Autism Bowel Disease May NOT Exist, Experts Say

LONDON — A new autism disease identified in a flawed paper linking a common children's vaccine to autism, may not exist, new research says.

A dozen years ago, British surgeon Andrew Wakefield and colleagues published a study in the journal Lancet on a new bowel disease and proposed a connection between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.

The study was widely discredited, 10 of Wakefield's co-authors renounced its conclusions and the Lancet retracted the paper in February. The research set off a health scare, and vaccination rates in Britain dropped so low measles outbreaks returned.

In research published Friday in the medical journal BMJ, reporter Brian Deer examines if the illness described by Wakefield and colleagues – autistic enterocolitis, a bowel disease found in autistic people – actually exists.

In 1996, Wakefield was hired by a lawyer to find a new syndrome of bowel and brain disease to help launch a lawsuit against drug companies that made the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, according to BMJ article.

According to reports from London's Royal Free Hospital, eight of the 11 children included in Wakefield's original study had normal bowels. But in the Lancet study, 11 of the 12 were said to have a swollen bowel, which was said to be proof of a new gastrointestinal disease affecting autistic children.

In 2005, Wakefield started a clinic in Texas to research and treat the syndrome.

The original biopsy slides from the children in the Lancet study are no longer available. Deer asked independent experts to examine hospital reports on the biopsies, who failed to find any distinctive inflammation that would qualify as a new disease.

In an accompanying editorial, Sir Nicholas Wright from the Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, said "any firm conclusion would be inadvisable." He said several studies have shown a link between inflamed bowels and autism, but too little evidence exists to prove there is a new illness.

In January, Britain's General Medical Council ruled Wakefield had acted unethically. He and the two colleagues who have not renounced the study face being stripped of their right to practice medicine in Britain.

___

On the Net:

http://www.bmj.com

Comments

[JonGH]

07:15 PM on 06/01/2010

--Breaking News--

Andrew Wakefield's book "Callous Disregard - Autism and vaccines, the truth behind a tragedy" is out and available today in the US.

Now you can read his side of the story. I received my copy today (via UPS) from Amazon.

--Breaking News--

[neutralground]

12:06 AM on 05/08/2010

This misleading article publicizes Brian Deer's even more misleading article of 4/15/10 in the British Medical Journal. Deer is the journalist with no medical training who brought the complaint against Dr. Andrew Wakefield before the General Medical Council (GMC).

While the "Rapid Responses" posted by health professionals will likely not receive the same AP coverage, they are noteworthy. On May 6, Deirdre Kelly, President of the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and David Branski, Editor of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition express "concern" over Deer's piece. The last paragraph reads: "Moreover, we feel that publishing this article, by a journalist with a declared interest in the GMC case, just prior to the final judgment by the GMC of the researchers involved is both unjust and inappropriate."

Another response today is "Wakefield's Lancet Paper Vindicated--Yet Again" by Clifford G. Miller, attorney. Susan Davies, histopathologist, wrote to correct Deer's errors on 4/30/10. There are six responses so far.

The article, "Wakefield's Autistic Enterocolitis Under The Microscope," is at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/apr15_2/c1127.

Also read:

Sir Nicholas Wright's companion editorial, BMJ, 4/15/10. (Is this the "new research?")

Dr. Wakefield's response, www.AgeofAutism.com on 4/17/10 (mentions prior press complaints)

Martin Walker, http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/04/journalist-with-no-medical-training-solves-mystery-of-enterocolitis.html.

Martin Walker, "The Urabe Factor," 5/7/10, AgeofAutism.com (important)

[nowGo4ward]

02:34 AM on 05/08/2010

Thank you, neutralground, for providing the information above.

[Sheldon101]

01:52 PM on 06/01/2010

The response by Clifford Miller, "Another response today is "Wakefield's Lancet Paper Vindicated--Yet Again" is at best, a bad joke. Miller somehow believes that a 2010 paper based on a survey of parents of autistic kids, asking them question about GI symptoms in their children, has some relevance to a theory that linked measles vaccine to changes in the physical gut of the kids to autism. It is like comparing apples to a black hole.

[nowGo4ward]

02:11 AM on 05/07/2010

The headline should read, "Experts don't know whether bowel disease in autism is new, but they are finding it now that they are looking for it."

