Disciple Promoting "Slapping Treatment" for Health Issues Faces Conviction for Female's Demise
A practitioner of alternative medicine, aged 61, named Hongchi Xiao, has been imprisoned for ten years in the UK, as decided by a judge. This punishment stems from Xiao's negligence leading to the death of 71-year-old Danielle Carr-Gomm, who passed away after ceasing her insulin intake during one of Xiao's workshops. The workshop promoted a method called "slapping therapy."
Earlier this July, a UK jury found Xiao guilty of gross negligent manslaughter for his role in Carr-Gomm's demise. During her deteriorating health, Xiao is said to have done little to assist, even labeling her ill state as a "healing crisis." Remarkably, this isn't the first fatality associated with Xiao's negligence related to ceased insulin intake.
Born in China but residing in California, Xiao invented a dubious therapy he named "Paida lajin therapy." This therapy's primary concept is that people can expel "toxic waste" from their bodies by slapping themselves in certain positions, often resulting in bruising. Xiao and his followers have portrayed this slapping as a treatment for various ailments, including infections, Alzheimer's, and autism. However, these claims have been discredited and deemed unsupported by medical experts.
Prosecutors alleged that Carr-Gomm, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1999, attended an earlier workshop by Xiao in Bulgaria and ceased her insulin intake, becoming severely ill. Despite this, she continued praising Xiao in a video testimonial and didn't deter Xiao. At the commencement of the English retreat in October 2016, Xiao reportedly congratulated Carr-Gomm for ceasing her insulin use in front of others. As her condition worsened, vomiting, and frothing at the mouth, Xiao only made a minimal effort to seek medical help, according to prosecutors.
During Xiao's sentencing at Winchester Crown Court, Justice Robert Bright stated, "You were well aware that Danielle Carr-Gomm had ceased taking her insulin from late in the afternoon of day one." Moreover, Xiao reportedly supported this decision.
Xiao was extradited from Australia for the trial, where he was earlier convicted of manslaughter for a similar case involving a 6-year-old boy. The boy's parents had stopped giving him insulin while attending one of Xiao's workshops in Sydney in April 2015. This time, the Australian court determined that Xiao directly instructed the boy's mother not to administer insulin as his health deteriorated.
Carr-Gomm's family expressed their hopes that her case would shed light on the perils of pursuing unregulated alternative therapies without proper research following the sentencing.
In summary, 61-year-old Hongchi Xiao was sentenced to ten years in the UK for the negligent manslaughter of 71-year-old Danielle Carr-Gomm, who passed away after ceasing her insulin intake during Xiao's workshop promoting "slapping therapy." Earlier, Xiao had been convicted of manslaughter in Australia for the death of a 6-year-old boy in similar circumstances.
The family of Danielle Carr-Gomm hopes that her tragic case will highlight the dangers of unregulated alternative therapies, especially those lacking sufficient research in the future. With the advancements in science and technology, it's crucial to emphasize the importance of evidence-based medical treatments for maintaining health.
