BMJ: Influenza Vaccine Programs May Be Pointless

Article in BMJ discounts the usefulness of the flu vaccine. Here is the BMJ article preceeded by Medical News Today's summary of it:

Influenza Vaccine Programs May Be Pointless
Main Category: Flu / SARS News
Article Date: 28 Oct 2006 - 0:00am (PDT)
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today

Influenza vaccination programs, which cost nations millions of dollars every year, could be a waste of time and money, says Dr. Tom Jefferson, Cochrane Vaccines Field, Rome, Italy. Jefferson says he hopes his findings will make North American and European taxpayers wonder whether the effort and expense are justified.

You can read about his findings in The British Medical Journal (BMJ), October 28.

In this study, Jefferson examined all published papers worldwide that reported on the effects of inactivated vaccines (vaccines with dead viruses). In other words, he studied the reviews of all studies. He concluded that flu shot campaigns have either no effect, or a very negligible effect, on the number of hospitalizations, work/school time lost, complications from flu, or death from flu.

Jefferson said "I looked at the evidence described by systematic reviews and confronted it with policy and I found that there is a massive gap. Almost none of the benefits that these policy documents list are actually given by inactivated vaccines or, if they are, they are given in slighter measure." He said he is not sure why this is so. He suggested it could be a result of inadequate surveillance systems, and/or diagnosing too many influenza-like respiratory illnesses as flu (when they are not). He added that "In most surveillance systems, you actually have an almost year-round epidemic which, in fact, is not influenza. It's caused by other agents." He criticized many of the studies he looked through, saying they were weak.

According to official figures (CDC), approximately 200,000 Americans get flu so badly each year that they have to be hospitalized - about 36,000 people die each year as a result of catching flu in the USA.

Jefferson said he was surprised to see such a large gap between vaccination campaign policy and evidence of its effectiveness.

"Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence"
Tom Jefferson
BMJ 2006;333:912-915 (28 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.38995.531701.80

The BMJ article:

Public health

Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence
Tom Jefferson, coordinator1

1 Cochrane Vaccines Field, Anguillara Sabazia, Roma 00061, Italy jefferson.tom@gmail.com

Each year enormous effort goes into producing influenza vaccines for that specific year and delivering them to appropriate sections of the population. Is this effort justified?

Viral infections of the respiratory tract impose a high burden on society. In the last half of the 20th century, efforts to prevent or minimise their impact centred on the use of influenza vaccines. Each year enormous effort goes into producing that year's vaccine and delivering it to appropriate sections of the population. Here, I will discuss policies on the use of inactivated vaccines for seasonal influenza; the evidence for their efficacy, effectiveness, and safety ("effects"); and possible reasons for the gap between policy and evidence.

Policies

Every vaccination campaign has stated aims against which its effects must be measured. The US Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices produces a regularly updated rationale for vaccination against influenza.1 The current version identifies 11 categories of patients at high risk of complications from influenza (box).

The rationale rests on the heavy burden that influenza imposes on the population and the benefits of vaccination. For example, reductions in cases, admissions to hospital, mortality of elderly people in families with children, contacts with healthcare professionals, antibiotic prescriptions, and absenteeism for children and household contacts are the main arguments for extending vaccination to healthy children aged 6-23 months in the United States.2 Canada introduced a similar policy in 2004.3 Less comprehensive policies recommending vaccination for all people aged 60 or 65 and over are in place in 40 of 51 developed or rapidly developing countries.4 On the basis of single studies, the World Health Organization estimates that "vaccination of the elderly reduces the risk of serious complications or of death by 70-85%."5 Given the global nature of these recommendations, what type of evidence should we expect to support them and what does available evidence tell us?4

Which evidence?

When considering the best evidence for vaccination we must take into account the unique epidemiological features of influenza viruses and the rationale for immunisation. The incidence and circulation of seasonal influenza and other respiratory viruses vary greatly each year, each season, and even in each setting. A systematic review of the incidence of influenza in people up to 19 years' old reported a seasonal variability of 0-46%; during a five year period the average incidence was 4.6% in this age group. During a period of 25 years the incidence was 9.5% in children under 5.6 Because of this variability and lack of carryover protection from one year's vaccine to the next,7 especially if the virus changes its antigenic configuration, single studies reporting data from one or two seasons are difficult to interpret. Single studies are also not reliable sources for generalising and forecasting the effects of vaccines, especially when numbers are small. They introduce further instability into already problematic forecasting. Additional limitations to our forecasting ability are imposed by our use (and misuse) of studies assessing the effects of influenza vaccines. Although the effect assessed depends on the aims of the particular campaign, most concentrate on serious effects (such as pneumonia or death) and person to person transmission (table 1). Field efficacy studies are only relevant when viral circulation is high, but no one can forecast with precision the impact on next year's influenza.

