Best of: SPARK Autism Research - You're Going The WRONG Way!!
Note: Kim is taking a summer break and we're running our favorite "Best of" posts.
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By Teresa Conrick
Here in Chicago, they have been reporting on the SPARK Autism, national database. This from our local ABC, channel 7 Chicago:
RESEARCHERS AT RUSH MEDICAL CENTER CREATING NATIONAL DATABASE TO STUDY AUTISM Sunday, December 18, 2016
Some highlights-
∗ Autism is one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the United States. It now affects one in every 68 children and on in every 42 boys.
∗ That's one reason why there is an intense push to try to find treatment and a possible cure. There is a major research study taking place at Rush Medical Center in Chicago.
∗ a ground-breaking research study, which is now gathering genetic information on autistic individuals. They're creating a national database.
∗ Every day we struggle with it and every day we hope that, in the back of your mind, that studies like this are going to help us," said Tony Belmonte, Jack's father.
∗ Nation-wide they are hoping to register 50,000 individuals on all levels of the autism spectrum. There is a concentrated effort now to get more minorities to sign up for this research.
At the bottom of the article, you'll read this: For more information about the Rush autism study, visit www.sparkforautism.org/rush. There you will go to a website which is not RUSH Hospital. To find out more, click on About SPARK on the bottom of that page. There you will see that, SPARK stands for ‘Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge,’ and the mission is simple: we want to speed up research and advance our understanding of autism to help improve lives. If you or your child has a professional diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, learn more about SPARK here . If we keep following them, we can read even more about this plan - SPARK aims to build a research community of tens of thousands of individuals with autism and their families, who will be asked to share medical and genetic information with scientists and to agree to be contacted about future research studies.
For the person who knows little about the who, what, when, where and why of AUTISM, this could look to be promising BUT for most of the rest of the world, people are not accepting this approach anymore. The search for genes is NOT, nor has it EVER been helpful "to find treatment and a possible cure." Autism Speaks did this same thing, came up with a gene depository to look like they are using their money for something helpful. Sadly, this approach has done NOTHING for the tens of thousands of families who have children and now, young adults, who suffer with painful GI disease; seizures; inability to speak or communicate in a meaningful manner or, at all; extreme sensory disturbance; executive functioning disability; debilitating obsessions, compulsions and tics; heartbreaking self-injurious behaviors; and the daily struggles with social cues. This type of genetic research is going in the WRONG direction.
Back to Rush Hospital, where I am lucky to have an excellent neurologist that Meg has been seeing. When he saw Meg last, he was so impressed with how much better she was both medically and socially. Meg has been seizure-free now for over 18 months. Yes, she is anti-seizure medications (and still was having occasional seizures) but it has been the focus on the MICROBIOME that we have seen the most help and promise for my severely affected daughter. In that conversation at Rush, I told Meg's doctor about my keen interest on the research regarding the Microbiome and my hopes for further research and treatments. He mentioned that Rush was doing research on the Microbiome but not yet on Autism. The research was instead being conducted on Parkinson's Disease. I am a big believer that theses studies on Parkinson's and Autism have parallels and will help each other.
So instead of the above, GENE, wild goose chase, follow me instead. Here is that RUSH Hospital study about Parkinson's and the Microbiome...and Autism links:
Axial finds link between gut microbiome and Parkinson’s disease, 12-13-2016
BOSTON & PASADENA, Calif.—Axial Biotherapeutics announced Dec. 1 that researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), led by Dr. Sarkis K. Mazmanian, the company’s scientific founder, have discovered a novel biological link between the gut microbiome and Parkinson’s disease (PD)....gut bacteria were shown to promote hallmark disease processes including inflammation of the nervous system and motor dysfunction. The findings suggest that targeting the gut microbiome may provide a new approach for diagnosing and treating Parkinson’s disease...bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain has been implicated in neurological disorders such as anxiety, depression and autism spectrum disorders.
Parkinson’s, Autism, and Back To the Future
NOTE- Since the time I wrote this, the Chicago Cubs HAVE WON the World Series!
Overall, the main finding from the study is that adults with autism may have substantially elevated risk for Parkinson’s disease….We find a high frequency of parkinsonism among ASD individuals older than 39 years. If high rates of parkinsonism and potentially Parkinson’s disease are confirmed in subsequent studies of ASD, this observation has important implications for understanding the neurobiology of autism and treatment of manifestations in older adults......
Here we see Autism Speaks possibly moving in the RIGHT direction -
At the 2016 International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), Dr. Luna shared the earliest findings from their Autism Speaks research – the first analysis of the microbiome of a child with autism and GI issues – together with a comparison to the microbiome of his unaffected sibling.
From this small pilot test, they found some significant results. The analysis showed that the child with autism – but not his sibling – carried a number of distinctive intestinal bacteria that earlier research had associated with autism. What’s more, these bacteria spiked in numbers during periods when he experienced significant worsening of autism symptoms – including self-injury.
Above All, Autism, When It Comes to the Microbiome and the Immune System
It therefore seems plausible that exposure to chemicals may affect the normal colonisation of the gut by bacteria, with effects on host physiology later in life. Therefore, chemical-induced perturbations of the composition of the GI microbiota may constitute an underestimated mechanism by which they interfere with human health...Three types of "chemicals" often cited in Autism research and by parents are 1- Vaccines , 2- Pesticides and 3- Mercury...
Some more hopeful directions for 2017:
- Gut check: Newest microbiome startup concentrates on autism, Parkinson’s disease
- Baylor investigates antibiotic use, children’s improved autism symptoms
- Microbes in your gut matter in Autism
- Single species of gut bacteria can reverse autism-related social behavior in mice
- Study provides clues to improving fecal microbiota transplantation
As we welcome the new year, let us welcome the new and better direction of AUTISM research. As far as the SIMONS Foundation and their SPARK gene forever odyssey, here's my best advice:
YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!
