My children came home from school with yet another pamphlet about H1N1. What gives? Given the fact that the flu season is basically over AND that the H1N1 is basically a milder form of the "seasonal flu"....why the push for the vaccine? Hmmmm??
I wanted to comment on the pamphlet that came home. I thought it was very interesting. It was a "Myth versus Fact" informational pamphlet. Here are excerpts of what they say:
#1) "Myth: The 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine has not been adequately tested so it is not safe or effective. Fact: ...Top doctors and scientists believe the risk of the flu, especially for pregnant women, children, and people with underlying health conditions, is higher than any risk that might come from the 2009 H1N1 vaccine."
**Oh, really??? Is that supposed to make me feel better?
#2) "Myth: The 2009 H1N1 nasal spray flu vaccine is not as effective as the shot (injectable) vaccine. Fact: Based on available data, both vaccines are expected to be effective against 2009 H1N1 flu."
** WHAT available data are they talking about????? They are getting the "data" as we speak! It hasn't been out long enough to gather enough data (in my humble opinion, that is).
#3) "Myth: If I receive the nasal spray 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine, I can pass the virus on to other people and infect them. Fact: Because the virus is weakened, it is very unlikely to infect others or cause them to have flu symptoms."
** It is "very unlikely" that you can pass it on to others? That basically says (to me) that it COULD happen and they can't say for sure it can't.
In a normal, healthy adult or child there is no reason why the H1N1 vaccine should be shoved down our throats! The way I see it, they are just trying to get rid of the vaccines they made and/or make some profit in the process. After reading the information, it validated my thought process about the whole thing. They basically "jumped the gun" on the manufacturing of the vaccine and even though it did not reach pandemic proportions, they are trying to still scare the public into thinking that it's a "dangerous" flu still lurking around us. It is milder than the seasonal flu and I think that if anything...they should be making sure that the elderly and such get the seasonal flu shot because MORE people have died from that than the H1N1 flu. Of course, THIS gal will not be getting any "mercury injections" anytime soon.
****************************
It's not hard to get all the
facts and make an informed
decision.
****************************
Showing posts with label vaccines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vaccines. Show all posts
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, March 20, 2009
Vaccines of the Future
I was reading my March issue of Reader's Digest today and saw a very interesting article about vaccines. The article was entitled "Vaccines without needles" and it definitely got my attention. It basically said that the patch was not just for smokers or cruise-ship newbies anymore. "Intercell USA and Ideo have developed a method of transcutaneous immunization. It's in advanced FDA trials and will target diarrhea, then the flu."
Of course, if you have been following my blog you will know that I can't read something like that and let it go. I Googled it and found a lot of information. I am more than happy to share with all of you what I found. The first thing you have to understand is that the patch has its flaws. I know from experience that it doesn't always work. I have known a friend or two who were on the birth control patch and ended up pregnant. However, I have also known people who take heart medicine via patch and have done it successfully for years. I guess it all depends on how it's administered and how long the patch needs to remain on the skin for the vaccine to work. Also, the efficacy of the patch in relation to vaccines will have to be carefully assessed or else we will have a much bigger problem than the shots.
According to what I have read in the medical journals concerning the patch for vaccines, it seems that the results are very promising. They have actually tested them on people and the process seems very simple. The following is a good link:
http://www.ideo.com/work/featured/intercell
It actually shows the process through a slide show and it's amazing! I recommend you check it out. The part about it that fascinates me the most is that you in theory could vaccinate yourself! There was an article in Business Week that had some good applications for this type of vaccine. "Iomai executives believe that the patch's user-friendly design will catch the attention of the U.S. government, which has been looking for products that can be stockpiled and distributed during a much-feared outbreak of pandemic flu. With needles out of the picture, Iomai's product could allow patients to vaccinate themselves—eliminating the worry of overcrowded emergency rooms and overwhelmed physicians." That is something I had not thought about.
The way this vaccine works is that it penetrates through the "dead layer" of skin cells and makes it way to the Langerhans cells. This causes an immune response and then you are protected. It definitely sounds "too good to be true" but I am hopeful. Because of the way it's designed I would imagine that it would be harder for contamination to take place, and since it's manufactured in "single doses" that would mean that it would require less preservatives. Of course, I know very little about this vaccine so I am just giving my opinion. I will definitely keep my eyes and ears open and let you know if I find out anything new about it. I am definitely excited about the future!
*****************************
The future is limited only by
our imagination.
*****************************
Of course, if you have been following my blog you will know that I can't read something like that and let it go. I Googled it and found a lot of information. I am more than happy to share with all of you what I found. The first thing you have to understand is that the patch has its flaws. I know from experience that it doesn't always work. I have known a friend or two who were on the birth control patch and ended up pregnant. However, I have also known people who take heart medicine via patch and have done it successfully for years. I guess it all depends on how it's administered and how long the patch needs to remain on the skin for the vaccine to work. Also, the efficacy of the patch in relation to vaccines will have to be carefully assessed or else we will have a much bigger problem than the shots.
According to what I have read in the medical journals concerning the patch for vaccines, it seems that the results are very promising. They have actually tested them on people and the process seems very simple. The following is a good link:
http://www.ideo.com/work/featured/intercell
It actually shows the process through a slide show and it's amazing! I recommend you check it out. The part about it that fascinates me the most is that you in theory could vaccinate yourself! There was an article in Business Week that had some good applications for this type of vaccine. "Iomai executives believe that the patch's user-friendly design will catch the attention of the U.S. government, which has been looking for products that can be stockpiled and distributed during a much-feared outbreak of pandemic flu. With needles out of the picture, Iomai's product could allow patients to vaccinate themselves—eliminating the worry of overcrowded emergency rooms and overwhelmed physicians." That is something I had not thought about.
The way this vaccine works is that it penetrates through the "dead layer" of skin cells and makes it way to the Langerhans cells. This causes an immune response and then you are protected. It definitely sounds "too good to be true" but I am hopeful. Because of the way it's designed I would imagine that it would be harder for contamination to take place, and since it's manufactured in "single doses" that would mean that it would require less preservatives. Of course, I know very little about this vaccine so I am just giving my opinion. I will definitely keep my eyes and ears open and let you know if I find out anything new about it. I am definitely excited about the future!
*****************************
The future is limited only by
our imagination.
*****************************
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Are You on the Fence When it Comes to Vaccines?
I would like to thank someone (not going to mention any names) for a wonderful hour-long conversation. I learned so much and I hope I can remember even a fraction of what we talked about.
If you have been reading my posts since the beginning, then you already know my stance on vaccines. The short explanation is that I believe in vaccines and that they work, but I don't think they are completely safe and we should be cautious. I also feel that medicine is not 100% correct 100% of the time.
There are many individuals who just don't know what to do about vaccines. They are torn because they know that they are taking a risk if they don't vaccinate, and a greater risk if they do. There is a sense of guilt involved in the decision process. Of course, doctors will feed on that. They often will guilt parents into vaccinating. That was the case with my previous doctor.
On the other hand, there are those individuals who have decided whole-heartedly that they will either vaccinate or completely refuse to vaccinate. These individuals have a strong testimony and no matter what you say you can not change their minds. They will back up their claims with solid evidence and state their case. I have seen this on both sides.
Well....there is also a growing number of people who are on the fence when it comes to vaccines. It has been interesting hearing the different stories of why people either stopped vaccinating or else they resumed vaccinating. It usually involves something that happened to their child. You can't dispute something when it happens to YOU. It's one thing to read about a child who dies because of a reaction and another thing for it to happen to you. During my phone conversation I learned of a lady who happened to be a nurse who had a child contract one of those vaccine-preventable illnesses..... I believe it was Pertussis. She spent two months with a sick child. They had to stay up during the night and make sure they didn't choke on the mucous during the coughing spells. It sounded very scary. Up until then she had chosen not to vaccinate her children and so she felt very guilty that this happened. I can only imagine.
The facts are that parents just want to do what's best for their family. We all take some sort of risk each day when it comes to the health and well-being of our family. It's up to us, the parents, to weigh those risks. It's definitely not an easy task, but parenting is NEVER easy. The important thing to remember is that YOU feel comfortable with whatever decision you make. You all know what decision I have made, but not everyone would feel comfortable doing it that way. I have learned to keep an open mind when it comes to things like this. I definitely DON'T look down on anyone who decides to vaccinate. I also don't look down on anyone who decides NOT to vaccinate. That is such a personal decision.
That being said.., IF you vaccinate and something DOES happen, then you have to face the consequences. The same way that if you don't vaccinate and something happens you will also have to face the consequences. Each family is different and has different circumstances. It's not a one size fits all deal. I think the most important thing to do is to remain informed. That is the only way you can make an educated decision. It also helps when you have to face doctors, family, or friends about your decisions. It never hurts to have some "ammunition".... does it? ;)
What do you do now? It's easy to become obsessed with this decision. Believe me... I know! However, learn as much as you can. Don't do something because it's the "popular" thing to do, but because it's the RIGHT thing to do. As far as I can see, no one has the answers. The medical community is split when it comes to admitting the truth. There are a few doctors who have the guts to stand and say, "More research must be done... we owe it to our patients to find out the truth."
If you are on the fence when it comes to vaccines I definitely can't blame you. It's a scary decision. Just know that you aren't alone. I hope this blog can help you learn more and make an informed decision. My goal is not to scare parents but to educate them.
****************************
My prayers are with you all.
****************************
If you have been reading my posts since the beginning, then you already know my stance on vaccines. The short explanation is that I believe in vaccines and that they work, but I don't think they are completely safe and we should be cautious. I also feel that medicine is not 100% correct 100% of the time.
There are many individuals who just don't know what to do about vaccines. They are torn because they know that they are taking a risk if they don't vaccinate, and a greater risk if they do. There is a sense of guilt involved in the decision process. Of course, doctors will feed on that. They often will guilt parents into vaccinating. That was the case with my previous doctor.
On the other hand, there are those individuals who have decided whole-heartedly that they will either vaccinate or completely refuse to vaccinate. These individuals have a strong testimony and no matter what you say you can not change their minds. They will back up their claims with solid evidence and state their case. I have seen this on both sides.
Well....there is also a growing number of people who are on the fence when it comes to vaccines. It has been interesting hearing the different stories of why people either stopped vaccinating or else they resumed vaccinating. It usually involves something that happened to their child. You can't dispute something when it happens to YOU. It's one thing to read about a child who dies because of a reaction and another thing for it to happen to you. During my phone conversation I learned of a lady who happened to be a nurse who had a child contract one of those vaccine-preventable illnesses..... I believe it was Pertussis. She spent two months with a sick child. They had to stay up during the night and make sure they didn't choke on the mucous during the coughing spells. It sounded very scary. Up until then she had chosen not to vaccinate her children and so she felt very guilty that this happened. I can only imagine.
The facts are that parents just want to do what's best for their family. We all take some sort of risk each day when it comes to the health and well-being of our family. It's up to us, the parents, to weigh those risks. It's definitely not an easy task, but parenting is NEVER easy. The important thing to remember is that YOU feel comfortable with whatever decision you make. You all know what decision I have made, but not everyone would feel comfortable doing it that way. I have learned to keep an open mind when it comes to things like this. I definitely DON'T look down on anyone who decides to vaccinate. I also don't look down on anyone who decides NOT to vaccinate. That is such a personal decision.
That being said.., IF you vaccinate and something DOES happen, then you have to face the consequences. The same way that if you don't vaccinate and something happens you will also have to face the consequences. Each family is different and has different circumstances. It's not a one size fits all deal. I think the most important thing to do is to remain informed. That is the only way you can make an educated decision. It also helps when you have to face doctors, family, or friends about your decisions. It never hurts to have some "ammunition".... does it? ;)
What do you do now? It's easy to become obsessed with this decision. Believe me... I know! However, learn as much as you can. Don't do something because it's the "popular" thing to do, but because it's the RIGHT thing to do. As far as I can see, no one has the answers. The medical community is split when it comes to admitting the truth. There are a few doctors who have the guts to stand and say, "More research must be done... we owe it to our patients to find out the truth."
If you are on the fence when it comes to vaccines I definitely can't blame you. It's a scary decision. Just know that you aren't alone. I hope this blog can help you learn more and make an informed decision. My goal is not to scare parents but to educate them.
****************************
My prayers are with you all.
****************************
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Doesn't Make Sense to Me
I have a list of sites on my blog on the left-hand side of the screen. I wanted to explain their significance and invite you all to visit the sites and read the information if you haven't already done so.
I will start with the CDC Website. When you click on the link it will take you to the official CDC wesite. I had the wrong link up until now... I finally fixed it. I basically did the "legwork" for you and found the exact spot where they have all the vaccine ingredient information. Let me direct your attention to the first thing that stands out to me: "All routinely recommended pediatric vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market contain no thimerosal or only trace amounts." Doctors claim that ALL routine recommended pediatric vaccines have NO thimerosal (a.k.a. mercury), but yet they clearly state in the website that some contain "trace" amounts. They recall products containing trace amounts of lead or mercury all the time.... yet, vaccines don't have the same criteria? If you take "trace" amounts and multiply it by the number of vaccines that children get before school age... the amounts are staggering!! Doesn't make sense to me.
The next thing I would like to point out is the list of ingredients in vaccines. They are listed under the heading: "Additional Facts". These are the ingredients: Aluminum, Antibiotics, Egg Protein, Formaldehyde, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), and Thimerosal. Out of all these ingredients the most disconcerting to me are: formaldehyde, MSG, and Thimerosal. I go OUT of my way to avoid these things for my children and yet the government mandates I introduce these things into their bloodstream. Doesn't make sense to me.
When you click on the VAERS link on the CDC website, you might be surprised to find out that the CDC is currently investigating all kinds of things concerning vaccines. However, you might be more surprised to find out how they do it. For example, they did a study to find out if thimerosal exposure had any neuropsychological outcomes. They evaluated 1,047 children aged 7 to 10 years (all basically randomly selected from a computer) who received vaccines in the 1990's before the removal of thimerosal. "Each child's level of exposure to ethyl mercury was determined through a review of electronic immunization registries, medical records, personal immunization records, and parent interviews. Each child was then administered a series of standardized neuropsychological tests in a clinical setting at ages 7 to 10 years. The study found only a few statistically significant associations between exposure from thimerosal and neuropsychological functioning. The weight of the evidence from this study does not support an association between early ethyl mercury exposure from thimerosal-containing vaccines and/or immunoglobulins and neuropsychological functioning at ages 7 to 10 years." OKAY..... I have to interject my thoughts here.... First of all, is 1,047 children a good sample? NOT!!! Another question, why didn't they evaluate kids who HAD autism or other neurological disorders??? If I want to find out why a group of individuals have a disorder or disease I would like to find out what the common factor is. Do they all live in the same area of the states? Do they all eat similar diets? Were they all exposed to same things? Do they all have a genetic defect? I don't just randomly select a thousand kids and test them for problems. When I read further I also found that only a "total of 378 statistical tests were conducted" and that is NOT a significant number. I don't see how they can get sufficient data. Besides, they DID find some "statistically significant associations between exposure to thimerosal and neuropsychological functioning..." Why don't they explore that further? What if there is a small portion of the population that is affected? I would compare this to an allergy. Not all kids are going to be allergic to eggs, for example, but those that are can't have certain vaccines. That doesn't mean that all parents are going to "freak out" and not vaccinate! They have to come up with a screening tool for parents. We have the technology and we have the evidence... what gives??? It all just doesn't make sense to me!
The Huffington Post link has information that made me question if autism is truly "autism" in some of the cases? Are they misdiagnosing vaccine injury with autism? At this point in time, my theory is that if a child is vaccinated and has "autism-like" symptoms and then either slowly recovers or the symptoms go away, then it might have been vaccine injury. In some cases, the kids don't recover and that's also a reality. However, if a child is born with "autism" and/or if the symptoms of autism become apparent early on before the age of 18 months to 2 years, then perhaps it is more of a genetic thing combined with environmental factors. I think that is why there is so much confusion. Also, to add to the confusion... I have a theory that perhaps vaccine injury presents itself in different ways with individuals. For example, perhaps one child might have "autism-like" symptoms, while another might have "ADHD-like" symptoms, while yet another might have chronic ailments such as asthma, severe allergies, or gastric/intestinal problems. All I know is that according to the evidence there seems to be more evidence showing that vaccines can cause problems versus that they are completely safe. All I can say is...it doesn't make sense to me!
The Last thing I want to highlight is Russel Blaylock's paper that I have a link to on the same listing as the CDC website. It was published in 2004 and discusses the meeting called: "Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information." This conference, held on June 7-8, 2000 at Simpsonwood Retreat Center, Norcross, Georgia, assembled 51 scientists and physicians of which five represented vaccine manufacturers. These included Smith Kline Beecham, Merck, Wyeth, North American Vaccine and Aventis Pasteur. This one got me thinking about the cummulative affect that vaccines might have. No one has done a study on that and I believe it's long overdue! Also, why do they have to make the vaccines one sized doses? Medicines are not given that way and it makes sense that vaccines should not be given that way either. I urge you to read the paper.... it will definitely get you thinking. I just don't understand how there could be so many "uncertainties" and yet they are "certain" that vaccines don't cause harm. It just doesn't make sense to me!
************************************
Take the time to check out the links.
You won't be disappointed.
************************************
I will start with the CDC Website. When you click on the link it will take you to the official CDC wesite. I had the wrong link up until now... I finally fixed it. I basically did the "legwork" for you and found the exact spot where they have all the vaccine ingredient information. Let me direct your attention to the first thing that stands out to me: "All routinely recommended pediatric vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market contain no thimerosal or only trace amounts." Doctors claim that ALL routine recommended pediatric vaccines have NO thimerosal (a.k.a. mercury), but yet they clearly state in the website that some contain "trace" amounts. They recall products containing trace amounts of lead or mercury all the time.... yet, vaccines don't have the same criteria? If you take "trace" amounts and multiply it by the number of vaccines that children get before school age... the amounts are staggering!! Doesn't make sense to me.
