Mark Geier: Not a Leg to Stand On

Poor, poor Mark Geier. For those who don't know, Dr. Mark Geier is half of the father-son team that developed the "Lupron Protocol" for treating autism. Put simply, Geier and his son came up with the scientifically unsupported idea that testosterone and mercury bind together in humans, allegedly causing autism. His treatment for this involves dosing children with leuprolide, followed by chelation. Leuprolide (also known by the brand name Lupron) is legitimately used for treatment of precocious puberty and as part of IVF treatment. It is also used off-label to chemically castrate sex offenders.

Dr. Geier, through his Institute of Chronic Illness and Genetic Centers of America, misdiagnosed autistic children with precocious puberty so he could claim that he was using Lupron on label, rather than for an unapproved, experimental indication (i.e., autism). This also allowed him to bill insurance companies for the lupron. His actions got him into hot water with various state medical boards, starting with his medical license in Maryland being suspended on April 27, 2011. Since then, one by one, 11 of his 12 medical licenses were suspended, an application for a thirteenth license in Ohio was denied, and some of those suspensions became complete revocations. The last actions I wrote about were the revocation of his license in Missouri and suspension of his Illinois license. At the time, the only state left in which Dr. Geier could practice was Hawaii.

As of April 11, 2013, that is no longer the case.

Mark Geier On His Last Leg

Dr. Mark Robin Geier, about whom I've written about quite a bit, just can't get a break. Geier is the physician who, after reading a single lab study showing that mercury binds with testosterone when in a hot benzene environment (blogger Prometheus has a good write-up of this), thought that this explained how to treat autism. At the time Geier and his son, David (who has gotten in trouble for pretending to be a doctor), latched onto the two ideas that the mercury in thimerosal and testosterone played a role in autism causation. The former is now discredited, after numerous studies comparing autism rates in children who received thimerosal-containing vaccines and those who did not, as well as failed court cases based on this idea. The latter does have some validity to it, but only insofar as the fetus is exposed to high concentrations of testosterone in the womb. The way Geier, père et fils, decided they could treat autism based on this study that bears no resemblance to the environment of the human body, was to use the chemical castrating drug Lupron to lower testosterone levels in kids, followed by dosing with chelating drugs to remove mercury.

It was this treatment protocol that got the Geiers into trouble, first in Maryland. Dr. Geier was found to have been misdiagnosing autistic children with precocious puberty so he could get insurance companies to pay for his treatment, which also happens to be in violation of FDA regulations. Lupron is not approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of autism, so his spurious precocious puberty diagnoses got around this, as well. At any rate, this protocol, among other problems with how he ran his clinic, resulted in his license being suspended. The investigation also turned up that his son, David, practiced medicine without a license by making diagnoses and prescribing various tests and procedures to patients. The original suspension led to nearly every other state in which Mark Geier was licensed to suspend his licenses. Then in September and October ofearlier this year, Maryland, Indiana and Washington went beyond suspension and permanently revoked his license. Hawaii, Illinois and Missouri, however, have been dragging their feet.

Until now.

Washington Joins Indiana and Maryland in Revoking Mark Geier's License

 Washington has become the third state to permanently revoke Dr. Mark Geier's medical license. This comes shortly after Maryland finally revoked Geier's licence. The Washington Medical Quality Assurance Commission had ordered Geier and/or his attorney to appear and to produce certain documents. They did not do so in the time frame specified, so by default, Geier has lost his case.

The Commission ordered (M2012-377) on October 4, 2012, that Mark Geier's license to practice medicine in the state of Washington is permanently revoked. He is ordered to hand over all licenses within 10 days and is fined $5,000, payable within 30 days.

Meanwhile, Missouri, Illinois and Hawaii have yet to do anything to stop this man from preying on autistic children in their jurisdictions. This is, however, very welcome news.
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Related Posts:

• Mark Geier's License Revoked - And It's About Damn Time!
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 7
• The Fall of the Geiers Continues Apace
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 6
• Complaint Filed Against Dr. Mark Geier in Florida
• Mark Geier Ordered to Stop Practicing Medicine
• Map of Mark Geier Medical Licenses
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Supsended - Part 5
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 4
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 3
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 2
• Charges Levied Against Mark and David Geier
• URGENT: Please Call the Maryland State Board of Physicians About David Geier
• A Close Look at David Geier
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended

Mark Geier's License Revoked - And It's About Damn Time!

