The infamous Brio clinic (opens new window) in Thailand has sucked in unsuspecting kiwis, promising to treat them with unconventional therapies for cancer. One unfortunate victim (opens new window), Holly Devine, died after raising $55,000 on Givealittle for treatment at the clinic, but before attending the clinic.

Since then, the clinic has resisted attempts to refund the sizeable deposit, and reluctantly agreed to give half of the money back. A friend of Holly's has spoken up this week saying that she believes the clinic preys on vulnerable people, and that it's suspicious that their website says very little about the treatments they use.

The treatments listed on the website are:

"pH-Transformation Therapy as well as heat applications, oxidative therapies and photo-selective elimination strategy, while supportive hyperthermic therapies on the tumor are melded with capacitive coupled EMF and infrared-A application to the entire body"

• pH-Transformation Therapy
• heat applications
• oxidative therapies
• photo-selective elimination strategy
• hyperthermic therapies with capacitive coupled EMF
• infrared-A application to the entire body

This sounds very sciencey, but these therapies are all to a large extent unproven, or even discredited. Oxidation, pH and infrared treatments especially are pseudo-scientific ideas about what causes cancers and how to treat them. For all of these therapies, a google search brings up many daft and dangerous websites, with names such as Live to 110, The Truth About Cancer, Dr Sircus, An Oasis of Healing, Cancer Defeated and Cancer Center for Healing.

• Live to 110
• The Truth About Cancer
• Dr Sircus
• Mercola
• An Oasis of Healing
• Cancer Defeated
• Cancer Center for Healing