Jenny McCarthy's Autism Crusade: Healing, Hope... And Controversy

Every 20 minutes, a child is diagnosed with autism. In a study of select populations around the United States, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that one in 150 children has the condition. According to the Autism Society of America, this is the fastest growing developmental disability with a 10-17% annual growth rate.

April is annual Autism Awareness Month. The actual cause of autism and a definitive treatment are still being researched and are under debate.

Jenny McCarthy and thousands of concerned parents, doctors, and health advocates aren't just waiting for an official cure. They're finding answers, and getting results.

Jenny, an actress and a former Playboy model, continues her crusade against autism with her new book, Healing and Preventing Autism, which she co-authored with Jerry Kartzinel, MD, a pediatrician who has successfully treated hundreds of patients with autism. Dr. Kartzinel is also the parent of a son with autism. Jenny has publicly shared her struggles with finding her son, Evan, effective treatment, and now reports that he has officially recovered. Evan lost his autism diagnosis per the State of California.

On Larry King Live's blog, Generation Rescue (an autism advocacy group) Founder J. B. Handley proclaims: "Jenny McCarthy's son Evan no longer has autism. This is a very hard concept for most people to grasp, because the popular understanding of autism is that it's lifelong. Quietly, a revolution of tens of thousands of parents around the world are standing firmly behind Jenny and using the same treatments to heal their children that she used to heal Evan. Not a day goes by where I don't hear a story from a parent of their child's dramatic improvement or complete recovery from autism using what we call 'biomedical intervention.'"

What Is Autism?

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), "autism ... is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests."

What Causes Autism?

The cause is not known, but experts say that autism is most likely caused by a combination of genetic vulnerability, nutritional deficiencies, and environmental factors.

Healing and Hope

In their book, Healing and Preventing Autism, Jenny and Dr. Kartzinel share their beliefs that the best way to tackle the factors contributing to autism is through a biomedical approach.

Biomedical intervention looks at nutrition, detoxification, and removal of interfering factors, such as yeast, food allergies, viruses, bacteria, and heavy metals. Jenny and Dr. Kartzinel admit that biomedical interventions do not help everyone, but thousands of children have improved with this type of therapy.

An important focus of this approach involves supporting the body's innate healing response with healthy food and nutritional supplements.

Their book asserts that autism is not rooted in one cause, and therefore successful treatment is often multifaceted.

Key Components of the Biomedical Treatment:

First of all, clean up the diet. A gluten-free, casein-free diet is one that has helped thousands of kids. In addition, eat as organic as possible, and avoid artificial colorings and flavorings, sugar, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners.

Consider nutritional supplementation. Dr. Kartzinel believes autistic kids have major nutrient deficiencies. The book highlights the supplements he has found most helpful for his patients.

Reduce or eliminate environmental toxins. Advocates of the biomedical approach believe that children with autism are especially sensitive to the toxic elements of most household cleaners, paints, pesticides, etc.

Test and treat for other contributing factors, such as food allergies, yeast infections, heavy metals, etc., that the child's doctor might suspect are involved. Treatment must be supervised by a doctor. Doctors who offer the biomedical approach, known as "DAN (Defeat Autism Now!) doctors," can be found at the Autism Research Institutes's website.

The Autism Research Institute has collected data from 26,000 parents on the effects of biomedical treatments. You can view the percentages of those parents who observed improvement in their children with such approaches as the gluten-free, casein-free diet, removing sugar from the diet, supplementing with cod liver oil, etc. Elsewhere on the site, parents share stories of their children's recovery.

The Biggest Controversy

When it comes to healing autism or any chronic condition, improving the diet and adding nutritional supplements are interventions that are rapidly gaining mainstream acceptance.

However, the most controversial area that Jenny and Dr. Kartzinel discuss in their book is that of vaccinations. The two have brought to light what they consider to be an excessive use of vaccines in the US, and therefore they have often been accused of being "anti-vaccine."

Here's how Jenny explains her view of this hot-button issue at the beginning of the chapter on vaccines: "Despite what anybody thinks, I'm still not against vaccines ... if I were you, I would educate myself on each shot and what it protects against, along with the possible side effects." The rest of the chapter is a conversation during which Jenny and Dr. Kartzinel discuss vaccine pros and cons, side effects, an alternative shot schedule, and the ingredients in vaccines. Resources for further research are also provided.

The autism-vaccine link is being studied because there are actual concerns that warrant these studies. Some studies support the use of certain vaccines, while other studies do not. Often there are conflicts of interest within studies. It can make anybody's head spin trying to sort through these studies.

Some research has denied the autism-vaccine link, while some has supported such a connection. There are two cases recently highlighted in the news related to children who received compensation because of a vaccination connection to autism spectrum disorder.

A Deeper Look

The autism-vaccine debate will most likely continue for a long time. Meanwhile parents are confused and often feel desperate to know how to make the right choices for their children's health and safety.

