Ayoub MD - Thimerosal Definite Cause Of Autism

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Ayoub MD - Thimerosal Definite Cause Of Autism

To what degree of scientific certainty can we prove that current

epidemic of autism was caused by the mercury-based preservative,

thimerosal, in childhood vaccines?

In response to this question, Ayoub, MD, told Independent Media

TV, " I can state that the certainty of the science supporting mercury

as a major cause of autism is probably more overpowering than the

science behind any other disease process that I studied dating back

to medical school. "

" I think a disease that effects more individuals than AIDS or cancer,

in previously normal infants and children, " he states, " has created a

sense of urgency amongst researchers. "

According to Ayoub, " A growing number of experimental,

epidemiological and biochemical research, has unequivocally shown

that mercury is directly linked to the development of autism spectrum

disorders and is significantly toxic to the gastrointestinal,

immunological, metabolic and neurobiological systems in children. "

" The science of causality is known and understood down to the manner

in which mercury impairs the neural pathways of attention, " he

adds, " I really don't see the need for more research to prove

causality. " He believes the focus should be " directed towards methods

to remove mercury from the body and repairing those biochemical

systems that are injured by mercury. "

Ayoub is the Director of the Prairie Collaborative for Immunization,

an organization that is self-funded, which aids organizations,

journalists, and legislators obtain accurate information to assist

their work. He is also the author of the report, " Pregnancy and the

Myth of Influenza Vaccination-Is it safe, is it effective, is it

necessary? What the CDC documents reveal. "

Vaccines With Thimerosal

When asked what vaccines still contain the mercury-based, thimerosal,

Ayoub said, " The major culprit today is the influenza vaccine. " About

80% of flu vaccines contain as much as 25 micrograms of mercury per

dose. Since the EPA has set a limit of 0.1 mcg/kg (1 kg =2.2 lbs),

Ayoub warns, everyone who receives the vaccine will be overdosed.

He explained that in 1999, " the Public Health Service (including the

CDC and FDA), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine

manufacturers agreed that thimerosal levels in vaccines should be

reduced or eliminated. "

However, he adds, " Contradicting its own policy, the CDC then

increased mercury exposure to the fetus and infant by allowing the

inoculation of pregnant women and young infants with the mercury-

containing influenza vaccine. "

On May 28, 2004, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice of

the CDC released its annual report with recommendations for the

prevention of influenza. The report included pregnant women amongst

those who should receive the flu vaccine, even though the report

noted only a minimal benefit from the vaccine in pregnant women:

" Researchers estimate that an average of 1-2 hospitalizations can be

prevented for every 1,000 pregnant women vaccinated " (1, page 10)

In fact, for the 2003-04 flu season, the CDC reported " only 3 to 14%

of those who got vaccinated were protected against the flu. " It seems

overly aggressive, Ayoub maintains, for the CDC to recommend that all

pregnant women be vaccinated when, in fact, scientific data to date

shows only marginal benefits and the only documented benefit seems to

be fewer hospitalizations, not fewer morbidities or mortalities.

The benefit of influenza vaccination during pregnancy becomes even

more questionable when considering the resulting risks to unborn

infants. According to the ACIP, the safety of influenza vaccination

is established by the following research:

One study of influenza vaccination of 2,000 pregnant women

demonstrated no adverse fetal effects associated with influenza

vaccine. "

However, according to Ayoub, " In the April 12, 2002 MMWR, this same

statement was followed by the caveat " additional data are needed to

confirm the safety of vaccination during pregnancy. " The comment was

then dropped from the CDC's 2004 version of the report, but no new

safety data was cited.

This solitary reference cited to establish influenza vaccine safety

was co-authored by researchers at Boston University in 1973, but

Ayoub advises that, " Upon closer inspection ... the study appears to

have very little to do with influenza vaccine safety, but rather that

of polio vaccination safety during pregnancy. "

It is inexplicable, Ayoub says, that the ACIP would cite a paper in

support of its conclusion of influenza vaccine safety while the

Institute of Medicine rejected the same paper on the basis of the

flawed analysis of polio vaccine safety.

Few doctors realize that most flu vaccines contain 25 micrograms of

mercury per dose. Both the EPA and FDA's allowable daily exposure

limits are 0.1 microgram per kg, meaning that recipients of a flu

vaccine must weigh at least 550 pounds to meet federal exposure

guidelines.

Therefore, by injecting the mother, the fetus would receive a dose of

mercury that exceeds the federal limits by several hundred-fold.

Furthermore, Ayoub adds, all federal guidelines are based upon

studies of exposure tolerances in adults, not a fetus.

He questions why the CDC is so certain that ethylmercury can be

safely injected into children or pregnant women, when the FDA and EPA

have stated that ingestion of methylmercury can have harmful effects

on the fetus, with warnings such as:

" some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may

harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. . . .

Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may

become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children

to avoid some types of fish and eat fish and shellfish that are lower

in mercury. . . While it is true that the primary danger from

methylmercury in fish is to the developing nervous system of the

unborn child, it is prudent for nursing mothers and young children

not to eat these fish as well. "

More recent studies have detailed the life-long damage of mercury to

the brains of unborn children. For instance, on Feb 28, 2005, the

Associated Press reported, " Lower IQ levels linked to mercury

exposure in the womb costs the United States $8.7 billion a year in

lost earnings potential, according to a study released Monday by

researchers at a New York hospital. "

The Mount Sinai Center for Children's Health and the Environment

combined a number of previous studies to determine hundreds of

thousands of babies are born every year with lower IQ associated with

mercury exposure, according to AP.

