Pathways Article Summaries and References

Issue 21 - Spring 2009

Articles

 

Letter from the Editor
Jeanne Ohm, DC

Little did I know when we decided to do an issue focusing on autism, the magnitude of insight, research, personal stories, and range of treatment protocols that would be revealed.

In the process of putting together this issue, I conversed with a varied group of involved people about this growing epidemic. I spoke with researchers, scientists, practitioners, heads of consumer organizations, and parents with autistic children and I was privy to meet people who have been diligently working on this issue and attempting to bring its stark reality to the general public for many, many years. I became acutely aware of the diverse starting points relating to causation and solution. On the one hand there is the widely promoted rhetoric, “Unknown cause! No known cure!” It is supported by self-interest industries, with unlimited financial resources. Their claims are based on a restricted agenda for healing and wholeness. On the other hand is the less publicized evidence of causation and exploration of cure. It has limited funding and minimal exposure.  It is, however, initiated from the holistic premise that illness has preventable causes and healing is possible.  

Throughout the article-gathering stage, I met people who are experiencing sentiments of grief, frustration, anger, and conversely I witnessed tireless strength, accomplishment, and hope. In speaking with scientists and researchers, I was disillusioned with their accounts of suppressed data, biased papers, and attempted payoffs. Most importantly, I was exposed to convincing scientific validation indicating cause and effect associations of “modern medicine” and autism.  Researchers, scientists, and practitioners revealed their enthusiasm for discoveries of cause, cure, and prevention and their dismay when their breakthroughs were met with ridicule and contempt by their peers. I listened as leaders of groups promoting awareness about autism; vaccinations; and medical, emotional, and environmental contributors divulged the harsh reality of dealing with corrupt politics.  Finally, the most impressive group of people I spoke with was parents. I was intimately drawn into the sober reality of their altered lifestyles and burdens. Heartbreaking stories of perfectly healthy children suddenly torn away, the struggles of acceptance and the non-relenting searches for help combined with their efforts to overcome financial and emotional strains gave me insight into a level of strength that was nothing short of heroic.

In this issue we attempt to bring a greater understanding of autism to all concerned parents. For those parents with children on the spectrum, although much of this information is part of your daily lives, new insights and avenues of hope are revealed. For those parents with newly diagnosed children, these valuable resources will expand your choices and lead you to greater solutions. For those parents who are concerned and wanting more information to prevent autism, these articles will offer perspectives and foster your commitment to making informed family health care choices. As one Executive Director of a leading autism organization with two children on the spectrum told me, “Parents need to know! They need information! This is one “club” we do not want any more members to join.”

Having been a family chiropractor for 27 years and a mother of six children, I have learned that choosing the paradigm from which we make our health care decisions is imperative to the manifestation and perpetuation of health. Trusting the body’s extraordinary ability to function, regenerate, and be well is essential to the healing process. Utilizing providers who are inspired by seeking causes and solutions is also imperative in this process. Contributing to organizations that provide support, hope, and directions for change is vital. As I look down the path we are being called to follow, a quote by Margaret Meade comes to mind, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Many Blessings,
Jeanne Ohm, DC

About the Author:

Read Dr. Ohm's bio here.

 

 

 

FEATURE

Healing Our Children with Attentional, Emotional, and Learning Challenges
Susan R. Johnson, MD, FAAP

From the Article:

There is an epidemic in our society. More and more children are being assigned more and more labels. These labels include attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), receptive and/or expressive language disorders, learning disabilities that include visual and/or auditory processing disorders, and the autistic spectrum disorders like pervasive developmental delay (PDD), Aspergers Syndrome, and autism, to name only a few. What is happening to our children? What do these labels really mean?

While I was growing up, my brother was diagnosed at a major university center in California with autistim when he was two-and-a-half years old. He had fine motor and gross motor delays, made poor eye contact, cried a lot from frustration, and he didn’t speak words. When he finally started to talk around age four, he wasn’t as frustrated and he became more social and no longer fit the definition of autism. So, his diagnosis was changed to a speech and language disorder since his speech was so difficult to understand. He still became very frustrated when he tried to communicate. He had trouble expressing his ideas and getting others to understand his speech. Because he had a lot of temper tantrums during those early years and always seemed to be in constant motion, he was also given the label of minimal brain dysfunction (the word used in the 1960s for attention deficit disorder) and was placed on medication...

