Victor B said:

One of the most under researched areas of autism is in studying autistic adults who have medical and behavioral issues. The high cost of treating autistic adults with medical and behavioral issues should be of utmost concern for all involved. One overlooked issues is in studying severely autistic adults who, after years of taking seizure medications, have "blunted choline." The focus, therefore, should be on how to elevate choline in the brain of these autistic adults, as blunted choline is a medical issue that needs to be treated. Not one study has addressed this or proposed what medications would be indicated to help the autistic person regain the choline that is so desperately needed in their still developing brains. Note: Recent research shows that it is never too late to increase the brain health of the autistic adult, no matter how low functioning they appear. Moreover, studies have shown that the prior misconception that only autistic children benefit from ABA is now shown to be false. Adults with autism can also benefit from ABA therapy, with a complete medical and behavioral analysis to ensure their delicate needs are met.

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Victor B said:

I can't believe how many people are pulled into this hoax. Stunning. There is no solid evidence the flu vaccine will prevent you from getting the flu. I'm not against it, but at least do the research before you allow someone to inject you with a substance that is made by multiple manufacturers with little or no quality control of the individual vaccines given. Over the years health care providers have received notice that some vials of certain medications have "too much" of the vaccine. What are the implications of that? What are the ingredients or added substances that could affect so many people? Nobody is asking these questions. How do you know if the person you are injecting with the latest flu vaccine is allergic to the ingredient in the particular flu vaccine given? Are we still living in a free country if we are told we have no choice but to receive the flu shot?

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Lisa said:

Thank you, I wondered how Dorit Rubinstein Reiss had time to work as a professor when she spent all day posting comments about vaccines.

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Katie Wright said:

Great Reporting! What a ridiculous organization. Pathetic

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Christina Waldman said:

For those who want to know more about the CDC Foundation, John Stone and the Age of Autism have written a lot about it. You can Google "CDC Foundation" at this site to find the articles. I'm going to do that, too.

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Garbo said:

Wow. WOW! Wow wow wow wow wow. Corporate liability defense expert specializing in Daubert cases. Thank you, John Stone, for shining a big ray of much-needed sunshine under the slimy CDC funded rock. "According to a 2002 RAND study, post Daubert, the percentage of expert testimony by scientists that was excluded from the courtroom significantly rose. This rise likely contributed to a doubling in successful motions for summary judgment in which 90% were against plaintiffs.[16] Beyond this study, there is little empirical evidence of the impact of Daubert. However, some critics argue that Daubert has disrupted the balance between plaintiffs and defendants, “The exclusion of expert testimony affects plaintiffs far more than defendants because plaintiffs may then not be able to meet their required burden of proof. Furthermore, there is little point in plaintiffs going to the expense of Daubert motions to exclude defendant’s experts until they know if their case will proceed. So if more experts are now being excluded, then Daubert has undoubtedly shifted the balance between plaintiffs and defendants and made it more difficult for plaintiffs to litigate successfully.”[7]"

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Mary Holland said:

Important research. Thanks, John. Mary H.

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Eileen Nicole Simon said:

Katie, thanks again. We all have ideas about research that should be done, and no one who responded here (yet) is claiming that autism is just a difference to be respected and not researched. I read something by your mother (Suzanne Wright, Nov 11, 2013) that roused a lot of controversy and led to resignation of a self-advocate from AS. I agree completely with, and am grateful for what your mother said. For decades I was warned never to focus on my own difficulties and sense of despair as a parent. But would anyone dream of chastising parents of children with illnesses like cancer, cystic fibrosis, or polio for living “moment-to-moment... In despair. In fear of the future,” or feeling “depleted. Mentally. Physically. And especially emotionally”? Carolyn Gammicchia, thank you for pointing out the GAO (General Accounting Office). I found their report on the IACC online. I have submitted comments for the IACC meeting Jan 14, but know these will be ignored as always. The GAO report is excellent; the IACC is a disgrace. How can the IACC put out a “strategic plan” for autism research that includes nothing on the language disorder and its neurological basis? I plan to send email to Marcia Crosse commending the GAO for their investigation and report.

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CS said:

When I heard that the University of Oklahoma Science Dept was conducting a research study (funded by AS)“Anti-Neuronal Autoantibodies in PANDAS and Autism Spectrum Disorders."I recieved an e-mail from Dr. Cunningham to volunteer for it, I decided not to b/c I do not trust AS. Also I am very uneasy about just who is looking at my childs' health info and what that may or may not do in regards to getting proper treatment or other for her down the road. I just do not trust anyone anymore!

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cia parker said:

Benedetta, The book The Age of Autism had an interesting section on how Down's syndrome did not exist before the industrial pollution of the nineteenth century in England. I think the environmental factors clearly have the capacity to alter the genes responsible for this and many other conditions which appear to be solely genetic in origin.

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Tahnna; There is a huge rise in autism and auto immmune diseases. It has been said and said again by people that run this forum that there is no such thing as a genetic epidemic. That is why your complaint is not valid. Futher more. I wonder about genetic disease like fragile X -- and Down syndrome for that matter -- I think that they maybe environmental as far back as the splitting and forming fo eggs and sperms. Could be, probably is.

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John Stone said:

Kapoore I think the problem is that we are not prepared to pay for proper science so we have to pay for consequences of bad science - in this case the money is simply pouring in from private sources: $1.66b for a single year. The private sources can't give it away fast enough, and this the way government is debauched. The story is cronyism on an Olympian scale.

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Kapoore said:

Scary that the CDC is funneling taxpayer money to a "charity." Is that legal? Don't we get to decide what charity organizations we support or does the CDC get to decide for us?

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AussieMum said:

If these people are so convinced that vaccines are safe, then why don't they demonstrate how safe they are? Meanwhile, our vaccine injured children are growing older, taller and stronger and increasingly becoming more dangerous to themselves. It has been 50 years since the world was told that smoking causes cancer. It took 50 years before Thalidomide victims received an apology from "Big Pharma." Do we have to wait for 50 years before the world will finally recognise that parents were right when we said "Vaccines do cause Autism!" Elizabeth Gillespie

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For Christine Waldman said:

Someone called Andrew Wakefield a 'shit person' at that site- Voices for Vaccine's Facebook page. I see them as just becoming angry that they are finally being called on 1) their lack of integrity- be it in their studies (the Poul Thorsen affair), the fact that Cochrane doesn't think highly of many of their safety or efficacy studies, 2) their conflicts of interest being exposed, and 3) their smear campaigns against those who ask questions. I have never seen a finer attempt at wordsmithing in LBRB's attempt to explain the Jenny's son doesn't really have autism situation.

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Shell Tzorfas said:

https://www.google.com/webhp?tab=mw&ei=kdvOUofsOI3RqAGQz4GIAQ&ved=0CAUQqS4oAg#q=researchers+release+the+profile+of+an+internet+troll+shelley+tzorfas

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Carol said:

The "science-based medicine" crowd says that Jenny McCarthy's son Evan may not have had autism because his "first symptom" was epileptic seizures, more consistent, according to them, with Landau-Kleffner Syndrome. (Apparently, they aren't averse to attending the "university of Google" when it suits them.) But McCarthy has said that her son stimmed and displayed some obsessive-compulsive behavior long before he had seizures. Sadly, she didn't understand the significance of that.

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Tahana said:

Dear Katy, I want to praise you for your continued brave advocacy for families who have autistic children. I was very disheartened to see a portion of this post dedicated to calling out research targeting Fragile-X. Many diseases have multiple causes and it would be a fallacy, if not selfish to say that a genetic cause is less important than a less well understood cause. For example research targeting the BRCA1 gene is most certainly just as valid as exploring environmental causes of breast cancer. I would also argue that families who participated in the Seaside drug trial that was cancelled feel just as slighted by research funding as you. In the future I do hope you would refrain from attempting to attack research that will help families with the Fragile-X genetic disorder and choose to support research into all causes of ASD.

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Christina Waldman said:

This conversation is going on now at Voices for Vaccines Facebook page. Karen Ernst began the Wakefield bashing. An anonymous moderator comments as "Voices for Vaccines." Dorit says she is not hiding; she is "speaking for the page." Their page discussion policy says "no personal attacks." I would have expected a higher tone from a non-profit organization that asks the public for money. https://www.facebook.com/VoicesForVaccines/posts/494648757321737?comment_id=2690232&offset=0&total_comments=61

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Jenny said:

I think it's a great article, and science and the reporting of it, corrections included, are part of the process. Minor adjustments that don't take away from its overall import. To get caught up in merely the CFL part of the issue, though, is to do the article injustice. Any environmentalist or animal activist worth his salt knows the name Rachel Carson, but may not know how she translates to modern medicine. Adriana, you have pulled the various aspects of the problem into a coherent, useful essay.

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Benedetta said:

Katie; I know that your parents and you gave birth along with blood, life, and breath to AS. I know this is your second heart break after your son. I am so sorry, that you have not reaped the fruits of your hard labor. But what John Stone said -- pretty much tells us what happened. It was infiltrated by more than just outside interest but by those that had exactly opposite interests. Maybe it was the way that AS was set up - it was done the same way so many other successful businesses/charities are set up because that is the way your father was taught how it should be done. That is the reason that AS became a success - a well know group. Well known and - I am so sorry --it really was doing nothing-- not even responding to simple questions about where are the nearest vocational training places for the disabled in a given area!!!! It's success does show that your parents have talent in the area and for that alone you should be proud. It is time you and your family cut your heart strings to something you gave so much effort, blood, tears, and time to produce. Cut your loses and start another group, or offer your services to another group of righteously angry parents. Katie; I can give you countless stories of things I have held on to; trying to make them work, and what they did was take my time and energy - till I passed a point that I had no more time or energy left, to chuck it; start something else.

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Kevin D. said:

vTheir blog doesn't allow comments either. So you can't refute anything stated. Not only that, their is no author stated in the blog, it's just 'Moms who Vax' which could be anyone that has the password. So how do we know that it is a parent and not someone paid to write the articles? The whole thing stinks of money. Thanks John.

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Linda said:

It seems that the research community tasked with discovering what causes autism would rather do anything else - study cells, induce "autism" in mice and then study the poor mice, study services, communities, anything other than to study actual affected humans. That would entail having to interact with the people who have the answers and whose lives are being made more miserable by their dishonesty. For those receiving the funding, finding answers just wouldn't work. Success, unless it's coming up with a new pharmaceutical, isn't in their business model. The only way that progress will be made is to rely on a completely independent group of real scientists. I think it would help, Katie, if your parents publicly denounced and distanced themselves from AS, for the wrong direction that AS has taken, for its lack of results and for its conflicts of interest. Nancy, you are right about EMFs and RFR. The invisible toxins are the most insidious. I worry about these just as much as vaccines, because they are so pervasive and increasing, few are paying attention, institutions, including and especially schools and universities are being paid to install technologies without questioning the safety, and there is great potential for irreparable harm. Here is a 16 second youtube from epidemiologist Devra Davis with a quick bit of advice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iseqm2rKiQE Also, Dr. Davis being interviewed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDe1iN5bV58 Please note The Real Truth About Health conference in NYC Jan 10-12th will be live streamed, see www.Therealtruthabouthealth.com. (The conference is announced on the youtube from Dr. Davis above.)

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Joanne Quinn said:

Hi Katie, Thank you for your constant analysis of AS research. You are in a difficult position and I so appreciate you taking a stand. I was at the Summit in DC and I could see the strain on you. I support your advocacy for expanded research. Autism is so complex and individual we do need to go outside conventional wisdom so we can move forward with treatment across the spectrum. I need to put forward an ask for additional funding for research and programming for our "higher functioning" people. That term does more harm than good. Individuals deemed higher functioning are out in the world without skills to make safe decisions in so many circumstances. The resulting mental health challenges are epidemic and more and more are graduating to a basement with black plastic bags over the windows and video games. The increasing # of 21+ young adults who have nothing to do, can't get or hold a job, have no social network and no support for living arrangements should their parents die is a crisis yet all the funding for programs of support are cut. Our nation needs to look at our priorities. I am a parent and I run an organization that supports individuals with autism and their families and our public school. We need support to show there is more than ABA and more is needed to continue to teach these kids social and emotional understanding so when they are adults they can be more independent and SAFE and EMPLOYABLE! AS needs to offer larger grants that $20K for community groups so we can sustain a good program long enough to show others what works. Thank you Katie! Joanne Quinn

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False Skeptics Make me Laugh said:

I wonder what the autism rates in Idaho are...

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John Stone said:

Jennifer Absolutely, and I have written about this, notably in a letter to BMJ where I only made the error that 67% of screened for positive cases had pulled out before the Goyang study was concluded but that was only 2nd phase, 1st phase included it was 76%, but the discovery of so many alleged cases is presented as a wonderful success for the method - Geraldine Dawson is particularly gleeful at the prospect of so many cases. This was simultaneous with the arrival of Robert H Ring at AS as head of translational research (in 2011) heading a pre-competitive consortium of up to six giant pharmaceutical companies to develop psychotropic drugs for autism treatment. Obviously the screening projects are key to the commercial success of such a venture. Our children are to be pharmed, if they haven't been already. Likewise, if you actually identified environmental causes leading to less autism this would damage the commercial prospects for new "treatments". http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e3502/rr/588110 Perhaps we should also bear in mind that Katie's parents were approached to start AS by Bernie Marcus of the CDC Foundation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg9mN3aCukY Marcus is, of course, a very charming business ideologue who I'm told created a great business, but as we know sometimes healthy businesses create unhealthy people. And, of course, AS rather than taking the radical approach that everyone needed became crowded with people who were on-side with the government-pharmaceutical complex.

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John Stone said:

Hera Very good point. A couple of years ago I highlighted a paper by a CDC scientist in which 6 in one hundred toddlers had routinely developed a temperate 39.5C or higher after MMR vaccine, but there was no follow up after a month. When I ran this troubling issue passed pharma/CDC apologist Dorit Reiss she responded: "Fever as a side effect of MMR was known. Without reason to think it causes long term harm, why follow up?" Brilliant. Unfortunately, we have lots of reasons to believe it causes long term harm. And after all why do any tests in the first place: obviously our researcher was going beyond due diligence?

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Nancy said:

I know this will not be popular, but I'd like to see more research in the areas of EMF and autism. Martha Herbert recently did a talk on this topic and it seems to have some promise. http://www.healthandenvironment.org/wg_calls/13091 I'm realistic to know that it is unlikely to every happen. The only thing bigger than BIG pharama is Big Telecom. http://www.healthandenvironment.org/wg_calls/13091

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Research is an area very close to my heart. Life is extremely hard for my family right now. My son is doing poorly and I would so like research that could help him live up to his potential and free him from his extreme discomfort: Biological causes of sensory problems and biological solutions Subtypes,; solutions for those kids who do not respond to ABA; do different subgroups need different biomedical interventions? Biological causes and solutions for regressive autism We need more, more, more research done on probiotics that is not done by the companies that sell the probiotics. There is very exciting research being done in the area of probiotics right now and the researchers doing this work mention that it could be helpful for those with autism but the autism community is not participating in this research. Research into dysbiosis in general -yeast, bacteria, parasites More gut research I am sad that so much money is being wasted. I wish you were the one making the research funding decisions for Autism Speaks, Katie. Then the world would be a much happier place for so many children.