Today, Catherina over at Just the Vax, let me know about a development on a topic that I've been covering for quite some time. And the timing of this is rather fortuitous, as this post marks number 250 for me! I couldn't think of a better subject than to enlighten you all on the latest turn for the infamous Dr. Mark Geier, the physician who inappropriately used the precious puberty and chemical castration drug Lupron to supposedly treat children with autism.

What is this latest development? The Maryland Board of Physicians has (finally!) revoked Dr. Geier's medical license.

File this under: about damn time.

And the order that accompanies this is scathing.

Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 7

The bad news just keeps coming for Dr. Mark Geier and his son, David. I recently wrote about the Maryland Department of Physicians finding that David Geier practiced medicine without a license and was fined $10,000 (with, in my admittedly non-expert opinion, the potential for further fines and jail time), as well as Dr. Geier's license being challenged in Hawaii and his application for a license in Ohio rejected.

Catherina at Just the Vax alerted me to some very recent news. Today, she posted some excerpts from meeting minutes of the Florida Board of Medicine. It looks like Florida is the latest state to suspend his license (Final Order here; if the link doesn't work, you can look up the documents here), including administrative and punitive fines. It appears that Dr. Geier entered into a settlement with the state of Florida, agreeing to abide by their suspension of his license and waiving all rights to further appeal or challenge of their decision.

The Fall of the Geiers Continues Apace

A brief break in the posters to bring you some updates on the Geier front. As you have no doubt read by now, David Geier, son of Dr. Mark Geier, has been found by the Maryland Board of Physicians (PDF) to have practiced medicine without a license. His penalty? A $10,000 fine. As Dr. Steven Novella wrote at Neurologica Blog, this is not a huge sum of money, as far as penalties go. The order mentions that the Board took into account:

Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 6

[Edited to add: Not sure how I missed this, but when checking out Dr. Geier's listing on the Florida Department of Health's site, it looks like his certification with the American Board of Medical Genetics has been revoked, as well.]

There's been another development in the case of Dr. Mark Geier, the physician who came up with the Lupron Protocol as a purported treatment for autism. Lupron, for those who don't know about it, is a drug that is used in prostate cancer treatment, fertility treatment, to treat precocious puberty and, off-label, to chemically castrate sex offenders. It shuts down production of sex hormones (testosterone in men, estrogen in women). The reason the Geiers use this drug is because they believe that testosterone and mercury bind together, making it more difficult for the body to eliminate the mercury in, for example, thimerosal-containing vaccines. This belief comes from a single study examining testosterone and mercury in hot benzene, which, for those who might be unaware, is a condition never found in the human body. Prometheus wrote about this back in 2006. Never mind that there is no quality evidence showing that in children with autism there is any of this testosterone-mercury binding going on, nor that using lupron (followed by chelation) has any benefit at all.

At any rate, Dr. Geier's erroneously diagnosing children with precocious puberty so he would be able to prescribe lupron, among other ethical and professional lapses, led to his license to practice medicine in Maryland being suspended. This, in turn, resulted in the licensing boards in a number of other states suspending his licenses, too. Which brings us to today.

Complaint Filed Against Dr. Mark Geier in Florida

This somehow slipped past my notice. In October, it looks like the Florida Department of Health filed a complaint against Dr. Mark Geier (PDF). I've written about Dr. Geier a few times. This is the guy who, with his son, David (who is not a doctor), came up with an idea that testosterone binds to mercury and thus causes autism. His treatment? Chelate autistic children after giving them lupron, a drug that is used to treat precocious puberty, as part of IVF treatment and to chemically castrate sex offenders. If you are interested in the details, take a look at some of my other posts.

At any rate, Dr. Geier has (or had) a license to practice medicine in several different states. However, a total of 6 states have suspended his license. This all started with Maryland, where he was charged with a number of breaches of proper medical conduct. This was soon followed by other states summarily suspending his licenses in those states. His license has expired in a seventh state, and his application to practice in an eighth is on hold, due to the numerous suspensions he is under. He is still licensed to practice in 5 states, including Florida, though that may change sooner rather than later.

Mark Geier Ordered to Stop Practicing Medicine

I haven't written about Dr. Mark Geier or his son, David, in a fair while. My last post was a map showing which states Dr. Geier has (or had) licenses to practice medicine. Every so often, I have gone back to it to check the status of his various licenses to update the map and license details. If you'll recall, Geier's license to practice medicine in the state of Maryland was suspended on April 27, 2011 (PDF). He challenged that decision, but the state board of medicine affirmed the suspension on May 12, 2011 (PDF). He currently is appealing the suspension. However, until his appeal is resolved, his license is still suspended.

