Letters From Parents To FEAT and ARI

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 These are letters to the editor, or to other organizations/persons (think board of directors at FEAT
and more) ... these, and others can also be viewed on enzyme message board.

Note:   First letter provided here is from a doctor who reads the enzyme board.

*******************************************************Date: Sat, 04 May 2002 11:58:29 -
From: "Naomi S" <nscearce@hotmail.com>
Subject: re: feat article

Dear editor,

I don't currently use no-fenol with my child. I do read the enzymesandautism board as I seek to find assistance and knowledge in dealing with his disability.

I wanted to express my disappointment at your article on the No-Fenol product. I felt it had essentially no substantiation, but a lot of speculation. This seems to me something the entire community is seeking to avoid as we search for interventions for our children.

The tone of sour grapes pervaded both comments, which did not serve to support their claims either.

As someone with some science background, I had to comment on the claim that tyrosine is essential to life. It certainly is. But to claim that any  intermittently dosed drug could eliminate tyrosine from the diet is silly.
It is my understanding also that the enzyme in question does not claim to eliminate tyrosine, but to break it down into it's usable forms.

Sour grapes and bad science does nothing to promote understanding.

Naomi S, MD

 **********************************************************************************Sat, 4 May 2002 goodnightstar@aol.com

Dear Editor:

I certainly hope that FEAT solicits an opportunity for response from Houston Labs regarding the use of No-Fenol.

My son is one of the children using No-Fenol. As a child who did not benefit from the CF/GF diet, or Serenaid, or B6/magesium, and pretty much lived on phenols, we are seeing remarkable results for the first time. We have even managed to reduce my sons Zyprexa dose by half with no ill effects.

Yes, we had some hyperactivity issues in the first two weeks. It is now appears to be gone. What I do have is a brighter, more alert, child whose diction and vocabulary is clearly improved, whose lifelong facial rash is gone, and whose "stimming" has all but disappeared." He feels much better, and looks healthy for the first time in his life. His allergic shiners are also gone.

A CBC and Complete Metabolic Panel done two days ago shows none of the multiple "flags" that he's had since his diagnosis at the age of two. I submit this as my data that so far, no harm done. I will continue the blood
work monthly for as long as my doctor feels we should.

His EOS (eosonophil) count and IGE is normal for the first time, also.

I'd be very interested in seeing the clinical data regarding john Pangborn and Dr. Rimland's claims. Because of their blatant ties to Kirkman's, this just seems to smack of "sour grapes" to me.

I'm sorry, I'm not buying it. Show me the data.

And this comes from a parent who has previously remained skeptical of dietary  remedies for autism. Until No-fenol, nothing short of pscyhoactive medications had worked to help my son progress developmentally in spite of
his autism.

Sincerely,

Liane G
***************************************************************************************************************************************Sat,
04 May 2002From: Avril D<lorned@nyc.rr.com>No-fenol not a scam

Dear Editor,

I have read your FEAT article about No-fenol and I am very sad that Devon Houston has been so slandered. I am not some scam artist. I am the mom of a five year boy who has been helped greatly by enzyme therapy. I am
disgusted by Pangborn and Rimland's unfounded allegations that this is some sort of fraudulent trick taking advantage of parents of ASD kids.

My son was a responder to Secretin and gf/cf as well as enzymes. And we are currently chelating him. None of these therapies are respected by mainstream medicine. I'm so angry by what seems a blatant attempt to discredit an honorable man that I will probably boycott Kirkman Labs from now on. I will do so because I can only believe that this is no more than *sour grapes* from certain areas of the autism industry that Devin Houston
has *yet again* produced a better product and skunked his competition.

Lenny, I think you know by now that parents determined to get their children better do a lot of trial and error. What works we stay with, and what doesn't work gets dropped. Houston enzymes have done wonderful things
for my child and I hope you print this and the other dozens of letters that I am sure you will receive on this topic telling you how wrong Pangborn and Rimland are.

