The Explosion of Autism

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Jackie Lombardo

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The well researched January cover story of E Magazine, “The Search for Autism’s Missing Piece: Autism Research Slowly Turns Its Focus to Environmental Toxicity” by Brita Belli, spotlights environmental factors that might contribute to autism; the fastest-growing, most horrifying developmental disability in America today now affects 1 in 100 children according to the CDC. The explosion of autism in one generation screams for an explanation past genetics, but research to date has primarily been centered only on genes. Current research fails miserably to provide answers to halt autism’s continuing rise or to treat those already affected. In fact, some question whether definitive research proving the cause, or causes, of this national crisis will ever come due to money and politics.

Belli’s article discusses the medical community’s reluctance to investigate and identify sources of chemical toxicity affecting children. She explains, “The nonprofit Environmental Working Group, in a detailed report about the neglect of autism research’s focus on environmental factors, points out that ‘Hundreds of studies have explored the genetic roots of the autism epidemic, but none has uncovered a single gene or vulnerability to account for more than a fraction of cases."

According to Belli, several environmental factors may contribute to autism and need further exploration:

• mercury in vaccinations, dental amalgams, seafood and other sources,
• lead and sulfur dioxide in our air and drinking water,
• arsenic and pharmaceuticals in our drinking water,
• chemicals in plastics - phthalates, Bisphenol-A, and
• flame retardants found in homes and school.

Heavy Metals, Porphyrins and Chelation

Research that does investigate environmental factors is uncovering a strong link between heavy metals and autism. Several studies show more porphyrins (chemical compounds that increase in the blood in response to heavy metal toxicity) are found in the blood of autistic children following chelation than in typical children, suggesting autistic children retain heavy metals rather than excrete them. Chelation is a conventional, yet controversial, medical treatment that uses a drug such as dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) to extract heavy metals from the body. Re-categorized by some as a questionable holistic biomedical treatment, DMSA remains one of the oldest drugs (around since the 1950s) used as an antidote for heavy metal poisoning.

Glutathione

Other research identifies biological factors that may contribute to autism, and one is the important antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione is critical in the body for excreting heavy metals because it binds to metals in the body and eases elimination. A pioneering study in 2004, led by Jill James, Ph.D. of the Arkansas School of Medicine, showed autistic children had significantly less glutathione levels than children without autism. Low glutathione increases oxidative stress in the body, and James explains that an, “…increased vulnerability to oxidative stress (endogenous or environmental) may contribute to the development and clinical manifestations of autism.” James proposes some children are genetically predisposed to low glutathione levels, which may make this subset of children susceptible to heavy metal toxicity and display symptoms that lead to a diagnosis of autism. More than ever, heavy metals are found today in a variety of consumer products such as pesticides, furniture, food, children’s toys, and vaccinations.

Antibiotics

Beside the combination of high heavy metals and low glutathione found in their bodies, autistic children also often have a history of antibiotic use and gut dysbiosis. A study by Adams, et al, looked at the medical history of children with autism and found they were much more likely to have been given multiple rounds of oral antibiotics as infants, mostly due to increased ear infections. What makes high heavy metals, low glutathione, and the addition of antibiotics a bad mix? The studies author explains, “Oral antibiotics in rats have been shown to greatly decrease the rate of excretion of mercury. So the half-life for excretion goes from 10 days to 100 days in rats on oral antibiotics.” Belli adds, “That toxicity—whether in the form of vaccines, fish, dental amalgams, air pollution, tainted water or other environmental toxins—might provide the “toxic tipping point” to render a child autistic.”

What Can You Do?

Learn. Rates of children diagnosed with autism continue to climb steadily, from 1 in 10,000 children in the 1980’s, to 1 in 500, to 1 in 250, to 1 in 150. Today, autism affects 1 in 100 children, 1 in every 58 boys, and shows absolutely no sign of slowing. As stated earlier, money and politics play an important role in the type of research conducted.

While we wait for conclusive research that points to autism‘s causes, and watch as government and political bodies debate the issue, it is recommended that parents:

• Research all consumer products purchased for or used near children including cleaners, pesticides, toys, furniture, carpeting, food, and vaccinations.
• Review the benefits of these products, read the package labels and inserts, and pay special attention to all the risks.
• Regardless of whether or not your child has autism, find a health practitioner who has not only reviewed research on genetics, but who also has personally read and evaluated the research on chemical toxicity. If he or she has not taken the time to read it for themselves, find another practitioner.
• Be sure to discuss your evaluation, ideas and thoughts with your practitioner.

Ultimately, a parent’s own thorough research, in consultation with a health professional, is the best defense against autism.

