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Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) provides general information of interest to the autism community. The information comes from a variety of sources and TACA does not independently verify any of it. The views expressed herein are not necessarily TACA’s. TACA does not engage in lobbying or other political activities.

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TACA E-Newsletter

July 2010 #1

Here is your update on TACA (Talk About Curing Autism). If you are new to our site... WELCOME! This newsletter is produced two to four times each month.

We are an autism education and support group. We want to make this e-newsletter informative for you. As always, contact us your thoughts and/or questions so we can improve it.

We focus on parent information and support, parent mentoring, dietary intervention, the latest in medical research, special education law, reviews of the latest treatments, and many other topics relating to autism. Our main goal is to build our community so we can connect, share and support each other.

Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) provides general information of interest to the autism community. The information comes from a variety of sources and TACA does not independently verify any of it. The views expressed herein are not necessarily TACA’s.

1. Find a TACA Meeting

Come to a TACA Meeting!

TACA holds monthly meetings in many locations throughout the United States that feature educational speakers on important topics and allow family members to connect with one another and stay on top of the latest information in the autism world. Each TACA group maintains a resource library of the latest autism books, CDs and DVDs that can be checked out by members at no charge.

Check out our group listings: each contains information on TACA meetings and special events as well as a contact form.

Are you wondering what happens at a TACA meeting? Watch our video.

2. Join Us for Coffee Talk!

Come and receive some extra support or to
chat all topics related to autism and meet
other TACA families at these informal,
monthly get-togethers.

  

3. Autism Journey Seminars

Orange County, CA: Saturday, September 25, 2010, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

After receiving the diagnosis of autism for a beloved child (or children), parents typically struggle as they search through various resources to locate information needed to help their child the fastest. The goal of the one-day Autism Journey Seminar is to provide parents and caretakers the “jump start” they need at the beginning of their journey from parents who have “been there, done that.” In addition to sage advice, parents who attend will receive: an overview of beginning therapies and biomedical intervention, where to go for what information, and recommended first steps. The seminar will be given by experienced parents who volunteer their time in providing the education new parents need.

Who should attend?
Our one-day seminar is geared for parents and caretakers of children affected by autism. Content will be provided in an “overview” presentation with web and book resource information for additional details. This seminar is geared to parents and caretakers new to the autism journey (less than 18 months) who have not yet started a behavioral/educational program or biomedical testing and interventions.

Register Online

4. Vote for Talk About Curing Autism in Chase Give Back Campaign

Chase Community Giving is back to give away another $5 million, and you help decide which 200 local charities receive donations. Just search, vote, and share your enthusiasm with your friends.

It’s a new Way Forward for giving.

On July 13, Chase will announce 200 winning charities:
· One charity will receive $250k
· 4 runners-up will receive $100k
· 195 others will receive $20k
It doesn’t cost a thing!

Click here to vote for Talk About Curing Autism!

5. Daily Autism Updates for Families

All news related to autism: AgeofAutism.com

6. To Get Our Farm Animals Off Drugs, First Get Our Politicians Off Farm (and Drug) Money

HuffingtonPost.com
By DAVID KIRBY

When it comes to all the addictions that plague our society, there are two that rarely get enough attention, let alone a badly needed intervention: Our factory farms' addiction to low-dose antibiotics, and our politicians' addiction to high-octane cash from mega industries like Big Ag and Big Pharma.

This week, the Obama Administration issued one of its most half-baked, half-assed policy moves to come along in quite some time. On Monday, the FDA gingerly announced that it is thinking about maybe recommending that livestock and poultry operations use anitbiotics more judiciously.

Many animal factory farms (or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations - CAFOs) rely heavily on sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics mixed into animal feed to prevent disease and make their animals grow faster. Operators can buy these pharmaceuticals by the barrellfull at a feed store, without a prescription and without the supervision of a vet. According to some figures, up to 70% of all US antibiotics are given to farm animals.

Most CAFOs need these drugs to make a profit. Take the antibiotics away and many would not be able to cram so many animals into such a tight confinement without those creatures getting sick and dying. And without these drugs, the indistrialist would not be able to get their pigs and chickens to market with the warp speed they are now able to achieve - resulting in more feed, less profit.

But low-dose antibiotic use, many scientists contend, can lead to high-risk antbiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistant bacteria now threaten millions of people around the world, and who knows what new Sci-Fi superbug may currently be incubating in the filth and feces of some jam-packed hog factory reeking nearby a schoolyard in, say, North Carolina?

