Autism; Beyond despair

Review

This book review is reprinted from Volume 30, Number 3, Year 2011 edition of The Homeopath

Reviewed by Ursula Kraus-Harper
Ursula Kraus-Harper MA RhD BSHdm graduated in 2003 from the London College of Classical Homeopathy, runs a homeopathic practice from a small village near Milton Keynes, and now treats a growing number of autistic children from all over the country.

When Dutch Homeopath Dr. Tinus Smits sadly died last year in April, I was one of forty homeopaths from all over the world attending a workshop in his hometown of Waalre near Eindhoven about the CEASE Therapy that he had developed over many years. Tinus Smits came to homeopathy like many of us: through personal experience. His M.D. he added later, after years of studying medicine.

CEASE stands for Complete Elimination of Autism Spectrum Expression - a very ambitious title, conveying what was driving Tinus Smits' work: cure, not just amelioration.

In this book, Tinus Smits shares his path of discovery (Chapter 1); explains the different approaches and components of the therapy including Classical Homeopathy, his own Inspiring Homeopathy, Isotherapy, Nosode Therapy and Organ Therapy (Chapters 2,3), then looks at the genesis of autism (4), and includes a list of possible toxins. Chapter 5 is about detoxification of vaccines: "When we use potentized substances which caused damage, ...the match with the causative factor is perfect.... The primary problem is to find the different causative factors without omitting any of them" (p.53). Although Tinus Smits is known to many for his approach to vaccination damage, vaccination is not the only possible cause that the CEASE therapy addresses.

Two chapters (6 and 7) deal with the two highly recommended supplements during CEASE therapy: vitamin C and fatty acids. Chapter 8 looks at intestinal disorders and diet. So many autistic children have digestive problems, but the CEASE therapy hardly ever involves a prescriptive diet, because "I am not opposed to these dietary interventions, but they are not truly curative, they create a great burden on the parents, and in most cases I have found them unnecessary..... in most of my autistic patients the digestive system heals within some months without probiotics or changes in diet" (p.78). In dramatic cases, though, a gluten, sugar and dairy-free diet is recommended, preferably after diagnostic tests.

The attraction of this therapy is its relative simplicity. J.B. Handley, co-founder of Generation Rescue (Jenny McCarthy's Autism Organisation in the USA) writes in the foreword: "Dr. Smits approach to treating autism, which this book covers in great detail, stands out among many others for its clarity, simplicity, and, perhaps most importantly, focus on cause."

This book is useful for parents and practitioners alike. Short cases are used throughout to illustrate different aspects, and there are also three chapters with "complete and almost complete cures", with successful case reports by CEASE therapists, and with parents' testimonials. Chapter 12 -What can parents themselves do to help their child? - has a comprehensive list of things parents can do immediately, but it ends "Then make an appointment with a CEASE therapist....[as this treatment] needs professional help."

For homeopaths who are treating or would like to treat not only Autism Spectrum patients but also others where the cause is toxicity, this is a must-read book. In my practice I also now use this approach successfully with other patients. To master it, reading the book will not be enough.

This book review is reprinted from Volume 23, Summer 2010 edition, with permission from Homeopathic Links.

Reviewed by David Nortman, Israel

Autism: Beyond Despair is best understood as part of the recent burgeoning literature on alternative perspectives on the causes and treatment of autism. It is a sort of manifesto that heralds an integrative approach based largely on isopathic detoxification using ascending potencies, along with the occasional use of supplements and other homeopathic remedies. Both obvious and potential causative factors are considered, including vaccinations, antibiotics and other medications, and major infections to which the child or the mother (during and even prior to pregnancy) have been exposed. According to Smits, in the majority of cases classical homeopathic treatment is not necessary to achieve cure.

Through numerous case reports, Smits builds up a portrait of his systematic clinical approach. He additionally offers substantial clinical evidence and invaluable insights about the links between a wide variety of pharmaceutical and infectious stress factors and the rise in the prevalence of the disease. Weighing in on the debate about autism and vaccination, he concludes that no single chemical in vaccinations causes autism, whereas in some cases even minor medications (such as a nasal spray used by the mother during pregnancy) may be a critical factor in the development of autism. Moreover, even when the disease appears to have been precipitated by a specific factor, most or all past factors need to be detoxified before recovery can take place. Smits takes all of this to mean that autism is best viewed as a multifactorial disease caused by accumulated insults rather than by a single factor.

For the skeptical classical homeopath, Smits' approach has the benefit of being easily verifiable in the clinic: aggravations, a normal occurrence during this process, both implicate the substance in question and indicate that detoxification of that substance has not been completed. Smits claims virtually a 100% success rate through his method, but again the usual caveat about falling into the habit of not finding a precise individualized remedy applies here.

Autism: Beyond Despair is intended for a mixed audience. For parents of autistic children it offers hope and inspiration through numerous cured cases and extensive testimonials. For the professional homeopath the book offers sufficient examples to inspire experimentation with this approach, but perhaps not quite enough to do so with full confidence: homeopaths are called to attend the five-day CEASE (Complete Elimination of Autistic Syndrome Expression) Therapy certification seminar in order to gain sufficient exposure to the method. Given Smits' recent untimely death, it can only be hoped that the teaching he began in this book, which appears not to be a complete exposition of the method, will be continued by his followers both through courses and in print.

Inspiring Homeopathy and Autism: Beyond Despair may be viewed as unconventional within the classical homeopathic world. Regardless, they reveal the original spirit of a restless, searching, and compassionate practitioner who was genuinely committed to the benefit of his patients and betterment of humanity. With Tinus' trek cut short, we owe it to him to consider his legacy and potentially continue in his path.