About the Author:

I am a Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrician in private practice in Colfax, California. I completed my 3-year pediatric residency at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a 3-year fellowship in behavioral and developmental Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco in 1990. During my fellowship years, I directed the Early Childhood Clinic at UCSF and diagnosed children with Autism, PPD, Asperger Syndrome, and ADD. I had extensive rotations managing children in Behavior clinic, School-age clinic, Disability clinic and identifying learning "disabilities" during week long comperhensive learning assessments. I had rotations in numerous clinics at UCSF including genetics, neurology, developmental disabilities, audiology, endocrinology etc. I also sat in on speech and language assessments and psychoeducational assessments that were done on the children that I assessed, and I attended their IEP meetings at their school. I spent a year rotating in child psychiatry and serving on the psych-liaison service taking call with the other child psychiatric residents. I spent 3 years doing supervised family therapy, child therapy, and sand tray therapy.

Website: www.youandyourchildshealth.org

 

Special Section

A Starting Point
Michael A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN

From the Article:

Can anyone help me? There is nothing more devastating to a parent than hearing that his or her child has a problem. With the prevalence of autism and the spectrum disorders hitting 1 in 150 children in the United States, the delivery of this devastating news is becoming a commonplace occurrence. Once parents recover from their initial shock and denial, a general sense of urgency sets in to find the right physician to help their child. Unfortunately, after being informed that there is no known cause of autism, they learn that there is no medical treatment for autism.

Understanding Autism
There is (and always has been) a lot of confusion as to what autism and the autistic spectrum disorders are. This starts with a significant problem with the way autism is classified; autism is considered a ‘mental disorder.’ Since it has been classified as such since the 1940s, most physicians learn little to nothing about it. Its classification further breaks down symptoms of autism as impaired social interaction, repetitive behaviors, and problems communicating. With these‘defining characteristics,’ it is no wonder that these children are placed into a structured special learning environment accompanied by behavior modification with little to no medical intervention...

About the Author:

Michael A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN, is a Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist with a practice focused on Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Plainview, NY. He is also the father of two children diagnosed on the spectrum. He can be reached at 516-470-9525 or online at www.lispectrum.com.

 

 

 

WELLNESS LIFESTYLE

The Great Measles Misunderstanding
Darrel Crain, DC

From the Article:

Before the advent of the measles vaccine, a dozen or so cases of measles would have been considered, well, too measly to make the headlines. That is because we all got the measles when we were kids. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers anyone born before 1957 to be immune to the measles.

“Before a vaccine was available, infection with measles virus was nearly universal during childhood with more than 90 percent of persons immune by age 15 years,” according to the CDC’s Pink Book. We baby boomers were apparently the last generation whose doctors, and therefore parents, accepted the measles as just one more annoying rite of passage of childhood that also happened to prime the immune system and provide lifelong immunity...

About the Author:

Darrel Crain is a family chiropractor and natural health writer who lives and practices in the beautiful foothills of San Diego in Alpine, California.

Dr. Crain can be reached at: 619-445-0100

 

 

 

 

Nutrition

Are Food Allergies Linked to Autism?
Sidney MacDonald Baker, MD

From the Article:

Children with autism are sensitive. Of the thousands of children I have known in thirty years as a doctor, the few hundred with problems in the spectrum related to autism stand out as the most distinctively sensitive of them all. Touching, tasting, hearing, smelling, and seeing involve an enterprise that is not only characterized by difficulties in processing and organization but is also involves a heightened, often painful, sensitivity.

What does it mean to be sensitive?
We all know what it feels like to have sunburned skin or a reaction to the sound of chalk on a blackboard and we can empathize with children who are involved in a more global sensitivity. But we scientists still do not understand what happens at the cellular or molecular level to change a person’s reactivity from normal to sensitive. Even the words we use—“hypersensitive,” “allergic,”“intolerant,” “hyper-reactive”—do not have precise definitions. Many physicians, however, would quibble if we were to say that“autistic children are allergic” as opposed to “allergic children are sensitive.”...

About the Author:

Dr. Baker Integrative Medicine in Sag Harbor, NY . He is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Medical School where he completed his specialty training in pediatrics. He was formerly Director of the Gesell Institute of Human Development in New Haven, CT and is the author of many articles and several books including Detoxification and Healing (McGraw Hill) and, with Jon Pangborn, PhD, Autism: Effective Biomedical Treatments published by Autism Research Institute. He is a co-founder of the Defeat Autism Now! Project and is Associate Editor of Integrative Medicine. He is the creator and founder of Medigenesis.com.

 

Family Living

Understanding Parents of Children with Autism
Michelle Gabrielle Centamore

From the Article:

I dedicate this article to parents of children with autism and the friends and families who support them unconditionally. For most parents of children with autism, discovering their child has the disorder is an overwhelmingly traumatic experience. In addition to fears that their child may never fit well into a mainstream environment, the abundance of services that the child receives may dramatically alter the family’s entire way of life.

Although they may never say it, parents of children with autism may appreciate the following kinds of support:

Don’t offer advice if you lack knowledge or experience. While some parents may yearn to hear that what their child is doing is “typical,” others may get frustrated when they constantly hear this during family gatherings, play dates, etc. Making such statements too much may actually cause parents to feel atypical, regardless of your good intentions.

