Thousands of members of the Church of Scientology may be suffering from untreated mental and neurological conditions, according to a former follower who taught John Travolta, the Hollywood star.
Sufferers are told to cure themselves with vitamins and saunas while it is denied that they have problems such as epilepsy or autism, said Tory Christman, now a fierce critic of the church.
Christman left after suffering epileptic fits, culminating in a seizure which caused her to fall in the bath, knocking out her front teeth. Fellow Scientolo-gists refused to accept that she had a "real" illness, insisting that she work harder studying the teachings of the church's founder, L Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer, she said.
Christman, 62, from Los Angeles, was speaking in response to reports surrounding the sudden death of Travolta's only son, Jett, 16, during a holiday in the Bahamas.