Activists Putting Heat on Barton

Activists putting heat on Barton
Autism, breast cancer bills on hold; he says agency needs overhaul
08:02 AM CDT on Saturday, October 28, 2006
By SUDEEP REDDY and RANDY LEE LOFTIS / The Dallas Morning News

Heading one of Congress' most powerful committees, Rep. Joe Barton has become the No. 1 enemy of groups pushing for more research into two of the nation's most prevalent diseases – autism and breast cancer.

The Ennis Republican is blocking two bills that have widespread support on Capitol Hill while he tries to overhaul the federal agency that directs most disease research.

The result has been a torrent of attacks from advocacy groups, families and others fighting for research dollars, including talk show host Don Imus. They're furious at the 11-term congressman, saying he is thwarting efforts to find cures. Others have raised questions about whether his opposition is tied to aspects of the research that would look into environmental issues.

"Why would he do this? Why would he throw his body in front of this train?" asked Elizabeth Emken, a board member of Cure Autism Now whose 14-year-old son has the mysterious neurobiological disorder. "Autism is a national emergency and needs immediate attention."

Mr. Barton, chairman of the far-reaching House Energy and Commerce Committee, says he wants to remove politics from decisions about which diseases get federal research funds.

"I'm opposed to continuing to do business the old-fashioned way, where whichever group can create the most pressure is the group that's taken care of," he said. "We have lots of health areas that need to be addressed in a comprehensive and fair way."

Each of the blocked bills would tag money for research into possible environmental causes of the disorders – $180 million over six years for breast cancer; $45 million over five years for autism, part of a $1 billion package for autism research and programs.

While Mr. Barton has frequently clashed with environmentalists over topics ranging from air pollution to global warming, he said his opposition has nothing to do with those environmental components. Such decisions should be left to scientists, he said.

But his Democratic opponent, David Harris, is raising the environmental issue in their congressional race. He suggested that Mr. Barton is blocking the bill because of the environmental component.

"It just doesn't sit well with me," Mr. Harris said, that "you don't want environmental considerations in the bill because people that support your campaign are major polluters of the environment."

Mr. Barton, he said, is "trying to push more coal power plants into the district, create more pollution and more mercury. It's just one big vicious circle."

The 6th District includes portions of southern Tarrant County and sprawls southward.

Both the autism and breast cancer bills have a majority of House members co-sponsoring them – a sign that they would pass overwhelmingly if released from Mr. Barton's committee.

Parents of autistic children are appealing to House Speaker Dennis Hastert to overrule Mr. Barton. They plan to demonstrate Monday in Richardson, where Mr. Hastert will be attending a fundraiser.

Proponents of the research bills say they find Mr. Barton's opposition incomprehensible.

"Here's a group that did everything right, had an overwhelming majority of support in the Senate and the House," said Fran Visco, president of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. "All the research and analysis gets shut out by Joe Barton. It's absolutely infuriating. What a horrible civics lesson to give to the public."

Mr. Barton said majority support doesn't guarantee that any bill even gets a hearing. But he's heard the concerns of parents and others and said he's willing to work toward a solution.

"This idea that I've somehow double-crossed people is just flat wrong," he said. "I am on the side of the parents and grandparents of autistic children. I want to find a way to treat their children, to prevent the disease or alleviate it."

Taking on autism


The autism fight has drawn the most national attention, amid worries over an explosion in the number of autistic children.

In the 1980s, doctors found one of the developmental problems known collectively as autism spectrum disorders in 4 to 5 of every 10,000 U.S. children. In the 1990s, the rate had jumped to 30 to 60 per 10,000.

The increase could be due to more awareness, better and earlier diagnosis and a broader definition of autism. However, the figures are sobering: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says as many as 1 in 166 American kids has an autistic disorder.

Mike Bernoski, an Arlington resident who lives in Mr. Barton's district, learned last summer that his then-2-year-old son, Nathan, has autism. The family had known something was wrong since Nathan was 15 months old.

"He spent over 50 percent of every waking moment in a fit, crying," Mr. Bernoski said. "He was apathetic. There was no connection. He didn't look at you."

Extensive behavioral treatment – at a cost of more than $60,000 a year – turned Nathan around. He's started showing a personality, talking, laughing and hugging people, said Mr. Bernoski, who is racking up debt to pay for the therapy.

"It is unbelievable. You would not recognize the two kids," Mr. Bernoski said. "That's not the case for everybody. They have to watch their kids bang their heads against the wall because they don't have enough money. Imagine having to make that choice.

"All any autistic family wants, all any doctor wants, all the millions of people who work with autistic kids want is to find out what causes it and how to stop it."

For Mr. Bernoski, the battle over research funding has become a political motivator. He says he voted for Mr. Barton in the last election as part of his straight-ticket ballot. Next month, he said, he'll vote for Mr. Harris.