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Hera said:

Would really love to see a study that looks to see whether kids that have seizures or high fevers following MMR or DTP vaccination go on to have higher rates of autism than are found in the general population? ( But please ensure that the kids are followed to at least age 6 so there is actually time to get a diagnosis..) There are no "ethical issues" for people to complain about with this one. Bet the results would be interesting though.

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MelissaD said:

Katie - first thanks for always trying to keep tabs on AS and sharing with us. You have a unique insight and I can't imagine how difficult it is for you - being between a rock and a hard place - when dissing the organization your parents so lovingly established. We also gave up on AS; in 2007 when they told us they would not leave any of the $80,000+ our walk raised in our community. They'll never see another dime from our family. Personally, I'd love to see a study of older children who finally started talking and what helped them. And if someone would study some of our low-responders to bio-med who finally made progress and what finally helped them that would be great, too. Also, in-depth studies of the few wonderful places that have been established for adults on the spectrum followed up with step-by-step guidelines of how to do it. As more and more of our children grow older without recovering we desperately need to be trained in how to establish safe places for them when we are gone. And I'm all for a vax/un-vax study, but that will never happen from AS I know. Good luck with your push for reforms!

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Adriana said:

Thank you for all the insights and feedback. Blogging is a bit of a living, real time format and readers caught some gaffs. Not to Pravda-ize the process though-- comments were taken under consideration and corrections were made. :) There's a few gray areas though regarding typical claims of CLF manufacturers and typical "wisdom" on CFL that need more research. For instance, bulbs are low pressure. Some reports say the vacuum could potentially be breached without completely shattering the tubing like with higher-pressure bulbs. In theory, it sounds like you could cut open a blister pack of six seemingly intact CFL and get a face-full of magical pixie dust without realizing it. As someone mentioned, there's no secondary stopgap yet (to make them "organic," yikes) since the vapor leaks into the casing from the start. Looking into this issue is not exactly a short term project.

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Sally A said:

Katie, If you are going to talk about fragile X and the failed study I do think you should do a little more research. Reuters in their article deemed the study a failure but that doesn't mean it was. I suggest you read this piece - http://www.fragilex.org/2013/foundation/keeping-you-informed/seaside-therapeutics-comments-on-news-report-of-failed-autism-drug-trial/

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AnneS said:

"Idaho Vaccination Rates Among Lowest in the Nation" This kind of article appears in the newspaper right before pharma/govt try to change the vaccination laws in the state, so Idaho, beware.

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Carter's Daddy said:

The more the trolls say it's wrong, the more right I know it is.

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Truthseeker2 said:

Good cheer indeed! http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/lawrence-solomon/vaccine-skeptics_b_4548510.html Solomon writes an interesting article on being called conspiracy theorist for even asking questions about safety regarding the vaccination program. Dorit as well, suggests many who question vaccines are conspiracy theorists and rude. Does she not realize the cruelty that the pro-vaccine side employs?

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Roger Kulp said:

Kristine @1:22 thank you for this great comment. I agree that there are more than enough studies out there on Fragile X,early intervention,etc.Regressive autism,especially autism with multiple regressions,and autism with intellectual disability have been grossly under studied.The lack of studies on PANDAS/PANS is appalling.Same for yeast/fungus,and food allergies which have finally been explained to me so I can understand them. With yeast,you are stepping on the toes of the soda/processed food industries,and if you think the drug companies are bad,you ain't seen nothin' until you go after McDonald's and Coca-Cola/ Dr.Frye,and Dr.James have both received funding grants from Autism Speaks.If I were on the board,or if I had a say in funding,and I were to be asked to name one thing Autism Speaks should fund,I would say this. I would like to do a type of study that has never been done before.Anne Dachel is always asking where are all the older autistic adults who have all the medical problems that autistic kids do.The mito,the autoimmune,the methylation,and metabolic disorders.My case,and my history, proves these adults are out there,there just aren't as many of them,as there are children and young adults. I would argue that this is because with adults thirty and older,the diagnosis usually stops at autism,while for children,this is only the beginning.Most older (30+)autistic adults have never been tested for any of these diseases,unless they are among the very few who have been lucky enough to see a DAN! or MAPS doctor,like I have.These diseases were not known to be associated with autism,when we were diagnosed.So they have never been tested. I would like to see Autism Speaks fund studies to do a panel of diagnostic tests for these diseases found in autistic children on as many adults as possible known to have an autism diagnosis.Starting with a questionnaire to be filled out about medical histories.This would screen out the people who would have the testing in the first place.There also would be a big media campaign to make people aware of this testing.You would be surprised to learn how many people who have autism,also have these other diseases we all know about. That would be my number one priority.

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John Stone said:

Hi Lenny Yes, and as was recently documented the whole drive for gene research was instigated by the tobacco industry trying to pin the blame on their defective customers rather than their dangerous products: http://truth-out.org/news/item/17916-science-as-social-control-political-paralysis-and-the-genetics-agenda Easy enough to graft the strategy onto all the questions the medical industry don't want answered. And no, we don't have another 20 years! John

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Bob Moffitt said:

Wall Street Journal ... "Amid national outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and other preventable diseases, Colorado officials might make it harder for parents to exempt children from vaccinations for school and day care. . . . . Isn't Colorado the State that just "de-criminalized" marijuana .. allowing age appropriate (adult) citizens to exercise their right of "informed consent" .. to "legally buy the drug" .. for "recreational" use .. that is more than likely to diminish the already established "preventions" against deaths and serious injuries resulting from DUI? Is it just me .. or .. is their something wrong with that picture? Parents of Colorado's children are being denied "informed consent" rights to refuse vaccinating their children .. while at the very same time .. age appropriate Colorado citizens have had their "informed consent" rights broadly expanded to include "legalization" of marijuana. It must be me .. because .. the older I get .. the more troubled I become for the future of my grandchildren.

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Lenny Schafer said:

Autism Speaks, and their predecessor organizations have had 20 years to come up with some practical answers for the causes and treatments for autism -- and they have failed to do so in their research efforts. I think it only wise to see that their interest in such research is a function of tactical fundraising rather than finding strategic solutions. It seems by now, a sisyphean effort trying to convince AS to do the right things. Do we have another 20 years to wait for them to come around? The same conclusion can be made about the National Institutes of Health and their planned impotent IACC. Let's end the pleading, shaming and begging. Perhaps it would be more productive to support an different autism research entity with a mission towards practical results. If not the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, whom else? Let's go positive. - Lenny Schafer

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SarahW said:

This essay below reveals the mindet of some involved in genetics research..cleanse the gene pool. eliminate 90% of the autism cases. genocide. "Dreaming of a brighter future" For centuries people have tried to lower incidence of common hereditary disorders, at least for the generations to come. How could future be brighter and better, if according to Autism speaks the autism spectrum disorder already affects 1 in 88 newborns and continues to grow? The purpose of this project is to establish a framework of future social development in which incidence of complex and simple Mendelian disorders will be substantially lower than naturally occuring. Speaking in plain words, prevention of 90% of the Autism, 50% of diabetes type 1, 75% of diabetes type 2 and at least 60% of allergy cases could become a reality one day. The project description "Biomedical advances have led to a relaxation of natural selection in the human population in developed countries. In the absence of strong purifying selection, spontaneous and frequently deleterious mutations tend to accumulate in the human genome and gradually increase the genetic load; that is, the frequency of potentially lethal genes in the gene pool. It is not possible to assess directly the negative impact of the genetic load on modern society because it is influenced by many factors such as constantly changing environmental conditions and continuously improving medical care. However, gradual increase in incidence of many complex disorders suggests deleterious impact of the genetic load on human well being. Recent advances in in vitro fertilization (IVF) combined with artificial twinning and improved embryo cryoconservation offer the possibility of preventing significant accumulation of genetic load and reducing the incidence of hereditary disorders." "Many complex diseases such as type 1 and 2 diabetes, autism, bipolar disorder, allergies, Alzheimer disease, and some cancers show significantly higher concordance in monozygotic (MZ) twins than in fraternal twins (dizygotic, DZ) or parent-child pairs, suggesting their etiology is strongly influenced by genetics. Preventing these diseases based on genetic data alone is frequently impossible due to the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. We hypothesize that the incidence of complex diseases could be significantly reduced in the future through a strategy based on time-separated twinning. This strategy involves the collection and fertilization of human oocytes followed by several rounds of artificial twinning. If preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) reports no aneuploidy or known Mendelian disorders, one of the MZ siblings would be implanted and the remaining embryos cryoconserved. Once the health of the adult MZ sibling(s) is established, subsequent parenthood with the cryoconserved twins could substantially lower the incidence of hereditary disorders with Mendelian or complex etiology. The proposed method of artificial twinning has the potential to alleviate suffering and reduce the negative social impact induced by dysgenic effects associated with known and unknown genetic factors. Time-separated twinning has the capacity to prevent further accumulation of the genetic load and to provide source of isogenic embryonic stem cells for future regenerative therapies. " please read more here: http://prevmed.big.ac.cn/

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Linda said:

I remember a Twilight Zone episode where this boy had to pass a test in order not to be killed. All children had to pass the test or die. Throughout the show you're thinking that he has to have a high score. The twist that you find out in the end, was that if he scored too high, if he was too intelligent, he was sentenced to death. The Munchausen symptom of parents being too smart, of knowing the terminology, reminds me of that.

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Susan Stibb said:

I wish that we all...and I mean families with a member on the spectrum can just all come together. Whether you believe in recovery or not. Jenny McCarthy fans or not. Let's support each other, and try to understand that whatever degree we each stand at, we need each other. Supporting each other can strengthen our families to help our member to become a better member in the community. We all know this is what we all want for our loved one on the spectrum. Too many families are struggling a lot. And a friendly, understanding smile, a pleasant comment, or a friendly phone call to someones day. Coming together can make a difference...

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Une Ténébreuse Affaire aka Mercky Business said:

Just keep walking - please don't ask any questions, and whatever you do don't think for yourself. It is not permitted.

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cmo said:

Nice to hear from you again Katie. Autism Speaks "science" is somewhat like spending 10 or 15 years looking for the "Polio gene" and trying to figure out why one sibling got polio and the other did not... all while Polio is running totally out of control. American parents are expected to walk in circles, carry Autism Speaks balloons and send in the funds for more redundant research... The next year the direction of the circle is reversed to keep it interesting. For those who are new to the group Katie, you need to provide a brief vaccine history of Christian. God bless you both.

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Thanks for the synopsis- to be honest I gave up on AS a long time ago. My suggestions for projects to fund include: 1. sub-groups- this important step has been totally skipped. For example, the studies about dietary interventions and GI issues would be best carried out on ASD children who actually *have* GI symptoms/issues. My ASD son is a rarity in that he does not have GI symptoms- why study diet on someone like him? This is just one example. There are subgroups in ASD, just like there are in every other disease but for some reason we are all lumped together. These subgroups would be based on biomarkers. I believe ARI is currently doing a study on subgroups- perhaps AS could mail them a check? 2. Autoimmunity. This is huge. And vast. Why are ASD kids more susceptible to those viruses, bacteria, yeast, lyme, etc etc? Because their immune systems are seriously messed up. This would certainly include PANS, lyme, IVIG treatment.... 3. Mitochondrial function and autism. 4. Some of the researchers I'd like to see AS fund would be Frye, Rossignol, Jill James, Van de Water- these researchers are totally mainstream and SAFE. It's absolutely INSANE that AS has not funded them previously. I'd love to see AS fund less mainstream sources, but baby steps- fund the safe ones- WHY haven't they??!!! 5. Now that Dawson is gone, why on earth are they continuing to fund UNC infant sibs studies (imaging). I lived 2 miles from UNC and let me tell you- that place SUCKS for autism. We had to move. My husband worked for UNC and their insurance wouldn't even pay for my son's 1x/week speech therapy, certainly not ABA or any therapies actually. Autism Speaks should punish this behavior. If the university is not offering good autism services then AS should not send them one dime of funding for research. I think that should be a policy.

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Carol said:

It's called "red herring research" and it was perfected by the tobacco industry.

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barbaraj said:

The news last week, pictured a young woman whose child had just recovered from whooping cough, looking into the camera and saying, "if you bring your un vaccinated ten year old to the mall you are putting my child at risk of dying". The medical journalist agreed. Where are the facts? The woman admitted it was she who had whooping cough, are we then to believe it was our unvaccinated ten year old that gave it to her to give it to her child? No facts, nothing to suggest the newest findings, that the pertussis portion of the dtap has a less than 50% efficacy rate against pertussis, or that likely the community acquired pertussis isn't a match for the type included in the vaccine in the first place. This is all about hating one another, no science. Last week I read that the flu vaccine does not work in young men with high levels of testosterone, I don't know why, but they say, " just get the damn shot". How does this same testosterone perhaps interact with vaccines causing autism in boys? http://gizmodo.com/the-flu-shot-is-less-effective-in-men-with-high-testos-1488550019

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

ColoradoFire said:

Here is Reiss instructing her group of fake pharma "grassroots" activists as to how she will plan to sue parents who do not vaccinate. https://www.dropbox.com/s/tiz2ulxptruszmi/Vaccines%20and%20the%20Law-%20Sept%2018%2C%202013.mp3

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on "Not Paid To Post?"…

SarahW said:

at what point do we realize the genocide train is steaming ahead and these AS scientists are on board. Why do they ignore autism parents research interests? What purpose does all this investment in genetics research serve? To find treatments for our kids? no. More likely it's laying the groundwork for future DNA screening of embryos for hidden weaknesses and defects and genetic counseling for prospective parents. Autism genome project part of a grander scheme to cleanse the human gene pool and control human reproduction to encourage the most fit. This, I think, is the true agenda. They want to cull out those with "bad genes". AS science has been hijacked by these types. We are being scammed.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Carolyn Gammicchia said:

Katie, You would have been best served keeping your distance from Autism Speaks. They are in the business of autism and showed that with their push for legislation that focused on ABA and psychiatric interventions rather than looking at direct causation and treatment via viable medical options. Families now have waited to long and should realize that AS never was the knight in shining armor. They are building their business entity on our backs and the lives of our children. I'd ask that parents, including you Ms. Wright, take the time to write the IACC and the GAO. We now have a report from the GAO that indicates the IACC is not doing what they were funded to do, coordinate research to ensure the lack of duplication and translation to application. 1.4 billion dollars has been spent since the first CAA. Not much has become of that other than folks at the last meeting on Nov. 15th trying to come up with things that fell within the Strategic Plan of the IACC. Watch that meeting as well and you will see why the committee currently too is not representative of the autism community. You all have until 5pm today, EST to submit a written comment for this January 15th meeting for the record. Please do so because the GAO report is the silver bullet we need to effect change in this area. Let's not let that go to waste. This information will assist you and yes, the IACC is in non-compliance too of their mission. We need to at least acknowledge that. http://tacanowblog.com/2013/12/31/if-the-iaccs-strategic-plans-were-ieps-would-they-be-in-non-compliance/ Thank you, Carolyn Gammicchia

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Camo Mom TX said:

1. Vaccine link 2. Gut issues and treatment 3 Yeast treatments 4. PANDAS treatment 5. Where the hell are our children going to live when we die???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Who will care for them? My son is 20 and has no where to go for recreation. No respite for aging parents. No financial means to get help to care for them in our own home. Those are my issues.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

John Stone said:

Dr F Edward Yazbak on the divine Eric: http://www.vaccinationnews.com/tale-two-cities-flawed-epidemiology http://www.vaccinationnews.com/double-standards-f-edward-yazbak-md-faap-part-1-3-0 http://www.vaccinationnews.com/translation-court-F-edward-yazbak-part-3-3 http://www.vaccinationnews.com/intimidation-court Fombonne is a Frenchman who went to McGill and now UC Davis via the Institute of Psychiatry in London: everywhere the red carpets are rolled out. And everywhere he has been involved in fudging the data on the rise in autism. Not to mention the ghastly AS Goyang project where three quarters of the screened for positive cases withdrew before the results were published.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Karin said:

It would seem you are discouraging research in areas where the greatest probability and plausibility for causation and correlation exists for autism. What is your credible basis for this rationale? Likely the reason there are so few studies for your list of conjectured autism causes is those studies already conducted show little or no data to support the hypotheses. The old saying "Don't flog a dead horse" certainly applies.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Timothy P. Dwyer said:

Katie, we want a cure. Autism Speaks will never deliver one, and has no intentions of finding one,(I have proof) but they do have the ability to pay for one, and it's up to us to shame them into it. Last year I sent my old FDNY boots to Obama asking him for a National effort to find a cure for Autism. (guess they didn't fit and our community unworthy). But after reaching out to the X-Prize foundation found out that they care and were actively seeking partners for a prize to find a Cure for Autism, inspired I mentioned Autism Speaks as a perfect partner, my euphoria was dashed as they informed me that Autism Speaks turned them down.( have emails to prove it) I could not understand why, it's a win win set up 10 million dollar prize for a cure,( AS could put a measly million aside each year for it) first one to do it gets paid, patent, prestige, all kinds of awards including Nobel and we get our kids back. (Unlike Autism Speaks they have had success). Over simplified yes and a one shoe fits all not likely but any chance to cure a large portion of our community should be embraced, no? I feel all efforts and funds should go to finding a cure leave no stone unturned there is nothing elce to me. But Autism Speaks is only interested in itself and like a big baby does not want to share money, credit or do anything that may bring the gravy train to a hault. Autism Speaks is a despicable organization and has proven to me they don't want to find a cure for our no longer kids our young adults, and 10 years from now we will be saying our adult children with Autism and so on until we are dead and turning over in our graves as our beautiful children suffer without us. AS will be alive and well employing a new generation of self absorbed career obsessed(Bell) fat cats who could care less. love always Katie keep fighting the good fight, Timothy P. Dwyer

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no-vac said:

Rosycurler, Thank for the info. It shows that evil will try to penetrate any wall to destroy life. It means we should spread this info widely that all products with corn syrup (often disguised as glucose-fructose syrup) are toxic and cancerogenic and hence should be boycotted. We should bankrupt the companies which use this toxin.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Betty Bona said:

@Benedetta, Bernie Rimland's book, "Dyslogic Syndrome," is worth a read. He talks about OCD, ODD, bipolar, addictions, and all the other things that affect our children in increasing numbers, just like you have stated. He calls it dyslogic syndrome. I read the book several years ago, and, although there is nothing in the book I didn't already know, it was powerful to see what I had been thinking in print. I wonder if his phrase will ever catch on.

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Betty Bona said:

I was also surprised by an interview Autism Speaks did of Dr. Tim Buie regarding GI issues in autism.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Betty Bona said:

I have also been disgusted by Austim Speaks' funding decisions as well as their running commentary on other research that always seems to be pro-pharma and pro-"it's genetic". The one exception that I have seen recently is the Caltech studies (I think it's a Weatherstone fellowship) about maternal immune activation. First they showed that a bone marrow transplant in the offspring of immune activated mouse mothers could relieve autism behaviors. Most recently they showed that a particular gut bug could alleviate leaky gut syndrome and autism behaviors as well. If we follow this line of research to a full understanding of cause and effect, I think we can't avoid finding causes (and not just maternal immune activation) that are absolutely not genetic. Even when they work hard to fund only things that maintain the status quo, some innovative line of research slips past them.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Taximom5 said:

Absolutely brilliant, Katie! I have one suggestion. It's not really clear that the studies you mention ("Guess how many studies there are on actual research priorities of ASD families?") are studies that have already been done--and have absolutely NOTHING to do with AS. Readers might misunderstand and think that AS is currently funding or somehow already involved in those studies. Or did I misunderstand? T

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

SarahW said:

AS science division has put all its eggs in the genetics basket when clearly there are a host of other issues such as GI and brain inflammation, microbiome, microglia and mitochondrial dysfunction that research money should be invested in. They seem to have their own agenda as they certainly are not listening to the parents.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

samaxtics said:

Just an FYI, but Fombonne is a French man (born and schooled in France) working in Canada. (I don't see anywhere that he has taken Canadian citizenship.) This is very different from being French Canadian. With no disrespect to the Wrights, I always advise well meaning family and friends not to give to Autism Speaks but to give to local autism groups. We stopped giving to all the major disease charities because it is really hard to see any ground gained on understanding the causes of these diseases even after years and millions of dollars raised. The minute any of these drugs that YOU helped fund looks promising, the pharma companies take over and will sell them to you at ridiculous costs. Think about that.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Linda said:

Adriana, Thank you for this article. I became aware that CFL's were hazardous when I read an article in Prevention Magazine back in Jan 2010 on Electrosmog. But the article pointed out how those bulbs give off high EMFs. I don't remember mercury being mentioned. I bought a Trifield meter and tested myself and sure enough, there was a big difference (dimmer switches also give off high EMFs - got rid of those too). Last week I went to the store to buy whatever was left of the incandescents, and an employee told me that the CFLs are being phased out in favor of the LEDs. Not knowing anything about LEDs, I bought a couple to try them out and do some research. Thank you for the info on LEDs. I returned them yesterday. FYI, the link to the Prevention article: http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/electromagnetic-fields-and-your-health The CFLs are specifically addressed in the section on page 3, "Transients: The Post- Modern Carcinogen".

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Victor Pavlovic said:

Katie, I thank you for your important voice at Autism Speaks, you speak for those that want to stop this tragic epidemic, which is all of us here.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Maurine Meleck said:

Thanks so much, Katie. This will be a great resource for forwarding information to the media and politicians. I would like to see the majority of research on: 1. Vaccines and autism 2. gut issues and the immune system. 3. PANDAS (which affects so many of our kids) 4. IVIG-which is not affordable to me and so many others.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Katie: Thanks. Good job pointing out what is going on with research. The research on Fragile X syndrome ought to focus on those individuals who DO NOT have autism. What is different about those people? Why didn't they develop autism? The answer is simple: They didn't suffer the environmental trigger that causes this particular version of brain damage. This is what Eileen and Bob are really talking about. This is what is behind "Regressive Autism." AS is funding a fleet of researchers looking for a disease gene for a disease that doesn't exist. Yes, there are individuals with genetic predispositions. There are people who develop autism due to factors beyond vaccine injury. Study all the factors, not just the ones that keep the feds comfortable. Focus on the people who suffered injuries leading to the development of regressive autism. The Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation knows about these people and continues to sit in silence. Louis

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Lisa said:

Same stuff, different year. Honestly I don't see the difference. The biggest part of this story; $2.7 million spent. Unless there are more grant cycles (& I hope there is) the largest autism research group just spent 5% of their revenue on research. Where does the rest go?

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bk said:

In 1952 The then UK Minister of Health Ian McCleod made a press announced about the link proved by Sir Richard Doll of smoking and lung cancer.In fact Richard Doll stopped the study halfway through because it was so apparent smoking was the major player in lung cancer.It still took an amazing amount of time for that information to be absorbed and it was 12 years later the Surgeon- General report. I think vaccines are to autism as smoking to lung cancer, lets hope some one with medical clout realises makes the same connection.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Jonathan Rose said:

Katie, you're absolutely right that AS has warped spending priorities, and we're all very glad you counted up the thousands of pointless studies that fail to address the real issues. But doesn't AS have some guns pointed at its head? One is Alison Singer and her Autism Science Foundation, who is clearly suggesting that if AS dares to investigate vaccines, corporate funders should defund AS and give their money instead to her organization. Likewise, the CEO of the ARC recently launched a gratuitous attack on your mother, Suzanne, for saying that autism is a real crisis: he may also be angling to get some of the money that now goes to AS. Yes, AS has been bought -- and this is designed to insure that AS stays bought.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

tara mcmillan said:

Katie, I would like to see an environmental history case study done on our kids. List all of the commonalities that we have with one another, and review the information. Vaccines (environmental triggers) will be right up there at the top. It will be hard for researchers and those in high places to ignore the truth then. Our kids deserve better. Autism Speaks should be investigating the truth--- look at the families-- the victims. Autism Speaks owes it to these kids and now some adults. It makes no difference if it puts all the investors in a 180 and Autism Speaks folds-- at least the truth will be out there. I am talking about truth in paper, court documents, no cover-ups..... just the facts--- from our families. History in textbooks that our children were dragged under the bus and left for dead.

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Mike said:

Heath outcomes of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated populations or even populations who delay the current "every child by 2" mantra. Research into alternative treatments like chlorine dioxide and medical marijuana in treating GI and behavior issues and seizures. Also, it just pisses me off to no end that millions continue to be wasted on this worthless BS. AS would be better off issuing grants to actual service providers to help close the gap between the costs in providing effective and appropriate interventions and the funds available. Thanks Katie for all you do.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Jim Thompson said:

Katie: Here are two proposals for Autism Speaks. In 2003, Baskin et al published results on brain cell damage from cultured human brain cells exposed to Thimerosal in a laboratory environment. However the power of detection of brain cell damage was limited to around 1 % because of the natural brain cell deaths in the laboratory environment of the study. “In controls, less than 1% of the cells were DAPI positive, due to cell death naturally occurring in the cell cultures.” See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892749/pdf/nihms20303.pdf . The problem with this limitation of detection power is that with an estimated 100 billion brain cells in a human then 1 % of brain cell death represents one billion brain cell deaths. Another is that the FDA has not established a safe amount of brain cell death. So one unanswered question is how many brain cells (below 1 %) in a laboratory environment die due to Thimerosal at vaccine exposure levels. Another is how many die due to inorganic mercury exposure since animal studies show inorganic mercury in the brain is a result of Thimerosal exposure. See http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/12/q-a---how-about-a-half-cup-of-mercury-hazardous-waste.html . In regard to Thimerosal exposure deaths, in 2013 Age of Autism published “A Proposed Laboratory Neuron Toxicity Test Model for Thimerosal.” Equation one in that model predicts a cultured neuron % failure rate of 0.06 %. “The failure rate at the whole body burden value of 3.47 parts per billion Thimerosal based mercury (17.3 nM), equivalent to the whole body exposure for a 6 month old girl receiving a Thimerosal preserved flu vaccine, is 0.06 percent.” See http://www.ageofautism.com/2013/06/a-proposed-laboratory-neuron-toxicity-test-model-for-thimerosal.html . So AS could conduct a laboratory study with a much greater power of detection of brain damage and apply that data to further improve the AoA published model. Or they could hire scientists with integrity to look at published data and spend their money to lobby congress for the end of all mercury in vaccines!

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former lighting-technology consultant said:

Adriana, lots of info - thanks. However, your assertion that 30% of mercury inside fluorescent tubing escapes its impervious glass/electrode structure to a household environment is very, very wrong. The 30% you mention stays contained INTERNALLY within the partial-vacuum tubing. I agree there is significant mercury released in landfills where the crushed tubing ends up.

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Vicki Hill said:

There was one on the Autism Speaks list that I was pleased to see, and that you didn't mention above: "Psychiatric crisis among youth and transition age adults with autism spectrum disorders". The overlap between serious mental illness and autism is a problem for only a minority of those with autism, but it can be a big problem when it occurs. It also is the #1 issue when we start reading the horror stories of violent actions by a very few people with ASD. The conventional psychiatric milieu doesn't work well for people with ASD, professionals in mental health generally don't have training in ASD, and the autism community has been reluctant to bridge the gap. I'm glad to see any autism organization recognize that this is an issue.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Eileen Nicole Simon said:

Katie, thank you for asking what research we parents would like to see. I will continue to point to research done decades ago that could have prevented the current autism epidemic. Language disorder is the most debilitating aspect of autism. We all have been distracted by other problems. My son Conrad had a “collapsing trachea” that interfered with his breathing, especially during the night. Conrad had a traumatic birth, as did his brother who had severe developmental delay and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 20 months of age. Conrad’s motor development was thankfully right on time. His language development appeared to be ahead of schedule. He was not quite 2 years old and could sing the 12 Days of Christmas without missing a stanza. We thought he was a little genius. I am sorry I did not promote his musical ability. I had too many concerns with his brother. It was his nursery school teacher who suggested we have Conrad evaluated for autism. She pointed out that everything he said was a phrase recited from memory (like the 12 Days of Christmas), but he was not learning words and using them in normal baby-talk. She was right. Conrad’s speech was what is known as delayed-echolalia, and included pronoun-reversal, use of “you” instead of “I” to refer to himself. I will continue to point out research from decades ago that provided evidence of damage to the auditory pathway caused by oxygen insufficiency at birth. This injury is compounded by bilirubin, and Conrad also suffered severe jaundice at birth. If the research of William Windle on asphyxia at birth in monkeys is too old, then it should be repeated. The brains could now be investigated using MRI rather than having to kill the monkeys to look for neuropathology. Asphyxia??? Back in the 1950s and 60s this was done by what is now routine obstetric practice, clamping the umbilical cord immediately at birth. Great efforts are made to resuscitate human infants who are not able to quickly begin breathing after amputation of the placenta. Even if the Apgar score is a perfect 10, blood may have been drained from the brain to jump-start the lungs. I have much more to say. I have written much, and have 6 ebooks (on amazon and bn.com), plus my website at conradsimon.org. I clearly need to learn how to be heard. I tried corresponding with AS, but stopped after receiving no response. I will continue to try to participate in the conversation. Thank you again for asking for feedback.