If a child with autism has a meltdown and the parent is reassured by Sally’s father, “Oh, Sally has meltdowns, that’s typical,” this can be misinterpreted as minimizing what the parents and their child with autism have gone through. With a possible 40 hours per week of intensive services for several years, trying to get their five-year-old child down to six meltdowns per day from twenty is simply not typical. That being said, although children with autism are described as developing atypically compared to other children, they can perform typical actions and display typical behavior. The goal is to help children with autism learn how to fit into a mainstream environment...

About the Author:

Michelle Gabrielle Centamore is an experienced journalist with a passion for writing to the hearts and souls of parents. She is married with three children. Michelle can be reached at mgabrielle@verizon.net.

 

Mind-Body-Spirit

The Power of a Child’s Imagination
Patti Teel

From the Article:

Most people have used creative visualization their entire lives, long before they knew there was a name for it. Children have vivid imaginations and creative visualization usually comes quite naturally to them. However, because we have so many ready-made images from such sources as TV, computers, video games, etc., it is more important than ever to encourage and provide opportunities for our children to use their imaginations.

When using creative visualization with your children, start by providing the structure—taking your son or daughter on an imaginary journey. I think of it as interactive storytelling, your child experiences the story as if he or she is truly living it. Later, your children will come up with their own ideas and pictures, seeing or imagining them in their “dream minds.” Visualization skills are enhanced through practice, and before you know it, your child will be effortlessly visualizing scenarios of his own choosing as he drifts off to sleep.

About the Author:

Dubbed “The Dream Maker” by People magazine, Patti Teel is the creator of an award winning relaxation audio series for children and the author of The Floppy Sleep Game Book, which gives parents techniques to help their children relax, deal with stress, or fall asleep.  She is a popular speaker and presents innovative workshops for parents, children, and health professionals.  Patti Teel’s website provides R&R tips & a free newsletter. 

Website: www.pattiteel.com

 

Chiropractic for Life

A Biomechanical Approach
Charles W. Chapple, DC, FICPA

From the Article:

So frequently are behavioral and developmental disorders addressed through a variety of behavioral and chemical approaches that the significance of the biomechanical aspects of these conditions can be underestimated. This article introduces the importance of the nervous system with its biomechanical relationships to the spine and cranium, and the noninvasive approaches of chiropractic and craniosacral therapy for the benefit of sensory, motor, and neurological function in individuals with ASD, PDD, and SPD.

As a parent of a toddler with ASD, PDD, and SPD diagnoses, I sympathize with other parents’ drive to identify a cause and a solution. As a chiropractor with 14 years of experience and a fellowship in chiropractic pediatrics, and in pursuit of my certification in craniosacral therapy, I am additionally driven to identify a course of action that improves the structure and function of individuals with sensory, motor, and neurological dysfunction with these diagnoses. In individuals with these special needs, an approach that naturally improves the bodies’ structure or biomechanics is an essential component to their functional, educational, behavioral, and emotional development, as well as to their quality of life...

References:

Fysh, P.N. (1990, March/April). Upper respiratory infections in children: A chiropractic approach to management. ICA Review. 29-31.

Kunert, W. (1965). Functional disorders of internal organs due to vertebral lesions. Ciba Symposium, 13(3).

Peet, J.B. (1990, February/March). Subluxation detection in infants. Today’s Chiropractic. 28-29.

Ressel, Ogi, D.C. (2000). Kids-First: Health with No Interference. Sheffield: New Century.

Rosenbloom, Sharon (2004). Souls, Beneath and Beyond Autism. New York: McGraw-Hill.

About the Author:

Dr. Charles W. Chapple completed his undergraduate studies at Nazareth College of Rochester, NY, receiving a Bachelor degree in Biology before earning his Doctorate degree in Chiropractic from National College of Chiropractic in 1991.

For more information, visit: www.drchapple.com

To locate a chiropractic and/or CST practitioner working with special needs individuals, contact your state chiropractic, therapist, and autism associations or national organizations, such as Cure Autism Now at www.cureautism.org. On the internet, check www.upledger.com and www.icpa4kids.com. Furthermore, a book with an excellent resource section is The Out-of-Sync Child.

 

Pregnancy & Birth

Common Obstetrical Procedures and Their Link to Autism
Jeanne Ohm, DC

From the Article:

Birth today has become a technological experience where a natural process has been replaced with artificial procedures and schedules. Without the necessary vitalistic support during pregnancy, women enter the birth process with fear and are led to rely on drugs instead of their bodies’ own natural strengths. These drugs weaken the body’s ability to function and lead to even further interventions. The more interventions used in pregnancy and birth, the greater the risk of injury to both the mother and baby.

