As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. -- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Ten days ago, I attended the National Autism Association's (NAA) annual conference in Florida and was thrilled to be able to spend a little time with so many autism parents, advocates and other authors. I have been trying to find the time to sit down and write proper reviews for two important and recently published books. However, I have been more time-challenged than usual as I am 'negotiating' with the powers that be here in San Diego for the supports needed as my 21-year-old son with autism transitions into adult services. (Parents of younger children, if you feel you have it tough right now dealing with the school district or systems in place: you haven't a clue. It only gets worse unless you own two homes -- one for you, and one for your child when he turns 18. Helpful coping strategies for parents of teens may include the three V's: Vodka, Valium and Vacation, but I digress).
Age of Autism: Mercury, Medicine and a Man-Made Epidemic by Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill is a critical book for all humans to read -- not just those interested in autism. Most would agree that environmental health is a concern to all of us and impacts everyone's daily life. You'd have to have your head stuck in the sand (hopefully not on the Texas Gulf Coast) to believe otherwise. This book explains how, as Robert K. Kennedy Jr. puts it, "medical and manufacturing interests have mounted an assault on human health."
All I Can Handle -- I'm No Mother Teresa: A Life Raising Three Daughters With Autism by Kim Stagliano is also a relevant read. Stagliano's personal account of raising children on the spectrum will make you alternately laugh and weep, and more importantly gives the reader an insight as to how profoundly autism changes families. All community members should read this book -- because Kim's daughters have the same needs that many of our children do in the autism community, and this is another environmental and monetary impact you won't be able to escape. Gianna, Bella, Mia are here, and they are not going away, Neither are the Jeremys, the Ians, the Sams, and the Blazes.
The autism community is often divided on what it believes autism is or is not, what does or does not cause autism, whether autism is a form of neurodiversity or not, and so on. As for me, I believe that autism is best described with the Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant. Six blind men feel a different part of the elephant, and thus each have their own opinion about what the elephant is, based on their examination and interpretation of the part of the elephant they are exploring. The autism community has it's differing opinions, because all of our perceptions and experiences are a part of the mystery that is autism: we share a similar label but our personal stories, perceptions, beliefs, and truths are different. And this needs to be respected. However, I believe that there cannot be any arguments to the fact that we are polluting our environment, our health, our elderly relatives' health, and our children's health in many different ways, and the world has got to start paying attention to this very real fact.
As Thanksgiving looms, I am grateful for all the people I have met on this autism journey -- regardless of which part of the elephant they are feeling and interpreting. We each have our own truths. Our beliefs may be different, but our goals are the same: a happy, healthy, love-filled and productive life -- as independent and self-determined as possible.
Happy Thanksgiving, and may your blessings be many.
Follow Chantal Sicile-Kira on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sicilekira
|
Post a Comment
"Mitochondrial Dysfunction More Common in Children With Autism"
Medscape News
Dec 02, 2010
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/733479
This is a significant development in autism news. And an important advance in the knowledge of the relationship between autism and Mitochondrial Dysfunction. This is the --first-- study of its kind; the first study that has “evaluated mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial DNA abnormalities in a well-defined population of children with autism.”
Giulivi, Pessah, Hertz-Picciotto, et al. “Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Autism” JAMA. 2010;304:2389-2396. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/304/21/2389.short
"Cell Dysfunction May Play Part in Autism"
Bloomberg Buisnessweek
Nov 30, 2010
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/646694.html
"Autistic children are much more likely to have defects in a cellular structure called the mitochondria, which is responsible for producing the energy used by brain cells, preliminary research finds. These defects may help to explain the onset or the severity of autism in some children, according to the study in the Dec. 01, 2010 issue of the JAMA.
"In this report, children with full syndrome autism were more likely to have mitochondrial dysfunction than healthy, age-matched control children. But we don't know if mitochondrial dysfunction is a cause of autism or a consequence of autism."
-Cecilia Giulivi, PhD, lead study author.
Professor of Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Biosciences,
University of California at Davis.
Autism Speaks
New York, NY. November 30, 2010
http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/jama_mitochondria_autism.php
"It is remarkable that evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction and changes in mitochondrial DNA were detected in the blood of these young children with autism,” said Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., Autism Speaks chief science officer. “We look forward to seeing other groups replicate these findings. We need to understand why these differences exist. One of the challenges has been that it has been difficult to diagnose mitochondrial dysfunction because it usually requires a muscle biopsy. If we could screen for these metabolic problems with a blood test it would be a big step forward.”
“The real challenge now is to try and understand the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in children with autism,” said [co-author] Isaac Pessah, PhD. “For instance, many environmental stressors can cause mitochondrial damage. Depending on when a child was exposed, maternally or neonatally, and how severe that exposure was, it might explain the range of the symptoms of autism.”
---------------------------------
See also:
http://blog.autismspeaks.org/2010/11/30/science-more-mito-dysfunction-than-expected/
We ought to develop a bipartisan coalition of the willing to expressly protect medical freedom. Such a strategy might actually bring both the VAXERs and ANTI-VAXERs together in a common cause. This is a good thing. Both sides should have the right to make personal medical choices. This right should be expressly protected in law.
