Karen Cummings sat in the back row when her hero, Dr. Thomas Rau, told a Queens University of Charlotte audience about his unusual "biological medicine" practice in Switzerland.

Rau's ideas about curing disease by ridding the body of heavy metals and re-establishing healthy intestinal bacteria are not well-known in this country. He visited Charlotte earlier this year at the invitation of Cummings, who learned about him the hard way.

In 2005, Cummings had surgery to remove a tooth with a 30-year-old root canal. She had cadaver bone and a new tooth implanted in her jaw. Shortly after, she developed strange symptoms - rashes on her back, blisters on her head, fatigue and unexplained weight loss.

Her local doctors could find nothing wrong. Several suggested she needed psychological help. For three years, she searched for help, including several weeks at the Mayo Clinic.

Through a friend, she heard about Rau and his Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland and went there for treatment.

Rau is a traditionally trained rheumatologist who became interested in homeopathy and other therapies that make up "biological medicine." He focuses on underlying causes of chronic disease, such as metal toxicity, inflammation, and digestive imbalances. His practice also includes dentists, based on the belief that dental health plays a role in chronic disease. He claims to have cured multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

At the Swiss clinic, Cummings had four amalgam fillings and the dental implant removed from her mouth. She was also treated for fungal poisoning, discovered with a test called dark field microscopy.

While in Switzerland, Cummings' husband, Steve, also had a checkup. Despite high blood pressure and allergies, he thought himself healthy. But tests showed his body was also overloaded with toxic metals. Like his wife, he had dental amalgams and a root canal removed. He went through detoxification and began eating different foods and taking supplements. Today, he says his blood pressure is lower than it has been in 15 years, without medicine, and his allergies are better than ever, without weekly shots.

Karen Cummings, 56, feels normal again. She wanted others in Charlotte to hear Rau's philosophy. "It's my way of redemption ... I really want to give hope that there is a new fresh way."

Rau's approach may sound strange to many, but the Queens audience included doctors and hospital administrators entrenched in the Western medical world. The 220-seat auditorium sold out in 24 hours, and more than 150 copies of his book, "The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health," were sold that night.

"There's probably something to it," said Michael Tarwater, CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System. "I don't think we should dismiss anything out of hand without understanding it."

Dr. Bill Cody, dean of the Blair College of Health at Queens, said the goal of its Wellness Institute is to "bring forward new ideas, and even controversial ideas ...We know the dominant American 'fix-it' model of medicine does not work well for all things."

For more information, see www.paracelsus.ch