HARVEY KARP: DVD SALESMAN
I struggled with whether or not to write this piece because Harvey Karp-as a completely arrogant asshole with little grasp of the facts- is such a wonderfully appropriate spokesperson for the AAP. I have found that almost every parent I’ve asked who saw him on Larry King Live this week felt he did the other side a profound disservice.
That being said, Mr. Karp’s background to be a “spokesperson” for the AAP deserves some scrutiny -- and is quite murky, much like the AAP’s position on our vaccine schedule and autism in general.
It’s ironic for me that I had actually seen Harvey Karp’s face before he started making these Offit-like appearances on TV recently. Mr. Karp appears on a DVD that he created called “The Happiest Baby on the Block.” It’s a bit of an odd DVD he created about how to get a baby to fall asleep. Basically, you wrap the baby tightly in a blanket, rock them in a very specific way, and make a very loud “shhh!!” noise right in their ear. I’m not kidding, and I defer to any parents for whom this has worked. When my wife and I watched the DVD, we had genuine concern for the lasting effects on a baby of breathing in our baby’s ear at full volume…
Anyway, the irony of seeing Dr. Karp came from something he said on that DVD that always stuck with me. To paraphrase, he said that the first three months of a baby’s life are really like a fourth trimester, given how fragile and needy they remain. At that point, my son had already been diagnosed, we were expecting our third, and I was moved to consider how delicate these infants were. It’s almost inconceivable that the same man who made this helpful insight is defending injecting so many toxins into fragile babies during this “fourth trimester.”
I heard a rumor that Mr. Karp actually hadn’t practiced pediatrics in more than 5 years and I decided to investigate. When you use “the Google”, Mr. Karp’s website for selling his DVD comes up. In his biography it states:
“Dr. Harvey Karp is a nationally renowned pediatrician and child development specialist. He is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the UCLA School of Medicine. Over the past 30 years, he has taught thousands of parents, from working moms to superstars like Madonna, Michelle Pfeiffer and Pierce Brosnan his secrets for making children happy.”
I figured it was very unlikely Mr. Karp would fudge his resume, but in the spirit of “trust but verify” I called the UCLA School of Medicine. As any of you can see for yourself, Mr. Karp’s name is nowhere to be found in their faculty directory. I took it a step further and called the Human Resources department. I talked to a very nice woman who looked through their directory and could find no listing of Mr. Karp.
Later on in Mr. Karp’s bio on his website, it also notes:
“Dr. Karp has committed his full-time efforts to writing, lecturing and education. He now travels extensively across America and around the world lecturing the medical community and the public about how to use his innovative discoveries to help parents successfully meet the needs of their young children.”
So, there you have it in his own words: Mr. Karp is a traveling DVD salesman with a dubious resume claim.
The perfect spokesperson to represent the APP in discussing vaccines and autism? You bet he is.
JB Handley is Co-founder of Generation Rescue and Editor at Large for Age of Autism.
Jacob
This article was written and published more than three and half years ago, which may have given Dr Karp a little time to make corrections.
Posted by: John Stone | October 26, 2011 at 03:50 PM
If you're so concerned about his credentials, you should know better what he claims. On Dr. Karp's website he's listed at the USC School of Medicine, not UCLA. Call them and see what you get.
Posted by: Jacob | October 26, 2011 at 03:04 PM
My comment to Harvey Karp on the Huffington Post web site:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-karp/cracking-the-autism-riddl_b_221202.html?page=5&show_comment_id=26378190#comment_26378190
"My Challenge To Harvey Karp:
"Scan the pages in your medical school textbooks in which vaccine safety/efficacy is mentioned, send those pages to me as jpeg files, and I'll show you, page by page, graph by graph, point by point, how you and your colleagues were lied to.
"Send scanned pages to: director@spontaneouscreation.org
"By sending me the pages, you agree to post them -- with my added comments -- in a follow-up article on vaccine safety and efficacy on the Huffington Post web site.
"I doubt parents of autistic children will put up with excuses such as: "I lost my textbooks." "My textbooks are in storage." "My scanner is broken." "I don't have time," etc.
"As a published authority on vaccine safety and efficacy, you owe it to parents of autistic children, and to parents-to-be, to allow science to be served.
"I am looking forward to your vaccine-referencing medical school textbook pages in my inbox by the end of the week.
"In health,
"Jock Doubleday
"Director
"Natural Woman, Natural Man, Inc.
"A California 501(c)3 Public Benefit Nonprofit Corporation
http://spontaneouscreation.org
director@spontaneouscreation.org "
Posted by: Jock Doubleday | July 01, 2009 at 11:03 AM
OK, here's the poop on Harvey Karp as of 6-11-09 from the horse's mouth:
"Harvey N Karp is in the employee data base with an active, uncompensated appointment - Assistant Clinical Professor - Volunteer, in the department of pediatrics."
