Talk about a crazy show!
If you have not seen the Dr. Oz episode about autism, which aired yesterday, get your butt to a computer and Google it!
I, personally, loved the show! It was great. For ONCE parents got to speak against the docs. Not like it made much of an impact on them, but I was glad to see that when the parents spoke up about vaccines and environmental triggers, they weren't edited out of the show. There was on Doc that was a dick: Dr. Moshe Lazar. I didn't dislike him too much until he said that we can't play "Make up whatever we want to do." Really asshole? We're making it all up?? Really?! And then there was doctor Brown. They had a good handful of docs there but you only hear from four. One, unfortunately, being Dr. Brown. Who I think was paid by Pharma to be there.
She threw up the "vaccines have been ruled out" card, saying that we have "a decade" of research proving it. But that's when (my favorite doc)
Dr. Robert Sears (yes I put his full name), who wrote
The Autism Book and
The Vaccine Book (which are both on my reading list now. Bought Autism Book on my Kindle. Flippin' great!), brought up that the 18 out of the 23 studies done debuking vaccines were funded by big Pharma.
Dr. Sears rocks! Loved him on the show. He is not anti-vax (like many of us who often get labeled that way for our beliefs about vaccines) and has a great alternative schedule (which dumb Dr. Brown disagrees with saying that the youngsters were the ones who needed the vaxs the most), which he says is more comforting for parents. AND he believes that autism is recoverable! I'm telling you, this guy is the best.
But another thing I loved was Dr. Oz. He was totally unbiased! He was really listening to both sides and often supported the parents in their efforts to make their claims vocal. He even called out the big dogs (Autism Speaks) for not appearing on the show. The BIGGEST national organization didn't bother showing up? Really? They said they'll be on a later show involving insurance reform or adult living, which are totally great, but what they aren't getting, is that in order to fix a problem, you have first find out what causing it! In order to stop a baby from crying, you must find out WHY the baby is crying FIRST. Granted, you can get the baby to stop without finding out why, but it doesn't work everytime. Come on Autism Speaks!
It was, all in all, a badass show!
Watch it!My live tweets watching the show:
@ZackGonzalez: Saw Dr.Moshe Lazar on Dr. Oz today. He can kiss my ass. "Make up whatever we want to do?" Really asshole? We're making it up? #autism
@ZackGonzalez: Dr. Oz made a great point about @autisspeaks. We need to start at the beginning before we can get to the future improvement. #autism
@ZackGonzalez: Go Dr. Sears! "Most of the studies debunking vaccinations are funded by the pharmaceutical companies." Safer, delayed vaccine sched! #autism
@ZackGonzalez: Go Dr. Rob Sears! Kickin' ass on Dr. Oz!! #autism
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How do you think the show went?
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Comments (26)
"He was really listening to both sides and often supported the parents in their efforts to make their claims vocal."
Both sides? As if there's only two sides?
Did the show include a third side, like including some of the parents of babies who were infected with measles, whooping cough, etc.by unvaccinated older kids before they were old enough to be vaccinated themselves?
"They said they'll be on a later show involving insurance reform or adult living, which are totally great, but what they aren't getting, is that in order to fix a problem, you have first find out what causing it!"
They are getting that these adults already have autism. Fixing their problems can't be done by early-childhood prevention measures - their early childhoods ended years ago.
"In order to stop a baby from crying, you must find out WHY the baby is crying FIRST."
...and you must deal with the fact that that baby is already crying. Better prenatal care may solve the problem for some other baby in the future but it won't stop this baby from crying at all.
Autism Speaks really is great. They're right for not showing up on a talk show like Dr. Oz. They only show up on legitimate shows Anderson Cooper and used to be on Larry King Live. Dr. Oz is a stupid show for women who are afraid to think. A perfect example is the vaccine theory. People want to blame Autism on vaccines when it is obvious that Autism runs in families. Funds are better spent trying to figure out why Autism is genetic and how to stop it from occurring before birth. Dr. Oz is a d-bag. He can kiss my ass too.
