Following please find a list of autism and spectrum related resources that are compiled into a handout to be distributed at the April 17th Generation Rescue World Premiere of AUTISM YESTERDAY in Nashville.
If you didn't receive a handout, or want to share this with others, or just prefer to have all your info online, here it is. Please note that this list is not a comprehensive list of everything middle Tennessee has to offer, it is merely folks that local families undergoing biomedical intervention felt were resources they wanted to share. This is a group effort, based upon the experiences of several families. We hope that this may help you.
DAN!/Biomedical and DAN! Friendly Resources
Local DAN! And biomed friendly Practitioners
Dr. Daniel Kalb (DAN! Physician) www.csfmed.net
Paige Adams, NP 615-331-1973
Dr. Michael Bernui 615-338-0123
Internal Balance www.internalbalance.com
Dr. Josh Axe 615-445-7702
Dr. Bradstreet (DAN! Physician in FL) www.icdrc.org
ABA Providers
ABC Consulting 615-335-7770
HopeTN 615-646-3461
Lisa Ellzy 615-480-1184
SAIL 615-513-8395
Full list of area providers available on www.tnautism.org
Therapeutic centers
Helen Duhon, Franklin Speech & Learning www.helenduhon.com
Pediatric Therapies www.pediatrictherapies.com
Community Forums/Websites
Nashville Biomed Support Group www.nashvilleautibiomed.blogspot.com
Yahoo Groups: Autism-Mercury, chelatingkids2, GFCFkids, GFCFrecipes, taca-usa (go to www.groups.yahoo.com to join and log in to groups)
www.generationrescue.org
www.tacanow.org
www.ageofautism.com
www.autism.com (autism research institute)
www.autismone.org
www.autism.tv (video from ARI and DAN! – or www.danwebcast.com)
Other centers/Education
Autism Education Center www.autismeducationcenter.com
Visions Autism Center www.visionsautismcenter.com
Autism Solution Center (Memphis) www.autismsolutioncenter.com
Beyond the Limits (funding biomed for families in need) www.autismresourceconnection.com
Books
Changing the Course Of Autism… by Bryan Jepson
Healing the New Childhood Epidemics… by Kenneth Bock
Children With Starving Brains by Jaquelyn McCandless
Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey by Jenny McCarthy
Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and PDD…by Karen Seroussi
Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis
Places to Purchase Supplements
Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, iherb.com, Kirkmans Labs, Len Rossi’s, www.spinelife.com
Additionally, if you are interested in attending a Nashville Autism BioMed Support Group Meeting, please email karenhalbert@comcast.net. Meetings are held at Panera Bread in Brentwood on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7p.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Autism Yesterday World Premiere, April 17, 2008
Generation Rescue is launching the world premiere of their movie, AUTISM YESTERDAY, here in Nashville on April 17, 2008 at 7p. at Hillsboro Church of Christ, just south of Green Hills.
This is a free event. Please spread the word!!! Help others in our community know that Autism IS Treatable!!!
This is a free event. Please spread the word!!! Help others in our community know that Autism IS Treatable!!!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
There Is No Autism Epidemic
An awesome piece by David Kirby...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/there-is-no-autism-epidem_b_37647.html
There is no autism epidemic
It's s been nearly two years since the release of my book, "Evidence of Harm, Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic - A Medical Controversy," and I continue to be vilified by critics who insist that mercury does not cause autism, that autism is a stable genetic condition, and that it cannot be an "epidemic."
I am going to declare a New Year's truce, and announce that my critics are 100 percent correct.
This year, I hope we can ALL agree on one thing: There is no autism epidemic.
Among my most spirited and articulate detractors is a group of adults with autism who belong to a movement that refers to itself as the "neurodiversity" community.
These adults argue passionately that autism is neither a disease nor a disorder, but rather a natural and special variation of the chance genetic imprint left upon human behavior. Most of them, I believe, have what science calls "Asperger's Syndrome," or very high functioning autism.
From their eloquent and well reasoned point of view, autism has no "cause," and it certainly requires no "cure." To suggest otherwise is to brand these adults with the stigma of disease and disability, which is patently absurd given their educational and intellectual achievements.
It's like saying that left-handers or gays are deviant and need treatment - something that reasonable people stopped doing years ago.
So maybe autism really is just an odd genetic peculiarity that yields atypical people whose own set of talents and gifts can lead to perfectly happy and fulfilled lives, with little or no dependence on others for their survival.
If that's the case, then autism has always been with us at some steady, but largely overlooked rate. Growing awareness and better diagnostics have certainly helped us identify and count more people with the condition, who might have been mislabeled as "quirky" or "nerdy" a decade ago.
But if that's autism, then the kids that I have met suffer from some other condition entirely. When I talk about "curing" autism, I am not talking about curing the "neurodiverse."
I am talking about kids who begin talking and then, suddenly, never say another word.
I'm talking about kids who may never learn to read, write, tie their shoes or fall in love.
I'm talking about kids who sometimes wail in torture at three in the morning because something inside them hurts like a burning coal, but they can't say what or where it is.
