An alternative healer was charged with manslaughter after a woman died attending his 'slapping therapy' workshop

• A 71-year-old woman died during a 'slapping therapy' workshop in 2016.
• The alternative healer who ran the workshop has now been charged with manslaughter.

An alternative healer has been charged with manslaughter by gross negligence after a woman died in one of his 'slapping therapy' workshops.

Wiltshire Police said on Thursday that Hongchi Xiao, 60, of Cloudbreak, California, was charged after returning to the UK from Australia on an extradition warrant.

The charge follows the death of Danielle Carr-Gomm, who died at the age of 71 in Seend, England, in October 2016.

According to BBC News, Carr-Gomm attended one of Xiao's slapping therapy workshops held at a hotel.

Matthew Carr-Gomm, her son, told The Guardian that his mother had attended the workshop to help her diabetes, as she had sought out alternative medical practices owing to her fear of needles.

"She was always keen to try and find alternative methods of treating and dealing with her diabetes and was very interested in alternative and holistic medicine and therapies," he said.

Xiao, in an author biography on Amazon, describes himself as a proponent of paida lajin — a type of therapy that involves patting and slapping body areas.

According to the Associated Press, he led workshops in the technique around the world.

The slapping aspect of paida lajin often results in bruising and bleeding, the news agency said.

A warrant for Xiao's arrest was issued in October 2019, three years after Carr-Gomm's death. He is due to appear in a UK court on Friday.

The California-based Pailala Institute, which Xiao runs, did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment, which was sent out of business hours.