We’re rerunning this blog because of the recent news that a CDC researcher has come forward to say that he and his colleagues committed fraud in a 2004 study on the relationship between the timing of MMR vaccines and autism.
I should start by saying that I was raised Catholic. The concepts of reconciliation and absolution are completely ingrained in me. I grew up going to confession at a beautiful monastery where Father Francis, an elderly monk, held my hand as we walked the grounds, and I asked for forgiveness for my transgressions. I always felt great relief and unconditional love after our time together. Unfortunately, Father Francis passed away years ago, and I haven’t been to confession since. My spiritual beliefs have evolved and changed over the years, but the idea of forgiveness is still critical to how I walk through life. There are things I have done for which I know God forgives me. However, I’m pretty sure that I will never forgive myself, for my transgressions are embodied in a beautiful seven-year-old who tells me daily that I am “the best Mom in the universe.” I know the truth. And someday, so will he. All of these “unforgivable” actions were done with the best of intentions, but we all know what they say about “good intentions” and “the road to hell.” I am admitting here for all the world to see: I gave my son Autism. I did it. Me. And no one can ever take that away.
So . . . how did I give my son autism? I wish I could say it was one thing – one thing that I could take back that would make things neat and easy, but it wasn’t. It was mistake after mistake, assault after assault. The following are the biggest mistakes I made to which I attribute my son’s descent into autism. I’m going to provide links that are easily readable and understandable that contain links to the research rather than providing links to the research itself. A simple Google search about any one of these topics will provide more information than you could ever want. Here goes . . .
1) Ultrasounds – I had at least five while I was pregnant. I was assured that they were completely safe. Heck, you can get them in malls, so I assumed they were pretty benign. Wrong! While I didn’t get ultrasounds in malls, I didn’t research them either. Ultrasounds have, in fact, been implicated in autism among other neurological disorders. While there is no definitive “causal link,” enough has been found to warrant further research and precautionary measures. According to this article, “Research shows populations exposed to ultrasound have a quadrupled perinatal death rate, increased rates of brain damage, nerve cell demylienation, dyslexia, speech delays, epilepsy and learning difficulty.” Sound familiar?
2) High-fructose corn syrup – I drank Coca Cola every single day while I was pregnant. I was so incredibly nauseous and it made my stomach feel better. Fast forward a few years and Coca Cola Classic was found to have one of the highest levels of mercury due to HFCS of any product tested. I didn’t eat one bite of fish during my pregnancy for fear of mercury. While I didn’t know there was mercury in the Coke, I have to be honest and admit that OF COURSE I knew that eating and drinking junk wasn’t good for my baby.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/292982-foods-containing-mercury/
http://www.iatp.org/blog/2009/01/high-fructose-corn-syrups-not-so-sweet-surprise-mercury
3) Lortab/Acetaminophen while pregnant – I have Fibromyalgia. It is painful normally, but it was practically unbearable while I was pregnant. My OB prescribed Lortab telling me that it didn’t cross the placenta and was perfectly safe. I was in so much pain that I wasn’t about to look into this further. I trusted my OB thoroughly and needed to feel better.
Again, did I honestly think that this was good for the baby? Of course not. Lortab is a Category C drug which basically means that not enough human testing has been done to qualify it as safe, but based on animal studies, there is reason to believe that it could be dangerous or problematic. I couldn’t find any specific links between Lortab and Autism, but common sense dictates that this was not good.
4) Pitocin – Two of the ultrasounds I received at the end of my pregnancy revealed that my water was getting dangerously low, so my OB felt we should induce labor. After several hours of not making progress on the Pitocin drip at low levels, the hospital encouraged me to sign a waiver allowing them to increase the Pitocin to illegal levels. Now, I know this seems absurd, but at the time, I was in incredible pain and was told by hospital staff that it was perfectly safe and was used at these levels all over the country. According to them, Montana just has a very low cap on the highest level allowed. I had Pitocin for 36 hours. Here is an explanation from an excellent article on that explains the potential risks associated with Pitocin:
“In either induced or enhanced use of Pitocin, the blood supply, and therefore the oxygen source to the uterus, is greatly reduced. With naturally-paced contractions, there is a time interval between contractions allowing for the baby to be fully oxygenated before the next contraction. In induced or enhanced labor, the contractions are closer together and last for a longer time, thus shortening the interval where the baby receives the oxygen supply. Reduced oxygen to the baby in labor has life-long consequences on the baby’s brain function.”
5) C-Section – George Malcolm Morley, OB/GYN has done extensive research regarding C-Sections and autism and has concluded that, “A baby born by C-section is 3-4 times more likely to have autism.” His theory is that it is probably due to ICC (immediate cord clamping) and there are really good reasons to think he may be right. There are so many different elements that play a part in C-sections, however, that it is really hard to determine exactly which specific aspect is problematic: anesthesia, maternal immobility, labor trauma, cord clamping, post-op drugs or lack of friendly bacteria due to bypassing the vaginal canal are all suspect individually. It is easy to see how a combination of all of the above could have a negative impact.
Because I had made the bad decisions about the ultrasounds that led to the bad decision about the Pitocin that led to labor trauma, I ultimately had to have an emergency C-section. I can’t believe that there are so many women who choose to deliver via C-section for cosmetic reasons – I won’t elaborate on this one. Ick. I’ll be honest; I am still a little bitter about this. I really wanted a natural childbirth. My husband and I took the classes; we practiced at home. Thirty-six hours of drug-induced hell, and I still ended up with a C-section. And not just a regular C-section: it was such an emergency that I had to be anesthetized via general anesthesia, even though I had an epidural in place.
6) Antibiotics – Oh boy. Where to begin? I have so many mixed feelings about antibiotics. Here is what I know: My son was exposed to antibiotics while he was in distress during labor. He was then exposed for the first two weeks of his life via breast milk. He then received five courses of antibiotics before he was a year old for chronic ear infections. While this is bad cumulatively, the one event that stands out for me, and literally makes me feel sick, was a single dose of Augmentin when he was six months old. At his six-month “well” visit, he was diagnosed with his second ear infection. He received vaccinations for seven different diseases despite being ill, and we left with a prescription for Amoxicillin. Six days later, he had developed an upper respiratory infection and the ear infection was worse. Because the Amoxicillin hadn’t worked, the pediatrician prescribed a course of Augmentin. After one dose of this drug and within 24 hours, my six-month-old baby had 35 acidic, liquid bowel movements. The skin literally peeled off of his bottom in sheets. I had never seen anything like it at that time, and I haven’t since. The pain that he was in was beyond description. I called the doctor and she changed the antibiotic to yet a different kind. So he had three different types of antibiotics in his system within eight days. This episode was the biggie. His gut was never the same after that. Nothing was.
Here is what everyone should know about Augmentin: Augmentin has been implicated in autism. It is comprised of Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium. When it is manufactured, the clavulanic acid is fermented which involves large amounts of urea/ammonia. Even a small amount of ingested ammonia can potentially cause gut and brain inflammation. I strongly urge you to do your homework before using this drug.
If you will notice in this link, this study was released in January of 2005. My son was prescribed Augmentin in January of 2006. This was never mentioned when I was handed the prescription. However, if I had been a Thinker back then, I could have quickly Googled “Augmentin and autism,” and I would have made a very different decision.
7) Vaccines – I really don’t even know what to say about vaccines other than to say that if I had it to do over again, my children wouldn’t have received a single one. Of everything I did wrong, if I could have my pick of one thing to take back, it would be the shots. No question. Shortly after my son turned three, we left the idiot pediatrician that led me down this trail of terror. The new MD looked at my son’s blood work and heavy metals testing and informed me unequivocally that my son was vaccine injured and that he had never been a candidate for immunization. She said that because of my fibromyalgia and the fact that autoimmune disease and digestive disorders are pervasive across both sides of our family, he never should have been vaccinated. Add in the birth history and the fact that he had severe jaundice and a cephalohematoma that took more than six months to resolve, plus rashes, severe reflux, chronic rhinitis and ear infections along with eczema, it should have been very apparent that his immune system was not functioning properly. Vaccination REQUIRES a properly functioning immune system to work, which may explain why he has ZERO titers to the diseases he was immunized against. According to the CDC and the vaccine inserts, children should not be vaccinated if they are sick or on antibiotics. My son was sick and/or on antibiotics for almost every single round of vaccinations. People, I know what happened to my kid. I KNOW. I watched it. Ginger Taylor has been compiling studies for years that link vaccines to autism. That list has now reached over 60 studies.
Another word – Don’t bother making comments arguing about vaccines. I won’t post them. I am fully aware that there are children with autism who weren’t vaccinated. I am not suggesting that vaccines are SOLELY responsible for EVERY child’s autism. I KNOW, however, that they caused irreparable damage to my son’s immune system which ultimately led to his autism. There. Done.
8) Acetaminophen/Paracetamol — My baby received an incredible amount of this red, liquid death. Acetaminophen shuts down the production of glutathione, the body’s #1 antioxidant. Glutathione is absolutely critical in the body’s ability to rid itself of toxins. So basically, one of the absolute worst things you can do is to give a baby acetaminophen when they get vaccinations or when their body is trying to fight an infection. The nurse at my son’s pediatrician’s office literally dosed him with acetaminophen at the exact moment she stuck in the needle. When the ear infections and stomach pain and fevers started as a result of the vaccine damage, I gave him acetaminophen to alleviate his pain. Are you starting to see how all of these horrors interlace? One problem requires a solution that creates another problem that requires a solution that creates another problem, etc. For more information regarding acetaminophen and its link to autism, click here.
9) Fluoride – Fluoride probably pisses me off more than anything else on this list, because I am convinced that the fluoride program is one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated on a population in the history of mankind. If you ever have some time and enjoy history, Google “the history of fluoride.” It reads like a Dan Brown novel and would be completely entertaining, if it weren’t for the fact that children are being brain-damaged by the very water they drink. I’ll let you do your own research for the nitty-gritty, but here are the basics: Fluoride contains fluorine. Fluorine is only slightly less toxic than arsenic and is more toxic than lead. It is also a carrier molecule. It loves to combine with other materials and create even more toxic situations. It also can cross the blood/brain barrier. So if there is circulating aluminum in the body from say, oh, I don’t know, vaccine adjuvants for instance, or if there is lead in the joints of water pipes, the fluoride can attach itself to these toxins and escort them right across the blood/brain barrier and into the brain. According to the National Research Council, 36 studies have linked fluoride with reduced IQ in children. Here are some great links to fluoride information:
http://slweb.org/ftrc.html , http://www.fluoridealert.org/ , http://nofluoride.com/ , http://www.earthclinic.com/fluoride_questions_and_answers.php
Here’s the kicker. This is the part where I bang my head on the table, pull my hair and yell, “Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!” like Chris Farley on SNL. We didn’t even HAVE fluoridated water. I actually purchased it and gave it to my son ON PURPOSE. My pediatrician told me that he needed it because our water wasn’t fluoridated. I bought “nursery water” that came in cute little plastic bottles with pictures of Bert and Ernie and Cookie Monster on them. I also gave him prescription vitamins – Poly Vi Flor – that contained fluoride. After all of this, we still ended up with over $4,000 worth of dental work by the time he was five. This dental work required general anesthesia that contained — yep, you guessed it — fluoride. Fluoride is also in many pharmaceuticals, including the antibiotic Cipro – drops used for ear infections — and Diflucan – the yeast killer we used off and on for years. How in the hell could I make sure that I didn’t give him toothpaste that had fluoride in it because it was poisonous, but give him fluoridated water? If you want a good scare, read the label on a tube of fluoridated toothpaste sometime. Ingestion of only half a tube of that candy-flavored fluoridated toothpaste could be fatal to a child, and yet we fluoridate our water supply. It is criminal in my opinion.
I can think of many more things I did wrong that I am sure contributed to my son’s health crisis. I will mention diet, toxic cookware, benzocaine teething gel and toxic building materials but won’t elaborate because at this point, common sense should dictate. I am writing this to try to hit the biggies that people really need to research to make better decisions than I did.
I am already anticipating three different responses to this post:
Response 1) There will be people who read this and think, “Good grief, woman. How stupid can you be? What you did borders on child abuse. OF COURSE your child has Autism.” And to that, I have no argument. You are absolutely right. And good for you for knowing better than I did.
Response 2) Some of you will read this and know exactly how I feel because your story is very similar. To all of you, you have my deepest, heartfelt sympathy. While we will always have our mistakes to live with, the best thing we can do now is to share our truth and our story to help others.
Response 3) There will be people who feel pity for me because I have not been able to make peace with myself for my role in my son’s health crisis. You will feel compelled to reach out to me with kind messages imploring me to forgive myself. Please . . . don’t. It won’t do any good. I am not fishing for forgiveness, and while I know you mean well, it won’t help me. If you really, REALLY want to help, take five minutes and send this blog to everyone you know – especially those who are pregnant or have babies. Implore them to read this blog. No child should have to endure what mine has endured. No mother should ever have to experience the kind of torturous guilt I live with every day.
The mistakes I made were, by and large, recommended by healthcare professionals. That is no excuse. My son’s health was MY responsibility. I could choose to follow the recommendations or not. Even a small bit of research would have changed the outcome for my son. There are women, as we speak, who are on the way to the doctor for their second or third ultrasound. There are mothers dosing their babies with acetaminophen before their shots. There are expectant moms being hooked up to Pitocin drips. Some moms are administering unnecessary antibiotics for yet another ear infection and haven’t made the connection that their baby’s immune system is failing. There are also many, many mothers who are hearing the following words for the first time, “Your child has autism.” Help them.
I truly believe that my son’s autism was preventable. Think. Research. At this point, you can’t afford not to.
~ Mountain Mama
For more blogs from Mountain Mama, please click here.
For comparison of how difficult healing is just to find, even where you would think it would be expected: most “churches” refuse to allow or even to teach healing. (natural, simple, inexpensive, not toxic healing). Only (“PERHAPS”) one in one hundred “churches” lives in a way that tends to heal people daily.
Wow you have really done your research, good job. Most blogs like this they will rant about the autism but are not correct. I have seen the research to back all you say. Problem is the pharmaceutical and medical industry plays the rename game to keep people of track. They now call autism encephalopathy. By the way if you look at the negative comments the pharmaceutical industry pays people to try and discredit post like this.
If you haven’t already done so please take a look at this.
Tylenol/Acetaminophen (paracetamol) and autism? Is there a connection? by Dr. William Parker
http://vk.com/id370235746
I was a young woman who has been living with Epilepsy for 8 years. When I graduated one year later from high school I had bad migraines which became seizures, which followed by uncontrolled seizures up to 7 a day and as years went on my life stop. I lost my first great paying job and was not allowed to continue college because of my seizures in class. As a result my license was revoke. And it got to the point where I stop living I was trapped in the house because various times I was robbed and treated badly. In 2005 I decided to have brain surgery cause the seizures increased, and my life started to changed although the surgery was great it reduced my seizures but did not take them away and I was able to return to school, and I graduated with honors, and I do what I love to do sing, and write. In 2013 i heard about Doctor Lawson from my sister for his miraculous herbal medicine, I was curious to know how it works. I contact him and then I made an order of his product, i used his herbal product for mouths, His medicine has change my health and worked perfectly well and i am cure from seizure completely, seizure free too no more contact this http://seizurestory.blogspot.com/2008/10/seizure-free.html
Shalom Jessica, and others towards healing by seeking, learning and practicing what is good.
A lot of what you recommend is helpful to everyone, not just persons affected.
Good health in general, and those things (like good nutrition) that promote good health have been “hidden” from a huge segment of the population, so thank you (all here) for your helpful and healthy ways.
Persons affected are not always helped very much, and sometimes the reason remains concealed — sometimes on purpose (by authorities), and sometimes not(truly unknown).
There are ways of TESTING that reveal what is hidden , so to speak, in the body – TESTING that reveals for pennies on the dollar more than 12 mri’s or cat scans or dozens of blood tests.
One of the rarest ways of TESTING is the PULSE TEST. It was very effective for many persons, when they took the time to learn it and practice it daily, or even on and off (i.e. there’s no concrete rule – you can do this ad lib (as you wish, over time) ) .
It was so effective the doctor who ‘discovered’ it and published his findings (a big surprise to him, btw – he apparently did not expect such amazing results) was quickly blacklisted by ‘officialdumb’ …
Likewise the parents of the boy who recovered in 2 days after a routine hospital checkup ! Yes, they were blacklisted for a year at least ! And the doctor that finally verified how/ why their boy recovered was ‘silenced’ also. And the documentary that was produced and broadcast about a decade ago ‘disappeared’….. NOT funny. What should have been a simple, welcome development for parents everywhere became instead a multi-billion dollar cover up.
Don’t ever give up. Don’t “STRAIN” tooo hard – pray a lot, trust GOD, and keep looking, keep searching, keep trying the simple helpful healthy things
THAT ARE GOOD FOR EVERYBODY — start with AVOIDING ALL SHOTs of course, to avoid purposefully hurting the body. Avoid all dairy (see on other posts/ sites why) , msg, soy, and so on… (search “5 white poisons” for more NO_NO’s for health – things to avoid).
The things that help, find out. (don’t publicize them too much – one of the best , or several of the best “HELPS” were BANNED within 2 months of being published/ broadcast nationwide !!!!!!! ) my email is temporary (maybe another year or so) is my name at xoc tod ten (words spelled backwards for the search engines ! ) I don’t sell anything nor have a business selling anything, just good ol’fashion “what did grandma do ? ” (i.e. what works) for free to those who aren’t opposed to health and truth.
I wish I hadn’t been on auto pilot when my son was born in Nov 2014…. maybe I would have questioned and researched everything like I do now for my daughter. I am with you, accepting responsibility has allowed me to take action and try everything to help my son.
I wanted to put something else out there for people with autistic children and NT children to consider… and I know this will anger some people but I believe it is important. Guarding the healthy biome of your NT baby/ child is very important. I’m not advocating for segregating your children or treating your autistic child like they are contagious.
The bad biome of your autistic child could be devastating to a new baby, or could manifest itself in the form of ADHD or ADD in a previously NT sibling.
Keep kids healthy, use probiotics… especially if they have to use antibiotics, and keep high risk areas like bathrooms sterilized
Please just fuck off, all of you. “Thinking mom?” Far from it. No one “gives” their children autism. Quit demonizing the existence of autistic people like me.
Hi Onixx, as an adult with autism, which we know means that you have difficulty with social interactions, you may not be aware that telling people to “fuck off” is not socially acceptable behavior and will usually result in having your comment summarily dumped in the trash. Just this once, however, we’ll let it go.
The statement “No one ‘gives’ their children autism” is your opinion that you have not supported in any way. You are, of course, welcome to your opinion. You are also welcome to base your opinion on whatever you like. Here, though, we tend to base our opinions on observation and science and not on someone’s unsubstantiated opinion. The science overwhelmingly supports the fact that environmental exposures can (and do) cause autism in genetically susceptible individuals. If you’re interested in the topic, read Dr. James Lyons-Weiler’s excellent book The Environmental and Genetic Causes of Autism.
We can understand why you might think a piece like this is “demonizing the existence of autistic people” like you (another part of autism is difficulty with nuance), but you should understand that virtually no one here, including the author of this piece, “demonizes the existence of autistic people.” In fact, most of the people who have commented are parents of autistic people that they love fiercely. What is “demonized” is the unnecessary transformation of neurotypical people into autistic people, and rightly so. Creating a disability where there was none makes everyone’s life harder. That’s a fact. Therapies and treatments are expensive in terms of both time and money. When it comes to severe autism, rare is the family that can afford to have two parents working for any length of time, and so rare also is the family that has any sort of savings or much in the way of “disposable income.” In addition, no parent enjoys watching their beloved children struggle with activities that neurotypical children accomplish easily.
Another thing that would be helpful to understand is that you, who just posted a perfectly spelled and punctuated comment on an Internet website, are clearly not disabled by autism to anywhere near the extent that many others are. It is easy for those who are less affected by a condition to dismiss the concerns of and for those who are far more profoundly affected. It’s like someone who can control their diabetes with diet saying “Quit demonizing the existence of diabetic people like me” because parents of children with type 1 diabetes that was caused by one or more vaccines say that they resent the unnecessary challenges that their children and family face and would certainly choose to avoid them if they had the opportunity.
To support Prof. TMR’s, “Environmental exposure can cause autism in genetically susceptible individuals.” – – –
Clinical ultrasound reliably mutates fetal DNA, establishing susceptibility. See graph of study results: http://harvoa.org/chs/pr/pr_details.htm
Don’t talk to him like he has no knowledge he knows it’s not socially acceptable he’s just mad and as an adult he has every right to say that
How do you know “he’s just mad” or that “he knows it’s not socially acceptable”? Of course he, if indeed Onixx is a “he,” has every right to be mad and to say what he wishes as a result, but if he offers an uninformed opinion on this website, as he has done, we have every right to provide accurate information in response.
By the way, speaking of “not socially acceptable,” in addition to being simply untrue and lacking in logic, YOUR other comment was incredibly rude and won’t be posted.
Bravo!
From a mom of an autistic child and a therapist who has dedicated herself to helping those with disabilities.
Most of these comments are completely hilarious and utterly misinformed.
There’s nothing “hilarious” about disability (especially preventable disability). I hope you have more respect for the people you “help.” By the way, the mother who wrote this piece is so “misinformed” that she just reported to her friends that her son, who recently returned to public school in a mainstream classroom with no supports or accommodations, just received a math award, a reading award, and honor roll all four quarters. He has a crush on a girl, who is the ONLY other student who got honor roll all four quarters, and she’s happy about it. If you’re really interested in “helping,” it might be worth listening to her.
@Rachel
As a therapist you will soon see the difference between the children whose families work to heal the biome and immune system of their autistic child and those who do not. Where the child will ultimately fall on the spectrum is directly related to how well those systems are functioning. Therapy plays a key role as well in helping the child catch up and overcome developmental milestones they missed. From à mom who works all day, spends every dime on enhancing supplements & farm direct unpasteurized foods and therapies , and reads emerging studies all night. My 3.5 y/o is rocking his autism and all the therapists & teachers at county pre-k get why. There is no quick fix, it is years of dedication to fixing the complicated system that is the human body. I’m active duty military for 20 years now so I’m not the image of utterly misinformed that I’m sure you conjure up in your minds eye (or maybe I am if you’re not familiar with what that takes). The fact is you can either put blind faith in studies with a limited scope where a control is really impossible considering the complexity and thousands of potential influences. Not to mention more often than not sponsored by institutions looking for a quick fix symptom oriented solution. Or you can get back to the basics and work to heal the child and treat the autism as long campaign with multiple fronts where you have to address and overcome all of the challenges to accomplish full potential. I hope for your child’s sake you swallow a humility pill and take an honest look at the other side of the coin.
It’s not a fucking opinion, It’s fact. Autism is a GENETIC disorder over 90% of the time. It’s absolutely laughable people believe vaccines and medications and caffeine gives their children ASD. They did in fact give their child ASD, but only by existing and reproducing with the issue wither being their genetics or their partners. How awful of this woman to post this. She’s simply putting more blame on parents than already exists. My daughter was diagnosed and turns out it’s all over her father’s side of the family. WOW, go figure.
Actually, better and more recent science indicates that autism risk has as much to do with environmental factors as it does hereditary ones:
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/environment-genetics-may-contribute-equally-to-autism-risk/
Your daughter’s father may have autism in his family, but a huge percentage of people with children who have autism have no autism in their backgrounds. Their autism came from somewhere. James Lyons-Weiler brilliantly synthesized the available science on autism and causation in his book The Environmental and Genetic Causes of Autism. It’s a fascinating read.
And just so everyone knows, my daughter that was recently diagnosed, was not vaccinated at all before her diagnosis. It was simply because of my insurance issues and having the money to do so. I did nothing during my pregnancy that I wasn’t supposed to and yet it still happened. Vaccinations work. How to you think we’ve wiped out 1 awful disease and pushed others to near extinction in the past? Well, until recently of course. With all these damn millennials and wanting to go back to all natural bullshit, obviously there was a reason for the vaccines in the past. They went from using what they had to realizing they needed to do more. Create something new to fight away the sicknesses. And it works. These snowflakes nowadays hear about someone’s friend’s uncle’s son that had a one in a million allergic reaction to a vaccine and decide they’re all awful. It’s silly. Absolutely ridiculous.
If you’re such a vaccine proponent, why didn’t you take advantage of the federal government’s assistance to vaccinate your child? Every Child by Two isn’t kidding when they say that’s their goal. If you want to vaccinate by the CDC schedule, it is quite easy to do so.
I find it odd that you couldn’t be bothered, but you judge those who chose to stop after their children were harmed or those who actively sought information with which to make an informed decision. Vaccinations do “work” (to some widely varying degree or another) against specific infectious diseases, most of which are not particularly deadly, not particularly common, or both. But they are not the “get-out-of-sickness-free” card that they are presented as. Each dose of each vaccine comes with a cost to the immune system (which in turn affects the neurological system, especially when it is developing rapidly at ages 0-3). The more doses, the higher that cost.
Vaccine manufacturers were threatening to get out of the business in 1985 because they were having to pay out so much money for the damages their vaccines were doing. As a result, they convinced Congress to give them liability protection in 1986. You can no longer sue the manufacturers directly for harm caused by vaccines. And now vaccines are the hottest rising profit sector in pharmaceuticals. Don’t you find that strange? In 1986 kids were getting DPT, MMR, and polio shots with very low uptake rates, and there was so much liability associated with just those three shots that manufacturers were going to get out of the business. Now kids get Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Rotavirus, Pneumococcal, Hib, HPV, influenza, Meningitis, and Varicella vaccines in addition to the ones they got then, more boosters, earlier dosing, and much higher uptakes. And you think they’re doing LESS damage? Not even remotely credible. Look around you. Kids are so much sicker now than they were in the 1960s when we had leaded gas and mothers smoked and drank alcohol during pregnancy.
They didn’t “realize they needed to do more” (kids weren’t dropping like flies from infectious disease in the 1985); they realized they wanted to make a LOT more money, and they had a captive audience in young children who need to go to school.
There was one man who DID GET THE NOBEL PRIZE.
He proved, showed, demonstrated, and was proven right by other doctors and scientists and laymen — 100’s of thousands of laymen over a century of time.
He was run out of the country.
THAT IS THE SYSTEM WE STILL LIVE IN. — it opposes the truth. it loves $$$$$$.
So realize, the SYSTEM , the whole system, is rigged. It is all set up for $$$$$$$.
With no conscience. No heart. No sense of right or wrong. Bent on evil. “system”
And most people who go thru the education process are very very very well indoctrinated IN THE SYSTEM.
So don’t expect help, or truth, or support from anyone in the SYSTEM,
unless you go along with the SYSTEM. (this is not a new found idea. This is how it has been for centuries.).
Is this GOOD NEWS ? No. Not for you readers. Not for any Americans. Not for anyone subject to the SYSTEM. THIS IS WHY so many Americans are sick and dying, short and long term, for over 100 years. THIS IS WHY it is so confusing.
No matter how much “research”, PhDs, studies, you find showing how to prevent , treat, heal disease (of any kind),
the SYSTEM will not go along with it unless they are profiting greatly or have no choice. (and the SYSTEM is larger than all the freemasons, christians, catholics, scholars, military, or any other parts of society).
CAN YOU STILL KNOW ? (the truth) … … for most people, no. They never find it.
It is found on these pages, and in many of these posts (not all of them).
It is found on perhaps one out of one-hundred webpages. Perhaps more, perhaps less.
It is rare.
It costs a lot if you choose to live for the truth. (it costs everything, believe it or not).
Healing ? Yes, healing is possible. The SYSTEM just doesn’t want anyone to know,
except to appear “tolerant”.
Always ? No. Not on earth. Too many people are opposed to the truth, everywhere.
For comparison of how difficult healing is just to find, even where you would think it would be expected: most “churches” refuse to allow or even to teach healing. (natural, simple, inexpensive, not toxic healing). Only (“PERHAPS”) one in one hundred “churches” lives in a way that tends to heal people daily. Yes, perhaps more, perhaps less — I’ve checked hundreds if not thousands of “churches” (remember if the leadership of a denomination forbids something, all those under that denomination usually forbids it also — and the assemblies that don’t “toe the line” (go along) don’t last long most of the time.
One other hope. TRUTH IS SIMPLE.
YHWH (GOD) created everything SIMPLE. It is mankind that corrupted everything. (“came up with many devices”) ……
Healing of the spirit is always possible, until GOD gives up on someone.
HE promises if someone is “willing”, HE will act on their behalf.
Honest, it is that simple. Be willing to let GOD help. Roll everything over to HIM.
Let HIM direct your life. HE is FAITHFUL. Man is not. (oh, GOD will guide you to who promotes true healing – those who love the TRUTH, seek the TRUTH, and actually help.).
It is truly joyful, peaceful, and encouraging to meet with others who have been healed, and who help to heal those around them. Seek them out, as GOD helps. Remember the “system” always seeks to squash us, to silence the truth.
“The sheep hear the SHEPHERD’S VOICE, and always follow HIM” 🙂
It is exhausting, yes.
We are being slaughtered all day long (the whole ‘system’ is against HIM and us).
Never give up. One step at a time. email jeffcraig (no spaces) for encouragement. (at cox.net).
You have the TRUTH so close, just reach for it and grab it!
http://nutritionfacts.org/
Denmark has a low rate of autism. It also does not supplement foods with folic acid. The US has been doing so for almost 20 years. Folic acid is not folate. How ironic it would be if we are taking supplements to prevent one malady only to replace it with a more pervasive one.
*sigh* It is probably true that for many with MTHR mutations, folic acid supplementation does make autism more likely. And, yes, the irony is incredibly depressing.
‘tangent’/ ‘pertinent’/ bad stuff in our food for over 100 years now. Search online “5 white poisons”. Add soy, msg, hfcsyrup, chlorine,ammonia, over 100 drugs (in TAP WATER) that THEY don’t have to even tell us about, and THEY don’t have any requirement to remove !
Identified before 1948 as main cause of 10,000 percent increase in disease in united states , NOT COUNTING immunizations (which they ALREADY KNEW THEN harm everyone).
Both of my children had tongue ties, my daughter’s so severe that I could not fill her up (breastfeeding) by the time she was 3 months old. Thankfully we have a lovely pediatric dentist who released it.
Anyway…my older sister has severe autism (aggression, rages, adult diapers…).
I am pretty sure I have MTHFR, but I am even more sure that vaccines are one of the worst things in the world, and over my dead body will my children receive them. (I am SO very blessed that my husband stands behind me 100%.)
A caution on relying on the “articles” you are finding and referencing. I applaud you for referencing them so people can read them themselves, but several of them use no references themselves. They make claims and state conclusions drawn from research, but don’t reference those studies. Without those references I find it very hard to believe anything that chiropractor said for instance. I’ve read far too many people’s blogs or articles from their professional pages that make a bunch of claims about what causes what or what a certain study showed, to then find out they are massively over-interpreting the results or pulling their own thoughts from thin air, not from any evidence in the actual paper. Research that’s published in reputable journals is done so after a hard-core review process from other experts in the field. They can’t make claims without the evidence fully supporting this, and neither should other people, yet that happens all too often. I fear you are punishing yourself when there’s actually not evidence for many of these things. People say all kinds of things because of feelings, when really you have to based it on peer-reviewed, scientifically based studies.
This was written four years ago, shortly after we began this website. We’ve gotten a lot more sophisticated in what we use for source material these days. Though, it’s probably a good idea to warn you to be as careful about relying on “peer-reviewed science.” It’s a deeply flawed process, in a system that has been largely usurped by corporate science for hire. Editors of some of the most prestigious journals have expressed deep misgivings about the science that is being published today. It is vital that everyone know how to assess the quality of what they are reading.
>”It’s a deeply flawed process, in a system that has been largely usurped by corporate science for hire. Editors of some of the most prestigious journals have expressed deep misgivings about the science that is being published today. ”
since your name is “professor” this must be true without any reference
I know it’s hard to resist any opportunity for snark, “random science person,” but it is not incumbent upon me to provide references for every statement made in every comment. As a matter of fact, it would be really nice if “random science persons” actually did the work for themselves sometimes. It’s really NOT hard to Google and find what journal editors have to say on the subject, but if you are REALLY having trouble, I’ll give you a headstart.
Richard Horton, Editor of The Lancet:
“The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness.” http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2815%2960696-1.pdf
You can also read the blog I wrote in 2015 that included some discussion on the topic. https://thinkingmomsrevolution.com/?s=anti-science
Just a quick comment about mercury etc. poisoning. Everyone is born with a blood-brain barrier which is there to prevent toxins from entering the brain so the body normally protects us. I am not aware as to all the issues which can cause the blood-brain barrier to break but I do know now that an excess of man-made electricity and possibly that includes radiowaves can break it so once again everyone needs to be wary of wifi, mobile phones, power line exposure especially at night. I realize everyone is enjoying their new technology but we should look up the research here because there is a huge amount and many scientists and doctors are trying to tell us to be more careful with our use of these and authorities not to roll it out in the way that they are especially around small children and pregnant women.
Audrey, Yes the cell membranes normally protect us from chemical toxicity. Frequencies such as EMF and ultrasound can increase “cell membrane permeability” in the fetus and even adults (ultrasound or electrotherapy), and this (in addition to chemical pollution) this subverts the immune system, increasing vulnerability to pollutants such as vaccines, pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, stove exhaust, pesticides, etc. Ultrasound is already used routinely in medicine to “potentiate” antibiotic applications by increasing cell membrane permeability. See http://www.harvoa.org
“I truly believe that my son’s autism was preventable. Think. Research. At this point, you can’t afford not to.”
Most disease used to be absent families. In a few areas on earth, some disease is absent – that is, until white man’s ways move in. Most famous was then they decimated the native americans with disease and booze.
It has simply gotten WORSE for EVERYONE since then – GREED INCREASES DESTRUCTION. GREED GREED GREED of corporations and people who have been duped into thinking they are ‘good’ for any reason. GREED destroys everyone it reaches, everyone it touches. It is why fluoride, antibiotics, ultrasounds, c-sections, microwave ovens, processed foods(milk,flour,sugar the big 3 poisons in america since wwI), have ALL INCREASED IN SPITE OF THE PROOF THEY CAUSE A LOT OF HARM and ARE NOT NEEDED.
Yet, TODAY, daily, we are all inundated by all the media PROMOTING what is bad, poopooing what is good.
RESEARCH !? Is all the more difficult – in the last 20 years FALSE RESEARCH has been like a TSUNAMI over all society – all the media – by the government and that which controls the government= corporations that are GREEDY.
And religion. Millions are dying world wide for their faith in JESUS.
Practically NONE of the churches in the united states has reported it since after wwII (Corrie ten Boom was FAITHFUL and did – she came and warned the churches in america; few listened)
So, society / corporations/ government/ all racing downhill….
Oh, there are a few SURVIVING, for a while… even THRIVING, for a while (while they are permitted)… We are healing people every day. And we are being opposed by churches, governments, news stations, doctors, masons, hospitals, — on every hand, from every direction we are being opposed… but we keep healing people every day…. (even though it does cost us our life)
giarcffej @ ten . xoc shalom !
I know this is a late comment, but wanted to offer hope to others who, like me, have children facing mild autistic symptoms (sensory issues, developmental delays).
Please check into two unrelated resources:
Amalgam Illness by Andy Cutler
Little Giant Steps & the Neurodeveopmental Approach
Andy Cutler is a PhD chemist who discovered he had been poisoned by his amalgam fillings, researched the scientific data on the topic, and developed a protocol to heal himself. It has since been used to CURE *some* children of autism, and even reversed MS in at least one woman who followed his plan. Disclaimer: the book “isn’t pretty” — but it is written by a scientist who understands the risks and benefits of chelation therapy and how to proceed safely, also how to find a doctor to work with. I am currently using the Cutler protocol to detox my own mercury & aluminum, and plan to do the same for my children when I am well enough.
Please, do not give up hope on helping your child! Our bodies have an incredible ability to heal, and especially children — the younger they are when intervention begins, the less permanent damage appears to be done.
The Little Giant Steps approach for neurodevelopment has been used by parents of all sorts of special needs children — autism, Downs Syndrome, and many others — and is basically a method of using physical activity to “re-wire” the brain. We focused on this last year, and saw great progress in many areas: more emotional stability, less light & sound sensitivity, better ability to tolerate touch, and huge strides in reading.
Hope this helps. I am starting a website to share what I have learned on our journey, but it’s only just begun. But feel free to contact me if you have trouble tracking these down & I will find more info (I think you’ll be able to locate both with a Google search).
An alternative method of detoxing and rebalancing which is in effect chelation therapy is provided by the Cyber Trone German therapy which does help in the same way as explained in this blog on the amalgam fillings. Though these fillings are stronger and last longer than the newer safer ones they can make us sick so it is worth not having them in the first place or if you have them getting them changed by a dentist who knows how to do this safely. How to access therapists for the Cyber Trone therapy can be found on the web. As with medical chelation one can be quite unwell in the beginning but after persevering you can be so much better especially with protecting us from the adverse electrical effects of our new technology of mobile phones and wifi etc.
As a fellow parent of an autistic child, who spends their life second-guessing every decision they’ve ever made… Forgive yourself. Its extremely unlikely that any one of these things “causes” autism, as every single thing you mention is extremely common. And though rising, autism still isn’t. 1 in 64 births from the last statistic I read. And even if the right combination of these anecdotal links to autism did in fact cause it, you had absolutely no idea, nor did the world’s best experts on this subject. You did the best you could for your child, using the knowledge available to you at the time. Accept your child as beautiful, though perhaps flawed. Just like every other human being on this planet. Your rant is so sad, it makes me want to give you and your child a big hug. You did nothing wrong. Love yourself, and your child. And let this go. Its only enabling you to live in a dark place of regret, that you don’t deserve to be in.
Lung cancer is caused by smoking, which is extremely common. It’s not common either. That’s not an argument against any of these things causing autism. The last statistic was 1 in 68 kids who are currently 12 years old. That’s not births, that’s not even kids. That’s ONE specific cohort. Ask anyone you know, and they will tell your there are many more in the incoming kindergarten class than there was seven years ago.
The scientific studies done on these factors are not “anecdotal links.”
You should know that the author of the piece isn’t living in a dark place of regret. She has long since forgiven herself for what she didn’t know then. Her child is mostly recovered and is an awesome kid. She adores him. But that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want to help other people avoid making the same mistakes she did, no matter how “common” they are. Most people in her position would just go on and try to forget about the “bad ol’ days,” but she had the courage to write it all out, KNOWING that she was going to get dumped on in a major way (you have no idea what kinds of comments we deleted; it would shake your faith in humankind), because of the possibility that it would save some families from the unnecessary neurological and medical problems that her child faced.
Burying your head in the sand won’t help things… It won’t save millions of children. There is nothing wrong with researching.. accepting yes, you did have a hand in causing it though certainly not on purpose! But we learn.. and we change and we evolve and hopefully become better.
btw last year they did another survey and autism was 1 in 42 (much more in boys) and isn’t it 1 in 2.. have a disability of SOME kind. 🙁
I’m not trying to be rude, but to all you parents of Autistic Children, I’m sorry for how your child turn out. I’m not a Parent, but a student (also with a condition that is deemed ‘incurable’), who so happened to come across this, while researching about GMO foods.
Like I said earlier, I’m not trying to be rude, but especially to whoever wrote this post, there are some serious flaws in your arguments above:
1. Fluoride
Fluoride is in our toothpaste, and several or many of our foods we eat. In Toothpaste Fluoride acts like a coating onto of your teeth, protecting it from any tooth decay. While there ARE many risks in having fluoride in your food, or toothpaste, there are probably MORE advantages to having Fluoride in your toothpaste, then not having them. Scientists would weigh this out, and declare what is good, and what is bad. Don’t get me wrong here. Fluorine IS toxic while it is in natural (elemental) GAS form, however, i’m sure that what the doctors gave you was a safe amount, and that it is combined with Calcium of some sort.
2. Antibiotics.
Antibiotics was discovered in 1928, about 50 to 70 years before the rate of Autism began to increase. If autism HAD increased from Antibiotics, it would’ve started almost from the moment Antibiotics were introduced to the world. Why? Well, I, too, am making an assumption, believe it or not. We can assume that antibiotics is quite safe, because it would be a VERY common cure for anything. It would be expensive to buy, but back then, a small cut could lead to a huge infection. Antibiotics would cure that.
3. Ultrasounds.
I’m not too sure about this one, but i have already had WAY more than 5. Ultrasounds don’t do much to the body, after all it uses high frequency sound waves to the body. If it damaged anything, i’d more than likely be the ears, and not causing Autism. What about the gel they put on you? That gel just helps the device to glide smoother, along with covering any air sockets that might disrupt the connection.
4. C-section
There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with having a C-section. I was born by having a C-section. They are used when there is an emergency, or when the child is too large to fit through the vagina. If i was born completely fine, up until last year that was (but doctors think it was to do with an injection – my condition that is deemed ‘incurable’). Any risks with C-section would have been known, before performing the deed. Like all of the above, chances would be weighed, if not long ago, then by modern scientists this day.
I think I could list a couple more, but that will be enough. Whether you believe me or not, it is completely up to you…
Well, Good luck to you mothers (and fathers, if you are here) in finding out your answers!
-Tsubaki
Hi Tsubaki,
You make many invalid assumptions in your comments.
1) The fluoride in your toothpaste does not simply coat your teeth. It gets ingested and into your bloodstream.
“A Major Source of Children’s Daily Fluoride Intake
“Fluoride toothpastes sold in the U.S. generally contain between 1,100 and 1,450 parts per million (ppm) fluoride (the equivalent of over 1 mg of fluoride for each gram of paste). Although the fine print on the back of the toothpaste tube instructs users not to swallow and to use only a “pea-sized” amount, advertisements continue to depict heaping swirls of paste on the brush, (Basch 2013), and manufacturers continue to market fluoride toothpastes in bubble-gum, fruit, and candy-like flavors (Basch 2014). Using child-appealing flavors is particularly dangerous because young children have poorly developed swallowing reflexes, and invariably swallow large amounts of the paste they add to the brush.
“Not surprisingly, numerous studies have found that many children ingest a significant amount of fluoride each day from toothpaste alone. According to the Journal of Public Health Dentistry: “Virtually all authors have noted that some children could ingest more fluoride from [toothpaste] alone than is recommended as a total daily fluoride ingestion.” (Levy 1999).”
http://fluoridealert.org/issues/dental-products/toothpastes/
Beyond that, however, the author is specifically referencing fluoride in WATER, which is NOT topical and you assume a “safe amount.” The fact is that a “safe amount” of anything can and does vary considerably from person to person, with people who have difficulty detoxing experiencing negative effects at much lower dosages. In addition, what is a “safe amount” for the general population when water consumption is so drastically different from person to person.
2) When antibiotics were introduced, they were introduce to a population with a largely intact gut microbiome, and a single round of antibiotics used to combat life-threatening infections were generally not harmful, but eventually people began taking antibiotics for more and more types of illness (many of them viral), with a good segment of the population having multiple repeated rounds of antibiotics before reaching adulthood. RECENT research has indicated that ONE round of an antibiotic can disturb the gut microbiome for up to one year following. Can you imagine what six rounds in one year can do? Wholesale destruction of the good bacteria in the gut that we are finding are responsible for more and more functions that we were unaware of. When that microbiome is profoundly disturbed “psychiatric” symptoms are usually present, just as see in a large segment of the autism population. In addition, the microbiome interacts with and is PART OF our immune systems, and autism is characterized by brain inflammation due to immune activation.
3. There is a lot of information as to what the high-frequency sound waves can do to a developing embryo or fetus; just saying they’re harmless doesn’t cut it.
4. Clearly the author is well aware of what C-sections are used for, though the United States WAY overuses this surgical means of birth. With little intervention and skilled attendants, fewer than 1 in 20 births should present dangers warranting a C-section, which is closer to the C-section rate in countries where birth is safer for both the mother and child than it is in the United States. In addition, recent research makes it very clear that C-sections disturb the infant’s microbiome right from the start, while also not providing the stimulation that a newborn’s neural receptors should get to prepare the infant for life. If a C-section occurs, steps should be taken to minimize the disturbance to the infant and the mother-infant bond.
Can always count TMR to be right on top of things!
1. Flouride. Do you know what hyperthyroidism is? It’s when your metabolism is revved up really high. These people MAY be really thin etc (going to skip a lot to get through this so feel free to google). The easiest way to destroy your thyroid.. is with the TINTIEST amount of flouride. Used for over a hundred years.. it’s super easy to cure this disease. Flouride is very powerful. Since we are all required to drink and America is #1 in obesity and the obese here can’t eat over 800 calories a day without gaining weight despite beign 300-400 pounds says our metabolisms are destroyed. Flouride has no affect on teeth. If it helps it’s like 1%. They are also what white fillings are made from. Flouride is not good for you. If you have thryoid disease (the hypo kind) you are suppsoe to avoid flouride to stop further damage which means no tea… tea is the main plant that leaches flouride from the ground. If you’re suppose to avoid a glass of tea… toothpaste should be your mortal enemy! Flouride is awful. It’s a toxin. It’s literally toxic waste. It was killing wildlife when they dumped it in the river. They were banned from tossing this crap so they funded a study that said it was good for teeth. The study btw is completely bogus with no science behind it. They turned what was huge fines for killing animals and destroying water into profit.
C-sections. When you have a C-section you are not allowing the newborn to get ESSENTIAL to life bacteria. There are new studies out showing that these kids are growing up not getting these probiotics in their system at all and failing to thrive. The vaginal canal has VERY important things in there that a baby needs in its system. The study also linked it with autism. gut flora is now s hown to be directly connected to the brain… there ARE actual vessels that go from the gut to the brain showing it’s been way more important than anyone ever thought and why fecal transplants have been phenomonal to those that recieve them.
Antiobiotics are now given for EVERYTHING and that dr with the c section studies has been saying how we’ve been giving them to our kids for no reason at all… it’s also destroying very new delicate gut flora (vaccines also destroy gut flora that you cannot replace with a pill)
Ultrasounds have been r poven to be dangerous. There’s a reason dr’s say 2 MAX… now a days a woman could easily have 10. Not to mention all the radio waves for listening to the heart beat. If you are “high risk” ultrasound technology is a weekly deal you have to do for MONTHS. They have been proven to actually mess with the DNA and change it!
I have not been able to read all the posts but just want to say again as I have before that much if not all our modern day ills are being made more likely to occur due to the increasing use of mobile phones and wifi rollouts. There is apparently a paediatrician in America who suggests you turn it all off for 2 weeks and see how your children are then. I was a nurse for 45 years in Australia and eventually had to retire due to electrohypersensitivity which is a permanent damage illness due to my exposure to all of the above plus I suffered ovarian and uterine cancer after carrying a cordless phone around in my apron pocket over my abdomen for some years. We are electrical beings and our body electrics are sadly incompatible with that made by man so please be careful – hardwire computers, sleep in rooms without electronics, move clock radios away from your heads and try to avoid high powered electricity lines outside your or your children’s bedrooms. All this modern technology makes it more likely for all the other things you name to cause you or your children health issues.
Announcing a new human epidemiological study, conducted from University of Washington that indicts ultrasound re ASD.
The lead author, Pierre Mourad, was also involved in a mice study in 2013, that found ultrasound causing autism-like symptoms. Now he presents a human study that confirms his mouse study.
This is good news, but still very reserved compared to my “New Bibliography” of ultrasound studies at http://harvoa.org/chs/pr/pr_details.htm
Perhaps to ensure publication, the abstract mis-describes the history of ultrasound research with, “there exists… no human data”, at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aur.1690/abstract
“While… considered safe, there exists speculation, though no human data, that diagnostic ultrasound may also contribute to ASD severity…”
You did not give your son autism. None of the things you mentioned cause autism. It is nothing but pure bad luck he was born autistic because autism is genetic it is some where in the family history. So you are not to blame if anything is responsible it is the God you belive in that caused it
Sorry, but you are wrong. There is no such thing as a genetic epidemic, and please don’t try to pretend autism was as prevalent 50 years ago as it is now. Almost NO ONE was nonverbal in the 1960s, now 1 in 45 children have autism and approximately one-third of them are nonverbal. Autism is most definitely (as study after study has found) strongly affected by toxic environmental insults as described in the blog.
Wow. Did you really actually say there were “no non-verbal autistics” in the 1960’s?!?!?
Seriously?
Really?!?!
Because I think regardless of your very misinformed views of “what causes autism” you cannot think that Anyone with access to the Internet will believe that statement?!
I can name Two for you who as a child had what was considered such a communication issue they were diagnosed as massively learning disabled because of it.. What we would class now as “non verbal” as they did not use ” language at the appropriate developmental age”…
You ready? This might just “shake your world”
One- Donna willams born 1963…
Two- Temple Grandin born 1947.
I’d tell you to check your “facts” better and stop spreading “misinformation” but I know better..
That’s what “you” do here.
I was also going to say.. Um.. both of those women talk just fine! lol
Wilder, (not sure how to reply to you under your post but.. Same here I was a kid in the 80’s/90’s and there were 2 kids in special ed and only because they were in wheel chairs. I now live in a small town.. well not a major city anyway like I’m use to but still a couple hundred thousand.. there are 10 PACKED classrooms in EVERY age group of autism classrooms on the severe side… there’s another 20 classes for moderate functioning and then they have mixed classrooms… there isn’t enough teachers.. there’s ONE speech teacher for the entire district so my kid gets 5 minutes of speech a MONTH and she has zero words. It’s crazy! You can’t meet someone now a days who doesn’t have a personal knowledge of a child with autism where as I never met a kid with autism until i had my own
Oh, silly me.. You of course put the word “almost” in front of your claim..
Now you will reply stating that..
But my claim remains.. “Almost no one” is still an ignorant statement by Anyone with the Internet..
You mean this Donna Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jYBsTUmUFo?
And this Temple Grandin: https://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds?language=en?
As you can see, neither of them qualifies as “nonverbal.” Despite your quotation marks around “no non-verbal autistics,” at least you noted that I did NOT say that. I said “almost NO ONE.” There is a significant difference between no one and almost no one, though I know that the black-and-white thinking that goes with autism may find it difficult to recognize that. The fact that you came up with a total of two (highly verbal) people with autism as your examples underscores my point rather than refutes it.
Wow, the arrogance. Are you claiming to know better than Donna ( known as Polly now actually – she is a friend of mine)??
You know her better than she knows herself eh?
Same with Temple? You know for a fact that they were verbal? Regardless of what they both say themselves???
Well in reference to Polly, you are wrong.
Your arrogance and ignorance knows no bounds really does it?
*sigh* I’m not claiming to know THEIR LIVES better than they do (while you, on the other hand, have claimed to know the lives of other “autistics” better than they or the people close to them have). I’m saying that neither of them ARE nonverbal — and that is abundantly clear by the fact that they are SPEAKING in those videos. That is hardly evidence of either arrogance or ignorance.
I’m going to be straight with you here. You argue EVERY SINGLE POINT, generally exceptionally poorly. That is an utter waste of my time AND your time. You would be much better served by actually trying to see the point BEYOND the words that initially piss you off. Then we might have a conversation other than “You’re wrong! You’re arrogant! You’re ignorant!” when I can easily show that I am not wrong or ignorant on the topic at hand. And I think it’s probably obvious to anyone who reads our conversations that you call allege arrogance if someone disagrees with you and can back it up.
This is where historical experience is important. I went to public schools back east in the 70s and 80s. I never met or knew of anyone in anyone’s family who remotely resembled Temple Gradin. I knew kids in school, or within in their families (kids or adults) that had MS, cancer, Down’s, lupus, alcoholism, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, schizophrenia and everything else you can think of in pretty much standard occurrence distribution. In retrospect, with 300 kids in my graduating class and their relatives I could think of, there were probably at most 2 I would even call ‘on the spectrum’. The only frank autistic I met was not until 1987, and in South America, the uncle of my boyfriend, who could have been a double for Rain Main. I loved Tio Emilio and his astronomical charts. He was really verbal. The family never knew what he had, and had never met anyone with his condition.
Since having kids in the 90s (who are not remotely anywhere near the spectrum) and volunteering in their schools I’m seeing many kids with distinct behavior and disabilities that NO ONE had that I went to school with since kindergarten and still know (and their extended families.) There are 2 FULL classrooms of kids on the spectrum in my younger kid’s grade (500 total/class.) There are several in the neighborhood. My sister has an autistic child, my cousin has an autistic child, my sister’s sisters in laws have multiple autistic kids – severely, there were NO autistic kids on either side of my family- EVER, and none on my brother in law’s side. I sat with the same 9 girls at lunch senior year. We’ve had 10 kids total, one mildly autistic, one severely autistic. How do we go from something I virtually never saw for 35 years, to FUCKING everywhere? This isn’t a judgement call of fidgety kids who may or may not conform to changing societal norms, this is undeniably different behaviors, challenges, and frank disability. It’s statistically impossible with this many people who are completely unrelated across the United States to have this many undeniably autistic kids. It is not better identification, what’s happening is unprecedented and points directly to an environmental cause(s). I feel for you, but get your head out of the sand.
Funny thing is, I could write a long reply about how I am a child of the 70’s and how I saw autistics then as I see them today.. It’s just we were better at putting them away back then… I could go on about how autism is genetic with UNKNOWN environmental factors.. I could go on about how autism is not an illness or disease…But I know it will all fall on decidedly ignorant ears here. I only post or reply for those unfortunate enough to come by your blog here.. A small voice of reason replying to a Blatantly pseudoscientific blog
The environmental factors are “UNKNOWN” (officially) because they don’t WANT you to know them. Got any idea why that is? Autism IS a disorder characterized by brain inflammation. That is not a “normal” state for the brain, nor is it an optimal one for neurodevelopment. You talk about “pseudoscience” and then spit out generalizations that are easily refuted with REAL science.
You were shown video PROOF.. temple does LECTURES.. You may not understand hat non verbal means. Yes, maybe they spoke a year later than normal but late onset is not non verbal. My 7year old has never said a single word.. EVER… it is HIGHLY unlike she ever will. THAT is non verbal. You are very cocky with a cocky handle when you appear to know very little about autism
Actually from a research point of view as well as from an education point of view “non verbal” does not mean does not communicate or will never communicate..
I’m afraid you assume that your child will not speak, but that may not be necessarily true, she may communicate very well already., I suggest you look up Amy Sequenzia and Silent Miaow before making such sweeping generalisations especially about me and my over 12 years worth of autism experience…. but that means very little, what actually matters is I am a mother of an autistic child also and you ASSUME he speaks. Well done.
This actually has the first good point you’ve made in a LONG time, and that is that because someone is nonverbal, it doesn’t mean they can’t communicate. That much is very true and is missed by a lot of people.
But YOU are assuming that Sidling is assuming. Nowhere does Sidling mention anything about a child of yours and whether or not he, she, they speak. Sidling said you may not understand what nonverbal means, which is a legitimate suggestion given that you used Polly and Temple as examples of “nonverbal” people with autism when they clearly are not nonverbal as they speak very well. So in your own words, “Well done.”
And by the way, you also assumed that Sidling didn’t know that speaking and communication are not the same. Sidling was talking specifically about speech. Nowhere did Sidling say that his/her child could not communicate.
Yeah, your point is well.. pointless. You claim Temple Grandin is non verbal.. She speaks very very well. I think you need to take a step back, take a deep breath because you are all kinds of wrong here. Non verbal means no speech whatsoever for as long as the person has been alive. It has in the past included people who could speak up to 3-10 words but those people are now called limited verbal as they are not truely non verbal.
I can’t stand it when people say oh Einstein was non verbal and look at how well he did.. he was talking by 3. He was a late talker.. not non verbal and spoke well after 3.
As for my child not only is she non verbal and probably always will be her communication is extremely limited. She doesn’t know what we are saying and will only repeat signs (2) in order to get something she wants but doesn’t have meaning for them as of yet.. though I do have hope one day it will.
I, personally, find it very insulting when people who have children who can ask for certain foods and to do things verbally albeit limited and they’re only 2 and yet call them non verbal because it’s not up to par (yet) as what I am working with couldn’t be further from their lives.
Guess bad luck is severely contagious.. especially in families with zero autism in them!
Right?
After more than 30 years with decades also of college, medical, and witchcraft(pharmakeia) trainging (yes, it is),
I can confidently say that GOD IS IN CHARGE, and there are ways the government and the officials won’t admit
to help most people no matter what happened to them or whose fault it was if anyone’s.
It is always a challenge (too hard of a challenge I think, but what can we do about that?).
But more and more groups are helping one another find out what can be done.
It would have helped us(my wife and I and babies) A LOT , IF ONLY FAMILY HAD HELPED, or if EVEN one church had helped, but they are not inclined to help at all.
We still , by God’s Grace, found all the help we needed at the time, day after day for over 7 years, to recover from most of the physical problems we faced together.
(The spiritual , emotional, and mental challenges may take quite a bit longer, btw).
Steady, steady, steady – don’t ever give up.
Yes, (no), conflicting emotions here – autism or aspergers ‘can’ be consider a ‘gift’, in life,
the same like cancer or diabetes. But that doesn’t mean to accept it as needing to continue. There are many who have recovered (with NO drugs).
So you equate autism with Cancer? Wow. That’s truly sad for you. Autism is NOT a disease no matter how much those on this blog like to think it is. If you properly research autism you would know this already.
Autism IS a disability — and, like cancer, is in part due to environmental factors — whether you choose to think it is or not. If you properly researched autism, you would know this already.
No, I don’t equate autism with cancer. Cancer only takes a few weeks to cure, and autism take a couple years. (sometimes 2 days, but requires ongoing evaluation/ ‘needs’ to be addressed).
Cancer is very well known and documented as a deficiency disease. Autism is also caused by a deficiency (known and proven)
but it is less well known than cancer.
Autism has ALWAYS been called a disease as far as everyone who knows what it is has said, for almost 100 years or longer now.
(I realize that the druglords have spent perhaps a trillion dollars to cover up what is happening with/causing/ associated with Autism , and the druglords don’t want anyone to know the truth, but that is nothing – of no matter, once someone finds out) …
Just like all the money they spent to cover up aspergers – that is much easier to cure than autism, but the person has to want to be cured instead of the now common “I like it” attitude that’s been foisted on the unwary public as if it is just a different personalty or something. The proof? Simple. Find people who have been cured. It’s actually easy ! (though it takes time, lots and lots of time, and patience, seeking the truth).
You said “if I properly research….” …. I was trained IN the drug lords schools….. I learned right directly from THEM…. (they didn’t deny it even, back in the 1980’s; rather they seemed PROUD of the money they got , all the extra money…… and admitted yes, even though it caused so many troubles for those afflicted, and cost so much – they said that is what they live for -THE MONEY) (they said it with NO SHAME apparent in their face or in their voice, ever – they had no conscience left! which broke my heart for them…. but I wouldn’t accept their bribes of money to continue doing that…. no… it is better to be poor and honest, just as Scripture says) …
autism is brain damage caused by heavy metals.
DID YOU KNOW???
The symptoms of brain damage found in autism (because that is what it is) are IDENTICAL to the symptoms of the brain damage found in mercury poisoning. IDENTICAL. line for line IDENTICAL.
SYMPTOMS OF MERCURY POISONING:
There are consequences for injecting mercury into a child. The symptoms of mercury poisoning are:
Psychiatric Disturbances:
Social deficits, shyness, social withdrawal
Depression, mood swings; mask face
Anxiety
Schizoid tendencies, OCD traits
Lacks eye contact, hesitant to engage others
Irrational fears
Irritability, aggression, temper tantrums
Impaired face recognition
Speech, Language & Hearing Deficits
Loss of speech, failure to develop speech
Dysarthria; articulation problems
Speech comprehension deficits
Verbalizing & word retrieval problems
Sound sensitivity
Hearing loss; deafness in very high doses
Poor performance on language IQ tests
Sensory Abnormalities</TD
Abnormal sensation in mouth & extremities
Sound sensitivity
Abnormal touch sensations; touch aversion
Vestibular abnormalities
Motor Disorders:
Involuntary jerking movements – arm flapping, ankle jerks, myoclonal jerks, choreiform movements, circling, rocking
Deficits in eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; intention tremors
gait impairment; ataxia – from incoordination & clumsiness to inability to walk, stand, or sit; loss of motor control
Difficulty in chewing or swallowing
Unusual postures; toe walking
Cognitive Impairments:
Borderline intelligence, mental retardation – some cases reversible
Poor concentration, attention, response inhibition
Uneven performance on IQ subtests
Verbal IQ higher than performance IQ
Poor short term, verbal, & auditory memory
Poor visual and perceptual motor skills, impairment in simple reaction time
Difficulty carrying out complex commands
Word-comprehension difficulties
Deficits in understanding abstract ideas & symbolism; degeneration of higher mental powers
Unusual Behaviors:
Stereotyped sniffing (rats)
ADHD traits
Agitation, unprovoked crying, grimacing, staring spells
Sleep difficulties
Eating disorders, feeding problems
Self injurious behavior, e.g. head banging
Visual Impairments:
Poor eye contact, impaired visual fixation
“Visual impairments,” blindness, near-sightedness, decreased visual acuity
Light sensitivity, photophobia
Blurred or hazy vision
Constricted visual fields
Physical Disturbances:
Increase in cerebral palsy; hyper- or hypo-tonia; abnormal reflexes; decreased muscle strength, especially upper body; incontinence; problems chewing, swallowing, salivating
Rashes, dermatitis/dry skin, itching; burning
Autonomic disturbance: excessive sweating, poor circulation, elevated heart rate
Gastro-intestinal Disturbances</TD
Gastroenteritis, diarrhea; abdominal pain, constipation, “colitis”
Anorexia, weight loss, nausea, poor appetite
Lesions of ileum & colon; increased gut permeability (leaky gut)
Inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase IV, which cleaves casomorphin
Abnormal Biochemistry:
Binds -SH groups; blocks sulfate transporter in intestines, kidneys
Has special affinity for purines & pyrimidines
Reduces availability of glutathione, needed in neurons, cells & liver to detoxify heavy metals
Causes significant reduction in glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase
Disrupts mitochondrial activities, especially in brain
Immune Dysfunction:
Sensitivity due to allergic or autoimmune reactions; sensitive individuals more likely to have allergies, asthma, autoimmune-like symptoms, especially rheumatoid-like ones
Can produce an immune response in CNS
Causes brain/MBP autoantibodies
Causes overproduction of Th2 subset; kills/inhibits lymphocytes, T-cells, and monocytes; decreases NK T-cell activity; induces or suppresses IFNg & IL-2
CNS Structural Pathology:
Selectively targets brain areas unable to detoxify or reduce Hg-induced oxidative stress
Damage to Purkinje and granular cells
Accummulates in amygdala and hippocampus
Causes abnormal neuronal cytoarchitecture; disrupts neuronal migration & cell division; reduces NCAMs
Progressive microcephaly
Brain stem defects in some cases
Abnormalities in Neuro-chemistry:
Prevents presynaptic serotonin release & inhibits serotonin transport; causes calcium disruptions
Alters dopamine systems; peroxidine deficiency in rats resembles mercurialism in humans
Elevates epinephrine & norepinephrine levels by blocking enzyme that degrades epinephrine
Elevates glutamate
Leads to cortical acetylcholine deficiency; increases muscarinic receptor density in hippocampus & cerebellum
Demyelination in brain
EEG Abnormalities / Epilepsy:
Causes abnormal EEGs, epileptiform activity
Causes seizures, convulsions
Causes subtle, low amplitude seizure activity
Population Characteristics:
Effects more males than females
At low doses, only affects those geneticially susceptible
First added to childhood vaccines in 1930s
Exposure levels steadily increased since 1930s with rate of vaccination, number of vaccines
Exposure occurs at 0 – 15 months; clinical silent stage means symptom emergence delayed;
I really appreciate what “yesterday today and forever says” below…..helps us see that our kids are affected..impulsivity is big factor…I’m a kindergarten teacher, See a variety of these symptoms in many kids…
Check this out – excess of certain B VITAMINS have now been linked with much higher incidence of autism spectrum disorders-3X up to over 17X as high!
https://imfar.confex.com/imfar/2016/webprogram/Paper22533.html
Linked only in that it MAY increase risk of Autism. It is not a definite link by any means
I take riboflavin and other Bs for CPTII.
I also did ultrasounds, monitoring, vaccinations, fluoridated water, mthfr mutations, post natal iv antibiotics on one son, tylenol (though sparingly)and every other causitive agent agent the author feels guilty about.
I realize this is anecdotal, but my 2 boys boys are now over 18, never a trace of autism, raging extroverts.
My cousin’s son and and my sister’s son are autistic. And it’s not mild. There has never been autism in my family.
The only difference with my kids is that I did completely unmedicated births at a center. NO iv, NO cervical agents, no epidural, NO PITOCIN, no nothing. The births were ungodly painful and long, but again, completely unmedicated. Both of mine were early, 34 and 37 weeks. My sister and my cousin did fully medicated births, for what it’s worth, and past past 40 weeks.
Please detail your ultrasound experiences.
They each had 3 ultrasounds. It’s been a long time, but the first one is at 12 weeks? Then I did amnio testing with each one, so 16 weeks? And then there’s a later on one 5/6 months? At the time I had my reservations about ultrasounds, but objecting didn’t seem like an option. I’m also Rho negative and my boys are Rho positive, I have had the Rhogam shot so many times I stopped counting. Also, the dad and I are quite introverted, yet we have these very gregarious kids.
Thanks for the detail re your ultrasound experiences. I’ve been arguing for ultrasound initiation of fetal vulnerabilities — arguing now for three years (harvoa.org). Your ultrasound sessions, being over 18 years ago, could well have been with the much lower intensity machine models, because the great rise in intensities (8x-15x) began to be implemented in 1991. There are also widely varying operator related chance factors like dwell time, skill, and knowledge of safety issues.
