But, it "ain't" National Autism and Vaccination Awareness Month! That is unless you like to read The Journal of Natural Food and Healing while your shopping at your local Health Food Store (how many healthy looking people have you ever seen in a Health Food Store?)! Last time I checked, April is National Autism Awareness Month, and God bless every family dealing with Autism, and every child stricken it. My heart goes out to you all.
But, once again (sigh) it's time for some facts from people who actually KNOW what the hell they are talking about when it comes to Autism and Vaccinations.
Let's take a look, shall we?
Why don't we start with:
Facts for Parents About Vaccine Safety from the American Academy of Pediatrics
From time to time, rumors circulate that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once used in several vaccines (and still used in some flu vaccine), could contribute to ASDs. However, valid scientific studies have shown there is no link. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Association (AMA), the CDC, and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) agree that science does not support a link between thimerosal in vaccines and autism. For the IOM report, please click HERE.
We can then check out Vaccines do NOT cause Autism! Courtesy of Discover Magazine.
How about we try Right Health's website where they advise...
"There is no scientific evidence for a causal connection between thimerosal and autism, but parental concern about thimerosal controversy has led to decreasing rates of childhood immunizations and increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks"!
Not good enough for you? How about...
New England Journal of Medicine on vaccinations and autism!
Remember those lawsuits by suffering parents duped by unscrupulous lawyers? Although my heart breaks for those parents, how did those lawsuits turn out according to...
The Institute for Vaccine Safety at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Remember the British Doctor who's FLAWED studies started all this panic? He's not having a very good time these days since he's been accused of
Autism is a terrible disease! I am in no way making light of that fact!
But, let's approach this illness with some degree of integrity and honesty, instead of putting our children at risk because someone read something on a "Blog" or picked up an article in a Health Food Store magazine!
The following are several MORE links to reasoned and honest assessments by intelligent people:
Cracking the Autism Riddle: "Vaccine Theory" Fades as a New Idea Emerges
IMMUNIZATION SAFETY REVIEW VACCINES AND AUTISM INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
And let me drive this point home...
When you do want answers, it's a very good idea to START WITH...
Don't be one of these...
Or a member of this group...
Once again...I will just say, "God Bless You" to the children and families suffering from Autism! They are making advances and scientific breakthroughs on this illness every single day. Hopefully, there will be a cure very soon!
Spartan (aided by my daughter a Pediatric Trauma Specialist, M.D.)
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Comments: 101 ( 9 removed by Spartan * )
by Temple Grandin"
Although; some foods cause allergies in some people the cause of Autism and Asperger's is NOT caused by some external trigger. It can be aggravated by externals yet, DNA RNA are hereditary codes which contain the information for these issues. I have worked with patients with Autism and finding the right stimulation or attention of the patient and building on that is key. Autism is NOT a death sentence for success in life!
I don't know why vaccines were declared by the health extremists to be the cause of autism, but it is dangerous to not get the vaccines, in particular, dangerous to the babies who are not yet old enough for vaccines.
The people who decide to believe that vaccines cause autism, will not bother with facts.
From personal observation, I lean toward believing characteristics described as autistic run in families. They manifest more strongly in some individuals than others. Looking at Wil's mother's family, and there were 9 siblings, nearly everyone worked in an order-based occupation - accountants, librarians, clerical, law enforcement - and all are great at those things. I'm acquainted with 3 generations and have yet to meet one that is a not in one of those occupational fields. Many of them are obsessive collectors of some sort. There is also one of the gen Xers who is labeled a severe autistic and good luck to you if you upset the routine of his daily life or rearrange the furniture.
I've not heard if a genetic cause has been searched for, but it should be.
We give up on fixing the propaganda spewers, trying to confuse them with facts. Then, we get "triggered" by some new idiocy, and we dive back into the fray. "Once more into the breach, Spartan."
This is too important not to flay.
Blessed be,
Wilka
Not vaccinating children against childhood diseases is like playing Russian roulette with their health. Only a fool would do it--A fool who has never seen the results of polio, or measles or a small pox epidemic.
Thank you for your effort to educate.
Keep up the good fight Spartan.
You are one of the few here with the stomach for it anymore.
- bachelor's degree in education and sociology
- two master's degrees in ethnobotany and anthropology
- Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of California, Berkeley, in nutritional ethnomedicine
Add in a few NYT bestsellers to the list.... yeah, he sounds like a know-nothing. LOL
earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan,
became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley by age 25?
Theodore John Kaczynski aka The Unabomber!
Who attended the "elite" Al-Thager Model School,
did undergraduate study in studied economics and business administration,
supposedly earning a degree in civil engineering in 1979,
supposedly earning a graduate degree
in public administration in 1981.