Here are some web links for further exploration of the autism and vaccine issues:

David Kirby, author of Evidence of Harm

http://evidenceofharm.com; also see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/

FourteenStudies.org, which looks at vaccine studies and presents the studies' limitations and conflicts of interest

Jay Gordon, MD, an author and pediatrician with over 30 years of experience

http://Drjaygordon.com; also see http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-gordon

Robert Sears, MD, another author and pediatrician

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/

Autism Awareness, Prevention, Support

I am not a pediatrician. However, I have seen numerous patients with autism spectrum disorder, who were often referred to me by pediatricians for help with food allergies and nutrition. I have witnessed the improvement in many of these children after changes in diet along with nutritional supplementation. Many of my colleagues have reported similar results to me.

I am writing this piece to encourage parents, loved ones of children, and those contemplating having children to be as informed as possible. It is important to keep up to date with the latest research and information.

There is a lot of support available. Generationrescue.org is a great resource site, with research, recommended doctors, Rescue Angels (parents who help other parents), and testimonials (listed according to the child's age, from 2 years through 10). An inspiring documentary by Generation Rescue can be found at autismyesterday.com.

Autism awareness is not just about recovery from the condition. It is also about prevention. Healing and Preventing Autism's chapter on autism prevention offers women preparing for pregnancy advice on how to remove toxins from their body and their environment, as well as how to maximize their nutrient intake.

Recovery and prevention. That's the message of Jenny McCarthy, Dr. Kartzinel, and the thousands of advocates who share their stories and support for families who are faced with the challenges of getting proper care for their children with these special needs.

Throughout Healing and Preventing Autism, Jenny passionately reminds us that she and her dedicated army of advocates for autism are in this for the long haul:

"Thousands of parents, like me, have learned so much and the only reason we won't shut up is to teach YOU, so you don't have to walk in our shoes. Dr. Jerry and I want to arm parents with all the tools and information necessary to have the healthiest baby you can. The next generation of kids is counting on it!"

*Follow HuffPostLiving on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Living on Facebook*

Comments

[GabeSmall]

A pair of CHOP studies published today by Penn researchers lend weight to the theory that autism is mainly genetic:

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2009/04/autism-genetics.html

Since many of you are worried about who funds these things:
"The first study was supported in part by grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health, and the Autism Genome Project Consortium funded by Autism Speaks. The Children"s Hospital of Philadelphia, Autism Speaks and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded the second study."

[Patrik]

Autism Speaks has been trying feverishly to prove that Parent's genes are the cause of autism.
Congrats to the last 2 of tons of studies on genetics and autism.

They have not yet made the connection as to what is causing the genetic mutations in everyone overnight.

It should be interesting to see where they go with their new studies regarding the safety of vaccines in the hopes of gaining parental trust in the recommended vaccine schedule.

Sorry, I am a fan of generation rescue.

[GabeSmall]

What independent studies has Generation Rescue funded? The only thing I've ever seen is a poll that they commissioned. They've done a great job exploiting Autism Awareness on their Let's Go Shopping! page, but have they actually contributed to science?

Maybe I'm just missing them, but I don't see a single independent study that they've sponsored.

[Heraldblog]

What genetic mutations are you talking about?

[CraigWilloughby]

Need I remind everyone that the study from CHOP and AGRE only found this genetic mutation in less than a half of a percent of autism cases? Not that I don't think that this is a huge finding (it is, and the read was fascinating), but I hardly think that this is the smoking gun as to the cause of autism that the media and CHOP are making it out to be.

What about the rest of the 99.5% plus of the autism cases?

[Dawn Crawford]

I'm exhausted by all the on-sided journalism on this issue. I can't believe that you list 3 quack doctors in this article and do not offer any opposition. I know it's scary to be balanced because you might look like a real journalist...

[Neco223]

what quacks are you talking about? There are three MD pediatricians referred to. Did you actually read their books. They are not anti vaccine. Dr. Sears and the whole Sears Family have great reputations for being balanced. Can you list some pediatricians who have treated children with autism who have written books that you think aren't quacks? If you're so exhausted, why don't you offer another viewpoint that you feel isn't here and provide us with some vaccine expert pediatricians that you approve of.

[Hydra8]

This outbreak and others are caused by the failures of two countries to keep their food supply safe, which the FDA has failed at miserably. Instead of the Mexican and American government actually cleaning up the industrialized food producers that keep spewing out bacteria laden foods for human consumption they are too busy approving drugs that contain deadly side effects.

This requires President Obama to take charge and simply not allow this to continue over and over again. Our food production facilities are not investigated and I will bet that the farm where this particular strain was introduced to the world will not be shut down. We have those operations right here in the US -witness the peanut contamination for a more recent example of the failures of the FDA and other agencies that are failing to do their job.
People are sick and tired of recycled pandemics for profit. PFP's make only drug companies rich, and make people sick.
The food inspection system has failed us- the government is a failure by allowing contaminated food production and tainted ingredients to fill our stomachs and we cannot stomach anymore filth.

