Guest guest Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 Mercury Poisoning: 25 Mercury Myths http://www.generationrescue.org/mercury_myths.html Myth #1: Autism is genetic. There is no evidence to suggest that autism is genetic. No autism gene has ever been found and the search will be endless - how can you have a gene for a mythical condition? Autism is mercury poisoning. What is true is that certain children may have an impaired ability genetically to detoxify heavy metals from their systems. These children are more likely to be affected by mercury exposure. However, all children, and adults, if given too much mercury will manifest symptoms of mercury toxicity, which we call " autistic " symptoms. All children born from 1991 forward who received all recommended vaccines were injected with levels of mercury that dramatically exceeded safety levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency for adults. Mercury has become ubiquitous in our environment: in fish and other foods, water, and air. Exceedingly high doses of mercury exposure can result in death - it is that neuro-toxic and damaging to the human body. Two drops of dimethylmercury spilled onto the gloved hand of a Dartmouth chemistry professor, a leader in a study investigating mercury's causal role in cancer, resulting in the progressive loss of her balance, speech, vision, and hearing, and ultimately lead to her coma and death within a year of the exposure. It is impossible to have a " genetic epidemic. " Since 1991, there is a very real and dramatic rise in the incidence of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. In the 1970s, the incidence of autism was 1 in 10,000 children. In 1986, the rate was 1 in 2,500. Today the rate is 1 in 150. It has been estimated that one in six children have some type of learning disability. Epidemics can happen in 10 years, genetic changes to populations require many generations. Myth #2: Autism is lifelong. There is a growing body of evidence that children properly treated for mercury poisoning fully recover normal functioning and are indiscernible from their neurotypical peers. Any toxicologist will tell you that mercury poisoning represents a temporary, treatable state. Thorough removal of mercury will resolve most or all of the symptoms. Autism is only life long if mercury poisoning is never treated. Myth #3: Autistic children are not affectionate and do not like to be held or touched. This is an unfortunate myth. Many autistic children are extremely affectionate and love to be held and hugged. Mercury kills neurons in the brain and damages the central nervous system resulting in disturbances in all of the senses - vision, hearing, oral, smell, proprieceptive (touch), and vestibular (motion). Some children develop ultra sensitivities in these systems (e.g., difficulties tolerating loud noise, bright lights, car rides, or certain kinds of clothing on their skin); others develop extreme undersensitivies (e.g., numbness, abnormally high pain tolerances, lack of fear or physical caution). Children who appear to not like being held or touched likely do not because it feels painful to them. Touch is literally either too painful or overwhelming to the senses to tolerate. Many autistic children are extremely affectionate and love to be held and hugged. Some may even crave or seek the pressure from that touch to penetrate their dulled senses. Underneath the distortions of mercury toxicity, all of these children wish to be held and loved. Myth #4: Autistic children are in their own world and are not interested in other people. Mercury poisoning overloads the senses and can make sights, sounds, touch, and smells intolerable. This sensory overload causes some autistic children to withdraw inward as a means of survival - it is their body's way of coping with the massive sensory overload. Parents often remark, as the mercury is removed from their children's bodies, that they experience their child " in our world " for the first time: focusing on people's faces, attending to sounds, and having a light or aliveness in their eyes again. The removal of mercury reduces the sensory distortion and overload, making the world a safer, more readily understood, and more tolerable place again. By using our own frame of reference, we mistake an autistic child's retreat inward as an " aloofness " or " indifference " to those around them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Myth #5: If you have autism, you are mentally handicapped. Some autistic children are given IQ tests, which were created for people not suffering from mercury poisoning. Because of the limitations caused by sensory overload and damage to the brain and central nervous system, some autistic children perform poorly on the IQ test and are labeled " mentally handicapped. " Many recovered autistic children are performing at or above their peer group in a variety of topics in school. There is even some evidence to suggest that intelligence and the impaired ability to detoxify may be related through DNA and that, in fact, those most susceptible to mercury poisoning are among our most intelligent. Most parents of an autistic child know that their child is very bright and many clinicians treating autistic children assert that their patients are among the most intelligent children they have ever seen. Myth #6: There is no autism epidemic, it's just better diagnosis. This myth persists despite being refuted by a wide range of scientists, policy makers, and health care organizations. All the available data points to an epidemic. Between 1992-2002, the Department of Education estimates that there has been a 714% increase in the number of autistic children. In the 1970s, autism was estimated to occur in 1 in 25,000 children. Between 1970 and 1990, that number increased to about 1 in 2,500. Today, the CDC acknowledges the number is about 1 in 166, even Eli Lilly, the maker of Thimerosal, says it's 1 in 150. Many believe it is closer to 1 in 125. The anecdotal evidence that we are experiencing an epidemic is overwhelming. If there is no epidemic, then where are all the autistic adults? Ask any doctor, teacher, or day care worker who has been around children for 20 or more years, and they will tell you that the epidemic is unprecedented. What parent, either now or 20 years ago, does not notice that their child who spoke at one year is no longer speaking, or that their child does not respond to their name or look them in the eyes, or is displaying odd, repetitive behaviors like hand-flapping, spinning, and rocking that no other child is doing? Did those parents 20 years ago not notice these things? Here are 3 studies that help address the truth, that autism is an epidemic: 1. The Autism Epidemic Is Real Autism Research Institute Dr. Bernard Rimland, President, Autism Research Institute July 14, 2003 2. What's Going On? The Question of Time Trends in Autism. Public Health Reports, Volume 119 Mark F. Blaxill, MBA November-December 2004 3. The Changing Prevalence of Autism In California Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 33, Number 2 Mark Blaxill, et.al. April 2003 Myth #7: The reason that boys represent 80% - 90% of the epidemic is that autism is an extreme form of the more rigid and scientific male mind. Testosterone is a synergistic toxin with mercury which means that it enhances the toxicity of mercury in the body while estrogen appears to protect neurons and neuronal fibers from mercury's toxicity. This synergistic toxicity is the reason for the high ratio of males in the