Health Alert!!! Vital info

[Guest guest]

After I read this, I determined it was important enough to ask everyone to

read. If you have children or grandchildren in your life, this is vitally

important. Marilyn

> Forest? What Forest? _ Health Sciences Institute e-Alert _ May 10, 2004

>

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> " ...You can say one thing for government bureaucracies: They're reliably

> infuriating.

>

> This time it's the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose

> representatives still can't see the forest because all those trees keep

> getting in the way.

>

> " Last year, a study published in the Journal of the American Association of

> Physicians and Surgeons examined extensive data on vaccines in children. The

> astonishing conclusion: Children who receive just three vaccines containing

> the mercury-based preservative thimerosal are 27-times more likely to

> develop autism, compared to children who get vaccinations containing no

> thimerosal.

>

> This was no surprise to the many researchers who have recognized that

> mercury-exposure to children through vaccines dramatically increased over

> the past 15 years, while the rate of autism jumped from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in

> 150 over the same period.

>

> But the CDC is having none of it. Last week, CDC reps announced their

> recommendation that children aged 6 months to 23 months should receive flu

> shots (which contain thimerosal) as part of the standard schedule of

> immunizations. Steve Cochi, the acting director of the National Immunization

> Program underlined the CDC's official view of the vaccine-autism connection,

> citing a " lack of

> scientific evidence. "

>

> But CDC officials are almost certainly aware of a huge body of scientific

> evidence that supports the vaccine-autism link. For instance: The evidence

> used in the study mentioned above was collected from data obtained under the

> Freedom of Information Act. And the source of the data? Sure, you saw it

> coming: The archives of the CDC.

>

> Responding to the CDC announcement, U.S. congressman Dave Weldon of Florida

> (who also happens to be a doctor) said he

> was " outraged. " And he added, " One thing we can be certain of is that

> injecting mercury into an eight-, 12- or 16-pound infant cannot have a

> positive effect on that child, particularly when one in six infants is born

> with a mercury level that the EPA considers harmful. "

>

> The one bit of good news here is that parents can request thimerosal-free

> flu shots for their kids. The bad news is that they'd best do it right now

> because the number of immunizations without thimerosal will be limited and

> will even need to be special ordered by doctors who don't keep it on hand.

> The cost of the non-thimerosal shot will be considerably higher as well.

>

> Sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? Your child can have a normal flu shot,

> or - for a slight additional charge - they can provide a SAFER shot with one

> of the toxins removed. So... which would you like? With-toxin or without?

>

> The problem is that most parents will probably never even know they have a

> choice. And the CDC is partly to blame because officials decided not to

> offer that information along with their recommendation to add the flu shot

> to the standard vaccine schedule for infants.

>

> Today, most vaccines don't contain thimerosal. In 1999, the U.S. Public

> Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics petitioned drug

> companies to remove thimerosal from vaccines intended for children, and by

> and large, vaccine manufacturers have complied. (Think about it: Would any

> of this have transpired if the scientific evidence was truly lacking?)

>

> Of course, this change doesn't help the many thousands of children who have

> already been diagnosed with autism. But in spite of the mainstream medical

> community mindset that autism is basically " untreatable, " there is some

> hope.

>

> I recently received an e-mail from an HSI member named Randy who is the

> parent of an autistic child. Randy writes: " I searched your archives but I

> was not able to find any research articles on autism and/or supplements that

> may be beneficial for autistic children. If possible, please dedicate some

> research towards any holistic approaches for treating autism. "

>

> Knowing that HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., has used nutritional

> treatments for various disorders in children, I asked him to field Randy's

> questions, and here's what he had to offer:

>

> " The problem is there is a lot of conflicting information concerning autism

> and its treatment. Through it all, the work of Dr. Bernard Rimland has been

> steadily developing for several decades. He found that high dose nutrient

> therapies can have distinct, positive effects on a high percentage of cases

> of autistic children. Vitamins C, pantothenic acid, and particularly

> pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and magnesium are the mainstays. But there is more

> to it, and don't think for a second that vaccines (specifically the MMR) and

> mercuric compounds (thimerosal) aren't involved.

>

> " Such treatment, however, is more involved than 'just swallow a vitamin C

> and send the kid to college,' but I've found that parents are nearly always

> willing to do the homework in this field that sometimes the docs are not

> entirely informed about. I'd strongly suggest getting familiar with Dr.

> Rimland's site for the Autism Research Institute (ARI), at autism.com/ari. "

>

> I agree with Dr. Spreen. The ARI web site is an excellent source of

> information about autism and the natural treatments that Dr. Rimland has

> been developing for more than 40 years. The parent of an autistic child, Dr.

> Rimland was one of the first to dispel the myth that autism was hopeless and

> untreatable. His son is now in his late forties and is an internationally

> recognized artist.

>

> In addition to establishing the Autism Society of America (1965) and the

> Autism Research Institute (1967), Dr. Rimland created the Defeat Autism Now!

> Conference (DAN!), which brought together some of the world's leading autism

> researchers and scientists. Since 1995, DAN! has developed guidelines for

> diagnosis of autism, and non-pharmaceutical approaches to treatment.

>

> A listing of doctors who follow the procedures outlined by DAN! is available

> on the ARI web site. I'm sure that Randy and other parents and grandparents

> of autistic children will find useful information there, as well as a

> refreshing alternative to the discouraging mainstream attitude toward

> autism.

>

> **************************************************************

>

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>

> **************************************************************

>

> .. and another thing

>

> I've never had a glass of watermelon juice, and to be honest, it doesn't

> sound all that appealing, but for serious juicers, this is a beverage that

> can hit the spot in more ways than one.

>

> In two recent e-Alerts I've told you about the healthy benefits of consuming

> foods that contain high concentrations of two key carotenoids: lycopene and

> beta-carotene. Besides providing an excellent source of antioxidants, these

> carotenoids support immune function, vision health, and may help prevent

> certain types of cancer. And because carotenoids provide plants with

> colorful pigments, fruits and vegetables are the best dietary sources.

>

> Watermelon is one of the few foods that deliver both lycopene and

> beta-carotene.

>

> A 2003 study from the USDA revealed that the juice from three cups of diced

> watermelon, taken daily, may result in blood serum lycopene and

> beta-carotene concentrations that are five times higher than in people with

> diets that are low in the two carotenoids.

>

> The study also showed that a daily intake of more than 3 cups of watermelon

> didn't increase the concentrations. So you don't need to drink a gallon of

> watermelon juice to enjoy the positive effects.

>

> Although the study used watermelon juice, I don't think it's too much of a

> stretch to suppose that eating a couple of large slices of watermelon would

> help raise lycopene and beta-carotene levels as well.

>

> To Your Good Health,

>

>

> Health Sciences Institute

>

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>