Musings and What-not

Well, it is obvious that I have been hiding under a rock for several months because I can't believe I've missed a lot of what's been slinging around the autism community lately. There's been much talk about Dr. Wakefield , and now some Danish doctor, Poul Thorsen , is under seige. The wars never cease! While so not minding my own business , I was browsing through the autism news headlines on the blog, Left Brain Right Brain . This blog hosts some interesting stuff that often makes me go, "hmmmmmmm".

Good Morning America is doing a great job raising awareness for autism.  I've already mentioned their OnCall+Autism series. Today, the released a report about how the government is now examining the link between vaccines and autism.  It also appears that this examination may be looking at mitochondrial disorders as the "culprit". Government health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, met in Indianapolis Sunday to discuss whether cellular diseases known as mitochondrial disorders should be considered in research on autism. At the heart of the issue for many specialists and concerned parents is whether vaccines -- suspected by some people as being a cause of autism -- might trigger mitochondrial disorders, which lead to autism. One of the people at the meeting in Indianapolis was Jon Poling, father of 9-year old Hannah Poling, who was diagnosed with autism after receivin...

While many are pointing the finger at vaccines, scientists and researchers are still looking at the genetic connection with autism. According to The Vancouver Sun , A gene that helps the brain make connections may underlie a significant number of autism cases, researchers in the United States reported on Tuesday. Disruptions in the gene, called contactin 4, stop the gene from working properly and appear to stop the brain from making proper networks, the researchers reported in the Journal of Medical Genetics. These disruptions, in which the child has either three copies of the gene or just one copy when two copies is normal, could account for up to 2.5 percent of autism cases, said Dr. Eli Hatchwell of Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York, who led the study. "That is a significant number," said Hatchwell. I realize 2.5% doesn't sound like very much.  I also realize that it will take a much larger number to grab the attention of those who think otherw...

It's pretty obvious my pogo stick is fixed tonight because I found this one when I ventured over to WorldNetDaily . I'm not going to say much because you already know where I stand.  I just found this article interesting... and I think you will too. Here's a little teaser for you. For some reason, however, otherwise rational human beings seem to suspend their better judgment where medical technology is concerned. I refer specifically to the growing movement whose members are today spreading the false notion that getting your children vaccinated will somehow give them autism . Some frightened parents are reacting by applying lengthened vaccination schedules – or skipping certain vaccinations completely. Is it me, or does the author, Phil Elmore, look a little like Savage? Sans glasses? Never mind... I found Savage's twin.  Sorry about that, Phil.

I haven't followed Dr. Paul Offit's career, but I do know where he stands where vaccines and autism are concerned.  I also know that his latest book, False Prophets , refutes any connection between autism and vaccines. TODAY talked about Offit's book in today 's Health (no pun intended). In the prologue, Offit states, Since the late 1990s, many studies have shown that the rates of autism are the same in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. This bit o' info isn't anything new to me, but what I did find ridiculous is the fact that people have taken to threatening not only his life but the lives of his family as well. When Offit appeared on MSNBC for a congressional hearing, he was asked if he had vaccinated his own children.  He stated, "yes" and offered up their names and ages.  During one of the breaks, Congressman Tierney pulled him aside and said, “Never,” he said, breathlessly, “never mention the names of your own children in front of a group like...

Luke Skywalker called.  He wants his Landspeeder (hovercraft) back.  {sigh}  He's such a brat!  I need to take one more spin 'round the block then, maybe , I'll give it back to him.  {sigh} Do you know what's sad? I can't even say, "I googled it" anymore when I'm asked where I find information to blog about. Why is that, you ask? Seems that folks are using it as their sole source to find data, and I ain't mentioning any names. No!  I won't say! I.  Can't.  Hear.  You.       (la la la la la la la la) I'll be serious for a moment. I'm glad more of us, on the other side of the lawn, are stating that there are other contributing factors to autism... besides vaccines. I believe that the folks blaming them for their child(ren)'s autism are actually doing us more harm than good, because now we have a whole new set of parents becoming paranoid about vaccinating their children. I don't think this is helping our cause at all. In fac...

