Adventures in Autism

Children Vaccinated for Flu at Three Times the Risk for Hospitalization than Unvaccinated Peers

2009-07-14T11:32:00.000-04:00

...and those with asthma at a higher risk of hospitalization if they get the flu vaccine.

The American Thoracic Society: Flu Shot Not Effective in Preventing Flu-Related Hospitalizations in Asthmatic Children
News Release
FOR RELEASE MAY 19, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. PDT

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Keely Savoie or Brian Kell
ksavoie@thoracic.org or bkell@thoracic.org
ATS Office: 212-315-8620 or 212-315-6442 (until May 13)
Cell phones: 917-860-5814 (KS) or 516-305-9251 (BK)
ATS Press Room: 619-525-6323, 619-525-6324 or 619-525-6325 (May 15 to 20)
Mini-Symposium time: May 19: 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Presentation time: May 19: 3:20 p.m.
Location: San Diego Convention Center, Room 3 (Upper Level)

Flu Shot Not Effective in Preventing Flu-Related Hospitalizations in Asthmatic Children

ATS 2009, SAN DIEGO— The inactivated flu vaccine does not appear to be effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in children, especially the ones with asthma. In fact, children who get the flu vaccine are more at risk for hospitalization than their peers who do not get the vaccine, according to new research that will be presented on Tuesday, May 19, at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego.

Flu vaccine (trivalent inactivated flu vaccine—TIV) has unknown effects on asthmatics.

“The concerns that vaccination maybe associated with asthma exacerbations have been disproved with multiple studies in the past, but the vaccine’s effectiveness has not been well-established,” said Avni Joshi, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. “This study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the TIV in children overall, as well as the children with asthma, to prevent influenza-related hospitalization.”

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend annual influenza vaccination for all children aged six months to 18 years. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (3rd revision) also recommends annual flu vaccination of asthmatic children older than six months.

In order to determine whether the vaccine was effective in reducing the number of
hospitalizations that all children, and especially the ones with asthma, faced over eight consecutive flu seasons, the researchers conducted a cohort study of 263 children who were evaluated at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota from six months to 18 years of age, each of whom had had laboratory-confirmed influenza between 1996 to 2006. The investigators determined who had and had not received the flu vaccine, their asthma status and who did and did not require hospitalization. Records were reviewed for each subject with influenza-related illness for flu vaccination preceding the illness and hospitalization during that illness.

They found that children who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization, as compared to children who had not received the vaccine. In asthmatic children, there was a significantly higher risk of hospitalization in subjects who received the TIV, as compared to those who did not (p= 0.006). But no other measured factors—such as insurance plans or severity of asthma—appeared to affect risk of hospitalization.

“While these findings do raise questions about the efficacy of the vaccine, they do not in fact implicate it as a cause of hospitalizations,” said Dr. Joshi. “More studies are needed to assess not only the immunogenicity, but also the efficacy of different influenza vaccines in asthmatic subjects.”

###

Session # C94: “Viral Infections in Childhood Respiratory Disease”
Abstract # 561: “Flu Vaccination in Asthmatics: Does It Work?”
http://www.call4abstracts.com/ats/society_admin/abs_preview.php?absnum=561
Close Window
ATS 2009 · San Diego
International Conference
Abstract Number: 561
Contact/Presenting Author: Avni Y. Joshi
Department/Institution: Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic
Address: 200, First St. SW
City/State/Zip/Country: Rochester, MN, 55905
Phone: 01-507-284-2511 Fax: 01-507-284-0902 E-mail: joshi.avni@mayo.edu
ATS member: No Student or in training: Yes
Funding Source: None.
Abstract Category: 14.03 - Pediatric Asthma
Presentation format: Either Poster or Oral
Preview Disclosure
Travel Award: Yes
Publication of email address: Yes, joshi.avni@mayo.edu
I confirm that all authors listed on this abstract have knowledge of the abstract submission:
Yes
Title: Flu Vaccination in Asthmatics: Does It Work?
A. Y. Joshi, MD1, V. N. Iyer, MD,MPH1, M. F. Hartz, MD1, G. W. Volcheck, MD,Ph.D1, A. M. Patel,
MD1 and J. T. Li, MD,Ph.D1. 1Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN.
INTRODUCTION: Influenza is known to be associated with asthma exacerbation but the
effectiveness of the trivalent inactivated flu vaccine (TIV) in asthmatics is unknown.

METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of all pediatric subjects( 6 months to 18 years age) who were evaluated at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA who had laboratory confirmed influenza during each flu season from 1999-2006 to evaluate the efficacy of TIV. A case control analysis was performed with the cases and the controls being the subjects with asthma who did and did not required hospitalization with the influenza illness respectively.

RESULTS:
There were 236 subjects with laboratory confirmed influenza from 1996-2006.

In assessing the effectiveness of the TIV for preventing hospitalization with influenza in all subjects, there was an overall trend towards higher rates of hospitalization in subjects who got the TIV as compared to the ones who did not get the TIV( OR:2.97, CI: 1.3,6.7).Using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH) test for Asthma status stratification, there was a significant association between hospitalization in asthmatic subjects and TIV (P=0.006).

http://www.call4abstracts.com/ats/society_admin/abs_preview.php?absnum=561 (1 of 2) [5/11/2009 1:43:56 PM]
http://www.call4abstracts.com/ats/society_admin/abs_preview.php?absnum=561
In the asthmatic subset:
There was no association between ER visit and receiving the TIV ,severity of asthma and the risk of hospitalization or the hospital length of stay and receiving the TIV.

