

Increased Acetaminophen Use a Major Cause of Autism? - georgecmu
http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home/eng/Acetaminophen.asp

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spdustin
My first rule with any site claiming to have profound research on topics such
as autism, gluten sensitivity in non-celiacs, "leaky gut", etc: is something
being sold anywhere on the site? If so, most credibility is being lost, as
there is clear motive for what I've come to call "selective science".

Second rule: how frequently are correlations between different groups,
subjects or metrics referenced versus biochemical changes, group-vs-control
measurements, etc. More frequently? Even more credibility lost.

Third rule, and more of a "gut instinct": is it written in an objective tone,
or is there language priming the reader to react to something in fear or
uncertainty. A paper shouldn't be trying to engender an emotional response. If
it is: credibility lost. Puts the author in the realm of psychics who claim to
speak to your dead relatives for you.

Fourth: Is there a statement of potential conflict of interest? If not, odds
are there is one.

My son is autistic. He's not sensitive to gluten, he and his sister got all
their vaccinations, he gets Tylenol or Ibuprofen when in pain, and he will not
be subjected to chelation, rice water diets, or any other such nonsense. Real
studies will change and influence how his condition is managed. Meta-papers
like this are tantamount to numerology essays about the connection between JFK
and Lincoln's assassinations.

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spdustin
Incidentally, and I don't want to influence or prime anyone reading this so
I'll simply suggest you look it up yourself: Dr. Shaw runs a company that
sells mail order tests for (among other things) "heavy metals" in your child.
Your child is given a chelation agent to increase the excretion of said
metals, and your child's resulting scores are compared to those of people who
were not given the chelating agent. Then (surprise!) you can buy his books or
his treatment medications, and even get more tests designed to instill fear,
uncertainty and doubt.

Never you mind there's no science-based treatment option here, no double-blind
studies (or, indeed, any at all). There are plenty of anecdotes, and if you
want the best for your child, anecdotes are enough, right? Affirmations of
success from people who paid out the ass to experiment on their unwitting
children, each one of those is worth two or three subjects in a real
scientific study, right?

Sorry. I'm passionate about this subject in particular.