It’s a little like smoking. A few decades ago, ‘apparently’, Japanese Medical Doctors/ Scientists showed conclusively that smoking won’t hurt someone UNLESS they are allergic to what is in the stuff they are smoking. (Others around may still be hurt by second hand smoke – no disputing that).
LIkewise,
no matter what you did during prenatal/ pregnancy/ care of a child,
IF they have the enzyme(s) needed to metabolize mercury, they don’t get autism when exposed to mercury.(unless it overwhelms their system).
Likewise, IF they don’t have the enzyme(s) needed to metabolize mercury, then even a tiny amount (like one shot) of mercury can result in full blown autism UNTIL the mercury is dealt with. This was FULLY KNOWN by 1955, perhaps much earlier (doctors in the 1930’s and 40’s REFUSED shots for their own children, reportedly).
Now , with the reports/ books/ form Andrew Moulden available (for a while anyway) showing “all immunizations cause harm” and “how to identify vaccine damage”
should be enough to get people to refuse any vaccine in most cases. (there’s NEVER been a need for vaccines, and none of them have been PROVEN to be cost-effective, ever)…. (I’ve studied this starting IN PHRAMACY SCHOOL, while practicing in four hospitals in the United States, and for the last 30 years extensively)….
#2 here
Thank you for this piece. Yes, I made many of these mistakes with my first, and Amoxicillin was the worst, hands down, for him. I had antibiotics for my eyes and paracetamol during pregnancy.
None of this happened with my second though. Whilst it is true that her immune system is in much better shape than her brother’s, she is quite obviously on the spectrum, and has selective mutism, absence seizures and is hyperreactive. I did have a lot more ultrasounds with her though, as a *senior* mum. She has electromagnetic sensitivity.
Neither of them were vaxed. They make progress, it is true, and I know that if they had been vaxed, they would probably be in a far worse place. But our challenges remain immense for all that, as they teeter on failing to be quite normal, but fail to make the grade for proper support from the system, at least so far (we’re in France – I don’t even want to start on that).
So…. our children are so vulnerable to all the toxicity and pollution around them, it strikes me sometimes that if it wasn’t going to be one thing, it would be another.
I have Amoxicillin and Lamictal monsters that plague my conscience. My daughter developed Erythema Multiforme after taking Lamictal, and I was soo furious with myself for going against my intuition, but after the myoclonic seizure she had that took us to hospital, I felt I had no choice.
I am armed to the teeth with alternative remedies now, that work far better than allopathic pharmaceuticals, but their soldiers are a terrifying bunch, and the power imbalance can catch many a parent off-guard.
Mant a time I’ve gone down for being a *hysteric* mum. Sick too myself from the rhesus anti-D vaccine for years, and finally diagnosed Asperger’s.
Bless and be at peace.
Bundlebee, I don’t know what the landscape in this regard is like in France, but many families are getting tremendous help with seizures (and other related issues involving brain inflammation) from medical marijuana. It might be worth a shot. And I stopped vaccinating my daughter at 1 and I I share your frustration with real lower-level issues that make life a struggle. Don’t worry about the “hysteric” label. That’s the mark of someone whose worldview is threatened. It says so much more about them than it could ever say about you.
Have your children tested for the MTHFR gene mutation. This can cause all sorts of health complications unless the complications to certain foods are dealth with. 50% of the population will have some form of it.
Psychological abuse. Theres the cause. I hope that helps…
Nope. It doesn’t. Certainly, abuse, by virtue of the increase in stress hormones that would result, would increase the odds of a particular child developing a neurological condition such as autism, but it can in no way explain the vast increase in autism rates. Leo Kanner and Bruno Bettelheim notwithstanding, there is no evidence that psychological abuse plays any role in most cases of autism.
Reading this for the first time on Mother’s Day. I’m thinking two things. How courageous for a mother to come straight out and admit that she herself made decisons that led to this outcome. Brava Mountain Momma!!!!! Please don’t take this second part wrong but daily Coke and Lortab aka Vicoden? That was pretty much all I needed to convice me. Thanks for your honesty.
Hello. I just want to ask what kind of heavy metals checking did you make?In blood check or hair or another kind of checking? I live in Japan and my son is 7. The doctors told me that I can’t make a test like this until he will be 12. I think that it’s too late . I have to wait about 5 years. Too long.
Thank you
Im so happy that your son is alive thank you God…
Ultrasounds? I had FOUR, the obstetrician told me they were “required”. Now I am MAD! All they ever found were a bit of “gas bubbles” in the intestine.
Vaccines? My child had them too and I should have stepped in and not allowed some of them–after some Human Anatomy and Phys. classes and my own personal experiences and that of friends, I question whether anything besides Tdaps, MMRs, and Hep B should be given.
Painkillers? I was given a huge list of things not to take, and the only meds I took for the nine months was sudafed, the pregnancy vitamins, and occasional ibuprofin. My doctor said these were safe.
Sugars? I was too sick to eat much sugar, unless you say soda crackers are evil. I had some chocolate cake at Christmas and a little bit of candy. Is that what did it? I don’t think so.
Flouride? Well, my doctor never told me to stop using flouride toothpaste.
Pitocin? I don’t think so. I had to be induced because I lost 4 lbs of water and had had two “false alarms” already and my kid was already over 9 lbs. It was found later I was not producing “oxytocin”. In fact, in 2 minute after receiving oxytocin, I went into labor and the rate had to be slowed down and my water broken because the nurses were saying the contraction rate was “too fast.” Unlike my first birth, this one went finished without a hitch, no apnea, no C-section, no painkillers. Did seem to go awful fast compared to the first one, the autistic kid was out in less than eight hours. Labor too fast maybe?
Advanced age? Yeahhh…I was 40 at the time and it was my second one. Have no desire now to have any beyond the two.
X-rays? I want to ASK about this one because my son supposedly “required” FOUR X-rays of his abdomen in the first TWO weeks of life. I don’t think it was really necessary.
Nursed? And how, he REFUSED a bottle after settling into breastfeeding until his first bad cold after one year of age. In fact, once over the cold, he wanted to go back to nursing, but by then my milk was already drying up and he didn’t like the taste anymore. He was such a good “eater” that at four months, the doctor and my husband wanted me to wean him to formula because I lost weight, was getting pale, and was tested to have anemia. I suggested a more meat rich diet and it worked. My baby was already eating baby food at this point and especially liked rice cereal, peas and carrots. At 10 months he was already 20 lbs., crawling, climbing, chattering, laughing, rolling, pullng himself up, sitting up easily, had great eyesight, drooling like crazy, had two teeth, manipulating things with his hands and feet, temper tantruming, and was rather tall for a baby his age. The “symptoms” didn’t show up until he was almost two.
Early Antibiotics? NO WAY! Not until he had an ear infection past age 1 or 2.
Two other things really bother me, which I think could have had a profound effect. One, I wasn’t allowed to nurse him until 13+ hours AFTER he was born. They finally got me at 3 am in the morning for his first feeding. Supposedly it was not good for his heath to nurse right after birth. I have always been mystified by this, because I nursed right after birth with the first one and everyone I know says that this was a strange thing to be prevented from doing. Two, we had some stressful and difficult things happen in the family–1. Both Grandmas in a short span of time developed dementia. One got to be like a spoiled little brat and the other was SO BAD she quit talking, using the bathroom, bathing herself, and doing the most basic grooming (forget regular house chores). It was so hard to care for her that we her kids put her into a memory care facility. The only ability that seems to remain is feeding herself and recognizing us after we talk to her for a while and nodding and shaking her head. Now her teeth are rotting because she doesn’t brush her teeth and fights people doing it for her, she doesn’t walk anymore and lost a lot of weight due to “pouching”. 2. One grandpa DIED. 3. Dad lost his job and we had to move…TWICE. 4. The older child was struggling with various things like food behaviors, depression, etc. while one grandma was descending into dementia and had other issues when our son showed his first symptoms. 5. I also had to go to work full time for a two months after Dad lost his job and was out working temporarily in the new city, so our autistic kid had to be cared for by sitters/his older sibling and he wasn’t used to me being away. 6. Starting while Grandma was in our house and slipping into dementia, he started having irrational fears that I was going to go away or die. All these things mentioned happened within a span of THREE years and I really wonder how much these stressful circumstances, added to the denial at birth of what I understand just about all kids receive–nursing–plus the ultrasounds and I bet the X-rays too contribute to his problems. I agree with the likelihood of being older, having been exposed to strange stuff like many ultrasounds, and perhaps even excessive vaccination and medications in infancy, but what about X-rays, what about NOT being allowed to nurse for the first time for almost 20 hours and being away from Mommy for most of that time? And how about early childhood stress? I mean, it was really depressing for the rest of us to lose a Grandpa, two grandmas to dementia (he does REALLY HANG on the remaining Grandpa when he visits), having to move two times, Mommy working for the first time and then Sissy also having stress and Daddy having to work away from home the first month before age 4 MUST have had SOME bearing on his problems. We do know from what he “says” now that some of that is true, that there is some anger at Mom and Dad but he cannot tell us precisely WHY (does he blame us for the grandparents’ messed up state and one dead? is he mad he had to move?). We still struggle with his issues. He still fears my dying. He got mad for weeks when Daddy went back to work and whenever Dad goes back to work after a vacation or even a weekend. One grandma still has weekly dramas that involve us both and cut in on his “attention” or he continues to see how the grandmas have changed and hasn’t accepted it yet–at least that’s a theory of MINE. His troubles have gone on since age 2 until now at age 7 and there seems to be no end in sight, even though big Sissy has very little troubles these days, Daddy has a regular job and regular hours, Mommy is always at home, we aren’t moving any time soon, the remaining Grandpa visits when he can, one grandma is not seen anymore because her appearance is upsetting, and one grandma at least hasn’t changed lately, and he has spent at least one year in school with some of this year being more erratic in terms of attendance. I know I can’t ask when it will end and I am committed to seeing things through, but I sure would like to find out if ultrasounds, x-rays, and delayed nursing and bonding can have any effect on the development of ASD symptoms or at least exacerbate them. At least if so I would like to tell other women to WATCH IT when they are asked to agree to these things. One thing’s for sure: I wouldn’t tell other moms to do NO vaccines, but I would tell them MMR, Tdap, and Hep B are SUFFICIENT, as almost no children have died from the others nor are even likely to get things like Hep A easily and flu vaccines–even for the dreaded H1N1, are just as likely to sicken the child and NOT WORK as they are to even work. I think that’s a 50/50 chance that if I had the decision to make all over again, I certainly wouldn’t do it. I would also fight FOUR ultrasounds and really question the need for x-rays on an infant and delayed bonding/feeding and I might have insisted on more outside help when the whole family/clan was going through those really stressful changes. Dementia and death involve the WHOLE clan, not just the spouse and immediate kids and grandkids.
Stress definitely has an effect. It can directly affect the neurological system. In addition, according to a questionnaire that Svetlana Masgutova gives the parents of children with autism who come to her, a very high percentage of those children have experienced traumatic events.
Why don’t you all check the child’s exposure to mobile/cordless phones and wifi? instead of worrying about all the other things as this is the most likely cause of the increased number of autism cases.
It’s hardly “the most likely cause,” but it IS likely to be part of the overall toxic load that our children carry today that makes them more susceptible to any neurological condition. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24095003
There is only one question I have and that is did you have wifi in your home during your pregnancy and early childhood of your child and/or did you use a mobile phone and put it anywhere near your baby both in utero or after birth?
Thank you for your heart felt apology. But, darling the system is designed for you to trust the doctors. However, I have found that going to the doctor is just a routine thing one child is every child. Doctors don’t want to do what is right, they want to make money. They don’t want to take time and learn or read the inserts, they trust these well groomed sells representatives who bring lunch and coffee. They want to win contests because they are desperately needing a vacation from all the madness. They have no idea what they are doing. When the parents know more than the doctors, we have reached desperation. I feel as though we need to start
Billing for our time to the doctors so the get the point of who they work for. I hope you will get some rest and realize you can choose to educate the doctors and maybe just maybe they will get a clue and read the shit they pump into our kids. We cannot sue but we can bill for our time and research that their sorry lazy asses could not or would not do. Best to bring in peer studies to show them where they fall on the scale. Good luck
Wow, and you decided to raise Carly’s shock treatment.. So you have some inside info then? Because other then that biggest of info about her, which is public knowledge, I’m not sure Exactly why you needed to mention her… Considering her own self advocacy stance..
Also it really doesn’t seem to be easy for you to grasp the concept that advocacy doesn’t mean advocating for only a section nor does it mean speaking for All.. But yet anyone who disagrees gets branded as “speaking for all autistics” when it’s blatant that is not the case..
As it is, now I really am tired of this tedious conversation and blog that repeats the same pseudoscientific nonsense over and over again..
You scream proof to those who disagree, give me one, just one valid study, as I have read all the links on this blog and in the comments and they don’t cut it to say the least..
Good luck
*sigh* No, I don’t have “inside info” on Carly Fleischmann. That was exactly the point! If I DON’T have inside info, I don’t condemn others’ choices like you do. THAT’S why I brought it up, because Carly is a self-advocate, like you, who made a choice for herself to use a treatment that many consider “abuse.” But that’s not their call or my call, just as it is not YOUR call to make for others either.
I’m well aware of what advocacy is. And I’m also aware of when someone is advocating for a narrow slice of a population or a larger population, and you miss the mark for much of the autism community on many, many occasions. You make pronouncement after pronouncement about “autism” that is patently untrue for at least a large portion of the autism community and say that you’re not trying to “speak for all autistics.” Well, if that’s the case, then STOP making sweeping pronouncements that make life harder for many of the people you CLAIM to be advocating for. And stop putting words in the mouths of other advocates because they do things differently from you.
Your last paragraph is meaningless. “Proof” of what? “One valid study” of what? I’m happy to discuss science with someone who knows how to do so, but throwing out vague blanket statements is just meaningless as anyone who understands science knows. And, by the way, I have never screamed “proof” to anyone. I ask someone to SUPPORT their arguments with real data. Rarely does that constitute “proof,” whether or not the data or study is entirely valid. It does, however, at least take the conversation out of the realm of being ENTIRELY based on opinion.
AutismAdvocate,
Re your comment, “The one by ‘West’ I must say I found the most comical” — Be specific and give your argument.
Jim West
http://harvoa.org
I have to say I love how some of you ask for proof and when someone does post an article
This is the reply
“Studying the rates in the United States isn’t going to tell you anything about the rates in Uganda. The idea is simply absurd”
So I guess Case Studies are just worthless then eh? It’s not worth it to do one that can and is easily replicated some where else to prove something? Wow. All those peer reviewed case studies worthless now… Do you see the ignorance in that now????
No one said case studies are worthless. What I SAID was that the incidence in UGANDA has no implicit correlation to the incidence in the United States. And it doesn’t. It is clear that autism results as an interplay between genes and environment. The gene pool in Uganda will be dramatically different from the one in the United States, and the environmental toxins will be even more so. You have not given any argument as to how a study on autism rates in Uganda would be applicable to autism rates in the United States. Probably because there isn’t one.
” Given that he claims to be going into a scientific field, that is more than a little alarming”
The fact that you do not see how patronising and arrogant that comment alone is “worries” me! Do you know the person? How dare you comment on his future. That showed how ignorant you actually are. You see autistics as diseased, less then you and that is apparent is what you post and that in of itself is really rather sad.
It is not “patronizing” to say that *I* find it alarming that Zachary is going to be a scientist when he has made patently incorrect and ignorant statements here that are easily proven to be incorrect and ignorant. And it is certainly no more “arrogant” than he was in making those statements in the first place. What this comes down to is that you disagree with people here, but you disagree with them because you choose to ignore a HUGE amount of scientific study and data as Zachary has done. YOU see “autistics” as all the same as you. Unfortunately, you, like Zachary seem utterly unaware that there is a very wide spectrum in autism, of which you represent one small part. It’s like the Indian story of the five blind men approaching the elephant. The one who is touching the tail is not even CLOSE to getting the whole picture of “elephant.” And he never will if he refuses to listen to the other four people who can add information. No one here is trying to convince you of anything or change you in any way. What they are trying to do is get their children to real and true health.
I’m speechless… First off, autism creates very brilliant and efficient minds most of the time. How dare you think that your kid is somehow “tarnished” by autism, believed mostly to be a genetic trait. It is still YOUR kid and YOUR genes. I have autism myself and I am currently in my final year to become a toxicologist.. For you laymen, it means I’m studying what is harmful to the body. All I have to say is this article is completely a waist of any parents time. All the studies she listed have been further discredited for malpractice and skewing the found statistics to favor a side. The author, a laymen, with no medical experience or training, found other wack-jobs online, who believed the same. She does not have the slighest clue what she is talking about, and neither will any laymen who just turns to “Dr. Google”. When it comes to medicine, the internet is one of the worst places to get information, because there are just to many variables to treat and to look at all the cases the same. That’s why you go and see a doctor, someone more intelligent than yourself, and is actually trained in understanding the human body. If you think your few hours of Google searching is tantamount to my 14 years of medical training, then you walk the line of the imbecilic. For you people who blame vaccines and anitbacteriants for your child’s autism, I take great pity on you and hope maybe just someday, you’ll come to your senses. I have personally read all the information she has provided, and it has all be discredited. Maybe one day you will wise up; hopefully for your kids well being. I’m proud to be a part of the autism club by the way. I would never change that about me. It made me who I am, and I would go as far to say, that it put me many years ahead of my peers.
First off, “autism creates very brilliant and efficient minds most of the time” is a wild, sweeping generalization that just isn’t true. It may indeed be true in your case (though it seems as though your logic skills are severely lacking), but that doesn’t make it true for anyone else, much less “most of the time.” If it WERE true, why would autism be considered a disability requiring therapies and services? Why would there even be a “diagnosis” for autism? There are approximately one and a half million people in the United States on the autism spectrum. Approximately one-third of those are severely affected to the point where autism constitutes a significant disability — many of them are unable to speak, unable to learn to use a toilet reliably, and unable to sit in a classroom, much less derive any learning from it.
Secondly, autism is “believed mostly to be a genetic trait” only by those who WISH to believe it. Those who are actually looking at the evidence (such as the huge number of families dealing with autism now that have never seen it before) have come to the conclusion that autism results from a complex interplay between genes and the environment that both contribute to about equally: https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/large-study-suggests-genes-environment-contribute-equally-autism-risk.
If autism WERE “mostly genetic,” the “autism gene” would have long since been discovered, given the huge number of dollars that have gone into genetic studies. But the best they have come up with is a large number of genes that are slightly more common in the autistic population than the neurotypical population, which in no way accounts for the phenomenon of autism or the huge increase in prevalence that we are witnessing. Indeed, the most interesting gene study to come out recently showed that a hallmark of autism is that inflammatory genes are switched “on” — not that there are more of them than the neurotypical population, but that they are turned on. That gene switching is an epigenetic effect that comes about from, you guessed it, environmental toxic insults of the very sort discussed here by Mountain Mama. http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/19956/20141211/brain-inflammation-reveals-genetic-marker-of-autism.htm
I wish you luck with your toxicology studies. If you truly apply yourself and discuss with many people what they have been found to be harmful to their bodies and how they have addressed the harm (in other words, take it beyond the theoretical to the practical), I suspect you will find it very eye-opening. You have a long way to go yet if you don’t understand even the most basic link between antibiotics, the balance of gut bacteria, and autistic behaviors. Clearly, understanding the role played by artificial hyperstimulation of the immune system with aluminum adjuvants that bind to many different kinds of substances and create many different kinds of antibodies that can cross-react with tissue anywhere in the body, including brain tissue, to induce autoimmune conditions is well in your future.
Oh, and one more suggestion, if you expect anyone to listen to you in future, you would do well to listen to others rather than labeling them whack-jobs or imbecilic because they disagree with you about what happened to themselves or their children. Such behavior, despite your “14 years of medical training” does nothing to help your credibility.
Genetic causation should be strongly discounted because… even if genetic correlations are found, ‘genetic’ also means ‘similar behavior’, such as being born to parents whose behavior is pro-medical intervention, pro-vaccine, pro-pharmaceutical, pro-ultrasound, etc. Environmental synergies for ASD, have been intensely researched at http://harvoa.org/chs/pr
whoa whoa whoa Zachary.. it is VERY clear you know absolutely NOTHING about autism!
First, 70% of ASD kids are mentally retarded/intellectually disabled. It is EXTREMELY rare to have a savante and if so they are lacking in so many other ways they cannot function in the real world on their own including feeding themselves.
Secondly.. do you know what the word genetic MEANS???? It means caused by ANYTHING once an embryo implants.. literally ANYTHING.. ENVIRONMENTAL can be genetics.. what you mean is hereditary.. and no ASD is only 1-3% inherited.. mostly through fragile x which is VERY VERY rare. There are NO studies at ALL linking it to ANY other dna/genes etc.
Autism is 97-99% ENVIRONMENTAL. You don’t suddenly have everyones DNA magically change without something big happening from the environment at the very very least.
I suggest you at least read a LITTLE before attempting to speak on an autism board
“Because of the significant symptom heterogeneity found in autism, it is often conceptualized as ‘autism spectrum disorder’ (ASD). Variability in IQ is one of the most salient dimensions of this heterogeneity. Both DSM-IV (APA, 1994) and ICD-10 (WHO, 1992) definitions of Asperger syndrome include cognitive developmental level as one of the key features distinguishing it from autism. It is estimated that 70% of individuals with autism have IQs in the mentally retarded range (Fombonne, 2003), yet some individuals have above average intellectual ability (Miller & Ozonoff, 2000). Moreover, the IQ profiles of individuals with and without mental retardation tend to differ, with higher IQ individuals typically having a higher Verbal IQ on average (Ghaziuddin & Mountain-Kimchi, 2004; Gilchrist, Green, Cox, Burton, Rutter, & Couteur, 2001). However, there is extreme individual variability in IQ, making it unlikely that a specific cognitive profile can be used for differential diagnostic purposes (Filipek et al., 1999; Siegel, Minshew, & Goldstein, 1996).” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2991056/ (By the way, Jak, many of the very bright savants with autism function quite well in the world.)
That isn’t what genetic means, though, Jak. Genetic means having to do with genes. Until recently, the scientific community thought that meant through inherited DNA or arising from spontaneous mutations (which could be affected by the environment), but more recently includes epigenetic changes that ARE affected by the environment. There are environmental effects that have nothing to do with DNA or even epigenetics. There ARE genes that are common to many on the spectrum. When those gene mutations or polymorphisms are combined with certain kinds of environmental insults, the result is often toxic overload that leads to neurological conditions. In the absence of those gene combinations, neurological conditions such as autism are much less likely.
Wow. So Zachary tells you he is in the autism spectrum and you reply with
“I suggest you at least read a LITTLE before attempting to speak on an autism board”???
Wow, that’s rich. Do you not see how absolutely patronising that actually is Jak? Here an autistic man is saying that he is not “damaged”, “ill ” or in need of your psuedoscientific “cures”, most of which are actually abusive.. (Remind me please again why you do not condem MMS/CD aka mineral Miracle solution AKA BLEACH given in oral and enema form to children on the spectrum??!! Pushed by money making charlatans? Remind me?)
And you mock him and tell him he needs to “read more” before commenting?!
I really doubt this will be “allowed” but thank you with all you so called intelligence, for showing just how ignorant you and this blog ( full of cherry picked and highly challenged so called “scientific articles”.. The one by “West” I must say I found the most comical.)
Just full of misinformation and ignorance really.
I don’t agree with the mocking tone of Jak’s comment, but Zachary is wrong on the FACTS. He obviously would like to believe that autism automatically bestows brilliance on a mind, but that is patently untrue and is not supported by any data. Given that he claims to be going into a scientific field, that is more than a little alarming. It would be a really good idea for him to realize that he is not representative of the full autism community, a large segment of which cannot attend elementary school, much less graduate school. Calling people names who do not agree with you does not change the FACTS. If you don’t want to be accused of misinformation and ignorance yourself, then challenge what is actually said and support it with FACTS. Since you have not challenged a single statement, nor offered a single fact, it is unlikely that anyone will take your accusations of “cherry picking” or “ignorance” seriously.
Well thank you again, anyone who has read this blog and the comments knows what I mean by “cherry picking” and I have learned that any facts I would present are then warped and twisted by those on here that believe autism to be a disease of some sort. Anyone with intelligence can find the truth amongst the psuedoscience you present here. You also never addressed my point about MMS which really does say everything. I know autism is not a disease and the “facts” you present of 70% with learning disabilities is plain false.
“Between 44% – 52% of people with autism may have a learning disability.
Between 48% – 56% of people with autism do not have a learning disability.”
http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/myths-facts-and-statistics/
The fact that the words retarded and retardation are used so freely shows how behind some of you actually are. The term is Learning Disabled”!
The one point you don’t seem to understand here is the damage being done. To continue to say autism is a disease to be “cured” tells those who have autism in your life that they are damaged, not whole, less then human even. You are rejecting them. You are damaging them and creating possible serious mental health issues.. All “behaviour ” is communication and this is especially true to those pre-verbal ( news flash! adults can be pre-verbal!).. To assume those who don’t communicate as neurotypical people do are less intelligent is massively arrogant and ignorant. Look into Carly Fleischmann, read Donna Williams. Educate yourselves. Autism is not a disease and cannot be cured. It doesn’t need to be. The serious issues and difficulty those with autism face need to be supported and let’s be real here, if there was true acceptance and understanding of autism more then half of the difficulty they have would be eradicated… Those whose sensory difficulties are impacting their lives need the right therapy and support, the same with all other aspects of autism- the fixed thoughts and behaviours, communication and language, emotional regulation, etc… With the right support and therapy there is the ability to thrive and have a valid, constructive happy life. The therapy I mean includes Speech and language therapy, TEACCH, PECS, SCERTS, SPELL, occupational therapy and intensive interaction.. These should not be new terms to any of you supposed scholars of autism, but if they are, I suggest you look them up and educate yourselves ..
In case you didn’t notice, when I used the word “retardation” it was a quote from a scientific article. It is not a word *I* ever use to describe anyone. It has a very particular meaning in the scientific community, however.
And you continually put words in people’s mouths, especially mine. Just because someone’s nervous system gets “damaged” does not in any way mean that they are less than human or that they are being rejected! I happen to love a wonderful woman who is 25 years old and has been in a wheelchair in her whole life with cerebral palsy. There is no question that her nervous system is “damaged.” Does that mean I see her as “less than human”? OF COURSE NOT! The fact is that we are ALL “damaged” to some extent or another. Not only does it not make someone LESS than human, it is PART of being human. But the fact that some people want to reverse damage to their health and maximize the possibilities in their lives and that of their children does not in any way imply “rejection.” I don’t suppose you’ll hear that now any more than you ever have before, though.
Autism IS a disorder and CAN be cured. It is being cured quietly every day, again as recently borne out by a mainstream study that showed approximately 9% of the children in the study had lost their autism diagnoses. That’s not an accident, and was no surprise to us because we know MANY families who have experienced it. If you don’t want yours to be “cured,” that’s wonderful. I suspect no one will give you a hard time about it, but leave the people who DO wish to be “cured” alone. Their journey is not your journey.
And I’m not commenting on MMS because we have been over that a dozen times, and it gets us nowhere. You want people to use only YOUR approved therapies because somehow staring at the tail of the elephant means you know what someone confronted with the ear should do. You don’t. And if you think people here are NOT using every form of speech and language therapy that exists, you really are only hearing what you want to hear.
“And I’m not commenting on MMS because we have been over that a dozen times, and it gets us nowhere. You want people to use only YOUR approved therapies”
so you “condone” Abuse? Because if I am not wrong the courts of a few countries and states already have.. Wow that’s interesting .. You consider MMS a “therapy”? So you would strap your child down and give it Bleach?!?!
That says it all. I have not used this word previously, but your last post and the comment above merits it.. You are a dangerous quack. Period, full stop.
I can not debate with someone like this. It is impossible. I could put link after link after link here about how autism is not a Disease or illness and that would make no difference.. And before you accuse me of not posting a fact look at the NAS link again that I posted before http://www.autism.org.uk
Regardless of it being a UK site the facts remain the same…
I and I believe Zachary NEVER said we spoke for all on the autism spectrum in any way, yet you continue to accuse me of that. So who isn’t listening?
I will never stop advocating for my child or the children I work with or the friends I have, all on the autism spectrum and before you assume, not all “high functioning” as labelists like to call them.. Education and acceptance. It does not include eradication of people like Einstein, Bill Gates, Darryl Hannah, Temple Grandin ( whom without the USA beef industry would still be using barbaric ways of dealing with cattle) Aristotle, Andy Warhol, Steven Wiltshire, Donna Williams and I could go on and on.. But you’ve probably stopped listening and I’m done wasting my time.
Again, as I said we’ve been over this a 1000 times, I do not condone “abuse,” and no one in TMR does either. But that doesn’t mean that we automatically agree with YOUR definition of abuse. As far as you are concerned, any therapy that does not get your very limited stamp of approval constitutes “abuse.” We have seen thousands of children get well with so-called “quack” therapies. I don’t “condone” or “condemn” therapies I don’t use, including the electroshock therapy that Carly Fleischmann as an adult with autism voluntarily chose to use, because I have no personal knowledge of them and even if I did that would not mean that my experience would be the same as someone else’s.
You can put “link after link here about how autism is not a Disease or illness,” but those would be no more than opinion pieces written by people who share your opinion.
Every time you make broad sweeping generalizations about autism you are implying that you speak for all on the autism spectrum. The fact that your sweeping generalizations are either not true or are only true for a small segment of the autistic population makes it clear that you do not do so accurately, but you repeatedly make the attempt, as did Zachary when he made his initial statements. To say now that you don’t is absurd.
So now The National Autistic Society website link regarding autism is “opinion”???? I’ve heard EVERYTHING now, I really have. I shall inform them that their info backed by year’s of peer reviewed research is now just “opinion”.
Do you see how ABSURD That is?!?!?!?
And thank you for proving my point that whatever is posted that doesn’t follow your pseudoscience, your Quack ideas and Your opinion gets either shot down, disregarded, ignored or twisted..
You proved that you didn’t even look at it let alone Read it or you would not call it “opinion”..
Now That is absurd
Good day
The link you posted is to the website’s homepage. It is not support or refutation of anything you said. If there’s a particular piece you would like me or anyone else to read, especially if it should contain a list of peer-reviewed research, you should post that link.
My comment about opinion was based on your statement about posting “link after link.” I’ve seen many articles that agree with your opinion, but they have not been even remotely close to peer-reviewed research, nor did they reference peer-reviewed research. Again if you’re going to throw the word “pseudoscience” around at least come up with something that you think could be called science.
Has this question been discussed?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25401047
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24622158
“Just because someone’s nervous system gets “damaged” does not in any way mean that they are less than human or that they are being rejected!”
For the record, I never said they did either nor accused you of that. Autism is not neurological damage. Sorry, that’s a fact. Autism is a neurodevelopmental “condition” and not a “disorder”. Again ancient terminology being used..
I in fact also have neurological damage, my children do not. So I know I and others like me also disabled are not less then, thank you nor did I accuse you of that. What I stated is you are seeing a neurodevelopmental condition that’s been around as long as we have as a “disease” and worse still some sort of epidemic and it is not.
The 9% you quote is from (again what else is new!) highly contested study. It is now believed those 9% were ( oh guess what!?) misdiagnosed. And “recovery” many now see does NOT mean “cure”. Those who state they have children who have recovered or even the Son Rise “cured” children still have the issues stereotypical of autism/Aspergers but they manage or even possibly “mask” them better as they have matured.
But again, I’m wasting my time on you, I post only to those who actually want to learn facts and make the mistake of stubbing across this BLOG.
You most certainly DID accuse me “of that”: “To continue to say autism is a disease to be “cured” tells those who have autism in your life that they are damaged, not whole, less then human even. You are rejecting them.”
And whether or not autism has been around for a long time does not say anything about whether or not there is neurological damage involved. Polio has been around for a long time, but no one would contest that there is neurological damage involved. Svetlana Masgutova does reflex integration work on the neurological systems of people with various diagnoses. On average, for the children she has worked with with autism 85% of their reflexes have been dysfunctional. That implies neurological damage. When she works on those reflex circuits, their functioning improves and symptoms of autism are reduced. That goes even for people at the “high functioning” end of the spectrum, though the percentage of reflexes that are dysfunctional tends to be somewhat lower.
So which is it? The children in that study were “misdiagnosed” or they are STILL autistic? And why is it that YOU know better than the parents and doctors involved — or even the children themselves? SOME retain symptoms of Asperger’s or ADHD, but not all as indicated in the study. I challenge you to actually meet Raun Kaufman, who runs the Autism Treatment Center of American and was the subject of the book Son Rise. You will find NO “stereotypical” issues of Asperger’s and no “mask.” Just because you wish it to be so doesn’t make it so.
“Waste” all the time you want, because I agree every time you do you provide another opportunity to convey FACTS to those who wish to learn.
That’s also a HUGE assumption people here get their info from blogs.. the majority of us read scientific researched studies.. the raw data. Not interpretations. It is very clear you haven’t even googled at all let alone read anything about autism. I highly recommend you find a new profession because you do not have a scientific mind.
Just catching up and saw this
Wow. Nice.
Not worth saying anything further
Because YOU are the only one who gets to call someone else “unscientific,” right? 😉
Please read this article! I am studying to be a clinical mental health therapist. Please consider the research referred to in this article.
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/10/13/autism-increase-mystery-solved-no-its-not-vaccines-gmos-glyphosate-or-organic-foods/
I’ve been following this post for a while now and have seen many try and debate or even prove the original poster “wrong”. It never happens. This is a blog and the OP seems to like to reply with cherry picked so called “research articles” or ignore the point made. I applaud your effort and await the reply I’m afraid I know is coming. Sometimes people actually chose ignorance.
“The OP” rarely replies at all. You think that article isn’t “cherry picked”? Taking data from Denmark in an attempt to explain non-comparable increases in rates in the United States is the definition of “cherry picking.” And, yes, sometimes people DO choose ignorance. 🙂
I’m sorry, but that article is pure bullshit. The rise is real and drastic. In the 1960s, once a child learned to talk no one worried about regressions. Today, there are a million and a half people with autism, approximately one-third of whom regressed in early childhood.
“In the last two decades, autism prevalence as reported in the scientific literature has increased by more than 600%. In 2009, the latest estimate of autism prevalence in the United States, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control was 1 in 110 children[1]. Since then, a number of studies have sought to investigate the cause(s) of this dramatic increase in autism prevalence over time. The most recent findings suggest that at least a portion of the increase in prevalence can be attributed to changes in diagnostic practices and increased awareness of autism over time, as well as other social factors such as advanced parental age. However, converging evidence also suggests that while these factors account for a portion of the increase, they cannot alone explain the dramatic rise in autism prevalence.” http://blog.autismspeaks.org/2010/10/22/got-questions-answers-to-your-questions-from-the-autism-speaks%E2%80%99-science-staff-2/
Denmark has a MUCH lower incidence of autism than the United States. As most studies lately show that approximately 50% of the etiology of autism is due to environmental factors, it is clear that the environmental factors in the U.S. are very different from those in Denmark. No matter what a study in Demnark shows with regard to whether or not the incidence of autism is rising, it cannot be logically extended to make any conclusions about autism prevalence in the United States. In case you cannot understand why that is the case, consider the possibility that you want to understand the rising prevalence of malaria in Uganda. http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/666019-uganda-s-rural-areas-register-rising-cases-of-malaria-study.html Studying the rates in the United States isn’t going to tell you anything about the rates in Uganda. The idea is simply absurd. As is the idea of a study in Denmark giving any meaningful information about autism rates in the United States.
You might want to speak with Wendy Frolich, the pediatric development an psychologist who was on the team that just re-wrote the DSM-V criteria for autism spectrum disorder.
There really are more cases, it’s not just the counting. You are wrong.
This is absolute bullshit. If your studying to be something.. I suggest you study a LOT harder!!! Many REAL studies have shown it is NOT because its more diagnosed… what koolaide are you drinking?!?!? There is no accounting for a special needs classroom in the whole city to be 3 kids.. it is now FULL classrooms in most all grade schools. There is NO denying autism. These kids are not savants.. high functioning or misdiagnosed. Seriously.. go back to school. Autism is a severe disease. You can’t miss it. They would NOT have been able to go to a regular classroom 10 or 20 or 30 or 40 years ago. You are so very very very very wrong.
I have a legitimate question. (*Cards on the table: I am a pre-medicine student and I am currently completing a senior project on the genetic risk variants associated with ASD.*) One thing that has come up over and over again in my research is that ASD has extremely high concordance in monozygotic twins (approaching 92%) as opposed to only 10% in dizygotic (fraternal) twins. This would point to autism being highly heritable and due mostly to genetics. What is the argument against this? Both kinds of twins would share the same pre-natal environment, and both would likely be vaccinated around the same time, yet the monozygotic twins show much greater concordance. Again, I am genuinely interested. I am hoping to be a pediatrician someday and I want to be able to give the best advice to parents that I possibly can. I also understand that big pharma can be corrupt, and I am very wary of the damage this can do to innocent people just looking for medical care. Thanks!
That high concordance you’re talking about is disputed: Genetic Heritability and Shared Environmental Factors Among Twin Pairs With Autism“For strict autism, probandwise concordance for male twins was 0.58 for 40 monozygotic pairs (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42-0.74) and 0.21 for 31 dizygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.09-0.43); for female twins, the concordance was 0.60 for 7 monozygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.28-0.90) and 0.27 for 10 dizygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.09-0.69). For ASD, the probandwise concordance for male twins was 0.77 for 45 monozygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.65-0.86) and 0.31 for 45 dizygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.16-0.46); for female twins, the concordance was 0.50 for 9 monozygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.16-0.84) and 0.36 for 13 dizygotic pairs (95% CI, 0.11-0.60). A large proportion of the variance in liability can be explained by shared environmental factors (55%; 95% CI, 9%-81% for autism and 58%; 95% CI, 30%-80% for ASD) in addition to moderate genetic heritability (37%; 95% CI, 8%-84% for autism and 38%; 95% CI, 14%-67% for ASD).
Conclusion: Susceptibility to ASD has moderate genetic heritability and a substantial shared twin environmental component.”
There is a genetic susceptibility to environmental damage. When the environmental overload hits the tipping point, chronic illness, often in the form of neurological conditions begins. Twins, identical or otherwise, COULD be vaccinated at the same time, but that doesn’t mean they are in the same condition when it happens. One may have an ear infection and be on antibiotics and Tylenol, and that can be enough to make the difference between their health outcomes.
It may also be that the definition of “identical twins” could be a confounder in these twin studies: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/are-these-twins-identical/?WT.mc_id=2015-NOVEMBER-FACEBOOK-WINBACK_AUD_DEV-1101-1130&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=WINBACKAD&_r=0
For instance, the first study could have used only twins that shared a placenta. If the concordance is much lower for identical twins that do NOT share a placenta, then you know that the initial high concordance is not due to genetics alone, but the fact that as they were developing their environments were very similar also.
Myssa,
I too am referring you to Hallmayer(2011).
http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1107328
Re autism, they conclude that that genetics is overplayed, and environment is a bigger factor.
Grether(2009) point to several studies indicating that autism is initiated in the womb.
My Bibliography of empirical, in utero, human ultrasound exposure studies shows ultrasound is an extreme neurological risk. http://harvoa.org
I am a twin and my 3yr old son was diagnosed as having autism early this year. We’ve noticed symptoms for months but it took a while to get an appointment with the paediatric neurologist (we were on the waiting list). I have cousins who are twins from both my mom and dad’s side of the family.
I’m finding the observation on the ultrasounds very interesting. I’m in South Africa and pregnant women who attend pre natal care services in government clinics hardly get ultrasounds – if ever; and the incidence of autism in this population of babies is significantly lower than that of babies of pregnant women who receive care in the private sector, where we get number of ultrasounds including 3D scans!
That said, my child’s symptoms became VERY APPARENT within hours of having the MMR shot. I’m convinced it’s the mercury in the vaccines. We’ve initiated a number of interventions and noticed incredible changes after starting the gluten-free casein-free diet. The entire family is nearly gluten free. We’ve got him on a couple of multivitamins and I’ll soon be initiating Immunocal and will start low-dose chelation using cilantro and chlorella. Maybe later ALA and DMPS.
The only issue with him now is speech (he’s now completely non verbal) and stimming (waving objects back and forth in this hands continuously). Other than that he is incredibly intelligent, follows instruction with a good sense of humour.
I had a fairly stressful pregnancy and was under immense stress during my son’s first year of life, having started a stressful new job (I didn’t anticipate the added workload, and my job description was changed along the way without any discussion – this was ironically a multinational company).
We also found out during my son’s first year of life that his carer (who’d been looking after him since he was 4 months old) had cancer and she later had to leave our employ. She left just after I started the highly stressful job described above. I later fell very ill – it was just an unexplained illness doctors could not diagnose (an assumed viral infection), and ended up in hospital for most of December – his first christmas was awful as I was ill. I got out of hospital before chrismas and was back in again after christmas. I was (a thousand dollars later) treated for a blood infection and have been fine since. Things took a downward turn with my son after all this.
We had a wireless network at home during the time and I had a mobile phone he played with. I think I could have done more to protect him from being exposed to all this. I blame myself for all this and am in a constant state of anxiety and am highly depressed that my 3yr old just isn’t “normal” and constantly terrified at the prospect he might never recover, while trying to juggle a full-time job.
My suspicions and investigations while trying to find answers have led me to look into all manner of things, including alien abductions. I don’t know anymore. I’m even growing grey hairs. It’s very bad. I’m not managing.
I just want to make sure that you know something. There is no mercury in the MMR and never has been. MMR is a live-virus shot and the preservative Thimerosal cannot be used in it. That, of course, doesn’t mean that mercury isn’t a significant contributing factor for your child, but it wasn’t what tipped your child over the edge if that was the MMR.
The most important thing you can do right now is to start meditating and maybe some yoga at home. Find youtube tutorials. Your mental state will profoundly influence your child and your actions. You have too much on your plate, the stress must be reframed and removed. Your anxiety, anger, sadness, guilt, etc will be absorbed and imprinted on your child. Break this nasty cycle you’re in and try this mantra: ‘my child is wonderful and this will all work out’. I know it’s tough, but it’s very important.
I was interested in the recent post from the lady who mentioned her wifi etc. regarding her child’s autism and I wondered if she has decided to hard-wire it instead and keep mobile phones away from her child so that he or she is safer because this is believed to be a problem for pregnant mothers and children by quite a few people around the world now including recent research.
Myssa, TMR, I’ve continued to study twin studies.
Twin studies depend on the observed concordance of ASD in MZ-twins (genetic twins) to ‘prove’ that ASD is genetic. MZ concordance is compared to DZ-twins (fraternal twins), which have much less concordance.
However, MZ-twins are themselves apparently caused by environment, not heritability. The question is technically open, however, there is no genetic indication that MZ-twins themselves are heritable. There is much to indicate that DZ-twins themselves are heritable, not environment.
MZ-twins themselves are generally vulnerable to stressors and unhealthy (comparatively). They are also bound closer together in the womb. Thus MZ-twins should respond more similarly to any environmental stressor, resulting in higher concordance for ASD when exposed to ultrasound, antibiotics, and vaccines. See work by Jay Joseph, PhD, and see ultrasound info at http://harvoa.org/chs/pr/pr_details.htm
Note that ultrasound would relate to concordance more than pharmaceuticals, as pharmaceuticals always flow evenly through the mother to both twins, whereas ultrasound would be applied to each fetus in the DZ-twin differently, yet applied more similarly to the closer bound MZ-twins.
The pharma/vax role would be synergistic to prior ultrasound in all twin types.
Twin studies are “associative studies”, and thus their conclusions at best can only be moot.
Pharmaceuticals wouldn’t necessarily flow evenly to both twins. Twins are often born of differing sizes, even MZ twins, because their access to nutrition varies somewhat. If nutritional access differs, it seems likely that other blood components would be accessed to varying degrees as well.
Prof. TMR,
Thanks. Then, I’d amend. As a percent of nutrition received, pharmaceuticals would be the same for both twins (whether they be MZ or DZ wouldn’t matter).
over 85 % of autistic children (brain damaged children) test positive for MTHFR gene mutation. this prevents them from eliminating toxins and they additionally will test positive for detrimentally high levels of heavy metals. Autism isn’t hereditary. Autism is brain damage. The inability to process toxins is hereditary.
Dear Yesterday,
Where is it demonstrated that the “gene mutations” are not initiated or directly caused by poisoning (ultrasound, antibiotics, etc)?
No worries there (per se). Mad hatters could not process all the mercury they were exposed to, hereditary or not . (just being human).
Likewise, the lack of the enzyme that can be tested for at birth (now dwarfed by the fatfarma’s tsunami of misleading information about proteins etc etc etc)
might be called and rightly so ‘hereditary’. (the enzyme that “PREVENTS AND CAN CURE” AUTISM.)
That is ALL THE MORE REASON NOT TO GIVE ANY IMMUNIZATIONS TO ANYONE PERIOD. (see andrew moulden/ died/ published “all immunizations cause harm” AND “HOW TO RECOGNIZE vaccination harm” : To me it is obviously openly visibly OR audibly observable in perhaps half (YES HALF) of the population.
i want to share this on my FB wall, but the link just comes up as an ad to iherb. i want people to read this, not be put off by me trying to sell something. is there a problem with the link?
Nope. Sounds like you’ve been hit with malware. You should probably run a diagnostic by AVG or McAffee.
All the things you list, thinking you did wrong…I didn’t do any of them.
Detoxed well before pregnancy. All natural, nutrient dense diet before and during pregnancy and during two full years of pregnancy. I did not have as much as an aspirin or a cup of coffee or a tuna sandwich. Not a single plastic container in the house.
I had an all natural home birth, and my son appeared perfectly healthy, and met all early milestones. He was never sick, not even an ear infection, never required antibiotics…and was not vaccinated.
All of this notwithstanding, he began developing autistic-like symptoms and seizures at about three.
My son and I both carry significant MTHFR mutations…so I “gave my son autism” too.
My son has had a great village too, and he too has experienced significant recovery. On the path, I had the opportunity to consult with one of the worlds top developmental psychologists, who is one of the authors of the DSM-V on ASD, and a researcher on genomic research in autism.
She was clear…there is absolutely no evidence that anything other than genetic predisposition caused my sons condition, and no precautions I took made any difference whatsoever.
Let yourself off the hook.
MTHFR mutations are a dime a dozen. Seriously, up to 40% of the population has at least one. What it means is that the person with the mutation will have greater difficulty detoxing. The more copies and the more types of MTHFR mutations, the more the impairment. None of it means automatic autism. It may mean in your son’s case that his ability to detox is exceptionally low and anything would trigger a neurological disorder, but that is not the case for everyone. Many children with autism have the same MTHFR status as their neurotypical parents, and some even have it better genetically. Autism results as an interplay of genetics and environment. What Mountain Mama is talking about are the particular environmental factors that could have played a role in her son’s autism as they do in others’.
MTHFR mutations are common, but in my sons case, there are several, homozygous, and did result in significant detox issues.
Ultimately, his full sequencing did reveal several other contributing mutations.
My primary point was that I suffered for years trying to figure out what I did wrong, what missed.
I just wouldn’t want any other mother to beat her head against the wall the way I did.
I think we all understand that desire. 🙂 I had a baby who died, and I beat myself up for twelve weeks thinking of all the “woulda, shoulda, coulda”s that would have “saved” him. After twelve weeks, though, the medical examiner gave us information that made it clear that nothing I had decided would have “saved” my son would have done anything of the sort. That was when I saw the futility of beating myself up and I try to help others see that whenever I can.
The thing is, though, that tracing the routes of a disorder in order to try to get a handle on what happened and determine a treatment direction doesn’t HAVE to result in beating yourself up, especially if you share what you learn so that the information is useful to others. That’s why Mountain Mama wrote this piece, not because she’s “beating herself up,” but because she wants to give others the benefit of what she has learned.
TMR as a group has learned a lot since this was written (three years ago), and one of the things we have learned is that people with MTHFR mutations (as well as others) are going to be more vulnerable to any sort of trigger than the average person. One thing pretty much all of us would do if we were doing it over now is get that genetic information upfront (at birth, if possible, and even before conception for parents) and investigate ways to epigenetically influence gene expression.
You know, I think at this juncture we don’t need more people saying. “it’s not your fault.” This was one of the most refreshing articles I have read on the subject in a long time. Everyone else is saying what you are saying. “it’s not your fault” and it is preventing other people from taking meaningful precautions in protecting their children. In some very rare cases, like your son’s, there really seems to be no clear cause. But autism (brain damage) caused by poisons is being entirely denied by society at large. We CAN prevent these tragedies in most cases if we can get the truth out there. And for the rare, unexplained cases like your son, It’s o.k. to say, “i don’t know” You aren’t willfully ignorant. You did your due diligence. We can’t protect our children from everything. Maybe your child ate paint chips. Or who knows… It’s o.k. not to know AFTER you have acknowledge all the other factors and have not denied the reality of their dangers thereby leading others down a path of ignorance that may cause damage to someone else’s child. I think this is the article of the moment. THIS is what parents of autism need to be preaching. And it’s o.k. for YOU to not know, because you aren’t DENYING all the realities that the author is writing about here, you are just saying that in your case it wasn’t those things.
(trying to speak softly) and ‘encouragingly’ as possible.
I still feel like an elephant in a fragile crystal store….
(I know “too much” and was never inclined to try to be ‘gentle’ or … … … or not very direct and blunt; until recently 🙂 ) so here goes:
I went to visit family friends, they had(and have) several children healthier than most, like my family.
Within 2 minutes
being in their apartment dwelling space, I had a headache and ‘funny’ taste in my mouth. I asked about this right away – they said THREE DAYS EARLIER their apartment had been sprayed. (bug junk).(for money/ by the management/btw) …..
I left within a few minutes to not have more headache.
3 days later, they called me on the phone.
The baby in the womb, fully formed and developed,
was dead.
No reason. No cause. No medical warnings.
They did not have the resources , nor the heart, nor the strength, nor any motivation to pursue a lawsuit against those responsible.
The funeral and interment at the cemetery went with both peace and somberness,
and without any mention of the poisoning.
The parents had no preparation, no warning, no expectation
that the poisons even could kill their baby….. (they were only told to stay out of the unit/apt for 3 to 6 hours ‘to be safe’)….
I’ve seen such poisonings many many times. (rarely is anything done about it, or even to prevent it next time; instead it is absolutely and totally denied, unless the victims have unusually rare medical and legal help).
The parents could not be blamed. They had no idea.
They were LIED TO ALL OF THEIR LIVES.
(by ALMOST EVERYONE about such things)
Same TODAY with most disease, autism AND aspergers , cancer, and ms, asthma and arthritis, heart disease and psoriasis… … …
FIND OUT TODAY – at least START TODAY,
and NEVER , never, trust anything from fatfarma.
VERIFY as much as possible
BEFORE EVER using anything toxic.
Did you had any ultrasound, i.e., examinations or fetal heart rate monitoring?
Mom of a spectrum boy, you are wasting your breath. I’m afraid the OP has made it quite clear that she believes neither medical professionals nor actual science. She thinks her “feelings” and “beliefs” should be regarded as equally valid compared to EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE. There is simply no reasoning with such people. They will grasp on to any bit of nonsense, paranoia, and conspiracy theory that catches their attention, and merely double down in the face of contrary evidence.
No, I’m sorry, “ace.” You get the “fucking asshole” award for today. Clearly people can post links to science all day long and you will interpret that as “feelings” and “beliefs” as long as it contradicts what YOU believe science to say. “There is simply no reasoning with such people” who refuse to read the science that contradicts their own pet beliefs. Here’s a list of 108 studies/papers to get the people who actually CAN reason started: http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2007/06/no-evidence-of-any-link.html.
SYMPTOMS OF MERCURY POISONING:
There are consequences for injecting mercury into a child. The symptoms of mercury poisoning are:
Psychiatric Disturbances:
Social deficits, shyness, social withdrawal
Depression, mood swings; mask face
Anxiety
Schizoid tendencies, OCD traits
Lacks eye contact, hesitant to engage others
Irrational fears
Irritability, aggression, temper tantrums
Impaired face recognition
Speech, Language & Hearing Deficits
Loss of speech, failure to develop speech
Dysarthria; articulation problems
Speech comprehension deficits
Verbalizing & word retrieval problems
Sound sensitivity
Hearing loss; deafness in very high doses
Poor performance on language IQ tests
Sensory Abnormalities</TD
Abnormal sensation in mouth & extremities
Sound sensitivity
Abnormal touch sensations; touch aversion
Vestibular abnormalities
Motor Disorders:
Involuntary jerking movements – arm flapping, ankle jerks, myoclonal jerks, choreiform movements, circling, rocking
Deficits in eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; intention tremors
gait impairment; ataxia – from incoordination & clumsiness to inability to walk, stand, or sit; loss of motor control
Difficulty in chewing or swallowing
Unusual postures; toe walking
Cognitive Impairments:
Borderline intelligence, mental retardation – some cases reversible
Poor concentration, attention, response inhibition
Uneven performance on IQ subtests
Verbal IQ higher than performance IQ
Poor short term, verbal, & auditory memory
Poor visual and perceptual motor skills, impairment in simple reaction time
Difficulty carrying out complex commands
Word-comprehension difficulties
Deficits in understanding abstract ideas & symbolism; degeneration of higher mental powers
Unusual Behaviors:
Stereotyped sniffing (rats)
ADHD traits
Agitation, unprovoked crying, grimacing, staring spells
Sleep difficulties
Eating disorders, feeding problems
Self injurious behavior, e.g. head banging
Visual Impairments:
Poor eye contact, impaired visual fixation
“Visual impairments,” blindness, near-sightedness, decreased visual acuity
Light sensitivity, photophobia
Blurred or hazy vision
Constricted visual fields
Physical Disturbances:
Increase in cerebral palsy; hyper- or hypo-tonia; abnormal reflexes; decreased muscle strength, especially upper body; incontinence; problems chewing, swallowing, salivating
Rashes, dermatitis/dry skin, itching; burning
Autonomic disturbance: excessive sweating, poor circulation, elevated heart rate
Gastro-intestinal Disturbances</TD
Gastroenteritis, diarrhea; abdominal pain, constipation, “colitis”
Anorexia, weight loss, nausea, poor appetite
Lesions of ileum & colon; increased gut permeability (leaky gut)
Inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase IV, which cleaves casomorphin
Abnormal Biochemistry:
Binds -SH groups; blocks sulfate transporter in intestines, kidneys
Has special affinity for purines & pyrimidines
Reduces availability of glutathione, needed in neurons, cells & liver to detoxify heavy metals
Causes significant reduction in glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase
Disrupts mitochondrial activities, especially in brain
Immune Dysfunction:
Sensitivity due to allergic or autoimmune reactions; sensitive individuals more likely to have allergies, asthma, autoimmune-like symptoms, especially rheumatoid-like ones
Can produce an immune response in CNS
Causes brain/MBP autoantibodies
Causes overproduction of Th2 subset; kills/inhibits lymphocytes, T-cells, and monocytes; decreases NK T-cell activity; induces or suppresses IFNg & IL-2
CNS Structural Pathology:
Selectively targets brain areas unable to detoxify or reduce Hg-induced oxidative stress
Damage to Purkinje and granular cells
Accummulates in amygdala and hippocampus
Causes abnormal neuronal cytoarchitecture; disrupts neuronal migration & cell division; reduces NCAMs
Progressive microcephaly
Brain stem defects in some cases
Abnormalities in Neuro-chemistry:
Prevents presynaptic serotonin release & inhibits serotonin transport; causes calcium disruptions
Alters dopamine systems; peroxidine deficiency in rats resembles mercurialism in humans
Elevates epinephrine & norepinephrine levels by blocking enzyme that degrades epinephrine
Elevates glutamate
Leads to cortical acetylcholine deficiency; increases muscarinic receptor density in hippocampus & cerebellum
Demyelination in brain
EEG Abnormalities / Epilepsy:
Causes abnormal EEGs, epileptiform activity
Causes seizures, convulsions
Causes subtle, low amplitude seizure activity
Population Characteristics:
Effects more males than females
At low doses, only affects those geneticially susceptible
First added to childhood vaccines in 1930s
Exposure levels steadily increased since 1930s with rate of vaccination, number of vaccines
Exposure occurs at 0 – 15 months; clinical silent stage means symptom emergence delayed;
I hope that by reading up on the science links in the comments and on this one, that you will stop feeling guilty for something that just isn’t your fault.
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/01/09/autism-increase-mystery-solved-no-its-not-vaccines-gmos-glyphosate-or-organic-foods/
Thanks, Elspeth, by why would you assume that the writer of that piece knows or, more to the point, is telling you the truth? Anybody who makes the claim that “there has been no dramatic rise” in the incidence of autism is blowing smoke up your ass, pure and simple.
Just curious, did you have ultra sounds? Did you take any vitamins such as folic acid?
Yes, I did. Both. And I would take them both back if I could.
Definitely no Pity. Although one of the hardest things is to raise a child with Autism, it can also be the most rewarding as you know. I would never admit or feel I need to admit that I gave my Son Autism, It would be the same as admitting that I produced a gifted and talented child. Which human, really has control over that.
I am learning so far with my journey with Autism, to hold close three things.
1. Faith – in Humanity that one day a real cure will be found
2. Love – to love everyone for their individuality
3. Hope- that society discovers the beauty of our children
Thank you for your response to this article. I found myself having a sleepless night tonight and so I picked up my iPad and searched ‘is it my fault my child has autism?’. It was guilt about my son’s diagnosis that was causing the sleeplessness. This article was the first site that I looked at and I skimmed through it down to your response. Your response rings true with me. And I smiled as I saw your words ‘faith’, ‘hope’, and ‘love’. Just last week I received in the mail a necklace (which I’ve been wearing nonstop) that I had ordered online that’s inscribed with those same three words. I can end my search for evidence of my guilt here, in this moment. Truly, in this journey of mine, it is much more powerful to focus on Faith, Hope, and Love rather than guilt.
If you think autism is like having a gifted or talented child, then why do you need “faith for a cure”? I can’t think that any mother of an autistic child who would not trade peace, healing and wholeness for that child if given the choice. No, autism is not a GIFT. It is brain damage that robs a child of the healthy and whole body that GOD designed for him. Brain damage that is caused by our negligence as a society to stand up to the special interests within our nation who use poisons and illness as a means of income. If a village of children were being born with birth defects or brain damage and a local industrial plant was leaching chemicals into the environment, you would ‘t say these children are sick but it is no one’s fault. It just happens. Doing that would cover the sins of those involved in polluting their village and prevent others from being saved from such a fate. Even if no one has discovered that the cause is the wicked industrial plant, denying that these brain damages and birth defects are not natural and are caused by something prevents those who dwell in the village from using every possible resource to investigate and FIND OUT what is causing this UNNATURAL tragedy among their children. When we deny that these things are a consequence to our actions we cover up injustice and we prevent the truth from being manifest. 98% of autistic children test positive for the MTHFR gene mutation (which prevents the body from ridding itself of toxins) and they additionally test positive for detrimentally high levels of heavy metals. Autism, like any other brain damage is NOT an accident. It is CAUSED by something. Now perhaps we haven’t been able to determine that EXACT cause as of yet, but denying that it is caused by something is giving POWER to those in our society who use illness as a means of income.
When we refuse to acknowledge the consequences to our actions (even if these consequences came about unwittingly) we are guilty. We are guilty of sending others into the same fate. The same consequences. The same sorrow. Just because it wasn’t on purpose, doesn’t mean you can’t help others to make different choices. We will ALWAYS reap what we sow, even if we aren’t aware that the seeds we have planted are nightshade. Don’t consent with evil doers. Don’t cover your iniquities
I am a hater of deceit and injustice. And the injustice is this, that the merchants of our land are poisoning our children. They are poisoning them at the doctors, they are poisoning them at the dinner table, they are poisoning them in their yards and in the swimming pool and in their schools and in their pajamas. And instead of banning together and demanding that they remove these brain damaging poisons from our lives, we are fighting each other about whether or not the devastation caused by these poisons is God ordained. Meanwhile our eight year old children are wearing diapers and slamming their heads against walls and our babies can’t smile because if they do the skin on their face will crack and bleed and it is ALL so preventable. And instead of demanding better we are not just content to be mislead individually, we are actually writing articles to mislead others into believing that we can’t possibly know how to prevent these tragedies and some are even claiming that this brain damage caused by these wicked companies is God’s divine will. And it is all just so tragic and unbearable. And we should weep. and mourn. and repent. We should not keep our iniquities hidden.
DID YOU KNOW???
Vaccines deliver 200 times the amount of the safe level of aluminum by a child’s 18 month birthday. That’s 4,925 mcg of aluminum by 18 months of age, the safe limit SET BY THE CDC is 25 mcg
SYMPTOMS OF ALUMINUM POISONING:
there are consequences for injecting too much aluminum. Symptoms of aluminum poisoning include but not limited to:
Brain diseases and disorders
Confusion
Muscle weakness
Bone pain, deformities, and fractures
Seizures
Speech problems
Slow growth—in children
An aversion to noise, touch, movement, odors, etc.
*Unexplained feelings of apprehension or uneasiness.
*Feelings of inferiority, embarrassment or shame.
*Feelings of irritability, agitation or annoyance.
Those who are easily frightened or alarmed sometimes become overly disturbed and provoked, displaying irrational outbursts of anger, road rage, bad temper, etc.
DID YOU KNOW???
The symptoms of brain damage found in autism (because that is what it is) are IDENTICAL to the symptoms of the brain damage found in mercury poisoning. IDENTICAL. line for line IDENTICAL.
SYMPTOMS OF MERCURY POISONING:
There are consequences for injecting mercury into a child. The symptoms of mercury poisoning are:
Psychiatric Disturbances:
Social deficits, shyness, social withdrawal
Depression, mood swings; mask face
Anxiety
Schizoid tendencies, OCD traits
Lacks eye contact, hesitant to engage others
Irrational fears
Irritability, aggression, temper tantrums
Impaired face recognition
Speech, Language & Hearing Deficits
Loss of speech, failure to develop speech
Dysarthria; articulation problems
Speech comprehension deficits
Verbalizing & word retrieval problems
Sound sensitivity
Hearing loss; deafness in very high doses
Poor performance on language IQ tests
Sensory Abnormalities</TD
Abnormal sensation in mouth & extremities
Sound sensitivity
Abnormal touch sensations; touch aversion
Vestibular abnormalities
Motor Disorders:
Involuntary jerking movements – arm flapping, ankle jerks, myoclonal jerks, choreiform movements, circling, rocking
Deficits in eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; intention tremors
gait impairment; ataxia – from incoordination & clumsiness to inability to walk, stand, or sit; loss of motor control
Difficulty in chewing or swallowing
Unusual postures; toe walking
Cognitive Impairments:
Borderline intelligence, mental retardation – some cases reversible
Poor concentration, attention, response inhibition
Uneven performance on IQ subtests
Verbal IQ higher than performance IQ
Poor short term, verbal, & auditory memory
Poor visual and perceptual motor skills, impairment in simple reaction time
Difficulty carrying out complex commands
Word-comprehension difficulties
Deficits in understanding abstract ideas & symbolism; degeneration of higher mental powers
Unusual Behaviors:
Stereotyped sniffing (rats)
ADHD traits
Agitation, unprovoked crying, grimacing, staring spells
Sleep difficulties
Eating disorders, feeding problems
Self injurious behavior, e.g. head banging
Visual Impairments:
Poor eye contact, impaired visual fixation
“Visual impairments,” blindness, near-sightedness, decreased visual acuity
Light sensitivity, photophobia
Blurred or hazy vision
Constricted visual fields
Physical Disturbances:
Increase in cerebral palsy; hyper- or hypo-tonia; abnormal reflexes; decreased muscle strength, especially upper body; incontinence; problems chewing, swallowing, salivating
Rashes, dermatitis/dry skin, itching; burning
Autonomic disturbance: excessive sweating, poor circulation, elevated heart rate
Gastro-intestinal Disturbances</TD
Gastroenteritis, diarrhea; abdominal pain, constipation, “colitis”
Anorexia, weight loss, nausea, poor appetite
Lesions of ileum & colon; increased gut permeability (leaky gut)
Inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase IV, which cleaves casomorphin
Abnormal Biochemistry:
Binds -SH groups; blocks sulfate transporter in intestines, kidneys
Has special affinity for purines & pyrimidines
Reduces availability of glutathione, needed in neurons, cells & liver to detoxify heavy metals
Causes significant reduction in glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase
Disrupts mitochondrial activities, especially in brain
Immune Dysfunction:
Sensitivity due to allergic or autoimmune reactions; sensitive individuals more likely to have allergies, asthma, autoimmune-like symptoms, especially rheumatoid-like ones
Can produce an immune response in CNS
Causes brain/MBP autoantibodies
Causes overproduction of Th2 subset; kills/inhibits lymphocytes, T-cells, and monocytes; decreases NK T-cell activity; induces or suppresses IFNg & IL-2
CNS Structural Pathology:
Selectively targets brain areas unable to detoxify or reduce Hg-induced oxidative stress
Damage to Purkinje and granular cells
Accummulates in amygdala and hippocampus
Causes abnormal neuronal cytoarchitecture; disrupts neuronal migration & cell division; reduces NCAMs
Progressive microcephaly
Brain stem defects in some cases
Abnormalities in Neuro-chemistry:
Prevents presynaptic serotonin release & inhibits serotonin transport; causes calcium disruptions
Alters dopamine systems; peroxidine deficiency in rats resembles mercurialism in humans
Elevates epinephrine & norepinephrine levels by blocking enzyme that degrades epinephrine
Elevates glutamate
Leads to cortical acetylcholine deficiency; increases muscarinic receptor density in hippocampus & cerebellum
Demyelination in brain
EEG Abnormalities / Epilepsy:
Causes abnormal EEGs, epileptiform activity
Causes seizures, convulsions
Causes subtle, low amplitude seizure activity
Population Characteristics:
Effects more males than females
At low doses, only affects those geneticially susceptible
First added to childhood vaccines in 1930s
Exposure levels steadily increased since 1930s with rate of vaccination, number of vaccines
Exposure occurs at 0 – 15 months; clinical silent stage means symptom emergence delayed;
I found the gapps diet helpful to getting the kid i messed up doing better health wise. Took a yr to start seeing improvement.