The next thing I would like to point out is the list of ingredients in vaccines. They are listed under the heading: "Additional Facts". These are the ingredients: Aluminum, Antibiotics, Egg Protein, Formaldehyde, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), and Thimerosal. Out of all these ingredients the most disconcerting to me are: formaldehyde, MSG, and Thimerosal. I go OUT of my way to avoid these things for my children and yet the government mandates I introduce these things into their bloodstream. Doesn't make sense to me.
When you click on the VAERS link on the CDC website, you might be surprised to find out that the CDC is currently investigating all kinds of things concerning vaccines. However, you might be more surprised to find out how they do it. For example, they did a study to find out if thimerosal exposure had any neuropsychological outcomes. They evaluated 1,047 children aged 7 to 10 years (all basically randomly selected from a computer) who received vaccines in the 1990's before the removal of thimerosal. "Each child's level of exposure to ethyl mercury was determined through a review of electronic immunization registries, medical records, personal immunization records, and parent interviews. Each child was then administered a series of standardized neuropsychological tests in a clinical setting at ages 7 to 10 years. The study found only a few statistically significant associations between exposure from thimerosal and neuropsychological functioning. The weight of the evidence from this study does not support an association between early ethyl mercury exposure from thimerosal-containing vaccines and/or immunoglobulins and neuropsychological functioning at ages 7 to 10 years." OKAY..... I have to interject my thoughts here.... First of all, is 1,047 children a good sample? NOT!!! Another question, why didn't they evaluate kids who HAD autism or other neurological disorders??? If I want to find out why a group of individuals have a disorder or disease I would like to find out what the common factor is. Do they all live in the same area of the states? Do they all eat similar diets? Were they all exposed to same things? Do they all have a genetic defect? I don't just randomly select a thousand kids and test them for problems. When I read further I also found that only a "total of 378 statistical tests were conducted" and that is NOT a significant number. I don't see how they can get sufficient data. Besides, they DID find some "statistically significant associations between exposure to thimerosal and neuropsychological functioning..." Why don't they explore that further? What if there is a small portion of the population that is affected? I would compare this to an allergy. Not all kids are going to be allergic to eggs, for example, but those that are can't have certain vaccines. That doesn't mean that all parents are going to "freak out" and not vaccinate! They have to come up with a screening tool for parents. We have the technology and we have the evidence... what gives??? It all just doesn't make sense to me!
The Huffington Post link has information that made me question if autism is truly "autism" in some of the cases? Are they misdiagnosing vaccine injury with autism? At this point in time, my theory is that if a child is vaccinated and has "autism-like" symptoms and then either slowly recovers or the symptoms go away, then it might have been vaccine injury. In some cases, the kids don't recover and that's also a reality. However, if a child is born with "autism" and/or if the symptoms of autism become apparent early on before the age of 18 months to 2 years, then perhaps it is more of a genetic thing combined with environmental factors. I think that is why there is so much confusion. Also, to add to the confusion... I have a theory that perhaps vaccine injury presents itself in different ways with individuals. For example, perhaps one child might have "autism-like" symptoms, while another might have "ADHD-like" symptoms, while yet another might have chronic ailments such as asthma, severe allergies, or gastric/intestinal problems. All I know is that according to the evidence there seems to be more evidence showing that vaccines can cause problems versus that they are completely safe. All I can say is...it doesn't make sense to me!
The Last thing I want to highlight is Russel Blaylock's paper that I have a link to on the same listing as the CDC website. It was published in 2004 and discusses the meeting called: "Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information." This conference, held on June 7-8, 2000 at Simpsonwood Retreat Center, Norcross, Georgia, assembled 51 scientists and physicians of which five represented vaccine manufacturers. These included Smith Kline Beecham, Merck, Wyeth, North American Vaccine and Aventis Pasteur. This one got me thinking about the cummulative affect that vaccines might have. No one has done a study on that and I believe it's long overdue! Also, why do they have to make the vaccines one sized doses? Medicines are not given that way and it makes sense that vaccines should not be given that way either. I urge you to read the paper.... it will definitely get you thinking. I just don't understand how there could be so many "uncertainties" and yet they are "certain" that vaccines don't cause harm. It just doesn't make sense to me!
************************************
Take the time to check out the links.
You won't be disappointed.
************************************
Got The Flu?
As I write this post I am praying that I don't end up getting sick. Right now my daughter has the Flu and is starting to recover. Her red face has been replaced by slightly rosy cheeks and she's able to open her eyes and watch television. Her appetite is slowly coming back and she's asking for water. That's definitely a move in the right direction.
It all started when she came home from school on Tuesday with glossy eyes and rosy cheeks. I could tell that she did not feel well. She was supposed to go to ballet but didn't feel up to it. That was a big "red flag" because she usually will not miss ballet for anything! I put her in bed at around 5pm and she slept until the next morning. The next day she stayed in bed the entire day and her fever would not go away even with Tylenol. I decided it was time to take her to the doctor. I took her half-asleep and they did the nasal swab and throat swab to test for strep and the flu. The results came back positive for the Flu type A. I was surprised because the only symptom she had was a fever. She didn't have a cough or sore throat. Her ears did not hurt. However, by the time we saw the doctor she started complaining of her ears hurting a little.
I talked to the doctor about my options. He basically said that drugs would really be a waste of my money since they basically were for Type B Flu and that basically I should just let it run its course. She wasn't really THAT sick and so he felt good about her recovery. He cautioned me about giving her too many over the counter meds and told me to let her rest. The last advice they gave me was to make sure she got plenty of liquids... the more, the better. I stopped by my local CVS and got some ginger ale. When we got home I gave her a cup to drink and then put her in bed. She slept until this morning.
I noticed by 9pm last night that I was starting to feel feverish and achy. One of my friends told me about a drug called "oscillococcinum" and how it seemed to work for her. She told me that within 6 hours she saw her child get better. I thought it couldn't hurt and it was homeopathic so I wouldn't have to worry about drug interactions with the little Tylenol I gave her at night. It works similar to Zycam which helps relieve symptoms but doesn't really "cure" the illness. It's also a good preventive med. I went to CVS and purchased a box and gave my daughter half the dose and took the other half. I am not kidding you when I say that within an hour I felt great!! I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but this morning I felt a little yucky again and so I took another dose and gave another dose to my daughter and we both are feeling great right now. As I write this post, my daughter is actually up out of the couch and looks great!! Amazing!
I hope and pray all of you reading this do not have to fight the Flu. However, it's exciting to know that there are meds out there that actually work against the flu. The best preventive medicine is hand washing! I have been mindful of this lately. For example, the other day I went to the store and did some grocery shopping. I decided to get some food from the deli and take it home. When I got home I was about to start eating when all of a sudden I realized that my hands had been on the germy shopping cart and I needed to wash them. That is just one little thing that we can do to help prevent getting colds, flu, etc... It's a good idea to teach your children the same thing. Hand sanitizers are good for when you are on the go, but hand washing is truly the best preventive medicine.
****************************
The proof is in the results.
****************************
It all started when she came home from school on Tuesday with glossy eyes and rosy cheeks. I could tell that she did not feel well. She was supposed to go to ballet but didn't feel up to it. That was a big "red flag" because she usually will not miss ballet for anything! I put her in bed at around 5pm and she slept until the next morning. The next day she stayed in bed the entire day and her fever would not go away even with Tylenol. I decided it was time to take her to the doctor. I took her half-asleep and they did the nasal swab and throat swab to test for strep and the flu. The results came back positive for the Flu type A. I was surprised because the only symptom she had was a fever. She didn't have a cough or sore throat. Her ears did not hurt. However, by the time we saw the doctor she started complaining of her ears hurting a little.
I talked to the doctor about my options. He basically said that drugs would really be a waste of my money since they basically were for Type B Flu and that basically I should just let it run its course. She wasn't really THAT sick and so he felt good about her recovery. He cautioned me about giving her too many over the counter meds and told me to let her rest. The last advice they gave me was to make sure she got plenty of liquids... the more, the better. I stopped by my local CVS and got some ginger ale. When we got home I gave her a cup to drink and then put her in bed. She slept until this morning.
I noticed by 9pm last night that I was starting to feel feverish and achy. One of my friends told me about a drug called "oscillococcinum" and how it seemed to work for her. She told me that within 6 hours she saw her child get better. I thought it couldn't hurt and it was homeopathic so I wouldn't have to worry about drug interactions with the little Tylenol I gave her at night. It works similar to Zycam which helps relieve symptoms but doesn't really "cure" the illness. It's also a good preventive med. I went to CVS and purchased a box and gave my daughter half the dose and took the other half. I am not kidding you when I say that within an hour I felt great!! I don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but this morning I felt a little yucky again and so I took another dose and gave another dose to my daughter and we both are feeling great right now. As I write this post, my daughter is actually up out of the couch and looks great!! Amazing!
I hope and pray all of you reading this do not have to fight the Flu. However, it's exciting to know that there are meds out there that actually work against the flu. The best preventive medicine is hand washing! I have been mindful of this lately. For example, the other day I went to the store and did some grocery shopping. I decided to get some food from the deli and take it home. When I got home I was about to start eating when all of a sudden I realized that my hands had been on the germy shopping cart and I needed to wash them. That is just one little thing that we can do to help prevent getting colds, flu, etc... It's a good idea to teach your children the same thing. Hand sanitizers are good for when you are on the go, but hand washing is truly the best preventive medicine.
****************************
The proof is in the results.
****************************
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Omnibus Hearing Update
I know many of you have been wondering what is happening with the Omnibus Autism Hearing and if they have made any rulings. They don't like to make things public and so we have basically had to look online to get current information. They only send information pertinent to our case by mail and the last thing we got was a notification that if we want to proceed with our case we need to let them know.
Recently, my husband received an email from a friend about the latest ruling. Evidently they ruled against the first theory of causation saying that there wasn't enough evidence. The first theory had to do with the MMR vaccine causing autism. This is the article my husband forwarded to me:
Officials say 'bad science' links vaccines, autism
Friday, February 13, 2009 4:40 AM EST
The Associated Press
By KEVIN FREKING and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bitter feuding over a possible link between vaccines and autism won't go away despite a strong rejection of that theory by a special federal court.
Thousands of families were hoping to win compensation and vindication through three test cases presented to the court. They contended that a combination of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine plus other shots triggered autism.
Officials with the U.S. Court of Claims said they sympathized with the families, but there was little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link.
The evidence "is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive," concluded Special Master Denise Vowell. "Sadly, the petitioners in this litigation have been the victims of bad science conducted to support litigation rather than to advance medical and scientific understanding" of autism.
Attorneys for the families said an appeal is a distinct possibility. They also noted that the court still must rule on another theory that vaccines once carrying a mercury-containing preservative are to blame.
The head of a consumer group that questions vaccine safety said she still felt there were the possibility of a link.
"I think it is a mistake to conclude that because these few test cases were denied compensation, that it's been decided vaccines don't play any role in regressive autism," said Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center.
Science years ago concluded there's no connection, but Thursday's rulings in a trio of cases still have far-reaching implications. The move offers reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their babies because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise, and last fall a Minnesota baby who hadn't been vaccinated against meningitis died of that disease.
"We need ongoing research into the causes of autism but cannot let unfounded myths keep us from giving our children the proven protection they need against infectious diseases," said Dr. Joseph Heyman, chairman of the American Medical Association.
More than 5,500 claims have been filed by families seeking compensation through the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Thursday's rulings dealt with the first three test cases to settle which if any claims had merit — and unlike in civil court, the U.S. Court of Claims doesn't require the families to prove the inoculations definitely played a role, just that they probably did.
"I must decide this case not on sentiment but by analyzing the evidence," said Special Master George Hastings Jr., writing specifically about Michelle Cedillo of Yuma, Ariz., who is disabled with autism, inflammatory bowel disease and other disorders that her parents blame on a measles vaccine given at 15 months.
"Unfortunately, the Cedillos have been misled by physicians who are guilty, in my view, of gross medical misjudgment," Hastings concluded.
Lawyers for the families said they were disappointed.
"There was certainly no scientific proof that vaccines caused autism, but that's not the standard; the standard is likelihood," said Kevin Conway of Boston, who represented the Cedillos. "We thought our evidence was solid."
Autism is best known for impairing a child's ability to communicate and interact. Recent data suggest a tenfold increase in autism rates over the past decade, although it's unclear how much of the surge reflects better diagnosis.
.....................................
Okay... first of all, how can they say that the rest of the 5,000+ families are going to have the same evidence as these three "test cases"? That is ridiculous! What about the Poling Family? They had a ruling in their favor. What if they were one of the 5,000+ families? Would it be fair for them not to be heard? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever for them to group all the cases into one big lump. It would be the same as saying, "Oh...let's look at three test cases out of 5,500 for reactions to this new drug." I can't believe my eyes. I really can't.
The other factor that I cannot overlook is the fact that in the U.S. Court of Claims, people don't have to prove that the vaccines absolutely caused autism, but that they "probably" did. I don't have to imagine how these families feel because I am one of those families and I feel like I got hit by a huge semi-truck. Our theory of causation has not been ruled on yet, but I can only imagine how it will go. You can't deny all these cases. If you have a perfectly normal, healthy, and vivacious child and you introduce something into their bloodstream and all of a sudden they start to have seizures, lose their ability to communicate, and in some cases go into a "zombie-like" state... then you can't tell me that there is not a correlation of some sort. The best evidence to me is the recovery of some of these individuals. I wish they would focus on that. My child has recovered almost fully and my doctor tried to deny it. If my child was born with something then I would accept it, deal with it, and move on. However, she was born a healthy and normal child.
The last point I want to make is that I am not sure if there will EVER be 100% proof that vaccines cause neurological problems in some kids because there are too many factors involved in the process of proving your case AND too much money available to disprove the theory. Vaccines are a billion dollar industry and encompasses the entire world, not just the United States. I am not sure what the answer is at this point. The numbers of children with neurological problems and developmental delays are rising faster than we can keep up with. If we don't figure out what is happening to our kids then we will end up with future adults who have social deficiencies, lack self-control, are underachievers, can't cope with change, and who have to depend on all of US to support them.
******************************************
Parents just want to know that the vaccine
manufacturers are listening.... and more
importantly, that they care.
******************************************
Recently, my husband received an email from a friend about the latest ruling. Evidently they ruled against the first theory of causation saying that there wasn't enough evidence. The first theory had to do with the MMR vaccine causing autism. This is the article my husband forwarded to me:
Officials say 'bad science' links vaccines, autism
Friday, February 13, 2009 4:40 AM EST
The Associated Press
By KEVIN FREKING and LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bitter feuding over a possible link between vaccines and autism won't go away despite a strong rejection of that theory by a special federal court.
Thousands of families were hoping to win compensation and vindication through three test cases presented to the court. They contended that a combination of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine plus other shots triggered autism.
Officials with the U.S. Court of Claims said they sympathized with the families, but there was little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link.
The evidence "is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive," concluded Special Master Denise Vowell. "Sadly, the petitioners in this litigation have been the victims of bad science conducted to support litigation rather than to advance medical and scientific understanding" of autism.
Attorneys for the families said an appeal is a distinct possibility. They also noted that the court still must rule on another theory that vaccines once carrying a mercury-containing preservative are to blame.
The head of a consumer group that questions vaccine safety said she still felt there were the possibility of a link.
"I think it is a mistake to conclude that because these few test cases were denied compensation, that it's been decided vaccines don't play any role in regressive autism," said Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center.
Science years ago concluded there's no connection, but Thursday's rulings in a trio of cases still have far-reaching implications. The move offers reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their babies because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise, and last fall a Minnesota baby who hadn't been vaccinated against meningitis died of that disease.
"We need ongoing research into the causes of autism but cannot let unfounded myths keep us from giving our children the proven protection they need against infectious diseases," said Dr. Joseph Heyman, chairman of the American Medical Association.
More than 5,500 claims have been filed by families seeking compensation through the government's Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Thursday's rulings dealt with the first three test cases to settle which if any claims had merit — and unlike in civil court, the U.S. Court of Claims doesn't require the families to prove the inoculations definitely played a role, just that they probably did.
"I must decide this case not on sentiment but by analyzing the evidence," said Special Master George Hastings Jr., writing specifically about Michelle Cedillo of Yuma, Ariz., who is disabled with autism, inflammatory bowel disease and other disorders that her parents blame on a measles vaccine given at 15 months.
"Unfortunately, the Cedillos have been misled by physicians who are guilty, in my view, of gross medical misjudgment," Hastings concluded.
Lawyers for the families said they were disappointed.
"There was certainly no scientific proof that vaccines caused autism, but that's not the standard; the standard is likelihood," said Kevin Conway of Boston, who represented the Cedillos. "We thought our evidence was solid."
Autism is best known for impairing a child's ability to communicate and interact. Recent data suggest a tenfold increase in autism rates over the past decade, although it's unclear how much of the surge reflects better diagnosis.
.....................................
Okay... first of all, how can they say that the rest of the 5,000+ families are going to have the same evidence as these three "test cases"? That is ridiculous! What about the Poling Family? They had a ruling in their favor. What if they were one of the 5,000+ families? Would it be fair for them not to be heard? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever for them to group all the cases into one big lump. It would be the same as saying, "Oh...let's look at three test cases out of 5,500 for reactions to this new drug." I can't believe my eyes. I really can't.
The other factor that I cannot overlook is the fact that in the U.S. Court of Claims, people don't have to prove that the vaccines absolutely caused autism, but that they "probably" did. I don't have to imagine how these families feel because I am one of those families and I feel like I got hit by a huge semi-truck. Our theory of causation has not been ruled on yet, but I can only imagine how it will go. You can't deny all these cases. If you have a perfectly normal, healthy, and vivacious child and you introduce something into their bloodstream and all of a sudden they start to have seizures, lose their ability to communicate, and in some cases go into a "zombie-like" state... then you can't tell me that there is not a correlation of some sort. The best evidence to me is the recovery of some of these individuals. I wish they would focus on that. My child has recovered almost fully and my doctor tried to deny it. If my child was born with something then I would accept it, deal with it, and move on. However, she was born a healthy and normal child.