Take MRSA: It now kills more American than AIDS, and some of it is coming from pork producers.

Obama's FDA is clearly worried, but not worried enough to infuriate industrial agriculture - which pours millions into lobbying and campaign warchests each year - and Big Pharma - which quietly pulls in billions each year from hawking drugs to animal factories.

"Developing strategies for reducing (antibiotic) resistance is critically important for protecting both public and animal health," FDA draft guidelines published in Monday's Federal Register said.

And FDA Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein, MD told reporters that "This is an urgent public health issue. To preserve the (the drugs') effectiveness, we simply must use them as judiciously as possible. We are seeing the emergence of multidrug-resistant pathogens" and "the overall weight of evidence supports the conclusion that using medically important antimicrobial drugs for production purposes is not appropriate."

It's not appropriate, but we're still going to allow it. "We're not expecting people to pick up this guidance and change their practice tomorrow," he said. "This is the first step in the FDA establishing the principles from which we could then move, if necessary, toward other mechanisms of oversight, which is regulation."

Ah yes, "regulation." I remember that quaint concept.

If this is such an "urgent public health issue," then why not just ban the practice outright? The FDA has that authority, and it would bring our animal production practices closer to those found in more advanced nations like Canada and the EU countries.

So why only a "recommendation" - Isn't that akin to "recommending" that offshore oil rigs employ the safest technology possible?

The answer, of course, is money - and the official timidity it buys. In 2008, Pharma gave Obama $2.14 million and Big Ag kicked in $2.26 million, according to Open Secrets.

In return, the Obama Administration has shown it will mostly confront Big Ag only on environmental issues - and even then the efforts are not what activists would like. But when it comes to other practices, such as feeding chicken crap to cows and penicillin to pigs, they have so far refused (to quote a phrase) to step on anyone's throat.

As for Pharma, I cannot name a single thing the President has done that would displease that immensely powerful sector - though I am happy to be proven wrong.

Meanwhile, animal industrialists will fight any ban on farm animal drugs, and will probably even oppose this milquetoast FDA "recommendation." They claim the widespread use of antibiotics in CAFOs poses no threat to humans, and that most of the drugs used in poultry and livestock production are for treating sick animals (a practice that is opposed by no one).

But that is simply not the case. Farm and feed magazines are overflowing with ads for antibiotics that promise "Fast growth" and "Record time to market," not, "We'll make your sick sow feel better!" Meanwhile, Danish pig farmers are doing just fine after adjusting to raising their animals without growth promoting drugs. US pig producers can certainly do the same.

But if the Obama Administration won't step on the throat of Big Ag, who will? Congress?

Don't bet on it.

The "Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act" (PAMTA) - introduced by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and supported by candidate Obama in 2008 - is languishing in Congress. The bill would phase out non-therapeutic use of medically important antibiotics in farming, without restricting them for sick animals or treating pets.

The bill's opponents include powerful Democrats from, you guessed it, states filled with factory farms. They are unmoved by sensible arguments made by the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Practice, or the American Public Health Association. They want money.

If we want to wean our farm pigs off drugs meant for people, then we first must wean our DC pigs off campaign cash donated by Big Ag and Big Pharma.

David Kirby is author of the book "Animal Factory - The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy and Poultry Farms to Humans and the Environment" (St. Martin's Press).

7. Virus Infections May Be Contributing Factor in Onset of Gluten Intolerance

ScienceDaily (Mar. 7, 2010) — Recent research findings indicate a possible connection between virus infections, the immune system and the onset of gluten intolerance, also known as celiac disease.

A research project in the Academy of Finland's Research Program on Nutrition, Food and Health (ELVIRA) has brought new knowledge on the hereditary nature of gluten intolerance and identified genes that carry a higher risk of developing the condition. Research has shown that the genes in question are closely linked with the human immune system and the occurrence of inflammations, rather than being connected with the actual breakdown of gluten in the digestive tract.

"Some of the genes we have identified are linked with human immune defense against viruses. This may indicate that virus infections may be connected in some way with the onset of gluten intolerance," says Academy Research Fellow Päivi Saavalainen, who has conducted research into the hereditary risk factors for gluten intolerance.

