New Autism Cure - breakthrough treatments and cures for autism

The autism rates of been on the rise for years and though there are many theories, there are no definite explanations to the increase of cases.

On December 1st, 2009, in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, a report was released comparing cases of Autism with the MMR (Measles-Mumps Rubella) Vaccine. Some earlier cases suggested an association between the two, while other studies showed otherwise.

In this newest, small scale study, there were 96 autism cases of children from ages 12 to 15, and 192 healthy children matched to cases by birth year and sex. Other factors in the study included mother’s age, medication during pregnancy, generation time, and perinatal injury in the analysis and it was found MMR vaccine was not linked to increased risk of autism.

Of children vaccinated before diagnosis, those who were vaccinated with MMR were at 83 percent reduced risk of autism and those vaccinated with single measles vaccine were at 56 percent reduced risk compared to those who were non-vaccinated.

Vaccinated children were at 72 percent reduced risk of autism compared to those who were did not receive measles vaccine.

The researchers concluded that “the study provides evidence against the association of autism with either MMR or a single measles vaccine.”

Melissa hardly ever got sick. Even when she did, she’d take some over-the-counter medication, head into work and tough through it. When you’re a mom, you learn to deal with minor aches, pains and colds because there’s no such thing as  a”sick day”. Minor bumps and bruises are something you also expect to get when you’re taking care of children.  When Melissa accidentally slammed her hand in a door,  she simply went to the emergency room to be safe. Little did she know one precautionary visit to the emergency room would change her life forever.

When she arrived, the doctor asked her if she had gotten a Tetanus shot. It had been years since she had gotten one, so the doctor ordered one right away. In addition, she had not had her flu shot either, so this was also administered. Melissa went home assuming she had been guarded against any further complications.

A week later, Melissa developed a sore throat and a cough, which are typical flu shot symptoms. She took some Tylenol, and proceeded to carry on her life as usual. About three weeks after she first noticed the flu-like symptoms, they progressed to nausea which sent her back to the emergency room. There, she was given a shot for nausea and sent home. 2 days later, Melissa had gotten progressively worse and went to another hospital’s emergency room where she described her hands, arms, feet and toes were numb. The hospital admitted her into the hospital to try and diagnose what was wrong.

Later in her room, she got even worse. She was dizzy, had blurred vision, couldn’t swallow and was losing her ability to speak. The hospital ordered an MRI and a CT scan. The CT scan showed lesions on her brain in the area that controls basic motor skills - seeing, speech and walking. The MRI was just as bad - the protective covering had been stripped from her spinal cord. Based on their findings, doctors gave Melissa’s family little to no hope of her survival.  They were certain that she was not going to make it through this as the odds were stacked against her.

The day after she arrived at the hospital for the third time since her Flu and Tetanus shots, Melissa was transferred to the ICU unit of Barrow Neurological Institute.  For 1 1/2 weeks, Melissa remained in the ICU while her family stood by waiting for her to meet her expected death.  The doctors diagnosed her with post-viral rhombencephalitis - an infection of the brain affecting motor skills. It was explained that Melissa’s body had began to attack and destroy her brain stem.

For the next 12 days, Melissa was given a 7 day treatment of immunoglobulin to restore her anti-bodies as “the plasma was too dirty to fight off whatever was attacking her body. She spent 2 more weeks in the ICU and was given Steroids.

Thankfully, Melissa has not met the immediate demise that doctors had expected her to. She has been out of the hospital for about 3 weeks now but has a long road of rehabilitation ahead of her due to her during her lengthy stay in the hospital and the various medical procedures she endured that caused her to lose much of her balance and strength.  She is still very swollen from the steroids which she will have to continue taking for the next 2 1/2 months. She also reports problems sleeping and a problem with acne, which she had never experienced before.

Melissa’s story and many others remind us to take extra care when getting any kind of vaccine or medical treatment no matter how routine it is. It is the talk of many medical experts that the H1N1 -Swine Flu Vaccine can cause birth defects including autism when administered to women who are pregnant. It is very important to do your homework  and know the side effects of any and all medications and vaccines that you or your children receive. It is true that medicine is advancing everyday, but if we are not educated in side effects, etc, then it advances at our expense and that of our loved ones.

It is worth mentioning that it is not yet known what exactly caused Melissa’s illness - however they are very certain it was the flu shot that she received - particularly because of the rapid progression of her condition within 1 week of receiving the vaccine, which was not notated on her chart. This is also being investigated.

Bottom line:   Know your facts - do your research - ask questions.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about Vitamin D and how the rise in Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the rise in autism, but vitamin D is not the only deficiency that has been linked to autism and some people are suggesting that a deficiency in vitamin A may be responsible.