The last point I want to make is that I am not sure if there will EVER be 100% proof that vaccines cause neurological problems in some kids because there are too many factors involved in the process of proving your case AND too much money available to disprove the theory. Vaccines are a billion dollar industry and encompasses the entire world, not just the United States. I am not sure what the answer is at this point. The numbers of children with neurological problems and developmental delays are rising faster than we can keep up with. If we don't figure out what is happening to our kids then we will end up with future adults who have social deficiencies, lack self-control, are underachievers, can't cope with change, and who have to depend on all of US to support them.
******************************************
Parents just want to know that the vaccine
manufacturers are listening.... and more
importantly, that they care.
******************************************
Friday, January 30, 2009
Headline News: Possible Link Between Preterm Labor and Autism?
I was watching our local news and evidently they have results from a study that shows a link between premature babies and autism. This is what was posted on their website:
"There's growing evidence linking pre-term birth with autism.
A new study found one in five toddlers born more than three months early showed signs of the disorder by age two.
Scientists note premature birth may not directly cause the increased risk. Instead, it's possible that whatever causes autism may also force an early delivery."
I did some research on the study and it was done on sick children who were screened for autism. If you look at the statistics I am sure you will find that the majority of children with autism were born normal and healthy... not preterm. The results are a bit misleading. I found that children who are born at least three months early will weigh no more than three pounds. I had a friend whose baby was 26 weeks and he only weighed about 1 1/2 pounds. Believe it or not, he survived! It was truly a miracle. However, most children who are born at least three months early are going to have difficulty at birth and are going to require a lot of medical intervention to survive. I just think there are too many factors involved in that study and it is flawed.
The possible link is an interesting theory. However, I have been saying this and I will continue to say this... when a child is born premature then they are more susceptible to many things. Unfortunately, they don't delay vaccines even in premature babies! They inject them with all sorts of things. I went to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) website and got the actual schedule for preterm infants. Here is the website: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;112/1/193
It basically states: "Medically stable PT and LBW infants should receive all routinely recommended childhood vaccines at the same chronologic age as recommended for FT infants. Under most circumstances, gestational age at birth and birth weight should not be limiting factors when deciding whether a PT or LBW infant is to be immunized on schedule. Infants with birth weight less than 2000 g, however, may require modification of the timing of hepatitis B immunoprophylaxis depending on maternal HBsAg status.
Dosing
Vaccine dosages normally given to FT infants should not be reduced or divided when given to PT and LBW infants. Although studies have shown decreased immune responses to some vaccines given to VLBW, ELBW, and very early gestational age (<29 weeks) neonates, most PT infants produce sufficient vaccine-induced immunity to prevent disease when full doses are given. The severity of vaccine-preventable diseases in PT and LBW infants precludes any delay in initiating the administration of these vaccines."
That is so interesting to me... very interesting indeed. I looked it up and 2000 g is equal to 70.5 ounces. That is equal to 4.4 pounds and that would be the cut-off at which they would delay JUST the Hepatitis vaccine. Can you imagine giving a baby THAT small a Hepatitis vaccine, a flu vaccine (which still contains mercury), Rotavirus vaccine, DTap (which is really 3 vaccines in one), Hib, Pneumococcal, AND Polio?!!! Those would be all the vaccines that would be due starting at 6 weeks to 2 months. In my opinion that is not enough time for the baby to gain enough weight and the strength in immunity to withstand all the toxins in vaccines. Also, what about the moms? I wonder how many of them received the Flu Vaccine while pregnant? I would love to find out how many babies who are born less than 4.4 pounds at birth end up with autism in comparison with those who weigh more? That could provide more proof to my theory. However, there are SO many factors involved in studying preterm infants. I know they are trying to figure out why it seems there is an increase in preterm infants. I am not sure what the statistics are, but one of my friends who has had a couple preterm infants told me that her nurse said they have seen an increase of babies born prematurely and ending up in the NICU. There has to be a cause for that, I am sure... but I am not convinced that whatever causes autism is the cause of preterm labor.
In Wikipedia it says, "In Europe and many developed countries the preterm birth rate is generally 5-9%, and in the USA it has even risen to 12-13% in the last decades." They should do a study and find out why our rates are so much higher than Europe. We obviously have great medical care in the United States... hehe...(sarcastic tone).. I found an AWESOME article in The New York Times online and I URGE you to read it!! It is entitled: "A Lesson From Europe on Healthcare" and it is not too long, but it says millions! It was written by David Leonhardt and talks about his experience with hernia surgery in the United States and what happened when he ended up in Greece and had to have medical care. He was able to compare and contrast the experiences he had and the results will shock you!! This is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/business/18leonhardt.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
My grandparents complain about the medical care they receive here versus the medical care they received in Puerto Rico. Although the wait is longer, the facilities are not as clean, and the people are not as nice sometimes... the amount of testing and the PREVENTIVE medicine they do over there is superior to here. Although Puerto Rico is part of the United States they have a lot of European influence. I think we could learn a thing or two from Europe.
**********************************
I would also like the scientific
community to do a study on the
correlation between the health of
the mother and THAT link to autism
and other neurological/behavioral
disorders.
**********************************
"There's growing evidence linking pre-term birth with autism.
A new study found one in five toddlers born more than three months early showed signs of the disorder by age two.
Scientists note premature birth may not directly cause the increased risk. Instead, it's possible that whatever causes autism may also force an early delivery."
I did some research on the study and it was done on sick children who were screened for autism. If you look at the statistics I am sure you will find that the majority of children with autism were born normal and healthy... not preterm. The results are a bit misleading. I found that children who are born at least three months early will weigh no more than three pounds. I had a friend whose baby was 26 weeks and he only weighed about 1 1/2 pounds. Believe it or not, he survived! It was truly a miracle. However, most children who are born at least three months early are going to have difficulty at birth and are going to require a lot of medical intervention to survive. I just think there are too many factors involved in that study and it is flawed.
The possible link is an interesting theory. However, I have been saying this and I will continue to say this... when a child is born premature then they are more susceptible to many things. Unfortunately, they don't delay vaccines even in premature babies! They inject them with all sorts of things. I went to the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) website and got the actual schedule for preterm infants. Here is the website: http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;112/1/193
It basically states: "Medically stable PT and LBW infants should receive all routinely recommended childhood vaccines at the same chronologic age as recommended for FT infants. Under most circumstances, gestational age at birth and birth weight should not be limiting factors when deciding whether a PT or LBW infant is to be immunized on schedule. Infants with birth weight less than 2000 g, however, may require modification of the timing of hepatitis B immunoprophylaxis depending on maternal HBsAg status.
Dosing
Vaccine dosages normally given to FT infants should not be reduced or divided when given to PT and LBW infants. Although studies have shown decreased immune responses to some vaccines given to VLBW, ELBW, and very early gestational age (<29 weeks) neonates, most PT infants produce sufficient vaccine-induced immunity to prevent disease when full doses are given. The severity of vaccine-preventable diseases in PT and LBW infants precludes any delay in initiating the administration of these vaccines."
That is so interesting to me... very interesting indeed. I looked it up and 2000 g is equal to 70.5 ounces. That is equal to 4.4 pounds and that would be the cut-off at which they would delay JUST the Hepatitis vaccine. Can you imagine giving a baby THAT small a Hepatitis vaccine, a flu vaccine (which still contains mercury), Rotavirus vaccine, DTap (which is really 3 vaccines in one), Hib, Pneumococcal, AND Polio?!!! Those would be all the vaccines that would be due starting at 6 weeks to 2 months. In my opinion that is not enough time for the baby to gain enough weight and the strength in immunity to withstand all the toxins in vaccines. Also, what about the moms? I wonder how many of them received the Flu Vaccine while pregnant? I would love to find out how many babies who are born less than 4.4 pounds at birth end up with autism in comparison with those who weigh more? That could provide more proof to my theory. However, there are SO many factors involved in studying preterm infants. I know they are trying to figure out why it seems there is an increase in preterm infants. I am not sure what the statistics are, but one of my friends who has had a couple preterm infants told me that her nurse said they have seen an increase of babies born prematurely and ending up in the NICU. There has to be a cause for that, I am sure... but I am not convinced that whatever causes autism is the cause of preterm labor.
In Wikipedia it says, "In Europe and many developed countries the preterm birth rate is generally 5-9%, and in the USA it has even risen to 12-13% in the last decades." They should do a study and find out why our rates are so much higher than Europe. We obviously have great medical care in the United States... hehe...(sarcastic tone).. I found an AWESOME article in The New York Times online and I URGE you to read it!! It is entitled: "A Lesson From Europe on Healthcare" and it is not too long, but it says millions! It was written by David Leonhardt and talks about his experience with hernia surgery in the United States and what happened when he ended up in Greece and had to have medical care. He was able to compare and contrast the experiences he had and the results will shock you!! This is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/business/18leonhardt.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
My grandparents complain about the medical care they receive here versus the medical care they received in Puerto Rico. Although the wait is longer, the facilities are not as clean, and the people are not as nice sometimes... the amount of testing and the PREVENTIVE medicine they do over there is superior to here. Although Puerto Rico is part of the United States they have a lot of European influence. I think we could learn a thing or two from Europe.
**********************************
I would also like the scientific
community to do a study on the
correlation between the health of
the mother and THAT link to autism
and other neurological/behavioral
disorders.
**********************************
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Minnesota Tragedy
I woke up this morning to hear about the tragic death of a baby in Minnesota. They stressed the fact that the child was not vaccinated and urged everyone to vaccinate against H. influenza type B. As a matter of fact, they used this as an example of what can happen if you don't vaccinate for ANY of the childhood illnesses. I decided to go online and check out the facts to find out exactly what happened. This is what I found:
On WebMD Health News dated Jan. 23, 2009 is says, "..."The situation in Minnesota might be isolated, or it might be the beginning of a trend in other places," Schuchat said at a news conference. "We are working hard to determine which of these stories is the right one."
One of the five Minnesota Hib meningitis cases was in a 5-month-old child too young to have finished its first series of Hib shots. Another case was in a child who got all the shots but who turned out to have an immune deficiency.
The other three cases -- including the death -- were in infants whose parents refused to vaccinate them. Parents of two children objected to vaccines; the parents of the third child were waiting to vaccinate until the child was 5 years old."
In twincities.com it said, "Five children were diagnosed with HiB in Minnesota in 2008, the most since 1992, the state Health Department said. One child died. Officials blamed a national shortage of the vaccine that led some national advisory groups to recommend skipping a fourth and final booster shot so supplies would last longer."
How tragic!!! I can't imagine being the parent of that baby that died. It's horrible!! However, if you read all the facts of the five cases of Hib, one of the children was "too young to have finished its first series of Hib shots" and another was a child who had "an immune deficiency". The OTHER three cases, including the death, were infants who did not vaccinate.... if you read other articles you will learn that it was partly because there is a vaccine shortage! Google it and you will see for yourself.
So my question is this: why are they making such a big deal about the fact that the child was not vaccinated in the news? Why did I not hear a single word about the VACCINE SHORTAGE?! Good questions. I believe that they should be focusing more on the efficacy of vaccines and why so many vaccinated children are still getting the diseases. I read and hear in the news about how they are thinking of doing more "booster shots" because they are seeing some vaccines fail. As a matter of fact, they are considering doing boosters shots by around middle school age. Can you imagine the cost.. in all respects?!! Even if there was a 100% vaccine rate among all the vaccines given, there would still be a percentage of failure rate.... for whatever reason. It seems as though either the bugs are changing or the vaccines are not working. It would be interesting to find out if they have done any research on that.
I believe the media is misleading the public into thinking that the increase in incidents is because more parents are not vaccinating their children. I hear people saying that Measles is starting to make a comeback because more and more parents are not vaccinating. Although I totally understand about "herd immunity" and all that... as a microbiologist I also know how organism will mutate over time and how resistant they can become to antibiotics, etc... They are more complex than people realize. The HIV virus that causes AIDS, for example, is a good example of how these organisms do whatever necessary to survive. Now... I have no scientific data to back up my claims, but I believe that by injecting these organisms into our system, we are definitely making changes in our immunity that probably go contrary to what our bodies were designed to do. For example, when we contract childhood illnesses such as measles and chicken pox... and even the mumps, we are acquiring valuable antibodies and memory cells that will live in our systems for our lifetime. Both my mother and father had the mumps, chicken pox, and possibly the measles. They told me that most of their friends did too. NONE of them died. I remember as a child getting the chicken pox. It was sort of a "rite of passage" and although I got a REALLY bad case of it, it was more of a nuisance and inconvenience than anything else. Why are they saying NOW that the chicken pox kills and the vaccine saves lives? Maybe in a SMALL portion of the population (immunocompromised individuals)that is true. Why not just make it voluntary then... instead of mandating it?
The big thing I understand is that if a child is not vaccinated, he is actually more at risk from a recently vaccinated child. The reason is because there are some vaccines that are shed off of healthy kids and therefore they are contagious. I have to argue with those who feel differently. There are some who feel threatened by individuals who are not vaccinated. It's as if those people are a "ticking time bomb" or something. That is just not true.
I think each individual case needs to be treated as such. It's not a one-size-fits all approach. With my own children I have followed different paths. I know the risks involved in the choices I make. I weigh my options and try to figure out which one is right for that particular child. I am not going to say it's been easy. However, I feel better knowing the facts and I feel I am making a more informed decision.
I wish the media would give all the facts instead of trying to sensationalize the stories. I am so glad that I am more skeptical these days. I know there is a lot of money involved with drugs and vaccines. You will never see an anti-vaccine ad on t.v. because they have too much money vested in them. (I bet you never thought about that... did you?)
****************************
Skepticism is not judgmental.
It's figuring out the options
with the data you are given.
****************************
On WebMD Health News dated Jan. 23, 2009 is says, "..."The situation in Minnesota might be isolated, or it might be the beginning of a trend in other places," Schuchat said at a news conference. "We are working hard to determine which of these stories is the right one."
One of the five Minnesota Hib meningitis cases was in a 5-month-old child too young to have finished its first series of Hib shots. Another case was in a child who got all the shots but who turned out to have an immune deficiency.
The other three cases -- including the death -- were in infants whose parents refused to vaccinate them. Parents of two children objected to vaccines; the parents of the third child were waiting to vaccinate until the child was 5 years old."
In twincities.com it said, "Five children were diagnosed with HiB in Minnesota in 2008, the most since 1992, the state Health Department said. One child died. Officials blamed a national shortage of the vaccine that led some national advisory groups to recommend skipping a fourth and final booster shot so supplies would last longer."
How tragic!!! I can't imagine being the parent of that baby that died. It's horrible!! However, if you read all the facts of the five cases of Hib, one of the children was "too young to have finished its first series of Hib shots" and another was a child who had "an immune deficiency". The OTHER three cases, including the death, were infants who did not vaccinate.... if you read other articles you will learn that it was partly because there is a vaccine shortage! Google it and you will see for yourself.
So my question is this: why are they making such a big deal about the fact that the child was not vaccinated in the news? Why did I not hear a single word about the VACCINE SHORTAGE?! Good questions. I believe that they should be focusing more on the efficacy of vaccines and why so many vaccinated children are still getting the diseases. I read and hear in the news about how they are thinking of doing more "booster shots" because they are seeing some vaccines fail. As a matter of fact, they are considering doing boosters shots by around middle school age. Can you imagine the cost.. in all respects?!! Even if there was a 100% vaccine rate among all the vaccines given, there would still be a percentage of failure rate.... for whatever reason. It seems as though either the bugs are changing or the vaccines are not working. It would be interesting to find out if they have done any research on that.
I believe the media is misleading the public into thinking that the increase in incidents is because more parents are not vaccinating their children. I hear people saying that Measles is starting to make a comeback because more and more parents are not vaccinating. Although I totally understand about "herd immunity" and all that... as a microbiologist I also know how organism will mutate over time and how resistant they can become to antibiotics, etc... They are more complex than people realize. The HIV virus that causes AIDS, for example, is a good example of how these organisms do whatever necessary to survive. Now... I have no scientific data to back up my claims, but I believe that by injecting these organisms into our system, we are definitely making changes in our immunity that probably go contrary to what our bodies were designed to do. For example, when we contract childhood illnesses such as measles and chicken pox... and even the mumps, we are acquiring valuable antibodies and memory cells that will live in our systems for our lifetime. Both my mother and father had the mumps, chicken pox, and possibly the measles. They told me that most of their friends did too. NONE of them died. I remember as a child getting the chicken pox. It was sort of a "rite of passage" and although I got a REALLY bad case of it, it was more of a nuisance and inconvenience than anything else. Why are they saying NOW that the chicken pox kills and the vaccine saves lives? Maybe in a SMALL portion of the population (immunocompromised individuals)that is true. Why not just make it voluntary then... instead of mandating it?
The big thing I understand is that if a child is not vaccinated, he is actually more at risk from a recently vaccinated child. The reason is because there are some vaccines that are shed off of healthy kids and therefore they are contagious. I have to argue with those who feel differently. There are some who feel threatened by individuals who are not vaccinated. It's as if those people are a "ticking time bomb" or something. That is just not true.
I think each individual case needs to be treated as such. It's not a one-size-fits all approach. With my own children I have followed different paths. I know the risks involved in the choices I make. I weigh my options and try to figure out which one is right for that particular child. I am not going to say it's been easy. However, I feel better knowing the facts and I feel I am making a more informed decision.
I wish the media would give all the facts instead of trying to sensationalize the stories. I am so glad that I am more skeptical these days. I know there is a lot of money involved with drugs and vaccines. You will never see an anti-vaccine ad on t.v. because they have too much money vested in them. (I bet you never thought about that... did you?)
****************************
Skepticism is not judgmental.
It's figuring out the options
with the data you are given.
****************************
Sunday, December 21, 2008
One Too Many
There is something I have to get off my chest, and I thought this would be the perfect forum. Here we go....
Let's say that a toy manufacturer invents a toy and consequently distributes it through a major toy store all over the country. Let's say that the same manufacturer did not do a thorough testing evaluation to determine the safety of the toy before releasing it to the public. Once the toy hit the shelves it's a hit and so parents rush to the stores to buy this toy. Unfortunately, a few months later a parent gives the toy to their toddler who ends up dying of mercury poisoning because he put it in his mouth and the paint has mercury in it. The toy company has two options at this point. They could either pull the toys off the shelves and announce a recall, OR they could redesign the toys with a non-mercury based paint. If the company takes the toys off the shelves they still haven't lost anything. They sold thousands and only had one fatality that more than likely is settled out of court. If they decide to redesign the toy then it could take a little longer, they would have to admit there was something wrong with their product, and they could lose millions in the long-run. Hmmmm? What are they to do?