[mofmars333]

This is a touchy subject because dear to our hearts, are our children. Being witness to what our own little ones have gone through due to vaccinations, with one still sick a lot, makes for a serious matter.

It's a testy subject for many, so please understand those of you who are angry with us, that we sincerely need fair debate. We need sensible & credible testing ASAP.

Many closed minds, happy to stay in the box are not helping us. Some with greed at heart are trying hard to stifle us. The good & bad about vaccinations as well as all drugs has to be brought into focus.

Lots of attacks here, I'm sorry to say. Some attacked with names & wouldn't listen to what we were saying. I was called a cheerleader with never having anything sensible to offer.

Which is what brought me to writing this in that I'm glad the many posts, links & references I contributed to this matter weren't deleted from either Jim Carrey's thread or here at Dr. Fitzgerald's.

I find it disturbing that every one of my posts concerning vaccinations mysteriously disappeared from the comments section of my profile page at Huffpo. I guess it could have been some weird glitch? Many other comments I made are all there. But everyone of them on the vaccinations are gone. I really have to wonder why?

[AmyTuteurMD]

Parents who are researching this topic should keep one important fact in mind: vaccine rejectionists have been around for 200 years and they've never been right.

There have been vaccine rejectionists almost since the first vaccine was introduced. Over time, the specific accusations have changed and the specific conspiracy theories have changed. However, from that day to this, vaccine rejectionists have never been right, not even once.

It is important for parents to understand that the autism "controversy" is just the latest in a long string of false claims. Every time a claim is debunked or removed (as thimerosal was removed from vaccines), they just move on to a new one.

Before any parent decides to follow the recommendations of vaccine rejectionists, he or she should demand historical evidence that vaccine rejectionists have ever been right at any time in the past. And when that evidence is not forthcoming, they should carefully consider whether they wish to follow the claims of a group that has been wrong 100% of the time over the past 200 years.

[Ergon]

"vaccine rejectionists have been around for 200 years and they've never been right " is simply, untrue, if you click on my profile and follow the comments.

[klastos]

Anti-vaxxing is insane.Being a successful person with apergers(which happened by growing up with parents who didn't believe I had to live in a bubble) I have to say this "cure" McCarthy managed to pull out of thin air(especially when shrinks, therapists, behaviorists and neurologists have all failed to produce the magic bullet that a former playmate generated) is going to bite everyone who uses it in the ass. I'm going to ignore the anti-vaxx argument and just talk about the behavioral side. The way to have autistic(especially aspergers) kids adapt to society is to socialize them, if they're neurotypical enough to go to public school that's a pretty good way to do it.

I'm sure someone's going to ask if I got vaccinated, yes my dad was in the air force in Europe. I also happened to be in utero in Germany when Chernobyl hit(westward winds) if you really want to use correlation as causation.

[Ergon]

The politics within the Autism community http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_Speaks
"Autism Speaks's advocacy has been based on the view of autism as a disease, a view shared by many but not all autism scientists.[22] In contrast, some autism activists have asserted that people with autism are different but not diseased, challenging the conceptualization of autism as a medical condition.[22]
In January 2008, an autistic blogger upset with some charities' portrayal of autism created a critical parody of the Autism Speaks website, and later took the site down in response to legal demands from Autism Speaks to stop using the Autism Speaks name and logo without permission. Autism Speaks claimed the spoof could confuse people looking for information about autism. New parody sites were later launched by Gareth Nelson, founder of the autism rights group Aspies for Freedom.[23]"

might not apply to you, but I think even 'former playmates' are entitled to her opinion, one shared by many medical professionals btw.

[kwombles]

Ergon,
But are those opinions shared by mainstream medical doctors (and you've provided sufficient claims that you are not a mainstream medical doctor, but insufficient support that you are in fact a physician)? There is a case to be made for this being analogous to those mainstream scientists arguing that there is sufficient evidence for anthropogenic global warming and those outlying scientists who argue against that global warming being man-made.

Former playmates are of course entitled to their opinions, as are the rest of us. Opinions, though, should not carry the day; this isn't a debate about something ultimately unknowable like whether there is a nice sky-daddy looking out for us all (all for a sky-daddy or earth-mother, so no need to argue there). This is something that can be evaluated scientifically. So, any of our opinions on this matter ought to rest on the science. Science. I'm not sure that I feel comfortable that you have rested on science in many of your arguments, although you sling those words together quite well. Then you go and source those sites that just aren't credible.

[Katie Kelley 1]

I believe the name of the book is healing autism, not curing autism. There is a big difference. and I must ask, as a person with aspergers did you, do you suffer from gut inflammation (diarhea,reflux etc) Did you speak at a young age or did it require grueling years of speech to say mom? Did you have low tone that required ot.pt. Did you suffer from seizures? Did you/ do you suffer from food allergies, skin allergies. Did you prefer to smear poop on walls rather than play with toys? Aspergers is generally a social skill problem. The autism we are dealing with today has so many co-morbid conditions the prevent normal/timely development that I don't even think it should be called just autism. It needs a new name.

