Autism- New Study And A Few Questions

[Guest AutumnE]

I thought I would post this and get some opinions on it. My nephew is having multiple health issues and my sister has decided to delay the mmr. Of course she is getting heck over it from medical professionals. We do not have autism in our family but she has done some research regarding it with celiac disease, seizure disorders, multiple intolerances and allergies associated with autism. I wanted to know if anybody has seen this article and how would we go about getting it tested. Should we contact the Autism center in Newark? Will they allow it since this is new and he is a baby? Im assuming yes but Im also guessing his dr will need to write the script for it and lets just say her dr for them is a jerk and she should have changed a long time ago and Im steadily working on it to get her changed because I question my niece and nephew's care with him.

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I know it may not answer all the questions whether he may develop autism or not but she feels like she is so unsure of what to do that she would like some guidance with it to know if this is a wise decision to delay it, possibly till 3 or 4.

[Rachel--24]

First I think its very wise of your sister to delay the MMR.

With regards to Autism....recently there have been studies which seem to point to a very strong link between Lyme Disease and Autism. Over 90% of Autistic children who have been tested for Lyme are indeed coming back positive for the disease.

Even though Lyme is appearing to be a factor in developing Autism...in no way is it considered to be the "sole" cause. It is being looked at as an inciting factor....one which supresses the childs immune system, making them more susceptible to heavy metal toxicity, environmental factors, etc. Genetics also play a part.

Lyme disease creates a toxic environment within the body...this leads to mercury toxicity. The bacteria binds with mercury and toxic levels can accumulate very quickly. At that point *ANY* exposure to mercury could be very damaging to the child.

Both Lyme and mercury impair the livers ability to detox.....the pathways do not function as they should. If something like this is the case for your nephew the MMR could really push him over the edge.

The team of 16 scientists, mostly drawn from the campuses of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, say their findings, the result of more than two years of study on how the body breaks down fatty acids, could be a breakthrough for what is the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the nation, with no known cause or cure.

It is important to point out that Lyme is also the fastest spreading infectious disease in the world at this time. Since the 70's Lyme Disease has grown at the same rate that Autism has grown.....they have paralled each other.

The UMDNJ researchers say they have found that children with autism are unable to metabolise key fatty acids which help the body fight inflammation that causes damage to the brain and other organs

Both Lyme and mercury toxicity affect metabolism of many critical nutrients.....they can damage cells and inhibit enzyme function....this creates a long list of problems. Enzymes are also necessary for liver detoxification as well as digestion. Mercury is directly involved in enzyme dysfunction....food does not get broken down and disrtibuted as it should.

"The pathway doesn't work (in the body), so we circumvent it," said Spur, a chemist.

I would think that this would be treating a symptom...rather than adressing the issue which is *causing* that pathway to not function. I do not think this would offer a "cure".

New Jersey has a high incidence of the disorder, affecting 1 in 94 children in the state, compared with 1 in 150 in the United States as a whole, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Jersey also happens to be one of the states with the highest risk for Lyme Disease.

No one understands yet why it is that so many children with autism have such metabolic differences, but Ming suggested it might be caused by an interaction between genes and the environment. It may be that having less of these key fats reduces the body's ability to deal with environmental and metabolic stress.

The article is interesting however, in the big picture I see alot more going on than just being unable to metabolize fats. Also....*why* would 1 out of 150 (and steadily increasing) children be unable to metabolise fats??

Autism has steadily been growing...at an alarming rate. There is something behind it in my opinion.

The fact that over 90% of these kids are testing positive for Lyme will most likely prove to be of great importance in the future.

If Lyme is an inciting factor in the development of Autism....the only chance for a cure is getting this infection under control in those who are testing positive.

I would think that if the infection were found and treated BEFORE vaccinations were administered....there would be significantly less cases of Autism...and risk for the disease would go way down.

I dont put all this out here to alarm you...only to inform you. If theres the slightest chance your nephews illness is caused by Lyme......a vaccination could make him one of 150 children who has Autism.

There is alot more research that needs to be done on this subject but Dr.'s who are treating Autistic children are reporting that 100% of the kids they've tested have tested positive for Lyme. It really is alarming.

