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Brief Report: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Trial

22 Aug

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a popular offering in the alternative medical community. It is a therapy that has proven and approved uses (most notably treatment for decompression sickness or carbon monoxide poisoning). It has been proposed as a therapy for autism, and there is already a mixed body of literature on the subject, most with small and/or uncontrolled studies. The most recent study found no benefit.

Another study has now been released, this time from the University of California (UC San Francisco and UC Davis). Brief Report: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Trial is a small, uncontrolled study. The measure of benefit, at least by the abstract, is the CGI-I (Clinical Global Impression, Improvement scale), which is not particularly objective. Measures of cytokine levels were made, and no changes were observed. So, if any behavioral changes were derived from the HBOT, they were not correlated with cytokine levels.

We sought to determine whether HBOT leads to parental reported behavioral changes and alterations in cytokines in children with ASD. Ten children completed 80 sessions of HBOT and all improved by 2 points on the clinician-rated CGI-I scale (much improved) as well as several parent-completed measures of behavior. The lack of a control group limits the ability to determine if improvements were related to HBOT. Enrolled children did not exhibit abnormal cytokine levels at baseline and no significant changes in mean cytokine levels were observed. Although this study was limited by the small sample size and by the variable nature of cytokines, we found no evidence that HBOT affects cytokine levels or that cytokine levels were associated with behavioral changes.

In general, not a particularly strong study. I’ll note that UCSF’s recent MB12 study put a rather positive spin on a negative result. The fact that these researchers rated the children as improved is not really impressive to me. We don’t need more weak studies on alternative medicine. Those will never really answer any questions.

Mark Geier: under scrutiny in more states

29 Jul

In Home Autism doctor here under scrutiny, The St. Louis Post Dispatch discusses investigations ongoing in Illinois:

A autism doctor who operates clinics in St. Peters and Springfield, Ill., has been suspended in two states for alleged mistreatment of children.

Dr. Mark Geier has been accused of misdiagnosing children with early puberty and treating them with high doses of Lupron, a drug used to suppress the hormone testosterone.

A hearing will be held on August 22nd to consider Dr. Geier’s license in the state of Illinois.

The Post Dispatch notes that Dr. Geier’s hypotheses and methods are far from generally accepted:

Dr. John Constantino, a psychiatry professor and leading autism researcher at Washington University, said Geier “understands the tools of science but has applied them in questionable ways” to justify specific treatments.

“There is currently no scientific evidence to support the clinical use of Lupron to treat autism in anything other than carefully conducted research trials,” Constantino said.

Autism News Beat in Castration doctor’s license now suspended in four states notes:

Dr. Mark Geier, the Maryland physician who chemically castrates disabled children, is still licensed to practice medicine in seven states, down from eleven. Four states have suspended or revoked his privileges since April 27, when his home state took action against him. Washington followed on May 26, then Virginia on June 9. On June 29, Indiana issued an emergency 90-day suspension, citing the Maryland action.

What’s up with Fox News and promoting bad autism science and medicine

15 Jul

OK, it’s anecdotal. But from my perspective of all the networks, Fox just seems to be the most open to bad science and medicine reporting. CBS has Sharyl Attkisson, and her work has been far from excellent over the years. But Fox just seems to be the “go-to” news outlet for those pushing vaccine causation and unproven medical treatments.

Case in point, Fox 9 in the Twin Cities. A recent story: Investigators: Hyperbaric Autism Care.

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/video/videoplayer.swf?dppversion=10588

Investigators: Hyperbaric Autism Care: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

There just isn’t any evidence that HBOT works for autism. There isn’t even a good theory for why it would work. Listen to the story, they basically have it right: the brain will absorb more oxygen. In turn this will help treat autism.

That’s about it for the theory: oxygen should be good. More should be better. I.e. hyperbarics will treat autism. When it goes by fast, it sounds like they have some idea what they are talking about. But there isn’t anything there.

Generation Rescue: taking another small step away from the brink?

14 Jul

Generation Rescue has over the years been one of the more vocal promoters of the vaccines-cause-autism notion. Like any organization, they have changed over the years and their website reflects that. Their website started out with the title “Autism Mercury Chelation” and a very simple (and wrong) statement:

Generation Rescue believes that childhood neurological disorders such as autism, Asperger’s, ADHD/ADD, speech delay, sensory integration disorder, and many other developmental delays are all misdiagnoses for mercury poisoning.

Of course, later during the early years of Jenny McCarthy, when Generation Rescue became “Jenny McCarthy’s autism organization. By this point, GR had a prominent link on the main page to “vaccines”. This included a page with Generation Rescue recommended vaccine schedules. Their “favorite” being a schedule that offered no protection against many diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, diptheria and tetanus.

They had a page of “science”, including statements claiming that Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 paper linked MMR to autism (a position Mr. Wakefield has tried to distance himself from in the past few years):

“This study demonstrates that the MMR vaccine triggered autistic behaviors and inflammatory bowel disease in autistic children.”

