Latest news with #alternative treatment
BBC News
5 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Mum 'kept interrupting paramedics saving daughter', inquest told
The mother of a woman who died after refusing chemotherapy for cancer "presented a challenge" to paramedics trying to save her daughter's life after she suffered a heart attack, an inquest has Shemirani, 23, from Uckfield, East Sussex, was diagnosed at Maidstone Hospital with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2023. She died seven months later after seeking only "alternative" treatment. Her mother Kate Shemirani, a former nurse who rose to prominence on social media sharing Covid conspiracy theories, calls chemotherapy toxic and dangerous, the inquest was told. 'We had to be quite firm' When Paloma collapsed at her mother's home in July 2024, paramedic Robin Bass said Kate "presented a challenge as she kept interrupting while the crews were carrying out care".He told the coroner that Kate mentioned a mass on her daughter's chest. When Mr Bass told colleagues it could be cancer, he said Kate denied it was. Paloma's mother, who was struck off as a nurse for promoting misinformation about the pandemic, instead said she was choking on food. Paloma, a Cambridge graduate, died at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton after suffering a heart attack caused by her tumour. Dr Peter Anderson, who saw her when paramedics brought her in, previously told the inquest a large mass in her chest and neck, which was compressing her airways and affecting major blood vessels, could have caused the cardiac arrest. A safeguarding report was later requested over concerns about Paloma's refusal of cancer treatment and the "possible influence" of her mother. Paloma's twin brother Gabriel, who blames her death on his mother's conspiratorial beliefs, asked if she had made the paramedics' job more difficult that night. Mr Bass said: "I believe we had to be quite firm at some points… had to ask for quiet while administering care to your sister."The coroner previously heard that Ms Shemirani had called a friend when Paloma collapsed, only dialling 999 after her friend arrived at the house. Paloma's brother Gabriel asked another paramedic who treated Paloma at the inquest if his mum's delay in calling an ambulance affected her chance of survival."It's difficult to say," said Karen Clarke, Secamb critical care paramedic. "You always recommend someone calling 999 straight away."Gabriel asked Ms Clarke if she would have called a friend first, she replied she would have called an ambulance first. Dr Arundoya Mohan, a consultant haematologist at Maidstone Hospital, told Paloma in December 2023 she had an 80% chance of recovery if she had chemotherapy. Ms Shemirani blames doctors for her daughter's death.
Daily Mail
30-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Osteopath hits out at anti-vaxx mother of model who died from cancer at 23 as he tells inquest he was 'not the right person to be helping her'
An osteopath has hit out at the anti-vaxx mother of a model who died from cancer, telling an inquest that he was 'not the right person to be helping her'. Cambridge graduate and model Paloma Shemirani died last July aged 23 after refusing conventional cancer treatments for her treatable non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer. Her mother, Kay 'Kate' Shemirani, was a notorious anti-vaxxer struck off the UK's nursing register in 2021 for her extreme anti-medicine views, including discouraging the use of masks and vaccines during Covid. She rose to prominence on social media while sharing Covid-19 conspiracy theories, an inquest at Oakwood House in Maidstone, Kent, heard previously. Ms Shemirani was involved in arranging an alternative 'treatment programme' for her daughter. Osteopath Nick Gosset saw Paloma on July 19, 2024, the day she collapsed and was taken to hospital by air ambulance. On Wednesday, he told the inquest that he had advised Ms Shemirani to seek further medical support. Mr Gosset said: 'It was obvious to me that I was not the right person to be helping her, normally you see a patient like that you would refer her (to a GP). Her mother, Kay 'Kate' Shemirani, pictured at an anti-vaxx rally, was a notorious anti-vaxxer struck off the UK's nursing register in 2021 for her extreme anti-medicine views Paloma, pictured in 2019, was a Cambridge graduate who picked up A* and A grades in her A Levels and had aspirations to build a career in publishing 'Any referral was refused - when I suggested that the proper avenue of approach was through a normal medical channel she dismissed it. 'I felt I was presented with a young woman - and I'm not an expert in this, my field is biomechanics - a young lady who was in the last stages of a very difficult disease, and she had declined to engage with conventional treatment.' He added he felt 'aggrieved' that he had been put in that professional position. 'I was left with no good choices and the only choice I felt I had at the time was to offer her the opportunity to return where I might be able to persuade her of the importance of seeking further medical support,' said Mr Gosset. In written statements submitted to the family division of the High Court in Spring 2024, Paloma described herself as 'anti-vaxx' adding that she declined chemotherapy partly because of her 'background in natural healing', the inquest heard on Monday. The proceedings, which involved the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, were on the appropriateness of her care. Paloma said she was 'delighted' with her alternative treatment and 'sure' she would 'make a full recovery' if left to continue it. She also claimed her human rights had been violated by NHS practitioners, in the statement read by lawyer Alison Hewitt. It said: 'I am far from being a vulnerable young adult. Apart from becoming independent after I moved to Cambridge for university, I have practised the same principles that I grew up with. 