As a result of his suspension in Maryland, his license was suspended in five other states, and his application was put on hold in a sixth. He is still able to practice in 6 states, and surprisingly, in two of those states, his license was scheduled to expire on Jan. 31, 2012, but inexplicably were renewed without mention of the actions in other states.

At any rate, it looks like Dr. Geier is facing some more trouble that he's created for himself. On February 22, 2012, the Maryland Board of Physicians issued a Cease and Desist order (PDF) to stop practicing medicine.

Map of Mark Geier Medical Licenses

UPDATE: I was recently informed that Dr. Geier also has a license in Texas. The map and list have been updated accordingly. He also appears to have a license application pending in Ohio, though the medical board of that state has noted the Maryland action against him and has issued a citation.(Added August 20, 2011)

With all of the various states that have licensed Dr. Mark Geier and the rising tide of suspensions of those license, I thought it may help to provide a map, visualizing which states have suspended Dr. Geier's license to practice medicine and which states still allow him to see and treat patients.

So here we go. Red states are those which have stopped Dr. Geier from misdiagnosing children with precocious puberty and subsequent treatment with the chemical castrator, Lupron, and the green states are those which have yet to take action to bar him from potentially harming any more children.

Mark Geier Medical Licenses by State - Click to Enlarge

Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 5

Another brief update on the status of Dr. Mark Geier's licenses to practice medicine in various states. It has come to my attention that a fifth state, California, has now suspended Dr. Geier's license to practice in that state, effective August 3, 2011.

This comes following suspensions (in chronological order) in Maryland (PDF), Washington, Virginia and Indiana (PDF). He still has licenses to practice in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and New Jersey, although it has been reported that his license in Illinois is also under review for possible suspension. There have also been rumors that Missouri will follow suit.

Five dominoes have fallen, six remain.
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Related Posts:

• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 4
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 3
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 2
• Charges Levied Against Mark and David Geier
• URGENT: Please Call the Maryland State Board of Physicians About David Geier
• A Close Look at David Geier
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended

Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 4

Another brief update for you regarding the status of Dr. Mark Geier's licenses to practice medicine in various states. As you know, his license was first suspended in Maryland. His license was then suspended in Washington and Virginia. Well, it is time to add Indiana to that list. Today, June 24, 2011, when I searched for his license in that state, I found this:

That's 4 out of 11 licenses that have been suspended. His appeal of the Maryland suspension is currently being heard, and the results of that inquiry should be out sometime next week. As it appears that the suspensions in Washington, Virginia and Indiana are based on the actions of the Maryland Board of Physicians, the outcome of the appeal could have a significant impact on the status of his licenses in those states. If his appeal succeeds, his licenses in those three states may be reinstated. If it fails, then there will only be 7 states left in which he can practice his scientifically unfounded protocol of administering the drug Lupron to autistic children.
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Related Posts:

• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 5
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 3
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 2
• Charges Levied Against Mark and David Geier
• URGENT: Please Call the Maryland State Board of Physicians About David Geier
• A Close Look at David Geier
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended

Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 3

I just wanted to provide a brief update on Dr. Mark Geier. Today, I was taking a look at the states in which, last time I checked, Dr. Geier still had a license. If you will recall, his license had been suspended in Maryland and, shortly after that, Washington. He was still licensed to practice medicine in nine states: California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey and Virginia. For seven of those, I was able to find laws similar to Washington's, which state that if a licensed practitioner has his or her license suspended in any other state, then it will be suspended in that state as well.

Well, one of those other states has suspended Dr. Geier's license. This is what I found when I went to the licensing board for the state of Virginia:

Only eight states left to step up and take appropriate action. Only eight licenses left that should responsibly be suspended. Another domino has fallen.
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Related Posts:

• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 5
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 4
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 2
• Charges Levied Against Mark and David Geier
• URGENT: Please Call the Maryland State Board of Physicians About David Geier
• A Close Look at David Geier
• Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended

Autism One: Pick Up Your Police Escort at the Reception Desk

Time to take a trip back to some subject matter that was at the creation of this blog: censorship, autism and anti-vaccination sentiments. It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads here regularly that I take these issues rather seriously. Generally speaking, censorship seems to go hand in hand with the anti-vaccination folks within the autism community (and let it just be said that the autism community is very broad, with the anti-vaxers representing a rather small minority, thankfully). Silencing dissent is a favored tactic, as evidenced by the "editorializing" favored by such luminary and (mis-)informative sites as Age of Autism, among others. Where truth and reality rear their ugly heads, there will always be a moderator close at hand to protect their quailing, fragile readers, making such reason-based comments disappear down the memory hole before a single electron hits the screen of an AoA reader.

