The social factors of satisfactory treatment are even more important than the financial. Autism patients are frequently social pariahs whether they want to be or not.
(MOLALLA, Ore.) - The Oregonian, May 10, 2009, had another AP article this one by Lindsey Tanner about a “cure” for Autism.
For those who don’t know, Autism is a very mean disease and the layman or new parent would consider the child crazy because they certainly do compulsively weird things and apparently cannot communicate by speaking or paying ANY attention to parents or even highly skilled Autism specialists which are usually specially trained psychologists.
The article states that standard long-term behavioral therapy requires 30 to 40 hours of treatment per week for many years. I don’t know how much psychologists get paid for these 30 to 40 hours per week but I have a friend with two Autistic children and they racked up $75,000 in costs in one year. They went bankrupt.
I have written about this problem before, see Autism, Ritalin and Cannabis and Autism, ADD, ADHD and Marijuana Therapy here at Salem-News.com.
The standard medications are Ritalin, an amphetamine like drug, and several mixtures of amphetamines. Both of these kind of drugs can be dangerous and lethal with several hundred deaths with their use.
I have written that marijuana/cannabis doctors in California have found that these drugs in cookies have miraculously “normalized” Autistic, ADD and ADHD children.
I presume may parents, psychologists and psychiatrists shudder at the thought that marijuana, the “devils drug”, could possible be effective for these devastating diseases. They should remember that these patients exhibit a very high level of excitement.
This being so how come Ritalin and amphetamines, both of which are powerful brain stimulants or excitants, should be effective for an obviously highly excited child.
We know that marijuana is effective for Parkinsonism, Epilepsy and certain other brain exciting diseases. We also know that only about one of ten Autism patients recover to normalcy and these recoveries are after years of the dangerous Ritalin and amphetamines and/or highly expensive one on one psychologic behavioral therapy.
With even the relative few marijuana for Autism successes it seems logical to me that somebody someplace should pay attention and give MJ a clinical trial. One factor to remember is that MJ is one of the safest medical agents ever discovered with never a death.
The financial aspects of MJ treatment seem obvious and I am not talking about the highly expensive Marinol, the synthetic marijuana medicine, which frequently causes panic attacks which is about the worst thing to occur with an Autism sufferer.
The social factors of satisfactory treatment are even more important than the financial. Autism patients are frequently social pariahs whether they want to be or not.
IT IS TIME FOR A CLINICAL TRIAL OF MARIJUANA BROWNIES FOR AUTISM.
Too much money and treatment has been spent on these cases. It’s time for progress.
Do you have a a question, comment, or story to share with Dr. Leveque?Email him: Ask Dr. Leveque
More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier
If you are a World War II history buff, you don't want to miss it.
Watch for more streaming video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque.
Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:Dr. Leveque INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES
Autism and The Associated PressSalem-News.com