In This Edition
TACA News
4. Thank You to Voting for TACA in the Chase Community Giving Program!
5. Mashing For a Cure: Oakley Ski Star Sammy Carlson Bikes From Oregon to Utah for Autism Awareness
In the News
6. Daily Autism Updates for Families
7. Recruiting Participants for an NIH/NIMH Study on Recovery in Autism
8. HBO Receives 15 Emmy Nominations for Biopic on Temple Grandin
10. Whooping Cough Kills 5 in California -- State Declares an Epidemic
11. Kids with autism early fussy eaters: study
12. USDA Admits Link Between Antibiotic Use by Big Ag and Human Health
From the Founder
Are you receiving TACA's regional newsletters with information on local TACA meetings and events? We can't send it to you if we don't know where you are! Please Join TACA (it's free) or update your membership to include your location. If you include your mailing address, you'll receive TACA's print newsletter, Talking Autism.
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.
August 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.
4. Thank You to Voting for TACA in the Chase Community Giving Program!
With your support and votes, TACA was #14 in the Chase Community Giving Program. We couldn't have done it without you!
TACA will be receiving a check for $20,000 from Chase which will be used in our ongoing mission of Families with Autism Helping Familes with Autism.
Thank you!
5. Mashing For a Cure: Oakley Ski Star Sammy Carlson Bikes From Oregon to Utah for Autism Awareness
Sammy Carlson obviously shreds on skis. But more importantly, he’s a winner at something a little more important: Being an all-around quality dude.
Oakley’s golden boy on skis teamed up with buddy Scott Rowley to raise money for TACA (Talk About Curing Autism), a super admirable foundation that provides information, resources and support to families affected by autism. The organization fights hard every day to develop treatments for the condition: An uphill struggle in itself.
In a compassionate move, Sammy and Scott created TACA H2O, a bike trip stretching from Hood River (Oregon) to Ogden (Utah) that would aim to raise $25,000 for the foundation. The proceeds, generated from donations, would flow directly into TACA.
Much like the battle to trample autism itself, the long journey would prove to be a sizable challenge. But Team H2O was on a quest to rally the world against the condition…and the journey was but a small task to contribute to such a large challenge: Beating it.
After some camping in some random, gnarly locations in the middle of nowhere; limited bathing options; high altitudes; crazy weather conditions; and a whole boat load of miles traveled with intense riding, Team H2O emerged from the challenge on top and successful.
“It just took so much commitment – I’m just really proud of myself, all my friends…and I’m just super stoked that we did it,” Sammy said. “I knew we could, but we did it!”
He certainly did. And all with the right priorities in mind.
“Oakley already works with TACA, and they connected me with them. I’m really down with the people that are running the charity. I was super encouraged to hear that 100 percent of their services go back to the community. 90 percent of the services are free.”
Sammy looked to bring attention to a condition that generally gets less attention than other diseases, such as AIDS or Cancer. And after about 900 miles of charging through obstacles, he was even more pumped.
“I just wanted to give back. I’ve been given so much in my life. I know that a bunch of people aren’t as lucky as me, so I wanted to try and do what I can to help everyone out, while getting strong for skiing. It was just perfect.”
If you’re interested in making a donation to the cause, please visit www.tacah2o.com
Show your compassion like Sammy did. Donate.
6. Daily Autism Updates for Families
All news related to autism: AgeofAutism.com
7. Recruiting Participants for an NIH/NIMH Study on Recovery in Autism
The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is assisting David Black, Ph.D. of NIMH recruit participants for a research study on recovery in autism. Dr. Steve Edelson met with Dr. Black during this year?s IMFAR conference in Philadelphia, and they spent time discussing some of the details of the project.
Dr. Black is interested in recruiting older children and adolescents who had received a diagnosis of autism, but who no longer meet the criteria for autism. The requirements are as follows:
- Diagnosed with autistic disorder before the age of six years.
- Do not currently meet the criteria for autistic disorder, and have significantly improved since their initial diagnosis. These individuals may still have PDD, ADHD, etc. as long as they are clearly much better and are essentially able to function in a classroom setting with minimal or no support.
- Currently between the ages of 8 and 17, although children as young as 7 years may be considered.
- Travel costs to Bethesda, Maryland; accommodations; and compensation for time is provided by NIH.
- If you are interested in participating in this study and/or would like to learn more about the study, please contact Dr. Black at AutismOutcomeStudy@mail.nih.gov or call (301) 435-6205.
8. HBO Receives 15 Emmy Nominations for Biopic on Temple Grandin
"Temple Grandin" received 15 nominations including Outstanding Lead Acresses in a Made for Television movie. The movie is now available for purchase on DVD. More info.
9. Autism Increase Environmental Not Genetic – Says New Director of USA’s $30.5 Billion Health Research Budget
A controversy raging for two decades over the causes of the worldwide pandemic of autism in children was resolved unequivocally in formal evidence by Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. in 2006 but little notice was taken then. Today Collins controls the US’ annual medical research budget of US$30.5 billion: [NIH Budget ] making Collins’ 2006 evidence of substantial international significance for many millions of parents and their children and for funding of research into the causes of autism.
The drug industry, medical experts, World Health Organisation and government health officials worldwide have systematically represented autism spectrum conditions as solely genetically caused whilst denying any role of childhood vaccines or other factors like environmental toxins. Independent scientists, medical experts and parents contradict this and say there is good evidence autism is caused by vaccines and environmental toxins like mercury.
