Get those books off your virtual shelves. Amazon has withdrawn two volumes from sales because they could provide dangerous advice against autism
Get those books off your virtual shelves. Amazon has withdrawn two volumes from sales because they could provide dangerous advice against autism.
The two titles under scrutiny are "Healing the Symptoms Known as Autism" and "Fighting Autism and Victory". It was to accuse them Wired, according to which the treatments much praised in these texts include drinking, bathing and making enemas with a toxic substance similar to bleach.
“Amazon's virtual shelves are filled with headlines recommending a long list of unproven and dangerous cures for autism, including sex, yoga, camel milk, electroconvulsive therapy,” says Wired.
According to the magazine, the first book "Healing the Symptoms Known as Autism" instructs parents on how to make chlorine dioxide, a substance similar to bleach which is sometimes marketed as "Miracle Mineral Solution". Parents of autistic children are advised to make their little ones drink it.
Although the substance has never been scientifically verified as a treatment for any condition, if you search Amazon by entering “Miracle Mineral Solution”, more than 25 books appear extolling its alleged benefits.
Yet, in 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that chlorine dioxide, used in this way,
"It can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and symptoms of severe dehydration and poses a significant health risk to consumers."
In Fight Autism and Win, “Fighting Autism and Victory,” according to Wired, the authors direct parents to give autistic children doses of a drug called DMSA - a drug used to treat lead poisoning. In 2014, the FDA specifically warned against the uncontrolled use of the drugs. “Procedures involving chelating agents carry significant risks and should only be performed under medical supervision,” reads the warning.
For the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no known cure for autism spectrum disorder, but there are a number of books that claim that parents can even cure them through scientifically unsubstantiated approaches.
Hence Amazon's decision to remove the two texts from sales. In fact, according to Cncb, Amazon has not confirmed whether the removal of the books is the direct result of recent criticism. Of course, they will no longer be available for purchase online on the platform.
Jane Harris, director of foreign affairs and social change at the National Autistic Society, a British charity that cares for people with autism, says Amazon needs to do more to prevent harmful information from being spread online.
“No responsible retailer should offer a platform for people promoting dangerous products to vulnerable families. We must do everything we can to protect people from charlatans, ”adds Harris.
Books are not always a source of culture ...
READ also:
- Drinking bleach against autism, the dangerous practice that is spreading in the UK
- Autism: in 83% of cases it is genetic. The maxi study carried out on twins
Francesca Mancuso