Learn More:

The Search for Autism’s Missing Piece: Autism Research Slowly Turns Its Focus to Environmental Toxicity
By Brita Belli

Metabolic endophenotype and related genotypes are associated with oxidative stress in children with autism
S. Jill James,1 Stepan Melnyk,1 Stefanie Jernigan,1 Mario A. Cleves,1 Charles H. Halsted,2 Donna H. Wong,2 Paul Cutler,3 Kenneth Bock,4 Marvin Boris,5 J. Jeffrey Bradstreet,5 Sidney M. Baker,7 and David W. Gaylor8

Blood Mercury Levels in U.S. citizens from the EPA

Vaccine Ingredients List from CDC

Children’s Health and Chemical Exposure - Environmental Working Group

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

Posted by Gerald on 10/23/2011 at 03:45 PM

I don’t know where to start. It seems we have a government who is run by big phama as eveidenced by the payout giving to the FDA, by law. We have been lied to about the children must be vaccinated to go to school. I’d like to mention one more thing. Many are following the green movement and the government is all for it to, if you are on medication of have had chemo, when you eliminate- where do you think the waste goes? in your drinking water the water sewage company don’t have the filters or the cleaning tools to filter radiologicals or chemo, or many of the chemicals that the meds are made of. Think about what we are giving to our children. Your health is your own responsibility

Posted by Stan Bloodworth on 06/21/2011 at 07:18 PM

The truth is that autism is a little understood condition and yet widely treated by drugs. Pharmaceutical companies and health care industries have only interests to assault human health for a long time now (while covering their tracks along the way). One can say that autism, along with cancer, are man made diseases.

Posted by Laura Dronen on 05/31/2011 at 01:25 AM

Autistim syndrome is a complex one, and many continue to struggle with the illness. It can be isolating for families, and equally as confusing for the sufferer. There does appear to be an increase, however, it is most likely related to improved medical interventions and case history.

Posted by Bill Daniels on 05/22/2011 at 11:04 PM

It is becoming increasingly clear that medical science and research, are correlated if not indirectly affected by political and social factors. External pressures that emphasize on

Posted by Samuel Anderson on 03/27/2011 at 11:35 PM

The issue of vaccines and toxins is of little comfort for many parents who :
1 have children with Autistic syndrome
2 are expected to make a choice that may or may not increase risk of contracting other serious illness if they do not take get the vaccine.

Hmm, the argument and debate surrounding vaccines is well documented and the intellectual data is complex and will be of little comfort to the parent. There are many thoughts that indicate the vaccine does not protect, rather the specific disease was on the decline when vaccine produce. This may or may not be true and is the increased cases of autism due to our lifestyle, or is it that our medical practice continue to improve and therefore identify childhood disease far more often?

Posted by Autism Symptoms Checklist on 05/26/2010 at 09:00 AM

I agree in that this raises some interesting issues with the metals in vaccines and their potential to be harmful. In addition, the connection between the high levels of metals being retained in individuals with autism is unusual, to say the least. Unfortunately, it seems that as of right now, not one antecedent can be tied to the cause of autism. While metals in the vaccines and the increased levels retained in blood have some correlation with autism seems valid, it does raise many more questions. Why not all individuals with autism? Why aren’t all children taking the same vaccines being affected the same way? There is still so much we don’t know, unfortunately. I also like the proactive approach the end of this article advocates. If anyone has any misgivings about their children and the possibility of autism, there is a lot of help out there. Refer to my link for an autism symptoms checklist. I’ve found it comprehensive and very useful.

http://thelovaascenter.org/autism-symtoms-checklist.php

Posted by Sonya on 04/14/2010 at 04:32 AM

Liz, you rock! I know from reading your comments, you have done your homework. Nate, I’m sorry to say you are quite misinformed. I know many people with autistic children and vaccines and toxins are all factors in their situations. The research and facts support the issues of autism associated with vaccines and toxins. Educating ourselves to make the best decisions in our health and nutrition is the best thing we can do for our families! Have a blessed day!

Posted by Christine on 04/02/2010 at 07:00 AM

Just a note: thimerosal is still used in multi-dose vaccines.

Posted by Asd mom on 04/02/2010 at 06:59 AM

Some vaccines still contain thimerosal (almost 50% mercury.) There has never been zero toxins in vaccines which include aluminum and other toxins. Find this info on the FDA website. It is a simple Google search.

Vaccines are still on the list of suspects for the autism epidemic. Injection of toxins on a developing immune system is a disaster for about 10% of the kids.

Posted by Linda on 04/02/2010 at 04:59 AM

Thank you, Joe! I have a child with autism. He developed normally until just after his MMR vaccination at 15 months. I do believe toxins and vaccines contribute to autism. Once you live with a child with autism, you realize that autism is not a mental heath issue. It is a medical issue. These children have many allergies, especially to foods. They have inflammatory bowel disease. They have reflux. Their gastrointestinal disease is painful and causes many of the behaviors we call “autism.” They have metabolic issues. They have immune dysregulation. They may also have many different kinds of seizures. Sadly, often these issues go undiagnosed and untreated.