This book review is reprinted from Volume 103, Number 4 Autumn 2010 Edition, with permission from American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine.

Reviewed by Jay Yasgur, RPh, MSc

This is the latest offering from noted Dutch homeopath, Tinus Smits, who recently passed away. Smits (1946 - 2010) was quite an innovator. His body of thought, sometimes referred to as 'Smitsian medicine,' though largely rooted in homeopathy (in all its variations), blended other forms of alternative medicine with homeopathy. Smits used the orthomolecular approach; e.g., mega doses of vitamin C, B-12 injections, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, antiviral therapy, and a wide variety of supplements, including medical mushrooms, probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, etc.

One contribution of Smits was his 'Inspiring Homeopathy' methodology, which he referred to as a 'modem form of classical homeopathy.' He developed themes with core remedies to address various issues; i.e., Saccharum lactis (lack of self-love), Carcinosin (lack of self-confidence), Lac maternum (lack of incarnation), Vernix caseosa (lack of protection), Rhus toxicodendron (old wounds and victimization), Anacardium (guilt - both good and bad, and contradictory energies - joy and sadness), and Hydrogen (soul disconnection).

"The most frequently prescribed remedies for these layers in autism are Cuprum metallicum, which can very nicely heal the obsessiven_ss, inflexibility and tension, including tics and head banging, and Saccharum officinale, which has a wonderful action on the affective part of the problem, restoring emotional contact with parents, siblings and classmates. Saccharum can help these kids to understand what others feel and help them to express once again their own feelings. Sometimes other remedies used in Inspiring Homeopathy can help as well, for example to create better boundaries against external stimuli (vernix caseosa), to be more present and grounded in their body (Lac maternum) or to heal their aggressiveness (Anacardium orientale)." - Tinus Smits, Autism: Beyond Despair, CEASE Therapy (p.13)13).

"[Cease Therapy]"...can help the patient to become aware that he is spiraling around the same problem or issue, continuously repeating the same experiences. It catalyzes the resolution of deeper problems and helps the person to become more himself. Not only can it help the patient with life issues and self-awareness, Inspiring Homeopathy has proved to play an important role in modem diseases such as cancer, ADHD, aggressive behavior and autism." - Tinus Smits, Autism: Beyond Despair, CEASE Therapy (p. 13).

These theories are presented in his book, Inspiring Homeopathy: Treatment of Universal Layers (2008, 2nd rev. 2010).

This volume, his last, deals at great length with CEASE (Complete Elimination of Autistic Spectrum Expression) Therapy as well as all his previous thought, to varying degrees, and consists of fifteen chapters: The First Discoveries, Homeopathy Has the Answers, The Multifactorial Treatment, The Genesis of Autism, Detoxification of Vaccines Using Potentized Vaccines, Vitamin C, Fatty Acids and Glutamates, Intestinal Disorders and Diet, Aggressiveness, Complete and Almost Complete Cures, A Response to Dr. Paul Offit's book: "Autism's False Prophets, What Can Parents Themselves Do to Help Their Child?," Parents' Testimonials, Successful Case Reports of CEASE Therapists, and Conclusions.

Basically CEASE Therapy is a step-by-step detoxification of all causative factors (vaccines, regular medication, intoxications, etc.) with homeopathic remedies. Smits developed a protocol using the 30C, 200C, 1M and 10M potencies to clear the patient's energetic field of the imprint of toxic substances.

The next to last chapter chronicles reports by therapists at a five-day CEASE training course which was held in Holland. Here, in digested form, are accounts of successful detoxification of vaccines, a case of shaken baby syndrome, a case oflocal anesthesia (atecain) during pregnancy, a case of successful detoxification of different substances, and a case of treatment during pregnancy with anti-RhD globulin, some of the details of which follow:

"Karina is a girl 6 months old and a very easy going child. She rarely cries, moves very little and does not turn around yet. She has a remarkable stiffness and seems to lack any desire to move. Her mother had an uncomplicated pregnancy and her delivery was easy, lasting only two-and- a-half hours. Her daughter weighed 3.7 kilograms (8 pounds).

"However her mother is Rh negative and got an anti-RhD-globulin injection eight weeks before her delivery. That is why I chose to detoxify the anti-RhD globulin, each potency four times during a period of eight weeks. After this course her capacity of moving increased dramatically and her stiffness has gone completely."- p. 173 (Autism, Beyond Despair).

To whet your appetite a bit, I'll leave you with the following quote from this quality produced, sewn and wrapped hardback:

"Tinus has [written before his untimely death] high expectations of himself, but also of his colleagues. He has a strong Hahnemannian attitude, saying: 'make it like I do, but do it exactly like me, otherwise you will not get the same results.' Perhaps this is exactly the quality you need to achieve what he has done, the ability to open up new horizons. He first did that for already existing homeopathic remedies like Carcinosinum, Cuprm metallicum, Saccharum officinalis and others. Later he developed a number of new homeopathic remedies like Carcinosinum cum Cuprum, Lac maternum and vernix caseosa. And likewise he used this same tenacity with his systematic isopathic approach of the Post-Vaccination Syndrome, with the development of his Inspiring Homeopathy, with the integral and homeopathic treatment of cancer patients with Non-Toxic Tumor Therapy and, last but not least, by his successful engagement in the fast growing problem of autism." - ibid, p. xv (from the Foreword to Autism by Hans Reijnen).