From The New Yorker · D. T. Max · · 2m
Did an Alternative-Medicine Guru Accidentally Kill Patients?
Swiss doctor Rau’s alternative treatments led to two deaths after alpha-lipoic acid infusions.
In brief
Swiss doctor Rau’s alternative treatments led to two deaths after alpha-lipoic acid infusions. Swiss doctor Rau’s alternative treatments caused two deaths after alpha-lipoic acid infusions. Originally reported by The New Yorker.
Rau’s alternative treatments
Rau, a Swiss doctor, uses colon hydrotherapy, ozone treatments, and hyperthermia therapy for patients with unclear conditions.
Rau’s patient outcomes
Rau claims eighty percent of patients with long COVID or chronic fatigue syndrome improve significantly after his treatments.
Rau’s treatments
Rau’s treatments include alpha-lipoic acid infusions, which are not approved by the FDA for any condition.
Rau’s patient log
Rau wrote in Lanitis’s medical log that she was 'healthy' with mostly stomach symptoms and sleep problems.
Lanitis’s condition
Lanitis, a seventy-year-old Cypriot woman, arrived at BioMed with bursitis, dental pain, and digestive issues.
Lanitis’s treatment
Lanitis received yarrow compresses, ginger wraps, hyperthermia therapy, and a colon cleanse before an alpha-lipoic acid infusion.
Lanitis’s reaction
Lanitis experienced severe abdominal pain within hours of the alpha-lipoic acid infusion, with a platelet count dropping to seventy-nine billion per litre.
Lanitis’s death
Lanitis died the next day after being transferred to a hospital in St. Gallen, where she vomited blood.
Ammann’s case
Ammann, a wealthy art dealer, received an alpha-lipoic acid infusion and later developed abdominal pain and vomiting.
Ammann’s death
Ammann died the next day after being admitted to University Hospital in Zurich, with a postmortem attributing her death to cardiovascular failure and septic shock.
Investigation
Swiss prosecutors investigated the deaths but the clinic remained open, with no criminal charges filed against Rau.
Rau’s response
Rau claimed he would not have covered up Lanitis’s death and admitted using alpha-lipoic acid off-label.
Rau’s testimony
Rau testified that Lanitis’s condition was a classic indication for the alpha-lipoic acid infusion and that Ammann’s death was unclear.
Rau’s clinic
BioMed, Rau’s clinic in Schwellbrunn, Switzerland, offers alternative treatments including detoxifying infusions and hyperthermia therapy.
Rau’s reputation
Rau has been practicing for forty-four years and is known as the 'Mozart of medicine' in his book 'The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health.'
Rau’s stance
Rau believes alternative medicine should be the fundamental form of medicine, with conventional treatments used only when necessary.
At a glance
Swiss doctor Rau’s alternative treatments caused two deaths after alpha-lipoic acid infusions.