I second everything April said really, though my attention span failed me and I only got bits and pieces of the post, there was a lot in the article that rubbed me the wrong way. Like how it seems you're saying that finding out what causes it is the key to helping people who already have it... it's really not, unless we're gonna invent time machines to. It can help others in the future maybe, and sure, that's great, but it doesn't at all play a role in helping those who already have the disorder.
I don't think the "baby is crying" analogy works so much, because it's a different concept altogether. With that, it's how you know what to do to fix the problem WHILE it's occurring. With autism, the problem already occurred. Knowing what it was doesn't fix that. It's like saying knowing where someone caught their cold is the key to curing the common cold... it's not. That much doesn't matter for those who already have it. It happened, they have it, they can't go back in time and avoid that to make it not happen, and so knowing what caused it isn't really helpful for those who already have it... that much is done and can't be changed.
And I like how April pointed out there are hardly only two sides. Like she mentioned, what about the parents of children who became ill with those things because others refused to vaccinate their own kids? That's actually a BIG problem related to autism... people avoid vaccinating their kids A LOT so they won't risk autism, but then their kids get sick, their kids get OTHER people sick, and sometimes deaths even occur as a result. What about the people whose kids died because of such a mistake? They missed out on a big chunk I believe by not speaking on the "dead child vs. autism" subject, because I've always seen that as a huge part of it.
(Which personally, regardless of the TRUTH about it, is why I HATE people pushing so strongly that vaccines are the cause for autism... personally, I've always seen having any kind of disorder as being better than being dead at least, and with autism, it's no different. And we KNOW vaccines can save lives. Yet a bunch of freaked out parents just opt out of vaccines altogether because they're scared because of what they've heard about the links between autism and vaccines, and they fail to realize people can easily die as a result. But that's a debate for another day I guess...)
And I can't think perfectly clearly now, but I'm sure their are other "sides" to this as well which they didn't even touch on.
I love Dr. Oz. I love Dr. Sears. But I don't always completely agree with them, either. And I think there were a few huge chunks of the puzzle missing here.
@RedHedRenegade@xanga - why is he bad if he agreed with the parents that experience autism, because theyre with their kids 24/7?
There really isn't two sides to this unless you view it as those who consider the actual data and those who don't.
More info about Dr. Robert Sears' advice: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/1/e164
@RedHedRenegade@xanga - Autism Speaks is not a great organization. They strive to show autism as something to "fix" rather than a neurological difference. They didn't even have someone with autism on their board until very recently. I don't watch Dr. Oz on a regular basis, but I'm guessing that you believe everything the media tells you about what parents who choose to delay vaccinations and to not vaccinate their kids believe. Most of the parents I've encountered who make the choice to delay or not vaccinate their kids have a damn good reason for not doing so, and it has little to do with autism.
Personally, I have very little desire to "stop autism". It's a part of who I am and who my daughter is, and yes, we do have struggles, but so does every person with some sort of difference. The best way to deal with autism? Fund more research on therapies to treat the symptoms and how to cope in the real world.
Also, have you ever heard of regressive autism? One of the most famous autistic people in the world in Temple Grandin, and even she admits that there are two different types of autism that she's noticed in the world. There are those who are born autistic, and those who start out normally and then regress. There should be more research into why that happens.
I hate Dr. Oz and wouldn't trust his word for ANY DAMN THING. *DISLIKE*
"@RedHedRenegade@xanga - Autism Speaks is not a great organization. They strive to show autism as something to "fix" rather than a neurological difference."
Yeah, and you're representing another side besides the "two sides" on the show here.
Yet one more side are those folks who, unlike you, think autism and Asperger's Syndome makes them superior to the rest of us (and who would probably be the ones refusing vaccines if Wakefield had instead claimed that vaccinations cause William's Syndrome)...
"People want to blame Autism on vaccines when it is obvious that Autism runs in families."
How much of that is actually autism symptoms being genetically inherited and how much of that is parents ordering children to behave in ways that resemble autism symptoms (see the similarities between the childrearing described at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html and the childrearing described at http://www.empowher.com/aspergers-syndrome/content/aspergers-parents-and-neurotypical-children )?