They had a science advisory board, which included S. Jill James, Ph.D., Richard Deth, Ph.D., Woody R. McGinnis, M.D. and Jerry Kartzinel, M.D.. Not exactly heavy hitters, but at least a couple of people who actually publish in journals.

Times have changed again. The website is revamped. And vaccines seem to be much less prominent. For example, in the current version of the Generation Rescue website, I can’t find “recommended” vaccine schedules (they refer people to Dr. Bob Sears). A search for Wakefield shows he is only mentioned once “Studies by researchers: Horvath, Wakefield, Levy, and Kushak highlight a myriad of gut problems present in children with autism, including abnormal stool (diarrhea, constipation), intestinal inflammation, and reduced enzyme function”. The science advisory board is down to one person (Jerry Kartzinel) and an unnamed “cohesive group of professionals committed to healing and preventing autism”.

Sure, it’s still not a place I would recommend to anyone, especially a parent who just found out their kid is autistic. But just a few short years ago the trajectory was increasing with the vaccine discussion, not decreasing.

Mark Geier: My therapy is unconventional, but it works

17 Jun

Dr. Mark Geier is appealing the suspension of his medical license. The license suspension order includes (as summarized by Kathleen Seidel at Neurodiversity.com):

• In six out of nine of these cases, the board determined that the children were misdiagnosed with precocious puberty. Children were diagnosed with precocious puberty without the benefit of a physical examination; some were too old to qualify for the diagnosis.

• Medical records and medical necessity letters prepared by Dr. and Mr. Geier indicated that children were diagnosed not only with precocious puberty, but also with pituitary dysfunction, insomnia, aggression, mitochondrial disorder, metabolic dysfunction, and “heavy metal toxicity” when neither test results nor parent reports suggested anything of the sort.

• In one case, the only record of the diagnosis of precocious puberty was a code number entered onto a standing order for lab tests. In another, no note was made in the medical records of the date the child began treatment with Lupron. Yet another patient’s file contained no indication that Dr. Geier reviewed any of the results of the numerous, burdensome diagnostic tests he had ordered.

• The order describes claims submitted to at least one insurance company for a psychiatric interview and “prolonged evaluation and management” services that were never rendered.

• The order further describes an occasion when David Geier, who is not licensed to practice medicine, conducted a medical evaluation and diagnostic tests, made diagnoses, and recommended treatments for an autistic boy in Dr. Geier’s absence.

• Additionally, the Board determined that Dr. Geier misrepresented his qualifications as a geneticist, and misrepresented the ability of his Institutional Review Board to conduct oversight of his research.

Dr. Geier has taken his case to the public in an opinion piece in the Baltimore Sun: Autism doctor: My therapy is unconventional, but it works. He certainly has the right to present his case to the Sun, and while I would not have published the letter were I editor, the Sun is within its rights to host the letter. I am within my rights to comment on the letter, and I took that opportunity in the comments as you will see (complete with typos) if you follow the link.

Dr. Geeir opens with a simple statment “If there’s a single statement that everyone who works in the field of autism can agree on, it’s that there is so much that we still don’t know.” This is incomplete: there is much we do know. We know that the theories Dr. Geier has proposed are wrong. We know that the rise in autism is not due to mercury. Certain tests should be performed before a child is diagnosed with precocious puberty. Tests which the charges indicate Dr. Geier failed to do on many occasions. We know that treatment for precocious puberty should stop at an age when puberty is expected. Dr. Geier is charged with initiating and/or continuing treatment in children too old to be diagnosed with precocious puberty.

Dr. Geier has published many papers in the literature, this is true. These papers have been widely criticized by researchers. Not because the ideas are unconventional, but because the ideas are ill founded and the experimental methods are poor. Dr. Geier has been described as “intellectually dishonest” for his work as an expert witness. The Institute of Medicine has referred to Dr. Geier’s papers as suffering from “serious methodological flaws and their analytic methods were nontransparent, making their results uninterpretable”

There is much we do not know. On thing we do know: we deserve better than Mark Geier

Perhaps it is the frustration of having read the recent article by the Geiers in the new “autism science digest”. Perhaps it is the fact that I listened to a podcast interview with the Geiers in preparing my recent response to the article. Perhaps it is just the years of reading bad science and waiting for someone to act against these people, but my patience is worn rather thin, as you will see in the comments.

AutismOne throws their support behind the Geiers in “Autism Science Digest”

16 Jun

When news came out about the legal troubles Mark and David Geier are facing, there was some hope expressed that maybe, just maybe, some of the groups that have supported the father/son team would take the chance to distance themselves. The Generation Rescue/Autism One conference was at that time still in the future, and the Geiers were scheduled to speak. Dr. Mark Geier had his license suspended for the “therapy” he was planning to tout at AutismOne, and that David Geier was facing the charge of practicing medicine without a license.

