Autism cure published in the Irish Times

Dave!

Hey folks,

Saw this article this morning:
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/autism-it-s-not-all-about-genetics-1.1728328

It's a bit long, but worth a read. I was sucked in by the writer's description of the difficulties she faces as the parent of a seemingly quite severely autistic child. I thought from the title and subtitle that the article would be about some recent research, and didn't think it too outrageous to suggest that it might show that autism might not be entirely a genetic thing (because there is still so much unknown about it). However I began to raise an eyebrow when I got to this:

Genetic disorders don’t explode in prevalence the way autism has done, with the US Centre for Disease Control now stating that one in 88 children will become autistic.

Because my understanding is that much of the apparent increase in autism prevalence is due to better diagnosis, education, awareness, understanding, etc., rather than any "explosion" of incidence. My eyebrows rose yet further when I got to this:

With the help of Dr Goodwin McDonnell, a Dublin GP who is also a homeopath and an osteopath, Caoimh was diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease, including permeable gut, bacterial dysbiosis and candida infection. He had aluminium toxicity. He was severely deficient in zinc, vitamin C and serotonin.

Admittedly I'm not a medical researcher or healthcare professional of any kind, but alarm bells start to go off for me when someone refers to advice given to them by a homeopath! I also vaguely recall having read or heard about some questionable people referring to a relationship between autism and some sort of gut/gastrointestinal issues. Maybe it was Andrew Wakefield's "research"? I'm not sure.

Anyways, I kept reading, and by the time I got to this part I was all but reaching above my head to try and retrieve my eyebrows, while at the same time trying to pick up my jaw from the ground:

As treatment, Caoimh’s father, his step-mother and I began the Gaps grain-free, sugar-free, lactose-free, organic-only diet, developed by neurologist/ nutritional scientist, Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, and described in her book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome .
McBride is particularly condemnatory of fluoride, a known neurotoxin, and cutting out Caoimh’s exposure to dangerous contaminants in Irish tap water via reverse osmosis filtration was the crucial first step on his healing path.

Fluoridation now! I was waiting for the reference to vaccinations too, but I guess the writer had to keep to a certain word count.

The article started off so heart-wrenching as an honest description by a mother struggling to get through every day with her autistic son, and after taking us on an incredible tour of every bit of pseudoscience and quackery imaginable, it ends with a miraculous recovery for the child, and a plug for various pieces of quack propaganda.

Is this one of the most abhorrent articles that the Irish Times has ever published?

AtomicHorror

Their coverage of science is less credulous as most other papers, but sadly not by a huge margin.

My name is URL

Is this one of the most abhorrent articles that the Irish Times has ever published?

Definitely one of the most abhorrent that someone would republish.. well done though, have a star.

Is there anything you forgot to shoehorn into the discussion?

Turtwig

To be fair to the Irish Times they avoided the scientific proof of vaccines causing autism. So it's pretty obvious they're in the pockets of big Pharma and er big Homeopaths.

Dave!

My name is URL wrote: »

Definitely one of the most abhorrent that someone would republish.. well done though, have a star.

Is there anything you forgot to shoehorn into the discussion?

I see you're going for your usual gratuitous contrarianism and sarky remarks approach.

I posted an article and commented on it, as is the normal course of events in a discussion forum, feel free to participate or do us a favour and menstruate elsewhere.

Smidge

gastrointestinal disease, including permeable gut, bacterial dysbiosis and candida infection. He had aluminium toxicity. He was severely deficient in zinc, vitamin C and serotonin.



A very high number of ASD children suffer from Gastric issues(as opposed to their piers).
There is also the unusual pattern of yeast problems(mainly in the hair/eyebrows which ususally manifests itself with a rash on the torso but can be treated with nizoral) with ASD chldren(and adults).
I don't know about the zinc deficiency but I am aware that it is also very common for ASD children to be very deficient in Vit C and serotonin.

I can't tell you why this is, I only know it is(although I do have my own theory).

Giving supplements can alleviate symptoms caused by these deficiencies but it most certainly does not cure Autism.