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Jenny said:

If one wanted to wax philosophical, one could really dive down into the ideas of greed, and darkness, and Satan ruling the underworld vs why God and light and not being greedy and being good stewards of (God's) green earth might be a better way to live. Mercury and gold (greed driving its mining - even Moses took issue w/those golden icons), mercury and coal (greed now driving its mining and maintenance of its role in society vs using sun and wind options which are readily available and non-toxic). Mercury contaminated sweeteners (residual from phosphorous mining, if I'm not mistaken), mercury contaminated iron ore dust (from mining) travelling the rail lines. God knows (though we might not for a while) what fracking (hydraulic mining) is going to bring up to the surface. If it's part of the "underworld" i.e. under the surface, maybe we just ought to leave it there instead of dancing with the devil. It only seems to give his minions something to do here on the surface :-) So who are the suppliers/where is the vaccine mercury coming from before it is tooled into a vaccine additive? Let's talk about the supply chain.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

MotherofPossibility said:

Thanks for the insights, Katie. I stopped relying on AS for science research that would help our children now several years back and am pleased you stay in the pursuit of AS funding some helpful studies. Real hope comes from those focused on functional and integrative medicine - root cause medicine. If AS wants to make real change, they need to make the paradigm shift from viewing Autism as psychiatric-behavioral to physiological. What if Wake Forest, who applied for a grant from AS was able to get funded on GI biomarkers? Simple and elegant. Focus on GI, Immune, and neurological medicine. The medical needs of our children are paramount to their success, would reduce long term health costs, to enable at least 10% to recover and lead contributive lives. I don't know what to say other than - leadership takes courage and its time to be fearless on behalf of our children with regressive autism. Seriously on Frombonne?! Seriously?!

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Bob Moffitt said:

Health advocates are marking the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Surgeon General report on the health consequences of smoking .. that eventually led to a virtual "sea change in the country's attitude toward tobacco". No other single report has had this large of an effect on public health, says Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When you stop and think about it .. Frieden is absolutely right .. that ONE report by the US Surgeon General .. FINALLY ended decades of denials and delays of the tobacco industry .. that had successfully prevented all "evidence of harm" of smoking from the only court that matters .. which is .. the "court of public opinion". What Frieden is actually saying is .. don't wait for the CDC to do what must be done .. because .. the CDC will only respond if publicly embarrassed .. by SOMEONE with the gravitas of the US Surgeon General Office .. to FINALLY put the decades of delays and denials regarding the "cause of autism" behind us.

Reply | Edit | View | 2 days ago on Katie Wright on Aut…

Forfalseskepticsandroger said:

Suing LBRB would make me laugh as well. Those people are first rate thugs and deserve to be called on it!

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Best of AoA: Voices…

nhokkanen said:

In recent years I've heard several environmentalists earnestly praise the anticipated energy savings from placing breakable bottles of neurotoxin in every room of every house in America. And of course as those with common sense forewarned, most people vacuum their broken bulbs, or toss them into the regular trash, and have done little to reduce energy consumption or acquire solar or wind technology.

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Rosycurler said:

No-vac FYI Corn syrup to invade EU? By Dave Keating - 19.12.2013 / 04:10 CET From 2017, the EU will open its doors to high-fructose corn syrup, but cane sugar will remain restricted http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/corn-syrup-to-invade-eu-/79146.aspx EFSA paves way for EU high fructose corn syrup invasion http://anh-europe.org/news/efsa-paves-way-for-eu-high-fructose-corn-syrup-invasion

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Adriana said:

Geoffrey-- thanks for the heads up. You're right about methylhg, it's a really dumb gaff and will be fixed with a note. As far as the info on "incinerators"-- I did check this and found that the point is moot since coal fired power plants release approximately 70,000 LBs of mercury into the environment every year. Aircycle swapped the stats and used the figure for coal-fired emission: According to Sierra Club, '491 coal-fired power plants emit 78,367 lbs. of toxic mercury each year.' http://www.sierraclub.org/coal/map/ "70K LBs" is the figure most widely reported for coal-fired hg-release. What I could have added but didn't was that some sources ( http://www.no-burn.org/downloads/Incinerator_Myths_vs_Facts%20Feb2012.pdf) report that waste incinerators release *14 times* more mercury than coal-fired plants. Two problems with this figure: it's not easy to verify the precise number for mercury release when filters are used, and, for the purposes of this piece, the autism studies by Palmer were regarding coal-fired plants and it's more widely known as a source. It's going to take some work to figure out if the reports on waste incinerators were a form of greenwashing put out by EPRI or the coal lobby. It might not be but like Hightower argues, there's a lot of smoke and mirrors involved in mercury politics. Is the incinerator vs. coal emission report more skewed by, say, the dental amalgam industry or the coal-fired power lobby?

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Godfrey Wyl said:

"In new lamps, mercury vapor is released gradually in amounts that reach 1.3 mg or 30% of the total lamp inventory after four days." This also does not refer to intact lamps. If one goes to the results section, the text is "Figure 1 shows time-resolved mercury release data from two CFL models. The release is initially rapid producing vapor concentrations from 200−800 μg/m3 during the first hour, which far exceed the OSHA occupational limits. The release decays on a time scale of hours and continues at significant rate for at least four days (data beyond 24 h not shown). The total Hg released after 24 h is 504 (13 W model) and 113 μg (for 9 W) by integration, which are 11.1% and 1.9% of the total Hg content specified by the vendors, respectively. Over 4 days (extended data not shown), the 13 W bulb released 1.34 mg or 30% of the total Hg." However, the caption to Figure 1 plainly states that the data are for "catastrophic fracture at room temperature."

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cmo said:

So if you break two or three CFL's on the kitchen floor... sweep it up, mop the floor after that, track that around the house for a few weeks.... How do you get that mercury out of your home ??? I assume there will someday be required "mercury home inspections" which will make many homes somewhat worthless.

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no-vac said:

The evidence has been accumulating over decades that vaccines not only don't protect against infectious diseases, but even spread them. We should blame the CDC-FDA mafia not only for creating the devastating epidemics of autism and other chronic diseases and for murdering millions of people with toxic vaccines, but also for creating epidemics of infectious diseases. The greater good means only billions for pharma-mafias and deaths and disease for majority of people. This criminal activity can't be tolerated any longer. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/those-vaccinated-pertussis-vaccine-are-spreading-disease

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on From the Editor: Go…

We've looked into LED lights. I probably should have included links to it but perhaps that would make a good follow-up. Even if more expensive, LED are mercury free though reports on arsenic and lead content in LED and several carcinogenic chemicals vary between warning of big risks and small risks from breakage. http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/uc-researchers-led-lights-contain-lead-arsenic-8634 http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/uc-researchers-led-lights-contain-lead-arsenic-8634 http://www.emagazine.com/earth-talk/dark-side-of-led-lightbulbs/

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Godfrey Wyl said:

While I'm no fan of CFLs, a couple of factual errors leap out: "methyl mercury, the organic form of mercury in CFL" CFLs contain elemental mercury vapor, not methyl mercury, which would be of no use in producing the UV that excites the phosphor. "The 'incinerators' which the article refers to are coal-fired power plants." The reference is to municipal waste incinerators, not coal-fired plants. The source also errs in claiming that the figure is due to the EPA (it seems to appear in many similar places); it comes from a 1990 report by Clean Water Action: http://news2.nnyln.net/plattsburgh-press-republican/plattsburgh-press-republican-1990-november/plattsburgh-press-republican-1990-november%2520-%25200323.pdf

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Jeannette Bishop said:

Thank you for this powerful compilation. I was just beginning to get a rudimentary understanding of where Hg might be lurking in our home and how to, as much as possible (seems impossible some days), keep it out when this move to force "greener" lighting with major accompanying push to switch to the curly bulbs was signed. Not quite as insane in rank as the push to get an annual mercury injection for one's health, everyone's health, or nine+ for each infant in their first 6 months, but it's up there.

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Benedetta said:

But he will still have a mark on his record. Even if it is lifted it is still in his history. Thanks for pasting this all over the "Age of Autism" He may have no shame -but we all know him as Jeannetta said by his fruits.

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Did Dr. Ben Goldacr…

Eileen Nicole Simon said:

Cherry, thank you for your many meaningful contributions to this site, all the way from New Delhi! The internet is truly excellent for promoting worldwide discussions. My father was born and grew up in Allahabad, son of missionaries. In addition to English he was fluent in Hindee and Urdu, and had a lifelong interest in Indo-European linguistics. Language is the distinctive feature of the human species, and its absence in a child should be a primary concern. This should be the focus of research on autism. Children growing up in India are often bilingual, and this expands understanding of many facets of life. How do children so easily learn a second language? Clearly it is through the sense of hearing, unless you first teach your nursery school children how to read.

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Eileen Nicole Simon said:

My son is 51 years old. He lives in a group home for mentally ill men. He was discharged from Westborough State Hospital to this “community” placement 11 years ago (in 2003). At his last “Community Based Flexible Supports” meeting, I was told that the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health will no longer be able to guarantee housing for all “consumers.” “Where is he supposed to live?” I asked. I was then asked if he might be able to live at home, with me. I am in my 70s. Is there something wrong with this picture? What if I had Alzheimers, and needed 24/7 care? “Is he likely to end up homeless?” I asked, “What then?” Then I was told about PACT, the Program for Assertive Community Treatment. “Recovery is Real,” is the ridiculous claim made by the Dept of Mental Health. “What is the recovery plan for my son?” I asked. The sappy reply was, “Recovery means different things for different people.” Wow, they even presume to be able to redefine the meaning of the word recovery. Why haven’t I saved money over the past four to five decades to afford housing for my son? Will this be part of the new normal for so many families dealing with autism?

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

John Stone said:

Of course, when it comes to the British state and government and GSK there really is not all that much difference. http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/02/hacked-off-boss-martin-moore-sat-on-uk-government-panel-with-editor-who-hired-brian-deer-.html

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Did Dr. Ben Goldacr…

Jeannette Bishop said:

Know them by their fruits?

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Did Dr. Ben Goldacr…

Bob Moffitt said:

"The needs of adults with autism continue to far exceed the available resources, leaving a generation of people with autism and their families in a programmatic, financial and personal limbo." At least this statement .. albeit belatedly .. makes reference to a "generation of people with autism" .. which raises the questions? #1 Where did the "autism generation" come from? #2 If this is the first "autism generation" .. it cannot be caused by genetics .. otherwise .. it would be the first time in recorded history that genes caused a similar disorder .. AND .. those "genes" would be easily identified having only surfaced in a single generation. #3 If this is the first "autism generation" .. it is ludicrous to suggest ANY of the prevailing "research" that blames .. older parents, pet shampoos, freeways .. all of which have been around for generations PRIOR to the "autism generation". And so .. the question remains: What could have possibly caused an "entire generation" to arrive at the same age .. all requiring "Adult Housing and Lifespan Care Solutions" . that past generations since the beginning of mankind .. did not require? AND THE BAND PLAYS ON

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Jeannette Bishop said:

There are so many good comments on this thread that resonate. I most struggle to reconcile comparison of the response to the autism epidemic with polio. I recently looked into polio's history a little and became less enlightened. There seems to have been at least one striking similarity though for both autism and paralytic polio, which is that no explanation for either increase has been scripted into the Encyclopedia of Official Narrative. But it's hard to notice that possibly very important point when the differences stand out so much more, such as the past concern (at least the narrative suggests there was concern, much concern) over the increase in polio paralysis to as high as 1 in 2700, fifteen percent of these cases involving longterm paralysis more than three years, to today's rather feigned perplexed musing over whether we really have an epidemic of disabled children at, oh we're not sure what the current rate is, 1 in 50 according to a parental survey, possibly? You know it's hard to say, we weren't as good at recognizing in the past, we're pretty certain at this point, and we're getting so good today that it's really very likely we're over-diagnosing now, but we'll let you know when we get a better method of detection. And what's the longterm prognosis of today's we're-not-really-sure-we-have-an-epidemic-at-1-in-50 epidemic? Well, oh, look! We've just finished weaving, um conducting, ANOTHER really important, definitive, "safety study" that failed to find anything, to confidently clothe the vaccine emperor, which, oh yes, which has nothing to do with autism, vaccines have nothing to do with autism, so back to autism... Um, yes, we are now also very engaged in meetings, many, many meetings, at least quite a few, to plan plans, weave weavings, uh-hmm recommendations, for coordinating initiatives, research even possibly, of how we might look at the feasibility of looking into how we might best coordinate a plan to answer that question, or perhaps some others, about autism..., at the very least, we'll definitely decide, yes, we've already decided, that's definite, to NOT recommend looking at something (vaccines) that has nothing to do with autism... I can't tell if our "government" bureaucracies are the weavers, minion-weavers maybe, or just the vapuous (word? it is in the urban dictionary), or maybe vaporous, threads in the emperor's illusory garments. The funny thing is, with all this transparency, it's still hard to see who the "emperor" is, but it seems pretty clear his or her prevention priorities are pretty messed up.

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Early Autism Diagno…

Kristine said:

And let's face it, the people who are aging out right now... just the TIP of the iceberg.

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on Dachel Media Review…

tara mcmillan said:

Well Deserved! Thanks so much for all you do!

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on American Military F…

jen said:

Carolyn, I loved your generational summary.

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on Early Autism Diagno…

Cherry Sperlin Misra said:

I am sure the public health people dont intend it that way, but early diagnosis can have one extremely beneficial effect on the autistic child- It might be called the Internet Effect- This occurs when the parents get on the net and learn that autism is caused by mercury in vaccines, and refuse the next flu shot.

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on Early Autism Diagno…

Cherry Sperlin Misra said:

To Eileen Nicole Simon, Thankyou for writing about the blood flow to the auditory pathway. I know that you have mentioned this earlier, but at least one of the implications of this fact has now dawned on me. I realize that when children with some autism symptoms in my nursery school in New Delhi, do not respond to instructions, I am likely to perceive them as being mentally- cognitively impaired, when in fact there may be a hearing deficit .