Collins as a leading medical doctor and geneticist who led the Human Genome Project confirmed in public to the US House of Representatives in May 2006 that recent increases in chronic diseases like diabetes, childhood asthma, obesity or autism must have an environmental [external] cause and cannot be solely genetically [internally] caused conditions: [full quote & weblink below].
The NIH makes almost 50,000 competitive grants to more than 325,000 researchers at over 3,000 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions in every US state and around the world. About 10% of the NIH’s budget supports projects conducted by nearly 6,000 scientists in its own laboratories, most of which are on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
Collins was appointed and sworn in as the 16th Director of the US National Institutes of Health on 17th August 2009 after nomination by President Obama: NIH News Release 17th August 2009 .
When Director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute Collins stated:-
Recent increases in chronic diseases like diabetes, childhood asthma, obesity or autism cannot be due to major shifts in the human gene pool as those changes take much more time to occur. They must be due to changes in the environment, including diet and physical activity, which may produce disease in genetically predisposed persons. Therefore, GEI will also invest in innovative new technologies/sensors to measure environmental toxins, dietary intake and physical activity, and using new tools of genomics, proteomics, and understanding metabolism rates to determine an individual’s biological response to those influences.“
Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.,
Evidence to US House of Representatives Committee May 2006
But will Collins’ appointment make any difference to the present research position? Will the influence of the pharmaceutical industry and financial conflicts of some in the medical professions prevent much needed research being carried out? The position does not look too good as reported by award winning journalist David Kirby: [NIH Agency Head Backs Vaccine-Autism Research on Friday; Resigns from Federal Autism Panel on Saturday Huffington Post 20th October 2009].
Story Landis, PhD, director of the National Institute of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), an NIH agency, surprised many parents on Friday by stating that autism researchers should study “the children who have been most profoundly affected” by adverse reactions to vaccination.
On Saturday, Dr. Landis abruptly resigned from the powerful Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), which helps direct hundreds of millions in federal tax dollars to autism research, treatment, care and services.
Kirby followed up with: NIH Director Francis Collins Blames Resignation Of Top Health Official From Autism Panel On “Tension And Lack Of Trust”
The controversy over the environmental causes of autism has its foundations in the now clearly flawed work of English psychiatrist Professor Sir Michael Rutter. Our article of 25th January this year Autism Not Genetic – Says Expert Professor Simon Baron Cohen demonstrated the unscientific and flawed logic of Rutter’s original paper which has misled the world for so long: ["Infantile autism: A genetic study of 21 twin pairs." J. Child Psychol. Psychiat. 18, 297-321 (1977)].
We stated:-
We …. can consign over 30 years of unscientific medical, psychiatric and psychological papers to the garbage. This brings a scientific approach to the issue since the erroneous genetic myth was first propounded with the publication of Professor Michael Rutter’s paper”
Another of our articles shows how Rutter put his name to a paper claiming that Japanese data showed MMR vaccine did not cause autism when analysis of official Japanese data formally published in several peer reviewed Japanese medical papers only a few years earlier showed it was clearly implicated along with other vaccines: Japanese Data Show Vaccines Cause Autism. Rutter and his Japanese co-authors seemingly failed to locate earlier recent papers of direct relevance to their paper. Here are the main graphs we published showing the linkage between vaccination and autism rates:-
Here is the same data normalised by annual % of children receiving MMR vaccination – showing the same correspondence as above graph.
.
In our story Autism Not Genetic – Says Expert Professor Simon Baron Cohen we also quoted British autism expert Professor Simon Baron Cohen of Cambridge University who also contradicted the position that autism is a genetic condition :
“We know that autism is not 100% genetic in origin, since in the case of identical twins (who share 100% of their genes), there are instances of one twin having autism and the other not having it. In fact, the likelihood of the co-twin also having autism where one of them has it (in monozygotic (MZ) pairs) is about 60%. This means that there must be some non-genetic (i.e., environmental) factors that are part of the cause of autism.“ [SOURCE: Professor Baron Cohen's reply to critics of a mooted abortion test for autism reported in the UK's Guardian Newspaper :- Professor Baron Cohen/Stone Correspondence Re: The Guardian New research brings autism screening closer to reality 12/Jan/09 ]
We showed that Baron Cohen was only partly correct and concluded by saying that the previous position on autism being a solely genetic condition is non science because:
- identical twin studies show autism has an environmental [external] cause
- to demonstrate autism has an [internal] ie. solely genetic cause, it is necessary to show autism occurs where no environmental causes apply
- that has never been done
- and that is likely because, as the evidence shows, autism is caused by environmental factors, just like most other human medical conditions
And we explained:-
In other words, it is the 40% of identical twins where only one develops symptoms of autism which tells us autism is not “genetic“. In those cases it must have an environmental [external] cause.
Professor Baron Cohen errs in assuming the 60% of both twins developing autism is evidence autism is ever a genetically “caused” condition. It is not such evidence. The correct medical terminology is whether a condition has an “internal” cause or an “external” one.
Because the twins are genetically identical all we can say for those who both develop autism is their bodies have responded identically to the same set of conditions whether “internal” or “external”. It tells us nothing about whether the cause is internal or external [environmental]. It is neither scientific nor logical to assume the “cause” is internal or external [environmental] . It is wrong to do so and a logical fallacy.