[CraigWilloughby]

May I offer a word of advice? Opening an argument witn an insult like calling "anti-vaxxers" insane is not the way to have a reasonable debate. It puts the other side on the defensive, and has a tendency for them to respond with similar insults.

Personally, I find it just as irresponsible for vaccine defenders to just roll up their sleeves and have the medical industry just inject any old poison with a label slapped on it. Calling someone who questions the safety and efficacy of vaccines (which, I might add, are known to cause adverse reactions in some people) is an insult.

[xenophrenia]

Okay - I'm posting here blind (meaning that I don't know a great deal about all of the arguments regarding autism. I had read something recently that other countries aren't affected nearly as much as the US is. Is there truth to this and what has been investigated regarding this? Just curious

[klastos]

It is true, I'm not up to date on the current literature, a lot of mental/neurological problems come from environment too though. If you look at schizophrenics in the US and Europe(roughly the same proportion) you'll notice that the US has a higher percentage of paranoid schizophrenics while Europe has a larger percentage of infantile schizophre­nia(decrea­sed mental abilities bordering on child-like)

[Ergon]

Part I:
""Increases In Autism Rates Not Surprising To Education Expert"
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/62790.php
"The new national study showing higher-tha­n-expected incidences of autism comes as no surprise to special education personnel and autism advocates, says a special education professor at the University of Indianapolis. We have seen the rates of autism increase dramatically over the last seven years," notes Dr. John Somers, director of graduate programs and coordinator of special education in UIndy's School of Education.
The rise in autism cases puts intense pressure on schools to meet the needs of autistic children. "Schools are reeling today to accommodate the needs of the increasing number of children diagnosed with autism," Somers explains. "Because students with autism embody a multitude of needs and services (special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, physical and occupational therapists, etc.), the increase is overwhelming and we do not have enough school personnel trained in this area to deliver much needed services."

[Ergon]

Part II
Somers also noted that today autism is readily identifiable as a neurological disorder and, while no parent wants their child to have medical problems, autism is a more "comfortable" diagnosis because it carries fewer stigmas than a diagnosis of other disorders such as mental retardation or emotional disability.
Somers hopes that the findings of the study will lead to more funding to care for autistic children. "This documented increase in autism should put pressure on state legislatures and Congress to address the monetary resources that schools and society will need to meet the needs of autistic children and their families."
The professor's comments were made in response to a study released Feb. 8 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which indicated that the autism rate is now 1 in 150."

This is a reply to those who argue that the increase in Autism is due to different diagnostic criteria; I do not recall the rate of special needs kids in the educational system ever being 1 in 150. In my opinion, this is due to the increase in the vaccination schedules.

[fusellovirus]

What facts support your opinion that the increase in autism diagnosis are due to vaccinations?

[Ergon]

Let's save a lot of time, shall we? Yours is the sort of loaded question one gets from the Pharma industry where the only accepted proof is a double blind with control group study. Yet, when studies from independent researchers show causal links that implicate vaccines for example, then we get quibbles about the sample, the controls, the conclusions, the list goes on. On the other hand, when one points out the flaws in industry funded studies, the skewing of the control groups, obvious manipulation of data and perverse conclusions, that gets ignored, and therefore, doesn't exist as fact.
There are studies that show a causal link between vaccines and autism, and diabetes, and asthma. Even the product literature and Physician's Desk ReferenceThere are studies that show that death rates went down as a consequence of increased sanitation, and not, vaccination. If anything, the conclusions are even more clearcut

[Ergon]

Part II: Conclusions even more clearcut because published reports show clear correlation while the pro vaccine arguments are to put it charitably, wishful thinking and fanciful flights of 'logic' that vaccines prevent disease. NO, they merely submerged normal early childhood illnesses and created new chronic diseases which have damaged the gene pool.
So, what facts support my 'opinion'? Oh, I could point to lots of studies, and will, but my opinion is based on clinical observation of thousands of children in my general pediatric practice of nearly 4 decades and having treated over 600 children in the Autism Spectrum Disorder group, most within the classic Kanner definition.
I am proud to say I have never administered a vaccine, because I'm an old fashioned doctor, whose oath is to do no harm, and not, to protect the profits of the medical industry.

[Palemoon]

You know, this hits close to home since me and Destin both share some quirks mentally. Over my life, I've developed some dyslexia. One doc things maybe it's due to a head injury I suffered in the past. Another things it might be something else causing it. Anyways, don't wanna talk about me.

I think Destin has an autism type disorder as he is so introverted he often doesn't leave the house, has little to no social life and yet can be so brilliant that he lights up the room if you can get him opened up and talking about something. With him, history and music are 2 of his passions. And it's interesting, cause I didn't know fully what autism was. But I noticed that in some ways, it can work to an advantage in some respects. Like that Asperger's Syndrome thingy. It's pretty much autism, but the people end up with literally genius level IQ's in specific areas. As far as Destin, he's been told it's just "anxiety" that makes him avoid any social interactions, or that he was developing irrantional phobia's. I think he's been misdiagnosed, because, you get him on the right subject in the right setting, he'll talk about it to the point of obsession. He'll rattle of whole lists of things, not a scrap of a note to be seen anywhere. It's like he's a sponge that just absorbs data and then spits it all out later when someone pushes the right buttons.

