Geier family

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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

  • 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

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ Not to be confused with the orthopedic surgeon David Geir, who is not antivax[1]
  2. ↑ "Geier" is German for "vulture" and the behavior of these two practically forces this association upon any German-speaker and the unfortunate birds who are dragged into this.
  3. ↑ Not to mention incredibly unethical.

References

  1. ↑ Dr. David Geier
  2. ↑ 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 Note that the organization that published this nonsense is not peer reviewed.
  3. ↑ The patents are here and here
  4. ↑ http://www.drugs.com/lupron.html
  5. ↑ Autism & Lupron: Playing With Fire
  6. ↑ 'Miracle drug' called junk science
  7. ↑ Physician team's crusade shows cracks
  8. ↑ 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).
  9. ↑ Court filing of suspension
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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).
  12. ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14976450
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