General Trigger Warning
I think that the patent applications and this is enough for the Lupron "cure."
I think that the patent applications and this is enough for the Lupron "cure."
Dr. Mark Geier prescribed Lupron to
reduce testosterone, which he says binds to mercury, in an effort to
treat autism. He believes that mercury in childhood vaccines is
linked to autism, which has been debunked by the CDC on several
occasions.
Bernhard, Blythe. "Controversial
Autism Doctor Loses License Elsewhere, but Can Still Practice in
Missouri, Illinois." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. N.p., 04
Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Mark Geier claims that there are many
peer-reviewed studies to support his theory, but all papers linked on
his site have either himself or by his son, David, who is not a
licensed doctor and did not complete medical school.
Bernhard, Blythe. "Controversial
Autism Doctor Loses License Elsewhere, but Can Still Practice in
Missouri, Illinois." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. N.p., 04
Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Dr. Steven Rothman notes the complete
lack of evidence that Lupron has been helpful for any autistic
children and that Lupron should not have been attempted without
strict controls and strong evidence that it should work, both of
which were lacking in Dr. Geier's work.
Bernhard, Blythe. "Controversial
Autism Doctor Loses License Elsewhere, but Can Still Practice in
Missouri, Illinois." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. N.p., 04
Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Dr. Mark Geier has had his license
suspended or revoked in nine states in the last two years, with
active complaints against him in three other states due to this
hormone therapy.
Bernhard, Blythe. "Controversial
Autism Doctor Loses License Elsewhere, but Can Still Practice in
Missouri, Illinois." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. N.p., 04
Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Dr. Geier stated in 2011 that he had
prescribed Lupron to hundreds of children.
Bernhard, Blythe. "Autism Doctor
with Clinic in St. Peters under Scrutiny." STLtoday.com.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 28 July 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
The Maryland board holds that this
treatment endangers children, having a "known substantial risk
of serious harm" and no evidence to support the effectiveness.
The Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics
have also criticized his work.
Bernhard, Blythe. "Autism Doctor
with Clinic in St. Peters under Scrutiny." STLtoday.com.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 28 July 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
In six of nine cases reviewed by the
Maryland board, Geier gave autistic children an incorrect diagnosis
of precocious puberty, sometimes diagnosing children too old for the
condition, and then prescribed them with Lupron.
Callahan, Patricia, and Steve Mills.
"Board: Drug Therapy for Children with Autism Was Risky."
Chicago Tribune. N.p., 04 May 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
In one case, a nine and a half year old
(too old for a diagnosis of precocious puberty) was nonetheless
diagnosed with this condition, then started on Lupron. Geier also
ordered chelation therapy for this boy.
Callahan, Patricia, and Steve Mills.
"Board: Drug Therapy for Children with Autism Was Risky."
Chicago Tribune. N.p., 04 May 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Prescribing Lupron, a drug sometimes
used to chemically castrate sex offenders, to autistic children, is
based upon the (unsupported) theory that autistic children have too
much testosterone, which then interacts with mercury, causing their
autism.
Tsouderos, Trine. "Autism Drug
Lupron: 'Miracle Drug' Called Junk Science." Chicago Tribune.
N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Experts note that giving unsupported
treatments the credit for normal developmental leaps is common, and
that this is most likely why parents continue believing in these
treatments.
Tsouderos, Trine. "Autism Drug
Lupron: 'Miracle Drug' Called Junk Science." Chicago Tribune.
N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
The program for Lupron that Geiers
prescribes is 10 times what it used for early puberty, one of the few
approved uses of the drug.
Tsouderos, Trine. "Autism Drug
Lupron: 'Miracle Drug' Called Junk Science." Chicago Tribune.
N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
The paper which supports the
mercury/testosterone/autism link was written by Dr. Geier himself,
and experts have called the conclusions baseless and the study deeply
flawed. The results that are used to "show" higher
testosterone levels do not actually show this, nor do the other
results in his paper. Notably absent were tests which could have
answered the question of "Are these kids actually having early
puberty?"
Tsouderos, Trine. "Autism Drug
Lupron: 'Miracle Drug' Called Junk Science." Chicago Tribune.
N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Endocrinologists note that Lupron would
also cause children to miss the beneficial effects of puberty, such
as cardio health in both genders and bone density for the girls.
Tsouderos, Trine. "Autism Drug
Lupron: 'Miracle Drug' Called Junk Science." Chicago Tribune.
N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Mark Geiers, however, claims that the
experts dismissing his work do not know what they are talking about,
stating that their lack of experience with autistic children
disqualifies them from discussing hormone disorders in autistic
children. His son, David, claims that many autism scientists support
his work. However, one name he lists, Simon-Baron Cohen, has already
stated his disgust at the treatment, suggesting that the claims of
support are not as they seem.
Tsouderos, Trine. "Autism Drug
Lupron: 'Miracle Drug' Called Junk Science." Chicago Tribune.
N.p., 21 May 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.
Geiers are still attempting to patent
this treatment, though the application has been reduced from 109
claims to 30, none of which now mention mercury. The remainder of the
patent application still has significant reference to mercury,
however.
Carey, Matt. "Lupron, Soon to Be a
Patented Autism treatment?" Left Brain Right Brain. N.p.,
1 June 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012
The mercury binding to testosterone
which is the main basis for the effectiveness of Lupron for autism
was demonstrated in a beaker of heated benzene, not in the human
body. We do not currently have evidence that this binding occurs in
the human brain.
Carey, Matt. "Lupron, Soon to Be a
Patented Autism treatment?" Left Brain Right Brain. N.p.,
1 June 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012
Dr. Paul Kaplowitz, a pediatric
endocrinologist, notes that Dr. Geier works with a significantly
looser definition of precocious puberty than the generally accepted
one and that there have been many treatments that parents and doctors
claimed to work but which controlled trials showed to be no better
than a placebo.
Cohn, Meredith. "Lupron Therapy
for Autism at Center of Embattled Doctor's Case." Baltimore
Sun. N.p., 16 June 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
One parent remains convinced that
Lupron will become the standard for "mercury-induced autism."
Cohn, Meredith. "Lupron Therapy
for Autism at Center of Embattled Doctor's Case." Baltimore
Sun. N.p., 16 June 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.
(Contains swears)
ReplyDeleteLooks like another attempt to stop us breeding. I knew *one* person, as a child, who had genuine early puberty. They were biologically sexually mature at seven-and-a-half. Seems pretty rare, to me. I always mention her to anyone who claims that "old enough to bleed" is old enough to be having sex with.
Anyway; this Lupron treatment is a crock of shite.
I dread the day social services decide an "untreated" Autistic child is being abused by dint of being "denied treatment", when sensible people seek to avoid harmful bullshit.
Pretty much a world of dread, for the World, these days.