Posted on 03/03/2006 1:54:55 AM PST by neverdem
Autism diagnoses have dropped nationwide since mercury was removed from most childhood vaccines, according to a new study that some say lends credence to charges that vaccinations were responsible for a huge increase in autism cases.
About 4,700 families -- including ones from Framingham and Waltham -- have pending claims in a federal vaccine court alleging that mercury in vaccines caused their children to develop autism.
The allegations are controversial and viewed with skepticism by many government officials and medical professionals. But supporters of a vaccine-autism link say a new report in the peer reviewed Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons proves that the removal of mercury from vaccines has led to a decrease in autism cases.
"This study is exactly the kind of thing people have been waiting for for three years now," said Richard Deth, a neuropharmacologist at Northeastern University who has testified in front of Congress on this issue. "It was recognized that this type of data would be (necessary) to see whether this theory had validity or not."
The study by two researchers was criticized by a government vaccination official who said it drew conclusions from unreliable data.
"I don’t think this study can really be taken to provide any evidence one way or another," said Dr. Robert Davis, director of the immunization safety group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But the study was warmly received by Jared Hansen, a Framingham resident with two autistic children who filed a claim in the federal vaccine court.
"It’s certainly the data we’ve been expecting and waiting for. I’m glad to see it’s been published," Hansen said. "I believe it will swing some people who are sitting on the fence."
Hansen’s claim is pending in front of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a no-fault system that pays financial settlements from a trust fund consisting of vaccine surcharges. The program is considering claims in one omnibus proceeding from Hansen and 4,700 other parents, including Mike Chmura of Waltham.
Between 1988 and 1992, the federal government more than doubled the amount of mercury injected into babies by recommending additional vaccines that contain thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury.
Since then, estimated autism prevalence soared from one out of 2,500 births to one in every 166. Federal officials say the increase is at least partly explained by changes in diagnostic guidelines, but some researchers believe mercury in vaccines is to blame.
Thimerosal is still used in flu shots, but was eliminated from most other childhood vaccines by 2003.
A father-son research team determined that new diagnoses of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders have dropped since then after analyzing data from the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, the U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Developmental Services.
Additional doses of mercury-containing vaccines were associated with a 2- to 8-fold increase in risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, they wrote in the latest issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
"Significant decreasing trends in newly diagnosed (disorders) were observed ... from mid-2002 through 2005," wrote Dr. Mark Geier and son, David. Mark Geier is president of the Genetic Centers of America and his son is a graduate student in biochemistry at George Washington University.
Their study was criticized by officials who said the data bases the Geiers analyzed are not reliable. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System can contain reports filed by anyone, including doctors, patients and lawyers, Davis said.
The Department of Education numbers are skewed, another official said, because the DOE did not make autism a separate diagnosis until the 1990s. That led to an artificial increase because children who previously had different diagnoses were then considered autistic, said Dr. Marie McCormick, a Harvard professor who chaired an Institute of Medicine committee that dismissed any link between vaccines and autism.
(Jon Brodkin can be reached at 508-626-4424 or jbrodkin@cnc.com.)
It does appear credible that genetics plays at least some role. As far as thimerosol is concerned, the correlation between mercury and autism appears to be spurious, insofar as places that eliminate thimerosol from vaccines do not observe a corresponding decline in autism diagnoses - another poster referred to a Danish study that showed this quite clearly, if you'd like to google it up.
Anyway, it's not that I don't want it to be mercury, or I have some vested interest in it not being mercury - I'd be quite satisfied if the evidence showed that thimerosol was a significant risk factor, since then we'd know what to do to improve the situation. Unfortunately, it seems that life is not that clean and neat in this particular case.
Mercury is also suspect as a cause of alzheimers, and other dementia.
I've been gradualy getting my amalgum fillings removed as well.
BTW, chlorella (capsules)is a mercury magnet, as well as an anti-oxident.
good info on mercury, thanks
"I'm not confused. Linking Diet Coke, vaccines, and pesticides to autism can be construed as absurd."
Yes, you are still confused. The issue is whether mercury, a known neurotoxin (which as a nurse you are already well aware of) can cause autism. Your attempt to cloud the issue with Diet coke and other stuff is the absurd part and doesn't help get to the truth.
"Follow the money."
Yep. Follow the money. But don't just point the finger at David Geier.