Until two days ago, I had never heard of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).  Wanting to know more about it, I decided to do some light research. Here's a little something that offers a brief explanation for what MCS is. MCS means an unusually severe sensitivity or allergy-like reaction to many different kinds of pollutants including solvents, VOCs, perfumes, petrol, diesel, smoke, "chemicals" in general regarded and often encompasses problems with regard to pollen, house dust mites, and pet fur & dander. MCS unlike "true" allergies - where the underlying mechanisms of the problem are relatively well understood & widely accepted - is generally regarded as "idiopathic" - meaning that it has no known mechanism of causation & its processes are not fully understood. {Source: www.multiplechemicalsensitivity.org} This brings me back to a previous post where I mentioned Karen Slimak and a study of VOCs and their effects on humans (It appears ...

I know I'm going to get hate mail for this post, and to that, I can only sigh.  But I want you to remember one thing as you read this post... this is MY healing journey. It seems that everyone I talk to wants to know how Nicholas "got autism". How the heck do I know? Have you heard reference to my name as being an expert in the field of communication sciences and neurological disorders? Have you read pages upon pages of research data that I've written regarding autism and its cause? No. Unlike a lot of parents out there, I didn't lose my son after he received his MMR.  He's still the same perky, curious, entertaining boy he was back then. But there is one thing that hasn't changed for him through the years, and that's his level of communication.  Although, he's a HUGE scripter, it has only been recently that we've been hearing a lot of spontaneous speech... which is groovy! I know you've heard me bring up Jenny before, but I need to make...

I personally think that Sen. Barack Obama may be wavering on this issue of “vaccines cause autism” because he’s already in hot water over comments by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and the autism and vaccines thing is somewhat of a “controversial” issue for some people (for those who know better, it’s not………it’s just plain false, that vaccines cause autism.) What is interesting about the portion of the quote in parentheses is the fact that it's coming from a person living on the spectrum.  Someone who has firsthand knowledge of what being autistic is all about. What's even more interesting is the fact that I've never heard or read a statement like this from someone on the autistic side of the vaccination "debate". It's late, and I'm a bit tired.  Maybe I didn't read it correctly, but it sure does look pretty cut-n-dry to me, "it's just plain false... that vaccines cause autism." I consider myself to be a very open-minded person,...

I don't read a lot of parenting magazines. Most of them don't represent my life. I don't recognize myself or my life in the pictures or stories which is why I missed a rather scathing stab by actress, Amanda Peet, at non-vaccinating parents in the July issue of Cookie. Peet stated, "Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites." Parasites? Let's take a deeper look at that word, shall we? Biology An organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while contributing nothing to the survival of its host. Wow! I contribute nothing ? I'll be honest. If autism hadn't come into my life, I'd be just like Peet. Misinformed, judgmental, biased. The list goes on. But I'm not like her. My life isn't privileged. I don't have celebrity status to stand behind and use to insult families who have been living with this disorder for decades. I'm sure if it were up to Peet, our children w...

Today, I read a very interesting article at one of my favorite online pit stops, Age of Autism .  It really got me thinking.  If this mother can recover her child from autism, naturally (through raw foods, energy healing, etc.), then why isn't this information widely available? I know of the supplements, the bio-chemical therapies, and the like that can benefit my son, but I'm more interested in sticking to the recovery path that is as natural as possible. Having fully transitioned into the holistic (green) lifestyle a little over a year ago, I'm done putting junk into my family's environment (internal and external). Lately, the media has been comparing one mother's choice (Jenny McCarthy) over another's (Amanda Peet). It is conflicts like this that keep the "judging" eyes on holistic parents and our decisions. Parents choosing to not vaccinate their children is nothing new. We've all heard of the 60s! We're just the new generation of informed...