Where both identical twins develop autism, it is more likely than not they have had the same exposure to the same environmental cause. That is more likely than not to happen [60% of the time it seems]. For example, both twins are more likely than not to have their vaccinations at the same time and all other circumstances in their lives at that time are more likely than not to be identical for both.
All human medical conditions whether “internal” or “external” are genetic. Some of us are more susceptible to flu than others and some never suffer from it. So it is also logically inappropriate to discuss causes of conditions in terms of being “genetic” because all human conditions are genetic whether the cause is “internal” or “external” . This also demonstrates why it is not wise to rely on medical doctors’ attempts to be scientific. The majority have no formal scientific training or qualifications and frequently make errors of the fundamental kind illustrated here.
We only become ill or develop any condition because we are genetic. Everthing else breaks down. Computers, cars, washing machines and refrigerators breakdown whether for an “internal” cause or an “external” one – they do not and cannot get ‘flu, measles or autism because they are not genetic. If we were not genetic we would not get sick [but we might rust a bit from time-to-time].
There appears to be no scientific evidence autism is any more “genetic” than ‘flu. Feel free to submit a comment if you disagree.
To establish with scientific evidence that any condition has a solely genetic [internal] cause any more than any other illness or disorder requires evidence showing that in some cases there are no possible environmental causes.
The environmental causes have to be eliminated by the collection of evidence in a scientific manner. This has not been done, as the reliance on the twin studies demonstrates.
What we can conclude is that autism is an environmentally [externally] caused condition, with some more susceptible than others, like most other human medical conditions.
Who Is Professor Sir Michael Rutter?
And:
- “might he at least subconsciously suffer from author bias?“
- “does he have any potentially conflicting interests?”
It can help to follow the money. In the money connections, you don’t get any bigger than Rutter. Psychiatrist Professor Sir Michael Rutter is a former (recent) Deputy Chairman of the immensely wealthy Wellcome Trust (founded by the Wellcome Foundation which is now Glaxo). For confirmation of his status, see the 4th page of :-
The Wellcome Trust has assets of over £14 billion:-
The Trust hands out millions every year and has far more substantial reserves to enable it to do that. And it can dictate a great deal of what research is carried out around the world. See here for details:-
So Rutter is very influential. You do not get to be in that position if you are not “in favour with pharma”. He is also one of the expert witnesses for Glaxo in the MMR litigation (something he did not declare, for example, in the Honda/Rutter paper denying MMR has any association with autism, but I do not see him before the GMC over that). Professor Rutter is also one of the main prosecution witnesses in the witchhunt in the British General Medical Council against medical doctors Andrew Wakefield, Simon Murch and Professor Walker-Smith. Here is a biographical note on Professor Sir Michael Rutter from the Academy of Medical Sciences which says:-
Professor Sir Michael Rutter is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London. He has been a consultant psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital since 1966, and was Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry from 1973 to 1998. He set up the Medical Research Council Child Psychiatry Research Unit in 1984 and the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre 10 years later, being honorary director of both until October 1998. His research has included the genetics of autism; the study of both school and family influences on children’s behaviour; the links between mental disorders in childhood and adult life; epidemiological approaches to test causal hypotheses; and gene-environment interplay. He was Deputy Chairman of the Wellcome Trust from 1999 to 2004, and has been a Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation since 1992. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1987 and an honorary member of the British Academy in 2002. He was a Founding Fellow of the Academia Europaea and the Academy of Medical Sciences, of which he is currently Clinical Vice-President. He has received numerous international honours and has published some 40 books and over 400 scientific papers and chapters.
Professor Sir Michael Rutter along with a troupe of psychiatrists now or formerly associated with The Maudsley Hospital and The Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College, London University, have been working hard at telling the public autism is solely genetic and denying there is a world autism pandemic. If a condition is genetic, you also do not suddenly get spontaneous mutation of large numbers of individuals. That suggestion is counter logical and non science. Genetics cannot account for the large rise we are seeing in autism since the mid 1980s. So instead what we see are efforts by Rutter and the King’s Institute of Psychiatry other autism denialists to claim there is no real rise in the prevalence of autism. This claim is unscientific and runs counter to the facts documented in the formal literature.
The Institute of Psychiatry has been an embarrassing place to be because of this April 2008 news item:-
BBC psychiatrist Tonmoy Sharma is struck off By Lucy Cockcroft The Telegraph 01 April /2008 A psychiatrist who regularly appeared as an expert on the BBC has been struck off the medical register after he lied about his academic qualifications and performed unethical drugs tests on mentally ill patients.
The Institute of Psychiatry has or is home to more than its fair share of doctors (psychiatrists mostly) who publish papers claiming autism is genetic and denying there is an autism epidemic (the correct word is pandemic – epidemics have far fewer victims). These doctors include Rutter, Eric Fombonne (now expert witness in the US in the thiomersal/autism litigation when he had previously published nothing about it) and Professor Simon Baron Cohen.
It is also home to controversial “Gulf War Syndrome” psychiatrist Simon Wessley, director of the Centre for Military Health Research at King’s College London and who had been claiming ME/CFS is not a physical condition but a mental one contrary to the definition used around the world. Sophia Wilson is an example of an ME/CFS sufferer who died following this approach to diagnosis, albeit there is no evidence available to this author she was ever a patient of any of the psychiatrists or institutions name here.