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/PAS/19856

http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/04/histopathologist-from-the-lancet-study-rebuffs-brian-deers-article-in-british-medical-journal.html#more

[neutralground]

12:07 AM on 05/08/2010

nowGo4ward, I see we're on the "same page!"

[Sheldon101]

02:27 PM on 06/01/2010

The headline "Experts don't know whether bowel disease in autism is new, but they are finding it now that they are looking for it." certainly has nothing to do with the medpagetoday article --- which never discusses bowel disease in autism.

And Dr. Davies is hardly a rabid believer of bowel disease being linked to autism. Her response to Brian Deer's BMJ articles ends "Time may indeed bring greater clarity to our understanding of what, if any histopathological changes may be associated with autism."

[JonGH]

06:30 PM on 05/03/2010

“Autism was 1 - 2 per 10,000 in the early 1980's when I trained. We have seen the prevalence rise to 1:650 then 1:150 and now 1:91. When we got the mercury out of the vaccines in 2001 there was no change and in fact rates have continued to rise. Alas we moved the Hep B vaccine around that time from teens to newborns. Many vaccines have a lot of aluminum (e.g., 330 mcg in most DTaP's, 250 mcg in the Hep B and Hep A, etc.). The November issue [of Pediatrics] has the article on Aluminum in preterm infants and later bone health. In this article there is mention of the FDA recommended limit of aluminum exposure to

[neutralground]

10:14 AM on 04/27/2010

I am confused why this article gives two dates. One, the date on my printed copy, 4/15/10 at 11:20 p.m., right below the headline, that shows up at this moment. However, just now in a search on this website, this article came up with a 4/16/10 12:35 p.m. publication date. This article refers to Deer's article as "research published Friday in the medical journal BMJ." However, the BMJ article is dated Thursday, 4/15/10. More accurately, this AP piece might have said, "published today" or "published today or to be published tomorrow." "Published Friday" makes it sound like it happened the previous Friday.

More importantly, the BMJ piece does not actually report any new medical research. Read it and see for yourself. http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/apr15_2/c1127?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=brian+deer&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=date&resourcetype=HWCIT

And please read Martin J. Walker's essay on Brian Deer's 4/15/10 BMJ piece. "Journalist with no Medical Training Solves the Mystery of Autistic Enterocolitis Fourteen Years after Children are Diagnosed..." http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/04/journalist-with-no-medical-training-solves-mystery-of-enterocolitis.html

[Sheldon101]

11:01 PM on 04/26/2010

Professor Stephen Walker (see below or use this Huff-Po permalink http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/16/autism-bowel-disease-may_n_540635.html?show_comment_id=44864326#comment_44864326 has not responded to my April 17, 2010 request asking him if he has published or otherwise gone forward with the poster presentation of 2006 which had a very, very percentage of autistic kids colonoscoped by Dr. Krigsman show measles vaccine virus in their biopsies.

[neutralground]

12:32 AM on 04/27/2010

Dr. Stephen Walker is probably a very busy man, assuming you really did write him. Besides, he is not obligated to respond to your question or to conduct his research on your time table. With vaccines being a 13 billion dollar a year industry, it stands to reason that there are powerful people blocking the way of research that might show that vaccines harm children. "You would be surprised the lengths people would go to," as one of the Cryshame parents said to me recently (see www.cryshame.co,uk and www.slingshotpublications.com).

[Sheldon101]

02:20 AM on 04/27/2010

Hello Martin Walker, as there is a good chance that you are 'neutral ground.' Thanks for showing that Dr. Pegg, Chairman of the Royal Free's ethics committee defined medical research by the intent of the Doctor to generalize knowledge, which of course meant that Wakefield and the others had acted unethically. See http://vaccineswork.blogspot.com/2010/04/left-out-hewitts-explanation-at-age-of.html as a recent place to start researching.

No one is obligated to answer an email. However, I have found that academics are willing to give a short answer to a specific question asked by email. For example, when I did a bit of
research and discovered Wakefield's big lie regarding the definition of medical research, I was so surprised that I sent an email to a philosophy professor and got a decent reply. Similarly, when there was a disagreement as to the meaning of a paper by an Indian professor, I got a quick reply.

