From: http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/banned-dutch-doctors-still-practice-medicine
Eight Dutch doctors and psychologists who have been barred from practicing medicine are still active in the alternative circuit in the Netherlands.
An independent Dutch television programme RTL Nieuws revealed that the seven of the eight had their own practice. The eighth teaches at a university.
One of the eight is the doctor who treated actress Sylvia Millicam. When the actress died of cancer, alternative medicine came under considerable criticism for allegedly misleading her and preventing her from going to regular doctors.
Sylvia Millicam's doctor calls himself a "natural healer" and still treats patients.
Altogether, 30 people have been banned from practicing medicine in the Netherlands, many of them for medical blunders or having sexual relationships with their patients.
In response to the programme Health Minister Ab Klink says he will change the law so that people who have been struck off the list cannot continue to practice in alternative medicine.
Tuesday 27 October 2009
Monday 6 July 2009
Faith healer says: “Always consult a physician”
(Thanks to Global Post blog for the original text, check out their blog entry for all the appropriate links.)
When faith healer Jomanda took to the stage yesterday for one of her sessions in Bergen op Zoom, Noord Brabant, she had a big sign with her that said “Raadpleeg altijd een arts” (”Always consult a physician”), an odd move perhaps for somebody who believes she is a healing medium between this world and ‘God’. On her website she even claims that “doctors merely apply the bandages, only God heals.” Jomanda was recently cleared from charges (Dutch) of contributing to comedy actress Sylvia Millecam’s death.
Millecam had been struggling with breast cancer and had been avoiding traditional medicine. The alternative ‘healers’ she sought out suggested that she merely had a bacterial infection, after which she died. The case against Jomanda and two ‘alternative doctors’ was unique in that for the first time a court held it had the authority to address the care duty of somebody who was not a legal care giver. Indeed, the court seems to take this for granted (Dutch).
The court considered it proven that Jomanda had violated her care duty, but cleared her of the charges because Millecam had also sought regular help during the time she consulted the medium, and that the medium merely had a “comforting” influence, not a decisive one. The justice department is appealing.
When faith healer Jomanda took to the stage yesterday for one of her sessions in Bergen op Zoom, Noord Brabant, she had a big sign with her that said “Raadpleeg altijd een arts” (”Always consult a physician”), an odd move perhaps for somebody who believes she is a healing medium between this world and ‘God’. On her website she even claims that “doctors merely apply the bandages, only God heals.” Jomanda was recently cleared from charges (Dutch) of contributing to comedy actress Sylvia Millecam’s death.
Millecam had been struggling with breast cancer and had been avoiding traditional medicine. The alternative ‘healers’ she sought out suggested that she merely had a bacterial infection, after which she died. The case against Jomanda and two ‘alternative doctors’ was unique in that for the first time a court held it had the authority to address the care duty of somebody who was not a legal care giver. Indeed, the court seems to take this for granted (Dutch).
The court considered it proven that Jomanda had violated her care duty, but cleared her of the charges because Millecam had also sought regular help during the time she consulted the medium, and that the medium merely had a “comforting” influence, not a decisive one. The justice department is appealing.
Friday 26 June 2009
Faith healer cancer case goes to appeal
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2009/06/faith_healer_cancer_case_goes.php
The public prosecution department is to appeal against the not guilty verdict handed down to faith healer Jomanda for her alleged role in the death of tv presenter Silvia Millecam, news agency ANP reports.
The department is also appealing against the decision not to ban two alternative doctors from practising for two years, or to give them suspended jail terms. The docters were found guilty of involvement in Millecam's death but were not punished because the case had taken so long to come to court.
Millecam died from breast cancer in 2001.
The public prosecution department is to appeal against the not guilty verdict handed down to faith healer Jomanda for her alleged role in the death of tv presenter Silvia Millecam, news agency ANP reports.
The department is also appealing against the decision not to ban two alternative doctors from practising for two years, or to give them suspended jail terms. The docters were found guilty of involvement in Millecam's death but were not punished because the case had taken so long to come to court.