I have many of the same issues that children with Autism have....without having Autism obviously. I have mercury toxicity and at this time its unclear whether or not I truelly have Lyme. All of my body systems have been affected and my liver's ability to detox is very impaired. I struggle with the same physiological problems that children with Autism suffer.

My Dr.'s also treat Autistic children and when I pointed out the similarities between my symptoms and theirs....I was told that if I were to be going through this at age 1 instead of age 31...I would have been at high risk for Autism.

My brain is developed and I enjoyed 31 years of excellent health...these kids are being hit at the most important stage of their life....if they become mercury toxic in the development stage....it will have very damaging effects on the brain.

[jayhawkmom]

Hi Autumn,

My first thought is... if the doctors are giving her a hard time, have her find another doctor. Honestly, even though vaccines are requirements in most states, delaying them IS the parents prerogative, regardless of what the recommendations are.

My 2 younger children are on a selective and delayed schedule. Our pediatrician provides us with the information and then allows us to make our own decisions. There are medical and religious exemptions for those who chose not to vaccinate. (in most states, anyhow)

I believe that vaccinations are important - no doubt about that. I'm not anti-vax by any means. But, I also believe that as parents, we simply MUST do what's best for our children.

As you know, my oldest son was just diagnosed with Asperger's - which is an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and with that in mind - my selectiveness just increased tenfold.

I wish your sister the best of luck.

[Guest AutumnE]

Thanks rachel and jayhawkmom I am trying hard to get her to try new dr's but she is stubbourn even though she doesnt like him either

My sister does need to get tested for lyme disease. She has traveled to many countries and had an issue in nicaragua before. She was bit through her bug screen in the hotel room. Her eye swelled up for weeks and she had vision problems for about six months. She feels good gluten free but not great like I do. Can you pass lyme disease to your babies if you contracted it before they were born?

[Rachel--24]

Can you pass lyme disease to your babies if you contracted it before they were born?

Unfortunately, yes...the bacteria can be passed from mother to baby in utero. The majority of the Autistic children who test positive for Lyme were born with it.....they have never been bitten by a tick.

This means that the problems are occurring with Lyme/mercury before the child is even born. Mercury is also known to be passed to the baby when the mother has amalgam fillings. A healthy baby could deal with this but a baby who is being exposed to Lyme in the womb may begin to develop problems that will manifest at some time in the childs life.

When someone is infected with Lyme they do not always become symptomatic immediately. Many times it takes months or years to finally take a toll on the body. During that time they may develop autoimmune disease, fibro, CFS, etc. These would all be due to the infection but the infection may never be identified.

Its alot like Celiac in that the symptoms may not present themselves until the body goes through some type of stress or trauma which suppresses the immune system. This gives the bacteria an opportunity to overcome the immune system.

The same thing happens with babies who are born with congenital Lyme. Not all of the babies are sick from the start.....some do not get sick until they are vaccinated....some do not get sick until later in life.....some die shortly after birth.

I think so many things factor in when it comes to the health of the baby. Does the mother have amalgams? How many? Does the mother carry a heavy load of the bacteria? I'm sure at that point the health of the mother is very important as well as genetics, diet, environmental issues, etc.

I've done alot of research on this and have read many stories in which Lyme has impacted entire families. It is not all that uncommon for it to be passed from one generation to the next. Its scary...and alot more research needs to done. I think the link between Autism/Lyme will create more awareness.

Now that more and more Dr.'s are starting to test the Autistic kids for Lyme....it is also being noted that in most of these cases where the children have Lyme....the mother has autoimmune disease or other health conditions. The mother also tests positive for Lyme. Autoimmune disease is nearly always present in families of autistic children and this is a good indicator that Lyme needs to be looked into.

Here is some info. about pregnancy and Lyme

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This is a story I read and posted about in another thread. I've many stories like this which clearly demonstrate the magnitude of Lyme.....combined with other factors.....and the very serious affects it has on the immune system.

The woman has 2 children with Autism....one is considered "high functioning". She also had two "normal" children in between the two with Autism.

Her Autistic children are ages 19 and 25. Her oldest was born in the 80's.

She wonders why when her son was born the 80's the occurrance of autism was about 3-5 individuals per 10,000 births.....and now according to the NIH, today the rate of Autism is 1 out every 166 births.