In assessing access to medical care, there was no association between hospitalizations and health care insurance plans (Odds ratio:0.3, P= 0.13)

CONCLUSION:
1) TIV did not provide any protection against hospitalization in pediatric subjects' esp. children with asthma. On the contrary, we found a 3- fold increased risk of hospitalization in subjects who did get the TIV vaccine.This may be a reflection not only of the vaccine effectiveness but also the population of children who are more likely to get the vaccine.

2) More studies are needed to assess not only the immunogenicity but also efficacy of different influenza vaccines in asthmatic subjects.
http://

Mercury Containing Swine flu Vaccine May be Cleared After Five-Day Trial

2009-07-13T17:59:00.000-04:00

In London, the Sunday Times is reporting that "When the new vaccine for swine flu arrives in Britain, regulators said this weekend, it could be approved for use in just five days."

No word yet on how long the trials for the H1N1 shots will last in the US.

I have spoken to an official at the Maine health department who is reporting that the vaccine delivered here will be one that comes in multidose vials, therefore will be a mercury containing vaccine.

Last week, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that HHS was "anticipating a voluntary" H1N1 vaccine program this fall, which leaves room for the possibility that HHS could change their minds and make it mandatory.

I would encourage everyone to keep an eye on this story as it develops, as hastily manufactured, tested and delivered vaccines that are not held up to the same scrutiny that is standard during FDA licensure certainly would have a greater potential for adverse reactions when introduced to the general public.

Swine flu vaccine to be cleared after five-day trial
July 12, 2009
The Sunday Times
byJon Ungoed-Thomas

The path of a popular medicine from the laboratory to the chemist or doctor’s surgery can involve years of clinical trials on a select group of patients.

When the new vaccine for swine flu arrives in Britain, regulators said this weekend, it could be approved for use in just five days.

Regulators at the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) said the fast-tracked procedure has involved clinical trials of a “mock-up” vaccine similar to the one that will be used for the biggest mass vaccination programme in generations. It will be introduced into the general population while regulators continue to carry out simultaneous clinical trials.

The first patients in the queue for the jab - being supplied to the UK by GSK and Baxter Healthcare - may understandably be a little nervous at any possible side effects. A mass vaccination campaign against swine flu in America was halted in the 1970s after some people suffered Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system.

However, regulators said fast-tracking would not be at the expense of patient safety. “The vaccines are authorised with a detailed risk management plan,” the EMEA said. “There is quite a body of evidence regarding safety on the trials of the mock-up, and the actual vaccine could be assessed in five days.”

The UK government has ordered enough vaccine to cover the entire population. GPs are being told to prepare for a nationwide vaccination campaign.

Dr Peter Holden, the British Medical Association’s lead negotiator on swine flu, who has been attending Department of Health meetings on the outbreak, said GPs’ surgeries were prepared for one of the biggest vaccination campaigns in almost 50 years.

He said although swine flu was not causing serious illness in patients, health officials were eager to start a mass vaccination campaign, starting first on priority groups. First, the jabs would reduce the chances of a shortage of hospital beds because of people suffering from swine flu. Second, it would reduce the effect on the economy by ensuring workers were protected from the virus.

“The high-risk groups will be done at GPs’ surgeries. People are still making decisions over this, but we want to get cracking before we get a second wave, which is traditionally far more virulent.”

Holden said it was likely the elderly would be given their seasonal flu jab as well as the swine flu vaccination. The new vaccine is likely to require two doses.

Details of the inoculation plans emerged after the death of a patient, reportedly a middle-aged man, at a hospital in the Basildon area of Essex. The victim had no underlying health problems, but officials say there is no evidence the swine flu virus had mutated into a more dangerous strain.

Holden said it would be the biggest campaign in response to an outbreak since mass vaccination against smallpox in 1962. He said surgeries would be aiming to inoculate about 30 people an hour in a “military-style operation”.

The Department of Health said it had still not finalised which groups would be vaccinated first, but children, frontline health workers, people with underlying illnesses and the elderly are likely to take priority.

The European Commission is also identifying population groups which it believes should get priority. It is keen to ensure that countries such as the UK, which had ordered supplies of the vaccine in advance, do not cause inequities in treatment elsewhere in Europe.

It warned health ministers in a note circulated last month that if the vaccines were more readily available in some countries it could cause “vaccine tourism/shopping in other member states”.

About 15 people have died of swine flu in Britain, but most of those infected get only mild symptoms. According to the latest figures from the Health Protection Agency, the UK has had 9,718 confirmed cases of the disease.

Swine Flu Vaccine: Will We Have A Choice?

2009-07-12T14:17:00.002-04:00

H1N1 Flu: Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes on the 1976 Swine Flu Vaccine Push

2009-07-10T21:55:00.000-04:00

The Federal Government has begun the push of the swine flu vaccine, even before the vaccine has been completed.

It is more than a bit disconcerting to hear that the government is recommending a vaccine, and has decided to administer it in schools, before it has even been completed much less tested. The mantra of CDC on vaccines has always been, "the benefits outweigh the risks". Yet we have no vaccine or test upon which to base a risk/benefit analysis. This for a virus that appears to be less dangerous than the seasonal flu.

In 1976 CDC decided to launch a similar campaign. It was a disaster. Swine flu never came to fruition, and 4,000 people were permanently injured or killed by the shot.

In 1979, 60 Minutes did a story on the damage. It aired only once, but resurfaced last month on the internet.

It is obvious why it only aired once.