[DenaSilver]

"Clean up the diet"? What evidence says that glueten or casein (milk sugar) are unclean?
See the other guests on that Larry King Live show and note the difference between jumping on the bandwagon and years of serious, thoughtful study of autism, which is not yet understood.

We've yet to see these children, whom "they say" are no longer autistic. On the other and, how accurate was the diagnosis--we don't know this, either.

[Dynamohum]

It is not that glueten or casein are unclean, but that the autistic child is ALLERGIC or SENSITIVE to them. Actually to the point where it contributes to their illness.

[Zipzop]

Your objective post is well reasoned but doesn't have the bells and whistles of the final scene of The Miracle Worker. People want inspiring scenes, not the dry objectivity of science.

I'd like to hear from these McCarthy Cult followers after their kids grow up. Usually after all the bonding over the cure stories that come and go, the parent(s) end up reclusive, worried about what it will be like for their adult child when they can't be there for them.

Too bad parents aren't reaching out to each other to build on good futures for them while they're young.

[ZoeyMO]

That's crap. There are plenty of documented cases of accurate autism diagnoses that were recovered. Just because you don't care to believe it, doesn't mean the evidence isn't there. Start with Son-Rise by Barry Neil Kaufman. It's the story of his son, Raun, whose regression into autism and the diagnosis he received were absolutely classic. Raun's parents were told they should just put him in an institution because there was no way he could possibly ever function in the ordinary world. Fortunately for the world, the Kaufmans didn't take that as the truth for their son. They changed his diet and designed a program of interaction that brought him out of it. He graduated with honors from Brown University.

[ConfuciusSay-]

Casein is a milk protein, not a sugar.

[AmyTuteurMD]

Another problem with vaccine rejectionists is they often don't understand risk. Americans routinely panic about insignificant health risks (high tension wires, X-rays) and routinely ignore large health risks (driving without a seatbelt, tanning).

Scholars tell us that risk perception is modified by control, choice and origin. Vaccine rejectionists obsess about the "risks" of vaccination over which they feel they have no control, but ignore the risks of infectious disease because they think they can keep their children healthy.

The "risks" of vaccination seem large to them because vaccination is mandated, whereas the risks of not vaccinating are freely chosen. However, they fail to recognize that the risk of death from NOT vaccinating is actually ONE THOUSAND times higher than the risk from vaccinating.

Finally, many vaccine rejectionists labor under the delusion that "natural" choices are inherently safe just because they are natural. This is not and has never been true. Catching whooping cough or polio is entirely "natural," and far more dangerous than any technological method of preventing or treating these diseases.

Vaccine rejectionists are absolutely certain that the risks of refusing vaccination are so small as to be trivial and are far outweighed by the risks of "toxins" in vaccination. This is a misperception of the risk. Because rejecting vaccination encourages a sense of control, is a risk that is freely chosen, and is perceived as natural the risks of vaccine rejection are misunderstood. The consequences of this misunderstanding are deadly.

[mofmars333]

You misunderstand or might be a lobbyist for big pharma. We're not, as you put so eloquently, "vaccine rejectionists", we're thinking people who've done research & are telling others to do their own. We're not anti-vaccine, we're anti-poisoning our little ones so the rich greedy guys can get richer.

We allow our children to have shots we deem necessary. Common sense dictates what's up here. We want big pharma to stop pushing drugs that are destroying our children's immune systems. Google "Gardasil deaths" for details on this one that's been around such a short time we fear what's up the road for these girls.

We parents know because we're there. Let's see all you who back big paharma, let's see your children's inoculation records..

The proof is in the experience of parents witnessing immediate reaction to shots & then conditions & symptoms that they know were caused by the injections. Truth to this & the fact no one can even open a lawsuit to prove their dilemma, hushes the fact in favor of big pharma. They won't win this one. Parents & good people like Jenny are here to see to that.

[Bill Noonan]

Wow big pharma, you're gonna appeal to conspiracy theories, So all these thousands of researchers are just sick immoral people willing to see harm inflicted on all these children for wages that don't even make them rich. remember that its the pharmaceutical company's making the money not the researcher's. most researchers are not even employed by pharmaceutical companies. And lets not forget that many times before when drugs that are unsafe get fast politically motivated approval the researchers are immediately speaking out against it.
And if these injections really did anything. then people who got them wouldn't get ill at the same rate as those who don't. Add to this the fact that a great many people who develop autism don't show any reaction as you've described and the coincidence that autism usually develops when vaccines are scheduled (regardless of whether or not the vaccines are received) And it seems like you have a lot of mothers really upset over a terrible situation trying to find some reason for it al.