[dugmaze]

06:44 PM on 04/26/2010

Pictures of my son's handwriting before and three weeks after starting a GF/CF diet:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15087&id=100000265383117&l=6634c8683f
Pages 258 and 259 were before diet.
Page 278 is three weeks after starting diet.
6 year old Aspie.

[JonGH]

07:56 PM on 04/26/2010

Thank you for posting these photos. Great idea.

[neutralground]

01:12 AM on 04/27/2010

Parents of developmentally disabled children might also like to know of The Thomas Centre in England, started by Richard and Jan Crean, parents of an autistic son Andrew. They tell Andrew's story in "Silent Witnesses" Vol. II (available from www.slingshotpublications.com). They run The Thomas Centre as a place for whole families to vacation together in a "five star holiday park" rural setting. They are particularly welcoming tor families with autistic/communication-impaired family members. You can find The Thomas Centre online at http://www.thethomascentre.co.uk/, with an email contact for more info. (JonGH you may mention me to them.) With 1 in 110 children diagnosed with autism, we need places like this in the US as well. Although, a vacation in the UK looks pretty good!

[neutralground]

08:08 PM on 04/24/2010

I just read that article you gave us, Sheldon, and I do not find the information you cite. Please quote with page number.

IF it's true that children have measles virus in their colon, how did it get there other than the vaccine? Measles virus is not a good thing to have in your gut, whether you have autism or not. I note this was a study sponsored by the Center for Disease Control, a pro-vaccine government agency. Possibly there is more research money available if you are pro-vaccine than if you are, say, Professor Stephen Walker of Wake Forest University.

As to whether Dr. Andrew Wakefield's 1998 study results have been replicated, or "whether autistic enterocolitis exists," one of the responses posted at Deer's BMJ piece was from a doctor arguing Dr. Wakefield's original 1998 study should be performed over again, since the original biopsies were lost. People concerned about vaccines have long been arguing for more funding and more research for vaccine safety studies. But who wants to volunteer their children as research subjects? The article Sheldon cited said the researchers considered a child of 7 old enough to consent to be a research subject. Good grief.

[JonGH]

01:30 PM on 04/25/2010

Where has Sheldon gone? This is so unlike him. Sheldon, are you OK?

[neutralground]

05:50 PM on 04/25/2010

(JonGH, we should join forces. Can I find you on FB? Are you a member of any of these pages? National Vacine Information Center, Informed Citizens Against Vaccination, Cryshame, AutismMothers? If interested, help me contact you.)

I am disappointed to see the Huff Post publishing this article. We need fair-minded, factually accurate coverage of these issues. Huff Post need not necessarily agree with everything it re-publishes from the AP, but until now I have trusted Huff Post's coverage.

Brian Deer created this "news" when first, he asks a question in the title of his recent BMJ piece, "Does Autistic Enterocolitis exist?" Then "someone" (no byline, "from London") answers Deer's question with the headline of the current story, based on one short quote from Sir N. Wright's complete editorial? "any firm conclusion would be inadvisable." The author of this AP article does not name the name of the other professional, also from Barts, who wrote in with a response asking for Dr. Wakefield's study to be replicated (and now, I could no longer find her response online--I should have printed it out.) This AP piece cites to no new research, despite its first sentence's claim, and sounds extremely like Brian Deer's past writings in its focus on Dr. Wakefield. This article went out like scatter shot from the AP. It is irresponsible journalism. Huff Post should ask Dr. Wakefield if he would like to respond to its inaccuracies.

[JonGH]

07:27 PM on 04/25/2010

I see Sheldon is alive and well over at the new April 23 post by DK about "EPA Study: Autism Boom Began in 1988...." Sheldon, I'm glad you are well, if not indefatigable. I should have known.

(neutralground: I would love to. how can we connect and maintain privacy)

[Sheldon101]

11:16 AM on 04/27/2010

I can't seem to find the comment you want more information on.

They did find measles vaccine virus RNA in a 2 kids in the paper "Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study"

I have no idea if having measles vaccine virus in your gut is a bad thing. Most likely you don't have any idea either.

[neutralground]

12:35 AM on 04/28/2010

Do you have the complete reference citation for that study, Sheldon, with page number?