Vaccine manufacturers are in the same boat. The biggest difference is that their products are mandated and they are protected by the government against getting sued...thus the Vaccine Compensation Fund (VICP)and VAERS. Parents have no choice. They don't have to change their product or pull it off the shelf because frankly there is no need for it. Why should they? They make millions of dollars on the vaccines and the doctors push for it. They could add another dozen vaccines to the schedule and most parents would probably not give it another thought. Since it's for their child's well-being... why would they? Right?
Of course, I am being very sarcastic right now. If one child dies because of vaccines... in my opinion, that's one too many. I have met doctors who don't vaccinate their children. I have heard of doctors who delay vaccines but don't give a valid excuse of why they do it. They claim that it's better to wait until they are two months old, but don't believe that vaccines are dangerous. That's definitely conflicting opinions. What is it that they know that they don't want to tell us? Well...that's what this post is about. I am about to enlighten a few of you.
Myth #1: They have removed thimerosal from all childhood mandated vaccines.
Truth: The truth is that they have not TOTALLY removed it from all the vaccines and the flu vaccine still has it. I didn't believe it until I checked it out at the CDC official website. (I don't look at any of "quack" websites anymore.) There are traces of mercury still in many of the vaccines. They need to consider the cummulative amounts. In other words, they need to add up ALL of the mercury in ALL of the shots they give babies. It would NOT be "trace" amounts if you added it up.
Myth #2: All doctors believe that vaccines are safe and that the current schedule is the best one.Truth: My pediatric neurologist did not vaccinate his children and he knew of many doctors who believed that the toxins in vaccines interfered with normal brain development and immunity. Also, I know first-hand of doctors who do NOT follow the recommended CDC schedule of vaccination. They either wait until the baby is two months old OR they space out the vaccines a little farther apart.
Myth #3: The vaccine manufacturers have done extensive research to make sure that vaccines are safe. Truth: Hehehehehe.....LOL....ROFLOL....Okay...Seriously, do you think they pay a lot of money to independent researching companies? Nope! The NIH, FDA, CDC, and AHRQ are among the researching agencies... all government agencies. I don't believe in a "conspiracy theory". However, when the agencies that do the research have to rely on grants and private funds you know that there is room for corruption. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is definitely a need for change there. If you don't believe me, then look at how long it takes for drugs to be recalled. I am sure you have noticed all the lawsuit commercials for different drugs. It all falls within the same FDA and CDC people.
Myth #4: They wouldn't recommend the vaccine even if they knew there were some potential adverse affects. Truth: WRONG.... so WRONG.... check this out: www.menactra.com
Under Safety Information it reads: "Side effects to Menactra vaccine include injection site pain, redness, and swelling; headache or fatigue. Other side effects may occur. Vaccination should be avoided by persons with known hypersensitivity (severe allergic reaction) to any ingredient of the vaccine, including latex (which is used in the vial stopper), or by any persons previously diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. There is a potential for an increased chance of getting Guillain-Barré syndrome following vaccination. Vaccination with Menactra vaccine may not protect all individuals. "
This is just ONE of the MANY examples I can give you. For those of you who don't know what Guillain-Barre Syndrome is, let me explain. The Mayo Clinic defines it this way: "Guillain-Barre syndrome is an uncommon inflammatory disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves, typically causing severe weakness and numbness that usually starts in your extremities and quickly worsens. Eventually your whole body can become paralyzed, even the muscles used for breathing...Luckily, this potentially deadly disorder is relatively rare, occurring worldwide in only one or two people per 100,000....There is no cure for the disorder."
So...you are basically taking the chance of giving your child this "uncommon inflammatory disorder" and horrific disease and "it may not protect all individuals". I guarantee that your doctor will tell you that it's worth the risk. However, not all parents will question this vaccine that can be given to children from age 2 to adults 55... CDC recommends this vaccine for children 11-18 years of age.
I think that if I were the parent of that one child who either died or contracted a horrible disease because of the shot, I would be totally devastated. It's not a matter of allergy or side-effects. I totally understand that there is going to be risks involved with anything like that. I am not that naive to think that medicine is 100% either. I know that. However, when the manufacturer and the CDC and the FDA all know that there is something like that going on and they still give the shots and mandate them until they can PROVE there is really nothing wrong then I think that is pure EVIL!!
Vaccines are just like medicine. It's all about profits. It takes something major to pull meds off the shelf. The same goes for the vaccines. They make so much money that they can afford to have some damages. That is why they continue to sell the products even though thousands of parents are screaming out, "My child has been injured! Please do something about it!" Only time will tell if they truly have the children's best interest at heart. I have a strong suspicion that once the minority becomes the majority then they won't be able to ignore it any longer. I pray it doesn't have to go so far.
***************************************
Thanks for taking the time to read this
post. It feels good to vent sometimes.
***************************************
Let's say that a toy manufacturer invents a toy and consequently distributes it through a major toy store all over the country. Let's say that the same manufacturer did not do a thorough testing evaluation to determine the safety of the toy before releasing it to the public. Once the toy hit the shelves it's a hit and so parents rush to the stores to buy this toy. Unfortunately, a few months later a parent gives the toy to their toddler who ends up dying of mercury poisoning because he put it in his mouth and the paint has mercury in it. The toy company has two options at this point. They could either pull the toys off the shelves and announce a recall, OR they could redesign the toys with a non-mercury based paint. If the company takes the toys off the shelves they still haven't lost anything. They sold thousands and only had one fatality that more than likely is settled out of court. If they decide to redesign the toy then it could take a little longer, they would have to admit there was something wrong with their product, and they could lose millions in the long-run. Hmmmm? What are they to do?
Vaccine manufacturers are in the same boat. The biggest difference is that their products are mandated and they are protected by the government against getting sued...thus the Vaccine Compensation Fund (VICP)and VAERS. Parents have no choice. They don't have to change their product or pull it off the shelf because frankly there is no need for it. Why should they? They make millions of dollars on the vaccines and the doctors push for it. They could add another dozen vaccines to the schedule and most parents would probably not give it another thought. Since it's for their child's well-being... why would they? Right?
Of course, I am being very sarcastic right now. If one child dies because of vaccines... in my opinion, that's one too many. I have met doctors who don't vaccinate their children. I have heard of doctors who delay vaccines but don't give a valid excuse of why they do it. They claim that it's better to wait until they are two months old, but don't believe that vaccines are dangerous. That's definitely conflicting opinions. What is it that they know that they don't want to tell us? Well...that's what this post is about. I am about to enlighten a few of you.
Myth #1: They have removed thimerosal from all childhood mandated vaccines.
Truth: The truth is that they have not TOTALLY removed it from all the vaccines and the flu vaccine still has it. I didn't believe it until I checked it out at the CDC official website. (I don't look at any of "quack" websites anymore.) There are traces of mercury still in many of the vaccines. They need to consider the cummulative amounts. In other words, they need to add up ALL of the mercury in ALL of the shots they give babies. It would NOT be "trace" amounts if you added it up.
Myth #2: All doctors believe that vaccines are safe and that the current schedule is the best one.Truth: My pediatric neurologist did not vaccinate his children and he knew of many doctors who believed that the toxins in vaccines interfered with normal brain development and immunity. Also, I know first-hand of doctors who do NOT follow the recommended CDC schedule of vaccination. They either wait until the baby is two months old OR they space out the vaccines a little farther apart.
Myth #3: The vaccine manufacturers have done extensive research to make sure that vaccines are safe. Truth: Hehehehehe.....LOL....ROFLOL....Okay...Seriously, do you think they pay a lot of money to independent researching companies? Nope! The NIH, FDA, CDC, and AHRQ are among the researching agencies... all government agencies. I don't believe in a "conspiracy theory". However, when the agencies that do the research have to rely on grants and private funds you know that there is room for corruption. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is definitely a need for change there. If you don't believe me, then look at how long it takes for drugs to be recalled. I am sure you have noticed all the lawsuit commercials for different drugs. It all falls within the same FDA and CDC people.
Myth #4: They wouldn't recommend the vaccine even if they knew there were some potential adverse affects. Truth: WRONG.... so WRONG.... check this out: www.menactra.com
Under Safety Information it reads: "Side effects to Menactra vaccine include injection site pain, redness, and swelling; headache or fatigue. Other side effects may occur. Vaccination should be avoided by persons with known hypersensitivity (severe allergic reaction) to any ingredient of the vaccine, including latex (which is used in the vial stopper), or by any persons previously diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. There is a potential for an increased chance of getting Guillain-Barré syndrome following vaccination. Vaccination with Menactra vaccine may not protect all individuals. "
This is just ONE of the MANY examples I can give you. For those of you who don't know what Guillain-Barre Syndrome is, let me explain. The Mayo Clinic defines it this way: "Guillain-Barre syndrome is an uncommon inflammatory disorder in which your body's immune system attacks your nerves, typically causing severe weakness and numbness that usually starts in your extremities and quickly worsens. Eventually your whole body can become paralyzed, even the muscles used for breathing...Luckily, this potentially deadly disorder is relatively rare, occurring worldwide in only one or two people per 100,000....There is no cure for the disorder."
So...you are basically taking the chance of giving your child this "uncommon inflammatory disorder" and horrific disease and "it may not protect all individuals". I guarantee that your doctor will tell you that it's worth the risk. However, not all parents will question this vaccine that can be given to children from age 2 to adults 55... CDC recommends this vaccine for children 11-18 years of age.
I think that if I were the parent of that one child who either died or contracted a horrible disease because of the shot, I would be totally devastated. It's not a matter of allergy or side-effects. I totally understand that there is going to be risks involved with anything like that. I am not that naive to think that medicine is 100% either. I know that. However, when the manufacturer and the CDC and the FDA all know that there is something like that going on and they still give the shots and mandate them until they can PROVE there is really nothing wrong then I think that is pure EVIL!!
Vaccines are just like medicine. It's all about profits. It takes something major to pull meds off the shelf. The same goes for the vaccines. They make so much money that they can afford to have some damages. That is why they continue to sell the products even though thousands of parents are screaming out, "My child has been injured! Please do something about it!" Only time will tell if they truly have the children's best interest at heart. I have a strong suspicion that once the minority becomes the majority then they won't be able to ignore it any longer. I pray it doesn't have to go so far.
***************************************
Thanks for taking the time to read this
post. It feels good to vent sometimes.
***************************************
Monday, December 15, 2008
Omnibus Autism Proceeding Information
I never heard of the Omnibus Autism Proceeding until I happened to come across the terminology used over and over again when I was doing my research on vaccines and their link to autism. I decided one night to Google it and I was shocked at what I found out! There are so many people out there who have had children end up with autism (coincidentally) after either a shot or multiple shots that the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program had to come up with a system to deal with the approximately 5000 families. The bad news is that each family has to prove that vaccines injured their child.... the worst news is that there is a 3 year statute of limitations! (I will discuss that further in a moment.)
This is the link to the docket of the Omnibus Trial Hearing: http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/node/2718
I am lucky to have a wonderful husband who is a lawyer. I want to start off by saying that any information and comments I make on this post are not intended to be legal advice. I am just a mother who wants to make sure that others don't have to go through the same ordeal I did. I also want to spare you some mistakes I made.
When you go to the website you can actually click on the links to audio recording of the proceedings. I have to warn you that a lot of them are lengthy and you have to listen to a lot of legal discussions. However, there are some wonderful testimonies by MEDICAL doctors that you would be wise to listen to. I am not a medical doctor so what I say doesn't have as much merit as someone who has YEARS of medical experience. There are hours of testimony recorded and I urge you to listen to some of them. These are the directions on how to get to the recordings: 1) Place your mouse over "Vaccine Information" on the left-hand side of the page 2)Then click on "Autism Proceeding" (that will take you to the audio recordings and transcripts). You can listen to the proceedings while doing other things such as checking emails, etc... the audio will continue to play until you stop it. Also, you can click on the transcripts and read it a lot faster.
I read through most of the transcripts about two years ago. It was so interesting to me that I literally spent four hours one night reading through them. I had to stop myself because I became a little obsessed with the whole thing. I gave myself a break and then continued and found out that there were dozens of doctors and researchers involved in this case and even Johns Hopkins has a group working on a way to counteract the affects of vaccines on kids with autism.... possibly developing a "cure". I am totally convinced that if the public knew about this then something would get done quickly. All I want... all anyone wants is for vaccines to be safe. We already take a risk each time we give our kids shots and we shouldn't have to take more risks in the safety of the ingredients in shots. Everyone already knows that mercury is toxic. In small amounts it causes all sorts of brain damage. That's not rocket science. However, this trial or "proceeding" is to prove once and for all that vaccines can and DO cause autism in SOME children and that parents need to be aware of it.... especially if autism runs in their family.
My hope is that if enough people demand greener vaccines then the vaccine manufacturers will feel the pinch in their pockets and profits will drop to the extent that they will have NO choice but to meet the demands of concerned parents. It just doesn't have to be this way.
Now, I am ready to explain the process that needs to be executed as soon as possible, the time restrictions (statute of limitations), and how to best organize yourself to prepare documentation and your case. First of all, and most importantly, there is a 3 year statute of limitations on the Omnibus Autism Proceeding. That means that you have three years from the time of onset of injury to file your case. Simply put, if your child received shots and was injured more than 3 years ago, then you are out of luck. Even if it's an obvious injury... even if there is documentation... even if your child DIED.... you have only 3 years!!! This is one of the reasons I wanted to write this post. We were lucky and got our papers filed to the month of our 3 year cut-off. However, with my #2 (which we have a stronger case) we were out of luck. It happened more than 3 years ago. If you think you have a case then I urge you to act quickly.
The first step is to visit: http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/omnibusproceeding.htm
(Click on "Omnibus Autism Proceeding" on the right-hand side of the screen and it will direct you to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. You can see a "Sample Filing" under the "Vaccine Information".) I was blessed to have a husband who could do it correctly. His legal background has helped us tremendously. I strongly recommend getting legal advice. However, it IS possible to do it yourself. You don't HAVE to get a lawyer to file your claim. Also, once it goes to D.C. you will be assigned legal counsel. They will handle things over there and you won't have to travel to Washington, D.C. I was kind of worried about that.
Next thing you need to do is get copies of all your medical records from all of the doctors that have treated or seen your child. I have to warn you that some doctors will charge you for this. One of my doctors charged me PER PAGE!! I had another doctor who was sweet enough to make the copies for FREE! Once you obtain these records you need to make copies... I would suggest 5 copies because you will need 3 just for filing. It's better to have extra just in case. Make sure that the notes and important information are legible on your copies. You might need to adjust the copier to make it darker in some cases. The medical records will become part of your exhibits or evidence and you want to make sure that the court can read them. Try to organize them in order and by doctor. In my case, I put each doctor in a separate "Exhibit" and placed all the laboratory testing and documentation made by that particular doctor. It made it easier to find information as needed. You have to submit your medical records either binded or electronically. We chose to do it on paper because we felt better about that. However, if you are computer savvy then you might prefer the electronic method. The website explains how to do it either way.
When you file your claim then you will receive directions from the court as to what they need and the deadlines. I URGE you to read it thoroughly and take note of the deadlines. We came very close a few times. Believe me, they aren't going to make it easy for you. The important thing is to keep copies of everything just in case and when you put together your exhibits and documentation make sure you make a copy for yourself. Learn from my mistake. You will need to send three copies of most everything and if you accidentally forget you can easily just copy what you have versus trying to figure out what you sent.
One thing I would like to discuss is how do you know if you have a case or not? Who needs to file a claim? What are the theories of causation? Good questions. First of all, there are THREE theories of causation. The first theory says that any mercury-containing vaccine can cause autism. The second says that mercury-containing vaccines PLUS MMR cause autism. The third says that only the MMR causes autism. (Very condensed version for sure. You can read more in depth in the website.) You will need to choose one theory of causation. We chose the first. My belief is that the cumulative effect of mercury-containing vaccines caused my child to have autism. We are extremely lucky that we were able to treat the damage caused by the vaccines, and she is much better now... not completely recovered, but she is a totally different child. I have to admit that I was hesitant about filing this claim. However, after much thought and prayer I realized that we HAD to. It wasn't only for our children, but for all those out there that don't have a voice. There are thousands of families that can't file because their child was injured more than 3 years ago. That is a travesty of justice, in my humble opinion. It doesn't change the fact that they were injured and those families have to live with the consequences.
Once you submit all of your evidence and affidavit then you will submit a statement of completion letting them know that you are done submitting information to the court. At this point it is in the hands of the court to look at the testimony and evidence and you will receive updates on what is going on. I looked at the docket and saw many cases that have been pending for years. So... this is definitely not going to be over any time soon. It is going to take years before it's over. One thing I forgot to mention is not to panic if the court calls you. I received a few calls from them and they were all very sweet. They will call if they need something or have a question. Also, don't hesitate to call THEM as well. Their number is on the correspondence that you will receive. Each case is assigned a different judge (or Special Masters), legal counsel, etc. so you will need to wait for them to send you the paperwork before you will know that information.
To recap:
1) Statute of limitations: 3 years
2) Make a decision on theory of causation. There are three theories.
3) Get copies of medical records and all evidence necessary for your case.
4) Go to the website and get information on filing your claim
5) The court will contact you via mail with all important information and instructions. Read it carefully and follow the deadlines.
6) Don't panic if they call you and don't hesitate to call them if you have ANY questions. Everyone I have spoken to has been very helpful and nice.
7) Be patient because this could take a very long time.
*****************************************
"One can never consent to creep when one
feels an impulse to soar."-Helen Keller
*****************************************
This is the link to the docket of the Omnibus Trial Hearing: http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/node/2718
I am lucky to have a wonderful husband who is a lawyer. I want to start off by saying that any information and comments I make on this post are not intended to be legal advice. I am just a mother who wants to make sure that others don't have to go through the same ordeal I did. I also want to spare you some mistakes I made.