Mr. Harris said his campaign has been flooded with supporters since the autism issue drew national attention. Checks are flowing in; one of the first was $2,100 from a New York man, he said.

"I believe if we can spend $8 billion a month in Iraq, we can certainly allocate $1 billion for autism research and support networks for families of autistic children," said Mr. Harris, an Iraq war veteran.

Even if Mr. Barton retains his seat but Democrats take over the House on Nov. 7, he would be out of the energy and commerce chairman's job.


Mercury seen as culprit

Much of the research into what causes autism has been devoted to finding genetic links and environmental agents – whether drugs, pollution or other factors. A prime suspect is mercury, a toxic metal that is a powerful nerve poison.

Some researchers believe they've found mercury's fingerprints on autistic children. In one study, they tested the urine of children given drugs to force toxins out of their bodies. Autistic children excreted three times as much mercury as children without autism.

Many parents suspect thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative once widely used in vaccines, as an autism trigger. But the research remains in dispute.

Coal-burning power plants also emit mercury. Researchers found in 2004 that school districts in Texas counties with higher industrial mercury emissions, mostly from coal power plants, had a higher percentage of children in special-education classes, especially for autism. Studies elsewhere also have linked mercury in the local environment with local autism rates. Until more detailed studies are done, however, scientists can't confirm the link.

Texas ranked first nationwide in air emissions of mercury reported to the Environmental Protection Agency – 15,147 pounds in 2004, the latest year available. New coal-burning plants proposed in Texas would increase that by nearly one-third, companies' permit requests show.

Political action committees and individuals associated with Dallas-based TXU, which proposes 11 of the 16 new coal-burning units, are Mr. Barton's third-biggest campaign donors this year, providing $24,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Mr. Barton said he's "never had a policy discussion with anybody" about the environmental focus in the two research bills. His objective, he said, is to leave decisions about disease research programs for scientists to make in an "open, transparent, merit-based, comprehensive system."

Targeting agency

In the three years he's been chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Barton has been working to overhaul the National Institutes of Health, a massive agency that directs most federal disease research.

Currently, some funding decisions are made by agency officials, while others are required through legislation. And Congress has mandated dozens of projects over a half-century, often without linking them to existing work. As a result, Mr. Barton said, agency scientists don't talk to one another enough and sometimes unknowingly duplicate another's work.

"I'm really committed to transforming the way we do health research in the United States," Mr. Barton said.

His reform act passed the House last month by a 414-2 vote but needs Senate action. It would give the director, who is appointed by the president, more authority in allocating money for research. And it would establish a common fund for research to cure numerous diseases.

Congress could still consider legislation for disease-specific research programs, but Mr. Barton cautions that letting groups fight one another for funding just won't work.

"If you take that approach you end up not being able to do anything, because there's just not enough money. I don't think it's possible to do just a disease-specific bill for anybody – not just for autism but for anybody."

Critics take issue with the hands-off approach, saying lawmakers should step in when public health is at stake.

"Of course we should be telling NIH what to do," said Ms. Visco of the breast cancer group. "Congress' role is oversight. ... That is the kind of thing that should come from the taxpayers and that should come from the public."

Not holding back

Many autism groups support Mr. Barton's reform legislation, saying the structure of the National Institutes of Health should be improved. But they say a separate autism bill is vital as well.

Parents of autistic children are flooding Mr. Barton's office with calls. And the lobbying involves numerous public figures. Mr. Barton is under a constant assault from Mr. Imus, whose wife advocates for autism research. He has used his morning radio program to label Mr. Barton a "Republican dirt bag," "lying skunk," "awful human being" and numerous other terms in a bid to pressure the congressman.

Mr. Barton said the star-power protests are wearing thin. "I'm a little tired of big-time celebrities and big-time PR firms being paid lots of money and calling me names," he said.

But facing continued pressure, Mr. Barton said he wants to work with the Senate next month to find a compromise. He's offered a proposal that would incorporate many provisions of the autism legislation – including increased funding – and also overhaul the National Institutes of Health.

Critics say his proposal leaves out key pieces, including the environmental research program. They plan to continue their push to move the research bills through Congress.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-barton_28nat.ART.North.Edition1.3e00d4c.html

UPDATE: From Shelly Reynolds at Unlocking Autism

The following letter was submitted to the Editor of the Dallas Morning News. We encourage you to visit their website and post your opinion after reading the article at www.dallasnews.com http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi?nl

Happy Writing!
Unlocking Autism

Thank for publishing such a well written article regarding Congressman Joe Barton and the Combating Autism Act.

With autism striking nearly one percent of the Nation's children and affecting one out of every sixty eight families today, it is unfathomable to me that Congressman Barton could possibly allow the burden of the reform of the National Institutes of Health to rest squarely on the shoulders of these children.

