good stuff here:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/11/desiree_jennings_cured.php?utm_source=selectfeed&utm_medium=rss When I first wrote about this story, I made a prediction. Actually, I made an "either or" prediction. I predicted that either doctors or practitioners recommended by Generation Rescue would use their usual quackery (i.e., "biomedical therapy" for "vaccine injury") to "treat" Ms. Jennings. There's no doubt that that's exactly what happened, and GR went for the big macher of "biomedical" woo-meisters, Dr. Rashid Buttar. It doesn't get much bigger than that in the biomedical world. I further predicted that, if Jennings' symptoms resolved spontaneously, which they appear to be doing, both she and GR would credit her fortune to whatever quackery she was being subjected to. My alternative prediction was that, given the increasing evidence coming out that Jennings' condition was not true dystonia and had, at the very least, a strong psychogenic overlay, the anti-vaccine movement would let her story fade away. Indeed, that was what it appeared to be doing, given that the page on Generation Rescue's website asking for donations for Jennings had disappeared without a trace (other than the Google cache, of course).
Apparently in response to all the criticism, someone at GR apparently decided that the best defense is a good offense. (And who's more offensive than j.B. Handley?) That good offense is what we're seeing now. Jennings' website is slick and clearly professionally designed. It's doubtful that she could afford to put together such a website, much less the well-produced video that is being shown. I also predicted that, if and when Jennings' almost certainly psychogenic dystonia spontaneously resolves, the anti-vaccine movement will declare victory and use that resolution as "evidence" that her dystonia was due to "vaccine injury." That is exactly what appears to be happening right now. It looks almost as dramatic as a faith healing. As I said before, I do not think that she is faking, and "psychogenic" doesn't mean that she can control her symptoms. She is indeed suffering, I'm sure.
Unfortunately, suffering or not, psychogenic dystonia or true dystonia, this unfortunate young woman is being used by the anti-vaccine movement, and it sickens me.I hadn't realized just how cynical the anti-vaccine movement would be. Even in my wildest imaginings, I wouldn't have predicted that they'd have chosen Dr. Rashid Buttar as the woo-meister who would "cure" Jennings. After all, he's the same guy who has promoted, among other quackery, urine injections. He's the same guy who has charged cancer patients obscene amounts of money for his quackery and made unbelievable promises. Now that's chutzpah!
Sid
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
