CEASE Therapy - Misconceptions and Truths

IN BRIEF

CEASE Therapy is suddenly receiving media attention as well-funded skeptics groups are trying to discredit and limit access to homeopathy and homeopathic remedies around the world. For interested parties, here is a short summary of what CEASE is and isn't.

By Anke Zimmermann, BSc, FCAH

Tinus Smits

1) CEASE is an acronym for Complete Elimination of Autism Expression. A Dutch medical doctor and homeopath named Tinus Smits named it that. When I first read about CEASE I was a bit taken aback by the name because it seemed to make a bold claim for cure, so I understand why it has become a target. Perhaps a different name would have been better. Maybe it should be renamed, in fact, this is being discussed right now in the organization. Maybe it really works that well but we don't have enough research to prove it at this time. In any case the name is a problem to the extent that our own Naturopathic College has now forbidden us to use it in our advertising. Understandably. 

No Promises

2) That being said, Tinus Smits never claimed that all cases of autism could be completely healed. He was quite aware that some children with autism suffered from certain types of brain injury that would not be completely reversible, for example those who suffered extensive epilepsy. Still, homeopathy can often improve quality of life for those children, even by improving their sleep or digestive function for example. 

I have also personally never claimed or promised that any treatment I use in my practice can 'cure' anything. The press is misrepresenting this and I am now looking into legal remedies to defend myself.  Headlines like: "Naturopath boasts of curing child with rabid dog saliva' and 'Naturopaths promise complete elimination of autism' are misleading and untrue as well as defamatory.

I am very clear with my patients that any autism treatment takes time, often 1-4 years or more and complete recovery is not always possible. Younger children are more successfully treated with any autism therapies, whether that is ABA, OT, biomedical care or homeopathy.  Prognosis is always better with early intervention as the brain is more plastic and is still growing more quickly. So a child less than two years old has a much better chance of substantial recovery than a 15-year-old for example. Treatment is also always an ongoing process, ABA does not stop after one year, nor does schooling etc.

Combination of Homeopathy and Nutrition

3) CEASE is nothing new really. It's just a combination of various homeopathic approaches together with diet suggestions and certain nutritional supplements. What made CEASE unique in the homeopathic world when it was published in 2010 was this combined approach. In classical homeopathy usually only one remedy is given at a time and supplements are not used.  In naturopathic medicine on the other hand, such combined protocols are very common. Different strategies can work well together and enhance each other. 

Research

4) Research: I would like nothing better than to see research on CEASE, homeopathy, nutritional interventions etc for autism. We urgently need this kind of research, but it takes resources. I'd like to invite any agency, doctor, research group etc to give me a few children with autism to treat with such approaches in addition to conventional care. Two groups, one receives homeopathy, nutrition etc with the regular care, the other doesn't. Let's see how they are doing a year or two down the line. 

Not About Claiming that Vaccines Cause Autism

5) CEASE is NOT about claiming that vaccines cause autism, it's much more complex than that.

Autism, just like other conditions, is mostly related to predispositions. Most everyone has inherited tendencies towards different health conditions.

For example, if a child with a tendency to auto-immune conditions gets a vaccine, or too many vaccines at a bad time, perhaps when the system is already under stress, for example while having and ear infection or being nutritionally deficient and/or the child was exposed to other chemicals or interventions, an accumulation of 

stressors may occur, which may potentially lead to auto-immune and inflammatory phenomena, which could potentially lead to what we call autism.

The Hannah Poling case, settled by the US vaccine compensation system for $20 million is such an example. The neurologist who examined the case found that Hannah was suffering from an underlying mitochondrial disorder which made her more susceptible to brain inflammation caused by a high fever which was triggered by a round of vaccines. You can read more here and here. 

Tinus never claimed that vaccines per se cause autism, neither do I. If it was, all vaccinated children would have it and they don't. There are also unvaccinated children who develop autism, usually because of exposure to other potentially harmful substances, including pesticides, lead, antibiotics, tylenol and more. 

It is never that simple and a disservice to the public by the media to present it that way. 

It's similar to smoking increasing the risk of lung cancer - smoking does not cause lung cancer in everyone, but it can increase the risk. So can exposure to radon, various chemicals, arsenic in drinking water, lupus and more. 

An Accumulation of Stressors

6) Tinus wrote about 'an accumulation of stressors'. At some point the system may give. We now expose our unborn and young children routinely to many medical interventions, from ultrasounds to anaesthetics during C-sections, to antibiotics or other drugs given to the mother while pregnant.

When the baby is born he or she gets a vitamin K injection and in some countries Hep B or TB vaccine injections at birth or shortly after. Although well-meaning, all of these vaccines and even vitamins contain various chemicals, including preservatives. We actually do not know what kinds of long-term effects they can have on the developing brain because nobody has looked.

​At two months the vaccinating starts and more pressure is added with antibiotics, Tylenol, pesticides in our food and more. Add vitamin D deficiency (research shows that children born in the winter at a higher risk of autism) and other nutritional deficiencies, bottle feeding, flame retardants in the mattress and off-gassing from new furniture etc and we have a perfect storm. 

​Then we wonder why we are seeing such a dramatic increase of autism and other developmental disorders?

The developing nervous system is exquisitely sensitive to toxins in utero and in the first 2-3 years of life. 70% of our brain grows in the first 3 years of life!

We should take every step possible to protect it.

Tinus Smit's protocol is elegantly designed to address the impact of various toxins as well as the underlying susceptibility of the system. 

Read Tinus' book yourself to see for yourself what he wrote. It was such an eye-opener for me, it could be for you as well. 

The Threat of Homeopathy

7) Homeopathy has been under attack by the pharmaceutical industry from its inception. It's the competition, and there is no real money in it. People could get and stay well without drugs and that's just bad for business. That simple. 

​Anke Zimmermann, BSc, FCAH, May 25, 2018