I'm talking about kids who can barely keep food in their inflamed, distressed guts, and when they do, it winds up in rivers of diarrhea or swirls of feces spread on a favorite carpet or pet (no one said this kind of "autism" was pretty).
I'm talking about kids who escape from their home in a blaze of alarms, only to be found hours later, freezing, alone and wandering the Interstate.
I'm talking about kids who have bitten their mother so hard and so often, they are on a first name basis at the emergency room.
I'm talking about kids who spin like fireworks until they fall and crack their heads, kids who will play with a pencil but not with their sister, kids who stare at nothing and scream at everything and don't even realize it when their dad comes home from work.
These are the kids I want to see cured. And I don't believe they have "autism."
Scientists tell us that 1-in-104 American boys are currently diagnosed with some form of autism spectrum disorder. But the mildest, "high functioning" forms of autism have seemingly little in common with the most severe or even moderate cases.
My hunch (and yes, that is all it is) is that most of these kids do not have "autism" at all, and it's probably time we started calling it something else.
American kids are in huge trouble. One in six has a learning disability. Asthma, diabetes, allergies and arthritis are ravaging their bodies in growing numbers. And little of this is due to "better diagnostics" or "greater awareness."
It can only be attributed to radical changes in our environment over the last 10-20 years. There is something, or more likely some things in our modern air, water, food and drugs that are making genetically susceptible children sick, and we need to find out what they are.
Mercury remains a logical candidate for contributing to "autism spectrum disorders," either alone or in combination with other environmental insults. Mercury exposure can kill brain cells. It can cause loss of speech and eye contact, digestive and immune dysfunction, social withdrawal and anxiety, and repetitive and self-injurious behaviors.
So maybe we should leave the autistics in peace and focus on these environmentally toxic kids and what it is that ails them.
Maybe what these kids have is not autism, but something like, say, "Environmentally-acquired Neuroimmune Disorder," which we could call E.N.D. (Great slogan: "Let's End E.N.D.).
Maybe that would explain why a recent CDC-funded study of the San Francisco Bay Area showed that kids with "autism" were 50% more likely to be born in neighborhoods with high levels of airborne toxins, especially mercury. If a second study underway in Baltimore yields similar data, it will be that much harder to defend the "better diagnosis" argument, (other studies have shown an association between autism rates and proximity to coal-fired power plants).
So maybe what we have here is just a semantic failure to communicate. Columbus thought he had met "Indians," and we only recently began to use the term "Native American."
Columbus was not in the Indies, mercury doesn't cause autism, and there is no autism epidemic.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/there-is-no-autism-epidem_b_37647.html
There is no autism epidemic
It's s been nearly two years since the release of my book, "Evidence of Harm, Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic - A Medical Controversy," and I continue to be vilified by critics who insist that mercury does not cause autism, that autism is a stable genetic condition, and that it cannot be an "epidemic."
I am going to declare a New Year's truce, and announce that my critics are 100 percent correct.
This year, I hope we can ALL agree on one thing: There is no autism epidemic.
Among my most spirited and articulate detractors is a group of adults with autism who belong to a movement that refers to itself as the "neurodiversity" community.
These adults argue passionately that autism is neither a disease nor a disorder, but rather a natural and special variation of the chance genetic imprint left upon human behavior. Most of them, I believe, have what science calls "Asperger's Syndrome," or very high functioning autism.
From their eloquent and well reasoned point of view, autism has no "cause," and it certainly requires no "cure." To suggest otherwise is to brand these adults with the stigma of disease and disability, which is patently absurd given their educational and intellectual achievements.
It's like saying that left-handers or gays are deviant and need treatment - something that reasonable people stopped doing years ago.
So maybe autism really is just an odd genetic peculiarity that yields atypical people whose own set of talents and gifts can lead to perfectly happy and fulfilled lives, with little or no dependence on others for their survival.
If that's the case, then autism has always been with us at some steady, but largely overlooked rate. Growing awareness and better diagnostics have certainly helped us identify and count more people with the condition, who might have been mislabeled as "quirky" or "nerdy" a decade ago.
But if that's autism, then the kids that I have met suffer from some other condition entirely. When I talk about "curing" autism, I am not talking about curing the "neurodiverse."
I am talking about kids who begin talking and then, suddenly, never say another word.
I'm talking about kids who may never learn to read, write, tie their shoes or fall in love.
I'm talking about kids who sometimes wail in torture at three in the morning because something inside them hurts like a burning coal, but they can't say what or where it is.
I'm talking about kids who can barely keep food in their inflamed, distressed guts, and when they do, it winds up in rivers of diarrhea or swirls of feces spread on a favorite carpet or pet (no one said this kind of "autism" was pretty).
I'm talking about kids who escape from their home in a blaze of alarms, only to be found hours later, freezing, alone and wandering the Interstate.
I'm talking about kids who have bitten their mother so hard and so often, they are on a first name basis at the emergency room.
I'm talking about kids who spin like fireworks until they fall and crack their heads, kids who will play with a pencil but not with their sister, kids who stare at nothing and scream at everything and don't even realize it when their dad comes home from work.
