Friday, March 7, 2008

Senator John McCain Re-Ignites Autism Debate by Jeffrey Dach MD



Senator John McCain Implicates Vaccines in Autism


Senator John McCain has gone on record questioning the role of vaccines causing the increasing Autism epidemic. (13 )(14 )

“It’s indisputable that autism is on the rise among children. The question is, What’s causing it? And we go back and forth, and there’s strong evidence that indicates that it’s got to do with a preservative in vaccines.” says John McCain, Republican nominee for president.

The vaccine preservative is called thimerosol, also known as ethyl mercury. This statement places republican senator John McCain in the same camp with democrat Robert F Kennedy Jr .


Vaccine Court Admits Vaccination Caused a Child's Autism.

In an unprecedented and stunning verdict this month, the Vaccine Court has awarded compensation to a 9 year old girl, Hannah Poling of Athens Georgia who became autistic after vaccination. The girl has a documented underlying mitochondrial disorder. (1)(5)(6)(7)(11)

Hannah Poling appeared to be a normal child with normal verbal ability until she was vaccinated with 9 vaccines (5 shots) during a routine pediatric visit. Within 48 hours of the vaccination, Hannah developed high fever, cried continuously and stopped walking. Her sleep pattern was disturbed, and she was unable to sleep for more than a few hours at a time. Within three months, Hannah showed typical signs of autism, with autistic behavior such as spinning, staring at lights and fans, and severely reduced verbal ability.


Is Autism caused by Mutation in Mitochondrial DNA Aggravated by Toxins and Immune Challenges?


Hannah's father, Jon is a neurologist and wrote a case report about his daughter's mitochondrial disorder and autism.(19 ) A Portugese study suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction might be one of the most common disorders in Autism. (20 ) Others have found mitochondrial SNP genetic defects in autism involving the Mitochondrial Aspartate/Glutamate Carrier. (22 )(23 ) Dr. Pons at Columbia found mitochondrial DNA mutatons in 5 of 5 autistic children or their mothers.(25 )

Institutional Medicine Denies Any Autism Link with Vaccines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all denied any linkage between the vaccines and autism.

Institutional Medical Groups Petitioned for Mercury Removal from Vaccines

In 1999 the American Academy of Pediatrics joined the CDC, the FDA, and the National Institutes of Health issued a joint statement urging vaccine manufacturers to remove Thimerosol. (18 )

As of January 2008, most vaccines are thimerosol-free.(15 ) (16 ) However, the following vaccines still contain thimerosol (mercury): Multi Dose DT, Tetanus, Influenza, Multi-Dose Meningococcal.

For more on the Vaccine Autism link: Autism Vaccine Link Real or Imagined? (12 )

_________________________________________________________


References:


(1 ) http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-03-05-autism-vaccines_N.htm?POE=click-refer
USA Today Story, Officials: Vaccines may have injured girl
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Government health officials have conceded that childhood vaccines worsened a rare, underlying disorder that ultimately led to autism-like symptoms in a 9-year-old girl, and that she should be paid from a federal vaccine-injury fund.

(2 ) http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20080301/cm_huffpost/089318
Senator McCain: "Strong Evidence" of Autism-Vaccine Link
David Kirby Sat Mar 1, 4:21 PM ET Dear Senator McCain, It was with some amazement that I read about your comments, made tonight while campaigning in Texas, about a possible link between mercury in vaccines and autism.According to Jake Tapper at ABC News, a Texas mother of a child with autism asked you about the Federal Court document, first reported on Huffington Post last Monday, in which Justice Department officials conceded that vaccines had aggravated one child's underlying medical condition, resulting in a diagnosis of autism.

(3 ) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080107181551.htm
Autism: Removing Thimerosal From Vaccines Did Not Reduce Autism Cases In California, Report Finds ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2008) — Autism cases continued to increase in California after the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal was eliminated from most childhood vaccines, according to a new report.This suggests that exposure to thimerosal is not a primary cause of autism.

(4 ) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/senator-mccain-strong-e_b_89318.html
David Kirby letter to McCain on Huffington Post

(5 ) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/the-vaccineautism-court-_b_88558.html
The Vaccine-Autism Court Document Every American Should Read Posted February 26, 2008

(6 ) http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2086683.0.us_to_award_vaccine_damage_payment.php
sunday herald. US to award vaccine damage payment By Judith Duffy, Health Correspondent Campaigners hail decision as ‘unprecedented’ A DECISION by the US government to award compensation under its vaccine damage programme to a child diagnosed with symptoms of autism has been hailed as "unprecedented" by campaigners.