It is REMARKABLE how closely this story parallels our own. 30 years later, the CDC seems to have learned nothing about anticipating and dealing properly with vaccine injury. You could have taken these exact same quotes out of this story and put them in an autism story.

So did this exchange happen in 1979 or in 2009?:

Interviewer: "Why does this report from your own agency list neurological complications as a possibility?"

Director of CDC: "I think the consensus of the scientific community was that the evidence relating neurologic disorders to immunizations was such that they did not feel that this association was a real one."

Swine Flu 1976 & Propaganda
Uploaded by Dianequiose-4. - More video blogs and vloggers.

The ads encouraging my parents to get the swine flu shot back then were not PSA's that took seriously their right to informed consent and educated them on the risks and benifits of getting the vaccine, they were PR pieces (including scare tactics, "...but Dotty had a heart condition and she died") put together by Madison Avenue.

Not only has HHS not learned to treat the public respectfully and be straight with them on this vaccine, they have lowered the bar on their PR push... all the way. This advertising push will be brought to you not by reasoned physicians upholding their ethical obligations by offering a comprehensive overview of risks and benifits, it will not even be brought to you by the professional ad men who sell you cars and beer, it will be brought to you by you:

Create a Flu Video & Be Eligible to Win $2500

So now you can not only be entertained by Fred Figglehorn, you can also get your medical advice from him.

HHS gets around these sticky ethical delemma's of being honest with the public and not trading on emotions or fears, by letting the public scare and cajole themselves into getting the shot.

As much as CDC claims that it wants to gain back credibility on vaccine issues, moves like this say different.

I Love Missouri Governor Jay Nixon

2009-07-08T23:37:00.002-04:00

Congressional Briefing by Maloney on Vaxxed v. Unvaxxed Bill

2009-07-08T11:27:00.001-04:00

Call your Senators and Representatives offices and ask them to attend:

Rep. Maloney and Rep. Smith To Host A Second Autism Congressional Briefing An Update On Federal Autism Research And Treatment Initiatives

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR US SENATORS (HERE) AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS (HERE) AND URGE THEM TO ATTEND OR SEND A STAFF MEMBER TO THIS IMPORTANT AUTISM-VACCINE BRIEFING ON CAPITOL HILL

Friday, July 17 at 9:30 AM
210 Cannon House Office Building
Independence Avenue, Washington, DC.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) is hosting a special briefing for Members of Congress and their Staff to discuss issues related to autism research and treatment. We hope that you will attend the briefing to learn about the changing dynamics of the autism debate, as you will find many in government and science believe this debate is far from settled.

David Kirby, investigative journalist and author of The New York Times bestseller Evidence of Harm, Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic – A Medical Controversy, will inform Members and their staff about developments regarding environmental factors in autism and the “Seven Studies to Watch” – Plus, changing ASD demographics post-thimerosal reduction. Mr. Kirby will also be joined by Mark Blaxill, Editor-at-Large of Age of Autism, Director of the Coalition for SAFE MINDS and co-author of a forthcoming book on the roots of the autism epidemic, who will address the policy and public health implications of the autism crisis.
Among the issues to be discussed are:
The unanimous endorsement by the National Vaccine Advisory Committee to look at the feasibility of a large vaccinated-unvaccinated study, with autism as an outcome.

The NVAC endorsement of three other vaccine-autism investigations, including children with mitochondrial dysfunction, children with regressive autism, and vaccine injury as a risk factor for ASD.

Recent Vaccine Court decisions finding the MMR and Hep B vaccines caused injuries that led to autism and MS.

The NIH Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigations EARLI study and the HHS/EPA National Children’s Study, both of which are looking at vaccination and mercury exposures, with autism as a possible outcome.

The CDC’s Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology (CADDRE) Network, whose five-year goal includes studying "specific mercury exposures, including any vaccine use by the mother during pregnancy and the child's vaccine exposures after birth.”

Cleveland Clinic – A recent article in PLoS Online by authors from the Cleveland Clinic, Harvard and Johns Hopkins University reported that, "Large, population-based studies will be needed to identify a possible relationship of vaccination with autistic regression in persons with mitochondrial dysfunction.”

Recent statements by Federal health officials such as Dr. Duane Alexander, Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), who said it was “legitimate to ask” whether vaccines can trigger autism, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID, who said in a US News and World report article, “we may want to screen everyone prior to vaccination (for) undetectable diseases like a subclinical mitochondrial disorder."

The U.C. Davis M.I.N.D. Institute study which found, that the seven- to eight-fold increase in the number children born in California with autism since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted — and the trend shows no sign of abating. This as young adults begin to flood the social services system

Reports of reduced Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) severity among the youngest children, following reduction of thimerosal in childhood vaccines.

Please contact your elected representatives and urge them to attend.
A RUNNING TALLY OF CONGRESSIONAL RSVPS WILL BE KEPT AT WWW.AGEOFAUTISM.COM,
IF YOU RECEIVE ANY REPLY FROM LAWMAKERS IN YOUR STATE, PLEASE FORWARD THAT INFORMATION TO kirbylecture@gmail.com

Babies Born with Genetal Malformations Increasing

2009-07-07T10:07:00.001-04:00

Another screaming wake up call that is not being heard by the government health authorities.

Please consider bringing this New York Times column to the attention of your legislator and public health department.

Add that you would like them to get on board with the Environmental Working Group's Kid Safe Chemicals Act.

It’s Time to Learn From Frogs
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
New York Times: June 27, 2009

Some of the first eerie signs of a potential health catastrophe came as bizarre deformities in water animals, often in their sexual organs.