[Heraldblog]

I Googled "Gardasil deaths" and this is what I found. As of Dec. 31, 2008, approximately 23 million doses of Gardasil have been distributed in the US. The CDC has confirmed 17 deaths that were temporally associated with the vaccine. Those deaths occurred up to 288 days following vaccination, with the majority (11) falling within 2-21 days.

Vaccine rejectionists who pride themselves on "doing their homework" would do well to note that there is no discernible pattern to the "Gardasil deaths". When broken down by cause of death we find: viral illnesses (3); pulmonary embolism (2); cardiac events (2); diabetes (1); seizure disorder (1); ALS (1); and drug overdose (2). Remaining cases are of unknown cause.

These numbers are consistent with the expected mortality rate for 15-24 years olds:

Heart disease 2.5/100,000
Pulmonary .6/100,000
Pneumonia/flu .5/100,000
Stroke .5/100,000

Conclusion: No data suggest that Garasil increases the mortality rate among 15-24 year olds. Also, blaming Gardasil for killing girls, with little or no basis in fact, is both reckless and an ineffective strategy to prove that you are not anti-vaccine.

These figures are available to any one Googles "Gardasil deaths"

[Ergon]

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS123707+09-Feb-2009+BW20090209
NVIC Vaccine Risk Report Reveals More Serious Reaction Reports After Gardasil
"Gardasil is associated with at least
twice as many Emergency Room visit reports (5,021), four times as many Death
reports (29); five times as many "Did Not Recover" reports (2,017) and seven
times as many "Disabled" reports (261). There have been 34 reports of
thrombosis, 27 reports of lupus, 23 reports of blood clots, 16 reports of
stroke, and 11 reports of vasculitis following Gardasil vaccine given alone
without any other vaccines. There are three to six times more fainting or
syncope reports after Gardasil vaccination than after Menactra and there have
been 544 reports of seizures following Gardasil and 158 after Menactra (73
Menactra-associated seizures involved co-administration with Gardasil)."

[ChelseaC]

I would not get a Gardasil vaccine if you paid me.No how, no way

Some vaccines are necessary, but one should know the risks--risks that mainstream medicine and Big Pharma don't speak clearly enough about.

What ever happened to those Gulf War Vets who got all those vaccines before heading out to the Gulf? They have GWI.The vaccines, the toxic exposures and a weakness in their immune system may be the cause.
Look at what happened to some of those poor souls who were vaccinated with Lymerix--Big Pharma and their "thought leaders" thought Lymerix was such a great idea--then it had to be pulled from the market. Those same "thought leaders" stated over and over Lyme Disease can be cured with 2-4 weeks of Doxycycline.
I can tell you personally, that's a lie. I'm living proof.

I don't blame these parents for being concerned over vaccines.
My heart goes out to each and every one of you who has a child
with Autism and other Spectrum disorders.

[JohnDanStone]

Amy

Have you noticed that you keep on chanting the same mantras? Your answer to people asking awkward questions is that they are defective people, not to answer the questions.

[ZoeyMO]

"However, they fail to recognize that the risk of death from NOT vaccinating is actually ONE THOUSAND times higher than the risk from vaccinating."

Oh, yeah? Where do you get those numbers, huh? I don't buy it for an instant. Do you know what the risk of "catching polio" is in this country at the moment? Zero. There hasn't been a case of polio in years. Do you know what the chances are that your son will be autistic? Not taking any medical factors into consideration, the current numbers are now 1 in 80.

And, the risk of death from vaccinating is by no means the only risk that people are worried about. It is probably the smallest. MOST people are worried that vaccines could leave their children with a chronic illness that would be enormously expensive and affect the quality of life for their child and his/her family indefinitely. THAT risk is by no means 1000 times higher by not vaccinating. Whether people acknowledge it or not, there is a great deal of evidence associating vaccines and autism, asthma, allergies, and ADHD. There is also evidence to suggest that vaccines are implicated in SIDS and diabetes.

I know very few "vaccine rejectionists" who are "absolutely certain" that the risks of refusing vaccination are so small as to be trivial, but I know many who are convinced that that risk is lower than the risk of their child getting a severe chronic illness.

[kwombles]

Not 1 in 80. According to Lenoir, Bodier, Desombre Malvy , et al. (2009), the incidence rate of ALL PDDs is “almost 0.7%.”

[tarowig]

Nice post Amy. It is a shame that anti-vax proponents will only brand you as working for "big pharma" and back up their stance with bad science. Having seen first hand the effects of meningococcal disease on children, I can say that I would rather err on the side of caution and trust the science, than risk putting any future child of mine through that.

[momofvegasgirls]

I think I read somewhere that asthma was up because of the way we build new homes. They are so tight and energy efficient that the do not circulate clean air enough. With central air and heat there's almost no reason to open the windows much in our homes anymore.

Just a thought.

[ZoeyMO]

Asthma rates are skyrocketing in New York City, particularly in the Bronx. I guarantee you it's not because those kids are living in new, tight, energy efficient homes.

[punkindmb]

Any video on Jenyy's son before and after. I mean, if he's cured, he's the proof, right?