As we have seen, the optimism was ill founded. The Geiers presented their talk at AutismOne. And, as it turns out, AutismOne had already in-press their new magazine, the “Autism Science Digest”, which included an article by the Geiers. Someone forwarded it to me and it is frankly painful to read.

It is a nice glossy advertisement for the Geiers and their testosterone/autism theory. I don’t throw that out lightly. It is pseudo-science generated to promote an idea. and idea which really doesn’t stand up to real science.

For example, they present the article like a science study, complete with references. It makes it seem as though what they say is backed up by legitimate science. But citations do not make a study. Especially when they are misused.

It is difficult to describe the Geier hypothesis. This is for two reasons. First, it is hard to accept that they actually believe their own work, it is so bad. Second, it has morphed dramatically over the few years of its existence.

Let me explain. When they first proposed their idea that testosterone was somehow important, they claimed that testosterone was binding mercury in the brain, rendering it difficult to remove through chelation. If you listen to Lisa Sykes talk about the Geiers (the Rev. Sykes being a major spokesperson for the Geiers over the years), she tells how David Geier told her, “We figured something new out…..we think we can get rid of the mercury by lowering the testosterone”.

By the way, the Rev. Sykes mentions that she tested her child for testosterone. The range was 0 to 25 and her kid was “at the top of the range”. Not above it. At the top. As in, high but within normal.

If you listen to the Geiers speak now (and, again, I find this painful to do), they are still pushing the idea that mercury is the main causation factor in autism. But, here’s the shift with Lupron, they are downplaying the idea that is part of a chelation protocol. It’s all about reducing testosterone.

Is anyone surprised that if you change the testosterone levels in a person you will see changes in behavior? Does this have anything to do with autism? Does it have anything to do with mercury?

The Geier article relies heavily on the work of Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen’s group. They cite Dr. Baron-Cohen’s group 5 times in their article. It makes the article look legitimate. The first paragraph states, “In fact, ASD’s have even been described as the result of an “extreme male brain” by psychologist Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen”.

At this point, it is worth recalling what Dr. Baron-Cohen had to say about the work the Geiers are doing:

Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge in England and director of the Autism Research Center in Cambridge, said it is irresponsible to treat autistic children with Lupron.

“The idea of using it with vulnerable children with autism, who do not have a life-threatening disease and pose no danger to anyone, without a careful trial to determine the unwanted side effects or indeed any benefits, fills me with horror,” he said.

Some how “fills me with horror” was not included in the Geier article.

Dr. Baron-Cohen’s theories include the idea that fetal testosterone levels affect the development of the brain. This is a prenatal process. The Geier notion is that autistics have high testosterone levels (even though they have documented cases of children they treated who do not have high levels). It is intellectually (and otherwise) very dishonest to claim that the work of Dr. Baron-Cohen in any way supports the Geier’s application of the drug Lupron to autistic children.

It isn’t just Dr. Baron-Cohen’s work that is misused to sell this therapy. The Geier’s write, “”Also, some investigators have found that leuprolide acetate administration resulted in improvements in cognition” ( Bryan et al. , 2010)”

Here is the abstract for Bryan, et al.:

Down-regulation of serum gonadotropins is as effective as estrogen replacement at improving menopause-associated cognitive deficits.
Bryan KJ, Mudd JC, Richardson SL, Chang J, Lee HG, Zhu X, Smith MA, Casadesus G.
Source

Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Abstract

Declining levels of estrogen in women result in increases in gonadotropins such as luteinizing hormone (LH) through loss of feedback inhibition. LH, like estrogen, is modulated by hormone replacement therapy. However, the role of post-menopausal gonadotropin increases on cognition has not been evaluated. Here, we demonstrate that the down-regulation of ovariectomy-driven LH elevations using the gonadotropin releasing hormone super-analogue, leuprolide acetate, improves cognitive function in the Morris water maze and Y-maze tests in the absence of E2. Furthermore, our data suggest that these effects are independent of the modulation of estrogen receptors alpha and beta, or activation of CYP19 and StAR, associated with the production of endogenous E2. Importantly, pathways associated with improved cognition such as CaMKII and GluR1-Ser831 are up-regulated by leuprolide treatment but not by chronic long-term E2 replacement suggesting independent cognition-modulating properties. Our findings suggest that down-regulation of gonadotropins is as effective as E2 in modulating cognition but likely acts through different molecular mechanisms. These findings provide a potential novel protective strategy to treat menopause/age-related cognitive decline and/or prevent the development of AD.

The short version: the authors removed the ovaries from mice, putting them into a menopause state. They found that these mice decline cognitively, but that they can treat this with a leuprolide acetate (a drug similar to lupron).

Yes, somehow the animal model for autism to the Geiers are post-menopausal mice.

