Fact vs. Fiction: Who's Really Telling The Truth?

Fact vs. Fiction: Who's Really Telling The Truth?

I often wonder how many individuals believe what they are told without taking the time to consider both sides of the argument, the facts presented by each side, and truly weighing for themselves what seems reasonable based on the evidence at hand? I'm seeing more and more of this disturbing trend and as history has clearly shown time and time again, when we begin to follow leaders without questioning, we reap the distasteful rewards of that behavior. Far too often, those rewards come with devastating consequences that we should have seen coming. Why do we not question? In this age of internet and social media, now that we literally have the world at our fingertips, it's easier than ever to research information and make our own decisions. Why then do we silently follow the herd to slaughter?

Yesterday, I read a great blog post called: Taking Umbrage with Dr. Nancy Snyderman - AGE OF AUTISM. Here's the link if you would like to read the awesome post!

http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/08/taking-umbrage-with-dr-nancy-snyderman.html

I posted a link to this great article on my facebook page and received several responses. I find myself in pretty heated debate from time to time on my page. Not that I enjoy conflict, quite to the contrary! Yet I find myself continually amazed by the number of individuals who spit out scripted responses, as if they were reading talking points from the American Medical Association, CDC, pharmaceutical representatives and the like.

I have decided to post my response to some of these, as we have got to start getting people educated on the issues at the heart of autism spectrum disorders. I mean no disrespect, but I'm speaking to more and more people who have no idea what all is involved and make assumptions based upon what they have been taught in school or in practice. Just because we are taught something, that does not make it true.

Hopefully this will at least open some doors that will lead to further appropriate research, education and conversations about the true etiological basis for the virtual plethora of immune-based, bio-neurological disorders that are rising up at frightening levels, one of which is regressive autism.

Here is my response, in two parts:

Part I:
Autism is very much an epidemic. Rates have risen faster than any other childhood developmental disorder EVER! It's not simply a matter of better diagnostics or expanding the spectrum. If that was the case, then where are all the adults who would now be identified with classic non-verbal autism? They're just not there and they aren't hiding in closets either!

We have to look at what has changed to increase these numbers. Yes, diagnostics have improved and that accounts for a small increase in the number, however, environmental toxins, inadequate food sources, genetic predisposition, increased vaccination schedules and much, much more have all combined to create somewhat of a "perfect storm" or a perfect environment for autism to thrive in the numbers we see today. We also know this is quite different as we don't see as much increase in "classic" autism from 40 years ago. Those numbers remain quite the same. What we do see an epidemic increase in is "REGRESSIVE AUTISM" or children who develop perfectly normal for the first 12 - 36 months, then either stop progressing or start losing skills and regressing. This was not the classic autism of 40 years ago.

Health in general has declined in the last few decades with the introduction of pesticides, genetically modified foods, low nutrition value foods, antibiotics/steroids used in meat sources, and the list goes on. All these issues play havoc on our immune systems and neurological functioning. Each new generation is more affected than the last and consequently, the numbers are rising to show that. There is much more to this debate than just better diagnostics.

Also important to look at the treatability of those affected. Many of those with what we would consider regressive autism are responding beautifully to treatment and becoming indistinguishable from their peers with appropriate, intensive and early interventions. We have to take a tough look as a society at what we are doing to our own people. We have made so many new innovations to increase production and meet demand, yet so often, there are consequences to those changes that are not adequately researched BEFORE they are doled out to the public. We find out years later that these things caused problems, and unfortunately, that's too late for many.

If you would like some material or additional sources to research this further, I have enough information to keep you busy for years! The data is there and the outcomes are crystal clear. The question becomes are we willing to lose some profitability for the benefit of our future generations?

