The autism epidemic seems to mirror IBD/MC - your thoughts?

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:58 am

Polly/Carol,
I've come across anti-vaccine propaganda stating that vaccines started using cell lines from aborted human embryos in the late 1990s, right around when the current autism epidemic started. Certainly human material used to grow vaccines could be a trigger for autoimmune disease in my opinion. Is there any truth to this?

Post by **tex** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:48 am

Remember that ASD hasn't been verified to have an autoimmune etiology, (though that doesn't mean that a connection doesn't exist).

Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Tue Apr 03, 2012 9:49 am

Here's an interesting read from a few years ago, primarily implicating mercury, both in mom, in vaccines, and all around us in coal-fired powerplant pollution. The op-ed has several references to the costs of each individual with autism...staggering.

http://www.whale.to/vaccine/stoller.html

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 7:56 pm

Zizzle,

I've come across anti-vaccine propaganda stating that vaccines started using cell lines from aborted human embryos in the late 1990s,

[/quote]

Whoa. I had not heard this and I question if it would have even been legal or practical to do this. I may look into this. I'm also looking for the source of the PCB/breast milk/rat study so I can put a link here since others found that interesting. I found an article about it but I want to link the actual study. I thought I had it on my work computer but when I looked today I couldn't find it. I'm sure I have it stored somewhere, probably on a thumb drive. I didn't have much time to look today.

I have heard about concerns regarding mercury and I think it's harmful effects (in general) are well documented. It's another element we should be on guard against.

Carol

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:09 am

Here's Dr. Mercola's 2011 article about embryonic cells used in vaccines.

A google search pulls up all kinds of articles, and I'm yet to find one that refutes that this is happening. Even the Catholic Church has had to respond to the ethics involved for its pro-life members.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... -form.aspx

These are the vaccines involved:

Polio -- PolioVax, Pentacel, DT Polio Absorbed, Quadracel (Sanofi)
Measles, Mumps, Rubella -- MMR II, Meruvax II, MRVax, Biovax, ProQuad, MMR-V (Merck), Priorix, Erolalix (GlaxoSmithKline)
Varicella (Chickenpox and Shingles) -- Varivax, ProQuad, MMR-V, Zostavax (Merck) Varilix (GlaxoSmithKline)
Hepatitis A -- Vaqta (Merck), Havrix, Twinrix (GlaxoSmithKine), Avaxim, Vivaxim (Sanofi), Epaxal (Crucell/Berna)
Rabies -- Imovax (Sanofi)

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:58 pm

Zizzle,
Wow.

I am repulsed (and apparently naive about the number of abortions that occur and how companies can access these fetuses).
The timing, as you pointed out, is suspicious for increases with autism. Now to find out if someone is doing any longitudinal studies following the use of these particular vaccines. But then in order to do that the public would have to learn about this.

I (and my colleagues) receive the majority of our training on autism through the University of Kansas and KU Med Center, considered a leader in Applied Behavior Analysis and educational research and programming in autism, and I'm a little surprised I haven't heard this before.

Keep in touch,
Carol

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:34 pm

Hello to all,
I finally found the original article by UCSF researcher Mike Merzenich regarding PCBs and PCBEs in breast milk and their effect on typically developing rat pups. The first link is the actual clinical abstract and the second link is an article from UCSF talking about the research. Dr. Merzenich is cautious and reminds everyone that not every rat study equates to humans.... but it's easy to measure PCB increases in humans, so it's hard to ignore the implications. My opinion is that Dr. Merzenich is concerned about the implications and was strongly urging government agencies to pick up this line of research. This is not new research btw.... it's 2007. I need to look for followup studies.

http://www.pnas.org/content/104/18/7646 ... abstract-1

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2007/05/3817/merzenich

My gut instinct is that eventually we will find that autism has multiple causes and in fact we may have more than one kind of autism-- one that develops before age 2 and another that is triggered after age 2. There is such variance in this disorder.
I am pleased with how vigorous the research in autism has become.

Carol

thechaostheory · Post by **thechaostheory** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:34 am

I found this board for MC info and this is the first discussion that caught my interest right off the bat! I'm 36, dx with MC for almost 2 years and am currently having my second flare. First one went into spontaneous remission after 3 months but during that 3 months I suffered and lost 20 pounds.