Millecam died from breast cancer in 2001.
Sunday 14 June 2009
Spiritual healer acquitted in death of Dutch actress
'Lady of the Light' believed to be in Canada
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/06/12/jomanda-healer-acquitted-millecam.html
A Dutch court acquitted the country's best-known spiritual healer Friday of complicity in the death of a popular actress who died of breast cancer in 2001 after refusing regular medical treatment.
Prosecutors had accused the self-styled healer, Jomanda, of denying Sylvia Millecam proper care by convincing her she had a bacterial infection and not cancer.
Jomanda, known as the "Lady of the Light," did not attend the trial and is believed to be in Canada.
When the proceedings began in May, her lawyer said she had a foreboding about the timing of the trial and believed it would not be safe for her to travel to Amsterdam.
Prosecutors had asked for a 12-month suspended sentence and a two-year ban on Jomanda carrying out her healing meetings.
Judges at Amsterdam District Court said in a written ruling that by supporting Millecam's belief that she was suffering a bacterial infection and not cancer, Jomanda "fell short of the level of care" she should have given Millecam.
However, the judges said Jomanda's support was not responsible for preventing Millecam seeking regular medical treatment.
Two alternative physicians were found guilty of harming Millecam's health by not giving her regular medical treatment for cancer or referring her to another doctor.
However, the judges didn't impose any sentence on either doctor, saying they already had been hurt by poor publicity stemming from the case and been sanctioned by a medical ethics board. The doctors' identities were not released by the court.
The Dutch Association Against Quackery welcomed the ruling as a clarification of the responsibilities of alternative healers.
"But it is disappointing that those involved can, in theory, continue with their healings," the association added.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/06/12/jomanda-healer-acquitted-millecam.html
A Dutch court acquitted the country's best-known spiritual healer Friday of complicity in the death of a popular actress who died of breast cancer in 2001 after refusing regular medical treatment.
Prosecutors had accused the self-styled healer, Jomanda, of denying Sylvia Millecam proper care by convincing her she had a bacterial infection and not cancer.
Jomanda, known as the "Lady of the Light," did not attend the trial and is believed to be in Canada.
When the proceedings began in May, her lawyer said she had a foreboding about the timing of the trial and believed it would not be safe for her to travel to Amsterdam.
Prosecutors had asked for a 12-month suspended sentence and a two-year ban on Jomanda carrying out her healing meetings.
Judges at Amsterdam District Court said in a written ruling that by supporting Millecam's belief that she was suffering a bacterial infection and not cancer, Jomanda "fell short of the level of care" she should have given Millecam.
However, the judges said Jomanda's support was not responsible for preventing Millecam seeking regular medical treatment.
Two alternative physicians were found guilty of harming Millecam's health by not giving her regular medical treatment for cancer or referring her to another doctor.
However, the judges didn't impose any sentence on either doctor, saying they already had been hurt by poor publicity stemming from the case and been sanctioned by a medical ethics board. The doctors' identities were not released by the court.
The Dutch Association Against Quackery welcomed the ruling as a clarification of the responsibilities of alternative healers.
"But it is disappointing that those involved can, in theory, continue with their healings," the association added.
Wednesday 27 May 2009
‘Message of prosecution is working’
translation of
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3989172/__Straf_Jomanda_opent_ogen_patient__.html?p=3,1
Jomanda sentence opens eyes of cancer patients
by René Steenhorst
AMSTERDAM – The number of cancer patients in the Netherlands who are turning their backs on hospitals to look for healing in the murky world of alternative practitioners has declined dramatically under the influence of the ‘Sylvia Millecam versus Jomanda’ drama.
"It’s been virtually decimated,” says psychologist Prof. Dr. Frits van Dam, who for many years was attached to the Dutch Cancer Institute/ Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (AvL) in Amsterdam. “Incidents like this one have opened the eyes of a great many people. The message which is being put out by the prosecution of Jomanda has worked: People, be careful about whose hands you put your fate in.”
