Thursday, 10 December 2009
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In My Opinion... This Doesn't Lay to Rest the Connection
“Latest autism figures should dispel any fears about the MMR jab being linked to the condition, say experts.” - Michelle Roberts Health Reporter, BBC News. This article jabs my buttons…
One of the arguments that many (including myself) have used about the autism/vaccine connection is that you just don’t see 1 out of 100 adults walking around with autism. Yes, there ARE some, but those numbers just are not as staggering as those among our youth, right? Well, according to a resent “small” study that is precisely what is occurring. Yep, that is the claim; 1 out of 100 adults do indeed have autism.
Assuming you read the article, I will share some of my thoughts…
How were the 7500 participants in this study selected? AND by what criteria were they classified? Was there enough diversity in its selection to be able to generalize this to the entire adult population concluding that this disproves the MRR/autism connection?
Assuming there was... Still think about those numbers!! 1 out of 100 adults have autism... where are they?
Next time you are in church, the grocery store, the office or even at a family function.... remember 1% of the people in attendance should (according to this research) have autism.
The truth is that there are still children who are developing typically who have a sudden regression; how can we ignore this common sense? But... Dr. Wakefield's research was discredited, right? Interesting how every politician, scientist, doctor or mom that speaks out about this connection is discredited. Who is making that determination... big pharm, scientists funded by the manufacturers, politicians with deep pockets?
Certainly, not the mothers and fathers who painstakingly watched their child regress into autism.
But.. for the sake of argument, let's assume these numbers are accurate... then how are these adult autistics functioning and who is taking care of them? Daily and often through the night I strategize how our daughter is going to be able to develop the appropriate skills and resources to live a productive life now and into adulthood... And yet, here we have 1% of the populace doing it without intervention... I am not buying it!
(And I mean NO disrespect if you are an adult experiencing autism...)
Finally, I have to reiterate mercury not is safe for the human body, brain or nervous system… guys in the yellow suits w/ masks are deployed when a thermometer breaks in a high-school science lab or at the local VOA store (those are true stories)… And, of course, the FDA advises pregnant women to reduce their consumption of fish during pregnancy because of the mercury content... Yet, we are injecting it directly into pregnant women through the RhoGam shot or young infants and children via routine and flu vaccines…
This research just doesn’t lay the autism/vaccine connection to rest for me. In fact, I see it as a way to try to pacify a community that is getting louder and a smoke screen for the rest of the people.
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About the Author
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- From: alternamom
- About Me: I have side-stepped my professional career to put my energy where it needs to be... with my family. I am the mother of two fantastic, expressive, healthy daughters. Daily they inspire me to be a connected, mindful mother and for that, I am a better person. I am supported in this journey by the most incredible man. He has given me the freedom to be the mother our children deserve. As I spent the past few years orchestrating my daughter’s treatment plan for reversing autism, I collected beneficial data along the way. Interestingly, I have found that many of the changes in our lifestyle have not only benefited her, but the entire family as well. Visit my site: http://www.alterna-mom.blogspot.com/
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Comments (4)
What research makes you think there is any connection between vaccines and autism? As far as I am aware there isn't any at all. The original research on 12 individuals by Wakefield which started this urban myth was disproved long ago and Wakefield has been prosecuted. What experts was the journalist Michelle Roberts talking about in the quote you use to head your post? Michelle Roberts is a journalist without any scientific or medical qualifications who specialises in headline-getting health stories (often scares) and entrepreneurial articles. Without names and research, 'feelings' and 'opinions' are just that and add more to urban myth than factual, helpful knowledge. There isn't a conspiracy going on behind a smoke screen to pacify any community about vaccines, the research simply doesn't support the conclusion you want it too.
Maybe there isn't a cause to blame it on, maybe its just that we are better at identifying this spectrum of disorders and in the past they were either mis-diagnosed or not diagnosed at all. Where I live, vaccination is a requirement of the education authority and fish, fresh-caught, is eaten almost every day yet autism is very rare. I don't know why, maybe the islands are bad at identifying it, maybe it really is uncommon, maybe the cause is something environmental that my totally-unindustrialised island lacks. There is a lot of research that could be done and focusing on one possible cause, vaccination, where twenty years of research has not produced any results of a connection that can be duplicated is taking away funds and scientists from other areas not yet explored.
I found what you said about 1 in 100 interesting and found the link to the article: http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/?p=3238. One of the conclusions of the report is that most of the adults (who self-identified they were somewhere on the autism spectrum by filling in a questionnaire that was sent to them, i.e. they were not asked the questions by a researcher) are not getting treatment or even seeking it. Perhaps certain Aspergers/Autism symptoms are actually just variations on the 'normal' and surveys like this just show that we are getting better at identifying the spectrum of this disorder?
