R.I. ‘integrated medicine’ doctor’s license suspended for 5 years

Dr. Mark R. Brody was found to have improperly cared for patients, kept inadequate medical records, and discouraged patients from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

PROVIDENCE — An “integrated medicine” doctor in Rhode Island who specializes in adult and child psychiatry has lost his license after an investigation was conducted by Rhode Island’s Board of Medical Licensure.

Dr. Mark R. Brody, who allegedly incorporates homeopathy and natural remedies into patient care, has lost his license for the next five years for allegedly improperly caring for six patients and keeping inadequate medical records.

Brody did not respond to inquiries from the Globe.

The investigation was triggered by a complaint that he administered chelation therapy, which is a series of intravenous infusions that contains disodium EDTA and other substances, to a 2-year-old patient. Brody allegedly was treating the child for “autistic symptoms.”

The child was in foster care with the Connecticut Department for Children and Families, but parents still had medical decision-making power. It remains unclear why the child was in state custody.

“Not only is this not recommended or science-based therapy, it could be dangerous or even fatal,” said Dr. Carl Baum from Yale toxicology said in a consent form filed with the state health department. “I am concerned that this Dr. Brody is administering potentially harmful substances for chelation therapy in a child who is diagnosed with autism as this treatment is not accepted as a valid or safe treatment.”

Someone identified only as “grandmother” in Brody’s patient records brought the child in. She was allegedly concerned about the child’s “development.”

However, there was no past medical history, family, or social history outlined in the Brody’s patient records of the child, nor was there any information about their vital signs, weight, height, head circumference, or growth percentiles.

There was no assessment of whether speech milestones were ever obtained, and the assessment at the end of the visit simply said, “slow development. May be related to heavy metal, environmental, or other genetic factors.”

Brody allegedly diagnosed the child with heavy-metal toxicity based on a “provoked” urine metal test, according to the Board.

These tests are “misleading” to patients and “improper,” according to the Board.

Brody, a graduate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1986, signed a consent form where he agreed to a five-year suspension of his medical license that will be stayed after six weeks of suspension if he can successfully pass an evaluation of his clinical competency. He has to pay $1,630 for costs associated with the investigation, complete a medical records course, and not see any patients under the age of 12.

But this isn’t the first time Brody was seen before the Board. Earlier this year, Brody also had to sign a consent order in which he agreed to be reprimanded for sending a letter in December 2020 that advised his patients against COVID-19 vaccinations. He had to pay $1,100 for costs associated with the investigation and complete an ethics course.

In his letter, Brody advised his patients, “Given the news and previously untested RNA technologies being employed with this vaccination, and preliminary scientific evidence, there exists the possibility of sterilizing all females in the population who receive the vaccination, disrupting recipient’s DNA, which controls and regulates who and what we are, and other unpredictable long-term health consequences.”

He continued, “Whether coming from greed, politics or ignorance, authorities within government and the media have become untethered from science in promoting a poorly and inadequately tested product, which they wish to inject into you without having verified what it is their responsibility to verify that the vaccine is safe and effective.”

These statements are false, according to public health leaders and data from the US Food and Drug Administration. The COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Rhode Island since December 2020 and data shows that they are indeed safe and effective.