Topic: More than 120 homeopaths trying to ‘cure’ autism in UK

[SP]

More than 120 homeopaths in the UK are offering a “cure” for autism that involves supposedly detoxing children of the vaccines and antibiotics held responsible for the condition, the Guardian has learned.

The homeopaths are accredited practitioners of CEASE “therapy”, which stands for Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression. CEASE was invented by a Dutch doctor called Tinus Smits, who died of cancer in 2010.

His book and website, which lists therapists around the world, describe a method of ridding children of toxins – predominantly vaccines and medication – that are said to cause autism. It involves homeopathic remedies and high doses of vitamin C in excess of those recommended by national guidelines.

Diarrhoea, which could be a result of excessive vitamin C, and fever in children should not necessarily be cause for concern, say CEASE therapists, because it is the child’s body purging itself of toxins.

“It’s absolutely appalling,” said Carol Povey, director of the centre for autism at the National Autistic Society (NAS), which helps develop best practice. “As healthcare practitioners, homeopaths should still be working on evidence-based practice and looking at national guidelines.”

The NAS is concerned by the suggestion that autism, a developmental disorder, could be cured. It is also disturbed by the claim that autism is linked to vaccines, as proposed by Andrew Wakefield – a theory that has been comprehensively discredited. Wakefield, a former gastroenterologist, was struck off the medical register over his claims.

Homeopathic cures, like other bogus therapies on the internet, “hoodwink new parents when they are vulnerable” and can cause harm, said Povey.

A minority of CEASE therapists in the UK are members of the Society of Homeopaths. Its regulatory body, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), has said the Society of Homeopaths must state by the middle of next month what action it will take to ensure children are safe as a condition of its re-accreditation.

The PSA told the Society of Homeopaths that “CEASE therapy contravenes medical advice by apparently advising against vaccination of children, avoiding antibiotics in the case of infection and advocates high doses of vitamins not recommended for children. We are also concerned that the full name of CEASE (Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression) strongly implies the ability to cure autism through this therapy,” it said in a statement.

While the society had responded that its members “should not be practising the aspects of CEASE that defy medical advice”, this was not clear on its website, said the PSA.

Mark Taylor, chief executive of the Society of Homeopaths, said it was looking into how many of its members practised CEASE therapy and whether they complied with advice on respecting medical evidence. “We are looking at the advice we will offer over the next few weeks so there is nothing more to say at the moment,” he told the Guardian.

Many other homeopaths who are also CEASE therapists are not members of the society. The PSA urges the public to choose only those on its accredited register.

Jennifer Hautman, a homeopath who is not a Society of Homeopaths member, says she has used CEASE therapy if parents have requested it. Smits’s book, she says, is written for lay people, who then look for a therapist.

“I would never promise to cure anything. I do think autism can be treated. It can be improved,” she said. Children often had gut disorders, she said, adding: “I’m not a gut specialist. That’s what Andrew Wakefield was working on.

She claimed: “There are a lot of scientists finding similar results to his.”

While the causes of autistic spectrum disorder are unclear, she says on her website that “ASD is often linked to vaccine damage” and asks parents to fill in a questionnaire “if you feel you or your children have been damaged by vaccines”.

Asked about the CEASE theory that fever and diarrhoea help expel toxins, she said: “Generally speaking in homeopathy, discharge can be a good thing. If you have infected wounds, you want the pus to come out. If you have diarrhoea you want it to come out rather than be constipated.” A child must not be allowed to become dehydrated, however.

Smits, the creator of CEASE therapy, wrote in his book that “all kinds of detoxification reactions may occur” as a result of the treatment. Most common is fever, he said, which “should not be treated with medication, as it is a healthy reaction of the organism and not a disease! ... Eliminations like diarrhea, flu, expectoration, and bad-smelling and cloudy urine should also be left alone, because they are a part of the healing process.”

One child he treated had diarrhoea that “relieved his system so much that his autism almost disappeared instantly”. After 10 days, however, his mother was so concerned that she took him to the doctor, who gave him immodium to stop the diarrhoea.

“Almost immediately the child had a setback and became autistic as before. The diarrhea was a perfect detoxification for his bowels and brain. Neither the doctor not the mother understood this, and the medication interfered with the progress of the cure,” claimed Smits.

Ursula Kraus-Harper, a member of the Society of Homeopaths, told the Guardian she has used CEASE therapy since attending a seminar with Smits in 2010 but that she uses it in conjunction with classical homeopathy. Children started improving after a certain set of detoxes, she said. She did not believe homeopathy was a cure, however.

She said she was not against vaccination, but said “vaccines can be a problem and so can medical drugs. That is more and more accepted by everybody who is not blinded by drug-driven medicine.” She denied CEASE put children at risk. “Tell me of one child, one person that has died from high doses of vitamin C,” she said. “When the body has had too much of it, it will produce diarrhoea; then you lower the dose and the diarrhoea will stop.”

The Labour MP Barry Sheerman, who chaired the cross-party Westminster Commission on Autism, condemned the claims of CEASE therapists to cure the disorder. “There is support and much we can do but there are no cures and if someone says so, show me the evidence,” he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/apr/27/more-than-120-homeopaths-trying-to-cure-autism-in-uk

Utter scum preying on the vulnerable.

Not the best source, but a more entertaining URL.
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2014/04/its-official-homeopathy-is-a-load-of-old-bollocks/


https://health.spectator.co.uk/i-used-to-think-homeopathy-was-helpful-now-im-a-critic-so-what-happened/


https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2010/feb/22/mps-verdict-homeopathy-useless-unethical



I suppose in a world with Trump and Brexit in it, people paying for Homeopathic fleecing is understandable, but it is so depressing.

