An “alternative” health promoter who is banned from giving health advice in Australia is set to give four days of talks in Ireland next week.

Barbara O’Neill was permanently banned from providing health services in New South Wales after the state’s Health Care Complaints Commission found she had told clients that cancer is a fungus treatable with bicarbonate of soda and had discouraged them from having chemotherapy.

A number of Irish, Australian and UK medical experts have signed a letter to venues, warning that the talks will likely spread medical misinformation.  

The All Ireland Science Media Centre asked experts to comment on how to judge health claims, who is qualified to give nutrition advice, and the risks of this type of health misinformation. 

Professor Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics, Queens University Belfast, comments: 

“As the Immediate Past Chair of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, an authoritative international body which uses evidence to determine cancer outcomes worldwide (including in Ireland and the UK), the data clearly shows the benefits of recognised treatments such as radiotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy. Immunotherapy and precision oncology also can be beneficial in particular forms of cancer.

“This person has told cancer patients to avoid chemotherapy, and that is among the reasons she has been banned for life from giving health advice in New South Wales. I am appalled that she is able to speak to audiences on this island. She has claimed that cancer is a fungus that can be treated with bicarbonate of soda, which has absolutely no basis in scientific fact. These messages are irresponsible and dangerous, and delaying treatment will put patients at risk.

“It is critical that we have ways to protect potentially vulnerable cancer patients and their families being misled by this anti-science narrative. We need as a community to speak up and make sure that evidence trumps opinion.”

Declaration of interest: None received

Jennifer Feighan, CEO of the Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute, comments: 

“Many people claim to be experts in nutrition yet have very limited knowledge and can’t be held to account if their advice causes harm. 

“More and more self- proclaimed or alternative ‘nutrition practitioners’ are emerging from informal courses, which can make it confusing to choose the right person from whom to seek help and advice. Unfortunately, for those who use the services of these unqualified ‘nutrition practitioners’, the advice or therapy provided may be ineffective, inappropriate and potentially unsafe.

“The title “Dietitian/Dietician” is protected by law in Ireland and regulated by CORU. Only qualified practitioners with required education qualifications who keep their skills up to date can use that title, and they are accountable for their conduct and the care they provide through regulation and through membership of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI). All members of The INDI are bound to comply with the code of ethics and professional practice. 

“The title “Nutritionist” is not protected by law in Ireland so people with different levels of training and knowledge can use it. Many Nutritionists and Public Health Nutritionists are well qualified to provide information about food and healthy eating and often work in public health, health improvement, health policy, education and research. However it can be difficult for the public to know whether advice is coming from qualified, accountable source.  As a guide, a nutritionist should hold at least a BSc (Hons) or MSc in nutritional science from an accredited, evidence-based university program and ideally be registered with the Association for Nutrition (AfN) which maintains the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN).”

Declaration of interest: “No conflicts of interest.”

Dr Paula Byrne, Senior Research Fellow/Evidence Synthesis Methodologist, Centre for Health Research Methodology, University of Galway, comments: 

“When we hear a claim that something helps or harms our health, a healthy dose of scepticism is a good place to start. Some claims are reliable, and others are not, but most of us find it hard to tell the difference. So, whenever we come across a claim we’re unsure about, the first question should be: what’s the evidence?

“It also helps to know what good evidence looks like. For a medicine, for example, we can ask whether it has been tested in a fair comparison, such as a randomised controlled trial. In this kind of trial, researchers compare two groups of people who are as similar as possible: one group gets the medicine, and the other gets a dummy pill. Ideally, neither the participants nor the people assessing the results know who received which, so their expectations can’t bias the findings. We then see which group does better.

“My advice is simple: ask for the evidence behind any health claim you hear and take the time to build your critical thinking skills. Excellent free resources can help, such as Informed Health Choices and Sense About Science’s ‘Ask for Evidence’.”

Declaration of interest: “No conflicts of interest”