Lead researcher and pediatician, Leonard Trasande, reports that

annually, between 316,588 and 637,233 infants are born with umbilical

cord blood mecury levels linked to IQ loss.

As an example, Trasande said each year, about 4% of babies are with

blood mercury levels between 7.13 and 15 micrograms per liter. That

level of mercury causes an IQ loss of 1.6 points, the researchers

concluded.

A 1.6 point drop in IQ could cost a person more than $31,000 in

potential earnings over a lifetime, the study calculated, due to

missed educational opportunities or jobs.

Manufacturers of the flu vaccine themselves, include package inserts

that admit adequate studies have not been conducted on this vaccine.

For example, the Fluzone insert stated:

" Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza

Virus Vaccine. It is not known whether Influenza Virus Vaccine can

cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect

reproduction capacity. "

Considering the rapid growth of autism, and other related

neurodevelopmental disorders, and the number of reports documenting

the causal relationship to mercury-based preservatives, Ayoub

advises, " influenza vaccines should not be administered to pregnant

women, and perhaps other high-risk groups, especially young

children. "

Why Would FDA & CDC Approve Mercury-Based Vaccines?

Ayoub believes that the CDC and FDA embrace marginal research and

unsupported policies because of conflicts of interests. It may come

as a surprise to most physicians, he explains, " that the CDC has a

built-in conflict of interest with regards to its dual role in

vaccine policy. " One limb of the CDC that oversees vaccine safety has

a budget of approximately $30 million, while the limb that promotes

vaccine usage (ACIP and NIP) has a $1 billion budget, he says.

The CDC and FDA policy decisions are made through physician advisory

panels whose members often have financial relationships with the very

same pharmaceutical companies that they are supposed to regulate.

For example, during a congressional hearing on potential conflicts of

interests at the FDA, it was revealed that 60% of the advisory

members who voted to approve the poisonous rotavirus vaccine had

financial ties to the drug companies manufacturing the vaccine. The

committee also found that 50% of the CDC members were tied to the

rotavirus makers.

However, according to Ayoub, the CDC and FDA do not have exclusive

rights in coddling the industry. An investigation of doctors involved

in co-authoring forty-four different Clinical Practice Guidelines for

drug companies found:

85% of guideline authors have some sort of relationships with drug

companies, and they are often not disclosed

38% of respondents said they had served as employees or consultants

for drug companies; 58% received research money

59% had links with drug companies whose medications were considered

in the particular guidelines they authored, almost all cases

predating the guideline creation process

These numbers may be even greater, as only 52% of authors responded

" Most clinicians would be surprised by these revelations which

challenge the blanket trust of a healthcare governance with

uncomfortably close ties to the pharmaceutical industry, " Ayoub says.

Available Treatment For Autism

When asked what treatments are available for autism, Ayoub said " The

buzz these days is chelation, " but there is no short answer to this.

Suffice it to say, there are 2 ways to get mercury out of the body -

one is pull it out directly by chelation agents. "

The 2 top chelation people in the world are Gordon, MD, and

Rashid Buttar, MD, he adds.

Chelation agents such as DMPS and DTPA, are given orally, by IV, and

recently with transdermal as a cream. According to Ayoub, the agents

essentially bind free blood or loosely bound heavy metal agents, and

eliminate them through stool and urine. They lower the total body

burden and allow for natural redistribution from brain to blood for

further removal. Ayoub claims side effects are uncommon, and the

process is far safer than a vaccine.

The other method of removing mercury from the body is through a

variety of biomedical therapies, all dietary or supplemental, " most

of which act to jumps start the bodies own internal mercury

detoxification pathways, " Ayoub explains, but " the science here is

very sophisticated, " he added.

However, unfortunately, " many parents read about a diet or

supplement, try one or two therapies on their own and fail, " he says,

and that " treatment is very dependent upon the experience of the

health care provider, critically so, " he advises.

Why The Constant Denial?

Ayoub was asked why government agencies and the pharmaceutical

industry, are working so hard to keep the truth about the mercury-

autism link hidden. He says it is a long story, but the main reason

is because if they admitted guilt, it would mean the government

agencies, drug companies and medical organizations, " have taken part

in the largest iatrogenic epidemic known to man. "

The fallout over admission of causality would be unprecedented, Ayoub

adds. The lost confidence in American medicine would likely cause

people to turn to alternative methods of medicine, and a rise in

deeper investigation might reveal the truth about other suppressions

related to cancer therapy, hypertension Rx, or Atherosclerosis.

Ayoub told Independent Media, " This is really the tip of the iceberg

and I see a waterfall effect. "

Pringle e.pringle@...

( Pringle is a columnist with Independent Media TV and an

investigative journalist focused on exposing corruption in

government)

(Ayoub spoke at the AutismOne conference in Chicago in 2004, and will

appear at the conference again in May, 2005. His CD-ROM

titled, " Science and Politics of Vaccine-Induced Autism, " contains

resource materials and was distributed at the DAN! conference in LA

last fall. M Ayoub MD, The Prairie Collaborative for

Immunization Safety Email Raypoke@...)