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 SafeMinds Response to Thimerosal and Autism Pediatrics Study
The long awaited study that has been in the works for
almost a decade regarding investigation between thimerosal and autism was
published September 13, 2010 in Pediatrics. This study was funded by the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
and conducted by several parties with an interest in protecting vaccine use:
CDC staff involved in vaccine research and promotion; Abt Associates, a
contract research organization whose largest clients include vaccine
manufacturers and the CDC's National Immunization Program; America's Health
Insurance Plans, the trade group for the health insurance industry; and three
HMOs which receive substantial funding from vaccine manufacturers to conduct
vaccine licensing research.
Planning for this study began in 2001. Over the nine
year study period, the large external panel of consultants providing input to
the investigators was reduced to a small subset by study end. The original
large panel recommended against the study design ultimately employed, as
insufficient to answer the question of early thimerosal exposure and autism
rates. The CDC and AHIP overruled the external consultants.
The paper reported the curious finding that increased mercury
exposure from thimerosal in vaccines is protective against neurodevelopmental
injury and actually decreased the risk of having an autism diagnosis. The CDC's
finding goes against a growing body of work in animal models of thimerosal
exposure; this work provides overwhelming evidence of neurodevelopmental injury
in infants from clinically relevant thimerosal exposure. Read more of SafeMinds response here.
SafeMinds
is in the process of a detailed analysis of the paper and will be publishing an additional
response in the near future.
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 NIEHS Workshop on Environmental Factors and Autism
By SafeMinds Executive Director Lyn Redwood
On September 8th I
attended a workshop which was a joint venture between the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and Autism Speaks. The goal of this
workshop was to identify novel opportunities and mechanisms to accelerate
research on environmental factors and autism. The workshop products will be
shared with the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and may be used
in evaluating and updating the IACC Strategic Plan. Since I'm a member of IACC I had requested
specifically to attend the meeting.
In preparation, I reviewed
proceedings from another very similar meeting on environmental factors in
neurodevelopmental disorders that was also supported by NIEHS in collaboration
with SafeMinds and the National Autism Association held five years earlier in Bethesda, MD.
Dr. Ken Olden, Director Emeritus of NIEHS moderated the meeting, which included
a blend of scientists, researchers, clinicians, and parents, along with Capitol
Hill staff representing several congressional offices. The earlier meeting was 1 and ½ days long and began with a focus on the latest
research regarding environmental factors in autism followed by robust
discussion among both panel participants and representatives from the autism
community regarding the best way to assimilate current data and prioritize
research goals based on a hierarchy of helping the most the fastest. Read the report and recommendations here.
As I read over the symposium proceedings,
I was struck by the fact that although the role of environmental factors has
been recognized again and again as being critical in understanding what is
driving this epidemic of autism, they continue to be under-funded and
overlooked. Is it because, as Dr. Martha
Herbert once remarked, the thought that human actions, rather than genetics,
might be responsible for compromising the health of a significant proportion of
a whole generation is so painful as to be, for many, unthinkable? One researcher told me at the meeting that certain
research topics are considered off the table for scientists, especially those
that might shed light on why some children regress into autism following
vaccination.
I want to again applaud NIEHS for again taking a leadership
role in attempting to focus autism research on this critical area of
investigation. I hope that this meeting,
along with the recent hearing in the Senate and the 2007 Institute of Medicine report
on autism and the environment, signal renewed interest in this critical area of
investigation and that the meeting's recommendations will be translated into
funded research instead of collecting dust.
Congress recommended in the
Combating Autism Act that research should "leave no stone unturned." No matter how unthinkable, it is beyond time
to start turning stones.
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Federal
Vaccine Court Orders U.S. Government Pay an Estimated $20 Million for
Lifetime Care to Child With Autism Just as New Book Exploring the Link
Between Mercury-Containing Vaccines and Autism Is Released
SafeMinds says the new book to be published
September 14th, The Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine and a Man-made
Epidemic, provides compelling evidence that mercury in vaccines and
other products has caused an epidemic of autism and other neurological
disorders. Click here to read full release.
Read related article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Settlement reached in autism-vaccine case. |
 Vaccine Award is Not Like Hitting the Lottery
By Becky Estepp
A
large vaccine injury compensation award was in the news last week. Since it is
not everyday that compensation is awarded, most people do not realize that
funds given by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) are heavily
managed by a complex system of checks and balances. After all, this is the
VICP's money and they will make every effort to see that it is not misused,
mishandled or abused.
It
is difficult to write about awards in broad general terms because every award
is different and tailored to the individual's unique injuries. Another
complication is that each state manages VICP awards differently. Some states so strictly manage these awards
that it is possible to have judges, attorneys, bankers and doctors all involved
in the administration.
Often,
parents of individuals who receive compensation will need to establish a
conservatorship over their child and will be responsible for being "good
stewards" over their award. Which means
that the family cannot take their children's compensation to buy a mansion or
use it for summers in Spain.
Awards
are typically divided into different categories. Sometimes there are up
front "lump sum" awards. These funds have fewer restrictions on how they are
spent. On the other hand, life care plans or annuities are highly managed for
the claimants needs. Many times a trust officer will be assigned to oversee
this money. The trust officer will hold the life care funds and the conservator
accesses this money by submitting receipts. This is much like a flexible
spending account for health plans. For instance if an individual needs a new
wheelchair, the conservator would have to pay for it up front and then submit
the receipt in hopes of reimbursement. The trust officer would then make a
decision if they wheelchair is appropriate for the individual needs.
I
spoke to a parent that had received compensation for her child's vaccine
injury. She offered this unique perspective, "What most people would view as
the end of chapter, receiving an award, is really just the beginning of a long
road of receipts and paperwork."