Saavalainen explains that the genes that predispose people to gluten intolerance are very widespread in the population and, as a result, they are only a minor part of the explanation for the way in which gluten intolerance is inherited. However, the knowledge of the genes behind gluten intolerance is valuable in itself, as it helps researchers explore the reasons behind gluten intolerance, which in turn builds potential for developing new treatments and preventive methods. This is essential, because the condition is often relatively symptom-free, yet it can have serious complications unless treated.

Researchers have localized the risk genes by using data on patients and on entire families. The material in the Finnish study is part of a very extensive study of thousands of people with gluten intolerance and control groups in nine different populations. The research will be published in a forthcoming issue of Nature Genetics.

Research into hereditary conditions has made great progress over the past few years. Gene researchers now face their next challenge, as a closer analysis is now needed of the risk factors in the genes that predispose people to gluten intolerance. It is important to discover how they impact on gene function and what part they play in the onset of gluten intolerance.

Gluten intolerance is an autoimmune reaction in the small intestine. Roughly one in a hundred Finns suffer from this condition. The gluten that occurs naturally in grains such as wheat, barley and rye causes damage to the intestinal villi, problems with nutrient absorption and potentially other problems too. Gluten intolerance is an inherited predisposition, and nearly all sufferers carry the genes that play a key part in the onset of the condition. The only known effective treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet.

8. Revolutionary urine test for autism could soon diagnose children with the condition

Daily Mail, By FIONA MACRAE

A simple test that would revolutionise the diagnosis of autism is being developed by British scientists.
Like a pregnancy test, it would detect the condition from just a few drops of urine, providing doctors with a simple 'yes' or 'no'.

The test would save toddlers the trauma of the countless psychological tests and hospital visits currently needed to pinpoint autism.

Speeding up diagnosis would also mean youngsters start treatment earlier, greatly improving their quality of life in years to come.

The test, which is still in the early stages of development, builds on research showing that people with autism have different bacteria in their guts from others.

Jeremy Nicholson, of Imperial College London, said the urine of children with autism contained a different 'chemical fingerprint', the Journal of Proteome Research reports.

Professor Nicholson, who worked with Australian scientists on the project, said: 'It might seem strange that there's a relationship between autism and what's happening in someone's gut.

'However, your metabolism and the makeup of your gut bacteria reflect all sorts of things, including your lifestyle and your genes. We hope our findings might be the first step towards creating a simple urine test to diagnose autism at a young age.

A urine test would enable autistic children to receive assistance, such as advanced behavioural therapy, earlier in their development than is currently possible.

'We know that giving therapy to children with autism when they are very young can make a huge difference to their progress.'

If trials on hundreds of youngsters show the new test to work, it could be on the market by 2015.

More than one in 100 British children has autism or a related condition such as Asperger's Syndrome - a ten-fold increase on 30 years ago. But with many cases being undiagnosed, the true figure could be much higher.

Diagnosis is a lengthy process, which starts with a GP examining the way the youngster interacts with others.

A psychologist, psychiatrists or paediatricians, or a team involving all three, then carries out a series of interviews and psychological tests and a physical examination.

Patients are usually treated through a combination of speech, behavioural and other therapies.

A National Autistic Society spokesman said: 'Studies which consider differences in urine samples are interesting, but before these findings could be applied more widely, they would need to be tested and scrutinised on a much broader scale.

'While some children with autism do have additional gut problems, this is not true for everyone, so the differences observed in this study, might not be representative.'

Read more.

9. Autistic Student's Inspirational Graduation Speech

ABC News Video

10. The Amish Don't Get Autism but They Do Get Bio-Terrorism

The Health Wyze Report
Written by Thomas Corriher

People outside the alternative health community are often confused by the lack of autism in the Amish people. The Amish do not experience autism, or any of the other learning disabilities that plague our technological society. The Amish live in a society that consists of outdated technologies and ideals, by contemporary standards. Their diet consists of eating organic, fresh, locally-grown produce, and of course, they do not follow the established vaccination routines. To the dismay of the mainstream media and the medical establishment, this has resulted in a healthier people, that are void of all of our chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are virtually non-existent in Amish villages. Equally non-existent are modern, chemically-engineered medicines, enhanced (chemically-engineered) foods, G.M.O. foods, and of course, vaccines. How is it that those who are without the "miracles" of modern orthodox medicine are healthier? The truth about health, medicine, and how they both relate to the Amish is becoming an embarrassment to some rather powerful people.

