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Geier family
Against allopathy Alternative medicine |
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Clinically unproven |
Woo-meisters |
Mark Robin Geier (1948–) and David A. Geier[note 1] are a couple of vultures[note 2] 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.[2] This led the Geiers to invent and patent a therapy regimen of chelation and Lupron,[3] an anti-androgen. Lupron is normally only given to children who show signs of precocious puberty,[4] so what the Geiers suggested was way off-label.[note 3] Their solution? Declare that all the children in their studies had precocious puberty.[5]
This regimen is, to put it mildly, controversial among actual scientists in relevant fields.[6] Fortunately, as of 2009 they no longer have access to Lupron.[7]
As of early May 2011, the Geiers' controversial "therapy" has been found to be a concern by the Maryland State Board of Physicians.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]
In 2025, David Geier was appointed by the Trump administration to oversee a government study on vaccines and autism.[11]
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",[12] Medical Science Monitor
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Dr. David Geier
- ↑ 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 Note that the organization that published this nonsense is not peer reviewed.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
- ↑ Why not just castrate them? (Part 6): The State of Maryland finally takes "emergency action" against Mark Geier and his Lupron protocol for autism by David H. Gorski (Orac) (May 4, 2011 12:30 AM) Science Blogs (archived from February 27, 2012).
- ↑ Court filing of suspension
- ↑ In the Matter of David A. Geier Before the Maryland State board of Physicians Case numbers 2008-0022 & 2009-0318 (May 16, 2011) via Quackwatch.
- ↑ Vaccine skeptic hired to head federal study of immunizations and autism: A long-discredited researcher and vaccine skeptic will conduct a government study on whether vaccines cause autism by Lena H. Sun & Fenit Nirappil (March 25, 2025) The Washington Post (archived from 25 Mar 2025 21:45:34 UTC).
- ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14976450