Dachel Video Q&A with Dr. Ken Stoller: Does DC Care About Our Kids' Health?
A while ago I made up my mind to report on doctors who aren't afraid to speak out about what's happening to our children. There really are people like this out there. They're ethical men and women who don't buy the pretend science surrounding autism and vaccines and they're not afraid to say so. They know autism is a serious medical condition affecting a generation of children at an epidemic rate while health officials and most doctors show only a passing interest.
Ken Stoller, MD. is one such doctor. He practices medicine at the Amen Clinic in South San Francisco. He completed his training at UCLA Medical School and has thirty years experience working in New Mexico and in California. He was also a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico from 2002 to 2005.
Stoller has seen autism become an epidemic. "When I went into private practice straight out of residency in the mid 1980's, I had never seen a child with autism--never. When I saw my first child with regressive apraxia, I don't think I even said the word autism to his family. [This was before they introduced the HepB at birth.] Here was a four year old boy who was trying so hard to say something that could be understood. All that would come out of his mouth were grunts and growls. The more he wanted to be heard, the more frustrated he became. It was like an old time switchboard operator plugging in all the wrong phone cords in all the wrong holes."
After being a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics for over twenty years, Stoller felt he had to resign because "of their hypocrisy and refusal to honor their commitment to remove mercury from vaccines."
Stoller has always practiced what is known as complimentary and alternative medicine. As a pediatrician, he's worked with children who have serious developmental problems and he's firmly convinced that our vaccination schedule is making our kids sick. As President of the International Hyperbaric Medical Association, he's seen firsthand what bio-medical intervention can do for a disabled child.
As far as autism is concerned, Dr. Stoller has some very strong opinions. According to him, autism is not a mystery, but a treatable condition. "Autism is an umbrella term that covers a constellation of symptoms, but the label doesn't tell you what is going on in that child's brain, how it happened or how to treat it." He refers to autism as an "environmentally triggered mitochondrial mediated gastro-immune encephalitic syndrome."
Stoller believes that treatments that address inappropriate diet, toxicity, multiple systemic infections (when present), allergies almost always allow affected children to make significant gains in functionality, and hyperbaric oxygen can dramatically alter the clinical course of this encephalitic syndrome.
He knows his treatments work. "I have never treated a child with HBOT [hyperbaric oxygen therapy] that did not improve, be that cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury or encephalitic syndrome [autism]."
Dr. Stoller does more than just address the health of children he sees as a doctor. He's been a very public voice advocating for national attention for autism and effective interventions. In 2004, he was invited to Washington to testify about autism treatments before the House Government Reform Committee Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, chaired by Rep Dan Burton of Indiana. The invitation he received asked him to speak about "hyperbaric treatment for brain injured children."
The title of the hearing was, "Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Update of Federal Government Initiatives and Revolutionary New Treatment of Neuro-Development Diseases."
Rep Burton opened the meeting saying:
During my tenure as chairman of the full Committee on
Government Reform, and as the current Chair of this
subcommittee, I have convened 20 hearings on the topics of
autism, vaccine safety, and the detrimental health effects of
mercury-containing medical products.
We've been successful in getting mercury out of almost all
children's vaccines except, I think--what--three. The problem
is that, still on the shelves, are vaccines that are being
given to children that contain mercury that are no longer being
produced. We need to have a recall on those, but so far HHS and
CDC has not chosen to do that. But we're working on them.
During these investigations, numerous scientists from
around the globe have testified before the committee and have
presented credible peer-reviewed research studies that
indicated a direct link between the exposure of mercury, a
widely known neurotoxin, and the increasing instances of
autism. Because autistic individuals typically have a high
concentration of mercury stored in their bodies, many doctors
are concerned with how exactly they can safely remove these
toxins from their patients without exposing them to greater
medical risks...
Another cutting-edge medical development currently being
used and tested for the use in autistic patients is Hyperbaric
Oxygen Therapy. This treatment, which involves the delivery of
pressurized oxygen to a patient, has been recently used to
assist with the regeneration of neurons in brain-injured
individuals. Dr. Paul Harch, president of the International
Hyperbaric Medical Association, will discuss how the use of
hyperbarics may be a viable therapy to administer to persons
afflicted with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
In addition, Dr. Ken Stoller has been invited to further
supplement the testimony of Dr. Harch and discuss additional
uses for hyperbaric treatments for patients afflicted with
other neurodevelopmental diseases and injuries..
As I stated before, autism is an epidemic, and I sure hope
our health agencies are paying attention, because it really is,
and it directly affects millions of Americans, including every
single taxpayer in the United States and will for decades to come.