Thank you! Thank you for taking ownership. You are brave! you are strong! You are the people that are going to make these companies stop poisoning our children.
I am really glad I stumbled upon this article, it was an informative and emotional response from a mother looking for answers, which is what I want to read while carrying a child and looking into the world of vaccinations, environmental factors etc and their influence on my future child’s health.
I am not a doctor, nor trained so I can’t comment on whether these are all true, but I believe it important for the discussion to be raised and for mothers to be able to express what they felt led to health issues in their children, it allows parents to then take that information and further become armed with their own research, it IS what all parents should do, in order to not be neglectful of health.
I carry homoz MTHFR gene where I don’t methylate or detox properly, after six years of multiple miscarriages I was told by every health care professional I had seen that it had nothing to do with me, it was simply bad luck, it wasn’t until I got treatment for this gene, and was told to REMOVE folic acid from my diet, by a registered doctor as it was harmful to myself, even though at least 10 doctors prior disagreed, and I was put on a gluten free diet, as most gluten contains this harmful synthetic folic acid, that I fell pregnant with a successful pregnancy. I am now fighting tooth and nail to get the correct medicines I need to sustain this pregnancy, as the other 10 doctors out there who might I add could not, or did not help my previous post one iota do not believe in the epigenetic studies on this gene structure and the medicinal needs in order to prevent early birth losses.
I have been told strictly to NOT vaccinate my children. I also carry autoimmune dysfunction which has further led to me being told NOT to vaccinate my children.
Add to this diagnosis that my youngest sister passed away of a genetic mitochondrial disorder which mimics the same deficiencies in B vitamins, who was also told by the hospital, after her first vaccination and subsequent reaction that she was NOT a candidate for vaccinations.
My eldest sisters child was vaccinated, and has since been diagnosed with ADHD.
There are so many environmental factors that influence a child, their health, switching on and off gene dysfunction, Austism, bi polar etc….We would be absolutely crazy not to acknowledge this. I have seen it first hand in the medical industry where they have made associations between these environmental factors, not only with my sister growing up, but also with my epigenetic specialist.
There was a student doctor on here claiming just one side, and I am sorry but I found that to be extremely bad professionally speaking for you to spout off like no tomorrow about how supposedly ‘safe’ all of these things are in the medical profession….Isn’t medicine a science? Doesn’t that mean it is continually evolving? Goodness how narrow minded of us to think we know it all, and just need to lay down and accept it? What the medical system is feeding us?
Does that say I don’t believe in the medical system? Hell no! What it says is that as a parent, as a human being I know that researching my own he alt, and the health of my child is the best possible thing I could do for them, we are all humans after all and to put all your eggs in one basket, to believe that medical science has it all figured out, and one size fits all is not only extremely arrogant, but incredibly careless.
I KNOW without doubt, that there were many times in my youngest sisters life where she lay in hospital beds, that my mother FOUGHT with the medical board, no you cannot give her that, she reacts, you cannot poison her with that she reacts, that even they admitted fault to in the end, because at the end of the day as a mother, she knew her child best, and her child’s reactions…Because no one size fits all. That is ridiculous to believe that, every single individual born into this earth has individual gene’s, environmental and social factors that all attribute directly to their own health.
I applaud this mother for sharing her son’s story, because at the end of the day it is up to the reader to research and take what they can out of it, and then research their own child’s health INDIVIDUALLY.
Amen! And I will just say that you got EXCELLENT advice about vaccines given your health history. Autoimmunity and MTHFR mutations that make methylation difficult are both rampant in the parents of children with autism. Good luck! It sounds like you’re well on your way.
correct me if I am wrong, But I don’t think it is the gluten that contains folic acid. Rather, it is the flour in the U.S. that is “ENRICHED” with folic acid. So essentially any non organic flour product and even some organic products contain flour “ENRICHED” with folic acid. So you can in fact eat wheat so long as you ensure that it is unenriched flour. good luck in your journey of obtaining wisdom.
I found this article to be full of thought provoking possibilities. We have (5) children. Two born vaginally, one by emergency c-section & 2 non-emergency c-sections. All were born healthy, and by that I mean after uneventful pregnancies where I ate 100% healthy foods, was never ill or on medications, and all of our kids developed normally and on target. Then one day when our youngest child was just under a year of age we took him in for a baby well check up. His doctor said we were behind on shots and that he needed five to catch him up. I expressed concern and opposition, but he almost made me feel that I would be a bad mother and putting him at risk if I didn’t give him all the injections in that one visit. I relented. Within 24 hours our kiddo was sick for the 1st time in his life. Ear, respiratory, high fever and throat infections. He was given high doses of antibiotics — twice. Finally, the infections were gone. But, so was he. All in a matter of days he had lost his eye contact, words he’d learned, his once bright smile, didn’t respond to his name or play with his toys. It was like an alien took over his body and brain. He was nowhere in there. The doctor ignored our concerns and only checked his hearing which was fine. Two years would pass before we figured out what to do to begin helping him heal. Biomedical doctors discovered through EXTENSIVE genetic, blood work, hair, saliva, fecal matter, urine and other testing that he was not born with autism. NO KIDDING! His immune system was attacked and utterly disabled when he was given those 5 shots (yes, including MMR). He became sick, and adding insult to injury were the antibiotics administered which killed the good and the bad bacteria leaving his gut exposed, holes formed (leaky gut) and ultimately his brain was impaired (brain fog).
Biomed treatments that some have referred to as “voo-doo” have helped him IMMENSELY. I would never have agreed to treatments that I felt endangered his life. HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen) was a major factor in his recovery. Detox, diet, therapies like ABA, OT, Speech and Mendability techniques as well as supplements have all been winners for him. DIET and healing his gut from yeast overgrowth is HUGE. We were told there was no hope, he would never speak, never socialize and would need to be in supported community living as an adult. Luckily we didn’t believe everything we heard. I’ve been told so many times that I need to just admit that my son as BORN WITH AUTISM. Maybe some children are? Maybe some are predisposed to having autism triggered by certain environmental or other factors? I don’t know what every individual cause is for this pain in the ass situation. But, one thing I know for sure is that my child was not born with ASD. He developed the symptoms much later on and I believe I know why. And NO, I’m not an anti-vaxer. If I had to do it over again, I’d do it much differently. I would have had him tested (titers) for immunities to certain diseases which would opt him out of needing those shots. And I would have followed a slower more deliberately careful and spread apart vaccination schedule. I would also have given him high powered probiotics when he was on antibiotics.
I don’t understand that sheer anger that comes from people when others talk about a cure or recovery? No one gets angry when someone talks about curing cancer, so why autism? Yes, we need to cut this off at the pass and stop this epidemic all together. But, how can we do that if we are all bickering about what does or doesn’t cause it, let alone locking horns about how to help our kids to live their best lives who have been diagnosed. I for one do not believe ASD is always genetic or that babies are always born with it. I do believe there are many factors and many triggers. What I know for sure is that our son is living proof that autism doesn’t always run in families, and that it doesn’t always come from birth. And after connecting the dots of his life from a typically healthful developing child to ASD — I know that the immunizations and antibiotics had something to do with it. There is no other conclusion to draw here in my mind.
Let’s talk about not only the cause of ASD, but how to recover children from as many symptoms as possible. Remember, we were told our son would never speak, but at 8 years old, he does that and more. He has friends, he goes to school. He is bright, has found his smile again and loves to play with his toys. And what an imagination!…Something else we were told not to expect from a kid with ASD. We’re still in the recovery stages, and his progress is the very reason we continue onward. He proves to me every day that it can be done and he is worth every bit of our efforts. His doctor once said to me, “Heal the gut, heal the mind.” I’m a believer.
Thank you for your story, Erin. I have heard so many just like it that it’s clear that all the “anecdotes” would add up to some serious science — if anyone bothered to do it. Our website is about both how to stop children from getting sick and how to get them well once they are sick. Check out our other posts and our Facebook page.
Erin, I can relate very closely to your situation but I am at the beginning stage (my son is 4 years old) and I am after as much advice as possible. Where was your first step- I know my son has issues with his gut but I don’t know where to turn to. Being in the UK, options are very limited as is understanding.
get the book G.A.P.S. gut and psychology syndrome.
How did you clear the gut???
get the book G.A.P.S. gut and psychology syndrome.
To all the moms and dads, besides the one who wrote this because she will not listen, please vaccinate your children, and please use fluoride. As a student doctor, I can assure students and doctors spend everyday of our life learning and researching the human body. Our understanding of the human body is not based upon simple observations of one or more cases, but instead is build upon years of SCIENTIFIC research. Fluoride is naturally occurring element. It was not created in a lab! We found its beneficial uses for preservation of tooth enamel when we investigated individuals in Colorado Springs who had less instances of dental caries. Vaccines are also not the work of the devil, like the above lady would like you to believe! For the most part we take inactive forms of the virus and encourage our own NATURAL bodily defenses to recognize what they should look like for if future infections occur. PLEASE read the actual study of Autism and how it is related to vaccines and you will quickly realize how the original author based his entire study completely on fiction, and was removed from every publication world-wide soon there after. I know this post is somewhat jumbled in its presentation, I apologize, but it is extremely unsettling to read someone with no medical or scientific knowledge express these views. Please do not take my word for it at all, and please do not take hers! Ask your primary care doctor and dentist. If you are unsure about them, then ask another doctor/dentist. If you are STILL unsure, then travel 5, 10, 15 states away to ask another doctor/dentist!!! These people care about you and your children, and they have the KNOWLEDGE/RESOURCES to actually help keep you and your children safe!! If you want to protect your children, STOP GOOGLING and start talking with people who do it for a living!
Wow, Jim. I can only hope that as a “student doctor” you will come to know how very little you know right now. You are commenting on a website where the vast majority of people know FAR more about the conditions they or their children have than their physicians do. Yes, there are doctors who have made it their business to know, but unfortunately they are few and far between. Most of the rest assume that what they learned in medical school was “the facts.”
I’m just going to show you a teensy bit of the difference between what YOU know (or think you do) and what the average reader on this site knows. You stated “PLEASE read the actual study of Autism and how it is related to vaccines and you will quickly realize how the original author based his entire study completely on fiction, and was removed from every publication world-wide soon there after.” The average reader on this site knows the study that you’re PROBABLY referring to rather well. They know that the lead author was Dr. Andrew Wakefield a noted gastroenterologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London, and 11 of his also noteworthy colleagues were listed as co-authors on that paper. They know that it was a case study on 12 children with autism who also happened to have gastrointestinal disease that NO ONE WAS TREATING. The parents of those children went to the Royal Free Hospital in order to get their children treated. They know that NOWHERE in the paper does it say “vaccines cause autism,” or even “the MMR causes autism.” What it says is they found vaccine-strain measles in the guts of the children who had GI disease. They also know that the paper was withdrawn due to a witch hunt conducted by journalist Brian Deer who is NOT a doctor. Deer brought nonsensical charges to the medical board and Wakefield and his colleague John Walker-Smith had their medical licenses revoked. Walker-Smith stayed behind in England and petitioned to have his medical license reinstated. He was successful, with the judge noting that the case against him (essentially the same as the case against Wakefield) amount to a whole lot of nothing.
Now SOME of us have gone a whole lot further and read a good percentage of the studies on BOTH sides of the autism/vaccines question (there are about a 100 that support a link at this point in time, many of the most interesting have to do with aluminum adjuvants). In addition, we have listened when FOIA requests showed that CDC researchers were fudging data on studies. We also noted that the head of the CDC jumped ship soon after two of the most important fudged studies were published to GO WORK FOR MERCK AS THE HEAD OF THE VACCINE DIVISION.
So, sorry, I’m afraid your plea to get people to “STOP GOOGLING” is going to fall on VERY deaf ears because, like it or not, the people who come to this website like to stay informed about ALL the aspects of things related to their health and not just the ones officially sanctioned by pharmaceutical sponsored medical schools.
ProfessorTMR, I apologize for the “tone” of my first post. I am certainly not trying to tell anyone how to handle their own child. My comments were not directed at the people, ProfessorTMR, who have read a few articles, scientific or not, and have fully embraced the idea that they know more than most of the doctors minus the 100 you stated. No doctor, and certainly no student doctor, would ever claim to know the absolute truth about every disorder, but to try claim that doctors are in bed with Pharm companies is crazy. Let’s take the Tdap (Whooping Cough) vaccine, at Walgreen’s this vaccine cost $64 without insurance. Compare that $64 to the antibiotics, hospital stay, possible intubation/ventilation in the intensive care unit, and we can quickly see that it is in fact no comparison in cost. The reason myself, 99.9999% of doctors, and every major health organization world-wide unequivocally stands behinds vaccines is because we care. I am not here to argue with you or anyone else on this website. My reason for posting was not to to say that you’re a bad parent, however when I watch an innocent child struggle to catch its breath as it whoops for air, breaks my heart, and compels me to speak out. Seeing a child choke, cry, and cough uncontrollably while receiving a breathing tube is unsettling, especially when it could have been prevented by a simple shot. ProfessorTMR, you are free to do what you think is best for your child. We can simply agree to disagree.
I absolutely agree that seeing a child “choke, cry and cough uncontrollably” breathing tube or not is a HORRIFIC thing. However, for whooping cough, it is generally a short-term thing. For asthma, it is generally lifelong. Did you know that asthma used to be rare? Did you know that more than 10% of children have asthma these days and they are getting it at ever younger ages? Did you know that a U.K. study involving 29,238 children found that the rate of asthma was FOURTEEN TIMES higher in the population of children who had received a pertussis-containing shot than in children who hadn’t? That was one of the VERY FEW times that outcomes in the vaccinated population were compared to unvaccinated (pertussis-containing shots are probably the ones with the highest uptake because pertussis is more serious than most “vaccine preventable” diseases) children. The authors of the study explain away the results with one of the most ridiculous conclusions I have YET to read. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448377/
Do you have any idea how much it costs to maintain a lifetime of asthma? I have a pretty good clue since I’ve had it since I was 13. I was rejected OUTRIGHT as a teenager, and so was my younger brother, for life insurance policies simply because we had asthma. That is ONE very SMALL “unforeseen consequence” of vaccinating the hell out of everyone. The fact is that artificially and repeatedly hyper-stimulating the immune system is having all sorts of unintended consequences in the form of a HUGE rise in autoimmune and allergic disease, which would be something anyone could understand if they actually followed the logic. You stimulate antibody production with the injection of an adjuvant and — shockingly enough — you stimulate antibody production! The antibodies you produce can be to ANY of the “foreign” ingredients of the vaccine (including the aluminum itself). Those antibodies now constitute “allergy” to those ingredients. Those ingredients are molecularly similar to other compounds — often compounds the body has in considerable amounts — and the antibodies for them now react to the molecularly similar compounds in the body. Voila, autoimmunity.
(By the way, in your economic analysis you did not include the fact that EVERYONE is required to get 5 doses of that vaccine before adulthood, the fact that a good percentage will react negatively in OBVIOUS ways, the fact that not everyone would get whooping cough, the fact that not everyone who gets whooping cough requires hospitalization, and the fact that vaccinated people are at risk of whooping cough these days because the vaccine is not as effective as the older vaccine (that had a demonstrably high level of adverse events — the reason for the 1986 law absolving vaccine manufacturers from any liability for the harm their products do) and does not cover the strain known as “parapertussis.” In fact, if you read our blog by Tetyana Obukhanych, who has a PhD in immunology, you will learn that vaccinated people are MORE susceptible to one strain.)
The reason why we do what WE do (for virtually no compensation) is because we care. We have experienced these illnesses and researched the heck out of them. We would like for our children to have the opportunity to be HEALTHIER than we are, rather than be condemned to a life of chronic disease.
Indeed, we shall agree to disagree.
I was planning to end this conversation with my last post, however that is simply not possible after reading your reply. First, Asthma can be caused by a wide range of things like: dust, pollen, mold, paint, gasoline, perfume, dry wind, cold air, Exercise, pets, aspirin, anxiety, stress, etc. Second, because Asthma is more common in boys than girls, in adult women than adult men, in African Americans than Caucasians, then we can quickly see that it has absolutely nothing to do with vaccination, but instead has to do with genetic predisposition. Many, if not most, diseases follow this same genetic predisposition like hemophilia, breast cancer, hemochromatosis, Sickle-cell, etc, etc. Third, if you are going to post a scientific study then stand behind it! Here are a few Direct Quotes from the study you posted: “In this observational study analyzing computerized primary care records, we found an association between MMR and DPPT vaccination and the incidence of asthma and eczema, but these associations appeared to be limited to the minority of children who rarely seek care from a GP. This limited association is more likely to be the result of bias than a biological effect.”, “Children who are not taken to the doctor are less likely to be vaccinated and also have less of an opportunity to have a diagnosis of allergic disease recorded.”, and “In summary, although our results in an observational cohort study demonstrated a positive association between vaccination and allergic disease, this association can be explained by ascertainment bias. These data, together with other published evidence, suggest that current vaccination practices do not have an adverse effect on the incidence of allergic disease.”. These authors didn’t explain away the results, but instead were able to make logical conclusions based on ALL of the evidence available, and not just jump to conclusions! Fourth, Pertussis can pass in 6-20 days with proper medical care, however the World Health Organization states that “global vaccination against pertussis averted about 687,000 deaths.”! Fifth, please stop trying to broadcast/tell me how immunity works. I certainly do not claim to be an expert, but I study it full time, and it was immediately obvious in reading your post that you have little to absolutely no knowledge on what immunity, allergy, and autoimmunity actually mean, or how they transpire. Instead of spending all of your time being a Conspiracy Theorist you should be thankful you live in a developed nation where you can be crazy and still be lucky enough to not have your children die of infectious diseases. Oh and this is only possible because of heard immunity meaning the bulk of the population are vaccinated, therefore prevalence of many diseases is minimized!!
I somehow doubt this will be “allowed”..
but Jim Bailey I stand and applaud you sir!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for replying with the facts this blog seems to like to ignore.
Sorry, Jim, but those things don’t CAUSE asthma, they trigger it. The CAUSE is dysregulation of the immune system [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14646381]. Gee, I wonder how the immune system could be dysregulated? Well, let’s see… What do we do that might skew the way the immune system works? Hmmm, maybe those vaccines we repeatedly inject into infants (or their pregnant mothers) whose immune systems have not yet formed could have something to do with the huge rise in allergies and autoimmune disease? Especially when the words “allergy” and “anaphylaxis” were both first used to describe reactions to injected vaccines, and aluminum adjuvants have been shown to stimulate antibodies to pretty much everything that is injected with them (that would be WHY they’re used), any of which antibodies COULD then cross-react with body tissue through molecular mimicry.
http://www.2ndchance.info/onesize4all-Perricone2013.pdf
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118663438,subjectCd-MD17.html
And exactly HOW does “genetic predisposition” account for something that is more common in boys than girls and in adult women than adult men? How does a “genetic predisposition” completely change by growing up? Answer: It doesn’t. What changes are environmental factors, both internal and external. I will grant that there IS a “genetic predisposition” in operation, but it isn’t a genetic predisposition to ASTHMA, it’s a genetic predisposition of the immune system to react strongly and/or a genetic predisposition to making detoxification difficult.
“These authors didn’t explain away the results, but instead were able to make logical conclusions based on ALL of the evidence available, and not just jump to conclusions!” To this I say, BULLSHIT. The most LOGICAL conclusion is that those children were not seeing the doctors because they were HEALTHIER than their counterparts, not that the rate of potentially fatal illness is just as high but those kids are simply not going to the doctor. How is it even remotely logical to conclude in a country with socialized medicine that parents were letting their children GASP FOR BREATH without taking them to a doctor? Answer again: It isn’t. That explanation may work for you, but for a person who actually THINKS a relative risk of 14 CANNOT be explained away that easily. At THE VERY LEAST it calls for a great deal more investigation.
So, if you’re studying immunity full time, come here with some arguments. REAL arguments, not just “you don’t know what you’re talking about” because that doesn’t fly around here. We’re always ready to learn.
By the way, I’m not a “Conspiracy Theorist,” in upper case or lower case. Have you EVER seen me use the word “conspiracy” other than this paragraph? Not likely. What I am is a realist. Money talks. Power corrupts. And people who have invested heavily in a particular path (like the World Health Organization) REALLY resist information that contradicts it. (Those things have all been shown by scientific psychological studies, by the way, if “anecdotes” are not enough for you ;-).) If you’re studying science, you should know that with a quick glance at history. Are you going to tell me that any of those factors CANNOT affect the science that is performed or how it is presented by the media? If you do, then I will tell you it will not be long before your naivete will be exposed for what it is.
If you’re a student, you need to research the many different various forms of fluoride as well as refer to a basic chemistry book. More to the point and what “students” need to know is that flouride found naturally occurring in soil and rocks is a very different composite of what is added to dental products and city water which in some cases it is caustic and industry grade. NO naturally occurring fluoride is added to water or dental products currently.
In Dentistry we use 3 main types of fluoride for therapeutic use.
NaF also known as sodium fluoride
APF also know is acidulated phosphate fluoride
SnF also known as stannous fluoride
All three are very different.
Specifically, most people still do not know the difference between the naturally occurring calcium fluoride and other industrialized forms that are added to water supplies in North America (but not throughout most of Europe, and many other high-tech countries).
That’s because the term “fluoride” is often thrown around without making a distinction between these substances.
There are three types of fluoride used to “fluoridate” water supplies: Fluorosilicic acid, sodium fluorosilicate and sodium fluoride.
Fluorosilicic acid is the type most often used for cost reasons, and it is derived from phosphate fertilizers according to the CDC’s website.
The other two are created by adding either table salt or caustic soda to the mix.
These types of fluoride can be quite corrosive, as one town found out the hard way when the fluoride they used to add to their water supply began corroding pipes and damaging city vehicles. Officials from the town, Buffalo, Missouri, voted to stop fluoridating the water supply recently due to these issues.
In contrast with these types of fluoride is calcium fluoride, which is a much safer version of fluoride.
Calcium fluoride is considered the “least toxic” and in some cases “relatively harmless” according to the site fluoridedetective.com, and that’s because of its high insolubility.
Magnesium and especially calcium are known as minerals that counteract the effects of fluoride, an example of how nature often pairs antidotes with poisons or designs complete foods that mitigate harmful substances for the most part.
This type of fluoride is often found in natural waters, while the above industrial byproducts are added to water supplies, a highly controversial practice that more and more people are asking to be changed.
– See more at: http://althealthworks.com/2366/what-is-the-difference-between-natural-fluoride-and-the-artificial-kind-in-our-water-supply/#sthash.96myYqXR.dpuf
To be honest I thought the title of this article was a joke. I feel very sorry for all of you people that agree with the pseudoscience that is being posted here.
I am a mom of 3, one of whom has developmental delays. I have looked back and tried to blame myself, but if I actually think critically and compare all 3 of my pregnancies, I cannot do that.
All I ask is that before any parent does any treatment they should research and ask as many questions as possible. That also includes “natural remedies”. Just because something is natural, it does not make it safe. As well, keep in mind that “natural medicine” is a lucrative BUSINESS as well, looking to profit and make money.
As a dental assistant of 10 years, I caution parents withholding fluoride treatment from their children. Using a fluoridated toothpaste and having annual fluoride treatments WILL prevent cavities. If you are okay with your child getting cavities and eventually needing root canals (which require additional x-rays), then go for it! Don’t let your kids have fluoride. Personally, I want my kids to have healthy teeth so that they are able to enjoy eating food for the rest of their lives by chewing it with their teeth. FYI dentures are a nightmare that I would not wish upon anyone.
I love how any science that does not agree with people’s preconceived ideas (the prevailing paradigm) is automatically labeled “pseudoscience.” Just because you can’t see a pattern in your children’s health histories doesn’t mean there isn’t an overall pattern to be detected. My father never smoked a day in his life and died of lung cancer. Doesn’t mean smoking isn’t a direct cause of lung cancer.
Fluoride is not a simple matter. Yes, it can prevent cavities, but why is it doing so? Is it simply that it is replacing the iodine that children are deficient in in the first place? Iodine that their thyroid glands NEED to function. (Did you know that the majority of kids with autism test as hypothyroid?) Fluoride HAS been linked to loss of IQ points and thyroid malfunction. For many people, those will be serious “side effects” to think about. Why do people assume that because something has an apparent benefit that the perceived benefit is universally worth the risks to everyone? To use smoking as an example again, there are those who argued that smoking was great because it sharpened their wits and calmed them down when agitated. The fact that it was destroying the lungs of those around them may not have mattered to them, but it may have mattered deeply to those whose lungs were destroyed.
Fluoride does not affect Iodine levels. Fluoride is naturally occurring, and replaces the hydroxide component in hydroxyapatite. Teeth naturally demineralize when the pH in our mouth drops below 5.5, which occurs almost every time we eat or drink anything. Scientist noticed that in small towns with naturally occurring fluoride in the drinking water, people had less dental caries. This naturally occurring substitution of fluoride for hydroxide allowed for the pH levels to drop to 4.5 before demineralization took place. Since pH is calculated on a log scale, this equivelated to a person having to ingest something 10x more acidic before demineralization took place. If your child needs more Iodine, then simply give him more table salt. We have been artificially modifying sodium chloride (table salt) for sodium iodide for a long time. We did this because people were not ingesting enough iodine to produce T3 and T4 needed for the Thyroid.
So as a doctor in training, I assume you’ve studied chemistry? You know about families of elements? And you know that families of elements will have similar properties, correct? You also know that iodine and fluorine (and bromine and chlorine) all belong the halogen family, right? That means that all four of them will compete in chemical reactions. That means that increasing the presence of fluorine in the blood (through the use of fluoridated water, for instance) WILL have a direct effect on iodine levels and it WILL replace iodine in tissues that require iodine to work correctly. You may not be aware of it, but there is an increasing number of people who suffer from hypothyroid conditions (including a large percentage of kids with autism), despite the huge amount of table salt ingested by our population.
This just in from that bastion of alternative health “quackery,” Newsweek, http://www.newsweek.com/fluoridation-may-not-prevent-cavities-huge-study-shows-348251
“Water fluoridation, which first began in 1945 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and expanded nationwide over the years, has always been controversial. Those opposed to the process have argued—and a growing number of studies have suggested—that the chemical may present a number of health risks, for example interfering with the endocrine system and increasing the risk of impaired brain function; two studies in the last few months, for example, have linked fluoridation to ADHD and underactive thyroid. Others argue against water fluoridation on ethical grounds, saying the process forces people to consume a substance they may not know is there—or that they’d rather avoid.
Despite concerns about safety and ethics, many are content to continue fluoridation because of its purported benefit: that it reduces tooth decay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Oral Health, the main government body responsible for the process, says it’s “safe and effective.”
You might think, then, that fluoridated water’s efficacy as a cavity preventer would be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. But new research suggests that assumption is dramatically misguided; while using fluoridated toothpaste has been proven to be good for oral health, consuming fluoridated water may have no positive impact.
The Cochrane Collaboration, a group of doctors and researchers known for their comprehensive reviews—which are widely regarded as the gold standard of scientific rigor in assessing effectiveness of public health policies—recently set out to find out if fluoridation reduces cavities. They reviewed every study done on fluoridation that they could find, and then winnowed down the collection to only the most comprehensive, well-designed and reliable papers. Then they analyzed these studies’ results, and published their conclusion in a review earlier this month.
The review identified only three studies since 1975—of sufficient quality to be included—that addressed the effectiveness of fluoridation on tooth decay in the population at large. These papers determined that fluoridation does not reduce cavities to a statistically significant degree in permanent teeth, says study co-author Anne-Marie Glenny, a health science researcher at Manchester University in the United Kingdom. The authors found only seven other studies worthy of inclusion dating prior to 1975.”
Yes, Professor TMR I did study Chemistry in fact I have a degree in Biochemistry. Yes, I also know that elements in the same Group act similar. What is funny to me is how you somehow justify certain elements over others. They are all naturally occurring, besides the ones at the bottom created in labs. Since you are informing all of us on how the immune system works, please share how Zinc which is absolutely crucial to the immune system, and is in the same group as Mercury, and is “A-OK”, but Aluminum is the worst thing in the world? You realize that Sodium and Potassium are in the same group as Lithium right? Without the first two you would be dead. Oh and by the way Copper, Silver, and Gold are also in the same Period, yet they all have different attributes due to there different Ionization energy. You mentioned that your asthma started around age 13. How many vaccinations were you receiving at this time?? Take this diagnosis with a grain of Sodium Chloride, but maybe your asthma had more to do with puberty rather than a vaccine you received 12 years prior. I’m sure you have some crazy explanation on how it could only be aluminum, vaccines, or whatever other element on the periodic table you have a problem with. I’m done with this argument because honestly it’s like arguing with a child. They won’t listen but still tell you what they “know”. I don’t ask an electrician to wire my house, then tell him that the wire he is using or the methods he goes about it is wrong. Why do I not do that, and why do I call you a conspiracy theorist, is because for whatever reason you don’t/can’t trust that people besides yourself are really trying to do good. Do good for more than just themselves, and more than just for the people around them. If you want to really talk immunology please keep going, because frankly I would love to talk about heavy/light chains, and how B/T cells actually work. I will however continue to post on this blog because people like Stacey and Bobbi sometimes need someone who ACTUALLY knows what their talking about to reaffirm what decisions they are making about their children is right!! What does make me wonder is what you will do when your kids are grown and your husband, if you have one, is gone and you grow old and sick. All those terrible aluminum vaccine crazed doctors swarming around you trying to keep you alive, checking in on you several times a day, and maybe even consoling you when things get really hard. Talk about a nightmare!
I “somehow justify certain elements over others”? So you saying that zinc is necessary for the immune system, while being in the same family as mercury, a well-known potent neurotoxin, or pointing out that you need sodium and potassium, while implying that lithium is uncool (lithium is actually neuroprotective in low doses) ISN’T “somehow justifying certain elements over others”? I think you made my point for me. The human body has evolved to use/require SOME elements (most of the ones that have abundant bioavailable forms in the environment, aluminum being a notable exception) in order to maintain homeostasis. Others, aluminum again, have absolutely no function in the human body whatsoever. And if they are in the same family as other elements, they will compete with those elements in chemical reaction. (And, yes, different elements, such as copper, silver and gold have different properties. Who implied they didn’t? If their properties were identical, who would care which was in the body. But the properties of zinc and mercury AREN’T identical, are they?)
Sure, my asthma was ALL about puberty. As the 7th of eight children, only one of whom got asthma in childhood, the pattern of asthma in puberty is clear! The other child who got asthma was my younger brother. He was eight or nine when he got it. What was different for us from our older siblings? Well, they developed a number of vaccines in the 60s… He and I got significantly MORE than our siblings did. WE had the measles vaccine (I had two types) and both developed measles, the rubella vaccine (who knows if we developed rubella? It’s generally so mild, most people don’t even know they have it) and the mumps vaccine (shortly before the onset of our allergies). I don’t think he got the mumps, but I did and passed it on to a family friend as well because my mother wasn’t told that the vaccine sheds and you shouldn’t go swimming the day you are vaccinated.
“I’m done with this argument because honestly it’s like arguing with a child. They won’t listen but still tell you what they “know”.” 🙂 🙂 🙂 I hereby make a prediction. When, in a few years’ time, it becomes obvious that we were right, you will come back to this site and realize how ironic this comment is.
I find it very touching that you are worried about what will happen to me when I “grow old and sick,” but I don’t think you need to concern yourself. There are plenty of medical professionals who share my passion for health, and should there be any cognitive issues, my family will know EXACTLY how I feel on the subject. 😉
Thank you Jim. But I fear your facts are falling on delusional ears..
🙂 Yes, delusional that’s what it is when you manage to get kids well after being told that they have “incurable, lifelong conditions.” Would that more of the world were so “delusional.”
Well when your world says my son is sick and needs to be cured with “therapies” such as MMS ( otherwise known as industrial bleach given orally as well as in enemas) which you do not Condem… Then yep, I call it delusional and feel free to live there. The problem I have is you trying to recruit others to the delusion…
But please, continue and reply. I have enjoyed sharing your delusion with others who see it for one as well..
I don’t know what your son’s condition is, but if your son — like many of those who come here — has severe autism, the “world” (meaning so-called “autism experts”) says that your son has a lifelong, incurable condition that means that he may/will never speak, be able to toilet train, be able to communicate, be able to sit in a classroom, be able to hold down a job, or be able to live independently, let alone get married and have children. Many of the people you are calling “delusional” got told exactly that by one or more “experts” and many of those people have children who are completely mainstreamed that no one knows EVER had a diagnosis of autism. Facts. A recent mainstream study showed that approximately 9% of the children they followed “lost their diagnosis.” How do you think that happens? By accident? They just outgrew the diagnosis? I suspect you’re in the “They never had autism in the first place!” camp. I’m sorry, but THAT’S delusional. You need to hold onto your delusion so badly that you have to deny the experience of many others that is DOCUMENTED by mainstream science. Well, be our guest, but don’t be surprised if others see your delusion for what it is and recruit more and more people to the possibilities.
Wow, when did I say I didn’t support therapies that work to help people on the autism spectrum? I guess that’s where you hear what you chose to.
I don’t believe in quack therapies that claim to cure. There is no cure. There should be No talk of cures. We should be discussing why Some of our children have co-existing conditions with autism like gut issues and why Many many many like my child Does Not. We should be looking deeper into therapies that work and regulate it so that parents know what is safe and what is being peddling by snake oil merchants ( like MMS!!)
We need to spread Acceptance that autism is A Neurodevelopmental “condition” that basically means those on the Autism Spectrrum JUST think and perceive the world differently to neurotypical people.
I have worked over 10 years with children in the spectrum, I have a now 14 year old on the spectrum, I am finishing my degree in Special Educational Needs, Autism, children. I would never call myself an expert and the experts I actually know would also Never claim expertise. They also would never tell parents the things you posted that are supposedly said to parents of “low functioning” or non verbal children on the spectrum. That shows the ignorance of the so called experts.
Where you say “cure” or “recovered” I say supported. I know many children who were pre- verbal ( I do not like non verbal as there are many cases of children who did not speak until close to adult hood!).
The difference is I don’t fear autism on any way as you appear to. I see it as a different way of perceiving the world to me and support is key. But isn’t that the same for most people? Needing support to be the best they can be??
True understanding of what autism
Actually is soooo needed. There is no allergies, gut issues, medical issues in the diagnosis of autism. Fact.
It is not caused by vaccines, metals, or gut issues. Those presenting those medical issues need to have them addressed and helped but they are not autism.
I say the word delusion because of your refusal to see facts. I highly highly suggest you look at the right peer reviewed ( meaning it can be replicated UNLIKE wakefields so called “study”. Replication of his findings was attempted many times and Could NOT be replicated, hence its removal from the journal and Wakefield’s downfall! Fact,) journals, there are many out there! Instead of cherry picking ones, parts of ones as you seem to be doing that suit your delusion.
Bobbi,
I’m glad you don’t consider yourself an “expert,” but you DO seem to think that YOU know exactly what autism is and isn’t, despite the fact that there are many people who disagree with you and have children who are not just “supported,” but are no longer autistic. I’m not sure why you are so invested in the impossibility of that. It is perhaps a question you should ask yourself.
People who are at the less severe end of the autism spectrum can function in our world with support, sometimes a little and sometimes a lot, and they should get that support. The problem (that which you interpret as “fear of autism”) is that there are so many people on the spectrum, many of them far more severe and unable to function in our society in any context, these days. In addition, there are many, many people who don’t have autism but have chronic issues with similar roots that ALSO “need support.” (My son who just aged out of his speech services due to apraxia and my daughter who struggles with ADHD are examples.) Very soon there will be so many “needing support” that there will be no one to “provide support.” It is a real concern as the tsunami of young adults age out of their childhood programs.
You can SAY that autism is not caused by “vaccines, metals, or gut issues,” but that doesn’t make it true. When the medical issues are addressed autism symptoms usually recede. The medical issues are not “autism” because that isn’t how autism is defined, but when the medical issues are addressed autism can sometimes be cured.
From my perspective, it is you who is refusing to see facts. It’s right there in your comment: “I highly highly suggest you look at the RIGHT (emphasis mine) peer reviewed journals . . . . Instead of cherry picking ones.” What you utterly fail to grasp is that I READ the ones you consider RIGHT, and I analyze them from a logical and scientific perspective. In addition, I read the ones you obviously don’t because you’ve decided they’re the WRONG studies (I don’t say journals, because frequently they appear in the very same journals as the studies they contradict), which is the very DEFINITION of “cherry picking.” One needs to take into account ALL of the available data, that which supports a particular hypothesis and that which does not. You are steadfastly refusing to even look at data that does not fit your preconceived hypothesis, while I choose instead to do as a scientist should do and incorporate it into a broader worldview.
For instance, all the evidence against a vaccine/autism link is epidemiological (the weakest form of evidence against a scientific mechanism and easily manipulated. Indeed, there is a great deal of evidence that the outcomes of several of the perceived “gold standard” studies that “disprove” a vaccine/autism link have indeed been artificially manipulated), while much of the science supporting a link was done in laboratories, analyzing and investigating the effect that vaccine ingredients have on human tissue and the human body as a whole. Stimulation of the immune system (whether through illness or vaccination) has been shown to have a direct effect on the brain, the earlier the stimulation happens and the more often it happens, the greater the effect. Vaccines hyper-stimulate the immune system in a way that the diseases they were designed to prevent usually won’t. The numbers of antibodies produced are many times higher, generally for multiple things at once, and they remain high for far longer. You can ignore that information to your detriment and that of your clients if you wish, but you should admit — at least to yourself — that you are the one “cherry picking” what you pay attention to.
wow.. I could have written this myself except the c-section (though we were minutes away).. highly intelligent blog post for once! Reasonable, educated, well thought out. All of this is true .. spot on…
Actually, It’s not. I might suggest you read NeuroTribes: The Lost History of Autism? I think you might find the information rather helpful.
Steve Silberman’s “NeuroTribes” is Dangerously Misleading
I was wondering when this would show… A link to another blog ( ie opinion) and better still of someone who admits they Have Not Even Read it!!
I have read NeuroTribes and while there are inaccuracies, they are few.. But what that book does is show there is a history of autism, one that started when humanity did and not when Wakefield and Jenny Mc Carthy started to try and cash in on autism and the blatant LIE of a MMR- autism link when there is No Link…
But again, the regular posters and OP don’t want to hear that and will twist what I’ve said to suit their pseudoscientific ideas…
DID YOU KNOW???
The symptoms of brain damage found in autism (because that is what it is) are IDENTICAL to the symptoms of the brain damage found in mercury poisoning. IDENTICAL. line for line IDENTICAL.
SYMPTOMS OF MERCURY POISONING:
There are consequences for injecting mercury into a child. The symptoms of mercury poisoning are:
Psychiatric Disturbances:
Social deficits, shyness, social withdrawal
Depression, mood swings; mask face
Anxiety
Schizoid tendencies, OCD traits
Lacks eye contact, hesitant to engage others
Irrational fears
Irritability, aggression, temper tantrums
Impaired face recognition
Speech, Language & Hearing Deficits
Loss of speech, failure to develop speech
Dysarthria; articulation problems
Speech comprehension deficits
Verbalizing & word retrieval problems
Sound sensitivity
Hearing loss; deafness in very high doses
Poor performance on language IQ tests
Sensory Abnormalities</TD
Abnormal sensation in mouth & extremities
Sound sensitivity
Abnormal touch sensations; touch aversion
Vestibular abnormalities
Motor Disorders:
Involuntary jerking movements – arm flapping, ankle jerks, myoclonal jerks, choreiform movements, circling, rocking
Deficits in eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; intention tremors
gait impairment; ataxia – from incoordination & clumsiness to inability to walk, stand, or sit; loss of motor control
Difficulty in chewing or swallowing
Unusual postures; toe walking
Cognitive Impairments:
Borderline intelligence, mental retardation – some cases reversible
Poor concentration, attention, response inhibition
Uneven performance on IQ subtests
Verbal IQ higher than performance IQ
Poor short term, verbal, & auditory memory
Poor visual and perceptual motor skills, impairment in simple reaction time
Difficulty carrying out complex commands
Word-comprehension difficulties
Deficits in understanding abstract ideas & symbolism; degeneration of higher mental powers
Unusual Behaviors:
Stereotyped sniffing (rats)
ADHD traits
Agitation, unprovoked crying, grimacing, staring spells
Sleep difficulties
Eating disorders, feeding problems
Self injurious behavior, e.g. head banging
Visual Impairments:
Poor eye contact, impaired visual fixation
“Visual impairments,” blindness, near-sightedness, decreased visual acuity
Light sensitivity, photophobia
Blurred or hazy vision
Constricted visual fields
Physical Disturbances:
Increase in cerebral palsy; hyper- or hypo-tonia; abnormal reflexes; decreased muscle strength, especially upper body; incontinence; problems chewing, swallowing, salivating
Rashes, dermatitis/dry skin, itching; burning
Autonomic disturbance: excessive sweating, poor circulation, elevated heart rate
Gastro-intestinal Disturbances</TD
Gastroenteritis, diarrhea; abdominal pain, constipation, “colitis”
Anorexia, weight loss, nausea, poor appetite
Lesions of ileum & colon; increased gut permeability (leaky gut)
Inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase IV, which cleaves casomorphin
Abnormal Biochemistry:
Binds -SH groups; blocks sulfate transporter in intestines, kidneys
Has special affinity for purines & pyrimidines
Reduces availability of glutathione, needed in neurons, cells & liver to detoxify heavy metals
Causes significant reduction in glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase
Disrupts mitochondrial activities, especially in brain
Immune Dysfunction:
Sensitivity due to allergic or autoimmune reactions; sensitive individuals more likely to have allergies, asthma, autoimmune-like symptoms, especially rheumatoid-like ones
Can produce an immune response in CNS
Causes brain/MBP autoantibodies
Causes overproduction of Th2 subset; kills/inhibits lymphocytes, T-cells, and monocytes; decreases NK T-cell activity; induces or suppresses IFNg & IL-2
CNS Structural Pathology:
Selectively targets brain areas unable to detoxify or reduce Hg-induced oxidative stress
Damage to Purkinje and granular cells
Accummulates in amygdala and hippocampus
Causes abnormal neuronal cytoarchitecture; disrupts neuronal migration & cell division; reduces NCAMs
Progressive microcephaly
Brain stem defects in some cases
Abnormalities in Neuro-chemistry:
Prevents presynaptic serotonin release & inhibits serotonin transport; causes calcium disruptions
Alters dopamine systems; peroxidine deficiency in rats resembles mercurialism in humans
Elevates epinephrine & norepinephrine levels by blocking enzyme that degrades epinephrine
Elevates glutamate
Leads to cortical acetylcholine deficiency; increases muscarinic receptor density in hippocampus & cerebellum
Demyelination in brain
EEG Abnormalities / Epilepsy:
Causes abnormal EEGs, epileptiform activity
Causes seizures, convulsions
Causes subtle, low amplitude seizure activity
Population Characteristics:
Effects more males than females
At low doses, only affects those geneticially susceptible
First added to childhood vaccines in 1930s
Exposure levels steadily increased since 1930s with rate of vaccination, number of vaccines
Exposure occurs at 0 – 15 months; clinical silent stage means symptom emergence delayed;
But unlike you, I don’t condemn a treatment because I don’t have published studies in hand that “prove” “success.”
You don’t condone a treatment that can seriously medically harm a child??
Wow. So you agree with using industrial bleach on a child such is your hatred of autism? You agree with the many unproven therapies that HAVE harmed if not killed a child with autism? ( chelation?)
You have said it all in that one statement. I can not argue with that insanity. There is nothing more to say.
Hmmmmm… “You don’t condone (sic, I think you mean condemn, opposite meaning) a treatment that can seriously medically harm a child?” You mean like vaccines? 😉 Which, by the way, are used on completely HEALTHY children, not children who are in need of any treatment. As people tell us over and over again, ANY drug can “seriously medically harm” someone. Would I be VERY cautious in any application of any treatment that has been known to “seriously medically harm” someone? Certainly. That is why I use non-invasive, non-toxic for myself and my children whenever possible. Does that mean that there is no use for such a treatment? Certainly not. For instance, antibiotics are implicated in the etiology of many of these conditions due to the way they wipe out beneficial gut bacteria and thus disable a good percentage of the immune system and create a condition of “leaky gut” which can lead to a host of issues of its own. Can antibiotics “seriously medically harm a child”? Indeed, they frequently do so. Does that mean they have no use in treatment? No. Many children with PANDAS and Lyme disease only find relief with long-term use of antibiotics. For them, antibiotic use may be the best available treatment, despite the fact that they can devastate others.
(On the subject of antibiotics, you should Google the kinds of “medical harm” that flouroquinolones can do.)
By the way, the ONE time chelation killed a child it was applied improperly. Many, many children have done low-dose long-term chelation and have had excellent results. To outright condemn “chelation” because one person died due to use of the wrong chelating drug is irrational at best. Did you know that medical mistakes (which that counted as) ranks as the third leading cause of death in this country? Obviously, there are many, many drugs that are prescribed or used inappropriately and, shockingly enough, no one is calling for the condemnation of the use of those drugs or their recall.
Obviously I meant condemn.. That’s it. I can’t reply further as I’d be encouraging the delusion
What, specifically, do you believe to be a “delusion” in his post? There are no opinions to be found in what the ProfessorTMR wrote, only facts.
Thanks, Stephen, but just to let you know, I’m a woman. 🙂
Wow. Whatever credibility you may have had just flew out the window when you acknowledged MMS.. Ah yes, miracle mineral solution.. Otherwise known as industrial bleach.. So the idea you subscribe to is that children with autism are defective, diseased and bleach given in drops throughout the day and in enemas will cure them?!?! I bet you believe the reports of “worms” too eh? ( for those who don’t know, those that push MMS ( like Kerry Rivera) believe that children with autism have this magical ability to “create parasites” In their gut! These kids have to “create” them as they were tested and the worms have that child’s DNA!!!!! So it cannot be the child’s stomach lining that is being stripped and excreted, no no no, it must be the child magically creating these parasites!!!
I’ve followed this post and blog for a a year now and finally it’s gone the route of complete insanity…
Sad. I feel for the children involved and the years of spreading so much time “curing” your children of something there is No Cure for! Instead of accepting, respecting and loving them…
Bobbi, if you’ve “followed this post and blog for a year now” then you should know that
a) A mainstream study has confirmed that up to 10% of children lose their autism diagnosis. Who do you think is accomplishing that? People whose parents are certain “there is No Cure for” autism?
b) We advocate radical love, acceptance, and respect of your children — ALL of your children — EXACTLY as they are (if you need help with that check out Son-Rise and the Autism Treatment Center), but that does NOT mean accepting limits placed on them by “authorities” who declare (in the face of ample evidence to the contrary) that autism is a “genetic disorder” and “there is no cure.”
Your wholesale rejection of MMS, otherwise known as CD, without talking to the parents of children who are getting well with its use, means that your credibility flies out the window. As is being acknowledged more and more every day, at the core of many if not most cases of autism is a fundamental imbalance in the gut biome. One strategy in restoring gut balance is killing the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and, yes, parasites. One of the more interesting things science has shown us lately is that human cells and their symbiotic companions interact in complex ways, including the transfer of DNA http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068243/. An intriguing and in-depth article in layman’s terms on the impact of the “micro-biome” is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/magazine/say-hello-to-the-100-trillion-bacteria-that-make-up-your-microbiome.html?_r=0
Will CD be right for everyone or even all people with autism? No. Like every other treatment available, it is not appropriate for everyone. Does that mean that it won’t be an effective treatment for some? No.
MMS is abuse. It it giving children bleach and has no benefit in anyway shape or form the mere fact that you even consider it “helpful” frightens the life out of me.
I will not debate this with you. But I will and have shared this all over social media in the hopes that others recognise what you “promote” for what it is. Abuse.
Not to worry, Bobbi. I had NO intention whatsoever of “debating” this with you. 🙂 Virtually every treatment that has ever been tried to help people with autism, right down to including ABA therapy and the GFCF diet, have been called “abusive” by someone. Around here we’re much more interested in how those who have tried something feel about it than the feelings of those with clear agendas who post diatribes. But thanks for publicizing our website!
Ok, I’ll bite.
Please show me one “success” story of “cured” of autism that was NOT a misdiagnosis to begin with or a person with autism who is actually supported enough and had the right therapy and strategies so they “appear” to have lost their diagnosis.. Please. Just one PROVEN indisputable case!!???
And while your at it, please please please show me one case of MMS “helping” let alone ” curing” an autistic child! Please! One who is proud to tell the world and not hide behind pseudonyms! One that has ( here’s that pesky word again!) PROOF!
Please. I really would like to see it.
I dare someone to do so!!! I mean real, scientific, peer reviewed, as to be replicated PROOF!!!!!
And Tim sure this will not surprise you but….
For the record I consider ABA abusive ( teaching rote skill like they are “animals” being “trained” is abusive in my opinion) I also think forcing a CF/GF diet on someone who does not have celiac disease or intolerances just to “improve behaviour” is abusive in my opinion.
Here’s 34 of them, but I’m sure you’ll have a problem with it. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3547539/
The first I’d ever heard of was back in 1975, when the book Son-Rise came out. Raun Kaufman was diagnosed — correctly and repeatedly — with “classic autism.” His parents were told they should institutionalize him as he would never speak, go to school, be able to hold down a job, etc., etc., etc. He now runs the autism program at the Option Institute, bearing no trace of his previous autism.
No one “forces a CF/GF diet” on someone who does not have intolerances. That would be stupid. If the child’s “behavior” improves dramatically — like beginning to speak for the first time, which happens FREQUENTLY — then the child HAS intolerances.
Funny how you didn’t fully answer my question.. Son-Rise is well known and also very much disputed amongst experts ( including those on the spectrum themselves)…
Where’s the MMS proven “success” story? Again, the proof of “cure” that was Not a misdiagnosis? Not Disputed?
The article you posted is interesting but I find this sentence in the conclusion very telling….
“Although possible deficits in more subtle aspects of social interaction or cognition are not ruled out”
I’m well aware that Son-Rise is “disputed.” In that regard it is not any different from ANYTHING related to autism. And if you’re going to look to agreement from “experts” you will find that those same “experts” have been saying that no one EVER recovers from autism, but 9% of those children in the study DID. So they are flat out WRONG. They will also tell you that “GFCF diets are unproven and dangerous,” and yet there are children all over the world who are thriving on them and many parents who were blown away when their children began speaking for the first time soon after beginning the diet. Do you believe the word of people who have been proven wrong on the most basic information? No matter how much they “dispute” Son-Rise, they cannot change the fact that Raun was correctly diagnosed by a number of “experts” who told his parents exactly the same thing your experts say, and those parents went home and proved them wrong.
CD or MMS is a fairly new treatment, there is little in the way of published scientific data that you would be likely to pay attention to. In addition, I don’t personally know the people who are claiming success. But unlike you, I don’t condemn a treatment because I don’t have published studies in hand that “prove” “success.”
“More subtle aspects of social interaction or cognition” are not autism. There are millions of people with those “more subtle aspects” that are NOT diagnosed with autism in the first place. Many of them are diagnosed with ADHD or OCD or ODD or anxiety disorder, all of which can be treated in many of the same ways that many people are treating their children with autism these days as may of them arise from the same physical issues, which is why I call it the “infrared” part of the spectrum. Do we want our children to get to the point where they have no “diagnosis” and may act in any way they wish, as Svetlana Masgutova puts it “free of automatisms”? Sure. Not everyone will get there, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the attempt to reverse whatever damage has been done to the overall — I was going to say nervous system, but I heard Lucija Tomljenovic yesterday talking about how they have found that stimulation of the immune system has direct effects on brain cells and so now they refer to the neuro-endocrine-immune system.
I don’t know how or why I got to this article but just today I was reading about cds and mms and the great results it’s getting helping kids with autism, I really hope you can look it up. Love. Andrea
No worries, Andrea. Mountain Mama knew about CD two years ago. But thanks!
You guys realize that the director of the film that you reference on YouTube, Andy Wakefield, was the one who invented the autism and MMR link, right? You know he was jailed, right? Since his fraudulent article in the Lancet, rates of vaccination have decreased dramatically. And guess what! Rates of autism have not decreased. I sympathize with your respective journies to raise special-needs children. But you do not know what you are talking about when you try to answer why. Your consistently biased and non-evidence based claims are placing people at risk.
Yes, we know EXACTLY who Andy Wakefield is, and he did not “invent” the autism/MMR link. In the past year a CDC researcher came out and told us that the CDC itself found that the rate of autism was found to be three and a half times higher in African American boys who had received the MMR on time versus those who had waited until the age of five. That is a higher relative risk than any that has ever been officially reported for ANY risk factor, including the recent circumcision study that had a relative risk of 2. The autism/MMR link exists. Nor was Andy Wakefield ever jailed. And no, rates of vaccination have not “decreased dramatically” either. Check the stats at the CDC, coverage for all vaccines remains high. Don’t bother telling people that they don’t know what they’re talking about when you get most of your own “facts” wrong.
I agree with most of what Professor TMR is saying except I prefer to reserve judgement for whether or not Autism is solely to be classified as a neuro-developmental condition… this seems a little too convenient for Vaccine companies.
Tobacco companies have had it too easy for too long in regard to the link between tobacco and lung cancer .
Likewise, the Asbestos fabricators have had it too easy for too long in regard to the link between asbestos and mesothelioma .
Likewise, the vaccine makers/coal producers have had it too easy for too long in regard to the link between mercury and Autism . Keep an eye on MEG scanners, Hep-B class action law suit and views of Dr Mark Hyman on mercury and Autism see
How to Rid Your Body of Heavy Metals: A 3-Step Detoxification Plan
by Mark Hyman, MD
The head of or CEO of the fatfarma company producing mmr recently came out of the closet and admitted destroying the proof the farfarma had ALL ALONG that the mmr vaccine causes autism. (no matter with OR without mercury). The fatfarma simply destroyed all the records they had and did all they could to hide the known and proven fact.
He said his conscience bothered him so much when the rate of autism went up so much, he could no longer stay quiet.
This was ‘voluntary’ confession of one of the highest fatfarma executives/owner?/directors ; one of dozens of them (whistleblowers) in/from fatfarma in the last 70 years many of whom were then assassinated. (via apparent suicide or botched robbery attempt).
When I worked in fatfarma, one of “their own”, they readily admitted to complete willingness to CAUSE DISEASE, SUFFERING, and BANKRUPTCY FOR PATIENTS and their families ,
instead of telling the truth.
The more devastating confession was from pastors who said “Jeff, we cannot tell people the truth – it would bankrupt the economy” ! (a surprising number of pastors say this when questioned about the fatfarma deception causing disease and how easy it is both to prevent and to cure most disease(it is actually ILLEGAL in the usa for doctors(ama) to cure people most of the time! ) . (or even to ADMIT THEY CAN! )
Yes! I am sick of the system.
I worked in it for way too long(decades) before escaping.
money is their god.
the system does not care about people , nor about what’s right. only about $$$$$
Mountain Mama:
I feel like I could have given my son autism, so I feel your pain. He had all the signs (loss of eye contact, speech problems, etc.). I’ve read that they are making progress and are now thinking that Autism is a ‘gut’ disease. Sounds like you’ve done some good research and are on the way to healing your son. I do believe that it may be linked to tylenol, read about how Cuba has lowest rate of Autism – where Tylenol is illegal. Also, please read about curing your son with Pines Wheat Grass and Broccoli. If it lives in the gut (which was hypothesized recently), you may see great results. I have a neighbor with two autistic kids. I don’t feel I know her well enough to suggest she try this. If it works for you, will you please let me know? Will be praying for you and your kids. Thanks for setting up this blog.
Thank you!…. I didn’t read the above comments I saw the first two and scrolled down. I’m not sure if you have been told this by others but… It is everything I felt. I did insane amounts of research…after the dx .My mother had MS and most of her maternal side did as well as lactose intollerant. I have been screaming inside …telling only a few of what I believe to be true. There is a very serious link between auto-immune. I had 2!!! Daughters with ASD. the odds of two girls in 2004 was nuts! Because I had just watched my mother die I pretty much lost it.I did not know about the acetaminophen or the ultrasounds. I do know that with the c-sections the response that triggers brain(currently just found it happens with horses). Some part of the neck (forgive me this is from my soggy memory) if stimulated triggers it so soon they may have that figured out. I want to add for anyone reading to withhold even more things that we may question later. There is a huge part of being to acidic that is very suspicious(my words are dangerous). I will add that any woman with auto-immune by simply adding (ONLY) quarter teaspoon of baking soda a day in water with a good bit of lemon …brings back the ph to closer to neutral. I think this would help all births but especially ( how do I even say this..children with issues that may be at risk because of genetics and auto-immune) It has even been thought of as natures inflammatory. I think you are an angel for writing this and probably have taken so much flak! I just want you to know I will never forgive myself either…but I realize now most of that is simply that hindsight is 20/40 especially for maybe every mother with a special needs child where there isn’t a definable cause. I have no idea really which thing on your list and more different ones on mine…just added to the perfect storm. I just know with gastro issues and auto-immune in family history…I pray…some docs will begin cautioning moms about some of the absolutely proven…possible ingredients to the perfect storm and let them choose for themselves. Also, I was 37 and my husband 41… maybe extra cautions may have helped the severity…thank you for expressing things that I so needed to here another mom say!!! Biggest hugs and appreciation..(I already know this will also be bashed) these are just my theories from what I have extrapolated…if it helps anyone else it’s worth every blow.
Just thought I would note that the report you referenced at the top about the CDC researcher has since been retracted. I know that won’t change your stance on the items in the blog, but felt it was worth mentioning. Be well.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/cdcwhistleblower.asp
http://retractionwatch.com/2014/08/27/journal-takes-down-autism-vaccine-paper-pending-investigation/
We’re well aware that the study was retracted. We’re also aware of the tremendous pressure that the journal was under to retract it. Doesn’t change the truth of the situation one iota. Thompson was an author on the original paper. He personally told Hooker what information to request from the CDC, and he oversaw the analysis of the data. In addition, he was recorded lamenting his role in the suppression of important information. As a result of this egregious example of “vaccine science” ten years of investigation on the links between vaccines and autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions was lost. Thompson says the only remedy is for Congress to seize the data and have it analyzed by an OUTSIDE organization. I heartily agree. Great, the CDC and pharmaceutical companies managed to get the paper yanked, but even they can’t make truth lies, or lies truth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8697rSvIqhg
Professor TMR
Wow, your reply back to Adrian is shocking! Truthfully. You need to reconsider your preconceptions about Autism. This is not opinion but a FACT… Autism is not diagnosed medically. There is no medical test. Why? Because it is a neurodevelopmental “condition” ! It is not a medical one.. So all your talk of medical conditions such as epilepsy and gut issues are NOT a PART of autism! I repeat myself, they ARE NOT a part of autism. How do I know this? ( regardless of my degree) if these COMORBID ( co existing) Medical conditions were a part of autism them EVERY SINGLE person on the Autism Spectrum would have them! It really is that simple. My son (autism spectrum) as well as MANY others on the autism spectrum DO NOT have ANY medical conditions such as gut issues or epilepsy…
So. Those and other medical conditions are Co Morbid!!!
I am not saying that others do not have these medical conditions AS WELL AS Autism. I know many who do. But just like learning disability has Nothing to do with autism (autism does NOT affect intelligence! ) medical issues also are not a part of the Diagnostic Criteria. The diagnosis criteria is very specific. I suggest you look at it again..
It might help clarify things for you.
And before you say this is my opinion- it is FACT. And I have all of the professionals that actually properly diagnose Autism
spectrum behind my words..
Bobbi, I’m well aware that those conditions are not part of the diagnosis of autism. I never said they were. Autism is technically diagnosed as a mental health condition based upon observed behaviors. Nor did I say all people with autism have any of those conditions. I’m also well aware (and sounds like you are too) that they are co-morbid conditions present in many, many cases of autism — HIGHLY correlated with autism, especially autism at the severe end of the spectrum. And, here’s a shocker, treating those co-morbid conditions is frequently associated with an improvement in the symptoms that were the basis of the autism diagnosis in the first place. Adrian should be aware that his experience of autism is NOT the universal experience of autism, by a long shot.
Bobbi,
I’ve been on a leave of abscence for school, but i’m here now and ready to back you up 100%! Thank you for being a good parent! You have obviously researched and understand what we currently know of Autism. Like you, I am not an expert on autism, but I am working to learn more in med school. My initial reaction upon reading your post was to say sorry for your sons diagnosis. Every one of the student doctors I know, myself included, has encountered people with diseases, conditions, circumstances, etc that are completely foreign to our personal lives, however; you represent one of the fundamental reasons we strive to learn and do more. After reading your posts it is very obvious how much you love your son, and it is not the diagnosis that defines the relationship you share with him. I may never understand what you have endured in your pursuit of being a good parent, but I thank you for being steadfast in a realistic understanding of autism. Every world health organization of any credibility has completely falsified any claim that vaccines have or cause autism. To say otherwise is just crazy! Professor TMR can claim whatever she wants as far as this metal or element is bad or that one, but in reality her sons and daughters also have diagnosis which she said included ADHD and Apraxia. I’m going to give an educated guess and say that those same children were not vaccinated, so I would be curious to her why they would have conditions? Agree or not, I hope she does medicate her son appropriately, and seek real medical specialist in regard to her daughter.
Jim, as a “student doctor,” you’re terrifying. No matter the evidence presented to you, you assume that vaccines don’t cause autism because organizations with very strong conflicts of interest have told you so. That is neither scientific, nor intelligent. It is also doing a tremendous disservice to any future patients you may have, as it is clear that their own testimony will be dismissed out of hand by you. I am going to give you some excellent advice right now: start doing some research now as to why patients are satisfied with medical care when they are and why they become dissatisfied with their doctors’ care when they are not. Hint: the single biggest reason is that the good ones listen to their patients. They have information you should USE to find the answers for them. You need to learn this now: everyone’s body is unique, and no one knows one’s body as well as the person living in it. For a child, especially one who can’t speak, the closest “expert” you will find is a parent.
*I* don’t claim that “this metal or element is bad” [for children’s health], SCIENCE does. And, in the case of ethyl mercury and aluminum, the science is overwhelming. Read the science BEFORE you do significant harm.
I am hardly secretive about my children’s health histories, so I will repeat the information for your benefit. My daughter was vaccinated for the first year of her life, before I started investigating the rumors I was starting to hear. It wasn’t long before I realized that I could not, in good conscience, allow anyone to administer another vaccine. And I thank God for that decision for both her sake and her younger brother’s sake. Other than a DT shot that his father got talked into in an emergency room (by someone who REALLY didn’t know the facts about tetanus or vaccines; giving someone a tetanus vaccine in an ER when they have never been vaccinated is completely contraindicated, yet it happens all the time), he is completely non-vaccinated. My children both have a significant history of antibiotics around birth. That has been shown to disturb the gut flora significantly, which, in turn, is strongly correlated to ADHD, autism, and apraxia, among so many other things (study after study that has come out in the last five years or so has confirmed this, one of the many things that people in this community have long known). In addition, my daughter had a good deal of Tylenol as an infant and toddler, which lowers glutathione and makes detoxification more difficult. I have not yet done the genetic testing to verify for certain, but the signs are good that my children have similar genetic difficulties with detoxification that run rampant in the autism population. So my children share almost identical backgrounds to many, many of the children I know who are — or were (because their parents wised up) — severely disabled with autism. Why do my children “just” have ADHD (my son no longer has apraxia or any IEP at all) when other children like them are much, much worse off? Well, the one difference I see is that I stopped vaccinating 15 years ago.
That was a “lucky” decision because while I knew enough to stop vaccinating, I didn’t know nearly as much as I do now about the way the immune system works and the way injected vaccines stimulate antibody responses and the ways those high levels of antibodies can cross-react with human body tissues to cause autoimmune conditions (of which I have at least four and maybe five).
I’m grateful every day that I listened to those early urges telling me to investigate more about vaccines, and I wish I could take back EVERY SINGLE ONE that I allowed anyone to inject into my daughter and the one his father allowed someone to inject into my son. I am also grateful that I ignored what “real medical specialists” have told me with regard to both of them, or they would likely be in as bad shape as so many other children I know, and I would have even less time to educate people like you.
By the way, a friend who now runs a clinic that does biomedical autism treatments shared a post recently showing how far her son had come in the last year or so. The same child that “real medical experts” not so long ago advised her to put into an institution because of the long list of “he will nevers” that they gave her. Only they were wrong right down the line. I wish I could say that this story is rare, but it’s not. I’ve heard from countless parents who were told similar things, some of whom spent far too long (in their own estimation) listening to those “real medical experts” before they figured out there was a better way.
You have a chance to be a really good doctor. Please take this opportunity NOW to turn down the volume on the propaganda and look around you and take in the evidence of your senses. You will find it tells a very different story.
Also, i looked through the sources and besides the one with the c section and vaccines, the others either don’t have any relation to autism or are made by people who are not experts in fields that commonly deal with autism. I wonder why….
My point is that all these things are nothing compared to the first years of life. The recovery in an autistic baby is most succesfull to the age of 5 then it becomes less and less. So, what i’m saying is that most mothers screw up in the evolution of the first few years of the baby not during their pregnancy. Yes, there is a difference in increasing the risk for something and actually causing it. THat difference is in the first years where most mothers let their baby in front of a TV or dont pay enough attention and dont help their baby speak. In other words, most mothers ignore the signs of a caused autism and then dont reach out for help. I can give you many examples of that happening. So yes, when i say this article is full of wrong information, i know what i’m talking about.
