The Power Plant and the Assassin

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

As I continue to investigate Dr. Martin’s claim of stealth virus infection contributing to autism I recently ran across two interesting articles.

To recap Dr. Martin’s theory, the polio vaccines of the 1950s and 1960s, and possibly up until 2001, were contaminated with the simian cytomegalovirus (SCMV).  This virus is not identified by the immune system and is thus able to set-up housekeeping in the cell, where among many of its unattractive properties, it dramatically cuts energy production by the mitochondria, the power-plant of the cell.

In mature individuals, this infection can cause myriad auto-immune disorders, including chronic fatigue syndrome, but in the developing child it causes an energy deficit, leading the body to conserve resources which would otherwise go towards proper neurological development.

The first article, entitled “Mitochondria Could be Target for Therapeutic Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease Patients” (November 9, 2008, and published in the Sept. 21 edition of Nature Medicine) recounts the concept that the amyloid-beta plaques observed in Alzheimer’s patients can easily enter into the mitochondria through permeable pores and cause damage.

The article states “Recent studies have provided substantial evidence that mitochondria serve as direct targets for amyloid-beta (AB) protein mediated neuronal toxicity.  The observations that AB progressively accumulates in cortical mitochondria from Alzheimer’s disease patients and in brains from transgenic Alzheimer’s disease type mouse models suggest the role of mitochondrial amyloid-beta in the pathogenesis or development of the disease.  This Nature Medicine study describes how this mitochondrial process may be linked to synaptic failure in Alzheimer’s disease.”

To make it simple, the amyloid-beta plaques enter the mitochondria, interfering with energy production, and as a consequence, your brain doesn’t have enough energy for you to remember the name of your wife or husband.  In fact, one of the sentences in the article proclaims, “Mitochondrial dysfunction, or a problem with the cellular exchange of energy, is an early event observed in Alzheimer’s patients.”

Old people who can’t remember what they once knew, and young children who can’t learn.  Could mitochondrial dysfunction be the common thread uniting them?

The second article is from The Guardian “Assassin Cell Therapy to Tackles HIV” (November 10, 2008).  Dr. Bent Jakobsen and his associates at Adaptimmune stumbled upon their new approach when they investigated an HIV patient who was resisting his HIV infection particularly well.  They found that his T-cells were responding to a number of the variants that usually escape the detection of the immune system.  (I can’t help but think of Dr. Martin’s concept of “stealth viruses”, especially when the article refers to the virus "disguising" itself.)

While normal T-cells are not good at recognizing the HIV antigens (components of the virus), this particular patient’s T-cell receptor protein seemed “particularly good at recognizing HIV antigens.”  Like Dr. Martins’ theorized simian cytomegalovirus, HIV is generally recognized as a primate virus (SIV) which somehow made the jump from chimpanzees to humans.

By isolating the T-receptor protein in this patient and improving upon it, Dr. Jakobsen and his team were able to create a T-receptor protein that was 450 times more efficient at detecting and binding to HIV.  Once such a T-receptor protein is attached to a cell, it’s akin to a flashing neon sign that tells the immune system to “Attack here!  Attack here!”

While it is difficult to know if this therapy will simply cause the HIV virus to change itself to avoid detection, it’s believed at this point that the therapy will be a major advance in the fight against HIV.  A clinical trial of 35 patients will be conducted this summer at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Could autism be the result of lowered energy production from the mitochondria caused by a stealth virus?  It looks as if we have some promising new avenues of inquiry, and in addition to Dr. Martin’s approach, some possible new tools in the fight.

Kent Heckenlively is Legal Editor for Age of Autism.

Comments

[Kent Heckenlively]

Harold:

You might also want to check out the recent article, "Mitochondrial Disease in Autism Spectrun Disorder Patients: A Cohort Analysis", written by Dr. Jacqueline Weissman (Cleveland Clinic), Dr. Richard Kelley (Johns Hopkins Dept. of Pediatrics), Margaret Bauman (Massachusetts General Hospital - I think that's Harvard's hospital), Dr. Bruce Cohen (Cleveland Clinic), Dr. Katherine Murray (Cleveland Clinic), and others.

