Danielle Carr-Gomm, in a speech at an alternative therapy workshop, couldn’t hide her admiration for Hongchi Xiao, the man she believed would change her life.
“You are truly a messenger from God,” she told him, crediting his methods with reducing her insulin use by half. She expressed deep gratitude, saying, “You’re starting a revolution to empower people to heal themselves.
I admire you and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
However, a closer look at Carr-Gomm’s testimonial revealed unsettling signs of Xiao’s controversial practices.
The 71-year-old had bruises on her upper arms, a result of self-inflicted slaps—a key part of Xiao’s method to ‘expel toxins’ and treat various ailments.
These slaps were supposed to aid in healing, according to Xiao’s philosophy.
Three months later, Carr-Gomm attended another of Xiao’s retreats, this time at a country house hotel in Wiltshire. On arrival, she stopped taking her insulin entirely.
By the second day, she was in severe distress—crying, sweating, and drooling. Her condition worsened drastically within 24 hours, leading to vomiting, convulsions, and pain.
Tragically, by Thursday, Carr-Gomm had passed away from diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition resulting from a severe lack of insulin.
Despite her years of managing diabetes with insulin, she believed wholeheartedly in Xiao’s teachings, making the decision to stop her insulin seem inexplicable but rooted in her trust in him.
Xiao’s Unconventional Methods
Hongchi Xiao, despite lacking formal medical training, was a former investment banker who became a proponent of alternative medicine.
His method, paida lajin, involved slapping and stretching to supposedly cleanse the body of toxins and stimulate energy flow.
Xiao claimed this method could cure everything from bad breath to diabetes.
He even suggested using various tools for the slapping process, which he described as ‘music.’
A Pattern of Tragedy
Carr-Gomm’s case wasn’t an isolated incident.
In 2015, a six-year-old boy named Aidan Fenton died at a workshop in Australia after his parents followed Xiao’s advice to stop his insulin.
He vomited, had a seizure, and passed away from diabetic ketoacidosis. Xiao was convicted of manslaughter in 2019 in connection with the boy’s death.
The Legal Battle
In 2023, after being extradited to the UK, Xiao faced trial for Carr-Gomm’s death.
During the three-week trial, the jury found him guilty of manslaughter, concluding that he ignored the severe consequences of her decision to stop insulin, using his influence to promote his unproven methods.
The Impact on the Family
Carr-Gomm’s family, devastated by her loss, welcomed the jury’s verdict.
Her son, Matthew, expressed their hope that the case would shed light on the risks of unregulated alternative therapies.
He also criticized the lack of accountability for others involved in organizing the event. As they prepare to move forward, they hope to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Xiao is set to be sentenced on October 1, marking a somber conclusion to a case that has highlighted the dangers of unverified medical practices.
TDPel Media
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