epidemic. Arguably the leading scientist on the toxicity of mercury, Boyd Haley, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department, University of Kentucky discusses the issue of testosterone and mercury: " One of the conundrums of autism is the 4:1 ratio of boys to girls that get the disease. We therefore decided to test the effects of both female and male hormones on the neurotoxicity of thimerosal. The results were eye-opening. For example, 50 nanomolar thimerosal causes less than 5% neuron death within the first three hours incubation and 1 micromolar testosterone causes no significant death within this time frame. However, mix these two together and 100% neuron death was observed at the earliest time point checked. This represents a severe enhancement of thimerosal toxicity. " Myth #8: Autism is a complex, multi-factorial epidemic. There are many different causes that all work together. Mercury may be one of the factors in creating autism, but saying it is only mercury is way too simplistic. The symptoms of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders are identical to the symptoms of mercury poisoning. The rapid rise in the number of these disorders corresponds to the dramatic increase in the amount of Thimerosal (49.6% ethylmercury by weight) given in recommended vaccines to children under two years of age. With the addition of two new vaccines in the early 1990s, the amount of ethylmercury increased 246% with most of this increase being given within the first six months of life when an infant's neural, detoxification, and immune systems are all undergoing rapid development. Equally damaging, the vaccines were given much earlier in a child's life, when the capacity to detoxify is still developing. Numerous studies demonstrate again and again the causal link between neurodevelopmental disorders and mercury, regardless of the source of exposure. Finally and most definitively of all is that when mercury is removed from these children via chelation or other means of detoxification, their symptoms resolve. What has made mercury difficult to identify as the culprit is that mercury toxicity is cumulative and progressive with a delayed onset. Symptoms can take months to appear, long after exposure, making it difficult to see the clear link. It is also exceedingly difficult to test for mercury toxicity in affected children. Mercury poisoning also manifests itself in an astonishing array of symptoms in different people. Differences in manifestations are due to individual biochemistry and genetic susceptibilities, gender, amount of mercury received, age of exposure, form of mercury, and the presence of other synergistic toxins during exposure, to name a few. Mercury alone is not the cause of all of these symptoms, but it is the spark that sets off a cascade of damage in the body. Mercury progressively kills neurons in the brain and damages the central nervous system leading to a wide range of neurological, cognitive, and sensory dysfunctions. Mercury displaces specific, essential vitamins and minerals, the loss of which go on to create their own damage in the brain, immune, hormonal, and virtually every other system in the body. Mercury impairs the detoxification system allowing all other toxins, which are ubiquitous in our environment, to accumulate and do damage in the body. Mercury damages the gastro- intestinal track creating dysbiosis (imbalance of good and bad bacteria) and yeast overgrowth. Yeast, itself, is a neuro-toxin and allowed to proliferate, can create tiny holes in the lining of the gastro-intestinal track leading to a condition called Leaky Gut. Molecules of digested food, larger than typical, are able to pass through these holes into the bloodstream where the body recognizes them as foreign invaders and mounts an immune response, triggering food allergies, eczema, and other auto-immune reactions. Untreated food allergies and a damaged gut can lead to chronic ear and other infections. Treating these with antibiotics, as is a typical history with many autistic children, only makes matters worse. Antibiotics exacerbate gut dysbiosis and, like testosterone, are synergistically toxic with mercury. Damage to the gastro-intestinal track, which is the body's first line of immune defense, lowers the immune system. The symptoms of mercury poisoning are varied and complex. But, the cause is simple and always will be: mercury toxicity. Remove the spark and the body has a chance to balance and heal. Myth #9: Saying that vaccines cause autism will create a return to unvaccinated children dying from many childhood diseases we have nearly eradicated. Thimerosal contains ethylmercury, a potent neurotoxin. Thimerosal, administered through vaccines, is the primary source of mercury exposure and the root cause of the autism epidemic. Thimerosal is an untested, unnecessary vaccine preservative. Today, most vaccines are available with reduced or no amounts of Thimerosal (with the exception of the flu vaccine with 25 micrograms per shot) and are still effective. Many health organizations, physicians, and scientists agree that there is no safe level of mercury. Being anti- mercury is distinct from being anti-vaccine. Using a potent neurotoxin in the vaccines given to infants and children has seriously eroded the public's trust in the vaccine program. The unwillingness of most public authorities to acknowledge the true cause of the current epidemic will only further erode this trust. To try to turn the argument back around and accuse advocates of the mercury-autism connection as being " anti-vaccine " is nothing more than an attempt to muddy the debate for reasons of self- interest and self-protection. Myth #10: You say mercury from Thimerosal causes autism. Others say the MMR vaccine causes autism. But, the MMR vaccine has never contained Thimerosal. How can both be true? The MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine does not contain Thimerosal. Unlike most vaccines, the MMR is a live-virus vaccine and therefore does not need Thimerosal as a preservative. However, the fact that the MMR is a triple live-virus vaccine is part of the problem. The goal of a live virus is to trigger a mild immune response and build immunity. This may work in a healthy child. However, many children who develop autism are already burdened with mercury poisoning by the time they receive the MMR at 12-18 months. Mercury impairs the immune system, and the live virus, rather than triggering a mild response, can overwhelm an impaired immune system. A virus' goal is to find a host and recreate. There is scientific proof that many autistic children have their intestinal walls lined with the measles virus received from the MMR vaccine. The virus is able to host and replicate due to the impaired immune system of the child. Some doctors believe the live MMR virus traps heavy metals within the cells of the body and further impairs the body's ability to excrete metals. The reason some parents report immediate regression in their child's behavior after an MMR vaccine is that, for some children, it may be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. Myth #11: The mercury used in vaccines is the safe kind of mercury that the body disposes of quickly. Methylmercury, the kind of mercury found in fish, is more widely understood and studied than ethlymercury, the kind of mercury found in Thimerosal. This has led to the false assertion that ethylmercury is the " safe " form of mercury. The assertion that certain forms of mercury are quickly and easily excreted by the