Also associated with The Institute of Psychiatry and the Maudsley is Dr Ben Goldacre, who constantly attacks alternative medicine in The Guardian [a UK national newspaper] whilst writing the “Badscience” column – yet Goldacre has no scientific qualifications and avoids disclosing that he practises psychiatry. Psychiatry is the least successful branch of medicine in history and is notorious for a lack of scientific bases to support the theories some of its proponents put out. Goldacre works with Wessley.
Goldacre and Wessley have close professional and personal connections to King’s Mobile Phones Research Unit. Goldacre has made public attacks, backed by the industry funded lobby group, The Science Media Centre, on a BBC Panorama documentary about mobile phone hazards, which hazards were raised by the current head of the UK’s Health Protection Agency, before taking up that post. Ben Goldacre and The Science Media Centre attacked the programme and its journalists.
Professor Rutter is also a friend of the editor of the journal which printed the Honda/Rutter MMR paper. Here is his endorsement of the Journal:-
JCPP is clearly the world’s No. 1 child psychology and psychiatry journal. It integrates clinical and developmental perspectives, it is truly international, and interdisciplinary, and it combines high scientific standards with attention to clinical relevance.” Prof. Sir Michael Rutter“
http://www.blackwellpublishing.comjournal.asp?ref=0021-9630&site=1
Editor Charman is a contributor to Rutter’s book:-
Rutter was also an expert witness in Malmo, Sweden in an MMR autism case where the key question was whether autism was solely genetic and not environmental. Rutter’s expert evidence was that it was genetic [not possible - Autism Not Genetic – Says Expert Professor Simon Baron Cohen].
And this could go on and on and on ………………….
When confronted with the above evidence on Rutter’s Japanese autism paper Charman refused to have the Honda/Rutter paper retracted or to publish a correction or rebuttal. The publishing group Blackwell which published the Honda/Rutter paper have provided no comment.
10. Whooping Cough Kills 5 in California -- State Declares an Epidemic
After the deaths of five infants, California health authorities have declared an epidemic of whooping cough, also known as pertussis.
The announcement came after authorities noticed a sharp spike in reports of pertussis, which often is mistaken for a cold or the flu and is highly contagious.
A CDC study suggests that the resurgence of whooping cough is due to the vaccine causing an increased and more virulent toxin.
The CDC acknowledges that whooping cough is recurring in highly vaccinated countries -- and that it is not just because some children are unvaccinated, although that can be a factor.
According to the CDC:
"The reemergence of pertussis has been attributed to various factors, including increased awareness, improved diagnostics, decreased vaccination coverage, suboptimal vaccines, waning vaccine-induced immunity, and pathogen adaptation ... Pathogen adaptation is supported by several observations."
In other words, vaccinating against the whooping cough pathogens has caused the pathogens to evolve with a more virulent strain.
By Barbara Loe Fisher
Reports of whooping cough outbreaks in California [1] [2] and in other states this summer are nothing new. Every four to five years – no matter how high the vaccination rate is, there are reports of whooping cough increases.
Whooping cough is a respiratory disease. Toxins in Bordetella pertussis bacteria stimulate the production of large amounts of thick, sticky mucus that can clog the airways of tiny babies and children, making it difficult for them to take a breath without vomiting, choking and making a whooping sound [3] as they struggle to breathe.
Why Whooping Cough Cannot be Prevented, Despite Near 100 Percent Vaccination Rates
There is an acellular pertussis vaccine – DTaP - which was licensed for American babies in 1996. [4] DTaP replaced an older, very reactive whole cell pertussis vaccine - DPT - that was associated with more cases of high fever, collapse/shock, convulsions, brain inflammation and permanent brain damage. [5] [6]
It is well known that pertussis vaccines, which can contain various amounts of bioactive toxins [7] [8] [9][ [10] [11] and also aluminum [12] [13] [14] and mercury [15] additives, have killed and brain injured some children.
Over half of the 2,480 awards for vaccine injury and death totaling $2 billion dollars made under the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act involve pertussis vaccine.[16]
Pertussis vaccination rates are very high in the U.S. According to the CDC, 84 percent of children under age three have received four DTaP shots. [17] By the time American children enter kindergarten nearly every child has gotten all the CDC recommended pertussis shots. [18][
In 2009, the CDC said that the proportion of totally unvaccinated children in America is only six hundredths of one percent (0.06). [19]
Even with super high pertussis vaccine coverage in America and other countries like the Netherlands, Australia, Finland and Canada, whooping cough disease cannot be prevented. [20]
There are number of reasons for this fact.
- First, pertussis vaccines widely used since the 1950's have not prevented whooping cough disease from circulating in vaccinated populations. Unknown numbers of children and adults, who have gotten all government recommended pertussis shots, can and do develop whooping cough or are carriers without symptoms. [21] [22]
- Because pertussis vaccine immunity is only temporary and does not last, health officials are now telling teenagers and adults to get more booster shots. [23] But that is not going to matter if scientific evidence that B. pertussis organisms have mutated and become vaccine-resistant turns out to be correct. [24]
- A second important reason is that another Bordetella organism – parapertussis – also can cause whooping cough. [25] B. parapertussis symptoms, while often milder, can look exactly like B. pertussis.
But doctors rarely recognize or test for parapertussis. [26] And there is NO vaccine for parapertussis.
The DTaP vaccine given five times to children under age 6 and booster doses for teenagers and adults does not protect against whooping cough caused by B. parapertussis.