Sincerely,

Avril D (mom to Gerry now recovered from autism)


**********************************************Sat, 04 May 2002 From: "ckelley100100"
<ckelley100@comcast.net>
My letter to the FEAT board of directors

I sent this letter to the FEAT organization today:

To Nancy Fellmeth and the Board of Directors at FEAT:

I am writing to voice my concern over the FEAT online newsletter published on Saturday, May 4, 2002 (dated May 5). The editor, Lenny Schafer, distributed what appears to be slanderous material concerning Dr. Devin Houston and his company, Houston Nutraceuticals, Inc. He urges the reader to take Dr. Pangborn and Dr. Rimland's  warnings seriously and refers to the "unseemly underside of this business". The title, "Scientists Warns [sic] `No-Phenol' Digestive Enzymes `Dangerous' Autism Treatment Enzymes, amino acids and phenol in autism" offers a severe admonition to parents. Was the scientist who invented the "No-Phenol" consulted before this warning was posted?

Why was Dr. Houston not contacted before this "expose" as Lenny refers to it, was published? Why was Dr. Pangborn and Dr. Rimland allowed to implicate Dr. Houston as someone not to be trusted, yet Dr. Houston was not allowed to answer the charges by Dr. Pangborn and Dr. Rimland? Is there a relationship between FEAT and the Autism Research Institute that readers should be made aware of? I noticed that Lenny encouraged readers to watch Karyn Seroussi's appearance on the Today show and promoted her book several weeks ago, but would not mention a simple announcement I sent about Dr. Houston appearing on a syndicated radio program. This appears to be showing favoritism to people associated with Kirkman Laboratories, DAN and the Autism
Research Institute. It appears that people helping children with autism that are competitors with those organizations may not be fairly represented by Lenny Schafer. Is this supported by the board of directors at FEAT?

Did the board approve of Lenny Schafer and the newsletter publishing Dr. Pangborn's and Dr. Rimland's statements that use scare tactics to direct parents away from Dr. Houston's products? Did the board at FEAT approve of Lenny Schafer numerous promotions of Karyn Seroussi's appearance on the Today Show and the censorship of an announcement of Dr. Houston appearing on the Danielle Lin radio show? I sent a simple request to announce Dr. Houston's radio appearance today, May 4, but Lenny never responded to me or Dr. Houston.

I noticed that FEAT published research titled "Vitamin B Supplements Exceed Safe Levels: Report", http://www.feat.org/scripts/wa.exe?  A2=ind0201&L=FEATNEWS&P=R4301. FEAT immediately followed the report warning about vitamin B with a response by Dr. Rimland, who promotes vitamin B products on Kirkman Labs site, where he is a consultant.  Why was Dr. Rimland invited to defend the vitamin B warning
immediately following the article, which shows he was notified in advance by Lenny Schafer, yet Dr. Houston was not notified about Dr. Rimland's very negative statements that could cause irreparable harm to his company, Houston Nutraceuticals? Has FEAT published other slanderous statements that the readers may have taken as fact because there was no chance for the person being slandered to respond?

I thought FEAT's goal was for objective reporting for autism, but I do not think that anymore. Will you be letting readers know that you are now publishing gossip and slander? Will readers continue to be made unaware that there may be another side to the story about Dr. Houston's enzymes? How will you make up for the spreading of what appears to be false information? How will FEAT undo that damage to Dr. Houston personally, his company and the children that may have been helped with his enzymes? Does FEAT take full responsibility for turning parents away from the enzymes that helped my child and many other children?

Dr. Pangborn and Dr. Rimland wrote several inconsistencies about enzymes, the discovery of enzymes for autism, and the success parents are reporting with enzymes. I also read inconsistencies about the patenting of SerenAid. These statements were published in FEAT without checking their accuracy. Will FEAT be publishing a clarification?

Will Lenny Schafer continue to be the editor at FEAT and why? Does that mean all articles edited by Lenny Schafer should be read with caution since he endorses slander and participates in it himself? Also, will FEAT continue the practice of promoting Kirkman Labs supported people such as Karyn Seroussi, Dr. Rimland and Dr. Pangborn, while censoring information about Dr. Houston? What other information has Lenny Schafer censored or promoted that misled parents about treatments for autism? I can no longer trust what I
read in the FEAT newsletter. How will you address this?

Cindy K

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