Natalie Thomas: Are You a Rachael or a Martha?
No link between vaccines and autism
Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies, Development/Milestones: Babies, In The News, Going Green
At least as far back as 2005, studies have shown clearly that there is no link between the thimerosal in vaccines and autism. First, there was a study in Japan, then there was one in Canada, but the anti-vaccine folks dismissed them, perhaps because those aren't, like, real countries or anything. Well, now there's a US-based study that confirms pretty conclusively that thimerosal is not the cause of the increase of autism.In California, autism continues to become more common despite the removal of thimerosal from vaccines twelve years ago. The study covered the past twelve years and found that rates increased even after the preservative was eliminated. "Whatever the explanation for this increase in children with autism, exposure to mercury in vaccines is not it," said Robert Schechter, who lead the study. "Vaccines with thimerosal and without have been safe and appropriate to give to our children."
Some parents still blame the vaccines for autism, however, saying that the kids who have been diagnosed in recent years may have gotten vaccinated outside the United States or that their mothers may have gotten flu shots with thimerosal while they were still in utero. So, these parents are even going so far as to lie to avoid the vaccines.
Personally, I'll go with scientific studies rather than hysterical finger-pointing. Like Bryna Siegel, director of the Autism Clinic at UCSF, I am saddened that "so much money and attention has gone into disproving the mercury hypothesis, when it could have been going toward treatment and research." How about you? If you were anti-vaccine, does this latest study convince you? If not, why not?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 3)
3-03-2008 @ 12:37PM
A@T said...Another fake study showing mercury is not a concern, why-it's good for you! My cousin got a vaccination and he didn't get autism so its settled.
It has never been demonstrated mercury is safe at any level in any form because that is a scientific impossibility because it is so toxic no REAL study can even be constructed to get that result.
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1-08-2008 @ 12:48PM
Nancy Toby said...Aww, Roger, now you should know better than to try to sway opinions here with actual evidence and facts....
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1-13-2008 @ 8:45PM
Dr. Bob Bell said...It is a shame that none of these issues actually address the manipulation of the body's natural immune system. CDC also doesn't openly show you the numbers of allergic reactions not to mention the number of DEAD children as a result of vaccinations. It does not have to be only about the mercury, but about the GENETIC change in the immunes system. Plesae research further until you find the true cause of these deaths and conditions!!!!
1-08-2008 @ 1:05PM
AJ said...As the mother of a 19mth old, I have thought a lot about vaccines in that time period. It is scary to think that there is even the slightest chance that vaccinations could increase the risk of autism. My daughter has received all CDC recommended vaccinations since birth, and I had conversations with our pediatrician to ensure that we were getting the most preservative free versions available. Even with the research, I think it sticks in your mind that no one really knows for sure what causes autism and increased risk factors. I think that vaccines are vital and I would not deny my child the protection that she needs against the various childhood diseases, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't make me nervous at times either.
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1-08-2008 @ 1:51PM
SKL said...Roger, as usual you are selectively reporting. There have been studies linking autism to vaccines.
There is also a lot of anecdotal evidence. Far too many people have noted that their child began to show autism symptoms shortly after a vaccination.
I don't think they are doing the studies right. Instead of testing whether vaccines increase autism in the overall population, they should be testing to see whether there are certain people for whom vaccines increase their risk of autism.
I am not against vaccines per se, but I think we are vaccine crazy in this country. Just like we are meds crazy in general. I don't think US docs and others involved in medical recommendations are objectively weighing the pros and cons of vaccinations; they are biased in favor of contaminating our bodies with chemicals rather than using more natural, overall healthy approaches. As a result, any research that involves any such individuals will reflect this bias.
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1-08-2008 @ 3:40PM
roger.sinasohn said..."Far too many people have noted that their child began to show autism symptoms shortly after a vaccination."
Correlation does not imply causation.