For example, not spending a lot of free time with peers can get passed from parent to child via a gene for having a hard time learning social skills, and not spending time with friends can also get passed from parent to child via a custom of strictly scheduling one's child's life so that they don't have free time to spend with peers in the first place...
Alright, since everyone's bitching about how there are more than two sides, yes, it's true, there are more than two sides. I personally don't think there should be any sides, but due to today's society, there are sides. How ever many you want to count up is up to you. There are two main sides. Those are for vaccines and those who aren't. There are many other classifications that can fall into either side, but really, there are only two. Which one am I on? I can't really say. I would be classified under the against vaccines, when in reality I think vaccines are helpful but contain lots of crap (mercury, aluminum, and the list goes on).
As far as what Autism Speaks is doing, yes, they do stuff for those who already have autism, like many other organizations that are helping to treat autism. However, though it is important to treat autism now, if the cause of autism is continuing to result in more cases of autism, then one of the main priorities should be to find the problem and stop it before it gets really out of hand. I have a brother with autism and understand the need to treat it NOW, but we have to think about the future for other children as well.
And maybe the crying baby analogy wasn't the greatest. I'll admit that. Sometimes I'm not the greatest analogy-thinker. And yes that was a very immature response, so no need to make that point again.
- Zack
@ThePiecesofOurPuzzle - No I don't believe everything I see in the media. I think Temple Grandin needs therapy to overcome her obvious symptoms so that the academic community will want to be near her. You're Autistic? No wonder you threw Temple Grandin's names in there. I'm going to sound a little Nazi-ish, but I think it was pretty selfish of you to have a child. Not everyone with Autism is Temple or Albert or Daryl (all with mild or high function might I add). Now your child has it and you both struggle. People on the Autism spectrum have no place having children. Yes, I have heard of regressive Autism. I'm pretty much an expert in all things Autism. I have a brother with Classic/Infantile Autism who is only two years younger than me. We have ABA therapists, all students at The University of North Texas-Autism Intervention at our house every day from when he gets home till 9pm. (Look up UNT. It's unassuming, but it's why I'm working myself silly for a full ride somewhere.) He has an in-home trainer from DFW Center For Autism every week, also very expensive. My life is Autism, and I am a fun loving (when I can get it), ivy league accepted, yes very bitter but so many people deserve it, completely normal teenager. Unless anyone else can say THAT! they cannot complain or pretend as if they know anything. You ask anyone with any sort of difference if they would want to "stop" it and believe me, you look emotionally retarded. You can also kiss my ass.
@April - there is a difference between being socially retarded and being Autistic. People who are socially retarded just refuse to communicate because of beliefs, or what they are taught, people who are Autistic stem (spinning plates, making odd noises, jumping, bite themselves), and refuse to communicate regardless of what their parents have taught them, a minority of Autistic children have seizures, it's much more than being socially restarted. When I say it runs in families I mean when I go to to my brother's Special Olympics every now and then I'll hear conversations about somebody's niece being recently diagnosed or how someone has an uncle with autism and now their son has it. I've never met a parent and child with autism.
@Gosalyn223@xanga - because sometimes parents are wrong, because they are with their kids 24/7. I know my family can have a bias just because we're around my brother all the time, and not listen to what needs to be listened to. It sucks living with someone who is Autistic. Anyone who says it doesn't is lying or just not telling you everything. You have to need some outside intervention when you live with an autistic kid. It's good for your kid because parents can become overly emotional and overwhelmed with what they have to deal with, especially parents who go on talk shows. My brother is ten times worse than any child I've ever seen on a talk show. Doing a TV show is not a good idea because it puts in image of Autism into the public's head that may or may not be a good representation of the disability as a whole. Get your kid help and let that be that.
hey u wizard of oz motherfucker, go back to ur hugbox lol
You are what, 17, 18 years old? I perused your blog and was not able to find a single well-thought out post. Most focused on idiotic things like getting your iPod to work after it went through the wash. Perhaps you should spend a little more time looking at scientific research or perusing the library instead of insulting people you clearly know nothing about.