Around the same time that she noticed the increase in Autism around her....she also noticed she was becoming tired, not having the strength to wipe down a kitchen counter. Her throat felt swollen, she had restless leg syndrome and tingling in her toes.

She had 14 amalgam fillings and after learning of the link between mercury and Autism....she got them removed. She began chelation therapy along with her children.

Prior to her chelation therapy she became stressed out at a doctors appt...she felt "unbalanced, complained of vertigo and felt tired. She told the Dr. she was not able to function in the afternoon without lying in bed for 2 hours.

The Dr. told her he felt she had Multiple Sclerosis (MS)....he also told her she had Hashimotos Thyroiditis, low potassium and Vitamin D....which are said to accompany the diagnosis of many MS patients.

However...this Dr. then went on to say that he did not believe her MS was really MS...as most would understand it. He believes MS is a toxious, infectious disease.

He says, "If we treat the mercury and the other heavy metals, then work on what infections are present, I think that you will never have to ever see MS blossom in you.....we caught this early. You are lucky."

To confirm this he ordered an MRI and found white matter lesions and T2 weighted imaging of hyperfusion on her brain.

Lots of tests were run...viral, bacterial etc..her mercury levels were off the charts....even higher than that of her Autistic children.

One day she read there was a connection between Lyme and MS. It made sense....she lived in an endemic area....and her parents did too.

She pin-pointed times in her life when she felt most sick. She knew that people with Lyme had "flare-ups" of symptoms triggered by stresses in life.

She started researching Lyme and found it interesting that the Lyme epidemic seemed to parallel the autism epidemic...all beginning in the late 70's. She wondered if her children could have Lyme Disease??

She tested her kids. All of her children as well as her brother and sisters and their children tested positive for Lyme Disease along with associated co-infections of Lyme.

Lyme disease had made itself a home in her family....LITERALLY.

When she was pregnant with her first child (born with autism) she came down with Epstein-Barr Virus and was told to stay in bed for months at a time.

She had seen a news clip on how viruses or bacteria could hamper the immune system of the unborn baby, and/or have some effect on the myelin sheath.

During her next two pregnancies she had no illnesses while pregnant...these 2 children were born without Autism.

While pregnant with her youngest daughter a simple sore throat turned into strep.....this daughter was born with Autism.

All of these diseases/symptoms were a part of her family......and Lyme Disease was explaining why....

Autism, MS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lupus, Heart Block/Regurgitation, Inflammation, Heavy Metal Toxicity, Brain Protein Autoimmunity, Seizures, Mitochondrial Disorders, Leg Tetany, Restless Leg Syndrome, Hashimotos, Panick Attacks, sensitivity to light, Heart Disease (her father), ADD, Myeloma (her mother), arthritis, headaches, PMS, Vertigo, insomnia....etc...etc...etc...

As she studied Lyme Disease she learned that it behaves like Syphillus...they are "cousins"....both are spirochetel bacteria diseases. The diseases can sometimes stay dormant in the body for years, and activate at key immune suppression times.

In 2005, the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS) published information that Autism Spectrum Disorders are included in the many illnesses that Lyme Disease can mimic.

At present, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) believe lyme disease is under reported by almost 20 times the actual number of reported cases.

Research money should be spent wisely on the infection-based model of Autism, and its related cell mediated immune events such as toxins, vaccinations, and other oxidative events. Autism research also needs to further investigate the direct connection with the major bacterial infection called Lyme Disease.

Even though all of this womans children tested positive for Lyme....two of her children were not as severely affected and were not born with Autism. They most likely did develop some type of autoimmune issues....which is very common for anyone with chronic lyme.

Since Lyme is very difficult to diagnose and treat its very important to get tested properly and to be seen by a Dr. who specializes in Lyme (Lyme Literate Medical Dr. (LLMD)).

Testing should be done through IgeniX since other labs have a sensitivity of less than 60%.....resulting in false negatives the majority of the time.

Sorry for the lengthy response but this is one issue which definately needs more attention....its *treatable*....but not when it goes undiagnosed....which unfortunately is usually the case. People usually get diagnosed after learning of Lyme on their own.

