Dr Adam Smith, who was sued for $1 million by a naturopath after he debunked her alternative therapy treatments for cancer, diabetes and a string of other serious conditions, is calling on medical defence organisations to offer cover for defamation cases.

Two months ago, his gruelling legal battle with Farrah Agustin-Bunch came to an end after they reached a “mutually acceptable” out-of-court settlement.

The controversial US naturopath, who markets various alternative therapies to some four million Facebook followers, had claimed her reputation had been trashed after Dr Smith posted a series of videos debunking various therapeutic claims she had made.

Dr Smith says, for three years, he worked seven days a week to cover his $700,000 legal bill after his medical defence organisation told him it could not help because the case did not involve clinical care he had provided to a patient.