These are the kids I want to see cured. And I don't believe they have "autism."
Scientists tell us that 1-in-104 American boys are currently diagnosed with some form of autism spectrum disorder. But the mildest, "high functioning" forms of autism have seemingly little in common with the most severe or even moderate cases.
My hunch (and yes, that is all it is) is that most of these kids do not have "autism" at all, and it's probably time we started calling it something else.
American kids are in huge trouble. One in six has a learning disability. Asthma, diabetes, allergies and arthritis are ravaging their bodies in growing numbers. And little of this is due to "better diagnostics" or "greater awareness."
It can only be attributed to radical changes in our environment over the last 10-20 years. There is something, or more likely some things in our modern air, water, food and drugs that are making genetically susceptible children sick, and we need to find out what they are.
Mercury remains a logical candidate for contributing to "autism spectrum disorders," either alone or in combination with other environmental insults. Mercury exposure can kill brain cells. It can cause loss of speech and eye contact, digestive and immune dysfunction, social withdrawal and anxiety, and repetitive and self-injurious behaviors.
So maybe we should leave the autistics in peace and focus on these environmentally toxic kids and what it is that ails them.
Maybe what these kids have is not autism, but something like, say, "Environmentally-acquired Neuroimmune Disorder," which we could call E.N.D. (Great slogan: "Let's End E.N.D.).
Maybe that would explain why a recent CDC-funded study of the San Francisco Bay Area showed that kids with "autism" were 50% more likely to be born in neighborhoods with high levels of airborne toxins, especially mercury. If a second study underway in Baltimore yields similar data, it will be that much harder to defend the "better diagnosis" argument, (other studies have shown an association between autism rates and proximity to coal-fired power plants).
So maybe what we have here is just a semantic failure to communicate. Columbus thought he had met "Indians," and we only recently began to use the term "Native American."
Columbus was not in the Indies, mercury doesn't cause autism, and there is no autism epidemic.
Plastics Cause Concern
Plastics chemical harms eggs in unborn mice
* 13:01 12 January 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Roxanne Khamsi
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10946-plastics-chemical-harms-eggs-in-unborn-mice.html
Female mice exposed to a common chemical found in plastics while in the
womb develop abnormal eggs, according to a new study. Based on this
finding, researchers speculate that the chemical, bisphenol A, might
increase the risk of spontaneous abortion and genetic disorders in humans,
such as Down's syndrome.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is commonly found in hard plastics and the lining of
tin cans. The chemical has come under scrutiny before because it can mimic
the hormone oestrogen.
Patricia Hunt at Washington State University in Pullman, US, and
colleagues exposed pregnant mice to 20 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of
their bodyweight each day over a one-week period. During this same period,
the reproductive cells of female mice developing inside in the womb begin
a process of division known as meiosis.
Meiosis ultimately yields mature eggs, which have half the number of
chromosomes as other cells in the body. But the process is gradual. In
humans, for example, cells only reach the end of this division process
before ovulation.
Scrambled eggs
Researchers followed the female mouse pups that had been exposed to BPA in
the womb. When these mice reached adulthood, Hunt's team examined their
eggs. More than one in every 20 cells taken from those mice had unpaired
chromosomes – an abnormal trait. This trait was completely absent in cells
taken from the BPA-free control mice.
An analysis of slightly more mature eggs taken from another group of
females exposed to BPA in utero found that 10 eggs out of 56 sampled had
one or more extra chromosomes than normal. In contrast, only one out of 57
such cells from a control group showed the same defect.
By staining the cells, the researchers found that the chromosomes in eggs
from BPA-exposed mice connect in odd places during cell division. This
might explain why they do not segregate properly during meiosis.
The embryos of mice exposed to BPA in utero also show abnormalities,
suggesting that the chemical affects the grandchildren of exposed mice – a
"grandmaternal" impact.
Human concern
Hunt is concerned that BPA might disrupt egg development in humans as
well. The types of chromosomal defects seen in her mice are known to
increase the risk of spontaneous abortion and genetic disorders such as
Down's syndrome.
"It's very concerning," agrees Dorothy Warburton at Columbia University in
New York, who was not involved in the study. But she notes that measuring
exposure to BPA in humans "is a not an easy thing to do".
The US Environmental Protection Agency has declared that exposure to 50
micrograms or less of BPA per kilogram of bodyweight is safe for humans.
Steve Hentges of the American Plastics Council in Arlington, Virginia, US,
stresses that this guideline refers to eating or drinking BPA. He believes
that the unborn mice were exposed to higher levels of BPA because they
received it through implanted pellets rather than through their food.
For this reason, Hentges argues against drawing conclusions about human
health from the study: "These results do not seem to be relevant for
reproduction and in particular fertility." He adds that other mouse
studies that involved BPA levels similar to those used in Hunt's
experiments did not show an increased risk of genetic abnormalities across
generations.
However, Hunt is convinced that the BPA amounts used in her study are
equivalent to current human exposure. She notes that previous research has
found that mice exposed to the chemical in utero have abnormal prostate
and breast tissue development that could put them at greater risk of
developing cancer in these tissues.