1-13-2008 @ 5:08PM
Wendelynn Cox said...Working as a pediatric Nurse practitioner for years, and seeing weekly deaths from meningitis from HIB and Peumococcus-throughout the 80' and 90's and seeing the sudden drops in both morbidity(hearing loss, mental retardation) and mortality since introduction of Hib vaccine and Prevnar. We don't have too many vaccines-just the lay public has no idea what the damage done by these diseases without vaccine
1-08-2008 @ 2:00PM
crystal said...I am a FIRM believer in getting vaccinations. I have all mine and my daughter, almost 3, has ALL of hers as well. I could not imagine not immunizing her. I couldn't live with myself if my daughter contracted something like polio. This is why we have shots. Immunizations protect us from all of these horrible and potentially life threatening diseases- why would I subject my innocent daughter to live with a disease just because I had a fear about autism. Wake up folks- there are risks in everything but there is too much positive evidence to show that immunizations are safe. Not to mention, my daughter is an extremely healthy, active little person and so am I- shots and all.
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1-08-2008 @ 2:34PM
Sandyone said...Great. Thimerosal isn't the cause. What is? What else isn't? Is the ever-increasing number and frequency of vaccines the cause? Did this study address that? Why are first world populations having such huge problems with auto-immune diseases?
Thimerosal isn't the only suspect in the vaccine/autism mystery. Let's keep the studies coming.
Would it be too much trouble or scientifically inaccurate/immoral for them to do a study where they change the vaccine schedule and see if that has an effect on the onset of autism symptoms? They'd have compliance issues, but I'm sure they could figure that out.
The MMR is the most suspect. Why not move that first shot to, say, 3 yrs, 9 months (instead of 12 months) and then count how many kids show signs of autism after that? They can also track how many kids have the sudden regression even without the shots.
They used to say that the DPT shot was perfectly safe for kids. Then they told me that the newer formula/version is "much safer, now." Well, I don't know how much safer than "perfectly safe" you can get, but I suspect a bit of sunshine blowing has been going on. Either the shot was perfectly safe back then or it is safer, now.
Crystal asked, "why would I subject my innocent daughter to live with a disease just because I had a fear about autism." Why would *I* subject my innocent kids to autism just because I had a fear of childhood diseases?
You pick your poison, I'll pick mine. I don't know if vaccines cause autism or not. I do know that kids have a lot better chance at fighting off many childhood diseases than they do of fighting off autism.
Some kids who've never had a vaccination are autistic. There must be more than one cause.
I'd like to see a huge reduction in recommended vaccines. Maybe if kids' immune systems weren't being tampered with *so much*, we wouldn't see so many problems. How's about they recommend vaccines for the really dangerous diseases that they can't take care of with drugs...polio, tetanus and a couple of others. Let normal, healthy kids be exposed to measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox and even pertussis.
I'd like to see the medical establishment admit that they don't know everything about vaccines and that they have been doing an awful lot of reassuring that they had no business doing. Re-establish a bit of the trust that we should have in them. They've done too much to damage their credibility. Hepatitis B for all newborns? Whose brilliant idea was that one? (hint: someone who wanted to erase the stigma of Hep B. That's a poor reason to vaccinate millions of children.) It's not so much the vaccines that some don't trust...it's the people who push them all as if they were all miracle cures or necessary to good health. RSV vaccine, anyone?
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1-08-2008 @ 2:41PM
Tash said...SKL.
I agree and this study neglects to mention in this article that at the same time they supposedly removed thimerosal from childhood vaccines, they recommended that infants 6 months old get the flu shot which does contain mercury.