While I wholeheartedly agree with him that the NIH could use an overhaul, I vehemently disagree that all progress should come to a screeching halt in the meantime until that day arrives - whether those research dollars are spent on my own child with autism, breast cancer research or any other disease. After all, ask any American citizen today and they will most likely express that there are a variety of things that should be "overhauled" with regard the Congress of the United States - and yet, as citizens, we continue to elect Congressmen, pay their six figure salaries with our taxes and send them up to Washington to work for an average of 100 days a year.

We don't just arrest the "progress" of Congress because of existing procedures that need improvement.

Children with autism have long been swept under the "research funding" rug, regardless of the exponential growth in the number of children diagnosed each year. Our community will not allow that to continue. Our community is painfully aware that a Category 5 autism hurricane is gathering strength and bearing down on the shores of our country. If our leaders cannot muster the intestinal fortitude to stand in the gap and do what is right for these children, then it is our duty as parents, and American citizens, to lead them.

We are their constituents. In our community alone, there are 10 Million of us nationwide that can affect elections, and will. We have the memories of elephants. Our grass roots are growing and we are politically active.

Our leaders work for us. They can be fired. How often they forget that.

With kindest regards,
Shelley Hendrix Reynolds
President
Unlocking Autism

HuffPo: Rep. Watson on Hg in Dentristy

The Beginning of the End of Mercury in Dentistry
by Congresswoman Diane Watson

In a remarkable reversal of policy and precedent, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month rejected its own staff report that concluded mercury amalgam fillings used by millions of Americans are safe. The panel of FDA advisors said the report did not objectively and clearly present all current data about the fillings.

Members of the advisory panel - consisting of medical doctors, dentists, and health professionals - repeatedly questioned the impact of dental mercury on children and the fetuses of pregnant women. They also said that more study is needed on the health effects of vapors that are emitted from mercury fillings.

Dental amalgam, deceptively called silver fillings, is a remnant of 19th Century medicine. Today more than 100 million Americans have mercury/silver fillings. But the vast majority, according to a 2006 Zogby poll, is not aware that silver fillings consist of 50% mercury, one of the most toxic substances known to man.

The FDA has already taken numerous steps to limit human and animal exposure to mercury. To date, it has banned mercury in disinfectants and thermometers, warned against mercury in certain foods, and prohibited the presence of mercury in all veterinary products.

Many governments around the world, however, have gone a step further by either limiting the use of or banning mercury fillings. The UK, for example, prohibits pregnant and lactating women from receiving amalgam fillings, and Scandinavian countries are phasing out the product. Canada has also restricted its use.

Despite growing scientific evidence and public awareness of the dangers of exposure to even small amounts of mercury, the FDA, the federal agency charged with regulating dental amalgam, still permits the sale of a dental product that has not been proven safe and classified as the law requires and is used inches from the brain. It continues to sanction commerce in silver fillings without disclosing to the American people that they contain a significant amount of mercury and emit mercury vapor during the entire life of the filling.

The FDA's past silence on mercury amalgam is all the more curious given the fact that both the Centers for Disease Control, in 2005, identified amalgam as a source of "major exposure" to mercury, and the U.S. Public Health Service warned, in 1999, that mercury amalgam is one of the two greatest sources of mercury exposure to humans.

Dental amalgam is also a major environmental pollutant once it is removed from the mouth to such a degree that dental offices are the number one source of mercury in waste water. The FDA, however, has never written an environmental impact statement on dental amalgam as it is required to do by law. The environmental damage caused by the disposal of mercury amalgams makes no sense when alternative materials are now available for every kind of dental cavity.

The FDA's historic decision to reject its own staff report signals the beginning of the end of mercury amalgam's privileged sanctuary. It is a good first step. But more remains to be done.

The FDA must therefore move ahead post haste in the following four areas: (1) Disclosure: The FDA must immediately take the simple step of requiring dentists to inform their patients that amalgam is 50% mercury, it constitutes exposure to a neuro-toxin, and alternative fillings are available. (2) Environmental Impact: The FDA has the legal duty to conduct an environmental impact study of dental amalgam, which it has never done, before properly classifying the material. (3) Proof of Safety: Manufacturers of amalgam should have the burden of proving its safety. To date, they have never sought nor been given pre-market approval for their product. The FDA must hold amalgam manufacturers accountable. (4) Children and Pregnant Women: Ten years ago, Health Canada directed its dentists to cease placing mercury fillings in the teeth of children, pregnant women, and persons with kidney disease, mercury hypersensitivity, or braces. The FDA should implement a similar ban in the U.S.

