What?!
What: (Exclamation) Asking for information out of disbelief, surprise, or amusement.What is this fuckery? Jenny McCarthy claims that she has "cured" her son of autism. I don't even want to touch this one.
The actress - who believes the MMR vaccine was to blame for her son's diagnosis - says a strict no wheat-and-dairy-free diet has changed her son from a quiet little boy who used to flail his arms around to a loving six-year-old.
"Before the vaccination, he was huggy, lovey, snuggly," she says in the newest issue of Us Weekly. "Then it was like someone came down and stole him."
"I made a deal with God," she explains. "I said, 'You fix my boy, you show me the way and I'll teach the world how I did it.'" (Source)
A former high school classmate who is a pediatrician friended me on facebook, and she has been known to occasionally update her status to the effect that Jenny McCarthy needs to shut her mouth and show her tits or whatnot. Then I have another friend who works with autistic kids who thinks Jenny McCarthy is some kind of savior. I, on the other hand, am a gossip blogger who has no informed opinion on the matter. But you know, I didn't think you could cure stupid -- otherwise how do you explain George Bush and "American Idol?" At this rate, maybe Jenny McCarthy should start focusing her attention elsewhere. For instance, my boyfriend has Type 1 Diabetes, and you know, they say it's totally incurable... But maybe he just needs more flax in his diet or some shit. Please, Dr. Ex-Playboy Model: get on it STAT!
Dr. Ex-Playboy Model at the ELLE Women in Hollywood Tribute last week:
There are many levels of autism (called spectrums). Some people are "low" spectrum and, with hard work and early intervention, integrate into society and function quite well.
Higher spectrum people show the signs; noncommunication, severe o/c and certain tics.
Either way, it is a lifetime struggle. I admire McCarthy for bringing attention to this (now common)disorder, but I doubt there is a "cure".
I don't know much about autism either, but I think equating "autism" with "stupid" is pretty low.
Stuff like this makes my blood boil. My 23 year old sister has Asperger's Syndrome; a high-functioning level of Autism (She can work a simple office job and bathe and feed herself but requires a group home and an aide.) We've changed her meds and diet and exercise over the years and while those things DO help, no one is ever "cured" of Autism. My mother is a nurse and she compares it to saying someone is "cured" of diabetes; it can't happen!!! Perhaps Jenny McCarthy's son showed more severe symptoms and then with diet and therapy was able to grow, but not all children can do that (I had an ex who's brother is Autistic and completely non-verbal and wears diapers). Telling adults that a certain diet will automatically work is giving families false hope. That's like Scientology which believes all trauma (mental illness, drug abuse, etc) can be cured if the person really wants it to happen. They've been known to tell a person that is paralyzed they can walk if they really want to overcome it, and that's just cruel. Same thing in this situation.
Stuff like this makes my blood boil. My 23 year old sister has Asperger's Syndrome; a high-functioning level of Autism (She can work a simple office job and bathe and feed herself but requires a group home and an aide.) We've changed her meds and diet and exercise over the years and while those things DO help, no one is ever "cured" of Autism. My mother is a nurse and she compares it to saying someone is "cured" of diabetes; it can't happen!!! Perhaps Jenny McCarthy's son showed more severe symptoms and then with diet and therapy was able to grow, but not all children can do that (I had an ex who's brother is Autistic and completely non-verbal and wears diapers). Telling adults that a certain diet will automatically work is giving families false hope. That's like Scientology which believes all trauma (mental illness, drug abuse, etc) can be cured if the person really wants it to happen. They've been known to tell a person that is paralyzed they can walk if they really want to overcome it, and that's just cruel. Same thing in this situation. You always push to help your child be the best they can be, but each child has various limitations.
Not only are there different spectrums of autism there are other illnesses that are misdiagnosed as autism.
One of my cousins was a healthy happy little boy and then at the age of three he started showing symptoms that made his parents wonder about autism. His doctor immediately diagnosed him with autism. But, they also took him to another specialist who did a full spectrum of blood work.
He had somehow been exposed to large amounts of heavy metals. Changing his diet to a strictly organic one that was also gluten free as well as some other types of treatments (he was taking charcoal pills at one point) helped alleviate the majority of the symptoms he had begun showing.
He is 7 now and shows no signs of autism. It took a long time to clean the heavy metals from his system and they are still not completely gone-as everyone has a certain minute level in their body.
It is entirely possible that McCarthy's son was suffering from a similar condition that was misdiagnosed as autism.
Since autism can't be cured, this scenario actually make plenty of sense to me.
I can't fucking believe you wrote you can't cure stupid - seriously - what the fuck is wrong with you?
can't cure stupid.. sounded to me like a remark about how Jenny McCarthy doesn't realize her kid was misdiagnose-- instead she assumes that she has healing power.
I agree with Javelin. I don't think she was refering to McCarthy's son.
Were you talking about me? Because I don't think Jenny is a savior. I do like her and think she does good work, though.
There ARE kids who make HUGE strides on gluten-free diets. I work with a kid who you can't tell has autism in everyday life and if he eats gluten, he can't even tell you where he is.
Every single kid is different. There's a saying that goes, "If you know one child with autism, you know one child with autism."
Just because something works for someone doesn't mean it's going to work for everyone. Just as chemo doesn't cure every cancer patient or Prozac doesn't work for every depressed person, a GFCF diet doesn't work for everyone with autism.
I don't think people should talk shit about this stuff unless they know what they're talking about.
She can't credit herself for that, she did pray for GOD to fix him. Then she said she'd teach the world how SHE did it. It could have been his diet, but I doubt it. I think kids show less symptoms as they get older, I don't think he's "cured" though.