When you go to the website you can actually click on the links to audio recording of the proceedings. I have to warn you that a lot of them are lengthy and you have to listen to a lot of legal discussions. However, there are some wonderful testimonies by MEDICAL doctors that you would be wise to listen to. I am not a medical doctor so what I say doesn't have as much merit as someone who has YEARS of medical experience. There are hours of testimony recorded and I urge you to listen to some of them. These are the directions on how to get to the recordings: 1) Place your mouse over "Vaccine Information" on the left-hand side of the page 2)Then click on "Autism Proceeding" (that will take you to the audio recordings and transcripts). You can listen to the proceedings while doing other things such as checking emails, etc... the audio will continue to play until you stop it. Also, you can click on the transcripts and read it a lot faster.
I read through most of the transcripts about two years ago. It was so interesting to me that I literally spent four hours one night reading through them. I had to stop myself because I became a little obsessed with the whole thing. I gave myself a break and then continued and found out that there were dozens of doctors and researchers involved in this case and even Johns Hopkins has a group working on a way to counteract the affects of vaccines on kids with autism.... possibly developing a "cure". I am totally convinced that if the public knew about this then something would get done quickly. All I want... all anyone wants is for vaccines to be safe. We already take a risk each time we give our kids shots and we shouldn't have to take more risks in the safety of the ingredients in shots. Everyone already knows that mercury is toxic. In small amounts it causes all sorts of brain damage. That's not rocket science. However, this trial or "proceeding" is to prove once and for all that vaccines can and DO cause autism in SOME children and that parents need to be aware of it.... especially if autism runs in their family.
My hope is that if enough people demand greener vaccines then the vaccine manufacturers will feel the pinch in their pockets and profits will drop to the extent that they will have NO choice but to meet the demands of concerned parents. It just doesn't have to be this way.
Now, I am ready to explain the process that needs to be executed as soon as possible, the time restrictions (statute of limitations), and how to best organize yourself to prepare documentation and your case. First of all, and most importantly, there is a 3 year statute of limitations on the Omnibus Autism Proceeding. That means that you have three years from the time of onset of injury to file your case. Simply put, if your child received shots and was injured more than 3 years ago, then you are out of luck. Even if it's an obvious injury... even if there is documentation... even if your child DIED.... you have only 3 years!!! This is one of the reasons I wanted to write this post. We were lucky and got our papers filed to the month of our 3 year cut-off. However, with my #2 (which we have a stronger case) we were out of luck. It happened more than 3 years ago. If you think you have a case then I urge you to act quickly.
The first step is to visit: http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/omnibusproceeding.htm
(Click on "Omnibus Autism Proceeding" on the right-hand side of the screen and it will direct you to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. You can see a "Sample Filing" under the "Vaccine Information".) I was blessed to have a husband who could do it correctly. His legal background has helped us tremendously. I strongly recommend getting legal advice. However, it IS possible to do it yourself. You don't HAVE to get a lawyer to file your claim. Also, once it goes to D.C. you will be assigned legal counsel. They will handle things over there and you won't have to travel to Washington, D.C. I was kind of worried about that.
Next thing you need to do is get copies of all your medical records from all of the doctors that have treated or seen your child. I have to warn you that some doctors will charge you for this. One of my doctors charged me PER PAGE!! I had another doctor who was sweet enough to make the copies for FREE! Once you obtain these records you need to make copies... I would suggest 5 copies because you will need 3 just for filing. It's better to have extra just in case. Make sure that the notes and important information are legible on your copies. You might need to adjust the copier to make it darker in some cases. The medical records will become part of your exhibits or evidence and you want to make sure that the court can read them. Try to organize them in order and by doctor. In my case, I put each doctor in a separate "Exhibit" and placed all the laboratory testing and documentation made by that particular doctor. It made it easier to find information as needed. You have to submit your medical records either binded or electronically. We chose to do it on paper because we felt better about that. However, if you are computer savvy then you might prefer the electronic method. The website explains how to do it either way.
When you file your claim then you will receive directions from the court as to what they need and the deadlines. I URGE you to read it thoroughly and take note of the deadlines. We came very close a few times. Believe me, they aren't going to make it easy for you. The important thing is to keep copies of everything just in case and when you put together your exhibits and documentation make sure you make a copy for yourself. Learn from my mistake. You will need to send three copies of most everything and if you accidentally forget you can easily just copy what you have versus trying to figure out what you sent.
One thing I would like to discuss is how do you know if you have a case or not? Who needs to file a claim? What are the theories of causation? Good questions. First of all, there are THREE theories of causation. The first theory says that any mercury-containing vaccine can cause autism. The second says that mercury-containing vaccines PLUS MMR cause autism. The third says that only the MMR causes autism. (Very condensed version for sure. You can read more in depth in the website.) You will need to choose one theory of causation. We chose the first. My belief is that the cumulative effect of mercury-containing vaccines caused my child to have autism. We are extremely lucky that we were able to treat the damage caused by the vaccines, and she is much better now... not completely recovered, but she is a totally different child. I have to admit that I was hesitant about filing this claim. However, after much thought and prayer I realized that we HAD to. It wasn't only for our children, but for all those out there that don't have a voice. There are thousands of families that can't file because their child was injured more than 3 years ago. That is a travesty of justice, in my humble opinion. It doesn't change the fact that they were injured and those families have to live with the consequences.
Once you submit all of your evidence and affidavit then you will submit a statement of completion letting them know that you are done submitting information to the court. At this point it is in the hands of the court to look at the testimony and evidence and you will receive updates on what is going on. I looked at the docket and saw many cases that have been pending for years. So... this is definitely not going to be over any time soon. It is going to take years before it's over. One thing I forgot to mention is not to panic if the court calls you. I received a few calls from them and they were all very sweet. They will call if they need something or have a question. Also, don't hesitate to call THEM as well. Their number is on the correspondence that you will receive. Each case is assigned a different judge (or Special Masters), legal counsel, etc. so you will need to wait for them to send you the paperwork before you will know that information.
To recap:
1) Statute of limitations: 3 years
2) Make a decision on theory of causation. There are three theories.
3) Get copies of medical records and all evidence necessary for your case.
4) Go to the website and get information on filing your claim
5) The court will contact you via mail with all important information and instructions. Read it carefully and follow the deadlines.
6) Don't panic if they call you and don't hesitate to call them if you have ANY questions. Everyone I have spoken to has been very helpful and nice.
7) Be patient because this could take a very long time.
*****************************************
"One can never consent to creep when one
feels an impulse to soar."-Helen Keller
*****************************************
Friday, November 21, 2008
What You Should Know About the Flu Shot
When I worked at the laboratory I was required to get the annual flu shot in order to work there. I never thought anything of it and everyone else got it, so I had no reason to worry. Recently, I have questioned the efficacy of the flu shot and if the risks are worth the possible benefits. I was shocked at what I found out.
First, the Flu Vaccine DOES contain thimerosal (mercury-based preservative). I even found negative information concerning the FluMist vaccine. In the section of the FluMist package insert labeled "PRECAUTIONS," the manufacturer states the following warning: "FluMist® recipients should avoid close contact with immunocompromised individuals for at least 21 days."
The warning is specifically directed toward those living in the same household with an immunocompromised person, but the on-going release of live viruses throughout the community may be a significant risk to everyone who has a weak, or weakened, immune system. I thought that was interesting considering that "immunocompromised" individuals include the elderly and infants, who ironically cannot receive the FluMist vaccine.
The way they make the Flu vaccine is another thing to consider. They don't make the vaccine for the strain that is going around THIS year.... they use LAST year's strain. That is another reason why so many people contract the Flu anyway. Another factor to consider is if your child has any allergy towards eggs you might want to make sure that you talk with your doctor about it. Some children have had horrible side-effects... including death due to allergic reactions to the vaccine.
I urge you (especially if you are pregnant) to read the following pamphlet. If you can't just click on the link just copy and paste and it will take you to the pdf formatted pamphlet online. It is full of good information and cautions about the flu vaccine: http://www.safeminds.org/alert-flu-vaccine-2008.pdf
Here are some of the highlights:
1) In March 2001, the FDA issued a statement warning pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of mercury because it causes neurological problems in children.
2) SafeMinds is deeply concerned that the risks of mercury-containing flu shots outweigh the benefits in pregnant women and young children.
3)**The pamphlet quotes package inserts of some popular brands of vaccines and shows the precautions and lack of evidence of safety... This is very disconcerting especially when you look at the carcinogenic and mutagenic factors.
4) EPA estimates that one in six women has levels of mercury in their bodies that could cause harm to their unborn children.
5) Simple techniques such as avoiding those with flu-like illnesses and good handwashing can prevent many cases of the flu.
The main point I want to make is to be informed. Don't let the doctors tell you that mercury is okay in small amounts. It's not! Don't let them tell you that it's okay to get shots that contain mercury when you're pregnant. It's not! Don't let them tell you that there is no proof.... because I am here to tell you that there is! Speak up and insist on a vaccine that does not have mercury. They are available now. If you don't take MY word for it, just look it up online. You will amazed at what you find... I sure was.
**************************************
Protecting those who are not born is
paramount to protecting those who are
already here. They are the future and
our hope.
**************************************
First, the Flu Vaccine DOES contain thimerosal (mercury-based preservative). I even found negative information concerning the FluMist vaccine. In the section of the FluMist package insert labeled "PRECAUTIONS," the manufacturer states the following warning: "FluMist® recipients should avoid close contact with immunocompromised individuals for at least 21 days."
The warning is specifically directed toward those living in the same household with an immunocompromised person, but the on-going release of live viruses throughout the community may be a significant risk to everyone who has a weak, or weakened, immune system. I thought that was interesting considering that "immunocompromised" individuals include the elderly and infants, who ironically cannot receive the FluMist vaccine.
The way they make the Flu vaccine is another thing to consider. They don't make the vaccine for the strain that is going around THIS year.... they use LAST year's strain. That is another reason why so many people contract the Flu anyway. Another factor to consider is if your child has any allergy towards eggs you might want to make sure that you talk with your doctor about it. Some children have had horrible side-effects... including death due to allergic reactions to the vaccine.
I urge you (especially if you are pregnant) to read the following pamphlet. If you can't just click on the link just copy and paste and it will take you to the pdf formatted pamphlet online. It is full of good information and cautions about the flu vaccine: http://www.safeminds.org/alert-flu-vaccine-2008.pdf
Here are some of the highlights:
1) In March 2001, the FDA issued a statement warning pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of mercury because it causes neurological problems in children.
2) SafeMinds is deeply concerned that the risks of mercury-containing flu shots outweigh the benefits in pregnant women and young children.
3)**The pamphlet quotes package inserts of some popular brands of vaccines and shows the precautions and lack of evidence of safety... This is very disconcerting especially when you look at the carcinogenic and mutagenic factors.
4) EPA estimates that one in six women has levels of mercury in their bodies that could cause harm to their unborn children.
5) Simple techniques such as avoiding those with flu-like illnesses and good handwashing can prevent many cases of the flu.
The main point I want to make is to be informed. Don't let the doctors tell you that mercury is okay in small amounts. It's not! Don't let them tell you that it's okay to get shots that contain mercury when you're pregnant. It's not! Don't let them tell you that there is no proof.... because I am here to tell you that there is! Speak up and insist on a vaccine that does not have mercury. They are available now. If you don't take MY word for it, just look it up online. You will amazed at what you find... I sure was.
**************************************
Protecting those who are not born is
paramount to protecting those who are
already here. They are the future and
our hope.
**************************************
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Vaccine Dilemma: Prepare From the Start
I looked up the definition of "dilemma" and found it to mean: a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. I thought it was the perfect adjective to describe the choice parents have to make concerning vaccines. Do we vaccinate and pray that our child has no adverse reaction or even die ..... or do we choose not to vaccinate and pray that our child does not end up with a horrible disease? Hmmm? However, I have learned that there IS another alternative.
My heart goes out to new mothers who have to make that decision. They are often made to feel ignorant and selfish when trying to voice their opinions or concerns. It goes farther than the vaccine issue. I know from experience that there is STILL opposition in breastfeeding among the medical community. There are some doctors that insist on a new mother (who is exhausted and is struggling) to bring their baby to the office every week and have a weight check "just to make sure" that the baby is getting enough milk when the mom has decided to breastfeed. At the hospital some nurses are not as supportive as they should. I remember when I had my first baby they gave me a "nursing support" diaper bag with FORMULA inside "just in case" I needed it!!! Anyone who has nursed knows that there are times in the beginning when you just beg for a bottle just once. However, chances are that if you give the baby a bottle then you will likely do it again....then you will likely mess up your milk supply (unless you are seasoned and know how to do it properly). It's not exactly what a new mother needs for "support".
What prompted me to write this post was numerous friends and acquaintances who are either pregnant or have newborn babies have approached me about this subject. They just don't know how to stand up to doctors. I wish I could go to the office with them. It just takes a couple times and you learn how to deal with their looks of disapproval and words of disdain. I have to warn you that you will feel like dirt the first time you try to "discuss" vaccines with your pediatrician. They will give you all kinds of statistics and say that there is no evidence that vaccines cause injury. However, when you bring your child in to be vaccinated they won't hesitate to pull out the release form for you to sign basically stating that they are released from all liability resulting from the vaccine....and they can't guarantee nothing will happen...AND basically they can't be sued if something does. You would have to rely on the "vaccine compensation" program and it's there for that purpose.
Let's discuss the vaccine compensation program for a second. Theoretically it's there for parents in case there is an adverse reaction after a vaccine is administered. If your child has a reaction immediately following the vaccine then your case is probably easier to prove. However, if you don't notice the reaction or if it's not reported within their two-month "window" then it will probably be a lot harder to prove. You will also have to have documentation of any "reaction" or else they will say you haven't proved any "damages" and you're out of luck. Don't count on the doctor to help you either. They will likely not remember and if it's not in their records then there is nothing they can do. I have already discussed the things you must look out for in a previous post so I urge you to read it if you haven't already. It's entitled: "What do I Really Think About Vaccines" and it was posted on Sept. 26th.
Most parents are under the impression that they either have to vaccinate according to schedule or not vaccinate at all. That is not the case. The laws vary from state to state, but if you can get a Religious/Philosophical Exemption then that is your best bet. You can write down which vaccines you don't want your child to get and it doesn't have to be an all or none proposition. It will also protect you against any other vaccines that might come up in the future. Right now the HPV Vaccine is one that is very controversial and I am sure many more will follow.
I have also discussed vaccinating on a different schedule than the CDC suggests. Let me explain to you why the CDC suggests the current mandated schedule. There is a lot of money invested in vaccines. However, there is also another dilemma. The government wants to make sure that low-income families and those that are more prone to drug abuse or neglect are covered. That is why Hepatitis B vaccine is administered to newborn babies, for example. The government knows that the majority of American mothers are not going to have Hepatitis B, but because there are those FEW people that might then they want to make sure that the vaccine is covered under the Federal guidelines and keep babies from being affected. The irony of it all though is that we are potentially harming millions of babies in order to "protect" the minority. Since the government can't "discriminate" then they have to mandate it. Does that make sense to you?
Another example is the flu shot. I was shocked when I read that in children five and younger the flu shot did not reduce the numbers of hospitalizations. This is according to the CDC!!! So why are pediatricians pushing for it? Makes no senses to me. Read more about it: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70107.html
Parents need to question the need for certain vaccines and the timing for sure. Why do twelve year-old girls need the HPV vaccine? Because in low-income families and minority groups there is a higher incidence of teenage pregnancy and sex. I heard a doctor say once on television that the government has to mandate certain vaccines so that it can be available to low-income families. In other words, so that they can go to the County Health Department and have tax dollars pay for their vaccines. That's it in a nutshell.
This is a wonderful website that is full of information on vaccines and VAERS and anything else you can think of. http://www.909shot.com/Issues/Intro_Message.htm I urge you to visit it. I found answers to a lot of questions. It can give you the ammunition you need to face doctors.
If you are pregnant then begin by making a labor plan that includes what vaccines, if any, you want your child to receive. I personally did not give my newborn a Hepatitis B shot and I made sure that they knew. I had my husband follow our baby after he was born, and we prevented the nurse from "accidentally" giving it to my baby. Another thing you might want to do is discuss your wishes with your baby's pediatrician. It's important that the doctor knows your beliefs and that they are respected. Throughout your pregnancy you were careful about what you ate, medicines you took, and what toxins you were exposed to... right? Well, this is just a continuation of that same care you took. Would you feed your newborn baby tap water not knowing what it's in it? Well...would you inject anything into your baby without knowing what is in it? Here is a good link showing all the things in vaccines: http://www.fda.gov/CBER/vaccine/thimerosal.htm It's from the FDA themselves. I did not make this up! (It is truly unbelievable the stuff they put in vaccines.)
After your child is born, the pediatrician will try to urge you to start vaccinating right away. I urge you to consider waiting at least a couple months. If you are breastfeeding then you can wait longer. Your breast milk will have all the antibodies and nutrients your baby needs. When you decide to start vaccinating, then work out a schedule that you feel comfortable with. I would advice starting with just one vaccine at a time. If you have a reaction there is no way you can know what caused it if you had multiple shots given. It could be as simple as an allergy to eggs for example, but how would you know?
Now...the following is based purely on MY theory and thought process, and I have no link(s) to back it up. I think that the most critical time is when the brain is developing. Much of the brain development occurs the first three years of a child's life and therefore are very important. That is when you should try and limit the amount of toxins and allergens they are exposed to. If your child is not going to be in a daycare environment or preschool then you really have more options. It's important that you prepare yourself mentally as well as physically for whatever decision you make. It helps to prepare from the very start. Write it down if you have to, discuss it with your spouse, and come prepared when approaching the subject with your pediatrician.
I wish you all the very best and hope that my information will help you. It's just a difficult subject for me to talk about because I often get angry. I have learned to remain focused and put my children first. That has given me more courage and conviction than anything else in the world.
**************************************
Courage comes from a place deep inside
the soul. It's locked away until you
find the key that unlocks that door.
