A Florida woman was arrested and charged for practicing medicine without a license, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said.
Jaqlyn Tinaro falsely represented herself as a physician and treated patients at Virtue of Health despite not having a license.
"[She was] always wearing a white lab coat monogrammed 'Dr. Jaqlyn Jacobs.' Her patients believed her to be a licensed medical doctor," the sheriff's office said in a July 7 news release. Her credentials were noted as doctor of naturopathic medicine, however, she did not hold a medical license.
Ms. Tinaro was known for what she called "live blood analysis," a procedure in which she pricked a patient's finger and projected the slide on a monitor to analyze blood cells for diagnostic purposes. She prescribed treatments and medications based on her analysis. Four patients were given extensive medical tests and treatments after the analysis, including Lyme disease testing, intravenous therapy and medication for parasites and thyroid issues.
On June 28, Ms. Tinaro was arrested on four felony counts of unlicensed practice of a healthcare professional. The clinic's medical director, Arthur Hodge, MD, said he was unaware that Ms. Tinaro was unlicensed and was diagnosing patients via "live blood analysis." However, he told police he was aware his name was used to prescribe medications.