Vaccines are big business. The pharmaceutical companies are trying to say that financially they can't produce them without complete legal indemnity. Given the number of studies recently that have been "creatively" interpreted so that they can get dangerous drugs onto the market, these guys don't need indemnity, they need more integrity. Ever heard of Vioxx, Bextra, Fen-fen/Redux, Seldane, Hismanal, Rezulin, Baycol, etc.? That's just a partial list of the more sensational ones which caused serious problems or death. They knowingly ignored significant negative events in all of the field trials and studies for these meds.
What about the supposedly safe Smallpox vaccine? Do they need indemnity for that, too, after it caused several deaths?
BTW, did you get your smallpox vaccine?
The prescription drug companies are in it for the profit, and that's fine, but if you are going to talk about someone only after money in this whole vaccincation issue then you need to look into what has happened to the FDA vetting process for new meds. Even PBS has been reporting on this:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/prescription/etc/synopsis.html
"I've been gradualy getting my amalgum fillings removed as well. "
Some of the studies have shown that it may be even more dangerous to remove them than just to leave them.
What has been your experience with this?
Let me guess; you're a lawyer?
The pharmaceutical companies are trying to say that financially they can't produce them without complete legal indemnity.
I think the pharmaceutical companies are asking for protection from shark lawyers. Common sense will tell you that if you put a chemical in your body, there is potential for harm. What about chemotherapy? Should that be banned, since it is probably responsible for more deaths and hospitalizations than any other drug class? You specifically mention Phen-Fen. IIRC, there was a black box warning put on Redux when it was found that some patients developed PPH from it. If the patient understands the consequences, they should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they can take a med or not (the "Phen" in Phen-fen, Phentermine, is still on the market).
BTW, did you get your smallpox vaccine?
Yes, and I have the scar on my left arm to prove it (it's still visible after 42 years).
I did not allow my fourteen yr. old daughter to have any vaccines. She is very healthy. Of course we kept her immune system strong through good diet and activity.
Look up NDF for a really powerful mercury detox. Only thing is, when you take it you should have some kind of detox agent to get it out of the body. NDF frees it out of the tissue or wherever it is but needs some method to escort it out of the body like lymphomyosot through a homeopath, or footbath detox.
NDF is the most powerful form of chlorella detox we have found but it isn't good just to leave whatever it loosens circulating in the blood system or other parts of the body.
NDF?
Thanks. I'll google it.
If you have any more info, or links on detox from mercury, and other toxins, I'd appreciate it.
Feel free to freep-mail me with it, if you'd like.
Regards
;-)
Thanks. I'm definately thinking about it.
hate to tell you, but they too that stuff out of vaccines quite a few years ago...didn't help...
There might be an increase in Autism, but I suspect a lot of it is
1 premies and kids with meningitis now live
2 autism is a gentler diagnosis than mental retardation so many kids who are retarded with some abnormal behavior get diagnosed as autistic.
rIn the 1950's these kids were called "retarded"...and institutionalized.the few "high functioning" autistics were called "childhood schizophrenia" and blamed on bad mothering technique...
but now we see the opposite: Retarded kids are called "autistic" when they are really only hyperactive with neurological behavior problems...autism is a specific disease, concerning language, sensory sensitivity, and interpersonal relationship problems...most autistic kids are retarded, but that's like saying most kids with cerebral palsy have some retardation...the common thread is where the brain was damaged...
And LOTS of things can cause it...
Some are prenatal, with the kid showing problems from birth...others are probably viral encephalitis...where the kid is normal, then gets a high fever, and then deteriorates neurologically...
Measles used to be a cause, so blame measles vaccine if you want...we also used to blame it on whooping cough vaccine, but now we have a new vaccine, and fewer post shot fevers, but not much improvement in "autism"...
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a common cause...and I always wonder how much of the increase is due to drug use of moms...
Lead poisoning was a cause...and some used to suspect lead in gasoline fumes caused the high hyperactivity/retardation rates in inner city kids...
But mercury?
Yup...the Japanese had a mercury dump that caused Pink syndrome and a lot of problems...but you'd get more from eating fish than you would from the tiny amount in shots...
and did you know that in NOrthern Minnesota, we weren't supposed to eat local fish more than once a week due to mercury? Yup...I saw a lot of "autism" there...mainly due to cocaine and fetal alcohol syndromre....not mercury.