**************************************
My heart goes out to new mothers who have to make that decision. They are often made to feel ignorant and selfish when trying to voice their opinions or concerns. It goes farther than the vaccine issue. I know from experience that there is STILL opposition in breastfeeding among the medical community. There are some doctors that insist on a new mother (who is exhausted and is struggling) to bring their baby to the office every week and have a weight check "just to make sure" that the baby is getting enough milk when the mom has decided to breastfeed. At the hospital some nurses are not as supportive as they should. I remember when I had my first baby they gave me a "nursing support" diaper bag with FORMULA inside "just in case" I needed it!!! Anyone who has nursed knows that there are times in the beginning when you just beg for a bottle just once. However, chances are that if you give the baby a bottle then you will likely do it again....then you will likely mess up your milk supply (unless you are seasoned and know how to do it properly). It's not exactly what a new mother needs for "support".
What prompted me to write this post was numerous friends and acquaintances who are either pregnant or have newborn babies have approached me about this subject. They just don't know how to stand up to doctors. I wish I could go to the office with them. It just takes a couple times and you learn how to deal with their looks of disapproval and words of disdain. I have to warn you that you will feel like dirt the first time you try to "discuss" vaccines with your pediatrician. They will give you all kinds of statistics and say that there is no evidence that vaccines cause injury. However, when you bring your child in to be vaccinated they won't hesitate to pull out the release form for you to sign basically stating that they are released from all liability resulting from the vaccine....and they can't guarantee nothing will happen...AND basically they can't be sued if something does. You would have to rely on the "vaccine compensation" program and it's there for that purpose.
Let's discuss the vaccine compensation program for a second. Theoretically it's there for parents in case there is an adverse reaction after a vaccine is administered. If your child has a reaction immediately following the vaccine then your case is probably easier to prove. However, if you don't notice the reaction or if it's not reported within their two-month "window" then it will probably be a lot harder to prove. You will also have to have documentation of any "reaction" or else they will say you haven't proved any "damages" and you're out of luck. Don't count on the doctor to help you either. They will likely not remember and if it's not in their records then there is nothing they can do. I have already discussed the things you must look out for in a previous post so I urge you to read it if you haven't already. It's entitled: "What do I Really Think About Vaccines" and it was posted on Sept. 26th.
Most parents are under the impression that they either have to vaccinate according to schedule or not vaccinate at all. That is not the case. The laws vary from state to state, but if you can get a Religious/Philosophical Exemption then that is your best bet. You can write down which vaccines you don't want your child to get and it doesn't have to be an all or none proposition. It will also protect you against any other vaccines that might come up in the future. Right now the HPV Vaccine is one that is very controversial and I am sure many more will follow.
I have also discussed vaccinating on a different schedule than the CDC suggests. Let me explain to you why the CDC suggests the current mandated schedule. There is a lot of money invested in vaccines. However, there is also another dilemma. The government wants to make sure that low-income families and those that are more prone to drug abuse or neglect are covered. That is why Hepatitis B vaccine is administered to newborn babies, for example. The government knows that the majority of American mothers are not going to have Hepatitis B, but because there are those FEW people that might then they want to make sure that the vaccine is covered under the Federal guidelines and keep babies from being affected. The irony of it all though is that we are potentially harming millions of babies in order to "protect" the minority. Since the government can't "discriminate" then they have to mandate it. Does that make sense to you?
Another example is the flu shot. I was shocked when I read that in children five and younger the flu shot did not reduce the numbers of hospitalizations. This is according to the CDC!!! So why are pediatricians pushing for it? Makes no senses to me. Read more about it: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_70107.html
Parents need to question the need for certain vaccines and the timing for sure. Why do twelve year-old girls need the HPV vaccine? Because in low-income families and minority groups there is a higher incidence of teenage pregnancy and sex. I heard a doctor say once on television that the government has to mandate certain vaccines so that it can be available to low-income families. In other words, so that they can go to the County Health Department and have tax dollars pay for their vaccines. That's it in a nutshell.
This is a wonderful website that is full of information on vaccines and VAERS and anything else you can think of. http://www.909shot.com/Issues/Intro_Message.htm I urge you to visit it. I found answers to a lot of questions. It can give you the ammunition you need to face doctors.
If you are pregnant then begin by making a labor plan that includes what vaccines, if any, you want your child to receive. I personally did not give my newborn a Hepatitis B shot and I made sure that they knew. I had my husband follow our baby after he was born, and we prevented the nurse from "accidentally" giving it to my baby. Another thing you might want to do is discuss your wishes with your baby's pediatrician. It's important that the doctor knows your beliefs and that they are respected. Throughout your pregnancy you were careful about what you ate, medicines you took, and what toxins you were exposed to... right? Well, this is just a continuation of that same care you took. Would you feed your newborn baby tap water not knowing what it's in it? Well...would you inject anything into your baby without knowing what is in it? Here is a good link showing all the things in vaccines: http://www.fda.gov/CBER/vaccine/thimerosal.htm It's from the FDA themselves. I did not make this up! (It is truly unbelievable the stuff they put in vaccines.)
After your child is born, the pediatrician will try to urge you to start vaccinating right away. I urge you to consider waiting at least a couple months. If you are breastfeeding then you can wait longer. Your breast milk will have all the antibodies and nutrients your baby needs. When you decide to start vaccinating, then work out a schedule that you feel comfortable with. I would advice starting with just one vaccine at a time. If you have a reaction there is no way you can know what caused it if you had multiple shots given. It could be as simple as an allergy to eggs for example, but how would you know?
Now...the following is based purely on MY theory and thought process, and I have no link(s) to back it up. I think that the most critical time is when the brain is developing. Much of the brain development occurs the first three years of a child's life and therefore are very important. That is when you should try and limit the amount of toxins and allergens they are exposed to. If your child is not going to be in a daycare environment or preschool then you really have more options. It's important that you prepare yourself mentally as well as physically for whatever decision you make. It helps to prepare from the very start. Write it down if you have to, discuss it with your spouse, and come prepared when approaching the subject with your pediatrician.
I wish you all the very best and hope that my information will help you. It's just a difficult subject for me to talk about because I often get angry. I have learned to remain focused and put my children first. That has given me more courage and conviction than anything else in the world.
**************************************
Courage comes from a place deep inside
the soul. It's locked away until you
find the key that unlocks that door.
**************************************
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
My new favorite book
I just finished reading "Louder Than Words" by Jenny McCarthy. It only took me two days to read the book. I know it's a short paperback, but when I have only a few minutes each day to read anything other than children's books....I think that's pretty good! Once I started reading I could not put the book down. I absorbed every word and looked forward to each new chapter. There are so many things that echoed my blog! I could not believe it! I actually told my dear husband that people are going to think I read the book and then started up this blog... hehe.... I am just glad to see that I am not the only one in the world who feels like it's their mission to educate and offer hope to parents.
**Disclaimer: The only negative thing about the book is her choice of "colorful" adjectives and language. I know she can be vulgar at times, but I didn't expect it to come out in her book. Just keep that in mind if you are planning on reading it. You might not want your child to get a hold of the book. Most of it was anger and frustration at the doctors who failed to listen to her. I can totally relate. There have been numerous times when I think I would have used more colorful language if I were not LDS. One of my friends told me I should start using my Spanish more often. Hey.... that's an idea.
The thing I liked most about this book is the way she presented the facts. She didn't interpret what was happening at the beginning. She basically laid out all the facts and what occurred, thus letting the readers come to their conclusions. Although her story was nothing like mine, I still saw some parallels and similarities. I especially related to how the doctors treated her. I hope people don't think that she has no respect for doctors. I think that she just had the worst luck when it came to her son's treatment. She wound up getting a lot of young doctors who were still doing their internships and were not experienced. She begged for a neurologist and it took days before she saw one. I know how frustrating it can be when you have a child who is suffering and the one person you feel can help is not available.
She winds up being visited by the "Mormon missionaries" throughout the book and I thought some of the stories were funny. She actually thanked the Mormon Church at the beginning of the book. I thought that was sweet. She is not a member of our church, but she has a great respect for it. She definitely makes that known.
I don't care who you are... when you read about a mother's turmoil and heartache because of the pain her child experiences you can't help but feel it too. I actually cried throughout some of the chapters because I could just envision what she was going through. I remember when my oldest child had his seizures when he was very young. I worried that he would have brain damage. They called them febrile seizures in his case too. To this day I wonder if he may have suffered from vaccine injury as well. We will never know. Unfortunately, that's what they call it whenever they don't have any other explanation. Who knows how many children are misdiagnosed?
The climax of the book for me was when she went back in time after the doctor told her that her son had autism, and she took the reader through the first couple years of her son's life. She explained some of his behaviors and quirks that later would validate the autism diagnosis. The hand flapping or "stimming" was something she thought was cute. Also his tip-toe walking was another sign. He had a very limited vocabulary and played with toys differently than other kids his age. He had an obsession with certain cartoons or toys. All these things later would bombard her mind as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. It was truly enlightening.
Jenny could not have picked a better title for her book. She explains that the bond with her child was something that went so deep that it was "beyond words" because she could feel his love. I think that's true with most mothers. When a baby smiles that first smile it just melts your heart. The baby doesn't have to say, "I love you mommy" because you just know. I also think that "beyond words" can have another meaning. It's beyond my comprehension how some doctors will not listen to mothers. It's beyond my comprehension how even though autism is on the rise the medical community refuses to seek answers. Their solution is to drug kids. It's so obvious. If there isn't a drug for what your child has... then you're out of luck. That's insane! There are so many options out there. Why can't they see that some of them actually work.
"Beyond Words" by Jenny McCarthy is definitely a book that I would recommend. It's not a "how-to" book on autism, but it is filled with invaluable information and resources. At the end of the book she lists special diets and different resources. She mentions DAN doctors and you need to read the book to find out who they are. I am definitely going to do my research and find the nearest one.
****************************************
I hope that those of you seeking answers
will find them. I pray that those of you
who have lost hope will endure. The road
will not be easy, but it will definitely
be worth it!
****************************************
**Disclaimer: The only negative thing about the book is her choice of "colorful" adjectives and language. I know she can be vulgar at times, but I didn't expect it to come out in her book. Just keep that in mind if you are planning on reading it. You might not want your child to get a hold of the book. Most of it was anger and frustration at the doctors who failed to listen to her. I can totally relate. There have been numerous times when I think I would have used more colorful language if I were not LDS. One of my friends told me I should start using my Spanish more often. Hey.... that's an idea.
The thing I liked most about this book is the way she presented the facts. She didn't interpret what was happening at the beginning. She basically laid out all the facts and what occurred, thus letting the readers come to their conclusions. Although her story was nothing like mine, I still saw some parallels and similarities. I especially related to how the doctors treated her. I hope people don't think that she has no respect for doctors. I think that she just had the worst luck when it came to her son's treatment. She wound up getting a lot of young doctors who were still doing their internships and were not experienced. She begged for a neurologist and it took days before she saw one. I know how frustrating it can be when you have a child who is suffering and the one person you feel can help is not available.
She winds up being visited by the "Mormon missionaries" throughout the book and I thought some of the stories were funny. She actually thanked the Mormon Church at the beginning of the book. I thought that was sweet. She is not a member of our church, but she has a great respect for it. She definitely makes that known.
I don't care who you are... when you read about a mother's turmoil and heartache because of the pain her child experiences you can't help but feel it too. I actually cried throughout some of the chapters because I could just envision what she was going through. I remember when my oldest child had his seizures when he was very young. I worried that he would have brain damage. They called them febrile seizures in his case too. To this day I wonder if he may have suffered from vaccine injury as well. We will never know. Unfortunately, that's what they call it whenever they don't have any other explanation. Who knows how many children are misdiagnosed?
The climax of the book for me was when she went back in time after the doctor told her that her son had autism, and she took the reader through the first couple years of her son's life. She explained some of his behaviors and quirks that later would validate the autism diagnosis. The hand flapping or "stimming" was something she thought was cute. Also his tip-toe walking was another sign. He had a very limited vocabulary and played with toys differently than other kids his age. He had an obsession with certain cartoons or toys. All these things later would bombard her mind as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. It was truly enlightening.
Jenny could not have picked a better title for her book. She explains that the bond with her child was something that went so deep that it was "beyond words" because she could feel his love. I think that's true with most mothers. When a baby smiles that first smile it just melts your heart. The baby doesn't have to say, "I love you mommy" because you just know. I also think that "beyond words" can have another meaning. It's beyond my comprehension how some doctors will not listen to mothers. It's beyond my comprehension how even though autism is on the rise the medical community refuses to seek answers. Their solution is to drug kids. It's so obvious. If there isn't a drug for what your child has... then you're out of luck. That's insane! There are so many options out there. Why can't they see that some of them actually work.
"Beyond Words" by Jenny McCarthy is definitely a book that I would recommend. It's not a "how-to" book on autism, but it is filled with invaluable information and resources. At the end of the book she lists special diets and different resources. She mentions DAN doctors and you need to read the book to find out who they are. I am definitely going to do my research and find the nearest one.
****************************************
I hope that those of you seeking answers
will find them. I pray that those of you
who have lost hope will endure. The road
will not be easy, but it will definitely
be worth it!
****************************************
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Mystery Diagnosis
I have had numerous people ask me what exactly happened to my daughter. Those who have known her for years can definitely see a change in her. It's a mystery and unfortunately is yet to be resolved on paper. However, I have my theories and I am prepared to explain what I think TRULY happened to my daughter.
When my daughter was born she was healthy and strong. She met all of the milestones on time and we did not have any reason to worry about her for the first 18 months of her life. She had great eye-contact and was very social. She also ate very well and slept like she should. I also remember her first words being directed towards her oldest brother (with whom she is still very close) and how sweet it was. I felt good about her progress.
Her language skills continued to progress. She was making more sounds and attempting to communicate. It was so cute listening to her. She liked her pacifier a lot and so I tried to limit her use of it so that she would not be hindered in any way. I read her lots of books and tried to spend as much time working on vocabulary and animal sounds. She was doing better than the boys and so I was optimistic that she would eventually talk.
I will never forget the day that I noticed something very odd. My daughter was a little over 18 months. I had placed her in a high chair in the kitchen and she seemed so content. She was sitting there for probably 15-20 minutes and I noticed her hands were turning kind of purple. Her feet were also a weird color. I touched them and they didn't feel cold. It definitely wasn't cold inside the house either. At first I just thought that perhaps she had been sitting there too long? I picked her up and held her for a few minutes. Her hands and feet eventually returned back to their normal color. A few days later I observed the same thing. She was sitting on the high chair and I noticed her hands were a weird color again. Also, this time I noticed her lips looking a bit different as well.
I decided it was time to call the doctor. I called the "Nurse's Line" and told them what I had observed. The first thing they asked was what I had fed her. I knew where they were going with this.... (No...she did not have orange nose or orange skin from the orange veggies I was feeding her at the time.) The nurse I spoke to told me that it was normal in babies to see the blue hands and/or feet since their circulatory systems are still developing. She continued and said that if they stayed that way then to give them a call, but if they returned back to normal then it was okay. I said, "Yeah... but she is 18 months...is that normal?" She reassured me it was. Of course, deep down in my gut I had a feeling it wasn't. It's interesting how the mind works. I had my doubts, but of course I wanted everything to be okay with her. So... I joined the "Denial Club" and went on my merry way.
At this time I started to notice that other kids her age were weaning their second naps. They were sleeping a lot less. My daughter would sleep a lot!! She would take about two naps a day and they were never less than two hours long. I remember a few times when she slept about six hours total and I mentioned it to my friends and they were shocked. I guess I had not realized that she was sleeping half the day away. They asked me if she was getting sick and I explained that it was normal for her to sleep that much. (Remember.... I was still in the "Denial Club" during all of this.) I began to take notice and started keeping track of her sleeping pattern.
We had begun potty-training and I was so excited. I had not been able to start potty-training before the age of three and so this was a first for me. I was thrilled to see that she could actually stay dry during naps and that she was showing an interest in going to the potty. However, she regressed and we were back to where we started. I tried everything I could to encourage her, but nothing worked. It was definitely frustrating.
By the time my daughter turned two it was obvious that she was lagging behind in her speech. Since my older two had to have speech therapy it wasn't shocking for me. I decided to wait just a few months to see if perhaps something would "click" in her. However, I didn't see any improvement and I could tell she was starting to get frustrated. Her social skills were also lacking and I saw a change in her. She started to act differently. I couldn't communicate with her and so we would have more outbursts and tantrums. I decided it was time to get her evaluated for Early Intervention and that's what we did.
She was evaluated and found to be more than 25% delayed and so she qualified for the program. They tried to test her hearing but she screamed so much that they couldn't do it. She was very sensitive to anyone touching her. She would "freak-out" whenever anyone wanted to look into her ears. (This was also when we found out that she was having optic seizures or "staring spells".) The lady that performed the evaluation suggested I take her to a neurologist. I am so glad that I listened to this "angel" of mine.
I was so excited because they came to my house and she didn't have to go to a daycare. At this time I was really paranoid about putting her in a daycare when she couldn't communicate. My fear was that something would happen to her and she wouldn't be able to tell me. That fear was actually validated by the speech therapist. That made me feel so much better. I love all my children the same, but there is a certain feeling of vulnerability when it comes to daughters. It's not until you have one that you can understand.
Of course, it wasn't easy getting the appointment to see the neurologist. We had to see the pediatrician first and then get a referral. Once we got the referral, it was another two months before we were able to get an appointment. FINALLY, we were able to see a Pediatric Neurologist named Dr. Corbier. I still give him credit for saving my daughter's life. He looked at her and examined her. He took many laboratory tests and performed EEG's and MRI. He did a very thorough exam. Initially he told me that she had some Autistic traits. He asked me how long she had walked on her "tip-toes" and I had not even noticed that. I estimated that she had started doing that at about 18 months? I thought it was cute and had not realized it was actually a symptom. Dr. Corbier told me that there was nothing wrong with her feet. She had a great arch and wasn't flat footed. He told me that her hips and legs were perfect. He then asked me about the staring spells and how often I had observed her doing it. I told him that I didn't realize that's what they were until the Speech Evaluation was done. I told him that she would "zone out" while watching t.v. and sometimes while in the car. I asked him what was significant about that since I had noticed my older boys doing that as well when they were young. He explained that in a TRUE staring spell, the child will not respond. You can call out their name or even touch them and they won't respond. He asked me to keep track of it and bring the information with me on the next appointment.
