Saskatchewan’s Opposition NDP and the province’s ALS society are calling on Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill to launch an investigation into the Dr. Goodenowe Restorative Health Center in Moose Jaw.
Last week, the CBC reported that Dr. Dayan Goodenowe, who runs the centre, tells patients with ALS that his supplements can stop and reverse the progress of the disease. On his YouTube account, he says, “stopping the progression of ALS actually isn’t that hard.”
He backs up his claim by pointing to some patients who say they feel better on his supplements. He also told CBC he’s working on studies to verify their effectiveness.
Goodenowe charges ALS clients $75,000 US for his three-month live-in treatment program.
In CBC’s story, some patients who took part said it did nothing to improve their condition.
The NDP and the ALS Society say there’s no published scientific evidence to back up Goodenowe’s claims. They say all of the science indicates ALS is a death sentence.
They said businesses should not be allowed to prey on vulnerable people.
“We’re talking about people with an incurable disease, who are desperate for hope, being misled with promises that are not backed in any scientific evidence. This is false hope being sold for profit,” NDP rural and remote health critic Jared Clarke said at a news conference Friday.
“We cannot allow unregulated facilities to target vulnerable people with misleading claims without any oversight or accountability. So today we are urging Minister Cockrill to act.”
Denis Simard, executive director of the ALS Society of Saskatchewan, echoed that call at the news conference, saying “we would invite the ministry to do a special investigation.”
Simard made a similar request months ago. In a Feb. 12 letter, he asked Cockrill to look into Goodenowe’s business and “take appropriate action to prevent the dissemination of false medical information that could exploit those facing ALS.”
Cockrill refused CBC’s request for an interview. In a written statement, he indicated there’s nothing the provincial government can do because Goodenowe’s centre, “has no ties to the Saskatchewan health care system.”
In interviews with CBC, Goodenowe regularly emphasized that he is not a medical doctor and his facility does not offer medical treatments or services. He has a Ph.D in Medical Sciences with an emphasis in psychiatry from the University of Alberta.
“It is a private business, not a provincially regulated health centre or affiliate,” Cockrill wrote. “The individual operating it is not a licensed medical doctor, so he does not fall under any established health regulatory body.”
Clarke said that if Cockrill is accurately describing the situation, that’s an even stronger reason for him to do something.
“To me that’s why an investigation is important, to be able to assess whether there is a gap here [and] whether we need additional legislation,” Clarke said.
Simard agreed.
“OK, we don’t have an actual place in the law that allows us to investigate this. Let’s create one,” he said. “Let’s find a way that’s going to allow us to protect the most vulnerable in our province.”
In its research, CBC was directed to section 80 of Saskatchewan’s Medical Profession Act, 1981, which seems to indicate that it is against the law in the province for someone who is not a registered medical professional to offer medical services.
It says it’s an offence in Saskatchewan if someone, “for hire, gain or hope of reward (i) engages in, professes to engage in or advertises to give advice in any aspect of practice; or (ii) furnishes any medicine or treats any disease or ailment by medicine, drugs or any form of treatment, influence or appliance.”
If found guilty of this offence, “and liable on summary conviction,” the offender would be subject to a fine of up to $5,000.
CBC asked the minister if this law might apply in this case. He didn’t respond to the question.
In his written statement, the minister added that “we are not aware of any Saskatchewan residents living with ALS who have accessed Mr. Goodenowe’s services.” He didn’t explain why he made that point.
Simard noted that in CBC’s story, the ALS patients were all from the United States.
“These are all people that are being harmed by this process and I think we have a right to protect them,” Simard said.
He said this question is not going to go away for the provincial government, because Goodenowe is planning to expand his operations in Moose Jaw.
In April, Goodenowe announced the Moose Jaw Vitality Project, which his website describes as “a $100 million community health initiative providing free access to cutting-edge health services and monitoring technologies for all residents of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.”
The project is planned to involve five facilities, including the restorative health centre, a cafe and a facility that will manufacture Goodenowe’s supplements, which he has manufactured in the United States until now.
Simard said Moose Jaw city council should be paying attention to this as well.
“Let’s make sure that this person has no approvals moving forward, so that until this is fully investigated, until we can fully validate what is being done by this individual, nothing should happen at any other level,” he said.
For his part, Simard said he has warned Saskatchewan’s 73 ALS patients that they should have nothing to do with Goodenowe or his facility.