There have been 3 (yes three) verified cases of autism in the Amish, and at least two of those children were vaccinated. No information is available for the third. The strong correlation between vaccinations and autism is absolutely undeniable, unless you work for the medical establishment, the government, or Big Media. Proponents of the status-quo claim that the Amish obviously have a special super gene that makes them immune to autism. They pathetically try to rationalize that autism is some type of genetic failure (i.e. God's fault), which attacks a brain based on religious affiliation. We're tentatively expecting a space alien theory next, in a similar vein to the aliens theory used to attack those who believe in a Creator. This is truly is F.D.A. and A.M.A. science in all its shining glory. Vaccine proponents are willing to espouse any ridiculous explanation, so long as they do not have to accept that their entire industry of vaccinations is causing chronic disease, leaving autism for 1 in every 100 children now.

Beware When The G' Man Comes Knocking

The Amish are constantly harassed by health officials, who attempt to convince them to vaccinate their children. Whilst most Amish still refuse to vaccinate, a small minority are beginning to succumb to the scare tactics. This continues despite the fact that health officials actually have no legal right to visit peoples' homes and harass them into accepting these poisons. As more of the Amish vaccinate, the autism rates in their community will rise. Fortunately, the majority of the Amish still contend that vaccinations are against God's will, which interestingly enough, does indeed seem to be bringing about blessings on their children.

Many of the viruses which children are vaccinated against are no longer circulating. However, fear tactics by the media have led frightened parents to vaccinate their children against these viruses anyway. One of those viruses is polio. Dr. Sherri Tenpenny reported that the most recent case seen in the Western Hemisphere was in Peru, in 1991. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) declared the Western hemisphere free of Polio in 1994. Such inconvenient figures are not cited by the mainstream media, doctors, or the American Medical Association.

On October 14, 2005, the media swung into action after the vaccine-strain of the polio virus was found in the stools of four Amish children. The media initially declined to mention that the polio virus was the chemically-inactivated version, which is only found inside the oral polio vaccine. Of course, this discovery was exploited to terrorize parents who avoid vaccines, and to recreate the disease hysteria that existed in the first half of the 20th century.

Big Business: Intentionally Creating a Paralyzing Pandemic

The horrors of polio were greatly exaggerated by the allopathic establishment's across-the-board removal of tonsils, which is the only organ that produces polio antibodies. Coincidentally, around the same time, the newly-created F.D.A. began suppressing the use of silver in medicines, which were the only substances known to kill viruses (like polio). Finally, 'the solution' that industry desired, namely a vaccine, was released at the time that the epidemic was naturally ending, so that the industry's vaccine could be given credit. All of this was orchestrated to manipulate the masses into buying into vaccines, radiation, and chemistry for health.

"During the polio epidemics, it was found that people who had their tonsils removed were 3 - 5 times more likely to develop paralysis… There were many at that time that suggested that polio was an iatrogenic disease [caused by the medical establishment] … we caused thousands of cases of paralysis. We did not cause the polio, but we converted people who would have recovered from a viral illness into people with a paralytic illness.”

― Dr. Mark Donohoe

With vaccinations, we convert people who may have had natural immune-strengthening infections like the flu, or chickenpox into people who have life-changing disorders like autism. None of the Amish children who had polio in their stools experienced paralysis, or any other horrific symptoms. That fortunate conclusion to their infections is likely the result of them lacking the 'miracles' of allopathic medicine.

We must wonder how four Amish children who live in an isolated community managed to become exposed to the unique chemically-inactivated vaccine strain of the polio virus. It is more than likely that such a thing was intentional, especially when the harassment by local health officials is considered. In addition, the vaccine strain that was discovered had not been used for five years, due to the possibility of it causing paralysis. After all, if some Amish children were to get sickened by the polio virus, the Amish may all rush to get their children vaccinated, and the science of vaccinations is proven with a wink and a nod.

The manner in which this was reported is very telling. For instance, if the vaccine strain of the polio virus was found in a normal child, would the media have made the story into front page news? Would it even have been reported? The Washington Post explained that both state and federal officials had informed them of the story. Misleading titles such as, "Polio Outbreak Occurs Among Amish Families In Minnesota" were then used to manipulate resistant parents with bio-terrorism.

When the Amish are simply left alone, to live free of chemical toxins found in our medicines and foods, they are not plagued with diseases, learning disabilities, or autism. They are categorically more intelligent, with the exception of advanced (college-level) writing skills, which is explainable by the fact that English is not their primary language. Could it be those same Amish 'super genes' at work again? Society could learn greatly from their example, if we would only stop poisoning ourselves, and our children on a routine basis.

