A doctor with a troubling record

Many doctors get sued for malpractice. Some good doctors even get sued more than once. However, there are some bad doctors out there, physicians who should be denied the privilege (it is not a right) of practicing medicine. This morning's Chicago Tribune exposes one such doctor, Mayer Eisenstein. I am quite familiar with this character as I sued him many years ago for pediatric malpractice. We alleged that Dr. Eisenstein and another physician in his group failed to take action in response to a baby whose head was growing in circumference at an unusual and alarming rate. They documented the disturbing growth, and we felt that they should have seen that it was literally off the charts. We alleged that because they did nothing, the child experienced a severe seizure. She ended up with profound and permanent brain damage. The pediatric expert that I hired to review the medical records was astounded by what he saw. He could not believe that any licensed physician could ignore such profound growth. Tragically too, the treatment to relieve the pressure in the child's head would have been simple and would have prevented the unfortunate outcome that befell her.

We sued Dr. Eisenstein and his group only to find that he had no medical malpractice insurance. It was a situation in which the family needed millions to take care of their daughter for the rest of her life, yet there would be no way for them to be adequately compensated. Dr. Eisenstein would never have to answer the charges against him in a court of law. It was one of the most unfortunate circumstances that I have come across in my career. I often think of that little girl, even today, some 10 years since I took on that case.

Thank you Chicago Tribune for exposing this doctor. Hopefully, today's reporting will warn other families away from Dr. Eisenstein and those of his ilk.

Lupron: Autism Cure or False Hope?

There will always be snake oil salesmen, hucksters looking to separate you from your money in exchange for the drug to cure whatever ails you. Sometimes such folks offer a harmless though ineffective remedy for a mild problem. Sadly, however, on other occasions real doctors offer false hope that can be dangerous and heartbreaking. The Chicago Tribune is reporting this morning about a some doctors who are proposing treatment of autism with a drug called Lupron. There is an untested, unproved theory floating around that autism may be linked to testosterone. Lupron is a drug that has been used to chemically castrate sex offenders. "Children with autism have too much of the hormone, according to the theory, and . . . Lupron can fix that," says the Tribune story. The problem is that this theory is pure quackery. The Tribune noted, "Four of the world's top pediatric endocrinologists told the Tribune that the Lupron protocol is baseless, supported only by junk science. More than two dozen prominent endocrinologists dismissed the treatment earlier this year in a paper published online by the journal Pediatrics."

In the Chicago area patients can apparently get the "treatment" though a family doctor named Mayer Eisenstein, M.D. According to the Tribune story, Dr. Eisenstein has had no experience treating autistic children. He is a physician who runs Homefirst Health Services, which advocates home birth. He has been sued numerous times for alleged medical malpractice. He has been known in the past to practice without any medical malpractice insurance of any kind. One has to wonder what kind of physician practices without malpractice insurance.

Hope is a terrible thing to prey upon. There is no cure for autism. For parents of autistic children the desire to help, to find a cure is undoubtedly strong. For physicians to exploit the vulnerability of hopeful parents and their autistic children is profoundly troubling. The lesson, of course, for parents and patients: Do your homework. Remember the old adage that if it seems too good to be true it probably is. Use the resources available on the internet to research treatments for autism or any other ailment, condition or disease. Though it can be painfully hard, lead with your head and not your heart. Be skeptical, smart and thorough.

Click here to view the American Academy of Pediatrics autism web page.