A doctor who has been practicing in Illinois had his license suspended by the state’s medical board last week. The Illinois board of professional regulation did not say when or if the doctor will be able to practice medicine again in the state.
This is not the first time the doctor has had his license suspended or revoked, though. The medical professional, who is known for his controversial autism treatments in children and teens, has had his professional license suspended or revoked in 9 other states in the past two years.
In addition to having his license suspended in Illinois, the doctor’s license was also revoked in Missouri last week. Missouri’s medical board said that the doctor cannot attempt to practice medicine in the state for at least seven years; even then, the doctor would have to reapply for his license.
The doctor has been treating children and teens diagnosed with autism for several years. The doctor initially claimed that autism was caused by childhood vaccines. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims that this theory has never been proven and is not valid.
The doctor also claimed that Lupron could be used to treat patients with autism. This theory has also been discredited. The doctor has since faced numerous penalties in several states for treating children and teens with the potentially dangerous drug. Lupron is commonly used to treat patients who have prostate cancer or those who suffer from endometriosis. It is an expensive hormonal treatment that should be used carefully, professionals in the medical community claim.
According to reports, the doctor had recently been directing two different autism clinics in Illinois before the state suspended his professional license.
It is extremely important that doctors always use caution when treating patients with powerful medications and other treatment plans. Doctors must make sure they prescribe the correct medications and the correct doses of medications. Doctors must also make sure that they are using medications for the correct purposes when treating patients. Negligent dosing and other medication errors could have very harmful impacts on patients and their families.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Controversial autism doctor Mark Geier loses licenses in Missouri, Illinois,” Blythe Bernhard, Nov. 3, 2012
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