Osama Bin Laden
Some dim bulb supposedly let you out of Syracuse (who in God's name knows why)...so what's your point, Howdy Doody?
Michael Savage is just a vitriolic Douche Bag who doesn't know what HE'S saying 90% of the time!
The vaccine thing is yetanother superstition that's going to take forever to die. If I could figure out how to get my month implanted in people's consciousness like that I could probably retire comfortably. I'd need to hire a staff to sort through the stuff and keep the inventory current.
Some of the sources above may make sense, but others should be questioned. For example "From time to time, rumors circulate that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once used in several vaccines (and still used in some flu vaccine), could contribute to ASDs. However, valid scientific studies have shown there is no link"
Who do you think funds many "valid scientific studies?" Pharmaceutical companies. Who funds universities who do many clinical studies? Pharmaceutical companies.
There is room for questioning these sorts of things.
There are no "advances and scientific breakthroughs" taking place on autism. New cancer treatment centers are opening every day and Jerry's kids still don't have a cure - give me a break.
I have stated my opinions regarding this issue but I don't go on and on trying to sway anyone as you seem to be doing.
Nope...just tired of every moron with access to a computer offering up their uninformed opinion. Hence, the wide variety of sources I provided links for.
If anyone is paralyzed or has any side effects whatsoever they will be told that the vaccine was not the cause. How do you weigh that against what anyone says pro or con. I can post links too but it is not my place to save the world, do you think you are?
In the face of overwhelming evidence that vaccines are safe? Yeah.
Evidence is not what people say, the evidence is that the manufacturers have no liability for any side effects anyone may suffer. Why do you think this is alright? They are saying that you are responsible, not them.
Have you watched the ads on TV telling of the side effects of the Rx meds they are pushing? Why are they advertising Rx meds anyway?
I have to wonder how many of the people waiting in those long lines know what they are putting into their bodies, I suppose they just don't care.
You have overlooked the evidence that diseases are not being cured they are being treated.
With so many waiting in line to get the vaccine I have to wonder why you are telling people who are not getting the vaccine that they are dumb. Could it be that you are a nefarious little amphibian who wants to be a prince.
The liability waiver is there because all vaccines carry a small risk of infecting the user - the cost of lawsuits is large so the manufacturers won't produce the vaccine without it. Still, the risk of not getting the vaccine is huge compared to the risk of taking it.
The fact is, not everyone's opinion is equal or equally valid. That's why we turn to scientific studies and reliable sources for information. When our kid's lives are at stake, our "opinion" just isn't good enough.
Sunaura *. Nov 4, 2009, 1:52am EST attempted to SPAM this article with uniformed opinion and "breaking news" that he/she/it had written something.
Like I said, BIG mistake to call someone "nefarious"!
That's because we vaccinate AFTER birth while "genetic abnormalities" occur before birth. Whether or not Autism is a genetic abnormality though - well, let's just say the jury is still out on that one...
Whether or not a vaccine will aggravate an existing situation or not - is anyone's guess though.
And -I can totally 100% guarantee you know people on the autism spectrum - you may not know anyone with Kanner Syndrome, but you know lots with Asperger Syndrome - unless you never leave the house :-)
But again - I agree that Autism isn't caused by vaccination...
It is due to the family history that these abnormalities usually happen. inbreeding and poor genomes create variences.
As for all those vaccines being totally safe - well, in the late 60s I worked for some weeks in an institution with 60 severely handicapped kids. EVERY SINGLE ONE had been born normal and had fallen ill in conjunction with the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine - and the drug company was financing most of the work that was done...
Of course - only 60 kids you say.
And we don't use that particular vaccine anymore.
Thalidomide was also considered totally harmless and safe - tested by big pharma.
My point? Let's give the fighting a rest, get as informed as possible, and then let's accept each other's choices. There IS no right or wrong here - at least none that I can see.
But then you come back with:
"Let's give the fighting a rest, get as informed as possible"
That is the REASON for this article and the REASON I provided as many REPUTABLE Links as I did. Children will fall ill and/or die because of parents who fall for misinformation and Junk Science!
What I have a problem with is laying the guilt trip on others who may make a different - equally informed - choice.
None of us are the researchers/scientists who are "proving" this one way or another. You choose to believe certain people - someone else may chose to believe others. That is what gathering lots of information and then sifting it for yourself is all about: you take responsibility for yourself and your family. No one can take it for you... nor should anyone take it for you (or from you, for that matter!)
Once again...I take strong exception to "different - equally - informed choice".
