Editor’s Note:
An Eatonville health practitioner is dispensing treatments illegally, the Washington State Department of Health charged today in the press release posted below. The agency says it has obtained a restraining order against Sung Min Im, who apparently was offering cancer treatments at a health center called the Cleansing Way Lifestyle Change Institute. The DoH alledges that Mr. Im does not have proper medical credentials. His facility is located in the Ski Park neighborhood near Ohop Lake.
The Department of Health asks all those who may have been treated by Mr. Im and wishing to file a complaint against him and the Cleansing Way center to contact the agency.
The Mountain News has called the Cleansing Way to obtain more information on their medical practices, but we have been unable to reach Mr. Im or the clinic directly.
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State seeks court order to stop unlicensed Pierce County medical practice
Eatonville man was ordered to cease-and-desist in 2005
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health has obtained a temporary restraining order in Pierce County Superior Court to stop Sung Min Im from practicing medicine without a license.
The department alleges that Im is practicing medicine without a license in violation of an administrative order to cease-and-desist. The temporary restraining order is the first step in the department’s request for a permanent injunction prohibiting Im from practicing medicine without a license.
The department believes that Im owns and operates a facility named, The Cleansing Way Seminar Inc. in Eatonville, which is advertised as a health care facility. In its complaint, the department alleges that Im refers to himself as, “Dr. Im,” and uses the designation M.D with his name. Im doesn’t hold a medical license in Washington. Im allegedly conducted physical exams and treated two patients diagnosed with cancer using tea, juice, sea salt, and honey at The Cleansing Way facility.
In 2005 Im signed an agreed order to cease-and-desist the unlicensed practice of medicine and pay a $25,000 fine.
Anyone who has been medically treated by Im can file a complaint by calling 360-236-4700 or send the information by e-mail.
The Department of Health website (doh.wa.gov) is your source for a healthy dose of information. Also, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
The Mountain News - WA 
Second time you get caught practicing medicine without a license in Washington State? First time is a gross misdemeanor. Second time around is a Class C felony, with up to five years in prison…
Mr. Sung Min Im is claiming to be a doctor and it sounds like he has a scam going. Claiming to cure cancer and charging money for treatments while pretending to be a doctor is deceptive and misleading. If he took the approach of offering holistic treatment with no sensational claims and dropped the title of MD from his name, he probably wouldn’t be in trouble.
I actually believe in Holistic medicine and will say that the department of health does not recognize it as a valid treatment. Natural remedies are frowned upon by our government and are not covered under many medical plans or considered to be legitimate treatments. However, when someone attaches sensational claims of healing cancer and working miracles it does send red flags up.
I’ve heard that in Japan, which is the nation with the greatest longevity among it’s citizens, that if a doctor does not correct the problem associated with your visit, you don’t pay, or you get your money back. Unlike in America, where the Doctor is one of the few professions that require a consumer to purchase his services with no guarantees or money back if their services are not successful. An American Doctor can make mistakes, misdiagnose symptoms and mistreat conditions but the patient is still required to pay. In other businesses, like automotive repair, home improvements, and just about every other profession with the possible exception of the practice of Law, there is recourse to get your money back if you don’t get the goods or services that were advertised. Doctors and Lawyers are not required to give refunds. Our only recourse to get our money back from a crooked Doctor is to hire a crooked Lawyer, who in many cases will charge you money even if you lose your case. Go figure.
DnA
Editor’s Note:
The following commentary comes from Claudia Branham via an email from Carol Wright:
“It is too bad that this guy passed himself off as a MD, but he might be one, who knows. Chinese medicine is often times more effective that slash, burn, and poison, that is why the Cancer Treatment Centers use traditional medicine and different natural treatments. A friend who had breast cancer that had gone to one lymph node went there, chose not to have chemo or radiation, she did have the breast removed, and has been fine for about 5 plus years now.”