According to Van Dam, this is the major benefit of the demand for a twelve-month suspended prison sentence issued yesterday by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) against Jomanda, for complicity in the death of actress Sylvia Millecam. Van Dam recently carried out research in the AvL into the number of people with cancer who follow alternative diets or who are actively involved in the alternative circuit. “Eight years ago, this was still around 12 – 15% of the patients, now this was dropped to only a couple of percent.”
Delighted
When asked, Professor Van Dam responds in his capacity of secretary of the Association Against Quackery. Together with the Skepsis Foundation, which exposes pseudosciences, the anti-quackery association brought the Jomanda case before the courts. “We are extremely delighted about this demand. Particularly because this case, which has now lasted seven years, was dropped by the PPO several years ago; at the time, it saw no reason for prosecution. And now look what’s happened! We’ve got a year’s suspended sentence out of it. And a ban on Jomanda and two alternative doctors who are also complicit, for totally inadequate care in the Millecam case. They will not be allowed to perform any treatments, healings or associated practices for two years.”
The last real cancer specialist who Sylvia Millecam consulted in the AvL was Dr. Emiel Rutgers, who is currently extraordinary professor of surgical oncology at the University of Amsterdam, specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. He does have some hesitation about the PPO’s demand: “One wonders if the demand is high enough. On the other hand, it does send out a strong signal. Neverthess, in my opinion, if you see that a fellow human being is suffering, it is your duty to help. If you know that someone has cancer - Sylvia knew this and so did Jomanda - then it is nothing less than criminal to maintain your insistence that it is not cancer, but an infection.”
Rutgers reveals that he received a thank-you letter from Sylvia Millecam after their meeting. “She was a person who kept control in her own hands. But she wrote to me that she knew that she had breast cancer, that she appreciated our treatment, that she preferred to try ‘Switzerland’ first, but asked if she could come back to us later if necessary. Of course she would have been able to do this. But Jomanda kept her away from us.”
In the criminal case against the two alternative doctors and the healing medium Jomanda, the Public Prosecutor, Birgit van Roessel, referred to Sylvia Millecam as a strong personality – “Intelligent, with a zest for life, modern and with a fiery character”.
Millecam also had another side: insecure, credulous, easily influenced and scared. According to Van Roessel, this other side must have made her susceptible to the outlooks and advice of the two doctors and Jomanda, with all the consequences this entailed.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3989172/__Straf_Jomanda_opent_ogen_patient__.html?p=3,1
Jomanda sentence opens eyes of cancer patients
by René Steenhorst
AMSTERDAM – The number of cancer patients in the Netherlands who are turning their backs on hospitals to look for healing in the murky world of alternative practitioners has declined dramatically under the influence of the ‘Sylvia Millecam versus Jomanda’ drama.
"It’s been virtually decimated,” says psychologist Prof. Dr. Frits van Dam, who for many years was attached to the Dutch Cancer Institute/ Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (AvL) in Amsterdam. “Incidents like this one have opened the eyes of a great many people. The message which is being put out by the prosecution of Jomanda has worked: People, be careful about whose hands you put your fate in.”
According to Van Dam, this is the major benefit of the demand for a twelve-month suspended prison sentence issued yesterday by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) against Jomanda, for complicity in the death of actress Sylvia Millecam. Van Dam recently carried out research in the AvL into the number of people with cancer who follow alternative diets or who are actively involved in the alternative circuit. “Eight years ago, this was still around 12 – 15% of the patients, now this was dropped to only a couple of percent.”
Delighted
When asked, Professor Van Dam responds in his capacity of secretary of the Association Against Quackery. Together with the Skepsis Foundation, which exposes pseudosciences, the anti-quackery association brought the Jomanda case before the courts. “We are extremely delighted about this demand. Particularly because this case, which has now lasted seven years, was dropped by the PPO several years ago; at the time, it saw no reason for prosecution. And now look what’s happened! We’ve got a year’s suspended sentence out of it. And a ban on Jomanda and two alternative doctors who are also complicit, for totally inadequate care in the Millecam case. They will not be allowed to perform any treatments, healings or associated practices for two years.”