I found a Japanese research study from 2000. They tested measles virus found in the gut of people with Crohn's Disease and of people with uncerative colitis and autism. The study found that those with Crohn's disease had wild-strain measles in their gut, while those with autism and ulcerative colitis had measles vaccine type strains. "Detection and Sequencing of Measles Virus I from Peripheral and Mononuclear Cells from Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Autism." Hisahsi Kawashima, M.D., Kakayuki Mori, Ph.D., Yasuyo Kashiwagi, M.D., Kouji Takekuma, M.D., Akinori Hoshika, M.D., and Andrew Wakefield, M.D., "Digestive Diseases and Sciences Vol. 45 No. 4, (April 2000), pp. 723-729. http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/measles.pdf

http://www.newswithviews.com/Tenpenny/sherri127.htm. ("Wakefield Inquisitioners Have Their Day," an interview with Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, DO).

Why was Japan studying this? Martin J. Walker in his essay on MMR damage, explains that Japan had experienced a significant number of MMR-vaccine-related injuries. A particular bad strain of mumps virus in the MMR became associated with "severe adverse reactions." According to Martin Walker, Japan started giving this MMR in March 1989, and by September 1989, the first cases of aseptic meningitis began to be reported. Martin J. Walker, "To Encourage the Others," p. 17, at http://slingshotpublications.com/MMR-Damage.pdf.

[mikies]

11:12 AM on 04/24/2010

It become increasingly apparent, that medical journals like the BMJ, Lancet, NEJM are so ethically compromised over vaccinations, they are no longer credible. Once you loose your credibility in science or medicine, you will never get it back.

The pharma mafia with Brian Deer's help is exposing just how unscientific, and unethical medicine is becoming.

Dead men walking.

[JonGH]

02:11 PM on 04/24/2010

Several books written by prominent, mainstream MDs are starting to blow the story wide open (if anyone will listen). Two of these books were written by former editors-in-chief of the NEJM ! Canaries in the coal mine.

1) “Overdosed America. The Promise of American Medicine. How the Pharmaceutical Companies are Corrupting Science, Misleading Doctors, and Threatening your Health.” By John Abramson MD (Harper Collins, 2005, 2008). Dr. Abramson is on the clinical faculty of Harvard Medical School.

2) “On the Take. How Medicine’s Complicity with Big Business Can Endanger Your Health.” By Jerome P. Kassirer MD (Oxford University Press, 2005). Dr. Kassirer is Distinguished Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He was Editor-in-Chief of NEJM for more than eight years.

3) The Truth About Drug Companies. How They Deceive Us and What we Can do About It.” By Marcia Angell MD (Random House, 2005). Dr. Angell worked at the NEJM for two decades. She is a former Editor-in-Chief.

Sheldon, St.Thomas, Dyson, (Gorski, Novella, etc.) -Have you ever read any of these books? Or, do you maintain that big pharma doesn’t influence medicine and medical research?

These books -if you don’t work in health care or are otherwise unaware of the problem- will astonish you, even perhaps blow your mind.

[Sheldon101]

02:31 AM on 04/27/2010

I am currently reading "Bad Medicine." I have no doubt that there are problems in current medicine and drugs.

[JonGH]

04:26 AM on 04/27/2010

Hi Sheldon. "Bad Medicine" by by Christopher Wanjek?

[JonGH]

02:11 PM on 04/24/2010

So true. And this is happening because the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical corporations are the most wealthy sponsors (by far) of the major medical journals. The pharmaceutical corporations *profoundly* influence medicine at every level: medical school, clinical practice, research, and what medical journals publish. This is becoming a HUGE problem in medicine. Anyone who doesn’t see this is deeply naïve or in denial. I have worked in medicine at the master’s level in a primary care clinical setting for 20 years (and my father was a family practice doc). I love medicine. But it is being ruined by the raw, overwhelming, financial power of the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies.

[amandastories]

08:01 PM on 04/23/2010

Our autistic son has gut problems which respond to biomedical treatment and a special diet. Many parents at our son's special ed school say the same about their kids. We are grateful for doctors like Andrew Wakefield who see, and try to tell, the truth.
If you are pregnant, lessen your baby's chance of autism by listening to parents of autistics about their children's regressions. If your toddler has been diagnosed, ask other autism parents about biomedical intervention. Treat autism as a medical condition; heal your child's body, to help your child's brain.