Just because a study doesn’t say that it is connected to autism doesn’t mean that it isn’t. For instance, a study of a particular ingredient finds that the ingredient damages brain cells. The study doesn’t mention vaccines or autism, but the ingredient is in vaccines, and encephalopathy or encephalitis is often reported just prior to the development of autism symptoms. So whether the study mentions vaccines or autism is not important if it applies to them both. Logically that is expressed as: If A is true, then B is true. If B is true, then C is true. Then if you show A is true, C is true as well.
Babies can be screwed up at any point in development, in utero to adulthood. There’s a new film out called Trace Amounts. It’s the story of a man who got mercury poisoning from a tetanus shot. His symptoms were shockingly similar to those of an autistic child. He recovered using low-dose chelation. Yes, those early years are crucial, especially for the development and integration of reflexes, But that is only part of the story, and it is not a part that invalidates any of the other parts. Nor does it invalidate the influence of vaccines on brain development. Have you ever heard of epigenetics? It’s the interaction of genes and environment. Did you know that you can turn on particular genes by exposing them to different substances? Genes can be affected epigenetically at any point in a person’s life, including pregnancy, thus changing which traits your child inherits.
And I have to say that what you’re saying about mothers and TVs and “helping their baby speak” just doesn’t match up to reality. My son had apraxia, he had tremendous difficulty talking until I did some biomedical interventions. As you might imagine, I am a very verbal person. I spoke to my child all the time, read to him frequently, encouraged speech and was his enthusiastic cheerleader for any and all attempts. And yet he couldn’t talk. When I addressed what toxic loads had done to him, including antibiotics in pregnancy and for ear infections, he got better. I find that “most mothers ignore the signs of autism” is incorrect as well. I’ve heard hundreds of stories of people trying desperately to get their children’s pediatricians to take their concerns seriously, because the mothers knew something was wrong despite the fact that they were repeatedly told it was “all in their heads” right up until some “expert” diagnosed their children with autism. Are there some parents in denial? Undoubtedly. Are they the norm? Not in my experience. In my experience, parents are generally very involved and very concerned with their children’s development, and those are hit with developmental problems in their children just as often as those who are clueless.
Again, your experience doesn’t line up with our experience.
Again, you compare your experience with the experience of most mothers. Exceptions don’t change the rules and maybe in your country, that happens though i do doubt that good doctors are the exceptions of the rule here.
Also, for what you say about substances, the reason why your truth is wrong is because a compound is not made of only one substance and usually they also use substances that disable or minimize certain effects to a minimum where they wont cause any damage.
You might be a mom with experience in kids with autism but you have no medical study and you are missing key points that you’re usually taught in a medical school. Also, believing a study from someone with no expertise in it is simply naive. There is a reason why med school is one of the hardest and the fact that you have open information on the internet, doesn’t make you an expert. You can claim to know your kid but you can’t claim to know or claim the others experiences just fgrom reading on a forum or on a blog in a world with over 10 mil people.
Giving me a movie as an example wont help your case since most movies aren’t based on real facts but exaggerated facts to catch the viewer’s emotional attention. Again, you say that moms dont do that but you’re speaking for yourself and what you read on forums.
Moms do indeed do that either because they don’t have time or don’t pay enough attention. They do let their baby in front of the TV or teach their kid from the age of 2 to play on a smartphone. You’re not exactly a person with more than your own personal experience and as i see, neither do you have chemistry studies.
There is a reason meds have prescription and contain most of the information that you need to know so people with no experience can read it. Again, we also live in different countries and no, i don’t trust any mom that says that blames the meds from her pregnancy for her autistic kid. Also, i again say that increasing the risk on something is not the same as causing it. Please, understand that!
I’m not saying all the doctors are good but i’m saying that there are also good doctors and parents who don’t follow what they say and then try to place blame for their own failures.
Also you are speaking in the name of how many experienced moms? Because i doubt your ” our” experience is even at least of maybe 5% or 10% of the moms out there considering there are over 4.1 million of females that gave birth in America in the last year. Also that is only in America which is one continent out of 5.
Andreea, I do not say I am an “expert.” What I say is that I have done my homework by reading everything I can find and listening to everyone I meet. What I — repeatedly — ask is that others do the same, rather than making assumptions based upon some “experts” interpretation of events. In addition, I do not rely on my experience only to form my opinions. Logically, though, exceptions do invalidate incorrect premises. And the more exceptions there are, the more invalid the premise. As a member of TMR and the Editor in Chief of our blog, I make it my business to talk to as many people with children with all sorts of issues as I can. I have met hundreds of exceptions to your TV babysitter and inattentive mom premise. If there were a huge association between TV babysitting and autism, it would be apparent and it would have been detected long before now. Which makes it very likely there isn’t one.
Missing key points that are taught in medical school, huh? Which “key points” would those be? And which medical schools? Harvard? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/business/03medschool.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Or one of these: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4696316 How about we investigate conflicts of interest in all medical schools: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22945/
Of course we understand that “increasing the risk” is not the same as “causing,” though if you increase enough avoidable risks, you get to the point of causation. Which is exactly what the author is saying.
Who is this “they” you are talking about that “also use substances that disable or minimize certain effects to a minimum where they wont cause any damage”? The FDA? The CDC? Vaccine manufacturers? Are you aware that there was ONE safety study done on the “compound” Thimerosal before its licensure in the U.S.? (I have no idea what country you live in, so no idea what comparison to make.) In that study Thimerosal was given to people who were fatally ill. All of them died soon after, but since they weren’t obviously made sicker than they were to begin with, that meant that Thimerosal was “safe” to be injected into children. Are you aware that no one at the CDC had bothered to add up the amount of Thimerosal (mercury) that was being injected into infants and toddlers before adding new vaccine recommendations to the schedule? And that following the recommendations lead to an exposure many times that considered “safe”?
The film Trace Amounts is not a fictional film. It is a documentary based on Eric Gladen’s experience. What do you think Eric Gladen’s motivation was for making that film? Sensationalism? Personally I don’t find that convincing because, having been an engineer (and having met Eric Gladen), I know that that’s not how geeky engineering types roll. Why don’t you actually see the film before you dismiss it?
I’m sorry but as someone who has some medical knowledge from her parents, i know that none of what you said is related to autism itself. I’ve known a few people who even smoked and did all the things you did and had a healthy baby and some who took care during the pregnancy, had a healthy baby and screwed it up during his 1-3 years.
Unless you actually have proof and not suspicions , please don’t make such articles to disinform people. Things you said are true not to be good for pregnancies but they are not autism related and also, you can’t blame modern medicine for your general screw ups. Every soon to be mom knows not to drink cola or take powerfull medicine ( like antibiotics).
In your words, Andreea, you have “some medical knowledge from your parents.” You will agree that doctors have much medical knowledge, often from prestigious universities, and yet they frequently get things wrong. Many heart doctors are still advocating low cholesterol diets when recent research has made it clear how useless they are. YOU may trust your parents to have gotten it right, but as WE have all had experiences where our doctors got it horribly, horribly wrong, we have undertaken our own medical education. We read the studies for ourselves. Those studies frequently don’t reflect what the sensational headlines say about them.
And, yep, no toxic exposure does the same thing to everyone. We’re all different and react differently to those exposures. The fact that a chain smoker can make it to 90 without developing lung cancer doesn’t mean that the smoking didn’t cause cancer in many others. We will present the evidence based upon OUR research and experience, and that experience is that when you lower the toxic load you have healthier children, and neurological disorders are definitely included. You are free to disagree with it, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
If you don’t think that doctors — the personification of “modern medicine” — are pushing “powerfull (sic) medicine” on pregnant women, think again. Who do you think prescribed those antibiotics, not to mention all the other medical interventions on the list? We WISH every soon-to-be mom knew to avoid colas and “powerfull medicine,” then they would be far less likely to just do what “modern medicine” tells them to do.
ok, back off Proffessor cause you are not debating but merely attacking. First of all, i want to see officiall studies not paperlines with no sources and only suppositions like most studies are. Second, so you’re actually saying i shouldn’t trust someone with more than 30 years of experience as a Pediatrician and who also worked 8 years from those 30 in a hospital for mentally problematic kids? Are you actually telling me that? Because i’d rather believe 30 years of experience in which she actually worked with and also helped in healing autistic kids below the age of 4? Because i trust experience more than a study who has not been validated. Do you understand now? Do you understand that the internet is full of bullshit and you’re defending someone who ate the wrong information and wrote it in this article.
Attacking? What on earth did I say that was attacking? As I said, you are free to believe what you like. If YOU trust your parents to get it right, that’s fine. I said that WE had doctors who DIDN’T get it right. So, obviously, we do NOT trust pediatricians automatically, no matter how many years experience. We did our OWN research and have come to vastly different conclusions from you and your parents. I hope you can understand that no one will be discounting their own experience and research on the basis of your report from your parents.
EW EW EW
Autism isn’t a punishment, first of all. Secondly, none of these things actually cause autism. “ohhh, my poor son! He has AUTISM (dramatic sound effect) because of the ABUSE I INFLICTED on him!” Autism isn’t some dramatic, horrible disease that renders your child ruined. Instead of bemoaning the fact that your kid has autism, grow up and learn to deal with it.
-13 year old kid with autism
Adrian,
As a 13-year-old “kid with autism,” you are able to navigate the internet and post a reasonably articulate response to a blog. That’s terrific, but you should know that that is something that is well beyond the capabilities of most people with autism. You inhabit one small end of the autism spectrum. The other end is a whole different world from your experience. That is the end that many people are talking about when they use the word “autism.” That end of the spectrum frequently involves crippling gastrointestinal dysfunction, uncontrollable seizures, mitochondrial dysfunction, inability to communicate effectively (approximately one-third of people with autism cannot speak, even with intensive therapy), inability to potty train, and inability to function in a classroom environment. In addition, many of those people have a tremendous tendency to “bolt” when stressed, and as their senses are often hyperactive they are frequently stressed. They tend to head toward water, not understanding the danger of highways and traffic or the danger of drowning. Perhaps you have heard of Avonte Oquendo? Unfortunately, that kind of outcome is not at all unusual. I don’t expect you can imagine what it’s like as a parent being afraid that at ANY MOMENT your child could feel overwhelmed and run away to his or her death. No, autism is not a “punishment,” but it is frequently a devastating condition for the person who has it and their entire family. Autism may not control your life, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t control the lives of countless others. Before you can say to someone “grow up and learn to deal with it,” you need to have a much greater understanding of what it is that they are dealing with.
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Lortab is an opiate derived from codeine. It is not smart to prescribe opiates to pregnant women.
1) They can modify to forms that penetrate membranes. May still be opio-active.
2) Will change your equilibrium levels in a manner that may indirectly induce fetal changes.
Doctors are trained to quote statistics because the body’s underlying mechanics are beyond them. At times they know what is going on. Smart ones will take a more systemic approach. Physicists know how anaesthetics work. Read about the soliton model in neuroscience. This is systemic thought. Then, count the number of docs who know it exists.
There is nothing wrong with your child. He probably has a photographic memory.
Thank you for your article. My son is 9 and has been diagnosed with ADHD and Aspergers. He is high functioning and is brilliant, but struggles with school, with his attention span, and with controlling his frustrations. My son was never vaccinated, was breast fed for a year, was born at home (with a midwife), ate only healthy/ organic foods for many years. But I still struggle to find the answers about what went wrong. When I was 6-months pregnant I had to go to the hospital because I couldn’t walk – the pain in my back was excruciating for days. I mean, I was screaming in pain (2 herniated discs). I was given morphine to ease the pain. On the 2nd day in the hospital they gave me an MRI. I did not want to do this and am still concerned that this may have been the trigger. I did not receive the dye injection, but the MRI took about 20 minutes and my son was flipping around in my belly the whole time. Guilt eats me up about this to this very day, guilt because I did not say “hell, no” to the MRI. I did have 2 ultrasounds during the pregnancy as well. Then my son was born with his cord wrapped around his neck 3 times, so had a low apgar (he was healthy and pink within half an hour). Any information you may have will be helpful – on MRIs during pregnancy or on low oxygen rate at birth. If I know the likely cause then I can look for a holistic treatment to help.
First off, I would like to say I think you’re very brave for writing this and taking the burden of your son having autism on to yourself. I know and am friends with many different parents who have children struggling with autism so I have seen what strain it can cause in one’s everyday life. With that being said, do not put that blame on to yourself. With all of the studies being done today to link autism to vaccines, acetaminophen, c-sections, and some of the other things you claim to “put your son through” there has been no definitive link at all. While some studies may suggest possible links or causes of autism like behaviors, there is nothing concrete for what causes children to develop autism. In fact, we are as much in the dark now as we were ten years ago. With that said, who is to say that some of these things could’ve saved your baby’s life? Obviously drinking Coca Cola isn’t healthy for your baby, but hundreds of thousands of pregnant mothers do the same and end up with a completely healthy child. Ultrasounds, vaccines, and c-sections can all be completely necessary for your baby survive the childbirth process as well as survive as a young child. So until some concrete cause of this horrible disorder is found, stop focusing on what you should’ve done differently and focus on what you can do to enhance your son’s quality of life.
Actually, Michael we are only officially “in the dark” as far as causation is concerned. Parents have unofficially been sharing information with each other and really interested and concerned doctors for quite a long time. Even though official channels refuse to recognize that which we already know, approximately once a month a new study comes out with some bit of information that we parents have been screaming about for years. The most recent notable example is the one that concluded “Up to 10% of children with autism diagnoses can lose their diagnosis.” That’s known as recovery, something that “experts” have steadfastly maintained could not happen. Until now. And while officials are still hemming and hawing and saying, “We just don’t know,” parents are quietly recovering the damage done to their children and relaying their story to other parents who will listen, saving one child at a time.
You have completely missed the point of Mountain Mama’s post. She is not “focusing on what she could have done differently” for her sake or that of her child. She is focusing on that for your sake and that of your child. In her own life, she is doing a kick-ass job of improving the quality of life for her son. You can read hundreds of blogs on this site about how to go about that.
Aw dear, please forgive yourself…no one else can! The last thing you need is to get sick yourself and leave this world due to your unforgivness! You love your son and family that is the most important thing, you are surely doing all your best right now. Please consider looking into CEASE Therapy, it is homeopathic tratment that takes out so many medical issues, clean body of mercury and vaccines and many more things you would not think of in a natural way. Also GAPS Diet goes hand in hand with it. Keep strong and love yourself and others, harmony is the most important thing, no matter what situation is!
It’s great to read from others who give their support to these issues. If you have a child with autism please research the GAPS diet and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. These diets are one and the same pretty much. They work on fixing a compromised gut which most, if not all, autistic children suffer with. There is reported to be a great improvement in the behaviour of children who suffer from a great range of illnesses and disorders. The book ‘Gut and Psychology Syndrome’ explains it all. My heart goes out to all families who face the challenges of raising a child with autism.
Dear Mountain Mama, First of all let me just say “thank you” to you and the TMR group of women for sharing your stories. My son was born in 1996 and as I read your article, I of course felt haunted – just haunted by the past – the pitocin, the Augmentin, the vaccines – the past is hard to relive. I think one of the wonderful things about this century we live in, is the medical progress we have made. That is also a downside because so many times we don’t know the adverse effects of all the medical knowledge and drugs and I’m not sure our doctors always know that either. I think for the most part they are trying to do their best with the information they have at that time. As a society there are risks when we venture into the unknown and barely tested areas. Our medical community as whole may honestly believe they are prescribing something that is helpful and that won’t harm, only later to find out the consequences. I am saddened – deeply saddened to my core about how my fragile infant was basically a “guinea pig” for vaccines, antibiotics. The pitocin part – well that just about breaks me because I totally think it was unncessary in my case, but when you are in pain with contractions you aren’t always the most aware of what is happening around you. I do recall horrific contractions though and will always wonder. I guess as Mom’s we can do the “what if” thing constantly and keep our selves in the past full of regrets and guilt. I choose not to, because life is too beautiful for that – each day is a gift and we need to move forward and find those positives in each day, and give hope and encouragement to each other, even when the road is rough. As your message stated, as Moms we need to share our stories to hopefully prevent future precious kids from injury. I thank you for your honesty and bringing us together (even if we do not all agree with each other, we do share a common journey).
I am astonished by the basic lack of scientific knowledge from so many, especially those claiming degrees in nutrition and other areas. Professor TMR, your understanding of evolutionary biology borders on whimsical. Please consider watching “The Cosmos” as Neil Degrasse Tyson gives an excellent explanation of both natural and artificial selection. Evolution favors those who reproduce. That is what is meant by “fittest.” In the human world, just about every DNA strand is replocated these days as the major barriers to reaching maturity have been largely overcome. If a gene is passed on enough, it becomes an adapted trait.
As I am raising an autistic child whose mother avoided the article’s attributed causes, while I on the other hand had almost every one of them during my neurologically typical pregnancies, I’m simply astonished at the lack of basic college biology and logic knowledge seen here in the article and comments.
Theven difference between a “high functioning” autistic individual (super offensive btw) and individuals who struggle is largely attributed to early intervention and parental education. You are basically working with a different neurological OS,and you can’t help your child without that understanding.my child could not pull his pants on, speak,etc., and screamed and shrieked constantly when he came to us. We adapted his surroundings and worked with his needs, easy for me as I myself suffer from GAD and could relate to his response to stimulus. These days,people can not always tell which of my children is autistic. Both of my 6-year-olds are very gifted, but my asd child cares far more about socialization than my neurotyp, who is a touch broody, bored and artistically inclined.
All I can say is each child is different and you are wasting your energy unless you’re putting it into raising your child. This fear mongering is rife with implied bigotry toward special needs individuals, especially children, and disgraceful to humanity.
I am absolutely delighted that your child is doing so well, but this statement is utter BS: “Theven (sic) difference between a “high functioning” autistic individual (super offensive btw) and individuals who struggle is largely attributed to early intervention and parental education.” Many “high functioning” “autistic individuals” have had ZERO early intervention or parental education. They were not even considered “autistic” until 1994, and, to this day, they are diagnosed MUCH later than the majority of severely impaired children, many of whose parents are working just as hard if not harder to get early intervention and education for their children WHILE treating their co-occurring medical conditions. The funny thing is that frequently a minor change in a physical treatment makes a tremendous amount of difference in symptoms of autism. I have heard time and time again that when someone tries “the diet” that their doctor told them was useless, a non-verbal child will suddenly speak either for the first time ever or the first time since a regression. Your experience is by no means a universal experience that can be extrapolated out to the whole autism community.
And I find it very amusing that you think I don’t understand natural selection. “Evolution favors those who reproduce. That is what is meant by “fittest.” Ummm… yeah, evolution favors “those who reproduce,” But that is not what is meant by “fittest.” What you have described is “fit.” “Fittest” means that the MOST reproduction happens among the MOST likely to survive. Therefore over time, THEIR traits are the ones that get “selected.” It also favors the MOST those who reproduce the MOST. It is assumed that “high functioning” people with autism are reproducing MORE than they were in the past (though it’s not clear exactly how far back severe autism goes as it was never described anywhere before Leo Kanner in the 1940s), but people with severe social deficits are never going to be reproducing the MOST! If two people with autism get together and produce offspring with severe autism (which has been hypothesized), they are even less likely to be among the “fittest.” People with severe autism, who tend to wander to water and out into traffic, when they’re not doubled up in pain, are not only VERY unlikely to reproduce, they are less likely to even survive.
I want to applaud you for sharing your views. I to wish I could go back in time and not do the mmr vaccine. I truly believe that it plays a big part in Autism with kids who have trouble with detox. I did the hair test and seen all the toxins left into his body. My child seemed to change rapidly with regression and anger. He lost speech, started doing pica and refused food. His sensory dysfunction was in full bloom. I believe I played a part in his Autism by not researching the affects of vaccines and meds. I listened to the doctors, did what they said and my son’s health was forever changed. The only thing I did right was take him to a DAN doctor who started him on b12 shots. He began to talk again. His speech teacher was amazed at the difference. I know their are other mothers out there with the same story and hope you can find some peace in knowing you are not alone. SPEAK up and do not be afraid to share your story. The more we share the better Autism can be understood. Each child is different so it makes since there could be many different causes/reasons a child has Autism. For me it was toxins for mine, but for someone else the reason could be totally different.
I believed in this article as I am a parent with 3 lovely daughters. Tablet games are not bad they can learn from it and since you can sometimes install an app to limit and control their playing time such as Screen-time Ninja. In this app you can limit what time they can start playing if their time credit expires and they still want to earn more playing time they have to solve a math problem to gain extra playing time. Its great huh? Yeah I am using this app and I find it useful and helpful for me as I am a busy mom who has a day job and I can’t monitor them every hour. 🙂
Here’s the link : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=screentime.ninja&referrer=utm_source%3DEva
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Thank you for the article. Some of the things you mention really do strike home, and I avoid them for the kids (like Tylenol). I didn’t really know that much with the first one, but by the 5th kid, I was pretty paranoid about autism. I did everything I could to prevent it. We are lucky and none of ours have it.
All of them were induced with pitocin, though.
I am convinced it’s in the mother’s power to prevent it to a great extent by gut health, meaning she needs to do everything possible to have a healthy gut (no meds unless REALLY needed, only healthy foods and drinks, etc). And avoid chemicals and toxins. I hope other women can learn from this and do the best they can. All the research I’ve read (tons) points to the woman’s gut health, and hence the baby’s as the house of autism, in a sense.
Vaccines, though, are good because before them, most people lost multiple kids before they reached age 5. THAT was horrible and I’m glad we don’t live and die like that anymore.
I don’t know what else I could have done to prevent my son from having autism. I’m an MSc student (Nutritional Sciences) and an ex-athlete, how much more healthy can someone be? A lot of women who do not have autistic children are the ones that make comments like: “I truly believe that any mother can prevent autism.” So how does this make mothers of autistic children feel? Like they basically did not do enough to prevent it? More science is coming out linking autism to genes and these defective genes are largely due to more mothers being exposed to many environmental pollutants that are 90% of the time, uncontrollable by the mother. Both my father and my brother have some form of autism also hinting to a defective gene somewhere in the blood line. How could I have possibly prevented a defective gene from being expressed? HOW?
I agree that it’s probably excessive to say that “any mother can prevent autism,” especially when there is already autism in the family. However, the science you speak of linking autism to genes does not imply “defective genes.” The vast majority of genes that have been “linked” to autism have a tenuous link at best, meaning that those genes are only SLIGHTLY more prevalent in the autism population than in the general population. What makes one person with those genes autistic, while others are neurotypical? An important question to answer. Were you aware that the Verstraeten study, frequently pointed to as “proof” that Thimerosal doesn’t cause autism, actually had four versions prior to publication that ALL showed a statistically significant link between Thimerosal exposure and autism risk? The first version compared the children with the highest exposures with the children with the lowest exposures (which is of course, what you SHOULD do if you want to investigate the effect of a particular exposure) and got a relative risk between 7.6 to 11.4. That means that children with that level of exposure got autism at least 7.6 TIMES the rate of autism in children who had no exposure. Strikes me a heck of a lot stronger “link” than any genetic one I’ve seen so far. http://www.safeminds.org/research/library/GenerationZeroNotes.pdf
I cannot believe you said it’s within a Mothers power to prevent autism. How dare you write this drivel and make mothers with autism feel guilty. You know nothing about autism and until you know FACTS I would thank you to keep your silly outdated opinions to yourself
“Silly and outdated”? Hardly. In the news this week a CDC whistleblower admitted that he and other CDC researchers, including such illustrious names as Frank DeStefano, Coleen Boyle and Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, committed fraud when publishing a study that “debunked” an MMR/autism link with respect to timing of the MMR. They said there was no connection, when in fact they had found that there was a STRONG correlation between timing of MMR and regressive autism in African-American boys. They conveniently chose to eliminate all children without a “valid Georgia birth certificate” in order to hide that fact. The TIMING of the MMR alone was associated with a more than threefold increase in the autism rate. That fact is very strong evidence of the MMR CAUSING regressive autism in at least some people. Those people COULD have PREVENTED autism simply by not getting the MMR.
If all the above is true, then I gave my son autism too. I drown in guilt because I am a nutritionist and currently a graduate student in the Faculty of Medicine. Worst of all is when my husband does NOT support the gluten-free, casein-free diet and thinks I’m delusional by brushing our son’s teeth with fluoride-free toothpaste. For any new cavity that arises, it’s MY fault because fluoride apparently PROTECTS from decay…NOT! For all the mothers out there, try GcMAF therapy or GOleic, both are to-date some of the best biochemical therapies for treating autism: http://www.gcmaf.eu/patient-resources/autism/
I cannot recommend krill oil enough. Purchase the ones from Dr. Joseph Mercola or Natural News Health Ranger Mike Myers website. These 2 are the top holistic professionals in my view. Also, vitamin D3 is essential. It is produced in the skin only when the sun hits the earth above 50 degrees and you can find the degrees listed by time if you use the Azimuth table: http://jaxchessnews.tripod.com/astro/id124.html
Iodine, for God’s sake, majority of autistic kids are deficient in this. Please supplement them with the form called: potassium iodide. Get vitamin B6 and magnesium checked and any deficiency needs to be corrected. For major sensory issues like chewing on everything, oral motor toys for special needs from Fun&Function are AMAZING!:
http://funandfunction.com/solutions-center/aba-and-autism.html
Lots of love, I tell my son I love you a little close to one million times a day. I will post another comment if I remember something else. Also, Mountain Mama, you haven’t told us about what you’re doing to help your son now? Thanks. Good luck.
that would be so hard to live with someone so stubborn. I hope at leats he doesn’t sabotage your good efforts 🙁
Hi,
I just wanted to thank you for this article. I do not have kids yet and I am not pregnant either, but I always thought how did people survived before vaccines were invented…anyway, I just wanted to let you know that your article reached my home country, Romania, too and it was translated by a nice mom so everyone could read it. I thought you might want to know that you are helping moms all over te world. And I wanted to tell you about your son, that no matter how much you blame yourself, he will still always think you are the best and he means it when he tells you!!! I can tell you this from my own experience with my mom…you see, there are some people out there for whom their mothers will always be some kind of superheroes and the most beloved persons on this planet and I am assuming that your son feels this for you as I feel for my mom, even tough I am an adult now and she did mistakes, she is and will always be the best for me!!! I hope you can forgive yourself and find your peace. I can assure you that your son will never be upset or blame you for anything, at least I have never did that and I know a lot of people that will think exactly like me when it’s about their moms…well anyway, I hope you can find your peace and move on and enjoy the happiness your child brings to your life, cause I am sure he is the best thing that ever happened to you 😉 if you think you can not find a priest like father Francis who you could talk to, try to read the Bible and to have a personal relationship with God. He will talk to you, you just have to learn how to listen and to try to understand his way. Lots of love for you and your son,
Celina
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Thank you for sharing your story. I received the body of this article in an email that was forwarded to me and after reading it, I used google to find the source so I could thank you.
It is painful to watch mothers being told by their doctors that they “are crazy,” simply imagining things, as they express rightful concern over the effects of the drugs and vaccines applied to pregnant women and children – especially infants.
As you may already be aware, others have highlighted the mechanism that the narcotic (prescription) drugs and vaccines (esp. MMR) lead to mitochondrial and gut disorders which, in turn, lead to the conditional symptoms of autism.
I would agree that there are multiple mechanisms of action, vaccines aren’t the only one. But all are equally important and need to be put under the investigative lamp, so to speak. None are exempt from scrutiny, regardless of what the pharmaceutical complex alleges.
Thank you again,
Derek
Hi dear Mountain Mama,
I am not saying I am sorry for what you’ve been through because i know that my words won’t make any difference.
I sincerely thank you for sharing this with the world and thank the odds it reached me (Eastern Europe).
I would really appreciate if you could make your story visible on this site: http://www.upworthy.com.
What you’ve revealed in one blog post might change a lot of lives. I know it will change mine and my future kid(s).
Thanks again and may you have strenght, love and wisdom for your son.
Have you considered that the reason ultrasound populations are skewed towards the disabled is that they are more frequently administered to high risk pregnancies? My mother had an ultrasound a day while she was pregnant with my sister and I during the last five weeks of her pregnancy. She went into labour at 28 weeks and was on bedrest for 5 before having my sister and I at 33 weeks. we were perfectly healthy aside from hypotonia and a few (familial history confirming) tics between us. Ultrasounds are very safe.
Margaret, my daughter had, for the first 5 years of her life and still has **extremely** sensitive (very good) hearing – please watch a video of what a fetus does when an ultrasound is done – they desperately try to get away from the source of the sound.
healthy?
not.
ultrasounds are not proven safe. Even hard core drs will not normally allow more than 2 per pregnancy.. and now we can do them at home with fetal monitors which I did.
Margaret, you say, “Ultrasound are very safe.” Would you evaluate this bibliography of numerous modern human studies which find ultrasound to be an extreme hazard? http://harvoa.org
My dear woman,
My heart absolutely BREAKS for you and your boy and your family. As a birth doula I have the monumental task of trying to educate parents-to-be and encourage them to do research, to question the “authority” of the medical establishment, to take back their power, their responsibility and their natural birthright from the Satanic system that stole it from them. Please believe me that once we have been brainwashed into the popular culture around us, it is indescribably difficult to re-write our core beliefs. I don’t think you can legitimately take all the blame for what happened, and it’s very important to move forward and be SUPER positive about the future, and realise that what we think and say becomes reality. Please try to forgive yourself!
You are not the only mother who didn’t realise the cumulative effect of these individual actions until it was too late. I see it all around me, and to be honest it took me the better part of a decade to redesign my worldview and take back my power over my own body, my health, my sexuality, my right to birth my babies unassisted in my bathtub if I want, with zero ultrasounds, no OB GYN putting his hands or instruments in my vagina, no toxic drugs given to me or my offspring, no one telling me what horrible things will happen to us if I don’t give in and allow the system access to the most sacred and precious and private aspects of my life as an earthling.
I have so much empathy with you, and I just pray that God will hold you in His arms and comfort you every time it gets too hard to handle.
Have you had a look at this website? They seem to have a very broad and practical approach, beginning with finding a doctor in your area, then applying biomedical interventions like heavy metal chelation, toxin removal, gut healing, recolonising with healthy bacteria (all of which apparently facilitates getting rid of the brain encephalopathy many autism sufferers have) and then of course the helpful behavioral stuff as well. It looks pretty solid to me, I see you have received plenty of links to look at by now and are doubtless researching day and night, I hope you find something somewhere that helps your son start his reversal soon.
http://www.generationrescue.org/
God bless you, guide you and heal your heart, and may your son be made completely well.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. As a mother of 2 autistic boys, ages 18 and 16, I can relate to almost everything you wrote. Not a day goes by, that I don’t blame myself. I, however, have taken ever step possible, to ensure they have had the best medical and education. I become more and more proud of them, every day. Best wishes. From one mom to another.
This post appears to have been duplicated, in it’s entirety, but without any of the links, at another blog, with no credit to this site or the original author. here is the url
http://www.karenstan.net/2013/12/05/gave-son-autism/
As the “author” of this particular blog doesn’t appear to actually write any of her own content I would suggest sending her a cease and desist letter. It would be useful to get this important message out I suppose, but she doesn’t include any links, and the conversation is completely unmoderated and full of people who have no idea what they are talking about.
Thank you, carrien. This post has been plagued by issues of that kind. We’re grateful for your attention.
This kind of thing really puts me off, being autistic myself I know the myth and fact behind it and every reason here is complete bull. Vaccines don’t give autism, any kind of corn syrup or things like that don’t give autism, ultrasound and c-sec have nothing to do with the development of a child in that aspect. If you believe for a single second that any of this causes autism then I’m sorry but you have your facts wrong. Its a random birth difference I’m not saying defect because not everyone with it has difficulties as we associate with the condition. There’s no way of knowing if your child will have it, we’re born with it, we live with it, we die with it. Simple as, end of story. There’s millions of us with it around the world accepting we have it though no fault of anyone, we just have it and we accept that?
This was the ranting of an autistic person facing and giving facts.
Jack, I understand that you are giving YOUR understanding of YOUR autism, but has it ever occurred to you that whether or not YOUR autism was a “random birth difference” that that is NOT the case for many other people? “Random birth differences” don’t become much more prevalent at exponential rates. It’s not scientifically possible. If autism were really just a “random birth difference,” we would not have gone from it being a very rare phenomenon to two percent of the child population in this country within 50 years. Those are facts. And you may not be able to “know if your child will have it,” but there are a number of factors that would make it MUCH more likely that a child will have autism including MTHFR mutations, parents with autoimmune disorders, including asthma, and many of the exposures mentioned above. The vast majority of science makes it clear that there is a high environmental component to the genesis of autism. And, contrary to your assertion that “we’re born with it,” many people with autism are NOT born with it. They experience a severe regression soon after one of the above-listed exposures.
I also believe there is a whole range of things that can be called autism.
There are many who online say they have autism, yet while different, they are fully functional: they can work, drive, and so forth. I’m pretty sure that is not what this post is referencing. My sister’s autism has caused severe violence and screaming (hours of bloodcurdling screams) and wetting-herself issues, AS a teen and as an adult. She cannot live on her own. She cannot drive a car. She can often barely control her own behavior. She cannot hold a normal conversation.
I understand frustration over terms, but please make an effort to empathize with those whose children have been severely damaged, whatever the label *ought* to be. (Mayer Eisenstein, MD, states that true autism is 1/ 10,000…cases like Temple Grandin’s and perhaps yours as well. He says that what we are seeing now is vaccine-induced brain damage.)
Hi there,
I would like to weigh in on this argument.
You are basing your statement on a common fallacy: you think that detection methods for this problem were as efficient , as widely used and respected the same definitions as the ones in use today. It is more likely that those days most cases remained undiagnosed. A lot of them are the same today.
However , no definite conclusion can be drawn on unverified data. Therefore it would be incorrect for me to simply state that you are wrong. I can however consider that given advances in medicine, the currently observed genetic base of autism and the great number of children going through the same methods without suffering the same effects as your son , chances are that we just have better detection these days and probably fewer occurrences.
Thank you for your post. It was very thought provoking. I work for a company called Arbonne that has a hormone cream called Prolief that will help you tremendously with your fight with Fibro. One of ladies I know had it for years and it was severe. She then started the Prolief and her symptoms have left. I have a passion for women’s health so anyone with Fibro or any other auto immune diseases please let me know because I would LOVE to help.
1) You’re wrong.
2). I have autism.
I don’t normally respond to things like this, however when I see something that has caught the eye of so many and is wrong, I have to say something. I have high function autism. I wasnt diagnosed until recent and I’m in my early 30’s. have always been different from everyone around me. I was bigger at birth than most, still about tallest in the family (over 6′). I grew up with ear infections, eczema, digestive problems, thyroid issues, the whole nine. However, because I’ve been able to talk and read since an early age, I was able to communicate what my issues were. With my parents listening to me, I never took a lot of meds. We assumed the digestive issues were because I was lactose intolerant. So since I can remember, which is back quite far, I’ve always been dieting myself. Real issue was that I have hypercalcemia. Reason I am devulging so much is because you need to know from someone that has autism that you are so far off. I’ve done my research, of course I had to, and we aren’t damaged. We are blessed. Forever ago, but as far as they knew, the world was flat. Maybe it’s time to start thinking maybe we are evolved. High tolerence for pain, high intelligence, above average size and much more. With the right training, it’s amazing what we can hone our sense too. Trust me, once I was able to learn what was different between me and everyone else, I’ve become better at everything. My normal hiccups are gone. So call it what you will, autistic. I’m sticking with advanced.
Hi “Wrong,”
I am interested in your experience. From experience with my son I think the excessive levels of oral vitamin D that we give to the young in this society was the main factor in inducing autism in him.
Briefly oral consumption of vitamin D skews the immune system to Th2, induces endothelial damage, causes oxidative stress, and dysregulates catechomes. All these are characteristic of autism as well.
Do you avoid oral consumption of vitamin D due to the hypercalcemia that you mention? Do you have any spplements or other therapies that help you with the hypercalcemia?
Seth, I’m intrigued by your theory around vitamin D. I can’t personally imagine that it can be a common factor for most people with autism because most children I know did not receive large amounts of oral vitamin D until AFTER being diagnosed with autism. Do you have a link detailing the effects of consumption of oral Vitamin D? I would be intrigued to see it.
Dear ProfessorTMR,
I have a paper on this hypthesis that oral supplementation with vitamin D may induce autism. I would gladly share it with you and would be interested in your comments.
Wrong, thank you for your poignant post. I only found this blog post because I am sitting here at work overwhelmed with the fear that my 20 month old son has autism. Your post made me realize that a different perspective can be a beautiful thing.
Wrong, you clearly are functioning rather well, despite a number of health issues over the years (many of which are correlated with antibiotic and vaccine usage, by the way), but that doesn’t mean that all, or even most, people with autism are. Autism, especially classic autism, frequently comes with extreme difficulty with social interaction, inability to speak, and inability to learn the basics of how to get along in our world. It’s pretty hard to imagine that as an evolutionary advantage. Evolution is supposed to favor “survival of the fittest.” If autistic conditions make one “fitter,” then why are so many parents of autistic children terrified of what will happen to their child when the parents inevitably die? I understand looking at your condition from a position of power, that’s probably a very healthy thing to do, but doing so does not make anything in the post “Wrong.”
What a soul wrenching article. Thank you for taking the time and the heart to do this. From your work I assume you have searched the internet for ways to help your child. There has been some positive work with just nutrition. In case you have not seen them I am including some here… Our bodies are designed to heal themselves of almost anything if we give it the building blocks it needs — even from mercury poisoning.
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/12/can-autism-be-cured/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-149500/Autism-diet-cured-son.html
http://www.greendivamom.com/2008/10/08/healing-autism-naturally/
Bless you for sharing… God speed
Kim
I did every one of these with the exception of drinking Coke every day… and neither of my children have autism. You can’t even begin to blame yourself. You wouldn’t blame yourself if your child had Down’s Syndrome or cancer so why would you blame yourself for Autism?
While this article is full of food for thought, a lot of this can be disputed. True, false, or misguided this mother has certainly been through a lot and has held herself accountable for something grievous. However, autistic has a stereotype around it, when we hear it we think of less intelligent people which may not just be the case.
https://medium.com/matter/70c3d64ff221
The above link offers new insight on autistic people and should certainly change how we see them. I hope this comment finds this Mom and helps her better understand her son. With understanding comes enlightenment.
Dear Mountain Mama,
Thank you for having the courage to speak out about these factors that you believe played a role in your child’s development of autism. In many of the cases of autism, a common theme seems to be the usage of vaccines and antibiotics in the first years of the child’s life (although the other factors you mentioned are often overlooked). I commend you for letting people know about the dangers of each of these things. I would be happy to e-mail you directly with more information about what I believe were factors in my brother’s development of autism. I also wanted to let you know about my brother’s recovery story as a late teenager: http://autismevolution.com/2013/12/09/how-i-cured-my-brother-of-autism/. Based on my brother’s recovery, I have developed a revolutionary treatment protocol for autism which I hope can help many more individuals on the autism spectrum: http://autismevolution.com/. Best wishes to you and your family!
I cried as I read this. I have done much research on many of these topics and some I hadn’t even thought about during pregnancy (since I was assured that the procedures are completely safe). I have yet to see if we will have any problems with our children (some kid’s don’t get diagnosed with Autism or other disorders until they are older as you know). I am thankful that I have avoided some of the potential problems, but know now I could have done some things differently to avoid dangers for my children. I wish all potential side affects and dangers would be made very clear for parents when they are making medical decisions for their family.
Thank you for your wise words to those who may be able to avoid these toxins and hopefully have healthy, beautiful children.
sorry this was a reply to the author and not to you directly Mary
Dear thinking mom,
my experience was just as horrendous as your. I was pregnant wiht triplets. which intern cause sever morning sickness otherwise known as hyperemssis. wich led me to take whatever drug that they said i needed to stop the vomiting. they hooked me up to 24 hr, iv fluids. overcharged my insurance for 3 times the materials i needed for home iv fluids. i have great insurance which meant for me they charged it every chance they got. i got a lung xray, my gallbladder ultra sounded. i was ultra sounded at least 26 times. they stuck a probe in me the first time. i have antibiotics. vaginal infection they caused with their repeated fondling of my cervix . and a emergency c section which ultimately ended with a very hurt me and three dead kids. and more other painful things i don;t even remember.
Bottom line i wanted some comfort and i couldn’t stand the thought of vomiting non stop for 9 months. the doctors are suppose to be there for you and try to heal you. not profit off your misery.
Don’t feel bad, you did the best you could for your son. NO body tells women of these potential dangers. be glad you can see your sons face and he’s not dead. my two boys and beautiful baby girl will never see mommies face but your boy knows you.
i believe god chose to use you and your situation to be a voice of warning for me and other woman. please don’t feel sad or bitter about it. real woman pregnant woman are being saved daily by reading you post.
If you haven’t already considered this try again for another child, i found for me in my second pregnancy to be very smooth and i am 6 months Pregnant and have never even seen a doctor about my pregnancy. every pregnancy is different, i am not sick and i feel great. your post has further empowered me to stay the course and have a home birth.
hope this helped bess wishes mariah
Dear Mountain Mama,
Thank you for taking all the time and energy is took to post your article for others to read. I apologize . . I did not take the time to read ALL of the numerous responses you received before creating my response. Have you checked out “The Son-Rise Program?”
Blessings
Thinking Moms are very familiar with the Son-Rise program. We like them a lot. Thanks for your input.
When you know better, you do better. And you certainly do now. A cautionary tale we should take very very seriously
I find it interesting that none of the comments show any opposition to your writing. I’m sure I’m not the first person who is going to disagree with most of the things you’ve posted. First of all, google searches are not credible scientific information. You need to use scientific publications. Secondly, though I’m tempted to argue against all of your points, I’m going to reign myself in and keep this short. 1) Hypothetically speaking, if vaccines did have a correlation with autism – worst case scenario, your child has autism. However, if your child gets tetanus (which is statistically more likely) – he/she dies. Which is worse? The chances and consequences of your child getting a disease from not being vaccinated are significantly higher than the minute (unlikely) chance of getting autism.
2) Taking antibiotics during your pregnancy was the right thing to do. You would have harmed your child more by not taking the antibiotics. Studies have shown a significant correlation with immune activation during pregnancy, and neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia, later in life. Ideally you wouldnt get sick at all during pregnancy, but that is out of our control.
I personally know two people with stories similar to this (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/apr/24/wish-my-daughter-vaccinated ). These diseases are dangerous; they kill.
So, as I mentioned earlier, none of your comments are contrary to what you’ve written, which leads me to believe you removed them. Which also leads me to believe that you aren’t open minded about the topic. People need to make their own decisions, and need to have both sides of the argument. How would you feel to hear that after reading this article someone didn’t vaccinate their child, and then their child caught whooping cough, polio, tetanus, etc.? I imagine you’d feel guilty then too.
You clearly haven’t read all the comments, as a number of them do show “opposition” to this post. This is our website for OUR community. It is a safe place and we use our discretion in what we publish. Anything that is disrespectful or rude is automatically trashed. And, yes, there have a been a number of very disrespectful and rude comments trashed on this post. People who keep it civil get published.
Now as to your “facts”: 1) “Tetanus is rare in the United States, where 50 or fewer cases of tetanus occur each year, deaths are more likely to occur in persons 60 years of age and older. ” If your child gets tetanus, your child is unlikely to die as there is a between 5 and 10% chance of death from tetanus, and most deaths are in people 60 years of age and older (most of whom are suffering from diabetes or some other circulatory disorder).
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/tetanus/hcp/clinical.html
Your math would have to be EXCEPTIONALLY poor to think that your child is more likely to even get tetanus, much less die of it, than to be one of the 2% of children in this country that has an autism spectrum disorder.
2) Taking antibiotics in labor MAY have been the right thing to do, then again it may have been a very wrong thing to do. Unfortunately, at this point in time, it is impossible to know which it is. There are a huge number of women being given antibiotics while in labor, not all of which can have been “life-saving” and many of which have caused intractable damage to the guts of the children involved. There are also a huge number of children being given antibiotics for ear infections (which have been shown not to improve outcomes).
We are by no means stopping anyone from getting “both sides” of any argument, but we are by no means obligated to supply it for them. There are plenty of places where they will get nothing but “the other side.” We’re here to provide the information you can’t get in other places.
Then there is my son’s response (12 and on the autism spectrum) upon reading this.. ” wow, I feel bad her son is sick as well as has Autism, but I’m Not sick! I don’t need a cure. My friends with autism also don’t need a cure.. she needs to cure her child’s medical illness not his autism cause that’s not making him sick”
Out of the mouth of babes….
Bobbi, we know many people with autism who feel that they are fine and do not wish any interventions. That is perfectly fine with us. We have no argument with them. Many children with autism are NOT fine and NEED interventions in order to survive, much less thrive. None of us have ever said it’s AUTISM that makes the child sick, but oftentimes it’s sickness that makes the child autistic. Many people have found that when the medical needs of a child are addressed autistic behaviors recede.
Yes and I completely agree that many on the autism spectrum have co existing medical conditions that can and do exasperate ” symptoms” of autism.. However, what my son and Many many others on the autism spectrum are offended by is the talk of “cure”!! My son and many others will say they do not want nor need a cure.. And if medical interventions of co existing conditions “cure” someone’s autism spectrum to the point the are called “recovered”, in my opinion they did not have Autism Spectrum but more so ” symptoms like ” … I speak not only as a mum and a professional but as a student in the middle of a degree in Autism at one of the leading universities here in the UK in reference to research into autism, the university of Birmingham and also responsible for the AET (Autism education trust)…
Many of my lecturers are professors and on the autism spectrum and what is coming loud and strong from them and many other autism self advocates are just tired of the focus of the community being on “curing” rather then acceptance, support, understanding and advocacy..Please do not misunderstand me, children who have medical conditions need treatments and cures.. But autism as you agree does not cause illness and an illness that causes Autism unless it’s fragile x, is not autism but rather autism like symptoms., there is a difference and it means a great deal to those on the spectrum in our community…
I’m sorry Bobbi, but I’m not sure WHY you are offended by the idea of a cure simply because neither your or YOUR child wants one. My boyfriend’s daughter has cerebral palsy. She is severely disabled and has been in a wheelchair for most of the 23 years she has been on the planet. She says that if someone offered her a cure she would say, “No, thank you.” She doesn’t want to be cured. She feels that her disability is a large part of her identity. And that’s fine. That’s HER choice. But she isn’t offended by the idea that someone ELSE might want to find a cure for CP, and she would certainly never stand in the way of them going after it, even though SHE spends her life advocating for the rights of severely disabled people.
I’m glad you used the words “in my opinion” with respect to people who have recovered from autism, because that’s exactly what it is. Your opinion. You don’t wish to believe that people with autism can “recover,” so you don’t, despite the fact that there is AMPLE evidence to the contrary. The fact that YOU don’t believe that people “did not have Autism Spectrum” does not in any way invalidate the diagnoses of those individuals. You realize that THOSE people are offended by people like you constantly telling them that their experience isn’t their experience and it doesn’t count, don’t you?
And thank you for highlighting exactly why the autism “community” is so divided.. Emotions run high.. I could reply stating the same as you, that what you right is all your opinion as well. I could give countless examples of self advocates ( on the spectrum) who have stated exactly what I posted about being offended.. The issue is when all those on the spectrum are generalised.. When we know just as all children are different so is every manifestation of autism spectrum. My opinion remains the same. Treat and cure the illness, understand, support, respect the Autism.. As for recovery, I spoke in terms of Full recovery, not adjusting , growing, understanding and coping due to therapy and interventions… Temple Grandin is a perfect example.. Some would say “recovered” based on her ability to function and thrive.. But she would never say that.. Not would Donna Williams.. My opinions are based on research and conversations with adults on the Spectrum whom I’m grateful to also call friends…
It seems as though Bobbi is not taking into consideration that there are different functioning levels of Autism. There are some people that I had known for years before ever finding out that they had autism, and then there are people who are so severely handicapped that they look different, cannot speak, cannot go to the bathroom, cannot fix their own meals, cannot ever live on their own. Evidently her son is not fully dependent on his mother for all of his care, otherwise I think she would change her tune. Families of more severe cases of autism would LOVE to have a “cure”.
She completely contradicts herself when she says, “children who have medical conditions need treatments and cures..”, but her real attitude about it is, “[they] are just tired of the focus of the community being on “curing” rather then acceptance, support, understanding and advocacy”.
She wants people to accept, support, understand and advocate for something that MAY be preventable or reversible (at least to some degree).
We should accept them, support them, understand them, etc… that doesn’t mean we have to accept that they WILL ALWAYS be that way. We can hope for a better tomorrow by changing some things and avoiding as many toxins as humanly possible. She says we should advocate, and that is EXACTLY what you are doing. You are being an advocate for those that cannot help themselves, for mothers who if they knew what they were doing (unknowingly) to their children, both in the womb and out, and the families that deal with challenges related to autism.
THANK YOU!!!
Wow, just wow.. Again thank you for highlighting the division in our community and it gets wider and wider… The assumptions being made about me and what I implied are quite staggering really. I will not reply directly as I do not recognise anything that has been posted about what I said, implied or not, nor do I recognise the statement made about me nor my son. Did I ever state that my son didn’t need my full support or that he in fact SPOKE those words he said to me???? Again, wow.
I stand by my statement that to have Autism does not mean you are sick. Again, many with autism are unwell and have medical condition that can exasperate their autism however they are not caused by nor ( until peer researched articles state otherwise) do they cause the autism Directly( except fragile X) though many conditions now are believed to increase risk, such as my EDS ( wow, surprise! I’m disabled too!) but I do not say that “I caused my son’s autism”…nor would I ever.
Autism spectrum is diagnosed through personal history and Behaviour! There is no medical condition as part of the criteria. Fact. ( the DSM is a very big expensive book and though I tried, there is no available link to see the autism criteria directly)
http://www.autism.com/index.php/news_dsmV
I will also state one last thing.. Instead of trying to cure the autism outright, why aren’t we finding out more how many others also have coexisting medical conditions what they are and find out why? And cure those medical conditions!! If some of the difficulties experienced in autism ( social emotional communication and language, inflexible behaviours and thought, sensory processing difficulties) are reduced why would I ever have a problem with that??? As for recovered, let me be straight, I’m not even considering diagnostic criteria but rather what the “recovered” person really feels, how “recovered” are they or do they still have some even small difficulty in some area of the diagnostic criteria??? And let’s be real, autism though having been around as long as we have, is still a general mystery hence the updates and need for a new DSM. We need to find out more about it, we need more research to understand it! And if there were a cure, you would really be happy without people such as Einstein, Emily Bronte, Susan Boyle, Daryl Hannah ect ect ect.. I wouldn’t be.
Good luck to you all. I hope you find the answers you seek.. All the best.
Bobbi, we are very well aware that there are “countless” self-advocates on the autism spectrum that are offended by talk of cure and recovery. (I have even known one of the most well-known in the community for approximately 20 years.) That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop talking about cure and recovery. As I’ve stated before if an autism self-advocate does not WANT cure or recovery that is absolutely fine with us. We have no need or desire to change them. We DO have a need and desire to find ways to reduce the overall level of chronic illness in this generation (and future generations of children), and to get the word out about them. I still find myself at a loss as to WHY that’s so “offensive.”
Personally, when I talk about recovery, I generally mean full recovery as well. I know that there are a lot of people who would consider Temple Grandin and others like her fully “recovered” and that’s fine. But that is NOT the level of recovery that has been achieved by a number of other people whose autism is dismissed by you (with no evidence whatsoever). Which, frankly, I find quite interesting, given that a number of them were diagnosed with “classical autism,” while, given your conversation with your child, it seems unlikely that your child would even have been diagnosed with “autism” prior to 1991 (as is the same for many “autism” self-advocates). Why does your child’s autism count, but not the autism of those who have recovered?
I find it interesting that my reply was not published…did it contain too much “common sense”?
Mary, common sense is hardly a disqualification for publication around here. If your reply was not published, I suspect you know exactly why. We do not publish anything that is disrespectful or rude, and it is completely at our discretion. We make no apology for this policy. This is our website, maintained as a safe place for our community. If you don’t play by our rules, you don’t play.
Hi,
I am a chemist. You state that fluoride contains fluorine. That is not exactly correct. Fluoride is an ionized form of fluorine. That is, fluoride has one more electron than it has protons. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoride) In fact, fluoride and fluorine are two different forms of the same atom. You may want to adjust your phrasing to increase your credibility with those who will be looking for flaws in your argument.
Also, have you read any research along these lines?
http://integrativehealthconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Gut-Microflora-and-Autism1.pdf
Your description seems to support studies like these.
Anyway, thank you for sharing.
Peace.
Dianne Craft has information that leads to other medical books (from which she has helped parents) that has research proving that Autism can be reversed. I pray that this helps your journey.
Your honesty is astonishing. I understand that you “knew” some of the things you are doing were not right but when one is in pain, it is terribly hard (or impossible) to step back, do research and made an educated decision. You were utterly betrayed by your medical professionals and the medical industry. Medicine these days is a minefield that must be carefully and independently walked.
I have three friends with autistic children. I was lucky with my son because he was vaccinated up to a certain point – but then, there were fewer vaccines being given 25-30 years ago. I wish you luck in making improvements in your son’s condition because I see that improvements are possible.
Hi. Your one hope to reverse this is homeopathy. It’s an art not a science an is by no means 100%. Bit it has cured autism. You will need to find a world class homeopath and they’re expensive. A place to start is with thJudith and Robert ullman. who have written a book on the subject. Sorry for the typos this site is almost impossible to navigate.
Please identify one case of a cure due to homeopathy in which we can all examine the medical records. Just one. With open access to all the patient’s medical records.
Gewisn, please identify one cure of anything in which “we can all examine the medical records. Just one. With open access to all the patient’s medical records.”
Fortunately, in this country we have privacy laws around medical records. Given the incredible nastiness people are capable of, that’s an extremely good thing.
If by any chance you ARE actually curious (which I highly doubt) read Amy Lansky’s book The Impossible Cure about her son’s recovery with homeopathy. She has since become a homeopath due to what she saw. No, we can’t all examine her son’s medical records, because that is a ridiculous request, as I suspect you are well aware.
Those laws prevent others from releasing one’s medical records. They do no prevent the patient or parent from releasing those records, as you well know. If someone is making a claim to have cured autism, then it is an enormous breakthrough and the world needs to know. But the world needs to know all the info if we are to evaluate the claim. The records could be released with redacted address, phone, etc – and you knew that, too.
A story with no actual evidence is just that, a story.
I expected much more from you, Professor.
Well, gewisn, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but again I say give me one cure of ANYTHING in which “we can all examine the medical records . . . With open access to all the patient’s records.” Seriously, it does not happen. Yes, parents can make available the relevant information, and frequently do, but not on the scale that you’re talking about, and not in the WAY that you’re talking about. Plenty of children have been “cured” of autism, and plenty of parents have made the stories public, starting probably with the story of Raun Kaufman back in 1975. But until someone STUDIES the success stories and publishes those results, they are going to remain “stories” and that’s just as the medical community wants it. Because then they can be dismissed as anecdote.
Me, I don’t dismiss stories and anecdotes. I listen because they are data, albeit unquantified data. When you hear enough stories and anecdotes that sound very much the same, you know there’s something to them.
I know a number of children that have either lost their diagnosis or come close to it largely as a result of homeopathy, but feel free to go right on dismissing those “stories” while you wait for complete access to someone’s medical records.
And how do you plan for them to be studied if they are not released? Why don’t the parents get together and release them to a reputable research group?
As for anecdotes: there were millions of anecdotes of the sun going around the earth. So that must be true?
I don’t dismiss anecdotes. They are the basis of generating hypotheses.
But until the hypotheses are carefully tested, those stories remain anecdotes.
When people won’t provide all the information that is available about the anecdotes, not much can be done with them.
I’m not saying there is no prevention of, nor recovery from, autism.
I’m saying we need the data to know what does and doesn’t work. “I’m telling you that it works!” is not useful data.
I’ve stated what the criteria are to change my mind.
What would change yours?
Although some of these situations sounds risky, have you have thought about the fact of poor breeding and lack of evolution? In the past many babies were not able to make it due to things such as low embryonic fluid.. But now we make it possible for most babies to survive. I agree it is a miracle how far we have come, but you have to think about evolution… “Bad” genes are being spread to offspring, ones that would not survive of not for medical technology, mutations are able to survive and be passed along that make it harder for one to survive, not easier.
Although I see how this mother would like to take responsibility for her son, would he be here if it wasn’t for most of these steps? Would he have died an be born a still born? This article is trying to persuade people against technology that may be the only reason her son is alive. There are two sides to every story. Although some of these things may have risks, they may be the life savior to the baby as well.
Jessica,
I would never in a million years call it “poor breeding,” but yes there is probably an additional risk of autism or other neurological issues for “at-risk” children. There seems to be higher autism rates for children who are premature and children who were conceived by in vitro fertilization. However, most of the interventions mentioned in the article are not lifesaving interventions in the majority of cases. Many of them are choices, choices with consequences that many people don’t think about until after the fact. In addition, even the “at-risk” children often develop autism after a period of normal development. Chances are good that with fewer toxic exposures even they could reach adulthood without neurological damage.
For what it’s worth:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/healthsciences/autism.htm
Do NOT beat yourself up. It is NOT your fault. You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. No sense in blaming yourself for what you didn’t know then… & couldn’t have known at the time. NO progress is ever made what you blame someone or something. Stop the story now. It is NOT your fault.
Your son is a beautiful GIFT… autistic and all. It is meant to be… and it is the MOST BEAUTIFUL GIFT you will ever, ever , EVER receive.
How do I know? I have a beautiful child with autism and she is the BEST gift I have ever received, even though I did not realize it at first. You will realize it in time. All you have to do is ask : “What is GREAT about your son?”
You have to believe that Everything happens for a reason… you have been incredibly blessed… You are on an amazing journey and everything WILL be alright. 🙂
Barbara,
With all due respect, after my son died one of the things I LEAST cared to hear was “Everything happens for a reason.” I always wanted to say, “Yeah, well what if the REASON was that I was a lousy mother, or my son didn’t want to be here with his family?” That is one of the sayings, along with “God never gives anyone more than they can handle” that may make the person who SAYS it feel better, but rarely does anything for the person it is said TO.
I am married to a 46 year old on the spectrum, my stepdaughter as well as my youngest are also both on the spectrum. We have the eye contact issues, meltdowns, shutdowns and gastro issues. Ironically my middle daughter was the child with the chronic ear infections and multiple antibiotics and she has no issues with autism. The two daughters with issues were the healthy babies and honestly both have higher IQs than my “normal” child. I did vaccinate and did many of the things you speak of but my husbands mother did not. If I had to I would do the same. You see my cousin who did not vaccinate almost lost a child to spinal meningitis when I was in the Hospital having my more typical child. Also 2 of my family members almost died from polio, my dad’s twin sister and my grandmother. I can understand the suffering of this mother because I too suffer for my child. I have cried more tears than I can count but I would not trade that on the chance of losing her. After years of marriage counseling my husband can finally look me in the eyes and I rejoice in that.
My choice to vaccinate my children makes the world a safer place for those that chose not to so please understand that those of us who feel we did the right thing are not to be critized either. We as parents should always do what we feel is better for our children.
Emily,
We don’t judge parents who make different choices from the ones we make. We provide as much information as we can so that people know a) there IS a choice, and b) what the real risks of their choices may be. With my family history, I am definitely not comfortable vaccinating. With your family history, you are. There’s nothing wrong with that as long as your choice is based on accurate information. Unfortunately, accurate information on the risks of vaccines is hard to come by in mainstream media, so we at TMR do our best to provide it.
I am inclined to believe that genetics do play a part. My husbands family has several people (adult and children) on the spectrum that’s one of the reasons I choose to vaccinate. I saw the response about poor genetics being passed on to children more often now that medical technology saves and allows more babies to survive and I really believe this may be a big issue. My stepdaughter was an emergency c-section and almost did not make it and I had to be on bed rest and take hormones to carry my youngest to term. Neither of these girls who are now on the spectrum would have made it years ago. I am thankful that medical technology is here or I would not have a great stepdaughter in college that I love dearly nor would my quirky very intelligent 9 year old have survived. Yes we have moments where I’m pulling my hair out bad other moments when my heart breaks because one of them can not understand why others don’t see things like they do but I would not trade them for a world where the technology that allowed them to survive was not available.
Genetics or, possibly more likely, epigenetics do play a role, but that role is significantly smaller than many “medical experts” imply or even state. People who have the MTHFR mutation, especially homozygous, for instance have more difficulty detoxing and thus are more susceptible to environmental insult than most people. All people who are the children of people with autoimmune conditions, including asthma and allergies, are at much higher risk than people who do not have a family history of autoimmune conditions. I know many, many people with children with autism who have had no trace of neurological damage in previous generations.
If your child developed autism it can likely be healed. If they had it at birth then not. See http://www.mmsautism.org They have healed 110 so far.
Ramsay, why do you set limits on children born with autism? Perhaps it just means that neurological damage happened at a younger age, i.e. in utero, and that reversal of the damage may be difficult, but not impossible. Be careful of imposing assumed limits on other people’s lives.
I am very sorry for your situation, and for the suffering that you and your son are bearing. It sounds very difficult.
Although I do not know very much about this, I know that as time and medical knowledge increase, we are coming to understand more and more that as the digestive track is the primary source of materials in our body, its health has a powerful effect on the rest of the body. Many people have issues that our medical profession prescribed drugs for when the problem was actually located in the gut. While I am not claiming a miracle cure, I have heard of children whose autism was caused by similar circumstances your son went through and were cured when their bacterial and gastrointestinal balance was fixed. Even if that success is not achievable in your son’s case, it may help him.
If you would be interested in hearing more, I will be happy to send you some information/links to helpful sites.
Your family is in my prayers.
James,
Thank you for your comment. At TMR we’re very aware of the gut connection to autism. Every time a new study comes out that confirms it, we get to say, “I told you so” once again. Gut dysbiosis is at the heart of many, many conditions as it keeps the immune system from functioning as it should. And it very definitely has effects on brain function.
Many of the chemicals mentioned are still in the body system, perpetuating the damage. Some can be mitigated, improving overall health and perhaps alleviating the severity of the condition. Antibiotics are often stored in the kidneys and it is next to impossible to restore intestinal biology without cleansing them out first. The most effective means I’ve found is the diet of just watermelon and rye bread (like pumpernickel) for a week (about 5 large watermellons and 2-3 packs of German “brick” bread). It is very intense, as kidneys cleanse and skin becomes the eliminative organ as you sweat the antibiotics out. Lots of hot baths and sweating wrapped in towels. Fluoride’s main problem is that it leads to calcification of brain tissues, in particular pineal gland, and impedes mental functions. Drink Chaga mushroom tea over a fairly long period of time to dissolve calcification deposits in the otherwise inaccessible brain tissues. Heavy metals in the body are best cleansed out by chelation methods, Zeolite being the most popular/available/effective supplement for that cleanse. Hopefully some of the damage we unknowingly inflicted on ourselves and our children can be reversed.
Wow. Reading your story just leaves me infuriated with the lies and disinformation that are out there. It is dreadful to have so many of us, parents and others, told to use and take things that the companies that make them know are bad, but are foisted on us anyway. And the professionals that should know better just don’t even think to look into what they are prescribing.
You can’t be blamed for what you didn’t know. You did your best. I understand how difficult it is to forgive yourself because my own mistakes with my child. You learn to live with yourself and gradually are kinder to yourself.
Thanks for sharing your story. The more voices that are out there, the louder the cry will be to say “stop”!
For a shampoo, I make my own by making a strong herbal infusion of sage and/or rosemary and then mix it half and half with Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap. It stings the eyes as soaps will do, but it cleans hair very nicely.
its not your fault!…Its hard to pin it on anything we live in a toxic world. There’s only three on that list that apply to myself and my son, Then again granted he has been diagnosed only with this “very very mild aspergers” possible PDD, I had many ultrasounds, maybe 7 all up, He and I had to have anti-bio-tics when he was born which in turn he had thrush I got thrush. and he had many doses of Panadol as we often were dealing with febrile convulsions. So the ultrasounds possibly saved his life as I nearly lost him several times so they could see what was going on, He had to have anti-bio-tics he had a terribly distended stomach caused by swallowing the waters, so again may have saved his life, And Paracetamol kept his temps down when we had febrile convulsions again maybe not to the point of life saving but possibly. So we live in a toxic world there is no getting away from it, but we do what we think is the best at the time! I don’t think there’s much we can do in this world to stop the toxins that effect our babies we can only do what we think is best.
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/why-does-god-allow-suffering/
Thank you so much for the great article! It may pay you to investigate homeopathic CEASE therapy:
http://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/homeopathic-cease-therapy-dr-tinus-smits-md/
Here is some information I compiled about the dangers of vaccination:
http://www.vaccinationinformationnetwork.com/to-vaccinate-or-not/
Immediate or early umbilical cord clamping is yet another medical atrocity which messes up babies as it deprives babies of a third to half of the volume of their blood which at the moment of birth is still in the placenta. The cord should only be clamped and cut after the cord stops pulsating or even better once the placenta has been delivered. Premature clamping also puts babies into shock and makes them weak and anemic. Some of them do so poorly that they have to be revived because of this medical ignorance.
I just read a post from my friend Chuck Perry. He ministers at the Bethel Healing Rooms In Redding CA, which has a Facebook page. A man returned with his son that had been healed years before of autism. Regardless of our mistakes and the regret that follows, God can and does heal. I am also proof of this, and so have no doubt as to the possibility of healing for your son.
“God can and does heal.” But only those conditions which sometimes spontaneously heal/remit, or have a disputed or difficult diagnosis, or when presented as evidence without access to the medical records.
No amputee has ever been healed.
Why does God hate amputees?