Two short decades ago, health and public policy advocates embarked on a campaign to rid public areas of smokers and second-hand tobacco smoke. Today the U.S. is on the cutting-edge of educating and informing its citizens about the scourge of tobacco and eliminating tobacco smoke from public and common areas. A similar campaign is gathering momentum here and around the world to end the use of mercury amalgam. It is past time for the American dental profession to relinquish a practice that is as antiquated as it is dangerous.

USAAA: Q&A with Dr. Boyd Haley

US Autism & Asperger Association: Q&A with Dr. Boyd Haley

USAAA: How do you respond to professionals and parents who disregard any Thimerasol theory when they point out that children who were not immunized and are still diagnosed with autism, thus refuting the Thimerasol controversy? We hear this quite a bit from parents who have children who are much older that didn't receive the heavy schedule of immunizations that kids received in the 1990's or who just were not immunized?

Dr. Boyd Haley: Vaccines are not the only exposure to mercury or thimerosal. Remember merthiolate, or methyl mercury from fish? In the 1970s and early 1980s there was a high level of fungicides use in products like paint that children could be exposed to. Also, it appears to be a mercury toxicity issue if one follows the porphyrin profile data. Therefore, any mercury exposure could be the cause, or perhaps any combination of heavy metals, and most mothers had dental amalgams and many had them placed or worked on during their gestation period. In the UK, a large group of parents of autisitic children screened their members and found only 2 who did not vaccinate their child, and one of these two had amalgams placed in her first trimester of pregnancy. The bottom line, I wouldn't claim that vaccinations from the mandated vaccination program was the cause of all autism as it did exist at low levels before the 1990s. However, it was in my opinion the cause for the increases we observed in the late 1990s. What I really believe is that autism (and AD, Parkinsons, MS, ALS) are neurological diseases indicating a weakness in certain individuals for response to certain toxins. Exposure of these individuals to mercury from any source increases their risk. We now have scientific reports that certain individuals do not excrete mercury effectively, and certain have enzymes that are specifically sensitive to mercury or other heavy metals. How do these parents explain the Amish observations, or the fact that in England they could not find near the expected number of children with autism that were not vaccinated?
USAAA: Is there an organization that lists specialized dentists for the removal of amalgams, similar to the list that DAN creates for physicians.
Dr. Haley: Yes, go to www.iaomt.org.

Dr. Haley presented "The Effects of Synergistic Toxicities and Genetic Susceptibilities on the Toxic Effects of Inorganic and Organic Mercury Compounds: The Relationship to Autism and Related Disorders," at the USAAA 2006 International Conference in Park City, Utah. To preview his presentation, click here

Taiwan Halts Flu Vaccine After Four Deaths

Taiwan halts flu vaccine after four Israelis die
dpa German Press Agency
Published: Monday October 23, 2006

Taipei- Taiwan on Monday ordered a halt to the use of a flu vaccine imported from France following reports that four Israeli people died after receiving the vaccine, officials said. "Before we have clear information over the safety on the use of the vaccine made by Sanofi-Aventis, we are halting the use of the vaccine effectively immediately," said Chou Chih-hua, deputy director of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

He said no more shots of Sanofi-Aventis vaccine would be given, even though there have been no local reports of illness or fatality from some 300,000 people who have received the vaccine free since last month.

CDC has imported 1.13 million does of the flu vaccine in question this year. News reports said four people in the Israeli town of Kiryat Gat, aged from 56 to 72, died of heart problems in the past week. Health authorities in Israel are investigating if the vaccine has anything to do with their death, the reports said.

Chou said the CDC has been trying to contact the French pharmaceutical company and the CDC's overseas offices since learning of the deaths in Israel.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency

CAA: Santorum v. Barton on CNN

The piece is in 3 parts:

Unlocking Autism: Autism Dad Escourted from Barton's Office

Just when you think it can't get any worse, apparently it can....

After months of seeking an appointment with his Congressman regarding the Combating Autism Act, Mike, father of a 3.5 year old son with autism who lives in Texas, is escorted on this video (web address below) from Congressman Joe Barton's district office with a police escort.

Not only is Joe Barton hell bent on being the one man to hold up a bill that the majority fo Congress would like to see passed, but he and his staff apparently are tired, and better yet...are actually fearful, of talking to the autism community to the point that even if they are constituents, they will be treated as uninvited guests.

Mike arrived at the office on October 25, 2006, without an appointment at the same time that Congressman Joe Barton was in the conference room meeting with other parents and constituents regarding the Combating Autism Act.

In this clip, Mike is told repeatedly that there is absolutely no room for him to attend the meeting or be included because the room is so so small. No door can be opened. He cannot stand in the door frame of that room. There is just no room at the inn.

Additionally, the staff makes it clear to Mike that members of the autism community are the most vile and frightening people with whom they have ever spoken.

Regardless of the number of times Mike simply requests to speak with his Congressman, his requests are denied. A staffer calls 911 to have Mike removed.

While Mike is firm in expressing his concerns and wishes, he is in no way vile or threatening.