[AngieMom57]

Cured? Hello! u want a before and after video of the boy? Hummm... watch much tv reality?

[Heraldblog]

If Evan was really "cured", you can bet Jenny would seek independent confirmation. Which she hasn't.

[Katie Kelley 1]

How do you know she hasn't?

[Patrik]

Those without sick kids do not realize that there is at least a 2 year waiting list to get re-evaluated.
They are dealing with huge numbers of children.
It is a crisis that has been ignored.

[Ergon]

Since the pro vaccine crowd here is demanding a certain standard of proof, I think we need to examine some of THEIR statements, umm, critically? Vaccines do NOT cause Autism. How can they know that, if they don't know the cause of Autism? The Black Cat who said she received the whooping cough vaccine, but still got it from an unvaccinated child and developed asthma. How does she know that to blame the unvaccinated child? There's a huge increase in childhood asthma in vaccinated children. There's a study in Epidemiology referred to here: http://www.jabs.org.uk/forum/topic.asp?topic_id=1209 "Pertussis vaccination and asthma * 10.69% of children immunized (with pertussis) got asthma. * There was 1 case of asthma out of 91 who had no vaccinations at all". DPPT or MMR and allergies/asthma Children vaccinated with DPPT (or MMR) had 14 times more asthma and 9.4 times more eczema than non-vaccinated children. McKeever TM, Lewis SA, Smith C." Where's the study that compares ND in vaccinated vs unvaccinated children, before we can say that Vaccines don't cause ND? Or Juvenile Diabetes? Arthritis? Cancer? And here's the absolute howler: The person signing himself as an MD, saying he'd administered 250,000 shots, and NEVER had to report an adverse reaction. Cool.

[taiki]

We know that vaccines don't cause things like diabetes, arthritis, cancer and other diseases because there's no interaction that causes tumors, joint inflammation or problems with the pancreas. It's like saying that putting premium gas into your car is going to cause your radio to short out and melt. It's true we don't know the exact causation for autism, but,given the rates of autism are not at all in any way correlated in a large group with vaccination or no vaccination...

Also, science is great in that, if you have the money, time and will, you could easily verify the claims of pro-vaccine researchers by throwing down a few million dollars, putting together an unbiased, double blinded controlled study with a large enough sample size and see if your findings are concurrent with the vast swath of medical literature or not. I'm pretty sure that Jim Carrey has a few million to throw around for this kind of life saving research.

[TheBlackCat]

That actually would be a great idea for Jenny to use the profits from her books to fund such a study.

[lightandlove]

"We know that vaccines don't cause things like diabetes, arthritis, cancer and other diseases because there's no interaction that causes tumors, joint inflammation or problems with the pancreas." Sorry, Taiki, but you just haven't researched this matter sufficiently. It's well known in the literature that, eg, vaccines can cause as side effects arthritis/­arthralgia and type 1 diabetes, among other autoimmune conditions. Vaccines are not the overwhelmingly lovely medical interventions, with a huge balance in difference between benefits and risks, that they've been made out to be.

Take the MMR. Not only is the measles virus component of it associated with antibodies to Myelin Basic Protein (from the chick embryo cells that they are cultured on) - thus causing the autoimmune reaction of attacking the body's own MBP - but the vax contains glutamate, which is an excitotoxin, wreaking havoc in the brain in its own right. And as well, glutamate lowers glutathione levels, which is the body's natural chelator. Thus the MMR given at the same time as other vaccines containing heavy metals/toxins, like mercury and aluminum, can cause the body not to be able to eliminate those toxins as well as normal. And so forth.

There's a lot about vaccines that needs cleaning up; well worth continued research on their effects.

[Hydra8]

that Jim Carrey has a few million to throw around for this kind of life saving research.

Why should he fund another study, don't you have enough studies that prove your point?

I believe we all know what needs to be done, remove the mercury and redesign safe drugs, and safe means - with not one toxin. Simple as that, and I just saved a few million dollars.

Cha ....Ching!!!

[fusellovirus]

I place myself firmly in the pro vaccination crowd, and while I do not suggest there is proof that vaccinations do not cause autism, I have not seen proof of a link between the two. On the other hand there are decades worth of data demonstrating the efficacy of vaccines in preventing disease and death. All medical treatments have a risk associated with them, and this is certainly true with vaccines, however in this case the small risk is worth the enormous benefits.

As for the article in Epidemiology "Is Infant Immunization a Risk Factor for Childhood Asthma or Allergy?" The study was done on a very small group of non-vaccinated children (23 children), of which the authors admit may be too small to get reliable data. The authors also admit the study is not supported by similar studies with larger datasets of vaccinated vs vaccinated children which show no difference in asthma rates. Here are a few (all of which have vaccinated control groups):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19255024?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17974720?ordinalpos=6&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17181437?ordinalpos=9&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

[TheBlackCat]

thanks fuss, you have given me the next place to look in my investigations!

[fusellovirus]

Sorry, all of the above links have non-vaccinated control groups, not vaccinated control groups.