(7 ) http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19726464.100-autism-payout-reignites-vaccine-controversy.html?feedId=online-news_rss20
Autism payout reignites vaccine controversy 08 March 2008 From New Scientist Jim Giles

(8 ) http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/05/autism.vaccines.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch
Case renews debate on vaccine-autism link

(9 ) http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jPIMulfcbi1seZqbdrRmkoVP20IgD8V7I5FO0
AP News, Government Concedes Vaccine Injury Case
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE Government health officials have conceded that childhood vaccines worsened a rare, underlying disorder that ultimately led to autism-like symptoms in a Georgia girl, and that she should be paid from a federal vaccine-injury fund.

(10 ) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/imus-mccain-autism-and_b_89775.html?amp;cid=1139523449&ei=9UzOR7fiEoT2-wGmh4nvDg
Imus, McCain, Autism, and 08 Posted March 4, 2008 Transcript of radio interview.

(11 ) http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/health/stories/2008/03/06/autism_0306.html
March 6, 2008 Girl, 9, Helps Link Vaccines to Autism Cause By ALISON YOUNG The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 03/06/08 In a move autism family advocates call unprecedented, federal health officials have concluded that childhood vaccines contributed to symptoms of the disorder in a 9-year-old Georgia girl.

(12 ) http://jeffreydach.com/2007/10/11/autism-vaccines-and-robert-f-kennedy-jr-by-jeffrey-dach-md.aspx

(13 ) http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/03/04/mccain-strong-evidence-links-autism-to-vaccines/
March 4, 2008, McCain: ‘Strong Evidence’ Links Autism to Vaccines Posted by Jacob Goldstein

(14 ) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/us/politics/04autism.html?ex=1362373200
Into the Fray Over the Cause of Autism New Yoirk Times By BENEDICT CAREY March 4, 2008
“It’s indisputable that autism is on the rise among children,” Senator John McCain said while campaigning recently in Texas. “The question is, What’s causing it? And we go back and forth, and there’s strong evidence that indicates that it’s got to do with a preservative in vaccines.”

(15 ) http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t1
Thimerosal Content of Vaccines Routinely Recommended for Children 6 Years of Age and Younger - (updated 7/18/2005)

(16 ) http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm
Thimerosal Content in Some US Licensed Vaccines updated January 28, 2008

(17 ) http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/
Robert F Kennedy Jr Web Site

(18 ) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4826a3.htm
CDC Joint Statement asking for removal of thimersol from vaccines

(19 ) http://jcn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/2/170
Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 21, No. 2, 170-172 (2006)
Developmental Regression and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in a Child With Autism
Jon S. Poling, MD, PhD Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery Johns Hopkins Hospital Baltimore, MD

(20 ) http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=282214
Mitochondrial dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders: a population-based study
G Oliveira L Diogo M Grazina P Garcia A Ataíde Oeiras, Portugal.

Abstract. A minority of cases of autism has been associated with several different organic conditions, including bioenergetic metabolism deficiency. In a population-based study, we screened associated medical conditions in a group of 120 children with autism (current age range 11y 5mo to 14y 4mo, mean age 12y 11mo [SD 9.6mo], male:female ratio 2.9:1).

Children were diagnosed using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria, the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised, and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale; 76% were diagnosed with typical autism and 24% with atypical autism. Cognitive functional level was assessed with the Griffiths scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and was in the normal range in 17%. Epilepsy was present in 19 patients. Plasma lactate levels were measured in 69 patients, and in 14 we found hyperlactacidemia. Five of 11 patients studied were classified with definite mitochondrial respiratory chain disorder, suggesting that this might be one of the most common disorders associated with autism (5 of 69; 7.2%) and warranting further investigation.

(22 ) http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/161/4/662
Linkage and Association of the Mitochondrial Aspartate/Glutamate Carrier SLC25A12 Gene With Autism
Nicolas Ramoz, Ph.D., Jennifer G. Reichert, B.Sc., Christopher J. Smith, Ph.D., Jeremy M. Silverman, Ph.D., Irina N. Bespalova, Ph.D., Kenneth L. Davis, M.D., and Joseph D. Buxbaum, Ph.D.

(23 ) http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/162/11/2182
Am J Psychiatry 162:2182-2184, November 2005
Confirmation of Association Between Autism and the Mitochondrial Aspartate/Glutamate Carrier SLC25A12 Gene on Chromosome 2q31 Ricardo Segurado, B.A., Ph.D., Judith Conroy, B.A.,

(24 ) http://www.thoughtfulhouse.org/exploring-the-biomedical-issues-of-autism.pdf
AUTISM: THE EVOLUTION OF A DISEASE Bryan Jepson, MD Presented at the National Autism Association conference
asssociated with Thoughtful House and Wakefield

(25 ) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14722523
J Pediatr. 2004 Jan;144(1):81-5.
Mitochondrial DNA abnormalities and autistic spectrum disorders.