Frogs, salamanders and other amphibians began to sprout extra legs. In heavily polluted Lake Apopka, one of the largest lakes in Florida, male alligators developed stunted genitals.

In the Potomac watershed near Washington, male smallmouth bass have rapidly transformed into “intersex fish” that display female characteristics. This was discovered only in 2003, but the latest survey found that more than 80 percent of the male smallmouth bass in the Potomac are producing eggs.

Now scientists are connecting the dots with evidence of increasing abnormalities among humans, particularly large increases in numbers of genital deformities among newborn boys. For example, up to 7 percent of boys are now born with undescended testicles, although this often self-corrects over time. And up to 1 percent of boys in the United States are now born with hypospadias, in which the urethra exits the penis improperly, such as at the base rather than the tip.

Apprehension is growing among many scientists that the cause of all this may be a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors. They are very widely used in agriculture, industry and consumer products. Some also enter the water supply when estrogens in human urine — compounded when a woman is on the pill — pass through sewage systems and then through water treatment plants.

These endocrine disruptors have complex effects on the human body, particularly during fetal development of males.

“A lot of these compounds act as weak estrogen, so that’s why developing males — whether smallmouth bass or humans — tend to be more sensitive,” said Robert Lawrence, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “It’s scary, very scary.”

The scientific case is still far from proven, as chemical companies emphasize, and the uncertainties for humans are vast. But there is accumulating evidence that male sperm count is dropping and that genital abnormalities in newborn boys are increasing. Some studies show correlations between these abnormalities and mothers who have greater exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy, through everything from hair spray to the water they drink.

Endocrine disruptors also affect females. It is now well established that DES, a synthetic estrogen given to many pregnant women from the 1930s to the 1970s to prevent miscarriages, caused abnormalities in the children. They seemed fine at birth, but girls born to those women have been more likely to develop misshaped sexual organs and cancer.

There is also some evidence from both humans and monkeys that endometriosis, a gynecological disorder, is linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors. Researchers also suspect that the disruptors can cause early puberty in girls.

A rush of new research has also tied endocrine disruptors to obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes, in both animals and humans. For example, mice exposed in utero even to low doses of endocrine disruptors appear normal at first but develop excess abdominal body fat as adults.

Among some scientists, there is real apprehension at the new findings — nothing is more terrifying than reading The Journal of Pediatric Urology — but there hasn’t been much public notice or government action.

This month, the Endocrine Society, an organization of scientists specializing in this field, issued a landmark 50-page statement. It should be a wake-up call.

“We present the evidence that endocrine disruptors have effects on male and female reproduction, breast development and cancer, prostate cancer, neuroendocrinology, thyroid, metabolism and obesity, and cardiovascular endocrinology,” the society declared.

“The rise in the incidence in obesity,” it added, “matches the rise in the use and distribution of industrial chemicals that may be playing a role in generation of obesity.”

The Environmental Protection Agency is moving toward screening endocrine disrupting chemicals, but at a glacial pace. For now, these chemicals continue to be widely used in agricultural pesticides and industrial compounds. Everybody is exposed.

“We should be concerned,” said Dr. Ted Schettler of the Science and Environmental Health Network. “This can influence brain development, sperm counts or susceptibility to cancer, even where the animal at birth seems perfectly normal.”

The most notorious example of water pollution occurred in 1969, when the Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire and helped shock America into adopting the Clean Water Act. Since then, complacency has taken hold.

Those deformed frogs and intersex fish — not to mention the growing number of deformities in newborn boys — should jolt us once again.

Maine CDC Autism Conference: How Do We Know What Autism IS NOT if We Do Not Know What Autism IS? by Jon Poling, MD, PhD

2009-07-03T20:42:00.001-04:00

Maine CDC Autism Conference 2009
Looking Forward Beyond Vaccines: How Do We Know What Autism IS NOT if We Do Not Know What Autism IS? Followed by Q&A with other conference speakers.
Jon Poling, MD, PhD
Neurologist, Clinical Assistant Professor
Medical College of Georgia
Father of child with autism

Maine CDC Autism Conference: Genes and Environment, Developmental and Chronic: An Inclusive Approach to Autism Science by Martha Herbert, MD, PhD

2009-07-03T20:14:00.002-04:00

Maine CDC Autism Conference 2009
Genes and Environment, Developmental and Chronic: An Inclusive Approach to Autism Science, followed by Q&A
Martha Herbert, MD, PhD
Pediatric Neurologist
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School

Next Session:
Looking Forward Beyond Vaccines: How Do We Know What Autism IS NOT if We Do Not Know What Autism IS? by Jon Poling, MD, PhD

Maine CDC Autism Conference: Kim Block of WGME Presents News Piece on Autism

2009-07-03T10:21:00.001-04:00

Maine CDC Autism Conference 2009
Kim Block, reporter for WGME, presents a news piece on autism treatment

Next Session:
Genes and Environment, Developmental and Chronic: An Inclusive Approach to Autism Science by Martha Herbert, MD, PhD

Maine CDC Autism Conference: Gastrointestinal and Nutritional Co-Morbidities in Autism by Tim Buie, MD

2009-07-03T09:34:00.002-04:00

Maine CDC Autism Conference 2009
Gastrointestinal and Nutritional Co-Morbidities in Autism, followed by Q&A
Tim Buie, MD
Pediatric Gastroenterologist
LADDERS Program, MassGeneral Hospital for Children
Harvard Medical School

Questions from the Audience

Next Session:
Kim Block from WGME presents news piece on Autism treatment.

