The CancerCoverUp.com Monthly Newsletter | MAY 2005 |

[Guest guest]

" Cancer-CoverUp.com " <webmaster

 

The CancerCoverUp.com Monthly Newsletter | MAY 2005 | Volume

4, Issue 5

Sat, 30 Apr 2005 22:00:08 -0700

 

http://www.cancercoverup.com/newsletter/05-2005/default.asp

 

The Autism Epidemic:

Is Organized Medicine Hiding The Truth?

Part One

By Kathleen Deoul

 

THE TRAGEDY OF AUTISM

 

Perhaps the most painful experience any parent can have is the

discovery that their child suffers from some type of affliction. As

heartbreaking as such a discovery is in any circumstance, for parents

of autistic children, the heartbreak can be especially poignant.

 

In the most severe cases, autistic children seem to be in a world of

their own avoiding even eye contact. About half never learn to speak,

and many have trouble with nonverbal communication. Imagine what it

would be like if your child misinterpreted a hug as an assault as

these children can. Particularly frightening for parents of autistic

children is the self-destructive behavior they can exhibit. Some

children repeatedly bang their heads against a wall or table. Other

children scratch or rub their skin until it bleeds. Still others bite

their hands oblivious to the pain.

 

Worst of all, when a parent faced with the tragedy of an autistic

child seeks help; they are often told that little can be done!

 

Yet, even in the tragedy of autism there can be a ray of light. About

10 percent of autistic children, termed " autistic savants, "

demonstrate extraordinary skills in some area. Raymond, the character

the actor Dustin Hoffman portrayed in the film " Rain Man " was such an

individual. Among the most common special talents exhibited by these

" autistic savants " are mathematical ability, musical ability and

artistic ability. Notably, each of these areas represents an area of

nonverbal communication.

 

One case history supports the notion that such " autistic savants " are

seeking a means to communicate. An autistic child named Nadia

exhibited savant abilities as an artist. She drew pictures of horses

so beautiful that they were compared to the work of Rembrandt! But

when Nadia learned to speak after extensive therapy, she lost her

artistic ability.

TYPES OF AUTISM

 

One little-known fact is that autism is not really a disease. Rather

it is what is termed a " spectrum disorder, " a set of symptoms that can

vary in severity from a slight impairment to a totally disabling

condition. To date five different types of autism have been identified:

 

Autistic Disorder: This is the form most people associate with the

term autism. It is characterized by impairments of social interaction,

communication and imaginative play; stereotyped behaviors, interests

and activities. It is usually evident before the age of 3.

 

Asperger's Disorder: This is sometimes referred to as

" high-functioning autism. " One important difference between Asperger's

Disorder and other forms of autism is that there is no deficiency in

either speech or cognitive ability. Indeed, many individuals believed

to suffer from Asperger's Disorder have above average intelligence.

For example, Albert Einstein, author Vladimir Nabakov, composer Bela

Bartok and artist Andy Warhol are all believed to have suffered from

Asperger's Disorder.

 

Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD): This term is really a catch-all

for children who do not meet all of the requirements for the diagnosis

of a specific form of autism, but who nonetheless exhibit severe and

pervasive impairment in many of the behaviors associated with autism.

 

Rett's Disorder: This form of autism primarily affects girls and can

be among the most disheartening for parents. Children suffering from

this disease initially develop normally, but then begin to lose their

acquired skills. Ultimately motor skills are severely impaired and

profound mental retardation occurs.

 

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD): Like Rett's Disorder,

children afflicted with CDD initially develop normally. In some cases,

it can be as long as four years before the symptoms begin to manifest.

When it does, however, the child rapidly regresses losing acquired

skills and ultimately becoming severely disabled. Although in some

cases, treatment can result in a partial reversal of the process, such

success is rare and the prognosis for improvement is worse than for

autism.

AN AUTISM EPIDEMIC

 

While medical science claims to know little about autism, one thing is

certain: its incidence is increasing at epidemic proportions. In the

early 1980s, the proportion of children diagnosed with the most acute

form of autism annually was roughly one in 10,000. But since that

time, there has been a frightening increase. In one study of five

counties surrounding Atlanta, CDC researchers reported a rate of one

in 375 - almost 27 times more than in the 1980s. Worse, some research

suggests that the rate may be as high as one in 150, or almost 67

times the rate of the early 1980s!

 

Other data confirm the worst fears about the incredible increase in

autism rates. According to the United States Department of Education,

in 1993, there were 12,222 autistic children enrolled in federal

school programs. By 2000, that number had skyrocketed to 65,396. It is

important to remember that these figures reflect only those children

who are over the age of six and are enrolled in special programs

financed by the government. Many school jurisdictions do not provide

such services. In fact, one estimate places the number of autistic

children in the United States at over 1.5 million!

 

To illustrate what these figures mean, consider the following:

 

In the 1990s:

 

* The U.S. population increased 13%.

* The number of Disabled people in America increased by 16%.

* The number of children with autism increased 172%!

