Autistic History: Jeff Bradstreet

Jeff Bradstreet was an alternative medicine doctor who lived from 1954-2015. He was an American who was a former preacher. He ran the International Child Development Resource Center in Melbourne, Florida. He also ran a medical practice in Buford, Georgia and Arizona. He practice homeopathy at those practices. He also founded Good News Doctor Foundation where his goal was to combine christian beliefs with his medical practice.

Bradstreet obtained his Florida Medical Licence in 1984. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of South Florida in 1976. He went onto medical school at the same institution three years later. He focused on aerospace medicine. He received his training from WIlford Hall Medical Center.

Why Bradstreet was Problematic

He published autism research, where he claimed that vaccines cause autism. He did so in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. This is not indexed by PubMed. His research claimed that autistic children had a higher level of mercury and that three children had measles RNA in their cerobrospinal fluid. The Institute of Medicine rejected any relationship between vaccines and autism. 

Bradstreet treated an autistic child by the name of Colten Snyder with chelation therapy. He said that it will remove mercury from the child's body. The hair, blood and urine tests failed to show any abnormal levels of mercury. This child visited Bradstreet's office 160 times in 8 years. 

Stephen Barrett stated, "It appears to me that Bradstreet decides which of his nonstandard theories to apply and records diagnosis that embodies them." He describes Bradstreet's mercury theory as "phony."

Peter Hotez (post coming later) characterized Bradstreet's proposal to treat autism with chelation therapy as dangerous. 

When interviewed by the Chicago Tribune, Bradstreet defended the use of intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin as an autism treatment. He said,"Every kid with autism should have a trial of IVIG if money was not an option and IVIG was abundant."

He published research about the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for autism. It was concluded as ineffective. He also published a paper arguing that autistic children have an increased risk of oxidative stress.

Other treatments used were GcMaf. He claimed to have treated 600 children. He also endorsed stem cell therapy as an autism treatment.

When he was the subject of a GcMaf raid, he committed suicide. His body was found with a bullet to the chest. Friends and families blamed drug corporations and the FDA. Everyone else they blamed but Bradstreet himself. His patients did not even believe he killed himself.

It was ruled a suicide by the local sheriff. Bradstreet's family raised $33,000 online for "an exhaustive investigation into the possibility of foul play."

Since his death, the conspiracy theories fell apart and there was evidence linking Bradstreet to his online industry in unapproved quackery.

Sources:

1.  Allison, Wes (14 May 2000). "Secretin: miracle drug or a quack remedy?". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
2. ^ Allen, Arthur (1 April 2009). "Treating Autism as if Vaccines Caused It". Slate. Slate.com. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
3. ^ "In Memory of Jeff Bradstreet". CECIL M. BURTON FUNERAL HOME & CREMATORY. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
4. ^ Jump up to:^a b c Alastair Jamieson. "Anti-Vaccine Doctor Jeff Bradstreet Dead in Apparent Suicide". NBC News. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
5. ^ ""Autism Specialist"Blasted by Omnibus Special Master". Quackwatch. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
6. ^ Jump up to:^a b Michael E. Miller (June 29, 2015). "Anti-vaccine doctor behind 'dangerous' autism therapy found dead. Family cries foul". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
7. ^ Fitzpatrick, Michael (2008-10-27). Defeating Autism: A Damaging Delusion. Routledge. p. 61. ISBN 9781134058983.
8. ^ Jeff Bradstreet Curriculum Vitae
9. ^ Bradstreet, Jeff (Summer 2003). "A Case-Control Study of Mercury Burden in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders" (PDF). Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. 8 (3): 76–79.
10. ^ Bradstreet, JJ; Dahr, JE (2004). "Detection of Measles Virus Genomic RNA in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Three Children with Regressive Autism: a Report of Three Cases" (PDF). Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. 9 (2): 38–45. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
11. ^ Immunization Safety Review. Institute of Medicine. 2004. p. 182.
12. ^ Jump up to:^a b Barrett, Stephen (15 March 2009). ""Autism Specialist" Blasted by Omnibus Special Master". Quackwatch. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
13. ^ Offit, Paul (2011). Deadly Choices. Basic Books. pp. 102. Retrieved 28 August 2013. jeff bradstreet.
14. ^ Tsouderos, Trine; Callahan, Patricia (23 November 2009). "Autism treatment: Science hijacked to support alternative therapies". Chicago Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
15. ^ Rossignol, D. A.; Bradstreet, J. J.; Van Dyke, K.; Schneider, C.; Freedenfeld, S. H.; O'Hara, N.; Cave, S.; Buckley, J. A.; Mumper, E. A.; Frye, R. E. (2012). "Hyperbaric oxygen treatment in autism spectrum disorders". Medical Gas Research. 2 (1): 16. doi:10.1186/2045-9912-2-16. PMC 3472266. PMID 22703610.
16. ^ Granpeesheh, D.; Tarbox, J.; Dixon, D. R.; Wilke, A. E.; Allen, M. S.; Bradstreet, J. J. (2010). "Randomized trial of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for children with autism". Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 4 (2): 268. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2009.09.014.
17. ^ James, S. J.; Melnyk, S.; Jernigan, S.; Cleves, M. A.; Halsted, C. H.; Wong, D. H.; Cutler, P.; Bock, K.; Boris, M.; Bradstreet, J. J.; Baker, S. M.; Gaylor, D. W. (2006). "Metabolic endophenotype and related genotypes are associated with oxidative stress in children with autism". American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B. 141B (8): 947. doi:10.1002/ajmg.b.30366. PMC 2610366. PMID 16917939.
18. ^ "GcMAF – the beginning of the end for autism". PRWeb. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
19. ^ "Stem cells and autism: one year later" (PDF). Autism Science Digest. Autism One. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
20. ^ Joshua Sharpe (June 26, 2015). "Controversial autism researcher, Jeff Bradstreet, is found dead after FDA raid in Buford, authorities say". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved June 27, 2015. BUFORD — Dr. Jeff Bradstreet, an autism researcher hailed as a hero by some, dismissed as a fringe conspiracy theorist by others, is believed to have committed suicide following a visit to his Buford office by federal agents, authorities confirmed Thursday, however, there is no proof at this time. Multiple law enforcement officials said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration searched Bradstreet Wellness Center last week.
21. ^ Heather Carpenter (23 June 2015). "Body located in Rocky Broad River in Chimney Rock identified". FOX Carolina. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
22. ^ Miller, Michael E. (July 16, 2015). "The mysterious death of a doctor who peddled autism 'cures' to thousands". Washington Post. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
23. ^ Olmsted, Dan (28 June 2005). "The Age of Autism: Homeschooled". UPI. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
24. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/16/the-mysterious-death-of-a-doctor-who-peddled-autism-cures-to-thousands/?outputType=amp