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1-08-2008 @ 3:02PM
Sandyone said...And I'm quite certain that all of the vaccines given on military bases in California were exempt from the "no thimerosal" policy. The military has been giving it's kids the leftovers for a very long time. (ask me how I know)
1-08-2008 @ 2:42PM
Tash said...Sandyone,
ITA, It's not just about mercury. The aluminum scares the bejeezus out of me also not to mention all the other ingredients just feast the eyes on this list:
2 - Phenoxyethanol
2-(ethylmercurithio) benzoic acid
Acetic acid
Acid hydrolysate (casein)
African green monkey kidney cells
alcohol
alpha-tocopheryl
Aluminum
Aluminum adjuvant
Aluminum hydroxide
Aluminum hydroxyphosphate sulfate
Aluminum oxide
Aluminum phosphate
Aluminum potassium sulfate
Amino acids
Aminoglycoside (antibiotic)
Ammonium sulfate
Amphotericin B
Anhydrous disodium phosphate
Arum triphyllum
AS04C containing 3-O-desacyl-4- monophosphoryl lipid A
Ascorbic acid
Aspartame
Bacillus anthracis
Belladonna
Benzethonium chloride
Beta-propiolactone
Boric acid
Bovine (cow) serum
Calcium carbonate
Calcium chloride
Casamino acids (casein)
Cephalin (antibiotic)
Chick embryo cells
Chinese hamster ovary cells
Chlortetracycline hydrochloride
Dehydrate sodium hydrogen phosphate
Dextran
Dextrose
Dibutyl phthalate
Diethyl phthalate
Diethylether
Diphtheria CRM197 protein
Diphtheria formoltoxoid
Diphtheria toxoid
Disodium dehydrogenate phosphate
Disodium edentate (EDTA)
Disodium phosphate dehydrate
Dog kidney cells
Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium
Egg protein
Erythromycin (antibiotic)
Ethylene glycol
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)
Fatty-acid ester-based antifoam
Ferrum phosphoricum
Fetuin
Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA)
Formaldehyde
Formalin
Galactose
Gelatin
Gentamicin Sulfate
Glutamate
Glutaraldehyde
Glycerine
Glycine
Glycol p-isooctylphenyl ether
Haemophilus influenzae B
Hemagglutinin culture flu viruses of type A(H1N1), A(H3N2)
Hemin chloride
Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide
Histidine
Human albumin
Human cell Line: PER C6
Human diploid cells (WI-38)
Human Diploid cells: MRC5 proteins
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrocortisone
Hydrogen succinate
Hydroxypropyl methycellulose phthalate
Influenza A virus hemagglutinin
Influenza B virus hemagglutinin
Influenzae polysaccharides
Iron oxide red ci77491
Iron oxide yellow ci77492
Isotonic phosphate buffered saline
Isotonic saline
Isotonic sodium chloride solution
Kanamycin (antibiotic)
L-alanine
L-histidine hydrochloride
Lactose
Latex
Lecithin
Lipoprotein OspA
Liquid light paraffin
M phosphate- buffered saline
Magnesium chloride hexahydrate
Magnesium stearate
Magnesium sulfate
Mannitol
Marcol 82 (R)
Medium 199
Meningococcal Group C oligosaccharide
Meningococcal group C polysaccharide
Meningococcal polysaccharide serogroup Y
Meningococcal polysaccharides W135
Mercurius solubilis
Mercury
Mertiolyat
MF59
Mineral oil
Mineral salts
Minimum Essential Medium
Monopotassium glutamate
Monopotassium phosphate
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Monosodium phosphate
Montanide 80 (R)
Mouse brain cells
Neisseria meningitides OMPC
Neomycin
Neomycin sulphate
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
Octoxynol-10
Ovalbumin (egg)
Pertactin
Pertussis toxin
Pertussis Toxoid
Phenol
Phospholipids lecithin
Pneumococcal Polysaccharide(s)
Polyalcohols
Polydimethylsiloxane
Polygeline
Polymyxin B
Polyoxidonium
Polyribosylribitol phosphate
Polysorbate 20
Polysorbate 80
Potassium chloride
Potassium dehydrogenate phosphate
Potassium dihydrogen phosphate
Potassium diphosphate
Potassium glutamate
Potassium monophosphate
Potassium phosphate
Potassium phosphate- monobasic
Protein contaminants
Protein hydrolysate
Rabies antigen