Believe it or not, parents have been doing ABA and other forms of therapy with their kids with autism for far longer than therapists who charge $50 an hour have. I don't think having a sibling with autism and being autistic yourself are remotely the same thing. I am blessed to have an ASD because it gives me the unique ability to understand how my daughter thinks and feels. I made it through life with a 3.9 high school GPA and a bachelor's degree with all the extra crap that some parents pay other people to do for them.
@ThePiecesofOurPuzzle - awesome good for you! I have a 6.2 GPA (IT"S POSSIBLE!). I'm valedictorian. I was accepted to Dartmouth (where did you go to college??? Somewhere like that???). You have a bachelors? Both my parents have Masters of Taxation and full time jobs for one the big four accounting firms. The iPod thing was not a serious post about iPods. It was about how Apple sucks! How the hell could you take that seriously? Oh, yeah. I remember now. Also, you still don't know anything because "treating" autism is what cures it. You can still act socially retarded after years of ABA but have no autistic symptoms, therefore you cannot be diagnosed and are just weird. This is how people 'lose" their diagnosis through "treatment" and are "cured". If you read my earlier comments I don't think I ever said the words "cure" or "cured". Stopping Autism before it occurs would be similar to what happens with parents of Downs kids. It would give the parents a choice whether they and their current children want to deal with the autism nightmare. You know nothing. Kiss my ass.
Wow. There sure is a lot of junk going on here. I don't have the best memory, so before I forget, how do you know the person w/a child w/autism and autism themselves knew they had autism before they had a child?
This makes me really sad, because this goes on a lot in the autism world. People are so vehement and down right nasty to each other. It's a waste of time and resources. Our kids and adults need help, whatever you think about cause or if something should or should not be fixed. People may just need a kind word.
@RedHedRenegade@xanga - "I have a 6.2 GPA (IT"S POSSIBLE!)"
Of course it's possible! Especially when an A at the school is 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, or 10.0
"Stopping Autism before it occurs would be similar to what happens with parents of Downs kids. It would give the parents a choice whether they and their current children want to deal with the autism nightmare."
read these two sentences again. Do you think they say what you were trying to say?
"You know nothing. Kiss my ass."
Speaking of socially retarded...
You are rude, have a poor command of the English language and it is clear that you actually know very little about autism. Funny about the Down's comment you made.I have a friend who has an almost 3 year old with DS and she is pregnant with another child. Amazing that people don't devalue life as much as you do.
@Jenny -
I don't know if this was in any way directed at my post, but I actually started putting the pieces together of why I was different from my peers around the time my child was diagnosed. Not that having the DX is a reason to avoid procreation by any means, but that is how it worked out or us.
@RedHedRenegade@xanga - I'd like to point out GPA's and getting accepted into college doesn't mean shit nor does it define success. If you want to throw your academic ovaries around the place as if they were a large penis you should do that somewhere else.
"Funds are better spent trying to figure out
whyAutism is genetic and how to stop it from occurring before birth. Dr. Oz is a d-bag. He can kiss my ass too."
Then you should do something instead of spewing your ignorance around...use that GPA of yours to some good. Apparently GPA also doesn't mean shit nor give you immunization from ignorance.
"I has a GPA of over 9000 you don't know shit! Kiss my ass!"
Translation: I was socially retarded in college. I are virgin.
"Both my parents have Masters of Taxation and full time jobs for one the big four accounting firms"
I don't give a fuck what you or your parents have. You still sound like a fucking blowjob. You would think that intelligence would be implied having a high GPA but obviously we know the fact: It doesn't imply shit.
@April -
"You know nothing. Kiss my ass."
Speaking of socially retarded...
^ HAHA ironyyyyy :D
@KageOokami@xanga - i only said that because she bragged about her bachelors degree while having an autistic child.@April - my school is on a regular 4.0 scale. i took classes at Texas to improve my GPA. idc if you people think i look socially retarded. i have friends and we're all laughing.
@RedHedRenegade@xanga - Lul...hook line and sinker.