This study has nothing to do with improving cognition in children, or autistic children in particular. Don’t take my word for it. I contacted one of the researchers who wrote the paper:

Well… The principle of gonadotropins working on cognition in menopausal women or patients with AD has nothing to do with autism nor with improving cognition via the depletion of gonadal steroids such as testosterone or estrogen. For example, we know that when women that are in reproductive age (and men to a lesser extend) are given leuprolide their cognition is impaired, indicating that gonadal steroids are important for cognition. However, we have shown that after menopause, gonadal steroids can be by-passed by downregulating gonadotropins to improve cognition.

If you want the message in a single sentence:

The beneficial effects of leuprolide on cognition in ovariectomized (menopausal) female mice has nothing to do with the treatment of autism in children.

Another study the Geiers cite: “Increased marble-burying behavior in ethanol-withdrawal state: Modulation by gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist”

No, I am not kidding. It is a study about alcoholic mice burying marbles. Here’s the abstract:

A characteristic behavior in alcohol abstinence state indicates the possibility of obsessive–compulsive behavior in alcoholics. Ethanol is known to reduce hypothalamic synthesis, release, and mRNA expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) that modulates serotonergic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic systems, which experience adaptive changes on chronic exposure to ethanol. Such changes are also evident in obsessive–compulsive disorder. Therefore, it was proposed to investigate the effect of ethanol-withdrawal on marble-burying behavior in mice, particularly because it simulates some aspects of obsessive–compulsive behavior; further, the influence of GnRH agonist was studied on the same. Ethanol-withdrawal state was induced after its chronic administration, and marble-burying behavior was observed at 0, 6, 24, 48, and 96 h interval. Further, the influence of leuprolide—a GnRH agonist (50–600 ?g/kg, s.c.) or fluoxetine (5–30 mg/kg, i.p.) was investigated on ethanol-withdrawal-induced changes in marble-burying behavior. The results indicated that ethanol-withdrawal led to a gradual increase in marble-burying behavior upto 48 h with peak at 24 h interval. Administration of leuprolide (100–600 ?g/kg, s.c.), 30 min prior to 24 h interval, dose dependently reduced ethanol-withdrawal-induced increase in marble-burying behavior, and this effect was comparable to that of fluoxetine (15 and 30 mg/kg, i.p.). Further, twice daily administration of leuprolide (50 ?g/kg, s.c), concomitant with ethanol, prevented the gradual increase in marble-burying behavior after ethanol-withdrawal and this effect was comparable to fluoxetine (5 mg/kg, i.p.). In conclusion, ethanol-withdrawal on chronic administration increases marble-burying behavior in mice; its development and expression is attenuated by leuprolide.

The researchers gave mice alcohol over a long period. When they made the mice stop, cold turkey, they exhibited behaviors such as burying marbles. While the mice are going through the first stages of withdrawl, the researchers gave them a lupron like drug and found that the mice didn’t bury marbles as much.

Once again, who finds this to be a valid animal model for autism? Is your child an alcoholic, marble-burying mouse?

But you don’t see this if you just read the article. What you read is, “similarly, other investigators have used an anti-androgen medication called leuprolide acetate, which reduces the production of male hormones, in the treatment of anxiety, hyperexcitability, depression, impaired social interaction, and obsessive compulsive behaviors in laboratory animal species”.

The Geiers have obviously felt the need to respond to the criticism that they are using a drug used for chemical castration. They write

Finally, the administration of anti-androgen medications to individuals diagnosed with an ASD is not intended to deprive the individual of their sexuality nor to alter their normal developmental trajectory, but rather to regularize a process that was proceeding in an abnormal fashion and producing adverse effects and, thereby, improve the health of the patient and reduce the clinical symptoms associated with abnormally elevated androgen levels.

Here is an example patient from the patent application the Geiers submitted (US20070254314A1: Methods of treating autism and autism spectrum disorders):

Laboratory analyses did not reveal elevated levels of mercury or elevated levels of at least one androgen. Specifically, undetectable levels of mercury were present in Child D’s urine and minimal levels of mercury were in Child D’s blood (1.5 ?g/L, reference range=0.0-14.9 ?g/L). Additionally, analyses of Child D’s blood androgen metabolites revealed a serum testosterone=153 ng/dL (age- and sex-adjusted LabCorp reference range=0-350 ng/dL) and serum/plasma DHEA=291 ng/dL (age- and sex-adjusted LabCorp reference range=183-383 ng/dL) within their respective reference ranges.
After extensive discussions with his parents concerning the risks, benefits, and alternative treatments available, a decision was made to place Child D on a course of LUPRON® therapy.

Yes, Child D has testosterone well within the normal level. And, yet, the child was treated with Lupron. How, exactly, does this fit with improving “…the health of the patient and reduce the clinical symptoms associated with abnormally elevated androgen levels”?

Also, in the Autism Science Digest article itself, the authors note:

The child underwent antiandrogen therapy until the age of 13, when he entered puberty at an age typical of his sibling

Age 13 is within the normal range to start puberty. So is 9. Why did they delay this child 4 years? As of age 9, the child was not in central precocious puberty.