I'm intrigued by this work as it parallels what Dr. Martin has reported of mitochondrial dysfunction due to stealth virus infection. I suppose you could contact any one of the above-listed doctors to discuss what they believe has caused these mitochondrial abnormalities.

I suppose their answer is chemical, but it would be interesting to know whether they have subjected their samples to electron microscope review to determine if there are any viruses in close proximity to the mitochondria.

I share your frustration in trying to find effective therapies for autism. In the past nine years I feel I have tried everything for my daughter. However, I also have had the experience of the gluten-casein free diet arresting what appeared to be the beginning of an autistic spiral in my now eight-year-old son, Ben.

Many questions remain unanswered, but I hope you won't be offended by my efforts to get into the game and move the ball of autism causation forward so that those waiting on the sidelines will have something to cheer about.

All the best,
Kent Heckenlively

[Kent Heckenlively]

Dear Harold:

I highly recommend the book, "The Virus and the Vaccine" for some background on the questions you ask. The book was favorably reviewed by Publisher's Weekly, the science writer at The New York Times, as well as Dr. David Himmelstein, an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The book is not specifically about Dr. Martin's claim of infection by the simian cytomegalovirus, but rather about the infection of the human population by SV-40, a simian virus which was transmitted to humans through the polio vaccine, and is now believed to be widespread throughout the human community. The book details the early warnings about this contamination, even from Dr. Maurice Hilleman, the mentor to Dr. Paul Offit, and subject of his book, "Vaccinated - One Man's Quest to Fight the World's Deadliest Diseases." Offit, as you know, thinks all of us who allege a vaccine connection to autism are crazy and even wrote a book about us, "Autism's False Prophets."

The possible connection of a virus to cancer has been widely studied, (it was the guiding theory behind Richard Nixon's War on Cancer) and even the recent HPV vaccine which goes after the papilloma virus because of it's link to cancers of the female reproductive system.

I haven't spoken with him yet, although you might want to, is one of the scientists profiled in the book, Dr. Michele Carbone, an associate professor at Loyola University and a researcher at Loyola's Cardinal Bernadin Cancer Center. I know that Dr. Martin has worked with him in the past.

All the best,
Kent Heckenlively

[Harold L Doherty]

Mr. Heckenlively

I know I will get hostile commentary from readers at this site but I am asking you whether in your research you have come across any credible medical professionals or researchers who support Dr. Martin's theories of Autism causation and treatment or his current ACE Pathways Investigation Study?

As the father of a 12 year old diagnosed with Autistic Disorder and assessed with profound developmental delays - he has serious deficits - I would very much like to see a total cure beyond the beneficial treatment gains offered by ABA but I am also, as a father, and as a lawyer, very concerned about unsubstantiated scurrilous claims. There have been many phony treatments offered for autism, all supported by devote testimonials.

Can you please provide the names of (1) credible medical and researcher supporters of Dr Martin's work and (2) the location of any credible peer reviewed articles endorsing or even mentioning his work?

Respectfully,

Harold L Dohery
Fredericton NB
Canada

[Willie]

Good article Kent

There are a lot of lab test all of which appear to some people to be controversial no matter what the result. Usually the lab results would help guide a physician’s treatment regimen by giving us therapeutic parameters however given the above information I have several questions

Does this explain why some children improve with chelation and does this therefore mean that we should chelate?

What is the recommended dosage of zinc in children is there IU dosage or is it based on weight?

Given the importance of zinc should we start our children on zinc supplementation?

When a child starts on zinc supplementation how long does it take to see results?

What about mitochondrial cofactor CQ10 should we proceed with this as well?

[jill r]

funny, i just asked my son's new developmental pedi about mitochondrial disorder. i was wondering if maybe my son had it. wrong person to ask. she said that there would have to be a family history. well if what you are saying is true then that family history thing wouldn't be right then?

