Tuesday, 02 February 2010
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Study Shows Similar Mercury Levels in Autistic Children
From: Dr. Chun WongIt’s one of those stories that you hear relatively often in the world of Autism. For as many studies as there are supporting the idea that Mercury, a metal found in medication, dental fillings and water, has an affect on those with Autism, there is another study that disproves the theory. Though it’s known that one of the symptoms of Mercury Poisoning is impairment of speech, hearing, walking and other developmental elements, it’s not completely proven that it in fact causes Autism, despite its ability to cause developmental impairments in children.
A recent study done at the University of California-Davis aimed at comparing the mercury levels in children.
“We looked at blood-mercury levels in children who had autism and children who did not have autism,” said lead author Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of environmental and occupational health.
“The bottom line is that blood-mercury levels in both populations were essentially the same. However, this analysis did not address a causal role, because we measured mercury after the diagnosis was made.”
The study itself focused on children ages 2-5 years old, and investigated their mercury intake in things such as fish consumption, nasal sprays, and vaccinations.
Children who had dental fillings made of mercury and were known to chew gum had higher mercury-blood levels. Also, children who consumed fresh water fish, such as tuna.
The study was carried out on 452 children: 249 were diagnosed as autistic, 143 were deemed to be developing normally and 60 showed retarded development such as Down Syndrome.
“Just as autism is complex, with great variation in severity and presentation, it is highly likely that its causes will be found to be equally complex. It’s time to abandon the idea that a single ’smoking gun’ will emerge to explain why so many children are developing autism,” said Hertz-Picciotto.
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About the Author
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- From: newautismcure
- Name: newautismcure
- About Me: My name is Dr Chun Wong and I have been a practicing physician since 2000 and am a Naturopath, Chiropractic Internist and a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I practice natural healthcare in Illinois and specialize in chronic pain and pediatric conditions, including autism. My training, research and the fact that I used to be a nutritionist, mean that I am extremely familiar with the biomedical approach to Autism. I do not visit this site very often and so I cannot answer your questions, however, if you go to my original website (see below) you could email me for any concerns/questions. Autisable.com do not pay me and I do not pay them for any endorsement as we have a mutual agreement to share my information with the readers. Of course, in my website I am selling services and products so that I can keep running the site to disseminate more useful information. If you do not like what I do, please do not vist my site. You could reach me at NewAutismCure.com
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Comments (3)
Blood mercury levels mean nothing! The folks that did the study, I'm sure, knew that. They're study is pointless.
Mercury body burden is what they should have compared. Mercury does not stay long in the blood.
Thank you for sharing this! I have heard this, as well. Levels of lead also can produce symptoms associated with autism.
From your blurb I can see that you have several qualifications in alternative therapies but I would like to know if you have an MD, are a qualified physician. I have asked you this before but you have not replied. Your site is a commercial one selling books, membership etc. I would like to know your medical qualifications before investing in anything. Thank you.