Underground Community of Parents Allegedly Concocted Potion to Cure Autism Using Bleach

An underground communtiy of parents allegedly believes industrial bleach cure kids with autism.

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Complex Original

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This probably isn't FDA-approved, but a group of parents out of Southern California seem to think they have discovered the "miracle cure" for autism using bleach as the main ingredient. 

Eyewitness News and ABC News embarked on a year-long investigation into the "miracle cure" that was secretly being served to young children and elderly people diagnosed with autism. The homemade remedy is reportedly nothing more than industrial bleach, according to medical experts, but the parents of the small group swear by its healing powers.

Kerri Rivera, reportedly an avid believer in the miracle drug, suggests autism is caused by parasites and can be eliminated by way of the chlorine dioxide or MMS that is found in the bleach. "Autism is curable," Rivera said. "I believe the missing piece of the puzzle to autism recovery is chlorine dioxide." 

For $100, Rivera consults parents with autistic children for one hour about how to cure their child. She usually instructs them to give their children increasing doses of chlorine dioxide orally or by enema (a rectal injection) up to multiple times a day. 

And as expected, people have actually died from this purported cure. Complaints by some former believers to the FDA reported fatal or life-threatening reactions, according to ABC News. But Dr. Paul Wang, a pediatrician and senior vice president of Autism Speaks, says this doesn't come as much of a shock because bleach is a poison. "No, parasites do not cause autism," Wang said. "[Rivera] says that MMS is not a bleach, but it is. And frankly, it's a poison. It should not be given to anybody with autism or cancer or diabetes or any other condition that they claim it can treat." 

But despite the clear dangers and warning signs, there is a growing number of parents who are actually still medicating their children with spoon-fulls of bleach. There is reportedly an underground community of parents who continue to share their stories along with photos and videos of their children supposedly "getting better." One private group, "CD Autism," has its own Facebook page that welcomes more than 7,000 members in Southern California to join in the movement.

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