When frivolous fringe autism therapies lose the humor
25/06/12 15:48 Filed in: autism | Asperger's Syndrome
Every couple of weeks I seem to find some form of quackery that is mostly humorous and harmless. Examples I’ve written about in the past that are worth a chuckle include Mushroom Supplements, Horticulture Therapy, Camel’s Milk and Surfing Therapy.
I’ve just come across another wacky autism treatment: Horse or Equine Therapy. This therapy has been claimed to “recover” a child from autism. The child’s father authored a book that was so compelling it has now been made into a feel-good, Hollywood blockbuster. Testimonials make us feel hopeful and the movie industry laps up this kind of story. What is truly miraculous is the savvy nature of the parents who managed to get their book made into an award winning movie! It takes my breath away as to how talented these parents are to actually bring a project like this to fruition.
That said, it still remains true that autism treatment quackery is harmful and unfortunate because it takes away a child’s precious window of opportunity and parents’ money from treatments that are based on science.
Quackery backed up with a book and a well-made movie is a great fundraising conduit. As you read this, there is currently a “Horse Therapy” foundation raising money to provide this – ahem – treatment to help “recover” other children with autism. If they would only spend a fraction of this money on testing their therapy for efficacy using the scientific method, that would be a great use of the money!
Aside from expensive, mostly harmless quackery, every so often I run across a dangerous idea that stops me in my tracks. I was tempted to ignore this new therapy because the more publicity it garners, the more parents may get suckered into buying this snake-oil. However, after watching the presentation of these practitioners at a “conference” recorded on youtube, I saw how sophisticated their sell job was and I could not, in good conscience, ignore this latest “therapy” any longer.
Here’s what this new therapy entails. It is called the Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS). What is it? Practitioners give enemas to the autistic child using a form of bleach! Occasionally, they also give it to the children orally. The fact that this unstudied treatment has practitioners administer a bleach concoction at either end of a child’s system alarms me greatly!
What is particularly important to note is the unbelievably persuasive talent of these practitioners. Their sale’s job is very professional, utilizing all kinds of scientific jargon to hoodwink parents to actually consider subjecting their child to this frightening procedure. If you want to get into the weeds with details describing the full horror of the procedure, I would direct you to David Gorsky’s comprehensive analysis on MMS.
What is important to remember, though, is that there is no data published in peer-reviewed journals on the Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS). The claims of recovering thirty-eight children are simply unfounded assertions with NO peer-reviewed data to support them. Remember, if there is no data, there is no evidence!
In summary, I would just remind all parents that absent solid evidence, first assume your child’s health and safety may fall victim to quackery.
I’ve just come across another wacky autism treatment: Horse or Equine Therapy. This therapy has been claimed to “recover” a child from autism. The child’s father authored a book that was so compelling it has now been made into a feel-good, Hollywood blockbuster. Testimonials make us feel hopeful and the movie industry laps up this kind of story. What is truly miraculous is the savvy nature of the parents who managed to get their book made into an award winning movie! It takes my breath away as to how talented these parents are to actually bring a project like this to fruition.
That said, it still remains true that autism treatment quackery is harmful and unfortunate because it takes away a child’s precious window of opportunity and parents’ money from treatments that are based on science.
Quackery backed up with a book and a well-made movie is a great fundraising conduit. As you read this, there is currently a “Horse Therapy” foundation raising money to provide this – ahem – treatment to help “recover” other children with autism. If they would only spend a fraction of this money on testing their therapy for efficacy using the scientific method, that would be a great use of the money!
Aside from expensive, mostly harmless quackery, every so often I run across a dangerous idea that stops me in my tracks. I was tempted to ignore this new therapy because the more publicity it garners, the more parents may get suckered into buying this snake-oil. However, after watching the presentation of these practitioners at a “conference” recorded on youtube, I saw how sophisticated their sell job was and I could not, in good conscience, ignore this latest “therapy” any longer.
Here’s what this new therapy entails. It is called the Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS). What is it? Practitioners give enemas to the autistic child using a form of bleach! Occasionally, they also give it to the children orally. The fact that this unstudied treatment has practitioners administer a bleach concoction at either end of a child’s system alarms me greatly!
What is particularly important to note is the unbelievably persuasive talent of these practitioners. Their sale’s job is very professional, utilizing all kinds of scientific jargon to hoodwink parents to actually consider subjecting their child to this frightening procedure. If you want to get into the weeds with details describing the full horror of the procedure, I would direct you to David Gorsky’s comprehensive analysis on MMS.
What is important to remember, though, is that there is no data published in peer-reviewed journals on the Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS). The claims of recovering thirty-eight children are simply unfounded assertions with NO peer-reviewed data to support them. Remember, if there is no data, there is no evidence!
In summary, I would just remind all parents that absent solid evidence, first assume your child’s health and safety may fall victim to quackery.