The Geiers make this comment in their recent article:

Two months prior to his 9th birthday, he was given a test dose of leuprolide acetate. After administration, he went outside and began to swing on a tire swing using his feet to push – a neurotypical behavior never seen before.

Dramatic, isn’t it? First shot, and the kid goes outside and uses the swing for the first time. This caught my eye, because they mention swinging in their patent. In the patent they note, “Within a few days of the second shot of LUPRON DEPOT®, Child X learned to swing by himself using leg timing for propulsion”

I’m betting that this is the same kid. If so, did the kid get his first shot and go outside and start swinging, or did he go a few days after his second shot?

One issue the Geiers (and others) have faced is inflation of credentials. David Geier, for example, listed himself as a “diagnostician” to get on the Maryland Autism Commission. The Autism Science Digest article is no different. Mr. Geier gives as his credentials that he “Has been a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of Biochemical Genetics.”

Take a moment, if you will, and think what that statement means to you, ” research scientist at the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of Biochemical Genetics”. I ask you to do this before we see what his job really was.

We can read Mr. Geier’s resume here, which lists his experience including:

I. T. R. A. Summer Fellow Appointment at The National Institutes of Mental Health (under Laboratory Chief [Redacted] of The Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics)
Projects:
(1) Protein Gel and Phage Research

That was in the summer of 1998. That’s the summer before he entered college, if I read the rest of his resume correctly. At this point I have to do something I rarely do, point out my own credentials. I’ve been a summer intern. I’ve been a research scientist. I’ve been a research scientist supervising summer interns. While I find the work of my summer interns has been valuable and of high quality, they weren’t “research scientists” in the way that is clearly implied in the article. Sure, it would have taken more space to write, “He was an intern the summer of his freshman year at the NIH”, but it would have made his position much more clear.

Dr. Mark Geier lists as part of his credentials, “His extensive research has resulted in him being invited to address the Institute of Medicine at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences on six occasions.” I find it remarkable that he uses this to build credibility, given the fact that the IOM clearly was not impressed by his work.

Let’s look at what the Institutes of Medicine had to say about the Geiers’ research:

The first was an ecological study (Geier and Geier, 2004a) that reported a potential positive correlation between the number of doses of measles-containing vaccine and the cases of autism reported to the special education system in the 1980s. The second was a study of passive reporting data by the same authors (Geier and Geier, 2003c) that reported a positive correlation between autism reports in the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) and estimated administered doses of MMR. However, these two studies are characterized by serious methodological flaws and their analytic methods were nontransparent, making their results uninterpretable, and therefore noncontributory with respect to causality (see text for full discussion).

It isn’t news that the Geiers are poor scientists. It isn’t news that the Geiers have been called out for their ethical lapses multiple times over the years. It is fairly recent news that the Geiers have actually faced charges. And, yet, AutismOne and Generation Rescue continue to support this team by inviting them to speak at conferences and giving them space in their magazines to promote the same bad medicine that has cost Dr. Geier his license.

Dr. Geier has lost his license to practice medicine. To which I can only say, what took so long? What do they have to do to lose the support of the alternative medical community?

David Geier ousted from autism commission

24 May

O’Malley ousts David Geier from autism commission is an article at the Baltimore Sun.

Appointee, who works at father’s practice that offers controversial autism treatment, charged with practicing without a license

Gov. Martin O’Malley removed David A. Geier from Maryland’s Commission on Autism on Friday, telling his one-time appointee in a letter that “you do not at the present time qualify to serve.”

O’Malley told Geier, who has only a bachelor’s degree, that he does not qualify under Maryland law to serve as a “diagnostician,” the title he held on the advisory commission. The governor also cited charges brought against him this week by the Maryland Board of Physicians.

More at the Baltimore Sun, including:

“I regret that you were not willing to withdraw from the Commission and that this action is therefore necessary,” the governor said.

Yes. He was asked to leave. He didn’t. Now he’s being told.

David Geier is part of the father/son team which has promoted the “Lupron protocol” as a therapy for autism. The idea was incredible (as in, not credible) from the start. Their practice appears to have been using false diagnoses of precocious puberty in order to apply Lupron, a drug which shuts down sex hormone production.

Personally, I find it very strange that David Geier was placed on the autism commission to begin with. He clearly lacks expertise or connection to the community (other than financially, of course). This is before one factors in the facts that his entire model of autism is wrong from the word go.

AutismOne, potentially the largest parent-convention promoting the bad science of the Geiers and others starts on the 25th (the day after this post goes live). Mark and David Geier are scheduled to speak. One could hope that AutismOne would pull these speakers. Instead, 2 days ago, they posted a new interview. Complete with the message:

“These top researchers are at the forefront of helping to treat the “Tough Cases”. The symptomology of Precoscious Puberty and its safe treatment for ASD.”

“Top Researcher”

“At the forefront”

“symptomology of precocious puberty”

This is a team that has been charged with serious ethical violations, including the misdiangosis of the “symptomology of precocious puberty”. This is a team which has failed time and again to produce quality research.

