Geier family
Against allopathy Alternative medicine |
Clinically unproven |
Woo-meisters |
Mark R. Geier (1948–) and David Geier are a couple of vultures[note 1] father-son team of American anti-vaccine advocates who specialize in quack cures for autism.
The Geiers are perhaps best known for their truly bizarre theories regarding androgens and mercury. In 2004, Geier advanced a hypothesis that testosterone increases the potency of mercury.[1] This led the Geiers to invent and patent a therapy regimen of chelation and Lupron,[2] an anti-androgen. Lupron is normally only given to children who show signs of precocious puberty,[3] so what the Geiers suggested was way off-label.[note 2] Their solution? Declare that all the children in their studies had precocious puberty.[4]
This regimen is, to put it mildly, controversial among actual scientists in relevant fields.[5] Fortunately, as of 2009 they no longer have access to Lupron.[6]
As of early May 2011, the Geiers' controversial "therapy" has been found to be a concern by the Maryland State Board of Physicians.[7] Fortunately, they have also decided that Mark Geier's therapies pose such a threat to children with autism that he was stripped of his medical license.[8] David Geier, his son, is not and has never been a doctor of any kind, and in the same case was charged with practising medicine without a license.
Publications[edit]
- Geier DA, Geier MR (2004): "A comparative evaluation of the effects of MMR immunization and mercury doses from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines on the population prevalence of autism",[9] Medical Science Monitor
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ The potential importance of steroids in the treatment of autistic spectrum disorders and other disorders involving mercury toxicity. Note that the organization that published this nonsense is not peer reviewed.
- ↑ The patents are here and here
- ↑ http://www.drugs.com/lupron.html
- ↑ Autism & Lupron: Playing With Fire
- ↑ 'Miracle drug' called junk science
- ↑ Physician team's crusade shows cracks
- ↑ The State of Maryland finally takes "emergency action" against Mark Geier and his Lupron protocol for autism
- ↑ Court filing of suspension
- ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14976450