At the next appointment we sat down and discussed the test results. He was a bit concerned with some of them. Her serum copper was so low that he wanted to repeat it. Her ceruloplasmin was also extremely low. She had some other abnormal values that he thought was worth following up with. Then he talked to me about doing something kind of different. He mentioned that in some kids, changing the diet made a difference. He gave me a diet that was called "Casein/gluten-free diet" and explained it to me. (It was basically a dairy-free/wheat-free diet.) He told me that I should also give my daughter a certain liquid supplement that he strongly suggested. He mentioned that in some kids, milk will turn into a substance similar to morphine. That was shocking to me. However, it would explain why my daughter slept so much. She drank a lot of milk! He also said that milk has a lot of things in it that is not great for brain development. He gave me his website address and told me to read more there. THEN... he mentioned that some people believe that vaccines have something to do with neurological problems in children. Don't ask me why, but when he said that a light came on inside my brain. It was an "A-Ha" moment for me. I listened to him and was determined to do some research and find out all I could.
We started the diet in phases. I thought it was a very radical step and I was kind of skeptical about it. We changed to soy milk and even tried some soy cheese and similar products. She actually did well. All the kids transitioned to soy very easily and I was excited. Within a week, she began to show signs of progress. Her vocabulary doubled! Then after the second week she actually said her first sentence. I was so thrilled!! Could this be a coincidence? Why did a change from milk to soy make such a difference? I was determined to find out!
I did my research and found out that there were many parents out there in the autism community who had similar stories to tell. Traditional medicine does not believe in this and that is why I had never heard about it. Why aren't doctors willing to look into these findings. It's not medicine...that's why. This is a brief explanation of some theories: http://www.autism.org/leakygut.html
My own observation and conclusion is that it's definitely worth a try and it's NOT going to hurt your child if done properly. Many parents already believe that milk, beyond breast milk, is not necessary anyway. Many parents believe that the calcium in milk is not absorbed easily by the body anyway and that there are better ways of getting it. There are also many who believe that there are too many things in milk that are NOT good for kids. In my opinion it's definitely worth a try. Here is some good information about soy milk vs. cow milk: http://ask.yahoo.com/20021106.html
You can do your own research and find thousands of websites devoted towards educating parents about this issue. The main thing to remember is that you will need to make sure that your child is not lacking in any vitamins. That is why Dr. Corbier made sure we put my daughter on supplements when we changed to soy milk. Also, you don't want to go "cold-turkey" when changing a child's diet. Do it slowly and responsibly. You could actually do harm if you changed your child's diet to no milk and no wheat overnight. I will try and remember to do a special post on this controversial diet in the near future. :)
We continued with her speech therapy and when she turned 3 we put her in a local church Mom's Morning Out program. I met with the people and they were so sweet. I explained that she would be getting speech therapy services at the school and they were so accommodating. I felt like it was the perfect place for her and I knew that being around other kids her age would help her with her social skills. I was also impressed with the testing they did. They actually had a "play-based program" and they would test the kids and make sure they were making progress. The classes were small enough that they could individualize the program to meet the children's needs. It was awesome!!
In the end, she progressed to the point that no one knew anything was ever wrong with her. She stopped walking on her tip-toes after she turned 3 and I noticed her staring spells less and less. She matured and was more social. She was able to make and keep friends. It was as if she was another child. There is no "medical explanation" for her recovery. However, there are three things I did. First, we did the speech therapy. Secondly, we changed her diet. Thirdly, we stopped giving her vaccines. Speech therapy alone would not have explained her recovery. In my opinion changing her diet flipped a "switch" of sorts in her brain and she started to benefit from the therapy. Not introducing her body to any more toxins and/or vaccines was another factor that contributed to her recovery. You see.... it was no coincidence.
What happened to my child? I believe that it was vaccine injury. There is no other explanation. She was regressing.... she was showing "signs of autism" and doctors had no conventional solutions for me. She was not speaking....she would grunt or point... she would have tantrums and outbursts because of her frustration. Also, in hindsight I remember that her "episodes" where her feet and hands turned blue occurred at about the time she received her immunizations. This is no coincidence. Now that we know Sarah has Wilson's Disease it makes a little more sense to me. Her body has a metabolic defect. She can't process copper like others. Her ceruloplasmin is extremely low. I did my research and vaccines have tons of chemicals and by-products (such as formaldehyde, anti-freeze, metals, etc....) that probably cannot be excreted as easily for her. It was a cumulative effect on her body. As soon as we stopped vaccinating, then her body was able to start the healing process. She got better.
Okay....so there are two sides to the coin. What about Wilson's Disease? Well... we saw an improvement in her symptoms waaaaaay before we even diagnosed her with Wilson's. So, even though the doctor wants to claim that's the reason... it is not! As a matter of fact, we probably unknowingly gave her copper-rich foods during that time.... and we still saw improvement. Also, what about autism? Well... if she had autism, then we would not have seen such a dramatic change in her. It's true that in some cases, the symptoms do improve with age.... However, they don't ALL go AWAY... they just get BETTER. With her, the symptoms WENT AWAY! That's the difference. Except for the Wilson's, she is perfectly healthy and normal. She has friends and even the teacher has made comments that she is doing great in school.
The most frustrating thing about this is that when I asked the pediatrician about it, he did not even want to entertain the idea. Even after I mentioned that Dr. Corbier had suggested it, he rolled his eyes. I know I am not a doctor, but I am a mother and I know what I saw. I know what I witnessed. I can tell you what happened before my eyes. Now... do you blame me for feeling the way I do? Can you blame me for being so cautious? Do YOU have another explanation? I am all ears. :)
***********************************
"The important thing is not to stop
questioning" ~ Albert Einstein
***********************************
When my daughter was born she was healthy and strong. She met all of the milestones on time and we did not have any reason to worry about her for the first 18 months of her life. She had great eye-contact and was very social. She also ate very well and slept like she should. I also remember her first words being directed towards her oldest brother (with whom she is still very close) and how sweet it was. I felt good about her progress.
Her language skills continued to progress. She was making more sounds and attempting to communicate. It was so cute listening to her. She liked her pacifier a lot and so I tried to limit her use of it so that she would not be hindered in any way. I read her lots of books and tried to spend as much time working on vocabulary and animal sounds. She was doing better than the boys and so I was optimistic that she would eventually talk.
I will never forget the day that I noticed something very odd. My daughter was a little over 18 months. I had placed her in a high chair in the kitchen and she seemed so content. She was sitting there for probably 15-20 minutes and I noticed her hands were turning kind of purple. Her feet were also a weird color. I touched them and they didn't feel cold. It definitely wasn't cold inside the house either. At first I just thought that perhaps she had been sitting there too long? I picked her up and held her for a few minutes. Her hands and feet eventually returned back to their normal color. A few days later I observed the same thing. She was sitting on the high chair and I noticed her hands were a weird color again. Also, this time I noticed her lips looking a bit different as well.
I decided it was time to call the doctor. I called the "Nurse's Line" and told them what I had observed. The first thing they asked was what I had fed her. I knew where they were going with this.... (No...she did not have orange nose or orange skin from the orange veggies I was feeding her at the time.) The nurse I spoke to told me that it was normal in babies to see the blue hands and/or feet since their circulatory systems are still developing. She continued and said that if they stayed that way then to give them a call, but if they returned back to normal then it was okay. I said, "Yeah... but she is 18 months...is that normal?" She reassured me it was. Of course, deep down in my gut I had a feeling it wasn't. It's interesting how the mind works. I had my doubts, but of course I wanted everything to be okay with her. So... I joined the "Denial Club" and went on my merry way.
At this time I started to notice that other kids her age were weaning their second naps. They were sleeping a lot less. My daughter would sleep a lot!! She would take about two naps a day and they were never less than two hours long. I remember a few times when she slept about six hours total and I mentioned it to my friends and they were shocked. I guess I had not realized that she was sleeping half the day away. They asked me if she was getting sick and I explained that it was normal for her to sleep that much. (Remember.... I was still in the "Denial Club" during all of this.) I began to take notice and started keeping track of her sleeping pattern.
We had begun potty-training and I was so excited. I had not been able to start potty-training before the age of three and so this was a first for me. I was thrilled to see that she could actually stay dry during naps and that she was showing an interest in going to the potty. However, she regressed and we were back to where we started. I tried everything I could to encourage her, but nothing worked. It was definitely frustrating.
By the time my daughter turned two it was obvious that she was lagging behind in her speech. Since my older two had to have speech therapy it wasn't shocking for me. I decided to wait just a few months to see if perhaps something would "click" in her. However, I didn't see any improvement and I could tell she was starting to get frustrated. Her social skills were also lacking and I saw a change in her. She started to act differently. I couldn't communicate with her and so we would have more outbursts and tantrums. I decided it was time to get her evaluated for Early Intervention and that's what we did.
She was evaluated and found to be more than 25% delayed and so she qualified for the program. They tried to test her hearing but she screamed so much that they couldn't do it. She was very sensitive to anyone touching her. She would "freak-out" whenever anyone wanted to look into her ears. (This was also when we found out that she was having optic seizures or "staring spells".) The lady that performed the evaluation suggested I take her to a neurologist. I am so glad that I listened to this "angel" of mine.
I was so excited because they came to my house and she didn't have to go to a daycare. At this time I was really paranoid about putting her in a daycare when she couldn't communicate. My fear was that something would happen to her and she wouldn't be able to tell me. That fear was actually validated by the speech therapist. That made me feel so much better. I love all my children the same, but there is a certain feeling of vulnerability when it comes to daughters. It's not until you have one that you can understand.
Of course, it wasn't easy getting the appointment to see the neurologist. We had to see the pediatrician first and then get a referral. Once we got the referral, it was another two months before we were able to get an appointment. FINALLY, we were able to see a Pediatric Neurologist named Dr. Corbier. I still give him credit for saving my daughter's life. He looked at her and examined her. He took many laboratory tests and performed EEG's and MRI. He did a very thorough exam. Initially he told me that she had some Autistic traits. He asked me how long she had walked on her "tip-toes" and I had not even noticed that. I estimated that she had started doing that at about 18 months? I thought it was cute and had not realized it was actually a symptom. Dr. Corbier told me that there was nothing wrong with her feet. She had a great arch and wasn't flat footed. He told me that her hips and legs were perfect. He then asked me about the staring spells and how often I had observed her doing it. I told him that I didn't realize that's what they were until the Speech Evaluation was done. I told him that she would "zone out" while watching t.v. and sometimes while in the car. I asked him what was significant about that since I had noticed my older boys doing that as well when they were young. He explained that in a TRUE staring spell, the child will not respond. You can call out their name or even touch them and they won't respond. He asked me to keep track of it and bring the information with me on the next appointment.
At the next appointment we sat down and discussed the test results. He was a bit concerned with some of them. Her serum copper was so low that he wanted to repeat it. Her ceruloplasmin was also extremely low. She had some other abnormal values that he thought was worth following up with. Then he talked to me about doing something kind of different. He mentioned that in some kids, changing the diet made a difference. He gave me a diet that was called "Casein/gluten-free diet" and explained it to me. (It was basically a dairy-free/wheat-free diet.) He told me that I should also give my daughter a certain liquid supplement that he strongly suggested. He mentioned that in some kids, milk will turn into a substance similar to morphine. That was shocking to me. However, it would explain why my daughter slept so much. She drank a lot of milk! He also said that milk has a lot of things in it that is not great for brain development. He gave me his website address and told me to read more there. THEN... he mentioned that some people believe that vaccines have something to do with neurological problems in children. Don't ask me why, but when he said that a light came on inside my brain. It was an "A-Ha" moment for me. I listened to him and was determined to do some research and find out all I could.
We started the diet in phases. I thought it was a very radical step and I was kind of skeptical about it. We changed to soy milk and even tried some soy cheese and similar products. She actually did well. All the kids transitioned to soy very easily and I was excited. Within a week, she began to show signs of progress. Her vocabulary doubled! Then after the second week she actually said her first sentence. I was so thrilled!! Could this be a coincidence? Why did a change from milk to soy make such a difference? I was determined to find out!
I did my research and found out that there were many parents out there in the autism community who had similar stories to tell. Traditional medicine does not believe in this and that is why I had never heard about it. Why aren't doctors willing to look into these findings. It's not medicine...that's why. This is a brief explanation of some theories: http://www.autism.org/leakygut.html
My own observation and conclusion is that it's definitely worth a try and it's NOT going to hurt your child if done properly. Many parents already believe that milk, beyond breast milk, is not necessary anyway. Many parents believe that the calcium in milk is not absorbed easily by the body anyway and that there are better ways of getting it. There are also many who believe that there are too many things in milk that are NOT good for kids. In my opinion it's definitely worth a try. Here is some good information about soy milk vs. cow milk: http://ask.yahoo.com/20021106.html
You can do your own research and find thousands of websites devoted towards educating parents about this issue. The main thing to remember is that you will need to make sure that your child is not lacking in any vitamins. That is why Dr. Corbier made sure we put my daughter on supplements when we changed to soy milk. Also, you don't want to go "cold-turkey" when changing a child's diet. Do it slowly and responsibly. You could actually do harm if you changed your child's diet to no milk and no wheat overnight. I will try and remember to do a special post on this controversial diet in the near future. :)
We continued with her speech therapy and when she turned 3 we put her in a local church Mom's Morning Out program. I met with the people and they were so sweet. I explained that she would be getting speech therapy services at the school and they were so accommodating. I felt like it was the perfect place for her and I knew that being around other kids her age would help her with her social skills. I was also impressed with the testing they did. They actually had a "play-based program" and they would test the kids and make sure they were making progress. The classes were small enough that they could individualize the program to meet the children's needs. It was awesome!!
In the end, she progressed to the point that no one knew anything was ever wrong with her. She stopped walking on her tip-toes after she turned 3 and I noticed her staring spells less and less. She matured and was more social. She was able to make and keep friends. It was as if she was another child. There is no "medical explanation" for her recovery. However, there are three things I did. First, we did the speech therapy. Secondly, we changed her diet. Thirdly, we stopped giving her vaccines. Speech therapy alone would not have explained her recovery. In my opinion changing her diet flipped a "switch" of sorts in her brain and she started to benefit from the therapy. Not introducing her body to any more toxins and/or vaccines was another factor that contributed to her recovery. You see.... it was no coincidence.
What happened to my child? I believe that it was vaccine injury. There is no other explanation. She was regressing.... she was showing "signs of autism" and doctors had no conventional solutions for me. She was not speaking....she would grunt or point... she would have tantrums and outbursts because of her frustration. Also, in hindsight I remember that her "episodes" where her feet and hands turned blue occurred at about the time she received her immunizations. This is no coincidence. Now that we know Sarah has Wilson's Disease it makes a little more sense to me. Her body has a metabolic defect. She can't process copper like others. Her ceruloplasmin is extremely low. I did my research and vaccines have tons of chemicals and by-products (such as formaldehyde, anti-freeze, metals, etc....) that probably cannot be excreted as easily for her. It was a cumulative effect on her body. As soon as we stopped vaccinating, then her body was able to start the healing process. She got better.
Okay....so there are two sides to the coin. What about Wilson's Disease? Well... we saw an improvement in her symptoms waaaaaay before we even diagnosed her with Wilson's. So, even though the doctor wants to claim that's the reason... it is not! As a matter of fact, we probably unknowingly gave her copper-rich foods during that time.... and we still saw improvement. Also, what about autism? Well... if she had autism, then we would not have seen such a dramatic change in her. It's true that in some cases, the symptoms do improve with age.... However, they don't ALL go AWAY... they just get BETTER. With her, the symptoms WENT AWAY! That's the difference. Except for the Wilson's, she is perfectly healthy and normal. She has friends and even the teacher has made comments that she is doing great in school.
The most frustrating thing about this is that when I asked the pediatrician about it, he did not even want to entertain the idea. Even after I mentioned that Dr. Corbier had suggested it, he rolled his eyes. I know I am not a doctor, but I am a mother and I know what I saw. I know what I witnessed. I can tell you what happened before my eyes. Now... do you blame me for feeling the way I do? Can you blame me for being so cautious? Do YOU have another explanation? I am all ears. :)
***********************************
"The important thing is not to stop
questioning" ~ Albert Einstein
***********************************
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Isn't it Ironic....Don't you think?
I was considering changing doctors since my last appointment with my baby. I have fought and fought my feelings and anger inside my heart for so long. I thought that going to my current doctor and having lost my trust in him was probably not a good thing. There have been too many close calls and although I love my primary pediatrician, I just don't like the others in the group.
So... I ventured into another group this afternoon in search of another doctor that might have a more open mind about things. One of my dear friends had suggested I check out HER pediatrician, who happens to be a woman. This doctor sounded wonderful and very open-minded. My friend was able to do just one shot at a time with her kids and was able to speak to her about her concerns. The doctor at one point had even made a comment about how there MIGHT be something to the vaccine-autism link. I thought she sounded very promising.
I had no trouble finding the office. It was located a little closer to home.... that's always a good thing. When I stepped inside I felt very comfortable there. It smelled clean and it looked like a fun place to take my kids. I was also impressed at how they had separate waiting rooms for the sick and well kids... unlike my current group that just divides a big room with a wall to separate them. (I've always thought that was similar to how they used to separate the smoking and non-smoking sections in many restaurants... it's all the same air!) I didn't have to wait very long and that impressed me very much. I wasn't a "paying patient" so I was expecting to have to wait for at least an hour. I waited no more than thirty minutes! They took me to the back and I sat in an examining room to wait for the doctor. I have to admit that I was very anxious and excited at the same time. I was praying that things would work out. It would be one less thing that I would have to worry about.
When the doctor entered the room I could tell that I was going to like her as a person. She was very sweet and humble. I liked the way she spoke to me. It was as if I was speaking to another mother (which I was) and that made me feel like I could relate to her. I told her that she came highly recommended and I wanted to discuss some things with her before making my decision to take my kids there. I told her a bit of history on all the kids. Then I asked her how she felt about doing alternative schedules for vaccines. I explained how I felt about vaccines and how I just wanted to be cautious. I told her that my first three kids all had problems and my fourth is doing great. I was especially careful about explaining Sarah's condition and how her metabolic disorder was definitely an issue.
