SerpApi.Org
Police say a man who has been doing business as a naturopathic doctor in the Bronx has been arrested after a 27-year-old woman came in for a treatment over the weekend and later died at the hospital.
The Bereshit Lifestyle Center on Riverdale Avenue was closed Monday and its founder, Dr. Luis Rojas Cabrera, was arraigned early Tuesday morning.
The latest on the investigation
Rojas Cabrera injected the woman with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, known as NAD+, around noon Sunday, according to the criminal complaint.
He admitted to police that he injected the woman and called 911 when she went unconscious, the complaint stated. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Rojas Cabrera, 55, of Passaic, New Jersey, now faces charges of reckless endangerment and unauthorized practice of a profession.
No New York State records list him as a licensed medical doctor, and court records also say he doesn't have a medical license.
"I am a doctor in the Dominican Republic. I have a PA license in Puerto Rico. I am not a licensed doctor in New York," he allegedly said to officers, according to court records.
Rojas Cabrera's website states, "I am an M.D., surgeon, naturopath, a full member of the Dominican College" in the Dominican Republic. Inside his dark office was a manual of integrative oncology protocols.
NAD+ is a coenzyme found in cells that is essential for energy metabolism, DNA repair and cell survival, according to the National Institutes of Health.
"You have no idea what these things might do to you"
As for what to look out for when seeking medical care or treatments, Dr. Bruce Y. Lee of the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health said always ask for a medical license.
"The key is you have to know exactly what you're getting yourself into and what are the potential side effects," Lee said. "What are they using? Are they FDA-approved ingredients, medications, treatments and those types of things? Without FDA approval, you have no idea what these things might do to you."
New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said, in part, "Unlicensed or unqualified staff, dirty needles, expired or counterfeit drugs such as Botox or fillers, and unsanitary conditions can lead to serious injury or even death."
Police say the medical examiner is still working to determine the woman's official cause of death.
CBS News New York contacted Bereshit Lifestyle Center for comment, but did not immediately get a response.
