Infant Nearly Died After Naturopath Put Breastfeeding Mom On Water Diet

An NSW naturopath was charged over the suspected of near starvation of an eight-month-old baby boy. But the doctor pleaded not guilty to such offenses.

Marilyn Pauline Bodnar appeared at Fairfield local court on Wednesday, Jan. 27 for questioning. The authorities alleged that the 59-year-old doctor advised the mother to stick to a particular diet to cure the eczema of her newborn baby. The court heard that the naturopath told the mom that she must adopt a raw diet, consuming only raw fruits, vegetables and seeds.

However, the baby suddenly developed a fever. Hence, Bodnar told the mother (who cannot be identified) that her baby would only get worse if she would eat anything and advised her to adopt water diet only.

By the time the child turned six months old, the mother asked for Bodnar's advice, asking the doctor if she could feed her son puree vegetables. But the naturopath reputedly advised the mother to place raw food in a net and let the baby suck on it.

Bodnar also allegedly told the mother to feed her child with goat milk. But the child vomited the milk. Nevertheless, the doctor allegedly told the mother that vomiting was good for her son as it would only eliminate the toxins that caused eczema.

However, the baby's condition was worsening and the vomiting lasted for a week. The worried mother took her baby to another doctor, who told her to rush the baby to a hospital.

The mother quickly took the baby to The Children's Hospital at Westmead, where they found out that the baby's weighed was only 6.39 kg -- underweight for his age. Apparently, the child was placed in the zero percentile.

During the hearing, the court also heard that before adopting the diet, the baby was developing normally. Thus, the court ruled that Bodnar should be banned from treating children under 16. The mother was also charged and the child has been removed from her care.

The hearing will resume on March 23, according to 9News.com.au.