Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.
Gee, shocking news today. The drug industry is trying to develop a new market for antidepressants -- autistic kids.
Studies that show a type of antidepressant eases autism symptoms are more likely to get published in medical journals than studies concluding the drugs don't improve common behaviors such as rocking and hand-flapping, new research says...
It's long been recognized that drug trials that show the drug is effective are more likely to be published in peer-reviewed journals, where the results are widely read and disseminated to doctors, said Dr. Scott Denne, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, who wrote an accompanying editorial.
"Positive studies are exciting and potentially groundbreaking. Negative studies are not particularly exciting and at least in the estimation of both physicians and investigators, they don't really change anything, even though that isn't necessarily true," Denne said.
A meta-analysis (pooled analysis) of the published studies found a small but significant improvement in repetitive behaviors, including obsessions and compulsions, among autistic kids treated with SSRIs. When the unpublished studies were included, that benefit vanished.
Well, well. New evidence that a common pesticide permanently alters the brain cortex of children born with high levels in their blood. This pesticide was banned for home use in 2001, but is still widely used in agriculture and golf courses.
Prenatal exposure to a pesticide used on many crops may be linked with abnormal changes in a child's developing brain, scientists report.
Compared to children with low prenatal exposure, those with high exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos had abnormalities in the cortex (the outer area of the brain)...
Overall brain size did not differ much between the two groups. However, the high-exposure group had enlargements in many areas and reduced volumes in other areas.
The findings reflect those from animal studies, Rauh says.
In other studies, Rauh has found higher exposure to the pesticide is linked with lower IQs and a decline in working memory in children.
The pesticide works by blocking an enzyme needed by pests -- and people -- for proper nerve functioning. It belongs to a class known as organophosphates...
"Once you have changed the way the brain is born, and the structure, we are talking about things you can't offset with a good education or a good diet,"
Meanwhile, industry groups say the pesticide should not be banned.
On a web page, "Chlorpyrifos Protects," Dow AgroSciences, its manufacturer, says: "Growers clearly need a trusted, well-established product to protect a wide range of crops from a diverse spectrum of damaging pests."
Since the pesticide was registered by the EPA in 1965, its use has become common in more than 50 crops, according to Dow. Among them are citrus fruits, apples, soybeans, sweet corn, and peanuts.
To date this is the thread that has made me laugh the most due to the discussion of the MTHFR gene. Zizzle's post re: chemical spraying on golf courses reminded me of when my ex husband and I lived in North Myrtle Beach and were house hunting. My ex husband was a golf course grounds superintendant. We looked at houses all over the Grand Strand and golf course houses are extremely affordable in that area and we saw some cute houses. My ex husband refused to let us buy a house on a golf course due the chemical spraying on golf courses. His comment was it is not uncommon to have dead birds on golf courses and dead fish in the ponds. I remember him talking about the smokers who would lay their lit cigarrettes on the golf greens, when they putted, and it would make him cringe. I don't want to be a man basher as we have some great men posting on this forum and my ex did not have the MTHFR gene. Zizzles post brought back some fond memories of living in the Low Country and some great pig pickin barbecues too. Brandy
When we first moved to Hays my husband worked for the Alzheimers-Parkinsons project which was a program from the Univ of Kansas Medical Center with a grant from the Natl Institute of Health. My husband's job was give neuropsych tests to the participants and basically measure their progress/decline as it occurred over time. One of the things noted was the occupation of the person. The occupations that showed the most rapid decline? The ones who had to spray chemicals as part of their occupations-- farmers, pest control employees, crop dusters, etc. Logically this is no surprise but it is still a jolt to see it in front of you and in black and white documentation.
So we have to ask, if it will deteriorate an adult nervous system, what will chemicals do to a developing nervous system?
So much we don't know....
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Young adults with an autism spectrum disorder are less likely to continue their education or get a job after high school when compared to young adults with other disabilities, new research indicates.
According to the study, only about 35 percent of young adults with autism attended college and only 55 percent had a job during the first six years after high school. Overall, they faced a greater than 50 percent chance of being unemployed or not attending college when compared to those with other disabilities, the researchers reported.
"So much of media attention focuses on children. It's important for people to realize autism does not disappear in adolescence. The majority of lifespan is spent in adulthood."
Thanks Carol,
It's good to have your added expertise in this area of autism. Like Polly, I am dubious of our food and water supply. I noticed this weekend that our farmer's market in town is growing larger and larger and they had to close off an extra street last weekend. It was hard to find a parking spot and it was very crowded. Still if our ground waters are polluted then what is considered safe anymore? It's like the ground is polluted, the air is polluted, and now our bodies immune systems are polluted. I fear our little group is just the tip of the iceberg.