Maine CDC Autism Conference: Autism 101

2009-07-03T07:58:00.001-04:00

Maine CDC Autism Conference 2009
Autism 101, First signs and symptoms, Maine’s new screening tool, how and when to refer for specialized diagnostics, how a diagnosis is made, AAP Autism Toolkit, diagnostic and therapeutic services in Maine.
Introduction of Speakers by Dora Mills, MD, MPH

Autism 101
Early Identification and Autism Prevalence
Nancy Cronin, Coordinator of the PDD Systems Change Initiative

Autism 101
Common understanding of what children with autism look like
Mary Ellen Gellerstedt, MD
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician
Eastern Maine Medical Center

Autism 101
Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Victoria Dalzell, MD
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
Barbara Bush Children's Hospital
Maine Medical Center

Autism 101
Developmental Screening in the Office
Donald Burgess, MD, FAAP

Autism 101
Diagnostic and Medical Evaluation, Intervention and Office Visits for Children on the Autism Spectrum
Carol Hubbard, MD
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician
Maine Medical Center

Autism 101
Questions from the Audience

Next Session:
Gastrointestinal and Nutritional Co-Morbidities in Autism by Tim Buie, MD

Maine CDC Autism Conference: Intro by Dora Mills

2009-07-02T14:02:00.011-04:00

As I have previously mentioned, in May the Maine CDC held a one day conference on Autism. The videos of the conference will be available on the Maine CDC web site, however Maine state law requires that they be ADA compliant before going up, and the process of close captioning the videos is proving to be time consuming. So in my impatience, I am uploading my copies of the videos (with permission from Maine CDC who is encouraging their free circulation.)

Conference materials available here on the Maine CDC web site.

Those who would like a set of DVD's of the conference, for yourself, your organization or to pass along to doctors and public health officials, email me.

Maine CDC Autism Conference 2009
Introduction and Overview of Autism in Maine
Dora Anne Mills, MD, MPH
Director, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, State Health Officer
with Becky Grant-Widen, Board Member of the National Autism Association

Next session:
Autism 101: First signs and symptoms, Maine’s new screening tool, how and when to refer for specialized diagnostics, how a diagnosis is made, AAP Autism Toolkit, diagnostic and therapeutic services in Maine.

Monsanto's Roundup Kills Human Cells

2009-07-01T21:35:00.000-04:00

Our children have been eating poisoned foods. Keep in mind, this substance is one of the "inert" ingredients in Roundup, that actually turned out to be more deadly than the actual herbicide itself.

Scientific American:

Weed-Whacking Herbicide Proves Deadly to Human Cells
Used in gardens, farms, and parks around the world, the weed killer Roundup contains an ingredient that can suffocate human cells in a laboratory, researchers say

By Crystal Gammon and Environmental Health News

WEED KILLER: New research has found that an 'inert' ingredient in the herbicide Roundup can kill human embryonic, placental, and umbilical cord cells

Used in yards, farms and parks throughout the world, Roundup has long been a top-selling weed killer. But now researchers have found that one of Roundup’s inert ingredients can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells.

The new findings intensify a debate about so-called “inerts” — the solvents, preservatives, surfactants and other substances that manufacturers add to pesticides. Nearly 4,000 inert ingredients are approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Glyphosate, Roundup’s active ingredient, is the most widely used herbicide in the United States. About 100 million pounds are applied to U.S. farms and lawns every year, according to the EPA.

Until now, most health studies have focused on the safety of glyphosate, rather than the mixture of ingredients found in Roundup. But in the new study, scientists found that Roundup’s inert ingredients amplified the toxic effect on human cells—even at concentrations much more diluted than those used on farms and lawns.

One specific inert ingredient, polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, was more deadly to human embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells than the herbicide itself – a finding the researchers call “astonishing.”

“This clearly confirms that the [inert ingredients] in Roundup formulations are not inert,” wrote the study authors from France’s University of Caen. “Moreover, the proprietary mixtures available on the market could cause cell damage and even death [at the] residual levels” found on Roundup-treated crops, such as soybeans, alfalfa and corn, or lawns and gardens.

The research team suspects that Roundup might cause pregnancy problems by interfering with hormone production, possibly leading to abnormal fetal development, low birth weights or miscarriages.

Monsanto, Roundup’s manufacturer, contends that the methods used in the study don’t reflect realistic conditions and that their product, which has been sold since the 1970s, is safe when used as directed. Hundreds of studies over the past 35 years have addressed the safety of glyphosate.

“Roundup has one of the most extensive human health safety and environmental data packages of any pesticide that's out there,” said Monsanto spokesman John Combest. “It's used in public parks, it's used to protect schools. There's been a great deal of study on Roundup, and we're very proud of its performance.”

Just to break in here for a second... Round up is protecting schools? From what, giant killer weeds that attack school children?

Apparently this guy has studied "Thank You For Smoking" in depth.

The EPA considers glyphosate to have low toxicity when used at the recommended doses.

“Risk estimates for glyphosate were well below the level of concern,” said EPA spokesman Dale Kemery. The EPA classifies glyphosate as a Group E chemical, which means there is strong evidence that it does not cause cancer in humans.

In addition, the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture both recognize POEA as an inert ingredient. Derived from animal fat, POEA is allowed in products certified organic by the USDA. The EPA has concluded that it is not dangerous to public health or the environment.

Pardon me again... but does any one believe anything the EPA says anymore?