body violates basic principles of chemistry and physics. There is no such thing as a safe form of the second-most toxic substance on earth. Dozens of studies have demonstrated the extreme toxicity of ethlymercury and the fact that most autistic children retain meaningful quantities of mercury in their major organs after receiving vaccines containing Thimerosal. Parents who chelate their children have fecal, urine, and hair toxic metals tests showing mercury being excreted at levels 10-50x normal. Here is Dr. Baskin, testifying before Congress, on the differences between methyl and ethyl mercury: " There is more data, more and more data on ethlymercury. The cells that I showed you dying in cell culture are dying from ethlymercury. Those are human frontal brain cells. You know, there has been a debate about...ethyl versus methyl. But from a chemical point of view most chemical compounds that are ethyl penetrate into cells better than methyl...When I began to work with some of the Ph.D.s in my laboratory and discuss this everyone said, 'oh gosh, you know, we've got to adjust for ethyl because it's going to be worse; the levels are going to be much higher in the cells.' " Here are a few of the many studies that discuss the toxicity of Thimerosal and it's primary ingredient, ethylmercury, and its devastating consequences on developing brains and nervous systems: 1. Thimerosal Induces DNA Breaks, Caspase-3 Activation, Membrane Damage, and Cell Death in Cultured Human Neurons and Fibroblasts Toxicological Sciences S. Baskin, Hop Ngo, and Vladimir V. Didenko April 2003 2. Molecular Aspects of Thimerosal Induced Autism Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives Deth, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology, Northeastern University September 8, 2004 3. Thimerosal Neurotoxicity is Associated With Glutathione Depletion: Protection with Glutathione Precursors Neurotoxicology 26 Dr. Jill et.al. January 2005 4. The Comparative Toxicology of ethyl- and methylmercury Toxicology L. Magos et.al. Spring 1985 Myth #12: The mercury received in a vaccine is no greater than in a can of tuna. Eating a can of tuna has certainly never caused autism. This myth has received a lot of publicity because it offers an analogy anyone can understand and makes the mercury-autism connection appear trivial. We can start by comparing a 200-pound male adult consuming tuna with the infant who receives a single vaccine on their first day of birth (since day-old infants don't eat tuna). On the first day of birth an infant receives the Hep B vaccine with about 25 micrograms of ethlymercury - this does approximate the 30 micrograms of methlymercury in an average can of tuna. Since the average infant weighs about 7 pounds, the weight equivalent number of cans of tuna for an adult would be 28 cans. (The adult male weighs 28x more than the infant.) If you take those 28 cans of tuna and distill it down to mercury content, you would have 840 micrograms of mercury (30 micrograms per can). Keep in mind that the stomach successfully absorbs and excretes about 90% of any mercury ingested through food, leaving only about 10% of the mercury to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Since the mercury in vaccines is injected directly into the bloodstream where 100% of it can be absorbed by the organs, you would need an additional 252 cans of tuna to get the equivalent amount of mercury into the bloodstream for a total of 280 cans of tuna and 8,400 micrograms of methlymercury. Also, remember that a developing brain is far more sensitive to toxins than an adult brain. Current estimates say mercury is 5-10x more toxic for a developing brain. We'll use the low end of that range, so multiply the 280 cans of tuna by 5 and you get 1,400 cans of tuna. So, receiving the Hep B vaccine with Thimerosal on the first day of birth is the equivalent of a 200-pound adult male consuming 1,400 cans of tuna in a single day. One final adjustment: the adult male in the analogy needs to have no capacity to excrete mercury. As Boyd Haley, Ph.D. notes, " it is very well known that infants do not produce significant levels of bile or have adult renal capacity for several months after birth. Bilary transport is the major biochemical route by which mercury is removed from the body, and infants cannot do this very well. " So, a 200-pound male who consumes 1,400 cans of tuna in a single day and has their ability to excrete mercury severely diminished is the same as a day-old infant receiving the Hep B vaccine. Now the analogy is fair. Myth #13: The mercury received through a vaccine has always been at trace levels, but not ever enough to cause harm. The World Health Organization has stated that there is no safe level of mercury. 246 micrograms of mercury, the amount received by children born between 1990 and 2002 before the age of two as part of the recommended vaccine schedule, has created an epidemic of neurodevelopmental issues. Even Dr. Pierre Lavigne, a spokesman for Aventis Pasteur, a manufacturer of vaccines, states, " The important thing to note is that thimerosal is an issue really only for pediatric vaccines for small children. The developing nervous system is very sensitive, so if they're exposed to mercury it's more likely to cause damage. " Neal Halsey M.D., the Former Chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on infectious diseases (who makes recommendation on vaccinations) states, " In most vaccine containers, thimerosal is listed as a mercury derivative, a hundredth of a percent. And what I believed, and what everybody else believed, was that it was truly a trace, a biologically insignificant amount. My honest belief is that if the labels had had the mercury content in micrograms, this would have been uncovered years ago. But the fact is, no one did the calculation. " Myth #14: There have been many autistic children who showed no sign of mercury after testing. Therefore, the idea that autism is nothing more than mercury poisoning is implausible. It is very true that some autistic children, tested for mercury poisoning via a chelation challenge or provocation test, showed no signs of mercury excretion. However, these results are not because these children are not mercury poisoned, but because they are the most mercury poisoned and are known as " non-excretors. " A non-excretor of mercury is someone who, even after the administration of a chelating agent (which is how a mercury toxicity test has typically been performed), is unable to excrete any mercury. A majority of autistic children are non-excretors. Autistic children typically have some genetic impairments in their detoxification pathways. These impairments are worsened with each additional exposure to mercury as accumulated mercury effectively shuts down the body's detoxification system, thereby exacerbating their mercury poisoning. The non-excretor phenomenon has only been recently understood and studied. Unfortunately, many autistic children were given a single chelation challenge test, showed no mercury excretion, and were falsely told that, " mercury is not an issue here. " These are often the children most overloaded with mercury! It may require a few months of chelation before a non- excretor will show any mercury coming out of their body, at which point it typically starts to pour out of the body. As Dr. Rashid Buttar noted in a recent study he did of chelating autistic children: " Virtually all patients reviewed in the study did NOT show any appreciable amount of mercury level on baseline tests. Results however