* 13:01 12 January 2007
* NewScientist.com news service
* Roxanne Khamsi
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10946-plastics-chemical-harms-eggs-in-unborn-mice.html
Female mice exposed to a common chemical found in plastics while in the
womb develop abnormal eggs, according to a new study. Based on this
finding, researchers speculate that the chemical, bisphenol A, might
increase the risk of spontaneous abortion and genetic disorders in humans,
such as Down's syndrome.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is commonly found in hard plastics and the lining of
tin cans. The chemical has come under scrutiny before because it can mimic
the hormone oestrogen.
Patricia Hunt at Washington State University in Pullman, US, and
colleagues exposed pregnant mice to 20 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of
their bodyweight each day over a one-week period. During this same period,
the reproductive cells of female mice developing inside in the womb begin
a process of division known as meiosis.
Meiosis ultimately yields mature eggs, which have half the number of
chromosomes as other cells in the body. But the process is gradual. In
humans, for example, cells only reach the end of this division process
before ovulation.
Scrambled eggs
Researchers followed the female mouse pups that had been exposed to BPA in
the womb. When these mice reached adulthood, Hunt's team examined their
eggs. More than one in every 20 cells taken from those mice had unpaired
chromosomes – an abnormal trait. This trait was completely absent in cells
taken from the BPA-free control mice.
An analysis of slightly more mature eggs taken from another group of
females exposed to BPA in utero found that 10 eggs out of 56 sampled had
one or more extra chromosomes than normal. In contrast, only one out of 57
such cells from a control group showed the same defect.
By staining the cells, the researchers found that the chromosomes in eggs
from BPA-exposed mice connect in odd places during cell division. This
might explain why they do not segregate properly during meiosis.
The embryos of mice exposed to BPA in utero also show abnormalities,
suggesting that the chemical affects the grandchildren of exposed mice – a
"grandmaternal" impact.
Human concern
Hunt is concerned that BPA might disrupt egg development in humans as
well. The types of chromosomal defects seen in her mice are known to
increase the risk of spontaneous abortion and genetic disorders such as
Down's syndrome.
"It's very concerning," agrees Dorothy Warburton at Columbia University in
New York, who was not involved in the study. But she notes that measuring
exposure to BPA in humans "is a not an easy thing to do".
The US Environmental Protection Agency has declared that exposure to 50
micrograms or less of BPA per kilogram of bodyweight is safe for humans.
Steve Hentges of the American Plastics Council in Arlington, Virginia, US,
stresses that this guideline refers to eating or drinking BPA. He believes
that the unborn mice were exposed to higher levels of BPA because they
received it through implanted pellets rather than through their food.
For this reason, Hentges argues against drawing conclusions about human
health from the study: "These results do not seem to be relevant for
reproduction and in particular fertility." He adds that other mouse
studies that involved BPA levels similar to those used in Hunt's
experiments did not show an increased risk of genetic abnormalities across
generations.
However, Hunt is convinced that the BPA amounts used in her study are
equivalent to current human exposure. She notes that previous research has
found that mice exposed to the chemical in utero have abnormal prostate
and breast tissue development that could put them at greater risk of
developing cancer in these tissues.
Pesticides and Organics
Here's a great site that measures pesticides in fruit.
This link connects to the Environmental Working Group's report on
pesticide loads in produce. There is a handy shopping wallet card you
can print out. If you're like us, we cannot afford to buy organic
EVERYTHING, so we focus our food budget on selecting organic for foods
that are:
1. at the top of the food chain (meat)
2. high in fats (oils, dairy if we ate dairy)
3. produce with a high pesticide load
This report will tell you which fruits and vegetables have high
pesticide loads. Very helpful in making costly shopping decisions!
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php
This link connects to the Environmental Working Group's report on
pesticide loads in produce. There is a handy shopping wallet card you
can print out. If you're like us, we cannot afford to buy organic
EVERYTHING, so we focus our food budget on selecting organic for foods
that are:
1. at the top of the food chain (meat)
2. high in fats (oils, dairy if we ate dairy)
3. produce with a high pesticide load
This report will tell you which fruits and vegetables have high
pesticide loads. Very helpful in making costly shopping decisions!
http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php
No MMR until First Birthday (if at all!)
Get this interesting little ditty from the State of Tenn DOH:
"Because MMR is less likely to protect the child if given before their first birthday, the first dose must be given no more than 4 days before the child's first birthday. DOSES GIVEN EARLIER MUST BE REPEATED TO COMPLY WITH SCHOOL ENTRY REQUIREMENT."
-k
"Because MMR is less likely to protect the child if given before their first birthday, the first dose must be given no more than 4 days before the child's first birthday. DOSES GIVEN EARLIER MUST BE REPEATED TO COMPLY WITH SCHOOL ENTRY REQUIREMENT."