Medical freedom also includes our right to Protected Health Information, and the right not to be groped and irradiated by TSA scanners. Our Constitution includes a right to privacy.
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/rightofprivacy.html
There are many examples where our medical freedoms are disappearing. Our public schools will soon serve as vaccination clinics.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/11/uk-babies-to-receive-six-jabs-at-once-will-yours.html?cid=6a00d8357f3f2969e20134896ddaca970c
A CDC grant funded this pilot study project, in Denver. “If it works, will be used throughout the Country”.
http://videocenter.denverpost.com/services/player/bcpid934052406?bctid=63938886001
http://www.progressiveconvergence.com/
In Arizona, the State through it's CPS, is already coming for the children. You and your kids could be next.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/11/first-they-came-for-the-arizona-5-children-remoced-from-.html
Vaccines are impure! This an undeniable fact! Both spiritually and corporeally, vaccines are impure. They are a “gemisch” of multiple toxins, a literal toxic cocktail.
http://www.know-vaccines.org/wp/PDF/DangerousImpurities.pdf
What happened to our morality and religious values? Why is the church so conspicuous in its silence? Where is the morality in eating cloned food, and receiving inoculations of non-human DNA and aborted fetal tissue?
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/abortedtissue.htm
More physicians need to speak out! The church needs to take a position! There’s no middle ground here.
http://www.tetrahedron.org/articles/vaccine_awareness/Vaccination_UnGodly_Practice.html
VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM
MAKE AUTISM STOP
MEDICAL FREEDOM NOW
END MEDICAL FASCISM NOW
Thank you for paving the way for so many of us. As we enter the daunting world of young adulthood it is appalling to see how little is already in place for us. It looks like we need to again be pioneers so that hopefully the path will be clearer for those who follow.
Thank you for all you do.
Many blessings,
Elaine
Elaine Hall
CoachE
Author: Now I See the Moon
www.nowiseethemoon.com
I hope you make some good memories over the holidays Chantal. I'm sure you will advocate for your son and your family will get thru this transition. I'll be praying.
Kathy
www.autismremediationforourchildren.com
Chantal
But I am thinking of those parents who have 9-5 jobs, who can't just move their schedule around to accommodate their child's needs, or those who don't understand the system, or speak the same language, etc etc. And all those with Asperger's who are supposed to advocate for themselves - many of whom don't have the social and communication skills necessary to do so unless they are taught. Adult services are not mandated, thus the difficulty of getting services. The system is not very flexible or creative.
But as you said, we'll get through it. You'll have to let me know how is goes for your son, a year after transition.
Best wishes,
Chantal
The truth is that those who have locked their minds into blaming thimerosal and vaccines are actually not touching the real elephant, but merely the nether regions of an imaginary one. And because it is imaginary, no evidence will ever shake their beliefs.
Perhaps next year, you will have a more conciliatory message.
Respectfully,
Chantal
It is disturbing that the country that some claim is the most advanced of any nation still can't tell us what is causing autism. We are not getting the right studies and the science that is out there about mercury and other toxic heavy metals is not being disseminated.
Whenever the truth is told I am thankful. In fact I consider a healthy dose of honesty to be a Thanksgiving blessing and I appreciate Chantal Sicile-Kira post to be refreshingly honest. Please keep posting the truth that we all need to be aware of.
Great article! I have 11 year old twins who have recovered. It is a long hard journey that very few understand. Whatever other people believe the cause is doesn't matter. Autistic children are the wake up call for how we treat our world and each other! We will not have to defend our position on the health of our world for much longer!
Jane
GBCAs started being used in the late 80s and the first patent was issued in 1990 with information about toxicity being omitted from applications to regulating authorities. The FDA recently came out with a black box warning and then updated that warning to include three products (Magnevist, Omniscan and Optimark). Their warning now states that Acute Kidney Injury can also result in NSF; AKI can occur in anyone, you do not have to have kidney disease and there is no way to safely administer this toxin to those with AKI.
This is one more way we are poisoning our population for the sake of profits. The FDA should ban these products but they are still being administered and aggressively marketed. They market these products to screen for Autism, Breast Cancer, Alzheimer’s and MS as well as for many other ailments.
Thank you for your comments on autism and on Dan, Mark, and Kim's books. These are three dear friends of mine. I write for the daily blog, Age of Autism, that Mark, Dan, and Kim run. It gives me hope that the autism community is becoming such a voice. Health officials have long closed their eyes to the autism emergency. No matter how bad the numbers, it was all just "better diagnosing" and no real increase at all.
One percent of our children now have autism, including almost two percent of boys. Still---autism has never been called a crisis by officials. No one has ever been able to find a comparable rate among adults, but no matter, no one is worried about what will happen when one percent of young adults also have autism.
In a recent interview, Dan Olmsted made this comment, "Children are the future. Autism is epidemic among this generation: one child in one hundred, up 50% in less than ten years. While treatable, and sometimes reversible, most kids with autism will grow up to be adults on the autism spectrum. This epidemic is eating away at our society from the inside. It's a national security issue. Outside of a nuclear weapon detonated in a major city, what could be more important?"
I agree. We all need to read these two incredible books.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too.
Anne McElroy Dachel
Thanks for your words here and those on the AoA blogs.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Chantal