I have not yet heard the fluoride thing tbh so it may very well be tosh.

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/05/19/medco-children-idUSN1924289520100519

More than one in four insured children in the United States and nearly 30 percent of adolescents aged 10 to 19 took at least one prescription medicine to treat a chronic condition in 2009, according to an analysis of pediatric medication use conducted as part of Medco's drug trend study issued on Wednesday.
...
Among the trends was the rise in children taking antipsychotics -- powerful drugs traditionally used to treat schizophrenia, but increasingly prescribed for other conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
...
Overall ADHD drug use was up 9.1 percent last year, leading to a 23.8 percent rise in spending growth.

TBH at this stage you have to admit that a large section of US "healthcare" is very for profit with insane costs and a fondness of diagnosing

Tordelback

Any medical advice given by someone who claims to be a homeopath can be discounted without a second's thought, because they either have no grasp of science whatsoever or they consciously give imaginary medicine in exchange for money: there's no third option.

Dave!

taytothief wrote: »

Why did you completely ignore the end of the article?

Anything specific?

ClovenHoof

Dave! wrote: »

Is this one of the most abhorrent articles that the Irish Times has ever published?

No. Not even close.

I have read much worse in there than a moving story of mother doing everything for her disabled child.

My name is URL

Dave! wrote: »

I see you're going for your usual gratuitous contrarianism and sarky remarks approach.

Another star for yourself

I posted an article and commented on it, as is the normal course of events in a discussion forum, feel free to participate or do us a favour and menstruate elsewhere.

What kind of science based medicine is that?

taytothief

Are you suggesting the author is lying about the improvement in the condition of the child?

Mr. Incognito

When the word autism is stretched to describe non genetic conditions non genetic cures become available.

Problem is the definition and diagnosis of autism in the first place

taytothief

Dave! wrote: »

Anything specific?

Yeah I deleted that post. I was referring to the author explaining how the child's condition improved, which you spent very little time on.

rob316

I have a son with autism and I hate this cure word. There is no cure its not a disease or sickness, these kids are just wired differently and there is no one to blame, they are just born with it.
Amazing children who just see the world a bit different.

ballsymchugh

a GP who is also a homeopath?? how can that work? it's completely incompatible. it's time that 'Bad Science' became a book that first year med students should read.
people also need to be wary on the use of the word 'nutritionist' too.

urabell

rob316 wrote: »

I have a son with autism and I hate this cure word. There is no cure its not a disease or sickness, these kids are just wired differently and there is no one to blame, they are just born with it.
Amazing children who just see the world a bit different.

Right.

Would you not take a 'cure' for lack of a better word if even just to make their life a little easier. It's not your fault or the child's but it's not easy being different

All credit to you and your love and devotion though

le la rat

Facebook likes are the way forward

Morag

Looks more like a gross misdiagnoses then a 'cure'.

EoghanIRL

Boards should do no makeup selfies for autism.

thegreatgonzo

ballsymchugh wrote: »

.
people also need to be wary on the use of the word 'nutritionist' too.

Well apart from Gillian Mckeith and the mad stuff she comes out with what's wrong with nutritionists in general?

ballsymchugh

thegreatgonzo wrote: »

Well apart from Gillian Mckeith and the mad stuff she comes out with what's wrong with nutritionists in general?

it's not a protected term. dietician is.
there's a whole load of courses and the like that one can call themselves nutritionists after, if you even choose to do a course.

J_E

The child sounded more to me like he had compounded issues - not buying this 'aluminium toxicity' BS but he may well have had bad digestion/stomach problems and had not been able to communicate them. Trying to equate alleviating that to 'curing' autism is utterly absurd.

"With the help of Dr Goodwin McDonnell, a Dublin GP who is also a homeopath and an osteopath"

Really? I'm reading, $, $$, $$$ in that order. There is such thing as bad medicine but is there such thing as 'good' alt. medicine?

Femme_Fatale

thegreatgonzo wrote: »

Well apart from Gillian Mckeith and the mad stuff she comes out with what's wrong with nutritionists in general?

I read once "Nutritionist is to dietitian what toothologist is to dentist".