clearly showed that as treatment continued, an increase in the level of mercury being excreted was increased. " Myth #15: The scientific standard for proof is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. If you are so sure mercury causes autism, where is this study to prove it? First, there is no double-blind, placebo-controlled study to show Thimerosal is safe. In order to do an effective double-blind, placebo-controlled study, you would need to vaccinate a group of children with Thimerosal-containing vaccines and vaccinate another group of children with Thimerosal-free vaccines using the current vaccine schedule, then follow their development over a 2-4 year period, and see which ones develop neurological issues and which do not. Obviously, this would be a challenging study to recruit children for, " Your child will be part of a study where they may receive a vaccine with a substance in it that many believe causes autism. Would you like to participate? " Given the impracticality of such a study, here are some alternative studies that could be done: 1. You could analyze the data the government maintains through its " Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System " and compare the data they already have on children who received Thimerosal-containing vaccines against children who did not receive Thimerosal in their vaccines. This study has already been done by Mark & Geier and showed a high correlation between Thimerosal dosing and neurological disorders: Thimerosal in Childhood Vaccines, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and Heart Disease in the United States Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Mark Geier, M.D., Ph.D., A. Geier Spring 2003 2. You could compare the symptoms of mercury poisoning and the symptoms of autism and see how similar they are. This study has already been done and demonstrated that the symptoms of autism and the symptoms of mercury poisoning are exactly the same: Autism: a Novel Form of Mercury Poisoning Medical Hypothesis 2001 Sally Bernard, et. al December 2000 3. You could administer a chelating agent to remove heavy metals, including mercury, to a group of autistic children and to a group of neurotypical children and measure the amount of mercury coming out of the children to see if there are any differences. This study has already been done by Jeff Bradstreet et.al. and showed that autistic children excrete significantly more mercury than neurotypical children: A Case-Control Study of Mercury Burden in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Volume 8, Number 3 Jeff Bradstreet, M.D., Geier, B.A., Jerold Kartzinel, M.D., , Ph.D., Mark Geier, M.D., Ph.D. Summer 2003 4. You could inject a group of mice with Thimerosal in doses that proportionally mimic the timing and amount received according to the recommended vaccination schedule and compare these mice to a control group for neurological development. This study has already been done by Mady Hornig et al. and showed that a subset of mice with genetic detoxification impairments who received Thimerosal injections developed " autistic symptoms " : Neurotoxic Effects of Postnatal Thimerosal are Mouse Strain Dependent Molecular Psychiatry Dr. Mady Hornig, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons May 2004 5. You could compare the first baby haircuts of autistic children versus neurotypical children to see if there are any differences in the patterns of heavy metal excretion (hair is one of the ways the body excretes metals). This study has already been done and showed that autistic children demonstrated an impaired ability to excrete metals from birth: Reduced Levels of Mercury in First Baby Haircuts of Autistic Children International Journal of Toxicology Dr. Amy S. Holmes, Mark F. Blaxill, Boyd E. Haley, Ph.D.br>March 14, 2003 6. You could run a trial of 31 autistic children where you chelated patients over the course of twelve months and had parents videotape their children and test urine and fecal samples for toxic metals every other month. You could then compare the children's progress and symptoms from the beginning to the end of treatment. This study was done by Dr. Rashid Buttar and he made the following statement before Congress: Autism, the Misdiagnosis of our Future Generations Testimony, U.S. Congressional Sub-Committee Hearing Rashid A. Buttar, DO, Vice Chairman, American Board of Clinical Metal Toxicology May 6, 2004 " The Autism study consisted of 31 patients with the diagnoses of autism, autism like spectrum, and pervasive developmental delay. Inclusion criteria was simple, including an independent diagnosis of the above mentioned conditions from either a neurologist or pediatrician, and the desire of the parent to try the treatment protocol using TD-DMPS. All patients were enrolled sequentially as they presented to the clinic and only those who did not wish to participate in the TD-DMPS were not included. All 31 patients were tested for metal toxicity using four different tests: urine metal toxicity and essential minerals, hair metal toxicity and essential minerals, RBC metal toxicity, and fecal metal toxicity, all obtained from Doctor's Data Laboratory. These tests were performed at baseline, and repeated at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, and then every 4 months there after. All 31 patients showed little or no level of mercury on the initial baseline test results. Slide #37 shows an example of a baseline test result of one participant in the study showing very little mercury. Compared to the baseline results all 31 patients showed significantly higher levels of mercury as treatment continued. Slide #39 shows significantly higher mercury levels in this same study patient after two months of treatment with the TD-DMPS, with results showing approximately a 350% increase from previous baseline levels. The improvements in the patients in the study correlated with increased yield in measured mercury levels upon subsequent testing. Essentially, what was noted was that as more mercury was eliminated, the more noticeable the clinical improvements and the more dramatic the change in the patient. The manifestations of this evidence for clinical improvements included many observations but were specifically quantifiable with some patients who had no prior history of speech starting to speak at the age of 6 or 7, sometimes in full sentences. Patients also exhibited substantially improved behavior, reduction and eventual cessation of all stemming behavior, return of full eye contact, and rapid potty training, sometimes in children that were 5 or 6 but had never been successfully potty trained. Additional findings reported by parents included improvement and increase in rate of physical growth increased, as well as the child beginning to follow instructions, becoming affectionate and social with siblings or other children, seeking interaction with others, appropriate in response, and a rapid acceleration of verbal skills. The results in many of these children has been documented on video and other physicians involved with this protocol have been successfully able to reproduce the same results. Mercury is the " spark " that causes the " fires " of Autism as well as Alzheimer's. Autism is the result of high mercury exposure early in life versus Alzheimer's is a chronic accumulation of mercury over a life time. A doctor can treat ALL the " fires " but until the " spark " is removed, there is minimal hope of complete recovery with most improvements being transient at best. However, once the