She began feeling faint and suffered a seizure in bed. Her flatmate discovered her and rang for an ambulance. Melissa's sole recollection from that fateful night is a paramedic assisting her to sit upright. While admitted at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, Melissa suffered a stroke. Her mum recounted the surgeon's words, stating that Melissa was gravely ill and they were uncertain about her chances of full recovery. During her hospital stay, she contracted Covid, battled two chest infections, underwent surgery to remove a bone from the top of her spine to alleviate brain pressure caused by blood and swelling, and had a shunt inserted into her brain. Her facial muscles tightened to such an extent that she found it difficult to speak and swallow, necessitating tube-feeding. She also lost mobility in her right arm and leg, making independent movement and walking a struggle. Speaking in August 2025, Melissa reveals that she has made significant progress on her recovery journey, but has also encountered some unforeseen hurdles. "Work has actually been way harder than I thought, mainly because you're learning what's different, it takes you longer to process information," Melissa shared. "Also, because my stroke affected my emotions, I can be quite reactive rather than responding to someone. "Like anyone going back to work, if it's maternity leave or whatever, it does take time to get back into the swing of it," she said, adding that her employer has been very supportive of the adjustments she needs in her work life. "The thing is, I'm naturally impatient and very determined and also, I'm a perfectionist. I'm a Virgo! I have been quite hard on myself, whereas my coach at work will be like: 'You really need to slow down'. So yes, I'm excited to be back – I won't know until I try it!" Melissa is making considerable headway in her personal life as well. She lives alone in London – though with her therapy dog, Maya, a Pomeranian cross – but is getting ready for a relocation to Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, awaiting the finalisation of a house purchase. She has also returned to the dating world, and whilst when she initially started dating again following her stroke she discovered it to be on somewhat shaky ground, she now feels "more confident" in her quest for romance. Whereas previously Melissa had mentioned the fact she is a stroke survivor on her dating app profiles, she has since chosen to omit that information, as it "isn't just who I am". "I think also, with my speech getting a bit better, people won't notice as much," she added. "I also feel like probably what I'm looking for is a bit more serious than it was back then, and therefore I just want to get to know someone better before I tell them about what I've gone through." Through dating, Melissa has also formed some surprising platonic bonds – including a mate of a potential date who has likewise suffered a stroke. "I matched with one person who instantly said 'I need to put you in touch with my friend'. And he'd had a stroke as well," she said. "We ended up just chatting. We met for a coffee. I think it was about a month ago, a month or two ago. I think it's really highlighted to me how strokes really affect other people." In late July 2025, Melissa had her feeding tube – which had been fitted when she battled with chewing after the stroke – taken out, which she describes as "one thing that just made me feel really clinical, just a daily reminder that I had it". She has also shed some unwanted pounds, transformed her hair, and is "feeling much better" within herself. "I feel like I've had a bit of a glow up," she revealed. Most importantly, the traumatic ordeal has shown Melissa not to take life for granted. She has been attending the theatre – something she always adored – and sampling new restaurants with mates, which she explains are all things she would take for granted before her stroke. "I don't really take anything too seriously, because nothing is worse than what I've gone through," she revealed. "But equally, I also don't have any patience for being mucked around in terms of dating. I don't need anyone. I choose to want someone. "I like being independent. I think I really cherish my independence more than anything now, and the fact that I can do what I want, when I want, and not have to be under any kind of concern or worry."
The Herald Scotland
15 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
'New cotton bud'. Plastic hygiene product should be banned
A group of 20 organisations, including campaigns, charities and businesses, has issued the letter urging the Scottish Government to ban them. Flossers join a long list of personal hygiene and other products that have littered Scotland's coastlines, including not only cotton buds, but wipes, plastic cutlery, sanitary towels, pharmaceutical blister packs, Covid masks, interdental brushes and straws. Some, like cotton buds and straws, have been banned. But others continue to make their way into waterways, landfill and sewage systems, contributing to the rising deluge of global plastic pollution that is showing no signs of slowing. The call comes in the run up to the final round of talks for the UN global plastics treaty, which is looking at how to tackle both plastic waste and plastic at source. This new form of waste is just one element in the rising tide of pollution driven by production levels are set to triple by 2060. 'The dental flosser may be a small, innocuous-looking item,' the letter observes, 'but single use dental flossers are being sold in multi-packs by most supermarkets and pharmacies, and they are littering our streets, parks and beaches. We have collated photo evidence of these items across Scotland, from the pristine beach of the island of Colonsay, to the city streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow, to the east coast by St Abbs." A move like this, the authors point out, would align with the [[Scottish Government]]'s forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy, which has targets to reduce plastic production and waste, as well as the New Plastics [[Economy]] Global Commitment, which the [[Scottish Government]] signed in 2018. A dental flosser found on the Isle of Colonsay (Image: Rachael Revesz) Concerned signatories include campaigner and social media influencer Laura Young, also known as 'Less Waste Laura', who led the campaign against disposable electric vapes and Don MacNeish, a founder of the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST), one of the voices in David Attenborough's recent Ocean documentary. Some of the signatories are clean up groups who have noticed the rise in dental flossers in litter picks. Marion Montgomery of Paws on Plastic said: 'They are something that our members find regularly on walks, in parks, on streets. Not only are they an example of unnecessary single use plastic but they also pose a potential risk to animals and an environmental hazard for generations.' Waste from Arrochar litter sink (Image: The GRAB Trust) Beach cleaners from Scottish Coastal Clean Up observed that the flossers tended to be found "wherever we find wipes". The letter points out that while dental flossers, also called, 'dental harps', 'may be more accessible for some people to maintain dental hygiene', there are alternative products. Even so-called 'eco flossers', it notes, are problematic since they are made from 'equally harmful bioplastics'. 