The Baltimore Sun has an article up: USM regent said to have used controversial therapy for autism, subtitled: John L. Young, a partner of Mark Geier, had his medical license suspended.
USM in the Univiersity System of Maryland. John L. Young was a Regent of USM. And a former business partner for Mark Geier. From the article:
In the order suspending Young’s license, the Board of Physicians concluded he wrote Lupron prescriptions for nine of Geier’s patients, who ranged in age from six to 17 and who all lived outside of Maryland. The board also said in the order that Young, who sometimes used Skype to speak with patients, broke restrictions against prescribing medicine for people who live outside of the state.
Young’s actions “constitute a substantial likelihood of risk of serious harm to the public health, welfare and safety,” the board wrote in the suspension order. The board did not say Young used chelation therapy.
If I interpret this correctly, after his license was supsended, Mark Geier was using his partner to continue the Lupron perscriptions.
Geier’s theory was that autism was the result of high levels of mercury from vaccinations and that too much testosterone exacerbates the symptoms, hence the use of both Lupron and chelation therapy. Geier diagnosed the children with early-onset puberty, usually a rare diagnosis, and used Lupron to control their hormone development.
I note that the patients range in age from 6 to 17. 17’s a bit old for “precocious puberty”.
Mr. Young was to serve as a regent until 2014. He is not presently on the website for the board of regents.
It appears that the Maryland medical board is recognizing that prescribing Lupron itself as an autism treatment is worthy of censure.
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By Matt Carey
Happy to provide you with the order suspending Dr. Young’s medical license, in Maryland.
He prescribed Lupron for a group of children from out-of-state, including a six-year-old child and also presented claims for reimbursement to insurance companies:
http://www.mbp.state.md.us/BPQAPP/orders/d2312102.133.pdf
Here’s hoping that there will be civil and criminal charges against the Geiers and Dr. Young.
In related news, Dr. Michael E. Trigg, the third owner of Young, Geier & Trigg, Inc. dba Genetic Consultants of Maryland, has sued Drs. Geier and Young to dissolve the corporation, for conversion (the civil version of theft), an accounting, and appointment of a receiver. Trigg v. Geier, et al., Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Case No. 367762V. I haven’t seen the complaint, but you can access the case info on the Maryland Judiciary Case Search website. For what it’s worth, Dr. Trigg is an Executive Medical Director at Merck & Co. He let his Maryland medical license expire in 2009 with no history of disciplinary proceedings.
@lilady – I’m glad my home state has gotten off its behind to do something more about these quacks / crooks…..
I saw the Baltimore Sun article in my news alerts last night, and by the time I managed to start looking into it and working on a blog post, I saw that you had scooped me (my post here: http://www.harpocratesspeaks.com/2013/03/the-continuing-fall-of-house-of-geier.html). Ah, well.
I noticed that the suspension order lists several other states where he holds licenses. I took a look at those and noticed that in Washington, he has entered into an agreement with the board of medicine to let his license expire and never apply for a new one again. There is also a fine involved.
Todd, I left the same reply on your blog but I hope that Mayer Eisenstein gets caught up in this investigation although I don’t know how Illinois deals with such problems.
@ Anne, how interesting. It looks like the Geiers et al. were playing with Big Pharma too. I wonder if Dr. Trigg’s lawsuit may be part of the reason for the new posh (albeit tacky) digs in Florida.
Dr. Geier and Dr. Young were and are both highly intelligent individuals who were trying to help children with Autism. My daughter was a patient of Dr. Geier. I feel like if the government revoked their license because of Dr. Geier’s theory which links vaccines to autism. I don’t feel that the government was trying to watch out for “public safety.” For decades, half of all childhood vaccines contained a chemical preservative called Thimerosal. It is made from mercury, one of the most poisonous substances on Earth. I would think that in itself is a “public safety” risk! Approximately 12 out of the 18 vaccine doses the average American child receives before the age of two contain Thimerosal. Making vaccines without Thimrosal would cost the government more money, so the government attacks any Doctor who is for this theory. A very simple solution for parents worried about upcoming shots for children is to ask your doctor ahead of time for Thimerosal-free vaccines. If I had it to do over again, my children would have received the Thimerosal-free vaccines. I am not suggesting that vaccines are SOLELY responsible for EVERY child’s autism. But, for the theory that Dr. Geier presented to all of his patient’s parents, I feel that they can cause irreparable damage which ultimately can led to autism!
” It is made from mercury, one of the most poisonous substances on Earth”
Thimerosal, while toxic, is only a “2” on the health rating scale (out of 4).
“Approximately 12 out of the 18 vaccine doses the average American child receives before the age of two contain Thimerosal. ”
Not in over a decade. Thimerosal was removed. Autism rates didn’t go down.
“A very simple solution for parents worried about upcoming shots for children is to ask your doctor ahead of time for Thimerosal-free vaccines”
With the exception of some variants of the flu vaccine, one doesn’t have to ask. Pediatric vaccines are thimerosal free. In my state, even flu vaccines are thimerosal free. No drop in autism rates.
We have a difference of opinion in that I wouldn’t let Dr. Geier treat my child.
Lori, I’d be interested in hearing the theory that Dr. Geier presented to you.