I
trust this mother's opinion and it was eye opening to learn of the complexities
of receiving a vaccine injury award.
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THE AGE OF AUTISM by Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill - WE NEED YOUR HELP
Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill's groundbreaking book, The Age of
Autism, traces the autism epidemic by examining the first diagnosed cases
of autism. Dan and Mark's detailed research is impeccable and their conclusions
are stunning. Their book will revolutionize the way people think about
autism and children's health.
We need this book to make a big splash with the American public and you can
help. Here is what we need you to do:
- Buy the book here (if you haven't already).
- Have your friends
and relatives buy the book. Book purchases will drive up the book's
ratings, create media interest and educate people on what happened to our
children.
- Forward this e-mail to your friends in the
autism community - just click on the "Forward to a Friend" button at the bottom.
- Arrange a book signing for the authors in
your community. Contact Becky Estepp. See if the authors are coming to your town.
- Sign up for to
receive Age of Autism action alerts here.
Thank you!
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SafeMinds Requests Senate Hearings
On September 7, 2010 SafeMinds sent a request for Senate Hearings looking into the use of mercury in vaccines. SafeMinds eagerly waits a response from Senator Klobuchar and the Senate Health Committee. Click here to read our request.
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Reprinted from Age of AutismAOA Managing Editor's Note: Come on! Your abs will likely hurt the next day and that means exercise, so the photo is entirely appropriate. KSAutism Funnyraiser night to benefit SafeMinds, the organization that wrote "Autism: A Novel form of Mercury Poisoning", a paper that has NOT been retracted by the Journal that published it. YET. Evening of BYOB buffet dinner, silent auction and Comedy show. Remember, what goes on at Funnyraiser, STAYS at Funnyraiser!! Board Member Heidi Roger, who wishes she had chosen Stand Up comedy instead of Accounting, will warm up the crowd with her Autism humor such as "I AM a little nervous. I'm really hoping that Kanye West does NOT suddenly appear, grab the microphone out of my hand and tell you that Paul Offit deserves to be up here more than I do." September 25, 2010 - Pinebrook, New Jersey - $50.00 per person. Sponsorship starts at $250. For more information or to purchase tickets CLICK HERE.
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SafeMinds Speaks Up at EPA Hearing on Coal Power Plant Waste
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Crisis of Confidence on Two Continents
By SafeMinds Communications Committee Chair, Katie Weisman
 It is rare that I see an irony so obvious as the one that
landed on my desktop this morning. China, in an effort to eradicate measles infections by 2012, has
launched a 10 day blitz to vaccinate 100 million children. To put that number in perspective, in a
typical year's birth cohort, 4 million infants are vaccinated in the United
States. The increasingly distrustful
Chinese public, after years of government health-related scandals, is raising
concerns about the safety and motives of the program. You can read the news item here.
The irony enters the story with the reassurance of the
Chinese ministry's Deputy Director for Disease Control, Hao Yang, that "no child would be forced to take the
vaccination and that admission to school should never be used to force children
to vaccinate". For those of us living in a country that
mandates vaccines for school attendance this attitude is a breath of fresh
air. Would that American officials could
recognize the reasonableness of these statements. So much for the "land of the free...".
At the heart of this story is the matter of trust. The Chinese health establishment realizes
that their credibility has taken many hits in the media and they, therefore,
recognize the public's concerns as legitimate. Unfortunately, in the United States, parents' legitimate concerns about
vaccine safety and the aggressive requirements of our childhood schedule fall
on deaf ears. Instead of doing their due
diligence, our health officials stonewall us. How long will it be before American parents lose confidence in our
health officials' assurances? Perhaps
they should take a lesson from China: trust must be earned.
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Vaccine Studies Apparently False
CoMed Press Release - September 15, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC - Key studies
purporting to show no evidence of harm for Thimerosal, the mercury-based
compound still used as a "preservative" in flu shots, are characterized by
fraud and manipulation, according to vaccine safety advocates.
Ongoing criminal investigations
in Denmark of Dr. Poul Thorsen, co-author of a pivotal study dismissing the
link between mercury in vaccines and autism, suggest that he may have, in
conjunction with staff from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), embezzled multi-millions of dollars. Further investigations also raise the specter that CDC staff
inappropriately influenced the design, conclusions, and publication of that
study and others.
Parents, researchers, and
advocates from more than 10 countries, today, bombarded the Office of the
Inspector General (IG) for Health and Human Services (HHS) with a unified call
for congressional investigations into this matter.
Citing the known dangers of
mercury, Rev. Lisa K. Sykes, President of CoMeD, Inc. stated: "Injecting mercury into pregnant women and children is
absurd. Examine studies which suggest otherwise, and you will find the funding
for the study came from those who directly or indirectly profit from, or fear
liability from, the use of mercury-containing vaccines."
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 Autism Research Institute (ARI) Yahoo Discussion Groups Provide Helpful Resources Reprinted from ARI announcement.
There are three
Yahoo discussion groups/listservs devoted to the ARI/Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!)
approach to treating autism spectrum disorders. The DAN! approach mostly
involves special diets, nutritional supplements, and the removal of toxic substances.
These groups are exploratory rather than explanatory and are meant as an open
forum for information and opinions. Parents and professionals are welcome to
join.
ARI Support: This listserv is a support group for those interested in
the DAN! approach to treatment for autism spectrum disorders. For more
information: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ARIsupport/.
ARI-OKA (Older Kids and Adults): This listserv is a support group for those
interested in the DAN! approach to treatment specifically as it relates to
adults with autism or the parents of adults or older kids with autism. For more
information: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ARI-OKA/.
ARI_Recovered: This listserv is a support group for those who have
recovered or nearly recovered their children from autism using the DAN!
approach to treatment. For more information: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ARI_recovered/.
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SafeMinds Funnyraiser