[JonGH]

01:27 PM on 04/25/2010

Amanda, tell me more about the treatments that have worked for your son's GI problems. I don't have a child with autism but I work in the medical field with children daily. Also I personally know kids on the spectrum in my (young) children's school. What has worked for you? Have you looked at the TACA webite/organization (if so, what did you think)? Did you find a physician who has trained in the DAN methods? Thx.

[amandastories]

04:35 PM on 04/25/2010

We found an MD years ago who follows the DAN protocol, via a family whose autistic teenager is now mainstreamed. Our son's gut flora is out of balance, as proven by lab results, and his immune and digestive systems need constant support. We have a list of interventions too long to list; it includes an rx for Vitamin B-12 skin cream and we avoid sugar except fresh organically grown fruit. TACA has been very helpful. Our 13 year old son is not mainstreamed, but his sudden regression at age one and a half (after previously normal development) was so profound that he could not walk across a room without falling down, couldn't sleep for more than two hours at a time, and had constant full-body excema, in addition to the sadly typical loss of developing speech skills, eye contact, and ability to learn. Starting the GFCF diet when he was three helped him sleep so we continued biomedical interventions. By age 6 he was able to walk and was learning to speak again. He can now run, pump a swing and skip. His eye contact is back to normal and he is well connected emotionally but is behind in speech and reading comprehension. Treating autism as a medical condition has dramatically improved his health and moved him upwards along the spectrum.

[dugmaze]

06:46 PM on 04/26/2010

Thanks for all the good info.

[JonGH]

11:12 AM on 04/22/2010

Whose medical opinion do you find more valid? That of Brian Deer (who has one degree in philosophy from Warwick University), or...

Sir Nicholas Wright (MA, DSc, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCS, FRCPath), Professor of Pathology at Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London?

The accompanying editorial in the BMJ by Dr. Wright can be found here: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/apr15_2/c1807 There, Dr. Wright states in his conclusion:

"So, does autistic enterocolitis exist? Children with autism often have chronic diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain, distension, and abnormal stool consistency. [10] A cross sectional study that compared children with autism with matched controls and children with other developmental disabilities found that 70% of children with autistic spectrum disorder had a history of gastrointestinal problems, compared with 28% of controls (P

[JonGH]

11:53 AM on 04/22/2010

The quote did not post in full. Let me try again:

In the accompanying editorial by Dr. Wright in the BMJ, Dr. Wright states in his conclusion:

"So, does autistic enterocolitis exist? Children with autism often have chronic diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain, distension, and abnormal stool consistency. [10] A cross sectional study that compared children with autism with matched controls and children with other developmental disabilities found that 70% of children with autistic spectrum disorder had a history of gastrointestinal problems, compared with 28% of controls (P

[JonGH]

11:56 AM on 04/22/2010

One more time....


"So, does autistic enterocolitis exist? Children with autism often have chronic diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain, distension, and abnormal stool consistency.[10] A cross sectional study that compared children with autism with matched controls and children with other developmental disabilities found that 70% of children with autistic spectrum disorder had a history of gastrointestinal problems, compared with 28% of controls and 42% of those with other developmental disabilities. [11] Certainly something seems to be going on. Moreover, several articles describe the association between inflammatory pathology and autistic spectrum disorder. [3]"

[JonGH]

10:57 AM on 04/22/2010

Now newspaper journalist Brian Deer is authoring medical papers in the British Medical Journal? Huh? Is Brian Deer a MD, a medical PhD [No.] Is he an gastroenterologist? [No.] Is he a pathologist? Does he have *any* medical training? Then, what are his qualifications for writing a paper for the BMJ???

[JonGH]

11:03 AM on 04/22/2010

In addition, Brian Deer has deep ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Deer has written 'unbiased' articles in the UK press (The Sunday Times) for a long time in support of the pharmaceutical industry, including Wellcome (The Wellcome drug brand name "disappeared" from the pharmaceutical business in 2000 when GlaxoWellcome merged with SmithKline Beecham, to form pharmaceutical/vaccine giant GlaxoSmithKline.) Interestingly...., the Wellcome Trust is a major corporate sponsor of the BMJ (take a look for yourself at www.BMJ.com).