In highly vaccinated countries like the U.S., parapertussis is on the rise and it is estimated that perhaps 30 percent or more of whooping cough disease is actually caused by parapertussis! [27]
So which bacterial organism is causing much of the whooping cough being seen in California, Nevada, [28] Oregon and other states this summer?
Is it B. pertussis or B. parapertussis?
Has there been any attempt by health officials to do expensive PCR lab tests on suspected whooping cough cases to find out? [29]
Asking the Right Questions is Imperative
Another question: Are public health officials being transparent with the public about just how many children and adults reported to have whooping cough have been fully vaccinated?
In 1985 there was a lot of publicity about whooping cough outbreaks in eight states and all the blame was put on parents of DPT vaccine injured children calling for a safer pertussis vaccine.
But 25 years ago I investigated those whooping cough outbreaks and found 50 to 80 percent or more of the children and adults with whooping cough symptoms had been vaccinated. [30]
- Bordetella organisms causing whooping cough disease live in animals like sheep, pigs, cats and dogs, as well as humans, and have been part of the earth's ecosystem, evolving to survive, for thousands of years. [31] [32] Yet, mass vaccination of humans with pertussis vaccine is only 60 years old.
- So why are the unvaccinated being blamed for whooping cough outbreaks in California, [33] Oregon [34] and other states?
- The majority of Americans alive today have gotten 3 to 5 pertussis shots.
- The truth is that, whether you are vaccinated or not, you can get a mild or serious case of whooping cough from B. pertussis or B. parapertussis organisms. And both whooping cough disease and pertussis vaccines carry a risk of injury or death, which can be greater for some than others.
- There are no guarantees.
- It is time for public health officials and doctors to look at themselves and stop pointing fingers at those who have examined pertussis vaccine benefits and risks and come to a different conclusion.
Vaccine Does NOT Equal Assurance of Immunity
After my precocious two year old son suffered a convulsion, collapse/shock and brain inflammation following his fourth DPT shot in 1980 and was left with multiple learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder, in 1993 my two youngest children, then 5 and 10 years old, came down with whooping cough. They coughed violently and spit up huge amounts of thick mucus for 8 weeks before fully recovering and going on to become honor roll students.
The profile on whooping cough in the 1985 book I co-authored with medical historian Harris Coulter, "DPT: A Shot in the Dark," [35] is about my sister and her family, who were fully vaccinated. Her newborn baby almost died of whooping cough but survived and attended college on a full academic scholarship. Even so, other babies who get whooping cough do not survive.
There are no guarantees.
A quarter century later, DPT: A Shot in the Dark still stands as the most comprehensive, referenced analysis of whooping cough and pertussis vaccine risks and why America's mass vaccination system is in urgent need of reform.
Go to NVIC.org [36] and become a family donor supporter of the National Vaccine Information Center and you will receive a complimentary copy of that historic book.
Protect yourself and your child by making educated vaccine decisions. It's your health. Your family. Your choice.
11. Kids with autism early fussy eaters: study
Infants who will eventually be diagnosed with autism may be slower to eat solid foods and be fussier eaters, but their growth doesn't seem to be impaired compared with children without the disorders, a new British study suggests.
Parents often describe infants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) as "slow feeders," and children with ASDs are often reported to eat a limited range of foods.
Compared with 12,901 children without ASDs, 79 children ultimately diagnosed with an ASD were more likely to be slow eaters by six months, Dr. Pauline Emmett of the University of Bristol in England and her colleagues reported in Monday's online issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Compared to the control group, children with ASD ate fewer vegetables, salads, and fresh fruit, but also consumed fewer sweets and carbonated drinks, the researchers said.
About eight per cent of parents of autistic children reported that, as their kids reached 15 months, they were "very difficult to feed." That compared to about three per cent of kids without autism.
Even though children with ASD consumed less of some vitamins and ate a more limited variety of foods, their intake of carbohydrates, protein, fats and total energy were similar to controls. No major differences in weight, height or body mass index were found up to age seven.
"A clinical implication of these findings is that the possibility of an ASD should be considered for young children who present with feeding problems, pervasive food refusal, and limited food preferences, and appropriate questions should be asked about the child's social communication, shared attention, and stereotypic and self-stimulatory behaviours," the researchers concluded.
The study's authors also said parents and clinicians should be reassured by the findings that children with autism received enough calories from their diet and grew normally.
The researchers acknowledged limitations of the study, such as use of data reported by mothers that was not validated.
The study was funded by the Medical Research Council.
12. USDA Admits Link Between Antibiotic Use by Big Ag and Human Health
At a hearing of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Wednesday, July 14, 2010, a representative of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) finally caught up with the rest of the world -- and his peers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- and admitted that the use of antibiotics in farm animal feed is contributing to the growing problem of deadly antibiotic resistance in America.
Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) read from his previously submitted testimony that the USDA believes it is likely that U.S. use of antibiotics in animal agriculture does lead to some cases of resistance in humans and the animals.
Why is this news? Because the USDA has been continually playing the Three Wise Monkeys game -- it sees no evil, hears no evil and speaks no evil -- when it comes to deadly consequences to humans of the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in farm animals. In fact, Dr. Clifford looked as if he'd been given a choice between testifying or having his eye poked out with a stick and he lost the toss.
