Sectarian abuses in health and unconventional care practices, including in health establishments, are a source of "concern," warns the Interministerial Mission to Combat Sectarian Abuses in its new report.
"The situation is serious," said François-Noël Buffet, Minister to the Minister of the Interior, on whom Miviludes reports, during a press conference on Tuesday to mark the publication of the organization's activity report.
In 2024, Miviludes received 4,571 referrals - 13.7% more than in 2021 and 1,11% more than in 2015. Of all the reports received between 2022 and 2024, health and well-being came first (37%), ahead of religions and spiritualities (35%).
Its previous report, in 2022, already highlighted health as a “major concern”.
The Covid pandemic has "contributed to worsening the situation, particularly with regard to younger people," by creating "new vulnerabilities (which) have allowed sectarian excesses to take root and grow," according to the minister.
While cancer patients remain the most affected by these health abuses, Miviludes is now concerned about the development of unconventional care practices (UNCP) within healthcare establishments themselves.
In addition to hospitals, cult-like excesses are infiltrating health centers. "Town halls are struggling to fill their health centers with healthcare professionals and are filling the remaining offices with non-conventional healthcare practitioners. It's a real problem," Pascale Duval, Director of the National Union of Associations for the Defense of Families and Individuals Who Are Victims of Cults, lamented on RTL.
PSNC constitutes "a form of El Dorado for pseudo-therapists" who "promise healing (...) thanks to juices, enemas or periods of fasting", denounces François-Noël Buffet (LR).
Often considered "gentle", "complementary" or even "alternative and ultimately beneficial for health", the vast majority of PSNC "have not been scientifically approved", recalls Miviludes.
Many reports thus denounce their "trivialization" without necessarily "warnings or medical supervision."
-"Quantum Aromatherapy"-
Supportive care, particularly in cancer, is particularly affected: "Today, it is common to find Reiki, magnetism or even Tibetan bowl sessions in public health establishments," describes Miviludes.
Main risk: "the claim of certain pseudo-therapists to substitute PSNC for conventional medicine, totally excluding recourse to the latter."
In 2024, Miviludes sent 45 reports to the public prosecutor's office - compared to 20 in 2021 - frequently "on 'advice' or 'pseudo-treatment' (...) by pseudo-therapists who do not have a state-recognized diploma."
These "pseudotherapists" advocate a draconian diet, encourage the consumption of narcotics, stone-based treatments (lithotherapy), or tumor examination "by a Russian magnetic resonance device which contradicts the diagnosis of cancer," lists Miviludes.
People with disabilities can also be victims. Miviludes (Health and Social Services) reports the case of a young woman being treated for psychiatric disorders who stopped taking medication and switched to essential oils, following "quantum aromatherapy."
– Promotion of fasting –
In the treatment of cancer, the organization warns of the dangers of urine therapy, a method "which consists of drinking one's urine" and has been "fatal" for some victims.
To better secure the supportive care provided to patients, Miviludes, the Ministry of the Interior and the League Against Cancer renewed their partnership on Tuesday.
For the president of the League, Philippe Bergerot, the objective is to better inform patients "about potential abuses" and to give them addresses where they can benefit from supportive care "in calm conditions."
Another concern of Miviludes: the persistent promotion of fasting as a remedy for many illnesses.
She warns of "particularly expensive" courses, one of the most dangerous trends, which involves combining intensive sports practice with fasting, sometimes taken to extremes, as in the "Fasting and Hiking" movement.
"While there are currently debates regarding the effects of fasting, particularly intermittent fasting, fasting does not cure diseases such as cancer. Yet, this is what some groups claim," denounces Miviludes. Deaths linked to such courses "have been reported to the judicial authorities."
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