My med-tech senses are tingling!

Aristo Vojdani, Ph.D., M.T.
Aristo Vojdani received his PhD in Immunology and Microbiology from Bar Ilan University, Israel, and completed his post-graduate work at Tel Aviv University Medical Center and the University of California Hospital

http://www.yourmedicaldetective.com/public/148.cfm

He has some “patents” on treating autistic children, and diagnosing things by slapping patents in immuno assay (apparently not thre reagents, the process.)

From Day02-PM2 audio file Tom Powers, PSC lawyer and Bennett Leventhal, autism expert
http://www.psych.uic.edu/faculty/leventhal.htm

Powers: Now as a psychiatrist is it, and you, how long have you been practicing as a psychiatrist?

Leventhal: finished my residency and fellowship in 1978, so thirty years…

Powers: In the years preceding 1978, isn’t it true that psychiatrists attributed autism in large part to what is called the refrigerator mother, or the lack of affection a lack of bonding. Was that the general cause of autism that was attributed in describing the etiology.

Leventhal: No that’s not actually accurate.

Powers: Refrigerator mom was a descriptive term generated by Dr. Bettleheim, post Vienna, post World War II, to describe what he believed was the cause of autistic spectrum disorders. Isn’t that correct?

Leventhal: It was one of his concepts, but Dr. Bettleheim wasn’t a psychiatrist, he was actually not even a psychologist, he was an educator.

Powers: And in the years since then that theory of causation has been disproven. Correct?

Leventhal: It was never proven, so other theories have taken form it was never a proved theory.

Powers: The theory you believe that autism is entirely genetic. Do you believe that autism is entirely genetic?

Leventhal: No sir.

Powers: Do you see room for environmental contributions to the appearance of autistic symptoms in some children.

Leventhal: Yes

Powers: Can you identify what you believe to be known environmental contributors to the appearance of autistic symptoms in children?

Leventhal: Well we know very well that the environmental interventions make a difference, and the modification of the environment, so things like ABA affect the clinical presentation of the disorder, education, speech and language, change the clinical presentation of the disorder. Those are all environmental interventions.

Powers: And I’m not speaking of environmental interventions you would agree with me that be that environmental exposures can actually be the biological cause of autism. So for example prenatal exposure to thalidomide, do you believe that prenatal exposure to thalidomide can cause autism?

Leventhal: I think what you are trying to do is make a sweeping generalization and as I think Mark Twain once said no generalization is worth a damn including this one. And I think generalizations just aren’t terribly useful here. you have to talk about specifics.

Powers: And that’s why I asked you …

Leventhal: (interrupting) So if there’s,

Powers: (simultaneously with Leventhal) Let, let

Leventhal: if I

Powers: (over the top of Leventhal) I asked you

Leventhal: ..if I can finish my question, uh answer I’d be happy to

Powers: Well, I asked you a specific question

Leventhal: I’d be happy to…

Powers: (cutting Leventhal off) Do you believe that prenatal thalidomide exposure can contribute to the appearance of autism in some children.

Leventhal: This is not a matter of belief.

Powers: Do you believe that there is, or let me put it this way, as a scientist do you recognize that there is an association between prenatal thalidomide exposure and the appearance of autism?

Leventhal: What do you mean by association?

Powers: A causal relationship.

Leventhal: That has not been demonstrated, so the answer to that is, until it’s been demonstrated I can’t really tell you.

Powers: Do you believe that, or do you think that evidence shows an association between terbutaline exposure prenatally and the appearance of autistic symptoms?

Leventhal: I am not aware of any causal mechanism that would support that.

Powers: Are you aware of any scientific data or scientific literature that would support an association between maternal rubella and the appearance of autistic symptoms in the child?

Leventhal: You just used the word association, so there are data on an association between maternal rubella and autism.

Powers: Would it be your scientific opinion that those associations are suggested of a causal link between maternal rubella and the appearance of autistic features in some children.

Leventhal: It’s not been demonstrated. Until it’s been demonstrated, I don’t know if there is a causal link. There’s a big difference between association, correlation and causality.

Powers: And that’s why I am asking you specifically if you believe that there’s a causal association between these various prenatal exposures and the appearance of autistic symptoms in the children who were the product of those exposed pregnancies. Do you believe that there is scientific evidence supporting that there is a causal relationship?

Leventhal: As I said to you, I don’t believe. There’s what I know and what I don’t know. I am not aware of, I have no knowledge of, a casual link between rubella and autism. There’s an association but there’s not a causal link to my awareness.

“Mumper: It would appear that 4-19-02 was the time of the very first visit to Dr. Bock. So there is not evidence that he would have been on a chelating agent at that time.

Johnson: And the result for this test for mercury was that it came back in the non-detectable limit … Is that correct?

Mumper: Right.

Johnson: The next test that we found was the September 20th, 2002 test and this was a urine toxic metals test. Is that correct?

Mumper: That’s correct.

Johnson: And I believe you testified that although the report indicates that there was a chelating agent administered, you don’t believe there was, is that correct?

...

Mumper: Yes that’s correct.

Johnson: And the result shows that the mercury was in the non detectable limit.

Mumper: Yes that’s correct.

Johnson: The next test was the September 22, 2002 which is at petitioner’s exhibit 4 page 90 and … this was post provocative test … and this test result showed that mercury was at 17 mcg per gram of creatinine. Is that correct?

Mumper: That’s correct.

...

Johnson: And the report indicates that DMSA was administered in connection with this test … and again the result from this test for mercury was nondetectable. Is that correct?

Mumper: That’s correct.

...
(37:04)
Johnson: So in the medical record there’s only one test that showed mercury outside the reference range is that correct?

Mumper: That’s true.

Johnson: And that was the provoked test from September 22, 2002. Is that correct?

Mumper: That’s correct.

Johnson: Doesn’t Doctor’s Data say in bold right on the test report that reference ranges are representative of a healthy population under non-challenged or non-provoked conditions?

Mumper: That’s true.

Johnson: So we just don’t know what the normal range would be for a provoked test. Is that right?

Mumper: It is difficult to know…”

Right now, I’ll bet she’s feeling just like a Christian Scientist with appendicitis – she has to either renounce her “faith” or pay the consequences.

Sadly, I can’t find it in my heart (or brain) to feel too sorry for her. She has the education and training to tell real science from pseudoscience – which is more than can be said for the parents she led down the primrose path.

I guess I just keep thinking of those poor children getting stuck with needles for pointless tests.

No, I don’t feel to sorry for Dr. Mumper at all.

Prometheus