Australian couple who pour toxic frog secretions into paying customers' open wounds to 'assist healing' is banned from performing the 'kambo' treatment after woman's death
- SA Kambo practitioners are banned from practicing procedure for investigation
- Carlie J Angel and Brad T Williams run a health clinic including kambo treatment
- The decision was made when a woman died after kambo treatment in NSW
A couple has been banned from practising 'kambo' treatment after a woman died in NSW after undergoing the same procedure.
Carlie J Angel and Brad T Williams from Christies Beach, south of Adelaide, run a business named Two Wolves - One Body which offers kambo treatments for a fee.
However the Health Complaints Commissioner handed down a prohibition order on the pair after Natasha Lechner went into cardiac arrest after participating in a 'kambo ceremony' in her home in Mullumbimby, in northern NSW, on March 8.
A couple has been hit with a prohibition order to stop them from practicing their 'kambo' treatment offers after a woman died in NSW after undergoing the same procedure
Carlie J Angel (pictured) and Brad T Williams from Christies Beach, south of Adelaide, run a business named Two Wolves - One Body which offers kambo treatments for a fee
'The Health Complaints Commissioner has made this Interim Prohibition Order because the Commissioner reasonably believes that the general health service provider named below has contravened a code of conduct,' the order reads.
'It is necessary to make this order to avoid a serious risk to the health, safety or welfare of the public.'
Under new rules the order was able to be applied to the South Australian couple.
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The pair posted a statement to their website after they were given the prohibition order.
'The events in NSW were completely unrelated to us as practitioners, and our hearts go out to everyone involved in NSW,' the staement read.
'We understand that the Victorian Dept of Health and Human Services is alarmed by this event and are exercising due caution to protect the public of Victoria.'
The order will be upheld for 12 weeks while the commission investigated the use and validity of kambo treatments
Kambo treatment is the practice whereby the venom of a giant leaf or monkey frog (pictured), usually mixed with saliva or or water, is directly applied to open wounds
The order will be upheld for 12 weeks while the commission investigated the use and validity of kambo treatments.
'As advocates for Kambo, we have full belief in our safety standards and protocols and the safety of Kambo when the appropriate guidelines, precautions and procedures are adhered to,' the website's statement continued.
Commissioner Karen Cusack told The Advertiser she was concerned about the practice which required further investigation.
'I'm incredibly concerned about any services that are claiming to provide health benefits by using the South American poison, kambo,' she told the publication.
'Kambo is often applied into open wounds created specifically for that purpose.'
Kambo treatment is the practice whereby the venom of a giant leaf or monkey frog, usually mixed with saliva or or water, is directly applied to open wounds.
Some of the side effects associated with kambo include severe vomiting, dizziness, fainting and swollen lips or face.
After Ms Lechner's (pictured) ceremony, the 39-year-old's body temperature plummeted and she passed out before dying from cardiac arrest
After Ms Lechner's ceremony, the 39-year-old's body temperature plummeted and she passed out.
An ambulance was called but Ms Lechner could not be revived and was pronounced dead a short time later.
Kambo, although controversial, is a growing trend that is said to purge the body of toxins by making its participants vomit.
Ms Lechner's twin brother, Christian, said his sister's debilitating back pain, which she had been dealing with for more than 20 years, led her to the alternative therapy.
'She was a hairdresser for 20 years and had sciatica and a crushed vertebrae and often cried in pain, she needed back surgery and high doses of pain killers,' he told The Daily Telegraph.
Five deaths have been linked to Kambo across the world since its introduction.
According to the IAKP's website, kambo can have serious adverse side effects or reactions in some people, including seizures and death - especially if it accidentally enters the bloodstream.
Although it is not commonly practiced, Australia has the third-largest number of kambo practitioners in the world behind the US and the UK.
Although it is not commonly practiced, Australia has the third-largest number of kambo practitioners in the world behind the US and the UK
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