The last real cancer specialist who Sylvia Millecam consulted in the AvL was Dr. Emiel Rutgers, who is currently extraordinary professor of surgical oncology at the University of Amsterdam, specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. He does have some hesitation about the PPO’s demand: “One wonders if the demand is high enough. On the other hand, it does send out a strong signal. Neverthess, in my opinion, if you see that a fellow human being is suffering, it is your duty to help. If you know that someone has cancer - Sylvia knew this and so did Jomanda - then it is nothing less than criminal to maintain your insistence that it is not cancer, but an infection.”
Rutgers reveals that he received a thank-you letter from Sylvia Millecam after their meeting. “She was a person who kept control in her own hands. But she wrote to me that she knew that she had breast cancer, that she appreciated our treatment, that she preferred to try ‘Switzerland’ first, but asked if she could come back to us later if necessary. Of course she would have been able to do this. But Jomanda kept her away from us.”
In the criminal case against the two alternative doctors and the healing medium Jomanda, the Public Prosecutor, Birgit van Roessel, referred to Sylvia Millecam as a strong personality – “Intelligent, with a zest for life, modern and with a fiery character”.
Millecam also had another side: insecure, credulous, easily influenced and scared. According to Van Roessel, this other side must have made her susceptible to the outlooks and advice of the two doctors and Jomanda, with all the consequences this entailed.
Saturday 23 May 2009
Public Prosecutor demands suspended jail sentence
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/zijlijn/6311219/Conditional-jail-term-for-faith-healer
Conditional jail term for faith healer
Published: Friday 22 May 2009 14:20 UTC
Last updated: Friday 22 May 2009 14:45 UTC
The public prosecutor's office has demanded a conditional 12-month jail term against faith healer Jomanda, plus a two-year period during which she will not not be allowed to hold healing sessions. The public prosecutor is accusing the healer of being co-responsible for the death of actress Sylvia Millecam, who died in 2001 from untreated breast cancer.
Jomanda is said to have convinced Ms Millecam that she was merely suffering from a bacterial infection and dissuaded her from visiting a regular doctor. In the same court case, two alternative practitioners were on trial, against whom eight months of conditional prison terms were demanded. They too would be barred from treating patients for two years.
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2009/05/faith_healer_faces_suspended_s.php
Faith healer faces suspended sentence
Friday 22 May 2009
Faith healer Jomanda is facing a 12-month suspended jail sentence for her role in treating tv presenter Silvia Millecam, who died of cancer in 2001.
Jomanda and other alternative therapists are currently on trial in connection with Millecam's death from breast cancer. She had rejected tradtional treatment.
The public prosecution department says Jomanda should get a suspended sentence for telling the actress she did not have cancer. The two therapists face eight and four months in jail, both suspended for two years.
If found guilty, the ruling means Jomanda would be sent to jail if she persists in holding her mass faith healing ceremonies within a two-year period, news agency ANP says.
Conditional jail term for faith healer
Published: Friday 22 May 2009 14:20 UTC
Last updated: Friday 22 May 2009 14:45 UTC
The public prosecutor's office has demanded a conditional 12-month jail term against faith healer Jomanda, plus a two-year period during which she will not not be allowed to hold healing sessions. The public prosecutor is accusing the healer of being co-responsible for the death of actress Sylvia Millecam, who died in 2001 from untreated breast cancer.
Jomanda is said to have convinced Ms Millecam that she was merely suffering from a bacterial infection and dissuaded her from visiting a regular doctor. In the same court case, two alternative practitioners were on trial, against whom eight months of conditional prison terms were demanded. They too would be barred from treating patients for two years.
