Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy for ADD, ADHD and Autism
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031014/fltu021_1.html
PRNewswire — The U.S. Patent and Trademark office has awarded Dr. Joan Fallon patent # 6,632,429 entitled Methods for Treating Pervasive Developmental Disorders. The patent covers the use of digestive and pancreatic enzymes as a treatment for children with ADD, ADHD and Autism.
The patent, which will remain in effect until 2019, represents a breakthrough for children with pervasive developmental disorders including ADD, ADHD and Autism. Autism is characterized by profound delays in communication and social interaction and is thought to affect over 1.5million individuals in the U.S. ADD and ADHD have a prevalence of between 5 and 10% in the population. It is estimated that upwards of 10% of the population is medicated for some type of attention disorder.
Dr. Fallon’s invention employs the use of digestive and pancreatic enzymes for children with these conditions based upon the presence of a low level of chymotrypsin in the stool. Chymotrypsin is an enzyme secreted by the pancreas in an inactive form which becomes active in the presence of protein in the small intestines as well as a favorable pH. Without sufficient protein digestion, the formation of amino acids, the building blocks of new proteins, cannot occur. The lack of protein synthesis can underlie a significant neurological deficit in the child.
Fallon’s patent demonstrates that the administration of digestive and pancreatic enzymes produce profound changes in the autistic symptomotology including increases in social interactions, eye contact and speech and reductions in repetitiveactions and hyperactivity. It further demonstrates changes in bowel habits including an increase in bowel control and formed movements.
In the child with ADD and ADHD, the therapy significantly reduces the levels of medication the child is taking and, in many cases, the child no longer needs the medication, based upon observed increases in attention.
“The patent recognizes a deficiency in the children with ADD, ADHD and Autism, and offers a biological solution. Digestive and pancreatic enzymes have been used safely and effectively for children and adults with cysticfibrosis for many years,” said Dr. Fallon, inventor and patent holder. “I intend to continue to refine the use of digestive and pancreatic enzymes for these and other indications. This form of treatment opens new avenues for children and adults with these debilitating conditions.”
Wrong Strategy....
I agree that too many children are being medicated. But I also think that for some, I don’t know the percentage, there is no other viable option, after other alternatives have been explored. Keeping this a board of healthy, respectful exchanges of information is the best way to educate the parents of children who are looking for answers and suggestions. Terrorism type approaches prevent healthy discussion and then parents have lost a valuable tool for gaining insight and information. Keeping people away from this board is anti-productive.
Lori
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
It’s not the questions that you raise that’s the problem….it’s the hostile way in which you seem to do it. Again, this can only be a helpful board to those who are looking for alternatives and help if all sides can participate in a healthy, respectful discussion. Aggresive posting keeps people away and then this board (and others) become a lost tool for many.
Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
I tried to find further information on this therapy. I could find no published research, granted my search from my computer is limited, by Joan Fallon, or on Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy. I did however find out that Dr Fallon is a DC. Just thought that that was important, when I first read the article, I made the assumption that Dr Fallon was an MD researcher, so I figured others may make a similar assumption. If anyone can find links to research regarding this therapy, not just the press release that she was able to get a patent, I’d appreciate it.
Thanks.
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
While I can appreciate your “zeal” against the over-medication of American children, I posted the original article in this thread to be informational. Please do not hijack posts in this manner!
Thank you
Dad
who sits centrally between the pro and anti med factions.
Hostile posts
It is interesting that these “hostile posts” seem to get the most attention, even though they don’t really deserve it. L. Lab also posted an attack on me on another thread. I have asked it to be removed. I think it is best to ignore these posts and report them. Responding in kind (especially the “boing boing” and “aka Ball” type posts) are just as counterproductive as the original attacks. Let’s try to lift the discussion to a higher level! I am actually getting pretty tired of having to make this point. I am sure many people have given up posting here because of the emotional reactivity of the community. I appreciate the respectful efforts to educate L. Lab in polite, civil discourse about a controversial topic. However, I don’t think it will work. I will also be reporting this thread and asking to have the offensive posts removed. I am sorry that Dad’s original, helpful, informational post was hijacked. But it can’t be hijacked unless we respond. I highly recommend that we ignore hostile posts and ask for them to be removed.
–— Steve
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
[quote=”Rawling’s Clone”]Yep Dad and LLAB aka BALL told us where to obtain the enzymes you speak of.
As far as who did the research it shouldn’t matter. If it works that is the entire point but the bashing of alternate treatments here prompted the percieved hyjacking.[/quote]
It certainly does matter who did the research, and more importantly, all that went into the research design. All research can be manipulated, especially when it is passed along only in the form of the press release. There really was no research presented here regarding this therapy, only a press release on the patent. I am still searching for the research. Has anyone been able to find it? That is what I’m interested in.
Re: Hostile posts
[quote=”Steve”] I am sure many people have given up posting here because of the emotional reactivity of the community.
–— Steve[/quote]
I very seldom come to this site anymore but I don’t blame those who react to inflamitory post. I blame the orginal poster(s).
Dad,
I’m sorry your thread was hi-jacked. Your posts are one of the reasons I still come back once in a while.
Barb Bloom
I'd be glad to see the research
Dad wrote:
“If a treatment is safe and effective that is the most important thing.
I wouldn’t worry about a patent on this one because enzymes are not patentable. If the were the drug companies would have patented them and made huge profits. They would patent water if they could.”
Well, this DC has managed to patent pancreatic enzyme therapy, how did that happen then?
“I will find the research and post it just to outrage everybody.[/quote]”
I would love to see the research, it certainly would outrage me. All I have yet to find are press releases stating the obtaining of the patent to treat ADHD and Autism with Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy.
