Board of Medical Quality Assurance v. Andrews

211 Cal. App. 3d 1346, 260 Cal. Rptr. 113, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 675
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 29, 1989
DocketH003366
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 211 Cal. App. 3d 1346 (Board of Medical Quality Assurance v. Andrews) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Board of Medical Quality Assurance v. Andrews, 211 Cal. App. 3d 1346, 260 Cal. Rptr. 113, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 675 (Cal. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

Opinion

CAPACCIOLI, J.

Appellants, the Religious School of Natural Hygiene (RSNH) and its president and first minister, Arthur Andrews, appeal a permanent injunction granted to respondent the Board of Medical Quality Assurance (Board) pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 125.5 1 forbidding appellants from engaging in conduct which the court found constituted unlawful practice of medicine, within the meaning of sections 2052 and 2053 of the Medical Practice Act. Appellants contend that their practices are exempt from the regulations of the Medical Practice Act under section 2063 of that act, citing a decision of another Court of Appeal. (Northrup v. Superior Court (1987) 192 Cal.App.3d 276 [237 Cal.Rptr. 255].) They also argue that the injunction infringes their rights to free exercise of religion (U.S. Const., 1st Amend.) and their rights of privacy under California law; that an injunction was not warranted since the Board did not demonstrate the possibility of future conduct of the type enjoined but showed only past incidents; and finally that the court abused *1349 its discretion in awarding costs to the Board (§ 125.5, subd. (c)) because the proved investigative costs were not entirely related to the petition before the trial court. None of these contentions have merit and the judgment will be affirmed, although in reaching this result we must disagree with the Northrup decision in its construction of section 2063.

The Statute

The exemption statute upon which appellants rely, section 2063, reads as follows: “Nothing in this chapter [the Medical Practice Act] shall be construed so as to discriminate against any particular school of medicine or surgery, school or college of podiatric medicine, or any other treatment, nor shall it regulate, prohibit, or apply to any kind of treatment by prayer, nor interfere in any way with the practice of religion.” (Italics are added and indicate the clause of the statute upon which appellants rely.)

Record

Board initiated this proceeding September 12, 1986, by a petition requesting a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction pursuant to section 125.5 and sections 2052 and 2053. The petition alleged that appellants (hereafter collectively RSNH) were engaging in the unlawful practice of medicine without a license and that their conduct had injured named individuals.

Board’s evidence included an advertisement for RSNH from a periodical. This advertisement did not mention religion. It was entitled “The California Health Sanctuary” and claimed to offer supervised fasting, natural diet, rest, and instruction in natural hygiene.

Also offered was a document published by the Religious School of Natural Hygiene entitled “The Major Tenets - Heed My Words.” This document stated that the Religious School of Natural Hygiene is a healing church which operates the California Health Sanctuary near Hollister, California, for those “who seek health restoration, knowledge of health maintenance and experience in healthful living.” This document described the philosophy of the RSNH. Among other things it stated that prayer, rest and fasting, along with the laying on of hands are activities which permit God’s healing power to be implemented. It also recommended consumption of raw foods or foods in their natural state.

A card given to members of the RSNH states that the practices of this organization preclude use of drugs, medicines, vaccinations, blood transfusions, X-rays “and all other such practices.” The RSNH encourages prayer and fasting, often for long periods of time, as instruments to promote heal *1350 ing and eliminate disease. It further recommends organic and uncooked foods.

Board further presented evidence of practices of RSNH which included promulgating a doctrine that many physical conditions can be cured by undergoing supervised periods of fasting; persuading certain individuals to participate in such fasts, under supervision of appellant Andrews, who received compensation; advising some persons to stop taking medications prescribed by a physician; and performing diagnostic procedures such as physical examinations with a stethoscope, taking blood pressures and pulses, feeling parts of the body, examining the mouth and eyes, and in one case attempting to remove a colonic blockage by hand. Specifically, Board presented declarations and testimonial evidence of five individuals who had fasted under Andrews’ supervision and who claimed to have been injured, as well as evidence concerning another individual who had died immediately after undergoing a lengthy supervised fast. Each of the surviving witnesses claimed severe and persistent physical injury as a result of a prolonged fast. Also, each of these witnesses claims to have consulted Andrews in order to correct a physical ailment, not for religious or spiritual purposes.

For example, Sproule consulted Andrews for a case of hypoglycemia. She fasted, under Andrews’ supervision, for 55 days. During the fast Andrews checked her blood pressure, eyes, mouth and other things. After the 30th day she began to vomit without relief. After the 38th day she lost full consciousness and became too weak to walk. Her urine became the color of iodine. Andrews told her the fast would end when the urine became a lighter color. She relied on Andrews to tell her the proper time to end the fast. At the end of the fast she was hospitalized and could not read, write, walk or talk. She is still unable to walk unaided and for the most part is restricted to a wheel chair. She suffers mental difficulties which she did not have before the starvation treatment.

Nettle came to Andrews to lose weight. Andrews said he was a healer and held himself out as having special skill and knowledge to treat obesity by supervised fasting. She paid him to supervise her fasts, which he did for payment. She fasted as much as 30 days at a stretch, receiving only water. During these fasts she had such symptoms as multiple vomiting without relief, irregular menstruation, bloody urine, and amnesia, and lost the ability to work and developed great mental confusion. When she was delirious Andrews said things to her concerning religion. She was at the Health Sanctuary for 10 months and lost 160 pounds. To the present day she suffers adverse physical and mental symptoms which her doctors attribute to the starvation.

David and Roberta Pressman, husband and wife, fasted together at the Health Sanctuary under Andrews’ supervision. David Pressman came to *1351 Andrews to correct a variety of physical symptoms including a prolapsed mitral heart valve, fatty tumors in his limbs, and a toenail fungus. Other than these problems and being nearsighted he had no diseases or impairments. When he came to RSNH Andrews took his medical history, listened to his heart, took his pulse and blood pressure, felt his forehead, and checked him generally. He was then placed on a water-only diet for 46 days. Andrews supervised the fast. He took Pressman’s pulse and blood pressure daily and felt his forehead and smelt his breath. He said the breath smelled bad but this was a good sign and showed bodily toxins were being eliminated.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Consumer Watchdog v. Department of Managed Health Care
225 Cal. App. 4th 862 (California Court of Appeal, 2014)
Consumer Watchdog v. Dept. Managed Health Care
California Court of Appeal, 2013
Housing Partners I, Inc. v. Duncan
206 Cal. App. 4th 1335 (California Court of Appeal, 2012)
Opinion No. (2010)
California Attorney General Reports, 2010
Opinion No. (2002)
California Attorney General Reports, 2002
Untitled California Attorney General Opinion
California Attorney General Reports, 1993

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
211 Cal. App. 3d 1346, 260 Cal. Rptr. 113, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 675, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/board-of-medical-quality-assurance-v-andrews-calctapp-1989.