[Guest cassidy]

I don't know much about autism but I'm pregnant and I want to delay/maybe not give all of the vaccines. I talked to a holistic ped on Friday who is an austism specialist and he said that celiac is a red flag and I'm not crazy for being worried about the vaccines. He gave me the name of a traditional ped who will let you choose what to do and told me that I don't have to have anything done to my baby that I don't want to. You can take a religious expemption in all states (for school purposes), so if she wants to delay it or just not give it, she should find a doctor who will let her. I was also told the La Leche League is a great place to ask about pediatricians that are ok with parents making choices on shots.

[Clark Bent as Stupor-Man]

in regards to vaccinations, I believe 48 states have religious exemptions and about 18 or so states also have philosophical exemptions... I can't find the site now but there's an official site linked by the CDC that has each state's official documentation in regards to exemption policies and requirements for vaccinations... I'll try and find it and post it in the next few days

either way, there should be no grounds to force you to get a child vaccinated until at least day care or pre-school... if he is a baby, you should at least be able to delay the vaccinations for a while though I'm sure you'll keep getting pressured from a fair share of doctors and medical professionals... as has also been recommended, I would strongly advise your sister to get a new pediatrician who will be more attentive and willing to work with her on her very legitimate concerns..

[AndreaB]

I talked to a holistic ped on Friday who is an austism specialist and he said that celiac is a red flag and I'm not crazy for being worried about the vaccines.

This is something I'm curious about. I've been learning more about vaccines. My oldest had all of them, my next has had all but the 4-6 year doses (which he won't have) and my youngest everthing to 2 months. He's the one that broke out with eczema. I had alot of dental work done before I knew I was pregnant and a root canal my 3rd trimester. Of all my children he's the one I worry about with an autism spectrum disorder if I continue his vac's. Most of them we aren't for though. That's not even considering whatever intolerances. He reacts (eczema) to salmon although it may be the small amount of mercury in it.

I have/had 12 amalgams. I have had 4 crowned, whether there is still amalgam underneath, I don't know. As Rachel has pointed out many things can contribute. If you sister has amalgams, eats a lot of fish that could contribute to mercury overload. Then you have aluminum (which is still in vac's) and lead, arsenic and who knows what else that is all around us. Also if anyone has problems with soy, soy protein is in the pnuemococcal.

My current doctor is of the group that believes in waiting until they are 2 years old before any vac's are given and that what is given is also up to the parents.

Dr. Blaylock (retired neurosurgeon) believes that they should be spaced out 1 every 6 months and that no live vaccines (which includes MMR) should be given if possible.

I have read that in Japan when they delayed the DTaP until children were 2 years that a good portion of the reactions that were occurring in the infants didn't occur when they waited.

[Rachel--24]

Oh....one of the people treating me also said to wait 2 years before vaccinating and then to avoid the ones which arent necessary. She said to spread them out over time. I dont have kids but we talked about this anyway.

[Clark Bent as Stupor-Man]

in regards to vaccinations, I believe 48 states have religious exemptions and about 18 or so states also have philosophical exemptions... I can't find the site now but there's an official site linked by the CDC that has each state's official documentation in regards to exemption policies and requirements for vaccinations... I'll try and find it and post it in the next few days

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at the bottom of the page there's links to the official documentation for each state regarding vaccination policies, exemptions, etc.

[Guest AutumnE]

Thanks I heard testing for lyme disease is best through Igenex.com. Do you go through your physician to obtain this? Im printing this off to give it to her and printing out the links. They are dealing with arsenic in the water also. They built their house two years ago and didnt realize the arsenic levels were high. There is alot of waterfront property near them and its probably is what tainted it throughout the years. So many issues and he has just turned 1.

Autumn

[Jo.R]

I did reasearch before letting my kids have the MMR, and what I found said that Mercury has not been used in childhood vaccines since 2000/2001. On the other hand, the flu vaccine does have mercury. Is this info wrong?

[Rachel--24]

I did reasearch before letting my kids have the MMR, and what I found said that Mercury has not been used in childhood vaccines since 2000/2001. On the other hand, the flu vaccine does have mercury. Is this info wrong?