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
[quote=”LLAB”]Here’s a piece of it.
http://www.althealth.co.uk/services/news/article.php?id=390[/quote]
Again, this is not research, it is a press release. What I am looking for is the research she has done that indicates that Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy significantly decreases ADHD symptoms. Of course there is more I’d like to see in the research, but that would be a good place to start.
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
[quote=”LLAB”]Roxie the was a breif explanation in that article so stop being suck a ____.
The other links explain more.
I don’t care who discovered it. If it were the drug companies and it was a cure they would never make it available because those slime balls haven’t come up with a cure for anything.
If you can think of one disease the drug companies have cured please let us know. You can’t because they haven’t. You’d think with all the money they say they spend on research they would have cured something.
I am working on a cure for their greed. I think a giant dose of the truth may cure their ills.
BALL should be praised not ridiculed. PRAISE BALL![/quote]
[i][b]Your post doesn’t even deserve a response for your rather juvenille display of manners. You may not care who does research, or if there is even research to support a treatment for ADHD, but I do. The other links do not explain more. I spent several hours searching Entrez-Pubmed and any where else I could find links to Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy and Chymotrypsin specifically as the identified missing enzyme that requires replacement. Couldn’t find a darn thing that was even remotely related to this therapy designed by Dr Fallon. Only that press release. I did however learn much about the present state of enzyme therapy for cancers, cystic fibrosis, and some gastrointestinal disorders.
Asking for, or seeking out suppportive research is a no-brainer. I can’t even fathom that you would accept a pharm. company at their word and not want to see scientific statistical support for their claims. ADHD isn’t a game for me, or my child. I’m not here to get a perverse thrill. [/i][/u][/b]
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
Roxie you are juvinile. Jst because you can’t find something in a Google search doesn’t mean it doesen’t exist.
This board seems very pro pharma and anti everything else.
The simple truth is big pharma is criminal.
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
[quote=”Al”]Roxie you are juvinile. Jst because you can’t find something in a Google search doesn’t mean it doesen’t exist.
This board seems very pro pharma and anti everything else.
The simple truth is big pharma is criminal.[/quote]
Al, personal attacks are not necessary. Just an FYI, google is NOT where I look for research. There are plenty of medical sites to do that, google is never my first source to find information. If you can locate this research, please feel free to post it. So far no one has been able to do so.
Just another FYI, this board is pro what works for our kids, whether that be meds, alternatives, or behavioral interventions. Try re-reading the threads, it’s clear you had something in your eye the last time. :D
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
“The patent, which will remain in effect until 2019, represents a breakthrough for children with pervasive developmental disorders including ADD, ADHD and Autism.”
$urely, “the patent” repre$ent$ a breakthrough for the per$on who got the patent and no one el$e. Since when did a patent cure anyone?
Dad,
Could you please explain why you posted this? Are we now to run and pester our children’s doctors for pacreatic enzymes? Will you be posting more PR releases (that’s what it was - read the URL) from every Tom, Dick and Harry that comes along with a way of making money off this until we finally get the news that the pinky toenail on the left foot is to blame via the goldmine of the neurotransmittors.
I really love the way this latest snake-oiler tied the pancreatic enzyme lack to a subsequent neurological disorder, causing ADD, ABC, XYZ, ADHD, Autism, etc. That way you get to buy the new snake-oil without changing your core beliefs that childhood is caused by a brain malfunction.
Did you post it because the person got a patent or do you post every dumb “therapy” that comes along?
“Research showed an increase in eye-contact….” How on earth would you objectively measure that?
In the end, have these people no $hame!?
Re: Patent Awarded for Pancreatic Enzyme Therapy
Brian said: Dad, Could you please explain why you posted this?
For informational purposes. Much of the research I conduct concerning the biology of autism crosses over to ADHD and other problems. This press release (and yes I am fully aware of what it is, that is why I posted the actual link) was interesting and I thought that others on this board may wish to keep abreast of what is happening in the field of bio-medical interventions. (By the by, I also post news items which disprove or fail to support bio-medical interventions as well.) I believe that information should be shared to as wide an audience as possible, not ignored or otherwise sequestered.
Brian said: “Research showed an increase in eye-contact….” How on earth would you objectively measure that?
Spoken like someone who has not the first inkling of what it is like to parent a child who has a complex bevavioral problem like autism… I also assume you are not a teacher?
The rest of your “attack” upon this post of mine is too inane to respond to directly. I might suggest that you do one of two things however:
Either begin working with children hands on who have ADHD, Dyslexia or autism so that you can experience for yourself firsthand the challenges these kids have and can discuss them with some degree of knowledge, or if you insist on believing that no company or person should ever enter into a for-profit venture that involves anything more complex than left-handed screwdrivers, move to a country which does not have a market based economy and send us a postcard describing how well you like your new standard of living.
As the mom of a challenging 9 year old with ADD type difficulties, I did read the PR Dad posted. I even printed it and plan to call the Dr. I have had digestive enzymes on my list of things to consider and even discussed them at one point with my son’s allergist. Can’t remember why I didn’t pursue them at the time.
My son is not medicated, although I could easily have done so since he was 5. I have chosen, instead, to try to get to the root of his difficulties with allergy treatments and various therapies. We’ve made progress, for sure, but are not out of the woods by any stretch. I don’t rule out meds, but it will be a last resort. My son has recently told me that he doesn’t like himself much, so I am more open to it than I ever was, although I will pursue other remaining options first.
L.Lab or whoever you are, you would be far more effective presenting your position if you did so with respect. I’m sure there are many others that could benefit from healthy discussion of the issues. But sadly, fewer people will actually hear your viewpoint because they won’t come to this board at all. Is that what you really want to accomplish?