[Katie Kelley 1]

You mean not vaccinated for the one being studied. It doesn't say never vaccinated. That is the control group I would like to see. There must be non-vaccinated controls somewhere.

[ZoeyMO]

Twenty-three children is much too small to be statistically significant.

[Ergon]

The studies you quote are flawed. But if this gets deleted again I shan't bother.

[TheBlackCat]

Ergon,

Just to clarify, I didn't say I DEVELOPED asthma after pertussis, simply that it became much worse after pertussis. And the CDC actually came to my hometown at my school's request and tested everyone in my school and swimteam after the student who I went to school with (and was on the swim team with) and I developed whooping cough. The CDC rep also had our parents give them a list of anyone we had come in contact with recently, and they were tested as well. The student had pertussis BEFORE I did, and then I got it, and no one else did. Also the student just returned from a trip.
Though, you are right, I can't KNOW it was from that child. Some random lady in a grocery store could've coughed, and I got it from her. That is definitely a POSSIBILITY. But the fact that the student got it RIGHT before I did, and we are on a swim team together, to me makes it very unlikely that they weren't the one who gave it to me. But you are correct, this simply isn't something I can know with 100% certainty.

However, having never heard of the pertussis/asthma link, I certainly won't ASSUME that it doesn't exist, because I've not researched it at all. My interest is piqued now, considering my experience with both whooping cough and asthma. It is definitely something that I will look into thoroughly.

[TheBlackCat]

er, rather that should read pertussis vaccine/asthma link

[TheBlackCat]

Though Ergon, having started to read the link you gave me, I am already suspicious of it. For instance, it contains this line:

"In fact, a normal child should be able to deal with any childhood disease and benefit from the experience"

This is just categorically untrue. Plenty of healthy children developed life long impairments or die from diseases such as polio, measles, diptheria, etc. You can easily verify that from reading a medical history book on any of these diseases which records mortality rates as well as rates of permanent damage wrought by disease.

So, though I will definitely look into it more, the fact that the link you sent me has such a a profound and blatant falsehood makes me suspicious.

But this is only one link after all and maybe someone else who is more reputable (and acurate) will have other corroberrating evidence. I will check it out and draw my own conclusions.

[AmyTuteurMD]

"How can they know that, if they don't know the cause of Autism"

The exact same way I know that the moon is not made of green cheese. I don't have to prove that the moon is not made of green cheese; if you think it is or it might be, you have to prove it.

Nor can I get away with saying that "we don't know, the moon might be made of green cheese." For the same reason, vaccine rejectionists can't say that vaccines "might" cause autism. It is equally likely that not vaccinating "might" cause autism. Unless and until you have scientific evidence, you can't simply "suggest" possible complications.

[jimsey]

Exactly, and this is a specious argument brought up by the vaccination causes autism activists. I cannot prove that unicorns don't exist, nor the presence of the Celestial Teapot, nor God for that matter. The simple truth is that the 'link' has been very well studied and there is no convincing evidence or data that supports it. I have posted numerous links to numerous studies on other sites but never get a response to the specific studies, just more assertions of linkage based on no data.

But here is the quick response. Thimerosal in vaccinations was asserted as a 'cause'. Studies have shown that where thimerosal was removed from vaccinations rates did not change. See http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/65/1/19 and http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10997

MMR has been asserted as a cause. Again, where MMR schedules have been reduced, or there are populations that did not have MMR, there was no change in rates. The National Research Council, Institute of Medicine and others have valuable cites to peer reviewed research on their sites supporting the finding that there is no link. See for example: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/autism/mmr/sub3.cfmhttp://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/autism/mmr/sub3.cfm

I have an autistic son. This is not where the research dollars should be spent. It was given a fair examination and it is not the solution.

[pillgirl]

the way we know that vaccines dont cause autism is that if you take a group of 1000 kids and immunize them, and a group of 1000 kids and dont immunize them, the same number in each group will develop autism.

also... the vaccine that is usually singled out in this debate is MMR. it is given somewhere between a year of age and 18 months. in my office, we routinely give it at 15 months. there have been retrospective studies of kids with autism where their 1st birthday party videos are examined. most kids later diagnosed with autism have already begun to show signs of autism at this first birthday. (before this shot was administered).

[ZoeyMO]

"the way we know that vaccines dont cause autism is that if you take a group of 1000 kids and immunize them, and a group of 1000 kids and dont immunize them, the same number in each group will develop autism."

Oh, yeah? And how do you know that? Has anyone done it? Not even close. Of course you can't do it for ethical reasons, but you can study the population of children that have never been vaccinated.

Most people in the autism community do not believe the MMR is the single cause of autism, and certainly not in all cases. How do you know that the "signs of autism" that you assert have been detected in 1st birthday videos were not due to previous vaccinations? The fact is that you don't. The likeliest thing is that these children had underlying immune problems due to problems in the digestive system and the MMR was the last straw for their poor intestines, leading to a host of chemicals flooding an overwhelmed brain.

[ChelseaC]

What study was this?