Dr. Sebi, a controversial and influential figure in the realm of holistic health and alternative medicine, left an indelible mark with his dietary teachings and natural healing philosophies. However, his sudden death in 2016 sparked questions and speculation within his community and beyond.
In this article, we delve into the life and work of Dr. Sebi and explore the circumstances surrounding his untimely demise.
Who was Dr. Sebi?
Dr. Sebi was a self-proclaimed Honduran herbalist healer who also practiced in the United States in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Born on November 26, 1933, his real name was Alfredo Darrington Bowman
Bowman incorrectly claimed that herbs and a plant-based alkaline diet could treat all diseases, based on several pseudoscientific assertions, and disputed that HIV caused AIDS.
He established a rehab clinic in Honduras before expanding his practice to New York City and Los Angeles. Among his clients were several entertainment and acting icons, including Michael Jackson, Lisa ‘Left Eye' Lopes, and John Travolta.
Despite using the title and name of Dr. Sebi, Bowman had no official medical training. In the United States, licensed doctors, attorneys, and consumer protection authorities saw him as a quack.
He was detained after the state of New York accused him of practicing medicine without a license. Bowman was acquitted after a trial based on the legal definition of “medicine” for his plants. He was later prosecuted in a civil complaint, and he was barred from making therapeutic claims for his supplements.
Bowman was detained in Honduras in May 2016 for money laundering after being discovered with tens of thousands of dollars in cash with insufficient accounting for its origin. He caught pneumonia while imprisoned for several weeks. He died while being brought to the hospital by the police.
How Did Dr. Sebi Die?
Bowman and his colleague Pablo Medina Gamboa were detained on money laundering allegations on May 28, 2016, at the Juan Manuel Gálvez de Roatan Airport, when they were discovered to be carrying $37,000 in cash with no explanation.
They were seeking to switch from a commercial flight from the United States to a private plane bound for Honduras.
Bowman was released pending a court hearing on June 6, 2016, but the Public Ministerio re-arrested him on money laundering accusations. He was imprisoned in Honduras for several weeks while his family fought for his release.
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He became ill, and when police officers recognized how serious his situation was, they brought him to the hospital. Bowman died of pneumonia complications on the way to Hospital D'Antoni on August 6, 2016. The length of his incarceration and the bad state of the jail may have led to his death.[16]
Some of his supporters are questioning the circumstances surrounding his arrest and death. They allege there was a plot to silence him because his views differed from those of the medical establishment and posed a threat to the pharmaceutical industry.