Given a choice between the American Pediatric Association, the AMA, Journal of New England Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Columbia University, the American Academy of Sciences...and a Health Food Magazine? I'm going with the former, and will continue to STRONGLY recommend to other that they follow the same reasoned approach.
I don't want to make this decision for anyone - I think every family needs to make it on their own. And everyone needs to read all the stuff they can find - the pro and the con - before making their decision. Some will be skeptical, with the question at the back of their mind "who stands to gain the most money from this approach" and may not trust those sources.
Someone else will say "I go with the mainstream institutions" because they trust these. That is clearly what you are advocating - and as a basis for your personal decision, that is your right and you certainly should go with whom you trust.
Perhaps it will take many years to know who was right.
Hence, my decision to provide links from a variety of reputable institutions from the US and around the world.
"who stands to gain the most money from this approach"
(Sigh) Now back to playing "Conspiracy Games"! Give it a rest...it's boring!
Future Airings
Saturday, November 7th at 9am (ET)
In Depth: Temple Grandin
Author, autism advocate, and animal scientist Temple Grandin was our guest for In Depth on November 1, 2009. Ms. Grandin is the author of over eight books, including Thinking In Pictures: My Life with Autism, Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, and The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger's. Temple Grandin is an animal science professor at Colorado State University and a consultant and designer of livestock handling facilities. She was diagnosed as autistic in 1950.
About the Authors
Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is the author of Emergence: Labeled Autistic with Margaret Scariano (1986), Livestock Handling and Transport (1993), Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life with Autism (1995), Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals (1997), Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism with Kate Duffy (2004), Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior with Catherine Johnson (2005), Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism with Sean Barron (2005), The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism & Asperger's (2008), Humane Livestock Handling: Understanding Livestock Behavior and Building Facilities for Healthier Animals with Mark Dessing (2008), Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals (2009).
You can view the entire program on-line (3 hours) or this coming Saturday on C-SPAN
http://www.booktv.org/Program/10695/In+Depth+Temple+Grandin.aspx
Ooooo, you are so techie!!:)
That is a great service yet, I did the math and I went for the DVR service from Cable because I did not want more hardware.
Many diseases we thought we history are now making a comeback due to people believing crazy stories and avoiding vaccines and medicines. TB, polio, measles, etc. And they are going to increase as they spread through the population - to children too young to be vaccinated by children who SHOULD have been vaccinated. Ugh.
When my son was scheduled to get the MMR shot, my pediatrician knew that he was allergic to eggs. And the vaccine is cultured in egg by-products. So, I didn't say, "Well, then I"m not going to get him vaccinated because there is a risk!" I stayed at the pediatrician's office all day and he got the vaccine in very small doses over the coarse of 8 hours to diminish the risk of an allergic reaction.
One reason many people have fears is that they do not regularly see a pediatrician, or are not able to see one pediatrician who can then get to know their patient as an individual. I happen to trust doctors. I don't think they get into medical school, study and work for 8 years for nothing. I don't think they know everything, but there is a lot they do know about standard vaccines. To keep your child from being vaccinated is extremely irresponsible. The only reason I would do that is if a number of doctors agreed that there was a very good reason.
My brother is a pediatric allergist. The alarming increase in asthma among children, especially poor children and children who live in specific areas of the country is tied to a number of factors, but one is air pollution. If I were to take a wild guess, I would strongly suspect that the rise in autism (outside the cases that are basically misdiagnosed) is linked to environmental factors - the food and water the child consumes, the air and other factors in the child's environment, etc.
There's so much crap in our food now, in the materials that are used in our structures, in the toys and other things a child comes in contact with, including electronics. I highly doubt that vaccines that have been produced and used for generations are just now creating some kind of mental problem as children develop.
"Many diseases we thought we history are now making a comeback due to people believing crazy stories and avoiding vaccines and medicines."
"alarming increase in asthma among children"
It is caused by getting the vaccines not the opposite, read what is in them.
It is NOT caused by the vaccines. There is NO evidence from any reputable source to support your claim. Any rise in Asthma among children can be directly linked to the huge increase in particulate matter in the lousy air we breath, both in the home and outdoors.
Provide proof of that statement, Sunaura. Legitimate proof. Otherwise, that is a slanderous, false statement, just like many others. And shows how absolutely ignorant you are and willing to share your ignorance with others.
What do you suggest doing with those 60 kids who were all severely damaged for life by a multiple vaccine that was pushed on their parents and considered "safe" by the powers that be?
Don (too stupid to know what year it is) H. Nov 3, 2009, 8:42pm EST tried to high jack this article with:
November is also the month that the Obamanoids receive a nice little message from the voters. It's going down tonight at the voting booth.