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on Dachel Media Review…

Eileen Nicole Simon said:

John, thank you for providing the full parable of the Emperor’s New Clothes, which clearly illustrates the importance of childhood innocence. Carolyn Gammicchia, thank you for the reminder to submit comments to the IACC. I submitted one right after the conference call on December 15. As I have many times during the past 10 years, I pointed out that developmental language disorder is the most serious handicap for autistic children. Language disability is mentioned only in passing in the current “strategic plan.” I submitted a second comment on December 31. I pointed out the “core values” statement on the IACC meeting page, and then asked why they do not discuss issues raised in public comments? Once more I pointed out the research on asphyxia at birth in which evidence of damage to the auditory system was found. If this evidence had been taken into account, developmental language disorder might have been understood decades ago, and the present epidemic prevented. Look at the objective chart for Question 3 (risk factors). Risk factors for language disorder are absent. But just look what gets more funding than any other objective: $169,806,458 to identify genetic risk factors in at least 50% of people with ASD by 2014. Don’t we have an obligation to express outrage?

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on Early Autism Diagno…

Roger Kulp said:

This story arrived in my inbox yesterday http://www.celiac.com/articles/23509/1/Are-Celiac-Disease-Rates-in-China-Higher-Than-Reported/Page1.html We've seen similar stories about autism in China.The decline in health is worldwide,but the US and China are leading the way.Epigenetic changes from environmental toxins are no doubt a big factor.I am glad to see there are people who read this blog who see this.What we are seeing has been gradually building for generations,and has come to a head with the children born in the 1990s and 2000s.Five years ago,when I had my first tests that led to my diagnosis of cerebral folate deficiency,and MTHFR deficiency,the lab said I had a mysterious inborn error of metabolism.That was all they knew to call it then.In the short five years since,what we know about methylation disorders,and their epigenetics has grown dramatically.Knowledge brings diagnosis to people like me,who struggled all their lives with unexplained sickness,and disinterested doctors,who were puzzled at,frustrated by,or just uninterested in diseases they could not explain.As SM says,diagnosis is empowering.I have only gotten the diagnosis I have,because I have been working with a DAN/MAPS doctor all this time.Had I not,I would still have my autism,and all the medical crap I have to constantly keep under control. The epigenetics of autism is something that has only begun to be looked at in the last few years,but the science of other diseases is far ahead of that of autism,as far as epigenetics is concerned.Anybody who is interested in this stuff should see this article from 2011 about epigenetic changes that impair methylation,that start in the womb,that have been found in people with multiple sclerosis. http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Amy-M-Burrell/2011/03/09/epigenetic-mechanisms-in-multiple-sclerosis/ Mothers with MS often have kids with autism.There are a lot of very important dots that a lot people are not connecting here.

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on The Tragically Hip,…

cmo said:

more ground-breaking research... Scientists discover dogs' preferred bathroom position http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/01/02/scientists-discover-dogs-prefered-bathroom-position/ Scientists discovered that dogs across a variety of breeds align their body axis with the Earth's magnetic field (MF) when relieving themselves. ****** Do un-vaccinated children have ...the same Autism rates... as un-vaccinated children ??? (Study requested by CONGRESS 15 years ago) No research so far....

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on From the Editor: Go…

channa brennon said:

Great article adrianna...maybe just maybe you can wake up some more of the right people

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

jan said:

I've been very concerned about the mercury in light bulbs since I first discovered it was in the new "curvy" bulbs. I finally got rid of all the ones that were still lingering in my home. Over the holidays I got into a bit of a heated discussion with my brother about the light bulbs with him urging the importance of moving away from the inefficient incandescent bulbs and me expressing my deep concern, no fear, over the "toxic" bulbs. This is when he told me that there is another option that I did not know about and that is LED light bulbs. They are Eco-Friendly and don't have lead or mercury. They also don't have UV or IR Radiation. And although they are pricey $8. to $20 each depending on brand, they last for over a decade. I was also informed that the Reveal (incandescent)Bulbs by GE that have some energy efficacy will be staying on the shelves which is a nice choice. I'm not at all taking way form all of the excellent points raised in this article but I think it's important that people know that there is an option besides those toxic mercury bulbs!!

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

no-vac said:

Below is another example how US govt allows corpo-criminals to poison American people, while European governments said NO to food poisoning. Also, in US soft drinks producers use toxic mercury loaded corn syrup in their products, while in Europe the same manufacturers use sugar. It is the American system of pseudodemocracy and massively corrupt government and the congress, which is at the core of corporate crime against humanity committed against Americans without punishment. http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/07/health/mms-candy-artificial-dyes/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Victor Pavlovic said:

Adriana, fantastic article, its just awful that so much damage is allowed to continue without any real urgency.

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Hera said:

Congratulations! Wonderful to see you here Tim.

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

no-vac said:

It is interesting that Europe has just banned all mercury containing bulbs, at the same time the US is banning the safe incandescent bulbs and enforcing use of toxic mercury loaded bulbs. US has become a global toxins' dumping ground. The same is true for poisonous vaccines and GMO products - the world massively rejects them, the US fascist government is forcing them on American population. (Fascism = corporatism, i.e. a merger of corporate and state powers).

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Adriana said:

Thank you. Cold here too, even the cats stayed in. No sense breathing hg while we stay indoors for global freezing-flooding-blowing-sweltering.

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Jenny said:

Nice article. A couple years ago I bought some full spectrum C. fluorescent bulbs from mercola. I liked the idea of full spectrum lighting helping boost general mood, etc. They ended up being too long to fit in any of my table lamps and some over my overhead lights, and so they went into a drawer until I could decide what to do. Then I read an article re: the mercury in them. Then I read an article about how putting dimmer switches on your light switch could save close to as much energy as a CFL, and without the mercury. There are other reasons why dimmer switches might not be a perfect solution, though, I think having to do w/ how they control the flow/flash of light and your brain's process of that kind of light. In the end, maybe installing things like solotube in your house, and going incandescent w or w/out a dimmer switch for evening lighting might be a good think. Since then I've not understood why Mercola continues to promote a mercury containing technology while he questions other routes of mercury exposure, especially now that he is into sustainable agriculture partly for its minimal impact on the environment and often discusses how important it is for supplements not to have mercury/heavy metals in them. Maybe his bulbs are those containing a minimum amount of mercury? Adriana - when the mercury vapor leaches out w/in the first 4 days, is that w/in the first 4 days of manufacture, or the first 4 days after which the bulb is turned on? Considering that heat makes mercury contamination worse, at what temp was the research done? Is the 30% conservative?

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Roger Kulp said:

Autism is a genetic epidemic. http://prenatalexposures.blogspot.com/2012/02/your-stories-can-help-us-find-cause-of.html http://prenatalexposures.blogspot.com/2013/04/autism-genetic-epidemic.html http://prenatalexposures.blogspot.com/p/research-on-germline-exposure.html http://autismepigenetics.org/tag/autism/ And a lot of it started with the parents and grandparents of todays autistic kids.The research on MS is a good sign of this. http://www.discoverymedicine.com/Amy-M-Burrell/2011/03/09/epigenetic-mechanisms-in-multiple-sclerosis/

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Maurine Meleck said:

Oh, baby, it's cold outside. But you always warm my heart with your good, cheery pieces(NOT). You are the monster black cat's MEOW and the Einstein of progressive thought. Time to learn Swedish. Hugs, Maurine

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

John Stone said:

Time to leave for another planet, I think.

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Soylent Greenwashin…

Bob Moffitt said:

Sioux IA) city journal: "Steven Joyce, a physician with Mercy Medical Center Internal Medicine & Pediatrics, said: "I don't think I've ever had what you would call a serious adverse reaction," he said." After reading Merck's "adverse reaction" warnings posted on their site .. page 7 .. I find it extremely odd that Dr. Joyce has never seen a serious adverse reaction: http://tinyurl.com/24ldtn Body as a whole: "Panniculitis" Cardiovascular system: "Vasculitis" Digestive System: "Pancreatitis, diarrhea, vomiting, parotitis, nausea" Endocrine System: "Diabetes mellitus" Hermic and Lymphatic system: Tromybocytopenia purpura, regional lympthadenopathy, leukocytosis" Immune System: "Anaphalaxis and anaphylactoid reactions have been reported as well as related phenomena such as angioeurotic edema" Musculoskeletal System: "Arthritis, arthralgia; mylagia" Nervous System: "Encephalitis; encephalopathy; measles inclusion body encephalitis (MIBE); subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE),Guillain-Barre-Syndrome (GBS), febrile convulsions; afebrile convulsions or seizures; ataxia, polyneuritis, polyneurpathy; ocular palsies, paresthesia" I doubt Merck would have listed these possible adverse reactions without evidence suggesting they have good reasons for doing so. While these warnings only apply to Merck's MMR .. one can only imagine how many other vaccines have similar warnings of adverse reactions?

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Adriana said:

Tim-- Welcome to the dark side. They have cookies...And Waldorf salad. ;) So glad you're on board (and don't even have to drive this time like in Chicago). Saludos!

Reply | Edit | View | 3 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

Roger Kulp said:

Suing LBRB? That would be delicious.One thing I would certainly take AoA to task on over the years,is they have not been outspoken enough against the dangerous lies spread by the neurodiversity movement,and their assorted moth pieces,like LBRB.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Best of AoA: Voices…

This Nazi politics of enforced vaccination will result in collapsing the medical system in the US. I advise all doctors and nurses to go on national strike protesting mandatory vaccinations. When mafia-owners of hospitals loose their business, because they loose all medical staff, then they will learn their lesson.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

Ralph Fucetola JD said:

This is a very serious issue of conscience. Often vaccine resisting nurses have religious scruples regarding vaccines. In such cases, the employer has a legal obligation to make reasonable accommodations (perhaps the vaccine-free nurse could wear a surgical mask. But, certainly, the "choice" of the jab or lost job is an unfair choice! Natural Solutions Foundation support all health care workers of conscience. See: http://tinyurl.com/VaccineRefuser http://www.HealthKeepersOath.org

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

cmo said:

Re: Michigan story ...Deadly H1N1 flu - the influenza virus strain behind the 2009 pandemic - continues its resurgence in Michigan, Was 2009 actually a real H1N1 pandemic ??? Seems a review might be needed of that issue on that news story. I seem to remember that the government ....threw away 130 million doses.... of ....unused H1N1 vaccine.. at the end of the "pandemic" flu season. Vaccines paid for in full of course, by the taxpayers. Our entire family missed out on a bunch of Thimerosal that year....

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Heidi N said:

Since autism is so prevalent, all the naysayers will have a chance to experience it, and then they will know. It's shameful that many can only learn the hard way, but it's reality. What's worse is those who have children with autism who refuse to believe that recovery is possible and even use the media to proclaim their anti-recovery antics. Shame, shame, shame.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Media Bullies Can S…

Linda said:

"It appears the sickest patients either didn't get the flu vaccine or received a vaccine within the past two weeks.." Within the past two weeks? Did the vaccine weaken those individuals or was the illness a vaccine reaction? What about all the studies showing that H1N1 vaccine recipients developed MORE SEVERE illness? Or the one on pigs where those that got the vaccine got more severe lung involvement? Or the one showing that repeated yearly vaccines rendered individuals LESS PROTECTED? How about the recent study of baboons where the pertussis vaccinated baboons became infectious asymptomatic carriers? http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2010/04/new-canadian-studies-suggest-seasonal-flu-shot-increased-h1n1-risk http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2013/08/swine-study-suggests-flu-vaccination-may-sometimes-backfire) http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2013/03/study-getting-flu-shot-2-years-row-may-lower-protection http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/health/study-finds-vaccinated-baboons-can-still-carry-whooping-cough.html?hpw&rref=health&_r=0

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Ginger Taylor said:

Suck it, indeed.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Media Bullies Can S…

False Skeptics Make me Laugh said:

LBRB is already working on damage control for this after Ms McCarthy announced that legal action would be forth-coming. I do hope she follows through on these people, as their actions can certainly be seen as libelous.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Best of AoA: Voices…

Kristine said:

Looking forward to more posts from a great advocate father!

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

RN mommy said:

I am one of those RN "refusers". It does limit employment. I stay at my current job because it is not mandatory there....yet. Thinking about getting out of nursing...

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

Godfrey Wyl said:

I see that Health Impact News is still clinging to the "7 of 10 California doctors" claim even though the multiple errors in Pollock's original article were promptly documented: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-boycott-20131212,0,1785658.story

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

jen said:

Questioning Jenny's sons diagnosis seem pretty low unless they are Jenny's doctor or have access to his medical files. I'm glad she has clarified this.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Media Bullies Can S…

jen said:

Interestingly, I talked to my mother lately about getting a flu shot. She is concerned about flu but is also very concerned about Guillauime Barre. Her mother had it after a similar type flu shot. My mother has quite a history of allergies- she cant' seem to put anything on her skin without reacting. I told her to phone a pharmacist about flumist or shots and ask them. She called two and both advised her against getting either version.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

In addition to nurses, hospitals have now joined various credentialing organizations to make sure that anyone who does business with the hospital has to be vaccinated in order to enter the building. This includes: medical sales professionals, contractors, biomedical engineers, food/restaurant employees, attorneys, analysts, accountants...and the list goes on. This "vendor credentialing" service was founded by a pharmaceutical rep who thought it would be wise practice for the hospitals to know who visits their facilities. In addition to requiring full vaccines/proof of vaccines including annual flu shots, vendors are required to provide drivers license, SS#, DOB, address, criminal background checks, drug screens, etc. There is more personal information in the vendor credentialing databanks than the department of transportation. The vendors pay an annual fee to visit their hospitals, including large costs associated with the amount of classes required and credentialing, costing the companies who do business with hospitals to be very invested in this new policy. If you are a patient, it sounds like a good idea, but what about all of the thousands of visitors who enter the building who could be carrying who knows what? This vendor credentialing policy is aimed at having healthcare companies and vendors who do business with hospitals "pay to play."

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

no-vac said:

Even if everyone feels in their guts that health of the nation has been probably irreversibly damaged by vaccines, I think majority wont do anything about this precisely because they are brain damaged. They are incapable. Perhaps the US has to totally collapse and become an understate (it already is a fallen state) going back to stone age. This is my gut feeling that it is already too late to rescue the US. Perhaps in 50-100 years North America will be repopulated by undamaged "savages" from other continents, but current US population is doomed. Below is an example of wandering probably autistic young man, who almost froze to death. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/missing-ny-man-reunites-with-family-after-they-spot-him-in-ap-photo/2014/01/05/927f6048-767b-11e3-8963-b4b654bcc9b2_story.html?hpid=z5

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on From the Editor: Go…

cmo said:

Looks like the nurse shortage will get worse for quite a while now. I am still waiting to see a doctor shooting up their child or 6 month old grandchild with a mercury flu shot on youtube... One would think this would be quite common and easy to locate.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

The Wessels said:

Congratulations, Tim!! Very happy to see you here! You have so much to offer!!