The French team, led by Gilles-Eric Seralini, a University of Caen molecular biologist, said its results highlight the need for health agencies to reconsider the safety of Roundup.

“The authorizations for using these Roundup herbicides must now clearly be revised since their toxic effects depend on, and are multiplied by, other compounds used in the mixtures,” Seralini’s team wrote.

Controversy about the safety of the weed killer recently erupted in Argentina, one of the world’s largest exporters of soy.

Maloney Vaxxed v. Unvaxxed Study Reintroduced

2009-06-29T14:27:00.000-04:00

Call your representative and ask for support for HR 3069.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2009
CONTACT: .
Jon Houston, Maloney, (202) 225-7944

Jeff Sagnip, Smith, (202) 225-3765

Legislation Introduced to Require First Comparative

Study of Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated Populations

WASHINGTON, DC – Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Smith (R-NJ) have introduced the “Comprehensive Comparative Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Populations Act of 2009,” HR 3069, legislation that would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a comprehensive, peer-reviewed, comparative study of vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, which has never before been completed.

“Vaccines have been instrumental in reducing the incidence of many once-common diseases, but we owe it to parents and children to study and resolve the questions that have arisen over the possible link between vaccines and neurological disorders,” said Maloney. “What is ultimately needed to resolve this issue is a comprehensive national study comparing outcomes between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. As the most scientifically advanced country in the world, we should be jumping at the chance to resolve the questions that have been raised. Parents deserve answers, and children deserve no less than absolute certainty and safety.”

“Vaccines have been a truly revolutionary contribution to global public health that I have strongly supported. At the same time, it would be unconscionable if we did not fully investigate every aspect of vaccine safety, including varying vaccines schedules, to ensure that individuals were not being exposed to unnecessary risks,” said Smith. “This study would explore critical questions about our children’s health. Only a comprehensive, national examination of data that contrasts vaccinated children to unvaccinated children will answer some of the questions many if not all parents have about the safety of the vaccines we give our children. Congresswoman Maloney and I feel strongly that this will add greatly to the body of knowledge for the healthcare community and the public.”

Other original cosponsors of the bill include Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chair of the House Science and Technology Committee, and Reps. Dan Burton (R-IN), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Virginia Brown-Waite (R-FL), and Grace Napolitano (D-CA).

Background: Maloney and Smith have also introduced legislation (H.R. 2618) that would improve the current system for vaccine safety monitoring in this country by assigning responsibility for the nation’s vaccine safety to an independent agency within the Department of Health and Human Services; and another (H.R. 2617) that puts in statute definite timelines for the elimination of mercury from vaccines.

Maloney introduced similar legislation in the 110th Congress. Click here for more information.

Coy Barefoot Interviews David Kirby

2009-06-23T05:37:00.000-04:00

...on Charlottesville Right Now.

New Report Forecasts More Than Doubling of Vaccine Sales by 2013

2009-06-11T18:10:00.002-04:00

Market Watch brings you, the ~~health care consumer~~ investor, news that vaccines are booming and expected to boom bigger.

2008 was another stellar year for the world vaccine market. Sales grew 21.5% since 2007 to reach $19.2 billion. Few areas of pharmaceuticals have seen the fast-moving developments in the marketplace that the vaccine market has...

"New products and better-than-expected profits, as well as merger activity, have transformed the vaccine marketplace," says Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information. "Continued sales of influenza and cervical cancer vaccines have provided a foundation for growth in the adult market. Meanwhile, the pediatric market was fueled by several major products including Wyeth's pneumococcal vaccines Prevnar and Merck's new rotavirus vaccine TotaTeq."

Take a minute to read the report to get a sense of how important your ~~health~~ money is to PHARMA.

Vaccines are a 19.2 Billion dollar a year business. I am sure that with that kind of cash at play that the medical establishment is not at all biased as to vaccine safety.

I don't wanna hear that vaccines are not a money making venture any more.

Gotta run now and go get me some "Tota Teq".

Travolta Admits Jett Had Autism

2009-06-11T17:54:00.002-04:00

Perez Hilton

ABC's Claire Shipman on the Oprah Newsweek Story

2009-06-09T17:53:00.000-04:00

She has a must read on this story on the Huffington Post. A story that seems to have quite some legs.

"Last year we at ABC news ran a series on autism, and new methods being used to diagnose it which are--to say the least--controversial. The medical community and established autism community tried hard to get us to kill the report..."

Must read.

How Allopathic Medicine is Shooting Itself in the Foot by Attacking Oprah

2009-06-07T15:39:00.004-04:00

The health zeitgeist is changing rapidly in this country, and many in the mainstream medial community have not noticed.

Health care has become expensive, it is not able to address many of the complaints that patients have, when it can, side effects can be serious. Most importantly, mainstream medicine can't explain why everyone in this country is so sick.

But the wellness movement can.

It has said that we are overfed and undernourished, over medicated and in poor health, and that we are toxic. That we don't need another pharmaceutical to fix the problem, we need to go back to the symbiotic relationship we had with the planet we grew up on, and only introduce hard core chemicals into our bodies when absolutely necessary.

And guess what... people everywhere are finding out that they are right! When they stop eating processed foods and drinking diet soda, when they go organic and non GMO, when they get rid of gluten and artificial sweeteners, and start taking vitamins, they feel better and can often go off pharmaceuticals on which they have been dependent.

And really, this is what Allopathic medicine has been telling us to do for years. To exercise and eat right and take responsibility for our own health.

But now that we are doing it, they are not so happy.

Because many of them don't like the conclusions that we come to when we really and truly take responsibility for our own health.