I’m in the “stop beating yourself up” and “here’s some love category”. No pity. Just love, understanding, and acceptance. Seriously, this is a toxic and complex world, and we can’t all be expected to know all the dangers all the time. The internet, for many of us, is still relatively “new”. You’re an awesome mama for taking so much responsibility, and I have no doubt you will do all you can for your child. I hope you will see this reversed at some point in time. <3
Hi!
I relate to you and your son because of my experience with my second pregnancy and childbirth. I was a little bit more aware, but not much. The doctors did it all wrong even though i actually fought them. It’s incredible but i had to screem at them to let me take fool responsability and let my son unvaccinated and untreated the way they wanted. That is after they agreed there was a problem, because for more than a year they told me there is no problem with him even though i kept pointing out that something is terribly wrong. By that time he was already very ill and the perspective was unbearable.
The problem was i had no solutions. I only felt what not to do and did not know what to do. Maybe you are beyond this point and my message is of no help to you but maybe it will help you.
Our diagnose is not autism but it’s generated by lack of oxygen at the brain level, among others. My son had/has tetraplegia and they said he may never walk (actually get use of his limbs).
They wanted to treat him in ways i just couldn’t bear to see him endure, i did not agree with and, after six months of treatment, i put a stop to it forever. I was happy about that, i was very content that i mannaged to keep him safe of any kind of drugs even though at some point three doctors at the same time tried to force me accept.
But… the big but…What was i going to do? I was in total darkness until one blessed day. That day a woman, a total stranger, guided me towards what i used to call a miracle and now i know it is posible for so many.
She told me about Bowen Therapy, i looked into it and i took the chance. We added to that Essential Oils and Access Bars.
Now my son is almost 5 years old, recovered 95% of his mobility (only one aware can see a difference between him and somebody without this problem), he can now walk, run, jump, write, talk and think (he could not talk and was so nervous about everything that we just used to end up staying there beside him and bear whatever was coming, we could not reason with him and that was hapenning every single day for hours; he could pronounce 50 words in the first week after we started and before that he could hardly say “mama”). Now, all the nightmare is gone, like it was a bad dream or someone elses story. What remained is gratitude, hapiness, awareness and A Solution.
We now use this three methods on daily basis if needed and my sons do not take any pills, they rarely catch a cold and i am the happiest mom on the face of the earth.
Bottom line is: i advise you to do it, try these methods i told you about. After the first step you will find someone to guide you. Children have enormous power and miracles can happen. Trust him that he can make it. The first thing our therapist told me was: “You do not know who he is. If he had the power to bare this he can do much more. Trust him, forgive everyone and especially yourself and that is the best help you’ll ever give him and what he really needs from you, you’ll see.” I thought nothing, my pain was too big but, in time, i saw she was right.
Lots of love to you and thank you for your patience.
This lady has pretty much healed her son of autism – if she keeps him on the right diet.
http://www.thekefircompany.co.nz/about-us/anitas-novel/
Yes. Right diet! Friend of mine practically healed completely her 8 years autistic child. And that took only one year of converting him to Vegan food only! She had nothing to lose and just has taken such a simple advise of nutritionist. Please do not give up.
Many of us have made similar mistakes which were quite unintentional but have, or may have set our children up for lifelong health problems. I used soy formula which I now know was one of the worst things I could do. Thank you for sharing. It was a courageous move. You will save others from walking down the same path. Please don’t beat yourself up. You didn’t know. Here’s a hug for you and your beautiful son. (((((((())))))))
or, response 4)
Good Grief, woman! Please stop beating yourself up. You, like most of us who now make different choices had to learn the hard way because the system and the professionals we were listening to and trusting were misinformed and wrong. Thru trial and error and much research we managed to find more accurate information. You are a trailblazer of education for many and likely an amazing mom to your children. Your boy is a gift to the world and I bet he has many qualities most children do not have. My friend Michael Prichard calls children with autism ‘spies from God’ because of their obviously divine nature and expression. I can guarantee you that the more you focus on all the positive aspects of your life the more of them will come your way. But you already knew all that. Because you are AWESOME. Every day. Blessings on your journey <3
You should be happy to know that none of the previously stated reasons have anything to do with probability of autism. Autism is caused by the faulty development of certain chemicals in the brain, and is determined by the 6th week of pregnancy.
Steven Briggs
Professor of Biology at UCSD
I feel so sorry for u that you actually think this. And to think you teach biology- what is this world coming to? How do u explain the hundreds of thousands of cases of autism which occurred in children who were developing quite normally until one day they were given a vaccine or a dose of antibiotics which actually sent them into total regression to the point of no longer speaking or interacting. I’m sorry, but clearly that is not because of a chemical interaction at 6 weeks. Yes, certain children may be genetically predisposed to developing autism but obviously there is an environmental trigger which is causing the autism. Get with the program.
If what the Mom says is true, why doesn’t every child have autism? Do you really think that all health professionals are monsters that want children to be unhealthy?
Sally, why doesn’t every smoker develop lung cancer? Does the fact that most don’t mean that smoking DOESN’T cause lung cancer? Nope. Different people react to different things in different ways. One of the reasons why certain people react so badly to some of these toxic insults is that their bodies’ detox pathways (one of them being the methylation cycle, Google MTHFR mutations and methylation) are not functioning as well as the average human’s.
And NO ONE here has EVER said that “all health professionals are monsters that want children to be unhealthy.” We think the vast majority of health professionals WANT children to be healthy, they are just not using an evidence-based approach to keeping them healthy. Nearly 50% of today’s children are chronically ill. If our health professionals were RIGHT about everything they are pushing onto us, then why are children not healthier than ever? On the contrary, they are MUCH sicker.
Thank you Dr. Briggs!
Dr. Briggs (actually, “Distinguished Professor”),
Glad to have you in the conversation.
I’d appreciate knowing more about your statement regarding 6 weeks.
(and you know I’m going to ask for citations)
I was given this article by a patient of mine to read. Bingo!! You hit the nail on the head & I could not agree with you more. I read through some of the comments, but not all of them. Has anyone ever suggested Chiropractic care for you & your son? The scientific community has found a very intimate relationship between the immune system & the nerve system. Being the primary purpose of Chiropractic care is to help restore, improve the transmission of nerve impulses from the brain to the various parts of the body it stands to reason that principled, subluxation based Chiropractic would help both of you achieve a higher level of health. I believe that Chiropractic done specifically will help most any living being a change to have a better life, no matter the condition they are battling. For more information you can go to the ICPA web page: http://www.icpa4kids.com for a ton of helpful information on family & child health issues.
Thank you for mentioning this. Chiropractic care is a regular occurrence in our household. We all get it nowadays. The last 3 of my 4 children all received their first care the second day after birth. They all slept like rocks, ate like beasts and had excellent health. If they would get irritable, we’d take them to the chiro first and 99% of the time their ailment left them immediately after adjustments.
To the author….would you like to do a radio show about your experiences? A one hour, interview by phone spot live on air, and streaming throughout the world. Emailme at [email protected] Any other expert on these subjects is also welcome…
Your blog came to my facebook page today. Oh what pain and anguish and its really important you tell your story, just look at the number of comments to see why. You say very little about your son himself so its hard to know how he might be helped. I know from my years of working with families with autism that there are people out there with wonderful stories of hope and reconciliation and often it is homeopathy that has been the helping hand to find the best route. I came into this area running a study on how the homeopathic remedy DPT helps children in general and had no idea how this remedy could be so helpful in autism. There are study pages on my website.
With or without the remedy DPT homeopathy is a good therapy, even in extreme autism to find some solid ground and to progress somewhere.
Wow, that is a lot to take on. I just met this woman, see link,
http://unblindmymind.org/
She is a biochemist, mother of 5. She is convienced, that thru her research on MSG she has cured her daughter of autism. she explains things very well in a few videos. Please check it out…and she is also on you tube. Her name is katherine reid
Biochemist Pushes for New Approach to Autism
Dr. Katherine Reid
Good luck-take care!
Some questions, observations and studies which may relate to this discussion:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/healthsciences/autism.htm
You have my deepest sympathies, however, everything you listed…there is so much more wrong here than right.
I was born with low grade Autism. Born. With. Autism is a genetic disorder stemming from many different environmental factors. Mine happened to be the fact that my father was 40+ when I was conceived.
Again, follow me here, born with. I had a natural birth and was vaccinated yearly. I have yet to skip one, in fact I need to update my Tetanus shot-since it also contains the Pertussis vaccine (btw, it’s making a comeback due to low what kids? You guessed it, low vaccination rates).
Stop trying to be such a martyr, stand up and say ‘It was bad genetics’. Nothing you do can cause Autism. Vaccines won’t make your genes suddenly stand up and go, ‘Maybe today I will be autistic.’
Hi, I felt compelled to write you. Thank you first of all for writing this, you are brave. I am into natural health solutions, so this was of interest to me. A few years ago I read an article in Sedona Journal of Emergence, can’t remember who by, or what the article was titled, but it gave some info on autism. It mentioned that is caused by yes, mercury, and how mercury goes to some parts or receptors in the brain. The problem gets ignited when the person is around a lot of electronics or wifi. It kind of “lights” up the mercury, maybe activates it. It could help to get all electronics (and lighted) items out of the childs room, and to detox the mercury. I suggest you see a homeopathic nutritionist. The company HEEL makes a liquid general detox kit that is homeopathic, and after that they probably have special metal detox kits. Homeopathic can be VERY effective. But go slow, don’t make the mistake of thinking because they are homeopathic you need to take too much. Go slow. Also, please get some healthy probiotics for him. It would take a person up to age 21 eating a great diet and never having taken antibiotics to populate all the good bacteria a human would need for life. Whole foods sells all sorts of strains and amounts to choose from, try several (but not all at once). If he gets ear infections, stop dairy! It used to have good bacteria in it, but that all dies now due to pasteurizing so it has little benefit and can slow down the lymph system. Good luck. Write back if you want. Thank you again, I will post on Facebook because this info is so important.
Some good tips there Michelle. SV40 researched jumped to great proportions when they discovered they could speed up cancer in rodents by administrating the vaccine and giving exactly 28-30 bouts of radiation. They literally got it down to a science and were developing it for use as a biological weapon, not for the noble BS they purport. Fascinating story to read is Dr MAry’s Moneky about Judyth Vary Baker’s discovery as a mere teen and how she was then recruited by govt officials and painted a picture of grandeur to work for them and show them how she achieved her discoveries (speeding up cancer).
Radiation through electronic media, radiography and a myriad of other devices should be reduced to an absolute nothing if possible. Vaccines……… well there needs to be no more discussion there, avoid them like the plague!
How about we just avoid plagues!
I was wondering if you have looked into the gaps diet? It seems intense but people have been reporting tremendous success in aiding children with autism. Obviously there is no cure for autism. This diet is supposed to basically reset our bodies to properly absorb nutrients. Might be worth research and trying even tho it probably seems daunting. You are in our prayers. God Bless
Sorry that you beat yourself up. As an aspergers person, I would like to share the idea of reading Temple Grandon’s (with Sean Barron, 2005) book, The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism.
It explains a lot, including how she managed to cope and become successful. Her ideas on how to cope (and cure the effects) work for many people. I am 71 now, if I had such a book 60 years ago life would have been much more peaceful. Note that I did manage to arrange the ideal job for myself, which involved turning down management opportunities to remain in a technical job that met my interests.
While I agree with you that the things you did are to be avoided, something that you wrote caught my eye. You said that you have fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed with this when my daughter was two about the same time my daughter was going down a slippery slope towards autism. As I got sicker, her personality and behavior continued to go downhill. After more digging, I determined I had late-stage chronic Lyme disease and I had passed it to my daughter. It has taken us years to get better – but we got better. There are so many people that have or are going through this nightmare with multiple family members affected. It is so common for Lyme to be diagnosed as fibromyalgia and very common for it to be passed on (even if the CDC won’t admit it). Please research ILADS for accurate Lyme information and look at Stephen Buhnar’s herbal work and I believe you can help your family.
I am an acupuncturist and my first son is 14 months and I am pregnant with my second. My niece and nephew have Autism and my sister is in He’ll dealing with it.
I struggle with mainstream beliefs and reconciling them with Chinese Medicine and alternative therapy styles. We had had most vaccines due to pressure and a difficult birth. I am putting the brakes on and getting my husband on board. I will share your story with him.
I learned some new things and I love that you took time to put the links in. Thank you for courageously sharing.
I hope you find the right solutions for your son and for your own peace of mind. I don’t think it is too late to consider chelation therapy if done gently.
Grateful.
I think you are one hellva brave woman to have posted this information. I am not going to feel sorry for you, because it sounds like your son has a pretty incredibly loving at the time uninformed mommy. Stuff happens, and I for one think you are very special to pass this information to other uninformed parents. My kids are grown but I am going to pass this all on. Thank you and God Bless you and your family.
There is not a single point in your piece I disagree with. NOT ONE!
My background is science and specifically sports science but I inclined towards physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, immunology for personal reasons and being an avid trainee, professional athlete and stubbornly inquisitive, I never accept anything without understanding it.
This led me to research every single thing that you have mentioned and more and I arrived at these conclusions 7-8 months after my eldest sons birth.
The only thing that I did do, once on that list was my sons first vaccination and it was done out of laziness and pressure from the medical professionals. Although they have their campaigns I blame my laziness for it. We didn’t give him any shots when he was born, or anything up to 6 months. We basically hated doctors from the get go anyway but govt’s here in oz are pretty anal about medical checks. So when it came to 7-8 months and the doctor realised that we hadn’t given him his shots, out he came with the pressure. We gave in, which I completely regret today.
My son was vibrant, healthy, strong, robust and had excellent motor skills and control. The same day literally, that he received his first shots (MMR) he went into withdrawal. His eating diminished, his alertness, attention, well being, strength and health withered away in days. in a week he lost half his body weight. We went to the doctor and he palmed it off as nothing and tried to prescribe anitbiotics. My wife threw the prescription in the bin.
Right then and there I knew that vaccinations were not all that they seemed and something was not quite right. Immediately I began researching more and within days I had made up my mind and was convinced of their inefficacy. Lucky I had a science background and could easily comprehend the basics of physiology, biochemistry and the rest. I also had a deep interest in child development, growth and ageing and how it all relates to education and learning. It didn’t take long before I saw multiple systems at play.
We literally began detoxing, and natural methods of chelation. I bought a top of the line water filtration system with money I didn’t even have but I didn’t care. I ended up paying it off and it was the best decision I ever made.
It took that one experience with my son to realise that I had to be like the fighter I was trained to be. At the time I was a professional kick boxer and it occurred to me all my ‘toughness’ was to waste if I couldn’t even muster the efforts, will, and execution plan to protect my family and arm them to the tee with the best health and education and opportunities in life.
That meant being a staunch front liner in every single aspect of their lives.
My son never really recovered quickly. He became a little more withdrawn and showed some signs of autistic behaviour. At the time I was also looking deeply into the psychiatric and psychology fields which I also have more than a few nasty words to say about, but not now. Needless to say, I saw the exploitation that those fields partook in towards autistic children and parents of those children and was not impressed. I therefore was reluctant to accept the title and nearly beheaded a person who casually remarked my son was autistic because of certain behaviours.
It was just not something I was going to accept, period.
I firmly believe that that helped us not giving up, ever and constantly searching and looking for more answers, research, knowledge and the like.
We created our own detox, natural chelation and behavioural methods to help my son. He came out of his shell eventually and normalised after about a year but the damage was evident as we watched his siblings grow.
Although he is extremely articulate, bright, has an amazing ability to grasp concepts, is thoroughly creative and imaginative, has zero behavioural issue and has a memory that is phenomenal (he has memorised over 50 chapters with an average of 20 verses a chapter of holy texts), his motor skills didn’t quite develop as well as his siblings physically. His siblings are physical monsters, highly athletic, fast, co-ordinated and strong. He just lacks the co-ordination and I believe it was the vaccination that interrupted an important time of his development neurologically and has continued to keep him lagging behind. We’ve increased his training since the age of 2 in professional gymnastic instruction to help bring him back up to speed but it still takes him much longer than his younger siblings to develop the requisite skills for movement.
My other 3 children have never been vaccinated, they haven’t even been prick tested. All haven’t had an antibiotic, they haven’t drank a sip of tap water. They have never touched soft drinks and we are selective in any junk food they have. They have never touched Mc Donalds. They play shirtless in the sunlight, they don’t watch blaring alpha rays beam out of televisions, they run until their little hearts are about to burst through their chests. They have never hurt a child and they are loved by all wherever they go because of their temperaments. They are also all homeschooled but before we hear of all the worriers of ‘social development’, they have better and busier social lives than their mother and myself. They also have each other.
They all participate in daily physical training and do it with pleasure and even at their little ages are completely cognitive of the benefits of hard physical exertion.
None take anti-biotics, we have no fluoride toothpaste. When any of them are sick with a cold or flu, they remain completely functional and continue their days like normal and are never bed ridden. They also recover naturally in a couple of days.
Their is a myriad more that we also do on a day to day basis but the winning factor that I want to highlight in all of this is that in 9 years (after the first episode with my son at 7-8 months of age) they have never seen the inside of a doctors office for any ailment.
You all have your own journey’s but we definitely believe in ours because we consciously chose to steer the rudder of our ship.
We firmly believe their great health is due to our efforts and more importantly our willingness to take charge and responsibility.
We leave no stone unturned. Everything from the clothes they wear to the education they receive, we have taken responsibility of.
The state owes us nothing, govt’s owe us nothing. We believe we burden the system/s next to nothing and this is how every single human being should be. State schools are not burdened by us, national medical care is not burdened by us, social fabric and tax payers are not burdened by us but I believe one day, in the not so distant future when humans have forgotten their identity, how to live like a human, how to act like one, how to function and breathe like one because they are so weighed down by what govts, peer groups and media has confused them into believing that is the way to live, my children will be part of the group of revolutionaries who will be their to hold the hand of humanity and guide them back to our ways that allowed us to live better for thousands of years in the past as opposed to die quicker and with a myriad more problems than ever in the last 100 years.
So yes moumtain mama I agree with you, you did give your son Autism. He was YOUR responsibility. Every single parent has that responsibility. I believe ultimately whether people want to accept it or not, deep down every human knows the REAL effort they put through and try as they may, they cannot ultimately lie to themselves.
Whilst I agree with you that it is your fault, their is absolutely no sense in staring at a closed door. Open another one, have hope, have faith, keep trying, keep working, don’t give up and be optimistic of the future. You are now armed. You now have a torch that bares light.
You’re not the first and wont be the last to make the mistakes you did but use them like you have in this piece to keep educating the masses.
It’s taken me 10 years of efforts near daily to get through the skulls of people around me. Direct family and friends who all thought I was crazy. Now, they are in complete agreement with me when they see the evidence in my children’s development.
They learned in their own time and way that what I preached was not some rant of a hippie. Friends now with their own kids born, not vaccinating, not medicating and their children all robust, strong as hell and happy and functional.
What is really disturbing to me is how quickly so many people just want to dismiss your own experiences and beliefs.
Here is a mother who has gone to ends grief to make sense of her sons and families ordeal and when she has finally come to her own conclusion, you all want to act like the very people that fed her bullshit and claim none of what she says is true. You lot doing this have some nerve.
She doesn’t need our sympathy but she also doesn’t need your bullshit assessments of her beliefs. I have more faith in someone like her who takes responsibility and takes a stand to believe in something than people like you who parrot the status quo and pass it off as your own conclusions like you consciously chose to believe everything you practice. Note, the operative word is CONSCIOUSLY!!
Good job, nice post and I’m so glad your children are natural and healthy. The natural state of a human is perfect health.
I applaud you for your blatant honesty, your authentic and crazy deep retrospection of yourself and your choices, and your willingness to share such deeply controversial thoughts with an unforgiving world. I have made some very poor and unfounded choices for my three boys. I have also made some very good choices. Your article helped me to rethink a couple of those poor choices and decide to do something differently. Thank you. I look forward to reading what’s to come from you!
Three words to live by:
The Son-Rise Program
Thinking Moms love Son-Rise. I think at least 5 of us have gone through it.
I’m so sorry about your struggles. It’s encouraging to see the information shared though. Thank you for your openness! It is so helpful for future mamas like me.
From skimming some of the comments it looks like you already get CLO from Green Pastures so you may have already read about this, but I still thought I would share… I have little personal experience with autism, but I follow the Weston A. Price Foundation’s dietary guidelines and am considering going on the GAPS diet for other reasons. In the little research I’ve done so far, I’ve read a lot of positive testimonials from parents of autistic children. Here’s a link to Dr. Mercola’s article on it and interview with its creator, but if you just google GAPS diet, it brings up lots of information! http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/07/31/dr-natasha-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps-nutritional-program.aspx
Best of luck! And thank you again for sharing.
I have read your article with a feeling of recognition. I don’t have children, but I teach middle school and have taught high school in the past. Something is going seriously wrong with our children, even if what is wrong isn’t as serious as autism.
In my small private school–I only have ten students–fully half have ADHD. By this I don’t mean that they have trouble sitting still. I mean that their emotions are abnormal. They have learning difficulties. They melt down over the smallest stresses. These kids come from a variety of backgrounds, but most of the parents are fundamentalist Christians who tend to be rather strict with their kids. No one can argue that this problem is due to the kids being “spoiled,” or indulged.
When I was a kid, nearly every child knew his multiplication tables by the end of third grade. Now, I have 3 student out of ten–in middle school–who don’t know their multiplication tables. One more has an imperfect grasp of this concept. Of my ten students, five have ADHD, one of those five has Aspergers as well, two have both dyslexia and dyscalculia. One will probably turn out to be a sociopath.
Only two of ten students are fully normal. We are not talking about kids who live in desperate poverty in Appalachia or the inner cities, either. The parents are middle class, caring, and often very wonderful.
By the way, I have encountered the same phenomena in public schools as well. There have always been kids with problems, but the rate seems far higher now.
Our kids are struggling, damaged. We need to find out why.
Thank you for sharing. I work at National Autism Resources so I have surrounded myself with children with wonderful parents, like youself that live each day a little bit differently. We are happy with the little things.
Thank you for your post. I’m trying to find answers as my youngest daughter was recently diagnosed with ASD. I have an older daughter who is a bright well adjusted 7 year old. I too made these same mistakes with my oldest child…who is fine. I stayed home, had a stressless pregnancy. SHE is the one with Autism. I made the most mistakes with my oldest child eho is
I just want to say I share your guilt times …. too many. I was a very young mother and did everything the doctors said for a little while then started thinking for myself. However- everything you named in your article – I did too (except c-section). I noticed a marked decline after a particular set of vaccinations in each and everyone of my kids. I understand it does not happen with every kid but it did mine – all of them. I too have an Auto-immune disorder – Multiple Sclerosis and have apparently had it for a good long time just no one ever knew the name for it. At any rate – long story short I have 4 kids – three of them are on the Autism Spectrum and one has other complications. If I had it to do all over again I would have done none of it – especially vaccinations. I share your guilt each and every single day – My kids are older now 21,20,17 and 16 and for the most part they are doing pretty well and I am so proud of them for that. It hurts them I think to know they are not what people would consider “normal” but they have learned to live with and compensate for certain things. It hurts me to see them struggle – it truly pain my heart. I am a firm believer though that we learn from the struggles in our lives and I watch my kids grow more and more as time goes by. They struggle sometimes and I am there for them when they do but I refuse to “do it for them” because I KNOW they CAN find a way to do for themselves. I help but I do my best not to help too much. My 21 year old lives on her own with her girlfriend in West Virginia and she does very well and she is very loved. My 20 year old works out on the road 8 months out of the year with an amazing company and his boss is very awesome. He says my son has come a very long way in the last year out there on the road and he always has my son’s back. When My son is in off the road he stays with us until he is ready to go off to college. My youngest boy – he struggles so much more and it hurts me to see BUT he is learning and he IS making strides to move forward – he is 16 and he lives with his father full time. My 17 year old girl is “nuero typical” but has many other struggles – comprehension issues, brain damage from a particularly bad siezure, epilepsy, OCD and anxiety like I have never seen before. All in all she is doing well though – she is a very responsible young lady. Anyhow – I just wanted to share and let you know that you are not alone in the guilt department. I also want to say that there are bright days (as I am sure you know) and that great things are possible – I have NO CLUE how my kids turned out so well (they are FAR from perfect as none of us are perfect) because I was young and I had not a single clue when it came to anything – I was just a baby having babies. Kids have such a funny and endearing way of making the world work for them – they are resilient and loving and kind and well…. they are everything. I hope that I did not offend you in any way – Just sharing my thoughts and positive outlook.
~DeeDee~
There have been great success with children with autism using oral and Iv chelation to remove heavy metal toxicity. I would highly recommend looking into it. Thank you for sharing this. I hope that other mothers will not have to go through what you have because of this.
I would have fallen in the ‘response 3’ category, but I before I could, I got angry. Very angry. No, not with you.
You trusted health- care professionals. You relied on their advice and their assurances. They told you things were safe and you used them… or allowed them to be administered to yourself or your baby. I can’t blame you for that.
Yes, you shouldn’t have been drinking so much coke. But again, you didn’t know it was as dangerous as it turned out to be.
I am sharing this on my blog. I hope reading this might save another mother from the guilt that you are now living with.
Take care of you. You didn’t deserve this. Nobody does.
Dagny
I saw your article and had to read it. I am also responsible for my daughter’s Asperger’s Syndrome type of Autism, she is now 20 and married and pregnant with her first child, my first grandchild!! I had not known of all of the causes that you have mentioned which I am also guilty of 7 of them, all but the pitocin and c section. What made me come to the conclusion that her Asperger’s is my fault is an article I came across about Fibromyalgia. I have been researching it alot since being diagnosed 5 years ago. The article I am referring to was about Vitamin D deficiency. I had a very low level, optimal levels are between 50- and 80, mine was 3, so I was put on a very high dose for several months and still fighting my levels. Then my 16 year old second daughter was found to have low Vitamin D hers was 15. She has alot of the symptoms I had as a child so I started looking for link between Fibro and Vitamin D levels, which about 80% of those with Fibro have low Vitamin D. While reading the different articles about Vitamin D levels I came across several articles that said that a mother to be with low levels of Vitamin D have been linked to Autsim. Here is one of them:
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2009/apr2009_The-Link-Between-Autism-and-Low-Levels-of-Vitamin-D_01.htm
So with you also having Fibro if you have not already have your Dr test your vitamin levels especially the Vit D, Vit B12 and Magnesium, they don’t know why but these 3 vitamin levels are predominantly low in people with Fibromyalgia
My son is 2 I’m giving him amoxicillin ,what do you think about just plain amoxicillin
It is always so heartbreaking to hear the
Devastating results big pharma profiteering is having on our children’s health. To take advantage of the extreme vulnerability of a mother’love for her child should, and I hope will ,
Be punishable by criminal law! I guess if we all vigilant to their toxic deceptions this can happen.
A good friend of mine is having miraculous results with his asperergers
Son with a superfood called Laminine.
Google it!! The research is well worth the read. I can post his testimonial if there is interest.
My deepest sympathy to all mothers who are caring for children damaged by our ‘medical’ system and all power to the informed revolution making them accountable for this gross injustice!!
I am so sorry about the pain that you feel. My son also has ASD, and I feel tremendous guilt about some of the decisions that I made as well. If it makes you feel any better I don’t think that any of the factors listed above were crucial in the development of our kids ASD. After looking at the data, I believe the high levels of vitamin D that we give our babies via vitamin D drops, baby formula, milk, and other forms of supplementation and fortification is the crucial factor in the development of most cases of autism.
Please, if anyone sees this, check out “The Gerson Therapy” It’s all natural and can undo any harm done to any babies/ children/ adults all with organic fruit and veggies. You can find lots of info about this on Netflix. Cleansing the system of toxins can do wonders. My cousin just got a clean bill of health after being diagnosed with breast cancer 1 year ago using this therapy. Please please please check it out.
I also have a gorgeous son who is 7 and happens to have high functioning autism (my ex husband was tested and results where that he and my ex mother in law have aspergers which is hereditary)
To be honest I felt that there were only signs that something wasn’t progressing correctly when my son was almost 3 and after his mmr booster.
There are so many things we can blame for our children having autism the list nowadays is endless.
The main thing is how will this make our children feel?
Do we want them to feel that they are a punishment or are the cause of something and we are constantly feeling guilty for their existance?
I know this is not exactly what you are saying and you love you child, but constantly blaming yourself will effect your childs confidence in the long run.
Our children are our gift and are utterly wonderful just the way they are (as im sure u feel)
I would stop blaming yourself and congratulate yourself for producing such a gorgeous child who obviously loves you very much.
When your child has autism I know there are good and bad days.
But spend your life just living, laughing and loving. Be thankful your little one is here and please
DONT BLAME YOURSELF xx kindest thoughts and wishes for the future x
Recurrent ear infections in infants are surprisingly common and frequently the result of birth trauma over-compressing the bones of the head and mandible. A good craniosacral therapist, particularly one who specializes in babies, can frequently resolve the compression within a single visit, relieving the pressures that made the area vulnerable to infection. This happened to my second son, who was born in brow presentation. After 8 months of ear infections, I took him to a Craniosacral therapist who specialized in infants. One visit ended all of his ear infections.
A lot of people discount these sort of articles with the argument that Autism is a genetic condition. These people need to do a bit of research about epigenetics – or how the environmental influences impacting mother and fathers pre conception, mothers and bub in utero during pregnancy, and the child after birth, can change how the genome is expressed. I believe this is why many kids develop autism post vaccination- it flips something in the genetic expression, and the latent disease in the genes is expressed. Great article. Brave and honest.
My heart goes out to you…I can’t imagine what you are going thru…I did so many of those things too but we believed our doctors?!? Not anymore I now question everything! Have you looked into glutathione for boosting immune…I’ve seen amazing results with autism with many people. Please feel free to contact me if you want more info! I have reported your blog on all my pages…hoping it will help others question and research.
I understand and live with the fact I gave my son Autism too. Oh if I could go back in time and make a much more informed decision. I will be sharing your post and hope it saves someone from the guilt I live with. Thank you for being brave and sharing your story.
We have not been given the insight to make informed decisions. I must also say that there are many people that have dealt with the same issues and do not have a child with Autism.
I agree with everything you wrote Mountain Mama, and Karen. I do commend you for your bravery in telling the truth. Many women will listen, investigate, and make informed choices. Thank you both.
Please read about Dr NAtasha she cured his son from Autism.
http://www.doctor-natasha.com/dr-natasha.php
Best wishes
Beautiful Mumma!
I want to hug you – not because I pity you, I don’t. Not because I understand your story, because I don’t (although I can try to imagine).
I want to hug you as an act of solidarity and support.
Have you heard of the GAPS Diet & Protocol (developed by neurologist/nutritionist Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride? I won’t give too much away – I’ll let you do your own research – but needless to say, you may be excited at the possibilities it may offer your family.
I pray many blessings, peace, and health for you and yours.
Vashti
I just wanted to say that I feel for you and will be praying for you and your son.
I wrestled with many of these questions after my son’s diagnosis four years ago, and felt much of the pain you are feeling now. The only reason I got through that period was because, after much prayer and thought, I realized that as painful as it was to see what my son was going through, guilt was not productive, and it was not helping him. And more importantly, Jesus died for my sins and had already forgiven me, so maybe, just maybe, it was ok to forgive myself. No excuses for what I had done or not done, just forgiveness.
And it IS ok to forgive yourself. In fact, it is important, because that guilt drains energy away from what is most important now: helping your child have the best life he possibly can. God has given me the ability, the motivation, and the resiliency to do what I have to do now. I can’t change the past, but I can help him to have a better future.
God bless you and your son, and I sincerely hope that you can find peace so that you can move forward.
Thank you for your courage and honesty. It’s breathtaking, and I commend you for doing so.
As a chiropractor, I’ve worked with kids with autism. The two specific young boys that come to mind developed it shortly after vaccination. The moms suffered tremendous guilt with it, so I can understand your journey through this as well.
However, we’ve seen HUGE changes in these boys since they started chirorpactic care. One is no longer considered to be autistic.
I would be more than happy to help you find a chiropractor that lives locally to you if you don’t see one already, and I wish you all the best in caring for your beautiful son:)
Hey there, I’m just wondering if you have ever looked into Donna Gates’ The Body Ecology Diet. She’s having great success through putting young children with Autism on a diet rich in friendly bacteria and cultured foods. It’s kind of amazing. She can’t publicly make any claims about curing autism, but having met her in person I know she believes it to be possible. Especially under a certain age.
My oldest is on the spectrum and his story is very similar to your little one. Now I’m pregnant again and I’m sufficiently terrified. I’ve been toting Dr Sears’ The Autism Book like its my personal bible and my extended family thinks I’m paranoid and delusional. Not to mention that I’ve irreparably offended my older sister because she has an autistic child and does not believe anything could have prevented that.
I’m so sorry for your situation. I can’t understand that people still think this is all genetic. It has pretty much been proven that there are two components: a genetic component and an environmental one. That is why the rates of autism are skyrocketing: because we live in a chemical world and pretty much everything we touch and eat is contaminated. I’m pretty certain I poisoned my 6 year old as a baby with BPA. At the time it was in all the plasitc baby bottles and I actually HEATED THEM UP IN THE MICROWAVE. It was only a few seconds to make the water room temperature, then I’d add the powder and shake. But I did it day after day for a year. I’m pretty sure she has ADHD. I haven’t had her tested but it’s so hard for her to stay focused and she’s always been bouncing off the walls. My second daughter is 3, and I thought I would be a much better mom by buying the bpa free bottles, and I still HEATED THEM UP IN THE MICROWAVE thinking they were perfectly safe. Now, of course, we are finding out that the chemical used to replace BPA is just as bad if not worse. If any of you are pregnant and reading this, I implore you to buy glass bottles and used glass or stainless steel sippy cups. And especially while you are pregnant, never ever heat up food in tupperware and eat it: the plastic leaching goes right to the baby. You can google it. I think the only thing I did RIGHT was NOT vaccinate or give antibiotics. Other then the ADHD my girls seem very healthy and when they get a cold I give them Standard Process vitamins (you can buy them from a chiropractor or naturopath) and the cold/flu never develops. I hope if I can get just one mom to realize that our environment plays a huge factor in these neurological disorders I will feel like this post was useful. Please buy glass and we very careful about what you put in your body! If it wasn’t made by nature, it’s probably not worth it.
I don’t disagree that the role of environmental toxins in autism development is understated. The problem is that we just don’t have that much control over it. There are a lot of environmental toxins we absorb just by having to eat, drink, and breathe on this current planet. There’s also a component of it that is just random. You can do everything in your power as a parent and your child can still develop autism (from that combo of environmental and genetic components). Meanwhile there are plenty of kids eating food microwaved in plastic and eating HFCS who do fine. If you can control those things, then absolutely do. There are some people who can’t (due to money or access to knowledge). And I don’t think it’s constructive to blame ourselves for doing the best we could with the knowledge we had at the time.
It’s also important that moms *do* understand that the individual genetic component is strong, as well as the role of random environmental differences. It is nearly impossible for any one person to say “I did this to my child” with certainty, because you don’t know how strong the genetic component is in your case. In my family, it is: I’m a (fraternal) twin and my autistic brother and I grew up in the exact same environment. (Without ultrasounds and c-sections, by the way, neither of us would have survived, because he went into fetal distress at 34 weeks).
Anyway, I am all for those who want to take proactive steps to minimize the toxins in their kids’ lives. I think it’s abhorrent the number of environmental toxins we’re exposed to every day. There’s more mercury in many fish species than there is in thimerosol (which is no longer used in vaccines). My point is just that there are toxins all around us. Knowing that, I don’t think it’s good to avoid medical treatments with proven benefits (ultrasounds,vaccines) and no scientific link with autism – even if they contain small amounts of unnatural substances. We’re exposed to such substances on a daily basis. It’s a wicked problem for society and one that we need to be working on harder.
I so sorry this happened to you…I also had the same problems for my 2nd child,but she is fine…had plenty ultra sounds,plenty of drugs etc but she is fine….!
You did not let this happen to your child it(sad though) was meant to be.
I have seen plenty of evil with my own eyes…things happen…brought upon by past curses from family etc…prayer helps
My thoughts resonate so much with yours words on your journey, thankyou for your blog. The comment that I would like to share for all parents of children with autism is to encourage you to investigate the SonRise Program – it is, in my view, the most respectful, loving and effective program to help recover children from Autism in the world. Check it out, you won’t regret it! 🙂
I just wanted to say, I think this was incredibly written. I too have a child that has had issues since delivery and technically even my pregnancy was completely different than my other two and we won’t find out specifically what his official diagnosis is until next month. It has been a long 10 years of dealing with professionals who have done everything but appropriately treat my son and prescribed medication that they insisted he needed, would not listen to me about their effects and instead of taking him off them would experiment with the dosage or apply another medication with them. We wasted three years on an ADHD diagnosis and the only way they finally listened to me was when I secretly took him off his medication for a few months, compiled a bunch of proof that his behavior was related to the medication not ADHD through daily journaling, school reports, teacher reports, etc.. and then threw it in their face. I pushed for learning disability testing and…severe discrepancy in 5/8 areas some being a 90% discrepancy yet with an IQ on the borderline of mildly gifted. He is 10, he has been tested 3 times since age 5 and the first test showed he had borderline intellectual functioning….I had no clue 5 years ago about any of the severe effects of vaccines, medications, etc. and it has been my constant research that has opened my eyes to the reality of having to question everything I expose them to. It is posts like these which are factual, honest, informative, and eye opening that I LOVE. Thank you for making my day!
While I will certainly agree that our current environment, nutrition & diet, and system of health care are often very detrimental to our health, that a more holistic and health-full approach should be taken to the way we live our lives, and that we need to be discerning in what we expose ourselves and our children to, I can’t agree with this mom’s conclusions about what “caused” her son’s autism.
To cite her first point about autism and prenatal ultrasounds – the article she links to cites research from the 1980s and 1990s (none of which is actually linked to from that article, so those ‘studies’ cannot actually be verified). A randomized control trial [the gold-standard of clinical research] performed in 2012 studied 2,800 children and found no increased rate of autism among children who received 5 ultrasounds in utero versus children who received 1 ultrasound in utero (in fact, those who received only 1 had a higher rate of autism, though it’s not statistically significant). I’m not going to go through the rest of the claims she makes, but it’s likely that the ‘scientific research’ she states isn’t research that is truly valid.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22456820
This is a paper out of Harvard from this year that comments on the similarities seen at a molecular level in autism and also in cells exposed to high amounts of radiation. However, the first sentence of paragraph two states “Reviewing these similarities does not prove that these parallels imply causality.” Determining causality is a dangerous leap to make. It’s not unlikely that radiation exposure could be associated with an exacerbation of autism – and perhaps future research will determine that radiation exposure is particularly harmful to a fetus who is genetically predisposed to developing autism. But to say that 5 prenatal ultrasounds caused her son’s autism is not a supportable claim, as of yet.
http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/…
Her argument against fluoride is a point that needs to be considered. A meta-analysis out of the Harvard School of Public Health reviewed 27 studies and concluded that a relationship between high fluoride exposure and decreased IQ is possible, but that further research needs to be done (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491930/). I am willing to admit that our current public health, dental, and medical practices may at some point be proven to be harmful instead of beneficial, so concerns about current practices are okay. I agree that drugs, c-sections, high fructose corn syrup, excessive fluoridation, and other various prenatal exposures are not good things. However, one has to remember that millions of people are exposed to these things and never develop autism, so a causal relationship isn’t exactly a supportable claim.
Also, her claims about the risks of Pitocin and the risks of ultrasounds come from an article written by a chiropractor. I think chiropractors are great and I think they serve an essential role in a health care team. I do not think that they have sufficient medical education to make unfounded claims (those not backed by methodologically sound scientific research) about the “adverse health effects” of certain medical procedures.
Autism is real, autism is heart-wrenching for parents, and autism is something that needs to continue to be studied. Parents (and people in general) should continue to be thoughtful about the choices that they make that affect their bodies and the bodies of their kids. But, parents should also stop blaming themselves for their child’s autism and they should also stop blaming the [imperfect] health care system (at least until there is true evidence to back up the idea that they are to blame). There is a huge amount of research that is currently being done to identify the etiology of autism spectrum disorders, but there is no conclusive evidence yet of specific causes.
Jaden,
You doubt the evidence against ultrasound, however, have you thought about Ellisman (1987), a rat pup study, designed to approximate the human condition, where a mere 0.135mW/cm2 SPTA intensity caused “frank demyelination” in all exposed pups?
Without confirming that study, the industry-dominated FDA raised fetal ultrasound levels 8-fold in 1991-1992. Have you wondered why Ellisman is not discussed?
And there is Ang et al (2006), the mouse study. Low intensity ultrasound of only 5 minutes exposure resulted in neuronal dispersion in the fetal brain. At 30 minutes exposure that damage was consistently found.
Have you thought about the obvious financial conflicts of interest inherent in the strange history of fetal ultrasound irradiation? Is it really worth it?
Have you just looked around at every child you’ve personal observed and noticed the problems at birth? It’s not 1 out of 100, or 1 out of 50.
Thank you for this, Jaden. You stated everything I wanted to say, but much more eloquently!
In response to your statement that chiropractors do not have sufficient medical education to make unfounded claims: Chiropractors actually have more hours of medical education then medical doctors. Chiropractors have 4485 hours of class verses MDs who have 4248 hours. Chiropractors go through an immense amount of schooling to receive a “Doctor of Chiropractic” degree (also known as a D.C.). All chiropractors are DOCTORS. Their collegiate agenda is as follows:
– Graduate from a four year college.
– Completing at least two years undergraduate study, with a focus on the sciences.
– Four years of Chiropractic Education.
– Take mandatory internships.
– At least 900 hours of work in a Chiropractic Clinic.
– After graduating, pass written and oral board exams, at national and state levels.
A Chiropractor may opt to choose to advance their degree in an area of specialty. These areas include: Chiropractic neurology, radiology, sports medicine, as well as many other fields.
Sadly, some people still seem to think that chiropractors are glorified massage therapists when in fact they are doctors with extensive medical training. Please check your facts before making broad, uneducated statements.
Thank you, Jaden, for being a voice of reason in this sea of superstition.
The situation is heartbreaking, but it becomes tragic when unreliable sources lead loving parents to blame themselves for “causing” something for which we simply do not yet know the causes. I know that even guilt over violations of unwritten (and untrue) rules sometimes provides more solace that admitting that we just don’t know, but this attempt to assuage that guilt by “informing” others to avoid the imagined monsters of everything anyone has ever uttered as “implicated” in causing autism only serves to falsely trap millions of other parents into stark paranoia during pregnancy and a lifetime of horrific, constant “what if’s” when a child develops autism or any other developmental problem.
They wonder how many anecdotes will convince us that all the best studies are wrong. The answer: when anecdotes prove that the science was wrong and it turns out that the sun and planets do revolve around the earth.
The very scientific method that provided us with germ theory and obstetric medical interventions that nowadays permit most 3rd trimester pregnancies to survive to term and live past 5 years old (instead of the 20-30% from the 19th century) is now somehow the villian at the heart of a ridiculous melodrama, stroking the tips of his handlebar mustache while all the parents and children are tied to the railroad tracks.
If you want to forego medical science in raising your kids, you are free to do that, just don’t blame the scientists or the doctors using that science when your baby dies of dehydration from diarrhea that could have been cured with a simple IV line, or your toddler gets tetanus and dies in horrible suffocation, or your child is orphaned because Dad died from a simple infection and Mom died just days after childbirth. But if you want to go back to those days, be my guest.
Is there currently too much dependence on Big Pharma to fund medical science? Yes! So please help reduce that by funding public research that is not controlled by a corporate CEO.
Does science “know everything?” No. If science knew everything, it would stop.
Science is nothing more than a method of careful observation, rigrous testing of ideas, and publication of conclusions that are supported by the testing data so that others can verify it. In the words of Steven Novella, “What part of that do you have a problem with?” If any of these charlatans who claim to know what causes autism or cures it could produce verifiable data to that effect, there is a million-dollar Nobel prize waiting for him/her. Any taker? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Telling parents that they broke their mothers’ backs by stepping on a crack, or caused someone to die because you said, “Candyman” three times at midnight, or caused their child’s autism because you got an ultrasound (or 5) is just plain mean – and still false.
I think that feeling guilty about our children is just part and parcel of being a parent, despite our best efforts. But I will say this. I was born in 1961, my brothers in 1959 & 1962 in the days before ultrasound existed. Two of us are autistic, my youngest brother who was born premature with all sorts of problems, is not. None of us are C-Sections. I have four sons, all from C-Sections and only 2 of 4 are autistic. (We are all high-functioning, btw. My brother is an MD). My mother did not drink things with HFCS, nor took acetaminophen. We don’t really know what “causes” autism, or if it’s a genetic condition. I can look back in my family tree and see a bunch of autistic people who were born before vaccines and antibiotics. Because we are very intelligent, successful and financially well off, people don’t think of us as autistic, but as peculiar or difficult (depending whether they like us, or not).
Even if you in fact, did “give your son autism”, which it is not my intention to argue, consider that he knew when he came into this life that this is how he chose to be. It may not have been your choice for him, but it is how he came to life his life. Your guilt, doesn’t do anyone any benefit, least of all your son. You did the best you knew with the information you had and that is all that could ever be asked of anyone.
Can autistic people hold down jobs. Can they get married. I am worried about my son who is autistic. My son is 2 years, was verbal but but now isn’t. My son is very clever, just started him on diet. The dad is a mathematician
Of course! Try Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, all the founders of the Information Age. Or definitely check out Dr. Temple Grandin, who changed the world and continues to today, but was nonverbal at 4 in the 1950s and her mom was told to institutionalize her. Did you know there is a whole subculture of individuals on the web who are amazingly articulate genius-level writers but are nonverbal due to stimuli? My child ‘lost’ his verbal abilities for a while bc he was so freaked out trying to process the environment. We worked with him and he is in the autistic program at school and being recommended for the gifted program as well. It is all in your commitment and how much you learn and where you choose to learn from and how you choose to see your child…flawed or gifted.
Have you ever heard of Dr Natasha Mcbride and the GAPS diet? Also the benefits of fermented food and the gut and brain connection. Fermented foods such as saurkraut or homemade live yogurt or kombucha or kefir can help recukture the gut and in turn have a positive effect on the brain. I’m not claiming its the cure all, but it’s worth a shot! 🙂 blessings to you as you navigate your childs healthcare. Check out mercola.com and search for dr Natasha mcbride.
Blessings,
From one mama to another 🙂
There is a large component of autism development that is hereditary. Take my life’s story. I’m a fraternal twin. My brother and I were born at 32 weeks by c-section because he was in distress. My brother is autistic. I am “neurotypical” even though we were exposed to the exact same womb conditions, ultrasounds, birth/c-section, and the same vaccines, antibiotics, environmental toxins, food, household environment, and medical treatments for at least our first three years of life. In fact, we were born by c-section precisely because my brother was in distress, which in ways we don’t understand probably is related to his autism. So it’s hard to say the c-section caused his autism, at least in his case.
One story does not produce scientific evidence but I think it’s a good illustration that as far as we currently know there is a huge component of autism that is simply not controllable. One can avoid all of the things above (some of which certainly should be avoided for general health reasons) and still have a child with autism. I can’t speak for anyone’s else experience but women should understand that in many cases there is a large component of autism that is not their fault.
Fraternal twins do not necessarily have the same environment — in terms of ultrasound. There is still a variety of ultrasound exposure.
Ultrasound is like a light beam. One twin fetus may get a stronger dose, a more direct hit, or higher dwell time, than the other, and in primarily different locations, and more sensitive locations. One fetus can shield the other from ultrasound.
Don’t be hard on urself it’s not like you did it on purpose. You could have done all these things and still have a healthy child if it was meant to be. It’s not ur fault. U r a good mom and ur son loves u. Focus on that. Regards
You have hit the nail on the head, many of us have given our children Autism. Unfortunately, children suffer because of their parents sin. Each time we have our children vaccinated, give them chemical-ladened food, plonk them infront of the tv for hours at a time, ignore them and reject them in other ways, they suffer. I have a 10 year old with Autism, and I know it is my fault. My ‘God’ became my work, and I often left my son to watch tv and do other things so I could work. I rejected him at the most basic level a Mum can reject her son. Then I continued to reject him by many of the above ways as you have.
It is easier for parents to say that it has just happened, it’s genetic, it’s caused by a brain issue etc, than to take responsibility for it. No one likes to think that we have hurt our children in anyway.
Can I just say, to please trust your faith, that all can be healed. You talk a lot about your Catholic faith and how you grew up. I’m assuming that you took the Eucharist regularly? Are your children Catholic as well, and if so, do they take part in Masses and take the Eucharist? If not, I urge you to make this a part of their weekly life. The Healing power of the Eucharist is simply powerful. There are a few books on it, you can find information online, and there are testimonials of people who have been healed from taking the Eucharist regularly. I myself was healed of schizophrenia over a few months by converting to Catholicism and taking part in the Eucharist weekly, praying the Rosary daily and reading the bible. This was necessary after many years of dealing with clairvoyants/mediums/occult and having no idea what it was all about. I went from being in a mental institution, on horrific medication and not being able to even make a sandwich for my kids to take to school, to being truly free for the first time in my life, medication free since April, running my own business, doing canteen, classroom help, and loving life to the full.
Truly, please have faith that there is NOTHING that God cannot overcome if you just trust in him and have faith. He wants all of us to live life freely and fully. We need to co-operate with him and love our children by engaging with them fully, loving them unconditionally and disciplining them no differently as we would any of our other kids.
By the way, my 10 year old, who was diagnosed at 6 and used to head bang poles at school and was always that kid that did weird things…he is now being moved out of his special class into mainstream primary school and whenever I mention to anyone that he has autism, they don’t believe it at all.
I assure you, the Lord can heal – you just have to take up the offer
yep, “god” is the answer….
guess science has “left the building”.
This blog and the comments continue to amaze me.. No real science here at all just a lot of fabricated conspiracy theories and rife with pseudoscience.
Mumof4’s viewpoint is hardly a universal viewpoint.
And I always find it amusing when someone throws around the word “pseudoscience.” If you read anything from the Cochrane Collaboration(the gold standard in unbiased science — though there really is no such thing), you quickly find out that industry-sponsored science is the most likely to truly be “pseudoscience.” As an example, John Oliver did a show on sugar. Industry-sponsored science almost always said sugar was not a problem, while independent research almost always said that sugar was having a huge detrimental effect on people’s health. Which one is “pseudoscience”? Having found out how manipulated two keys studies on the connection between autism and vaccines (Verstraeten, et al 2004, and DeSefano, et al, also 2004) by CDC epidemiologists (who were working under Julie Gerberding who later left to run the vaccine division at Merck), it’s also likely that anything they have published is just as likely to be “pseudo.” But who throws the word “pseudoscience” around, and what are they using it to refer to? It’s extremely rare that people are using it to condemn highly manipulated science (like that which is sponsored by their industries). No it is usually people who really don’t want to acknowledge the science that disagrees with their worldview. There is nothing more “pseudo” than that. Enjoy your ignorance while you can.
As per usual, you go off and say a lot of words that really do not mean anything as the “whistle-blower CDC” situation was proved to be a lie.
now, typical of this Blog, you will come up with some pseudoscience – here’s a definition instead of your twaddle-
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-pseudoscience.html
Here also is a page of citations ( not pseudoscience) that are peer reviewed and researched, hence Science backed.
http://justthevax.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/75-studies-that-show-no-link-between.html
Here also is again a peer reviewed research article in regards to ct scans and xrays.. but again I know you will find something to refute it as science doesn’t seem to mean much on this blog.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160203134456.htm
But I included these peer reviewed research articles in for those new to autism, who stubble across this site and want to know the truth. I gave up trying to convince anyone regularly contributing to this blog as it seems here opinion trumps any facts.
As someone who works in the field, has a teenager on the spectrum and continuing my post grad degree in autism, I pop by to see what new theory/ opinions ( mostly not factual conspiracy theory in basis) has been thought up. Because it’s so much easier to blame something, to see tour child as defective and needing fixing then realising they are neurodevelopmentally different, think and perceive the world differently. Those on the autism spectrum have bee around as long as humans have. Why didn’t we see them pre-1980’s? because we locked them up.
So many on the autism spectrum have co-existing conditions that ignorance is saying “is all autism” when it is not. Early diagnosis and interventions ( such as TEACCH, SPELL, PECS, SCERTS, OT, SLT) are key. Understanding and assessment for Learning Difficulties are key as many on the spectrum also have them. understanding their sensory processing difficulties and profile are key to addressing any “behavioural” issues and addressing them.
But to continue to tell your children, and you do, because just because you think they aren’t listening and maybe even aren’t speaking DOES NOT mean they do not understand and aren’t hearing your conversations about them; that they need to be “fixed” is wrong on so many levels. We all need support in some way, all of us, so why do those on the Autism Spectrum need to be “fixed” instead of supported?????
my child is not less than
my child is not defective
my child in NOT VACCINE INJURED!
my child has autism.
my child is wonderfu and worthy.
Just as he is.
NO ONE at TMR believes that children with autism are “less than” anyone else, and frankly we’re getting sick and tired of people like you implying that we do. Am I “less than” someone else because my eyes do not work the way they are intended to work and as a result I have worn glasses since I was in second grade? I sure as hell don’t believe that. Does that mean I should pretend that my eyesight is just “neurological diversity” and equally as good as perfect eyesight? Are children with type 1 diabetes “less than” other children? Fuck, no. Does that mean depending on insulin to live is “normal” and attempting to change would mean “not accepting them as they are”? I think you can see how ridiculous that is. Then why is it so awful to try and restore a child’s neurological system to full function? A child with any level of autism will have a majority of primary reflexes testing in the dysfunctional range. Those reflexes are neurological circuits that provide us with the ability to protect ourselves and serve as functional building blocks for further neurological development. Would I rather my children’s neurological systems were functioning at an optimal level. You’d better believe I would. I’d love for them not to have to struggle to do things that most human beings find simple to do. Does that mean I consider them any “less than” anyone else in this world? You’d have to be out of your ever-lovin’ mind to believe that.
It’s a shame that your “work in the field” has not opened your eyes to what is happening around you. It’s clear that you don’t really understand science, given the links you post. The Cochrane Collaboration amounts to “twaddle” in your eyes, but you link to one of the most unscientific blogs out there (which, by the way, I will be removing because we don’t send people to websites known for intellectual dishonesty). Hint: just because a blog has “science” in its name doesn’t mean you can trust the interpretation in the text. In fact, just like industry-sponsored “science,” you are LESS likely to be able to trust it: https://thinkingmomsrevolution.com/autism-gene-misinformed/.
Of course you are going to remove it. Regardless of the site, the links are valid.. But hey, they don’t subscribe to your “theory” so the cherry picking again happens…
“In fact, just like industry-sponsored “science,” you are LESS likely to be able to trust it:”
Of course again, cause “big pharma” is out to get us! They aren’t any scientists in the vaccine industry that aren’t money grabbing evil people trying to harm children..
THAT IS illogical.
Resorting to cursing I’m afraid shows a lot.
Good luck in your fantasy
You didn’t read the link, did you? The reason you are LESS likely to be able to trust it is because they are LESS likely to be being honest, whoever is sponsoring them. I don’t bother figuring out where the money is coming from. I simply evaluate the information they are presenting. If, like in the link, the blogger is using a scientific article or study to support a completely wrong conclusion (on the order of you “CT scans don’t cause autism because this link says they don’t cause cancer” conclusion), then they have made it clear that they don’t care the least bit about honesty or truth and we will not send people to their sites. The blog you linked is possibly the number one such offender.
Again, I never said, nor would I say “There aren’t any scientists in the vaccine industry that aren’t money grabbing evil people trying to harm children.” As a matter of fact, two of Merck’s OWN virologists are suing them because Merck forced them to produce fraudulent safety data on the mumps vaccine. Once again, you can’t accuse ME of being illogical for something that YOU made up: straw man fallacy, remember? I’ve noticed this pattern repeatedly in your comments. You might want to confine your counter-arguments in future to things people have actually said.
And “resorting to cursing” does show a lot as covered well in this article: http://www.star2.com/living/2015/09/27/big-smile-no-teeth-is-swearing-more-honest/.
Please don’t beat yourself up about these things!!! I really don’t think that you gave your son autism. You can’t live your life thinking this, I’ve done all the things on your list, my son doesn’t have autism. Just let it be, it is how it was supposed to be 🙂
Darla, you’re very kind. However, we want to work hard to prevent this from happening to anyone. It is never supposed to be.
Darla, thank you for your reply- saying specifically that your child does not have autism, yet you “did everything” warned about.
you know why that is?
Because it isn’t true. if it were then all who had CT scans, x rays, and vaccines would have children on the autism spectrum and guess what? they don’t.
This is a completely illogical argument. NO medical intervention affects all people the same way. There is too much diversity in human biology, and even more in the microbiomes we house. That means that no matter how one person reacts to a particular intervention, it cannot predict how another person will react. My mother chain-smoked most of her adult life, while my father never smoked a day. My father’s death certificate at the age of 68 says “lung cancer,” while my mother made it to 91 without a trace of lung cancer. If we were to go by the sample size of my parents, we would come to the utterly absurd conclusion that smoking has a PROTECTIVE effect against lung cancer, when we know from much larger sample sizes that cigarette smoking is so highly “correlated” to cigarette smoking that it’s clear cigarette smoking CAUSES lung cancer. The fact that lots of people exist who have chain smoked their entire adult lives without getting cancer doesn’t change that.
Ah but you still maintain X-rays, ct scans, vaccines DO cause autism???
Sorry, you lost me completely
Yours is a very illogical argument.
When have I, or for that matter ANYONE, EVER made the argument that CT scans or x-rays causes autism???? Much less “still maintain”??? The only one being “illogical” here is you as you are starting with a bogus premise. This is a fine example, in fact, of the logical fallacy known as “straw man”: https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/strawman.
By the way, CT scans and x-rays are performed so rarely in pregnancy that even if they DID cause autism, they could only be responsible for a very small proportion of overall cases. It’s already obvious that it’s wise to perform them in pregnancy only when absolutely necessary. And the link you posted on CT scans and x-rays was about cancer, not autism, which I am sure you will admit are hardly the same. Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer. Has anyone implied that because that is true, that means it causes autism? Certainly not.
“We’re rerunning this blog because of the recent news that a CDC researcher has come forward to say that he and his colleagues committed fraud in a 2004 study on the relationship between the timing of MMR vaccines and autism.”
“Ultrasounds? I had FOUR, the obstetrician told me they were “required”. Now I am MAD! All they ever found were a bit of “gas bubbles” in the intestine. Vaccines? My child had them too and I should have stepped in and not allowed some of them–after some Human Anatomy and Phys. classes and my own […]
Stress definitely has an effect. It can directly affect the neurological system. In addition, according to a questionnaire that Svetlana Masgutova gives the parents of children with autism who come to her, a very high percentage of those children have experienced traumatic events.”
Oh forgive me, I meant Ultrasound…
And if you do not think those on the autism spectrum aren’t “defective ” then why , why pray tell are you trying to “fix” them or blame autism on vaccines???? What is the point of this blog?
As for your remarks on my profession, how dare you! You do not know me or what I do. I would never comment on your profession yet I challenge you and you remark on mine.
You have showed yourself well. I hope others see through your so called “science” and I might add rude and arrogant tone.
It’s been fun. Thank you for providing more information for my up-coming paper.
Oh, so YOU confuse “ultrasound” with CT scans and x-rays, and I’M “unscientific” and “illogical”?
I don’t know what you do in your profession and I don’t care, but you have repeatedly made it extremely clear that you do not understand science. Period. Rude and arrogant? Clear case of projection going on. You come to OUR website flinging insults and incoherent accusations right and left and have the gall to call ME rude and arrogant for pointing out the inconsistencies in your arguments? Good luck with that.
It’s called sarcasm…
It’s all illogical and I don’t have time to go and pull out individual deluded posts on here…
Again, it’s all research for me, so reply away and thanks
Oohhhhhhhhh, it’s sarcasm, duh! *face palm * Since it’s just sarcasm then of course the insults and the accusations aren’t rude and arrogant, after all! What was I thinking? *eye roll*
^ I’m sure you’re thinking THAT sarcasm was rude and arrogant, though, aren’t you? 😉
Actually I have no idea What YOU are thinking.. That’s THE point!
Thanks.
Again keep going…
There are two ways to know what people are thinking, 1) LISTEN to them, and 2) ASK them. And you absolutely cannot learn what people are thinking by projecting YOUR narrow world view onto them. Try either of those approaches, and you will learn a lot.
“There are two ways to know what people are thinking, 1) LISTEN to them, and 2) ASK them. And you absolutely cannot learn what people are thinking by projecting YOUR narrow world view onto them. Try either of those approaches, and you will learn a lot.”
Interesting…
I could have said the Exact same thing to You!
It’s been “fascinating”… But I’m done with this nonsense now.
You “could say the exact same thing to me” BECAUSE you are not listening. You are completely unaware of the fact that I DO know what you are thinking because I HAVE been listening to you. I just don’t happen to agree with you because I ALSO listen to others — many, many others with radically different stories, experiences, and viewpoints from yours. You are like the blind man holding the tail of the elephant and thinking he has a true understanding of the elephant, while missing 90% of the picture.
“You “could say the exact same thing to me” BECAUSE you are not listening. You are completely unaware of the fact that I DO know what you are thinking because I HAVE been listening to you. I just don’t happen to agree with you because I ALSO listen to others — many, many others with radically different stories, experiences, and viewpoints from yours. You are like the blind man holding the tail of the elephant and thinking he has a true understanding of the elephant, while missing 90% of the picture.”
Back at you, could say the same regarding you. Difference is, I know and have the privilege of being taught by the leading experts here in the UK..
http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/education/acer/index.aspx
So your words are lost here…
Good luck in your delusions..
Sorry, but no. You have made it crystal clear to anyone reading your comments that you are not listening AT ALL to anyone who does not reinforce your current worldview. You JUST said you don’t know what I’m thinking, and I would bet that you have never made a truer statement. In addition, if that happened to be a lie and you WERE listening to me and knew what I was thinking, you would not have REPEATEDLY mischaracterized what I have said as you have done. Seriously, look back over previous interactions and note how many times you interact on the basis of ASSUMPTIONS rather than what someone has actually said.
I want to say more about Ultrasounds. Most people do not realize that a Doppler that is used to monitor baby’s heart is ultrasound technology as well and they scan your baby at every visit besides full Ultrasound screening they do. It’s also pretty strong. I researched it and said no to a Doppler. I was asked to leave the first midwifery and find some other group who can use fetoscope (I purchased it myself). Be aware new mothers! Especially, do not buy a Doppler to listen your baby’s heart at home several times a day. Ultrasound and brain damage in babies studies do exist. Do your research.
I would probably end up with the same problem you have if I did not loose my faith in traditional medicine while before I got pregnant. I don’t trust any doctor. I Had to pick temp Ped for my babies for a hospital delivery. We have family doctor who is very good and he does not think that vaccines are safe. As he said, he did his own research and he did not find any long term real safety studies.
Im response #2. I live with exactly what you live with. The guilt and the realization that you will never, ever, be able to take any of it back is the worst feeling in the world. Id do almost anything to turn back the clock. I was stupid. Good intentions count for nothing in the end.
Your story is so touching. You are obviously a person who has had a long and hard road and I think this article is not only courageous but a step to healing for all of you. I NEED you all to know that there IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO! I understand that some children are born with physical deformities that accompany their autism and there might not be much you can do for this but you can reverse autism in many cases. It has been done. One thing above all you can do now and every day is take zeolites. Zeolites are a class of minerals that are negatively ionized and attract everything from heavy metals to radioactive isotopes and trap them within their honeycomb like structure rendering them inert. You can heal the damage that has been done. Aloe vera, green smoothies, noni fruit, fermented cabbage, probiotics, and a healthy high raw diet can do amazing things for people (especially kids) with autism. But even if you don’t do anything else get your child zeolites! Put a bit in your water 3 times per day every day and you will notice differences within 3-months to a year. It takes time to detox that stuff but it happens. And to those people who have been saying they have or know someone who has autism without having done any of the things you have, you need to know that every generation accumulates chemical pollution from the environment and passes it on to the next generation. Pesticides have been around long enough that they alone have been causing complications for a long time and now we have soooo many other factors to worry about. Turn off the WiFi, eat organic, exercise, and eat zeolites to detox the heavy metals and chemicals that we get just from breathing the air these days. It is all we can do in our increasingly toxic world!
I kicked myself in the rear(and in the head, figuratively) for many of your same reasons:
Pitocin
Cirvidil, too (causes fetal distress)
Emergency csection
Fever reducers
Antibiotics after birth to prevent possible meningitis thought(From fever)
Vaccinations ( I stopped them at 6months)
Then I was introduced to the great drs Eric Rydland and dr Berger, and Stephanie cave’s book about vaccines, and I believe they helped me save my son’s life. I do sympathize with you. I was lucky enough to know of the hazards of sodas, fluoride, Tylenol, red 40 and antibiotics early on ..so I did my best to steer clear of those. But after a round of vaccinations that rendered our family in panic mode with our four month old seizures(he was given an old lot of dtap….expired and illegal) and a pediatrician who discouraged reporting an adverse reaction…nor agree to see my son without his six month shots agreed too, we were set free. I praise all if those around me who inspired me to go about my son’s future with grace and courage; and those who loved him and assured me nothing was wrong.
Bless you and your family. Hold on to your love. He will be better, one day! (You May also want to contact brain child Nutritionals, out of California, if you have not already)
Thank you for sharing and all those great comments ! I have lost faith in the Healthcare System a long time ago and I will always do my own research when it comes to my family health !
I live in Canada and do not need to vaccinate my child, but of course I have lost friends over this, been threatened already by one physician, that one day I will not get help for my child, when she gets sick ! People judge you and it takes a lot of courage to stand up to it, but we are not alone, there are many out there and its worth fighting ! I have been very sick many years ago, for reasons I don`t know, Doctors didn`t care, in there Eyes if your not dying it`s not important !
