Finished Feast for Crows, decided to take a break from GRRM for at least a book. Started NeuroTribes a book on the history of autism.

There's a personal account in there of some CAM abuse local to where I grew up. The family interviewed in the chapter talks about seeing a provider who referred them to his (unbenownst to them) wife for behavioral therapy. After rounds upon rounds of diet changes, probiotics, and pills and injections of various supplements, the parents grew a bit suspicious.

They finally quit just before starting another round of chelation therapy when they realized that their son was being recommended chelation when his mercury levels were high (indicating "heavy metal toxicity") as well as when they were low (indicating "poor clearance of heavy metals"). When they finally asked if any measurement wouldn't result in more chelation, the doctor told them flat out "no", so they left, leaving behind thousands of dollars of money wasted on therapies. And on top of that, they were accused of "giving up" on their son by fellow parents on communal forums.

It made me sad to read all that, seeing a clear example of a provider taking advantage of parents in a shitty situation. But I never realized the pressure from parents of autistic children to "fix their kids" by any means necessary.