MMR film

[saintlydamemrsturnip]

especially interesting for those who have been following the GMC hearing. Very moving and sad in places. Probably more sense in this film than you'll see on the news today and in the following days.

These debates just run on and on and nothing new ever comes up but I don't like all this 'poor little doctors' argument. No one disputes that their parents referred the children for treatment but that does not in itself give doctors carte blanche to do as they please. Gosh he's still doing it after all these years - taking up all our time ! I think I need 'life after Andy' counselling too. This is where you feel pleased your laptop's battery is running out !

He didn't do as he pleased though. He made a clinical decision along with other respected gastro enterologists to investigate symptoms.

Have you read the judgment? Here's an example of one case A child presents with watery diarrhoea, severe abdominal pain, and a history of onset post MMR. The doctor refers him for a colonoscopy but crucially writes on the referral 'for reasons of autistic like disintegrative disorder'. Now having autism clearly isn't a valid reason for having a colonoscopy usually. It doesn't matter that the watery diarrhoea and abdominal pain were recorded elsewhere in the notes - it wasn't on the colonoscopy sheet, so there was no clinical need demonstrated. Now the same child could have been referred for a colonoscopy for that reason under the research project, but - they had been given MMR and had a diagnosis of autism not distintegrative disorder, so that couldn't be allowed.

Why would Wakefield waste time investigating children who didn't have clinical symptoms of his new syndrome? Which seems to be the suggestion from the GMC. It doesn't make any sense. How would that have benefitted him? 'Here Andy, here's a child with no symptoms at all but he'd be great for your case series' WTF? These were in many cases severely autistic children - I can't get a doctor to check the sore throat of my severely autistic child. If you're going to go on some doctor death crusade an investigate unnecessarily you could choose an easier group.

There's no need for this to have run and run. He said he felt MMR needed further research and singles should have been given. If parents had been given a free choice what do you think would have happened? Most would have chosen the MMR and children with bowel disease and autistic enterocolitis could have been investigated and perhaps we would have the answers now. It's not Wakefield who has created this mess. He has repeatedly said he does not know what triggers autistic enteroclitis - that's what he was trying to research.

"autistic enterocolitis could have been investigated and perhaps we would have the answers now"

Has further research been carried out? Where has it got us? Or has the furore prevented the research from being done?

Research is being done now. Largely funded through organisation that have evolved from parent support groups. There is quite a bit of research going on in the States (Autism Speaks for example funds some vaccination research).

I attended IMFAR 18 months ago and was surprised at how many researchers mentioned potential roles for various vaccinations. This didn't seem problematic.

In terms of Wakefield's work this was published yesterday which support Wakefield's findings. Funny journal unfortunately but if you know anything about the politics of publication you will understand that this is practically unpublishable. Press release here.

This is ongoing as well. It's a hugely expensive study. I saw the initial presentation of the findings of the small pilot type study at IMFAR. I was staggered it was accepted tbh but then I was genuinely surprised at how many researchers (mainly from the States) were open to the role of vaccines and were considering where they might fit into their various models. There doesn't seem to be any problem in saying and discussing it. Getting it into print is tricker.

Oh should add there isn't a huge amount going on into autistic enterocolitis, just Thoughtful House really. No-one else will touch it; they have mortgages to pay!

Thank goodness she recovered mumslife. You must have gone through hell in those 6 months.

I think at the very least, we can be greatful that Dr. Wakefield can continue to work on these issues at Thoughtful House, even if he can only consult with patients vs. being their doctor. I'm in the US and have talked to several parents who have gone there for testing. He is regarded amongst parents here with tremendous respect for the work he has done and continues to do.

Leonie

If you can bear it worth reading through Deer's website. For starters he has the patent application up that where it is clear that it was being developed for a TREATMENT for autistic enterocolitis ahead of some rival single jab.

He also has this - which I think sums the man up really. It's a letter from a mother, with the last line in brackets added by him.

THOUGHTFUL HOUSE: 24 October 2005

As a parent of an autistic child with severe inflammatory bowel disease that was diagnosed at the Royal Free in 1999 I wonder what your problem is. My son was also treated by Dr. Krigsman in 2003 when his entire esophagus was full of lesions. He is now being treated by the head of Pediatric Gastroenterology at Childrens Memorial Hospital part of Northwestern University here in Chicago who AGREES with Drs. Wakefield and Krigsman that my son has an autoimmune disease of his entire GI tract likely caused by a viral agent. I have no idea what your problem is but you are not helping these children who are very sick. Perhaps you need to seek some type of psychiatry therapy Mr. Deer.

Elizabeth Birt, Chicago.

[Sadly, two months after this suggestion, Elizabeth Birt was killed in a road traffic accident]

god mumslife that sounds awful.

I know what you mean about watching subsequent children (ds1 is severely autistic, he had a slow regression after a virus).

No I don't think he was autistic from birth.

Gluten used to make ds1 very obsessive/ compulsive too. It was the first thing we noticed about transferssions. With gluten he counted stairs.....!

"The GMC is worse than the masons."

What's wrong with the masons??

mumslife, can you remember what food you used to give her at the time? The food may have helped boosted her immune system and helped her combat the encephalitis

allergy induced autism run by Rosemary Kessick. The books were probably by Marilyn Le Breton. Although we've found we can relax the diet quite a bit now I still use them to cook from a lot.

mumslife, thanks for that, that is fascinating. I'm sure that the diet helped to produce the miracle that happened. Good to see that it also avoided aspartame, many people are still not aware of its dangers. It is now in most fizzy drinks and chewing gum and many other foods.