AGE OF AUTISM

A Statement from Jenny McCarthy & Jim Carrey: Andrew Wakefield, Scientific Censorship, and Fourteen Monkeys

Los Angeles, February 5, 2010

Dr. Andrew Wakefield is being discredited to prevent an historic study from being published that for the first time looks at vaccinated versus unvaccinated primates and compares health outcomes, with potentially devastating consequences for vaccine makers and public health officials.

It is our most sincere belief that Dr. Wakefield and parents of children with autism around the world are being subjected to a remarkable media campaign engineered by vaccine manufacturers reporting on the retraction of a paper published in The Lancet in 1998 by Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues. 

The retraction from The Lancet was a response to a ruling from England’s General Medical Council, a kangaroo court where public health officials in the pocket of vaccine makers served as judge and jury. Dr. Wakefield strenuously denies all the findings of the GMC and plans a vigorous appeal.

Despite rampant misreporting, Dr. Wakefield’s original paper regarding 12 children with severe bowel disease and autism never rendered any judgment whatsoever on whether or not vaccines cause autism, and The Lancet’s retraction gets us no closer to understanding this complex issue.

Dr. Wakefield is one of the world’s most respected and well-published gastroenterologists. He has published dozens of papers since 1998 in well-regarded peer-reviewed journals all over the world. His work documenting the bowel disease of children with autism and his exploration of novel ways to treat bowel disease has helped relieve the pain and suffering of thousands of children with autism.

“The New York Times”- Where Hope Goes to Die

By Katie Wright

Yesterday, Lisa Belkin, a freelance NYT writer gave her column space to a very angry  and defeated sounding autism Mom, Lisa Kupferberg Carter.

Ms. Carter is not furious with the dismal state of autism research, the foot dragging at the NIH to invest in treatment research, the scarcity of schools or the lack of insurance re-imbursement for basic therapies.

No, Ms. Carter aims a decade of anger at Jenny McCarthy. Jenny McCarthy?

Bizarre, I know. Did Jenny give her son autism? Did Jenny stop Ms. Carter from obtaining a diagnosis, therapy or an education? Did Jenny tell Ms. Carter to give up all hope? No. Then why this crazy rage at another autism Mom who as blameless as the rest of us? 

What Jenny IS guilty of is listening to thousands of parents across the country and taking their concerns seriously. Jenny is guilty of shining a light on the ever growing population of chronically ill ASD kids, whom the medical establishment has ignored.  Jenny is also guilty of writing a book about different Moms’ struggles to help heal their seriously ill children. Jenny also wrote a book with a doctor who is an ASD parent himself. And you know what Ms. Carter, that book helped me and thousands of other parents a great deal.  I recommend that you actually read it.

I would never presume to tell other parents what to do or what not to do for their ASD child. Jenny McCarthy doesn’t either. No one can “make” an adult “feel guilty” for not trying this intervention or that intervention. We are all grown-ups here and responsible for ourselves. Projecting blame onto another parent who has no control over your child or the cause of anyone’s autism is ridiculous.

Autism Recovery is Not for the Faint of Heart

By J.B. Handley
 
Soon after my son’s autism diagnosis, my wife and I were receiving advice from a DAN! Doctor helping our son. Transdermal glutathione and something very smelly called TTFD were prescribed, and we were told to rub each of these creams on his skin every night.
 
“How long do we need to do this for?” I asked.
 
“Six months, maybe a year,” came the doctor’s reply.
 
“A year? Are you kidding?”
 
I couldn’t believe it, what an inconvenience!
 
Those of you who are biomed veterans are already smiling. Five years later, I see the world a little differently, and I have this to say to all parents battling autism:
 
This job of recovery ain’t for the faint of heart.
 
Yup, I know it’s coming, parents who will complain and say that somehow I am blaming parents who don’t try hard enough for their child’s ongoing autism. I’m not. Really. Autism is a huge challenge. We all do the best we can…
 
Some people’s “best” just happens to be better than other people’s “best” -- and that’s the damn truth.

Generation Rescue Supports Dr. Andrew Wakefield

A Statement from Generation Rescue in Support of Dr. Andrew Wakefield

Do you think pharmaceutical companies have too much influence in the laws, policies, and regulations of our government? We do.

Do you think pharmaceutical companies do things that most Americans would view as unethical to protect their profits? We do.

In a court case in Australia involving the use of the drug Vioxx, it was proven that Merck (the manufacturer of Vioxx) “made a hit list of doctors who had to be "neutralised" or discredited because they criticised the anti-arthritis drug the pharmaceutical giant produced."

In fact, a Merck employee wrote in an email concerning these doctors: "We may need to seek them out and destroy them where they live."

This isn’t the stuff of conspiracy theories, this isn’t the stuff of cynics or crazy parents, this is court-documented behavior of Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world who happens to also be the manufacturer of one of the world’s most profitable vaccines, the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella).

The recent decision by the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom against Andy Wakefield shouldn’t surprise anyone who understands the stakes, profits, and reputations at risk in the debate over vaccines and autism.

The sole purpose of the GMC’s ruling this week is to try and quell the growing concern of parents that the expanding vaccine schedule and the remarkable rise in autism are correlated. The GMC will no doubt be helped by a press that barely understands the debate and has never read any of the dozens of studies published by Dr. Wakefield in many different respected medical journals.

Celebs and Medical Advice: Great Only When Message Pro-Treatment?

By Kim Stagliano

You might have missed the December 23rd USA TODAY article on the effect of celebrities on healthcare knowledge and decisions. It appears that when Katie Couric tells viewers to get a colonoscopy she's doing the right thing, according the the medical powers that be. Sally Fields can tell you to take a pill that has side effects longer than your arm - and she's as pure as The Flying Nun. J. Lo can tell you to get the pertussis vaccine for your child, with zero disclaimers on side effects required, (preferably NOT while wearing that hideous catsuit from New Year's Eve.) But when Jenny McCarthy asks questions about vaccine safety, she's "wrong."   