Autism Spectrum Disorders are diagnosed by a collection of symptoms that indicate neurological damage. The greatest causal relationship for neurological damage is oxygen deprivation in the fetus and newborn. This article will examine routine procedures in obstetrics that have significant adverse effects on the baby’s developing neurology. These neurological effects are considered contributing factors to the alarming rise in autism. Here are the most common, routine procedures in pregnancy and birth and the causes for concern...

About the Author:

Read Dr. Ohm's bio here.

 

 

 

 

Science Review

Vaccines, Neurodevelopment, and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Russell L. Blaylock, MD

This article was originally printed in Medical Veritas: R.L. Blaylock/Medical Veritas 5 (2008) 1727–1741

In Pathways, we only printed one half of the article. The entire article and its references can be accessed here.

From the Article:

In 1976, children received 10 vaccines before attending school. Today they will receive more than 36 injections. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assured parents that it was safe to not only give these vaccines, but that they could be given at one time with complete safety. Is this true? Or are we being lied to on a grand scale?

The medical establishment has created a set of terms, which they use constantly to boost their egos and firm-up their authority as the unique holders of medical wisdom—the mantra is “evidence-based medicine”—as if everything outside their anointing touch is bogus and suspect. A careful examination of many of the accepted treatments reveals that most have little or no scientific “evidence-based” data to support it. One oftenrepeated study found that almost 80% of medical practice had no scientific backing.

This is not to say that medical practice should be solely based on pure and applied science, as understood in the fields of physics and chemistry. Medicine, as pointed out by many of the great minds of medicine, is an art...

Resources:

The entire article and its references can be accessed here.

About the Author:

Dr. Blaylock is a board certified neurosurgeon, author and lecturer. He attended the LSU school of Medicine in New Orleans and completed his internship and neurosurgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. For the past 25 years he has practiced neurosurgery in addition to having a nutritional practice. He recently retired from his neurosurgical practice to devote full time to nutritional studies and research.

Dr. Blaylock has written and illustrated three books. The first book was on the subject of excitotoxins (Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills) and how they cause neurodegenerative diseases of the nervous system. His second book, Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life, covers the common basis of all diseases,  nutritional protection against diseases of aging, protection against heavy metal toxicity, the fluoride debate, pesticide and herbicide toxicity, excitotoxin update, the vaccine controversy, protection against heart attacks and strokes and contains a special section on nutritional protection against terrorism. His third book, Natural Strategies for The Cancer Patient, was released in April, 2003 and discusses the ways to defeat cancer, enhance the effectiveness of conventional treatments and prevent complications associated with these treatments. In addition, he has written and illustrated three chapters in medical textbooks, written a booklet on nutritional protection against biological terrorism and written and illustrated a booklet on multiple sclerosis. In addition he has written over 30 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Since the publication of his first book he has been a guest on over 50 syndicated radio programs and appeared on the 700 Club seven times. He recently appeared on Nutritionally Living with Dr. Ward Bond. Presently, he is engaged in a monthly radio program discussing his book, Health and Nutrition Secrets on Raymond Francis’ program Beyond Health. The series will run for 12 months. He lectures widely to both lay and professional medical audiences on a variety of nutritional subjects.

Dr. Blaylock serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association and is the associate editor of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, official journal of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. He now serves as a Visiting Professor in the Department of Biology Belhaven College. He has a nutrition newsletter, which can be purchased at www.blaylockreport.com.

 

The Outer Womb

Supporting the Immune System for the Care and Prevention of Autoimmunity
Andrew Keech, PhD

From the Article:

Autism is an early-onset biological disorder that causes severe deficits of higher mental functions, as well as behavioral manifestations. There is no single, clear-cut cause. Causally speaking, immune factors, neurochemical factors, antibiotics, genetic susceptibility factors, and environmental factors (including microbial infections and chemical toxicity) have been implicated. Autism is a very complex, multifactorial disorder that may include autoimmunity.

Combating the potential for autoimmunity begins in pregnancy by reducing the mother’s physical, emotional, and chemical stress overload. Her own immune system function is directly related to her developing baby’s immune health potential. Intake of supportive foods, avoidance of toxic chemicals, and understanding the enhancement of her immune system function cannot be underestimated.

Birth outcome and choices made immediately following birth have significant impact on the future immune system function of the child as well. For example, babies born vaginally have a higher exposure to the mother’s friendly bacteria than those born via C-section. Direct exposure from the mother of these helpful bacteria to the baby initiates production of the baby’s own gut bacteria, an essential part of the developing immune system. Breastfeeding offers numerous benefits for immune system enhancement as well. The first milk produced by the mother is called colostrum. Colostrum is nature’s perfect first food. It is the pre-milk substance produced from the mother’s breasts during the first 24 hours of lactation. From 24–48 hours this is called transitional milk. After 48 hours, milk is defined.