As I have said before, the Standard American Diet is not healthy and, although we may be eating a lot and filling ourselves up, many of us are actually malnourished because our diet does not contain enough of the essential nutrients that our bodies need to function properly and for our children to develop and grow correctly. Instead our diets are high in sugar, fats, salt and empty calories. However, low fat diets can also be bad for us because by not eating an adequate amount of fat we may actually be causing our bodies to be deficient in vitamin A, which is found in foods like full fat dairy foods, liver and cod liver oil.

Autism and Vaccines

In a study entitled “Is Autism a G-Alpha Protein Defect Reversible with Natural Vitamin A?”, Mary Megson, MD, a developmental pediatrician, argues that “Autism may be a disorder linked to the disruption of the G-alpha protein, affecting retinoid receptors in the brain” and that some cases of autism may be caused by “inserting a G-alpha protein defect, the pertussis toxin found in the D.P.T. vaccine, into genetically at-risk children”. This study also argues that the live viral measles vaccine (MMR) depletes a child’s existing supply of vitamin A and so has a negative impact on the retinoid receptors in the brain.

Megson, in an article entitled “Autism and Vaccinations”, reports that this G-Alpha protein defect causes:-

• Night blindness
• Problems seeing light-to-dark shading
• Problems perceiving what they are seeing - Children try to make sense of things by lining up toys, sorting objects by color etc.
• Avoidance of eye contact - Megson believes that this is because the child is trying to get light to “land off center in the retina”.
• Hypersensitivity - A gentle touch can feel rough, common sounds can sound harsh.

Is Vitamin A the Answer?

Megson writes of how she has been treating autistic children effectively with cod liver oil, a source of vitamin A retinol, to “bypass blocked G protein pathways and turn on these central retinoid receptors”. She reports that there were marked improvements in the children in just a few days, including improved eye contact and better vision and perception. After two months of this vitamin A treatment, the children were given a single dose of a drug called bethanechol, to stimulate pathways. These children were then able to talk, laugh, focus and concentrate - a huge improvement!

Research like this really does emphasize the need to give our children a nutrient rich diet and to make sure that we make up for any potential deficiencies with supplements. Cod liver oil is great for children because it is a great source of vitamins D and A (deficiencies have been linked to autism), omega 3 essential fatty acids, and it also offers us the following benefits:-

• Improved blood flow
• Reduced risk of coronary heart disease
• Stronger bones and teeth
• Better vision
• Healthier skin
• Healthy joints
• Healthy brain development

There are many different types of cod liver oil supplements available for children - syrups, capsules, chewy tablets etc., so you’re bound to find one that your child likes and will take without any problem.

You can read Dr Megson’s article and study at:-

http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/autism.html

http://www.whale.to/vaccines/autism35.html

It was the Vaccine Court Poling Case that brought the possible link between Mitochondrial Disease out into the open in 2008. The Poling family won compensation, in the form of an out of court settlement, because they were able to convince people that their daughter Hannah’s autism was a result of nine vaccines that had been administered to her just 48 hours before Hannah developed the first signs and symptoms of autism.

Hannah Poling suffered from Mitochondrial Disease, or dysfunction, a disorder that she had inherited from her mother, and it is not known whether it was the vaccines alone that caused her autism or whether her mitochondrial disease had left her vulnerable to the vaccines triggering the autism. The Chief Science Officer of the charity “Autism Speaks” thinks that in cases like Hannah Poling, the vaccinations stimulate the immune system, putting stress on the functioning of the cells in of the body and exacerbating the symptoms of the Mitochondrial Disease that the child already has and triggering autism symptoms.

Mitochondrial Disease

Mitochondrial Disease is not just one disease, but is actually a collection of over 40 different disorders that affect the mitochondria. The mitochondria are the “powerhouse” organelles (subunits) of cells known as the eukaryote cells. The job of the mitochondria is to covert energy from food molecules into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) which is needed to power cells and for metabolism.

Mitochondrial Disease has many different characteristics, depending on where the defective DNA has been distributed in the body, but symptoms can include:-

• Muscle weakness
• Heart problems
• Episodes similar to strokes
• Problems with co-ordination and motor skills
• Seizures
• Vomiting
• Developmental delays

Evidence Linking Autism and Mitochondrial Disease

As well as the Poling Case, a Portuguese Study has also suggested a link between autism spectrum disorders and Mitochondrial Disease. This study (”Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Population-based Study” 2005) looked at 69 autistic children and found that five of the group had mitochondrial abnormalities. A US Study by Dr John Shoffner backed this up by finding that about 20% of autism sufferers also have markers for mitochondrial disease.

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