Welcome to the new “Prevent Autism Blog!”
With this blog, I hope to share known truths, facts, and information that will empower parents to make decisions that will ultimately lower their child’s risk of becoming Autistic. Discovered in the 1940’s, Autism is a condition that may be present at birth but typically manifests in children between the ages of one and three years.
Symptoms of Autism include:
- Poor eye contact
- Social isolation
- Delayed language development
- Repetitive hand movements like hand flapping and spinning objects
There is no diagnostic test for Autism. Similar to other neurological conditions like Aspergers, Autism Spectrum, ADD, and ADHD, Autism is diagnosed by the cluster of symptoms a child has.
The prevalence of Autism was once very low. Just 30 years ago, only one or two in 10,000 children were known to have Autism. But today, nearly one in every 100 children have Autism. It is my belief that the rise in neurological conditions of unknown cause (Autism, ADD, ADHD, Aspergers, sensory processing disorders, etc.) are the result of the environments action on one’s genes (epigenetics) or direct toxic effects from neurotoxins. There are also rare genetic mitochondrial (the energy center for our cells)
and other disorders associated with Autism, but for the vast majority, the cause is likely environmental (THINK TOXINS!!!)
In upcoming blogs, we will look at some of these environmental toxins, which include mercury, aluminum, lead, arsenic, pesticides, and so on.
April is Autism Awareness Month!
To promote this cause, I encourage you to utilize the following links to access some of the important organizations that are leading the way to a better understanding of Autism so that someday we will see a significant reduction – if not total elimination - in the number of children who are afflicted by Autism.
Thoughtful House - A great link for data on the number of cases in this nation over time and by state. www.thoughtfulhouse.org
ARI (Autism Research Institute) - Sponsor of Defeat Autism Now! a leading educational program for parents and professionals. www.autism.com
Autism Society of Oregon - Good resource for local experts and services www.oregonautism.com
Generation Rescue - Working to prevent Autism and support parents. www.generationrescue.org
TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) – Great information. www.Tacanow.org
National Autism Associations – Lots of information and contact information. www.nationalautism.org
Unlocking Autism– Has a really good parent network. www.unlockingautism.org
Disclaimer: At no time should this blog be used as a substitute for medical advise. Parents should always consult with a physician when making health care decisions for their children. The only purpose of this blog is to educate and inform, it is not intended to diagnose.
09/17/10
Lately, you may have read in the news about vaccines and their relation to autism. In response, it lies evident that the truth is often clouded by social and political agendas.
We will continue to hear "no link between mercury and autism" and "no link between vaccines and autism" as the establishment fights to preserve the status quo and the current paradigm. For a good read on the other side of this debate, I would recommend the David Kirby book "Evidence of Harm," and the new book by Olmsted and Blaxill, "The Age of Autism". This later book starts the Introduction with a quote:
“You are not to expect visible proofs in a work of darkness. You are to collect the truth from circumstances, and little collateral facts, which taken singly afford no proof, yet put together, so tally with, and confirm each other, that they are as strong and convincing evidence, as facts that appear in the broad face of the day.”
-Judge Francis Buller To The Jury In A Murder Trial, 1781
Until the real studies are done where 10,000 or 100,000 children are not vaccinated or are vaccinated in different ways and then followed for the development of autism, we will be left with this void and lack of certainty.
From Hippocrates 1860 and taught in all medical schools, we should attempt to "First do no Harm - Primum non nocere"
Dr. Paul
06/15/10
Exposure to Pesticides May Increase
Occurrence of AHDH
New research reported in the June issue of Pediatrics, suggests that exposure to high levels of organophosphate pesticides may increase the odds for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
Going organic, buying at farmers' markets and washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly before consuming them, is the best way to minimize pesticide exposure.
"Organophosphates are one of the most widely used pesticides in agriculture.”
In their study, Bouchard and her colleagues analyzed data on pesticide exposure and ADHD in more than 1,100 American children aged 8 to 15.
"The higher the level of exposure [as measured by metabolites in the urine], the higher the odds of having ADHD," Bouchard added.
High doses of organophosphates may inhibit acetylcholinesterase, a nervous system enzyme, and may affect different growth factors and neurotransmitters.
These findings may provide another clue into the causes of ADHD, a condition which affects one in fourteen school-aged children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Autism and other chronic disorders of brain and development may also be affected by pesticides, though this was not mentioned in this article.
At least one-third of fathers who have had ADHD in their youth have a child with ADHD." Perhaps the inability to excrete (detox) pesticides is the possible reason.
The time is now to get serious about eating organic from the day of conception throughout our lives.
04/19/10
This blog is going to be about Pneumococcal Disease. This week, April 14, 2010, we have a new vaccine, the Prevnar13. This will be replacing the Prevnar7. Streptococcus Pneumoniae is the leading cause of pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis, ear infections, and sinusitis in the United States. There have recently been over 4500 deaths annually from this disease, with most of these deaths coming from the infection entering the blood stream (which is called bacteremia), and meningitis (which is an infection around the brain).
In Oregon, the new Pneumococcal vaccine, also called the PCV13 or Prevnar13, will cover additional serotypes 1, 3, 5, 6a, 7f, and 19a. Over the past couple years, this new vaccine would have prevented over a third of the serious pneumococcal infections here in Oregon. Approximately 200 cases of serious infection (bacteremia, sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis), mostly in children 0-5 years of age, could have been prevented.
At Integrative Pediatrics this week, we will be replacing all of the old Prevnar vaccine with the new ones. Patients should be assured that this vaccine contains the same amount of aluminum (125 micrograms) as the old Prevnar vaccine. While it would be desirable that there be no aluminum, it appears that this vaccine would be ineffective and would not produce an immune response without it. Due to the presence of the aluminum in this vaccine, at Integrative Pediatrics we choose not to do more than one aluminum-containing vaccine at a time; and this vaccine will simply replace the typical Prevnar location in the vaccine schedule.
Children age 1-5 who have completed the series of Prevnar(Pc) vaccines should get one more.
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