process of mercury removal has been effectively started, the damage is curtailed and full recovery becomes possible... " 7. You could remove the mercury from some autistic children and not remove mercury from other autistic children and see if there was any difference in cognitive improvement over time. This is what hundreds of doctors and thousands of parents are doing every day throughout the country right now and seeing their children recover. Myth #16: The scientific and medical communities have proven there is no correlation between Thimerosal in vaccines and autism. Many in the medical and regulatory communities assert that " there is no proof " or that " they proved there was no connection " regarding the link between mercury and autism. This assertion has been widely reported in the mainstream press to the point that it is now accepted as fact. It is important for any parent to view these statements critically and understand what and who are actually making these assertions. Generation Rescue believes autism is an issue of toxicology. Yet, you never hear from a toxicologist saying there is no correlation between autism and mercury. This is because toxicologists know that the link is likely. Hearing a psychiatrist comment on mercury toxicity is like seeking the opinion of a urologist for a new heart procedure. It doesn't make sense to accept the expertise of people who have no experience in the field of heavy metal toxicity. The only science that claims to refute the connection is epidemiological science. Epidemiological study is statistical analysis of population data (in this case, analyzing for a correlation between the amount of Thimerosal received with the incidence of neurological disorders). The outcomes of epidemiological studies, however, are highly sensitive to small changes in the parameters of analysis (e.g., definition of disorder, amount of dosing, timeframe). In other words, it is easy to massage the data to reduce the power of statistical correlation. There have never been any medical studies done to establish " no proof " in the way many studies have been done in Myth #15 to establish " proof. " There was no safety testing of Thimerosal in children before it was put into pediatric vaccines. There have been no placebo-controlled studies following children for five years after receiving vaccines containing Thimerosal. The actual epidemiological science that is held up as " proof " of no connection is both paltry and controversial. The totality of the " scientific evidence " centers on three clusters of recently released information from the medical community. These include: - A CDC study that appeared in Pediatrics in November of 2003 is the primary study held up as " proof " of no connection between Thimerosal and autism. This is astonishing in light of the fact that both the study and the author of the study report that the analysis was " inconclusive " and more research was required. The study that forms the basis for the assertion of " proof " admits it did not prove anything! Also, Pediatrics represented that the author of the study was an employee of the CDC when in fact he had become an employee of Glaxo Kline, a vaccine manufacturer. (See Myth #17). A separate study of this same data undertaken by an independent research team (Geier & Geier) identified significant correlations between Thimerosal exposure and the rate of neurodevelopmental disorders. - Four studies from Denmark, where Thimerosal was removed from vaccines in 1992, appeared in four separate medical journals in 2002- 2003 and assert that Denmark's population data demonstrates no link between Thimerosal and autism. Not only has the methodology of the " Denmark Studies " been disputed, but it also was later established that the authors of all four studies had an economic interest in and/or are employees of a Danish vaccine manufacturer who had recently received a big order from the United States for vaccines. The publishing journals did not mention these associations in any of the reports. (See Myth #18) - A study by the Institute of Medicine released in March 2004 claims there is no link between Thimerosal and autism. The IOM did not do any primary research, they simply reviewed what already had been done, focusing mostly on the above CDC and Danish studies for their conclusion. (See Myth #19). This conclusion was a change from a similar review in 2001 by the IOM that stated the mercury-autism link was " biologically plausible " . While there appear to be no links between the members of the reviewing panel and vaccine makers, there were no toxicologists or other scientists versed in mercury toxicity included in the panel. Myth #17: The CDC did a study and proved there was no link between mercury in vaccines and autism. In the November 2003 a study appeared in the medical journal Pediatrics titled, " Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two- Phased Study of Computerized Health Maintenance Organization Databases " written by Verstraeten who had been an employee of the Centers For Disease Control. By the time the study was published, he was an employee of Glaxo Kline, a vaccine manufacturer. It is this study, more than any other, which has formed the basis for the mainstream medical community to claim that the link between vaccines and autism has been disproven. This study is also routinely cited in the mainstream press on the autism/mercury topic as the " proof " of no connection. Here are the facts: 1. The study itself was inconclusive. Nowhere in the study is it stated that there is " no link " between Thimerosal and neurodevelopmental issues. In fact, the study specifically states: " The biological plausibility of the small doses of ethylmercury present in vaccines leading to increased risks of neurodevlopmental disorders is uncertain...For elucidating further whether a causal association exists between thimerosal exposure and nuerodevelopmental conditions, additional studies with different designs will be needed. " 2. The study's author, Verstraeten, confirmed that the study was inconclusive. In a letter to Pediatrics five months after the publication of the study, he writes: " I am the first author of a recent article on a study undertaken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to screen for a potential link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental delays. The article has been subject to heavy criticism from antivaccine lobbyists...Because I was responsible for nearly all aspects of this study, including study design, data gathering, data analysis, and writing of the article, I wish to give my opinion on these claims...Surprisingly, however, the study is being interpreted now as negative [where 'negative' implies no association was shown between Thimerosal and autism] by many, including the antivaccine lobbyists. The article does not state that we found evidence against an association, as a negative study would. It does state, on the contrary, that additional study is recommended, which is the conclusion to which a neutral study must come. Does a neutral outcome reduce the value of a study? It may make it less attractive to publishers and certainly to the press, but it in no way diminishes its scientific and public health merit. A neutral study carries a very distinct message: the investigators could neither confirm nor exclude an association, and therefore more study is required. " 3. There is compelling evidence that initial analyses by the CDC found a pronounced, positive correlation between exposure to Thimerosal and