RUSSIAN pedicure professionals are demanding a ban on “quack foot doctor” who tears toenails off her clients feet claiming to “cure” them from cancer and diabetes.

Elena Dzyk travels around the country holding demonstrations - but a leading newspaper has now labelled her a “butcher”.

Despite having no medical qualifications and “quack methods”, she has an astonishing 360,000 social media followers.

Pro-Kremlin life.ru newspaper warned its readers: “This story about a self-educated manicure artist from Moscow region will make you feel sick.

“She started by posting videos on YouTube about nail design and turned into a bloody guru who is teaching other miserable artists her ‘unique technology'.

“People pay up to 95,000 roubles (£1,115) in order to attend her seminars where she uses real people as models and demonstrates how to cure all diseases at once by full removal of nails.”

The story headlined “Not a pedicure professional but a butcher” goes on: “Elena’s philosophy is that nails are not right for humans.

“Nails do not allow the skin to breathe.

“Bacteria live under the nails and it results in diabetes and cancer.”

Dzyk herself boasts: “I have been dealing with nails the major part of my life. I am professionally aware of all modern and classical technologies.”

Amid a flood of criticism she has now removed many videos.

During seminars she often diagnoses clients with “granuloma” which must be removed, according to reports.

Later she “takes her pliers and removes nails of a poor victim in a barbarian way and in insanitary conditions”.

A petition started by Russian pedicure and manicure professionals has called for her to be banned, and she has been reported to police several times.

She is currently being probed over victim Zhanna Borisovna who acted as her paid model for a demonstration, according to new reports.

On a video of her session, Dzyk is heard saying that after her treatment - “voila, no cancer, no oncology”.

Zhanna was heavily sedated while all ten toenails were pulled out - after she “believed her when I heard her voice” that this would be a cure for diabetes.

“I fainted and found myself in hospital,” she said, with doctors warning she may suffer permanent problems walking properly.

“My legs are swollen, they are enormous and I could not stand up from my bed.”

She said: “Doctors are not sure if my nails ever grow again.

“My son has appealed to police and reported her, saying that the surgery was performed by a person without proper education and in insanitary conditions – in a rented flat.”

A petition drawn up by nail care professional calling for her to be banned has been signed by 9,600 people.

Maria Zhdanova – “I don’t want naïve people to think this work is normal.

“You must turn for help to professionals and doctors - not to amateurs who won’t be punished for what they do.”

Anastasia Kulachkovskaya warned: “Elena Dzyk is traumatising people.

“She completely removes nails, invents fantasy diagnoses, operates on people without medical education and in insanitary conditions.”

Irina Faleva hit out: “This is not a human being but a butcher, she must be stopped."