I'd reply, but today's the day I clean the lint out of my belly-button.
"Let me guess; you're a lawyer?"
Hey, them's fightin' words! ;-). Nope, not even close. I know lots of good lawyer jokes, though.
"Common sense will tell you that if you put a chemical in your body, there is potential for harm. What about chemotherapy? Should that be banned, since it is probably responsible for more deaths and hospitalizations than any other drug class?"
I agree completely, there are risks with every chemical you put in your body. But no one has tried to mandate forced chemotherapy treatments like they do for some vaccinations, either. So the research on vaccines needs to have even more integrity associated with it because of that fact.
"Yes, and I have the scar on my left arm to prove it (it's still visible after 42 years)."
Actually I was referring to the more recent version of the vaccine which was suddenly stopped after it apparently injured or killed several workers in the medical field.
"hate to tell you, but they too that stuff out of vaccines quite a few years ago...didn't help... "
Huh? It was in there as recently as 4 years ago. I know because I read the product insert when my child got the DT shot.
We would have gone throught that in an instant, compared to what my nephew is like due to his DPT shot.
He is 22 this year, and functions as a three year old. He doesn't talk.
He began having seizures immediately after the shot, and never recovered.
I can certainly agree with you that the research should not be falsified to ensure passage of the vaccine (or medications, treatments, etc.). But that point should apply equally to research DISPROVING vaccines, meds, etc.
Another problem is that despite rigorous clinical trials prior to bringing a med or vaccine to market, there is always the possibility of some major side effect occurring AFTER the vaccine/med is marketed and has received FDA approval. A good example of this would be the Rotavirus vaccine in the late 90's(?). After it was approved and on the general market, it was found to cause a potentially life-threatening abdominal disorder in children receiving it, and was pulled off the market. Of course, the shark lawyers pounced on it right away.
As far as forcing people to get vaccines, that is part of both "standard of care" as well as past experience. The American Academy of Pediatrics as well as the CDC offer guidelines on suggested immunizations. Most of these guidelines are sound (how many cases of Tetanus are there in the US each year vs. any third world country?). Some can be construed as overboard (Hepatitis B as a mandatory vaccine). The AAP certainly has Socialist leanings I will admit. However, in order for a vaccine to reach it's maximum effectiveness from a public health point of view, it needs widespread use (e.g. the Oral Polio Vaccine was effective in controlling polio in the US; the last case of "in the wild" polio was sometime in the 70's).
As for the experience part, if you have ever seen and taken care of children with the diseases that the vaccines prevent, you would understand why the Pediatricians "push" vaccines. However, from a conservative standpoint, I understand the point of wanting to, as a parent, make that decision yourself.
"But that point should apply equally to research DISPROVING vaccines, meds, etc."
Truth is truth. It should go both ways.
"A good example of this would be the Rotavirus vaccine in the late 90's(?). After it was approved and on the general market, it was found to cause a potentially life-threatening abdominal disorder in children receiving it, and was pulled off the market."
There's always some risk, I agree. But the problem is that the pharm companies have seriously hurt their own credibility because they have delayed taking certain meds off the market even when they knew there were potentially serious side effects. This was the case for Vioxx or Bextra, I think. Very serious stuff, and a company producing a product like this needs to be held to a higher standard, I believe.
"in order for a vaccine to reach it's maximum effectiveness from a public health point of view, it needs widespread use"
Yeah, I know, the herd immunity thing. I understand that concept, but human nature is such that if people really thought it was a great idea and the benefits outweighed potential risks there wouldn't be any need for coercion. That has certainly been true in past years for many vaccinations. I mean, if Osama finds a way to start a dangerous flu epidemic or something like that then they won't need to coerce anyone to take the vaccine, people will be fighting over the existing supply.
I can partially agree on this; a vaccine to prevent the effects of biological warfare is a good example. However, the downside to that theory is that people take the diseases prevented by vaccines for granted. When was the last time you saw measles? The last time I saw them was back in the 60's when I had them. Granted, there have been sporadic outbreaks here and there, but most people under the age of 40 have probably never seen measles. Even chicken pox is much less prevalent now than 10 years ago (although 20% of those receiving it still get chicken pox). Given the fact that a disease is "out of sight, out of mind", does that make it safe to forego the vaccine?
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