'I have always been extremely health conscious: sticking to all-organic produce, I prepare all my own meals and I absolutely do not drink or cook with tap water. 'I have never taken drugs, despite pressure to, and I rarely drink alcohol. 'If I became ill, I've always turned to my mum first for advice as she is a trained nurse and qualified nutritionist. 'Practically fanatical about my health, my close friends know me as a staunch advocate for all proven natural healing'. She described her mother as 'an extremely forceful advocate for natural health' who is 'misquoted' by people claiming 'those natural solutions are conspiratorial'. Ms Shemirani was struck off as a nurse in 2021, with a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) committee finding she had spread Covid-19 misinformation that 'put the public at a significant risk of harm', the inquest heard previously. The anti-vaxx mother previously joined the coroner's court online - and immediately indicated she is unrepentant on her outspoken opinions. She referred to her daughter's cancer as a 'purported diagnosis' as she argued with Coroner Catherine Wood about what evidence should be heard at the Kent inquest. Despite initially having been given a positive prognosis that she could survive her condition, former Miss Brighton finalist Paloma died just seven months after her diagnosis having refused help. Her two brothers, Gabriel and Sebastian, and former boyfriend, Ander Harris, have since gone on record to claim Paloma had been coerced by her mother into refusing medical help - a claim their mother has denied. The brothers first spoke out in a BBC Panorama interview last month, where they revealed the accusations made against their mother. Ms Shemirani, who describes herself as a 'natural nurse' to her 80,000 followers on X, believes in 'Gerson therapy' - that a vegan diet, natural juices, coffee enemas and supplements can cure cancer. Another statement in Paloma's name added 'my friends know me as a staunch advocate of the Gerson therapy'. She said she had been using Gerson therapy as one mode of treatment on the advice of her mother's ex-fiancee, Doctor Patrick Villers, and that at 15 years old, she spent three weeks in his camp in Mexico where it was practised. Gerson therapy involves a strict organic vegetarian diet and enemas and has been used in cancer treatment, though Cancer Research UK says there is no scientific evidence it can be used for these purposes. Her GP was also monitoring her blood and progress, she said. The former Cambridge student went on to deny having the disease and said: 'I was not diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma... I have never had a shadow on my lung, this is absurd fantasy, no proof.' She described the diagnosis as 'suspected and unconfirmed', and said a 'differential diagnosis' only meant cancer could not be ruled out. Paloma understood she had a one in five chance of surviving the commonplace R-CHOP treatment that was offered, and feared it would likely make her infertile, the inquest heard. 'I do not want to undergo such a harsh treatment that could even kill me when there is a possibility this is not cancer,' she said. The High Court statement alleged multiple violations of human rights in her care, the inquest heard, including Articles 3, 6 and 8 and possibly Articles 1, 5 and 12. 'I am so shocked, as are others assisting me, especially my mother, that this could take place today,' the statement said. 'These were put in place forever to prevent what Dr Mengele did in the second world war. How could this happen today?' it continued. Notorious Nazi doctor Josef Mengele performed experiments on his victims in Auschwitz. The patient said symptoms she presented in hospital with - including a swollen face, excruciating chest pain being unable to move her arm - had subsided. Earlier this month, Paloma's inquest heard from haematology consultant Dr Arunodaya Mohan who detailed how the young woman was diagnosed and how a treatment plan was created. The coroner's court heard that Paloma was first admitted to A&E on October 4 2023 with chest pain, a fever and a lump in the neck. She was then admitted on December 3 and was put forward for an emergency CT scan the next day. After a biopsy was taken, Paloma was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma with a large mass being found near her sternum. While the consultant was asked about scans from radiology Mrs Shemirani shouted, 'I'd like to object', to which the coroner told her she could not object to a witness statement. Dr Mohen said that as part of a standard treatment plan Paloma was advised to start six cycles of chemotherapy - each lasting 14 days. She rose to prominence on social media while sharing Covid-19 conspiracy theories, an inquest at Oakwood House in Maidstone, Kent, pictured, heard previously. Steroids would also be provided, with radiotherapy and stents being considered later down the line. The doctor said side effects of the treatment, which could have been taken as an inpatient or outpatient, include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, changes to nails and the production of 'tumour lives' which can produce toxins and affect chemicals in the body. Dr Mohen added: 'Chemotherapy can affect fertility so we offered Paloma full fertility preservation before she went ahead with chemotherapy. 'We had a discussion regarding on fertility and we discussed a referral to a tertiary centre. And she was happy to go ahead with the fertility preservation and we discussed the pet scan. 