Pons R, Andreu AL, Checcarelli N, Vilà MR, Engelstad K, Sue CM, Shungu D, Haggerty R, de Vivo DC, DiMauro S. Departments of Neurology, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, USA.

OBJECTIVES: To further characterize mtDNA defects associated with autistic features, especially the A3243G mtDNA mutation and mtDNA depletion.

Study design Five patients with autistic spectrum disorders and family histories of mitochondrial DNA diseases were studied. We performed mtDNA analysis in all patients and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in three.

RESULTS: Three patients manifested isolated autistic spectrum features and two had additional neurologic symptoms. Two patients harbored the A3243G mutation. In two others, the A3243G mutation was not found in accessible tissues but was present in tissues from their mothers. The fifth patient had 72% mtDNA depletion in skeletal muscle.

CONCLUSIONS: Autistic spectrum disorders with or without additional neurologic features can be early presentations of the A3243G mtDNA mutation and can be a prominent clinical manifestation of mtDNA depletion. Mitochondrial dysfunction should be considered in patients who have autistic features and associated neurologic findings or who have evidence of maternal inheritance.

Jeffrey Dach MD
4700 Sheridan Suite T
Hollywood Florida 33021
954-983-1443

Original article can be found here.

(c) 2008 all rights reserved Jeffrey Dach MD http://www.drdach.com/
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great work Dr. Dach. The more MDs who's kids are autistic the better for this debate, they will get to the bottom of this like Dr. Poling. Such physicians will put the correct context on how this is happening, how to better vaccinate with safer schedules and materials (chitosan maybe be a new safer adjuvant than aluminum). It is sad, this situation shows how our federal government cares more about money than the children of this nation. State governments are having to clean up the neuro-molecular mess and its breaking school systems and state government budgets in addition to other financial strains. This country is in for hard times.

Dr. Cooperstock and Dr. Miles have little but culture and art to stand on, they can not debate real scientists like Haley and Engley. Sadly, it is they who have been lied to as well-but they cannot see it through the lens of their professional culture. Medicine is not as scientific as the public is lead to believe. It is full of art, and artful spins of greater good while we neglect the vulnerable-for fear of litigation.

EFFIIIMD

Anonymous said...

I have a 16 yr. old son who is on the spectrum. I never really knew what caused his autism, he always seemed sort of odd from other toddlers, not odd in a bad way except for the never sleeping part and missing milestones but just different . I figured it was all the ear infections as a baby, I never thought about the vaccines they tried to catch up in one visit (due those ear infections he was behind) so they had two nurses giving him shots in both his legs at the same time. Still it never occurred to me it was the vaccine party (this was in 1993 so I had not heard anything about the dangers of too many vaccines) they had, that is until he turned 12.

At age 12 I took him in for a routine exam, at this exam the doctor told me he needed a tetanus booster. Now by this time I had heard about the possible vaccine link, and even thou still not sure it was the cause, I was not pushing our luck, I asked them if this vaccine had thimerosol in it, which the doctor replied no, i asked 5 more times and five times she said no, so he got the vaccine. Two days later the school called saying something was wrong, my son was acting unusually odd, even for him, he was toe walking, walking back and forth repeating same phrases over and over, by the end of the week things were getting worse, he was crawling under tables and would not come out, putting his fingers in front of his face while looking up at lights. I could not figure out what was wrong nothing had happened, and these behaviors had been dealt with in the past , he was not doing them anymore at least not to this degree, and some of them were new behaviors we had never seen before. I then remembered the vaccine and went back to the clinic and asked for the package insert that came with that tetanus booster and there it was in the first paragraph "thimerosol". Of course I was upset, to say the least, and all the doctor (who gave him the vaccine and who apparently lied to me or was just to lazy to actually check for sure) could say was "sorry, but you know there is no connection between thimerosol and autism". Needless to say my son grew worse eventually being kicked out of school and then before the year was out I had to remove him from school completely.

This made my mind up right then, the vaccines had played a part in all of this, but I do think that maybe something else is reacting with the thimerosol. 1 in 150 get autism, so the other 149 don't? what is different about our 1? that is the question that needs to be answered, regardless it should have never happened and it should have been stopped as soon as the suspicion started.