Cool Springs Family Medicine in Franklin, Tennessee is one of those places that embraces “integrative” medicine, a buzzword that refers to care that goes beyond medicine… to things like alternative medicine and other sham treatments. At worst, you’d think that’s just a waste of time and money.

But this particular clinic just went from not-helpful to downright dangerous.

The staff announced this week that they would no longer administer vaccines to patients because — and I’m quoting here — “they can cause Autism.”

Says Dr. Daniel Kalb:

… yes, I’ve had 15 years’ experience in taking care of ASD kids, that’s a lot of vaccine injury stories from moms. Don’t tell me that they are making it up or they are just reaching for an explanation, or that it was a coincidence or that they are just too stressed, or that they are uninformed. All of those arguments are stupid.

As someone who’s not a doctor, I still feel perfectly qualified to tell Kalb, MD, MPH, FAAFP that he needs to STFU.

Yes, these mothers are desperate for an explanation for why their children are acting in certain ways. Vaccines — which they don’t understand — are perfect scapegoats. What we need are professionals to set them straight, not doctors who think Jenny McCarthy knows more about this issue that the entire 64,000-member-strong American Academy of Pediatrics, which said just last year:

Claims that vaccines are linked to autism, or are unsafe when administered according to the recommended schedule, have been disproven by a robust body of medical literature. It is dangerous to public health to suggest otherwise.

Where is Kalb getting this misinformation? As you might have guessed, from long-discredited researcher Andrew Wakefield.

Dr. Andew [sic] Wakefield’s research was properly defended and vindicated 4 years ago. The Lancet paper stands: There is a link between the MMR vaccine and Autism.

That paper was retracted by the Lancet in 2010. There’s no “vindication” at all. Wakefield is rightfully seen by the medical community as a fraud.

Kalb has several other points, but they’re full of the same bullshit claims that no decent doctor who knows how to read would ever sign off on.

What’s scary are all the parents praising him for his “courage.” That makes as much sense as throwing your kids on the train tracks, then thanking the conductor for never hitting the brakes. All of those irresponsible parents are putting their kids in harm’s way — and the one person who’s supposed to tell them they’re wrong is too busy mixing the Kool-Aid.

As one Facebook commenter said so eloquently, it’s disturbing that a physician would take advantage of the “over-Googled and under-educated.”

This clinic already treats pediatric ailments with “a variety of herbal remedies, homeopathic remedies, and essential oils.” But for those parents who aren’t satisfied with that level of hogwash, now they don’t have to get vaccinations either.

I guess, if nothing else, you can give the clinic the rating you think it deserves on Facebook. I’ve already alerted the Tennessee Department of Health.

Good luck to the people of Franklin, where it won’t be long before we see outbreaks of diseases that should’ve been eradicated.

(Image via Shutterstock)