Others, though, readily stepped up to the plate. Despite the feeble nature of the recent FDA Guidance to Industry on farm animal antibiotics (read more about this in our blog), Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Principle Deputy Commissioner of the FDA, was clear in his testimony that the overall weight of evidence supports the conclusion that using antibiotics for production purposes in livestock farming (as growth promoters and to prevent rather than treat illness) is not in the interest of protecting and promoting public health.
Dr. Sharfstein also turned away a challenge from Representative John Shimkus (R-IL 19) about the soundness of the science upon which his findings rest. Mr. Shimkus, obviously unhappy with Dr. Sharfstein's testimony, badgered him to come up with up a U.S. peer-reviewed study (which Dr. Sharfstein did -- a 2003 Institute of Medicine study) and then questioned the veracity of the findings. Dr. Sharfstein assured Mr. Shimkus that the Institute has a peer-review process in place and reminded him that "the Institute is considered our nation's leading scientific expert ... "
Dr. Ali Khan, Assistant Surgeon General and the Deputy Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Center for Disease Control and Prevention, testified that there is unequivocal and compelling evidence that the use of antibiotics in farm animals leads to drug resistance that has an adverse impact on public health. He also faced questions from a visibly agitated Mr. Shimkus, who kept dismissing studies by the World Health Organization and others to request "real science," which, from his posturing, is evidently only that which supports Big Ag.
Mr. Shimkus played his role as Big Ag's Mouthpiece admirably. He questioned every statistic, slide, study, expert, institution, report or person cited that didn't agree with an antibiotic free-for-all in the farmyard. "So far there's nothing that links use in animals to a buildup of resistance in humans," he stated, recklessly ignoring all published science since 1968 and the testimony of the doctors his government has charged with protecting health, while making sure he gave Big Ag a clear, concise statement around which it can issue an indignant press release.
So let's recap -- the USDA, however grudgingly, is finally admitting the link between the use of subtherapeutic antibiotics in farm animal feed and human drug resistance; the FDA is impressed enough with the "weight of the evidence" to begin calling for changes in how antibiotics are used in farm animal production; and the CDC feels the evidence is "unequivocal and compelling," yet there are still those calling for "real science?"
Well how about the March 22, 2010, report from the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network that a superbug call C. difficile is multi-drug resistant and on the rise? Is that real science or should we conduct more studies and perhaps hold a few more hearings?
We don't need more hearings, we need action. H.R. 1549, Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, continues to languish in committee while a few elected officials spend the taxpayer's time and money to pretend the science they are calling for doesn't already exist in mountains.
In the coming days, I expect that Big Ag will marshal their forces and come out with its own brand of science and experts to refute all testimony that threatens its profit margin. Of course, what I'm really waiting for is the day the Subcommittee calls on one of the dozens and dozens of AWA farmers to relate how changing from confined to pasture-based farming has eliminated the need for subtherapuetic and most therapeutic antibiotics because their animals and their farms are safe and healthy to begin with.
13. The Avalanche of New Mercury-Autism Studies
Mark Geier, MD, PhD & David Geier
July 24, 2010
Dear Everyone: We wanted to share with you the avalanche of new mercury-autism studies published yesterday in the peer-reviewed literature. Yesterday, there were six studies published in one day that implicate a causal role for mercury exposure in autistic disorders.
(1) Sorting Out the Spinning of Autism - Heavy Metals - Mercury - & Incidence [here]"We analyzed the data reported in some articles that have been, or might be, taken to support the view of no-real-increase or no-environmental-connection. Overall, we have offered a critical view of some of the literature from the perspective of research scientists who have become interested in the topic within the past five years and sought to gauge the actual state of scientific knowledge regarding autism etiology... To summarize, of the 58 empirical reports on autism and heavy metal toxins, 43 suggest some link may be present, while 13 reports found no link. Even with the tendency for null results not to be reported, it cannot be said there is no evidence for a link between heavy metal toxins and autism: although the question may still be open-in sum, the evidence favors a link."
(2) Level of Trace Elements & Toxic Elements in Hiar & Nails of Children with Autism [here]
"Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to assess the levels of trace elements like copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), and selenium (Se) and toxic elements like mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) in the hair and nail samples of autistic children and to evaluate whether the level of these elements could be correlated with the severity of autism. The subjects of the study were 45 autistic children with different grades of severity (low (LFA), medium (MFA), and high (HFA) functioning autism) according to Childhood Autism Rating Scale, n=15 children in each group and 50 healthy children (age and sex matched). The boys and girls ratio involved in this study was 4:1, and they were 4-12 years of age. The study observed a valid indication of Cu body burden in the autistic children. The children with different grades of autism showed high significance (p<0.001) in the level of copper in their hair and nail samples when compared to healthy controls. The level of Cu in the autistic children could be correlated with their degree of severity (more the Cu burden severe is autism). The study showed a significant elevation (p<0.001) in the levels of toxic metals Pb and Hg in both hair and nail samples of autistic children when compared to healthy control group. The elevation was much pronounced in LFA group subjects when compared among autistic groups MFA and HFA. The levels of trace elements Mg and Se were significantly decreased (p<0.001) in autistic children when compared to control. The trace element Zn showed significant variation in both hair and nails of LFA group children when compared to control group and other study groups. The significant elevation in the concentration of Cu, Pb, and Hg and significant decrease in the concentration of Mg and Se observed in the hair and nail samples of autistic subjects could be well correlated with their degrees of severity."