a wide range of neurodevelopmental issues but that data was manipulated out of the study over time to produce a neutral, inconclusive result. Here is Dr. Mark Geier discussing the study: " ...this very study was the topic of secret-closed meetings between members of the CDC and other government organizations, as well as members of the vaccine manufacturers held at Simpsonwood, Georgia from 7-8 June 2000. The transcript of this meeting has been obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. This transcript reveals that the study initially found statistically significant dose-response effects between increasing doses of mercury from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines and various types of neurodevelopmental disorders. The transcript documents that the data was real and statistically significant for many types of neurodevelopmental disorders, but that the meeting participants expressed that the data had to be 'handled.' Despite discussion about how to 'handle' the data, some participants expressed concern that the work that had already been done would be obtained by others through the Freedom of Information Act. In this event, even if professional bodies expressed the opinion that there was no association between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders, it was already too late to do anything. In addition, other participants expressed that the vaccine manufacturers were in a horrible position to be able to defend any lawsuits alleging a relationship between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders, since no one would say with the available data that there was no relationship between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders. " The transcript of Simpsonwood meeting, if read in its entirety, is surprising in its clarity on the Thimerosal-autism link and in the explicit planning by the participants over how to " handle " the information with the outside world. One of the expert panelists, Weil, MD, commented during Simpsonwood: " The number of dose related relationships [thimerosal to neurological issues] are linear and statistically significant. You can play with this all you want. They are linear. They are statistically significant. " After the Simpsonwood meeting, the study's author, Vertraeten, stated to his superiors: " I do not wish to be the advocate of the anti-vaccine lobby and sound like being convinced that thimerosal is or was harmful, but at least I feel we should use our sound scientific argumentation and not let our standards be dictated by our desire to disprove an unpleasant theory. " Below are some reports documenting the initial findings of the CDC analysis, criticisms of their subsequent methodologies, and transcripts from the Simpsonwood meeting. 1. Analysis and Critique of the CDC's Handling of the Thimerosal Exposure Assessment Based on the Vaccine Safety Datalink Information Safe Minds (Sensible Action For Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders) October 2003 This 46-page presentation describes how the CDC performed four separate rounds of analysis, with the first one showing a significant positive correlation between Thimerosal exposure and incidence of neurodevelopmental delays. It charts how the methodology of each subsequent analysis was changed, eventually resulting in a neutral, non-significant correlation. 2. Misses Link Between Thimerosal and Neurodevlopmental Disorders Letter to the Editor of Pediatrics Dr. Mark Geier February 23, 2004 Dr. Geier's letter to Pediatrics outlines flaws in the CDC's methodology and approach. 3. The Truth Behind the Vaccine Cover-up www.russellblaylockmd.com L. Blaylock, M.D. September 4, 2004 This extensive review of the Simpsonwood transcript is interspersed with Dr. Balylock's own commentary. It is shocking, disheartening, and ultimately incriminating. Excerpt from Dr. Verstraeten discussing some of the positive correlations found between exposure to Thimerosal and the incidence of later neurodevelopmental delays: " ...we have found statistically significant relationships between the exposures and outcomes for these different exposures and outcomes. First, for [exposure to Thimerosal at] 2 months of age, an unspecified developmental delay, which has its own ICD9 code. Exposure at 3 months of age, Tics. Exposure at 6 months of age, Attention Deficit Disorder. Exposure at 1, 3, and 6 months of age, language and speech delays which are two separate ICD9 codes. Exposure of 1, 3, and 6 months of age, the entire category of neurodevelopmental delays which include all of these plus a number of other disorders. " 4. Immunization Safety Review Letter to the Institute of Medicine written by Safe Minds 2004 This letter to the Institute of Medicine written by Safe Minds also highlights some of the incriminating discussion from the Simpsonwood meeting. Excerpt from Dr. Bernier, near the closing of the Simpsonwood meeting: " We have asked you to keep this information confidential. We do have a plan for discussing these data at the upcoming meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on June 21 and June 22. At that time CDC plans to make public release of this information, so I think it would serve all of our interests best if we could continue to consider these data. The ACIP work group will be considering also. If we could consider these data in a certain protected environment. So we are asking people who have a great job protecting this information up until now, to continue to do that until the timing of the ACIP meeting. So too basically consider this embargoed information. That would help all of us to use the machinery that we have in place for considering these data and for arriving at policy recommendations. " 5. Internal Email From Verstraeten of the CDC Noting the Thimerosal/Autism Link in the Data " Won't Go Away " Internal Email Correspondence at the CDC December 17, 1999 Verstareten's email, prior to the Simpsonwood meeting, laments that in his analysis the relationship between Thimerosal and a wide range of neurodevelopmental issues just " won't go away. " 6. Scientific Review Of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information Simpsonwood Retreat Center June 7-8 2000 This is the actual " Simpsonwood Transcript " that SafeMinds obtained with a Freedom Of Information Act lawsuit. At 286 pages, it takes some time to get through. Blaylock's (#3 above) or Safe Mind's (#4 above) reports are an easier way to capture the highlights of this transcript. Myth #18: Denmark, which removed Thimerosal from vaccines in the early 1990s, did a study proving there was no link between mercury in vaccines and autism. This myth implies that the government of Denmark was responsible for a study of Thimerosal and autism, which is not accurate. In rapid succession, four studies from Denmark were released in four separate medical journals, all purporting to disprove the thimerosal- vaccine-autism connection. Specifically, The New England Journal of Medicine published in 2002, " A Population-based study of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination and autism " ; The American Journal of Preventative Medicine published in 2003, " Autism and thimerosal: lack of consistent evidence for an association " ; Pediatrics published in 2003, " Thimerosal and the occurrence of autism: negative ecological evidence from Danish population-based data " ; and, The Journal of the American Medical Association published in 2003, " Association between thimerosal-containing vaccine and autism. " Soon after the studies