'At that point I don't think I had any concerns [about her capacity]. We went through the management plan at that time and that's when we gave her the cure rate of 80 per cent during that conversation.' At this stage, Paloma's cancer was considered to be a stage one mass and due to her age and extent of the disease she had a good chance of survival. Her doctor said: 'She was very low risk and had an 80 per cent chance of survival which is an excellent cure rate.' After first meeting with Paloma on December 22, Dr Mohan had discussed treatment options and a potential PET scan with Paloma to which she is said to have nodded in agreement. She claims, without evidence, that her daughter was deliberately killed by the NHS Yet the next day Paloma appeared to have changed her mind and was exploring 'unconventional' treatment options. The consultant said she had been surprised when Paloma said that she would not be continuing treatment. Dr Mohan added: 'It was not expected that she was not going ahead with the treatment. 'She said she hadn't made up her mind yet and she might be cancelling her treatment. I can't remember what treatment that was in favour of but it wasn't a conventional treatment. 'She would not disclose why she was worried about the treatment but I did ask her and my team was worried that she might not undergo treatment.' Dr Mohan said she had only had one conversation with Paloma's mother over the phone and had not discussed Ms Shemirani being Paloma's power of attorney. She said Ms Shemirani had repeated Paloma's concerns about the side effects of steroids and said 'she wasn't happy with the Pet scan'. Dr Mohan added: 'I said we would ask Paloma what she wanted and if she decided this treatment I will go in that direction. 'We thought at the time she had full capacity in what was going on. I didn't even want to talk to mum as I didn't think it was helpful.' It's understood that Paloma's father Faramarz also believes in conspiracy theories, but is divorced and living separately to her mother. Gabriel and his brother Sebastian went public last month, claiming their sister died because she refused conventional chemotherapy treatment. The brothers said that doctors gave Paloma an 80 per cent chance of survival but rejected the treatment because of pressure from her mother whom she had been trying to improve her relationship with.
Telegraph
15-07-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
The cancer patients choosing natural remedies over treatment
When Surinder Paul, 48, was diagnosed with invasive carcinoma of the breast in 2012, she was unequivocal: she was going to live. Not because of the 'barbaric' mastectomy proposed by her consultant, or chemotherapy. But via treatments that she was convinced could 'naturally' cure her grade-two disease. 'I feel inside my heart and soul, I am completely, 100 per cent clear that this is the right path for me,' she says in The Cancer Conflict, a documentary currently on Netflix. It charts her cancer battle over the course of seven brutal years. Paul, a former social worker and physical therapist, had always eschewed Western medicine, refusing even painkillers for 30 years prior to her diagnosis. Her ethos was shared by many within her family. They had known a number of people with cancer who undertook chemotherapy and died, her niece, Jasmine Paul, says, leaving the rest of them feeling 'hope' that alternative methods might be the answer this time. Paul was glamorous and filled with energy at times, dancing with her beloved nieces and nephews at family parties, and going speed-dating. Mainly, she was forensic in her approach to her health and diet, from taking over 200 supplements a week and spending hours researching hemp oils and carrot juicing, to avoiding foods that had touched tins or microwaves. Paul is far from alone in her unconventional attitude towards cancer treatment. Patients, many of whom are professionals, educated and informed, pursue them, swayed by convincing posts on social media in an age where misinformation is rife, and convincing, with often, tragic results. As a Journal of the National Cancer Institute paper reveals, those who opted for alternative treatment were more than twice as likely to die from the disease, while according to Cancer Research UK, 'there is no evidence that [alternative methods] can prevent or treat cancer'. The pervasive influence of misinformation At the American Society for Clinical Oncology general meeting last month – the world's largest cancer conference – doctors warned that patients were falling victim to bad actors who 'deliberately push unproven treatments or ideas'. They said the cancer field was increasingly 'losing the battle'. A 2022 analysis of posts about cancer found that almost a third shared contained misinformation, with these articles receiving 'significantly more engagement from online readers than factual ones'. And although healthy eating and exercise are recommended in conjunction with cancer care, oncologists warn that there is a rising tide of patients choosing this over proven kinds of treatment entirely, with fatal consequences. In The Cancer Conflict, it is said that 50 to 90 per cent of all patients turn to alternative treatments at some stage. In an extreme, tragic case last month, a BBC Panorama documentary told the story of 23-year-old Paloma Shemirani, a Cambridge graduate diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2023. Doctors assured her that she had an 80 per cent chance of survival with chemotherapy, but she refused – something her brothers allege is down to their mother, Kate, a known Covid-19 denier and former nurse with a significant online presence, who sells apricot kernels on her website for their 'potential health benefits'. Shemirani