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2009/05/faith_healer_faces_suspended_s.php
Faith healer faces suspended sentence
Friday 22 May 2009
Faith healer Jomanda is facing a 12-month suspended jail sentence for her role in treating tv presenter Silvia Millecam, who died of cancer in 2001.
Jomanda and other alternative therapists are currently on trial in connection with Millecam's death from breast cancer. She had rejected tradtional treatment.
The public prosecution department says Jomanda should get a suspended sentence for telling the actress she did not have cancer. The two therapists face eight and four months in jail, both suspended for two years.
If found guilty, the ruling means Jomanda would be sent to jail if she persists in holding her mass faith healing ceremonies within a two-year period, news agency ANP says.
Wednesday 20 May 2009
‘Jomanda used con tricks’
translated from: http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3905888/___Jomanda_gebruikte_oplichterstrucs___.html?cid=rss
HILVERSUM - It appears that Jomanda used confidence tricks in her treatment of actress Sylvia Millecam. She obtained information from others, including Millecam’s beautician, in order to present them to Millecam as information which she had ‘received’ as a medium.
This was stated by Ronald ter Heegde in the TV programme Nova on Tuesday. Ter Heegde was paranormal healer Jomanda’s personal assistant for many years. The criminal case against Jomanda and two alternative doctors is currently being heard by the court in Amsterdam. The three are accused of joint responsibility for the death of Millecam by keeping her away from regular medical care. Millecam died of breast cancer in 2001.
HILVERSUM - It appears that Jomanda used confidence tricks in her treatment of actress Sylvia Millecam. She obtained information from others, including Millecam’s beautician, in order to present them to Millecam as information which she had ‘received’ as a medium.
This was stated by Ronald ter Heegde in the TV programme Nova on Tuesday. Ter Heegde was paranormal healer Jomanda’s personal assistant for many years. The criminal case against Jomanda and two alternative doctors is currently being heard by the court in Amsterdam. The three are accused of joint responsibility for the death of Millecam by keeping her away from regular medical care. Millecam died of breast cancer in 2001.
Friday 15 May 2009
'Quack' loses at High Court
Translation of http://www.nos.nl/nosjournaal/artikelen/2009/5/15/kwakzalververliestbijhogeraad.html
The Association Against Quackery is allowed to call alternative doctor Sickesz a quack. The appeal court had previously forbidden this, but the Supreme Court has now nullified this decision.
The association drew up a Top 20 of quacks in 2000. This included Sickesz, who performs orthomanual therapies. According to the association, she claims - without proof - that the method, which involves straightening vertebrae, also helps against autism, among other things.
She successfully fought against the characterisation as a quack, but the Supreme Court has found that the appeal court insufficiently addressed the objections of the association.
The Association Against Quackery is allowed to call alternative doctor Sickesz a quack. The appeal court had previously forbidden this, but the Supreme Court has now nullified this decision.
The association drew up a Top 20 of quacks in 2000. This included Sickesz, who performs orthomanual therapies. According to the association, she claims - without proof - that the method, which involves straightening vertebrae, also helps against autism, among other things.
She successfully fought against the characterisation as a quack, but the Supreme Court has found that the appeal court insufficiently addressed the objections of the association.
Wednesday 13 May 2009
Infant Dies after Craniosacral Therapy
Repost from:
http://anaximperator.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/infant-dies-after-craniosacral-therapy/
In the Dutch Medical Journal, authors from the University Hospital St. Radboud in Nijmegen reported a tragic case-history of which the summary follows here:
A formerly healthy, three months old girl died after manipulation of the neck and the vertebral column by a so called “craniosacral therapist.” During continued and deep bending of the neck, the patient developed incontinence of faeces, atonia and respiratory arrest followed by aystolia. Based on findings at the physical examination of the body, an additional MRI examination and the autopsy, it is likely that the cause of death was a local neurovascular or a mechanical respiratory-induced problem. This is the second report of infant death after forced manipulation of the neck. As long as there is no scientific evidence for the efficacy and safety of forced manipulation of the neck and the vertebral column, we advise against this treatment for newborns and infants.