I believe if someone checks, they would find he went to medical school and was a bonafide practicing MD for many years, although not sure about Washington State. I have known other “retired” doctors who are still known as “doctor” even when they were not practicing. I agree that the government does not recognize natural treatments and even makes it difficult for those who genuinely try to help others the best way they know how.
I agree with you, natural versus big drug companies are always a problem. Money talks and some people die for a profit margin. Drug recalls and side effects are a big deal in the courts today. Natural is a better way to go, people just find it hard to believe sometimes the simple things help.
If all you are dispensing is healthy food, and a peaceful lifestyle, basic biblical principles, and love for the Lord God, how can he be doing anything illegal? Never had a recall on any of that! Does anyone know for sure what kind of questionable medical advice/medicine, he is prescribing? Has the health department verified anything? With all the budget cuts and loss of personnel have they really checked him out?
Dr Im with Gods help,saved my life!
It’s funny how they ask for people who have been treated to file complaints, but they haven’t looked at the multiple successful cases in which Mr. Im has helped terminal cancer patients cure themselves. And I emphasize in the word (THEMSELVES). Let’s put some facts straight. 1. Mr. Im is/was in fact a Doctor and practiced conventional medicine in the U.S. for many years until he realized that drugs were killing more patients than curing them. 2. Currently He is not practicing medicine. He is not treating patients with medicine or doing X-rays or diagnosis or anything of that sort. The people who go to his facility already know what they have and have tried multiple treatments, even sometimes with the response of ‘Go home, there is nothing we can do’. His facility is like a retreat in which he teaches proper lifestyle changes, through ‘pure air’ which you find in your beautiful mountains, water, exercise, sunshine and proper nutrition. Teas are also used to help boost the immune system to fight the disease. The body is so wonderful that we just need to help it heal. His facility what it does is offer a perfect environment to fight the disease and he shares his medical knowledge on how the body works, etc so that people may understand how to fight any disease through proper lifestyle changes. Obviously, since this change of lifestyle works on cancer patients, the pharmaceutical companies, health care facilities and medical boards don’t want the public to know, for they would loose clients and MONEY!!!. Think about it, the FDA controls what we eat, drink and also the drugs that we ingest to “CURE” our disease but they are just bandages that treat symptoms and not the real causes. Is a vicious cycle that is in place to get us sick. At the end of the day, All these agencies are about greed.
Well stated, I agree.
I have a friend that got her life back through Mr.In life style methods,after she was sent home to die by her doctor.She is enjoing her life today,her family is happy to have her around,being the MOM,sister,daughter,wife.This a shame to stop somebody to help other.
I THINK DR.IM IS GOD SENT. I AM TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM RIGHT NOW. I WISH HIM TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH ME AS I WANT TO BECOME A FRIEND AND HELP MY DYING SISTER TO LIVE. IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO CONTACT HIM PLEASE EMAIL ME RIGHT AWAY. melle.bennett@gmail.com
In 2008, I went to “The Cleansing Way Clinic” for a three week session. Dr. Im is an MD who believes in natural methods of treatment. I met numerous people who were healed through his methods. There are many people alive today who went to his clinic with a diagnosis of terminal.
What Im does will not hurt anyone, but will cleanse the system of toxins and allow the patient’s immune system to do the healing work. Of course many patients come when it is too late for a cure. People should be allowed to choose their own medical paths of treatment. Some are allowed to pass away in a pain free setting rather than die the painful death that chemo and radiation cause. I am grateful for Im’s courage and excellent work.
My Grandpa went there for lymphoma more than a decade ago I stayed there with my family close by and visited. I think that my family’s money could have been spent in other ways. I totally agree you can cure cancer naturally but Dr Im didn’t really help us. I also believe possibly it would have been cured if he had continued to eat healthy after leaving the facility. I have so many mixed feeling about him. I just miss my Grandpa, wish he was here to see my 2 kids he never got to meet.