That aside, I have a 17 year old son that is on the autism spectrum (Aspergers) so this informed conversation with educated adults interests me on many levels! Ive done extensive reading on the causes of autism too. I have my own suspicions with my son, he had viral meningitis when he was 3 months old and just never recovered. It was almost as if his nerve endings were burned; he startled easily as a baby, couldn't settle to sleep and still has many sensory issues. While now after many years of training his is more of a social handicap, its a disability nonetheless. He doesn't suffer from any bowel issues thankfully but has always been full of anxiety! Anyway, the thought of the genetic predisposition to both is fascinating. I know we both share a mutation in the MTHFR gene which causes clotting problems.

Anyway nice to meet you all and I look forward to more info on MC too!

A

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 11:57 am

Welcome A!!
And welcome to this thread. You'll find us Potty People pondering many seemingly unrelated issues. It's always nice to have a veteran who's living through this to set us straight. I hadn't thought about serious infections in infancy as a trigger of autism, but it sure makes sense. Glad to hear your son is doing better.

I had a chuckle at your "MTHFR" gene -- I thought it was a joke at first -- "MotherF-er" gene?!

I have a few of those too!

thechaostheory · Post by **thechaostheory** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 12:22 pm

I have to re-check myself every time I type that acronym, trust me! No really, its a real gene mutation, not another name for my ex-husband!

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 12:25 pm

New study associating maternal obesity with autism.

http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsst ... ovdelivery

This person's thinking is where this needs to go:

The reasons for the link between obesity and autism/developmental delays are unknown, though some research suggests that obesity unleashes inflammatory proteins, some of which may be able to cross the placenta into the fetus. It's possible the inflammatory proteins, known as cytokines, may harm a fetus's developing brain, Krakowiak said.

She also noted that while the research found an association between obesity and autism/developmental delays, it did not prove that being obese causes autism or other brain problems in the fetus. The link may be indirect.

"It may not be the obesity itself, but other things that lead to obesity, such as genetics, or lifestyle, or diet," Krakowiak said.

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:16 pm

Chaos and Ziz, Way too funny on the MTHFR gene....and the ex husband comment! I'll have to use that in the future. Brandy

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:02 pm

Welcome A,
I also did a double take on the MTHFR gene. Just quickly off the top of my head, there is no reason why a virus cannot be a contributing cause to autism. It wouldn't surprise me at all.
A school nurse gave me an article last week regarding the PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) that results in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and other tics, following a strep infection.

http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm

I am willing to bet that some of these cases also look very much like ASD.... or could be ASD. Whose to say?

Zizzle, I think the idea that obese moms may pass on inflammatory tendencies is very intriguing. Again, I'm just glad that all kinds of researchers are looking at all angles of this issue. I'll read your link when I have a few minutes. Thanks for posting.

Carol

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 12:51 pm

Dr. Mercola is weighing in on the new statistics. It's a good read, and forms a clear association with many of the factors associated with MC. I agree that we can't look at any individual causes - it's multifactorial.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... _DNL_art_1

While many are focusing their efforts on nailing down one culprit or another—vaccines being the perfect example—I believe taking such a narrow-minded approach can be extremely counterproductive. In my view, what we're seeing here is the culmination of what amounts to a perfect storm...

Research is now clearly showing that environmental factors play a primary role in the epidemic of autism spectrum disorders. But which environmental factors are to blame?

While vaccines have borne the brunt of people's suspicions, there's plenty of evidence suggesting there are multiple factors at play. The factor that prevents us from writing vaccines off as being harmless is the fact that toxic overload appears to be at the core of the problem, and many vaccines do indeed contribute to a child's overall toxic load. So while it's probably unreasonable to blame vaccines alone for the rapid rise in autism, it would be just as unreasonable to ignore their impact, and continue on with the one-fits-all vaccination policy as if everything is a-okay.

The majority of autism cases do appear to result from the activation or "expression," of a number of different genes, along with multiple epigenetic and environmental factors that interact to produce the traits of autism. But science is increasingly showing us just how malleable our genes are—they continuously respond to their environment, meaning, your body and everything you put into and onto it... Furthermore, there's no shortage of evidence that toxins of different sorts can wreak havoc with brain function. Add to this the more recent findings that your gut is profoundly influential for brain health, and a picture of toxic overload combined with inadequate nutrition comes into clear view.

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 4:50 pm

Interesting topic.

Dr. Theo Theoharides is a mast cell specialist that studies autism. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21193035
While genes may play a role, genes need an environmental trigger. I beleive it begins in the gut, a very leaky gut at that. I beleive that what happened to me with my vaccine reaction parrallels what happens with kids with ASD (at least the ones who beleive it was caused by vaccines) and I beleive it triggered my leaky gut, not the other way around. Here is a ppt by Dr. Fasano and he has a slide in there on leaky gut and ASD. http://www.celiaccenter.org/documents/p ... tation.pdf

Mary Beth