Reference:
Micha Holla, Marloes M. IJland et al. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd, 2009
http://anaximperator.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/infant-dies-after-craniosacral-therapy/
In the Dutch Medical Journal, authors from the University Hospital St. Radboud in Nijmegen reported a tragic case-history of which the summary follows here:
A formerly healthy, three months old girl died after manipulation of the neck and the vertebral column by a so called “craniosacral therapist.” During continued and deep bending of the neck, the patient developed incontinence of faeces, atonia and respiratory arrest followed by aystolia. Based on findings at the physical examination of the body, an additional MRI examination and the autopsy, it is likely that the cause of death was a local neurovascular or a mechanical respiratory-induced problem. This is the second report of infant death after forced manipulation of the neck. As long as there is no scientific evidence for the efficacy and safety of forced manipulation of the neck and the vertebral column, we advise against this treatment for newborns and infants.
Reference:
Micha Holla, Marloes M. IJland et al. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd, 2009
Monday 11 May 2009
Spiritual healer goes on trial
http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/zijlijn/6294363/Spiritual-healer-goes-on-trial
Published: Monday 11 May 2009 07:21 UTC
Last updated: Monday 11 May 2009 08:20 UTC
In Amsterdam the court case opens today concerning the death of actress and TV presenter Sylvia Millecam. The self-styled medium and faith healer known as Jomanda and two alternative doctors are on trial because they told Millecam her cancer needed no treatment. Jomanda, charged with causing grievous bodily harm, convinced Millecam she was suffering from a bacterial infection. The actress died of untreated breast cancer in 2001.
The medium, who is currently in Canada, will not be attending today's hearing in person. According to her lawyer she has a foreboding about the timing of the trial, and believes it would not be safe for her to travel to Amsterdam.
Published: Monday 11 May 2009 07:21 UTC
Last updated: Monday 11 May 2009 08:20 UTC
In Amsterdam the court case opens today concerning the death of actress and TV presenter Sylvia Millecam. The self-styled medium and faith healer known as Jomanda and two alternative doctors are on trial because they told Millecam her cancer needed no treatment. Jomanda, charged with causing grievous bodily harm, convinced Millecam she was suffering from a bacterial infection. The actress died of untreated breast cancer in 2001.
The medium, who is currently in Canada, will not be attending today's hearing in person. According to her lawyer she has a foreboding about the timing of the trial, and believes it would not be safe for her to travel to Amsterdam.
Sunday 26 April 2009
Revealing book about Sylvia Millecam’s headstrong battle against cancer
Revealing book about Sylvia Millecam’s headstrong battle against cancer
24 April 2009
Original article here:
http://www.nieuwsvannederland.nl/nieuws/21260/binnenland/onthullend_boek_over_sylvia_millecams_eigenzinnige_strijd_tegen_kanker.html
AMSTERDAM (Nieuws van Nederland) – The medium Jomanda thinks the criminal case against her is ‘a scandal for the Netherlands’. She says this in one of the two interviews (the ‘Jomanda tapes’) which were included in the book Op gevoel: Sylvia Millecams eigenzinnige strijd tegen kanker (‘By Feel: Sylvia Millecam’s headstrong battle against cancer’) by Netwerk journalist Alje Kamphuis, which will be published on Saturday 25 April.
According to Jomanda, “I think it is all wrong. It will cost the state millions. I am lucky, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford it. I am always giving money away. Someone is helping me with this.”
Jomanda and two alternative healers are accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm to comedian Sylvia Millecam, and withholding the necessary medical care from her. Jomanda speaks openly about her influence on Millecam. “I never put her on the wrong track. I would put my hand into the fire for this [translator’s note: this is a Dutch expression, kind of a milder version of ‘I swear on my mother’s life’, for which there’s no English equivalent]. I never see diseases, only causes. And I always refer someone on to a doctor.