Posted by: Carol | June 11, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Harvey Karp is actually promising 3 posts on autism, not 4, so we only have 2 more to look forward to.
He has claimed to be an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA's school of medicine, then later an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. I don't think that's usually how it goes. He also has claimed to be an Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics. All of these are actual titles in Pediatrics and maybe he has been all of these, but I think it's suspicious that on Huffington Post he only claims to be a renowned pediatrician on the faculty of UCLA's school of medicine. (Would that be the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA because that's what they're calling it now.)
A faculty search of the entire school of medicine finds no Harvey Karp, but I suppose he could have opted out of being listed.
Maybe on future blogs he'll give us his exact title, department and division.
Posted by: Carol | June 11, 2009 at 12:01 PM
Karp is promising 4 posts on autism at huffingtonpost.com as of today, June 10, 2009.
In 2006 he touted himself as as Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA:
http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/RESOURCES/earlychildhood/pdf/karpregistration.pdf
Then he started calling himself an Assistant Professor. On HP today he's just claiming to be on the faculty.
Posted by: Carol | June 10, 2009 at 04:03 PM
I actually liked Karp's DVD on how to calm an infant (several friends of mine recommended it to me and have found it useful), but I was shocked with how he acted on Larry King, especially when he asked McCarthy, "What diseases would you like your child to get?"
My wife, mother and I ran into the same propoganda when we went to a pediatrician orientation last night. They encouraged us to only read material from AAP and not go looking on the Internet. Well, it's too late for me. I've done the research, and while I'm not anti-vaccine I will look into an alternate schedule.
One statistic I wish I had mentioned: America is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, but we rank 42nd in infant mortality. Hmmm...
Posted by: Matt Reiner | August 07, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Harry, You are and this was amazing! You truly have a gift. All the best, Sandy
Posted by: Sandy Gottstein | April 10, 2008 at 07:06 PM
Lynda, you forgot to tell everyone you write books with Harvey. LOLOLOL!!!!! GREEN BABIES LOADED WITH MERCURY?
Green Babies, Sage Moms
The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby
Lynda Fassa - Author
Harvey Karp, M.D - Introduction by
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780451222893,00.html
Posted by: LYNDA SELLS BOOKS WITH HARVEY | April 10, 2008 at 02:55 PM
I have spent my entire adult life happily working to advocate for children. I hope to extend the potential for health and wellness of our most vulnerable citizens. I've met many wonderful compatriots along my journey. Harvey Karp is one. Possibly up in my books with greats like Dr. Jane Aronson and Joel Tickner. In my view, if not for the work, advocacy and heartfelt love from Dr. Karp, and the very few people like him, we'd have even fewer kids blossoming into their full potential.
It's great to write an attention grabbing blog (I try to) , and it's equally important to question peoples, perhaps even especially 'experts' opinions ( try and do that, too) , but it's wrong to tar and feather a sincere advocate for children just because you disagree with him and he has an income related to helping parents cope.
Though I may not personally agree with his opinion always, my experience with Dr. Karp, is that his opinion would NEVER be swayed by anything other than what he actually thought. In my view and experience, his ethics are totally unquestionable, and I truly believe, if you met him, and saw him in the presence of a child, you would know the same.
Lynda Fassa
Posted by: lynda Fassa | April 10, 2008 at 02:35 PM
Jay Gordon-
I am a rescue angel.
My husband and I field weekly calls from parents of newly diagnosed children who are getting NO answers from their pediatricians.
If we do not refute the talking heads, another child falls.
Many of these MDs have lucrative careers as spokes models.
Dr. Paul Offit("Mercury quickly leaves the body.")owns the patent on a Roto-virus vaccine and had his book underwritten by Merck.
Dr. Peter Hortez ("My daughter's Autism had absolutely nothing to do with vaccines" - at a closed door CDC press conference a day before parents rally in Washington DC.)Oversees an 18 million dollar hookworm vaccine program!
The queen mother of these medical impostors spoke at the CDC a year ago.
He was an MD that was also paid on the Pharmaceutical speakers circuit.
He announced to the CDC Vaccine advisory committee that Thimerosal (49% Mercury) was perfectly safe, in fact, even beneficial, based on scientific studies. Never mentioning one toxicology study to prove his point.
We must identify these profiteers as impostors! Plain and simple.
Dr.David Tayloe has a vaccine related lawsuit filed against his practice.
For God's sake!
What is disturbing to me is that my husband and I have been helping parents of children newly diagnosed for years.
The pediatricians are still not pointing them to therapy, biomedical or dietary intervention proven to improve children. In fact, the AAP's web page clearly says not to investigate the metabolic issues that are treatable and proven to help Autistic children.