I did have a C section, because baby was small and breech, but very strong and sometimes I wish I would have at least tried a breech birth, since it is very common to have 5 pound babies in my family and I heard of a lot of healthy breech birth who happen by accidents, but I am happy my baby was born safe…… and sometimes one thing is ok. Except when it come to vaccines.
I have a great book suggestion, hope you guys will read it ! It has great info, well written and backed up by research, Jennifer Craig is amazing, she quotes a lot out of other books, which is great, cause she takes out an overview of many topics, just a great book to refer to !
http://www.amazon.com/Jabs-Jenner-Juggernauts-Look-Vaccination/dp/0955917743
Keep spreading the word and keep up your Courage Ladies !
Every point you made cut into my heart. I did not only made all those mistakes, I made them twice! And I could hang myself right now if I thought like you every moment of the day… I am a mom of two with Autism. My daughter is totally blind, medically fragile and diagnosed with ASD. My son, at first seamed perfect, but at 12 months old I started seeing the red flags that I knew very well from my daughter. He was diagnosed with PDD.
Days went by and I was miserable, to the point where I couldn’t think, talk, take care of my kids, just lied there. Started going to social worker, got on antidepressants, connected to some key people who thought me how to love my children for who they are. What’s done is done, you can’t go back, can you? I wish we all could with today’s knowledge, but it won’t happen. So, look forward! Look how to make your life happy with what you have. Don’t compare your child with others, but be happy about smallest achievement! Our children soak our emotions, anger, guilt, etc….Once I learned how to again be happy, I got happy children. Yes, every day is a struggle, but we dance, joke, sing,…. Work on yourself, you will help your child, too. Hugs.
You are a beautiful person. That was going to be part two of my story.
We turn out to be strong people! 🙂 XXX
I’ve read that a child with PANS/PANDAS (please google for lots of information on this controversial illness) can sometimes be misdiagnosed as being autistic or having OCD etc. I’ve also read that an autistic child’s symptoms can be exacerbated by PANS/PANDAS. VERY IMPORTANT – a negative strep throat culture and/or negative blood titers tests does NOT necessarily mean a child does not have PANDAS.
Good for you for putting the information “out there” so perhaps others may become more informed and militant about the healthcare their family receives. Your situation is awful, but it could be worse if you had remained a slave to the “idiot pediatricians”. (i will likely quote that frequently, props to you of course)
I have no human children, my own choice, but I understand the desire to do anything it takes to give them the best life I possibly can, and protect them from any form of harm.
Thanks for your website.
Thank you so much for sharing this my brothers severely autistic we think the mmr vaccine and a long birth/lack of oxygen may have caused it my little boy’s just turned 1 and they want him to have the mmr soon I’m so scared all the time as to if I’m doing the right thing I’ve been using floride toothpaste which I’m going to bin after reading your article!! just to think I been putting that poison near him is really upsetting so glad I found your article I was going to say my mum knows a lot about diet and vitamins that may help your son I don’t know if you have heard of dr rimland or Wakefield? But it’s seemed to make a big difference in my brother so if u like email me [email protected] and I’ll give u her number
I cannot begin to express how much I can understand your points. It’s amazing how much ignorance and naivety can impact so many lives when innocently you do what you think you’re supposed to in the name of bringing up a child.
When I was pregnant with my son, I like every other parent, day dreamed about what my child’s life could be someday. Today I look at what it actually is and it’s a nightmare! My son is 7 turning 8 and since about the age of 3 our lives have been a maddening blur of doctors, specialists, tests, treatments etc., something I never would have thought I’d add to my parenting repertoire.
I thank you for your post because it encourages me to continue the extensive research that is now an endless task for me being a single mom of a special needs child. There are so many aspects I can relate to in this post and so many ways I am guilty of the same mistakes. While I realize my own fault in all of it, I continue to focus my attention not on dwelling on faults, instead how I can find the best help for my son while continuing to educate others about these dangers too.
Again I applaud your honesty and efforts in spreading the truth we all should be educated on.
Thank you!
Thank you for writing this blog. I will not send it to my son and daughter-in-law because they got tired of all the books I sent and seem to think I am a radical nut. However, whenever their baby gets sick or reacts to a vaccination and they share the news with me, at least now I have some resources and hopefully their minds will open to some of the ideas you have put forth. Thank you. I am sorry. I do appreciate this very much.
I feel heartbroken for you. Honestly, I don’t think any of the things you mention did anything to harm your baby except 2 things (that the doctors assured you were ok-they alone are responsible). Antibiotics and vaccinations. How could a doctor vaccinate a sick baby? I also have a vaccine injured daughter (JRA from MMR vaccine). I have studied vaccine injury since my daughter’s injury in 1992. The common denominator that usually pushes a child over the edge is always vaccines given to a child who has also had a lot of antibiotics. People who support vaccinating always use the argument that if vaccines cause autism then why don’t all vaccinated kids have autism? I am not a professional, but my personal belief from all I have studied and witnessed over the years, is that it is the children who have been exposed to a large amount of antibiotics are the ones who are pushed over the edge. Their immune system is already compromised, and just can’t take it. Other children who have not had the exposure to all of the antibiotics may be fine. Well, what is “fine” these days? There are so many allergies, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, asthma, learning disabilities, on and on. My opinion is that ALL of these things are either brought on or worsened by vaccinations and antibiotics. I am 50 and I think I have only had about 3 vaccinations, back in the 60′- 70’s. I was on abx once in the 1980’s for strep throat. I am NEVER sick. People drop likes flies all around me who are really sick and I never catch it even if they kiss me or sneeze in my face. My older daughter was almost fully vaccinated and caught all of the sicknesses. After older daughter’s vaccine injury , my younger daughter (7 years younger) was never vaccinated and is 16 and has never been on antibiotics, literally NEVER gets sick. This is enough proof for me that the vaccinations and abx have literally obliterated childrens’ immune systems. Unfortunately, most still wont hear the truth, I have 2 nieces with gorgeous new babies who have given them the full vaccine schedule starting on the day the baby was born. They snicker behind my back and belittle me when I talk about my theories on vaccination. They say they will only listen to what their doctors tell them, which is beyond scary. MOST IMPORTANTLY……please don’t blame yourself or feel guilty, guilt is a useless emotion, just plow ahead and learn all you can to help your family through natural healing, diet, detox, etc. Your doctor was the one responsible for the lies and negligence, we were all taught to trust doctors. I am sorry for your suffering, and will take your advice and show your story to as many as I can. Thank you for sharing it.
Yes. Thus the initial posting mom shouldn’t blame herself. The vaccines and the antibiotics are a lethal combination… But her predisposition to stomach disorders indicated a sensitivity to some food.. Read Stephanie cave’s book.. She says the lethal combo is
Vaccination
Antibiotics
Gluten and
Dairy(cow)
i whole heartedly agree with the comment suggesting you be tested for lyme disease. i was infected in 1991 and went misdiagnosed until 2006. misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, boarderline lupus, MS, early onset alzheimers, etc. by 2006 i had gone from doing 2 spin classes in a row for fun to not being able to get out of bed or out of a chair with out help, i couldn’t read, write or count and i couldn’t sign my own name or consistently recognize friends and family. since my diagnosis i have learned thru research and support groups that most people with auto immune diseases have undiagnosed lyme disease. the standard cdc test is only 30% accurate and they don’t tell patients that. if the test comes back negative you just get a fibro or MS or lupus, you name it, diagnosis. the bacteria and co infections that cause lyme hide within the cell and in white tissue, brain, joints, tendons, so it looks like the body is attacking itself. And with doctors being pretty damn ignorant about all of this they doom their patients with misdiagnosis’. and in the case of patients who are then prescribed steroids, the worst thing you can give someone with lyme, they write the patient a death sentence. The lyme infection and the other infections and blood born parasites that you get from a simple tick bite can be transfered inutero and thru breast milk. regular doctors don’t keep up on those things. so mothers with fibro or auto immune diagnosis’ never have a chance to protect their children from it. it has been proven that you can safely carry a child by actually being on the right abx while pregnant. who’d a thunk it? the blessing in all this is that lyme can be treated and can be at least partially if not wholey recovered from with longterm antibiotic or natural treatments. this wasn’t your fault. you were misdiagnosed and you never had a chance. this is an opportunity to learn and to heal for both you and your child. you should both be tested thru igenix.com. the only reliable testing. don’t forget to test for coinfections. you both can beat this. me typing this now is proof. God Bless.
My heart goes out to you. I did all the same things with my first child before I learned all this stuff and was able to change things for my second child. We do what we are told because we aren’t doctors, and we trust them. Thank you for getting the word out.
I fully agree with you regarding all of it. I vaccinated 2 of my 3 sons because the doctor I had told me they would die if I didn’t. I was young, stupid and very naive and he used that in combination with a fear that I might lose the person I loved most in the entire world my baby/ now babies. My older 2 sons are not autistic but both have attention problems and learning disabilities. All 3 were induced, my youngest was an emergency c-section. I made poor choices and did not properly educate myself. I applaud you for writing this article and will pray for you and your family. Thank you so much!
Get yourself and your son on the GAPS diet. READ THE BOOK from Fatigued to Fantastic. There is still so much HOPE for you to clear up not only your sons issues, but your own.
See a NATUROPATH, I guarantee you have the MTHFR mutation, which would explain not only your Fibro – but your sons sensitivities.
Iv had fibro symptoms since my teens, I would probably have been diagnosed ADHD, but Im too old. I always has sensitivities growing up.
After many years of off and on sickness, that sprang up when I was very stressed I got diagnosed with hyperthyroid and Fibro. HERES THE CRAZY PART. I cut gluten and sugar out of my diet. I tried gluten (the really shitty white flour) just to see what would happen after none for 6 months. IT WAS LIKE I TURNED INTO AN AUTISTIC PERSON WITHIN HOURS!!!! I am not joking. RAGE, hitting myself, crying, indigestion, muscle pain, itching, shaking hands, panic attacks.. IT WAS HELL! Your body compensates for all the toxins, but over time it cant anymore. You pass onto your child your own state of health.
We are being poisoned every day – but we have so much power to heal and clean things up.
I do not take anything but natural herbal supplements for my autoimmune disease, hyperthyroid, and Fibro. After three months seeing a natropath my thyroid is NORMAL!! After a few days on a Mitochondrial NRG supplement for the Fibro pain, MY GOD IM A NEW PERSON!
Your body is telling you something, and pharmaceuticals is not going to fix it, it is a band aid. Its a long road but YOU CAN HEAL THESE THINGS..find out what nutrients are low, change your diet, get stress under control, do yoga…
YOGA – Iv been practicing yoga for fourteen years, specifically KUNDALINI YOGA which is great for chronic illness. I actually am starting an online studio for people who need this..and are too shy etc to go to a class.
DO not carry ANY guilt! It is USELESS!! May you be blessed… Praying for all the people out there suffering, that they find solutions, and know there is hope for them.
What a positive and loving message. I love that you posted this.
Thank you!!! I am 25 weeks pregnant and am freaking out about strep B test, gestational diabetes test, etc. My family supports my concerns, my husband supports it, my friends and his in-laws think I am nuts. It articles like yours that confirm my concerns about what is “normal” and “recommended”
You sound like you are doing everything right by your son. Everyone makes mistakes, not everyone owns up to them!
Always listen to your instincts. DOn’t let doctors intervene. Your baby is not going to need goop spread in his eyes or vaccinations at birth. DOn’t even let them take the baby out of site. Do oral Vitamin K. Don’t let them push formula on you or tell you you don’t have enough milk. If you need to up a milk supply get a tincture or drink fenugreek tea (goat’s rue can make a non-lactating woman lactate) There is so much you can do to protect yourself. Don’t let them induce. If you don’t have a midwife or a doula get one so they can advocate for you during the birth. Good luck!
I should also add there is a lot of evil in the drug companies ethos, and GP’s, and all Drs. should first do not harm…….. that is part of their professional belief and is how they should practice. I do not believe a government that is funded by large powerful drug companies nor do I believe in government researchers who are funded in part of in any way by the drug companies. There is a lot of poor research being published and the good more damning research is being suppressed. I watched my colleagues given advice to women about vaccines in pregnancy and a little part of me died …… professionals be so blind, or is it me, am I just jaded and tired of midwifery.
It is hard for mums today to make informed choices. Very hard. I feel for every mum in the world who has to make choices for their children’s well being. The choices you make if they are not in the health professionals view sensible, are condemned not supported. Why is this, this child is yours not theirs. You have to make your own choices and ensure they are as informed as possible. That is all any of us can do.
But be cynical of drug companies, there is so much that is unsaid, so much more to be revealed.
Thank you to the poster of this article. You are a strong woman, but never blame yourself for your actions, if you have done the best you can do. I would change a million things about my parenting, but remember this:
You can only do your best. That is all any of us can do.
There is also a lot of rubbish on the internet, some is believable some is not.
I am not a great researcher, but vaccines scare me. IT scares me as a health professional who was supposed to advise pregnant women to have the flu vac in UK. I could not do it. I used to refer women to their GP. I used to tell them to research the subject first. Remember that UK GP’s get paid extra if they meet the herd vaccination rates of 85 or 95 % the exact figure I am not sure but here is the evidence of the hard sell techniques used:
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/e000851.full
Conclusions: Clear leadership, effective communication about performance and methods used to identify and contact eligible patients were independently associated with significantly higher rates of flu vaccination. Financial targets appear to incentivise practices to work harder to maximise seasonal influenza vaccine uptake. The strategies identified here could help primary care providers to substantially increase their seasonal flu vaccination rates towards or even above the Chief Medical Officer’s targets.
Yes, I agree pregnant women do have a lowered immunity but I do not recall as a midwife, women dying of flu in pregnancy, so where did this scare mongering come from or was I practicing with my eyes closed.
I refused ultra sound during my pregnancy both times. It was unnecessary for me as I knew my dates, but my obstetrician tried to bully me into having one, I simply refused. I did not have a high risk pregnancy but for those women who have problems in pregnancy I know it can be invaluable as a means of monitoring their babies well being, this is all a balancing act and I feel for anyone who has a child with autism.
Personally my family history.
My sister has a child with Autism and he was not vaccine damaged but autistic prior to birth I would have said. He was a vacant little soul from birth. Too easy as a baby, too compliant, too keen to sit and stare. We also have the Cystic Fibrosis gene running through our family genetics. I wonder if it is a combination, I am to be screened for ceoliacs disease. My family were RAF travellers, so we had many vaccinations to travel as children. I almost died at two after the insult of numerous vaccines which caused my immune system to be lowered and I caught measles, the vaccines as a child did nothing to protect me against this disease. I would suggest my bowel issues are due to vaccination problems. I suspect I am bipolar and again would suggest I am lucky because I do not have more to contend with. Vaccines will be found to be harmful in the future …. of this I have no doubt. The degree of harmfulness is to be discovered.
I am afraid I am not an advocate of them and I fly in the face of all the professional bodies I am a member of as a midwife. I have left midwifery because I cannot stand by and support these bodies in their quest to immunise pregnant women, I cannot advise a pregnant woman to have a vaccine that is untested and unresearched in the long terms effects of the vaccine. IT is in my view UNETHICAL to vaccinate pregnant women.
Look up GAPS Gut and Psychology Syndrome book. Possibly using this method you can help your child and yourself.
Thank you for posting this article. I hope it reaches the people who need to read it most. I will forward it to the women I know who may be helped.
As a mother who also has guilt for endless choices I have made I felt compelled to say,
You didnt do anything other then trust that we are a society that works together to protect each other, sadly this is false. We are cattle to milk for all we are worth. Profit before people n all. Like so many you wanted in your heart to do what is right for your child and followed all the advice given to you, you gave your son nothing, he was stolen from you by callous corporations, dr and the government.
DO NOT MISTAKE YOUR LOVE FOR YOUR SON AS GUILT, your pain is for what was done your family. After guilt comes anger then you fight back, like this article to stop other children falling into the same fate.
I’m not dealing with autism, but sever ADHD and “mood disorder” since he was 5. He is 13 now and I know I attributted to these issues. thank you foe speaking out because we have all done these things and as much as we want to trust these professionals, you have to educate yourselves too! Praying for you and that we all open our eyes!
Here’s another one for you to look into – Fluoroquinolone antibiotics – Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox. If you took them before you got pregnant (or while you were pregnant), they permanently and irreversibly damaged your DNA and encouraged the expression of Autism genes. If your son was given them for his ear infections they may have fried his brain. There are plenty of women who have taken fluoroquinolones that go on to have healthy children, but the factors that you listed above compounded your problems. Here is an article about how fluoroquinolones may have adversely effected you and your sons – http://www.collective-evolution.com/2013/09/18/a-horrifying-cause-of-autism-dna-damage-from-synthetic-antibiotics/. Please note that I don’t think that any of the reasons that you listed above, or my conjecture that you used fluoroquinolone antibiotics, is your fault. It’s not your fault. Any fault that you may have is being repaid to you exponentially. I’m really, really, really sorry for your pain.
I am a mother of twins during my pregnancy I didn’t drink coke and tried to eat as healthy as I could whilst pregnant, I neither smoke or drink. Didn’t take any pain pills. Even so, Our twins came 7 weeks early, one of our twins is typical while the other was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. Both had the same vaccines at the same time…Same with my older children. Only one of my twins developed autism.
I do believe something in our environment, or even possibly our food chain maybe to blame….But.. How do you explain that both my twins were subjected to the same environment but one developed autism and the other didn’t. I’m angry with this disorder, and myself also, what could have been done???
My husband used to remind me(when I was especially down and feeling guilty) there are many other woman in the world who are lacking proper nutrition, abusing drug, alcohol, eat fast food, have also had vaccinations, drank water laced with fluoride, all that you described who still go on to give birth to typical children. I don’t understand what is causing this disorder, and at the rate it seems to be showing in children is scary.
I think making people aware is on some of these issues might be important, but I don’t know if it will solve this, I would have thought it would be on the pages of a medical journal.
I personally think vaccines are more help than hindrance. I know personally someone who suffered from polio as a child and have been wheelchair bound since. She is an older woman but just no way I’d risk one of these diseases for one of my babies. I myself had vaccines as a child, I rarely get sick, I may get a cold once every 2 years. Not sure if that is from living a healthy lifestyle? We do eat mostly organic foods, and we have no gmo foods in our diets, nor do we drink any types of soda.
But to be frank, since we do not know the cause of autism, I find for myself and other mothers I know of children diagnosed with autism, the last thing we need is an extra dose of guilt, and while I agree with a few points, some of your page feels like scaremongering.
Hi Mountain Mama,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for writing this!!! Although I am truly saddened that you had to experience what you have, you have written such an articulate and powerful article that is going to make a difference to everyone who reads it. I have just been deciding with my partner when to start trying for a baby and reading this could not have come at a better time. Everyone should know the cold hard facts about the things you shared, and tho I knew about some of them (totally agree on vaccines and fluoride etc) some of the other points you made I didnt even know about. I will certainly be doing alot more research before we start trying and what you have shared has already been a massive help. Bless you and I truly hope that one day you can forgive yourself. We are all guilty of making bad choices or ignoring our gut instinct, and the bottom line is you never intended to do your child harm.
I’m sorry to hear about your situation, and also thank you for sharing it. I hope it help many parents make more informed decisions. What I would like to suggest is that you look at what you can do NOW for your son. There have been many cases of autism improving with a GAPS or Paleo diet. I strongly urge you to get some information on this (if you haven’t already) and use it to help your son and yourself. There is a protocol you can download at noharmfoundation.org that explains yet another possible contributor to autism, as well as a diet protocol that has had amazing results. It is very similar to paleo, with the addition of white rice. I wish you all the best and do hope that someday God’s grace can trickle down on you and you will allow yourself to have grace and peace.
I haven’t read all the responses, so this may have already been stated.
I applaud your research and conclusions.
You may want to research the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride. The symptoms you describe regarding your son and yourself would suggest that you would both benefit greatly from that diet.
I urge you to read the book because she goes into the whys and wherefores of the syndrome and the reason for the different stages of the diet. And you can’t get all that by just looking online.
She reversed her own son’s autism through this diet and now works with many patients in her clinic in Cambridge, England. Even if it doesn’t cure him it would certainly sort out the explosive diarrhoea and help alleviate other symptoms too.
It would really help your fibro too.
Hugs
Genetic Testing: Autistic Children often have mutations of the MTHFR testings: C677T, and the A1298C. Please check this out as it DOES involve glutathione AND fibromyalgia. Sounds like there is some involvement here with you guys. God Bless
This is a great post. I did so many of the same things. My ped gave me fluoride tablets b/c my water is not fluoridated. I gave my son one and something inside me said investigate this before you continue. I listened to so many moms. I will take the word of a mother over a doctor any day. It was all the parents talking about vaccines that got me to question and to think.
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Why has’nt the media picked up on this. None of the mothers are to blame for trusting people who had our confidence, we all thought these people were the best in the world at health. How do we get the news out that our medical professionals are all idiots. My daughter had and did all of the comments for this blog. Funny thing that when my daughter had her first child, 18 women were in labor that day and all eighteen women has c sections because of complications! Are they frauds or idiots.
Grandpa
l too, have a child with Asperger’s syndrome, but way, way, way before we ever realised he wasn’t just “quirky” we had major issues with food intolerances. Just like so many of you l blamed myself for the way he was, but the journey we have gone on, has taught me so much about the role that food plays in our lives, and how amazingly important it is.
Because we didn’t know about autism in the beginning, we thought we were mad when we noticed how much foods affected his behaviour, his clumsiness, his thinking, etc.
We have since found a great book called GAPS – Gut and Psychology Syndrome, which gives a lot of scientific data amongst other things that explains how the foods we eat and the way we live over generations can cause our gut to deteriorate in health, and the connection the gut has to the brain. It is really an interesting read, but a full on journey for someone like me, who hates cooking, and would never have believed how much l do it of it now.
Like so many of you, l too believe, there are so many factors that contribute to all of this, ultrasounds included (l had a mass of them too). But food is definately worth a look in, even if it only makes a slight bit of difference.
I’m sorry that your son has autism. And I can see the pain in your blog. But you didn’t give it to him. And all of the bulleted items you posted didn’t give it to him either. It is genetic. He would have gotten it regardless of any of that stuff. Kids all through time have had autism. We just now are calling it ‘autism.’ You are a good mom- who is beating herself up for no reason.
No common gene has yet been found for autism – millions has been poured in to looking at this, because it is temptingly potentially cost effective for governments. Once you have a gene, governments can offer abortion, with huge savings because the uptake would be very, very high and the cost of treating and benefits for autistic individuals over a lifetime is ginormous.
Some genes have been found causing tiny sub-sections of autism. It looks as though it is more complicated than that. And even if there were a common gene, it is likely that it would be interacting with environmental influences. Think about celiac disease – there’s a gene, but you have to have a wheat heavy diet (or barley/rye heavy) to develop the sympoms. If you were in a country where rice and vegetables were the staples you might never develop it.
There are probably a number of sub-sections of autism. There will be different causes. It is looking more and more as though what happens in the womb may be important – why else is there an autistic face? It might be a nutrient deficiency, or a number of deficiencies. It may be exposure to environmental toxins which the mother cannot detoxify well due to nutritional deficiencies. Or it could even be that the grandmother or grandfather’s nutrient deficiencies may have an impact down the generations. Any other things this mother mentioned could possibly have made things worse – but I think they are unlikely to be the ultimate cause. We can only blame ourselves for the choices we make in knowledge – not for those we make in the dark.
I guess you haven’t heard of the MTHFR gene then. 98% of autistic people have it (and I’m sure the other 2% have a similar type of gene that hasn’t been discovered). This involves the methylation cycle. The methylation cycle is involved with detoxing the body. Hence why autistic people have accumulated heavy metals in their body.
50% autistic people have pyroluria as well. This involves the body losing zinc and B6. Low zinc increase gut permeability. Then you’re dealing with food intolerances and digestive issues.
It just breaks my heart to hear your grief. It is so painful, scary, and amazing to be responsible for another being. My 18mo was diagnosed with severe food allergies around 1, but I believe she started developing them around 3 weeks old – severe eczema, colic, poor sleep, etc. I too have run through the “mistakes” I made: I was on a class C drug at the beginning of pregnancy (a crucial developmental period), had a stressful pregnancy, and an even more stressful time after she was born (an emotionally abusive relationship that got way worse after my daughters birth).
The only way I can get through all of this is by telling myself “I did the best I could with the information I had. As I learn more, I do more”. I agree, I will be making this up to my daughter for the rest of her life, but I feel that it can be a positive thing. She snapped me into reality where I can no longer cruise by in naivete. And I welcome the challenge.
My son was diagnosed at the age of 2 with autism he is 8 now we work very hard to get him where hes at now he in gt classes straight a’s its not easy but we do it he was 1 when he could talk clear as day 2 months later he couldnt even say momma or dadda also had to repotty train him when he was 4yrs old he has trets (not constant) when he stressed out the only drug i was given when pregnant was to stop contractions no ultra sounds no drugs during labor he was in NICU for 2 weeks for him stopping breathing and never had an answer why it happened my other sons i had the ultra sounds (lots) lack of water induced labor emergency c-section and they are both healthy i will never understand where it comes from just try to do my best to give my son the best life he can have
Glad to see someone take responsibility because I did much like you did especially the ultrasounds… I’ll always walk beside my boy and risk every ounce of my life, lose a job and work day in day out to pay for therapy because i did this to him. Ill always be in his debt…
I f***ing hate myself.
As the mother of an autistic son, I have struggled with the issue of whether I somehow caused his disability for ten years. As a Catholic, I was helped by considering the issue of “pride”. We are fallible humans who don’t have perfect knowledge, and the issue of constantly going back over the choices one has made and thinking “why did I do this?” and “why did I do that” is actually a prideful rejection of our human condition which is that we are fallible and don’t have perfect information! This can apply to other areas, like agonizing over career choices missed, etc. Please consider that you did the best you could with the limited information available at the time. Don’t keep self flagellating! Many people could have done these things and had perfectly normal children. You are a conscientious parent now, and you were then, too!!!!! All you did was accept reasonable medical advice which is a normal thing to do!!! God bless you! Enjoy your child. I know mine is a joy, kind and innocent, and incapable of deceit and meanness, and I am willing to bet yours is the same.
@Mandy. Here’s a REAL kicker, ADD/ADHD does not exist. The man that ‘discovered’ the supposed illness admitted on his deathbed it was a pharmaceutical scam to sell drugs. Yet doctors are still dosing up patients with Ridalin, Adderoll etc (excuse me for any mispelling of the drug names).
A great article: “The history of ADHD” written in 2010 by Lange, Reichl, and Tucha, covers the study and writings of distractability that goes back to 1798. Some amazing scientists and doctors have studied this for centuries. They called it different names over the years. In 1935 they tried a stimulant to get rid of headaches, but found it helped concentration instead. I’m very interested in any info or proof you may have to the contrary, because this affects my life and I need to know if I’ve missed something in my research. I’m open minded. I used to be skeptical too.
Dear Rosy, Where or how did you hear that ADD/ADHD does not exist? Who is this man who “discovered” it then later recanted? I haven’t heard this before, and I can’t find it in my research. Is this common knowledge, that I somehow missed? Do you know his name? Thanks. This thinking moms revolution blog has been very helpful to me, hopefully you can help me too.
As an adult with a bad case of ADHD, I will say that your account is both inaccurate and very insensitive. I have lived this for as long as I can remember. I went through both my undergraduate and graduate school career suffering majorly with all the valid symptoms of ADHD. It is my reality every day. I live it.
It amazes me how people can just say that something “doesn’t exist” based on one persons statement. My husband has ADHD, one of my sons has ADHD and as a Speech-Language Pathologist of thirty years, I have worked with many children with ADHD. If you do not think it exists then you need to live with an ADHD child. There are people out that that said the the Holocaust didn’t really happen. That doesn’t mean that it didn’t. The fact is that there are many traits/characteristics/symptoms out there that have not had a label put on them. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist. There is a definite genetic component to ADHD. You shouldn’t make judgements about things that you are not qualified to make judgements about!
I share the same pain. Its really sad that we trust are health care providers to tell us what’s good and bad for us and they alter the health of our children. Everything id about money, no one has a soul anymore. I’m 24 and I have seen this already, pretty fucking sa id say. My son is autistic as well. He was born healthy and weighed 8.6 he grew up in a great environment and I was with him 24 7 . Then a few weeks after a mmr vaccine he stopped talking all together.
My son stopped with the Hep B shot…I shouldn’t have listened to the bullies. :\
This is sooooo weird. I did all these things too. I also, in addition, used
Used a tanning bed before I knew I was pregnant, in the first four weeks of pregnancy. I heard later that this is very dangerous to the embryo, but I haven’t confirmed it. Without antibiotics, my son would have died. He has Down Syndrome in addition to autism, and had several surgeries requiring pain meds as well.
I completely understand you feeling the way you did during your pregnancy as I made many mistakes myself. My son has Autism as well and us now 12. He is teased in school which years me to pieces. He is in special programming and his teachers told me that he’s embarrassed to ride the”handicap” bus. I have asked him about it and he says it doesn’t matter, but I know it does. I agree with you about research and starting early in the preventive process. I certainly wish I would have known.
I have found a Dr. that is world renowned and she happens to be in my city. Other doctors all around the country being their own kids to get that have a diagnosis in the autism spectrum. She had helped tremendously! She will use contemporary medications when needed, but she always tries natural approaches first. She tests for things I would have never thought of. Through testing,I found that my 12 year old son has the testosterone level of that of a man in his prime. I can only imagine what goes on in his brain with no understanding of why he feels this way.
Just expressing some thoughts and good luck to you and everyone else out there. God has a reason for everything and I can say that over the years a lot of good has come of this.
I hear you!! I just wrote a post on my website about how I feel guilty when I see these news articles (like the one about inducing labor and autism). I love your post because you pull in and explain many factors that contribute to autism and an overall toxic lifestyle. I would add to the list GMO and processed foods. We all have to be so vigilant to be healthy in this country. Thank you for being so honest!!
Someone was asking for the recent article on induced labor possibly being linked with autism. In case my post didn’t go through, I found it here yesterday http://www.ageofautism.com/2013/08/dachel-media-update-induced-labor-vaccine-debate-.html
http://healthland.time.com/2013/08/13/induced-labor-linked-to-higher-autism-risk/
Hi,
My son is 11 and was diagnosed with Autism (Aspergers) at age 7. I was devastated. How did this happen. I to researched what can cause it. It can be a physical abnormality in the brain, more specific the wrinkles. It can be environmental, such as u talked about. Also genetic fluke. Such as if the mother has genetic history of mental illness, ( bipolar, psciztofrenia, ext) and the father had/has ADHD or ADD, your child has a high risk for Autism. For me this was part of the answer. My mother is bipolar and my sons father has ADHD. My sister thinks it may have been black mold in my basement I discovered that my landlord was difficult about treating. My son seemed normal until around two or three. Then by five he was completely unmanageable. Took two yes to diagnose. Don’t blame yourself. As mothers we do that cause that’s what makes us a good mother. God gave us this challenge for a reason. As hard as it is, make the best of it. Good luck to you.
There is all this information coming out now on how inducing labor leads to autism. It makes me so sick. I tried so hard for a natural birth but ended up having almost the same exact labor experience as you! My son is two. He is pretty social although he gets stuck on repetitive things, tip toe walks and can’t sit still for long. I have spaced out his vaccines and have not given him several. I was following Dr. Sears alternative schedule. Now, I think I will just stop all together. But unlike you, I believe, and the new information out confirms, autism might have more to do with the whole labor inducing thing. It’s so hard when people say to let it go and that what is done is done and you can’t change it. I just want to cry. I know I can’t change it but if we all just let it go and nobody spoke out, how will we ever know the truth. It’s so frustrating! I am glad to see a decent study has been done. Have you read the article yet? My heart goes out to you. I am Catholic too and I write this with tears….. Thank you for your courage to write what you have written. My love and prayers are with you. I would love to stay in touch.
Hi Jennifer,
I was wondering if you could provide the link to that research article that you referred to about labor induction, or at least explain how I can access it. I’m very interested in reading it! I have always believed that vaccines cause autism, but as you said, I’m beginning to wonder if a lot of other factors are coming in to play, in addition to the vaccines. For example, prenatal ultrasounds, epidural use etc. etc. Anyway, I’m studying to become a nurse midwife and am extremely interested in the prenatal studies. I would love to read this particular one if you are able to give me the info!
Thank you!
Here is the article my sister sent me but there is a lot more on line if you just google link between induced labor and autism. The one below is very recent. Hope this helps! Joy
CHICAGO (AP) — The biggest study of its kind suggests autism might be linked with inducing and speeding up labor, preliminary findings that need investigating since labor is induced in increasing numbers of U.S. women, the authors and other autism experts say.
It’s possible that labor-inducing drugs might increase the risk — or that the problems that lead doctors to start labor explain the results. These include mothers’ diabetes and fetal complications, which have previously been linked with autism.
Like most research into autism causes, the study doesn’t provide conclusive answers, and the authors say the results shouldn’t lead doctors to avoid inducing labor or speeding it up since it can be life-saving for mothers and babies.
Simon Gregory, lead author and an associate professor of medicine and medical genetics at Duke University, emphasized, “We haven’t found a connection for cause and effect. One of the things we need to look at is why they were being induced in the first place.”
Government data suggest 1 in 5 U.S. women have labor induced — twice as many as in 1990.
Smaller studies suggested a possible tie between induced labor and autism, but the new research is the largest to date, involving more than 600,000 births. The government-funded study was published online Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
The researchers examined eight years of North Carolina birth records, and matched 625,042 births with public school data from the late 1990s through 2008. Information on autism diagnoses didn’t specify whether cases were mild or severe. Labor was induced or hastened in more than 170,000 births.
Overall, 5,648 children developed autism — three times as many boys as girls. Among autistic boys, almost one-third of the mothers had labor started or hastened, versus almost 29 percent of the boys without autism. The differences were less pronounced among girls.
Oxytocin and prostaglandins are used to start or speed up labor but the study doesn’t identify specific medications.
The strongest risks were in boys whose mothers had labor started and hastened. They were 35 percent more likely to have autism.
Among girls, autism was not tied to induced labor; it was only more common in those born after labor was accelerated; they were 18 percent more likely to have the developmental disorder than girls whose mothers had neither treatment.
Autism affects about 1 in 88 U.S. children. Symptoms may involve communication problems including avoiding eye contact and unusual repetitive behavior including arm-flapping. Causes are uncertain but experts believe it probably results from a combination of genetics and other factors. These may include mothers’ illnesses and medication use while pregnant, fathers’ age at conception, and problems affecting the fetus during childbirth — all suggested but not proven in previous research.
The study’s biggest strength is bolstering the growing consensus that risks for autism occur before birth or soon after, said Dr. Byron King, director of Seattle Children’s Hospital’s autism center. He was not involved in the study.
Sweetie please don’t blame yourself. We don’t know the causes of Autism yet and its very likely it was absolutely nothing you did that’s caused it.
I work with students with Autism and I understand wanting the best for your child and not understanding why your child is the one that has to suffer.
Its obvious you love your son but the sheer fact that your are questioning everything you could have done differently. But you need to make peace with the fact that there might not have been anything you could have done differently to change this.
I wish you luck. I’m sure you have a precious little boy who is a gift to the world. Focus on that and not what ifs
Hi,
My son received few vaccines before I heard that they are harmful. His immune system slowly deteriorated, which drs followed by antibiotics and steroids for asthma attacks and allergies that he developed. He had attacks every week. Then I discovered BioResonance treatment. Machine BICOM 2000 is used to detect allergies, energy levels, immune system issues, by using cell oscillating frequencies – please research it, it helps treat Autism. Vaccine induced cell programming can be reversed and child’s immune system restored!
Dont blame yourself. Its what these drs tell us what to do. We r supposed to be able to trust them. I think my son got it from vaccines. 3 or 4 days after his 18 month check up developedseizures and that was the end of his vocabulary and lost him into another world. Stay strong. From a father who’s son is now 4.
While I get that feeling of having done the wrong things, the most important thing is to keep fighting for your son. There is a medical doctor Dr Natasha Campbell McBride with an autistic son that she has cured with her program. Her book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, has chapters on some of the factors that you mention, but more important gives really holistic advice as to a way forward. Her son is cured. I am on this protocol for other reasons and it is really great, I cannot recommend it enough
I hope you don’t sincerely feel this way and this piece is just a commentary on all the potential causes of autism. The things that you have listed aren’t things that I did whilst pregnant, yet my son is on the autism spectrum. Although, I do have fibromyalgia, which I have never taken medication for, and I have often wondered if there was a link. Some of the CNS issues my son has are very similar to the ones I experience through my fibro. So, there’s a possibility that there is some common pathogen that has yet to be discovered. Who knows? But, what I do know is that this kind of self-blame can’t be healthy, or productive for any mother. Particularly one who has to shoulder so much more than a “typical” parent. And I hope that anyone else who reads this doesn’t think they are a horrible parent because they drank sugary beverages, or had one too many ultrasounds. I know plenty of moms who have committed all of those “wrongs” and gave birth to perfectly healthy babies. And like I said, I avoided nearly off of them and had a child with autism. Start looking outside yourself for the problems. Problems which are almost impossible to avoid – pollution, pathogens, etc.
I understand. I’ve done some of the things you’ve done. Couple of ultrasounds, drank Sprite during pregnancy, Vaccines, didn’t know I had a genetic mutation … the list goes on. Despite all that we continue to persevere. For the fibro I have some recommendations. A lot of times it’s brought on by a hormone imbalance. I recommend you check out this book by Dr. Dan Purser: http://www.amazon.com/Real-Fibromyalgia-Rx-ebook/dp/B00BZ9R260/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375322641&sr=1-2&keywords=dan+purser
If you have any questions about some of the products in the book, let me know.
Blessings,
Heather
Oh dear. I know what it’s like to feel guilt that you’re convinced is completely justified, and I for one would never try to talk you out of it. I agree that guilt is there for a reason, and that sometimes we need to live with it. But sometimes the issue can do with even more investigation than you have already given it.
As far as I know, it’s simply not possible to “give” a child autism. The causes and the disorder itself are still not fully understood, but it seems to be just one of those odd twists of the DNA that happens now and then. That’s genetic, not environmental.
It may be possible to inherit the condition, but once a child is born the genetic code is already all there. Children who are normal at birth don’t “develop” or “get” Downs syndrome, no matter how horrific their circumstances may be, because that’s purely a genetic disorder. Autism seems to work the same way.
Meanwhile, no matter how it may have happened, you still have an autistic son, and luckily there are a lot of ways to help him. Being autistic, even if you’re high-functioning and have a higher than average IQ, is certainly no picnic (and hi, guess how I know that!), but it could be a whole lot worse.
If your son is aware and communicative at all, what he’ll need and appreciate most is lots and lots of drilling on the mechanics of everyday human interactions. I mean things like teaching him what the expected response is to to greetings like “How are you,” and what part of a person’s face to look at when one is spoken to. Autistics don’t know those things by instinct and are **very** happy to have information about them that can be learned by rote. Believe me, it’s a huge relief to an autistic kid to realize that the incomprehensible things that people seem to expect him to do can simply be memorized and recited, like a song.
(Me, I have a nice collection of etiquette books, which sounds like a bad joke but has helped me more than you could imagine!)
Your son may ask “why” certain social conventions need to be observed, and it’s fine to tell him that it’s just considered “nice,” or that you don’t know why but that people will get upset if he doesn’t observe them. That’s an explanation that an autistic person can really take in and work with. Perhaps later on, he can become a behavioral anthropologist or clinical psychologist and find out for himself why people do the weird things they do!
One more thing I’d suggest is that you probably shouldn’t tell him that “you can do anything” OR that “you can’t do [insert thing here].” Autistics tend to be very literal and will take you at your word! If he hears you saying something like “Boys are just wild at that age” or “Men are like babies,” he may really think that he’s supposed to go all feral in the woods or have infantile temper tantrums when he’s in his thirties. (Hmmm… I wonder if…. No, that’s another post entirely.) And you’re a good Catholic, so of course you already know that you must never, ever say “Damn you” to him. You’ll never be able to convince him that you don’t literally want to see him get sent to Hell.
One last tip that may also sound like a bad joke but is very helpful: if you live in the suburbs or a housing development where the houses all look alike, paint your front door an unusual color, one that’s different from all the other front doors. My mom chose a brilliant taxi-cab yellow, and I was and am eternally grateful. (BTW, Albert Einstein’s wife had to do the same thing. He kept going to the wrong house.)
Good luck with your journey. As I said, it is no picnic, but it could have been a lot worse.
Wow!
How can you read this account and the statistics there-in and say that Autism is only genetic! Not to be mean, but I’m horrified by your logic!
It is not genetically possible to have an exponential jump in the rate of autism. Think about it. If one generation had a rate of 1 in 10,000 cases of autism in 1983 and then the next generation had a rate of 1 in 150 for boys in say 2012 only – that almost guarantees that the autism is caused by environmental causes. Because there would not be an opportunity for the genetic dispositions to morph family, by family, couple by couple, child by child you see? . . unless there was an environmental factor.
My heart goes out to this mother – My child is a preemie baby – he has been exceptionally healthy and moved way past his mylestones quickly. I was religiously giving him a vaccination dosage one at a time. My Dr,’s (pediatricians) are and were extremely annoyed with me – treat me like I’m crazy etc. . .
I could have written this article except my daughter has type 1 diabetes and not autism. I feel the same exact horrific mom guilt that is with me 24/7. I am equally appalled at myself for blindly trusting the pediatrician/nurses and not doing my own research in order to make my own educated decisions. I get disheartened when people argue with me and basically tell me I’m off my rocker for having the opinions i do regarding how type 1 diabetes happened to my child (despite the discrepancy between my hundred of hours of research versus their NO research whatsoever). I thank you for this blog article! I hope lots and lots of people read it!
I think the extra iron in prenatals does it too, that is what I blame our sons’ issues with and my own, it causes problems in our organs by overloading them with iron. There is enough iron in our food naturally and in all the fortified foods that we don’t need to take iron too. It damages our babies organs before they are even born. Agree with you on the tylenol, they are linking that to allergies but how were we supposed to know. I wish I was a hippie and just ate natural food when I was pregnant and no prenatals or extra iron.
Thank you for sharing. I had an ELECTIVE c-section suggested by my ob. It resulted in a med error where my son actually coded because of the incision being made too tiny for his head size. After he was revived he spent the week in the nicu and was shot up with vaccines against my wishes. I have 0 trust in the sick care business because of this and many other incidents in my life. If you break a bone go to the hospital by all means…..hospitals are no places for healthy births unless you have an emergency situation. My son suffers daily because of my choices. He is developmentally delayed, autistic, and learning delayed. Because of these challenges he has very few friends, he is bullyed and teased by members of my ex-husbands family, and forget trying to get a family court judge to empathize with your child, they have no education in this area so they will also further hurt your child by putting them in abusive visitation situations. Please listen to this woman!!! You will save your own sanity and your childs life!! More info on these topics are also discussed at birthofanewearth.com I appreciate new parents taking this topic very seriously. Its a matter of our future generation existing or not! Children ARE the future, what is wrong with this country and our medical practices and lack of care for innocent NEWBORNS! I know change will come if we can turn off the tv and try opening up a book and become more educated on what we are unknowingly doing to harm the most vulnerable of beings om the earth
Wow, how depressing is that this, not the post although the range of sheep who obtain in to this crap.
Here are my counter arguments.
1. Ultrasounds – First off, ultrasounds don’t involve any radiation. They’re sound waves, as in music, voices, they’re literally just vibrations. According to this site: http://www.thewomens.org.au/Ultrasound , even though there has been extensive research, nothing has proven that ultrasounds do any damage to mother or baby.
2. High Fructose Corn Syrup – Besides making you fat ((like all processed foods tend to) and the resulting health things that happen when you’re fat i.e. diabetes, heart disease, etc), it doesn’t actually damage your body.
3. Acetaminophen – From what I understand, the oral/rectal form is “routinely used for short-term pain relief and fever in all stages of pregnancy.” (http://www.drugs.com/pregnancy/acetaminophen.html). The only form of this drug that is class C is the IV form. You even admitted that you found no research which connected these things. Jumping to conclusions like this, and spreading information without proof is what ruins people on the spectrum’s lives. You should just be happy that you didn’t pass on the Fibromyalgia.
4. Pitocin – I tried to find things that said that this can damage a baby, but according to the things I’ve seen, if used correctly, there are no reported side effects. Plus, if you had to get a C-Section, I assume that you were having a tough delivery, so the medical team did what was necessary.
5. C-Section – First, my mom didn’t get a C-Section with me. Second, While immediate cord clamping may cause an iron deficiency, there is no scientific proof nor significant correlation that shows that autism has anything to do with ICC.
6. Antibiotics – I have never been on antibiotics, literally ever, but I know that personal experiences are not factual evidence, so here you go.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2012/11/12/influenza-fever-and-autism-how-much-should-you-worry/
7. Vaccines – Math/History lesson: Autism was first identified in 1911 by Eugen Bleuler (autistic people were originally labeled as schizophrenic, which was basically an umbrella term for everyone who was abnormal or “crazy”). The first recommended vaccines didn’t start going into mass production until 1943 (penicillin) and it wasn’t until 1947 that they started making vaccines for regular pediatric use. That means that autism existed at a minimum of 30 years before the whole vaccines thing became global. But in all actuality it has probably been around since the dawn of time, just labeled under things like: madness, schizophrenia, or just being really smart (for the high functioning). And, on top of this in countries like Japan they banned the use of the vaccine said to cause autism and yet their numbers are still growing.
8. Acetaminophen/paracetamol – Here’s what I gathered while researching this: Autism isn’t caused by Acetaminophen, but because Autistic people have a defective sulfation, they can’t process the drug as well. http://www.whale.to/drugs/update.html
9. Fluoride – Yes it is very bad to you, it can cause a wide variety of things if taken in excess such as: fluorosis, kidney disease, impairment of thyroid function, bone cancer, and even a reduction in IQ, but yet again there is no hard evidence that it directly causes autism.
Now, here’s my Theory as to why there is an increase in autism: it’s not autism (not the same kind at least). This Regressive Autism has similar symptoms, and may very well be caused by an allergy to gluten or from getting a vaccine (with a genetic predisposition), but it isn’t the same autism that people are born with. This is a good article demonstrating my theory: http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/04/autism-file-magazine-on-classic-and-regressive-autism.html
Another Theory I have is that before the 90’s not that many people were diagnosed with autism/asperger’s, but now that the people who were born before then are having their kids diagnosed, they’re finding out that they have it too.
Either way, there is nothing you can do to prevent (or cure autism), why? Because it is genetic, people are conceived with it (whether it be a predisposition or the actual disease). There is a reason it runs in families.
I’ll admit, Autism is a scary label, maybe that is why people want to shift the blame onto food or chemicals or vaccines, but the fact of the matter is that it’s kind of out of your control. As the parent of an autistic kid you need to be an advocate for him, not somebody griping about how it sucks and how you wish you could change it, because whether you like it or not your kid is autistic. Nobody is going to stand up for him if you don’t. If you make him ashamed of things that are out of his control, then you’re not doing your job as a parent, and you may lead him to contemplate suicide. Fact of the matter is that autistic kids are 28 times more likely to commit or idealize suicide than their neurotypical counterparts.
I agree with AspieandProud. My experience (which I know cannot be attributed to everyone affected) is that I did everything possible to promote healthy pregnancies and infants. I was mindful of what I put into my body. I was even careful with engaging in positive and calming atmospheres. I have two sisters who suffered with illnesses, careless live styles, and downright dangerous activities during the time of some of their pregnancies. We all three have children on the spectrum and children not on the spectrum. I tend to agree that it is mostly genetic, but I do not know all of the factors involved in what causes autism. I just want to keep learning about it and from the people it affects. I also want to encourage my children (all of them) to be successful in progressing in the future.
TYPO CORRECTED:
Isn’t fetal ultrasound “radiation” between the AM and FM band frequencies? It is not anywhere close to normal human or animal sound frequencies. Earlier literature would use titles, such as, “The Lethal Effects Of Ultrasonic Radiation”. It appears that industry’s loud public claim, that ultrasound is not radiation, is a claim based on its rationalization that ultrasound is not x-ray, nuclear, or electromagnetic radiation. Ultrasound uses body matter and fluids as its conduit, yet nevertheless, ultrasound is radiation. Industry promotes ultrasound by reclassifying it away from the term “radiation”, which has acquired bad press.
“First off, ultrasounds don’t involve any radiation. They’re sound waves, as in music, voices, they’re literally just vibrations. According to this site: http://www.thewomens.org.au/Ultrasound , even though there has been extensive research, nothing has proven that ultrasounds do any damage to mother or baby.”
– See more at: https://thinkingmomsrevolution.com/how-i-gave-my-son-autism/#comment-21175
Just because ultrasound isn’t “ionizing” radiation, it doesn’t mean it’s “safe.”
Thank you for sharing! The easiest thing to change systematically, and probably the one that would provide the most benefit to babies, would be if we can eliminate Immediate Cord Clamping in all but the most extreme cases and practice Optimal Cord Clamping instead. It’s a rediculous unnecessary intervention that the system is perpetrating out of habit. Cords that are not touched for even 60 seconds after birth continue to allow volumes of precious oxygen, iron, stem cells, and other benefits to flow naturally into the baby who needs it most. Thank you for helping spread the word against this inhumane practice. Hopefully soon, even though we face an uphill battle against the machine pushing so many other interventions; vaccines, anitbiotics, ultrasouds, etc, the practice of Immediate Cord Clamping will be seen for what it is; an unnecessary and dangerous deprivation to the baby as old fashioned and unsupported by studies as the once common practice of blood letting.
Wow, what amazing insight. Thank you for this article. My wife went through “the system” during pregnancy and I think it’s disgusting what ignorant OB/GYN physicians (through their regulatory masters) and pharmaceutical companies can achieve with vulnerable pregnant women through the use of fear. Pregnancy and childbirth has been completely medicalized. The medical establishment has done a good job of convincing us that pregnancy and childbirth are not our “business.” This has in effect immobilized most women from researching and questioning their doctor’s advice, and instead opting in for risky protocols, which are often not based on modern research and science.
I usually only read posts but I have to say something about this (excuse me for my English – it is my second language) I am the mother of two, daughter 6 yrs and son 4 yrs. I was the worst pregnant woman ever – according to my doctor. I refused to take pills during the both pregnancies and I refused all types of drugs while giving birth to my children. They called me ignorant and stubborn. And you know what I always seek medicament in nature rather than pharmacy. This is something my great grand mother told me to do. She lived to be 98 yrs old. She used to say that if God gave the illness to people he also gave the cure in nature. Relax and drink herbal tea. 🙂
Hurrah, that’s what I was seeking for, what a stuff! present here at this webpage, thanks admin of this web site.
I fall into the number 2) category. So so many things I realise in hindsight. My journey is very similar – I was on class B drugs to stop the all day and night vomiting of morning sickness that lasted 5 months. I laboured for 27 hrs with an epidural after 15 hours and then I was knocked out for emergency C-section. He was given his first lot of vaccines at hospital and he was given amoxicillin on and off over 6 months as a baby. I personally think the anti-biotics tipped him over the edge. I actually refused any vaccines after the first lot and used homeopathy, we bought a reverse osmosis water filter to take out fluoride and used homeopathy instead of anti-biotics – which worked better anyway. My son is autistic and I believe its a toxic world causing issues with our little bubs. I so share your sentiments and if I fall pregnant again it will be a different path and a more aware one that’s for sure. We are conditioned to “trust” our so called health professionals and those in authority and that’s the biggest mistake we can ever make. I applaud you for putting this out there and we can only hope that as time goes on people will make up their own minds about these issues and that we can see healthy children emerging as a result of a healthier environment.
I have a comment from another perspective that you have perhaps not looked at. I do not have any children with autism. I have four adult children that are healthy. However, I am very disappointed in the way they turned out and I am constantly dealing with quilt. I feel like something I did had to have caused them to make the poor choices they have made, because they were perfect and innocent when I got them. I could list thousands of small decisions that could have contributed to their problems. I feel like every single meal I fixed them or word I said to them is suspect, not to mention my discipline methods or lack thereof. I feel that it’s possible that I have never done anything right. My husband left me shortly after all the trouble began with my second son. It seems like it all started when we reached teenage years but of course the causes happened before then.
In short I will say that we all deal with quilt as mothers. This comes from within. Not a single person I know would ever say that I am to blame. I have to except their life experience for what it is. I belongs to them not me.
I have Asperger’s (high functioning Autism), yet I wasn’t a C-section baby (my younger brother was), nor did I do the fluoride, and I don’t think my parents never had an ultrasound. However, it became obvious early on that I had the characteristics of someone with Asperger’s. If Autism is hereditary I believe I got it from my dad, although he has never been diagnosed with it, I notice there are a lot of similarities, concerning Autism, between the two of us.
i am an adult male, 43, with autism. i cannot hold a job or keep a relationship. my family life is a disaster. no one understands why i act the way i do. i am far above average intelligence but i cannot get along with people. i am prone to fits of rage. i have most of the classic symptoms. funny thing is that my brother is the same. he will not admit autism but he is an autist. i firmly believe that this was done to us by our dentist when we were kids. we had to take fluoride tablets because our water wasn’t fluoridated. we both also had mercury fillings. i sometimes find myself staring off at nothing and realize that i was also thinking of nothing. just staring and i usually have little idea of how long i was staring. i can’t stand loud noises unless i make them. people just drive me nuts and i avoid them. life is not good. thanks everyone in the dental and fluoride industry, you ruined my life and i don’t forgive you!
We need to include Ultrasound as a factor for autism. Epidemiologically, and by dosage level, it fits the puzzle. There are few studies, “paucity of data”. Yet lab animal studies do show autistic behavior and physical damage to the neurological system following ultrasound.
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You did a great job. Thank you for your honesty and sharing, you are helping a lot of people. I’ve sent this out to others and reposted on Facebook. People will learn from you.
I’d add cellphones to the list. Know of an alternative doctor in CA that says cellphone use affects the brain of their baby in the womb. He used the term “frying.” Don’t know if that is true, just passing it on and something to consider.
Dear friend,
You are the beloved mother of a beautiful gift from God. Children are trusted to us to care for and love and teach to love God. They don’t come with instructions, they’re not all ‘perfect’, and there are many things that are far beyond our control or understanding. No one faults you for the condition of your son, so please forgive youself. He is perfect just the way God intended him to be. And so are you. Today is Good Friday. Jesus died on the cross for all of us. He has paid the price. He loves you.
God bless you
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I made many of the mistakes you made. I have 4 daughters, 3 so far have symptoms on the spectrum. Have you heard of Neurological Reorganization and do you have a practitioner in your area? It is a program of rebuilding the brain from the bottom up for damaged brains. I am doing it with 3 of my kids and finding great results. The kids go through the phases they missed, the reflexes they still hold on to, fetal patterns and many other things to rebuild their brain. I hope you are finding help to repair the damage that has been done. I am Catholic too and encourage you to revisit confession, it is so freeing, God’s mercy is there for you. Check out the story of St Faustina and Divine Mercy. It is life changing. and God bless you on your journey. I hope it is not over where this blog ends, I’m sure its not.
One of the biggest things that jumped out at me was your mention of your Fibromyalgia. Did you know that a huge number of people that have Fibromyalgia have Lyme Disease? I would get tested by a Lyme Literate MD ASAP. I just found out I have Lyme and gave it to my four children, one who is “on the spectrum” and was never vaccinated during pregnancy. Even vaccinated kids can have Lyme Induced Autism, of course their immune system can’t handle the barrage of vaccines if they are already trying to fight Lyme. It is essential that you find a Lyme Literate MD to do testing because anyone else will not be able to effectively test you. Visit http://www.lymeinducedautism.com/ betterhealthguy.com/ http://www.ilads.org/ to start learning about the Lyme and autism connection. Some kids are recovering by effectively treating Lyme.
On another note, I agree with Maria about confession being truly healing. I am also Catholic and I know I wouldn’t be able to do anything without my faith at this point. It’s no coincidence that you remember so vividly how confession was healing as a child. Divine Mercy Sunday, which is next Sunday, would be an amazing time to go to confession! It is the BEST time to go, google Divine Mercy and St. Faustina as Maria already mentioned.
God bless and have a happy, healing Easter!
Susie
I would like some more information on the brain development program you are talking about….my daughter is 7 with Autism.
The human body will always try to heal if you are able to remove obstacles in the way.
Many symptoms connected with autism appear due to inflammation in the brain tissue.
Organic food/diets as suggested above, GASP etc/no chemical exposure will help remove whats in the way for healing.
Id like to add something not mentioned:
A damaged body needs a lot of nutrients and in order to get this into the system you need to start juicing with a masticating jucier. Spinning ones, changes the electronic properties in the material and cannot heal degenerative diseases.
Cheapest one Ive worked with and a long lasting one is Champion juicer.
http://www.championjuicer.com/
apple/carrot – 50/50
green juice – romain sallad/beet leaves/beets/celery/wheatgrass/1 apple etc
They now have a option to juice wheatgrass.
Detox with bentonite clay.
Make sure you have enough B12 with your greens or take a good supplement.
This might also be of interest for people living in states where medical marijuana is accepted;
http://www.cannabisinternational.org/index.php
Dr Max Gersons therapy is helpful for all degenerative diseases;
http://www.gerson.org
To all parents that have children with the diagnose autism/aspergers/AHDH etc –
do not put blame on yourself since you didnt have the knowledge when damages were caused.
Do not become victims due to that lack of info/knowledge – please heal yourself and your children since there is a symbiotic connection between mother and child:
Forgive me – I didnt know what I did.
It takes a lot of work to reverse damages in the body but as soon as the body is allowed itll do a remarkable job.
As far as polio vaccines mentioned in posts – many of the people getting polio got it from the ones vaccinated since they were inoculated with live virus!
Pesticides and polio gives appr. same symtoms and theres a connection;
http://www.vaclib.org/sites/harpub/overview.htm
http://www.vaclib.org/sites/harpub/pol_all.htm
Children in India who gets the oral poliovaccin which was banned in USA gets polio-like paralysis:
http://digitaljournal.com/article/323371
Polio vaccines were also contaminated with the SV 40 virus – between 1955-1963 – found in cancer.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/updates/archive/polio_and_cancer_factsheet.htm
Love and light to all hard working parents in your effort to heal your children and yourself.
Thank you so much for posting. What an excellent help to others. I would just encourage you and the other mothers with autism. There have been tremendous improvements with autism and other health set-backs using a strict plant based “healing diet”. If you haven’t seen it already, watch the documentary “Forks over knives”. I took my family off of ANY dairy and meat products and couldn’t believe the results after a few months. Your body can heal itself and recover from A LOT. If you need a good cook book that can help you make the transition, look up the life changing cook book: “The Two Sisters Cook Book.” http://thetwosisters.com/?product=from-the-kitchen-of-the-two-sisters-2nd-edition-2
Don’t ever give up hope for healing…
Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your story, the information is important enough that it needs to be told and talked about. – Eric
Thanks for your story. Have you seen the TED talk about Autism and actual brain diagnosis? Very interesting. My brother was vaccine injured. And this would have been very important info.
I did not gain any pearls of wisdom watching his presentations.
I am sincere in asking what it is you found so important?
Respectfully.
BB
There is a TED Talk which shows research indicating about 50% of those with “Autism” are actually experiencing brain seizures. Researchers were able to map and locate the seizures, stop them, and the kids were cured. It’s incredible, but super expensive, which is why it hasn’t spread more around the country. The researchers need more funding. :/ Definitely worth looking into for anyone who loves someone with Autism! <3
Or, response #4…Wow. I will make sure never to do any of those things to my kids.
I learned all those things you listed before I had kids, but I had to do my own legwork. It was stories like yours, or Ginger’s and countless others that REQUIRED me to question everything. I will share. It could save another mom or dad from this guilt and heartache and maybe your story will save a life or two.
I’m so proud of you for not only looking at your decisions honestly, but for sharing your experience with the world. Thank you, and I will absolutely honor your request and share this with others.
As a health professional, I wish there was a way that I could somehow undo all that is done wrong in my profession. Some days I am embarrassed to say that I’m a nurse. Embarrassed because everything that you wrote is true. I know it is true. I have seen the damage time after time in so many ways. In a profession where medical research is touted, real findings are not accepted if they are against popular belief. Those of us who seek truth in actual research know that doctors choose what they want to believe…and it’s not based on research….not all the time. God help me to know how to be that person that can shine a small light of truth and help parents make decisions that are truly informed.
This is a wonderfully written, powerful article, and I thank Mountain Mama for it! I have two children and first started them on Dr. Sears’ alternative schedule, but the more I researched the more uncomfortable I became the vaccinations. It blows my mind that people would post that vaccines don’t cause autism, and that there are children that have not been vaccinated and have autism. It is all too easy to believe doctors and the media as it takes a great deal of time to research these issues thoroughly. There are so many chemicals in our world, and each of us is genetically different. THINK!!!
This book is a must read!
Rachel Carson knew what we unfortunately have come to understand much too late for our families to be spared so much pain and suffering, and over 50 years ago!
And many still try to discredit her today because she presented an inconvenient truth of enormous proportion, that man was harming and destroying all living things with chemicals etc, by assaulting all things natural, as God created them, in a most unnatural assault.
Her warnings were and are ignored, and this is not acceptable on any level.
Peace,
Barbara
The Poisoned Earth:
‘On a Farther Shore,’ by William Souder
http://www.amazon.com/On-Farther-Shore-Legacy-Rachel/dp/030746220X
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/books/review/on-a-farther-shore-by-william-souder.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
On the bookshelves of many a contemporary environmental journalist looms at least one canonical text she’s hesitant to read. For this reviewer, it was Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” among the gloomiest books ever written, an unrelenting catalog of crimes committed by man against nature. But after reading William Souder’s engrossing new biography of Carson, “On a Farther Shore,” I returned to the book and discovered its central message to be — depressingly — timeless. Substitute organic pesticides and herbicides with the endocrine-disrupting compounds found in everyday household items or the creep of chemicals used in hydrofracking, and you may experience the same hair-prickling alarm felt by Carson’s readers 50 years ago.
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I don’t expect this to last, but did feel the need to step up.
I am sorry for every one of you out there dealing with special-needs children.
I do not agree at all with many points; however, I love that these differing opinions are out there for people to find. I’m not sure anyone knows the answers to most of these questions, and everyone can find evidence to back up their beliefs (I have a dozen research reports that state vaccines do not cause autism…as you have a dozen that say they do.)
I am a firm believer in educating yourself. It’s hard; there’s so much information out there, and lots of it looks good, but is crap. But it’s all there. How can one make an *informed* decision if the information is never shared? I encourage everyone to research as much as you can, and then make a decision. And realize that there are people just as smart, just as concerned, just as loving a parent who do all the same research and end up with a different answer. As long as the work is done, and the decision is an informed one, then it is the right answer for you. Which may not be right for me.
My only caution/concern is referring to Autism and all the increased number of kids being diagnosed as an “epidemic”. That’s not to say that it’s “okay” or “just life”–it’s not okay, and I don’t believe people need to “just deal”. But the increased numbers are not actually coming from an increased number of kids ‘getting’ Autism; over the years, they have drastically expanded the definition of Autism-which greatly increases the number of people whom now get diagnosed.
That is just another piece of information for the puzzle. I have a different disorder, one with equally puzzling questions as to ‘why and how’; but I also see that not only has the formal name of my disorder changed over the years, but its’ definition too has been broadened.
Give me a break. Ask any special ed teacher if there are more children like this and they will tell you “yes”. Go into any school nurse’s office, they are about pulling their hair out trying to keep track of all the children with problems and on medications (and I’m not talking about just children with autism). I honestly cannot believe, however you feel about vaccinations, that there are STILL people who believe that children always had this much brain damage and this many chronic health problems. Seriously, what is it going to take?
I have worked in schools and i have moved around a lot all my life. And throughout my own experiences, it is not that their are more people with mental or physical problems but that there is more understanding of each issue. the problems have always been there and roughly at the same percentage. the problem is that the increase in our population along with the understanding of each issue allows for the numbers to become skewed to look as if the problems are just now becoming evident in our society, not that our intellectual understanding of the mental health have increased dramatically over just the last 25 yrs. let alone the previous 100. it is also talked about way more then what it was talked about 25 yrs ago and going back to just 50 yrs there were a lot families that would hide and institutionalize their children that suffered from mental health problems. it was taboo to acknowledge that there was a problem with a child and the families of these children would rarely bring it up or try to find out more about the issue (there was also much much much less to be able to research)
in my school i would never say that we are understaffed and over worked especially with mental health issues. it is much the contrary. we have a great staff of well qualified teachers who are taught to recognize symptoms and behaviors and how to effectively teach each and every child that comes through our doors. we would never say that there are to many kids with issues when the reality is that every single person has some sort of mental issue (be it physical or psychological) and it is not our job to complain about our children or their mental or physical health. our job is to teach our children to the best of our abilities, prepare our children for the next stages in their life, and ensure their safety.
there are many plausible explanations for each autism, ADD, ADHD, and other issues; however most of the research on each of them all points to it being genetic and that it starts early on into the pregnancy. with most of the mental health issues they need the brain to develop further (as humans are extremely underdeveloped upon arrival) for the symptoms can become active, which can be conceived that the issue was preventable and that the parent did something wrong when the reality is that it wasn’t something that you necessarily did or did not do but the complex genetic code that you passed to your child that created the issue
in summation their is no epidemic of mental health issues but a far greater understanding of how the effect us and better diagnoses. there is no problem of seeing more children suffering then what is usual (from my experience working in several schools of the course of my career) and there is no need to have blind panic instead of calm patient understanding of what the issue is and how to deal with them while giving your child the best chance in life
The genetic paradigm for autism is no longer primary, except in mainstream media. Hallmayer et al, found autism to be environmental. Grether et al, states it is environmental. There is a smaller genetic component, but that could be a genetic susceptibility to ultrasound, drugs, x-rays, etc.