-k
Limit Flouride with Babies - Use bottled water for formula mixing
CDC, dental group warn of too much fluoride for babies
By ALISON YOUNG
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/07/07
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/02/07/0207meshdental.html
Health officials are recommending that parents who feed formula to their
babies consider using bottled water — rather than tap — when mixing it to
prevent a dental condition that causes subtle white marks on developing
teeth.
While emphasizing the significant benefits of fluoridated tap water in
preventing cavities, new recommendations from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association say parents
need to be aware of how much fluoride babies and young children are
exposed to.
"Since the beginning we knew there was a trade off between preventing
tooth decay and enamel fluorosis," said William Maas, director of CDC's
Division of Oral Health.
Enamel fluorosis is a condition involving changes to the enamel surface of
teeth — ranging from barely noticeable chalk-like white flecks and lines
to more severe pitting and staining. The condition occurs when children
are exposed to too much fluoride while their teeth are forming — and mild
forms have been on the rise since the late 1980s.
Currently about one-third of U.S. children will develop very mild or mild
fluorosis — which causes subtle white specks or lines on their adult teeth
that in most cases is not considered a cosmetic problem. About 4 percent
will develop moderate and severe forms of the condition, usually from
prolonged exposure to naturally high fluoride levels in some well water.
CDC has for years cautioned parents to limit the amount of fluoridated
toothpaste children use to no more than a pea-sized dollop because
ingesting the toothpaste during the first six years of their life — while
adult teeth are forming — had been linked to an increased risk of
fluorosis.
Then last year, for the first time, a study indicated an association
between the use of infant formula and very mild and mild fluorosis,
prompting the CDC and the American Dental Association to put out new
guidance. Infant formula has not been associated with more severe forms of
fluorosis.
"One of the more effective ways to reduce the already low fluoride levels
the youngest children are getting is looking at the reconstitution of
powdered or concentrated liquid formulas," said John Stamm, a spokesman
for the American Dental Association and professor of dental ecology at the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The issue isn't the infant formula itself, but the water it's
reconstituted with, Stamm and Maas said. For their size, babies consume a
large percentage of their body weight in fluoridated water when
reconstituted formula is their primary source of nutrition.
Ready-to-use infant formula has low levels of fluoride because companies
generally make it with demineralized water, and it is recommended by the
ADA. But most consumers prefer the lower price and convenience of powdered
formula or a concentrated liquid formula, which are mixed with tap water
before use.
Most municipal water supplies in Georgia and across the country have added
low levels of fluoride for decades as a means of preventing tooth decay.
Fluoride, when it washes over teeth, stops the removal of minerals from
teeth by oral bacteria. The CDC considers fluoridating community water
supplies a highly safe and effective health measure.
Both the CDC and the ADA note that breastfeeding is best.
In a recommendation issued in November, the American Dental Association
said that for infants who get most of their nutrition from formula,
parents should use fluoride-free or low-fluoride bottled water to mix
batches of formula.
The CDC, which published its background paper on the formula issue in
December, said parents should check the fluoride level of their water
supply, then weigh the risk of minor white flecking against the potential
protective benefits of early fluoride exposure against tooth decay.
"They need to consider the trade off and decide accordingly," Maas said.
Steven Adair, chairman of the department of pediatric dentistry at the
Medical College of Georgia, said most wells in Georgia have low levels of
fluoride, except some in coastal areas. Local water officials or dentists
can assist in getting water tested.
"If your household has fluoridated water and your child is taking
concentrated formula that's reconstituted, if it's economically feasible
to use bottled water to reconstitute it, that would be a good idea," Adair
said.
Children are at greater risk, Maas noted, from improper use of toothpaste
than from tap water. For years the CDC has urged parents to be careful
with toothpaste to avoid children swallowing it and putting them at higher
risk of fluorosis.
Since 1996 toothpaste tubes have carried a warning that parents should
consult with a dentist or doctor before introducing a child younger than 2
to fluoridated toothpaste.
"People still don't realize how important it is to control toothpaste
use," Maas said.
[Trust the ADA and CDC at your own risk]
To read the American Dental Association's and the CDC's recommendations,
go to:
www.ada.org/prof/resources/positions/statements/fluoride_infants.asp and
http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/safety/infant_formula.htm
For more information about children's dental health, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/factsheets/brushup.htm
By ALISON YOUNG
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/07/07
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/02/07/0207meshdental.html
Health officials are recommending that parents who feed formula to their
babies consider using bottled water — rather than tap — when mixing it to
prevent a dental condition that causes subtle white marks on developing
teeth.
While emphasizing the significant benefits of fluoridated tap water in
preventing cavities, new recommendations from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association say parents
need to be aware of how much fluoride babies and young children are
exposed to.
"Since the beginning we knew there was a trade off between preventing
tooth decay and enamel fluorosis," said William Maas, director of CDC's
Division of Oral Health.
Enamel fluorosis is a condition involving changes to the enamel surface of
teeth — ranging from barely noticeable chalk-like white flecks and lines
to more severe pitting and staining. The condition occurs when children
are exposed to too much fluoride while their teeth are forming — and mild
forms have been on the rise since the late 1980s.