Laura :)

Part II:
We treat these kids every single day and time and time again we are seeing the same things. If it were just simply genetics, then these kids would not be getting better with treatment. Part of what you have to look at is the metabolic dysfunction involved. So many of these kids have significant issues with methylation and with sulfation. Inadequate sulfur chemistry would keep them from detoxifying any heavy metals or neurotoxins that most average people have the ability to rid themselves of naturally. That in and of itself is a problem. Add to that the additional toxic load from vaccines, pesticides used at home, toxic cleaning products, and problematic food and we have some issues. The reason we don't see this across the board is that many people have the healthy suflation to detoxify themselves and move these neurotoxins out. Our kids just don't have that luxury.

As far as the family environment and behavior, there is no question this plays some role, but we have children from all walks of life and all family styles, good and not so good, showing the same exact symptoms and responding to treatment the same way. Again, this can't possibly just be genetics, far too much going on.

A huge part of the difficulty among the scientific community is several fold:

1) They are treating symptoms and not getting to the etiology of the problem. If they would continue to dig deeper, they would find the same issues we have been seeing for many years.

2) It's just flat not profitable to use preventative health care. At the end of the day, most in the medical community would prefer to treat a symptom with a medication, than to get to the root of the problem, treat it effectively, and eliminate the issue completely.

When dietary interventions and supplementation are used to address these ills, and quite often VERY effectively, it is pooh-poohed and looked down upon. Why? Because if people are well, then they do not need doctors or pharmaceuticals. The medical community prefers to treat illness, as opposed to eliminating and preventing it. Pharmaceutical companies make sure that is the case.

3) Simple bloodwork and organic acid profiles, among other tests, will show the excesses and deficiencies that plague these kids. It's not rocket science, and simple testing can often identify the problems. The other issue we have is that even if testing is done, most pediatricians are not skilled enough in biochemistry and metabolics to interpret the testing results. Quite frightening, yet entirely true. Most are not familiar with the pathways enough to follow them to deeper levels to identify the root of the problems.

4) Mark my words, in 10-15 years, when the truth finally comes out, and it will, this is going to be the perfect storm that I outlined above, combined with genetic predisposition, immune system dysregulation, and chronic inflammatory responses throughout the system. The inflammation/mucous production creates gastrointestinal problems, which affect absorption and nutrient deficiency, which affect everything else. Obviously there are many other issues as well, but this is where it starts and once that ball starts rolling down hill, it's very difficult to stop.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, yet have seen thousands of kids with many of the same exact issues over and over and over. At some point, we have to stop looking at flawed studies disputing this information and start considering the outcomes of the children who are responding beautifully to treatment. If we were wrong, then why are thousands of children getting better when the correct interventions are done in a timely fashion? If the mainstream medical community is correct, then why are the children they are treating not becoming indistinguishable from their peers as ours are?

At the end of the day, we can make a study say anything we want, depending on who funds it. Studies are not without fault and frankly, our children do not have 10 years to wait for science to catch up with what we already know is working. I have to question at some point why the scientific community is so unwilling to even appropriately investigate and consider approaches that are clearly working with an enormous percentage of the population affected by regressive autism.

In closing, I return to my belief that there is not any one trigger across the board. This is a combination of factors affecting the environment, food sources, vaccinations and more, combined with ill functioning immune systems of those predisposed genetically and have significant underlying medical issues that continue to go unaddressed, which in turn create the perfect environment for this epidemic to continue multiplying throughout our world. Again, if you enjoy research, I have TONS of materials to reinforce what I am saying and would be thrilled to point you in that direction. We really need people to start reading COMPLETE studies, and not just the outcome headlines that are passed down by CDC and AMA. It's truly amazing how misleading a headline for a study can be, when once you read the entire study, you realize that's not exactly what the outcome shows. We need researchers to do the homework themselves, instead of buying lock, stock and barrell whatever the powers at be say. We need to start thinking independently and weighing evidence ourselves, following the money trails, following the medical/metabolic trails for those bodily systems not working correctly, and not ostracize those trying to correctly assist these children, when no one else seems to be listening. Our communities need to be educated and the general public needs to understand what is at stake. Though many believe it does not affect them, in the very near future they will find it's going to affect everyone, as the "system" will be picking up the tab for the long-term care of these individuals who are not adequately treated.

Laura :)