Naturopaths are not qualified.

[Silverstarqueen]

I doubt the child suffering from meningitis was "feeling good" after the natural treatments being given him by his parents. A naturopath can safely recommend ordinary vitamins to someone who is apparently healthy, or perhaps just worried well. When someone is properly ill, and not responding (meaning the body's natural system has been overwhelmed), is probably time to get real medical help. Even at that, I agree with xia33, a parent needs to ask lots of questions, because medical personnel can make mistakes too. I think almost everyone has a horror story from their experience, or a family member who has slipped through the system or been the victim of poor medical decisions.

[Healthyskeptic]

These parents were found guilty.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/m ... -1.3552941

I think justice was served for Ezekiel at last.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/l ... aulfield-1

[Healthyskeptic]

The OT could also be "Google isn't a doctor" or "Wikipedia isn't a medical teaching university."

[perspicacious]

Naturopaths, doctors, friends and colleagues... Everyone has an opinion on what one should do or what's best for them. I say trust your intuition, if you have a good relationship with your body then you'll know when something is or isn't working for you. I've been to both Naturopath and doctor and have tried and come back to both in disagreement with their advice. You are the only expert in your well being.


No different if my child is sick, I trust my instinct. Those parents that were recently convicted in their child's death should have known something was wrong. As a parent, you always err on the caution side, better to be overly cautious. I don't think they should be jailed... The death of one's child is a life sentence in itself. I could not even imagine....

[Queen K]

They were told by a NURSE that their child had meningitis and what did they do? Go to Google and a Naturapath.

FAIL. And yes, it's a life sentence already.

[jimmy4321]

In fact i believe the nurse recommended they go see a real doctor.
Unfortunately these parents weren't qualified and let their paranoia of modern medicine and Big Pharma prevail.
At the very least if there's other kids in the household currently or in the future, social services should keep a close eye on them.

[Silverstarqueen]

I'm not sure how a social worker could monitor that sort of thing with parents, especially given that these parents still think they did no wrong and the whole world is out of step except them. Social workers can't pop in on every family each day to take temperatures of the children in case parents are too ignorant to take them in sick. Exactly the same scenario could happen if a child became suddenly critically ill or injured. At the same time I think it is tragic that these children probably should be separated from their parents' care. If there was a family member (of a different philosophy) who would care for them, and let the parents continue frequent visiting rights it might help the children. If that can't be arranged, then the children's safety comes first of course. And I think some jail time should be in the parents' future, because I still don't think they "get it".