At a five-day wellness conference in Cheshire, controversial Australian natural remedies advocate Barbara O'Neill dismissed antibiotics, vaccines and scientifically proven cancer treatment, prompting medical experts to warn her advice could kill. The event, held at the De Vere Cranage Estate hotel, featured O'Neill in a question-and-answer session where she advised attendees on various ailments, including recommending a woman with lupus to "keep away from the doctor," which drew laughter from the audience.
Background and Influence
O'Neill, 73, has 3.6 million Instagram followers and 1.7 million on Facebook, with many videos gaining millions of views. In 2019, she was banned from providing health services in Australia, where authorities said she made "dangerous claims not supported by evidence and posed a risk to public safety." She has since held events in the UK and Ireland, prompting concern from doctors and scientists who called her advice "dangerous" and warned it could kill.
Tickets for the residential retreat cost up to £1,300. An undercover Guardian reporter attended one day, observing sessions on topics including the immune system and one titled "Barbara Under Attack." O'Neill's core teaching includes balanced diet, exercise, hydration and sleep, but she also made unscientific recommendations.
Potentially Deadly Recommendations
During a Q&A session, O'Neill advised a woman with a stomach tumour, which specialists recommended removing surgically, to treat it with a castor oil compress on the outside of the body. She recommended the same remedy for nasal polyps, endometriosis, carpal tunnel syndrome and bile duct stones, despite medical experts saying there is no evidence it helps. She also suggested using castor oil with cayenne pepper in the eye for glaucoma, which Prof Gus Gazzard, a glaucoma expert, said had "absolutely no evidence to support these claims" and could cause harm.
O'Neill advised a pregnant woman against taking folic acid, which trials show protects against neural tube defects, and claimed antibiotics are "the worst thing to give" for infections. To a woman without a functioning thyroid, she recommended stopping thyroxine, which Martin Whyte, a professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Surrey, said "risks serious, potentially life-threatening illness." She also advised a diabetic woman to stop testing blood sugar, which Gill Livingston, a professor at UCL, called "very dangerous," noting untreated diabetes increases risks of multiple illnesses and sometimes death.
Reactions and Defiance
O'Neill's husband, Michael, who co-runs her company, described her "persecution" by authorities and the media, saying "There is a war against us." In response to the Guardian's approach, the couple posted a video warning followers of "disgusting" reporting, with Michael claiming the complaints are "purely speculative" and part of a "modern-day witch-hunt" supporting the pharmaceutical industry.
O'Neill said she is driven by God, who she believes spoke directly to her, adding "It would be wrong of me to stop." Prof Liam Smeeth, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, called her claims "extraordinary," saying "many of these – if followed – will cause substantial harm, and this could include death."