I was under the impression that it was being phased out of the vaccines...thats what I'd read on the message boards. One of the people who treats me also treats kids with Autism. She told me that they are not taking thimersol out of the vaccines and the situation with Autism is only going to get worse.

The flu shot does contain mercury. She warned me NOT to get a flu shot....unless I want to get a whole lot worse than I already am. I've never had a flu shot.

[Rachel--24]

Thanks I heard testing for lyme disease is best through Igenex.com. Do you go through your physician to obtain this?

Any Dr. can order the test....however not every Dr. can interperet the results correctly. Lyme is tricky in just about every way...including the testing. There is no test that can completely rule out Lyme at this time....there is no completely reliable test. Igenix is the best available but still not a perfect test.

Lyme is still primarily a "clinical" diagnosis....based on symptoms and history. It doesnt sound like your sister is very ill?? Its sometimes the sickest people with Lyme who test negative....because their immune system is overwhelmed and not producing enough antibodies to test positive....but anyone can get a negative test (and still have lyme) for various different reasons.

[AndreaB]

I did reasearch before letting my kids have the MMR, and what I found said that Mercury has not been used in childhood vaccines since 2000/2001. On the other hand, the flu vaccine does have mercury. Is this info wrong?

Yes, mercury is supposed to be out of the vaccines now, except the flu shot....but what we don't know is how much of a stockpile they had/have that needs to be used up.

When my youngest was born late 2005 I had asked around about mercury free shots and found out that they get whatever the state sends them and the state has old stuff they are still using up.

[Jo.R]

Well, crap! I would not have had them get the shots at that time. I home school so I didn't have to worry about the school thing. Here I thought I was doing the best for my kids... They are 4 1/2 and 6, that should be past the time when autism would come out, isn't it?

[Rachel--24]

Here I thought I was doing the best for my kids... They are 4 1/2 and 6, that should be past the time when autism would come out, isn't it?

Parents are usually able to identify problems with Autism before the age of 2....I would think if your kids are developing normally they should be fine.

I'm not one who believes Autism is caused *solely* by the mercury in vaccines. I think there are other factors involved which make the child more susceptible to the mercury in the vaccinations. I think there are multiple factors involved.

[AndreaB]

I too believe that autism has many factors in it's involvement.

My oldest has had both her mmr's on schedule. My next one had the 1st one. They are fine as far as autism is concerned.

[jayhawkmom]

Parents are usually able to identify problems with Autism before the age of 2....I would think if your kids are developing normally they should be fine.

Unless one is dealing with Asperger's - and it's not as "easy" to identify until much later. That's the particular boat we are in with our son.

[Guest AutumnE]

Thanks its given me a lot of information for my sister. My daughter has had her vaccines and at 3 is fine that I know of. I think I have asperger tendencies so who knows if she might have that but for right now no problems that Im aware of. I do wonder about her chicken pox one though, I hope she doesnt get shingles as an adult as the result of it. My daughter does get the flu vaccine which I dont like but she has a heart condition so its recommended. She has a murmur and a hole in her heart. Right now we are waiting to see if it clears up by her teens before they do anything with it because its very small, but she does get antibiotics with dental appointments as a precaution.

[Guest WashingtonLady]

I haven't read every one of the replies to this thread, (I don't have that much time at the moment), so I don't know if anyone has mentioned that there are mmr's available that haven't been "mercurified" through the preservative process. Govenor Schwartzenegar (saying that still makes me smile) recently passed legislation prohibiting the use of mercury in preserving large batches of immunizations.

For those parents who are concerned that any latent autistic genes may be triggered through immunizations, I believe it's possible (not necesarily easy) to screen the level of mercury in the im's potentially being used on their child. The DAN! (Defeat Autism Now) organization would have ample information on this subject. They have many success stories about how chilating the mercury out of mercury-triggered Autistics has changed the lives of otherwise fully Autistic people, as well as lots of data/stats for other optional treatments.

I applaud the mom for being cautious. It's amazing how much pressure can be put on us to just follow the norm as parents, when so often that isn't what's best for our children!

I agree: ditch the doctor who is unsympathic to her concerns. As parents, of course we don't want a "yes man" to agree with everything we say just for the sake of agreeing, but personal decisions on parenting choices like that shouldn't have to be one of battles we have to face--especially with our child's care giver!