Think anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, but dietitian is the real deal.

thegreatgonzo

ballsymchugh wrote: »

it's not a protected term. dietician is.
there's a whole load of courses and the like that one can call themselves nutritionists after, if you even choose to do a course.

Oh yeah like Gillian's dodgy PhD. I feel sorry for people that have done legit courses.

thegreatgonzo

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

I read once "Nutritionist is to dietitian what toothologist is to dentist".

Think anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, but dietitian is the real deal.

But that would discredit all nutritionists...is there not some value to it no?

rob316

urabell wrote: »

Right.

Would you not take a 'cure' for lack of a better word if even just to make their life a little easier. It's not your fault or the child's but it's not easy being different

All credit to you and your love and devotion though

I got over that stage a while ago, looking for a magical cure and wishing things were different.

Autism is a part of my son which makes up his personality. He has Autism he is not Autistic is what I always say. He's a bit weird but we love him!

My sons condition is fairly manageable but I know other parents who would bite your hand off for a "cure".

Aspiring

Is it relatively normal for a child to 'recover' from autism naturally? What percentage do if that's the case?

I have a friend who had pretty severe autism growing up, they brought him to all sorts of different treatment places around the world and probably spent thousands but he's grand now. You wouldn't notice anything different about him.

Is there a link there between these 'treatments' and autism recovery in children. These treatments I mention are the ones you'd consider to be straight up bs. Was he just lucky?

Dave!

taytothief wrote: »

Yeah I deleted that post. I was referring to the author explaining how the child's condition improved, which you spent very little time on.

We can't really take anything from her article, which is an anecdote given from one perspective and without any way to objectively verify anything that she said. For all we know the child has or had some other condition in addition to autism. She says of GPs, a paediatrician, a paediatric neurologist, a dietitian, a psychologist and behaviour analysts: "Some of them don’t seem to believe me when I say that Caoimh is in pain". Seems strange to me that a whole string of healthcare professionals would assess the child and come to a different conclusion to the mother. It's possible that they're all incompetent, or maybe there's something else at play and we're not getting the full picture. Is she (absent-mindedly) omitting some other relevant information, like maybe she has also continued with some other (conventional) treatment or therapy for the child, but did not factor that in when coming to the conclusion that her child has made a miraculous recovery? There are all sorts of biases that can skew people's perspectives and results, which is why anecdotal evidence is worth very little.

Anyway the article doesn't exactly ooze credibility when it makes reference to discredited ideas about a sudden explosion in autism, treatment from homeopaths, and fluoride toxicity from drinking water.

Smidge

Aspiring wrote: »

Is it relatively normal for a child to 'recover' from autism naturally? What percentage do if that's the case?

I have a friend who had pretty severe autism growing up, they brought him to all sorts of different treatment places around the world and probably spent thousands but he's grand now. You wouldn't notice anything different about him.

Is there a link there between these 'treatments' and autism recovery in children. These treatments I mention are the ones you'd consider to be straight up bs. Was he just lucky?

Nobody "recovers" from Autism.
He either learned tricks and coping mechanisms and was given skills to "manage" his Autism or else he didnt have it in the first place.

Tordelback

Cydoniac wrote: »

There is such thing as bad medicine but is there such thing as 'good' alt. medicine?

As the great Tim Minchin says, you know what they call 'alternative' medicine that has been shown to work? Medicine.

Aspiring

Smidge wrote: »

Nobody "recovers" from Autism.
He either learned tricks and coping mechanisms and was given skills to "manage" his Autism or else he didnt have it in the first place.

He did have it, and I don't see how tricks or coping mechanisms can result in a complete change of personality and learning abilities. He struggled to learn anything for years throughout primary school, now he's doing all honours at secondary school, is that a 'trick'?

ballsymchugh

Aspiring wrote: »

He did have it, and I don't see how tricks or coping mechanisms can result in a complete change of personality and learning abilities. He struggled to learn anything for years throughout primary school, now he's doing all honours at secondary school, is that a 'trick'?

i deal with plenty of autistic kids where i work, and noticed a complete change in temperament as they get older. it's a case of learning to deal with it. once they are accustomed to their surroundings and the goings on, then it can be taken in their stride.

