AZ homeopath arrested in death of patient

[Piscivore]

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/20/20081020garypageindictment.html

[paximperium]

Why the hell is a homeopath doing liposuction?

[Tricky]

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/10/20/20081020garypageindictment.html
The bad news is, he wasn't arrested for homeopathy. He was doing liposuction without a license. I'm not sure how he managed to be free to do liposuction, considering he had already killed two previous victims patients.

[fls]

There was a thread (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=94203) similar to this about a doctor in Nevada who had previously killed patients and received no form of discipline for this because he claimed that he was practising as a homeopath when treating the patients. That allowed the complaint to be heard by the homeopathic board, which of course didn't have any standards to hold him to.

Arizona, like Nevada, allows an MD to obtain a medical license as a regular practioner or a homeopathic practitioner or both. All you need is some sort of homeopathic certification. Homeopathic only practitioners are not restricted to only homeopathy, though. They can still essentially practice medicine, including performing procedures. Some physicians, who cannot get a regular medical license, can get a homeopathic license and go about their business. I found a copy of an overview of the same sort of information I discovered when I was investigating the Nevada situation here (http://www.valuemd.com/relaxing-lounge/43671-arizona-homeopathic-board-under-scrutiny.html).

Linda

[paximperium]

So if I move to Nevada, I can take the Homeopathic certification and perform neurosurgery under the guise of homeopathy? Amazing...and terrifying.

[fls]

As far as I can tell, they can perform minor surgery described as:

"7. "Minor surgery" means surgical procedures that are conducted by a licensee in an outpatient setting and that involve the removal or repair of lesions or injuries to the skin, mucous membranes and subcutaneous tissues, the use of topical, local or regional anesthetic agents, the treatment by stabilizing or casting nondisplaced and uncomplicated fractures of the extremities and diagnostic endoscopies of the intestinal tract, nasopharynx and vagina. Minor surgery also includes an uncomplicated vasectomy, diagnostic aspiration of joints and subcutaneous cysts, therapeutic injections of muscular trigger points, tendons, ligaments and scars and the subcutaneous implantation of medical therapeutic agents. Minor surgery may also include those procedures prescribed by the board by rule. Minor surgery does not include the use of general, spinal or epidural anesthesia, the opening of body cavities, the repair of blood vessels and nerves or the biopsy by incision, excision or needle aspiration of internal organs, the breast or the prostate."

Since liposuction does not enter a body cavity (hopefully) and can be done under local, it might qualify. But it looks like they are saying it doesn't. This is preliminary, though, as it's an indictment rather than the result of a trial.

Linda