[FeFe]

Do keep up the good reporting :)

[Kathy Blanco]

I totally agree with the poster about copper and zinc and aluminum and mercury (my discussions with William Walsh of Pfieffer are most illuminating)...however, and a big however, is, that viruses can and do cause metabolic crisis's in susceptile children. Viruses are known to rob ATP. So can bacteria like borrelia lyme. So it can be any virus/any bacteria as culprit, either in utero or when wee babies. And, most viruses in the body elicit fevers, which we often treat with antipyretics, which is a big no no, in a glutathione lossed child. YET, ACIP says, use it...bad idea...how many of us used it during a vaccine fever? (see treating autism book, and the answer is yes).

I would also conjecture, that low VIT D and selenium is a predisposer to autism. Low selenium soil states, have the highest rates of autism, and interestingly correlates with the rainier states and autism rates. The lowest rates of autism are in the PLAIN (south dakota and around) states, which have high rates of selenium and low pollution (believe me I checked, very low autism rates). Selenium boosts glutathione, and if it is not present, it makes viruses mutate, even simple ones, like the flu virus.

There are many factors to this predisposition. And when I went on the posters webblog, I am certain that birth control pills, used more readily since the autism explosion, may destroy the bodies ability to store properly or utilize copper and zinc. Many of those same moms also have high estrogen, so they also get funky on the birth control pill, even note changes in their own mental states. I have a daughter who changed within weeks on the pill, she had to get off of them. Could it be, the pill itself is causing a slight autism or rise in copper in them? Any person who feels a change in behavior on the pill, should avoid them like the plague. Use a condom..period..

It is really hard to say if this is all predispotion, and or, if it is environmental, so much of our genes interact with the environment.

This is why we need a national predisposition exposure list, and categorize what triggers should be minimalized, reduced and or eliminated, and what to treat medically during pregnancy and or before. The idea that we can contraindicate would solve this whole vaccine zeloutry at all cost jabbers. And, the research behind this, should be our number one job, and of late, has not been done! WHY????? I mean, if you talk autism as predisposition plus trigger, for heavens sake, lets JUST study that, not the fringe stuff which is a giant waste of time.

I would definately stress that baby formulas are high sources of autism, such as high copper, MSG, high levels of iron, which is known to be a problem in autism. So, you see? It's just so environmental, that I could in my right mind, point the finger of blame to mankind, not my genes...

Many things mutate in genes if stressed enough...for instance lung cancer...you have a predisposition, and whala, if you smoke, more risks...and or if you are exposed to radon..or pollution...again, are ther people born who are canary birds? The answer to that is a giant yes.

[Gatogorra]

Great, thought-provoking article. And some interesting comments as well. I checked out some articles on rabies out of curiosity after reading this article, wondering if other viruses which travel to the brain through the peripheral nervous system and attack the aggression centers of the brain (seems to fit in a certain subset of autism cases) might hold a key to what type of virus may be involved in many cases of autism. Not that this is necesarily pertinent but just to show the author what kind of merry surmising his articles set off.

To CM, I tend to agree with you (what I understand of your theory). I'd also read about aluminum's effect on the BBB. Narcotics, antidepressants and possibly some birth drugs do as well.

I was very taken with Aposhian's testimony on efflux disorder at the beginning of the Omnibus for the same reason I appreciate your contribution here. My son's mercury levels are off the charts and I just discovered that an adult cousin has a kind of "efflux" disorder in that he can't get rid of iron. It makes sense, since this cousin's father is person in the family who I believe is the link to my children's mitochondrial "weakness". Check out DK's Huffpost article on the link between IQ and "fragile" mitochondria. Fascinating.

[movealongfolks]

Look up T Saitoh and read his paper on how B amyloid plaques amplify the effects of msg. While you're at it look up dead microbiologists.

[Kathy McMahon]

Kent, this is really interesting stuff. Keep it coming!

[Kent Heckenlively]

Dear CM:

Thanks for the link. It's very interesting, especially since my daughter had aluminum levels that were consistently 13-18 times normal, peaking at 80 times normal.

I need some more time to review it, but will try to run it by some people I know for their opinion.

All the best,
Kent Heckenlively

[Tim Kasemodel]

We are always hearing how powerful telescopes can look into space to find the asteroid or comet years ahead of time that could prove to be the demise of the human race and how we could plan to avert disaster.