@ThePiecesofOurPuzzle - Obviously I have a disdain for Autism. "Having a sick child is a full time occupation". I understand that Autism isn't a sickness, but a disorder. My life has been saturated in this topic, and I am not afflicted. I hate Autism. Autism sucks. Understand that I'm talking about a sibling, not a child. I'm the normal one. I have to keep up appearances. I have to do everything I would normally do, and everything my brother can't do. Having a sibling with Autism is far worse than having a child with Autism. Every parent of an Autistic child I know seconds that I have the shitty end of the deal. I have no disdain for autistic people. I love my brother a lot. He's happy, and funny, and loving. Think about this though...
Who gets to take care of him when my parents die? Do you have normal functioning children? Are your normal functioning children going to be left with the delight of picking out a group home for your daughter, or are they going to sacrifice their career/finances/marriage so that your fully grown, mentally challenged daughter can sleep in their guest bedroom?
Siblings are an unappreciated and neglected minority in the Autism community and nearly everyone fails to realize that we carry the biggest burden out of everyone.
Not sure why everyone is mad at Oz, he was highlighting autism..that is what counts. Did people really think anyone was going to have an answer for why autism exists and how to stop it? Come on...he let the world know that something needs t...o be done by asking the doctors directly what causes it and they said *we don't know*. There will be more people who watched that show, willing to learn more to help figure out answers even though they have never been directly affected by autism. I am kind of tired of parents who act like they are little kids duking it out in a playground setting....no one is going to listen to you and how does that help?
I loved it all in all..
My grandson who has Autism will have me fighting for his recovery every step of the way..I could care kess if people think i should help recover him or not..he has an incredibly bright future ahead of him and I hate to even think one would not try to recover their family members. You need to be glad your parents didnt give up on you...
Furthermore...WOW..this is EXACTLY why no one can come up with answers...EVERYONE is on all different sides..screaming at each other..pulling cyber hair and all in all..calling people names instead of having a cival debate. Are you serious?
And Zack?? YOU FRICKEN ROCK!!! Most adults did NOTHING about ANY cause at your age..not one damn thing so dont let any nay-sayers faze you. And Deets? He is better BECAUSE Y O U..yes Y O U...fight your ass off for him!!
Keep it up..always...after all..none of the people who are negative will do a damn thing to help Deets...but YOU will.. once again..YOU ROCK!!!!
Also..I truly hope nothing happens to the obvious RED HEAD's parents...god forbid her sibling would be stuck living with her or having her decide what "group home" to pick. Her sibling is surely feeling her hatred towards their being "different" and that is enough to break any childs heart...
SO..to make a point of you being the "normal" one as you stated..actually..probably not so much if your a true red head..
-Red hair is a genetic mutation
-Less than four percent of the world population has naturally red hair. That is less than two percent in America. Most likely you stick OUT in a crowd..therefore different.
-Bees are thought to sting redheads more than others
-A 2002 study found that redhead are harder to sedate than any other people requiring twenty percent more anesthesia
-A common belief about redheads is that they have fiery tempers and sharp tongues...that one is just plain interesting.
Just thought I would put a little twist on this conversation that has seemed to ..as usual..turn negative..
So normal? I think not..
@RedHedRenegade@xanga - a bigger burden than the sons and daughters of some of the people with autism or Asperger's Syndrome (see http://www.empowher.com/aspergers-syndrome/content/aspergers-parents-and-neurotypical-children )?
Imagine what it's like to be neurotypical or have William's Syndrome and live in the custody of someone who is (a) proud of lacking people skills and (b) believes that having people skills makes one mediocre or worse (see 1210donna's comment at http://www.wrongplanet.net/article295.html describing and criticizing this attitude ) and (c) exercised his or her right to make and raise people.
@AGreatPerhaps@xanga - LMAO at "Like how it seems you're saying that finding out what causes it is the key to helping people who already have it... it's really not, unless we're gonna invent time machines to" Love it!
I have nothing to add to this conversation except to highlight the fact that the vaccine connection was for all purposes proven to be a crock. The "study" that suggested the link had so many flaws it was ridiculous. Great measures were taken to set it up to look like vaccines and autism had a link.
For anyone who likes debating the autism/ vaccine debate, go to the website Topix. Go to health then autism. Its world wide.