Addendum and Comments about the Information War

Opposition websites often claim that vaccination is normal in the Amish community, and so is autism. These are lies. While there may be some small Amish groups which do vaccinate, and thus have autism; neither is normal. The United Press, in conjunction with Generation Rescue, published a story about the rates of autism in an Amish community in Pennsylvania. Reporter Dan Olmstead went searching for the autistic Amish. Statistically, there should have been around 130 Amish in the community he sought. Dan discovered 3 cases (that's three). The first was an adopted Chinese girl, who had suffered through all of her vaccinations on the same day. The second developed symptoms within 24 hours after getting vaccinated, and there was no information about the third case. The reporter even spoke with the local allopathic (orthodox) doctor, who the Amish sometimes visit whenever herbs and supplements do not suffice (for instance, broken bones). The doctor admitted that he had never seen autism in the community.

Dr. Max Wiznitzer of University Hospitals in Cleveland is an expert witness for the government, and he fights against families who file for compensation in the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. He made a mistake when he admitted that autism rates in the Amish community are somewhere around 1 in 10,000. The rate for the rest of us is now about 1 in 95, and growing rapidly. That means that our children are over 100 times more likely to get autism, and this does not take into account that the numbers are skewed against the Amish, since a tiny portion of their children are actually vaccinated now.

We will be waiting for real outbreaks of autism in the unvaccinated Amish. If you're still unsure about the cause of autism, and are looking for studies; read How To Cure Autism and The Time Bomb of Mercury Poisoning. Studies which attempt to disprove the link between autism and vaccination have all been funded by the pharmaceutical complex. Truly independent studies have repeatedly shown the clear relationship. In fact, no vaccine has ever undergone any independent, controlled, double-blind studies to determine safety and effectiveness. Seriously. Read the studies yourself, research extensively, and do the right thing. Opt out of vaccinations with a religious or philosophical exemption to defend your child. The public schools cannot legally turn you away if you do that, so learn your rights, and use them! Do it, or someday your own children will curse you for not doing the right thing.

Since we wrote this article, we have made a lot of enemies. People do not want to believe that the guilt for the epidemic lies with them, especially in the case of parents and doctors. Doctors have been the quietest group of readers, and this could be related to the fact that about half of them refuse routine vaccines themselves, due to "safety and efficacy reasons", according to the C.D.C.. It is just too rich. Although, we have heard from plenty of non-doctor "experts", and as expressed in the article, they are cunning manipulators, who have come to view us as a threat. I believe that evil is the appropriate word to describe them. The marketing astroturfers have certainly made their rounds in vain efforts to manipulate us. They never give their true information, so we do not know which percentage of them are with Big Medica, Big Pharma, or the U.S. Government. They always use throw-away e-mail addresses from places like Yahoo! and Google. We've learned to spot them a mile away. We have also discovered that people valuing truth do not hide from investigation, as if they were cockroaches running from the light.

The hateful e-mails we received are intended to persuade us into removing this article. Our opponents generally give links to blogs which make gratuitous statements, whilst offering no sources, or merely additional links to new websites which run anonymously. (We ain't as stupid as they be thinking.) We have yet to be disputed by any evidence that was not paid for by a pharmaceutical company, or that had the backing of 3rd party, independent, credible, and verifiable sources. All of their "evidence" has been fully lacking in credibility. Science and medicine are not remade by the comments on JoAnna's blogspot blog. Call us crazy if you like.

We know the difference between credible research and studies, and we are getting stuff that is just being pulled straight out of their rears and presented as gold nuggets; like some feat of alchemy. No matter how well we do our jobs uncovering and exposing the corruption, they remain too arrogant to do anything other than underestimate our intelligence. It is actually comical at times. You will notice that like other credible sources, we sign our names to our work and take responsibility for it. We also reveal our useful and verifiable independent sources of information whenever it is prudent to do so.