In fact, Brian Deer has been employed by the conservative Sunday Times in London for over a decade. The Sunday Times is run by James Murdoch. (and has been owned by his father, pro-business conservative Rupert Murdoch since 1981, also owner of Fox News, of course). Mr. Deer and Mrs. Murdoch are both vigorous pro-business, pro-pharmceutical advocates. Indeed, James Murdoch is a Director of GlaxoSmithKline! And that is fine. But, these are hardly unbiased sources of information on pharmaceutical safety.

[JonGH]

11:04 AM on 04/22/2010

Frankly, Brian Deer is a bully. But don't take my word for it. Take at a look at the man for yourself. Alan Golding has recently released a 60 min documentary entitled, "Brian Deer and the GMC" (see below). Take a look. I think you will be astonished. Alan Golding has also just completed an extensive video interview of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Compare the two men side by side; Brian Deer and Andrew Wakefield. I think you will find it very insightful.

Judge for yourself who is more informed and more independent. Judge for yourself who is more caring and more reasonable; Brian Deer or Andrew Wakefield?

http://goldenhawkprojects.blogspot.com/

[Hellbilly]

09:34 PM on 04/27/2010

Sadly, and I hate to say this, but where this topic is concerned? Caring and reasonable, personable and kind matter MUCH less than knowledgable and educated.

[JonGH]

06:42 PM on 04/21/2010

Read the article carefully. NONE of this invalidates the hypothesis that autistic children present GI distress or GI disorders at higher rates than the general (non-ASD) pediatric population.
In fact, "In an accompanying editorial, Professor Nicholas Wright from the Barts and the London School of Medicine said, "any firm conclusion would be inadvisable." He said several studies have shown a link between inflamed bowels and autism, but too little evidence exists to prove there is a new illness."
And this was *not* a study. This was a paper published in the BJM authored by infamous, conservative, UK journalist Brian Deer (a man who has zero medical training). In addition, Brian Deer has deep ties to the pharmacuetical industry. Deer has written 'unbiased' articles in The Sunday Times (the conservative, Rupert Murdoch owned, pro-business, pro-pharma Sunday Times) for a long time in suppport of pharmacuetical giants including Wellcome/GSK. Brian Deer is hardly a source of unbiased opinion about pharmaceutical safety.
Again, read what Dr. Nicholas Wright states. He states,
"Several studies have shown a link between inflamed bowels and autism."

[OrangeLantern]

12:02 AM on 04/22/2010

I think Wakefield did a fine job of invalidating the hypothesis himself. Tell me, where are these numerous studies? I would love to review them but have not found any that validate the hypothesis, and at least one that did not show a difference in bowel disease between autistic and non-autistic individuals, with the exception of constipation.

[JonGH]

10:43 AM on 04/22/2010

OrangeLantern (excellent name, btw),

Here are two recent ones (both cited by Dr. Nicholas Wright):

Galiatsatos P, Gologan A, Lamoureux E. "Autistic enterocolitis: fact or fiction?" Can J Gastroenterol 2009;23:95-8.

Valicenti-McDermott M, McVicar K, Rapin I, Wershil BK, Cohen H, Shinnar S. "Frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autistic spectrum disorders and association with family history of autoimmune disease." J Dev Behav Pediatr 2006;27:S128-36.

Please actually read them before commenting or posting feedback.

[JonGH]

06:19 PM on 04/21/2010

Sheldon,
Sincerely, I'm concerned about your social life. Do you have friends, family? Do they ever see you/hear you. You are always *here*.

[neutralground]

01:59 AM on 04/24/2010

Just as easily as "autism bowel disease" "may not exist," so it may exist, is the flip side of this deceptively worded headline. The general public does not yet understand that the powerful British medical establishment/government and pharmaceutical company-controlled media were bent on destroying the credibility and medical career of Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Brian Deer, journalist with no medical training, recently posted yet another article slamming Dr. Wakefield's work, this time at the BritishMedicalJournal.com. You can read Dr. Wakefield's response at http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/04/brian-deer-in-bmj-and-dr-andrew-wakefields-response.html. Apparently, the BMJ did not offer Dr. Wakefield the courtesy of rebuttal space.

