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| Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure | 
 enlarge | Author: Paul A. Offit
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.42
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (40 reviews)
Sales Rank: 6194
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 328
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 1
ISBN: 0231146361
Dewey Decimal Number: 618.9285882
EAN: 9780231146364
ASIN: 0231146361
Publication Date: September 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A London researcher was the first to assert that the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine known as MMR caused autism in children. Following this "discovery," a handful of parents declared that a mercury-containing preservative in several vaccines was responsible for the disease. If mercury caused autism, they reasoned, eliminating it from a child's system should treat the disorder. Consequently, a number of untested alternative therapies arose, and, most tragically, in one such treatment, a doctor injected a five-year-old autistic boy with a chemical in an effort to cleanse him of mercury, which stopped his heart instead. Children with autism have been placed on stringent diets, subjected to high-temperature saunas, bathed in magnetic clay, asked to swallow digestive enzymes and activated charcoal, and injected with various combinations of vitamins, minerals, and acids. Instead of helping, these therapies can hurt those who are most vulnerable, and particularly in the case of autism, they undermine childhood vaccination programs that have saved millions of lives. An overwhelming body of scientific evidence clearly shows that childhood vaccines are safe and does not cause autism. Yet widespread fear of vaccines on the part of parents persists. In this book, Paul A. Offit, a national expert on vaccines, challenges the modern-day false prophets who have so egregiously misled the public and exposes the opportunism of the lawyers, journalists, celebrities, and politicians who support them. Offit recounts the history of autism research and the exploitation of this tragic condition by advocates and zealots. He considers the manipulation of science in the popular media and the courtroom, and he explores why society is susceptible to the bad science and risky therapies put forward by many antivaccination activists.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 Accelent account of the mechanisms behind False Prophets and the people who fall for them November 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I had been waiting for this book for a while (indeed, due to the long delivery times, I waited longer than anticipated). Paul Offit's Autism's False Prophets was absolutely worth the wait, and as it is with such books, did not last very long after I received it, since it is so unputdownable. Offit takes us through a journey through the various hypotheses of the etiology of autism. He gives a detailed, well researched, accurate account of the associated history of autism "therapies" and their protagonists. I knew all that - had read about each "wonder drug/treatment" in blogs, parents' accounts, scientific manuscripts. It still shocked me to see all the different, sometimes highly invasive approaches that autistic children have to endure in one book. It is important to read such an analysis though, because otherwise you would remain gullible. The book is an important read, not only for parents/relatives/friends of children/adults with autism, but for any patient. It is "normal" to be desperate, it is "normal" to be wanting a powerful remedy. It is important not to fall for False Prophets.
2008 was a good year for books empowering patients, teaching them to tell woo from right (Suckers by Rose Sharpiro, Trick or Treatment by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst, Bad Science by Ben Goldacre all fall into the category of the "Woo Enlightenment", each in their own style). Autism's False Prophets has its place in this list - get it for Christmas, or give one away.
Postscriptum: I cannot fail to notice that the postive reviewers have all read the book, whereas most of the negative reviewers have not and have simply added their ad hominem to artificially pull down the overall customer score for this book. Can we say "boooo"
 Offit doing a major disservice. He is VERY 'one-sided'. November 18, 2008
1 out of 9 found this review helpful
The problem with myopic people like Offit is that they are very one-sided, and their studies tainted by corporate/big money bias. Years ago, before it was possible to determine, most people believed the world was flat. They also believed smoking was totally safe. They believed Thalidomide was safe. They believed RF (close proximity to transmitted radio frequency energy) was entirely safe (it's not). The list goes on. The vaccine-autism connection has unqestionably NOT been disproved. The fact is, young immune systems are variable in so many ways, and SOME ARE affected by the toxins in our vaccines. Mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde (vaccine ingredients- there are more) ARE proven toxins, and many infants and toddlers take a SUDDEN turn for the worse immediately following some vaccines. Another point is that the Amish don't vaccinate their children, and autism is statistically nonexistent amongst them, according to doctors and others who have studied them as a group. You have to take what Offit says 'with a grain of salt'. Follow the money folks. He is a profiting vaccine inventor and a mouthpiece for big pharma (he had actually mentioned that his royalties are "like winning the lottery"). Talk about major conflict of interest! He also made the beyond outrageous remark that a baby's immune system could handle as many as 10,000 vaccines, then claimed the number was probably closer to 100,000!!! I don't think even Josef Mengele would have said this! Granted, vaccines DO work in the majority of individuals, and have helped the spread of major diseases and illnesses. BUT, this certainly does not mean the vaccines are safe for ALL. Autism has been on the rise, and mercury is but one of several toxins in vaccines. Infants/toddlers today receive many more vaccines than 'baby boomers' did during the first years of life, and this is a consideration we need to research more.
Finally! The whole story... November 10, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
If you read the negative reviews they are people who had clearly already made up their mind before reading the book. I am so greatful to have found the answers to my questions between these covers. I hope those with open minds find this as interresting and informative as I did. This book provides the details behind the controversy. In the press it is hard to know what is fact and what is hype. Dr. Offit does a great job of clarifying the issues in an easy to understand, straight-forward, and very interesting book. I recommend without reservation.
Paul Offit Won't Proft from Me November 3, 2008
2 out of 17 found this review helpful
Paul Offit is at it again ... defending vaccines because vaccines are his livelihood. He knows nothing about parenting or treating autism, yet the fact remains that hundreds of parents and physicians have recovered (notice I did not use the word 'cure') or greatly improved symptoms of autism in their children. I'm guessing that Paul Offit fails to mention that autism continues to rise despite the reduction of mercury in vaccines (notice I did not say 'elimination' of mercury) because the CDC strongly encourages pregnant women to get the flu shot ... 90% of which still contain a whopping 25mcg of mercury. And by the way, study results are difficult to replicate simply because autism is an astoundingly complex disorder and it is very difficult to control for all variables. While I'm curious to see what Paul Proffit has to say, I'll be borrowing this book from the library, rather than having him profit by another purchase of this book.
How did the author become an autism expert? November 2, 2008
3 out of 20 found this review helpful
What I would like to know is, how did the author, Paul Offit, become an expert in what causes autism and how best to treat it (or not), when he has neither ever parented nor treated a child with this disorder. The fact that he is himself a vaccine patent holder should be enough of a reason to skip this book due to the apparent conflict of interest.
I'm still confused about how he became an expert in the area of facilitated communication, as well.
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