Ladies and Gentlemen...I give you STUPIDITY ON A STICK!
Don (who am I and what day is it?) H. Nov 4, 2009, 9:26am EST felt compelled AGAIN to share his sophomoric and uniformed opinion with...
"and to the one that deletes comments... I give you FACISM ON A STICK!"
My response: That's me, Howdy Doody! A "Fascist" through and through! ROTFL
Ooh, I'm so skeered!
Don (where am I and how did I get here) H. Nov 3, 2009, 10:50pm EST once again tried to high jack this article with:
NJ and VA Governors flipped to an R!
Big shocker there, Howdy Doody. Virginia is just doing what it has done for the past NINE elections! LOL
Don (what happened to NY's 23rd District!) H. Nov 4, 2009, 9:27am EST wrote:
Keep your heads in the sand. No skin off my back.
But, yet you STILL feel compelled to offer your uniformed opinion! LOL
OK, back to first principles, folks. C'mon folks... THINK about this (yeah, I know, thinking is SO much more difficult than believing - but give it a try - just this once); thousands of people have not spent a dozen to twenty years on mentally rigorous education and post-doctoral studies just so they can form a cabal of science to lie to you.
Really, now... how can you believe they did?
Here are the rest of your comments...
Sarah A. (I KANZ B UH RITUR!!!!) , YEZ!! Nov 4, 2009, 12:58am EST
A wise decision, if true, since the misinformation campaign has taken so many victims. We're looking at an epidemic if people don't use the vaccine, so catering to the ignorant, while repugnant, is worth more than being right. Not an argument for the veracity of claims about thimerosal, however.
Spartan * Nov, 2009, 10:55am EST
From the CDC Website:
Will the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine contain thimerosal?
The 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccines that FDA is licensing (approving) will be manufactured in several formulations. Some will come in multi-dose vials and will contain thimerosal as a preservative. Multi-dose vials of seasonal influenza vaccine also contain thimerosal to prevent potential contamination after the vial is opened.
Sheryl O. Nov 4, 2009, 2:02pm EST
Stop, Spartan! Too much factual information! The conspiracy theorists' heads will blow!
Physicians subscribe to an oath that states above all do no harm. My husband is a Physician he is at the hospital everyday. All the medical practitioners at the hospital have had their H1N1 vaccine. Members of their families have as well. I am decidedly sure that on the condition that any of the physicians at our hospital had concerns about the safety of the vaccines, they would not be having their children vaccinated.
There is a tuberculosis vaccine. This vaccine is not widely used in the United States, but it is often given to infants and small children in other countries where TB is common. BCG vaccine does not always protect people from getting TB. BCG vaccination may cause a positive reaction to the TB skin test, which may complicate decisions about prescribing treatment. Physicians and the CDC say that the BCG vaccine should be considered only for very select persons who meet specific criteria and in consultation with a TB expert. We also no longer vaccinate against diseases that have been eliminated like smallpox. Before the 1950s, polo crippled thousands of children every year in industrialized countries. Soon after the introduction of effective vaccines in the late 1950s (IPV) and early 1960s (OPV), polio was brought under control, and practically eradicated as a public health problem in industrialized countries.
The good results of vaccines have outweighed the bad repeatedly.
I would imagine with your travels that you have an extensive immunization record.
TB is making a comeback for the reasons you stated as well as the HIV and other virus that compromise the immune system.
The PPD skin test is a method used to diagnose tuberculosis. PPD stands for purified protein derivative.
The TB vaccine is a perfect example where it was decided that the diagnotic test was more valuable than the vaccine. Since if you have been vaccinated against TB the PPD will always read positive. Then the only diagnotic test becomes a chest x-ray to see if it is active or inactive. So while we test for TB here in the states, we do not vaccinate against TB.
I have inactive TB and will always test positive on a PPD. The CDC requires that I have a yearly chest x-ray. One of the questions on the TB questionnaire asks if are you an American Indian or Alaska Native. That is because of the close contact on a reservation. They also ask if you reside or work in prisons or nursing homes. Again because of the close contact.
I have been exposed to TB, but I am not contagious, as long as my immune system can keep it in check. What people don't realize is the treatment for TB is much like chemo for cancer, the treatment can be worse than the disease.
I'm sure this is more information than you wanted, but it shows that even though we have a vaccine for TB, in the long run it is the medical community that decides not to use it, so that the PPD will test accurately.
I am not sure if I explained this well enough to make my point. I guess I am just pointing out that the bottom line, it is about health and not just money. I know you know this, and this is more in response to some of the posts above.