Category Archives: News
Are Organophosphate Pesticides Contributing to the Autism Epidemic?
As a parent, if someone asked you if your child is exposed to organophosphates, your first question may be “repeat that?” Of course, the second would be “What are organophosphates?” In all reality, whether or not you know what they are, your children may be being exposed to the dangerous compound. Furthermore, what are the dangers that organophosphates can pose to the Autistic body?
Chromosome 5 Found To Be a Significant Link to Autism Disorder
If you’re like the majority of the population you’re not exactly a master at all of the technical terms that are thrown about in studies of various treatments for Autism. Whenever I do any kind of article reading, I’m sure to have my search engine open and ready to go, in order to find the “lay-man’s terms” for different words and medical jargon. Truth be told, it’s a lot. A new study of chromosomes has found a connection between chromosome 5 and Autism. Great, right? But, what does it all mean?
Risk of Autism Higher in Children Born to Older Women
The universal symbol for autism is a puzzle piece. It’s pretty symbolic if you think about it. There are a lot of pieces to the Autism puzzle – some we’re aware of and others that we aren’t. Another piece of the Autism puzzle has fallen into place after a study done by the University of California, Davis.
Could Nicotine Be Beneficial?
There are a number of methods available to the public to assist them in quitting smoking. From pills and gum to patches and electronic devices, consumers definitely have a few choices when it comes to breaking the vicious chain smoking and addiction cycle. The true demon that we’re fighting is nicotine – the addictive drug found in cigarettes. We often hear about the damaging effects of nicotine – but could it be that it also has it’s good points?
Horse Therapy May Be Effective In The Treatment Of Autism
Every form of Autism is unique. There are many cases of Autism that are similar – similar symptoms, similar patterns, similar family background. However, it all boils down to the fact that people are different – so each Autism case will be different. Each and every story is very inspiring. Alexis Diaz’s story is no different.
Marijuana as a Treatment for Autism?
The debate has been going on for years now: Should we or should we not legalize the use of Medical Cannabis (or marijuana)? Everyone has their own opinion on whether or not the legalization should occur. Some argue that legalizing the drug will only make it more easily obtained for recreational use. On the flip side, others say that the benefits outweigh the risks. How many benefits are there to this sometimes considered “miracle herb”? Are there even more diseases and conditions that can be treated by marijuana that haven’t been proven yet?
It has been documented that administering cannabis has been beneficial in eliminating nausea and vomiting, inducing appetite in AIDS and Chemotherapy patients, reducing eye pressure in those with Glaucoma, as well as in general pain reliving. Some individual studies have also shown medical cannabis to be beneficial in Multiple Sclerosis and depression cases.
The legality of this treatment varies by country. The issue often shows up in state elections throughout the United States. One could spend the entire day weighing the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. What it boils down to is who and how does administering marijuana help. I discussed AIDS, Glaucoma, Cancer and Chronic Pain patients, but how about children? Or more specifically, Autistic children.
There was a letter published (via) from a mother in Florida who shared the story of her very large, autistic child who went from loving and caring son to angry and aggressive. She says in her letter that she often had to lock herself in the bathroom or else her son would attack her. They tried many different medications but nothing seemed to help. A friend of the family suggested something that the mother had never thought of; a brownie laced with marijuana. She weighed her options…
Healthy Smile Worth the Risk?
Tuesday mornings were always “Fluoride Day” when I was in elementary school. We’d all pile into the cafeteria and wait anxiously to see which flavor of the often used teeth treatment would be distributed. Some days, parents would be invited to come in and take part in the fluoride festivities. Why shouldn’t they have? Clean
teeth are important in both children and adults.
Could it be that this weekly ritual does more harm than good? Could too much of a good thing actually be detrimental and cause neurological disorders in children?
It’s possible – according to researchers investigating fluoride and its effects. Too much fluoride consumed by women who are pregnant lowers their thyroid levels and this may affect the brain and neurological development of the unborn child. Such disturbance in development can cause ADD, Autism and decreased IQ levels.
This raises the question: “How much is too much?” and “If I stop doing fluoride treatments will this put me in the clear?” Not so fast. Fluoride is found not only in toothpaste and other dental products but in drinking water and some foods as well. Exposure to fluoride from these multiple sources could be enough to cause the lower Thyroid levels that can lead to neurological deficiencies.
As much as 2/3 of the nation’s water sources contain fluoride. There are organizations such as the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation whose goal is to omit fluoride from public water sources.
The Voice of Autism
Every time I watch the scene from Rain Man when Dustin Hoffmann’s Autistic character, Raymond has a meltdown, I cannot help but to feel sorry for his new-found brother and caretaker, Charlie (played by Tom Cruise). As Charlie stands by and watches his brother have a meltdown in a crowded airport, he looks helpless, confused and scared.
We often sympathize with the parents and guardians of autistic children and people because its difficult to imagine being in the overwhelming position of caretaker. We put focus on advocates of Autism, giving them thanks for raising awareness and funding for the cause. We praise the doctors and researchers who are studying this neurological disorder in hopes to find new causes, links and treatments that can help us to better understand Autism. We often wonder how all of these life-changing individuals get through each and every stressful day.
Parents. Caregivers. Advocates. Doctors. Researchers.
We’re forgetting someone. Actually, we’re forgetting thousands of people; those who are living with Autism. Of course, I say this more figuratively than literally as we all know that the people who are suffering from this disorder are never forgotten. However, they are often overlooked on the list of people who we wonder “how they have the strength to do it.”
In the years that Autism has been under the microscope, we’ve discovered how it affects the brain, what types of medications help to treat it, what types of things are linked to it, etc. It’s generally known what the symptoms are and what they look like as these are things that can be researched and proven. There are some things that you unfortunately cannot put under a microscope, particularly emotions and feelings. So, we’re left with the often unanswered question: What does it feel like to be autistic?
14 year old Carly Fleischmann was once assumed to be mentally retarded because she…
Swine Flu Vaccine Linked to Autism
Despite its discovery over 100 years ago, the H1N1 virus came alive 5 months ago. Prior to that, talk of the virus, more commonly referred to as “Swine Flu”, was reserved for medical journals and text books until the massive outbreak in April 2009. By the middle of this year, over one-million cases of the Swine Flu had been diagnosed.
When word of a vaccine was heard, there was a nationwide sigh of relief. Millions of doses of the vaccine were produced and sent off to various medical facilities for immediate use. Men and women rushed to get both themselves and their children vaccinated.
When introduced to a medication or vaccine that can treat or prevent illness, it is a rarity that we do much more than quickly glance at the side effects. For example, it is common knowledge that taking over-the-counter pain-killers can cause stomach irritation. However, if a severe toothache needs treatment, it is often the case that one would rather deal with minor stomach pains than the agony of a toothache. What happens though, when a vaccine used to prevent an illness carries the same side effects and potential dangers as the illness itself?
Along with the common flu symptoms of coughing, fatigue, nausea and body aches, Swine Flu can also cause neurological damage. This is especially true in young children and unborn babies. If a pregnant woman develops Swine Flu, the virus is known to attack the genes that control growth, often resulting in the newborn developing Autism. That being said, It seems to be a no-brainer that pregnant women and parents of young children should head directly to their doctor and get the vaccination, right?
Maybe not.
One of the ingredients in the Swine Flu and most all vaccines is Mercury; more specifically Thimerosal…
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