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

Michael Belkin - The Refusers said:

Here's a link to the song Autism Epidemic about Tim and Tanner by the Refusers. Free listen and download. http://www.reverbnation.com/therefusers/song/10678202-autism-epidemic

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

Benedetta said:

Oh this will be great Tim! Thanks for inviting us into your house in the movie "The United States of Autism" May this year see the den of vipers get scared of a growing number of angry parents. May this year bring knowledge to the masses -

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

no-vac said:

@Benedetta Perhaps you right that Americans are not ready to accept the truth that vaccines massively kill and maim children and adults. Perhaps they are already so brain damaged by vaccines and toxic food, that they respond only to media propaganda and commercials. Perhaps it is too late to save the US. I see that most young people and children are brain damaged in some way. Most politicians, doctors, and media presstitutes are also brain damaged, hence we can’t expect any level of understanding from them. Dramatic decline of IQ and health of Americans over the past 30 years is real and probably irreversible. The country CAN’T recover with the majority of population who are brain dead. The US seems to be beyond hope, it has been self-destroyed by the elites of vaccine injured zombies.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on From the Editor: Go…

Carol said:

You can read more about Sense About Science in books like _Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy: Corporate PR and the Assault on Democracy_ by Dinan and Miller. It's searchable on amazon.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Did Dr. Ben Goldacr…

nhokkanen said:

Wonderful to see Tim Welsh officially posting here at AoA! He's certainly one of the hardest-working men in autism -- observant, analytical and caring. Congratulations, Tim, and thank you!

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

RN mommy said:

Love it!! Thank you Zack! I also choose hope and biomes has changed our lives!! I am so grateful for AoA and also the GR website. (That is where I first learned about dietary changes.) Keep on keeping on and pushing for all truth to be revealed!

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Media Bullies Can S…

Laura Hayes said:

Thrilled to see these nurses refusing to jeopardize their health (and that of their patients via shedding of the live-virus flu vaccine) by refusing to submit to flu vaccine mandates from their hospitals...amen to that! However, I have to wonder if some of these same nurses are militant mandate enforcers when it comes to parents wanting to refuse vaccines for their children. I certainly hope not. I am glad to see these nurses taking a stand for their health and their rights, and I hope such stands by nurses, parents, and others will soon force a ban on all vaccine mandates in our country, including for those in the military. These insane and unconstitutional vaccine mandates are negatively impacting all of us in too many ways to count. With regard to nurses, we are losing some already in the profession, and we are losing those who wanted to be nurses but who have chosen not to pursue that line of work due to vaccine requirements (wonderful people like my daughter who would have been a most excellent nurse). So, bravo to these nurses! I hope news of their vaccine refusals will spread, and I hope that they will now also speak out on behalf of parents who do not want to vaccinate their children, and on behalf of our military personnel who have no exemptions available to them whatsoever. I continue to pray for a complete BAN on all vaccine mandates in our country. Please join me!

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

Pamela Feres said:

Wonderfully said! Grateful for all who fow a higher power and speak truth and loving light!

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Media Bullies Can S…

Jenny said:

Cia: Like you, I don't think the hygiene hypothesis is responsible for autism, but I don't think it's ridiculous either. It's not to be dismissed as going hand in hand on the perfect storm of circumstances leading to today's tragically sick humans. Bacteria divide and expand at an incredibly fast rate vs the very slow life span of a human and everything that humans have done for the past 100 years or so, maybe even longer, have stopped our own natural coping systems that allow for successful healthy procreation. Vaccines tried to take a short cut and when containing thimerosol, can it actually create antibiotic resistance and halt the body's natural way of maintaining a healthy symbiotic relationship with the admittedly countless bacteria and germs that are in us and on us every day? Antibiotics are great when used properly but having been improperly used and have actually led to antibiotic resistance, ie, forced, sped up evolution while doing nothing to speed up human beings' immunities, creating disparity. Some antibacterials are also endocrine disrupters - further hampering natural growth and development, of which our immune system is part. Migration from farms to cities put people with declining symbiosis in close proximity with each other. (Gee, what farms does the autism community know about which haven't compounded their own problems, ie they don't vaccinate, and also don't use chemicals in farming?) Pasteurization came about in the same era taking away that route of natural relatively safe mouth to gut exposure to PROBIOTICS. (Are there farming families who drink a natural source of probiotics?) Vitamin D3 deficiency - a reduction in a known naturally antibiotic metabolic process - evolved during the same time in history as people became industrialized and pasteurized, and then on top of that started slathering on the sunblock. Wheat also changed, and there are hypothesis out there about wheat blocking D3 production, ie blocking humans' natural bacterial coping mechanisms needed for healthy procreation. Agriculture began spraying chemical antibiotics and various chemical germaicidals all over our food, furthering forced evolution process on microbes - which we put in our mouths 3-5 times a day (and we don't expect that to change our guts' environments?) At what point did we start using mercury in teeth and what does that do to the mouth's ability to properly process incoming microbes? Does it disrupt the probiotic/hygiene balance in the mouth? What does it do to IgA? Yes, we need to protect against direct blood exposure to these microbes, - we know what happens when people go septic despite a hospital's best efforts to protect the blood (yet then we shoot germs right into the blood and think that's going to be mostly good rather than bad?) And those w/weak immune systems need to strengthen their systems more than anyone (or else maybe that direct blood exposure to thimerisol and microbes might just be the final straw.) But after providing proper immune support, safe routes of natural exposure seems to be the next step in catching up humans to what used to be a symbiotic state. How many complementary and whole body health practitioners are always talking about poor health being the result of imbalance? Hygiene theory and its connection to the immune system IS all about balance. The next cutting edge treatment for complex auto-immune and inflammatory medical conditions might just be the strategic rebuilding of the immune system through targeted application of probiotics and natural soil-based organisms chosen to reclaim that balance. Unfortunately, certain corporate researchers have already looked at the idea, and decided there must be a way to patent it and make huge profits, and there are patents for GMO bacteria out there. Hmmm, if you have the time to use PUBMED or PLOS you probably have the intelligence to explore the US Patent system, too. Gee whiz, as if GMOs haven't caused problems in the food system what could possibly go wrong with GMOs in our probiotics?

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Cathy Jameson said:

Great news! Congratulations, Tanner's Dad! xo, Cat and Crew

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

Teresa Conrick said:

Welcome, Tim! I am with you hoping 2014 is a better year for both Megan and Tanner, and all in our community.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

Dan Burns said:

I too have an older son. Just received my DVD of "The United States of Autism." Welcome, Tim, fellow traveler.

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John Stone said:

Welcome Tim, John

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on Welcome Tim Welsh "…

Hello Tim and welcome. Although I know you are a great advocate for autism. in my mind, you will also be remembered for your out of sight strip tease.

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Not an MD said:

There is a petition on Change.org that everyone should sign: http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-senate-and-u-s-house-of-representatives-stop-mandatory-flu-vaccines-of-healthcare-professionals?share_id=ypmxmXLILr&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition We need lots and lots of people to sign this petition.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on HealthImpactNews on…

Michelle B said:

Welcome, Tim!

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John Stone said:

Jenny McCarthy has powerful enemies and they are completely without shame - for them the truth is nothing. Anyone who stands up against the vaccine lobby in any way in public life has to be taken out. I am linking to another recent article of mine which reflects on the antics of "Reuben Gaines" in the comments below. http://www.ageofautism.com/2013/12/dorit-rubinstein-reiss-and-the-weakness-of-vaccine-science.html And also to another article where VFV advisor Dorit Rubinstein Reiss explains the twisted logic of targetting McCarthy: http://www.ageofautism.com/2013/08/voices-for-vaccines-iii-the-opinions-and-silences-of-dorit-reiss.html Basically it is saying that if you question the vaccine program in the slightest they will make sure you don't have a career.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on The Lady Doth Prote…

Mary W Maxwell, PhD, LLB said:

Nurses, there's nothing like a good face-off. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VulhBXNa-Ic

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Mama Bear said:

The Carmelites offer this for Sunday's Feast of the Epiphany. I thought of you and Ronan. http://www.carmelites.net/daily-disconnect/sunday-january-5-2014the-epiphany-lord/ For me I need, crave silence and solitude in the midst of a rough patch. Once I've drunk deeply of both, I can return to the battle. Much love and prayers to you.

Reply | Edit | View | 4 days ago on My Autism Theme Song

Theresa said:

I had problems with the VFV people the other night myself. Simply because my evidence contradicted theirs I was called a liar and a troll. One member went so far as to say that she hoped my daughter suffered greatly from not being vaccinated and that my grandchildren should suffer lifetime disabilities. She got quiet after I said my grandson did in fact have a disability due to a vaccine reaction. The administrator took down the post when I asked her to but other members including Dorit Reiss continued berate me for my beliefs and my "inability" to understand the science behind vaccination.

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MelissaD said:

Oh Cathy I can so relate to this post. Music is my only therapy. Singing in the car helps me cheer up, just a bit. And we have the right to be angry. My son's childhood and his future were taken away as was your child's and it makes me livid. Here's hoping this is the year that your Ronan and my Z make great strides that we can sing at the top of our lungs about. Thank you for your stories each week, I look forward to them.

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on My Autism Theme Song

AutismGoAway said:

Annie Lennox: No more I love yous. language is leaving me in silence. There should be a song about regression. if it were a hit maybe people would understand autism for the tragedy it is and give more to biomed research.

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Otto Lund said:

Ref. Growing Up Unvaccinated http://www.voicesforvaccines.org/growing-up-unvaccinated/ Analysis, http://whois.net/whois/voicesforvaccines.org -> The Task Force for Global Health -> http://www.taskforce.org/about-us-and-annual-report -> About Us and Annual Report. The Task Force for Global Health was founded as the Task Force for Child Survival in 1984. The Task Force was initially tapped to serve as a Secretariat for a consortium of global health organizations: UNICEF, WHO, The Rockefeller Foundation, The United Nations Development Programme, and the World Bank. .. I.e. UN and banksters mafia propaganda sites VACCINATION 101 - Dr. Lanctot alias "GHIS", vaccines are only a form of warfare http://www.navigate3d.no/mbbs22/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1819&start=1

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no-vac said:

Let’s start the fight for life! They still don’t get it! Officials in wealthy Montgomery county, MD, which is home for FDA and NIH, and has very strict vaccination enforcement policy) still don’t get it why the majority of their students fail in mathematics. They don’t get that VACCINES turned most of their kids into retards. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-montgomery-countyschools-no-answers-yet-for-failed-math-exams/2014/01/04/c7a8153c-73f4-11e3-9389-09ef9944065e_story.html?hpid=z3 I think, we should learn from gay community the effective methods of fighting with the medical-pharma mafias, which massively poison and cripple our children. The gay community was able to successfully win over the man made plague, AIDS. (There is a lot evidence showing that HIV virus was created in the lab and introduced to vaccines). It is worth seeing this movie about their fight for fife. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI43qTjbEkw In order to succeed we must unite with communities of people, who got chronic autoimmune diseases from vaccinations: asthma, diabetes, allergies, lupus, vasculitis, heart diseases, liver and gastrointestinal diseases, reproductive failure, endocrine diseases, seizure disorders, ADHD, learning disability, cancer, and plethora of other iatrogenic diseases (i.e. with over 65% of US population). We should unite in the fight against iatrogenic medicine for profits, which is supported by US medical establishment/mafias, the government, congress, and mass media. We will succeed only when united we become equally vocal and aggressive as the gay community fighting with AIDS.

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on From the Editor: Go…

Not an MD said:

Music is very powerful, indeed, Cathy. I feel so much happier when I listen to music. My current theme song is "We are the Champions" by Queen. As the New Year begins, I am hopeful. I pray that it is a very positive year for all of us. One thing I do know for sure is that "we'll keep on fighting till the end." Those are powerful words, and we mustn't forget that we do have power.

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on My Autism Theme Song

Carolyn Flannery said:

Cathy, what a great story! When my son first got diagnosed in 2003, I used to sing Blondies "One Way Or Another" with a revision: One way or another, we're going to heal you, getcha getch getcha back One way. Or another, we're going to hear you . . gonna hear you singing I made up a bunch of lyrics. And it really did help motivate me! It captured the determination with the hope with the refusal to give up . . .darn it this is making me cry, remembering the scariest days before I found generation rescue and gfcf and melatonin and ageofautism and autismbiomed and DAN conferences . . . all of which helped my son make tremendous progress . . :-)

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on My Autism Theme Song

Sylvia said:

I can relate to so much of what you say Cathy! Both Nick and I are HUGE music fans. The first request (OK, DEMAND) he makes in the morning is to turn on the ipod speaker dock in the kitchen. Music MUST be on in the car. NO exceptions. EVER. We have ipod docks through out the house, and they must be on if we are in those rooms. And he will also listen to songs on his ipad and ipod. Music is a tremendous outlet. It takes you to a different time and place. It is POWERFUL.

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on My Autism Theme Song

Jim Thompson said:

Cathy: Here are three artists that cover “Smile.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGC-0j3HKBE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZvMJ188o3Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh57sCPjtzw One comment is that the song is “Uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time and in equal measure.”

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on My Autism Theme Song

Bob Moffitt said:

Kathy .. like you .. I find myself greatly moved by "music" .. especially the lyrics of songs .. that I find applicable to my grandson, my family .. our community .. our lives. The title of this song is "STRONG" by Will Hoge .. though he sings the words "He's strong" throughout .. I find it just as easily to change the word to "She's strong" to include all the "warrior moms" that I know .. such as .. "everybody knows she's not just tough .. she's strong" .. or .. "everybody knows we're not just tough .. we're strong" to include our community. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HItiJYwAPGQ As the man sings .. "Ain't nothing going to knock US off the road WE'RE travelling on". NOTHING.

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Susan said:

To me, anger is a healthy and appropriate response to having a kid with autism. It would be so much worse to be in denial about your feelings. What matters is not what your feelings are but what you do in response to them--and you're doing plenty of good. That's what anger is for: to make us translate a "negative" feeling into a "positive" action in the physical world. You've done that and then some. My hat's off to you once again for a great post.

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david m burd said:

Cathy, you have a remarkable talent expressing yourself - thank you. An old clock radio I have has an audio feature that plays a recording of ocean surf sprinkled with seagull sounds and maybe distant seals barking - taking away my worldly cares. best wishes for the coming year!

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on My Autism Theme Song

cmo said:

CBS has declared Alzheimer's an "epidemic." I would suppose the USA also leads the world in this autoimmune disease. A new case every 4 seconds worldwide. Any chance of ....a senior vax / unvaxed study... to see if it is related to the annual flu shot and other vaccines??? Doctors Jon Lapook and Rudolph Tanzi discuss a disease that almost everyone fears , Alzheimer’s, during this week’s Morning Rounds on "CBS This Morning: Saturday." http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/what-is-the-global-impact-of-dementia/

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on Weekly Wrap: Autoim…

For Carol said:

The Sourcewatch list exposing Sense about Science as an industry front group is very interesting. Smarmy, cheesy or just d!{khead? I can't pick which one...