I am sending this to you not to spark a flood of angry calls to Congressman Barton's office, but to employ another tactic. In the past, grass roots activity has been very strong in this community.

What would happen if our community viewed this video over and over and over again?

Would it make the top of the YouTube list? Can we do that? Over this weekend? We get an extra hour after all on Saturday night....

250,000 hits gets you make to the front page of their website. Send this link to anyone and everyone you know far and wide. Cousins, co-workers, aunts, neighbors, teachers, friends of friends...pass it on.

Pop popcorn, grab a coke, a smile and have a party....

Because there really is nothing more interesting to me as a citizen of the United States of America than to see a constituent who takes the time to express his concerns to his own Congressman, in person, then be escorted out of the office by police. What has our society regressed to? I would bet Thomas Jefferson and George Washington are rolling over in their graves....

Barton is there to serve Mike whether he wants to serve Mike or not. Mike may or may not have voted for Barton, but regardless Barton opted when he took office to represent his constituency and to do that he has an obligation to listen to Mike's concerns. With that choice, comes responsibility.

The fact that he is clearly present in the office participating in a meeting two rooms over on the very subject Mike wants to discuss but prefers to have Mike escorted from the office by the police rather than open the door to the room is unfathomable to me.

If the opportunity for Americans to visit with their Congressmen is fading, that should be of grave concern to every single American....all 300 Million of us.
Here is the link...happy YouTubing!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa2-bFlASpo
Shelley Reynolds
Unlocking Autism
www.unlockingautism.org

Bond Set for Evil T-ball Coach

Bond set for T-ball coach who hired player to hit teammate

Friday, October 27, 2006

A Fayette County Common Pleas judge yesterday set bail for a T-ball coach who hired an 8-year-old to hurl baseballs at an autistic teammate.

If former coach Mark R. Downs Jr. posts bail, he will be freed from jail pending an appeal of his conviction.

Judge Ralph C. Warman yesterday set bail at $30,000.

The judge also ordered Mr. Downs, who had requested the bail hearing, to comply with normal conditions of his bond, including restrictions on traveling outside the state without permission of the court.

Mr. Downs, 29, of Dunbar, was convicted last month for offering his star pitcher $25 to hurl two baseballs at Harry Bowers Jr., 11, an autistic and mildly retarded teammate. Witnesses had testified that Mr. Downs was only concerned about winning a playoff game and that he believed that Harry was a liability.

Mr. Downs was convicted of conspiracy to commit simple assault and corruption of minors. He was sentenced to one to six years in prison for ordering the assault. Following the sentencing hearing Oct. 12, Judge Warman had revoked Mr. Downs' bond, which had allowed him to remain free during the trial.

The Age of Autism: None So Blind

The Age of Autism: None so blind
By DAN OLMSTED
UPI Senior Editor

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- How long have we known -- or should have known -- that medical treatment might help thousands of autistic kids? A half century, it now appears.

I recently came across a 1955 study titled "The Autistic Child in Adolescence," by Dr. Leon Eisenberg of The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Eisenberg was a colleague of Leo Kanner, the child psychiatrist who first identified autism as a distinct disorder in 11 children in 1943.

By 1955 there were 80 such cases in the Hopkins files; researchers managed to locate 63 of them. The results were not encouraging: Eisenberg wrote that only three "can be said to have achieved a good adjustment."

Here's where it gets interesting: One of those three was the very first patient diagnosed at Hopkins by Leo Kanner -- "Case 1: Donald T." As readers of this column know, I located Donald T. and, in 2004, went to his Mississippi hometown in search of more information.

Donald didn't respond to my requests for an interview; I have never met him. But I talked to his brother, a lawyer in the same town where the family has lived for generations.

The brother told an amazing story: At Kanner's suggestion, Donald was living with a nearby farm couple when, in early adolescence, he was stricken with a baffling illness. Even the Mayo Clinic couldn't diagnose it.

Donald's joints swelled up; he had high fevers; he couldn't eat. His father told a family doctor in a nearby town: "It looks like Don's getting ready to die." Sight unseen, the doctor offered a possible diagnosis: A rare case of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).

His parents took Donald to the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, where he got a series of gold salts injections, the standard remedy of the day.

The treatment was a spectacular success, his brother said. And to my astonishment, he wasn't just talking about the arthritis symptoms, which cleared up except for one fused knuckle.

"When he was finally released, the nervous condition he was formerly afflicted with was gone," the brother said. "The proclivity toward excitability and extreme nervousness had all but cleared up." Donald was able to attend high school, graduate from college, work at a bank, live on his own.

A "good adjustment," indeed. Or, as his brother put it, "a miraculous response to the medicine."