About the Author:

Dr. Keech was born and raised on a dairy farm in New Zealand, and is 39 years of age.  He attained a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Mathematics and Chemistry in 1990.  He attained a Bachelors degree with honors degree in Chemical and Process Engineering in 1992.  He attained a studentship to study at Oxford in England and attained a Doctor of Philosophy or PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering in 1995 from the University of Canterbury.  He has a Diploma in Process Control Systems, 1996.  He is a Certified Plant Engineer, CPE, 2002. He is a member of the Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand, and a member of the Institute of Chemical Engineers in London, England.

He has been working in the area of Protein Biochemistry since 1997, and he has developed hundreds of products from natural raw materials to help with people with many health conditions.  He is the Founder of Advanced Protein Systems, a biotechnology company in Phoenix, AZ. 

Growing up on a New Zealand dairy farm, Andrew learned of the Immune Factors in Colostrum and their ability to impart health to newborn mammals.  Early on he committed to studying the like giving power of this natural immune defense system.  He came to America where he founded a state of the art facility to fractionate dairy proteins in a climate where fresh colostrum is available year round.  That’s where he pioneered the concept of an immune modulating spray with PRPs.  Dr Keech promotes the power of PRPs through clinical studies around the world as part of his personal mission to save lives.

Website: www.advancedproteinsystems.com

 

Parenting

Moms & Dads, Who is the Boss of You? The Force of Culture on Birth and Parenting Choices
Marcy Axness, PhD (with contributions from Robbie Davis-Floyd, PhD)

From the Article:

Few things get me as riled up as people or companies that parlay the fragile hopes of well-meaning parents into a fat bottom line. Take, oh, for example, the Baby Einstein juggernaut—which, if you’ve been paying attention, was roundly disavowed by researchers who put so fine a point on it as to declare, “Parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos are actually creating baby Homer Simpsons.” My contempt knows no bounds for an enterprise that leverages parents’ insecurities and fears (Will my child have what it takes to succeed in this ever more complicated world??) into a frantic market for baby-improvement “infotainment” that flies in the face of everything science knows about what infants and young children need for healthy development. But let’s not get sidetracked into a discussion of why “the more time a baby spends watching Baby Einstein the less like Einstein that child is likely to become.”

What I want to explore here is a more encompassing issue: The status-quo of today’s culture—media, medicine, education—exerts tremendous pressure on well-meaning parents to make choices that simply aren’t good for kids. This is where some knowledge can be a very empowering thing! The more we know about where our decision-making “blind spots” are, the more we can free ourselves from the prevailing fear-based group-think, and become capable of making positive choices that are in the true best interests of ourselves and our children...

About the Author:

Marcy Axness, Ph.D., is an early development specialist, parent counselor, and adjunct professor at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute.

She welcomes contact at 818.366.7310 or via www.QuantumParenting.com

 

 

Gratitude

Gratitude - Law of Mind-Body
John Demartini, DC

From the Article:

You’ve certainly heard and read about the idea that the mind and body are interconnected. More than 30 years ago, when I first began studying healing processes, certain factions of medicine were debating whether the mind and psychology had really anything at all to do with the body and healing. When I was 18 years old and just beginning to learn about psychosomatic illness, there were only a handful of diseases that came under that course of study. Today there are more than a hundred different conditions known to be influenced by the mind. In fact psychoneuroimmunology is a huge field today because of that. There’s no way to deny that your mind and body are interconnected.

Here’s my experience. If you have an imbalanced perspective on life, and you’re infatuated or resentful, elated or depressed about some event, it’s impossible to have that emotional state without also having a physiological reaction and response to it. In fact, if someone were to tell you that a stove is hot, and you put your hand on it, your body would probably prepare to burn. In some studies, it’s been shown that if subjects are blindfolded and told that they were going to hold a hot poker, and then an ice cube is placed in their hands, most actually burn and create a blister from the expectation of heat alone...

About the Author:

This article is an excerpt from Dr. Demartini’s book You Can Have an Amazing Life in 60 Days.

Website: www.drdemartini.com

 

 

 

 

Holistic Healthcare

What is Biomedical Treatment?
Generation Rescue

From the Article:

Childhood neurological disorders (NDs) are typically diagnosed by professionals with psychology and psychiatry backgrounds. Parents are often told that their child’s diagnosis is the result of genes and is psychological in nature. Typical “psychological” manifestations of these NDs in children may include delayed speech, lack of eye contact, impaired or non-present social skills, shyness, perseverative behavior (doing the same thing repeatedly), delayed gross or fine motor skills, sensory integration issues (sound and touch sensitivity, etc.), not responding to one’s name, inflexibility with transitions, and major, often unexplained, changes in mood.