 

But what could have caused this startling rise in children afflicted

with autism?

AUTISM AND VACCINES

 

Many parents believed that the cause was the vaccines the government

mandated for young children - and more specifically an additive to

those vaccines.

 

For more than a decade, a debate raged over the role that thimerosal,

a preservative used in most vaccines until recently, might or might

not have in causing autism. On the one side were parents who believed

that the mercury contained in thimerosal was causing neurological

damage that resulted in autism.

 

Their concerns were not baseless.

 

It has long been known that mercury is a potent neurotoxin. Indeed,

the expression " Mad as a Hatter " came from the widespread mercury

poisoning among " felters " who made hats during the 18th Century. They

commonly used liquid mercury to roll the brims of hats, and after

years of exposure suffered a broad range of neurological symptoms

including depression, vasomotor disturbance, loss of motor control and

shyness.

 

But it was not just the fact that the vaccines contained mercury that

concerned the parents, it was the amount of mercury their children

were ingesting.

 

By the time a child reached the age of two, they would have been given

187.5 micrograms of methylmercury, up to 150 times more than the EPA

limit!

 

Despite the known toxicity of methylmercury, Big Pharma and Organized

Medicine insisted that there was no proof of any harm related to

vaccination. But Congress was becoming increasingly concerned about

the possible autism-mercury link, and Big Pharma and Organized

Medicine were feeling the heat. But there was a practical

consideration as well. If it turned out that there was a link between

thimerosal and autism, vaccine manufacturers could be liable for

billions of dollars in damages - something their ravenous appetite for

profits would simply not permit! So, to silence the critics, they had

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conduct a study to

settle the issue once and for all.

BIG PHARMA RESPONDS

 

The findings of the CDC analysis were published In the November 2003

issue of the Journal " Pediatrics " and appeared to vindicate Big Pharma.

 

Dr. Frank DeStefano of the CDC was blunt in his assessment of the

report's results:

 

" The final results of the study show no statistical association

between thimerosal vaccines and harmful health outcomes in children. "

 

In other words, the report concluded that there was no link between

vaccines and autism. The media, always accommodating to Big Pharma and

its allies in Organized Medicine was quick to trumpet the findings as

putting an end to the debate.

 

After all, this was the CDC, and if they said there was no problem,

their conclusions were beyond dispute!

 

Or were they?

 

Parents who had been active on the thimerosal issue smelled a rat, but

fortunately they had a rat catcher on their side: Florida Congressman

Dave Weldon!

CATCHING THE RAT

 

A physician and Army veteran who worked his way through college,

graduating with high honors, the five-term Representative had the

medical expertise to recognize that something was amiss with the CDC

study and the guts to take on Big Pharma!

 

Using the powers of his congressional office, Weldon obtained early

versions of the study and, perhaps more important, the transcript of a

secret meeting held by the researchers.

 

What Weldon discovered was shocking!

 

In a letter to Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, the Florida Congressman took the

agency to task:

 

" I have read the upcoming Pediatrics study and several earlier

versions of this study dating back to February 2000. I have read

various emails from Dr. Verstraeten and coauthors. I have reviewed

transcripts of a discussion at Simpsonwood, GA between the author and

various CDC employees, and vaccine industry representatives. I found a

disturbing pattern which merits a thorough, open, timely and

independent review by researchers outside of the CDC, HHS, the vaccine

industry, and others with a conflict of interest in vaccine related

issues (including many in University settings who may have conflicts). "

 

Weldon's letter continued:

 

" A review of these documents leaves me very concerned that rather

than seeking to understand whether or not some children were exposed

to harmful levels of mercury in childhood vaccines in the 1990s, there

may have been a selective use of data to make the associations in the

earliest study disappear. While most childhood vaccines now only have

trace amounts of mercury from thimerosal containing vaccines (TCVs),

it is critical that we know with certainty if children were injured in

the 1990s. "

 

Weldon, it appeared, had caught the CDC researchers red-handed! They

never dreamed that anyone could find out what they were up to, but

then they didn't count on being investigated by a Congressman whose

office had the power to obtain data that an average individual could not.

 

And what was it his office discovered?

 

According to his letter:

 

" The first version of the study produced in February, 2000, found

a significant association between exposure to thimerosal containing

vaccines (TCVs) and autism and neurological developmental delays

(NDDs). When comparing children exposed to 62.5 micrograms of mercury

by 3 months of age to those exposed to less than 37.5 micrograms, the

study found a relative risk of autism of 2.48 with a higher exposure

level. "

 

In other words, the first version of the report said that there was a

definite link between thimerosal and autism - exactly the opposite of

the result reported in the final report published in Pediatrics!

 

But how could this be?

IF THE FACTS DON'T FIT, COOK THE BOOKS!

 

According to Weldon:

 

" A June 2000 version of the study applied various data

manipulations to reduce the autism association… "

 

In other words, they cooked the books!