Americans are back to eating spinach and hamburger because they belief the risk of e.coli is gone. Not so with vaccines. Many parents have lost trust in the AAP and the vaccine manufacturers. They are afraid of the side effects. The Gardasil marketing push followed by the H1N1 pandemic overkill did not help allay fears.  Jim Carrey said it best, "We are not the problem. The problem is the problem."  (See here.)

Check out the quote from the article by the Wyeth funded pro-vaccine group Every Child by Two (See our post about ECBT last year HERE.) Someone send Amy Pisani a tissue, will you? And tell Africa they dodged a big bullet for the time being.

...Doctors and public health groups say they struggle over the best way to respond to celebrity claims.

At Every Child By Two, an immunization campaign co-founded by former first lady Rosalynn Carter, board members were initially inclined to ignore celebrities who question vaccine safety, says executive director Amy Pisani. Now, the group spends 80% of its time explaining why vaccines are still critical.

"We were poised to start working in Africa," Pisani says. "But we were forced to pull back just to re-educate people here in the United States."

For good or bad, research shows that stars exert powerful influence not just on popular opinion, but on public health.

•Vaccines. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,017 adults found that more than half were aware of McCarthy's warnings about childhood shots. More than 40% of adults familiar with her message — 23% of all adults surveyed — say McCarthy's claims have made them more likely to question vaccine safety. The Nov. 20-22 poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points... Read the full article in USA TODAY.

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism.

Age of Autism Award: Jim Carrey, Quote of the Year

We award the 2009 Quote of the Year to Jim Carrey, who appeared on Larry King Live on April 4th, with Jenny McCarthy, J.B. Handley, Dr. Jerry Kartzinel and a group of autism epidemic and treatment deniers who appear to be against vaccine safety for all children.

Thank you, Jim.

KING: Isn't the problem here, Jenny, that people sometimes listen with one ear are going to panic. And not vaccine at all?

MCCARTHY: Probably. But guess what? It's not my fault. The reason why they're not vaccinating is because the vaccines are not safe. Make a better product and then parents will vaccinate.

CARREY: We're not the problem. The problem is the problem.

HANDLEY: The AAP has failed our kids.

Larry King Live - Jim and Jenny -4 April 09 @ Yahoo! Video

Autism One & Generation Rescue Autism Redefined 2010 Conference

The Hopes of a Mother . . . the Dreams of a Father . . . Are Real. Our Children Get Better.

Conference details will be posted soon at www.autismone.org.
Registration opens this week.

PROUDLY ANNOUNCING
The Autism One & Generation Rescue - Autism Redefined 2010 Conference
Monday, May 24 – Sunday, May 30
Westin O’Hare Hotel, Chicago, Illinois

We could not be more pleased to bring you Autism Redefined 2010 and share with you the tremendous excitement we feel. The most comprehensive autism conference internationally is getting bigger and better.

For 7 days in May, everything you thought you knew and could do will be challenged and changed. You will be informed, educated, and join the legion of parents who are embracing prevention and recovery.

Conference Speakers - Partial List for 2010:

Keynote Address - Jenny McCarthy

James Adams, PhD
Timothy Adams, Esq.
Lynne Arnold, MA
Mary Lynch Barbera, RN, MSN, BCBA
Daniel Barth, PhD
Jeffrey Becker, OD
Michael Biamonte, CCN
Mark Blaxill, MBA
Kenneth Bock, MD
Tom Bohager
Jeff Bradstreet, MD

Watch Santa Baby Christmas Maybe on ABC Family Tonight Starring Jenny McCarthy

Click HERE for a sneak peak of Santa Baby Christmas Maybe starring Jenny McCarthy, Paul Sorvino and Dean McDermott. Watch tonight, on ABC Family at 8pm EDT (check your local listings.)

Kickin’ the Tires of the Green Vaccine Initiative

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

From the years I worked in sales there was one piece of information which has always stuck with me.  It’s said that even when a person goes to a car dealership knowing he wants to get a specific car, the salesman still has to ask for the sale at least five times before the customer says yes.

I understand very few of you had ever considered a ballot proposition as a way to make progress in combating autism.  You didn't intend to walk onto that particular car lot.  I may need to “ask” for your support many times before you say yes.

But the process goes even deeper.  The person who goes onto that car lot knowing the specific car he wants isn’t trying to make the salesman’s job more difficult.  We may know what we like, but we also want to make sure the decision we make is the right one.  In the sales world the four times the interested customer says “no” are known as “objections”.  The salesman’s job is to answer those objections as completely as he can.  If he does a good job the sale is made.  If not, the interested customer walks away.

Since I’ve rolled out the Green Vaccines initiative it seems there have been three main objections raised and I want to take each one of them in turn:

A.  We should just stick to getting a Vaccinated/Unvaccinated Study funded – I will confess that the first order of business is getting a Vaccinated/Unvaccinated study done with world-class researchers and a large enough sample size to make people sit up and take notice.  However, I know that some people are very close to getting something along those lines started.  That’s the first punch.  How long will it take them to get results?  Personally, I think such a thing could be done relatively quickly.  Then what follows?  I think the Green Vaccines Initiative is something which supports that line of inquiry.  It's a good second punch.  If a Vaccinated/Unvaccinated study gets funded we should have the results by election time.  If not it creates more of an impetus to get such a study completed.

The Heroes of Autism Video

This is a beautiful way to end the holiday weekend. Thank you to AL for creating the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev8onanMtxc