#44 | Stem Cells & Autism: Hope, Science, or a Very Expensive Gamble?

About this episode

<p>Across the world, parents of autistic children are being offered something that</p><p>sounds almost miraculous. Clinics promise better speech, better eye contact,</p><p>calmer behaviour, and in some cases claim to repair or reverse autism. The price</p><p>runs from £10,000 to £40,000, and often more than once.</p><p><br></p><p>Over the last few months we&#39;ve been approached by clinic after clinic wanting to</p><p>come on the show and sell it to you. We said no. Instead we went and read the</p><p>studies.</p><p><br></p><p>This one isn&#39;t about having a go at parents. Every parent looking at this is</p><p>acting out of love, and we&#39;ve both been desperate enough to try anything. But</p><p>love doesn&#39;t mean a clinic gets to make huge claims without evidence. Stem cell</p><p>therapy is a legitimate area of research. It is not currently a proven treatment</p><p>for autism, and there&#39;s a difference between something being researched and</p><p>something being proven.</p><p><br></p><p>We also get into the ITV whistleblower, and the GB News piece asking whether</p><p>&quot;those people&quot; should have access to children.</p><p><br></p><p>Timestamps</p><p>00:00 Hope, science, or a very expensive gamble</p><p>02:21 We are not attacking parents</p><p>10:15 What autism actually is</p><p>13:18 What stem cells actually are</p><p>15:56 The 2017 Duke study, 25 kids and no placebo</p><p>18:47 The 2020 Duke study, and what it found</p><p>24:38 Claim: a 95% success rate</p><p>29:08 Why you&#39;d swear blind it worked</p><p>31:45 Thomas and Lydia progressed. Neither had stem cells</p><p>35:37 Claim: it repairs the autistic brain</p><p>38:12 Claim: most children improve</p><p>40:45 Claim: our treatment is evidence based</p><p>43:02 The risks nobody puts in the brochure</p><p>48:00 What that money could buy instead</p><p>50:45 The influencer taking commission</p><p>54:02 Have a word with yourself</p><p>66:45 &quot;Have you missed the treatment window?&quot;</p><p>72:32 Myths and facts</p><p>82:55 The ITV whistleblower</p><p>86:50 GB News and &quot;those people&quot;</p><p><br></p><p>Latest episode in the link tree in bio.</p>