Alfredo Bowman
Alfredo Bowman | |
---|---|
Born | Alfredo Darrington Bowman[1] 26 November 1933[2][3] |
Died | 6 August 2016 Barrio Ingles La Cieba, Honduras | (aged 82)
Nationality | Honduran |
Occupation(s) | Herbalist, healer, naturalist, alternative medicine practitioner |
Alfredo Darrington Bowman (26 November 1933 – 6 August 2016),[1] better known as Dr. Sebi,[5] was a Honduran vegetarian herbalist,[6] healer, pathologist, biochemist, and naturalist of holistic medicine[7][1] who was litigated in 1988 in the New York City Supreme Court and faced civil and criminal charges for practicing medicine without a license.[8] Although not a licensed physician, witnesses had testified that their health was improved as a result of USHA's dietary programs; after the prosecution failed to convince the jury that Bowman did in fact make a medical diagnosis, Bowman was later found not guilty.[8] He based his concepts on an Alkaline diet that would nurture the cells of the body and activate the body's bio-electric conductivity for healing properties, opposed to a diet consisting of acid, starch, and hybrid foods that he claimed causes disease.[9][6][2]
Early years
Bowman was born in Ilanga, Honduras. He started as a herbal healer from learning from his grandmother and then from a Mexican herbalist,[10][11] who healed him of diabetes and obesity using the same principles he began to teach Bowman.[12]
Career
Dr. Sebi has treated some notable celebrities including Lisa Lopes of the R&B group TLC, Steven Seagal, John Travolta, Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson for his dependency for painkillers.[13][1][7]
Lawsuit
At a 1993 Congressional hearing, Shirley Stark, who headed the NYAG's Consumer Fraud Section, indicated that a civil suit against Bowman's company had been successful, stating:
"A particularly glaring example of unsubstantiated therapeutic claims made for herbal supplements occurred a few years ago when the USHA Herbal Research Institute, run by a self-styled nutritionist calling himself "Dr. Sebi," advertised in the Village Voice and the Amsterdam News that "AIDS HAS BEEN CURED" by USHA and that they also specialize in cures for Leukemia, sickle cell anemia, herpes, lupus and other diseases. For an initial fee of $500 and $80 for each additional visit, patients were told they could be cured of AIDS and other diseases. The "cures" consisted of various herbal products, for each of which USHA made therapeutic claims. Eva Therapeutic Salve, for example, was referred to in USHA's brochure as . . . "very effective on major skin problems, in prenatal use, against poor circulation, cancer, cysts, hemorrhoids and arthritis." In fact, these claims were false. Our office filed suit against USHA and entered a consent agreement under which USHA can no longer make therapeutic claims for any of its products"[14]
Death and legacy
Bowman was arrested on 28 May 2016 and died 6 August 2016 of complications while battling pneumonia during police custody in Honduras after allegedly attempting to launder $37,000 from the Juan Manuel Gálvez de Roatan Airport.[1]
His death has led many of his followers to question his arrest, level of care while in jail and situation of his death, with some going as far as to claim on social media that it was done to silence his work.[1]
Personal life
Bowman considers himself an "African", not an African-Honduran, but an African in Honduras.[15]
He is survived by his seventeen children.[1] His maternal grandfather was from Haiti.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Polygod, ed. (8 August 2016). "Dr. Sebi Dies In Police Custody In Honduras". The Source. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b Barnes, Mo, ed. (7 August 2016). "Famed healer Dr. Sebi dies after suspicious arrest and hospitalization". Rolling Out. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Moor-X Bey-El, Israel, ed. (2015). "I am Moor We R Moors". p. 56. ISBN 9780993390302. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Press, ed. (1998). "First Hand". p. 69. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Williams, Brett, ed. (1991). "The Politics of culture". p. 148. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b Rowland, Al Hajji Robert J., ed. (2009). "From The Hood To The Holy Land And Back Plus More". p. 71. ISBN 9781462803279. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b Ignacio, Martha, ed. (2 November 2015). "Honduras Man Dr. Sebi Found the Cure To All Diseases: AIDS, HIV, Diabetes, Cancer + More [VIDEO]". Food World News. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Herbalist (Dr. Sebi) found not guilty in 'fake' healing case.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
- ^ Exum, Keith, ed. (2013). "Alkaline Foods Cookbook: Cooking for health and longevity, The best in Vegetarian Cuisines using Non-hybrid and Alkaline foods". ISBN 9781479783540. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Press, ed. (8 August 2016). "Famed Herbal Healer Dr Sebi 'Dies In Police Custody': The 83-year-old claimed to have a cure for AIDS and cancer along with a long list of other related cures". The Voice. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Bahuguna, Ankush, ed. (8 August 2016). "Meet Dr. Sebi, The 80-Year-Old Man Who Has Finally Found The Cure To All Diseases In The World". The Voice. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Press, ed. (August 2015). "The Man Who Found A "Cure For All Diseases" Taken To Supreme Court Over Claims & Wins!". My Healthy Life. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Marion, Nancy E.; Oliver, Willard M., ed. (2014). "Drugs in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law". ISBN 9781610695961. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - ^ "Shirley Stark House Committee Dietary Supplements Testimony" (PDF).
- ^ "Chapter 8 Alfredo Bowman is Dr. Sebi The Healer". Sojourn to Honduras. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Dr. Sebi (2014). Andy B. (ed.). Conversation With Dr. Sebi, Speaks About Haitians and Haiti. La Cieba, Honduras: YouTube. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
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