If you want to hear the other side of the story, the side the media is not giving you, please take at look at "Silenced Witnesses Vols. I and. II," written by the parents of the very sick children who were patients of Drs. Wakefield, Murch, and Walker-Smith. You will find these books for sale at the parents' site, www.cryshame.co.uk and at www.slingshotpublications.com.

Martin J. Walker, an investigative journalist who reported on the GMC hearings, has informative essays at www.slingshotpublications.com on such things as the alleged cover-up in Britain, where health officials knew that they were giving the children a known-to-be unsafe strain of the MMR vaccine, one that had caused health problems in other countries.

(to be continued in next post)

[neutralground]

02:03 AM on 04/24/2010

As Dr. Wakefield says in the 1998 four-page "early study" (www.edtatreatment.com/studies/autism/wakefield2.pdf.), Dr. Asperger himself reported findings of gastrointestinal problems in autistic children. Dr. Wakefield never SAID anything about MMR in that paper other than that parents reported that their kids had been vaccinated soon before exhibiting symptoms of autism. Go here for a list of studies to add to JonGh's: http://www.cryshame.co.uk//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=124&Itemid=210

[JonGH]

12:50 PM on 04/24/2010

Great posts neutralground. Great links. Everyone: check them out.

SEE FOR YOURSELF what the parents of the Lancet 12 children are saying about Drs. Wakefield, Walker-Smith, and Murch.

Brian Deer is a bully. Brian Deer doesn't care about these children. See for yourself: ("Brian Deer and the GMC" at http://goldenhawkprojects.blogspot.com/) Brian Deer's behavior is astonishing and speaks volumes.

And.... those who claim that autistic children are not presenting serious GI pain and distress at a higher rate than the general pediatric population are in denial. This doesn't mean that vaccines are *causing* these symptoms (they may, or may not, time will tell); autism and GI problems could be coexisting conditions (comorbidity) for reasons not yet understood; but an unusually large percentage of these kids DO present serious and unusual GI distress. Let's investigate it and get these kids treatment!

[vincealy]

10:27 AM on 04/19/2010

Absolute garbage article . The science that Wakefield presented has been replicated several times.Deer has had a long standing ax to grind with Wakefield ..."Deer asked independent experts to examine hospital reports on the biopsies, who failed to find any distinctive inflammation that would qualify as a new disease.'.........{unfortunately Deer forgot to source any of them}

"In an accompanying editorial, Sir Nicholas Wright from the Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, said "any firm conclusion would be inadvisable." He said several studies have shown a link between inflamed bowels and autism, "

The only named expert in the piece sides with Wakefield. Bad journalism .
For a little balance http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/10/wakefield-interview.aspx

Consider the fact that the parents of the children involved support Wakefield .

[Sheldon101]

02:14 PM on 04/19/2010

The parents supported Wakefield therefore... Being a medical doctor is a privilege. To retain that privilege, medical doctors have to be honest, accurate and make judgments as to the best clinical interest of the patient --- the child. You may think that doctors do not have that obligation, but medical licensing bodies certainly do.

They 3 defendants cannot use what parents want as an excuse to behave unethically. They knew this. I accept that the parents wanted to testify for the defense. None of them called the parents to testify. The prosecution wanted the parents to testify and invited them do so, according to Brian Deer. One parent invited, did testify for the prosecution, but was not happy later for having done so as she provided evidence helpful for the prosecution.

[neutralground]

09:18 PM on 04/28/2010

Please read what Dr. Sherri Tenpenny has to say. To bring up events that happened thirteen years ago and judge doctors by the more clear-cut rules now, when the rules were not as clear-cut then, does not seem fair. That is what the GMC did. Moreoever, the GMC treated the 1998 paper as if it were a research study when it was only an early case study. Read this rather "innocuous" paper for yourself: http://www.edtatreatment.com/studies/autism/wakefield2.pdf. Read Martin J. Walker's essays on this at www.slingshotpublications.com and at the AgeofAutism.com website to hear both sides of the picture. He attended all the hearings. (I have not been to the goldenhawksproject link personally, which some have also given.)

[cable1977]

07:52 PM on 04/19/2010

For a little balance you link to Mercola's website?

That's just funny....