Yet, the physical or medical issues that these children often share are rarely noted or discussed. Typical physical manifestations of children with NDs may include food allergies and eczema, general gastrointestinal distress, constipation and diarrhea, yeast overgrowth, immune system disregulation, and sleep disturbances. Typically, proper testing also reveals high levels of environmental toxins relative to neurotypical children.

What has happened to our children? We believe our children’s bodies are overwhelmed by a combination of heavy metals (mercury, lead, aluminum, etc.), live viruses (particularly from vaccines), and bacteria. These toxins serve to slow or shut down normal biochemical pathways in the body and lead to the physical and mental manifestations we call NDs. Perhaps the best description of what happens to our children is Autism: A Twisted Tale of Virus and Thimerosal, by Dr. Amy Yasko...

About the Author:

Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey's Autism Organization - Generation Rescue

Generation Rescue is an international movement of scientists, physicians and parent-volunteers researching the causes and treatments for autism and mentoring thousands of families in recovering their children from autism.

Website: www.generationrescue.org

 

Informed Choice

Aluminum and Vaccine Ingredients: What Do We Know? What Don’t We Know?
Lawrence B. Palevsky, MD, FAAP

From the Article:

Thimerosal, which contains the organic compound ethyl mercury, is a known neurotoxin and used to be a major ingredient in childhood vaccines. There are more than 15,000 articles in the medical literature describing the adverse health effects on the human body with exposure to varying amounts and forms of mercury.

In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urged government agencies to work rapidly toward reducing children’s exposure to mercury from all sources. Because any potential risk was of concern, the AAP and the USPHS (United States Public Health Service) agreed that the use of thimerosal-containing vaccines should be reduced or eliminated. The AAP recommended that it would be a good idea to remove thimerosal from vaccines, even though, according to them, there was no evidence linking childhood health issues to thimerosal exposure from vaccines. In 2008, children are still being injected with thimerosal-containing vaccines, and old stocks of thimerosal-containing vaccines manufactured by 1999 continued to be administered to children up to 2003.

However, a growing number of physicians, scientists, and parents maintain that thimerosal has played, and continues to play, a large role in contributing to the emergence of multiple chronic illnesses in children and adults, including the neurological spectrum disorders. Aluminum, which is present in the environment and has increased in many childhood vaccines since the “phase out” of thimerosal, may be affecting the health of our children in ways that we have yet to understand...

References:

  1. PEDIATRICS Vol. 104 No. 3, September 1999, pp. 570-574
  2. MOTHERING No. 146, January-February 2008, pp. 46-53
  3. PEDIATRICS Vol. 97, 1996, pp. 413-416
  4. PEDIATRICS, Vol. 93 No. 3, 1994, pp 399-403
  5. AMA, Vol. 297, No. 24, June 27, 2007,pp. 2755-2759
  6. General Vaccine Issues: Mercury, Thimerosal and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: Affidavit of Boyd E. Haley, PhD, Professor and Chair, University of Kentucky
  7. http://www.whale.to/m/haley.html
  8. http://www.safeminds.org/pressroom/press_releases/2005-07-01-Haley-IOM-Response.pdf
  9. IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH, Vol. 20, 1999, pp.147-161
  10. ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE REVIEW, Vol. 8, No. 3, August 2003, pp. 223-246
  11. CLINICAL OPINION IN CLINICAL ALLERGY and IMMUNOLOGY, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2003, pp.199-203
  12. JOURNAL of ALLERGY and CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, Vol. 113, No. 3, 2004, pp. 395-400
  13. JOURNAL of ALLERGY and CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY, Vol. 111, 2003, pp. 450-463
  14. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MEDICINE, Vol. 53, 2002, pp. 477-498
  15. RESPIRATORY RESEARCH, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2001, pp. 80-84
  16. CLINICAL and EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Vol. 32, No. 5, 2002, pp. 796-802
  17. SCANDANAVIAN JOURNAL of RHEUMATOLOGY, Vol. 27, No. 3, 1998, pp. 219-224
  18. WORLD JOURNAL of SURGERY, Vol. 22, No. 4, 1998, pp. 382-389
  19. ANNALS of ASTHMA, ALLERGY and IMMUNOLOGY, Vol. 6, No. 6 Suppl 3, 2003, pp. 71-76
  20. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY, Vol. 71, 2005, pp. 317-341
  21. JOURNAL of AUTOIMMUNITY, Vol. 11, No. 6, 1998, pp. 635-642
  22. JOURNAL of IMMUNOLOGY, Vol. 162, No. 5, 1999, pp.2511-2520
  23. BAILLERE’S BEST PRACTICE & RESEARCH. CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY, Vol. 15, No. 5, 2001, pp. 677-691
  24. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL of MEDICAL and BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Vol. 31, No. 1, 1998, pp. 55-60
  25. IMMUNOLOGIC RESEARCH, Vol. 23, No. 1, 2001, pp. 59-74
  26. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE, Vol. 12, Suppl 1, 2006, pp. S3-9
  27. JOURNAL of NEUROIMMUNOLOGY, Vol. 172, No. 1-2, 2006, pp. 198-205
  28. JOURNAL of PEDIATRICS, Vol. 146, No. 5, 2005, pp. 605-610
  29. CRITICAL REVIEWS in IMMUNOLOGY, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2005, pp. 75-102
  30. http://www.environmentaldefense.org
  31. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/documents/AutismCommunityReport.pdf

