Dr. Jozef Krop is a Mississauga, Ontario, Canada general practitioner who was under the scrutiny of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for many years for his bizarre practices. He was finally disciplined in 1998 for professional misconduct regarding inappropriate tests, diagnoses, and treatments, but the College failed to take away his license.
In 2008, Krop admitted that he was being investigated by the College once again, this time after a complaint that he was diagnosing and treating another condition that does not exist, chronic Lyme disease. After the new investigation, Krop finally relinquished his medical license in 2010 and promised to never again apply for a license in Ontario.
Krop’s resumé boasts training in many forms of quackery, including homeopathy, acupuncture, ozone, “bioenergetic” techniques, and Vega testing. Krop stated that he was a member of ILADS and American Academy of Environmental Medicine, which are known pseudoscience groups. He also said that ILADS trained him to diagnose and treat chronic Lyme disease.
A 2004 study found that ILADS, LymeDisease.org, IgeneX, Lyme Disease Association, and many organizations with “Lyme” in their names spread inaccurate information about Lyme disease.
Dr. Henry Feder, coauthor of the 2004 study, later noted that the ideology of ILADS “is testimonial-based, not evidence-based.” He also stated:
Following the recommendations of Stricker and the ILADS of using prolonged antibiotic therapy for presumed Lyme disease has been shown to be harmful and even fatal.
Raphael Stricker is a former ILADS president who was found guilty of scientific misconduct by the NIH and UCSF. Stricker was also fired by UCSF. In 2019, the Medical Board of California issued an accusation against Stricker that included charges of Gross and Repeated Negligence, but the accusation was later withdrawn.
In an effort to legitimize themselves, ILADS members released so-called guidelines in 2004. In 2010, the Healthcare Protection Agency of UK issued a lengthy report that contained scathing conclusions about these guidelines:
- The ILADS guidelines are not evidence-based and are poorly constructed.
- Application of the ILADS guidelines’ poorly defined case definitions will result in a very high risk of misdiagnosis.
- Use of ILADS guidelines’ vague treatment recommendations, including prolonged use of antibiotics, has potentially serious consequences.
- Patients misdiagnosed with Lyme disease risk losing opportunities for diagnosis and treatment of other conditions. They also risk serious physical, psychological social and financial adverse events.
Disciplinary Action
According to the 1998 decision by the Discipline Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Krop was found guilty of professional misconduct because he:
- employed inappropriate tests, including the use of the Vega machine, provocation/neutralization and hair analysis;
- inappropriately diagnosed food, chemical and other allergies and sensitivities;
- inappropriately recommended sauna therapy for chemical detoxification;
- made inappropriate diagnoses of systemic candidiasis;
- prescribed inappropriate antifungal agents, both topical and systemic;
- prescribed inappropriate treatments including sublingual drops, injections of various types including Vitamin C, “vaccines” derived from serum and sputum, staph lysate, thymus extract calcium and magnesium.
- recommended lifestyle changes, including such unproved measures as a “rotary diet” based on the above diagnostic methods.
For his penalty of professional misconduct, Krop received a reprimand and was required to adhere to various conditions. The most strange requirement was the following:
(b) In addition, prior to any use of Vega testing, provocation neutralization testing, serial dilution end point titration testing for non-inhalant sensitivities including candida-related sensitivity, and hair analysis when not used in the diagnosis of heavy metal toxicity or essential element deficiency, Dr. Krop:
(i) is required to provide to the patient sufficient information to make informed choices;
(ii) is required not to misrepresent information or opinion; and
(iii) is required to give the patient the general degree of certainty or uncertainty of efficacy of the test(s), notwithstanding his individual beliefs.
Because all of the modalities mentioned in this requirement are considered quackery by mainstream medicine, we do not understand how any patient could make an informed choice to undergo them.
Resources
CMAJ: Huge court fight may be in offing as Ontario college considers penalty for maverick MD
Quackwatch: Disciplinary Action against Jozef Krop, M.D.
Quackwatch: Discipline of Dr. Jozef Krop
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario: Jozef Krop Decision, 1998
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario: Jozef Krop Penalty, 1999
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario: Jozef Krop info page
Ontario Superior Court of Justice: Jozef Krop Appeal Decision, 2002