Smidge

Aspiring wrote: »

He did have it, and I don't see how tricks or coping mechanisms can result in a complete change of personality and learning abilities. He struggled to learn anything for years throughout primary school, now he's doing all honours at secondary school, is that a 'trick'?

You said he had severe autism.
That may just have been your opinion of him, not his actual diagnosis as someone with severe autism may not be able to talk, would function very poorly in social situations(tbh I could go on and on).
People with autism cannot have a "complete change of personality".
It just doesn't happen, I'm afraid.

So either he was mild to moderately Autistic and through therapies(ot/slt/pt as well as techniques used by a lot of asd people "tricks" if you will)now appears to be higher functioning.

Aspiring

Well whatever the case may be, I'm just happy he seems to enjoy life now more, was just shocked at the time to see such a sudden (apparent) change in a small space of time, so I thought I'd enquire as to what the story was.

Thanks for the responses.

rob316

Aspiring wrote: »

He did have it, and I don't see how tricks or coping mechanisms can result in a complete change of personality and learning abilities. He struggled to learn anything for years throughout primary school, now he's doing all honours at secondary school, is that a 'trick'?

Every child is different, some children will respond differently to teaching.
A child diagnosed with autism at 3 (generally the earliest age it can be diagnosed) has a much greater chance of adapting to mainstream society than a child diagnosed at 7. The age 3 to 6 are the most important in a childs development especially that of an autistic child.

I suppose the tough thing for a parent of an autistic child is wondering about the future, you hear about stories of children no longer been on the spectrum in the later years but it so rare.

You could put 10 autistic children in a room and everyone would be different, some could have perfect speech, some not. Some could have really poor social skills, some might not.

joe swanson

Have a look at the freeman thread in legal discussion. There is a group of freemen/wacko's staging a comedy night to raise funds for the unfortunate child.

Its very sad what the parents have to deal with and i can understand they will look for answers where they can but the stuff espoused by the freemen/wackos is dangerous particularly there views on vaccination.

Its views like this that have caused outbreaks (fatal) of measles etc in the uk because of these views.

Annasopra

More flouride nonsense..

Capt'n Midnight

ballsymchugh wrote: »

a GP who is also a homeopath?? how can that work? it's completely incompatible. it's time that 'Bad Science' became a book that first year med students should read.
people also need to be wary on the use of the word 'nutritionist' too.

The weird thing is that a doctor can't prescribe placebos. Even though they have been proven to work.

Adamantium

rob316 wrote: »

I have a son with autism and I hate this cure word. There is no cure its not a disease or sickness, these kids are just wired differently and there is no one to blame, they are just born with it.
Amazing children who just see the world a bit different.

I agree and there are many brilliant people who haven't been diagonosed with Autism and Asperger's alike, who manage quite well and you wouldn't even necessarily know it at first glance.

Example:

It's well speculated that George Lucas has some low level form of Asperger's or Autism, but that didn't stop him from making his films.

In fact it's probably the reason he didn't stop and why his work was unique, the very thing that him made look differently at the world in ways others couldn't understand and others would sit in awe and gawk at his work, at what seemed obvious and normal to him.

You can see it in how he handles people, they guy's mind is working at levels beyond him and he often has trouble relating his ideas to other people

Akrasia

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride is promoted throughout the article, she invented a syndrome 'GAPS' syndrome as 'the cause of what ails ya' and then invented a treatment as 'the cure for what ails ya'

She has done no clinical trials to show either that GAPS is a real condition, or that the GAPS diet is either safe or effective

She is yet another charlatan and woo merchant that is blindly trumpeted in the 'health and lifestyle' section of a newspaper.

I feckin hate this ****e, 90% of the readers of the lifestyle section are not equipped to properly critically assess the claims in this article and they will believe it because they trust that the Irish times has done some basic fact checking and verification before it was published.
Here's a sceptical view of the GAPS diet from Science based medicine
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/gaps-diet/

seamus

This kind of nonsense really is on the rise, fuelled by "nutritionists" and other quacks.

