Author’s anti-cancer ‘remedies’ are illegal
British author Phillip Day concluded his ‘Tip of the Spear’ tour in Cork last Saturday, having already held seminars in Kerry and Sligo, among other locations.
However, Mr Day has been accused of championing dangerous, unregulated remedies prohibited in Ireland.
Fiona O’Leary of Autistic Rights Together researched Mr Day’s work prior to his appearance in the Vienna Woods Hotel in Glanmire, Co Cork.
“Alarm bells started to ring and I realised that this was yet again another charlatan preying on vulnerable people and profiting hugely in the process,” Ms O’Leary said.
She found Mr Day’s website was selling apricot kernels, a product marketed as an alternative anti-cancer remedy. She filed a complaint with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA). The product was subsequently removed from Mr Day’s website.
The HPRA said it could not comment on individual complaints. It confirmed, however, that the sale of apricot kernels is banned in Ireland and that the product can be poisonous.
“Specifically in relation to medicines, no product containing apricot kernel is authorised for sale in Ireland,” the HPRA said.
“The HPRA notes that apricot kernel contains a cyanide compound and strongly recommends the public not take any product purporting to contain this kernel or an extract.”
Mr Day promoted the use of apricot kernels during a prior talk, which was filmed and uploaded to YouTube.
“The alkalising of the body is the most important thing.,” Mr Day told the audience of a talk entitled ‘Health Choices in the New European Order’. “With cancer we look at hydration, diet. The supplementation is quite straightforward. We use vitamin B17 in the form of apricot kernels.
“If you want to start exercising prevention for cancer, it’s not just about apricot kernels.”
Referring to a cookbook he had compiled for sale, Mr Day said: “You can do apricot kernels, start with three a day, gradually increase up to about 20 to 25 a day, and the recipe book here will show you how to put them into your diet.”
Ms O’Leary said: “He claims that serious conditions can be treated with his metabolic treatment protocols and further claims cancer can be ‘cured’ or prevented by following his advice and by taking products that are for sale on his website.
“Frankly, it is an insult to anyone suffering from cancer and also for families who have lost their loved ones to this disease.
“He says chemotherapy kills and instead recommends his quack potions and protocols. He makes light of mental illness saying that it is all caused by bad diet and a high sugar intake.”
Michael Magner, manager of the Vienna Woods Hotel, said the room was booked under the name Credence Publications.
Repeated attempts to contact Mr Day have been unsuccessful.
