ASD in the news

[PeachyChocolateEClair]

here

[misdee]

hmmm. really not sure on this. am also a fence sitter.

[PeachyChocolateEClair]

I wasn't sure either to be honest

But I'm not convinced about mercury anyhow

[gess]

I know his mum a little (not that well), and I'm sorry but I think making him remove the t-shirt is daft. Mandy does feel strongly that mercury has damaged Sam; Sam is severely autistic, and would quite possibly have got distressed by being confused at having to change his t-shirt (in other words am reading between the lines of the report). If they didn't like the t-shirt the school should have asked his parents to not send him to school in it again, not changed it once he was there. I can understand why that might be an issue.

Mandy wears those t-shirts herself as well. I don't suppose she thinks that mercury/heavy metals is involved in every case of autism, but I think in her son's case there's quite a bit of evidence that it has harmed him. She should be allowed to express that really.

[moondog]

Oh,it's so difficult to know what is right, if indeed aNYONE/ANYTHING IS.
Gess what did you make of recent research findings 9published in last week's press) that no connection between ASD and mercury? (Sorry,don't have exact ref.)

[gess]

Oh the research sponsopred by Johnson and Johnson you mean (on anti D? J&J are apparently the largest manufacturers of antiD - right and Andy Walkefiled gets slammed for conflict of interest- right).

There's been a review of it published already by SafeMinds I think. here you go- study was a pile of bollocks

[moondog]

Oh dear.
That's very worrying eh?

[gess]

Andy by the way has done an enormous amount for Sam, she has pushed and pushed with the authorities to get Sam the medical help she believes he should be getting, and she also does loads for other parents in her own time. I'm quite in awe of her. If you have a biomed question she's a very good person to ask.

[misdee]

errr what about anti-d and autism? breif overview please?

[gess]

Mandy I mean??

Well reading it it sounds as if thimerosal has been removed from those jabs anyway. Cover-ups are to be expected in this field. No surprise to me at all. The press releases are always frustrating as they're either written by someone who hasn't got a clue (charitable interpretation) or set out to deliberately mislead- with this sort of thing.

[misdee]

when were they removed?

[gess]

well it's not just anti-D. Quite a bit of work that shows that the proteins involved in heavy metal detoxification (and actually other systems involved in metal detox as well) are dysfunctional in a largeish subgroups children with autism. So one theory is that some autistic children have had the condition triggered because they are unable to remove mercury from the body (quite a bit of evidence that a reasonable % of chidren with ASD don't). So they're going to be more at risk from injections containing thimerosal- theoretically. Such as anti-D, and the old DTP. Thimerosal has now been removed from these products- although everyone is keen to point out that it is of course perfectly safe. Absolutely.

[gess]

2002 apparently according to something I read. not sure if that was the states though. For DTP thimerosal was removed from paediatric jabs in Oz in 1999, 2001 for the Startes (although stocks were used up), and 2005 for the UK (again old stocks were used up). Cutting edge the UK. The UK didn't remove it until it was recommend by the WHO that it had to go from routine paediatric jabs.

[gess]

oh hang on might have beeen end of 2004. - whenever the 5/6 in 1 was introduced.

[misdee]

hmmm so was given it with dd2 when pregnant.

[gess]

There are tests that you can do to see whether your child is likely to have a mercury problem, but they're quite complicated to read accurately. I know a few people who have chelated, and then it gets far easier to measure. My friend's dd was chelated on the NHS because she had toxic lead levels (over 100, normal level is 5).

[misdee]

blimey! thats lot over.

i'm not sure where i stand on this stuff tbh, and even if it did have any bearing on dd2, it wont change anything, and she is so mild anyway.

[gess]

She's not really a friend- I don't know her that well- just met her at a 4 day conference (so chatted quite a bit over the 4 days). If you want enzymes ever she's the person to order from (super speedy fast service!) She's really done a lot for Sam though, and fears no-one in authority!

[sphil]

I met Mandy at the same conference as Gess. Her son's school should be very very afraid .

[gess]

PMSL sphil.

[pagwatch]

Hi
Mandy has been a huge bulldozer of knowledge on the whole autism/mercury thingy. She is on a couple of websites I use and whatever anyones feelings about the mercury- autism link I have to say she is so helpful if you need anything - even if it is just support.
I have done some stuff to help my sons metal load reduce although it is hard to get the supprt over here. My son did rteally well although unlike the earlier poster he was so severe that the improvements ( while massive and life changeing to us) were no where near a cure.
Just realised that bulldozer dosn't sound very friendly LOL. I like her enthusiam, her take no prisoners approach and the fact that this story is about her dos not surprise me at all.
The mercury/therapy/ABA talk always leaves me a little depressed though as I can never compare myself terribly favourable to these woman who just give everything when I can't seem to get dinner organised most of the time. Hard not to feel I let him down...
(sorry- rambling fool)