Is Dr. Hyman a quack? Watch his video.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CpHwZR6k20&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

I have a feeling a lot of people here are going to say yes. Either that or say he's nuts. Wrong, one way or another.

I've really no idea how valid his ideas are.

My impression is he's honest, but how right he is is another question. Maybe there's something to this.

I don't think he's trying to say "this is THE answer to autism", and his numbers (less than 100%) don't suggest that. More like, trying to apply his ideas about the immune system and inflammation to as many areas as possible, autism being just one.

Sensitivities seem to be a significant part of autism, as if, somehow, dealing with those sensitivities triggers the autism. This could fit in with that. Though I doubt the accuracy of his numbers.

Well, all of this guys books are about inflammation. He blames it for nearly everything.

Just wondering.

Excuse me as I tear this hyman. HOOOOOOOORSE SHIIIIT!

I think that the man is a quack. It sounds like a rerun of the Wakefield ideas which were shown to be without merit.

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Health is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity I am not a jigsaw, I am a free man !

Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.

I won't go as far to say he is a quack but I see a few problems with his argument. The first thing that really comes to mind is the fact that diagnosing autism spectrum disorders is subjective, there are some people that get misdiagnosed and others that go undiagnosed. There is no definitive test that can determine if someone is autistic with 100% accuracy. Even when you look at tests for things like HIV, there are still such things as false positive and false negatives even when you have a tangible biological marker to base the test on.

I would only define autism simply as an 'alternate wiring' of the brain, not necessarily just from what it looks like externally (because from reading this forum its pretty clear were not all the same anyway). I think the 'alternate wiring' is what makes people on the autism spectrum have the traits they do, but it might not be the only cause of someone expressing the 'phenotype' of autism.

I don't think little Jimmy actually had autism, personally I think he had some sort of immune imbalance or allergy or something that, due to swelling, caused him to appear to have autism. I'm fairly certainly brain swelling is a bad thing (right?) and can could cause a variety of symptoms to appear. I don't think its a far stretch to think that brain swelling could manifest its self as autistic-like.

So yeah, maybe Dr. Hyman is right, brain swelling is a treatable condition that can improve the mental health of the patient, and that is a wonderful thing. I just don't really see how he makes the jump that brain swelling is Autism.... no! Brain swelling is brain swelling and autism is autism, no matter how close they look to an external observer, they are just not the same thing for the person experiencing either condition.

When a mental health professional has told me that my brain just doesn't process information the same way others I don't think it has anything to do with my diet. If I lived on nuts and berries my mind would still work in the same way.

PS: How can't you trust a guy with a suit and tie like that!

There is a good reason why Dr Mark Hyman does not attempt to demonstrate the improvements he claims under observation by independent assessors, and that is because it does not happen.

There are plenty of people with really bad diets, who should switch to a healthy and balanced diet, who probably will improve on all kinds of measures of well-being. But it will not "cure" their autism.

If I ate just meat and produce, my mind would still work the same way.

Sohe's basically saying the cause of autism is weight problems. WTF?????

I lean towards quackery.

Anytime I hear of something that cures everything from autism to zits, I think scam. That video talks about one kid, tells about a father crying. The father crying is such a huge emotional hook that anyone desperately looking for a cure will latch on to that, bypassing rational thought. Any cure that works well doesn't need to be sold that way.

But I'm a skeptic on most things.

Okay I actually looked at his website. He is a complete quack and probably shouldn't have a medical license! He essentially claims to have the cure for everything from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Good doctor's make a living using their training, research and expertise to attempt to make the best decision for a patient. Bad doctor's make a living claiming they can cure everything if you buy their books and videos. From watching the original video I did not realize he was extending this claim to the entire field of medicine... my mistake.

I apologize for giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Let me reword what I said...

I think, IF there is some validity to his ideas, they probably apply to some people with autism.

I also think, even is there's validity to his ideas, he's overstating them, both in general, and in regards to autism.

If "a quack" means purposely deceptive, I don't think he's a quack.

If "a quack" means off base, maybe, yes, he's a quack.

Did you know that EVERYONE that doesn't have perfect vision is nearsighted?
Did you know that EVERYONE that has AS has ALLERGIES?
Did you know that EVERYONE that has AS has a negative RH factor?
Did you know that NOBODY that has AS met all the milestones to 5yo?
Did you know that NOBODY that has ANY kind of autism can be quiet?

Well, it's TRUE! YEP, MANY agree! And I agree ALSO, IF you YOURSELF are MYOPIC!

OK, I am VERY sure I have AS. But let you tell me about ME!

I NOW am FAR sighted, have NO known allergies, have a POSITIVE RH factor, met, or BEAT, all milestones to 5yo, and can be VERY quiet.

So this doctor is looking at SELECT people that APPEAR to be AUTISTIC. His theories date back over 40+ years! I actually, when I was just a little kid, watched a show on nutrition, and the guy spoke of how a minor change in a kids diet changed the kid from what many would NOW call autistic, to NORMAL! And it happened in like a day or two. It doesn't help ME though. Then again, THAT kid had like meltdowns, didn't communicate well, and was running all over the place. I am not like that at all.

BTW by MY definiin he is a QUACK! WHY?

1. Doesn't know how to select the research group.
2. And/or did not take a proper cross section of that group.
3. And did not include a mix of the symptoms.
4. AND did not have a proper study.
5. AND did not get it peer reviewed or at least get peer input.
6. And stated his findings as absolute fact cover even cases he never even TRIED to test!

In other words, he treated it like a flunky trying to sell a cure, and NOT like a doctor!

Steve