Wellness coach, 40, dies after detox ritual involving toad vaccine months after beating cancer

A “cleansing” ceremony involving the poisonous skin of an Amazonian frog is believed to be the cause of death for a wellness coach — mere months after he beat cancer.After recovering from Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive type of blood cancer, Kristian Trend became immersed in holistic wellness.But his participation in a dangerous “detox” ritual involving the use of a “toad vaccine” had a fatal end.The 40-year-old wellness coach and plant-based energy drink company owner regularly shared wellness tips on his social media account, “Kristian The Feel Good Guy.”He became extremely interested in alternative medicine after traveling through Asia and took part in a “kambo” cleansing ceremony last month in the UK.The traditional Amazonian ritual is practiced by indigenous tribes and features kambo, a waxy substance secreted by a species of giant leaf frog (also called the giant monkey frog) in South America.The substance is toxic and used by these frogs to deter predators.Ceremony participants drink a liter of water, then create small burns on their skin with a burning stick and apply the poisonous substance to the open wounds.

For men, these wounds are typically on the arms or chest, while for women they are usually on the legs.The resulting vomiting and diarrhea are intended to act as a “detox” and offer several benefits, such as enhanced physical endurance, sharpened mental clarity and a boost to overall health.“He was going to cleanse himself, that’s what he said to me,” Trend’s mother, Angie, told The Telegraph.“He was very spiritual.

He took a lot of vitamins.”However, there is no evidence to support that kambo has any health benefits — and in fact, it’s been linked to serious health issues including seizures, liver failure, heart attacks and even death.The frog toxin acts as a strong psychedelic similar to ayahuasca and can result in harmful effects like confusion, memory loss, lethargy and psychosis.The physical effects can...