When I came across Leon Eisenberg's 1955 paper recently on the Web site www.neurodiversity.com -- which hosts a superb collection of early autism research -- I was stunned to find that he mentioned the gold treatment. The description -- though not the emphasis -- exactly matched the brother's account, starting with Donald's placement with "a warm and unsophisticated farm couple without intellectual pretensions." It's worth quoting at length:

"Donald remained in this rural setting for 3 years; moderate improvement was noted, though while on vacation with his parents during this period, his mother reported that his chief interest on the trip was to record carefully the mileage between towns.

"The board arrangement had to be terminated when Donald, at 14, developed an undiagnosed illness manifested by fever, chills, and joint pains. He became bedridden and developed joint contractures. On the basis of a tentative diagnosis of Still's disease (a form of JRA), he was placed empirically on gold therapy with marked improvement.

"After 18 months he was once again ambulatory. He emerged with little residual deficit from a second episode of arthritis a year later. The clinical improvement in his behavior, first observed during his rural placement, was accelerated during and after his illness and convalescence at home. He was able to enter and graduate from high school. At present he is doing well in his studies at a Junior College, where he was elected a class officer."

Notice that while Eisenberg mentions gold therapy, he doesn't connect it to Donald's "accelerated" progress at the same time. Why not? Well, consider this: Two years later, in 1957, Eisenberg wrote an article titled "The Fathers of Autistic Children."

"They tend to be obsessive, detached and humorless individuals," he said, repeating the now-discredited orthodoxy of the day. "Such interest as they have in the children is in their capacity of performing automata. ... They are no less inadequate as husbands than they are as fathers. Work takes precedence over family life. Marriage seems mostly a convenient arrangement for meals and laundry."

And: "An unusually large number have college degrees, as do their wives."

Aha! Why are we not surprised that "a warm and unsophisticated farm couple without intellectual pretensions" gets credit for Donald's progress, while a "miraculous response" to medical treatment is missed?

Not for the last time, a family noticed something significant while the experts prattled on about their pet theories. When Leo Kanner looked back at those first cases in a 1972 paper, "Followup Study of Eleven Autistic Children Originally Reported in 1943," he never even mentioned gold salts. Kanner credited Donald's rare success -- remember, only three out of 63 had good outcomes -- to the farm environment that, not coincidentally, he had recommended.

He wrote that Donald, "because of the intuitive wisdom of a tenant farm couple, who knew how to make him utilize his futile preoccupations for practical purposes and at the same time helped him to maintain contact with his family, is a regularly employed bank teller; while living at home, he takes part in a variety of community activities and has the respect of his fellow townspeople."

What a touching agrarian idyll. What a bunch of hooey.

Until now, I thought Kanner and the rest of the medical establishment simply weren't aware of Donald's improvement following the gold salts treatment; otherwise, they would have followed up this very promising and obvious lead from the very first case.

Now I don't know what to think.

Government Rejects Vaccine Petition

AP: Government Rejects Vaccine Petition
Oct 24, 7:10 PM (ET)
By ANDREW BRIDGES

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal health officials won't put new restrictions on the use of a mercury-based preservative in vaccines and other medicines, denying a petition that sought the limits because of health concerns.

A group called the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs petitioned the Food and Drug Administration in 2004 seeking the restrictions on thimerosal, citing concerns that the preservative is linked to autism. In a reply dated Sept. 26 but made public only Tuesday, the FDA rejected the petition.

"Only a small number of licensed and approved products still contain thimerosal, and the available evidence supports FDA's conclusion that all currently licensed vaccines and other pharmaceutical drug products containing thimerosal are safe," Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, the FDA's assistant commissioner for policy, wrote in denying the petition.

"We're not accepting that answer," said Dr. Mark Geier, one of the petitioners. The group now plans to seek a court order that would force the FDA to withdraw thimerosal from all vaccines and medicines unless the agency can show the preservative is safe, Geier said.

Thimerosal, about 50 percent mercury by weight, has been used since the 1930s to kill microbes in vaccines. There have been suspicions that thimerosal causes autism. However, studies that tracked thousands of children consistently have found no association between the brain disorder and the mercury-based preservative. Critics contend the studies are flawed.

Since 2001, all vaccines given to children 6 and younger have been either thimerosal-free or contained only trace amounts of the preservative. Thimerosal has been phased out of some, but not all, adult vaccines as well.

Most doses of the flu vaccine still contain thimerosal, though manufacturers produce versions free of the preservative for use in children. The FDA said it was in discussions with those manufacturers to increase the supply of thimerosal-free flu vaccine.

There also are minute amounts of mercury, as thimerosal or phenylmercuric acetate, in roughly 45 eye ointments, nasal sprays and nasal solutions, the FDA said. Various antivenoms for black widow and snake bites also contain thimerosal.