[Guest WashingtonLady]

Well, crap! I would not have had them get the shots at that time. I home school so I didn't have to worry about the school thing. Here I thought I was doing the best for my kids... They are 4 1/2 and 6, that should be past the time when autism would come out, isn't it?

There have been many strides forward in early detection of Autism, though it is often latent until entering school (around 5-6 years old). Those individuals who have mercury-triggered Autism have the reaction often within hours, overnight, or within the course of the immunization period. You'd know by now, I'm pretty sure.

Although my son wasn't triggered by his immunizations, I knew there was something different about him when he was younger than 5. Both his father and I just figured we had a "little Einstein" on our hands. (Which we do, although he's 6'4" now!) Since I didn't have friends with kids, there was no way for me to know how significant those differences were until he was put in the social setting of full time kindergarten, when the GLARING differences couldn't go unnoticed. If you're home schooling and the kids don't get a lot of group social interaction, I highly recommend joining a co-op or Mommy & Me group, whether they are "spectrum" or not...one thing I've learned is how vital teaching GROUP social skills is for their future successes.

[Clark Bent as Stupor-Man]

My daughter does get the flu vaccine which I dont like but she has a heart condition so its recommended. She has a murmur and a hole in her heart. Right now we are waiting to see if it clears up by her teens before they do anything with it because its very small, but she does get antibiotics with dental appointments as a precaution.

do you know specifically why the flu vaccine is recommended for your daughter? is it recommended specifically for her heart condition or just recommended generally because your daughter is between the age of 6 months and 5 years, which the CDC classifies as a recommended group... I don't know what kind of heart murmur your daughter has (both myself and my sister had heart murmurs as kids, I believe they were what are considered functional heart murmurs and were largely meaningless) and I don't know anything about hole in heart conditions so I don't know if either of these is a condition that specifically warrants a flu vaccine... but if her Dr recommends it per the CDC's stance of recommending it to all children between 6 months and 5 years, I would look into not giving it to her (which of course you may have already done)

and I don't want to come off like I'm questioning your decision making ability at all in regards to this so please don't take it like that... I just don't like the idea of mercury being injected into the bloodstreams of young, developing children... the flu vaccine is the one vaccine that is recommended for kids that currently is known to have a "substantial" amount of thimerosal (which is about 50% mercury by content)... the CDC will not debate this... yet, this is the same CDC that agreed years ago to take thimerosal out of all new children's vaccines though all unused stocks could still be used in the meantime... now, they are approving new flu vaccines with thimerosal and recommending them for children as young as 6 months... this really rubs me the wrong way... my state (NJ) is actually in the voting process for making the flu vaccine a mandatory vaccination for children prior to entering school..

again, I don't mean to question your ability to assess your daughter's situation by any means... I don't have any kids (and don't plan to for years), and I realize these are not simple decisions, especially when going against recommended medical stances... I'm just trying to present some information and things to consider that you may or may not be familiar with

[Guest AutumnE]

Charlie- thanks for the information Dont worry Im not offended I have struggled with this for so long. Im not sure if she is getting it next flu season or no. Every year I question it. We were told by her cardiologist that she is at risk for getting severely sick from the flu, although at the time he was questioning asthma since she coughs when she overexerts herself. We have ruled out asthma and they said the heart problem shouldnt cause the coughing so we are back to square one and Im looking into other allergies. I did read about the flu shot requirements for NJ when it came out, I think its horrible personally as it should be the parents decision. I live in michigan and thankfully our

governor doesnt agree with mandatory vaccines. I live in a very flexible state with homeschooling too and plan on doing that.

[Guest AutumnE]

Update on my nephew- Well he is having multiple problems too. My sister is seeing a new dr, he is a d.o. but uses alternative medicine. He is testing for quite a few things. One is his thyroid, his body temperature has dipped really low a few times and he does believe his seizure disorder is caused from his vaccines. He is also might need chelation due to unknown arsenic in their water. My sister finally has some answers even though they are hard to swallow. I know he had a different vaccine than my daughter and niece did, the new rotavirus one. I dont know if that is what caused it but now its a wait and see thing to see if he improves.