Should you decide to attend an event organized by those with anti-vaccination notions, be not afraid of having your tender sensibilities bruised, for there will be an ever-so-polite and helpful event organizer to call the police to haul out any suspicious-looking persons. Yes, though they may be mild-mannered and behaving themselves, who knows when they will utter uncomfortable truths? Best to remove them, without any justification, before any charlatans or quacks can be challenged, before any parents, trying their best to cope with a child with a disability about which, frankly, not a great deal is known, can have the scales removed from their eyes and their wallets protected from expensive and utterly useless treatments. Fear not, for brave folks like Teri Arranga will quickly summon hotel security and police to deal with anyone she thinks may pose a threat to your delicate sensibilities.

Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended - Part 2

On April 27, 2011, as you may recall, Dr. Mark Geier's license to practice medicine in the state of Maryland was suspended (PDF). A hearing was scheduled, and on May 12, the MD Board of Physicians upheld its ruling (PDF). I had noted that in addition to his license in Maryland, Dr. Geier also has licenses in California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington.

Well, another state has just suspended his license.

Charges Levied Against Mark and David Geier

On April 27, 2011, the Maryland Board of Physicians issued an order for summary suspension of Dr. Mark Geier's license to practice in that state. He was investigated for prescribing Lupron to children with autism, using an unapproved chelating drug, keeping inadequate and incomplete patient records, inappropriately and incorrectly diagnosing patients and so on. Dr. Geier tried and failed to persuade the board to restore his license at a hearing on May 11, 2011. On May 12, the board issued an Order for the Continuation of Summary Suspension for Medical License, meaning that Dr. Geier's license is still suspended. He has until May 22 to file a written appeal.

In the original order, it was also mentioned in passing that Dr. Geier's son, David Geier, may have practiced medicine without a license. From reading the order, it appeared that Mr. Geier performed medical procedures, prescribed tests and made diagnoses. He does not have a medical degree, nor is he licensed to practice medicine in the state of Maryland (or any other state). Mr. Geier was also, inexplicably, appointed as a "diagnostician" in 2009 to Maryland's Autism Commission.

As Kathleen Seidel wrote at the Neurodiversity Blog, charges have been brought against both Dr. Mark Geier and Mr. David Geier.

A Close Look at David Geier

UPDATE: Please click here for an important update to this story.

Medical ethics, health law and policy. Those things are important to me. I can get pretty passionate about them. My interest in them is what drove me to learn about drug and medical device regulations, to actually take formal courses to learn about them beyond merely looking at laws on my own, unguided. The medicines that are offered for our use should be only the best that can be given. I want to be a part of the process, to have an active role in making certain that the medicines that are developed, the clinical trials that are conducted, have the benefit and welfare of patients as the utmost goal.

When I see those values that I so strongly value and hold very highly flaunted or abused, I get mad. I don't much care what a person chooses to do with their own body, money or time, but I get really angry with those who would take advantage of people by cheating them with substandard or even quack treatments. When the victims of that charlatanry are children, I am livid. Quacks and charlatans, those who would prey on others, taking advantage of their emotions and pain, exploiting patients and their children, should face justice. And there is just such a person that I feel is deserving of at least some scrutiny.

Yet before I dive into that, I need to remind myself that it is very, very easy to let my emotions take over, extraordinarily tempting to let the anger or even rage flow forth. And I must remember to breathe, to take a step back and look at the facts. Stick to what is known and avoid the desire to speculate. So that is what I will try to do here, as we take a look at Mr. David Geier.

Mark "Castrate 'Em" Geier's License Suspended

On April 27, 2011, the Maryland State Board of Physicians, the body that grants physicians the privilege to practice medicine, issued an Order for Summary Suspension of Dr. Mark Geier's License to Practice Medicine (PDF). This has been a long time coming, and, I have to say, I am greatly relieved that it has finally happened.

Most people reading this blog probably already know who Dr. Geier is. For those who don't, here's a little background.