About the Author:

Dr. Palevsky is a board certified pediatrician who received his medical degree from the NYU School of Medicine in 1987. He completed a three year pediatric residency at the Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC and a one year fellowship at Bellevue Hospital-NYU School of Medicine in the pediatric outpatient department and emergency room. Dr. Palevsky served as the Chief of the Pediatric Acute Care Unit at NYC's Lenox Hill Hospital and most recently was in practice as the holistic integrative pediatrician for the Center for Health & Healing, an integrative and complementary care medical facility affiliated with the Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC.

Dr. Palevsky?s clinical practice includes experience in pediatric emergency and intensive care medicine, in-patient and out-patient pediatric medicine, neonatal intensive care medicine, newborn and delivery room medicine and conventional, holistic and integrative pediatric private practice in NYC.

Dr. Palevsky is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, President of the American Holistic Medical Association (www.holisticmedicine.org), co-founder and President of the Holistic Pediatric Association (www.hpakids.org), a Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine and a medical advisory board member to the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in New York City, Develomental Delay Resources (www.devdelay.org ), Families for Natural Living and the National Vaccine Information Center. 

Dr. Palevsky teaches holistic integrative pediatric & adolescent medicine to parents and medical and allied health professionals both nationally & internationally.

 

Sneak Peek

Sacred Spark - An Excerpt from Chapter 3: Chelation
 Rev. Lisa Sykes

From the Article:

Sacred Spark is the compelling, true story of a child affected by mercury poisoning, and his minister-mom’s decade-long battle to restore the light in her son’s eyes. It is also the inspiring story of Reverend Sykes’ work with the United Methodist Church to pass the first global resolution advocating the elimination of mercury from medicine, a nascent social justice movement on par with historical faith-based campaigns against child labor and slavery. With pragmatism and compassion, Sacred Spark calls for putting the well-being of children first.

References:

Current News Part One- UMC

  1. The 2004 Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church. p. 95.
  2. “Mercury in Medicine – Are We Taking Unnecesary Risks?” Hearing Before the Committee on Government Reform; 106th Congress: www.nationalautismassociation.org/library/mercuryinmedicinereport5-03.pdf. pp. 79-80
  3. Press Release, US Special Counsel, May 20, 2004. www.osc.gov/documents/press/2004/pr04_07.htm
  4. www.nationalautismassociation.org/pdf/simpsonwood.pdf, p. 40
  5. www.nationalautismassociation.org/pdf/simpsonwood.pdf, p. 198
  6. www.medicalhomeinfo.org/health/Autism%20downloads

About the Author:

Sacred Spark is the compelling, true story of a child affected by mercury-poisoning and his minister-mom’s decade-long battle to restore the light in her son’s eyes.  She inspires the United Methodist Church to pass the first global resolution advocating the elimination of mercury from medicine – considered a nascent social justice movement on par with child labor and slavery. Woven seamlessly together in the book’s engrossing narrative are Rev. Sykes’ victories as she pursues biomedical treatments for her son, her family’s crushing lawsuit defeat against a pharmaceutical company, as well as the success of empowered parents to enact state bans on mercury, to approach Attorney Generals across the country and to find precious allies against a corrupt and protected industry.  In contrast to the stubborn failure of the federal government to act, Rev. Sykes, returning to her calling as a minister, witnesses the power of her church to act as the nation’s conscience.  As a Princeton Theological Seminary graduate and minister of 19 years, Rev. Sykes inspires the reader to go beyond compromised scientific studies and profit-driven political debates, and examine the mercury/autism issue through the first-hand experience of a mother and the faith and ethic of a minister.  Sacred Spark ultimately teaches us that it is ordinary people who ignite the fire of reform. 

Website: www.sacredsparkbook.com

 

News and Events

The United Methodist Church Resolves to Protect Children from Mercury in Drugs

From the Article:

When the 2008 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, approved the resolution“Protecting Children from Mercury-containing Drugs” on April 29th, it brought a new and commanding voice to the issue of mercury in medicine. Comprised of 992 international delegates, the General Conference is the top decision-making body of the United Methodist Church. In passing this resolution, the United
Methodist Church affirms its commitment to safe vaccines and seeks to safeguard public confidence in vaccines and other drugs by advocating the removal of mercury from them.