UPDATE: Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs Response

Today CoMeD responded by filing a petition to stay the FDA's decision
because the FDA & HHS failed to:

A. Address the key issues raised in the CoMeD citizen petition or
B. Provide publisdhed peer-reviewed science (or references thereto)
to support most of the assertions they made, and
C. Did NOT address issues associated with their failure to:
1. Comply with, among other things, the 1987 statute mandating they reduce the adverse reactions in childhood vaccines,
2. Enforce the legally binding 1973 regulation requiring manufacturers of biological products, including vaccines, to prove that any compound the used was "sufficiently nontoxic" before using it or continuing to use it in a product formulation for the compound Thimerosal, and
3. Act in a manner that complied with a unanimous 1988 Supreme Court case that mandated that drugs, including vaccines must meet all legally
binding requirements (clearly set forth in official policies, laws (including binding regulations), and statutes BEFORE the government may use its administrative discretion in deciding to license/approve a drug or its labeling.

In a day or two, the CoMeD petition for a stay should be listed in the dockets as they acknowledged, by email, having received it and, when the full response is linked electronically, I will post the specific link to this filing.

Factually, the FDA did NOT address the key petition issues and the reporter seemed to have only read the FDA's response to CoMeD and NOT the 2004 petition BECAUSE, as the 2004 petition noted, Congress and NOT CoMeD raised the issue about the probable link between Thimerosal and "autism" in the Houses' 2003 "Mercury in Medicine" report.

Factually, the 2004 CoMeD petition (Docket: 2004P-0349) focused on the failure of the government and the drug manufacturers to:
a) prove Thimerosal was safe so that it was "sufficiently nontoxic" in appropriate toxicology studies as required by law since 1973, b) the government's ongoing failure to comply with a 1987 statutory mandate to reduce adverse events in childhood vaccines, and c) the government's failure to comply with a unanimous 1988 US Supreme Court case (Berkovitz, a polio vaccine case) limiting the government's administrative discretion to decisions made AFTER the requirements of all applicable policies, laws and statutes have been proven to have been met.

Hopefully, faced with this response and other actions, the FDA and the HHS will address the issues raised by CoMeD in its original petition as requested -- in a manner that fully complies with all applicable binding policies, laws (including regulations) and statutes governing the FDA's actions and the permissible conduct of drug manufacturers including vaccines.

Respectfully,

Dr. King,
http://www.dr-king.com
CoMeD Science Advisor
http://www.mercury-freedrugs.org

PS: When the petition documents are linked, CoMeD will post this new filing under 21 CFR 10.35 in:

http://www.mercury-freedrugs.org/docs/

along with the documents list with pointers to the articles that have already been posted in the CoMeD website's documents page as Appendices "A" and "B" as well as posting Appendix "C" to the site's documents page.

Flu Shot Info on Imus via ImusBlog.com

Dr. Larry Rosen and Deirdre Imus were guests in the studio today. Dr. Rosen talked about flu vaccines and children. He said there is a shortage of Thimerosal free vaccines, as about 90% of all flu vaccines contain Thimerosal. On the issue of whether Thimerosal (mercury) is safe in vaccines. A check of a recent study that said it was safe revealed 9 of 19 authors had financial ties to vaccine companies. Dr. Rosen urges parents to have their child vaccinated with a Thimerosal free vaccine. You can listen to the comments here:

A Walk on Water

I met Pat in the summer of 2005 in the lobby of the Health and Human Services building in DC. He was there filming another silly "no link" press confrence by the CDC. He started out to make a film about the ocean and ended up making one about our mercury toxic kids. He is a good man. Can't wait to see the finished product.


http://www.awalkonwater.com

Autism Group Voices Concern Over Risperdal

Autism Group Voices Concern Over J&J Drug

23rd October 2006
By Victoria Harrison

The National Autism Association has said it has concerns over the FDA's approval of the anti-psychotic drug Risperdal earlier this month for use among children diagnosed with autism.

The group has specifically raised issue with the drug's side effects. The National Autism Association issued a warning letter in 2004 to Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and the manufacturer of the drug. The warning said that the company had omitted information in product literature regarding hypoglycemia and diabetes, and had made misleading claims that Risperdal is safer than other drugs in the same category. The organization says there are documented potential side effects of the drug including lactation both in girls and boys, weight gain, and development of the often irreversible movement disorder tardive dyskinesia.
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"Parents are faced with extremely tough decisions when it comes to medicating their children, and extra caution should be used with Risperdal in particular given what we know about it." said National Autism Association executive director Rita Shreffler

Johnson & Johnson's expanded approval of Risperdal has been approved to treat only irritability symptoms of autism in children. Side effects of Risperdal are included in the prescribing information provided with the drug. Johnson & Johnson has said that the safety and effectiveness of Risperdal in pediatric patients with autistic disorder less than five years of age have not been established.

Risperdal sales figures were over $3 billion in 2005.