It's the modern version of the moonshine elixir, the cure for all ills.

My wife came home worried last night because a colleague had been talking to a nutritionist who told her about all these various foods that "cause cancer", that "milk isn't really milk anymore, it's all processed", and other various forms of nonsense. The woman's poor toddler now gets kale, avocado and wheatgrass smoothies for breakfast, but thankfully he appears to like it.

So I actually got to use the word "toothiologist" when explaining to my wife why this woman had been filled full of nonsense by this quack and to watch out for red flags - anyone who claims that "food X causes major illness Y" is a quack and should be disregarded out of hand unless they can provide proper evidence.

strandroad

Here's an earlier article (printed a year and a half ago) in which the parents explain the boy's turnaround with behavioural therapy and getting an assistant dog for him. Not a word about fluoride, homeopathy or diet.
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/health/a-boys-best-friend-26652957.html

I'm amazed the Irish Times printed it, with all the pseudoscience attached. It will only mess with other parents' heads now.

jh79

From the letters section..

http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/letters/autism-and-genetics-1.1731004

Wotsername

I'd like to recommend a book. I really don't want to step on any ones toes here, So let me be clear from the outset. I know very, very little about autism.
I'm sure you've all probably read more than you can remember on the subject. However, I would still recommend, that anyone who hasn't already read "The reason I jump" by Naoki Higashida, do so, or get it for a friend. A very simple but insightful book, written by a lovely, bright, artistic, intelligent, 13yr old Japanese boy who has autism. Having read it, I feel as though I have a chink more understanding.:)

D1stant

Akrasia wrote: »

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride is promoted throughout the article, she invented a syndrome 'GAPS' syndrome as 'the cause of what ails ya' and then invented a treatment as 'the cure for what ails ya'

She has done no clinical trials to show either that GAPS is a real condition, or that the GAPS diet is either safe or effective

She is yet another charlatan and woo merchant that is blindly trumpeted in the 'health and lifestyle' section of a newspaper.

I feckin hate this ****e, 90% of the readers of the lifestyle section are not equipped to properly critically assess the claims in this article and they will believe it because they trust that the Irish times has done some basic fact checking and verification before it was published.
Here's a sceptical view of the GAPS diet from Science based medicine
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/gaps-diet/

Bang on.

"Autism" + "cure" = Lots of money * parental guilt

kunst nugget

Wotsername wrote: »

I'd like to recommend a book. I really don't want to step on any ones toes here, So let me be clear from the outset. I know very, very little about autism.
I'm sure you've all probably read more than you can remember on the subject. However, I would still recommend, that anyone who hasn't already read "The reason I jump" by Naoki Higashida, do so, or get it for a friend. A very simple but insightful book, written by a lovely, bright, artistic, intelligent, 13yr old Japanese boy who has autism. Having read it, I feel as though I have a chink more understanding.:)

Are chinks not Chinese? I think the word you were looking for was Jap…

Muise...

kunst nugget wrote: »

Are chinks not Chinese? I think the word you were looking for was Jap…

easy mistake to make - the Japs' eyes look very similar.

kunst nugget

mhge wrote: »

Here's an earlier article (printed a year and a half ago) in which the parents explain the boy's turnaround with behavioural therapy and getting an assistant dog for him. Not a word about fluoride, homeopathy or diet.
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/health/a-boys-best-friend-26652957.html

I'm amazed the Irish Times printed it, with all the pseudoscience attached. It will only mess with other parents' heads now.

I wonder what she'll trot out next year…

Muise...

kunst nugget wrote: »

I wonder what she'll trot out next year…

has she had a good go at vaccinations yet?

Wotsername

kunst nugget wrote: »

Are chinks not Chinese? I think the word you were looking for was Jap…

Yes, Chink was an unfortunate choice of word, Perhaps 'a modicum of understanding' would have been better?
Still, a good book for someone who knows nothing about it. I'd like to see stuff like this on the syllabus, Then again, I'd also like to win the lotto.