Author blames risky overseas alternative treatments for cousin's death
Hannah McElhinney recounts how her cousin Lauren died after pursuing unproven therapies in Malaysia, highlighting the dangers of fringe medical practices.
Author Hannah McElhinney spent years investigating the fatal path her cousin Lauren took after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia in her teens. Believing she suffered from chronic Lyme disease, Lauren pursued a string of dangerous alternative treatments, from veterinary ivermectin and chlorine dioxide to bee-sting and Gerson therapies. In October 2022 she left Australia for a hyperthermia session at a large hospital in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, where she later died while unconscious.
McElinchney learned of Lauren’s whereabouts only after a Facebook stranger alerted the family. She contends that the combination of misinformation online and clinicians’ reluctance to engage with patients experiencing medically unexplained symptoms contributed to Lauren’s isolation and fatal choices. The author hopes her book “Wormhole” will encourage families to validate sufferers’ experiences and improve systemic support for chronic, poorly understood illnesses.
Why it matters
It shows how misinformation and inadequate medical support can drive vulnerable patients toward lethal alternative therapies.
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