Although there is certainly room for empiricism in medical practice, it needs to be balanced by a healthy skepticism until confirmatory studies are done. Only a few have serendipitously held up over time. But this is an exception. Some of us are, in part, theoretical biologists. It also opens up the possibilty of exploitation.
Families are desperate, vulnerable, hoping against hope.
The promise of a quick cure belies the complexity of the mind-brain entity and of the subtle neuropathology of autism. That it gives them hope. However, this only serves to perpetuate denial and keep parents from coming to terms with the reality that there is no quick cure for autism. Some parents react by distrusting medical science. However, although any interaction is better than none at all, a family system can become unhinged by the daily stress.