AGE OF AUTISM

Testimonials for "revitaPop" MB12 Lollipops

By Kim Stagliano

You've got to check out the revitaPop, methylcobalamin (MB12) in a tasty lollipop. 

I tried my first revitaPop at Autism One last month (HERE.) Holy cow! Within seconds I felt a distinct "ping" in my brain and I became more alert, bubbly and energetic. Trust me, if I hadn't felt anything I'd have smiled and walked away from the booth to go find coffee.

Click HERE to view a quick video of testimonials from Autism One.  You'll see familiar faces, including Kimberly Linderman, yours truly and our Contributing Editor Abdulkadir Khalif.

The revitaPop tastes great (I tried Pomegranate) is gluten and casein free and uses no artificial colors or flavors. I was really happy to learn from Dave Dobkin (that's he in the photo), that the folks at revitaPop employ people with developmental disabilities to sort, pack and ship the product.  And they support Generation Rescue and the new Rescue Family grant program. revitaPop was created by Stan Kurtz who also invented the MB12 Nasal Spray and is President of Generation Rescue .

There is a patent pending on revitaPOP's novel administration of MB12.  Their first shipment sold out in days.  Their next shipment arrives this week.  

Go to www.revitaPop.com to learn more.

The treatment category is sponsored by Lee Silsby, the leader in quality compounded medications for autism.

Twitter Removes Squatter from Age of Autism Name

By Kim Stagliano    

If you're getting a funky Twitter sign in message when you come to A of A we're working on that now. The account switch at Twitter seems to be arguing with the blog platform. 

We are now on Twitter under our proper name, @ageofautism.  Twitter removed the squatter and his followers. 

Your names and Twitter-follows have been smoothly transferred to the @ageofautism Twitter.  You'll see the "trust" image next to our name. You don't need to do a thing.  @FromAgeofAutism is now private.

Thank you, Twitter and good riddance to the clown who squatted on our name and to his followers who included Alison Singer, Kristina Chew and others from the neurodiversity circus.  KS

Share Your Father's Day Story

Happy Father's Day. Please share a story about your own Dad, your children's father, your partner, brother, uncle or any male who has made a difference in the life of your chilld with autism.

Here's mine. When my father in law Mike Stagliano saw how hard I was working to take care of Mia and Gianna as newly diagnosed preschoolers, he sent me a check to hire cleaning help in my house. I'll never forget that.  Happy Fathers Day, everyone.

Kim

Sudden Death from ADD Drugs OK. Treatable Chicken Pox and Measles Not.

By Kim Stagliano

HERE's a report telling parents to keep their kids on ADHD drugs that may cause sudden death in healthy patients. Where's the outcry on HuffPo and other blogs about dangerous ADHD drugs that docs dole out like candy and parents hand out to their kids with confidence? 

Let me get this straight. NOT putting mercury into your child (flu shot) is negligent. Allowing your child to get lifelong immunity to the Chicken Pox, staying home with her, feeding her chicken soup and giving her soothing baths is bad parenting. Declining a second dose of a vaccine that caused seizures in your infant the first time around is proof that you're one brick shy of a load.

Giving your child a drug that may cause his heart to stop beating and has myriad other side effects is A-OK.

How the bleep is that possible?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A study that found possible heart risks with attention deficit drugs had limitations and should not prompt parents to stop giving the medications to children, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday.

The FDA said the study published on Monday in the American Journal of Psychiatry found there may be an association between use of stimulant medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sudden cardiac death in healthy children...

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism.

 

Sharyl Attkisson Explores Off Label Use of Risperdal in Children

By Kim Stagliano

Sharyl Attkisson of CBS News delves into the off-label use of Risperdal for children and it's serious side effects, including breast growth on males. Click HERE to view the video. (We removed the embedded video - the audio was automatic and kind of annoying.)

Parents of children with autism routinely use this drug. (Doctors prescribe it as a matter of course to young children.) Many of them are the very same parents who berate biomed parents for using a healthy diet, vitamins and minerals to treat autism. These parents call us "anti-vaccine" and "chelationists" (even though full chemical chelation is used in a much smaller number of kids than the general public believes.)  I hope to see some major blog entries, and perhaps even a front page spread in the Chicago Times about these "Risperdalists" who are endangering children with this drug.   

Earlier this year we ran, "What Risperdal Did To Me" by Sondra Williams and "From Risperdone to Ritalin. Lies. Lies. Lies."    Remember this gem? Psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Biederman promised postitive results to Johnson & Johnson in risperidone testing.  The psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman, outlined plans to test Johnson & Johnson’s drugs in presentations to company executives. One slide referred to a proposed trial in preschool children of risperidone, an antipsychotic drug made by the drug company. The trial, the slide stated, “will support the safety and effectiveness of risperidone in this age group.”