Dan Burton and Maxine Waters were the only committee members present. (Rep Dave Weldon was also there, although not a member of the committee.) No video recording was allowed during the hearing and when Dr. Stoller asked why it wasn't being taped, he was told that Rep Henry Waxman "forbid it."
I asked Stoller how he felt after the hearing:
At the end of the hearing in 2004, what did you think the government would do?
A year later, during another trip to Washington, Dr. Stoller talked with a senior health staffer in one congressional office about the possibility of legislation that would encourage biomedical interventions for affected children. He was adamant. "I said that this is a medical problem and children with medical problems deserve to have those problems cared for instead of just getting the standard response, 'Oh, that's just part of autism.'" To his surprise, he was told that there would never be any legislation that had the words "autism" and "treatment" in the bill.
The staff member said that talking about treatment would point anyone in direction of causality and in this case also responsibility. These are topics that Congress is not willing deal with.
Stoller was stunned. He said, "I couldn't imagine how we would get around this. The government was planning to do nothing to help these kids." They may have sounded interested in his treatment of "brain injured children," but they didn't want to talk about what caused the injury in the first place.
I also had this question for Dr. Stoller:
Why does the government refuse to address autism as a national health crisis?
Stoller feels there is no doubt in the minds of top officials what's causing autism, so there is little point in trying to convince them of what they already know but have chosen to obfuscate about. According to Stoller, "The autism epidemic is a neuroenvirnomental disaster that has lasted more than a decade beyond when it should have been resolved because the perpetrators have too many friends in places of control and power." Stoller would also be the first to say that this is not just about autism. The poisons that have damaged a generation of children are taking their toll on each and every one of us. For some, that is increased cancer rates, endocrine disruption, autoimmune disorders and even mental illness.
Stoller feels that we can no longer rely on civil servants who revolve between corporation and state. The FDA is broken. The CDC is hopelessly tied to industry. "We have put our trust in people who don't deserve it and who fail to earn it."
Footnote: In 2006, Dr. Stoller and I were in Washington and we visited the congressional offices of members from Wisconsin. At one meeting, the chief of staff of a congressman listened to what we had to say about vaccines and the autism epidemic and replied, "What do you want us to do? Congressmen don't like problems without solutions."
We both said, "We need to stop it."
There was no response.
(In 2010, I wrote about a Senate hearing on autism and the environment. I too was hopeful at the time that Congress would finally take action.)
(In 2011, I wrote about Thomas Insel's testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health in support of the reauthorization of the Combating Autism Act.)
Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.
Does anyone know the full hearing documentation - title, what date, what committee, etc, referred to in a video of Dr. Blaylock, at which a Congressman or Senator said to Dr. Gerberding: “For 70 years they’ve been putting mercury in vaccines and you have not conducted one study to see if it’s safe in a child’s brain? Not one?”
Posted by: David Fichtenberg | October 11, 2013 at 06:11 AM
Ken Stoller- one of the great heroes of the autism Holocaust.
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | September 04, 2013 at 03:40 PM
Thank you, Anne and Dr. Stoller.
"The staff member said that talking about treatment would point anyone in direction of causality and in this case also responsibility."
Regarding Congress, I used to think that Congress handed over its responsibility when they set up agencies unaccountable to voters to essentially legislate "health" regulations, and in the case of vaccines they gave combined powers of all three government branches to these groups, the definition of tyranny according to some. But possibly the bigger error was in assuming they could/should get involved in healthcare at the distant centralized national level. The Constitution was written to limit the scope of what the federal government should do and healthcare was not part of that scope, so they were actually taking powers they shouldn't have and putting them in unelected hands.
Letting the government take a large unconstitutional role, and the huge funding mechanisms that then become "necessary," attracts the lobbying and creates the conditions conducive to the revolving-door, insider, out-of-touch atmosphere. Even if Congressional members themselves don't let themselves see, I think every time Congress moves to "do something in our behalf" it creates the opportunity for better funding if/when they don't really do anything or make things worse, stalling grassroots efforts, taking more power in the name of fixing the crisis, and most of Congress goes that direction. Like with the CAA, they took out mandated vaccine research, kept their financial support, and gave a bunch of bureaucrats the opportunity to take a public salary looking busy, really shielding industry (most, not all, of them), and improving their future career opportunities with the same.
So for Congress I think the solution is obvious, but unthinkable to them. End the National Vaccine Injury Compensation program for starters. The responsibility they are trying to avoid for the vaccine injury epidemics is in large part theirs. And maybe the rest of the federal health agencies should be phased out also. I'm not sure that would make things less safe, more likely end the false impression for some that things are being looked after so maybe they will choose better for themselves, and I really believe that would open up opportunities for free market advancements in healthcare that are continually suppressed today. (Look at the independent-of-government groups that have actually accomplished the most for our vaccine/environmentally injured children. IMO government/industry collusion has been the main limiting factor on how much good these groups have been able to do and never a source of advancement.)
