ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) - Jade Erick reacted immediately to the turmeric infusion delivered intravenously by her Naturopathic Doctor. She passed out and went into cardiac arrest.
Dr. Kim Kelley and his staff called 911, then tried CPR and an EpiPen to revive her. By the time an ambulance arrived, the 30-year old Oceanside woman had no pulse.
Erick was revived, but after five days in the intensive care unit of Scripps Encinitas Hospital, she died, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's autopsy report.
Her death was ruled accidental.
Dr. Kelly is now under investigation by the FDA and the California Department of Consumer Affairs, according to a spokesperson for the Medical Examiner.
Both agencies told us they cannot comment on investigations.
Team 10 first reported the death three weeks ago: http://www.10news.com/news/team-10/encinitas-woman-dead-after-i-v-infusion-of-turmeric
Since that report, we've fielded hundreds of questions from viewers who wanted to know the name of the practitioner who performed the infusion of a substance many people take in pill form to fight inflammation.
Dr. Kim Kelly has been licensed to practice naturopathic medicine in California since 2005. There have been no disciplinary actions taken against his license.
A 10News photographer photographed the outside of Kelly's office in Encinitas. While he was there a woman emerged from the office and asked him not to talk to patients. When he asked if the doctor was available for an interview, she responded, "he's busy" and walked away.
A spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration offered this statement:
"In general, consumers should be mindful of products that claim to prevent, treat, or cure diseases or other health conditions, but are not proven safe and effective for those uses. Relying on unproven products or treatments can be dangerous, and may cause harmful delays in getting the proper diagnosis and appropriate treatments."