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism.

Karl Taro Greenfeld, I Want My Breath Back! An Autism Mom On Reading "Boy Alone."

By Kim Stagliano

As the mother of three children with autism, girls at that, the reality of the future often paralyzes me. Karl Taro Greenfeld's new memoir about growing up with an autistic brother, titled Boy Alone (that's an Amazon link) from Harper Collins has made me stop and think; and sit and cry. It has also re-affirmed why I am a biomed Mom, a Mother Warrior who will continue to seek treatments for my girls.

Noah Greenfeld is a 42 year old with profound autism. You might have read about him two weeks ago in Time Magazine HERE.  His father Joshua Greenfeld wrote three books about Noah in the 1970s and '80s.  The Greenfelds, now elderly, were among the earliest biomed parents, seeking answers, trying all available avenues, when autism was exceedingly rare. I have great respect for how hard they worked on behalf of Noah.

Karl, whom I've had the pleasure of meeting in the glorious literary splendor of the Algonquin Hotel while he was researching the book, has a wife and two daughters. He lives in New York City. His brother and parents are in California. Karl is preparing to move his own family to California to be closer to Noah. Back in 1978, Karl wrote a report for his 7th grade health class (HERE) on what it was like having a brother with autism. It ran in the New York Times. Not a bad start to his literary career, eh? You can read Karl's bio (HERE). I'll be running a contest shortly. 

I wrote a piece on Boy Alone for HuffPo. It's up today HERE.  I'd appreciate if you'd share your comments at HuffPo. It's important that those outside the autism community know what we face. This book will open up conversations about... the future.

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism.

Sweet Dreams From Autism One

By Kim Stagliano

Of course I'm kidding. What autism Mom could afford all those goodies from the hotel mini-bar? I will enjoy the Westin's "Heavenly Bed." I'll be live blogging from Autism One in Chicago through Saturday. Good night!

Kim

Who Needs Jenny Craig? Just Think of Your Bacteria Laden Food.

By Kim Stagliano

The New York Times reports HERE that food companies can not guarantee that the food you buy is safe and not infected with pathogens. Next time you sit down to a calorie laden chicken pot-of-crap pie, think of this article.  My niece had salmonella poisoning as a toddler. It almost killed her.

Don't worry, ConAgra is teaching the American consumer how to be a food safety engineer. Meanwhile the media had to teach people how to wash their hands during the Swine flu outbreak (you remember that?) Preparation instructions on food boxes now have to say, "Open box. Remove product. Throw box in trashcan...."

How different is pharma, I wonder, when it comes to safety?

The pie maker, ConAgra Foods, began spot-checking the vegetables for pathogens, but could not find the culprit. It also tried cooking the vegetables at high temperatures, a strategy the industry calls a “kill step,” to wipe out any lingering microbes. But the vegetables turned to mush in the process.

Is the RotaTeq Vaccine Cost Effective As We Rein In Healthcare Costs?

By Kim Stagliano

As President Obama looks at revamping out of control health care costs in The United States, this study calls into question the cost of RotaTeq, Dr. Paul Offit's rotavirus vaccine (from Merck) which is on the AAP schedule as a routine vaccination.

Pediatrics. 2007 Apr;119(4):684-97.  Links
Comment in:
Evid Based Med. 2007 Oct;12(5):153.

Cost-effectiveness and potential impact of rotavirus vaccination in the United States.

Widdowson MA, Meltzer MI, Zhang X, Bresee JS, Parashar UD, Glass RI.
Respiratory and Enteric Virus Branch, Mailstop A34, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. mwiddowson@cdc.gov

OBJECTIVE: In February 2006, a safe, efficacious, orally administered pentavalent human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine was licensed and recommended for routine immunization of all children in the United States. We assessed the health and economic impacts of a national rotavirus immunization program in the United States.

Captain Kirk Suffers Vaccine Adverse Event!

By Commander Kim Stagliano (Dan is Captain.)

Hold onto your Tribble and set your phasers to stun!  I just got an email from AofA contributor Jim Donnelly. It seems that in the new Star Trek flick, Captain James T. Kirk's hands swell in reaction to a vaccination.  What's this?  Vaccine adverse events in the land of Spock? Highly illogical!  Watch the trailer, just because it's fun. The "VAE" isn't in it, it's just a good trailer. May the force be with you.  Oops, wrong movie.