How did a normal baby suddenly develop all of these medical issues? It’s a question we must answer. We must be able to prevent and medically treat autism. We must do a vaccinated vs. unvaccinated study. We should have done it ten years ago. It is unconscionable to delay this study any longer.

Posted by Liz on 04/01/2010 at 09:15 PM

Nate your comment about Kate is rude. You sit on your high horse and assume you have science on your side. However, your comments prove that you have not done the research. While mainstream medicine is great for emergencies like broken bones, surgery…They are far behind when it comes to treating & preventing disease.

#1. Thirmerserol is still in 13 vaccines as posted on the CDC’s website. They say it is “Trace” amounts. However that same trace amount is enough to make drinking water toxic. The h1n1 vaccines for this year coming up have had the mercury limit lifted so those WILL have thimerserol with higher than trace amounts.

#2 Vaccines don’t give you 100% immunity to any diseases & have in fact caused the disease they were meant to prevent (one of many examples: Recent mumps outbreak 90+% vaccinated). Not only this but there are many papers written connecting injury & death to the vaccines. It is a myth that vaccines are responsible for getting rid of all of the terrible diseases of the past. I’ve seen the actual data and it is so clear a child could understand. There was a massive decrease in ALL these diseases from better sanitation practices (This was even published in the Journal of pediatrics). It was only AFTER this massive decline that vaccines were even introduced. Some of the horrible killers just went away on there own, no vaccine was ever created.

#3 You are taking a chance that your child can die or be sterile or injured for life when you vaccinate. There are many things you can do naturally to prevent sickness & if you do get sick there is much you can do to treat it. My son recently got pneumonia. We used no antibiotics to treat him, 100% natural anti-virals. He was 100% in a week. Some other examples where the alternative/natural route out performs mainstream medicine is Cancer & Diabetes. While mainstream medicine tries the same thing over and over again getting poor results. Alternative medicine has 75+ cure rates for cancer and for type 2 diabetes it’s closer to 90%.

Doctor’s are not evil, however I do think they are influenced for the worse by pharmaceutical companies starting in medical school. It is all about what to prescribe, how much and when to send to surgery (An MD told me this about his own profession). He said in comparison to the drug model they learn virtually nothing about nutrition and how the body really works. They treat symptoms but never get to the real problem.

Posted by Kim James on 04/01/2010 at 02:56 PM

It’s a matter of time before more research will link our environmental toxins to illnesses. Check out the book, Toxic Bedrooms by Walt Bader.

Posted by Nate on 03/28/2010 at 10:08 PM

Ok, Kate is crazy. Eliminating vaccinations and going the spiritual route is a very uneducated and foolish approach and contradicts to the message of educating yourself. Red flag on the “dont go to doctor” part. Clearly she’s not a doctor.

First off, mercury hasn’t been in vaccines for several years now (interestingly in parallel in decline of autism), and a “natural” approach to immunization will NOT prevent your child from catching the diseases that vaccines prevent. Taking a chance of your child dying from a disease seem foolish.

Educated research would result in finding they no longer use thimerosal and some doctors will provide alternative vaccine schedules that will spread the doses over a slightly longer period of time. A much better approach if you’re still uncomfortable rather than no vaccines at all.

As this article notes, you need to think outside the box a bit. Everyone is focused on vaccinations, but neglects the fact that they are feeding their baby with a milk bottle made of BPA.

Posted by Jeff on 03/23/2010 at 12:56 PM

Here’s an interesting smoking gun which calls into question much of the research around Mercury: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/central-figure-in-cdc-vac

Posted by Kate on 03/18/2010 at 12:44 PM

The best thing you can do to protect you and your child’s health is to NOT visit your doctor. Read up, research and find alternative, natural ways to boost your immune system in order to avoid illness. The medical system is broken and corrupt. Instead of relying on drugs and vaccines, change your lifestyle and eating habits. Avoid toxins, get some spirituality going. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to take charge of your own health. Be your own best advocate!

Posted by Hunter Thurman on 03/16/2010 at 04:41 PM

Great post. I’ve become really concerned about the infiltration of chemicals into everyday life, and the Environmental Working Group has been a good resource. But the non-toxic products can be hard to find. So, I started a website providing only pure products as certified by EWG’s research: http://www.repurify.com/

We also contribute a portion of profits back to the pure products industry - I’m going to put Healthy Child on my list to learn more about!

Posted by Joe on 03/16/2010 at 04:16 PM

This poses a very powerful question. If vaccines and/or exposure to heavy metals and chemicals is not at the root cause of autism..then what is? I think based on the sheer numbers of those afflicted, combined with the rapid rate in which this disease has moved across the globe, this is a genuine health crisis that begs an answer from the medical establishment, and it begs an answer now..If this isn’t a priority, then what is? How about, for example: a vaccinated vs. un-vaccinated study..? Why hasn’t this study been done?

Hmmm….I think I know the answer.

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