Rabies: Human Immunoglobulin Antibodies
Recombinant HBsAg protein
Saline solution
Salmonella Typhi bacteria
Silicon
Sodium acetate
Sodium bicarbonate
Sodium Borate
Sodium carbonate
Sodium chloride
Sodium citrate
Sodium deoxycholate
Sodium dihydrogen phosphate dehydrate
Sodium EDTA
Sodium hydrogen carbonate
Sodium hydroxide
Sodium phosphate
Sodium phosphate- dibasic anhydrous
Sodium phosphate-dibasic dodecahydrate
Sodium phosphate-monobasic
Sodium taurodeoxycholate
Sodium tetraborate decahydrate
Sorbitane mono-oleate
Sorbitol
Soy peptone
Soy protein
Squalene
Stopper vial may contain dry latex rubber
Streptomycin
Succinic Acid
Sucrose
Superficial glycoproteins (gemagglutinin and neyroamynidasa)
Tetanus
Tetanus formoltoxoid
Tetanus protein
Tetanus toxin
Tetanus toxoid
Thimerosal
Titanium dioxide
Tri(n)butylphosphate
Triton N101
Triton X-100
Trometamol
Tryspin
Vibrio polysaccharide antigen
Virus: Coxiella burnetii organisms, killed
Virus: Hepatitis A
Virus: Hepatitis B
Virus: Human papillomavirus (denatured) (HPV)
Virus: Inactivated whole avian influenza
Virus: Influenza
Virus: Influenza virus antigens
Virus: Japanese encephalitis (JE)
Virus: Measles
Virus: Mumps
Virus: polio
Virus: Rabies
Virus: Respiratory Syncitial Virus (RSV)
Virus: Rotavirus (live, attenuated)
Virus: Rubella
Virus: SV40
Virus: Vaccinia (smallpox)
Virus: Varicella (chickenpox)
Virus: Yellow fever
Xanthan gum
Yeast
Yeast extract
I just don't believe that Mother Nature intended us to inject those substances into our body. It is unnatural.
And here is a list of the other studies that people are choosing to ignore:
http://www.generationrescue.org/studies.html
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1-08-2008 @ 3:03PM
Sandyone said...I particularly *love* the human cells involved and how they were obtained...by recommending to pregnant women who'd been exposed that they get an abortion because the baby was sure to have birth defects. Twenty-seven aborted fetuses later, they found one that had been infected and made the vaccine using cells from him/her.
1-08-2008 @ 3:28PM
roger.sinasohn said...Wow! You're right! I know for a fact that ingesting sodium chloride in large enough quantities leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, and so on. Sucrose is, in large part, responsible for the problem with obesity we have in this country. And heaven forbid we give our kids any ascorbic acid! I mean, it's acid, people!
I didn't see it on your list, but make sure to keep your kids away from any dihydrogen monoxide -- it's a killer and it's everywhere!
1-08-2008 @ 4:17PM
Sabrina said...MSG, Lactose, Casein.....and my *military* pediatrician here in CA said that vaccines don't contain anything my LO is allergic to!!!!!!!!! I'm going to go crazy now....
And also, we vaccinate, particularly because I have a grandfather who has lived his entire life with the after effects of polio that he managed to "fight off" as a kid. He lived in an iron lung for more than 5 years, he has severe health problems and mild mental retardation, and tremors every day of his life because of that disease. But I will be honest, my littlest one is coming up for his 18 month shots this month, and I am scared out of my socks about it. But I am going to do it. And then watch him like a hawk for the next year like I did my daughter when she went through hers.
1-09-2008 @ 2:55PM
Sandyone said...Sabrina, your LO might not have had that stuff....I think that list is from a bunch of different vaccines. The ones your kid has had might not have had the stuff he's allergic to. I'm pretty sure the ingredients are all listed on the insert to the vaccine. Ask for every insert of every vaccine they want to administer. Take them home and read them and then decide what to do about them. Highlight the ingredients that your LO is allergic to and bring it to the doctor's attention.