Currently about one-third of U.S. children will develop very mild or mild
fluorosis — which causes subtle white specks or lines on their adult teeth
that in most cases is not considered a cosmetic problem. About 4 percent
will develop moderate and severe forms of the condition, usually from
prolonged exposure to naturally high fluoride levels in some well water.
CDC has for years cautioned parents to limit the amount of fluoridated
toothpaste children use to no more than a pea-sized dollop because
ingesting the toothpaste during the first six years of their life — while
adult teeth are forming — had been linked to an increased risk of
fluorosis.
Then last year, for the first time, a study indicated an association
between the use of infant formula and very mild and mild fluorosis,
prompting the CDC and the American Dental Association to put out new
guidance. Infant formula has not been associated with more severe forms of
fluorosis.
"One of the more effective ways to reduce the already low fluoride levels
the youngest children are getting is looking at the reconstitution of
powdered or concentrated liquid formulas," said John Stamm, a spokesman
for the American Dental Association and professor of dental ecology at the
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The issue isn't the infant formula itself, but the water it's
reconstituted with, Stamm and Maas said. For their size, babies consume a
large percentage of their body weight in fluoridated water when
reconstituted formula is their primary source of nutrition.
Ready-to-use infant formula has low levels of fluoride because companies
generally make it with demineralized water, and it is recommended by the
ADA. But most consumers prefer the lower price and convenience of powdered
formula or a concentrated liquid formula, which are mixed with tap water
before use.
Most municipal water supplies in Georgia and across the country have added
low levels of fluoride for decades as a means of preventing tooth decay.
Fluoride, when it washes over teeth, stops the removal of minerals from
teeth by oral bacteria. The CDC considers fluoridating community water
supplies a highly safe and effective health measure.
Both the CDC and the ADA note that breastfeeding is best.
In a recommendation issued in November, the American Dental Association
said that for infants who get most of their nutrition from formula,
parents should use fluoride-free or low-fluoride bottled water to mix
batches of formula.
The CDC, which published its background paper on the formula issue in
December, said parents should check the fluoride level of their water
supply, then weigh the risk of minor white flecking against the potential
protective benefits of early fluoride exposure against tooth decay.
"They need to consider the trade off and decide accordingly," Maas said.
Steven Adair, chairman of the department of pediatric dentistry at the
Medical College of Georgia, said most wells in Georgia have low levels of
fluoride, except some in coastal areas. Local water officials or dentists
can assist in getting water tested.
"If your household has fluoridated water and your child is taking
concentrated formula that's reconstituted, if it's economically feasible
to use bottled water to reconstitute it, that would be a good idea," Adair
said.
Children are at greater risk, Maas noted, from improper use of toothpaste
than from tap water. For years the CDC has urged parents to be careful
with toothpaste to avoid children swallowing it and putting them at higher
risk of fluorosis.
Since 1996 toothpaste tubes have carried a warning that parents should
consult with a dentist or doctor before introducing a child younger than 2
to fluoridated toothpaste.
"People still don't realize how important it is to control toothpaste
use," Maas said.
[Trust the ADA and CDC at your own risk]
To read the American Dental Association's and the CDC's recommendations,
go to:
www.ada.org/prof/resources/positions/statements/fluoride_infants.asp and
http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/safety/infant_formula.htm
For more information about children's dental health, go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/factsheets/brushup.htm
Watch a Neuron and the Effects of Mercury
Go to http://commons.ucalgary.ca/mercury/ and watch this video. The ADA just came out with new statistics that 53% of American Dentists no longer use amalgam fillings!
-k
-k
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Inspiring Autism Story: Teen Scores in Bball
Here's a link to CBS' coverage of the high school boy with autism playing in the final basketball game of the season. Inspiring!
Autism Declines With Thimerosal Removal!!!!
New Study: Declining Autism Cases Tied to
Removal of Mercury from Vaccines
Two Unrelated Government Databases Show
Same Downward Trend in Autism Cases
Removal of Mercury from Vaccines
Two Unrelated Government Databases Show
Same Downward Trend in Autism Cases
A new study published today (March 1,) shows that the rate of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) in children has decreased following removal of thimerosal, a preservative containing the neurotoxin mercury, from American childhood vaccines. The study, published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, a peer reviewed journal, by Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier examined two independent databases maintained by the government – one national and one state.
| The Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and the Californian Department of Developmental Services (CDDS) database each showed the same downward trend for the period from 2002 through 2005. According to the study “[t]he results indicate that the trends in newly diagnosed NDs correspond directly with the expansion and subsequent contraction of the cumulative mercury dose to which children were exposed from [thimerosal-containing vaccines] through the U.S. immunization schedule.” The study examined the trend for cases of autism during the period beginning 1994 and ending 2002 compared with the period from 2002 to June, 2005. |  |
The authors show that the biological plausibility of their statistical findings is supported by recent toxicological and molecular studies that reveal the mechanism by which mercury from vaccines can cause damage to the developing brains of children. A recent study by researchers at the University of Washington has shown that ethylmercury from thimerosal in vaccines can cross from the bloodstream into the brain in toxic amounts which can remain in brain tissue for many years. This finding contradicted the untested view about the toxicity of ethylmercury in vaccines that prevailed in public health for 75 years. Other researchers have shown that minute concentrations of mercury, far lower than previously believed and far less than other toxins such as lead, can destroy neurons and damage DNA within hours of exposure.