'We urge policy makers to turn the tide against our throw-away culture by banning the sale of an item that is barely used for a few seconds before it spends decades, if not centuries, in landfill," the letter said. In recent years Scotland has banned plastic straws, drink stirrers and polystyrene food containers. "We've charged a fee on plastic bags," says the letter, "and we've banned single use vapes. These have been bold moves, and they've had a remarkable impact. READ MORE: Scottish scientists discover new threat to marine life: sunscreen meeting plastic 'The beach crunched': Scotland's extreme beach cleans Less than 10% of plastic produced globally comes from recycled materials – study The problem, Ms Young pointed out, is that the flosser is just one of many single-use items contributing to wider plastic pollution, with ever more new items entering the market. 'Plastic dental flossers are yet another example of unnecessary single-use waste polluting our environment. I've seen them in towns and cities, littering streets and clogging gutters, and on our beaches, alongside other toiletry-related waste like plastic cotton buds, tampon applicators, and wet wipes.' Progress, she noted, has already been made on some items, with bans like plastic cotton buds and straws. 'But the rest? Still polluting our environment and wasting resources.' "It's frustrating that we continue to act only after these plastics become a visible problem. We need upstream solutions, not piecemeal bans. The United Nations Global Plastics Treaty meeting this month is a chance for us collectively to go beyond voluntary pledges and weak commitments. We need binding global action that holds corporations accountable, enforces plastic reduction targets, and redesigns the systems driving overconsumption. "Individuals can choose better, businesses must do better, and governments must act faster and smarter. The planet can't wait." Kat Jones, director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said that the ban would be a "start" but that laws are needed "to encourage and incentivise producers make responsible products." "Producers are constantly inventing new types of throw-away item while persuading us that we can't live without them. The one-use flosser is an absolute prime example. "Until producers can turn their skills in innovation and technical knowhow to the service of sustainability, rather than thinking of the next throw-away gimmick, we are always going to be battling waste, litter and the pollution of our seas item by item." Personal hygiene litter collected by beach clean artist Lil Vischer (Image: Vicky Allan) The letter is also not the only one to be issued as the UN Global Plastic Treaty talks begin in Geneva, calling for action and commitment from the Scottish Government. Another open letter to the first minister, from 18 groups including Friends of the Earth Scotland and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, has outline the damage created by plastic, and called for the Scottish Government to act now to prevent further harm. Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland said: 'We all want a future free from plastic pollution, but the Scottish Government is failing to take the actions needed to protect people and nature from the growing harms of the plastics crisis. "Promises at an international level will only be meaningful if they are backed up with action at a local level. Industry-backed solutions, such as recycling, do not address the underlying cause of the plastics crisis – that there is too much plastic to begin with and more is being made every day. 'It doesn't have to be this way. The Global Plastics Treaty is an incredible opportunity internationally, and a chance for the Scottish Government to reset the way plastics are used in Scotland too. 'There are practical steps the Scottish Government should be taking today to halt the plastics crisis. These include immediately banning the burning of plastic waste, forcing companies to be responsible for cleaning the products they sell, and investing in reuse services.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Scotland was the first part of the UK to implement a ban on some of the most problematic single-use plastic products and we continue to work with our partners to reduce many sources of plastic pollution as possible and also to support the removal of rubbish from our seas and coastline. 'In addition, the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 increases the powers available to the Government to take action on waste in Scotland, and we are also progressing with international efforts to address major pollution sources such as plastic pellets, as well as supporting the removal of rubbish from our seas and beaches.'
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Why cancer patients may have to avoid popular sugar substitute
New research from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center suggests that sucralose, a popular sugar substitute, may interfere with the effectiveness of certain cancer treatments. Patients with melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer who consumed high levels of sucralose responded worse to immunotherapy and had poorer survival rates. The study, primarily conducted on mice, found that sucralose disrupts gut bacteria, leading to a depletion of the amino acid arginine, which is essential for T-cell function and effective immunotherapy. Researchers discovered that supplementing with arginine counteracted the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy treatments in mice. Future plans include pursuing clinical trials to determine if arginine supplementation can mitigate sucralose's effects in humans and investigating the impact of other artificial sweeteners on the immune system and cancer treatments.