Hi Michelle! I'd like to respond to your post, as it's something I've discussed a lot on my blog. Now, I have no medical experience or expertise, so this is my opinion from the extensive research and reading I've done and people I've known.
Personally, I believe there are autistic symptoms are either caused in a typical child OR children are born with autism. My daughter, who was never vaccinated until 3 or 6 months old, I believe, was born with autism. Her personality has not changed in the slightest in 4+ years, but she does show all the aspects of a child with ASD. I do not believe that diet would help her or that vaccines harmed her.
A dear friend of mine has a child with a full range of food allergies. When he was still quite young, he started showing signs of autism. By this point, my friend knew he had other allergies, so she looked at that route. Food allergies undetected in a child can cause ALL kinds of damage and problems. It took many months, but he was finally diagnosed with celiac disease. With the recommended diet (added to his already limited menu), over time he become a typically developing child.
I believe that celiac disease is curable by restricted dieting and that it can produce symptoms that look like autism. People with this disease have a high intolerance for metals - so the mercury in vaccines looked like a suspect. From further reading I've done, the evidence seems to be against vaccines causing autism, and from what I understand, mercury (at least here in the US) has been removed from vaccines.
That said, there is a long long list of chemicals that DO go into vaccines. I agree we need to be wary, get educated and weigh the results when choosing whether or not to vaccinate. Remember that if whole groups of kids go unvaccinated, an "eradicated" disease can return and devastate. On the other hand, what are these chemicals doing to our children? Not an easy question. I for one am WHOLLY oppose vaccinating newborns, unless there is an imminent danger. Their system has not even adapted to air and the regular toxins and to introduce more is not something I would subject my children to. We have not, as a family, gotten the H1N1 vaccine, and I'm wondering if that was a wise decision or not. I'm still reconsidering it. We've gotten most of the other vaccines.
1 in 100 adults with ASD an interesting statistic, but autism as far as I've heard, is not so easy to diagnose. They must be very high functioning. It's interesting to read studies about autism and genetics, autism and schizophrenia, and of course, the increasing amount of toxins that are discovered in placenta. It's a good thing that they are doing a lot of research on this hot button topic. Hopefully they will have results that parents like me can use!
gina b
mom-blog
//
This article jabs
mybuttons…//
Probably because it challenges your preconceived notions about vaccines and autism. Get over it and examine the data.
// How were the 7500
participants in this study selected? AND by what criteria were they
classified? Was there enough diversity in its selection to be able to
generalize this to the entire adult population concluding that this
disproves the MRR/autism connection?//
Have you read the original research paper in its entirety? You should find the answers in there. It's excellent to see you asking these questions - I hope you do the same for articles that anti-vaxxers cite for their claims.
//Finally,
I have to reiterate mercury not is safe for the human body, brain or
nervous system… guys in the yellow suits w/ masks are deployed when a
thermometer breaks in a high-school science lab or at the local VOA
store (those are true stories)…//
If you took any decent anatomy or biology courses in high school you would know that exposure to toxic elements is contingent upon the form, concentration and duration of the exposure in question. It's not as simple as "did you get exposed or not?" Precautions taken in hazmat responses are based on both (a) worst-case scenarios and (b) a means of appeasing the ignorant masses by showing the world that "hey, it's under control".
//Who is making that determination... big pharm, scientists funded by the manufacturers, politicians with deep pockets?//
The personal/political motivations do not invalidate or validate scientific claims. As a concerned parent your job is to look past the BS and see the raw data for what it is. Numbers don't lie, and so far the numbers are discrediting Wakefield, no matter what you or politicians or lobbyists or manufacturers say.
//But..
for the sake of argument, let's assume these numbers are accurate...
then how are these adult autistics functioning and who is taking care
of them? Daily and often through the night I strategize how our
daughter is going to be able to develop the appropriate skills and
resources to live a productive life now and into adulthood... And yet,
here we have 1% of the populace doing it without intervention... I am
not buying it!//
Personal incredulity is irrelevant to the conclusions of a paper. You assume that all autism cases have the same requirements for care and support that your daughter needs. You also assume that all cases of autism are obvious enough to be diagnosed easily.
I think some of the reason that more adults are being found with autism is that the umbrella has been opened to include higher levels of functioning. Aspergers was pretty much unheard of in the US until 1994 when Asperger's research into it was discovered and translated from German. If that had been a part of the Autistic Spectrum back then, there would have been a lot more children diagnosed as being "on the spectrum" who are now adults.