11. Pertussis, Tylenol Recall and More

California declared a pertussis (whooping cough) epidemic this week. The California Department of Public Health reports 910 confirmed cases, including the death of five infants since the beginning of the year. The Department of Public Health is urging all families, especially those of Latino descent to vaccinate against this disease. The emphasis on families of Latino background apparently stems from Fresno County having the highest number of reported cases: 72 reported in the month of May.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a bacterial respiratory tract infection. It begins looking like most other upper respiratory illnesses:

There may be nothing more than a runny nose and sneezing, often with little or no fever. The first coughs can look like a common cold. After 1-2 weeks, this may progress to a stage characterized by bursts of numerous rapid coughs (paroxysms, a "machine gun" cough) followed by a loud "whooping" inhalation which gives Bordetella Pertussis the alternative name of "whooping cough." That "whoop," however is not an invariable part of the illness. A final recovery stage with coughing may last weeks or months. It's a nasty illness which the Chinese call the "100 day cough" and their number is not far off. In most cases, whooping cough is a truly miserable cough that can ruin a family's summer plans and mean a lot of missed days of work and school. In very rare cases, it can lead to much more serious conditions. The risk is highest for infants in the first six weeks of life who can get very sick and even die from it.

At the present time I'm aware of two families in my practice who I believe have pertussis. I have no laboratory confirmation and in neither case has anyone in the family required hospital care.

The media and many official medical organizations get the discussion of "epidemics" wrong as often as they get it right and when they finally have something to talk about in the press it's hard to sort out the truth. Before you read any further, have a look at this New York Times article about the whooping cough "epidemic that wasn't."

This time, unlike the H1N1 "pandemic" scare, the avian flu hype, the measles epidemic of 132 cases, the Jewish mumps scare and the West Nile Virus fear posters at every trail head, the pertussis outbreak information might be real and might be a reason to consider getting your child vaccinated. Whooping cough is not easy to diagnose with lab tests and doctors and parents often must rely on their clinical impression the cough and the pattern of disease spread. According to the official website of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, an article reviewed by Dr, Paul Offit estimates that there are between "600,000 to 900,000" cases of pertussis each year in adults and adolescents alone. This stands at odds with official data from the CDC which puts that number at 5000-10,000. This type of disparity makes the discussion of pertussis outbreaks and vaccination just a little more difficult.

I think the DTaP vaccine is the shot with the best risk/benefit ratio and it's the vaccine I use the most often in my office week. The official schedule includes far too many shots for six-week-old babies. A lot of harm and confusion could be alleviated by vaccinating later and not giving five or six vaccines at the same time.

This "acellular" vaccine does not contain mercury (almost no vaccines still do) and has been in use for nearly fifteen years in the United States and for quite a few years before that in other countries.

DTaP vaccine prevents whooping cough and may even prevent illness or lessen the severity of illness after the first vaccine. The routine schedule includes three doses in the first six months of life, a fourth at eighteen months of age, a fifth at age five years and booster doses of a new adolescent/adult vaccine. I don't think your babies under a year of age should be given any vaccines, including this one. The CDC and most doctors, including my colleagues in this office, disagree.

Erythromycin, Zithromax and similar antibiotics can shorten the contagious phase of pertussis and can stop the spread of the illness in a family or a school. Our office has DTaP vaccine for infants and young children and another for older children, adolescents and adults. I do not recommend this vaccine for infants unless there are unusual risk factors in a baby's life. Again, the vast majority of experts disagree and I understand the need for public health considerations and preservation of herd immunity but still would rather vaccinate only after 12-24 months of age.

Ultimately this is a parents' decision. Do not expect the media to let up on this issue in the near future.

*******************************************
Tylenol Recall Update

Since the April recall, Children's Tylenol, Benadryl, Motrin and other McNeil Pharmaceutical products are still unavailable for purchase. The latest report says we should not expect a return of these products until 2011. You can receive updates from the makers of Tylenol on their website. In the meantime, I recommend generic brands of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) for allergies and generic acetaminophen and ibuprofen for fever control when you need it.

Here is a resource to help you determine the proper amount of acetaminophen to give your child.

*******************************************

Jay Gordon, MD, FAAP

www.drjaygordon.com

12. 2 shots may be better than one for measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox

A single vaccine of MMRV doubles the risk of fever-related seizures in children, a study finds.

June 27, 2010|By Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times

Children who receive a single vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox appear to have an increased risk of fever-related seizures in the days after the shot than do children who receive two separate vaccinations.

A combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (commonly known as chicken pox) was approved for use in 2005, providing an option for parents who wanted to stick one fewer needle in their small children. Since then, parents could choose either that single vaccine, called measles-mumps-rubella-varicella, or two separate shots, one for measles-mumps-rubella and one for varicella.

