'Healing cult' which claims to have a cure for Ebola accused of poisoning 10 people with potions made from bleach
Daily Mail, UK/November 3, 2014
By Louise Cheer
The leader of a religious group who claims to have the cure for deadly diseases - such as Ebola - will arrive on Australian shores in less than two weeks to promote his 'miracle' concoction, which has poisoned at least 10 people across the country.
Genesis II Church of Health Healing's 'Archibishop' Jim Humble is travelling to five different cities through November, including Melbourne and Ngatea in New Zealand, to talk about his 'Miracle Mineral Solution' (MMS).
Variations of the solutions are made from bleaching agents - including sodium chlorite, chlorine dioxide and calcium hypochlorite - used to whiten paper and water treatment.
In the previous five years, 10 Victorians have come forward claiming they had been poisoned by MMS, the Herald Sun reported.
The solution - which is listed for sale at three retailers in Australia as 'water purification' products - claims cure malaria, autism, HIV/AIDS and cancer.
Australian Medical Association Victoria president Tony Bartone said the group were taking advantage of vulnerable people who were sick and likened MMS to bleach.
He said the claims made by the church that it can cure illnesses were 'unproven'.
'All medical treatments must be safely and independently tested, trialled and proven to work. This product has not been,' Dr Bartone told Daily Mail Australia in an emailed statement.
'Its composition is the same as bleach, and has resulted in a number of poisonings.
'We want to get the message out there that these products are harmful - they are bad for your health. Bleach can erode stomach lining.
'They are expensive and they do more harm than good. The only thing that is proven here is that it is a bleach and can put you in hospital.'
The church - which has its headquarters in the Dominican Republic - has been contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment.
It published a response to the U.S. Drug and Food Administration's (FDA) 'recycled' warning against the use of MMS earlier this year.
The FDA's warning said they had 'received several reports of health injuries from consumers using this product, including severe nausea, vomiting, and life-threatening low blood pressure from dehydration'.
Genesis II's video was made in four years ago but was re-posted again in April, saying the response from Jim Humble - the maker of the solution - was 'as relevant today as it was back in 2010'.
In the video, Mr Humble denied MMS was harmful to users.
'This product [has been] sold widely in the United States for the last three years and nobody has reported low-blood pressure or dehydration,' he said.
'There's no indication, there’s no proof... that says MMS caused that whatsoever.
'What they're [the FDA] saying is several people have reported a stomach ache and that is the most that has been reported to the FDA.'
The three-day seminar with Mr Humble at Clayton Community Centre - in Melbourne's south-east - costs up to $500.
But its organiser, Paul Treacy, told News Corp attendees were only asking to make a donation to the church.
Mr Treacy has also been contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment.
Dr Dawson MacLeod, from the Victorian Poisons Information Centre, said a total of 10 people - with four needing further treatment at the hospital - had reported feeling ill after administering MMS. Symptoms included vomiting and diarrhoea.
He said the most common problem which was causing the symptoms was people not diluting the solution properly and making it too strong because they thought it would be more effective against their illnesses.
'There’s no basis in science for it being effective,' he said.
Dr MacLeod added it could spark 'potentially life-threatening illnesses' and warned the long-term effects of the solution were unsubstantiated.
To see more documents/articles regarding this group/organization/subject click here.