One must wonder if it is not the powerful MICROscopes that will indeed show us the future that we need to try to prevent.

We spend tremendous precious resources looking into the farthest reaches of outer space. We should be be investing in a "Matthattan Project" into the smallest reachest of inner space if we expect to have half a chance at living thought this environmental nightmare called the industrial revolution.

On a lighter note - great investigation JB!!

[CM]

Mr. Heckenlively,

In response to:
“Mitochondrial dysfunction, or a problem with the cellular exchange of energy, is an early event observed in Alzheimer’s patients.”

You know how they say that it's not clear if aluminum accumulation in the brain causes Alzheimer's or if Alzheimer's causes the accumulation of aluminum?

Well, aluminum affects mitochondrial functions:

In a study that found that aluminum caused dialysis dementia, they reported that:
"Aluminum has also been reported to inhibit cytosolic and mitochondrial hexokinase activities in rat brain and thus reduce carbohydrate utilization."

-And -
Dialysis dementia was first proposed to be "due to aluminum intoxication because they found increased aluminum content in brain, muscle, and bone tissues of affected patients; the *brain gray-matter aluminum content* was higher in ALL of their patients with the [dialysis dementia] syndrome than in any of the controls or other uremics."
Keeping that in mind, I wonder if this next finding is just a coincidence or does it suggest causalty?
"In the normal brain, larger amounts of gray matter are associated with higher IQs," Dr. Ashtari said. "But in the autistic brain, increased gray matter does not correspond to IQ, because this gray matter is not functioning properly."

In 1983, children were only given 5 doses of aluminum-containing vaccines by 2 years. Now, in 2008, children receive 18 doses by 18 months (13 doses by 6 months).

Aluminum was also found to damage the Blood Brain Barrier by making it more permeable, and zinc was found to protect the BBB against the damaging effects of aluminum.
Children with autism appear to have an impaired ability to excrete toxic metals including aluminum, and most children with autism also have low zinc levels (which also causes a weaker immune system).

This is important because it explains how the MMR could be a trigger even though it doesn't contain aluminum or mercury. According to the 2008 schedule, children receive 16 doses of vaccines that contain aluminum by 12 months when the MMR is recommended. The NNii reports that children's aluminum levels DO exceed the minimal risk level after being vaccinated, but they're not concerned about that because "50-70% of injected aluminum [from vaccines] is excreted within 24 hours".[3]
That's a pretty big difference. So some children in their study still had 50% of the aluminum in their bodies the next day while others had only 30%. I would be very interested to know what percentage of this aluminum the children with autism were able to excrete. I would hypothesize that children with autism probably excreted even less aluminum than the group that was studied.

So in children who can't excrete this aluminum and who have a zinc deficiency, the aluminum in vaccines would accumulate in their bodies and damage their BBB. Injecting the LIVE measles virus (or even an unknown stealth virus such as SV40 that was discovered in older stocks of the polio vaccine) into a child whose BBB is more permeable, AND who has a weaker immune system certainly sounds dangerous to me.

I also have a theory as to why children with autism have problems with excessive storage of dangerous metals. (This theory focuses on a mitochondrial disorder that causes encephalopathy and depletes both glutathione and metallothionein). If you have time, I hope you'll please read it. It's still only a theory, but I think it is highly plausible and I need help getting this information into the hands of someone who can actually test it.

Here's the link that includes this theory and the references for the aluminum studies I cited above:
http://autism-genetic-risk-factor.blogspot.com/

Thank you.

[Garbo]

Interesting. I really do wonder how many of our kids come up positive for things like HSV and HHV 6. My daughter has both; nobody else in the family has either.

[Sargent Goodchild]

I look forward to the day when the majority of modern medicine practices entirely in the best interest of the patient.

In health,
Sargent L. Goodchild, Jr.
Exec. Director
Active Healing, Inc.
www.activehealing.org

[ObjectiveAutismDad]

This is truly scary. Makes me think that the Amish and others like them will inherit the earth.