But, this is a team which promotes the vaccines-cause-autism hypothesis.

Safety of disable children apparently comes second to ideology for Autism One.

Sorry to have dropped my usual rather dry reporting, but this is just plain wrong. But, these are the people who gave Andrew Wakefield an award after he was found guilty of multiple ethics violations. What can we expect?

Maryland Authorities Charge “Lupron Protocol” Promoters With Unprofessional Conduct, Unlicensed Practice of Medicine

20 May

The father-son team of Mark and David Geier have been charged with violations of medical practice. Mark Geier is a physician and his son, David, holds a bachelor of arts degree. Maryland Authorities Charge “Lupron Protocol” Promoters With Unprofessional Conduct, Unlicensed Practice of Medicine is the most recent post by Kathleen Seidel of Neurodiversity.com. This follows the suspension of Dr. Mark Geier (Maryland Medical Board Suspends Dr. Mark Geier’s License).

Ms. Seidel’s post follows her practice of a very thorough, well linked discussion of the topic. Here is her first paragraph (without links):

On Monday, May 16, 2011, the Maryland Board of Physicians charged Dr. Mark Geier with numerous violations of the Maryland Medical Practice Act, and charged his son, David Geier, with practicing medicine without a license. The charges come three weeks after the Board summarily suspended Dr. Geier’s license to practice medicine, in order to prevent harm to the many autistic children entrusted to his care. The suspension was upheld by a subsequent order issued by the Board on May 12, one day after a hearing at which Dr. Geier protested the suspension and submitted affidavits of support from the parents of seven of his patients. These included a statement from James B. Adams, Ph.D., a professor of engineering at Arizona State University who, like Dr. and Mr. Geier, has frequently exceeded the bounds of his academic specialty to conduct medical research premised on the discredited hypothesis that autism is a consequence of vaccine injury.

It is well worth the time to read the entire post: Maryland Authorities Charge “Lupron Protocol” Promoters With Unprofessional Conduct, Unlicensed Practice of Medicine

Do we have to wait for someone to be injured to call a practice unsafe?

5 May

Mark Geier has had his license to practice medicine suspended in his home state of Maryland. The Chicago Tribune (which has discussed Mark Geier and his “lupron protocol”) has a story discussing this: Trib Update: Md. suspends autism doctor’s license.

These paragraphs stood out when I read them:

In some cases, the board found that Geier diagnosed the children with precocious puberty and prescribed Lupron and other hormone-disrupting drugs without examining them or conducting proper tests. Some of these children were within the normal age range for puberty, so they couldn’t have qualified for such a diagnosis, the board found.

Geier, who is not allowed to practice in Maryland while the case is pending, declined comment, instead referring questions to an attorney. The attorney, Joseph A. Schwartz III, said that at the root of the complaint was a “bona fide dispute over therapy” rather than a case of a doctor who is an immediate threat to patients.

“If you read the (complaint), you say, ‘Holy God, this is awful.’ But if it were so awful they should have an injured child, and they don’t. I would hope that the board would step back and say, ‘Maybe there’s a lot of controversy and he’s not in the mainstream.’ But let’s test these allegations in a fair hearing. It’s just like shadow-boxing with allegations that sound awful but when you delve into the facts of them you say, ‘What’s the big deal here?’” Schwartz said.

“But if it were so awful they should have an injured child”

Do we really have to wait for someone to be injured? Clearly, the answer is no. “An immediate threat” is different from “has already caused harm”.

Let’s address this question: “What’s the big deal here?” Let’s address it in short, easily digested statements, centering around the fact that this is a breach of ethics, not a question of treatment modalities.

Here are a few “big deals” which come to mind readily:

1) diagnosing children with a condition they do not have (precocious puberty)
2) not performing the follow through to see if children have brain tumors, which would be possible if the diagnosis were real.
3) doing (1) to justify a very serious medication for the disabled children
4) allowing an untrained/unlicensed person to perform examinations

Mr. Geier is very lucky that no one was injured. His original methodology included giving

Here is the paragraph on “use” for Lupron:

LUPRON DEPOT?PED® (leuprolide acetate for depot suspension) 7.5 mg, 11.25 mg and 15 mg are prescribed for the treatment of children with central precocious puberty (CPP). Doctors may diagnose children with CPP when signs of sexual maturity begin to develop in girls under the age of 8 or boys under the age of 9. Doctors will also perform tests to rule out possible causes of CPP that would require different treatment (e.g., tumors).

One issue that came up was Mr. Geier’s lack of followup testing. Having diagnosed precocious puberty, he should have ordered tests to rule out brain tumors. These were not performed. This makes one question: did he actually believe the diagnoses himself or was he just negligent in calling for the brain scans?

Something caught my eye that I hadn’t seen before. Notice the pediatric dosage: 7.5, 11.25 and 15 mg. This is the same dosage that the Geiers note in their patent application: US20070254314A1: Methods of treating autism and autism spectrum disorders.