"In 1996, a group of European researchers found that a certain gene, called SLC6A4, might influence a person’s risk of depression.
It was a blockbuster discovery at the time. The team found that a less active version of the gene was more common among 454 people who had mood disorders than in 570 who did not. In theory, anyone who had this particular gene variant could be at higher risk for depression, and that finding, they said, might help in diagnosing such disorders, assessing suicidal behavior, or even predicting a person’s response to antidepressants....For depression, SLC6A4 seemed like a great candidate: It’s responsible for getting a chemical called serotonin into brain cells, and serotonin had already been linked to mood and depression. Over two decades, this one gene inspired at least 450 research papers.
But a new study—the biggest and most comprehensive of its kind yet—shows that this seemingly sturdy mountain of research is actually a house of cards, built on nonexistent foundations.
Richard Border of the University of Colorado at Boulder and his colleagues picked the 18 candidate genes that have been most commonly linked to depression—SLC6A4 chief among them. Using data from large groups of volunteers, ranging from 62,000 to 443,000 people, the team checked whether any versions of these genes were more common among people with depression. 'We didn’t find a smidge of evidence,' says Matthew Keller, who led the project.
Between them, these 18 genes have been the subject of more than 1,000 research papers, on depression alone. And for what? If the new study is right, these genes have nothing to do with depression. 'This should be a real cautionary tale,' Keller adds. 'How on Earth could we have spent 20 years and hundreds of millions of dollars studying pure noise?'
'What bothers me isn’t just that people said [the gene] mattered and it didn’t,' wrote the pseudonymous blogger Scott Alexander in a widely shared post. 'It’s that we built whole imaginary edifices on top of this idea of [it] mattering.' Researchers studied how SLC6A4 affects emotion centers in the brain, how its influence varies in different countries and demographics, and how it interacts with other genes. It’s as if they’d been 'describing the life cycle of unicorns, what unicorns eat, all the different subspecies of unicorn, which cuts of unicorn meat are tastiest, and a blow-by-blow account of a wrestling match between unicorns and Bigfoot,' Alexander wrote...."
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/05/waste-1000-studies/589684/
Posted by: Carol | July 29, 2019 at 11:00 AM
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-27/cias-intelligence-authorization-act-would-criminalize-whistleblowers-and-reporters
No more William Thompsons . Everything comes back to the vaccine-cull program
Ron Paul clarifies the real reason for this bill:
"The measure is designed - in the CIA's own words - to prevent the kind of transparency that was provided by Wikileaks. It is a war on the free press!"
Posted by: Hans Litten | July 28, 2019 at 04:39 AM
Yes, thank you all! Apparently, one in, oh I can’t keep track? Is it 68? Is it 32? Whatever the bleep it is, APPARENTLY, because of vaccines one in whatever is not stricken with polio. APPARENTLY, because of polio, no one gives a bleep about what one in whatever is stricken with.
Posted by: annie | July 28, 2019 at 04:01 AM
Thank you Bob Moffitt for your diligent efforts! And, don't forget to REJECT your annual flu shot (Just kidding of course).
Posted by: David m burd | July 27, 2019 at 04:22 PM
It never ceases to amaze me how expensive the “big lie” can be. The absurdity that not only do we have to absorb the cost of this debilitating disease, but also pay millions to maintain the fallacy that nothing can be done to prevent it is mind boggling!
Posted by: annie | July 27, 2019 at 01:00 PM
Somehow the "Autism Gene" showed up in 50 states, at the SAME time in about 1990, the SAME time the CDC added "8 new doses of mercury preserved vaccines" by age one.
They counted the money, but forgot to do the "mercury math" to realize they were giving infants 100+ times more mercury than they should EVER CONSUME orally by age one.
The rest is history, that they now need to try and change.
Posted by: go Trump | July 27, 2019 at 12:41 PM
It is criminal that so much time, effort and scarce resources .. have been wasted desperately seeking that non-existent "autism gene" that is supposed to explain the autism epidemic of recent decades.
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/news/vaccines-induce-bizarre-anti-social-behaviour-in-sheep/
Here is an article on RFK excellent "Children's Health Defense" site on truly frightening research that was initiated in Spain after a vaccine was introduced to "prevent blue tongue" disease in SHEEP. It didn't take long before sheep herders began to recognize their newly vaccinated SHEEP had developed mysterious behaviors in their flock … sheep known for following others were suddenly wandering off alone .. self-isolated from the flock .. had suddenly developed numerous repetitive behaviors … such as nibbling on steel fencing until their teeth began bleeding .. or gnawing on the coats of other sheep to the point of injuring those sheep .. on and on.
The researchers had three "control groups" to work with .. one group got the vaccine … one group got just the aluminum that is contained in the vaccine .. one group was given a TRUE PLACEBO. It did not take long for researchers to identify which sheep had gotten either the vaccine or aluminum from those who had received the placebo … since both the vaccine and aluminum sheep began to exhibit the same odd behaviors that were now 'EPIDEMIC" in herds that had been FULLY VACCINATED.
Not surprisingly … this research had a difficult time finding a peer review journal to publish it .. as well as .. the researchers involved had experienced a very vigorous effort to deny any future research funds to them.
If you have a moment and you can find Del Bigtree's HIGHWIRE hour where he interviews the Spanish researcher .. it is well worth watching. Video of sheep behaving oddly is difficult to watch as it resembles the same odd behaviors in our children .. and .. GENES have nothing to do with those odd behaviors.
Posted by: Bob Moffit | July 27, 2019 at 07:11 AM