Jomanda characterises the trial, in which she will be appearing in court on 11 May, as a witchhunt, but is nevertheless confident. “I am assuming that honesty is the best policy. I can look everyone in the eye. It won’t be keeping me awake at night.”
Sylvia Millecam discovered that she had breast cancer in 1999. She was not convinced that standard medical treatments would be the best thing for her. It was the start of a peculiar search for healing in a labyrinth of alternative therapies. She ultimately died of the cancer in 2001.
Jomanda claims that she still has regular contact with Sylvia ‘in the Other World’. “Her soul is sorrowful.” According to Jomanda, this is because her case has still not been settled here on Earth.
The author of the book, Alje Kamphuis, is also a witness in the trial. The original edition of Op Gevoel, from 2006, is a trial document. Several witnesses are being heard specifically in the context of statements they made in the book.
24 April 2009
Original article here:
http://www.nieuwsvannederland.nl/nieuws/21260/binnenland/onthullend_boek_over_sylvia_millecams_eigenzinnige_strijd_tegen_kanker.html
AMSTERDAM (Nieuws van Nederland) – The medium Jomanda thinks the criminal case against her is ‘a scandal for the Netherlands’. She says this in one of the two interviews (the ‘Jomanda tapes’) which were included in the book Op gevoel: Sylvia Millecams eigenzinnige strijd tegen kanker (‘By Feel: Sylvia Millecam’s headstrong battle against cancer’) by Netwerk journalist Alje Kamphuis, which will be published on Saturday 25 April.
According to Jomanda, “I think it is all wrong. It will cost the state millions. I am lucky, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford it. I am always giving money away. Someone is helping me with this.”
Jomanda and two alternative healers are accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm to comedian Sylvia Millecam, and withholding the necessary medical care from her. Jomanda speaks openly about her influence on Millecam. “I never put her on the wrong track. I would put my hand into the fire for this [translator’s note: this is a Dutch expression, kind of a milder version of ‘I swear on my mother’s life’, for which there’s no English equivalent]. I never see diseases, only causes. And I always refer someone on to a doctor.
Jomanda characterises the trial, in which she will be appearing in court on 11 May, as a witchhunt, but is nevertheless confident. “I am assuming that honesty is the best policy. I can look everyone in the eye. It won’t be keeping me awake at night.”
Sylvia Millecam discovered that she had breast cancer in 1999. She was not convinced that standard medical treatments would be the best thing for her. It was the start of a peculiar search for healing in a labyrinth of alternative therapies. She ultimately died of the cancer in 2001.
Jomanda claims that she still has regular contact with Sylvia ‘in the Other World’. “Her soul is sorrowful.” According to Jomanda, this is because her case has still not been settled here on Earth.
The author of the book, Alje Kamphuis, is also a witness in the trial. The original edition of Op Gevoel, from 2006, is a trial document. Several witnesses are being heard specifically in the context of statements they made in the book.
Saturday 25 April 2009
Jomanda: "Millecam died because of silicon implants"
Jomanda: Millecam died because of silicon implants
by Bart Olmer
Original article here
Photo caption: Sylvia Millecam
AMSTERDAM - Johanna Wilhelmina Petronella Damman (60), aka ‘healing medium' Jomanda, will be appearing in court in Amsterdam in two weeks’ time. She is accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm to and withholding the necessary medical care from comedian Sylvia Millecam, who died of breast cancer. Medium Jomanda has not discussed the case in public for years, but she has now broken her silence in a book, at which De Telegraaf has been given an exclusive first look.
Jomanda and her co-defendants, two other alternative healers, are being prosecuted because they allegedly convinced Millecam that she did not have cancer, but simply a bacterial infection which could be treated, and advised her against pursuing her standard treatment. The two doctors have already been disciplined by the medical community, and one of them has even been banned from practicing any form of medicine.