 | Such low levels of mercury, which likely are reached in infant brains via vaccine thimerosal exposure, can disrupt cell signaling and metabolic pathways necessary for normal brain development. Studies in mice, rabbits, monkeys, rats and other animals support these findings. Further studies in children have found evidence of mercury toxicity, metabolic disruption and oxidative stress that is consistent with the author’s statistical findings that thimerosal in vaccines causes autism and developmental disorders. The authors point out that their finding that the VAERS and CDDS databases show strong associations between thimerosal containing vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders completely contradicts the 2004 findings contained in a report published by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences – which was based on data controlled exclusively by the Center for Disease Control’s National Immunization Program and |
unavailable to outside researchers. In arguing that their study’s findings justify additional research the authors point out that the handling of vaccine safety data by the Centers for Disease Control has been called into serious question in a 2005 report published by the Institute of Medicine.
You can view and download a pdf file containing the new study, “Early Downward Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines” by clicking here. It is being published today in Volume 11, Number 1, Spring 2006 of the peer-reviewed Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
Autism Benefit Predators Nite April 1 2006
The
Saturday, April 1, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. CST
SAVE UP TO $9 PER TICKET
Sideline Balcony are $25.00 each (Reg. Price $29.00)
Club Level are $40.00 each (Reg. Price $45.00)
Lower Bowl are $60.00 each (Reg. Price $60.00)
TO ORDER TICKETS: FAX ORDERS TO: 615-770-2341 or MAIL TO: Nashville Predators, Attn: Jenny Moss, 501 Broadway, Nashville , TN 37203
For more information, contact Jenny Alford at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Autism Speaks Organization on The Apprentice
Autism Speaks, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Both Winners in Apprentice Finale
Contestants to Raise Awareness and Funds to Support Charities
(New York, New York – December 6, 2005) Autism Speaks and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation today announced that they will participate in the final two episodes of the hit NBC-TV show The Apprentice. In the final task, to be assigned by Donald Trump on Thursday’s program and concluding with the season finale December 15, one set of contestants will be assigned to produce an event to benefit Autism Speaks and the other an event to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation.
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorder and its effect on individuals and families, and is committed to raising money to fund scientists who are searching for the causes, treatments, prevention and cure. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is the worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS and other serious and life-threatening illnesses affecting children. Mark Burnett Productions selects the charities that participate in The Apprentice, and Mr. Trump makes all decisions about contestants.
“Both Donald Trump and I strongly believe that investing in charitable causes is just good business,” said Mark Burnett, executive producer of The Apprentice, and board member of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
“Building awareness of this devastating and prevalent disorder is among our top priorities,” said Alison Singer, Senior Vice President of Autism Speaks. “We hope the large audience that tunes in to The Apprentice will learn a good deal about autism and the terrible toll it takes on families”.
"The Foundation is very appreciative of the support we receive from both Mr. Trump and Mr. Burnett, as they share our concern about doing all we can to help children with HIV/AIDS all over the world," said Pam Barnes, COO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. “Philanthropy has been given an important role on The Apprentice, and for that we are all winners.”
The Apprentice airs on NBC-TV on Thursdays from 9 PM ET/PT.
ABOUT AUTISM SPEAKS
Autism Speaks is committed to aggressively funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism. It is devoted to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families and society, and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of the disorder. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit its web site at www.autismspeaks.org
Today, one in 166 individuals is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines.
ABOUT THE ELIZABETH GLASER PEDIATRIC AIDS FOUNDATION
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is the worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS and other serious and life-threatening illnesses affecting children. The Foundation’s innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international programs are bringing dramatic changes to the lives of children worldwide. To learn more, please visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.pedaids.org.
AIDS is the result of damage to the immune system after infection with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS involves the diminished function of the immune system as critical immune cells are infected and destroyed. The immune system is no longer able to guard against illness, making the person vulnerable to other infections and cancers. Each day 1,900 children around the world become newly infected with HIV.
ABOUT MARK BURNETT PRODUCTIONS
Mark Burnett Productions (MBP) is one of the world’s leading television production companies. MBP revolutionized television with hits such as Eco-Challenge, Survivor, The Apprentice, The Contender, Rock Star: INXS, MARTHA and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. MBP also successfully reintroduced product placement as an integral part of each of its shows and has garnered a total of 33 Emmy nominations since 2001. Mark Burnett was listed as the #1 Most Valuable Player by TV Guide and also in Time’s Top 100 most influential people in the world today.