Well...she didn't get angry or defensive. She calmly told me that they no longer encouraged alternative schedules for vaccines. She said that she had just come from a CDC meeting that discussed the measles problems that they are starting to see and she was concerned. She went on to explain that there was no proof and that she had "prayed about this" and felt that there is no link. She went on to say how she understood my concern but she wanted to be honest with me. I thanked her for her honesty. Then I asked her if they ever split the MMR vaccine. She told me that in the past they had, but they no longer do it. She said that at the meeting they told her that the MMR loses it efficacy if they split it. (What????!!) Anyways, it sounded to me like this "meeting" was more of a "brainwashing for doctors" seminar. How unfortunate!
Luckily, my husband and I had already discussed what we would do if this scenario took place. We agreed that we would continue to see our present doctor and just take the kids for the vaccines. If they get sick we will take our kids to Primed (We know the doctors there and they are WONDERFUL and NEVER have given us any problems about the whole vaccine issue..... As a matter of fact, I asked one of the nurses one time about what I should say when they ask me if my kids are current on their vaccines. She told me that they are "current" as long as we are working on giving it to them and they are not in school yet.) If there is an emergency, we will take them to the ER. My daughter sees a team of doctors at the Children's Hospital so there is no need for her to see her regular pediatrician at all.
I can't help but laugh at the irony of it all. Even though my present doctor doesn't agree with me, at least he still carries out my wishes. In spite of his anger towards my decision, at least he is not hostile towards me. Lastly, although I will never change his mind about things and he has made it hard on me, at least he only expresses his opinion but he is not telling me what I can't do. In the end, the doctor that I was trying to get away from was the one who met our needs the best. Isn't it ironic?
********************************
Some of God's greatest gifts are
unanswered prayers~ Garth Brooks
********************************
So... I ventured into another group this afternoon in search of another doctor that might have a more open mind about things. One of my dear friends had suggested I check out HER pediatrician, who happens to be a woman. This doctor sounded wonderful and very open-minded. My friend was able to do just one shot at a time with her kids and was able to speak to her about her concerns. The doctor at one point had even made a comment about how there MIGHT be something to the vaccine-autism link. I thought she sounded very promising.
I had no trouble finding the office. It was located a little closer to home.... that's always a good thing. When I stepped inside I felt very comfortable there. It smelled clean and it looked like a fun place to take my kids. I was also impressed at how they had separate waiting rooms for the sick and well kids... unlike my current group that just divides a big room with a wall to separate them. (I've always thought that was similar to how they used to separate the smoking and non-smoking sections in many restaurants... it's all the same air!) I didn't have to wait very long and that impressed me very much. I wasn't a "paying patient" so I was expecting to have to wait for at least an hour. I waited no more than thirty minutes! They took me to the back and I sat in an examining room to wait for the doctor. I have to admit that I was very anxious and excited at the same time. I was praying that things would work out. It would be one less thing that I would have to worry about.
When the doctor entered the room I could tell that I was going to like her as a person. She was very sweet and humble. I liked the way she spoke to me. It was as if I was speaking to another mother (which I was) and that made me feel like I could relate to her. I told her that she came highly recommended and I wanted to discuss some things with her before making my decision to take my kids there. I told her a bit of history on all the kids. Then I asked her how she felt about doing alternative schedules for vaccines. I explained how I felt about vaccines and how I just wanted to be cautious. I told her that my first three kids all had problems and my fourth is doing great. I was especially careful about explaining Sarah's condition and how her metabolic disorder was definitely an issue.
Well...she didn't get angry or defensive. She calmly told me that they no longer encouraged alternative schedules for vaccines. She said that she had just come from a CDC meeting that discussed the measles problems that they are starting to see and she was concerned. She went on to explain that there was no proof and that she had "prayed about this" and felt that there is no link. She went on to say how she understood my concern but she wanted to be honest with me. I thanked her for her honesty. Then I asked her if they ever split the MMR vaccine. She told me that in the past they had, but they no longer do it. She said that at the meeting they told her that the MMR loses it efficacy if they split it. (What????!!) Anyways, it sounded to me like this "meeting" was more of a "brainwashing for doctors" seminar. How unfortunate!
Luckily, my husband and I had already discussed what we would do if this scenario took place. We agreed that we would continue to see our present doctor and just take the kids for the vaccines. If they get sick we will take our kids to Primed (We know the doctors there and they are WONDERFUL and NEVER have given us any problems about the whole vaccine issue..... As a matter of fact, I asked one of the nurses one time about what I should say when they ask me if my kids are current on their vaccines. She told me that they are "current" as long as we are working on giving it to them and they are not in school yet.) If there is an emergency, we will take them to the ER. My daughter sees a team of doctors at the Children's Hospital so there is no need for her to see her regular pediatrician at all.
I can't help but laugh at the irony of it all. Even though my present doctor doesn't agree with me, at least he still carries out my wishes. In spite of his anger towards my decision, at least he is not hostile towards me. Lastly, although I will never change his mind about things and he has made it hard on me, at least he only expresses his opinion but he is not telling me what I can't do. In the end, the doctor that I was trying to get away from was the one who met our needs the best. Isn't it ironic?
********************************
Some of God's greatest gifts are
unanswered prayers~ Garth Brooks
********************************
Friday, September 26, 2008
What do I REALLY think about vaccines? (uncensored version)
Many doctors think that parents who don't vaccinate their children or who are cautious about it are uneducated or ignorant. This couldn't be farther from the truth! You would be surprised to know how many parents are actually in the medical field. Let me state MY credentials: I graduated Cum Laude from college with a degree in Biology with a Pre-Med option. I completed a one-year internship in the Medical Technology program at a local hospital and was offered a job at another hospital upon completion. I received my ASCP certification and worked in the laboratory for five years. I specialized in Chemistry and Microbiology. Last, but definitely not least, I am a mother of four beautiful children and I have approximately twelve years of parenting experience. That about sums it up!
*Disclaimer: first of all, I never have and never will claim that I am a doctor or a specialist in medicine or vaccines. I am a mother who feels that parents should be given ALL the facts. I am a mother who thinks that the majority of parents are smart enough to make their own decisions about their children's health. I am also a mother who insists on doing all I can to ensure that vaccines are as safe as they can be with today's technology!
The first time I heard about vaccines causing autism was when I took my daughter to see a pediatric neurologist. His name is Dr. Corbier and I would recommend him to anyone living in North Carolina. He used to have an office here in Alabama but recently relocated. I really miss him. Anyway, he mentioned that he had seen children have autistic symptoms after receiving vaccines. He told me that there were many people in the medical community who suspected that vaccines might be the cause for many neurological disorders. I was floored! I had heard about these claims before but never from a medical professional. Could my daughter have been damaged by the same thing that was supposed to protect her? It couldn't be?!
This was a big turning point for me. From that moment on, I did my research. I went online and read medical journals, read tons of books, found CDC websites, and then I found some wonderful organizations for parents with children who have autism. I began to read the stories of parents who had given birth to normal healthy kids but who now were autistic. I also read stories of recovery and hope. I began to see a trend. It seemed like the pattern was: parents suspect something is wrong after vaccines are administered....doctors either ignore it or say there is nothing wrong 'cause child is too young....then it's the "wait and see" attitude that occurs....followed by "let's test"....then FINALLY after a year or longer , the diagnosis.
The problem is that most parents don't know what to look for. Let me tell you...a newborn baby cannot talk, right? So all they can do is either cry or scream to let you know they are in pain. Well...if your child has more than just a few minutes of "fussiness" after a shot is given then there is definitely something wrong. My biggest concern is that most parents are told to give their child Tylenol or another type of pain-reliever and so they are taught to expect some of the behavior. That was the case with my children. My oldest came home with fever, fussiness, AND at times would arch his back from the pain. I gave him Tylenol with the following shots because I hated to see him that way. I just thought it was a "normal" thing. I had no idea! Then with my #2 it was worse. He was smaller than my first so I bet his little body was overwhelmed. I remember how he would cry so much that he would fall asleep from exhaustion. He would clench his fists and just scream! Again, I just thought this was normal. My daughter had episodes where her hands and feet would turn blue. I called the doctor's office and they just dismissed it. They said it was normal because her circulatory system was still developing and so if she got cold it would happen. However, this was when my daughter was about 18 months old! I remember calling my friend and asking her about it. She wisely told me to seek another opinion and to take her to a specialist. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to her until months later.
What kinds of things should parents be looking out for? Doctors say that fussiness, fever, swelling at injection site, temporary loss of appetite, followed by sleepiness are normal. Although I have issues with that, those are not the important signs to be watching for. The things to be looking out for are: changes in behavior, loss of eye contact, inability to soothe or be consoled, SIDS, changes in bowel movement or digestion, increased sensitivity to sounds or sights or smells, changes in appetite, and anything that is "out of the norm" for your child. As a parent you are the first line of defense. That means that you will notice something waaaaay before the doctor will. It's a known fact that parents tend to compare their children to others and ironically that CAN be a good thing. Sometimes parents are blinded by their love for their children and so it's a good "check and balance" for milestones. For example, if you have a child that is 18 months old and they still have not said their first words and you see how others the same age are already able to communicate then that will be a big "red flag" for you to check it out.
I am going to go on record and say that I am NOT anti-vaccine. I have a few friends and family that think I am insane for continuing to vaccinate my children. However, I still think that vaccines work! I understand the physiology of the immune system and how the body produces antibodies, etc.... I also think that although our technology and health care are advanced enough to take care of some of these diseases, why put my child at risk and have him suffer? That is why it makes me SO MAD that they put all of these toxins in the vaccines. Why can't they make them safer? Well....let me tell you the answer: MONEY!
The reason that they added thimerosal to vaccines was because it was the cheapest way to preserve the vaccine and reduce bacterial contamination. You see, some of the vaccines come in big vials and when your child gets the shot they take a syringe and pull what they need out. That way, they can use one vial for multiple patients. That is why contamination is one of the biggest issues with vaccines. For a few cents more they could put them into separate syringes. However, doctors don't want to do that. My doctor won't order separate measles, mumps, and rubella because he told me that they have to get them in "batches".... well, as many patients as he has, I am sure they wouldn't go to waste. He just doesn't want to spend the few extra dollars that it would cost.
Check out this website: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/cdc-vac-price-list.htm (just copy and paste to go there)
Let me give you a good example: the MMR vaccine costs about $46.54 ...but the NEW MMRV (which includes the varicella or chicken pox vaccine) costs $124.37. The varicella alone costs $77.51. You do the math: $46.54 + $77.51 = $124.05... that's about the same price and actually a little cheaper, right? So....why is it a big deal for the doctor to push for the MMRV? Well...it's because getting the MMRV is a sure $124.37 plus their mark-up, plus the doctor's visit. It's so obvious that vaccines are definitely a money-maker for the doctors. Don't let them tell you otherwise.
The first time I heard about vaccines causing autism was when I took my daughter to see a pediatric neurologist. His name is Dr. Corbier and I would recommend him to anyone living in North Carolina. He used to have an office here in Alabama but recently relocated. I really miss him. Anyway, he mentioned that he had seen children have autistic symptoms after receiving vaccines. He told me that there were many people in the medical community who suspected that vaccines might be the cause for many neurological disorders. I was floored! I had heard about these claims before but never from a medical professional. Could my daughter have been damaged by the same thing that was supposed to protect her? It couldn't be?!
This was a big turning point for me. From that moment on, I did my research. I went online and read medical journals, read tons of books, found CDC websites, and then I found some wonderful organizations for parents with children who have autism. I began to read the stories of parents who had given birth to normal healthy kids but who now were autistic. I also read stories of recovery and hope. I began to see a trend. It seemed like the pattern was: parents suspect something is wrong after vaccines are administered....doctors either ignore it or say there is nothing wrong 'cause child is too young....then it's the "wait and see" attitude that occurs....followed by "let's test"....then FINALLY after a year or longer , the diagnosis.
The problem is that most parents don't know what to look for. Let me tell you...a newborn baby cannot talk, right? So all they can do is either cry or scream to let you know they are in pain. Well...if your child has more than just a few minutes of "fussiness" after a shot is given then there is definitely something wrong. My biggest concern is that most parents are told to give their child Tylenol or another type of pain-reliever and so they are taught to expect some of the behavior. That was the case with my children. My oldest came home with fever, fussiness, AND at times would arch his back from the pain. I gave him Tylenol with the following shots because I hated to see him that way. I just thought it was a "normal" thing. I had no idea! Then with my #2 it was worse. He was smaller than my first so I bet his little body was overwhelmed. I remember how he would cry so much that he would fall asleep from exhaustion. He would clench his fists and just scream! Again, I just thought this was normal. My daughter had episodes where her hands and feet would turn blue. I called the doctor's office and they just dismissed it. They said it was normal because her circulatory system was still developing and so if she got cold it would happen. However, this was when my daughter was about 18 months old! I remember calling my friend and asking her about it. She wisely told me to seek another opinion and to take her to a specialist. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to her until months later.
What kinds of things should parents be looking out for? Doctors say that fussiness, fever, swelling at injection site, temporary loss of appetite, followed by sleepiness are normal. Although I have issues with that, those are not the important signs to be watching for. The things to be looking out for are: changes in behavior, loss of eye contact, inability to soothe or be consoled, SIDS, changes in bowel movement or digestion, increased sensitivity to sounds or sights or smells, changes in appetite, and anything that is "out of the norm" for your child. As a parent you are the first line of defense. That means that you will notice something waaaaay before the doctor will. It's a known fact that parents tend to compare their children to others and ironically that CAN be a good thing. Sometimes parents are blinded by their love for their children and so it's a good "check and balance" for milestones. For example, if you have a child that is 18 months old and they still have not said their first words and you see how others the same age are already able to communicate then that will be a big "red flag" for you to check it out.
I am going to go on record and say that I am NOT anti-vaccine. I have a few friends and family that think I am insane for continuing to vaccinate my children. However, I still think that vaccines work! I understand the physiology of the immune system and how the body produces antibodies, etc.... I also think that although our technology and health care are advanced enough to take care of some of these diseases, why put my child at risk and have him suffer? That is why it makes me SO MAD that they put all of these toxins in the vaccines. Why can't they make them safer? Well....let me tell you the answer: MONEY!
The reason that they added thimerosal to vaccines was because it was the cheapest way to preserve the vaccine and reduce bacterial contamination. You see, some of the vaccines come in big vials and when your child gets the shot they take a syringe and pull what they need out. That way, they can use one vial for multiple patients. That is why contamination is one of the biggest issues with vaccines. For a few cents more they could put them into separate syringes. However, doctors don't want to do that. My doctor won't order separate measles, mumps, and rubella because he told me that they have to get them in "batches".... well, as many patients as he has, I am sure they wouldn't go to waste. He just doesn't want to spend the few extra dollars that it would cost.
Check out this website: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/cdc-vac-price-list.htm (just copy and paste to go there)
Let me give you a good example: the MMR vaccine costs about $46.54 ...but the NEW MMRV (which includes the varicella or chicken pox vaccine) costs $124.37. The varicella alone costs $77.51. You do the math: $46.54 + $77.51 = $124.05... that's about the same price and actually a little cheaper, right? So....why is it a big deal for the doctor to push for the MMRV? Well...it's because getting the MMRV is a sure $124.37 plus their mark-up, plus the doctor's visit. It's so obvious that vaccines are definitely a money-maker for the doctors. Don't let them tell you otherwise.
Okay....now I am going to touch the subject of the new Gardasil vaccine. Go to CDC website on the VAERS report on the vaccine: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaers/gardasil.htm
This is not a "quack" website....this is the actual CDC website that regulates vaccines and medicines. Do you see how they downplay the reactions? Do you see how they still have some reports "pending further investigation"? Did you catch the part where it says, "VAERS defines serious adverse events by the Code of Federal Regulations as adverse events involving hospitalizations, death, permanent disability, and life-threatening illness." Did you see how they placed "death" in the middle? I know first-hand how this works. We are in the process of trying to report autistic symptoms as a side-effect of vaccines with our daughter through the Omnibus Trial Hearing. We already got our first response and you know what it said? First, it said that we might have missed the statute of limitations. Secondly, it states that we haven't proved our case because we didn't take our daughter to the doctor immediately after the vaccine was given! You see....we CALLED the doctor and they said everything was fine. Remember? Also, when we finally saw the doctor, he didn't put anywhere in his notes that we were concerned about her symptoms. It didn't say anything at all! So, it looks like it was another "well-baby" check-up!
Please learn from my mistakes. Make sure to go to the doctor if you suspect anything. Also, make sure you have documentation. Don't just downplay your child's symptoms. Make sure the doctor knows your concerns and have some laboratory testing done if applicable. That will help you if you need it later. Lastly, don't ignore your instincts. I had a feeling deep within my gut that something was wrong with my daughter. I should not have ignored it. I trusted the doctor and I was disillusioned
In conclusion, if your child has an adverse reaction to a vaccine and the doctors won't acknowledge it then by all means STOP. Look for another doctor that will listen. There are so many things that can act as allergens in vaccines. As many of you already know, allergies can manifest itself in many ways such as behavior, physical, physiological, and even death. I still can't get over how doctors claim that there is no connection. Let me put it to you this way: if you have a child who eats eggs and he has an allergic reaction then you won't feed that child anymore eggs. That doesn't mean that eggs are bad for all kids, it just means that your child can't tolerate them. If you have other kids then you will probably test them for an allergy to eggs, right? You might even wait to introduce the eggs until they are a bit older.
Well... that's my take on the vaccine issue. Let's come up with a way to screen kids who might be susceptible or weaker. Let's wait at least a couple months before introducing all sorts of toxins and crazy ingredients into their tiny bodies and immature systems. New parents go crazy boiling water, sanitizing everything, and even testing toys now for lead. However, we don't think twice about injecting formaldehyde, mercury, and anti-freeze into our newborn babies. Makes sense to me........NOT!!!
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"We wish to state, very clearly, that we are not against all
vaccines, but we do believe there is strong evidence to
suggest that some of the ingredients may be hazardous
and that our children are being given too many, too soon!"
-Jenny McCarthy
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