1-08-2008 @ 2:53PM
~Monica said...I'm against vaccinating myself and my child. I think anyone who wants to vaccinate can go ahead - it's just not for us ; )
I think the real issue with vaccinations and the one that all of these research studies simply do not address is the fact that some human beings have fragile systems or systems that can be affected in one way or another. That somehow, the onslaught of numerous vaccinations in one day (and lets not forget ALL the foreign ingredients found IN the vaccinations - not just what is admitted to the public) can push ones neurological system over the edge so to speak. Everyone keeps focusing solely on the mercury/thermisol but they are forgetting all the other foreign ingredients.
Vaccination schedules are harsh. They are intended to be convenient, not smart.
To act like every human body is the same (biologically and otherwise) and to have a one-size-fits-all attitude about health is lazy. We are all unique individuals and what works for one may not work for another. It's just easier to follow the masses as the path is all laid out for you - no extra work - just do what 'they' say.
So one question - did the government or an agency funded by the government pay for this study? Of course they'll say there is no effect on any human who takes their vaccinations!
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1-08-2008 @ 3:30PM
Ethel said...As a biochemist who has worked with almost ever freaking thing Tash listed, and a person who actually reads studies, anyone who thinks that autism is linked to anything new is, well, I won't say. We've always had autism! COME ON! We're just now diagnosing it and treating it. We've always had allergies, we just now have kids who are surviving allergies. In human history there have been many diseases that we have made part of our genome and now aren't a threat to us, and exotic diseases that we may never see again that we don't know about. In our future there will be gobs of diseases we never imagined.
I for one prefer to treat what we can, prevent most of everything that is possible to prevent, and hope for the best. We're not invincible, we're flesh and blood living in extremely high densities leaving us extremely vulnerable to disease. For any of you who do not vaccinate, please don't live near me or anyone, you're a hazard. If you're not going to vaccinate your best bet is to live somewhere that can support low population densities circa our hunter and gatherer stage, and limit your contact with exotic people outside your clan.
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1-08-2008 @ 3:53PM
~Monica said...Why are you so scared Ethel, aren't you vaccinated? LOL!
And aren't you vaccinated because it prevents disease if you're exposed to it?
So why the fear? Aren't you protected?
I'd also like to know what foods you eat and what your lifestyle is like. Does your lifestyle support the strengthening and sustainment of your immune system? Or does it work against that?
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1-08-2008 @ 4:11PM
Cynthia said...'ve chosen to delay the MMR vaccines and omit the flu vaccinesaltogether.
We have several autistic children in my family. Do I think vaccines cause autism? No. I think there is a genetic predisposition and environmental factors can trigger that potential. Not just thimerisol (mercury) and other suspect ingredients in some pharmaceuticals, but environmental pollution, antibiotics in our food supply, overabundance of antibacterial products. I don't think they will ever find just one cause.
In any case, my aunt's doctor, an autism specialist, said the vaccine schedule is largely arbitrary. It's intended to get the herd vaccinated early before they forget, not because 12 months or 18 months is the optimal time for vaccination. So he has recommended that MMR be delayed until children are school aged. He questions the logic of testing the immune system repeatedly so young and of these combination vaccines. Flu vaccines will not be given at all. For a child in good health (and in a home without any immunocompromised individuals), I'm not comfortable with them giving a vaccine that is made on the fly every year (and still contains preservatives).
I find it interesting that people think it's sacrilege to question the pharmaceutical industry. They make mistakes (fen-phen, vioxx, et.al).
Finally, no medication or treatment is safe for everyone under every circumstance. Many years ago, my cousin's child had a severe reaction to the old DTP vaccine: acute encephalopathy. She is severely brain damaged now and suffers multiple seizures each day. True, this kind of reaction is extremely uncommon, but it does happen. And sadly, in my country, there is no National Vaccine Injury Compensation as there is in the US.
I guess my point is this. I have no problem with other people vaccinating their children. I had my child vaccinated for most vaccines. Medicine truly is not one size fits all, and I have to right to question the pharmaceutical industry, to thoroughly research before I subject my daughter to any procedure or treatment, and to make decisions based on my own family's situation.
If that makes me sound like some nut in a tin-foil hat, so be it.
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