So unfortunately, instead of being excited that Americans are doing what they have always told us to do, and partnering with them to learn from the masses what the masses are learning and experiencing and thinking and believing and implementing in regards to keeping themselves out of doctors offices, they have chosen to actually mock them.

Oprah, who is the bell weather of what is going on in the mind of the American Housewife as much as she is an influence on said demographic, is being attacked on the cover of Newsweek for allowing guests to present health opinions that are alternative or complementary to allopathic medicine.

They actually entitled the piece, "Crazy Talk: Oprah, Wacky Cures & You."

Have those who have decided to mock not noticed that "wacky cures" are going mainstream? Have they not noticed that the reason that they are going mainstream is because they work, and work quite sensibly? Do they not realize that they are making fun of a good section of their clientele who is now going to the health food store to try to correct problems before going to the Doc?

This fascinating article today out of Baltimore about the voodoo that is going on in hospitals like the shock trauma center at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

I have already told you about the Maine CDC autism conference for the states medical professionals introducing them to GI distress, dietary intervention and toxic and vaccine triggers for autism.

Clearly, a growing number in mainstream medicine are willing to go where the evidence is leading them and like their layman counterparts, embrace what is working despite the fact that it goes against their traditional sensibilities.

But too many are just making fun of the entire movement, and trying to prevent the slide away from their practices by body checking Oprah.

Those that choose that course are going to run into a few problems.

First off, Big Beef already went after Oprah, guns blazing, and lost big time. So the woman has already proven that she is up for a fight and won't be bullied into altering her course if she believes it is the right one.

Second, they underestimate Oprah's audience's loyalty to Oprah. They know her and have known her for decades. They have gotten a lot of good things from her, and even those who are not Oprah worshipers, don't think she is a nut. Those who watch her, and who hasn't during some portion of their lives, are not going to be convinced by Newsweek that she is dangerous.

Third, their attack just comes across as elitist. "You are not smart enough to know what is good for you, only we know what is good for you." If that approach worked then "The Doctors" would be trouncing Oprah in the ratings.

Fourth, while they are pushing the treatment of symptoms, Oprah is giving air time to people that are exploring correcting the metabolic problems that caused the symptoms so that they can be prevented and won't come back. THAT should be their job. She is scooping MM because they are so married to their pharmaceuticals.

Lastly, their best arguement is disingenuous and quite obviously so. It is the same one that "THEY" are making to discourage biomedical treatment for kids with autism. It is the arguement that "these interventions have not been adequately tested".

In many cases, if not most, natural remedies have not been tested to the same rigors as some pharmaceuticals. But the reason that this arguement does not resonate with those beginning to implement wellness practices is that doctors making these complaints are not running out and testing vitamin D and Fish Oil. They are not calling for good studies into who is helped by a gluten free diet and why.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, and if Oprah's critics truly cared about the safety and efficacy of these treatments, they would be calling for increasing the budgets for CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) research, and partnering with CAM practitioners to do it. I mean theoretically they would want people to be healthier and medical care to be cheaper, right?

But then again, Big Cinnamon doesn't throw lavish dinners for doctors and the Tumeric industry does not give away diamond earrings. (See how cynical I can get about disingenuous doctors? It is not like I am the only one who was all rah rah mainstream medicine, got royally screwed by them, and then started taking into consideration all that has corrupted it... I might have been the exception five years ago, but I might be becoming the rule.)

The other problem with your "not enough research" arguement, is that some of these "crazy cures" have been used by cultures for thousands of years before anyone put the scientific method down on paper. If they believe that doctors are earnest and want people to get better, then that must have been true before the industrial revolution, and while not as refined as research today, they had to have had some basis for treatments that lasted hundreds and even thousands of years.

Health crazes come and go, but garlic is forever.

So advice to the Oprah haters, consider that she is not the cause of your problems, she is the result. Oprah is listing to American women, you are not.

Mocking your opponent does not add to your credibility or make people trust you. It makes people suspicious that you are out of arguments and have turned to bullying to keep people in your corner.

ADDENDUIM: Heard from a doc tonight who took exception with my post, a doctor whom I consider one of the ones who IS listening and not one who is stuck in rusty paradigms. I wrote this post quickly and wanted to go back and make sure I was clear on exactly to whom my criticisms are directed.

They are directed to those in mainstream medicine who OPENLY MOCK complementary and alternative medicine.

I do not include in this doctors who are listening and open and respectfully disagree with one CAM treatment or another. On the contrary, they are an important part of the fruitful debate from which good treatment emerges. I don't think physicians in that position need to make fun of others because if they have thoughtfully considered and rejected any given approach, then they have a cogent arguement to make and there is no need to belittle others.

I sense that he also may have been concerned that I may have been promoting Suzanne Summers treatments in some way. Frankly, I don't know a single thing about what she is practicing, and didn't know that she had anything to do with health and wellness until the Newsweek article came out. In my ignorance I will leave others to debate the merits and pitfalls of whatever it is she is espousing.

UPDATE: Jake Crosby takes the failing Newsweek Magazine to task.

Autism Mothers

2009-05-28T19:56:00.002-04:00

Contradictory Rulings in the Vaccine Court

2009-05-27T21:00:00.001-04:00

[An alternate version of this piece was written in response to an article in Utah Stories.]

Many have cited three cases in which The Health and Human Service's vaccine court ruled out vaccines as a cause of a child's autism, but don't mention the 10 cases (discovered by CBS News) that were won in that court by children with autism.

Three of those 10 families have gone public, The Polings, The Banks and The Hiatts.