Just stop a minute. I have the exact same history of pregnancy as you. Only add 10 years of insane infertility treatments leading up to the pg, a bout of breast cancer and double mastecomy only 7 month before I suddenly “accidentially” got pg after being told it would never happen and giving up. Took antibiotics during pg. She landed in NICU with wet lungs. Went home 4 days after birth, and with 8 hours she started running fever. We rushed her back to the hospital. Spinal menangtis. 3 weeks in level 3 NICU with the micro-preemies, (she was a 9 pounder) and massive IV antibotics, we finally brought her home but her gut was ripped up. I could not breast feed due to have no tits do to the cancer…She if FINE. I made so many mistakes with her formula and diet. But she is FINE. Lots of friends, great social skills, straight As. I so feared that all that WE had been through would cause austism, but it did not. So, there must be something more, and you SHOULD NOT shoulder the blame. I am lucky, but so are YOU. You also have a beautiful child. Just a different set of challanges. Please see that this could NOT be your fault, as you never ever INTENDED to do your child direct harm. Seriously, if I have the EXACT same set of variarables in my pg and infancy of my oldest as you do, then the correlation is not there. It is not the CAUSE. It is simply the deck you were dealt. This will distroy you if you are not careful. Please feel free to email me directly if you like.
Just because your child is, as you say, FINE (and, frankly, I know lots of people who say their children are “fine” when those children have life-threatening allergies or asthma), does not mean that the correlation does not exist. That’s not the way it works. There are many people who smoke all their lives who do NOT develop lung cancer. Contrarily, there are some who never smoke who WILL (like my own father, for instance). Does either of those facts mean that smoking does NOT cause lung cancer? NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! It DOES mean that there will be both lucky and unlucky people. Wise people will avoid smoking altogether on the chance that they will not be among the lucky.
Mountain Mama is sharing her experience in the hope of reaching the wise people who will listen and not assume that they will be among the lucky. She’s changing the world. I, for one, think that not only will that not “destroy” her, it will give her a strength she never knew she possessed. I am extremely proud to be her friend.
Love this. She’s lucky to have you as a friend. Too many people say, well, I’m fine, so you’re crazy. You’re right, that’s not how that works. My kids MIGHT have been fine had I vaccinated them, but I’m not about to take that chance.
This is a tragic story, which moved me to tears. And it is possible, or perhaps likely, that some or all of those listed actions caused or contributed to your child’s autism. But it is also clear that you had the best intentions throughout, and were doing in good faith what you had learned in prior experience, which is the best we can do.
Spreading the word so others can avoid the pitfalls is a good, constructive action. Self-forgiveness is also VERY important.
Guilt should only be applied where it is useful, to get your attention when you have gone astray, so you can correct course. In prolonged and toxic doses, guilt can be as harmful as these chemicals and procedures were.
The remorse/grief may not go away, but with conscious love and the growth of wisdom it can become a beautiful well of compassion and healing. The heart can heal.
I also paved the road to hell with good intentions. As an RN, I did everything my OB and NP’s told me to do, as a Public Health RN, I shot him straight into autism with every vaccine on the schedule dosing him (of course) with tylenol as I went.
My son was delivered at 35 weeks, breech and c-sectioned. He was doing fine in the NICU until he was dosed the Hep B when he stopped breast feeding his lips swelled and he was in there for another month.
He had progress during his years which I immediately squashed with another set of vaccines. As I watched these dips and pauses in development, with speech delays, muscle weakness and ear infections that I dosed with antibiotics monthly with no probiotics on board, I made excuses: “he is just late to talk”, “his father didn’t speak until 3″…etc. etc…
With a little research, taking the experience and knowledge I was given in nursing school, I could have figured this out. But I was stuck in a box of “others told me to do it”. Sure, I had a team of doctors and nurses telling me the putting toxins directly into my baby’s blood stream was good for him, but I should have read the ingredients in the vaccines and known better.
Everyday a voice inside my head reminds me of the damage I have done to my son and it makes me push further into helping him and others with this diagnosis. I am recovering him now and he is 6 and in typical school without an aide. He suffers daily allergies that stop him from going to school most of the time, he can get a cold by just looking at another child so he is by no means better. But I have hope and dedication to him and others that are sick.
I think of autism as a huge ocean. I threw my son into the deep off the big boat of typical life with health and happiness. I jumped into the ocean and found him drowning and am holding him above my head to keep him out of the raging water. Autism recovery with biomedical among other immune boosting treatments has thrown me a life raft. I put him in there, but I am still in the ocean holding the tiny raft afloat, sometimes it capsizes and I have to go and swim for his little body in this huge place and sometimes the raft gets bigger and lets me come aboard and play with him wrapping us both in a warm, dry blanket of health. I hope that someday I can put him back on the big boat of life so he can be dry, happy and healthy forever. Until that day comes I will never stop treading water.
Thank you for your comment. I have never heard another mom talk about what we went through, with the ‘squashed development’ because I allowed another round of vaccines, or the ‘dips and pauses’. My son was lucky in that I finally realized that his stops and starts were directly correlated to his vaccinations, and I was able to stop the vaccinations and start early intervention for speech delay and possible autism. Because of many other problems he had, similar to Mountain Mama’s child, he had an uphill battle, but no one can tell what we went through when he was young – years of special speech school, and developmental delays in physical coordination. He is now fifteen and still no doctor has ever believed me about the correlation between his vaccinations and delayed development, especially speech, but as a mom, I know what I know.
I’m sorry, but no. I am autistic and NONE of that stuff causes autism. Autism just exists. Autistic people have always existed, but this self flagellation is not going to help you or your child. What autistic people need is help, support, understanding of their issues. They do not need pseudo-science or this negative attitude. Nor do they need all of these “cures”. With the right support we can work, get jobs, get married even. There’s even non-verbal people who are out there living good lives. Talk to some of them.
Plus, no matter how hard autism is for you, it’s harder for the child. It is difficult living in a world where people do not understand you that is not build with your sensory difficulties in mind. But, instead of blame and such, how about we try to create this world, eh?
You are one strong and brave Momma to admit to yourself–and then write about this to the world! I so commend you! So sad….but such good research that you share so clearly and concisely with anyone who will listen.
You are correct and well read on everything that you mentioned and if your words help “save” the next baby, the next birth, the next pregnancy then there is some good to come from your experience.
Truly regret is only a good thing when we allow it to help the woman coming in the next generation or when we allow it to change us.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU for posting…..you feel like a dear sister to me..I learned so much the hard way too.
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This made me cry for you as we’ll as myself. My oldest daughter is autistic and there are so many similarities to the things you did that I too let happen to my child. I will never be able to forgive myself. She is high functioning and actually works in a nursing home with the elderly. i never thought we would get there. She is on job 22 at 22. Lots of trials a tribulations. Best of luck to you and yours.
One item overlooked, which is surprisingly hazardous: Radio frequencies and powerline frequencies. Cables embedded in the wall or floor that you sleep adjacent. WiFi routers, radar, etc. For long, I thought that was paranoia, but having studied this much, I find it well explains formerly inexplicable diseases. See book by Paul Brodeur (NY Times author). See Milham book.
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Wow thank you for writing this! I am a fellow Montana girl, I love in Polson and I’m expecting my first child in 7 weeks! Thankfully I was raised by a naturally minded mother who never let the dentist give me fluoride treatments and gave birth to me naturally at home. So from that I have always been more aware and researched natural alternatives. So far my pregnancy had been pretty good. I have had a few ultrasounds, 2 Tylenol for a bad case of Pleurisy (even though they wrote me a prescription for lortab there was no way I was taking that!) and very little caffeine other than some English tea with my mother. We have a midwife and I’m planning a water birth. I can’t thank you enough for all that extra data, really had no idea about the ultrasounds 🙁
Hi: I was interested in what you said about the fact that you have fibromyalgia. Have you been tested for celiac disease? There is a link between both. Recent studies have found that celiac mothers have 350% greater chance of having an autistic child.
I have two autistic nephews and my family also has a history of autoimmune disorders including celiac. It does sound like the perfect storm, the genetic link to autism and a toxic build up during his early years.
Jean
thank you VERY much for posting this.
Meant to write that I was surprised at the tears flowing down my face from this article. Again, beautifully-expressed. I truly hope that many of my friends will read. I hope that knowing YOU and sharing with us your son’s life might greatly influence another family’s for the better….multiply THAT times the speed of social media and smile. Give yourself some love, wonderful Momma!
Mountain Mama – Oh how I wish I could take away your feelings of guilt and culpability. Since I can’t I will only say THaNK you for such a powerful and well-researched article. I don’t often share on Facebook the things I read and believe in as the majority of my friends don’t want to go down the path that could lead them to be one of those “granola moms”. :). But you, Mountain Mama – made the cut. Grateful and humbled by brave Mommas like you. Grateful for a naturopathic doctor who suggested one simple book 16 years ago that started me down this path of education and is the reason my kids have hardly seen a regular pediatrician. Humbled that in spite of that, I could be writing the same article. Keep up the amazing work you are doing in spreading knowledge and fighting the sickness that makes up our great country.
Thank you! ❤❤
Many blessings to you and yours, ❤❤❤
Keri – Connecticut mother of 4; childbirth doula and lover of knowledge
What is the book that changed you?
Yep! I blame myself, too. For trusting doctors to know what’s right, and not doing my own research. For not realizing the 8 “silver” fillings I had had in my molars since childhood were leaking mercury into my body for years, and probably poisoning my unborn child, and later, my brewastmilk. For not questioning the giving of vaccines when my child had ear infections. For not realizing he had a problem with milk from an early age – probably the cause of his colic (my drinking milk while nursing him), ear infections, and later the cause of his eczema when he weaned and started drinking milk himself.
I was starting to trust myself when he was older and I made the eczema/milk connection, and stopped giving him milk, finding that taking that out of his diet worked a lot better at stopping eczema than the steroid cream his doctor gave us. Of course, I made that discovery a little too late, and still trusted the dr. about those vaccines – the ones my son received “while you’re here” for an ear infection – no need to wait – your son is just on antibiotics and that steroid cream.
If nothing else, my younger children benefited from my mistakes – I had the mercury fillings removed before my second child was born, didn’t vaccinate him or his sister with every vaccination on the schedule, and they have generally had a healthier diet thanks to their brother. Still, I totally wish I could get a “do-over” for my first pregnancy and the first 2 years of my son’s life.
Oh how I, too, wish I could get a do-over for my son’s pregnancy & first 2 yrs of his life!!! Ive mostly buried all these emotions/feelings that come when re-visiting his story and replaced it with an intense focus on everything recovery. It has served me well & thankfully my son is doing amazing. But anger rears its ugly head when Im confronted with situations that remind me of what happened to him-most recently Lil brother doing Kindergarten HW. I set him up at the table & read the directions. I helped him start his sentence & told him I’ll be right back to help him finish writing it. When I hear,”mommy I’m done” & look to see his cute little phonetically spelled words in his grammatically correct sentence written neatly on the lines, with spaces & all…..I start to cry!!! It’s a reminder that his brother had SUCH a hard time learning to write, wasn’t even writing words, nonetheless sentences at his age, would need my constant presence by his side just to stay focused on the task and before that was even possible much time was spent learning how to just sit & attend to an activity, any activity. I KNOW my younger son was spared a whole lot thanks to his older brother. I KNOW that I wouldn’t be a thinker today had I not been through all of this. And with that I take comfort. But still. I hate that all of this had to happen to my son for me to be the informed, thinking, natural parent I am today. That is probably why I am (we are) so adamant about getting our stories out there. BC all we want is for others to “see” things the way we do without having to go thru what we’ve been through.
I know how you feel. My son has Aspergers – he’s 21, one of the first waves, but I was savvy enough to not trust vaccines, but gave them to him anyway, out of fear of having him taken away from me for medical neglect (difficult situation with the father). Many of those things you did, I did not do, but he still has Aspergers, and I’m still wracked with guilt, when I let myself think about it. I have achieved some level of peace with the idea that I did the best I could with the knowledge I had then, but it doesn’t always help.
Meanwhile, I’ve become a naturopathic doctor and have learned all sorts of ways to help kids with ASD, and have recently become an intense student of genetic differences in methylation and associated biochemichal pathways in autism. As a naturopath, I have learned to look for the cause – and the puzzling thing about ASD is that hundreds and thousands of kids are exposed to the same things and DON’T get autism, but ours do. And these genetic polymorphisms make sense of why that is. So far 100% of ASD people tested have some version of these polymorphisms, and with your history of Fibro, likely you do too. Since you are now a Thinker, get busy looking up MTHFR, and see if there’s anything you can do to UNDO the autism. The treatments aren’t difficult – usually some B vitamins and some food avoidance, but they can make the world of difference. I like MTHFRsupport.net for a website. It’s cutting edge work, new advances all the time, so do your homework before starting anything. That’s what I’m doing, and for the first time since he was diagnosed, I’m feeling some hope.
Best to you, you’re one gutsy woman to look so frankly at yourself!
To the last comment from the ND. . . Have you seen the link between Lyme and autism?? Especially in mom’s diagnosed with fibromyalgia? Just wondering. I also, think autism can be reversed in some cases.
You should check out http://www.lymeinducedautism.com/. Tami Duncan has done so much work around lyme and autism.
Thank you for this article. You have done a great job of articulating every probable contributer to many of the health problems around. I don’t know if you have heard of CEASE Therapy. If not please have a look. http://www.cease-therapy.com
Wishing you the best.
Can we republish this blog on our site please?
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It is thanks to people like you who tell parents about the harm that vaccines and other medications do that we realise we need to do our own research instead of blindly following what the medical profession tell us. That is why my kids werent vaccinated. And why I question medical treatments. Thank you. And I am sorry for your experience with your son.
This is a courageous and heartbreaking article. This is also a very similar story to my life with my first son. I shared this on FB, and I wish every parent would read this. <3
Hey there…as I read your article….my heart was overwhelmed. I feel your pain and anguish in every word. I have two daughters …they are 17 and 20 now…and they do not have autism….but your story could have been mine. My oldest had group b strep that went sepsis…and she almost didn’t make it….she was on a stringent antibiotic regimen. Goodness…..I am not a health nut and advocate. If I knew then what I know now….neither of them would be vaccinated…….no ultrasounds…no fluoride….no hfcs……no silver fillings…..no sunscreen,…….oh goodness the list goes on and on. I tell people the FDA is not your friend….and it surely is not! I think every thing you said is absolutely true! I also think that sunscreen and lack of natural vitamin d play a huge roll in autism. I try to share with my parents…..without overstepping my legal boundaries. It is crazy how we know the truth…and yet we have to walk on eggshells…and tow the red tape line in school……putting the best interest of the kids aside. I have parents that feed their kids nitrate ladened hotdogs every day….and although I warn them….they choose to not listen. Between the CDC and the FDA……we are doomed if we remain ignorant. I believe that they want us sick…..we are worth more to them sick ….healthy and well people are not profitable. Sooo thank you for sharing you story……it was very brave of you!
You missed one on your list of psosible responses.
Response #4 – Massive facepalm. Do you make your son wear a tinfoil hat as well?
Since you openly admit you’re only allowing comments that agree with you on this board, I wonder how many #4’s you’ve had to quietly delete?
Your tragic story is tragic. Your blind faith in the doctors and OB’s lamentable and a very common source of pain. Your passionate writing about how to check doctors recommendations, ask questions and insist on making an informed decisions is defintiely a story that needs to be spread throught the community for all dealings with health professionals. Good luck and God bless you and your son.
This is how I feel about my first 2 babies. I gave them all the Tylenol, vaccines, antibiotics etc. I was one of the damn “sheeple”. But you brought up even more things I didn’t even know about! I’ll admit I haven’t researched autism much. I was very careful with my third pregnancy because I refused to endanger my child after all I had learned. And I am very lucky all of my kids are (so far) healthy. You have given me even more things to research and I will spread the word. And I hope you know how important this (wildly candid) post is 🙂 hugs!!
I don’t know. I have mixed feelings about this piece. While it certainly does provide some education, to link every facet of every misstep or intervention during her pregnancy as a possible link to autism almost borders on flaggelation (if she’s going to make religious references.) I feel for this mother. I truly do. I have a child who could possibly fall on the spectrum but the post reads to me that if she had, “played God,” perhaps she could have prevented her son’s autism. She could have decreased the odds maybe but not certainly (at least where it regards involving every possible culprit.) Maybe I am missing the point. Prepare to the best of your ability and get educated. Certainly make decisions based on that education but realize that you can not protect against every possible outcome. The unexpected does still arise. For that there is grace.
I don’t have children with autism so I don’t know anything on the subject, but just Health in general, I agree with everything you said. I applaud you for writing this. A chuckle came out when you said ‘google fluroide. the history reads like a Dan Brown novel.’ Wish more people would fight this issue. What am I saying, wish they would fight EVERY issue you talk about. Sharing for you 🙂
Excellent post! I didn’t read through all the posts but wanted to give you a few more links to autism research. I don’t know if you already know about this Dr. but she cured/fixed/reversed symptoms of her son’s autism through diet. Her research is very interesting – all in the gut – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/12/dr-campbell-mcbride-on-gaps.aspx
http://www.doctor-natasha.com/gaps-book.php
And have you heard of the Feingold diet? Not direct to autism, but they focus on eliminating foods with preservatives and many have had great results in health & kids behavior.
I also have stopped using antibiotics when the HUGE bottle just didn’t look right to me – my instinct said it was too much and I started researching antibiotics for ear infections. Since I’ve stopped using antibiotics my son hasn’t had an ear infection!
I also don’t do flu shots. Here it is Feb and except for one solid cold a few weeks ago, we’ve all been healthy!
Thank you for writing this, I’m sharing it!
Thank you for telling your story. I vaccinated both of my kids, had Pitocin with my first one, took antibiotics for a kidney infection with my second and now I am a grandmother. Thinking back I questioned the doctors, refused treatments I thought were not warranted, I tried to check into the safety of medications and did what I could at that time.The internet has made so much more information available, including your story. I researched with my daughter during her pregnancy and she has decided not to allow vaccines, and to do what she thinks is best. I am grateful to you for sharing your story as it has made such a difference for her to see how important these decisions are. I pray that you will have peace, and that you will be blessed with the knowledge of the countless lives you are touching with your story.
I am sharing this everywhere I can. I could have written this whole thing. Dang.
It’s hard to know the truth, and see other avoid it. But don’t beat yourself up for not knowing. Only when we walk through the wrong path are we able to lead other down the right one. Nothing done to the wise woman is wasted. Speak the truth, The truth does set you free, release. God says his people die for lack of knowledge, so you are saving lies by speaking the truth. Some smart people will read and research and make educated choices that will save their children’s lives. Some will disregard and keep trusting Uncle Sam and big pharma, but when the stuff hits the fan, they will remember your words. I am with you. I’ve seen the transformation, pre-shots and after. I see the toxins in dyes, fluoride, and chemical compounds that are fed to american kids. I’ve see autism come on a perfectly fine child, like overnight after his shots. I’ve done the research, the only people who will disagree haven’t read. With autism 1 in 18, sooner or later the world will wake up. Until then, hold your head up, keep talking, and I will too;)
Thank you so much to have the guts to stand up and tell others of your experience. The more people we have like you hopefully will get the masses thinking for themselves and taking responsibility instead of being lead by big pharma/medical/dental professions who continue lying and deceiving the public.
Just because you don’t have a piece of paper that says you are a professional health worker some people don’t want to believe what you say but you are a mother/parent and as far as I’m concerned you know more about your child than anyone with all the qualifications in the world. We are so easily lead because we believe the governments are looking after us and would not cause harm intentionally. How wrong we are….
You have my full support!
Oh dear sweet Mama,
I feel ya, I’m guessing I have a similar personality to yours so what I say may fall on deaf ears but I did many of the things you did and none of my 3 boys have autism. Hang in there.
Because of you and the other strong women out there who are willing to share their mistakes and struggles, my daughter is vaccine free, strong, and healthy. Because you and other mamas out there sacrificed everything so that I could find my way, I am beyond grateful! Every day I wake up knowing I have to fight for her, and fight against doctors, nurses, and family. And I will fight forever to make sure she stays strong. I can’t imagine what you are going through but I can’t thank you enough for what you have done for me.
My daughter has Autism, she’s now 15. I did none of those things. NO ultrasound, NO meds of any kind while pregnant, NO pitocin or any other drugs during labor (I had natural child birth), NO c-section, NO antibiotics, NO vaccines, NO acetaminophen, NO teething drops, NO floride. I ate a very natural healthy organic diet with no high fructose corn syrup, I nursed her for 3 years, never gave her any sugar. I was very informed and went against all of this mainstream medical stuff, and opted for a mid-wife at a birthing center. When I first got pregnant and told my dr. what I wanted she balked at me and laughed and said, “Trust me you will want all of this” I said, “You are wrong, and I walked out and never went back. I THINK YOU ARE COMPLETLY RIGHT!! All of this stuff is BAD. Dr. Oz just posted hundreds of over the counter meds, practically all have acetaminophen.
We have had every genetic test they currently have available, all have been negative. So what caused her Autism? Probably so many more factors. My personal opinion about what causes Autism is everything you listed, plus general pollution in everything we consume, breathe and touch. There was a recent study that shows that there are 500-700 toxins in the baby’s umbilical cord when they are born. The Industrial Revolution of the last 100 years or so has poisoned everything, they dumped everything into the water ways. The nuclear waste dumping into water etc. Our bodies are programed to adapt and change with nature to stay alive, but we can’t keep up with the fast changes. Did it come from me? I took floride drops as a child, lived next to a freeway for 5 years in the 60’s before smog control, I had a mouth full of mercury filled fillings (now replaced), I ate canned tuna while growing up, was it still in my body, did I pass it on? Was my husbands sperm affected by something? The genetic research continues, they might find something down the road. But why the high numbers of autism rates, no matter where you live? Ever walk in to Best Buy and smell the toxins, I can’t stand to be in there for more than 5 minutes. All of our clothes and fabric on furniture is poisoned with fire repellant that doesn’t even work, etc., I don’t go to the mall, b/c every store smells toxic. Thanks for posting about the poisons that doctors push without any hesitation!
Not sure how this would explain all the cases that did not do the above. For instance i live in Sweden none of what u talk about is here really but autism is?
Your information is valuable but doesnt make sense in the big picture. I know having an illness it is nicer to blame myself than feel the powerlessness of the random hell of fate. Not sure what is true for u. I am sure however your child is loved since you are so
Thoughtful. My heart as a parent, as a person with a chronic illness is with u. Guess we will just do the best we can
I feel your pain as a mother of a kid who is in the autism spectrum but I can’t agree. I’m sorry that you feel the need to blame yourself. I did none of these things and yet my kid’s brain is not wired the same way mine is. With other children, I had ultrasounds…there was even a c-section…. no autism spectrum.
Yes, I believe autism can be caused by environment . Every thing that happened to that poor child could have caused his autism. Bu I look at most of the comments and can not believe how people still thing vaccination cause autism. The research was discredited and no other research has been able to make a connection. When our child is sick and there seems to be nothing you can do, you want to blame something. At least this mom is blaming herself for not researching more into her sons illness. There is probably not one thing that caused your child’s autism. We live in a country of mass produced food, medicine and house hold goods. As a society we pay a price for our lifestyle.
Thank you for writing this. I am a childbirth educator, and I think I am going to have to step out of my own comfort zone and give this blog to my students. It will certainly create some controversy for me, but it seems I should be willing to take that on for the sake of the first time parents who have no idea about the minefield they are navigating, often with blindfolds on. Thank you again, and thank you that despite your own struggles you took the time and effort to reach out and try to help other families avoid this tragedy.
Lilly
As a childhood educator, will you also share with your students that the minefield can not always be navigated through. Yes, I did some of the things mountain mama refers to but I also learned through genetic testing that my daughter lives with autism due to a chromosomal abnormality that had occurred before I even knew I was pregnant. I don’t want to see a generation of expecting parents be so scared to hurt their child and feel a lifetime of unresolved guilt for something we do not always have control over.
Thank you 🙂
I want to first say that I understand the guilt, i do. I do think that some things do play a part in this ‘epidemic’.
I do wonder about the countless ear infections that my daughter had, she was born premature, I did vaccines but I spaced them way out …but Florida is strict so I had to get them for daycare.
I have (undiagnosed at the time) Autoimmune disease. My husband has Autistic family members popping out of the woodwork. Due to that alone I belive that my daughter has a genetic predisposition to ASD but it is not set in stone.
I have a 10 month old son that I did the same things with….he was slightly premature. I was high risk pregnancy due to age, autoimmune, and other stuff.
He seems to not be sick all the time but he is not in daycare.
He has the same odds of being on the spectrum as my daughter 50/50…….(due to the exact same genetic predisposition as my daughter)
I can’t blame myself for my daughter’s ASD and I can’t worry about my son, what will be will be…..
Florida is strict, but vaccinations are not required. You can easily get an exemption. And this is where people are so very ill informed.
Great advice on what to avoid in this article. The Weston A. Price Foundation is a God-sent on what to do to have a healthy thriving baby based on centuries old wisdom from traditional primitive peoples who were resistant to the diseases of civilization. This wisdom was largely abandoned in the modern world for several reasons but none of them good.
http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Book-Baby-Child/dp/0982338317/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1361639157&sr=8-11&keywords=weston+price
http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
I have no words. Just tears. For you, your son, and me and mine…
I will try the GP CLO.
Blog shared. Twice in fact .
Wow! I agree with basically everything on this list. Fluoride is poison. And it’s unnecessary. Acetaminophen is another poison. But it’s hard to convince people of this in an overmedicated nation. Unfortunately, vaccines are basically necessary evils in our overmedicated nation, and our culture makes it very difficult to avoid them (unless you don’t plan to assimilate and send your kids to school, etc.). So, I read Dr. Sears’ book about vaccines, found a doc who let me give them to my kids one at a time, once a month, and I prayed for the best. Hope I did the right thing. So far, so good. Yes “common sense dictates” that this isn’t good, and that’s not good, etc. And it’s so true. We just don’t trust our guts often enough. I mean, to me, common sense dictates that the aluminum in vaccines is NOT something you want to inject into your kids. But the FDA and our doctors and all of the pharmaceutical companies, of course, insist it’s fine. But, again, common sense dictates it’s not. It just doesn’t feel right to put this in my babies’ bodies. But like I said, I opted to vaccinate one shot at a time, once a month, and I prayed for the best. Same thing with my thyroid meds during pregnancy. I had thyroid cancer and had a total thyroidectomy prior to my pregnancies. I basically have no choice (unless I go the unconventional route) but to take thyroid replacement therapy every day for the rest of my life since I have no thyroid anymore (something I’m kicking myself for because if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn’t have had my thyroid removed, but that’s another story for another blog). I take Synthroid and did so throughout both pregnancies, and I took it in high doses since, again, I have no thyroid, so I’m not just supplementing an underactive thyroid, I’m completely replacing it with Synthroid. It’s supposedly category A in pregnancy, yet I read it can be linked to mental retardation. WTF??? Makes NO sense. And, again, common sense dictates…BUT, I really had no choice. My body won’t function without thyroid replacement therapy, and my pregnancies certainly wouldn’t have gone well without it. Ultrasounds are another scary topic. Their overuse and link to autism and other problems makes perfect sense, though. They are imaging tools. Therefore, they emit radiation. Period. We tend to forget this. And we tend to forget how terrible radiation is because our docs order imaging tests left and right—they seem to just prescribe radiation so freely, as if it’s NOT dangerous, toxic, or carcinogenic. It’s baffling. Now, an ultrasound isn’t going to emit as much radiation as, say, a CT scan, but it still emits radiation. And having had a history of miscarriage, I had a lot of ultrasounds. Looking back, I’m not comfortable with the idea of having exposed my babies—and myself—to that much (now seemingly unnecessary) radiation. But, again, praying for the best here. And what a slippery slope the whole Pitocin/epidural/C-section thing is. I, too, was told my amniotic fluid levels were low with my first child at 37 weeks, so my doc started talking induction. Looking back, I think it was BS. I’m not saying I was lied to about my levels, but I did some research afterward, and while a low or decreasing amniotic fluid level isn’t uncommon at the end of a pregnancy, it doesn’t necessarily merit medical intervention of any kind, either. However, I believe doctors use this as a “medically necessary” reason to induce. It just makes life easier for them. They can pencil an induction into their schedules rather than be awoken by a call from you at 3 AM. Luckily, my son came all on his own, 2 weeks early, and I delivered him naturally. If he hadn’t come that early, however, I know my doc would’ve been pushing for that induction. With my second baby, my doctor wanted to induce me before my daughter was even late! He tested my amniotic fluid level with her, too, but it was normal, yet he was still trying his damnedest to induce me, saying she was getting “too big”! I’m so glad I fought him tooth and nail and refused to subscribe to the notion of induction. And she was 8 lbs., 10 oz, by the way. Big, yes, but hardly “too big”. I knew I did NOT want Pitocin. I knew about the risks involved and I also knew it would be a slippery slope and that Pitocin contractions would be so bad that I’d NEED an epidural to deal with the pain, and, worst-case scenario, before I knew it, I’d be having a C-section. No thanks! In the end, I delivered her naturally, too—no induction, no epidural, nothing. C-sections are so bad for so, so many reasons (except for when the baby’s or mother’s life is in danger, of course), and I think the benefits of the “friendly bacteria” picked up in the birth canal (which is, of course, bypassed during C-sections) is highly underrated. Newborns’ immune systems need this bacteria and I wonder if a lack of it maybe sets the stage, in combination with other things, for a less than ideal start to one’s life. Newborns also get “squeezed”, for lack of a better expression, as they come through the vaginal canal, which helps get rid of a lot of fluid and mucous. This is another thing C section babies miss out on. Makes me wonder if this, too, interferes with a healthy start to one’s life. Interesting and immeasurably important stuff. Too many people are in the dark about too many things—and by no fault of their own, really, just due to blindly trusting people they’re *supposed* to be able to trust in terms of their pregnancies and their children. Thanks so much for writing this and for bringing so much awareness to these subjects.
Both the article and the replies are very moving. But, just to inform young mothers who may not know, it’s not hard to get a vaccine exemption even if your child is in public school, except in Mississippi and West Virginia. All other states have religious and/or philosophical exemptions as well as medical. I asked for one when my daughter started kindergarten, and the school office had a big stack of them under the front desk. I filled it out, and they’ve never said another word about it in the past seven years.
I’m just one more who feels guilty, I had two ultrasounds, one because I got pregnant when I hadn’t had a period in three months, making it hard to estimate when I had gotten pregnant. The other because my baby much later was in a transverse position, and they weren’t sure there was still enough amniotic fluid in the placenta. Those both sounded like good reasons at the time, but I no longer trust anything a medical professional says.
I also wound up with an emergency C-section, after which it was discovered that there was a “true knot” in the umbilical cord, which was cutting off oxygen during contractions. So my baby was asphyxiating both during and between contractions, and probably would have died without the C-section. I had been in excruciating pain for hours, she had raised her arm above her head, and was stuck in the birth canal. For me, the C-section was a godsend, a relief from the agony, and it saved my daughter’s life. I will never know if it contributed to her autism. I didn’t have Pitocin, I was already nine cm dilated when I got to the hospital, and couldn’t even have the usual painkiller. But they ultimately gave me another one. I deeply regret many things I did, but don’t know whether allowing that contributed to her autism or not.
I gave her Tylenol for teething pain, which caused her horrible pain. I did not give it to her for fevers, even though the nurses advised me to. I called the company and learned that our PUR filter did not filter out fluoride, which I regretted. I have had arguments with my dentist brother, who thinks fluoride in the water has prevented millions of cases of cavities, gum disease, and complications attendant on them. I told him it causes bone cancer and is used in rat poison.
It was the shots which did in my baby. I had said I didn’t want her to get the hep-B shot at birth, and had gone to her pedi a month before she was born only to say I didn’t want her to get it. But they gave it to her at midnight without asking permission, and she reacted with encephalitis, four days and nights of endless screaming. I let her get the DTaP at 2, 4, and 6 months, not knowing that it doesn’t work at all in two-month olds, not well in four-month olds, and in many it doesn’t ever work at all. She got pertussis at a La Leche League meeting at 8 months old, gave it to me, and, while it was bad for both of us, it wasn’t dangerous, and we both made a full recovery. She had started saying two words by 18 months, uh for up and uff for dog, both of which words were erased forever as soon as she got the DTaP booster at 18 months. She was diagnosed with autism at 20 months, and didn’t say another word until 34 months old. She is in a special autism class in public school now, at nearly thirteen years old, and is very low-verbal.
If I had it to do over, I would not let her get any shots. They are much more dangerous than the diseases they are meant to prevent. At this point in time, it’s all about the money, and your child’s life and health are worth standing up to the medical and school authorities, and just saying no. Beyond that, I would recommend keeping young babies in quarantine at home with as few caregivers as possible if there is any pertussis in town during his first few months. That’s really the only way to protect him in the only months when the disease might be dangerous or deadly for him, since the vaccine is so ineffective, and doesn’t protect 30% of older kids or adults who get the Tdap.
Wow! I did not realize it wasn’t hard to get a vaccine exemption even if your child is in public school. I thought you’d just have to home school you children if you wanted to go the no-vaccine route. Thanks for that info! And I am APPALLED that a hospital gave your newborn a hep B shot without your consent, and I cannot believe what happened to your baby as a result. I’m so sorry you and your baby had to go through that hell. I was adamant about making sure my children did not get that shot. It’s really disgusting that these “professionals” we’re supposed to trust our lives—and our children’s lives—with do these things to us. I had my water broken by my doc without my consent. I was fully aware of the dangers of breaking your water in labor and the possibility of it leading to a C-section if labor doesn’t progress within 24 hours, and I was scared to death of that. Luckily, my son came appx. 12 hours after my water was broken. My doc also stripped my membranes prior to breaking my water—again, without my consent. I had no idea what he was doing, and it hurt like hell, and there was a LOT of blood. Totally freaked me out. NOT what I needed during labor with my first child, as I was already scared to death. I felt extremely violated by my doctor after this. Thank God, it all worked out fine, but if it had gone in another direction, it could’ve been disastrous. I am so heartbroken to hear about your daughter. It is beyond devastating. I have a 29 month old and a 13 month old and they’re both seemingly OK so far, but I know we’re not in the clear just yet, so I just continue praying for the best and continue to keep a close eye on them and their development.
I applaud all the parents who managed to avoid the vaccines…and who “managed” the folks who pushed them.
at the time i did not know anything untoward about vaccines, and was sadly still someone who had grown up believing that medically educated people surely knew better than I.
Some vaccines were much spaced out, and some missed entirely due to frequent illness. (now am greatful at least for that).
However, in many jurisdictions it is freakishly difficult to avoid a vaccination, and often if the Public Health Nurse gets the idea it is being avoided, there (appears) to be huge pressure, intimidation and harrassment to do so. We had a case where there was a rash reaction to one vaccine, I talked to the drug company, and they were adamant there should be NO more of this vaccine. I took him to Pediatrician who had a titre (?) test done to determine how much “reaction” (sorry cant recal the specifics), his system had. He was already two or three times higher than a kid who had the entire series. So, obviously, there were NO more of that vaccine.
So…I gave letters, outling drug company instructions, Pediatrician instructions, result of titre to school, and to teachers, and to Public Health Nurse, strongly refusing the next rounds of this vaccine.
I think he was about Grade four at the time, so old enough to “hold his own”.. Wouldnt you know it, his teacher took the letter, and told the Nurse “no vaccine”. My son said “no vaccine”. the nurse admitted she had her letter, but INSISTED he must have the vaccine. He was old enough to adamantly refuse. Oddly enough, he had said to me that morning, what to I do if the nurse insists. I told him to refuse. but he was still worried, as he said, “you know some adults”..Well, I told him if it came to that, scream, or tell her your parents would be getting a lawyer. Well, he did not have to go that far, as he had the teacher backing him up..BUT
I, next day started getting phone calls from the Public Health INSISTING I must have him vaccinated. Even though I went over the letters with them, etc. So, at first I started out just telling them my concerns and saying I would get back to them, if things changed. Well, I got more and more phone calls, and finally from the Head Honcho for the Distric Public Health..and very intimidating (implying Social Services would be showing up, etc)…
In a flash of what in retrospect I can only call inspiration…. I started talking all Kiss Assy to Head Honcho. Thanked them for explaining it all to me. Told them no one else had been so clear. Told them now I understood. Told them i would go immediately to my Pediatrician and have it done. So kind of them to take the time. I have no idea why that got them off my back, but I never got another phone call…
For more info on vax exemptions, check out this site: http://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/state-vaccine-requirements.aspx
I downloaded the religious exemption form, printed one out for each of my boys, filled it out and submitted it in place of the immunization record card along with the rest of the documents & papers the school collects at the beginning of the schl yr/registration. They accepted it no questions asked. About 2 weeks later I get a call from the schl nurse saying that she was updating the childrens’ files and she did not see the “vax record card” in my sons folder. I told her the religious exemption form should be in there but I would make another one and send it in to her anyway. About an hour later she calls me back saying that she found it-it was stuck btwn the other papers. Then, (lol) she calls me the next week again for the same BS reason saying she couldnt find it in my younger sons folder either. But this time she put me on hold, and VOILA! she had found it by the time she came back on the line. Hmmm…
No more phone calls or issues after that. For the most part, I have to say, my sons schl is really good about everything. But it makes one wonder-could it be that they are told to do this as a “last minute attempt” to try to intimidate a parent into thinking they may not accept the form. About 5 yrs ago, I would’ve never thought such a horrible possibility. NOW?!?! I wouldnt put it past ANY of the “big establishments” to go so far as to do something like this AND MORE AND WORSE!!!!
here’s my opinion:
http://motherhoodblisses.blogspot.com/2012/07/vaccines.html
I think I did every single thing you did with both my children. Between the two of them, every single thing you listed. I am so grateful the outcome was not the same. My boy, who is 23 now, had reactions to his vaccines, and I begged the doctor to do something different. My boy also had augmentin, super ear infections, and not just different kinds of antibiotics but prophylactic antibiotics. Pitocin, emergency C’section. He is a very intelligent, gentle soul, sensitive. My daughter has Downs Syndrome. Every ultra sound, and test imaginable. She did not react to vaccinations. I purchased water with flouride and gave her flouride tabs. You are not alone in being duped by the medical system. Some of us just had better outcomes. I don’t know why. I wish I had known then what I know now. Who knows the extent of damage my and all of our children might suffer as well, without anyone having a real understanding.
Excellent article, very well written. A must read for any parent. Or anyone for that matter. Everyone can learn something from this. I will share with as many as I can. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. Much Love.
Dear Friend who wrote this article, Thank you for writing. I learned from this. You’ve received a lot of feedback already, so you may not even read this, and I, sadly don’t have time to read all the comments so maybe someone else has already said what I’m about to say. Either way, I hope that you receive God’s forgiveness and additionally, that you can forgive yourself.
Please forgive yourself and enjoy the highly sensitive, and I’m sure sweet, boy that God has given you, free of guilt. To say that you cannot forgive yourself seems to say that you are somehow a higher authority than He is. Jesus is the great high priest, confess your sins to Him and no other priest is needed to forgive you. Also, He gives wisdom when we ask. Ask Him, Seek Him.
Much Love,
Jesus Follower
I understand your guilt, I too poisioned my child with flouride drops first then pills. I vaccinated my son without reguard and I am a helath care professional (although the schedule was much less 24 years ago than it is now). I was lucky though my son has done well but did have to have heart surgery for a congenital defect when he was 2 which was difficult. He is just about to graduate with a masters in Mechanical Engineering and is a professional road cyclist ( he did not let his heart defect keep him down). I am not bragging or trying to make any of you feel bad, like I said I was very lucky considering all the antibiotics he was on as an infant related to complications from his heart defect. The reason I am writing is as a health profession I have now awakened to the health hazzards that modern medicine inflicts on our population, and I am in a position to change this for many. I am an RN in my husbands chiropractic office and encounter people daily with advice about hazzards such as vaccines, mercury, flouride, prescription drugs etc…etc. I hope I can help others avoid the path you took with your son. BTW I was so proud of my son a few weeks ago his university told him he could not register unless he got another Dtap vaccine. He researched what he could do to avoid it and he claimed a religious exemption and was able to avoid another toxic vaccine. I am happy he understands these dangers so when he has children he can make the correct decisions.
Omg, my heart is breaking for you. I had to stop reading after the antibiotics one. After having a kid, I can’t handle thinking about children suffering. I cannot imagine being in your shoes but you are getting the message out and that’s important. And I would be very tempted to sue someone if I were you, which I know may not be the answer, but it would probably make me feel better. All these people giving out life-damaging advice and drugs should be taken to court though! Something should be done to get them to stop. You were only doing what the majority of people in your position would do. But some of us have woken up to what’s going on and it’s up to us to spread the word. Thank you.
My son and I have a very similar story and I feel exactly the same way. I vented this to my husband just a few days ago and he reminded me that it was a fair assumption that we could trust our doctors. Of course, I don’t trust them anymore and I don’t do anything without researching it. Thank you for sharing this. Tears streamed down my face as I read, because slowly I’m piecing together what happened to my son. It’s such a complicated puzzle. I knew the ridiculous number of antibiotics my son took wreaked havoc on his gut, but I didn’t know Augmentin was so much worse than the other antibiotics he took. I’m appalled. He regularly alternated between amoxicillin, augmentin, and rocefin (sp?). I feel sick. He had the same rash and diarrhea. Sometimes the diarrhea lasted for weeks. Why did no one seem concerned?! I remember calling down to the pediatrician’s office so many times about this and I was told over and over again not to worry. I would like to think someone will learn from my experience too, but so far no one wants to even hear about it. Apparently, we’re all supposed to keep pretending that the emperor has clothes on, but he doesn’t. He’s buck naked.
I put the peices of my son’s puzzle together one cold, snowy winter night in January of 2007. He was 28 months old and 4months into EI with zero progress. After a few months of digging for answers, it hit me all at once that night like a huge gust of wind pushing my car as I drove across town at 6pm by myself with a bundled up toddler & newborn to an unknown health food store searching for gluten free dairy free food to feed my son for dinner THAT NIGHT. This sudden burst of anger was the fuel igniting the fire on the candle whose flame burned bright it lit up the path I would wind up following on 5yr long journey leading us to healing and recovery for my son today at 7yo.
Autism is treatable. Recovery is possible. Never give up hope!!!!!!!
Please don’t be offended but … Might I ask if you’ve spent the same amount of time studying God’s Character as you’ve spent researching what may have caused your child’s autism? God offers us peace that transcends all understanding, and sometimes all we have in this life is to trust that God knows what he is doing. Romans 11:33 Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out. This verse helps me to try and accept the unacceptable situations that life inevitably has for us all. You are the mother that God chose for your child and he didn’t make a mistake in placing that babe in your care. More important than why or how you child has autism is that God knew every hour and every breath of you and your child’s life. Read Philippians – Paul was a persecuted of the church before he trusted God. He said, “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” I just want to encourage you to stop looking behind and “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called” us.
You make me weep. Thank you for having the courage and compassion to write this. Through your words, I will also find absolution.
Love.
This makes me so sad and it is still going on every day. People generally think they are doing the right thing because they have been advised by the “so called” experts. But it is all just a guessing game and much of it is corrupt science. We need to trust nature and stop messing with the miracle of our bodies and reproduction. I wish we could do away with all of it. I think we are weakening the human race and there will be more sickness than ever. Who cares about the flu or chicken pox, I can deal with them, but I can’t deal with the permanent damage that drugs do. $2 billion already paid out in “proven” vaccine injuries by the US government. Stick with Mother Nature and don’t trust anyone who has something to gain by interfering with her.
Great to have some of these opinions posted on http://thinkpinion.com which is a website to share opinions about anything and everything with anyone!
Thank you so much for this article. It definitely took a lot of courage and reflection to share your story so I applaud your strength.
Education is the most important weapon we have in this day and age in which we are inundated with ads and products by companies that don’t have anything but profits in their interest. It’s so easy to believe in and swallow when it gets presented in a flashy tv ad or in shiny packaging, but taking the time to research and learn is worth it for ourselves and our families and friends!
Thank you again so much for sharing your story with everyone! I know I will!
Thanks for this! I hate vaccines. They played a big part in my sons autism
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Awesome article. Thank you so much for taking the time to post this.
Hey, you just did what the doctors and health authorities recommended. How were you to know that it was wrong? With the wisdom of hindsight it is easy to beat yourself up over it. I hope you can forgive yourself – and certainly providing all this information will do an incredible amount of good to help others avoid the pitfalls.
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was entirely right. This submit actually made my day. You cann’t imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info! Thank you!
Thank you, I appreciate all the info I get from Thinking moms, I don’t have a vaccine injured child but with another baby on the way I’m trying to do right by this baby while thanking the Lord that my first child is doing well. I want to run screaming every time I learn new info, like about high fructose corn syrup. Anyways, I’ll pray for you and your family and thank you for writing down your story.
Hello Moutain Mamma, well, first thanks for posting this. I hope it gets shared and enlighten many moms to be.
The most important part of my message – you can actually do something to try and repair some, if not most, of the damage. Have you researched your options ? Chelation is not the only way to get rid of heavy metals. You can give your son bentonite clay baths. You can use supplements like chlorella, or homeopathy. Acupuncture and diet can help tons. You are a Thinker now so I will let you research these… I will post only one link because this one is less known, you can reach out to an Upledger practitioner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-0aYkPbono&feature=youtu.be
Good luck and thanks for the post !
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Mountain Mama,
I am a “mountain mama,” too…in Colorado. Just curious where you are located because I have an idea about the heavy metal detoxing. You mentioned above that your little guy is too weak to go through chelation therapy. I went through mercury poisoning and elected to use acupuncture to detox my body. Not just any acupuncturist has the ability to do this, though. (**I mean absolutely NO offense to anyone that may be an acupuncturist. This is just my research findings and personal experience.) There is a specific method called the NAET method (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique…Dr. Nambudripad is an MD, RN, Ac, DC, CNT and the developer of this technique). You can check into the method at naet.com or feel free to contact me by email with specific questions at [email protected]
My specific therapist is in Colorado, but they are located through out the nation. You will be able to locate providers through the website I mentioned above.
God bless you and your precious family. Know you will be in my thoughts and prayers!
This is very painful to read. I was also harmed by medical ignorance, as a baby and as an adult. I know how devastating it can be, especially when the doctors and people in general, including friends, don’t believe you. The system of denial is firmly entrenched, but stories like yours will help a generation start to wake up. I thank you for sharing your story and I will pass it on.
I have read that the Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates helps restore a lot of autistic kids back to health. I think people are more resilient than we give them credit for, and we can heal. I don’t believe the damage is permanent, as the body/mind/spirit has amazing regenerative powers. I wish you and your son the best on your journey of healing.
LOVE this. Thank you, so much, for writing. it! Sharing now!!!
I love you. I have felt this way a lot. The responsibility is mine also. I love your openness. Know we have made mistakes, but out of love. But we shall over come, we shall be strong.
I see that you have been deleting responses from people who disagree with you, so I don’t expect this one to last very long, but I just wanted to say this: there is SO much that we don’t know about Autism. New research is being done linking it to genetics. Many families with many different lifestyles and choices have children with Autism. As tempting as it is to find blame, even in yourself, try and accept the possibility that you may never know why your child has autism. It is a waste of time and emotion to blame yourself, and it affects how you mother your child. Forget about looking for blame… look to the future and look at your son. Have fun with him. Be the mother to him that he thinks you are.
Annie, with all due respect, there are so many children out there who are screwed up healthwise in some way or another that there is no way there can be that many “bad genes” out there. You also need to do some research on how gene mutations occur – all genetic change is environmental, it has to start somewhere, and yes, there are things you can do, to some extent, to control expression of genes. A few years ago my daughter was a complete and utter wreck. At five years old, she never slept, never stopped moving, destroyed anything that she could get her hands on, screamed in pain for up to an hour, and landed her infant brother in the hospital because she picked him up and threw him. You cannot “have fun” with your child when every moment of your home life is like living in a war zone. It is not a lack of love to look for solutions to these very real and serious problems, it is just the opposite. And yes, to figure out the solution, you have to figure out the cause. ABA does not help the children like mine whose brains are so fried from damage that they are too spaced out to pay attention. Fast forward to five years later. Chelation has been the best thing that we could have ever done for her. She is not “cured” probably never will be anywhere NEAR “cured, but she is no longer aggressive. She is happy and comfortable most days (unless she gets a food she cannot handle, by the way, she now AVOIDS certain foods that she knows will make her sick), and our home is peaceful enough that I can homeschool her (couldn’t do that before, she was so out of control that I sent her to school as a way of getting respite because she was so extremely difficult to deal with every second) as well as my other children. We were even able to have another baby last year because she is no longer violent. I am so tired of you people with your high functioning kids who can get by with an IEP, and aide, and a little bit of ADHD medication preaching to us about love and acceptance. Part of loving your child is getting them to a point where living is tolerable and enjoyable, for them and the rest of the members of your family. There is a family in Oregon whose son so severely self-injures that he leaves his face a bloody pulp – the only thing that has helped him is medical marijuana. I guess you should just go to their facebook page and tell them that they need to learn to love him better. I get so tired of you “just love them” people. Like I said, if your child is that high functioning that you can talk down to those of us who are not so lucky, then you are blessed. Leave the rest of us the hell alone to try and figure out what hurt our children so that we can ameliorate their severe symptoms. It isn’t about “blaming anyone” it is about helping our babies feel well and function so they CAN be the best they can be.
If it was all Genes, or even “mostly” genes, I believe humans would have been “bred” out of existence.
Natalie’s advocate, your experience sounds a little like my family’s, except that my sister is now an adult (32) and the only thing that has helped her somewhat is a GFCF diet. Her violence toward us was SO bad in her/ our teen years that I remember my mom saying, “She’s going to kill me.” Words cannot describe the mental anguish of having lived in a home where your parents loved you, yet there was continual violence. She’s lunged, pinched, bitten, etc.–all of us, except maybe my father–more times than I can count. She has spent hours screaming/ screeching. My family couldn’t do much of anything because of her.
Would you be willing to correspond with me at my given email address, [email protected]?
I totally sympathize with your sentiment…others are trying to be nice (I think…usually), but the truth is that they have NO idea what it’s really like. And vaccines are justified with “Would you rather she be DEAD than autistic?” People who ask that don’t understand that when you live with daily violence that almost no one has figured out how to help, wondering if a family member may severely hurt another family member–yet unable to kick the violent one out of the house because you’re worried about HER well being too–it’s a living death.
you are definitely not alone, believe me. most women in your situation would have done the same and listened to the doctors without thinking that they should do some research. i can think of only 1 friend who i know is looking things up before making a decision. none of the others does and i will have them
read your article that will safe some children’s health i m sure. (sorry, my english is not perfect)
Response #4) What about genetics, people?? Seriously- all of our kids should have come down with this terrible and preventable travesty by now if what yer saying is true. Plus I skipped most of the things on this stupid list… except for with my one son who ISN’T autistic. Why would you rather site useless unscientific ‘studies’ than open yer eyes and see that (real) doctors are finding new genetic chromosomal links to autism every month! I gave my kids autism too- It carried down from my X chromosome and passed onto two of my little kids with Y chromosomes. And I’m fine with that.
Most people agree that there is a genetic link that PREDISPOSES some to become autistic. That doesn’t mean they will. There may be a few rare cases where a baby is born with autism and that’s it.
As for citing (correct spelling) studies, who is to say what are useful and what are not? How many studies have *you* seen on vaccines or ultrasounds that weren’t funded by those who produce those very things? And doctors “finding new genetic…links…every month”? Can you point us to evidence of that?
Autism is a serious, lifelong disability. (For someone who has a child diagnosed with “autism” who is in fact only mildly disabled, I’m happy for you. That doesn’t discount what is true the majority of the time.) Sometimes (often?) affected individuals never learn to speak and never outgrow using diapers.
Add to that the fact that this is an epidemic, that the rates continue to rise, and that while people cite “environmental poisoning,” they’re vehemently defensive of procedures that come into question…we’ve gotten nowhere fast in the past 10-20 years. How would you propose that we care for these children when the rate is as low as 1/10? What if the autistic individual has NO siblings when his parents are too old? What if they are ill or have small autistic children of their own that they are trying to help while fielding attacks from a violently angry autistic person–nearly every DAY?
There is every reason in the world to try to find out what is causing it. We can say “genetics” and all stop having children (because surely, there aren’t that many who can’t find it somewhere on their family tree by now), or we can continue to look at other factors.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am NOT confident in the state’s ability to provide care to all of these people if the economy slides any further down the toilet. People need to spend five minutes doing some serious thinking before offering up paeans about how quality of life is so much more important than finding the cause–something we don’t apply to ANY other tragedy.
It sounds like you are not blaming yourself but blaming health professionals that you listened to. When investigating you need to research both sides and not just look just look at Google for answer that you WANT to hear. Things need to be taken in moderation. Yes, too much fluoride will kill you, but also too much water will. Fluoride is a natural mineral found in the body and is naturally in water. It is now just titrated to the optimal level now. Sometimes it is less than the natural water and sometimes it is more. Giving your child the appropriate vaccine “may” contribute to autism, but not getting vaccines could kill your child. You are correct in wanting to take control and research your options. Bring your research to the health professional and hear their side of the story. I urge you to do the same in treatment for your child’s autism.
I think if you read closely, she DID hear a practitioner’s side of the story. Two practitioners, actually. The first one told her to do all the things that made her child very sick. The second one told her the truth — which she already knew — that all those things were bad for her child and should not have been done and now must be undone to the extent possible. Parents who have been down this road know all too well that mainstream pediatricians are trained to unquestioningly promulgate a public health policy that is unsafe for the individual, and to be reflexively dismissive of any contrary ideas (bullying and expelling non-vaccinating families from their practice being a prime example). After the damage is done, because as it turns out one size does not fit all, most pediatricians are uninterested in questioning conventional wisdom or admitting and learning from their mistakes, both of which are necessary first steps to remediating autism and its medical co-morbidities. Mine never even bothered to look at the labs we had dutifully copied to her when we started DAN that showed zero good bacteria in my child’s gut and high levels of heavy metals.
There is no reason on earth to go to a practitioner to “hear their side of the story” unless that “side” includes experience in recovering sick children with autism. Thankfully there are caring doctors who have been forging their own paths in this arena, and parents are increasingly free to vote with their feet when selecting who may be entrusted with the care of their children. Imagine how much better off we would all be if the myopic AAP took this list to heart and made sure their members knew as much about BBB permeability, mitochondrial dysfunction, environmental toxicity, and gut dysbiosis as do the Thinking Moms.
Also, I had 2 kids at home with midwives. I had no ultrasound with the first and breastfed for a year. She had regular vaccinations. She has a life threatening peanut allergy. I had one ultrasound with my son, also breastfed and uncircumcised. I delayed his vaccines until 6 months and then caught up one at a time. He’s about to turn 4 and he has never gotten sick enough to require an antibiotic.
What an amazing heartfelt post that was written perfectly. My son has apraxia, not autism, but because there are so many similarities between these two disorders, I read as much about autism that I can get my hands on. I am a Thinking Mom too! I believe apraxia is on the spectrum and that *something* prevents these children from getting full blown autism. Yes, I am grateful that my son only has apraxia and not autism. I know you mamas are faced with so many other challenges. I am breaking the mold with this disorder and doing biomedical intervention even though at this point, I don’t feel like it is the popular choice in the apraxia community. I also take precautions with vaccines, antibiotics, and Tylenol. My story with pitocin, vaccines, antibiotics, eczema, and ear infections match yours. I am bookmarking, facebooking, and tweeting this article because it is nice to have all of these key points in one place. Anyone that I know who is pregnant or has a young child will get this article forwarded to them. Thanks for spreading the word!! http://www.jakes-journey-apraxia.com
Hi – I have a son with apraxia too. He just turned three. I have the same feelings about apraxia and autism being related. I always spaced out his vaccinations and then I finally found the thinking moms when he was about 15 months and stopped vaccinating. I would love to learn more about the treatments you are doing. I’m just starting the thinking mom journey so besides vaccinations, I’m afraid I’m making all the other mistakes. Thanks!
I am a speech pathologist and many of my apraxic kiddos have autistic traits. Severe adhd also presents with autistic like symptoms.
Being a professional I heard a lot of the vaccine stories. It made me research and when I had my own kids I was able to avoid almost all of these things on the list. Once in awhile a client will ask what I think and I point them to the research and local chirocpractors in the area.
Have you tried the paleo diet? It’s been known to cure autoimmune diseases. Thanks for the advice, but don’t blame yourself.
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ZOMG…. I don’t have any children but I feel so sad reading this. If I were in your shoes, I would never stop beating myself up till the day I die. Thank you for sharing, and I am sharing your post with everyone. If anyone benefits from this, then there will be One Less. I hope your child reaches recovery someday.
None of my 7 kids have autism, and I have made most of the mistakes in this article, but you know what? I totally agree with you. I do think my errors definitely contributed to the dairy allergies and asthma that one of my kids suffers from, the digestive issues another has. I understand and share your guilt, and I think you are making a beneficial and productive use of it.
These things you list are dangerous, and they are implicated in other childhood diseases and syndromes as well. It is a problem when we just blindly trust the “professionals,” especially since medical research has one of the highest rates of fraud of any of the sciences.
I agree. And I am sick of the “well, would you rather your child be DEAD” argument from these professionals. Of course not. That argument is just a strawman that the professionals use to deliberately kivk suffering parents who come to them asking for help for painful symptoms in their child or relief from a home life that is a minefield feel guilty for daring to ask for help. “Oh, your child threw your baby and gave him a skull fracture? Be grateful! Some people have had to bury their children and death is ALWAYS the worst thing that can happen, so unless your child is six feet under,, we will have no compassion for your child and you are just a whiny brat of a parent who should be grateful your child has a pulse. I have had enough of that. Wanting your child to be out of constant chronic PAIN, as well as have a decent home life, is not a “first world white whine”. I get sick of people who act like it is. There is no reason children today cannot be both alive AND thriving and without BOTH chronic health conditions and life-threatening infections. The medical community doesn’t see it that way, but it is possible. Choosy moms choose life AND quality of life.
I’ve already quoted you a couple of times on FB. You could not be more right, Natalie’s advocate. We need to give our online acquaintances the benefit of the doubt–I suppose they really do mean well–but having a violently autistic older sibling, I have heard many unthinking comments. For example, in relation to the vaccines: “Would you rather she be DEAD?” First of all, anyone who asks something so naive has never experienced the LIVING death of a sibling doing everything but trying–yes, trying to kill you…your mom telling you that she spent the day fending off the sibling by holding a chair in front of her (yet, heartbreakingly, saying “Hopefully I’d let her hurt me before I’d hurt her,” foregoing any self defense against a strong 17-year-old or so)…sibling screaming BLOODCURDLINGLY for hours…family not able to go anywhere…
Second, what thinking person accepts that in a country with (so called) great medical care, it is okay for death or severe autism to be the only 2 options? No matter what, you DON’T question the medical care, even if your family is going through hell.
If the medical field doesn’t want to come under fire, maybe they should come up with a cure for all of this. Maybe they can’t, but any thinking person would understand, then, why families like mine have little use for them.
Sigh. I am thankful to the Lord that my sister is MUCH better after being put on a GFCF diet at 23; yet my heart aches with how restricted my parents’ lives are still, and is heavy with the burden of what we will do when my parents are gone. The unending heartbreak these families go through makes me cry out for Christ’s return and righteous reign.
I had my children in the 70-80’s and didn’t vaccinate them then because I watched a friends child almost die from his pertussis vaccine. I did have to have them vaccinated when they were 5 to go to school because of state law. (and got yelled at by my doctor) but I figured a 5 year old with a 35 lb body and 5 years of developing natural immunities would fare better than an 8 lb baby new to this world. It worked for me. Pitocin is evil. They used it on me (for the convienence of my obstetrition) with my last baby and he was violently expelled I almost ruptured my uterus and he was a blue baby. couldn’t oxygenate his blood because the foramen in his heart didnt open. One month in Cleveland’s neonatal unit. Our medical system touts itself as the best in the world…bullshit.
Glad your kids were okay! For your information–for any friends who need to know–there are exemptions in every state. MS and WV were the only 2, last I checked, that allowed medical exemptions ONLY–other places it isn’t that difficult.
Honestly, if I lived in a state where it was difficult or where they were particularly hostile, I would either move or homeschool. I know that “It’s not that easy,” but neither is losing a child or living with a severely brain damaged one.
Thank you for this article and it’s honesty. I live with this every day as well, knowing the choices I made caused my son’s autism. But, the main reason I like your article is because it goes into the many causations that contribute to autism and I get tired of getting stuck in the camp of parents who think vaccines cause autism….yes, they can, but it is only one of the many toxins we expose our unborn and children to and most of us battling autism understand this.
I am in camp 2 as well. Just like you, the first person to explain to me that I have a vaccine injured child was a thinking doctor. Going down that research rabbit hole resulted in many nights curled up in a ball howling into my pillow after putting my babies to bed. How can I have done this to him? It is ironic to me that the acceptance/genetic crowd accuse us of just looking for something to blame. Heading down the path of biomedical forces us to face and acknowledge every bad decision we have made in order to begin untangling the mess we made of our children’s health. We know painfully well where the blame goes. No one will ever be able to absolve me. One day I will have to explain all of this to my son and beg for his forgiveness. Maybe when he is healthy and happy I will be able to let all of this go. Right now I feel like he is mostly better because of the interventions we have done for him. He is in a regular K class with no IEP and many friends. His motor delays are mostly a thing of the past. And then we get slammed with a rash of nosebleeds and I think about how he still can’t digest fructose after 4 years on GAPS, and I ask him to pick up his room and he bawls, slaps his own face and insists that everyone hates him and he wants to kill himself. I feel hallowed out all over again. Fighting for him and righting these wrongs takes all that I have. Someday I will be brave enough to suffer fools by telling his whole story. Until then I am grateful for you TMR moms and posts like this.
hihim to hhim to pick up his room and he bawls and slaps his face and screams that
everyone hares him and he wants to kill himself and I feel hollowed out all over again.
children’s health.
Thank you for this article. People think I’m nuts for blaming the ultrasounds for my son’s speech delay, but I know they caused him harm. My OB group treated me as “high risk” because I was 39 when I became pregnant, so they had me get six ultrasounds before I was six months along. One of these was 45 minutes long. Then I learned my OB group and my local hospital has a 48.7% c-section rate & I ran for the hills. Literally! I switched to a midwife group 90 minutes away and never had another US during that pregnancy or the next. I nodded all the way through your post- I had natural (waterbirth) childbirth, if it’s sold organic- we eat organic, we delayed cord-clamping, we drink as fluoride-free water as we can find, our kids are unvaxed. But those ultrasounds… I can’t believe my OB group thought they were so safe. I saw the difference especially when my daughter was born. Totally alert, making eye-contact the day she was born. She’s far more interactive with everything and everyone around her than my son was. We do live close to a major road, and we’re in a town with poor air and water quality. But still… We plan to change that as soon as we can. I especially appreciate that you blame ALL of the things, not just vaccines, for causing damage. Do I blame vaccines for autism? Yes. But there’s so much more that ALSO causes harm. People need to see that if we care about one, we need to care about them all.
Thank you for being a voice for hundreds of thousands with the same exact story. Allopathic medicine tries to make a 1 to 1 relationship with disease. This does not happen in the real world. There are constant, multiple, small factors that lead to all disease.
Now, IF you had known all of these factors, and still proceeded as you did, then you could feel guilty. Because you were going with the best of your knowledge, you cannot feel guilty. You can be mad as HELL at those that are supposed to be in the know. This epidemic is wiping out a generation.
My colleagues think that I am crazy for our organic, non-vaccinated way of life, but when the stuff hits their fan, who do they come to? Me.
Have you looked into the benefits of bentonite clay detoxing for autism? Thank God, my 4-year-old son has been leading a healthy life so far, but even so, I give him a dose of bentonite clay in a glass of water each morning. It removes environmental toxins, heavy metals, pesticides and helps the immune system by balancing out the body’s PH levels while removing unwanted viral and bacterial pathogens. It doesn’t taste like anything, just a bit chalky. Look into it…
http://www.naturalnews.com/026508_clay_autism_environment.html
Clay-based “detox” drinks have been found to contain high levels of arsenic and lead, which pose particular dangers to children.
Can you please provide a link to the articles you have read? From my understanding, a reputable company like Yerba Prima sells food grade bentonite in liquid form and it’s perfectly safe, but there have been some cases of companies out of the UK selling powdered non food grade clay with misleading information on the label concerning how it can be used.
Maybe you already mentioned it it how old was your son when he was diagnosed?
He was almost 3.
I wanted to affirm you. You have taken a tragedy and used it to inform others. I know parental guilt–I have my own. I does seem that there is a difference, an empowerment in taking accountability. I was actually put off by responses chastising you for guilt and minimizing what you have shared. Thank you for giving moms research lines to follow—very important. You preach it sister!
“I gave my son Autism. I did it. Me. And no one can ever take that away.”
Stop kicking yourself! Much of the current research shows that autism is a multi-factored developmental defect that affects the number of “minicolumns” or “microcolumns” in the brain’s structure. Their development is apparently controlled by several genes (and you are not to blame for your genes unless you somehow picked your parents for their genomes). These brain structures begin to develop in the first trimester.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortical_minicolumn
That is MONTHS before birth … MONTHS or YEARS before any of the medications or vaccinations you are blaming yourself for giving to your child.
Genetics cannot overcome lifestyle but lifestlye can overcome genetics! The developmental delays you speak about are most commonly an EXPRESSION
….EXPRESSION of our genes and therefore can be affected by these “environmental factors’ mentioned in this moms blog as well as others. I agree, she should not kick herself yet appreciate her honesty. She acted on professional advice! Having said that, her awareness is essential as recognition is the key to resolution!