A new analysis from the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, however, shows that the four-illness combination vaccine doubles the risk of a fever-related seizure among 1- and 2-year-old children seven to 10 days after the shot.

According to the study, the risk of a child having a fever-related seizure is low — less than one per 1,000 vaccine injections — and is even less common than fever-related seizures linked to colds or respiratory infections. Among children 6 months to 5 years old, 5% will have a fever-related seizure.

But parents should nonetheless be aware of the risk, said the lead author of the study, Dr. Nicola Klein, co-director of the center, who also hoped to put the risk in perspective.

"Febrile seizures are very frightening to parents. But they are benign and don't cause any long-term problems for the child," Klein said.

The study, released online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, analyzed data from the nationwide Vaccine Safety Datalink on 459,000 children 12 months to 23 months. The system was established to monitor the safety of newly approved vaccines.

The analysis showed that the combination MMRV vaccine caused one additional febrile seizure for every 2,300 doses administered. The risk of seizure was highest eight to 10 days after the vaccination. Outpatient visits to the doctor for fever also increased during days seven to 10 after the MMRV.

The traditional measles-mumps-rubella shot has long been known to increase the risk of fever. And earlier studies on the combined MMRV vaccine showed it raised the risk of post-vaccine fevers and rashes even further. However, there had been no indication of an increased risk of fever-related seizures.

Based on preliminary data from the study, federal health authorities in May changed vaccine recommendations to allow parents the option of giving their children the MMRV or the traditional MMR plus a separate varicella injection. Parents who opt for the MMRV should be advised about the increased risk of seizure, Klein said. Children whose parents are indifferent about the choice should receive the two separate vaccines, according to the federal recommendations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella for children between 12 months and 15 months. A booster shot is given between 4 and 6 years old.

shari.roan@latimes.com

13. IVF Linked to Autism, Israeli Study Suggests

ScienceDaily.com

ScienceDaily (June 30, 2010) — The first "test tube baby" was born in 1978. With advances in reproductive science, an estimated one percent of all American babies are now born each year through in vitro fertilization (IVF). But IVF and other assisted fertility treatments may be solving one problem by creating another, suggests new evidence from Tel Aviv University.

In a recent study, Dr. Ditza Zachor of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine reported a strong link between IVF and mild to moderate cases of autism. Her findings were presented last month at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia.

According to her research at the Autism Center at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Israel, which Dr. Zachor directs, 10.5% of 461 children diagnosed with a disorder on the autism spectrum were conceived using IVF, a significantly higher number than the 3.5% autism rate in the general Israeli population.

Other factors in play

While the study doesn't draw any definitive conclusions, it presents some urgent questions, says Dr. Zachor. "It's too early to make a serious deduction based on that evidence alone," she says, citing other birth-related factors in her study, such as low birth rate and prematurity. Dr. Zachor's ongoing research will attempt to separate out these risk factors to come up with more precise numbers for autism and other prenatal conditions in IVF.

The key may be "imprinting," a biochemical procedure during cell division which determines which genes will be selected or "expressed" in the embryo. Research into epigenetics -- changes in gene expression that occur without a change in the DNA sequence -- suggest that the malformations may be caused by imprinting abnormalities introduced into the embryo while it's in a test tube environment, says Dr. Zachor. One such disorder linked with IVF appears to be Angelman syndrome.

However, Dr. Zachor does not want to discourage infertile couples from undergoing IVF implantation, which most often results in a healthy child.

Age-appropriate fertility treatments

Dr. Zachor notes that mothers in her study who had IVF tended to be older -- with a median age of 32.6 years. Also significantly, nearly 4% of the children with autism were born prematurely, and about 5% of those had a low birth weight. In the general population, only about 1% of all newborns are delivered with a low birth weight.

Aware of these risks, however, health practitioners may be able to intervene and find ways to avoid the problems, the researcher says. For example, they might recommend that IVF treatments be delayed for a longer period, despite any psychological stress this might cause to would-be parents. Some researchers believe that unassisted fertilization is a better way to avoid negative health effects.

"Many infertile couples choose this procedure, and they need to know whether there is a risk of autism," concludes Dr. Zachor. She stresses, however, that most women who undergo fertility treatments should not be scared away from IVF procedures: the majority of children born using IVF do not have autism, and most children who have autism were not conceived using IVF.

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University.