Press Contacts:
Autism Speaks:
Adam Pockriss, (212) 843-8286, adam.pockriss@rubenstein.com
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Darin Dusan, (310) 314-1459, ddusan@pedaids.org
Contestants to Raise Awareness and Funds to Support Charities
(New York, New York – December 6, 2005) Autism Speaks and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation today announced that they will participate in the final two episodes of the hit NBC-TV show The Apprentice. In the final task, to be assigned by Donald Trump on Thursday’s program and concluding with the season finale December 15, one set of contestants will be assigned to produce an event to benefit Autism Speaks and the other an event to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation.
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorder and its effect on individuals and families, and is committed to raising money to fund scientists who are searching for the causes, treatments, prevention and cure. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is the worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS and other serious and life-threatening illnesses affecting children. Mark Burnett Productions selects the charities that participate in The Apprentice, and Mr. Trump makes all decisions about contestants.
“Both Donald Trump and I strongly believe that investing in charitable causes is just good business,” said Mark Burnett, executive producer of The Apprentice, and board member of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
“Building awareness of this devastating and prevalent disorder is among our top priorities,” said Alison Singer, Senior Vice President of Autism Speaks. “We hope the large audience that tunes in to The Apprentice will learn a good deal about autism and the terrible toll it takes on families”.
"The Foundation is very appreciative of the support we receive from both Mr. Trump and Mr. Burnett, as they share our concern about doing all we can to help children with HIV/AIDS all over the world," said Pam Barnes, COO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. “Philanthropy has been given an important role on The Apprentice, and for that we are all winners.”
The Apprentice airs on NBC-TV on Thursdays from 9 PM ET/PT.
ABOUT AUTISM SPEAKS
Autism Speaks is committed to aggressively funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism. It is devoted to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families and society, and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of the disorder. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit its web site at www.autismspeaks.org
Today, one in 166 individuals is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines.
ABOUT THE ELIZABETH GLASER PEDIATRIC AIDS FOUNDATION
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is the worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS and other serious and life-threatening illnesses affecting children. The Foundation’s innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international programs are bringing dramatic changes to the lives of children worldwide. To learn more, please visit the Foundation’s Web site at www.pedaids.org.
AIDS is the result of damage to the immune system after infection with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS involves the diminished function of the immune system as critical immune cells are infected and destroyed. The immune system is no longer able to guard against illness, making the person vulnerable to other infections and cancers. Each day 1,900 children around the world become newly infected with HIV.
ABOUT MARK BURNETT PRODUCTIONS
Mark Burnett Productions (MBP) is one of the world’s leading television production companies. MBP revolutionized television with hits such as Eco-Challenge, Survivor, The Apprentice, The Contender, Rock Star: INXS, MARTHA and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. MBP also successfully reintroduced product placement as an integral part of each of its shows and has garnered a total of 33 Emmy nominations since 2001. Mark Burnett was listed as the #1 Most Valuable Player by TV Guide and also in Time’s Top 100 most influential people in the world today.
Press Contacts:
Autism Speaks:
Adam Pockriss, (212) 843-8286, adam.pockriss@rubenstein.com
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Darin Dusan, (310) 314-1459, ddusan@pedaids.org
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Gen Rescue Runs Ad in NY Times 11/10/05
On Friday, Generation Rescue will be running a full-page ad in the NY Times thanking all the
great researchers who are furthering the understanding of what has happened to
our kids and featuring a recovered child, Baxter, of one very proud Rescue
Angel, Julia Berle.
To preview the Ad, click here: http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/051111.pdf
The NY Times is sold in all Starbucks, FYI.
great researchers who are furthering the understanding of what has happened to
our kids and featuring a recovered child, Baxter, of one very proud Rescue
Angel, Julia Berle.
To preview the Ad, click here: http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/051111.pdf
The NY Times is sold in all Starbucks, FYI.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
WSMV Ch. 4 Runs Story on Thimerosal Ban
From Ch. 4's website (www.wsmv.com) 11/1/05
Reported by Sheila Parker
E-mail: sparker@wsmv.com
Parents and experts testified Tuesday before a legislative study committee at the state capitol in criticism of some childhood vaccines. Their testimony is in favor of a bill that would ban the use of mercury as a preservative in children's vaccinations in Tennessee.
Some experts and children's advocates claim there is a link between the amount of mercury found in some vaccines and an increase in cases of autism, ADD and ADHD in the U.S.
The CDC says no such link has been proven. Nevertheless, six states and a number of countries have banned the use of the mercury based preservative thimerosal.
Mercury free vaccines are available, but the sponsor of the bill worries that if Tennessee does not take action the state will become a dumping ground for those that still contain mercury.
"What we do worry about is the possibility that because we do not insist in Tennessee that we do not have Thimerosal in our vaccines, that they could still send us older vaccines which do contain Thimerosal," said Rep. Susan Lynn, Sponsoring Bill.
A similar bill has already passed in the state senate and the sponsor of this bill hopes to bring it to the house floor during the next session.
If the state does not ban the additive, the Centers for Disease Control says the only way to be sure your child is not receiving a vaccine containing thimerosal is to ask your provider or pharmacist for a copy of the vaccine package insert with the list of ingredients.
Visit the FDA web site or CDC web site to learn more about thimerosal in vaccines.
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