By ELIZABETH BINNING
Dr Richard Gorringe healed a man's swollen arm with prayer and homeopathic remedies when another Auckland doctor had been considering amputation, a medical tribunal heard yesterday.
Dr Gorringe is before the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal on two charges of professional misconduct and one of disgraceful conduct.
The charges relate
to two women he treated in 1998, using an untested diagnostic technique called Peak Muscle Resistance Testing.
Yesterday, the tribunal heard from 10 patients who said Hamilton-based Dr Gorringe had successfully diagnosed and treated them with his non-conventional technique, when other doctors had failed.
An Auckland man told the tribunal he had suffered for 30 years with a sore, swollen elbow that triggered night sweats and made him more susceptible to illness.
An operation in Samoa and visits to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital had provided no relief.
"I tried more doctors but they couldn't help me. One doctor at Middlemore said I might need to have my arm cut off. I felt frightened and hopeless."
After being referred to Dr Gorringe by a family pastor, the man said he was diagnosed with Leptospirosis tarasavo and offered antibiotics or prayer and homeopathic remedies.
He accepted prayer and homeopathy and his arm began to heal.
"The pain went away completely ... I felt much better for the first time in many years."
Many of the patients giving evidence yesterday were farmers or crop growers who had suffered headaches, rashes or fatigue.
Their doctors did not know what was causing the problems so they turned to Dr Gorringe, who diagnoses included chemical poisoning, brucellosis and legionella.
Several patients said they were initially sceptical about Dr Gorringe's methods.
"It sounded like a lot of hocus pocus to me," said a Tauranga man, "but I was desperate and decided I could walk out at any time."
Another patient told the tribunal he found it hard to swallow some of the things Dr Gorringe said, but the treatment was successful.
Many patients said they would not be alive without Dr Gorringe's help.
At the start of the hearing, the Director of Proceedings, Morag McDowell, said this case was "not about Dr Gorringe's anecdotal successes with other patients".
The two cases before the tribunal "must be judged on their own facts with reference to professional standards", she said.
The hearing finished yesterday. The tribunal is expected to take at least a month to make a decision after considering closing submissions in writing.