Parents are saying the same thing year after year:
I vaccinated him sick because the doctor said "better not skip any".
My pediatrician told me to fully vaccinate or leave the practice.
He got double shots to catch up.
If you don't fully vaccinate your child can't go to school.(complete falsehood)
We had a _________(fill in the blank with seizure,fever,rash)and the doctor said it was completely unrelated to the vaccine my child just got.
The doctor said that the best we can hope for is an institution or group home.
Autism is a big unknown, genetic mystery.
There has been NO REFORM.
The exact same epidemic that we faced 5 years ago with our son, exists today. The non-answers, the crazy parent innuendo, the "no hope" message still rages on.
Despite the fact that children are recovering and drastically improving through biomedical intervention.
Including my once non-verbal son.
We cannot even get the CDC to take REASONABLE PRECAUTIONS and state a "preference" for non-toxic, Thimerosal Free vaccines.
They won't even give preference for safe vaccines.
They do not PREFER reasonable precaution over a toxic substances in babies.
ACIP meeting after ACIP meeting, despite gobbs of science presented to them by at least 3 doctors and one nurse practitioner of affected children, along with scores of parents with lab reports only falls on deaf ears.
We are the vaccine consumers crying out.
The people who bought in wholesale to the bloated, toxic, highly profitable, government mandated, schedule.
NO ONE ANSWERS OUR "3AM call"!!!!
Instead, high paid Sean Penn looking, swarmy MD consultants are collecting book and TV royalties keeping vaccine producers nose clean.
While yet another sobbing mother calls me on the phone looking for answers.
Enough already.
If I say my Firestone tires blew up and rolled my SUV, Congress has hearings. If I say my child developed Autism immediately following a vaccine I am silenced or deemed an anti-vaccine nut case.
You cannot be "anti-vaccine" and get your child vaccinated.
These doctors are thwarting the voice of their patients and consumers.
They have no shame in selling their souls out for the almighty dollar.
Even if 1:150 children waste away on their glossy talking points.
They are not worthy of the title physician.
Posted by: KarenITS3AMANDI'VE GOT A BUSY SIGNAL | April 07, 2008 at 10:10 AM
From the Scientific American Blog:
When the medical cavalry finally did get called in, Harvey Karp, a pediatrician and professor at the UCLA School of Medicine and author of The Happiest Baby on the Block, lost it in the face of McCarthy's pointed questions. An exchange: McCarthy pointed to a chart of the 36 children’s vaccines and asked, "Do we really need all of these, though?" Karp: "Which disease do you want your child to get?" (See minute 9 of YouTube clip.)
That wasn’t helpful. Sure, McCarthy was badgering him, but Dr. Karp's comment does a disservice to him and all the scientists and doctors who agree with him. It gives ammunition to those who would portray scientists as unfeeling slaves to data with no ability to empathize. I’m pretty certain talking down to someone isn't going to help promote the scientific evidence. Isn’t it just going to make a television audience more sympathetic to McCarthy's claims?
Posted by: Karvey Harp | April 06, 2008 at 12:53 AM
i get your point, dr. gordon, but let's just keep in simple. jenny got attention for her passion on LKL for saying BS and JB will get attention for pointing out Krap's crap. We have suffered enough. We have no patience for reserve anymore. The time has come. The gloves are off. One more kid falls, and it's our fault. We will go after them with everything we have. There's nothing we won't do. Bob Wright may not go to jail to save our kids (NBC is owned by GE, GE has owned (or does own) a thimerosal plant). So if he breaks contract to compromise his stockholders to tell the truth he is facing jail time. He won't go there, but the rest of us would lose an arm, a leg, our life to save these kids. No one is safe. Not even ourselves.
Posted by: kim | April 06, 2008 at 12:52 AM
Thank you, Dr. Gordon, for that well-spoken, gentle reminder.....
Posted by: Sandy Gottstein | April 05, 2008 at 03:08 PM
Watching Larry King I thought, Dr. Karp... more like Dr. Krap if you ask me...
Posted by: Jan | April 05, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Hi--
While I disagree with Harvey's ideas about vaccines and baby sleep and more, I don't think that ad hominem attacks further our cause. Like you, I was disappointed that he and Dr.Tayloe spoke as they did on that TV show but I understand the consequences of the AAP and it's spokespeople acknowledging vaccine injury officially. Their wall is crumbling. I think that our assault should be on the facts rather than on the figureheads like Drs. Tayloe and Karp.
Best Wishes,
Jay Gordon
Posted by: Jay Gordon | April 05, 2008 at 12:29 PM
JB,
This just shows you the only kind of "doctor" in this heated controversy still willing to risk his reputation sticking up for
their insane vaccine schedule. He sounds like the ideal snake oil salesman.
