Chinese herbal doctor Shuquan Liu suspended by AHPRA, radical starvation diet program shut down

THE Chinese herbalist who helped Eddie McGuire and Malcolm Turnbull lose weight has been suspended from practice, and his controversial starvation diet program has been shut down.

EXCLUSIVE

THE Chinese herbalist who famously helped Eddie McGuire and Malcolm Turnbull quickly lose large amounts of weight by drinking tea and eating small portions of cucumber has been suspended from practice, and his controversial starvation diet program has been shut down.

While patients of Dr Shuquan Liu’s Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane clinics were on Wednesday being told he had “suddenly retired”, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) website reveals his registration has been suspended.

Dr Liu told News Corp on Wednesday night his suspension followed a decision by the Chinese Medicine Council of New South Wales, but did not elaborate on the reasons for the ban.

“It is not appropriate to discuss the details while the matter is being investigated,” he said.

The Chinese medical practitioner — who has recently had findings and orders made against him restricting his controversial treatment methods in New South Wales and Queensland — had until this week been treating patients with his radical 101 Wellbeing weight loss program.

The program hit the headlines last year when Collingwood president and media personality McGuire attributed his dramatic 15kg in three weeks weight loss to Dr Liu’s “extreme” diet.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull used the same program some years earlier as part of a health overhaul.

Eddie McGuire lost a lot of weight very quickly on the now defunct 101 Wellbeing program. Picture: David Geraghty

But patients who arrived at Dr Liu’s Chapel Street, Prahran clinic on Wednesday, or tried to book an appointment at any one of his Australian clinics over the phone, were told he had “retired” and the 101 Wellbeing program was no longer available.

MORE: The extreme Chinese herbal starvation diet that changed Eddie McGuire

The 101 Wellbeing website page has also been abruptly taken down.

As well as dramatic weight loss through the 101 Wellbeing program, Dr Liu’s Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Australia offers Chinese massage, acupuncture, herbal medicines, reflexology, cupping and moxibustion, which involves the burning of a herb called mugwort, which is then applied to the body.

Dr Liu is the founder and director of TCM Australia and developed the 101 Wellbeing diet program.

MORE: Dr Liu says 101 Wellbeing is about helping people live longer

When News Corp tried to book an appointment with Dr Liu in Melbourne on Wednesday morning, it was told it could not.

“We don’t do the 101 Wellbeing Program anymore. Dr Liu has retired as a practitioner,” the receptionist said, adding staff had been “suddenly” informed of their director’s “retirement” on Tuesday afternoon.

Dr Shuquan Liu helped Malcolm Turnbull lose 14 kilos in 2011 but has now been suspended. Picture: Rebecca Michael.

A receptionist at the Sydney TCM clinic said Dr Liu had “retired … for personal reasons”.

News Corp is aware of one young Melbourne man who is part-way through the 101 Wellbeing program and, after having lost a large amount of weight very quickly following the starvation phase, is ready to move on to the next stage where he can eat very small amounts, but has been informed he is unable to see Dr Liu again and that the program he is on has been stopped.

The patient, who paid upfront and has lost 15 kilos in just a few weeks, was told he could see another doctor at the clinic who would be delivering a different weight loss program, or could get part of his money back.

The man saw Dr Liu at the TCM clinic in Chapel St Prahran last Friday and had another appointment booked for this Friday.

The AHPRA website lists Dr Liu’s principal place of practice as Bondi Junction in New South Wales and states his registration as a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner has been suspended.

AHPRA said privacy provisions in the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law prevented it making further comment.

Patients are being told the radical 101 Wellbeing weight loss program is no longer available. Picture: Rebecca Michael.

On January 27 last year the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal made a finding of unsatisfactory professional conduct against Dr Liu based on what it said was improper record keeping and in June 2017 imposed restrictions on his registration, ordering his records be randomly audited to show they contained accurate and complete case histories in accordance with guidelines, as well as treatment plans with detailed lists of Chinese herbal medicines prescribed or supplied and records of acupuncture treatment points administered.

Dr Liu appealed the decision in the Supreme Court, which on March 14 this year upheld his appeal and quashed the tribunal’s findings and orders, pending a further tribunal hearing.

That further hearing confirmed the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s original finding of unsatisfactory professional conduct, and on May 25 conditions were imposed on Dr Liu’s registration requiring random audits of his patient records.

And on January 31 this year the acting Queensland health ombudsman took action against Dr Liu, imposing conditions on his registration which dictated he not treat patients for diabetes, provide dietary advice to patients under 18 years of age or provide or refer to the 101 Wellbeing program for patients under the age of 18.

Talking publicly about his weight loss under Dr Liu last year, McGuire said for the first two weeks of the 101 Wellbeing program he drank three cups of herb tonic a day in place of meals. In the third week he was able to introduce half a cucumber and a meagre 50g serve of chicken into his daily meal plan.

“You are provided with these Chinese herbs, about half a cup, you get to drink three of them a day, and some water, and a couple of cups of tea and that is it,” McGuire said.

“I did not eat for two weeks, and in the third week I was allowed to have half a cucumber before 1pm and 50 grams of chicken, which in the past would not have got stuck in my teeth.”

Acting Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner Dorota Siarkiewicz said she could not comment on complaints or investigations, including whether or not a complaint had been received regarding a particular health service.

“I encourage anyone with a complaint or concern about a health service received in Victoria, including services that use traditional Chinese herbs and remedies, to contact the HCC on 1300 582 113 or via our online complaints form at hcc.vic.gov.au,” she said.