[So… Howard Philips]

I made the mistake of listening to the Jeremy Vine show yesterday and the topic was the Alfie Evans case.

Cue the assertive (i.e talks confident sounding bollocks) southern bloke who thinks doctors are rubbish, they cause illness and are not trained to make us well and just peddle drugs.

He started ranting on about vaccines, which have been proved to be ineffective and dangerous etc, etc.

He sounded like the typical ill educated bar room bore who spouts his nonsense to the gullible and social media is full of them.

[jason67]

Vulnerable.
That's a word that describes new parents I suppose.

Our little lad had his mmr jab last Friday and started getting sick on Sunday.

Since then he's been to the hospital twice with temps of over 40, can't get out of bed never mind play. Doesn't really fill you with confidence when the nurse tells you that he's far from the only one having bad reactions.

Concerned is a word I'd use.

[TepidT2O]

Exploitation. Pure and simple.

Wicked, corrupt people.

[SP]

Vulnerable.
That's a word that describes new parents I suppose.

Our little lad had his mmr jab last Friday and started getting sick on Sunday.

Since then he's been to the hospital twice with temps of over 40, can't get out of bed never mind play. Doesn't really fill you with confidence when the nurse tells you that he's far from the only one having bad reactions.

Concerned is a word I'd use.

It is of little help until your son is better, but a fever is a fairly common reaction to the MMR. The thing to bear in mind is that the fever is far better than Measles, Mumps or Rubella that are much much nastier and life changing.

Autism is not caused by the MMR. I have an autistic son, and both of my children had the MMR. MMR is given at just the time that development differences become apparent. Coupled with making the kid feel a bit grotty - it can make a latent behaviour more obvious. My son’s behaviour falls off a cliff when he is under the weather. Autism diagnosis is horrible for the parents. There is no explanation as to why, and the whole process can take years.

The parents’ concern is why they are vulnerable. Vulnerable was used to describe the parasitical homeopaths, not a judgement of the parents.

[rob1966]

Vulnerable.
That's a word that describes new parents I suppose.

Our little lad had his mmr jab last Friday and started getting sick on Sunday.

Since then he's been to the hospital twice with temps of over 40, can't get out of bed never mind play. Doesn't really fill you with confidence when the nurse tells you that he's far from the only one having bad reactions.

Concerned is a word I'd use.

My eldest also had a reaction to the MMR, got a large rash on his leg, but other than that was fine. The youngest felt shitty for a few days after his. Theya re 7 and 9 now and both are doing fine, both near the top of their classes and great kids. As SP says, if they get any of the illnesses then that is a lot worse.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

I suppose in a world with Trump and Brexit in it, people paying for Homeopathic fleecing is understandable, but it is so depressing.

there are people that want it on the nhs, even though the nhs themselves call it bollocks!

[BarryCrocker]

They should all have to watch this.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0</a>

[Chakan]

I'm sure it's free.

[thejbs]

I made the mistake of listening to the Jeremy Vine show yesterday and the topic was the Alfie Evans case.

Cue the assertive (i.e talks confident sounding bollocks) southern bloke who thinks doctors are rubbish, they cause illness and are not trained to make us well and just peddle drugs.

He started ranting on about vaccines, which have been proved to be ineffective and dangerous etc, etc.

He sounded like the typical ill educated bar room bore who spouts his nonsense to the gullible and social media is full of them.

It's Darwinism at its finest. I'm happy for those ignorant enough to believe in this shite to leave hospital beds for those more deserving.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

It's Darwinism at its finest. I'm happy for those ignorant enough to believe in this shite to leave hospital beds for those more deserving.

as long as they pay for it out of their own pocket I’m fine with it

[Jiminy Cricket]

NHS advice - it's a bit shit:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/homeopathy/

Apparently, more than 400 GPs "use homeopathy in their everyday practice":

https://www.britishhomeopathic.org/treatment/nhs-homeopathic-treatment/

(I disabled the above link since I have no desire to promote the website with search engines)

As far as I'm concerned, those GPs should be struck off. The mere fact that they make use of such services makes clear that they are incapable of being rational (surely, a prerequisite for a diagnostician).

Then, there is this dimwit:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/12/prince-charles-use-homeopathy-in-animals-to-cut-antibiotic-use

The only possible benefit to using homeopathy is placebo*, and - of course - there is no such placebo effect with animals.

* So, you may as well use water**, since it is nearly free.

** Most of homeopathy is pure water anyway. But with a markup of about 1,000,000% (back of a fag packet calculation, but it is probably correct within an order of magnitude).

Fixed your Youtube video, BarryCrocker:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/HMGIbOGu8q0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/HMGIbOGu8q0</a>

[gazzalfc]

Do you know what they call alternative medicine that has been proven to work?


Medicine

I took 100 Homeopathic sleeping pills a few years ago in a 10^23 overdose stunt

Funnily enough I didn't fall into a sleep coma or die from it.

Homeopathy is bullshit at is most basic level and criminally dangerous at its worst.

Luckily the NHS use of homeopathy is dropping from nearly £5m in 2015 to approx £100,000 now due to campaigning with facts

[Welshred]

The only thing Homeopathy is good at curing is dehydration

[gazzalfc]

The only thing Homeopathy is good at curing is dehydration

Low blood sugar as well