 

According to what Weldon discovered, they did more than just adjust

the statistics. When the information in the Vaccine Safety Database or

VSD they had assembled simply would not support their conclusions,

they went to another source for data to:

 

" …counter the associations between TCVs and speech delays. "

 

Remember, speech delays are one of the earliest and most important

symptoms of autism!

 

But that's not all.

 

The database they added was from the Harvard Pilgrim, or HP HMO in

Massachusetts. But there was good reason to believe that the database

was so flawed as to be useless!

 

Weldon noted:

 

" At the time that HP's data was brought in, HP was in receivership

by the state of Mass., its computer records had been in shambles for

years, it had multiple computer systems that could not communicate

with one another (Journal of Law, Ethics and Medicine Sept. 22, 2000)

and it used a health care coding system totally different from the one

used across the VSD. There are questions relating to a significant

underreporting of Autism in Mass. The HP dataset is only about 15% of

the HMO dataset used in the February 2000 study. There may also be

significant problems with the statistical power of the HP dataset. "

 

In computer jargon there is an expression: " garbage in - garbage out,

or GIGO. " The HP database was a classic example of this phenomenon. It

is difficult to believe that the experienced researchers at the CDC

would not have been aware of this fact, and of the fact that any

conclusions reached on the basis of analyzing the HP data were

essentially meaningless.

 

But if they knew, or should have known that they had a seriously

flawed database why would they use it?

 

The transcripts of a secret meeting at Simpsonwood, GA suggest that

they probably were fully aware of what they were doing.

A SECRET MEETING

 

Weldon summarized several key passages from the transcript in his

letter to Dr. Gerberding. What they revealed made suspicions that the

study intentionally altered the data's conclusions all the more valid.

 

In regard to the association between thimerosal and autism, Dr.

Verstraeten's comments were in direct conflict with the final report's

conclusions:

 

" We found a statistically significant relationship between

exposures and outcomes. There is certainly an under ascertainment of

adverse outcomes because some children are just simply not old enough

to be diagnosed, the current incidence rates are much lower than we

would expect to see. "

 

In other words, not only was there a link, but it was probably far

greater than even the first version of the study indicated.

 

Dr. Verstraeten also apparently told the group:

 

" The significant association with language delay is quite large. "

 

Don't forget that one of the earliest and most important indicators of

autism is language delay! Also, remember that the HP data was

introduced for the express purpose of countering the association

between thimerosal and language delay the original study discovered!

As to whether or not the researchers were aware of what they were

doing, the transcript again is damning!

 

One researcher said:

 

" We can push and pull this data any way we want to get the results

we want. "

 

Another said:

 

" We can alter the exclusion criteria any way we want, give

reasonable justification for doing so, and get any result we want. "

 

Weldon was both pointed and caustic in his criticism of the final

report's conclusions.

 

" The final version of the study concludes that 'no consistent

significant associations were found between TCVs and

neurodevelopmental outcomes,' and that the lack of consistency argues

against an association. In reviewing the study there are data points

where children with higher exposures to the neurotoxin mercury had

fewer developmental disorders. This demonstrates to me how excessive

manipulation can lead to absurd results. Such a conclusion is not

unexpected from an author with a serious, though undisclosed conflict

of interest. "

 

What conflict of interest was Weldon talking about?

 

As it turns out, Dr. Thomas Verstraeten, the lead researcher on the

project had left the CDC two years prior to the final report's release

to go to work for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the huge multinational

pharmaceutical firm. Moreover, his new employer, as one of the largest

vaccine manufacturers, was facing a potentially multi-billion dollar

liability in regard to TCVs.

 

Yet, despite its own policy of listing the potential conflicts of

interest of any authors whose studies it published, in the case of Dr.

Verstraeten, Pediatrics failed to do so! Not only that, but the

Journal even misidentified him as a CDC employee!

 

By hiding this critical piece of information, the Journal left readers

with a false sense of credibility that would clearly not have been

there if they were fully aware of the blatant conflict that existed!

 

Still, this failure should not have come as a surprise. Earlier

studies of the autism-thimerosal link had been fraught with similar

conflicts of interest that had also been ignored.

 

One might have thought that Big Pharma and Organized Medicine would

have viewed the release of the Pediatrics article as a sufficient

proof that they were blameless in regard to rising autism rates and

let the debate end there. But with billions in potential liability at

stake, they weren't about to take a chance.

 

An Institute of Medicine panel had been reviewing the possible link

between autism and thimerosal for several years and was due to issue

its report in early 2004. Big Pharma and Organized Medicine were going

to make sure that this report, too, said exactly what they wanted it

to - and they felt confident they could.

 

The trouble is, in their arrogance, they failed to take into account

the possibility that a man of principal might rise up to call their

bluff - a man like Dave Weldon.

 

Next month in Part Two of the " The Autism Epidemic: Is Organized

Medicine Hiding The Truth?, " we learn what Dave Weldon discovered in

his investigation of the Institute of Medicine report and how the

Institute of Medicine tried to foil an outside investigation.