opted for Gerson therapy, which involves a strict plant-based diet and coffee enemas. She died the following year. (Her parents told the BBC that they have evidence 'Paloma died as a result of medical interventions given without confirmed diagnosis or lawful consent', though documents to support this were not disclosed.) In a statement from the June 26, Shemirani's parents said: 'Paloma was never 'coerced'. She was never 'radicalised'. She was a woman of conviction and clarity.' An inquest into her death is due to begin this month. The dangerous impact of bogus theories Liz O'Riordan, a former breast cancer surgeon who has faced the disease herself three times, says that in recent years, bogus theories have 'grown and grown and grown on social media, podcasts and TikTok. There are people with millions of followers talking about detoxing and bicarb and methylene blue and ivermectin.' None of these have been found to improve the outlook of the disease – yet posts extolling their virtues are 'everywhere you look'. During her time as a surgeon, O'Riordan was confronted with patients who would tell her they were going on a juicing retreat, rather than undergoing mastectomies, chemotherapy or radiation as advised. 'These patients were adamant that they were going to be cured.' O'Riordan says that while from a clinical perspective, 'it was really hard to understand why they would turn down evidence-based medicine', as a patient, she understands that 'you're vulnerable, you're scared, you are desperate for control, you want a cure.'. While exotically-located clinics promising the Earth are incredibly tempting for those in the throes of disease, 'they don't work and people do die'. The 'natural' cures that have become mainstream These alternative ideas are not just flourishing within the fringes of social media either, O'Riordan says such routes are often followed by 'educated women with money'. (A 2010 study from Annals of Oncology found that 'patients in the homeopathy cohort are younger, better educated and more often employed than patients in the conventional care cohort'.) O'Riordan receives up to 20 messages per day, often from such patients, saying ''My oncologist said it's safe to use deodorant, but I saw a TikTok video saying that it could cause cancer, so what do you think?' People asking if they should start detox protocols; people asking if they need to throw their makeup away because of parabens, should they go on juicing diets. And it's just terrifying.' Between Covid triggering distrust in mainstream medicine and convincing-looking 'testimonials' online – shared by many who peddle fear for profit, as they sell unregulated supplements and consultations – the NHS cannot compete. 'It's really hard because what we're saying is not sexy. It's not exciting. We don't have millions of followers,' O'Riordan explains. 'It takes an awful lot of time and energy and hard work to make the videos, to grow the profile, to get that content, to get it out there into the public voice.' What cancer patients are asking for now The feedback loop of social media is increasingly difficult to overcome, says Hannah Furness, an oncology and palliative care physiotherapist, who says that she has grappled with patients doubting conventional treatment because of things they've seen online. Clients have come to her asking about alkaline diets and avoiding exercise during chemotherapy 'when the research tells us that staying physically active during treatment helps to achieve the best possible outcomes and minimise side effects'. Others have enquired about avoiding massage, 'due to the risk of spreading cancer around the body'. Furness sees it as 'unfair that misinformation prevents people from accessing care and treatments they may benefit from; especially when the 'alternative' way to manage these symptoms involves taking more pills'. She is conscious too that today's technology means those with a foot in the rabbit hole are more likely to fall down it completely. ' Algorithms are the scary thing now as well, where it's not just Googling something and choosing what you click on – you're actually being fed it. When you click on one thing, it's going to feed you more of the same type of content. And sometimes when you see the same thing repeated over and over, you start to think, 'I've read that in five different places, so that must be true.'' At a follow-up meeting, several years into her disease, Paul's niece, Jasmine, remembers the surgeon telling her aunt, 'Whatever you're doing is working in your favour. Keep doing it.' But around five years after her diagnosis, the cancer spread to her arm via lymphoedema. 'It was really painful for her, but also really hard for us to see and cope with,' remembers Jasmine. Yet 'right up until the very end, she was fighting… our conversations were never: 'I'm going [to die]'. It was always: 'I'm going to get through this.''Paul passed away in 2020, aged 56. Jasmine's mother, who was also very close to Paul, has admitted that, 'there were times when I felt that having conventional treatment could have saved her life… it was quite challenging to support her journey at times as I believed there was not enough conclusive evidence to back up all the claims made by alternative therapies and medicine.' Still, no one suggested that she change tack. 'We all respected her wishes and tried to support her.' O'Riordan adds that while many more seem to be considering switching from conventional to alternative treatment, this rarely swings back the other way. Some patients' relatives have got in touch at a point 'when alternative treatments didn't work and they changed their mind, but it was too late'. Their main regret, she says, was 'trusting the people who promised they could cure them'.