Check the dosages given to some children:

On Nov. 24, 2004, Child X was given a single shot of LUPRON DEPOT® (leuprolide acetate, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Osaka, Japan) in the amount of 22.5 mg.

On Apr. 2, 2005, Child Y was given a single shot of LUPRON DEPOT® (leuprolide acetate, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Osaka, Japan) in the amount of 22.5 mg.

Perhaps the pediatric doses were larger back then. I’d be very interested to know, as these children were given dosages above the maximum listed values.

In an interesting side note in this story. Mark Geier’s son, David, was appointed to a position on the Maryland state’s autism commission as a “diagnostician”. Apparently his position is being reviewed and he has been asked to resign:

Gov. Martin O’Malley appointed David Geier in 2009 to the state’s Commission on Autism as a “diagnostician,” a decision state officials are now reviewing. David Paulson, a spokesman for the state health department, said David Geier declined Wednesday to resign from the position.

Maryland Board of Phyicians: Mark Geier “endangers autistic children and exploits their parents”

4 May

Dr. Mark Geier is well known in the world of alternative medicine and autism. He, together with his son David, work a medical practice and publish papers. They are long-standing proponents of the vaccine-causation hypothesis, presenting pseudo-epidemiological studies as support. Dr. Geier has worked as a witness in the vaccine court, has has a long history of criticism for his work there.

One of the stranger notions Dr. Geier has put forth involves testosterone. In their model of autism, testosterone binds with mercury in the brain and makes it difficult to remove through chelation. For many, many reasons, this was just plain wrong. Based on their mistaken hypothesis, the Geiers have promoted a treatment for autism based on reducing testosterone in autistic children. In short, they put children on an injected drug: Lupron.

This idea has met with much criticism. Probably no one has studied the Geier’s and their actions more closely than Kathleen Seidel on her blog at Neurodiversity.com. Five years ago and more she exposed the “Lupron Protocol” in a sixteen partseries called

Significant Misrepresentations: Mark Geier, David Geier & the Evolution of the Lupron Protocol.

Well, it isn’t just one of the best bloggers saying it anymore. The Maryland Board of Physicians has investigated Dr. Geier and Dr. Geier has now had his license suspended.

Here is part of the Order for Summary Suspension:

The Respondent misdiagnosed autistic children with precocious puberty and other genetic abnormalities and treated them with potent hormonal therapy (“Lupron Therapy” or “Lupron Protocol”), and in some instances, chelation therapy, both of which have a substantial risk of both short-term and long-term adverse side effects. The Respondent’s treatment exposed the children to needless risk of harm.

The introduction goes on.

The Respondent, in addition to being a physician, is certified as a genetic counselor. His assessment and treatment of autistic children, as described herein, however, far exceeds his qualifications and expertise. The extensive and expensive batteries of laboratory studies the Respondent initially orders, many of which he orders to be repeated on a monthly basis, are outside the standard of quality care for a work-up for an autistic patient or to determine the underlying cause of autism. The Respondent failed to conduct adequate physical examinations of any of the patients and in several instances, began his Lupron Protocol based merely on a telephone consultation with the child’s parent and the results of selected laboratory tests he ordered. The Respondent’s omission of a comprehensive physical examination constitutes a danger because his treatment is based on a diagnosis that requires documentation of sexual development beyond that expected for the age of the child. Moreover, his treatment may constitute more of a risk to a child with an underlying medical condition.
The Respondent failed to provide adequate informed consent to the parents of the autistic children he treated. In one (1) instance, he misrepresented that his treatment protocol had been approved by a federally approved IRB.
There are no evidence-based studies to support either the Respondent’s Lupron Protocol or his administration of chelation therapy to autistic children; he relies in large part on his own studies which have been wholly discredited by the Institute of Medicine and denounced by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Respondent’s treatment of autistic children with his Lupron Protocol and chelation therapy is not limited to Maryland. Indeed, in a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, the Respondent stated his intent to open clinics all over the United States, H[w]e plan to open everywhere. I am going to treat as many as I can.

The introduction ends with this paragraph:

The Respondent endangers autistic children and exploits their parents by administering to the children a treatment protocol that has a known substantial risk of serious harm and which is neither consistent with evidence-based medicine nor generally accepted in the relevant scientific community.

Pretty much sums it up. There are numerous counts and details listed in the full document. Below I’ll highlight some specific statements.

Patient A, a child whose mother stated aggression was not a problem, was reported as having aggression and self-injurious behaviors:

Notwithstanding Patient A’s mother’s report that aggression was not a problem with Patient A, the Respondent noted in the “Precious (sic) Puberty Evaluation” section of the form that Patient A, “bites and punches others; hits head with hands.”