Anne Dachel
Media Editor
Posted by: Anne Dachel | April 05, 2008 at 09:40 AM
Interestingly, and sadly, Karp had and still has a sterling reputation as one of the VERY BEST pediatricians in our area (Santa Monica/West Los Angeles), although I so think he's at least semi-retired (thank goodness). A co-worker, who knows my son has autism and is aware of the vaccine implications, told me this week, "Our son's pedicatrician, Dr. Harvey Karp, is going to be on Larry King talking about autism tonight! He's great. You should watch." I explained that Karp is an anti-parent, pro-drug company guy who's still spewing the party line, and he could not believe it. His response, "Not Dr. Karp! He's very enlightened. I'm sure you're thinking of someone else..." I suggested to my coworker that he watch Larry King that night, too. He was sorely surprised to see his wonderful doc on the WRONG side of this issue. I've seen over and over again that even the so-called "enlightened" pediatricians can not bear to accept/admit that they've been poisoning children for -- in cases like Karp's -- over 40 years. Their cowardice is putting countless children at risk every day, every hour. As usual, it's up to the parents and families to remain vigilant...thanks for listening to my rant!
Posted by: Clara | April 04, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Where do you get these great pictures to go along with the articles? They are a riot!
Posted by: AnneS | April 04, 2008 at 09:37 PM
I've been telling my husband for months that Karp gives me the creeps. There's just something about him... as if I expect the top of his head to open up to reveal a tiny alien at the helm.
Posted by: Jeanne | April 04, 2008 at 09:35 PM
As of Nov. 2007, he appeared in the newsletter of the David Geffen Medical School at UCLA:
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-headlines-november-8-2007-40258.aspx
"Dr. Harvey Karp
Karp, assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, is quoted today in a Calgary Herald column about methods for calming crying infants."
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-headlines-november-13-2007-40316.aspx
"Harvey Karp
Karp, assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was quoted Monday in a New York Newsday column about getting noncompliant children into car seats and strollers."
Posted by: Richard S | April 04, 2008 at 07:17 PM
Reading this reminds me of the play I was in back in college.... "Death of a Salesman" Dr. Harvey Karp is Willy Lowman. Tragic, but in reality most people live in an imaginary world.
Posted by: Elucidatus | April 04, 2008 at 06:52 PM
As the mother of a 19 year old who I believe suffered brain damage after her first DPT vaccination I rejoice in the attention being given this disaster and the strength of the voices finally speaking out. I remember reading "A shot in the dark" and telling anyone who would listen that the vaccine started it all. There are so many children, and so much loss. I've book marked this site, and I'll be back
Posted by: Susan | April 04, 2008 at 06:37 PM
Mr. Karp is a traveling DVD salesman with a dubious resume claim and Mr Taloe's father's negligence was responsible for a multi million dollar award being given to a vaccine injured child.
These are the ones you want to put forth as your representatives on a national TV program on autism?
Is this the best that the other side has to offer?
This would be comical if the lives of children did not hang in the balance.
Posted by: Richard | April 04, 2008 at 05:17 PM
ROTFL. Oh yeah, we heard about Karp's "technique" and I have this report to make about it: it doesn't work on one year olds who can't sleep because a round of massive vaccinations just damaged global brain functions. But then again, in our desperation, we only whispered the "shhh". We never bought the DVD and didn't know we were supposed to hiss at a pitch which would burst eardrums, so maybe we just didn't do it right.
Incidentally, no one in the house got more than four hours sleep at a stretch for the next two years, not until we got the kids on GF/CF. Any mention of that in Karp's video?
Posted by: Gatogorra | April 04, 2008 at 04:47 PM
Yes... Priceless! Has anyone notified Larry King of this? :) As Karp was introduced as such on Wednesday night.
Posted by: Angela Warner | April 04, 2008 at 04:30 PM
"So, there you have it in his own words: Mr. Karp is a traveling DVD salesman with a dubious resume claim."
Why am I not surprised? It DOES take a liar and a cheat to be able to get on a national TV show and lie like they do. These folks seem to be specially hand-picked to do this job. And they do it well. Smooth as butter the words come rolling out of their mouths.
No right person with honesty and integrity would be able to pull off a scam like that. I am guessing there are many doctors with integrity who have been silenced for wanting to speak the truth. Because its out there. As more kids get injured, the vaccine link becomes more and more apparent.
http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20080214.htm
The time to do the right thing is fast running out.
Posted by: Liars ahoy! | April 04, 2008 at 04:23 PM
Oh, that is priceless! I wonder how many Traveling Karp jokes we can all come up with?
Posted by: Craig Willoughby | April 04, 2008 at 04:02 PM
You are GREAT, JB. Thanks for that.
Posted by: Sandy Gottstein | April 04, 2008 at 03:30 PM