Montreal naturopath fined for illegally practicing medicine following patient’s suicide

Amelie Champagne died by suicide, claiming she couldn’t live with the illness.

A naturopathic practitioner from Montreal West has been fined $15,000 for illegally practicing medicine despite not being a medical doctor.

It comes following the suicide of one of her patients.

Kadeja Lefebvre pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of providing a medical diagnosis, prescribing medicine, and not holding a medical licence.

Her patient, Amelie Champagne, was a 22-year-old Eastern Townships woman who was convinced she suffered from Lyme disease. She later died by suicide, claiming she couldn’t live with the illness.

The naturopath did not have any medical training and did not have any test results proving Champagne had Lyme disease. Despite that, Lefebvre prescribed high-priced naturopathic remedies, which caused serious side effects for Champagne.

A coroner recommended that the College of Physicians investigate Lefebvre’s treatment methods. It recommended 11 charges. Lefebvre accepted a plea deal on three of the charges and has agreed to pay a $15,000 fine. She was not present in court, but was instead represented by her lawyer.

Quebec’s College of Physicians said it was satisfied with the ruling, saying in a statement: “We ask patients to be suspicious of miracle treatments, and they should always question the training and competence of someone before seeking such treatments.”

One of Quebec’s associations representing naturopaths said they’ve long lobbied for their own professional order.

“Anybody can call themselves a naturopath. That’s even if they do one weekend of training,” said Dino Halikas of the Quebec Association of Naturopaths. “So this is why we’re asking this regulation, to create a college or something that will help us define the training and the competency and the acts that we can practice.”

The coroner also raised doubts about two medical doctors who also treated Champagne: Lyne Desautels and Sophie Michaud. According to the coroner, they both diagnosed the disease, despite the absence of clear evidence.