were published, Safe Minds revealed that most of the Danish researchers behind all four studies were employees of a Danish manufacturer of vaccines, Statens Serum Institut. None of the reports noted this conflict of interest. Mothering magazine reported on Safe Mind's response to one of the Danish studies (from the Journal of the American Medical Association): " Safe Minds released an analysis of the autism registry data from Denmark that showed the rate of autism dropped sharply after removal of thimerosal from infant vaccines in that country in 1992. Their findings showed the rate of autism declined from an incidence of 1 in 500 prior to 1992 to 1 in 1,500 today. The analysis also uncovered a flaw in the methodology of Danish investigators publishing in the October issue of JAMA (Hviid et al), who utilized the same Danish registry data and concluded that autism rates in Denmark rose after thimerosal removal from vaccines. " In our review of the Danish data we identified a flaw which resulted in a substantial loss of autism case records from the registry which essentially renders the findings from the JAMA study by Hviid and colleagues invalid " , said Sallie Bernard, executive director of Safe Minds. " The registry allows 10-25% of diagnosed autism cases to be lost from its records each year. The effect [cumulative] of this loss is such that the records will disappear from older age groups to a much greater degree than from younger age groups in any given registry year. " The Hviid findings are based on finding fewer older children diagnosed with autism than younger ones in the 2000 medical registry. Since the older children received Thimerosal vaccines and the younger ones did not, Hviid falsely concluded that Thimerosal must not be a factor in autism. The Safe Minds analysis shows instead that the " higher " incidence of autism in younger children is likely due to the loss of records of older children, rather than a true " increase " in autism rates in the younger group. Safe Minds reanalyzed the Denmark registry data and used an alternative method to avoid the record removal bias. The analysis looked at same-age children - 5-9 year olds - but from different registry years: 1992, when all of the children received Thimerosal- containing vaccines, and 2002, when none of the children received vaccines with Thimerosal. The analysis found a 2.3x higher incidence of autism cases among the 1992 Thimerosal-exposed group relative to the 2002 non-exposed group. The analysis then determined an autism incidence rate for the non- Thimerosal group of 1 in 1,500, while the Thimerosal-exposed group had an incidence of 1 in 500, a 3-fold increase. The higher figure is comparable to the 1 in 500 incidence level for autism in England and the 1 in 150 incidence level in the US. The Thimerosal exposure level and timing in pre-1992 Denmark was comparable to that in England, while that for the US was somewhat more aggressive. As Lyn Redwood, president of Safe Minds comments: " In the Hviid study in JAMA we can clearly see how the data was misinterpreted so a conclusion could be drawn to clear thimerosal from any role in autism. This misinterpretation is not surprising given the authors' employment with the manufacturer and promoter of vaccines in Denmark, Statens Serum Institut. This conflict of interest should have been stated by JAMA...Safe Minds is calling for a complete analysis of the Denmark autism registry data set by independent, unbiased epidemiologists who have no involvement in vaccine development, production, promotion, or administration. " Some documents that refute the Denmark studies include: 1. Something is Rotten In Denmark Safe Minds October 2003 This overview traces the association between all the Danish researchers to a single Danish vaccine company, Statens Serum Institut. 2. Analysis of the Danish Autism Registry Data Base in Response to the Hviid et al Paper on Thimerosal in JAMA (October, 2003) Safe Minds Sallie Bernard October 2003 This paper details the above findings by Safe Minds and refutes the methodology of Danish study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 3. Danish Thimerosal-Autism study in Pediatrics: Misleading and Uninformative on Link Safe Minds Mark Blaxill September 2, 2003 This paper critiques the Danish study published in Pediatrics. 4. MMR and Autism In Perspective: The Denmark Story Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Volume 9, Number 3 Carol Stott, Ph.D., Mark Blaxill, Dr. Wakefield Fall 2004 This peer-reviewed analysis demonstrates that the rate of autism in Denmark rose after the introduction of the MMR vaccine. Myth #19: The IOM did a study and proved there was no link between mercury in vaccines and autism. In May 2004, the Institute of Medicine released a 216-page report titled Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism and concluded that there did not appear to be a causal link between Thimerosal and the autism epidemic. This study was paid for by the CDC, a conflict in of itself, and there is growing evidence that the conclusion was pre-ordained before any research was done. Regarding the potential link between mercury and autism, Dr. Marie McCormick, Committee Chair of the IOM study, in a recently released transcript, stated (before any research had been done), " We are not ever going to come down that it is a true side effect. " Much of the IOM's conclusion was based on the aforementioned CDC and Danish studies - there was no primary research done. This lack of new, primary research is a critical point: the IOM's conclusion was largely based on the studies discussed in Myths 17 & 18 above that are controversial flawed. Soon after the report's release, Congressmen Burton and Weldon and Congresswoman held a joint press conference. An excerpt from Mothering magazine on the press conference: " Unfortunately, I believe the findings announced in the May 18th IOM report are heavily biased, and unrepresentative of all the available scientific and medical research, " stated Chairman Burton. " I think it is highly irresponsible for the IOM Immunization Safety Review Committee to purport definitive findings to the American public, which are based on selective scientific studies that are greatly flawed to begin with. " The recently released IOM report is the eighth and final in a series designed to examine the safety of vaccines that contain the mercury-based preservative, Thimerosal. In their latest report, the IOM Committee concludes, " The body of epidemiological evidence favors the rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal- containing vaccines and autism. " This statement represents a significant change from the Committee's finding in their 2001 report, which called such a causal relationship, " biologically plausible. " The Committee based its final conclusions on their review of approximately 10 previously conducted epidemiological studies. Of those roughly 10 studies, 5 reported probable links between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism, yet those 5 were summarily dismissed because the Committee determined the manner in which they were conducted was flawed. " For an excellent article on the IOM conflict: A Dragon By the Tail byronchild Magazine By Reagan March 7, 2005 Myth #20: Our health authorities would never let this happen - it's impossible that so many responsible for the welfare of our kids would allow an entire generation of children to be poisoned with mercury. It is very hard to believe that so many doctors and health authorities, most of