(3) Age-Dependent Lower-Higher Hg in Hair of ASD Children vs Controls [here]
"An association between autism and early life exposure to mercury is a hotly debated issue. In this study, 91 autistic Polish children, male and female, 3-4 and 7-9 years old, were compared to 75 age- and sex-matched healthy children with respect to: demographic, perinatal, clinical and developmental measures, parental age, birth order, morphometric measures, vaccination history, and hair mercury content. In demographic and perinatal measures there were no consistent differences between the autistic and control groups. Autistic children had a significantly greater prevalence of adverse reactions after vaccinations and abnormal development than controls. Between 45 and 80% of autistic children experienced developmental regress. Autistic children significantly differed from healthy peers in the concentrations of mercury in hair: younger autistics had lower levels, while older – higher levels than their respective controls. The results suggest that autistic children differ from healthy children in metabolism of mercury, which seems to change with age....In view of the growing body of clinical and preclinical evidence of strong toxicity of all forms of mercury in developing organisms, the removal of THIM[EROSAL] from all vaccines given to children and pregnant women is urgently required."
(4) Blood Mercury & Autism [here]
"Mercury (Hg) may significantly impact the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Lab results generated by Vitamin Diagnostics (CLIA-approved), from 2003-2007, were examined among subjects diagnosed with an ASD (n=83) in comparison to neurotypical controls (n=89). Blood Hg levels were determined by analyzing Hg content in red blood cells (RBC) using cold vapor analysis, and consistent Hg measurements were observed between Vitamin Diagnostics and the University of Rochester. Adjusted (age, gender, and date of collection) mean Hg levels were 1.9-fold significantly (P<0.0001) increased among subjects diagnosed with an ASD (21.4 mcg/L) in comparison to controls (11.4 mcg/L). Further, an adjusted significant (P<0.0005) threshold effect (>15 mcg/L) was observed for Hg levels on the risk of a subject being diagnosed with an ASD in comparison to controls (odds ratio=6.4). The weight of scientific evidence supports Hg as a causal factor in subjects diagnosed with an ASD."
(5) Pediatric Vaccines on Amygdala Growth & Opioid Receptors in Monkeys [here]
"The following single dose, preservative-free vaccines were purchased and thimerosal added as previously described in order to mimic the pediatric vaccines used between 1994-1999 (Centers for Disease Control, 1995): RECOMBIVAX HB® (Merck) for the Hepatitis B (HB) vaccine; INFANRIX® (GlaxoSmithKline) for the diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine; and Liquid PedvaxHIB® (Merck) for the haemophilus B (Hib) vaccine. The M-M-R® II (Merck) was used for the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, which has always been thimerosal-free. The thimerosal dose was standardized to the equivalent (mcg/kg body weight) administered to a male human infant on the 5th percentile for weight. Standardization provided a clinical-exposure dose that allowed valid comparison of outcomes. Single dose vaccines were pooled and then spiked with a stock thimerosal solution and analyzed for ethyl mercury concentration using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer to verify that target concentrations were achieved. The dosed HB vaccine contained ~1.98 mcg ethyl mercury per 0.5ml dose, while the dosed DTaP and Hib vaccines contained ~3.96 mcg ethyl mercury. The schedule of vaccine administration was adjusted based on the approximately 4 to 1 faster growth of macaque infants, following previously published protocols. Exposed infants received a 0.5ml intramuscular (i.m.) injection of each vaccine according to the schedule in Table I, except for MMR which was given sub-cutaneously. Unexposed infants followed the same schedule of injections as exposed infants except that each vaccine was replaced with 0.5ml saline, i.m."
"This longitudinal, case-control pilot study examined amygdala growth in rhesus macaque infants receiving the complete US childhood vaccine schedule (1994-1999). Longitudinal structural and functional neuroimaging was undertaken to examine central effects of the vaccine regimen on the developing brain. Vaccine-exposed and saline-injected control infants underwent MRI and PET imaging at approximately 4 and 6 months of age, representing two specific timeframes within the vaccination schedule. Volumetric analyses showed that exposed animals did not undergo the maturational changes over time in amygdala volume that was observed in unexposed animals. After controlling for left amygdala volume, the binding of the opioid antagonist [11C]diprenorphine (DPN) in exposed animals remained relatively constant over time, compared with unexposed animals, in which a significant decrease in [11C]DPN binding occurred. These results suggest that maturational changes in amygdala volume and the binding capacity of [11C]DPN in the amygdala was significantly altered in infant macaques receiving the vaccine schedule. The macaque infant is a relevant animal model in which to investigate specific environmental exposures and structural/functional neuroimaging during neurodevelopment."
(6) The Biological Basis of ASDs [here]
"Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), also known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), are a behaviorally defined group of neurodevelopmental disorders that are usually diagnosed in early childhood. ASDs disproportionately affect male children. Mercury (Hg), a heavy metal, is widespread and persistent in the environment. Mercury is a ubiquitous source of danger in fish, drugs, fungicides/herbicides, dental fillings, thermometers, and many other products. Elevated Hg concentrations may remain in the brain from several years to decades following exposure. This is important because investigators have long recognized that Hg is a neurodevelopmental poison; it can cause problems in neuronal cell migration and division, and can ultimately cause cell degeneration and death. Case-reports of patients have described developmental regressions with ASD symptoms following fetal and/or early childhood Hg exposure, and epidemiological studies have linked exposure to Hg with an elevated risk of a patient being diagnosed with an ASD. Immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions similar to traits defining or associated with ASDs were reported following Hg intoxication with similarities extending to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry. The sexual dimorphism of ASDs may result from synergistic neurotoxicity caused by the interaction of testosterone and Hg; in contrast, estrogen is protective, mitigating the toxicity of Hg."