Mercury is a known poison, neurotoxin, and carcinogen. Of particular concern, thimerosal, the mercury-based ‘preservative’ first patented in 1928, remains commonplace in some vaccines (including flu and tetanus shots) as well as other drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, used in the United States and abroad. With many published scientific, medical, toxicological, and epidemiological studies (some underwritten by pharmaceutical companies and government agencies) reaching opposite conclusions about the danger posed by mercury in the global drug supply, the United Methodist resolution brings a new religious and ethical perspective to this debate even as it brings this issue to the attention of a global community of concerned Christians...

 

Why the Vaccine Debate of Mercury and Autism Continues to Rage
 Theresa Wrangham, President of SafeMinds

From the Article:

We’ve all heard it—mercury has been taken out of vaccines and was never connected to autism. However, no matter how often these claims are repeated by vaccine officials, trust in the nation’s immunization program continues to deteriorate. At the heart of this distrust is simply parents’ desire to provide their children with the best healthcare available. Unfortunately, parents are confronted with another reality on discovery that these well-worn claims designed to inspire trust are false.

Recent factors contributing to the increase in the crisis of faith regarding the recommended childhood immunization schedule are last year’s federal compensation to the Poling family for their daughter’s vaccine-induced autism; former NIH Director Dr. Bernadine Healy stating that the mercury-autism hypothesis had been too quickly dismissed by federal agencies for fear of where the path would lead; and NIH-funded research by U.C. Davis M.I.N.D. Institute published in January’s Epidemiology confirming that autism’s rise is real and not a result of expanded diagnostic criteria or heightened awareness leading to earlier diagnosis. Determining total health outcomes from multiple vaccine toxicants (e.g. mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, antigens), will require a comprehensive study of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated populations to assess the long-term effects of vaccines. This is a study that CDC’s former Director, Dr. Julie Gerberding, has stated could and should be done. Yet, there is notable resistance on the part of federal agencies charged with vaccine safety and oversight to conduct such a study...

References:

SafeMinds: www.safeminds.org 

The Coalition for SafeMinds is a private charitable nonprofit organization founded to investigate and raise awareness of the risks to infants and children of exposure to mercury from the environment and medical products, including thimerosal in vaccines. The Coalition of SafeMinds supports research on the potential harmful effects of mercury and thimerosal.

About the Author:

Theresa Wrangham is the mother of Rachel (18), a teenager who is diagnosed with PDD/NOS, and Deanna (15) and lives in Colorado with her husband, Scott.  Theresa currently serves as President of SafeMinds, a private charitable nonprofit organization founded to investigate and raise awareness of the risks to infants and children of exposure to mercury from the environment and medical products, including thimerosal in vaccines. You can contact Theresa here: tkw.safeminds@gmail.com

Great Denial of Vaccine Risks & Freedom
 Barbara Loe Fisher

From the Article:

The Great Denial of vaccine risks for the past three decades by vaccine makers, pediatricians, and government officials operating the mass vaccination system is the reason why more and more parents today question and mistrust vaccine science, policy, and law. When Harris Coulter and I co-authored DPT: A Shot in the Dark in 1985 exposing flaws in the mass vaccination system that allowed the highly reactive DPT vaccine to stay on the market unimproved for more than 40 years, we never imagined then that those tragic flaws in the system would remain largely intact in 2009.

I knew then that the alliance between industry, organized medicine, and government was powerful. But it is only after a quarter century of witnessing the Great Denial of vaccine risks, which has produced millions of vaccine-damaged children flooding special education classrooms and doctors offices, that the magnitude of that unchecked power has been fully revealed...

About the Author:

Barbara Loe Fisher is co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center and has led the vaccine safety and informed consent movement in the U.S. since 1982. She is co-author of A Shot in the Dark, author of The Consumer Guide to Vaccines, editor of the NVIC E-News (www.nvic.org) and a blogger at www.vaccineawakening.blogspot.com. She served on the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, Institute of Medicine Vaccine Safety Forum, the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, the Vaccine Policy Analysis Collaborative and is a member of Consumers United for Evidenced-Based Healthcare, Cochrane Collaboration – U.S. She is the mother of three children.

 

Resources

 

Recommendations

Autism & Vaccinations - 10 Books You Need to Know About

 

Subscribe to Pathways

Back to Pathways References Page

 

 

Pathways Testimonials


"I just finished reading Pathways magazine and I must let you know that my husband and I are VERY impressed with it! It is so well put together, professional, top quality!


And most importantly, it is a TRUE wellness magazine. I am simply astounded."


-Dr. Julieta Rushford, Vermont