Guest guest Posted May 10, 2004 Report Share Posted May 10, 2004 Mon, 10 May 2004 10:08:26 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Forest? What Forest? Forest? What Forest? Health Sciences Institute e-Alert May 10, 2004 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, You can say one thing for government bureaucracies: They're reliably infuriating. This time it's the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose representatives still can't see the forest because all those trees keep getting in the way. ----------------------------- Seeing what they want to see ----------------------------- Last year, a study published in the Journal of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons examined extensive data on vaccines in children. The astonishing conclusion: Children who receive just three vaccines containing the mercury-based preservative thimerosal are 27-times more likely to develop autism, compared to children who get vaccinations containing no thimerosal. This was no surprise to the many researchers who have recognized that mercury-exposure to children through vaccines dramatically increased over the past 15 years, while the rate of autism jumped from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 150 over the same period. But the CDC is having none of it. Last week, CDC reps announced their recommendation that children aged 6 months to 23 months should receive flu shots (which contain thimerosal) as part of the standard schedule of immunizations. Steve Cochi, the acting director of the National Immunization Program underlined the CDC's official view of the vaccine-autism connection, citing a " lack of scientific evidence. " But CDC officials are almost certainly aware of a huge body of scientific evidence that supports the vaccine-autism link. For instance: The evidence used in the study mentioned above was collected from data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. And the source of the data? Sure, you saw it coming: The archives of the CDC. ----------------------------- Hurry... supplies are limited ----------------------------- Responding to the CDC announcement, U.S. congressman Dave Weldon of Florida (who also happens to be a doctor) said he was " outraged. " And he added, " One thing we can be certain of is that injecting mercury into an eight-, 12- or 16-pound infant cannot have a positive effect on that child, particularly when one in six infants is born with a mercury level that the EPA considers harmful. " The one bit of good news here is that parents can request thimerosal-free flu shots for their kids. The bad news is that they'd best do it right now because the number of immunizations without thimerosal will be limited and will even need to be special ordered by doctors who don't keep it on hand. The cost of the non-thimerosal shot will be considerably higher as well. Sounds a little crazy, doesn't it? Your child can have a normal flu shot, or - for a slight additional charge - they can provide a SAFER shot with one of the toxins removed. So... which would you like? With-toxin or without? The problem is that most parents will probably never even know they have a choice. And the CDC is partly to blame because officials decided not to offer that information along with their recommendation to add the flu shot to the standard vaccine schedule for infants. ----------------------------- Don't postpone hope ----------------------------- Today, most vaccines don't contain thimerosal. In 1999, the U.S. Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics petitioned drug companies to remove thimerosal from vaccines intended for children, and by and large, vaccine manufacturers have complied. (Think about it: Would any of this have transpired if the scientific evidence was truly lacking?) Of course, this change doesn't help the many thousands of children who have already been diagnosed with autism. But in spite of the mainstream medical community mindset that autism is basically " untreatable, " there is some hope. I recently received an e-mail from an HSI member named Randy who is the parent of an autistic child. Randy writes: " I searched your archives but I was not able to find any research articles on autism and/or supplements that may be beneficial for autistic children. If possible, please dedicate some research towards any holistic approaches for treating autism. " Knowing that HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., has used nutritional treatments for various disorders in children, I asked him to field Randy's questions, and here's what he had to offer: " The problem is there is a lot of conflicting information concerning autism and its treatment. Through it all, the work of Dr. Bernard Rimland has been steadily developing for several decades. He found that high dose nutrient therapies can have distinct, positive effects on a high percentage of cases of autistic children. Vitamins C, pantothenic acid, and particularly pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and magnesium are the mainstays. But there is more to it, and don't think for a second that vaccines (specifically the MMR) and mercuric compounds (thimerosal) aren't involved. " Such treatment, however, is more involved than 'just swallow a vitamin C and send the kid to college,' but I've found that parents are nearly always willing to do the homework in this field that sometimes the docs are not entirely informed about. I'd strongly suggest getting familiar with Dr. Rimland's site for the Autism Research Institute (ARI), at autism.com/ari. " ----------------------------- Bucking the system ----------------------------- I agree with Dr. Spreen. The ARI web site is an excellent source of information about autism and the natural treatments that Dr. Rimland has been developing for more than 40 years. The parent of an autistic child, Dr. Rimland was one of the first to dispel the myth that autism was hopeless and untreatable. His son is now in his late forties and is an internationally recognized artist. In addition to establishing the Autism Society of America (1965) and the Autism Research Institute (1967), Dr. Rimland created the Defeat Autism Now! Conference (DAN!), which brought together some of the world's leading autism researchers and scientists. Since 1995, DAN! has developed guidelines for diagnosis of autism, and non-pharmaceutical approaches to treatment. A listing of doctors who follow the procedures outlined by DAN! is available on the ARI web site. I'm sure that Randy and other parents and grandparents of autistic children will find useful information there, as well as a refreshing alternative to the discouraging mainstream attitude toward autism. ************************************************************** ... and another thing I've never had a glass of watermelon juice, and to be honest, it doesn't sound all that appealing, but for serious juicers, this is a beverage that can hit the spot in more ways than one. In two recent e-Alerts I've told you about the healthy benefits of consuming foods that contain high concentrations of two key carotenoids: lycopene and beta-carotene. Besides providing an excellent source of antioxidants, these carotenoids support immune function, vision health, and may help prevent certain types of cancer. And because carotenoids provide plants with colorful pigments, fruits and vegetables are the best dietary sources. Watermelon is one of the few foods that deliver both lycopene and beta-carotene. A 2003 study from the USDA revealed that the juice from three cups of diced watermelon, taken daily, may result in blood serum lycopene and beta-carotene concentrations that are five times higher than in people with diets that are low in the two carotenoids. The study also showed that a daily intake of more than 3 cups of watermelon didn't increase the concentrations. So you don't need to drink a gallon of watermelon juice to enjoy the positive effects. Although the study used watermelon juice, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to suppose that eating a couple of large slices of watermelon would help raise lycopene and beta-carotene levels as well. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit: http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopya.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert. ************************************************************** Sources: " CDC Vaccine Data Leads Scientists to Shocking Discovery " National Autism Association Press Release, 2/9/04, biz. " CDC's Unspoken Acceptance of Vaccine Additive Raises Furor " Sandy Kleffman, Contra Costa Times, 5/2/04, contracostatimes.com " Kids' Flu Shots Can Be Ordered Free of Mercury " Kathleen O'Dell, News-Leader, 4/18/04, news-leader.com " Autism is Treatable! " Congressional Testimony of Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., 11/19/03, autism.com/ari " Consumption of Watermelon Juice Increases Plasma Concentrations of Lycopene and Beta-Carotene in Humans " Journal of Nutrition, Vol. 133, No. 4, April 2003, nutrition.org " Watermelon Juice a Rich Source of Lycopene and Beta- Carotene " Darin Ingels, ND, Healthnotes Newswire, 6/26/03, pccnaturalmarkets.com Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please visit here http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/questions.html ************************************************************** If you'd like to participate in the HSI Forum, search past e-Alerts and products or you're an HSI member and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com ************************************************************** Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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