whom truly have the welfare of our children in their hearts, would allow this to happen. Some of the reasons, unfortunately, that this is a myth include: - Doctors are not trained in toxicology in medical school. Therefore, very few people who monitor the vaccine program and monitor neurological developmental issues in children know what the signs of mercury poisoning look like, how to test for it, or what to do about it. - Mercury has a slow onset that can take years to fully manifest. Therefore, the decision in 1991/92 to change the vaccine schedule did not start to show up in the autism figures until 1995/1996, creating confusion and uncertainty. - By the time the epidemic was in full stride, those in positions of power seem to have suffered from denial, self-protection, and self-interest. Unfortunately, these traits have been exhibited throughout American history. Think asbestos, lead, alar, and Vioxx, to name only a few. From our own Congressional Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness: " Thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines is likely related to the autism epidemic. This epidemic in all probability may have been prevented or curtailed had the FDA not been asleep at the switch regarding injected thimerosal and the sharp rise of infant exposure to this known neurotoxin. Our public health agencies' failure to act is indicative of institutional malfeasance for self- protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry. " And, a study on Conflicts of Interest in Vaccine Policy-Making: Conflicts Of Interest In Vaccine Policy Making Committee On Government Reform - U.S. House of Representatives August 21, 2000 Myth #21: The best treatment for Autism, and the only proven treatment, is behavioral therapy - specifically ABA or Applied Behavior Analysis. There appears to be clinical evidence that ABA therapy improves autistic symptoms in some autistic children. In general, the use of many forms of behavioral therapy for autism leads to improvement. However, to represent that ABA is the only form of treatment for autism is untrue. There are hundreds of children who have recovered from autism through biomedical treatment and that number is growing everyday. Myth #22: Autism is a psychological disorder and a psychologist should provide treatment. Autism is an issue of toxicology. A physician who understands toxic metals in terms of testing, symptoms, and removal is critical to treating autism effectively. Myth #23: Chelation therapy is unsafe, unproven medicine. It is something only desperate parents would consider doing, and has more risks than benefits. Chelation therapy is a safe, effective way to remove toxic metals from the body. It has been used for decades to treat acute metals poisoning and more recently, to treat degenerative diseases such as chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's, cancer, and heart disease. When monitored by a physician, potential side affects such as mineral depletion and impacted liver function can be monitored and remedied. On the other hand, the risks of maintaining acute mercury toxicity in the body - progressive neuro and other degenerative disease - as well as poor quality of life for the severely toxic are significant. Below is the coverage position on chelation therapy from CIGNA, one of the country's largest insurance companies: " CIGNA Healthcare considers chelation therapy medically necessary in the following conditions: arsenic, mercury, iron, copper or gold poisoning when long-term exposure to and toxicity has been confirmed through lab results (i.e., blood, plasma, and/or urine results) or clinical findings (i.e., symptoms consistent with metal toxicity). " Myth #24: Mercury may be one of the causes of autism. It doesn't really matter what the cause - once you have autism, you have autism for life. We often say a child " has autism " implying it is something someone " acquires " or " catches " or " is born with " . Autism is not a disease. Autism is simply a label for a range of observed behaviors. There is no medical test for autism. These behaviors are typically assessed by a psychologist using the DSM-IV criteria which identifies 12 groups of abnormal behaviors. A child exhibiting any 6 of these behaviors results in a diagnosis of autism. This diagnostic process means that two children exhibiting the opposite six criteria could both be considered autistic. It is also entirely plausible that a single child diagnosed separately by five psychologists could receive five separate diagnoses like autism, Asperger's, ADHD, PDD- NOS, and a developmental delay. In sum, it is an imperfect and subjective process that rests on a description of symptoms, not cause. That many autistic children seem to share physiological manifestations like food allergies, gastrointestinal distress, suppressed immune systems, recurrent ear infections, yeast overgrowth or candida, gross and fine motor delays, sensory processing distortions, sleep disturbances, and impaired detoxification pathways has not been publicized or considered by the majority of professionals involved with diagnosing autism. You almost never read about these common physical symptoms when researching autism. Autism and mercury poisoning have identical symptom profiles, both physical and behavioral. They are one in the same thing. The current paradigm for thinking about these mercury-poisoned children is broken and unhelpful. " Autism " will always be a mystery without a cure. When you begin to think of autism as a misdiagnosis for a mercury-poisoned state, things start to make more sense. All of the physical symptoms and behaviors are explained by the presence of mercury. When you know the cause, you can focus on cure. Curing autism is a miracle; curing mercury poisoning is a medical procedure. Myth #25: Autism, Asperger's, ADHD, and ADD All of these behavioral diagnoses are mythical: they simply do not exist. Each one simply places a child somewhere along the " spectrum " of mercury poisoning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 >>>So a person with high testosterone will do more damage to his body than a >>>person with lower testosterone? > > Myth #7: The reason that boys represent 80% - 90% of the epidemic > is that autism is an extreme form of the more rigid and scientific > male mind. > Testosterone is a synergistic toxin with mercury which means that > it enhances the toxicity of mercury in the body while estrogen > appears to protect neurons and neuronal fibers from mercury's > toxicity. This synergistic toxicity is the reason for the high ratio > of males in the epidemic. Arguably the leading scientist on the > toxicity of mercury, Boyd Haley, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the > Chemistry Department, University of Kentucky discusses the issue of > testosterone and mercury: > > " One of the conundrums of autism is the 4:1 ratio of boys to girls > that get the disease. We therefore decided to test the effects of > both female and male hormones on the neurotoxicity of thimerosal. > The results were eye-opening. For example, 50 nanomolar thimerosal > causes less than 5% neuron death within the first three hours > incubation and 1 micromolar testosterone causes no significant death > within this time frame. However, mix these two together and 100% > neuron death was observed at the earliest time point checked. This > represents a severe enhancement of thimerosal toxicity. " > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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