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Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure

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Author: Paul A. Offit
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$24.95~~
Buy New: $16.47
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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 24 hours

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
PA 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. /PPChildren 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. /PPIn 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./P

Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Well-written, informative and brave January 8, 2009
The first thing I thought when reading this book is "Paul A. Offit obviously knows what he's talking about. And he's damned courageous for talking about it."br /br /The fact is this: Vaccines do NOT cause autism. There is no definitive proof that vaccines cause autism. And yet parents, grasping for straws and irrationally afraid, are willing to deny their children adequate medical care by not getting them vaccinated. There's obviously a lot of hysteria about autism and its causes; plenty of that hysterica can be seen here, in the negative reviews of this book. And the argument that Offit doesn't know anything about autism because he's not the parent of an autistic child is ridiculous and ignorant. It is also unfair to say he wrote this book because he is a shill for pharmaceutical companies. It's obvious from reading the book that is not his intent. br /br /People are willing to do anything if they believe it will help their child, even if the methods to improve their child's health are unproven and may be dangerous. Offit addresses these issues in his book; parents are heartbreakingly vunerable to any new "therapy" that is said to work, even if its veracity has never been proven. He cites "facilitated communication", which proved to be a fraud and the airhead Jenny McCarthy, who got on Oprah Winfrey and declared her son was recovering from autism because he was on a diet that excreted yeast from his body.br /br /Offit has his vehement detractors, but that's just because what he says is not what the parents of autistic children want to hear. They want a solution and they want it NOW; they don't want to think their kids will never recover from autism and they want someone to BLAME for them having it. And there are the parents whose fear is such that is they hear vaccines are the cause of autism, then by God they will not have their kids getting vaccinated, even though their kids may suffer from that action. br /br /Autism and its causes are complicated issues and there needs to be a lot more study in this area in order to find definitive answers. It's just not as simple as not getting vaccines and being on a gluten-free diet. br /br /This book is full of information and it makes scientific SENSE. I would urge anyone interested in autism to read it.

5 out of 5 stars

Factual information January 6, 2009
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Very informative and factual book. It makes sense of all the confusing information that is out there.

5 out of 5 stars

A must-read!!! January 4, 2009
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

As a pediatrician, I have experienced tremendous frustration when parents refuse vaccines based on theories that have clearly been proven false. What's more is that many parents believe what they have seen on TV rather than what their child's doctor is telling them. This is something that I will never understand...br /Dr. Offit's book does an excellent job at explaining the origin of the notion that vaccines may cause autism, and then goes on to explain, in detail, how scientific studies have shown without a doubt that vaccines are NOT at fault. Any rational person will feel at ease about vaccinating their child after reading this book. All practitioners who take care of children should read this book so as to be better equipped to answer the many questions that parents have about vaccine safety.

4 out of 5 stars

A Very Nice Introduction to the Debate Over Whether or Not Vaccines Cause Autism December 26, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I think this is a very accurate and brief summation of the vaccines-cause-autism debate from a medical standpoint (being that most credible doctors view the hypothesis to be complete bullocks.) Having read many of the papers discussed in this book prior to reading it, I think Dr. Offit did an outstanding job in analysing them. I am not suprising by the several negative reviews this book has (though I do question how some of those who did review it can do so without having read it) but I find that to be an inaccurate reflection upon the text. It is very well done, and it describes the major bullet points of the debate in a very colloquial way for the average person. While Dr. Offit may not be a specialist in autism it doesn't require any special expertise to see the hypothesis to be completely unbased and unsupported. br /br /One complaint I do have is the refrence system which is used. Its not very good, but besides that...

5 out of 5 stars

Finally, some good science December 16, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This book is a must read for anyone who is undecided about vaccination. Dr Offit presents the arguments in an easy to read and interesting way. I couldn't put it down and have passed it on to all my friends! It's about time parents have the chance to hear the full story about vaccination and not just the crack-pot science that is untrue and potentially very damaging to the health of the world.

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