I agree Susan. I am tired of people using the broad brush of “genetics” to discourage us from helping our children and instead encouraging us to let them rot.
What a shame you are forcing yourself to suffer guilt over a range of normal activities that have no link to autism. So many of the things that were done during your pregnancy were to optimise the health of your child – I know you would not have preferred a stillbirth to a child with autism.
I can see that parents of autistic children try everything they can to explore the causes and help their children. Looking at all those everyday factors in normal life won’t help your child, though.
There is no link between obstetric ultrasounds and autism – or antibiotics – or coca cola (there is more mercury in fish), or acetaminophen, or fluoride, pitocin, c-section. Why punish yourself like this? It doesn’t help anyone.
Knowledge is power, please educate yourself for ignorance is not bliss as we have come to learn the very hard way, through our children’s immense suffering and struggle that did not have to be.
ONLY Jesus Christ was meant to be put up on the cross for He died so we could live.
God never intended anyone to suffer so, and that includes the way our children and families do.Amen!
Yes – ignorance is not bliss – that’s why I have read lots and lots of the research in this area – not just news stories or abstracts but the actual studies – what they measured, what they found – and I understand that the things this mother tortures herself over are just not true.
By all means love the children God gave you, do whatever you can to help and develop them, but don’t spread misinformation about the very things that can save the lives of children.
Didn’t God give us brains and judgement to develop science and medicine, for our own benefit?
Yes! God gave us free will to think.
I pray that you would do so with more clarity,
and that you gain the wisdom you clearly do not posses at this time.
Too many people are telling the same thing concerning preventable injuries to their precious children and families. and there is no way that all are collectively lying.
Some respect for grieving mothers/fathers and their families would be greatly appreciated.
God loves all His children and He weeps for those who have been harmed by great evil
Thank you for sharing. I have a son with 2 different disabilities; neither are autism, and in the beginning we were searching for answers as to why; and at one point found ways we could potentially be responsible, especially my husband. In the end, we gave it to God and realized He doesn’t make any mistakes, there was a reason for my sons diagnosis and once we came to realize that God had already created my son before I was even pregnant, a huge weight of guilt and dispair were lifted. Our son is a gift from God; the gift that was created for us. We do not have as much control as we think; He has it all. I understand your theory, and it is great information to share, but I believe that your son was already created before you concieved him. God has a plan, and we may not always understand it, but we just have to trust Him. You are now reaching out and educating others about what we all believe to be safe because professionals told us they were; maybe this was part of His plan. I pray some day you find peace and are able to forgive yourself.
Just wanted to say thank you for writing such a truthful article. Yes I have shared this on my facebook, because it’s so honest.
OMG your story sounds so similar to mine! I am sooo very sorry to read what you experienced as I know how utterly tormenting it can be to blame oneself for our child’s health. It is hard enough to deal with autism but to feel responsible for it is a dark dark place that I can relate to. After years of immersion into the biomedical program it seems so completely obvious but at the time we thought we were doing all the best things.
My situation was similar to yours and I too was tormented by the idea of “if only” and could barely sleep at night during the two worst years racked with guilt and regret…if only I hadn’t had the flu shot at 6 months pregnant, if only I hadn’t had 6 amalgams removed the year before I got pregnant, if only I hadn’t had 6 or 7 ultrasounds (low fluid like you), if only I had talked to my acupuncturist on natural ways to induce and not just started off with Pitocin, if only I had declined the Hep B shot (son too overloaded with pitocin, epidural and pain meds – yes I subcombed to pain meds after 32 hours but why did someone just encourage me to battle it, I actually wasn’t in that much pain but they scared me that my labor would be so long etc? Why all the encouragement to take it? And why didn’t I get a midwife or doula who would have coached me not to???? ), if only I had realized my son’s inability to latch-suck was significant, if only I had insisted they take care of his high risk jaundice immediately instead of letting them send over a bili-blanket 12 hours later, if only I had stopped eating gluten and dairy when my son developed colic, eczema, agitation and spit up too much, if only I had supplemented my low breast milk from a milk bank and not given formula, if only I had used a modified vaccine schedule, if only I hadn’t given Tylenol after every vaccine, if only I hadn’t let the pediatrician dismiss my son’s constant sickness (colds and infections continuously), his eczema, his echolia, his 4 hour daily temper tantrums, if I hadn’t taken a year to go against that same useless pediatrician to remove milk. On and on and on. So obvious, right?
Brutal to live with the thought that if just some of these factors had been eliminated maybe he and we wouldn’t have gone thru the horrible and sad situation we did. I am so sorry that you felt this to and send a big hug to you. We did our best that we knew at the time. Cold comfort I know.
I am with you on this. And I did some of these things because my daughter also has down syndrome. And to top it off, I was warned my a family member to not vaccinate, but the docs told me how much MORE necessary it was because of her diagnosis. I blame myself and would not have even dared to consider forgiving myself. However I believe that Jesus forgave me, so I need to let it go in order for love and healing to reign. My daughter may well understand later in life. I will understand if she chooses to not forgive me and I may well have to go through this process again. Hugs and prayers for peace and heart /soul healing……
THANK YOU!
I have my first dental appointment tomorrow for my son. And I feel confident now to say I will not use fluorinated toothpastes.
And on a side note… People looked at me crazy when I said I didn’t want a routine ultrasound…or a pretty picture of your baby inside,……. Just to make sure baby is ok. Not on my watch. When X-rays were discovered it was the latest fad to do.
I’m not crazy..yay 🙂
I will email my mama friends this link and a wireless thank you hug for you.
An old friend pointed me to this article. I don’t think I fall into the camps above though, some of those risk factors I have exposed my children to, some not, we have not seen autism in our family. I read this because my friend has clearly devoted her life to healing her children and I do care very much for what she has to say, I respect her. I have a 4 year old, and twin 15 month old daughters. I fall into the camp of people that are stuck between what our public health clinics issue on the safety of vaccines, and what parents are saying about vaccine injury. I was in the public health office, preparing my twins for their 12 months shots I finally vocalized why it is that I just can’t reconcile why I am sitting in the clinic. I bring it up to the nurse, and i say that the part that I just can’t stop thinking about is how passionate these moms are…how vocal, unrelenting…I just can’t get it out of my head. After studies purport safety, over and over again, one needs to ask, why parents would, in droves, be reporting this, documenting it and seeing it in such numbers…smart, educated, attuned parents. If vaccine injury did not exist, and the studies were true, we would see this slowly go away but no….it increases and resonates further. It just won’t go away. I can’t understand who this isn’t haunting to. What I do know from my own experience is that studies on the population do not describe the individual. What I’ve learned from this is that parents are listening. I don’t know that we will be back at the public health office.
I don’t agree with the pitocin or ultrasounds. I have super high risk pregnancies the must be induced early and I end up with close to 30 ultrasound a pregnancy and enough pitocin to drown a fish. Non of my children are autistic, in fact they are all highly intelligent with above average IQs.
So don’t beat yourself up about those. Now you can heal and reverse autism. Chelation treatments, cod liver oil, raw foods, green smoothies, high dose vitamin c, probiotics, coconut oils will all help.
Bless your heart…
Hello, i have been reading this all night after i put my 1.6 months old son.i al so sorry for the bad things happening to your precious children.my son is healthy so far.we are trying to eat organic all the time and i have made changies in cleaning and using toxins free product but it is so hard to keep up with it.
Aout the vacs.i have been giving them to him but now i feel so wrong and so i should probably stop that even if we are at the last shots.he never had any reactions but there too many kids had bad experience with them.i wish i can make my mind and stop that vac.is there any info if the vac.helped anybody????
Thank you. Because you are willing to inform us, more will be saved.
I know you mentioned Ultrasound, but in case anyone is left who thinks this is a good thing for a unborn child’s brain…developement..
mabye this will convince them..
it is, apparently, useful to stop sperm production in men..(imagine what it stops in a brain?)
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-sonicating-sperm-future-male.html
Quick clarification: It says in the article above that the findings relate to specific therapeutic ultrasounds using heat, not diagnostic ultrasounds.
What was said about acid reflux? I couldn’t find it why do all babies have that
Having been your best friend for the last 5 years…I have to say….I am so proud of this post. I know you’ve done everything… and our sons are mostly recovered and I love us for this. You are amazing. Let’s keep going… xoxoxxxoo
What a brilliant and brave article. Thank you for baring your soul to help others. I also agree with the commenter who added GMOs and toxic cosmetics to the list. In answer to your shampoo question, I use liquid castille soap with a few drops of olive or jojoba oil added to the bottle. Works great for kids’ hair.
Dear Mountain Mama,
I’m going to attempt a #3 response:
I heard/read somewhere that the vibration for guilt is a 20 – I don’t remember all the other vibrations for emotions but that one stood out for me – in comparison they said that Mother Theresa vibrated at a 700 and Jesus at a 900. If you can’t forgive yourself for you sake maybe you can forgive yourself the your son’s mother! He deserves a mother who vibrates at the highest possible level! My thoughts are with you!
On another note I’m an OT who work in Early Intervention – I haven’t vaccinated my kiddos due to being aware of the link between vaccinations and autism from my years of working in schools – now I attempt to inform parents who have children who are borderline autistic or have speech delays, motor delays, ear infections and let me tell you it is not easy because they have so bought in into the system. I am the only one among my colleagues who doesn’t believe in vaccinating. I have to be careful not to antagonize the MDs in the area or risk losing my job and therefore my ability to serve these little children.
I practice Integrative Manual Therapy and we have great success helping autistic children heal. I take classes at Institute of IMT- you might want to check them out. There are therapists practicing IMT all over the country. Good luck on your journey!
I was 23, uneducated and trustworthy of professionals when 10 years ago my son at age 4 was diagnosed! I have read researched, blogs and books every week for much of these years…and you put it out there in the most real terms. When I gave birth, information was not so easy to come across, there was no google, not many studies into Autism and well…Internet was only just becoming popular…there certainly wasn’t Facebook or the like! Nowadays, there are NO excuses, to do your own research first…read articles etc. WE are all to blame!…parents, doctors, OBs, families …everyone! I have friends that are causing this now to happen to their children, they won’t listen to me, they think im paranoid, as their kids are just 1, 2 and so on…I wish I had someone there to make me think twice, all those years ago…keep spreading your story, for the truth in all our modern medical practices…is out of CONTROL.
Hi! Interesting post. Have you heard of gut and psychology syndrome? Or the GAPS diet? I think it would interest you. The diet/nutritional protocol heals the bowels and brain, lessening or completely diminishing the symptoms of Autism, along with several other diseases. And yes, it does work! Check out healthhomehappy.com where Cara s daughter no longer carries the autism diagnosis, or google “sam autism video” for the proof of the diets power to heal on video!! I think you will find great hope! There are too many success stories for it not to work. But trying is believing
Thanks, Laura. The GAPS diet is well-known here at TMR. Some do that one and others do something similar. Many have gotten some relief from them, but it’s important to keep in mind that everyone is different and what worked for one will not necessarily work for another, especially when it comes to diet.
Oh WOW 🙁 I can so relate to so much of this unfortunately. I am so sorry for you and your child and for me and my children and all the other mothers, children and families impacted because of the failures of our medical industry and our culture where we are encouraged to follow blindly without thought or caution.
Thank you for writing this. Do you have links and more information on the association between fibromyalgia and autism? I don’t suppose you have/had endometriosis also? This fascinates me in a way that is akin to watching a train wreck. I am going to follow your blog since we have an amazing number of “coincidences”.
I respect that you have taken a different path than the Catholicism you were raised with and learned about the beauty of forgiveness. I have to say that my Catholic faith has been my rock and path of salvation throughout these difficult years. I pray the best for you in that regard, that you may find a path and faith that enfolds and leads you to Jesus and to the love of our Father in heaven. Thank you again.
I have blamed myself for almost 2 decades. I can’t believe it’s all still happening. Think about this though…We were not the ones who were supposed to know. We mistakenly thought our medical providers did the research. We are making a difference by telling our stories. People are listening like never before.
BAM, yep I’m #2 and I know how you feel cos this is my story too.
Thank you for sharing. No matter what has happened up til now, we can change their future and thank goodness we have found a healing path to change the ending of the story that could have been.
Our story is similar. But we have made lots and lots of progress by going on the GAPS diet. It is hard and strict. But man it works!!!!!!!! My daughter ended up being allergic to gluten and corn and it took us a year to figure it out. My story is on my blog if you care to read it. I encourage you to buy the GAPS book and think about it. You will have to buy it online and it is a bit pricy, but worth every penny. God bless your family as you find ways to heal your precious son and forgive yourself. Emotions are closely tied to disease and pain in the body. Not many people believe that, but I do. Many times by resolving hte emotional pains and problems, physical healing follows. You may want to consider looking into Emotional Freedom Techniques for you and him. Many times if you heal the mother, you also heal the child in this reguard.
I gave my son autism with ultrasounds and a mercury containing RhoGam shot.. Plus my heavy metal burden he soaked up like a sponge.. I feel deeply for you and commend your honesty.. Keep shouting it and never never never give up
Wow. All I can say is thank you so much for posting. Reading your story along with everyone else’s has helped me in making the decision to no longer vaccinate my children anymore. I have a 4 month old that hadn’t started her vaccinations yet, and she won’t. I have been going back and forth in my mind, and very uneasy about getting my children vaccinated ever since 2 (out of 8) of my children had bad reactions to being vaccinated..This isn’t my first time hearing and doing so much research about vaccinations and seeing so many bad results. I’m progressively choosing to buy organic when I can and introduced fermented foods and using probiotics in our smoothies, along with using aromatherapy as well. I really appreciate your openess. I’m in category 3 as well. God forgave you, so please, forgive yourself. A lot of your decisions came from not knowing or understanding, not deliberate. We are always harder on ourselves. I’m glad to hear that your son is recovering and doing better now….((hugs))
Oh, please, PLEASE don’t give more vaccines if 2 of your children’s bodies have already said NO! Presumably they have successfully fought off the ill effects…you don’t know what will happen with the other 6.
Please read Neil Miller on vaccines…and always, always follow the money trail.
(As an interesting aside, there are probably a number who scream that the “anti” side is making money just as much as the “pro” side. The illogic here is that you just don’t get that much money convincing the public NOT to buy a product.)
don’t be in a huge rush to blame yourself for giving your son autism…PLEASE! there are very few of us who have had children that haven’t taken in some or all of those items/tests. the “certainty” that they cause autism may exist in portions of the internet, but among doctors, there are few that are convinced they are the cause.
Why? I can’t give all the answers, but for sure, there have been too many who for too long have taken those things and never had an autistic child.
you are taking on a burden for yourself that is unnecessary and harmful not only to you but your child and family. it will burden you down and you have have enough to do without castigating yourself for something that is not proven AT ALL!
work with those who are trying to help you and your child. for now, it really doesn’t make any difference how he got his autism. especially if it is going to drag you down with guilt. GOD knows the whys. leave it with Him and move on…please. for your and your child’s sake.
Martha,
With respect, you are doing exactly what Mountain Mama asked people not to do. Everything she has said here she can back up with research and data. No, it’s not conclusive, but to dismiss what she says in this blog is to COMPLETELY miss the point. The point is that if you DON’T do those things, you are much more likely to have a healthy child. And isn’t that what we’d all like? Good odds on a healthy child, rather than poor ones? You would be wise to listen to her.
It definitely DOES matter “how someone gets their autism.” If it’s a toxic insult, then correcting the toxic insult may help the child get better. But even more importantly, if it’s a toxic insult that you know about, you can help others to learn by your example by speaking your truth. I’m incredibly honored to be Mountain Mama’s friend. I think what she has done here will help heal a very sick world.
Martha,
I can’t disagree with you more. Yes, it DOES MATTER how children get autism and I want to thank Mountain Mama for her courage in sharing her story. THANK YOU for telling the truth, however painful it is, I believe you know what you are talking about, you’ve done your research, you’ve compared your experience with other mothers of autistic children, unlike Martha who probably hasn’t researched any of this. Incidentally, Martha, don’t expect any doctor to admit the truth to you, nor will the AMA for obvious reasons. I have two grand children who have not been vaccinated and will not get vaccinated for these reasons. My daughter-in-law’s cousin has a child with autism. He was a normal developing toddler, talking well, until he received his shots. Then, within a week after, he stopped talking and was eventually diagnosed with autism. That mother KNOWS what caused her son’s autism.
Dear Mountain Mama, Wow what a story and I wish you didn’t blame yourself so much. We’ve all lived through similar un-realities in that we believed what wasn’t true and trusted those who weren’t to be trusted, even if they are only the vehicles through which these ideas/beliefs are planted in us, and they are victims of the system as well. I grew up with a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions. My father died from cancer when he was only 54 when I was 8 months pregnant. That was after 9 years of ‘hell’. I put my beautiful baby daughter on fluoride drops because my doctor told me to as we are on a well; and vaccines and formula on and on so many things I did and agreed to. Now I wish I had known the truth about the dangers. While I was worrying about little things that didn’t matter I wasn’t researching the important things I was giving to/doing to my children and the things I let happen to my parents – it makes me heartsick when I think about it. I’m so sorry about your son and I hope that he is able to heal and have a wonderful life as I know there is much hope for children with autism, especially when they have moms like you! I would be honoured to help you share your story and your book on Incredible Healing Journals if you would be like to do a short interview with me. Please contact me anytime. Thank you for your article. Best, Lisa.
My son was suspected to have a heart defect because of a medication given to me right before conception. I had an ultrasound every week, from 18 weeks to 37. Now I am terrified. They did the weekly ultrasounds to check for heart failure because he had a pinch in his aorta, which happened to not exist after his birth.
I was sent your link from a friend, read it and am reminded of the ineptitude of our traditional doctors. I am so glad you are talking about your experience and sharing what you have learned. Wondering if you have heard of or checked out Dr. Buttar at the Center for Advanced Medicine in Cornelius, NC? I am visiting the clinic for a month and see children come in every week for treatments for Autism. Dr. Buttars’ son had autism and is now vibrant and healthy. He is approaching disease the correct way and acquiring amazing results. Hope this info helps, and all the best to you and your family.
With your list I’m surprised 95% on the population doesn’t have autism. I understand your frustration, my nephew is autistic and of coarse we want to know why, but scaring people out of getting vaccines isn’t going to help. Vaccines have saved millions of lives. Ultrasounds have saved lives by diagnosing conditions that would have killed a baby, but because they knew about it, they were able to treat it. Because of antibiotics, I was able recover from a severe case of pneumonia while I was pregnant. Of coarse eating healthy is going to be better for you than sucking down soda. The difference between my children who had fluoride in their water and those who did not is vast, the ones that had fluoride growing up have much stronger teeth. Unfortunately some kids just get bad genes when it comes to teeth so no matter what you do they will need extensive dental work. I’m sorry for your struggles with your autistic child, I know they are real and are difficult, but rejoice in him and know that The Lord love him, and you, no matter what.
No. Vaccines did not save millions of lives. That is just completely wrong and 30 seconds of research on government sourced mortality rates for the past 150 years will show you just that.
They are every bit as useless as the author’s story demonstrates they are dangerous.
And to the author – this is right up there with being one of the best posts I have ever read on this topic. And I have read a lot.
Meg, have you seen the CDC statistics? 1 in 88 children have autism, with 1 in 54 boys. That number is from 2008. The projected number based on the current increases is ONE IN NINE children by the year 2018. Scared yet?
By the way, our home has been 100% fluoride free for over 2 years. During that time, not one cavity. Our teeth are just fine. Please do some actual research on the topics above before spouting off such ignorance. The author has spent countless hours learning about the history of vaccines, the truth about fluoride, and the dangers of antibiotics, among other things. Your comment reveals that you know VERY little about these issues.
Meg, it doesn’t follow that “everyone who ______ or whose mother ______ will become autistic” just because there is a link. Most would agree that there is a genetic link in the sense of a PREDISPOSITION to develop certain conditions. Some kids get cancer–most don’t. Does that mean we should ignore factors that we are being warned may cause cancer, just because “We know hundreds of people who did that and they’re fine”?
But a genetic predisposition is only part of the story. Lifestyle is the other side of the coin. Those who have genetic predispositions must be 10x MORE careful. On the other hand, there is always the first child in a family to develop autism, to have cancer, etc.
To be honest, telling someone that “scaring people out of vaccines isn’t going to help” is not responsible. You need to make sure you understand any benefits as *well* as risks before you say that. If you believe what the traditional medical field and only the traditional medical field tells you, discounting any other professionals or parents who’ve had a different experience, you are probably reading in the wrong place.
Thanks so much for your post. Have to say I know exactly how you feel. It is incredible how many of us feel responsible for our children’s autism. I had a revelation the other day when I realised its not actually my fault – it was like a burden lifting. Yes I still feel responsible on some level, but the burden of guilt is lighter. And I hope that you also ease up on yourself. On another note re the birth experience – we did CEASE birth drugs detox for our son and (after some strong reactions over 8 week period so not easy to live with e.g. peeing indiscriminately which he does not normally do and piteous crying for no apparent reason, again not usual for him) I saw a big improvement in him as a result. His eye contact became so much more ‘functional’. He now checks in with me with this eyes when he wants something. Beautiful. The CEASE 2 protocol is working beautifully for us – also done vaccines and now candida. Its slow progress, but it IS progress. You may already have done CEASE but thought it was worth a mention. My thoughts are with you and I wish you peace of mind – for me the intensity of your feelings of guilt shows just how deeply responsible you are as a mother. You are not to blame. That is the real truth and I hope you come to believe it. with love.
I’m in response group #3, but I understand your feelings. I just want to give you a perspective of a sibling with an older brother who is autistic. Growing up, everything was always all about Jeff – and I definitely resented my parents for this at times – especially moving half-way across the country for my senior year in high school for Jeff! But now, at 32 years old, I have realized what Jeff has done for me and my family. I am super close to my parents and all of my siblings and Jeff has given us all a different outlook on life. There are so many of my personality traits that I have because of Jeff. I am super observant – noted by almost everyone I meet – because I have to try to see things before Jeff does. I am also super patient, calm and easy going because you have to just take things as they roll – otherwise everything would be way too stressful.
My point is that you should try to look at your son’s autism as a gift. I know that is hard and sounds crazy, but if you have a more positive outlook, every little thing gone wrong won’t seem like the end of the world! Jeff has made a big impression on so many people’s lives!
By the way – my mom didn’t have any ultrasounds, didn’t drink soda and had a totally natural birth with my brother – but we did have fluoride in the water and he was vaccinated. He is severely disabled with autism (has 2 full-time staff working directly with him for his safety and the safety of people around him). So, I know you don’t want to hear it, but please don’t blame yourself! It’ll only cause undue stress and you don’t need any extra stress!
I’m not sure which group I’m in, so suffice it to say, I’m sharing this far and wide. I have no autistic children, but after reading this and having found and read much of the same research as you over the last few years, it’s only by the grace of God that they aren’t. I wish you peace and know that your confession will save.
I just want to say that if you have fibromyalgia, you may actually have chronic Lyme disease. The symptoms of Lyme are the same …. AND, most importantly, there is a very high correlation between Lyme and autism in mothers that have had Lyme before and during their pregnancies. You need to check this out, as then you and your child could be properly treated! Look up IGenex labs and ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Disease). I am an RN and have a child with Lyme….. It’s very real!
You ladies are amazing Moms. In no way would you purposely hurt/endanger your children. You were just uneducated because you trust your Md’s FDA etc its sad as hell that we can’t. Thanks for sharing all this information. The water thing baffles me, such CRAP! What great Moms beating yourselves up over stuff you can’t change but you are now changing the world informing us all and helping researchers with your vase knowledge and personal experiences. Thanks and you are all great Mom’s 😀
I gave my son severe autism as well. Thank God I figured it out pretty early, began early intervention, and now at age (almost) twelve he is almost fully recovered. From the time he was two I began helping other families who have children with autism but also have been trying to educate as many people as possisble about causation and prevention.
Thanks for sharing! I’m a natural/try-to-be organic momma but had no idea about so many things you talked about. The acetaminophen and fluoride segments were so informative!
My heart is with you. I knew a lot that you didn’t know when you were pregnant, but I didn’t know the research behind it. I just want to say one thing…it’s easier said than done to have avoided the things you took for granted to be safe. We know more everyday. We aren’t scientists nor physicians…we are mothers with sick babies..pregnant and worried….hungry and thirsty and nauseated. I think it is up to THEM to put the facts together and be honest about the dangers we aren’t told about. Maybe you gave your child autism, but in fact, it’s only by virtue of your being his caretaker. Our society is doing it by not “connecting the dots” and by demanding that mothers be subservient to the Pharma agenda and big business. God Bless you, dear mom. I’m a Catholic mom, too and you wouldn’t believe the fight I endured to even DELAY vaccines and remain part of the Catholic school system…and I had a journey with my children –but that’s a story for another day. Peace be with you.
I have to share with you what jumped out at me while reading this post. I certainly believe all of the things you listed can add up to big problems for a child with an already compromised gut (and therefore a decreased ability to detox), but the real thing that jumped out to me was that you have Fibromyalgia. I belive Fibromyalgia, like Autistm and many other illnessed/ailments, to be something we are more susceptible to when our guts are not optimally functioning. If the mother has an unhealthy gut, the child is very likely to as well, even if all factors had been perfect through his gestation and early childhood. I guess I say all this in hopes of it alleviating some of the blame that you place on yourself.
I am really intrigued with the Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campell McBride, as it explains how all diseased truly do begin in the gut, and offers advice on healing your gut.
Anyway, I thought this was a wonderfuly written, heart felt story and I believe all of the information you have listed to be something every mother-to-be should be aware of, so she can limit these exposures should she desire. Thanks for this post.
Thank you for writing this.
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I am no fan of synthetic hormones, but the issue with giving oxytocin during Labor is that if a mom is to get an epidural, that will shut down her oxytocin output and fetal distress will be the result. So, if there is that type of anesthesia… oxytocin must be supplemented, but I would submit that bio-identical oxytocin be used (not synthetic oxytocin) and that inappropriately high levels not be used.
Then perhaps that would indicate that women shouldn’t be getting epidurals, either, don’t you think? If one drug starts this cascade of interventions (though, I’ve heard that it most often starts with the Pitocin and then the mother wants an epidural because the contractions are unnecessarily hard), then why start with the first one unless absolutely necessary? Why is that women have to fight NOT to have epidurals?
You’ve got a pretty comprehensive list of potential factors in your son’s autism. Another factor that you may not be aware of is oxalate toxicity. Given that you have fibromyalgia, it is likely that you have too much oxalate in your system, and the research shows that this toxin will cross the placental “barrier” and be stored in baby’s tissues as well. Oxalate is also linked to autism. Check out this site http://www.lowoxalate.info and consider joining the yahoo group Trying_Low_Oxalate. This is a real help to kids with autism – but it could mean healing for you and your fibro too. I had two kids who were rapidly developing some nasty disease processes, and I was referred to this site for my daughter (who was diagnosed by our naturopathic doc with oxalate toxicity) and I now have two healthy kids… We’ve been eating this way for 4 years – and I (who thought I was too sick to see my kids hit adulthood) am now healthier than I’ve been in decades. I wish I’d known about this before I had my kids – they could have avoided the illnesses they had to go through, and I could have been a better mom to them because I wouldn’t have been so sick.
Mountain Mamma- Thank you for this post. And yes, I will repost!! I’m sure you’ve looked into it already but if you haven’t, I’ve heard many stories of parents healing their children of Autism by chelating the mercury and metals out and healing the gut. Chelation protocol by Andrew Cutler here: http://www.noamalgam.com; and gut and immune system healing through Dr. Natasha Campbell’s book, “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” available on Amazon. She actually cured her own son through this diet. I’ve heard Cutler say that 75-80% of Autistic children will GREATLY improve through chelation and many recover completely. Big Texas hugs.
Thanks, Joanna. We tried AC chelation for a while about a year ago, but my son’s immune system just wasn’t quite strong enough yet. It’s a catch 22…the metals make him sick, but he’s too sick to handle the detox of getting them out. I am continuing to look into GAPS..we have been on a restrictive, organic diet for 4 years and are getting closer and closer to recovery every day. Thanks so much for your input and for reposting.
I know it’s so hard on the body. I’ve been on the protocol myself for 5 mos. Are you familiar with Diotomaceous Earth for heavy metal detox? Or even Pascalite Clay? We use Pascalite for so many things. Anytime my 3 year old starts to get sick, I put him in a clay bath. We recovered Pnuemonia and an ear infection this way without antibiotics. Also excellent for bug bits, eczema, or any other skin condition. It draws toxins and poisons right out. And, I pack Pascalite in my gums where I’ve had Amalgam tattoos. The mercury is reduced from when I started noticeably on dental xrays and my gums have never been healthier. I was told there is no way to get mercury out of the gum tissue without cutting it out but the Pascalite is working. Here’s a link on DE for metal detox: http://www.westonaprice.org/environmental-toxins/mad-as-a-hatter and here’s a link for Pascalite http://www.pascalite.com/ or http://www.discountremediesinc.com/
That’s a pretty good list and it applies to many of us! There is one very important factor that is missing: Wireless radiation. I know it is how I gave my daughter autism. Check out the report from Martha Herbert, MD, PhD professor of neurology at Harvard medical school and Author of The Autism Revolution. If those credentials don’t get you to take this seriously, I don’t know what will.
http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sec20_2012_Findings_in_Autism.pdf
We adore Martha Herbert. Can’t wait to read this. Thank you.
Very well written and well said. I congratulate you for having the courage and strength to write this. What you have learned needs to be shared with all the moms in the world so that they can research for themselves and save their precious babies. Thank you for putting this out into the universe. You are a stronger woman than most and you will change people’s lives with your bravery and honesty.
Thanks, Rachael.
NaturalNews has a lot of great links for help healing & reversing autism. Here is just one, http://www.naturalnews.com/031872_autism_healing.html If you type in Autism into the search bar on the site, it will give you pages & pages of information. I think it’s a great site & I hope it helps.
Thank you, Nikki. We have been at biomed and homeopathy for years now. My son has actually lost his diagnosis as a result. Natural news is a wonderful resource. I look at it everyday and am an avid listener to natural news radio.
I totally know where you are coming from, I blame myself all the time for my little man developing autism. Firstly, because I have psoriasis so an autoimmune condition and secondly because I was naive to a lot of things I now know could have added to him becoming autistic – antibiotics, vaccines. I wish I could rewind the clock but I can’t unfortunately. I now just have to try everything in my means to make his quality of life and my family’s the best it can be. Hopefully, it will get better. I wish your child a hasty recovery.
Blessings and lots of energy for healing being sent your way, Marie.
Thank you for your honesty and connecting the dots for me 🙁
I’m in Group #2. I have encountered too many of those “Group #4” parents one commenter mentioned to even begin to try to convince them otherwise. You just made your full confession. Te absolvo (yeah, like I have that power; and my Latin sucks, so if it’s wrong, forgive ME!). You can’t turn back the clock. I so wish I could… AND, that Lortab? Full of acetaminophen . Massive glutathione depletion. You’d have been better off shooting heroin! Not that I sanction that as pain relief for pregnant moms, of course! But honestly, pure codeine without the fillers, pure morphine, either would have been safer for your baby! And your liver… Hugs, Mama. Group hugs!
Yep. Sorry to hear you are in group 2 Sue. Thanks for reading.
There will be a 4th response. Those who think you are insane. No, they don’t know the cause of autism, and it’s certainly not those things. Admitting that those things caused autism would make me have to take responsibility for the things I’ve done to my children at the advice of “experts”. In fact, you are further endangering your son by not giving him vaccines and antibiotics.
I, for one, am so immeasurably thankful I spent my entire first pregnancy online, learning, delving deeply, and THINKING. That’s when I became a real Thinker. I found it hard to stand up for these new ideas, to really believe them in my core, though. I had my first in a hospital (with pitocin, because my water had broken a whole hour ago and I still wasn’t 5 minutes apart), got him vaxed (though not on schedule) for 9 months, had fillings replaced by a conventional dentist while pregnant (that’s the one I really beat myself up for!), etc. But I knew I wanted to avoid unnecessary ultrasounds, chemicals, and antibiotics like the plague. I knew enough to ask about food allergies, and start really researching that avenue. That’s when I decided no more vax (none of my other 4 children are vaxed), no more toxins, no more hurting my babies!
I’ve still made mistakes since then (like refinishing a 70 yr old wood floor, sanding with my 9 month old third son in the room, then learning that not just paint but FLOOR finishings also had lead in them, and sure enough his blood lead levels were incredibly high), but I’ve managed to avoid most of them, and kept my children with awful immune systems from succumbing to something like autism. I’m still plenty guilty about the allergies, and the teeth problems resulting from the lead poisoning, but I understand that it began with my grandparents, so I give myself some slack. And being that the asthma has been in complete remission since beginning a Traditional Foods diet 2 years ago, I feel like I’ve been doing good work in my children to counteract all of the mistakes.
It sounds like you’ve done a lot of learning from DAN! I hope you are learning about orthomolecular therapy for your son, powerful probiotics and enzymes, and are doing everything you can now to reverse as much of the damage as possible. It doesn’t have to be permanent damage, or at least not at the level of his worst point. I encourage you to heal him, and offer any support I can while you are on that road. If you’d keep me in your thoughts as I begin chelation of my children (via Andy Cutler’s protocol) in a couple of weeks, I would appreciate it!
Thanks, Jessica. I will keep you in my prayers. My son is doing pretty well now…in a typical 2nd grade classroom with no aide. DAN and homeopathy and changing the way we eat were life-changing. Have fun with AC…get lots of sleep now, you’re gonna need it. 😉
My story is similar. My son is doing much better now. Raw dairy and raw eggs in shakes With raw honey and Weston Price way of eating helped along with probiotics and lots of therapy. My heart goes out to you and all like us. It was hellish many times on this journey. I wish you could publish this article you wrote. I will pass it on.
So glad to hear your son is doing better. We follow a lot of Weston Price here, including Fermented CLO/butter oil. I love Weston Price. I wish I could publish this too. Do you know anyone? LOL
Thank you for sharing your story. The ailments with in your families as well has to do with Genetically Modified seeds, all in our foods. Fibromyalgia’s main cause is all the aspartame, and other tames. Get off this crap. The best movie that covers this is called Genetic Roulette. It’s on Vimeo. Watch it, share it with your friends and loved ones. If you’ve seen Food Inc, this movie dives right down to the cellular level of understanding. Then start throwing away all those generic cheap foods. Always buy organic. Once you see what these chemicals are doing to our bodies and children, it will all come together with all the research you’ve posted here. My son had a small amount of Austist behavior, once I went organic, there is none. He’s a completely different child. Take Care
Thank you for your post, Stephanie. We have been organic for years and have seen great improvement as a result. We grow our own food in the summer from organic/heirloom seeds. It makes such a difference.
Oh dear where do I begin 🙁 First off she should not blame herself. Even if her choices resulted in autism this was not her intent. Secondly the big point that stands out to me is that 4 of her issues are pregnancy related.
If you have a difficult pregnancy, it is by the nature of the beast that you will have had repeated ultrasounds, antbiotics (in some cases like hers), cesection (used in emergency births like hers, she mentioned fetal distress), and pitocin. So while you can easliy link all four of these to contributing to her child’s autism the question still remains did they? Without these her child would most likely still be autistic? Why? in my opinion from the distressed labor that she mentions. The brain is the most fragile organ in a fetus/newborn. Sadly people do not realize how common brain injury is and how often it can not be diagnosed till years later because the issues only become apparent as the child gets older and more is expected of them. So to lump this 4 thyings together as a cause for autism is unfair. If she had an easy uncomplicated pregnancy/birth there would have been no need for any of these interventions. Still I totally agree that antibiotics be used sparingly with any patient and they the do have a greater inpact on the baby than they would an adult. Regardless they are not something I would use with abandon. I also would not blame them entirely on her child’s autism with the other vairables she has pointed out.
As far as vaccines I modified my children’s schedule. I spaced them out BUT having a mom who caught polio as a child and lives with the issues from that I would never be able to not vaccinate my children. I know the risks of both sides so I have made my decision from my life experience and seeing my mom suffer from a vaccine preventable disease.
My whole point of my response is that I think this mom is trying to find fault where it may have just been a combination of terrible things that happened to his brain at birth. Had she not had any complications at his birth or during her pregnancy my resonse to her post may be different.
Also just for the record. My first son was born with severe brain damage. Had he not been diagosed at birth we would have never known he was affected. He developed normally from birth to age 2. It wasn’t until he was expected to do more that is where the delay’s surfaced. Had we not knew it was coming I too would have been thinking “what happened at 2 ?”
I also want to add your (the blog writer’s) birth story sounds exactly like mine 3 days of labor and emergency csection for failure to progress after 3 hours of pushing. (((hugs))) The entire thing was a nightmare 🙁 We only then found out he had brain damage a huge strokes. A lot of this isn’t taught in birthing classes and that is why mom’s like us feel robbed. I wish I had more of a clue going in to childbirth. We don’t see the harder births on Baby Story or even from our own doctors. They don’t want to scare us but it leaves us all terribly unprepared.
I am so sorry, Stephanie. The birth story is something I have a very, very hard time revisiting. One day, I will tell the whole, long, sordid story. It never should have happened. Prayers for your son and your family.
A tragedy of errors, Mountain Mama. Thank you for the article, and peace to you.
The world is a better place when we share; feel free to share your guilt with those who deserve it – those who knew then and know now the possible effects of all the treatments and procedures you mention, yet continue to propel the paradigm – and remain silent about the dangers.
Agreed. Totally.
Wow. Thank you for this post. While i don’t have a child with austim, i also did the lortab/coke/high pitocin, etc. while my daughter is definately different, i feel in my heart and sole if i would have given her a single vaccine, she would turn. I am thankful to moms like you who point all this out and led me to my road of research and education on various subjects. i do want to get her tested for heavy metals but don’t know how to go about that. But thank you for your honesty and this post. it really resonated with me for some reason and made me look back on my own pregnancy and all the stuff i thought were fine or considered safe. Unfortunately for me, i have a genetic condition so ultrasounds are a must for me to diagnose it and have testing done, like CVS and amnio. but you can bet after reading this post, when i get pregnant again, i am avoiding everything you mentioned to the best of my ability. Thank you for being so strong. And while i know it is hard to not blame yourself, you did what you thought was right at the time. Please don’t beat yourself up. While you cannot change the past, you can change the future, if even for one person, and that is something to focus on 🙂
Thanks for reading, Tara. As for heavy metals testing, the hair test is probably the safest and least invasive. The lab that many Moms use for this is Doctor’s Data. You will probably have to have someone knowledgable interpret it for you, as the results you get don’t necessarily reveal the whole picture.
Thank you for responding. I am going to look into it! Thank you so much.
i just checked with Doctor’s Data. Our dr. needs to order it i guess. so next time i take my girl to the dr. i will ask her to order it for us. will they usually grant this request or only if there is a need for it? the price is reasonable. Thanks again for your help.
A brave post that will help others.
After living with my father, a polio survivor, I’m not sure I agree with “no vaccinations” ever. The ravages of some illnesses make them worth the risk.
But here is the big idea that I get slammed for whenever presented;
Maybe not everyone should have children if they have genetic challenges themselves. I know that sounds harsh but if people were honest with themselves, and considered what their genetic “gift” to their child would be, we could save many children from suffering.
One statement that gets me in your post “because of my fibromyalgia and the fact that autoimmune disease and digestive disorders are pervasive across both sides of our family”. Genetically compromised babies are more prone to a whole host of ills.
We chose not to have our own biological children for these reasons. Although we were able to adopt a daughter, and have beautiful grandchildren, the lack of our own children pains us to this day. Ours was not a choice for many people. I’m just suggesting it might be one thing to consider before generating a new life.
I believe if you have a child, you should do everything in your power to help them be healthy in the long term, and your post will help in that quest.
Thanks for sharing.
My mother also lives with the hell from that disease. Unfortunately we are seeing a resurgence now and it is terrible. 🙁 My mom is now 65 and she has the life of a disabled 90 year old from the damage. I hope your dad is doing better than she is. ((hugs))
First, EVERYONE of us has genetic challenges….some we know about and many more that we don’t know about. Suggesting someone NOT have children because they may have “genetic challenges” is cruel and downright mean.
Second, vaccines are NEVER good…EVER. “The ravages of some illnesses make them worth it”…. Not true AT ALL! You mention your father is a survivor of polio….were you aware of the fact that you can’t even GET polio unless you have a calcium deficiency????? That’s right….you must FIRST be deficient in calcium in order for polio to have a chance. Now, wouldn’t taking calcium be a better option than injecting your body with POISON???? You CANNOT POISON YOURSELF TO HEALTH!
I did 14 years of research before I found out that I gave my son autism, thanks to vaccines, fluoride pills when I was pregnant and antibiotics for the endless ear infections.
Dorothy – Your comment in reply to Glenn’s is ignorant and immature. People who have a host of risk-factors should take a good look into what they may pass onto their child. It’s not “mean,” its a smart decision to look at the illnesses they could possibly cause a future child. That is also a reason why the have genetic counseling.
And clearly you have never met persons with the diseases’ vaccinations prevent. I personally feel your arrogance to not vaccinate puts the greater community at risk, but I won’t mock or attempt to belittle your opinion.
And most importantly, you are your own “group.” One who ridicules people for their own opinion and attempts to belittle them, while trying to impart “knowledge” on diseases you have never studied nor know about. I have no problem with people believing what they want, but your reply is childish and uneducated. Glenn made a thoughtful and heartfelt comment and deserves the same respect, you would hope to receive yourself.
This is your opinion and I respect it. I ask you to respect mine as well, I have done my own research and made decisions based on what is right for my children. I would never force on you what I do. I will however share my experience in this journey as well.
Actually, you CAN poison yourself by too much of a good thing. Ever heard of orthorexia? Or kids dying from drinking too much water? Or having too much iron? It happens. Your attack on Glenn was uncalled for. Having enough dignity and respect for life in sacrificing your own desire to have children because of your medical history is respectable. There is a MAJOR difference between having bad acne and having neurofibromatosis or something of the like. If something is 100% genetic, then maybe someone shouldn’t be so selfish in their desire to have a child that WILL be miserable. Maybe they should love a child that was given away like Glenn did. I respect that choice and so should you. Glenn’s response was out of love…yours obviously was not. Thank you Glenn. I do not know what you struggle or what your life has been like to make this choice, but I think your choice was respectable…and I know it was hard. I wish their were more selfless people like you in this world.
Respectfully Glenn, polio was “eradicated” by 2 things: 1) banning DDT and 2) changing the definition of was counted as polio. The vaccine had little or nothing to do with it. The polio defense is made of sand. In fact Mr. Gate’s vaccine is causing paralysis (“polio”) in India. My father-in-law survived polio and his father died from it. But even then the figures were something like 1 in 10,000. Austism is 1 in 88 or less.
I know of a family with multiple severely handicapped children, and I will be honest–I don’t know what they were thinking (the parents are no longer together, and the kids are being raised by aides).
However, this is an intensely personal decision: severe disabilities strike where there is NO family history, and others who may have siblings who are handicapped have families full of children who are just fine. There are other factors to consider, such as maternal age (particularly with Down Syndrome–if a mom chose to have more kids in her 40s, and they had Down Syndrome, that wouldn’t necessarily need to affect her [neurotypical] daughter’s decision to have biological children in her 20s-early 30s). And sometimes we can be fairly sure that there were environmental causes also.
For those of us who are conservative, the idea of how we will care for all these disabled adults is a little stressful; however, it’s probably a drop in the bucket compared to whole families and generations on welfare (to say nothing of the war). We’re a financial mess anyway.
I am also in group #2 and unfortunately have run into a group #4. Parents (and pregnant moms) who roll their eyes when I post things like this. Head in the sand, it won’t happen to us mentality and can’t convince them otherwise. Sad to know what it takes to change their minds…
Montana Mom,
Your entire family needs to be tested for the MTHFR Gene.
http://www.nwhealthcare.net
Type MTHFR in the search engine
Ellen, we have been tested. My son and I do have the MTHFR mutation. I wish I would have known about this before he was born.
It sadly extremely common.
I was tested at 9wks gestation, found to have MTHFR mutation & factor 5 blood clotting disorder. Was put on daily Lovenox injections, baby aspirin, good prenatal a w xtra iron, and 800mcg of folic acid. My OB did not prescribe the correct protocol & didn’t even know (at the time), that the high dosage synthetic folic acid was probably more harmful than helpful. But guess what? He made sure to send me for monthy ultrasounds in the first trimester to monitor placental blood clots. And weekly ultrasounds in the last trimester to monitor possible spontaneous placental abruption.
Two yrs later pregnant w his Lil brother I was a little wiser, stronger in my convictions & less anxious about adverse outcomes, I refused so many ultrasounds and had prob half the amount I had w my first pregnancy. This time my OBGYN also more knowledgeable, prescribed metafolin as opposed to synthetic folic acid as well as omega/DHA supps.
FFWD- my older son developed autism. My younger son was spared with only severe ezcema.
Hmmmmm….makes u think, huh?!? Well, we all know that’s a good thing now don’t we!!!
Yup, fellow #2 here. Pun intended. I gave my son autism and I take responsibility for it 24/7. I also tell people not to pity me, I’d much rather they BELIEVE our explanation and share this info that now flows through me like sun through a window. Now, I’m off to share this. Thanx Lovey…<3
Thanks for sharing, Diana. We can change the world if we stick together.
I share your guilt…but I didn’t do half what you did….me one sonogram…natural childbirth..organic food I raised…where I went wrong…VACCINES…I have been screaming for 18 years now…what hurts me most, people who didn’t hear me all those years are now in my boat…I pray your message gets out…keep screaming…someday someone will hear you.
Cheryl….I know your heartache. I wish I never again had to think, “I told you so.” I just want it so desperately to stop. I will never stop telling our story. Thanks for sharing yours.
Wow…I feel sick to my stomach by how much I have poisoned my own children (ages 12 & 9) My oldest was, soooo sick for 2 years as a baby–we loaded him up all the time, SOOOO many antibiotics at a young age. WHY does the government allow these toxins to continue to be allowed in injected, and produced and passed as helpful? I DON’T understand this! So frustrating. And 12 years ago..there was not the level of information available for support. Unless you knew to ask or dig or have caution, like me, you’re assuming the “professionals” are doing everything they can for the betterment of our children! Ugh. I am so sorry for what I have put my children through!!!
I love you.
I forgive you.
I thank you for the countless children writing this has saved.
Love you too. XOXO
#2 here! Tears in my eyes, knowing I made the same horrid choices. Our son is not officially on the spectrum but has horrible tantrums and rages, speech problems, processing disorders, and other learning disabilities. We can only know so much until we are forced to dig deeper, which is unfortunately usually in response to catastrophe. I hope posts like this can help new moms make better decisions.
Wow…as sad and horrible as this is, I have to agree with your insights and findings. I had my children over 20 years ago and back then, I refused any ultrasounds. The doctors office always pushed for them. They would say things like, “But what if somethings wrong with the baby?” to which I would respond, “and???”. So thankful I didn’t comply. I also put off immunizations for months after the “recommended’ time. I even stopped giving them and had to get a special letter from the Health department to admit my child into school. It’s all about big bucks for the pharma companies. Thank you for this well written page.
Thank you. I am trying to get pregnant and while I knew of about half of the toxins you mentioned I learned MUCH more. So thank you. You might’ve just saved a future life.
Your comment just made everything that we do at TMR worth it. Thank you so, so much for this.
Please have yourself and your child tested for Lyme from a LLMD.
Hi Crystal…I haven’t had myself tested, but my son DID contract Lyme from a bite when he was 4. He tested positive to a Western Blot through IGenix and we worked with an LLMD for over a year. We still treat Lyme issues, but using homotoxicology/homeopathics with a different practitioner.
I have so much respect for you. Your bravery at opening your mind to see the truth. This is why so many don’t consider these things to be harmful to us. The fear and the guilt of , “I could possibly be wrong?” We want to believe everything our Drs. (drugs etc.) and marketing (chemicals) in this country do and say is the gospel truth and if we don’t do it we’re the ones wrong or bad. These concepts have been pushed on us since birth (big money marketing and advertising) and we have been brain washed. It is like coming out if a cult to see the truth! And those still in it condemn you!
Carry on strong Mama! I applaud you. I am sharing this with every young mom I know, on FB and saving this for future reference.
I have sixteen yer old twin daughter’s and a two year old son. My daughter’s were given every vaccine on the market – sometimes under duress – even gardisil and the chicken pox (varicella?). One of my daughter’s suffers from depression, anxiety, an eating disorder and quite possibly a mild form of aspergers. I find guilt in all that I’ve “done” to create this mess for her, however, you have to forgive YOURSELF. My son has had no vaccinations, no antibiotics, I avoid HFCS like the plague, and our whole family is better educated and better fed! I am sorry that your son has autism and I hope that with time you will forgive yourself <3 thank you for your bravery in this "confession". It is good for the soul.
Thank you. I have fibro too. My son has apraxia. I thought I did enough research in the beginning and delayed the vaccines. I talked with the “experts” and they told me my fibro would have nothing to do with my baby’s system. Thank you for helping me not feel crazy! Thankfully I found you guys before he got his MMR and the rest of his shots. He will never get any again! But I’m realizing it goes so much deeper. I just gave him a breathing treatment, an inhaler and cough medicine without even thinking about it because that’s what I’ve always done for myself. Looks like I need to find some more answers fast!!
Hi Bridget. So glad you are here. I’m sure you probably already know, but the organization Cherab is a wonderful resource for apraxia. Also, LuvBug and Saint have helped heal both of their asthmatic children through the use of diet, supplements and homeopathics. Feel free to friend them on Facebook and ask for help.
You perfectly describe “the perfect storm.” So many of our children are being exposed to the perfect storm . . . you are not alone. But your courage to talk about it will spare others. Thank you.
You were a victim of trust and lies. Today lies prevail – they are coming
from DC and elsewhere.
Our USCCB (Catholic Bishops) pushed Obamacare through which is a disaster
for multiple reasons. The Bishops should have helped us defeat him in 2012
but they did not do their job from the pulpit. Of course they should have
done the same in 2008 as even then it was known that he was a pro-abort.
We were taught to trust professionals: doctors, clerics, etc. Hopefully your
article will awaken many to the evils that prevail.
I can relate SO much since my son was exposed to at least half of all you mentioned with autism as an outcome. Now our family is in the process of ‘undoing’ the damage and taking complete responsibility for our health rather than simply trusting health ‘professionals.’ Hinds sight is always 20/20, eh? For me, I totally take responsibility while not taking ‘blame’ for my child’s autism. The difference is taking responsibility motivates me to research, make lifestyle changes, and press forward with hope for recovery. On the other hand, blame can immobilize us with depression and feelings of guilt/helplessness. I know as moms we straddle the fence between these two internal experiences. Perhaps one day we’ll understand why we were chosen to walk this path. Meanwhile, SHARING our stories no matter the responses is the #1 best thing we can do! So thanks for sharing, so boldly and honestly. I admire you and pray only the best for your son and family!!!!
Exactly. Thanks so much for your kind words. Praying for recovery for your child and peace for you and your family.
Ok, so my comment would actually be a combination of a few things plus an entirely new 4th one that you didn’t mention. I admire your blog and have certainly forwarded several entries to my Facebook wall. This one however I will not! This one has actually changed how I feel about you to a certain degree. Not that you will ever read this or even care? I’m a mother of 4 non vaccinated, non fluoride drinking, homeopathic using children. I’m also an RN. My perspective is different than yours on many levels. I’m also a Christ Follower and many of my closest friends are former Catholics that have converted to many other religious beliefs. There are times when reading your blog, I have felt so many close connections to you! This time, not so much. Not bc of all the numerous risk factors, no no no it goes much deeper than that. To possess guilt for inflicting something you would also need to show malaise or INTENT! You ma lady did not INTEND for any of this. While I agree with many of the risk factors you listed, I also know thousands of women that followed the exact same course as you and do not have children with autism. (I used to work with a midwife!) I left OB work bc of my refusal to vaccinate infants or assist with circumcising boys. In doing your research you HAVE to have come across the fact that eating a Dorito or a hotdog could have yielded the same results. When doing ANY sort of clinical trial of ANY kind! If a person develops any kind of symptom or disease they have to list every single thing the person ingested as a possible risk factor! If you had drank ice tea every day, you would have found an article labeling that a potential cause for autism as well.
Thank you for the truth. That is exactly what other parents need to hear. I am also Catholic and I have blamed myself for years but I do know that God can make good out of the bad and make the impossible possible. You are a part of that right now by sharing this information with others. God bless.
Thank you, Anna.
Boy, did I dodge a bullet! Aside from the Lortab, your story is exactly mine with our son. Including the highest levels of Pitocin the hospital staff had ever seen, 28 hours of labor, a c-section, etc. Coke, Tylenol, ultrasounds, 9 ear infections before he turned one, vaccines…every single thing! We even bought flouride water because we’re on a well. My son is the healthy one of our two children! My daughter has PANDAS/PANS, a compromised immune system, etc.
I look forward to a time when their children will not be faced with so many questions and uncertainties. God Bless Them All.
Malia, my son has PANS and a compromised immune system as well. It is just so hard to watch your child be so sick and know you played a part, isn’t it? Well, we are Thinkers now and we have a chance to help others. Thank you so much for posting.
Thank you. Thank you for your honesty and your knowledge. The information that you and the others writers at Thinking Mom’s Revolution have given to me over the past 6 months has changed mine and most importantly, my daughters’ lives. I have 3 girls, one is a week old, and because of you guys, I am 100% sure that I am making the right decisions for them. So again, thank you, for everything.
This made my day. Thank you so much, Natalie. I am so glad that we can help.
Oh, Mountain Mama…I can so relate. I worked in vet clinics before and during my pregnancy. I was doctor prescribed antibiotics and painkillers, even given a Xanax by my doctor during pregnancy. Three ultrasounds, no pitocin because the c-section was planned (not for cosmetic reasons), 2 different antibiotics given to him from day one to day eight to “treat” the reaction to the hep B vaccine I didn’t know he’d gotten, more antibiotics (including Augmentin) for the first year and a half for preventative measures so he “wouldn’t catch something else” while dealing with severe allergies…the list goes on.
No judgment here, only heartbreak for our unwitting ignorance and the doctors’ willful ignorance.
Can you believe we did these things? I know you are shaking your head right along with me. Love you, sweets. You’re one of the smartest moms I know.
I love your boldness. I am a family chiropractor in MN, and one thing I preach to my clients is to QUESTION everything. In fact, we are hosting a round table discussion with young moms soon, and I will definitely be sharing this information. Thank you for speaking truth.
Thank you so much. Please do share this with them. I really hope it helps.
Best advice ever
great post!
Group #2 here – and as an added bonus, also raised Catholic. I know first hand that forgiving yourself for your transgressions is so incredibly difficult.
You are doing everything you can to wake people up and make them THINK, hoping to prevent other children all over the world from suffering the way that your child (and all the TMR kids) have. People ARE listening, they ARE asking questions and making different decisions for their children, based on the information and the awesome forces of nature here at TMR. If it helps at all, know that the work that you are doing through TMR, the soul-bearing, truth-telling, educating the masses – THAT is your penance.
xoxo Allie
Thanks for your kind words and reassurance.
Hi Mountain mama
I feel your pain and angst. i too had very similar experiences before, during and after pregnancy. Two boys with autism (both born via emergency c-section: Prolonged labor, followed by induction with Pitocin, fetal distress, etc.) Typical daughter born via natural delivery. Undiagnosed Graves Disease (autoimmune thyroid disease) that nearly killed me due to cardiac issues about 8 months after my first born son was born, however misdiagnosed at least 2 years prior to pregnancy. Having said all of this, something struck me when you told us, “Add in the birth history and the fact that he had severe jaundice and a cephalohematoma that took more than six months to resolve.” Both of my boys were born with jaundice due to Rh incompatibility, regardless of having RhoGam injection during pregnancy to prevent any type of jaundice in my baby. They also were treated for it, although no follow up to check for rebound jaundice…BUT have done research on the subject and it turns out excess Bilirubin (even with bili lights) causes everything from CP to autism (often co-morbid), despite reassurance from med professionals. Please consider researching the following area: Kernicterus and/or BIND–Bilirubin-induced Neurological Dysfunction, which is milder and results in primarily what we call autism (i have difficulty with the generality of this label). The following link is a good start:
http://www.nature.com/jp/journal/v25/n1/abs/7211157a.html
Dr. Shapiro is a leading expert on the subject of BIND and Kernicterus.org has this website on the subject:
http://www.kernicterus.org/
Peace and God Bless
wow. Reading.
-Goddess
Wow. Thank you so much for posting this. I plan on reading tonight.
Good list, but there are 2 HUGE pieces of the puzzle left out…GMO foods which were introduced into our food supply in the mid 90s….hmmmm….same time Autism #s began to explode. You mess with the genetics of our FOOD and theres bound to be issues. Also, all the chemicals (many neurotoxic) in our cosmetics and cleaners. The chemicals that are put in products designed for babies (lotions, shampoos, etc) is criminal.
Agreed. I only use vinegar and baking soda to clean with now. We use coconut oil instead of lotion. I’m still looking for a good shampoo. Right now we are using fragrance-free California Baby, but let me know if you know of something better.
Have you tried the Shea Moisture line? I use their products on myself and my three kids. Totally natural organic fair trade and junk free. And they work beautifully and can be found right at target. Check them out.
May God have mercy on us all.
May God provide cure for all who suffer and struggle from these preventable atrocities.
May God make this madness stop already.
Amen.
Thank you for the frank post. Most my college years have been spent on studying autism and I am still not satisfied. Probably because autism is a group of symptoms, not really a disease we can say “that’s it!” I think all around the spectrum is a confusing, frustrating thing. I would ask if you’ve considered the GAPS diet?
We don’t do GAPS…although I have been looking into it. We removed all foods that he tested positive for in his ELISA. That was 4 years ago, and his gut is in pretty good shape now. Thanks for reading, Dawnal. I agree. It’s not one thing, it’s the toxic load that is the problem.
Thank you for posting. I will share.
I felt the need to write to you because i was in tears halfway reading your article. I have a 7 month old baby who, thank God, is very healthy. She is healthy because I was not. My parents never did any research when I was a baby. They blindly trusted their doctors, as you are expected to do in Greece (where I was born). If you dare question a doctor you might even get kicked out of the practice. Doctors often insult and demean inquisitive patients. It’s their favorite past time. Because lets not forget that doctors think of themselves (or used to anyway) as demi-gods. As a baby i received all vaccines available in the 80’s, as well as at least 4 courses of antibiotics per year, every year of my life until I was 17. Sick, weak, exhausted, depressed and suicidal, without the will to live and no doctor could find anything wrong with me. After 5 years of my own research, determined to get well, determined to live my life, tired of feeling like a young soul trapped in the body of an 80-year old, I tried everything alternative that was available. 10 years later, after detox cures, homeopathy, special diets etc etc, I felt for the first time what it’s like to be normal. Because of this experience, as soon as I got pregnant I vowed never to let anything similar happen to my baby. I began to research vaccine safety, and was shocked by the amount of polarization, taboos and criminalization of inquisitive parents. I am to this day unsure how to proceed with the vaccines. I thought of giving my baby some of them and leave others. The doctors I’ve spoken to seem to be awestruck when I tell them what I want to do. They seem to think it’s not my right to decide anything on the matter. One of them told me, “you either go with the government program and do them all, or you don’t do them at all.” That’s it. No choice. No questioning. No information. No room for doubt on an issue that is so controversial. I am furious at the doctors that prescribed antibiotics for every single sore throat I had as a child. For every single flu and cough. When I was 16, I read in my high-school biology book that antibiotics don’t work on viruses, only on bacteria. Immediately I started thinking, so what about all these times I took antibiotics without the doctor testing me to check if I had a viral or bacterial infection? I just destroyed my bacterial gut flora (no talk of probiotics in the 80’s-90’s) without knowing it and without anybody telling me how antibiotics could harm me. The reason for all this is ignorance. A bottomless pit of mass ignorance that it seems we were all deliberately thrown into. Our lives are our responsibility and it is also our responsibility to end the ignorance, spread the knowledge, help as many of us as possible out of the pit. So thank you for sharing. Thank you for shining the light. May your message reach many inquisitive and brave souls.
I am so sorry that this happened to you, but so happy that you could offer your baby a better experience. Thanks for sharing your story…I’m sure it will resonate with other readers.
Sometimes No is the answer and I think the doctors you have spoken to have unwittingly given you the answer… do no vaccines
Oh my goodness! your story is so much like mine it hurts… The good news is that we found many things that worked!!! 🙂 I usually write in Spanish, but you got to know this. My little girl had the augmentin at birth, got yellow afterwards, got the pitocin during labor and had the acid bm’s and horrible cramps you described. Vaccinated (ugh) she became a Dracula from a 50’s movie after the pneumococcal vaccine. It was so bad (she could not handle any light without screaming in pain) that she wore special glasses that people with occular albinism do. She was dx’d as severely autistic right before her 3rd birthday. What worked for us: going 100% organic (now we grow most of our own stuff) zero junk, no plastic, the Low Oxalate diet plus its support supplements b6, mg, BIOTIN (the antibiotics kill the critters in our flora that make biotin for us!) plus the regime given by her doc (zinc, mb12, enzymes etc.), AND High Dose Cod Liver Oil.
The CLO was a gamechanger for us and has been for several families I know where augmentin is involved. I was giving a talk at a conference in Poland (I was an RDI consultant) and met there a prof of pharmacology from Belgium (where I also live) . We went out to visit Warsaw and have lunch together and after telling him our story he told me that my child had developed “hepatic encephalitis” after the augmentin at the birth clinic and that it was the reason my child had autism. I could feel the floor open up and be swallowed in a dark hole, don’t know how I didn’t faint. He continued with his explanation and told me that I had to be careful and give high doses of omega 3’s or she could be at risk for oppositional disorder. I had at that time at home the definition of “opposition”!
To make it short, went back home, opened the bottle of CLO from Green Pastures and gave 3ml (full dose is 2ml). In a week, I had a child that was cooperating, calm, happy, dancing! My jaw dropped. We had to stop for 2 weeks while she had surgery for strabismus (the surgeon was afraid it would cause her blood to be too liquid) and the opposition returned. Back went the CLO and my sweet baby showed her true face again 🙂 I posted this a while ago in Spanish, now it’s been at least 2 years since we introduced the high dose and happy to report that she’s doing excellent! She’s 13 now, 8th grade with no problems, and word says she has a boyfriend 😉 We could not know how much harm we were causing, and you do have to forgive yourself but now we know that there is a way out … My girl has been the best teacher for unconditional love, and now years past I’m sure that everything happened for a GOOD reason. You too.
Hi, Patricia. I am so glad to hear how well your daughter is doing. We use the Green Pastures CLO/Butter oil combo and love it. We are LOD too. Berries….who would have thought that berries could be damaging to a child? I am so sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with Augmentin too. I can’t believe it is still on the market.
Thank you for sharing your story. I have not read all of the posts, and not sure if this was mentioned already. Raw Goats milk has been linked to curing autism, not sure if you already drink it (I can’t recall the documentary that I saw that, but it was one of the more popular foodie ones). Not the stuff you buy on the shelf at the store, straight from the Goat. Goat milk is also one of the foods mentioned in the Bible. We have ours delivered to our house by a local farm in PA.
God Bless.
I’m in group #2. Thank you for writing this, I feel the same way. Hugs mama xox
Great job articulating the ‘problems’. As the adage goes, “when we know better, we do better.” You may have just saved a child’s life with your honesty and humility.
Thanks!
I guess I am no.2 as I was a new mom and really had no idea.I USE to be a SHEEPLE BUT no more.Your list could be my list.Almost identicle.I hope the brain damge is reversible or some of it.I keep moving forward.It’s been 10 years of biomed and traditional therapies.Phew! I’m exhausted to say the least.Fo you nay sayers just do yourselves a HUGE favour and do a little research or you may end up in the autism club or worse.Thanks for speaking the truth.All those things combined was what did my son in.I hope your son is doing better.I know some treatments helped my son go from severe to moderate on the spectrum.God Bless! Jds Mom
The point of all of what we do is to save a child ~ save a family…Mission accomplished! Love you!
I did it all too…
“My son’s health was MY responsibility”….
yes, and no. I am sure you have run accross/maybe even yourself/or at least read about, medical persons/social workers who have implied/stated that if a parent does not administer such and such they are negligent and might risk aprehension. It is a constant struggle to fend off/assess where they might have a “point”/figure out how to evade their “suggestions” without risking ….”more interest”
I’m in the response # 2 group- sending you hugs!!!
Thank you, angela.
I don’t think my response will fit into any of your three categories. The title of you article attracts attention, and entices people to read not only your journey, but your warnings, advice and hopefully help to the millions of parents of a child on the spectrum.
I am a mother of a daughter who lives with autism. As I write that, four years later, it still brings tears to my eyes. I have been asked countless times if I feel guilty and reassured countless times to not feel guilty and to be truthful I never really have. I have looked back on all the choices that I made while pregnant and during her first years of life and I believe that I made the best choices at the time. Truth be known if we really knew that any, or all of the things you mention were the cause of autism then you my friend would win the Nobel peace prize!!!! Right now we are all still searching for answers and I am not saying I disagree with any of the things you listed but I also know that “at the time” I needed those ultrasounds because I needed to know how my baby way doing – if she was progressing and at times if she was even alive… So did my NINE, yes, 9 ultrasounds give my baby autism? Who knows, but I know that she at least lived through my pregnancy and she is a beautiful , intelligent little girl now – Autism, or not. Developmentally delayed or not, I still have my sweet girl. Do I hate it???YES!!! Do I wish Autism had never entered our lives! OH YES!!!!
Thank you for putting forth some generalized theories and making people aware. I think this has been a good way for the parents of kids on the spectrum like myself to share a portion of their journey.