14. What Is My Mother Doing To Me?: A Teenager's Journey To Recovered Health Through Biomedical Interventions
Book Description
Childhood was different for me. I had humongous problems with attention, energy and heartburn. I found out I had ADHD when I was given stimulant medication - a pill that is like supercharged coffee. When the side effects of the medication outweighed the benefits, I was thrown in the world of biomedical interventions sometimes used for autistic kids. Gone were my days of Cocoa Puffs, McDonalds and candy bars. But I really felt like a Gen-Next pediatric experiment when I lost wheat and dairy - two staples of the food pyramid - from my diet. In its place I was repaid with more pills to swallow then a senior citizen. What was my mother doing to me? This book is the story of my journey to recovered health.
About the Author
Andrew Zimmerman is a typical 14 year old guy who went through some atypical medical interventions to overcome ADHD, acid reflux and other health challenges. Working with a physician trained by the Autism Research Institute, Andrew now enjoys restored health, energy, focus, and happiness. In his free time he loves martial arts, wrestling, video games and electric guitar.
15. Personal Note from the Executive Director
In January of this year, HBO’s marketing department dropped me an email about an upcoming biopic film on Temple Grandin. It was coming out in February and they wanted to share the release with the autism support community.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t excited about the film. In fact, I was scared to watch it.
Let me explain why. I have had the honor of meeting and hearing the real Temple Grandin speak in person. I have read all of her books. She is an incredibly gifted individual who happens to have the autism diagnosis. During her life, she has been absolutely groundbreaking in helping people better understand autism. And despite her autism, she became a well respected industry leader in animal husbandry and of livestock equipment design. Her livestock equipment designs revolutionized the cattle industry and are widely used all over the U.S. If you have a chance to hear her speak – take the opportunity! You will never forget the experience.
More than anything, I wanted Temple’s story to be represented positively. I did not want more stereotypes of autistic individuals such as Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man. After Rain Man was released, the public’s opinion and perception of autism was only what they saw as represented by Dustin Hoffman’s character. The sad part is that the public only saw a very limited example of a person affected by autism. The most confusing thing about autism is that every individual affected by autism is completely unique and nearly always different from each other. There is no easy way to tell the unique stories of all those affected by autism in just one story with just one main character or even a few main characters. At many conferences, you will hear experts sometimes say, “When you have met a person with autism that is all it is. You have only met one person with autism. Autistics are more dissimilar then the same.” That statement perfectly describes my experiences over the last 10 years at TACA.
My other fear is that Hollywood doesn’t always “get” the story right.
Then there was the casting. Claire Danes is a beautiful actress that in the past was a love interest to Leonardo Dicaprio and many other handsome actors. Temple Grandin is the 180 degree opposite of Claire Danes. I didn’t know if Ms. Danes would able to portray such a complex individual as Temple.
However, after weeks of avoiding the HBO special film presentation, I came down sick with a wicked cold. I became a prisoner of my sofa while I recovered and one day, the movie came on. Reluctantly, I watched it.
To my surprise – it was one of the best movies I have watched that portrayed an individual affected by autism. I was so impressed. There were many times I cried like a baby watching the story unfold. I knew Temple’s story. I have heard it many times from Temple herself. The movie captured it more beautifully than I could have ever anticipated.
Recently, the film has been nominated for 15 Emmys and deservedly so. Not only did the film capture the struggles that a person with autism experiences in their life, but it also managed to capture the struggle of the “family”, namely Temple’s mother, always searching for answers for their children.
There are two scenes that resonated the most with me. The first is when Temple was diagnosed at age 4 in the 1950’s. The psychologist explained in detail that it was the mother’s fault for her child’s diagnosis and then recommended that the child be institutionalized. There was no treatment and no hope offered after giving the autism diagnosis. Sadly, even today, many recently diagnosed TACA families report here in the new millennium that this scene still plays out over 50 years later, almost verbatim.
The second scene that touched me most was when Temple’s mom (played by Julia Ormond) was looking for schools for her daughter. It was clear and obvious Temple was different. Her differences were always pointed out by the school staff as a barrier to entry or acceptance – even more heartbreaking the glaring stares from her peers. When they pointed these differences out to Temple’s mom, she was quick to reply Temple was “different, not less.”
Upon reviewing the HBO website, I saw that the producers included: Anthony Edwards and Gil Bellows. Anthony and Gil have been great friends to the autism community - in support of non profits and the Shestak/Iverson family. No wonder this film was so good.
I cannot remember the last time I have written a movie review. In fact, throughout TACA’s 10 year history, I have spent more time steering folks away from instead of towards these kinds of films. I am happy to report I am glad to be very wrong about my initial impression of the Temple Grandin HBO biopic. I encourage readers to catch it on HBO or buy the upcoming DVD and share it with family and friends. Everyone would benefit from watching the story of this courageous family and the amazing life of Temple Grandin.
All my best,
Lisa Ackerman – TACA Executive Director
Proud mom to Jeff & Lauren, wife to Glen
