The family of a woman, who died some months after receiving alternative treatment for arthritis, have urged people to use only evidence-based medicine and registered medical practitioners.
The family of Marlyn Hilliard (83) said they had hoped to learn more about what exact treatment their mother had received from alternative medicine practitioner Paschal Carmody at the inquest into her death.
Speaking after the inquest at Cork City Coroner’s Court, Ms Hilliard’s son Robin said: “We would suggest people go to trained medical personnel or people who are registered with the Medical Council ... and stick to evidence-based medicine.”
Mr Hilliard was speaking after Cork City Coroner, Philip Comyn returned an open verdict into the death of his mother, who died at Cork University Hospital on February 11th, 2025 after she collapsed at her home at Rossbrin Cove, Schull, Co Cork, on the evening of February 10th.
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The inquest heard evidence from Mr Carmody, who was struck off the Medical Register as a GP in 2004 for professional misconduct. He said Ms Hilliard first came to him in spring 2024 to seek alternative therapy for joint pain caused by arthritis.
Mr Carmody said that when he met Ms Hilliard at her first presentation, they spoke about writer and philosopher John Moriarty. However, on her second visit he may have given her “regenerative treatment” or “proliferation treatment” to stimulate ligament or tendon regeneration.
Ms Hilliard said she had pains in her joints. He said the regenerative therapy he would have given her via injection when she attended his clinic in Killaloe, Co Clare would have been a solution composed of hypotonic dextrose and Lydocaine in a normal saline mix.
Coroner Mr Comyn questioned Mr Carmody about the number of times Ms Hilliard attended his practice, saying her family had found receipts of payments for €120 for a visit on May 15th 2024 and others for €300 in September, €600 on August 14th and for €700 on December 19th.
Mr Carmody said he had no recollection of any visits by Ms Hilliard after late spring 2024. He said while he agreed the sums appeared to be more than his initial consultation fee of €200, he had no recollection of ever giving her treatment other than one in spring 2024.
Mr Comyn asked Mr Carmody if he kept records of his patients’ attendance at his clinic. Mr Carmody said he sometimes kept medical records but not always.
“My practice is in natural medicine, complementary medicine or alternative medicine, and we have our own rules to follow,” said Mr Carmody, who was cleared of 25 separate charges of false pretences and deception following three separate criminal trials between 2008 and 2012.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster said she carried out a postmortem on Ms Hilliard’s remains on February 12th and consulted with consultant neuropathologist Dr Mike Janssen. She said Ms Hilliard died from an intracerebral brain haemorrhage.
She said Dr Janssen felt it was most likely caused by high blood pressure, even though Ms Hiliard had no medical history of this. They could find no evidence of it being caused by either a tumour or a stroke or anticoagulant therapy, which are among the more usual causes.
She said she could not say whether the haemorrhage was linked to the treatment Ms Hiliard received from Mr Carmody as there is no scientific evaluation available on the solutions he administered to her during her visits to him.
“If it was just dextrose, it would have had no connection, but we don’t know what precisely was in the injection,” said Dr Bolster, who agreed with Mr Comyn it is “clearly important to keep medical records of what it is in the injections being administered”.
Barrister for Mr Carmody, Justin Condon, said he believes it is a case where death by natural causes is the most appropriate verdict as there is nothing to suggest the treatments his client provided were in any way linked to Ms Hilliard’s death.
Mr Comyn said, given there were receipts for more appointments than Mr Carmody could recall and there were no records, there was a lack of information available to him. In those circumstances, he believed an open verdict was appropriate.