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on Did Dr. Ben Goldacr…

Truthseeker 2 said:

Surely all those with auto-immune conditions would not have all been culled by disease as the doctor in the Atlantic article tried to promote. It seems risk VS benefit gone awry. Benedetta rightly points out the increase in so many with mental health problems as well.

Reply | Edit | View | 5 days ago on Weekly Wrap: Autoim…

cia parker said:

Í don't think the hygiene hypothesis explains the surge in autism or allergies, but I don't think it's ridiculous. The immune system needs training and practice to function well, and exposure to many pathogens is necessary for this. Having natural measles has sometimes cured eczema, and natural pertussis has cured asthma. Not having the formerly universal childhood diseases correlates with a higher rate of several cancers later in life, presumably because overcoming the diseases teaches the immune system how to keep dangerous cells in check.

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Weekly Wrap: Autoim…

Eileen Nicole Simon said:

Roger, thank you for the link to NAMI’s PACT description. In Massachusetts PACT’s mission is to the homeless, I think. Finding shelter for everyone during this recent cold snap has been difficult. Jill, thanks for the sfautismsociety.org link. You have put a great deal of thought into your overview of adult housing options. Vickie, thank you for your frank discussion of how much on the edge our children live. Your comments are very helpful to me. I have been the target of much disdain for “allowing” my son to make use of homeless shelters. I have been trying to write about some of our experiences. How few people realize the difficult situation we are trying to cope with?

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Benedetta said:

Autoimmune diseases, bipolar disorder, and non-affective psychosis Pubmed lots of research on that and schizophrenia http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20868462

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Twyla said:

And what about case # 7 whose pediatrician mother told an Annapolis newspaper that you can't be vaccinated too often: "Too many parents, said Dr. Peabody, have the proper shots given and then relax, forgetting that booster shots are needed and that immunization does wear off. Speaking specifically of some of the most prevalent ailments, she stated that a child cannot be vaccinated against smallpox too often and it should be done for the first time when a baby is between three months and one year of age. In the case of diphtheria, booster shots are extremely important.” http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/11/autism-from-a-flu-shot-the-ominous-clue-from-kanners-autism-case-7.html The smallpox vaccine didn't contain mercury, but the diphtheria vaccine did.

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Sue Broz Thorpe said:

Here are OVER 700 Research links in my FB note re: VACCINE induced AUTOIMMUNE disorders:) Some released ahead of Publication: https://www.facebook.com/editnote.php?draft&note_id=629511430406129&id=100000566815512 --Also.. 1. Nobel prize winner states WHY PROTEINS should NEVER be INJECTED (as in vaccines): "In the presentation speech as winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work with anaphylaxis, Charles Robert Richet said, "We are so constituted that we can never receive other proteins into the blood than those that have been modified by digestive juices. Every time alien protein penetrates by effraction, the organism suffers and becomes resistant. This resistance lies in increased sensitivity, a sort of revolt against the second parenteral injection which would be fatal. At the first injection, the organism was taken by surprise and did not resist. At the second injection, the organism mans its defenses and answers by the anaphylactic shock." In naming "anaphylaxis", Richet described, "Phylaxis, a word seldom used, stands in the Greek for protection. Anaphylaxis will thus stand for the opposite. Anaphylaxis, from its Greek etymological source, therefore means that state of an organism in which it is rendered hypersensitive, instead

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Weekly Wrap: Autoim…

Kapoore said:

I have two kids, one in her early thirties and one in his late twenties, and so I have been at the epicenter of autoimmune plague for a long time. I don't know one family that doesn't have at least one child who is sick or on medication. What surprises me is that it has taken this long for anyone to notice because surely the people who publish newspapers and write TV news are in the same situation. I stay on top of autism related science because it has helped my daughter with an immune disorder immensely. She is gluten free (blood test positive for gluten intolerance), eats only organic food, and takes cod liver oil daily along with zinc and magnesium. Recently she got a cold and instead of it spiraling into a severe illness requiring antibiotics to recover she was well in a week's time. Still, when I compare my wayward youth of smoking, drinking, never seeing a doctor, never having or needing health insurance to the current generation that could die without the right diet or medication it is obvious we are in an autoimmune crisis. My generation took health for grant it because we were young and now the young are sicker than the old.

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Weekly Wrap: Autoim…

Carol said:

Goldacre's relationship with Sense about Science gives the game away. Sourcewatch lists Sense about Science as an industry front group: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Front_groups

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AnneS said:

I follow a lot of groups on the internet, including many that deal with IBDs. The number of children being diagnosed with crohns or colitis as infants is astounding. A lot of groups that deal with autoimmunity keep asking questions about vaccines, it comes up over and over again. And I also see these same groups all overlapping in protocols with the autism community - diets like scd and gaps; ivig; mthfr testing; ldn; etc.

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John Stone said:

Carol, I suspect that even in 2011 when he closed down the Guardian blog his credibility amongst regular readers was becoming thin but of course he had been elevated into a legend by the ptb - I recall the ghastly sychopantic article in BMJ (c.2008?) by former editor Richard Smith entitled "Becoming Ben". His motives and credibility have been greatly under attack recently by the wellknown psychiatric drug whistleblower David Healy. Prof Healy's contention is that Goldacre's advocacy of the publication of pharmaceutic trials - supporting GSK's concession - is a Trojan horse, particularly using RCTs as gold-standard when they might not be very helpful at all (a 'one size fits all' theory of medicine).

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Did Dr. Ben Goldacr…

Carol said:

If Ben Goldacre's job is to be an impartial, authoritative observer, he's bad at it. If his job is to make people believe that he's an impartial, authoritative observer, he's quite good at it.

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John Stone said:

CHS now has a follow up post commenting on the reaction to it of the Bad Science groupies through Twitter: http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/dr-ben-goldacres-internet-bullies-given-ok-to-launch-attacks-on-their-own-blogs-and-told-to-shut-up-on-his-badscience-forum/

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John Stone said:

Congratulations Shell - the new Pastor Niemöller! John

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Shell Tzorfas said:

Recovering Autism, ADHD, & Special Needs 21 hours ago Shell Tzorfas 12:47 PM (0 minutes ago) to me Moving Targets.. First they came for infants and they shot them 26 times They came for school children and shot them 46 times They came for teens from high school and shot them 6 times They came for nurses and shot them numerous times They came for doctors..and shot some of them They came for college kids and shot them 7 times They came for some Ivy League students and reshot them 2 times They came for those entering the military and shot them with undisclosed amounts They came for fetuses and shot them indirectly, 4 times They came for visitors and shot them 8 times They came for elders , shot them, but they were placed in nursing homes Then they came for me… but nobody was left standing.. Shelley Tzorfas Author of "Recovering Autism, ADHD, & Special Needs" Like · · Share

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Weekly Wrap: Autoim…

Dan Burns said:

Evidently the vaccine harm deniers haven't jumped on dissing the autoimmune epidemic yet. Or have they? In either case, if autism leaks into the autoimmune discussion -- and the Atlantic article is surely the leading edge of more to come in major media -- Dorit Reiss and her Pharma-frenzied ilk will need more hands than a Hindu goddess to keep their fingers in the dikes. Yes, common cause here. Welcome, 2014!

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John Stone said:

Hi Dan When it comes to lupus and rheumatic disorders we must not forget the fact that Hep B vaccine is specifically implicated: http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/us-concedes-hep-b-causes-lupus/ In the case of lupus it was an immune condition which rose almost simultaneous with autism - rare before the late 80s and now proliferating. John

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Bob Moffitt said:

"Despite the fact that America shells out more money on healthcare than any other country in the world, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—and a hefty 75 percent of those dollars are going toward aiding people with chronic conditions—almost half of American adults had at least one chronic condition in 2005." I think the name "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention" should be changed due the growing awareness of the "tidal wave of autoimmune illnesses that young adults find themselves coping with". Not only has the CDC proved incapable of "preventing" this unfolding catastrophy .. it does not seem eager to take any responsibility for "ending" it. How about the "Centers for Disease Control and Promotion"?

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Weekly Wrap: Autoim…

Carol said:

John, Goldacre didn't have a column, but he apparently still has his job as pundit. All the more reason then to take the opportunity to put the Mitting decision in context for his audience. How can you mention that Andrew Wakefield was "struck off" the medical register without mentioning that a fellow defendant who was also struck off has been hoisted back on? It's like pointing at a guy and yelling "Murderer!" without mentioning that the supposed victim actually committed suicide. Talk about misleading and dishonest. And really all you have to do to know that Wakefield and Walker-Smith didn't "imply that [the Lancet children] were routine clinic referrals" is read the Lancet paper, in which they caution about the possibility of selection bias in a self-referred group. Fortunately, Justice Mitting can read.

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Did Dr. Ben Goldacr…

John Stone said:

Carol, Of course, I have been chronicling the contortions of Goldacre on these pages (click on the links below the article) and the fact is that he was saying in 2005 that the Wakefield/Lancet paper was a proper piece of research and he even got an award for saying so (bizarrely Evan Harris, Brian Deer's accomplice, was on the panel of judges). The question for somebody who rides two horses is how long you can do it without falling off, and having immediately leapt on to the Deer horse with GMC findings in January 2010 he was back again telling an Irish medical news-sheet that it was a perfectly good paper in November 2010. My own guess is (and it is only a guess) that the closure of the Bad Science column in the Guardian in November 2011 was (a) simultaneous with David Lewis going public with his findings (including the report in Nature) and (b) anticipated the inevitable exoneration of John Walker-Smith by then only few months off. If Goldacre's column had been running he would have been extremely vulnerable. Goldacre in 2005 was covering the fact that the GMC prosecution was likely to come off the rails (as of course it has but it has been masked from public view). Also, for 2003, he had been mounting a highly flawed "epidemiological study" defence of MMR vaccine. But there he was on a BMJ platform in March 2013 out to get Wakefield nevertheless and as a curtain raiser for Brian Deer. And let us say the attack was immoderate, it was personal, and it did not contribute to scientific knowledge. It was another smokescreen. John

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Heidi Hamilton said:

Hi , my 10year old boy with moderate to severe autism has all of a sudden presented with extreme OCD and almost manic behaviour, I initially thought it was just another awful stage of his Autism, Burt after reading this site I am becoming convinced that he may have PANDAS, he is usually very loving and easy to be around, he is becoming increasingly agitated and violent Stimson are aprt of the OCD as well, any thought please ? He is also unwell a lot of the time and I have always been very concerned about his immune system.

Reply | Edit | View | 6 days ago on Autism and PANDAS

Laura P. said:

Woohoo!!!!!!! :-)

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on American Military F…

Vicki Hill said:

Eileen, I know it varies by state, but being homeless or at risk of being homeless, is sometimes the key to housing. I have had several professionals tell me to drop my son off at a homeless shelter, let him spend 4 nights there, and the state would take over the responsibility for his housing. One shelter director even told me that they recommend that families bring a car to their parking lot, let their loved one sleep in the car overnight for the 4 nights, and they will keep an eye on him to make sure he is safe until he has met the 4 nights homeless criteria. To date I have refused to do this. It is a sorry state of affairs when we have to force our adult kids to become homeless in order to provide appropriate housing for them.

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Jill Escher said:

The Mercury News article was kind to mention our Adult ASD Housing and Lifespan Care Initiative but failed to link to our website: sfautismsociety.org, which contains further information about the crisis and our efforts. Jill Escher President Autism Society of the San Francisco Bay Area Chair, Adult ASD Housing and Lifespan Care Initiative

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Dachel Media Review…

Heidi N said:

It's malicious to downgrade someone for treating patients that mainstream docs are NOT successful at treating. I guess this doc was running from his own guilt of NOT helping patients. I recovered myself from disabling chronic fatigue from the Internet after several docs in my city wasted my time. Thank you to all the many who freely share what is successful. Shame on those who only want to make a profit and hide behind a title that have no care for humanity. Unfortunately, the guilty docs will read this and add this to their list of things to make fun of instead of learning and changing. Shame, shame, shame.

Reply | Edit | View | 7 days ago on Did Dr. Ben Goldacr…

Carol said:

John, I'm surprised that in his March 2013 talk Goldacre didn't mention Dr. Walker-Smith's exoneration in 2012. In 2010 Goldacre wrote: "It’s certainly clear that Andrew Wakefield and his co-defendants failed to meet the high standards required of doctors in research. The GMC have found he was 'misleading,' 'dishonest' and 'irresponsible' in the way he described where the children in the 1998 paper came from, by implying that they were routine clinic referrals. As the GMC have also found, these children were subjected to a programme of unpleasant and invasive tests which were not performed in their own clinical interest, but rather for research purposes, and these tests were conducted without ethics committee approval." In 2012 Justice Mitting essentially found that it was the GMC which had been misleading, dishonest and irresponsible in its case against Dr. Walker-Smith and, by extension, Dr. Wakefield. You'd think that in the interest of full disclosure the Mitting decision would have been mentioned in Goldacre's talk. Actually, I don't find that Goldacre has written about the Mitting decision anywhere. Am I missing it?

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nhokkanen said:

Goldacre makes a darling poster boy for medical intimidation, with his cocky smirk and shirt unbuttoned like a bantamweight Tom Jones. Sadly "it's not unusual" nowadays for a psychiatrist to play pharmaceutical front man, despite his protestations to the contrary. Especially when Junior's father co-authored a study on GSK's mediocre Pluserix MMR vaccine. Introduced in Canada in 1986 as Trivirix, it was withdrawn two years later due to the high numbers of adverse reactions it caused -- yet was adopted by the UK that same year. (See John Stone's revelatory article from 2010.) http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/08/whats-behind-ben-goldacre-.html It's vastly hypocritical and cruel for someone who works in psychiatry's blighted healthcare corner to pillory physicians who actually achieve healing results.

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Carol said:

You know, it's not as if traditional medicine can or even wants to do much for ME/CFS sufferers. I suspect Dr. Myhill came under attack primarily for her opinion that vaccines may not be entirely without side effects.