I guess I'm saying I agree with Dr. Stoller's view of Congress and the rest of our government. I'm at the point where the only role I might want to see the federal government take in healthcare is in preventing tyrannical healthcare actions on state/local levels, but we would have to clean up much of the place before that could happen.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | September 04, 2013 at 12:19 PM
What an amazing doctor. That really says a lot that he broke away from AAP.
I get what he's saying about the liability consequences being so great for the government that it would be like committing suicide (looking into bio-med and environmental causes of autism) BUT, as someone who's 'on the ground' and seeing so many kids experiencing problems, we can't afford NOT to be looking into these things. For heaven's sake, it will soon be to the point of simply not being able to afford care for children (oh ya, that's already happening) or having no fit young citizens to serve the country if needed.
Posted by: jen | September 04, 2013 at 11:50 AM
All too clear that congress would sign into
law that Drug companys, manufacturing vaccines could never be sued.
They are only co's in the USA that cannot be sued!!
So much protection, but not for infants & children.
CDC - might as well be called, Criminal Drug
Conkebine
Posted by: Allie90 | September 04, 2013 at 01:53 AM
Excellent interview of a wonderful doctor by the lovely Anne Dachel. Anne and Dr. Stoller both are remarkable human beings. Thank you both for all that you do.
Posted by: Sarah D. | September 03, 2013 at 09:10 PM
Dr. Stoller is one of the good guys. He really cares about our children. His heart is in this. I am sure life would be easier, and definitely much more lucrative if he stayed a main-stream pediatrician that didn't question the carnage around him. But he has chosen to get into the fray and actually do what all pediatricians are SUPPOSED to do: help children regain their health.
Posted by: Sylvia | September 03, 2013 at 08:44 PM
So Waxman is still keeping an eye out for the evil guys as innocent children are harmed.
Kind of makes King Herod's slaughter of innocents pale in comparing.
What is Waxman anyway - the people of the 33 district or what ever of California -- needs to take a good look at what they are making the rest of America tolerate.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 03, 2013 at 01:32 PM
Great story by Anne Dache, on Courage and independence...
Posted by: Helena Hjalmarsson | September 03, 2013 at 01:04 PM
This video about another congressional hearing just came out:
(VIDEO) Dr. Russell Blaylock, Neurosurgeon
http://vaccineliberationarmy.com/2013/09/02/dr-russell-blaylock-neurosurgeon-how-vaccines-harm-child-brains/
At approximately 44 minutes into the video, Blaylock talked about Dr. Julie Gerberding's testimony at a congressional hearing. (This was while she was head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before she moved on to be the head of the vaccine division at Merck.)
(Earlier in the video, Blaylock said that the government's studies are the weakest form of science: epidemiological studies. They're easily flawed and the results manipulated.)
Blaylock said that Gerberding was asked under oath about the studies done on mercury.
"How many studies have been done on the toxicity of mercury in the brain?"
Gerberding: "About 2,000 studies."
"How many studies have been done on the safety of mercury in vaccines in the brain?"
The congressmen couldn't hear her answer. She was asked twice. Finally Gerberding responded, "None."
Congressman: "For 70 years they've been putting mercury in vaccines and you have not conducted one study to see if it's safe in a child's brain? Not one?"
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | September 03, 2013 at 12:33 PM
This is what Congressmen have been shown.
Feb 1, 2008
UNINFORMED CONSENT, Washington DC. Rep. Dan Burton, Chair of Gov Reform Committee comments on vaccines and mercury showing a video of an autistic child in full melt down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y1VTYzLYy4&list=PLD852196873F9FAE6&index=5
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | September 03, 2013 at 12:27 PM
"Stoller feels there is no doubt in the minds of top officials what's causing autism, so there is little point in trying to convince them of what they already know but have chosen to obfuscate about."
Exactly. They know. Congress, NIH, CDC, IACC, Paul Offit, David Gorski, Art Caplan, they all know.
Posted by: Linda | September 03, 2013 at 10:52 AM
"According to him, autism is not a mystery, but a treatable condition. "Autism is an umbrella term that covers a constellation of symptoms, but the label doesn't tell you what is going on in that child's brain, how it happened or how to treat it." He refers to autism as an "environmentally triggered mitochondrial mediated gastro-immune encephalitic syndrome."
Yes!
Posted by: Environment-not-genes | September 03, 2013 at 10:43 AM
When we see the money pharma spends in Congress, we all need to ask what it's buying.
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=H04
Anne Dachel
Posted by: Anne McElroy Dachel | September 03, 2013 at 10:41 AM