As with many (if not all of the children) listed in the order, the diagnosis of precocious puberty was not considered valid:

45. The Respondent misdiagnosed Patient A with premature puberty. Significantly, Patient A did not meet the age criteria for premature puberty.
46. In addition, the results of Patient A’s laboratory studies do not support the Respondent’s diagnosis. The Respondent reported that Patient A’s testosterone metabolites were “significantly increased;” however, the results of Patient A’s luteinizing hormone (“LH”) were only marginally elevated, and his free testosterone and DHEA were within range for a ten (10) year old male.

One question that is often raised with alternative medical practitioners is the validity of their diagnoses. Quite often this involves diagnoses of “heavy metal toxicity” using non-standard tests. In the case of the Geier’s, there is also the validity of diagnoses of “precocious puberty”. There are standards for age, and for tests which should be performed. Reading the order, it is clear that age requirements were often ignored. Bone density tests were often not performed:

The Respondent failed to assess Patient B’s bone age, assess the child’s growth velocity or order a GnRH test to confirm the presumptive diagnosis of precocious puberty.

Also, the signs of precocious puberty could be due to a brain tumor. Yet brain scans were not performed. This from Patient E:

In addition, the Respondent failed to assess Patient E’s skeletal maturation by ordering an x-ray of her left wrist and he failed to order a scan of her brain in order to rule out a tumor.

Another question that often comes up with the Geier practice is what role David Geier plays. David Geier holds only a bachelor’s degree. He is not a physician. Patient C appears to have been examined by David Geier, with Dr. Mark Geier absent:

Patient C’s mother returned to the Respondent’s office on May 19, 2008 because of the worsening of Patient C’s aggressive behaviors. According to her complaint, the Respondent was not present during this office visit, She saw only his unlicensed son.

And, yet, the child was given “comprehensive” abdominal and thyroid ultrasounds at the visit:

The note of the visit indicates that “comprehensive” abdominal and thyroid ultrasounds were performed. Patient C’s physical appearance is described as suggesting “advancement from his chronological age” and that he appeared to be “potentially significantly physically aggressive to himself and/or others.”

and something akin to a diagnosis was rendered:

A portion of the “Psychological Examination” section of the note states, “It is apparent based upon examination of the DSM-IV criteria that [Patient Crs present symptoms are compatible with a diagnosis of pervasive developmental delay – not otherwise specific (sic).”

One problem with research performed by the Geier’s is the lack of an appropriate IRB–institutional review board. Dr. Geier placed himself, his wife and his son on the IRB. Not noted in the Order is the timing of the IRB. If memory serves correctly, there is evidence that the IRB was put into place after research began.

An IRB must consist of at least five (5) members. The ICI IRB’s members include the Respondent, his son and the Respondent’s wife. The ICI IRB is inconsistent with the requirement that a member should not have a conflict of interest in the research project.

The Order includes discussion that “The Respondent [Mark Geier] Misrepresented His Credentials”. When the investigative board interviewed him, here is how Dr. Geier described himself:

On November 6, 2007, in furtherance of the Board’s investigation, Board staff interviewed the Respondent. During the interview, the Respondent stated that he was a board-certified geneticist and a board-certified epidemiologist. The Respondent stated that he had been board-certified in epidemiology in 2007.

However, “board certified” and “geneticist” seem to be incorrect:

As to being a board-certified epidemiologist, this appears to be inaccurate:

166. By letter dated March 29, 2011, the Respondent, through counsel, submitted to the Board a “Fellowship Certificate” from the American College of Epidemiology (“ACE”). The ACE is a professional association whose policy on admission is “inclusiveness.” An ACE fellow is not required to have a degree in epidemiology, a degree in a “related field” is sufficient.
167. The Respondent knew, or reasonably should have known, that he was not board-certified in epidemiology.

As to being a “geneticist”, Dr. Geier is a “genetic counselor”, a different creature:

168. By letter dated March 29, 2011, the Respondent, through counsel, also submitted to the Board a certificate issued by the American Board of Medical Genetics on September 15, 1987 certifying the Respondent as a Genetic Counselor.
169. The term “genetic counselor” is not synonymous with “geneticist.” A geneticist, or medical geneticist, is a physician who evaluates a patient for genetic conditions, which may include performing a physical examination and ordering tests. A genetic counselor is an individual with a masters degree who helps to educate the patient and provides an assessment of the risk of the condition recur in the family.
170. The Respondent knew, or reasonably should have known, that he was not a board-certified geneticist.

Geneticist/genetic counselor and whether he is board certified in epidemiology or not are interesting but minor questions compared to the board findings of misconduct in treating disabled children. So it comes as no surprise that it is ordered:

Based on the foregoing, it is this 27th day of April , 2011, by a majority of the quorum of the Board:
ORDERED that pursuant to the authority vested by Md. State Gov’t Code Ann., § 1 0-226( c)(2), the Respondent’s license to practice medicine in the State of Maryland be and is hereby SUMMARILY SUSPENDED;

Mr. Mark Geier is at present unable to practice medicine in his home state of Maryland.

kathleen Seidel has already blogged this: Maryland Medical Board Suspends Dr. Mark Geier’s License

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