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Roger Kulp said:

Nicole,thank you for this comment.It shows just what kind of "care" adults with severe autism are given,assuming your son does have autism.It proves that a great many people who supposedly "care" for adults with autism,treat it as if it were a psychiatric disorder.I just pulled up the page from the NAMI on the PACT program. http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=ACT-TA_Center&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=49870 Much of what they say about the type of people who would use the program would fit people with more severe autism.There is lots of wonderful sounding stuff about "rehabilitation" and "quality of life",but what is the things listed under "treatment"? What are the key features of PACT? Treatment: psychopharmacologic treatment, including new atypical antispyschotic and antidepressant medications individual supportive therapy mobile crisis intervention hospitalization substance abuse treatment, including group therapy (for clients with a dual diagnosis of substance abuse and mental illness) I don't think I need to say any more,other than this is the type of "treatment" given to autistics,ever since the time of Leo Kanner.All that's missing is electroshock treatment. My guess is it's not much different at group homes all over the country. The "complex needs" mentioned here simply were not addressed in the past,period.In school were dumped into special education classes,with very little specialized attention.Meltdowns,self abuse,or wandering was looked at as behavior or discipline problems,or simply trying to get attention.I was stunned when I learned it was common practice for autistic children to have their own personal aides in school. While the number of autistics in their 40s,50s,or 60s,with real sickness as the cause of it,may be much smaller than those 25 and under,but we are out here all the same.Most of us are not the Darryl Hannahs of this world.The lucky ones have lived with parents all of their lives.The rest have ended up in group homes. Other than me,few if any,have ever gotten tested for any of the immune,metabolic,mitochondrial,or methylation disorders we now know are related to autism.Testing on a large scale of adults known to be on the spectrum,would be the only way to find out how many are also sick like this.MAPS doctors are,for the most part,the only ones willing to do such testing on someone whose only diagnosis is autism. These diseases can be diagnosed and treated at any age,just as autism can.Treating these underlying diseases leads to the best hope for independent living.The problem is the older generations have not had the chance to find out if they have them.

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Jeannette Bishop said:

"An ounce of prevention..." In our "healthcare" this has been twisted and used so much that now we're pushed at every turn to "prevent" the adverse effects of "disease-causing microbes" (of which I'm now wondering might not be more correct to view as the adverse effects of pollution and/or malnutrition) to the point some are now raking in the "pounds," and not even for the cure, but more like through a line tacked on to the proverbs, "and better yet pounds and pounds for the 'treatment.'" The mainstream is both cavalierly dismissing scrutiny of and even pushing the very exposures that may have been always making diseases dangerous all in the name of "preventing" them, while often simultaneously disdaining, disparaging focus, even trying to restrict access to the nourishing and detox approaches to creating health. They have more or less just accepted the rise in chronic illness and related suffering in the "developed" world with a lot of mystery, fatalism. There is another proverb, "Necessity is the mother of invention." It seems like we have removed the necessity to provide a meaningful product to healthcare customers in exchange for our funds or to make an exchange the patient sees as worth the cost. The costs have to be paid, and the patient hardly has a choice. We need a change in mindset that views a health professional not as an authority set over us, but more like an emergency manager with last resort risky chemical tools when needed, but preferably a health consultant paid to the extent he or she gives effective advice and products. We have to put the health responsibility and right of choice in the patient's and parents' hands, remove it from "regulatory bodies," I believe, to truly provide the most effective regulation possible. Today the piper in a sense repeatedly leads away our children to toxic land, leaving the rats behind, and we keep paying him to try again (ok, enough with the proverbial...). For those unable or unwilling to see how much our corporate mandated healthcare is a big part of the problem, at best we can say as the the current tyrannical system has obviously little to none to offer in the way of results for our "modern" health problems. We shouldn't be encouraging the status quo through automatic funding, prestige, authoritative voice, worship even, when we get nothing, or worse, with a huge price tag.

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Jen said:

SM is Dr Sarah Myhill, the welsh GP that BadScience forum member Stuart Jones decided to pick on.

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Carter's Daddy said:

Dr. Stuart claimed the patients doctor: “lulled patients into a dangerous world of make-believe pseudo-science”. Is this not what the allopathy machine does, by means of a carefully contrived manipulation of media by Pharma via all its puppets(CDC, GMC, etc.)É Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Not that this is a new thing.

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Carol said:

Dr. Ballard is one of those folks, it seems, who have opinions about things they haven't read. Here's the Lancet paper "author retraction" (minus a paragraph of preamble): "The main thrust of this paper was the first description of an unexpected intestinal lesion in the children reported. Further evidence has been forthcoming in studies from the Royal Free Centre for Paediatric Gastroenterology and other groups to support and extend those findings. While much uncertainty remains about the nature of these changes, we believe it important that such work continues, as autistic children can potentially be helped by recognition and treatment of gastrointestinal problems. We wish to make it clear that in this paper no causal link was established between MMR vaccine and autism as the data were insufficient. However, the possibility of such a link was raised and consequent events have had major implications for public health. In view of this, we consider that now is the appropriate time that we should together formally retract the interpretation placed upon these findings, according to precedent." So the authors didn't retract their findings; they said their findings had been supported and extended. What they are saying is that they shouldn't have mentioned parental observations that MMR had precipitated their children's medical crises because that created a hullabaloo.

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Ottoschnaut said:

On the subject of Adults with Autism..... The movie Anchorman II will resonate with the community of vaccine injured families for two reasons: 1) The depiction of the news media is spot on. Putting ratings above substance, and burying negative news about sponsors and advertisers is part of the plot. 2) The character Brick (the weatherman) is described in Anchorman as being "mentally retarded" with an IQ of 80. Anchorman II develops the character in a much more subtle and different manner. In addition, Brick is shown interacting with his love interest Chani Lastname. The most accurate description of Brick's character, and Chani's, based on DSM-IV, is they are individuals with features of autism. No kidding. What you see are communicative and social difficulties- including meltdowns and anxiety attacks- and NO features of mental retardation.The scenes of Brick and Chani together seem to be an attempt to create a window into the world of autism, I would not be surprised if the person who wrote those scenes is "quirky" or perhaps has lots of experience with close family members ASD. I was surprised by this plot element- it is intelligently and sensitively handled. When you see it, you will have a flash of recognition. I am curious if other folks who see Anchorman II will pick up on this theme- Wishing all a peaceful 2014. O/S

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John Stone said:

 

Carol The fact is that 4 years ago Goldacre was over a barrel as I pointed out more than once in BMJ, and he still is. Moreover, Deer memorably made fun of me in Gorski's blog for my swift exit from the GMC finding shouting out something like "It's the wrong paper" and yet that indeed was what the High Court found two years on. But when I put the point in BMJ in February 2010 there was silence frrom both of them. What has happened as a result is both a perversion of science and of justice, and as far as I can see they are both party to it. Here is the text of one my letters to BMJ:- The unexplained puzzle of the GMC verdict (and reponses to Peter Flegg)10 February 2010 The panel stated in the short version of their findings on fact read out to journalists at the GMC last month [1]: “The Panel has heard that ethical approval had been sought and granted for other trials and it has been specifically suggested that Project 172-96 was never undertaken and that in fact, the Lancet 12 children’s investigations were clinically indicated and the research parts of those clinically justified investigations were covered by Project 162- 95. In the light of all the available evidence, the Panel rejected this proposition.” However, it is my understanding that 162-95 was not a "project" in any normal sense but the ethical approval granted Prof Walker-Smith on his arrival at the Royal Free Hospital in September 1995 - as probably the most senior figure in British paediatric gastroenterology - to retain biopsy samples from colonoscopies for research purposes. If this is the case it would seem a basic criticism of the panel, that in reaching their view, they did not explain why this ethical permission did not obtain in this instance. We are also confronted by the oddity that the panel having concluded that the study was in fact project 172-96 then found the three doctors to be in breach of its terms at every twist and turn, instead of drawing the more obvious inference that it wasn't 172-96 at all, but an "early report" as stated. (And this, incidentally, is why several of us think that Ben Goldacre had it right in the first place.) It is still baffling what is at stake over referral. It is common experience that when getting a specialist referral from a GP the patient is asked to which hospital they would like to be referred - an elective aspect is inherent in the system, as is reputation - and in this instance this was no ordinary department, so it is not clear what anyone would expect: it wasn't supposed to be "a scientific sample" or a statistical measure of anything, which is why I cannot make any sense of S Stanley Young's comment [2]. You do no not need to be a senior statistician to conclude that the group in the paper have little or no statistical significance, but this does not tell you why or how they are ill, and doesn't answer the parents' legitimate concern about adverse vaccine reactions and their sequelae. Nor could epidemiology tell you anything certain about that. It seems to me that with Peter Flegg's [3] response, as so often with vaccination, ethics are being turned upside down. The instant position of those confronted with reports of adverse drug reactions is not to record them, or investigate but simply to retreat behind denial - which is what Andrew Wakefield conspicuously didn't do. So we move to the next stage, which is that the doctor who did express concern about the safety of a vaccine and took parents on trust is as a matter of policy turned into a public enemy - and eventually a gigantic fishing expedition is mounted to see whether anything can be found against him. And all the time no parent has ever complained! What we get is neither the practice of ethics or science but the exercise of social repression. Nothing ensures the unsafety of the system more certainly than the refusal to investigate sympathetically adverse reports - and why should a single child be denied investigation if their medical history indicates it? This is something that Flegg does not seem to be able to explain. Meanwhile, we get the resort to statistics which cannot show that it hasn't happened in individual instances, and probably also don't show that it hasn't happened en masse [4, 5]. Accompanied by total lack of curiousity as to why autism incidence figures continue to spin out of control (at the last count 1 in 64)[6]. I think it should remembered in fairness that Andrew Wakefield supported the then vaccine programme in 1998, endorsing the use of single vaccines, and the government promptly polarised the issue by making them unavailable. Also, I believe Flegg is being naieve in contrasting confirmed cases of measles in 1996, when there was probably only limited laboratory testing capacity and nothing like the active monitoring, with the present time. About the GMC there is a huge problem of transparency - they publish the allegations and the findings but nothing in between. If you actually want to find out what the defence case was from the official transcript it will cost you upwards of £100,000 [7]. [1] Findings of Fact - Summary. General Medical Council, 28 January 2010. http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/documents/vaccines/GMC%2C%20Findings%2... [2] S Stanley Young, 'Statistical lessons to be learned as well' BMJ Rapid Responses 4 February 2010, http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/340/feb02_4/c644#230877 [3] Peter Flegg, 'Evidence, statistical lessons, and bias' BMJ Rapid Responses 9 February 2010, http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/340/feb02_4/c644#231116 [4] Demicheli V, Jefferson T, Rivetti A and Price D, 'Vaccines for Measles, Mumps and Rubella in Children', The Cochrane Library, Wiley 2005, http://mrw.interscience.wiley.com/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD004407/fr... [5] John Stone, 'Re: Evidence is not bullying', http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/339/sep09_1/b3658#220537 [6] Baron-Cohen et al, 'Prevalence of autism-spectrum conditions: UK school-based population study', Br J Psychiatry. 2009 Jun;194(6):500- 9,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19478287 [7] GMC Publication Scheme, http://www.gmc- uk.org/publications/right_to_know/publications_scheme.asp Competing interests: Autistic son http://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/11/02/unexplained-puzzle-gmc-verdict-and-reponses-peter-flegg

John Stone said:

Of course, when it comes to the British state and government and GSK there really is not all that much difference. http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/02/hacked-off-boss-martin-moore-sat-on-uk-government-panel-with-editor-who-hired-brian-deer-.html

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Jeannette Bishop said:

Know them by their fruits?

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John Stone said:

Goldacre has been the British establishment medical hatchet man for a decade - he has overseen and encouraged mob rule on the internet and he has taken out other journalists who have stepped out of line (Melanie Phillips, Denis Campbell, Jeni Barnett and Lucy Johnston come to mind). The method has alway been a vast amount of personal unpleasantness backed up by a vague appeal to scientific authority. The content is usually minimally technical but highly loaded with bias and conflicts: the man sells propaganda items from his website. Of course, for years it was out of the public domain that he was the son of a leading government scientist who had published reports on MMR. Lattely he has been employed in David Cameron's Cabinet Office. Basically, this is about ideological pretence. A notably disgusting performance took place at the BMJ Evidence Live conference last March where he lambasted Andrew Wakefield and Arnold Krigsman for twenty minutes or more but where the worst he seemed to be able to come up with was photograph of AW posing at drinks party with one of the Dixie Chicks: http://www.evidencelive.org/community/ben-goldacre-evidence-and-the-media/1131352 As to the attack on Lucy Johnston over Cervarix, I cannot see why anyone would have done it unless they were holding GSK's or the British Government's brief.

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ChildHealthSafety said:

The caution on Dr Stuart Jones registration with the Health and Care Professions Council [Registration Number: CS17316] was ordered imposed in December 2011 but will not be removed from the register until 18th January this year.

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Kristine said:

And let's face it, the people who are aging out right now... just the TIP of the iceberg.

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on Dachel Media Review…

tara mcmillan said:

Well Deserved! Thanks so much for all you do!

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jen said:

Carolyn, I loved your generational summary.

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Cherry Sperlin Misra said:

Julie, Thanks for the call to arms. Lets all take up the sword and mace. Coincidentally and Appropriately, I have just received the following "personal" New Years Greeting from an old acquaintance. this was someone who once got us into a whole lot of legal hotwater for no good reason at all, and Im not sure why we are still in touch with him. This greeting is appropriate for our friend and even more so for our sworn enemies, the folks of the medical , public health and pharmaceutical cartel that still want babies to be injected with mercury and aluminum : NEAR AND DEAR ONES - IF IN 2013 YOU ARE ANGRY WITH ME OR IF YOU ARE FEELING HURT- THEN IN 2014 PLEASE STAY READY BECAUSE................ ONLY THE CALENDAR HAS CHANGED.........NOT ME!! Let's find new ways to fight this arrogant monster .

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Cherry Sperlin Misra said:

I am sure the public health people dont intend it that way, but early diagnosis can have one extremely beneficial effect on the autistic child- It might be called the Internet Effect- This occurs when the parents get on the net and learn that autism is caused by mercury in vaccines, and refuse the next flu shot.

Reply | Edit | View | Jan 2, 2014 on Early Autism Diagno…

Cherry Sperlin Misra said:

To Carolyn Flannery- That is an excellent comment. In the crazy world of autism, it is a crime to give a pregnant woman or a child a vaccine with mercury in CALIFORNIA - but it is OK in other states, apparently. Why are doctors not ashamed of this ? Here I would like to quote Dr. Boyd Haley, mercury toxicologist, speaking at a conference- (something like) - " And if anyone here is from the AAP, - You should be ashamed of yourselves... History is going to come and get you" And I would like to add- Please please, do not dismiss the fish mercury. The methylmercury in fish is readily absorbed into the human body and it is NOT excreted easily. Instead of being excreted , it goes into a loop - Leaving the body through the small intestine, undergoing transformation and then being reabsorbed through the large intestine. You can learn about this by watching the youtube videos of Dr. Chris Shade, mercury toxicologist.

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Cherry Sperlin Misra said:

To Eileen Nicole Simon, Thankyou for writing about the blood flow to the auditory pathway. I know that you have mentioned this earlier, but at least one of the implications of this fact has now dawned on me. I realize that when children with some autism symptoms in my nursery school in New Delhi, do not respond to instructions, I am likely to perceive them as being mentally- cognitively impaired, when in fact there may be a hearing deficit .

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