The Poling case is the only one that received mainstream media coverage.

Only ten days after we heard that the court said MMR doesn't cause autism, we heard that the same court said that MMR caused Baily Banks autism.

"In his conclusion, Special Master Abell wrote:

The Court found that Bailey's ADEM was both caused-in-fact and proximately caused by his vaccination. It is well-understood that the vaccination at issue can cause ADEM, and the Court found, based upon a full reading and hearing of the pertinent facts in this case, that it did actually cause the ADEM. Furthermore, Bailey's ADEM was severe enough to cause lasting, residual damage, and retarded his developmental progress, which fits under the generalized heading of Pervasive Developmental Delay, or PDD. The Court found that Bailey would not have suffered this delay but for the administration of the MMR vaccine, and that this chain of causation was not too remote, but was rather a proximate sequence of cause and effect leading inexorably from vaccination to Pervasive Developmental Delay.

And he added this:

Petitioner's theory of PDD caused by vaccine-related ADEM causally connects the vaccination and the ultimate injury, and does so by explaining a logical sequence of cause and effect showing that the vaccination was the ultimate reason for the injury.

Shouldn't we be shouting a collective, "WHAT?!" to The Department of Health and Human Services for their contradictory positions?

Here is the thing, when the Department of Health and Human Services puts the Department of Health and Human Services on trial, and the Department of Health and Human Services wins, that is not news. When they put themselves on trial and loose, as in the Poling, Banks and Hiatt cases THAT IS NEWS!

THOSE are the cases we should be demanding answers from the government on.

The Poling family has requested that their daughters case files can be made public so everyone can know the reasoning behind HHS's decision, but HHS isn't sharing any of their insight into WHY Hanna deserves a million bucks for her vaccine injury.

So let's not boil this debate down to scientist v. tv stars. There are MANY in the scientific and public health community who believe that vaccines are involved in the autism epidemic.

And apparently HHS itself does too because it keeps paying claims for autistic kids.

Please take a moment and check out the VICP's vaccine injury table for yourself. You will note that "encephalopathy" is listed as a compensated injury for DTaP and MMR.

Then scroll down to the middle of the page and look at the symptoms of encephalopathy for 18 month olds:

1. Loss of eye contact
2. Unresponsive to stimuli except for loud shouts
3. Seems disconnected from the world around him

THAT is a description of a child with "autism".

THAT was a description of MY son after his DTaP shot for which he was diagnosed with "autism".

The government has ruled that vaccines do and do not cause autism. Are You ok with that solid, definitive, case closed argument?

I REALLY hope not.

It is time for HHS to make the Poling documents public, and to answer to the public for their untenable, illogical position.

Low Dose Naltrexone and ALA Being Used For Cancer and MS

2009-05-26T08:28:00.000-04:00

Mercola is highlighting interviews with Dr. Burton M. Berkson who has been successfully using LDN and ALA on terminal cancer patients, around half of which are surviving.

"However, more recently, researchers have discovered that at very low dosages (3 to 4.5 mg), naltrexone has immunomodulating properties that may be able to successfully treat cancer malignancies, and a wide range of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s, fibromyalgia, and Crohn’s disease, just to name a few.

Added benefits include its low-cost, and few, if any, of the detrimental side effects you normally experience with pharmaceutical drugs.

[also being used for:]

* Hepatitis C
* Diabetic neuropathies
* Lupus
* Dermatomyositis (an inflammatory muscle disease)
* Ulcerative colitis
* Other autoimmune diseases"

Memorial Day: C. Chandler Perine

2009-05-25T10:50:00.003-04:00

Marine Corps 1st Lt. C. Chandler Perine was my uncle and he loved me.

He died in the service of his country on November 15, 1970 at the age of 26 when the plane he was piloting suffered mechanical failure during take off from McGuire AFB, New Jersey

Chan, my father's younger brother, served as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, a football player in college and "class flirt" in high school.

He is dearly missed.

My youngest son, Chandler Perine Taylor, is named in honor of him.

CDC Admits Autism is Environmental

2009-05-19T10:18:00.000-04:00

I missed writing about many stories this year, but wanted to call this to your attention to this story from February, as it represents a paradigm shift in CDC's autism causation stance.

From Age of Autism:

Las Vegas Sun Reports: CDC Admits Autism is Environmental

Las Vegas sun Managing Editor's Note: Thank you to Marshall Allen of the Las Vegas Sun for this article in which Dr. Catherine Rice, Director of the CDC's National Center for Birth Defects states that vaccines and other environmental insults are possible causes of autism. I think the genetics only crowd and vaccine deniers' luck is running out, don't you? Please click HERE to read the full article at the Las Vegas Sun. You can thank Mr. Allen for running this article HERE. Please do. Kim

So are there more autistic children, or is the broadening definition causing more children to be classified as autistic?

It’s impossible to say for sure, Rice said. Awareness of autism is increasing, which leads to more effective identification, but it’s also possible that it’s increasing. Even with the more inclusive definition, the number of autistic children seems to be on the rise, Rice said.

It’s not known what causes autism.

Researchers say environmental factors could contribute to the onset of the disorders. Studies have linked autism to air pollutants, pesticides, pet medications and even drugs used in the birthing process, such as Pitosin, Rice said.

“It could be anything from the exposures in our physical surroundings — chemicals around us in homes, clothes, products, medications we take and food we eat,” Rice said.

Rice said the recognition that environmental factors play a role in causing autism shows that there is common ground in the debate about whether vaccines play a role in the disorders.