Alje Kamphuis, NCRV journalist for Netwerk and a former producer of the TV show 'Ook Dat Nog!' wrote a biography of Millecam in 2006, with the title ‘Op Gevoel’ (‘By feel’). A new edition of this book will be appearing soon, including extensive audio interviews recorded with the controversial healer. De Telegraaf was given exclusive access to these astonishing tape recordings. The ‘Jomanda Tapes’ are going to play a crucial role in the court case. There is even a chance that Jomanda will get a prison sentence.
Because Jomanda persistently says “Cancer was not the cause.” According to Jomanda, the silicon implants were the cause. Before her death, Sylvia Millecam attended various 'healings' of Jomanda in Tiel, out of curiosity. She believed so strongly in the medium that she even refused to play Jomanda in a sketch on ‘Ook Dat Nog!’ They became friends.
Some time later, Millecam phoned her guru Jomanda to tell her that a lump had been found in her breast. Jomanda: “She said ‘I have had very unpleasant news. A lump in my breast. Can you do anything?’” Millecam did not want to have chemotherapy. Jomanda was also not in favour of it: “Look, if I ever got anything, I would also not have chemo. There are an awful lot of people who do not want chemo. And there have been enough articles in the papers showing that chemo doesn’t help. A study in America also showed this. Chemo does not remove the cause,” declared the medium on the ‘Jomanda Tapes’. “If there are implants in that location and there is a disease there, it cannot escape. It is something that does not belong in your body. It blocks the entire circulation. Look, if you have a wad in your nose, the mucus cannot escape either. That’s the whole problem.”
Jomanda argues repeatedly that she told Millecam to also visit normal doctors, and not to simply wander around the alternative circuit endlessly. But the public prosecution department doesn’t believe a word of it. Jomanda and her co-defendants are alleged to have convinced Millecam that she had a benign tumour and that she did not need an operation. During Jomanda’s healings, Millecam [translator’s note: it says Jomanda in the original, but this would seem to be an error] was put in a group with people with a bacterial infection, rather than with cancer patients. Sylvia Millecam died on 20 August 2001, at the age of 45. She was brought to the Sint Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen two days earlier. Real doctors diagnosed breast cancer immediately, with various metastases.
Ignorance
She was buried five days later. Jomanda did not attend the funeral. In February 2004, the Healthcare Inspectorate published a damning report on the care provision to Sylvia. “Ignorant, irresponsible, misleading and harmful,” was the conclusion. The Association Against Quackery, the Skepticism Foundation and a former inspector forced the public prosecution department to institute criminal proceedings against Jomanda and her followers. On the eve of the trial, Jomanda says it is ‘a scandal’ that she is facing criminal prosecution. “It will cost the state millions. Surely they’ve got better things to do here in the Netherlands? And everything I have suffered in the past eight years. Things are written about you, that you’re a murderer and all that type of thing. The term ‘healing medium’ is, of course, what I stand for, but I was more of a friend to Sylvia. She actually knew that I couldn’t help her, that I could not heal her.” Jomanda is sticking to her controversial statement that cancer was not the cause. “If people say that the cause was cancer, then I continue to dispute that. Because cancer is never a cause. There is always a cause and an effect.” Jomanda considers the charge to be ridiculous. “Who caused grievous bodily harm to her? Sylvia chose to have the implants herself. And the doctor who put them in. What did I want to do? Remove the grievous bodily harm. They (the judges, ed.) can have a good think about that.” The final questions to her on the Jomanda tapes are “Is this trial a witchhunt then?” Jomanda: “You could call it that, yes.” “So are you the witch then?” Jomanda: “Luckily I don't have a broomstick here.” Laughter. “And I don’t behave like that either.”
'Op gevoel: Sylvia Millecams eigenzinnige strijd tegen kanker', (‘By Feel: Sylvia Millecam’s headstrong battle against cancer’) by Alje Kamphuis, updated edition including the Jomanda Tapes. ISBN: 978 90 490 2504 5
Translated from:
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3772023/___Millecam_stierf_door_siliconen___.html?p=1,2
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