Customer Reviews
Excellent book 
2008-04-24
This book answers a lot of questions about autism, and gives solid scientific evidence about how it can be successfully treated. My son is already reaping the benefits of this wonderful work.
Changing the course of autism 2008-04-05
For parents that want a closer look on how to treat their autistic children, this book gives you unbiased and safe information on the subjekt. The book is fearly easy to read, if you have already done some biomedical intervention on your child. For medical practitioners, this book offers a new look on life. It holds well documented arguments for biomedical intervention and makes you think that there may be a different approch to treating children with ASD.
Must read if you care for someone with autism -- or who is at risk 2008-02-26
If you care for an autistic* child (or someone older) then this book is a must read -- several times, until you thoroughly understand the science involved in this condition and until someone writes an update in a few years, as the science grows.
*Autistic Spectrum Disorders, PDD, (including 'regressive' autism in children who initially developed normally.)
[If there is a better book -- or one even nearly as good -- PLEASE leave a review pointing the way to that book since I want to read it too. This and the Jaquelyn McCandless' book, "Children with Starving Brains: A Medical Treatment Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorders are the best and you should read both.]
Dr. Jepson is quite simple a scientist AND a physician who is trying to learn everything *he* can about autism, and to teach what every parent and treating physician needs to understand as a basis for beginning to help those with autism.
In this book he has provided a primer on the science needed to understand autism from a medical view point and on the current medical treatments and how they might work or be improved.
This is a book any literate (or really determined) parent can read, while at the same time presenting the scientific documentation so enable a physician to use it as a primer on the current debates and state of knowledge.
When deciding "can I read this book", consider it to be roughly at the same level as high school or college freshman biology in raw difficulty but remember that likely you are motivated to understand this disease far more than you ever were in high school.
Those who gave it low ratings as 'unscientific' quite simple never read this book, since practically every page is a discussion of biochemistry, immunology, and/or the scientific literature, both in support and in opposition to every major theory of autism and its treatment.
Jepson warns parents and physicians to seek the science. He is NOT a "mercury causes it" fanatic, but instead (for example) presents the science for and against mercury being a contributing factor.
He leads with the primary known risk factor and reminds of this throughout the book: autism has a strong genetic component.
He also points out that autism is on the rise (now estimated by the CDC at between 1 in 150 or 1 in 165) -- diagnostic changes and anomalies do NOT account for the increase of the last 20 years -- and that purely genetic diseases do not exhibit "epidemic" characteristics.
Jepson's only consistent "points of view" or biases are these:
1) Autism has a STRONG genetic component
(e.g., monozyotic twins incur it far more frequently but not
universally than either fraternal twins or other siblings)
2) Autism is more than just genetic and is a complex condition
likely to have several 'causes' which affect those with the
genetic predisposition.
3) Other (than neurological) conditions are commonly seen in
conjunction with autism, and might either be more closely
related to the root causes or environmental factors which
cause autism to express so tragically. (Intestinal disorders
being the most common.)
4) Finding a way to TREAT the babies that is safe and scientifically
supportable, driven by neither fads nor hindered by refusal to
really LOOK at and UNDERSTAND what the current scientific
studies indicate and do NOT indicate.
There is much more research to be done on autism -- read this book if you care for someone who has autism, or who may have it.
Give this book to your physician, or if you are a physician yourself, then recommend it to your friends AFTER you have read it and determined for yourself that it is indeed scientific.
Excellent technical detail about the causes of autism 
2008-02-19
And many other medical problems, for that matter. It basically is a complicated breakdown between the intestine, nervous system, and the brain due to a number of situations that have happened to a child or person. Dr. Jepsen, whom I heard speak in L.A., has a son who was diagnosed with autism and was told to "save money for an institution and don't waste your money on alternative treatments." It was his wife that learned (on the web) that kids were being helped--even cured--and he started investigating the data to prove her wrong. He said this book was written for people in the medical field to show them how this breakdown into autism occurs and, with hope, that they will be open minded to treatment.
A very good book for the lay person, too, like myself who has two kids affected and needs to learn as much about the causes (and treatment) as possible.
Read this enlightening book and make sure others do too 2008-02-04
Dr. Jepson has written an amazingly readable, comprehensive, and convincing book on the medical underpinnings and potential treatments of autism. His statements and conclusions are consistently backed by scientific and clinical evidence.
This book highlights once again the need for a sea change in the way doctors, as well as parents, view autism.
Here's a quote from the very popular book Three Cups of Tea, detailing one man's ability to counter terrorism with educational opportunities: "The enemy is ignorance."
Our autistic children's enemy is not the conventional-thinking practitioner, it's his or her ignorance of the scientific facts.
For those who read and see the value of this book, please consider taking steps to dispel the pervasive ignorance about autism.
Request copies of Jepson's book for the special needs resource section of your school library, for your public library, for your local chain or independent book store. Ask your local newspaper and radio station to read and review the book. Recommend the book in your support group, and your school parents advisory council for special needs kids.
If you don't currently have a DAN doctor for your child, please do not use this book to treat your child; that was not Dr. Jepson's intent. If your area of the country does not have one, you can link up with great DAN doctors in other states. Some DAN practices have patients from all over the world.
Brian Jepson, MD, and all the other DAN doctors who through their research and practices contributed to this book: a heart-felt thanks for giving parents and practitioners alike an opportunity to apply an intelligent, scientific approach to understanding autism and its treatment.
Great book 2008-01-29
This book shows that autism can be treated by reducing the neurological inflammation that is part of the disease process, rather than simply masking the symptoms with drugs like Ritalin and Prozac. The authors have have seen autistic behaviors improve dramatically or disappear completely with appropriate medical treatment. The book reviews the medical literature regarding the biological nature of the disease, including the potential connection between vaccines and autism. The foreword is by Katie Wright, whose parents--Bob and Suzanne Wright--founded Autism Speaks.
complete and complex 2008-01-14
It a very comprehensive reading about autism that can help one understand it and specially dis mystify some related topics. I believe it is too complex for parents and more suitable for physicians because, in some chapters, the extensive number of articles make it a bit confusing and too technical.
Autism information people can understand 2007-11-30
The author includes a wide variety of theories and treatments for autism in a relatively nontechnical style that most readers will appreciate
Awesome book, loaded with references and helpful information 2007-11-24
This book is amazing - it contains an incredible list of references in every chapter, so if you want to read the background research you easily can. Dr. Jepson addresses the underlying medical issues that are common in autism, and gives you detailed information about how to address these problems. As a mom with two children who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, I am very thankful for this compassionate, informative book. This is a book I highly recommend to any parent of a child with autism.
Excellent! 2007-11-16
This book changed the way I understand autism. I had read bits in pieces in other books about autism being more than just a brain thing, but Jepson's book fully lays it out. The first half is very technical and very informative, explaining numerous studies and what goes on in the bodies of people with autism. The second half spells out biomedical treatments to try. Jepson doesn't give specific dosing information, because most of the things should be under a doctor's supervision. I like that this book presents the "why" and not just the "what" for treatment.
