Pfeiffer Treatment Center

[AustinsMom]

Has anyone used the Pfeiffer Treatment Center and what did you think of it? Lisle, I noticed that you referenced it in you response on the metal toxicity so was curious if you had used it and your opinion. I have been looking at them to see if we would want to go there, so any input would be helpful.

[catatonic]

I have not used this, but I have heard about it. Pfeiffer Treatment Center is affiliated with the Health Research Institute in Naperville, Illinois. Quackwatch calls both "questionable" organizations. But they say the same thing about the Feingold Diet, so what do they know?

Anyway, the Health Research Institute has received quite a bit of publicity lately because of the study they did on a lock of Beethoven's hair showing that he had suffered from lead poisoning. It's kind of interesting, if you want to take a look at it. www.er.doe.gov/Science_News/featurs_articles_2000/beethoven/Beethoven.htm

The Pfeiffer Treatment Center, unlike many of the "clinics" that deal in chelation, is NOT under lawsuit by a long string of disgruntled patients. They appear to be well-regarded. They also have a website at www.hriptc.org/

As with any other form of alternative treatment, there is lots of disagreement over whether it works or not, over whether the science behind it is good or not, etc. These folks do not appear to be scam artists (which is not the same thing as saying their treatment works). Keep in mind that heavy metal toxicity is not particularly common. Here are some figures on blood lead levels: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14532866&dopt=Abstract

They are expensive, generally insurance will not cover evaluation and treatment there, so you will be taking a financial risk. However, their treatments represent a very low risk of doing any damage in the process, so it might be worth it.

I'd recommend getting your pediatrician to order some blood work first. My son had a lead screening done, as well as a comprehensive metabolic panel which measures blood mineral levels. That way you'd have a baseline and a reference to refer to -- and insurance WILL cover that one.

[lisle]

Hi,
I agree with everything Catatonic said about Pfeiffer. We have been going to them since 2001 after not being able to find any medications suitable for my son. They are a very sincere group of people, not quacks in the sense of rip off artists, but it depends on if you are willing to accept an alternative medical explanation for the behavioral issues your child is having. I don't accept everything they tell me, honestly. Insurance companies consider them too "experimental" to pay for in my experience. That makes me mad since they do a lot of the same work my pediatrician does in the lab. On the down side, it can be costly, as I feel like we have too many supplements I never used in the closet --but that is because they are so earnest they will never stop trying to help if one thing doesn't work. They try very hard to get to the bottom of the problem, and I have to admit I haven't always been willing to restrict my child as much as they are convinced he needs to be restricted in diet.
Also, the number of pills can be overwhelming to my child, primarily for self-esteem. His friends don't take eight vitamins in the morning and evening. It's a lot easier on them if they only have to pop one pill from a psychiatrist. However, that's not an option for us. They have a very different way of looking at things at Pfeiffer.
I read Pfeiffer's books and though they are dated, they are amazing. The current center builds on his early theories. I still have my doubts about the metals thing.
Blood tests is not what they do directly for the metals.
They are the kind of place that does an incredible amount of blood work, urine work, and hair analysis and looks at all sorts or interactions in the results. Over the past 30+ years they have put together that certain results, not accepted by my pediatrician, I might add, link to certain behavior disorders. All I can say is that four months after my son started the vitamins, he was no longer aggressive towards me. That's a big thing. Unfortunately they haven't yet solved the adhd problems that so impair his functioning at school, but I have spoken to people on the phone who did have good results with that. They say my son has a big metals problem and a big absorption problem so those are what we are working on in addition to the others now. Most of what he takes has no side effects. A few things we tried made him agitated. So we stopped them. They are very responsive to phone calls once you are their patient and they don't charge extra for them (you speak to a nurse who is specially trained). Anyway, I think they are legit; I don't know if they will help your son. In the initial application they say they won't take you as a case unless they think they can help. I think they are sincere about this as well.
I read the quackbusters site also, and it is their treatment of autism and schizophrenia that they are complaining about. Pfeiffer doesn't at all object to medication; they believe supplements can go along with that and also that some people who have high histamine or a condition they refer to as pyroluria are diagnosed with these conditions when they have a chemical imbalance that can be corrected with supplements. For autism they work a lot with supplements and looking at the metals and diet. Usually those people haven't responded to the traditional treatments. However, some are using them with the supplements. Their point is that it is all very individual and pinpointing what supplements your particular body needs will help you balance your chemistry better than just taking a one size fits all vitamin regimen. I wish we could all afford to go there personally. I would love to do it.
lisle

[AustinsMom]

Thanks to both of you for the replies. We are considering going because we do feel that Austin has issues that can't be addressed just with meds. We know his body is not absorbing all of the nutrients it takes in, we know he is retaining toxic metals, and we have seen that supplements do benefit him. We have tried a multitude of things, but it feels like we are trying the shotgun approach--try everything to see if helps. It would be nice to have information on exactly what his needs are and use just those supplements. He takes a handful of vitamins several times a day anyway, and he is ok with that. He, luckily, can swallow 3 or 4 at a time and its not a big issue with him, unless he is feeling particurarly oppositional and just wants to take a stand against us. But we don't see that very often.

I am not concerned about the quackbuster opinion. As an OT, I am pretty indignant that they list Sensory Integration therapy. Some of the things that have made a huge difference with Austin (like EPD allergy treatment) are listed there. So I take everything they say with a grain of salt anyway.

If we were just dealing with ADHD, I would say our life is very manageable. But since he has a pretty significant learning disability that results in him absolutely hating homework, reading, etc., our major battlegrounds are related to that. We have done a ton of remediation that has had a significant impact. But as we struggle through second grade, I look ahead and see years of struggling before us. So our approach is that we will consider anything that has potential. We don't love the cost, but view it as an investment in him. Both my husband and are are from medical backgrounds which are somewhat research oriented, but we find that we can suspend disbelief and approach something and give it a fair chance. In doing that we have found somethings that work--like the EPD treatment, and some things that seemed promising at one time but didn't live up to the hype--like glyconutritional supplements.

So I have been in contact with Pfeiffer and we are probably going to set up an appointment. We live in an adjoining state, so the distance is not prohibitive. I'll let you know how things go.

[catatonic]

Austinsmom -
Make sure to keep us all posted on your visit and your results. You're absolutely right that sometimes you need to suspend disbelief and try something out of the mainstream -- as long as it doesn't have the potential to do collateral damage, of course.

You're also correct on taking the Quack Watch evaluation with a grain of salt. While they provide a good service (particularly their listings of lawsuits associated with some of the quack treatments) they're not always right. Still, I read them regularly so that I know what questions are being raised about particular treatments and then I follow up those questions so that I can answer them in my own mind.

Watch out for the lab tests. This is a huge area of consumer complaint for clinics like Pfeiffer. (I can't say it is or isn't for Pfeiffer, because I don't know specifically.) Just be careful. There is no insurance oversight, since treatment is considered "unproven" and not covered. There is no oversight by any regulatory body or medical organization. There is only oversight by consumers like you who have medical knowledge and are capable of asking informed questions as to the necessity of various tests.

Good luck and let us know what happens.