On a brighter note, I am back on Entocort and it took effect immediately. I slept better last night and so far no headaches. I hate being on drugs and once my gut aches subside I will try again to fine tune my diet.
CoryGut
Age 71
Diagnosed with Lymphocytic Colitis Sept. 2010
On and off Entocort(Currently Off)
There are people who specialize in being 'life coaches' for young adults with autism for just the reasons named in the research you quote Zizzle. They may make it through school but then either are unemployable because of poor social skills or because they really don't see a need to work.
I remember at a workshop I attended where the speaker described being hired to coach one young man who had successfully made it through college but was content to sit in his apartment and do math problems all day. He just didn't see the need to go work or do anything else. I think that is often the case. Also, consider social skills.... think of people you know who were either fired or who everyone considered difficult to work with at your place of employment. It wasn't a matter of their technical skills, was it? No it was probably because they had such poor social skills they were unwilling or unable to blend and work cooperatively.
We do focus on kids but I agree wholeheartedly that the needs of young adults with ASD are even greater. I have seen colleges advertise that they have programs set up to help college students with ASD be able to succeed living on their own at college. But after that- from my personal experience- the funding to support them after college or in the work world is nil.
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Ladies, I meant to mention that the rates of depression and suicide among persons with high functioning autism is also higher than the general population. ASD persons who are high functioning are often aware that they don't fit in or fail to grasp why they have conflicts with others and feel constantly stressed and distressed because of it. They feel the failure but don't recognize how to fix it. I don't have the research in front of me but if you are interested it's not hard to find. This is another statistic for society to be concerned about. People with high functioning autism and Aspergers syndrome have made (and will continue to make) HUGE contributions to society. Society needs to address a risk this big.
take care,
Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
I have an older brother, 66 years old, who I am sure would have been diagnosed Asperger's if he were a child now instead of having grown up in the 50's. Instead he was simply considered weird and a lot worse as a child and as an adult. He's had a tough life but all things considered he's doing really well now that he no longer has to go to work every day where the social environment caused him no end of grief. I also imagine that he was not easy to work with. I'm not sure what I have to add to this discussion. It's a pretty touchy complicated issue for me. I have great compassion for him on the one hand. On the other hand he can drive me nuts. He grew up in such a different era where there was no understanding. For him the most difficult thing, from my perspective, has been his lack of social skills and social intelligence. It's all very challenging.
Does anyone know if this 2002 information about ASD kids retaining metals is still accurate? Is this still a probable cause of ASD or have researchers debunked this? I'm so glad I didn't give my daughter the Hep B vaccine (thimerosal or not)!! I never will!!
Sorry folks, my fascination with autism continues...
Check out this article about kids with autism who have early puberty, early growth spurts, excess agression and extra "male tendencies." It seems many have too much testosterone, which may bind to mercury, which their bodies are unable to release. Some also wonder if the excess artifical estrogen in our chemicals and plastics,etc, may be fueling the rise in testosterone to oppose it. It’s interesting, and I’m sure it would apply to kids who don’t have autism, but related issues. My friend's daughter has autism and just started growing pubic hair at age 8!! She sent me this article when she started researching it.
I once worked with Dr. Geier when I worked in a prenetal genetics practice. I think he’s shunned by mainstream medicine, but he seems he help lots of families with his alternative therapies. My friend is getting her daughter’s testosterone and hormone levels checked ASAP!
This theory of autism following vaccines makes sense to me, and mirrors many of our discussions about MC...leaky gut, oversensitized mast cells, etc.
In modern vaccines, vaccine-induced autism is caused by a failure of the body to control the immune-system generated inflammation caused by the aluminum hydroxide adjuvant found in most all vaccines. Interleukin 18 inflames the gut, resulting in malabsorption, and allowing food proteins to come into contact with immune cells in the lining of the intestines, which can cause antibodies to be formed to favorite foods. Now the child has new allergies. CORTISOL is released to calm the inflammation, but cortisol kills neurons in the hippocampus of the brain. Chronic inflammation results in the accelerated growth of opportunistic pathogens (germs). Severe head pressure (head-banging), sensitivity to light and sound (hands cover ears), mood swings (amygdala), poor sleep (cortisol inhibits melatonin production by the pineal gland), and abnormal bowel movements, are just a few symptoms of the syndrome called autism, and will continue until inflammatory triggers and overly sensitized mast cells are brought under control.
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