Last Thursday afternoon, The General Medical Council in London, England announced its decisions in the disciplinary hearing of Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Professor Simon Murch and Professor John Walker-Smith. The ruling was not in their favor. (You can read the official ruling HERE.)
There will likely be other posts here at HuffPost explaining the legal machinations of the GMC hearings and science behind the original The Lancet paper, now retracted. Be sure to look for David Kirby's post on the topic. If you're interested, you can read an eye witness account of the proceedings from Martin Walker, who has followed the GMC hearing from the start.
To understand the bigger picture, I highly recommend Mark Blaxill's Age of Autism post on the current scientific environment for autism research in general in which he says, "The deep and profound censorship occurring around autism science reaches depths that few casual observers can imagine. I have proof." HERE
I'd like to provide the voice of an autism Mom, hoarse from yelling into the wind for a cumulative total of thirty seven years. You see, I have three daughters with autism, ages 15, 13 and 9. Autism isn't an abstract battle ground to me. I don't write about autism to gather virtual high fives from a like minded community or to protect an industry or my own turf. My family eats, sleeps, breathes and ultimately, will die, with autism overshadowing every move we make.
When did autism go from a rare diagnosis to a disorder that affects 1 in 110 children but still warrants little to no medical care outside of psychiatric drugs and behavioral therapy? An autism diagnosis can erase a person's ability to get solid medical care. If you brought your six year old to a hospital in the throes of a seizure, the neurologists would run tests and look for the cause. When I brought my six year old, I was told, "She has autism. She has different circuitry." And then when I requested tests, I was told, "We're just not that aggressive with autism." My child has a brain and a gut and an immune system just like any other child. Why does her autism negate that?
Fortunately, there are doctors like Andrew Wakefield and others, most of whom prefer to keep a low profile as you can imagine, who can look past the behavioral diagnosis to the thrashing or sobbing child and his haggard Mom, exhausted from cleaning up bathroom accidents or cajoling a grapefruit sized BM from her anguished child every few days.
There is joy all over the Internet, back slapping and "Isn't it grand!" that Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues have been brought down so publicly. At the same time, autism is chewing through our country at breakneck speed. 1 in 250 became 1 in 166 which increased to 1 in 150 and is now 1 in 110 with no signs of abating. Schools and families are bearing the brunt of the battle today. Tomorrow, as the children become young adults and "age out" of school, you, the average Huffington Post reader, will be partially responsible for them via your taxes. The finger pointing in Connecticut, where I live, has already begun. A recent newspaper article began with, "Why is the district being punished for having too many white autistic kids?"
I implore you to consider the patients. Remember the children, young adults and older persons with autism for whom GI disorders and other medical conditions are a very real problem.
We need a thousand doctors like Andrew Wakefield, who are willing to risk their careers and reputations in order to find out what is happening to our children and how to heal them. That's what physician scientists do after all. Help and heal.
You can read more articles about the GMC hearings and the treatment of Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues HERE.
Follow Kim Stagliano on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KimStagliano
Chantal Sicile-Kira: HBO: A Mother's Courage: Talking Back to Autism
That's the message I see they put up yesterday but others are still commenting on the article abouut Jenny.
I guess whoever is there at Time moderating has huge bias as the article itself did.
Spread the word people, of this unfair censoring.
I'm sure others like me who are a threat because truth hurts have been cut off & stifled, too.
I'm going back to check & see if they deleted my posts as I suspect.
They don't want to allow fair debate by censoring those of us who have a lot to expose.
How unfair. I'm going to make big waves against this unfair practice & hope others do as well.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1967796-1,00.html#ixzz0gkU7yMng
"The Autism Debate: Who's Afraid of Jenny McCarthy?"
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1967796-1,00.html
Great article for raising public awareness. A very biased article but at the same time, most informative.
I was happy to learn from it of the promise of a talk show we'd been hearing about is going to happen as the article stated;
"Jenny has just completed shooting the pilot for a daytime talk show for Oprah Winfrey's TV network to begin airing later this year — which will be, she promises, yet another platform for her message."
There's a lot of good information in the comment section, especially by J.b. Handley, so be sure to have your say.
I was wondering if you were aware of this article here at HuffPost? The dis-information agents have been having a hard time getting their rhetoric & propaganda out there with so many educated people commenting..
I thought you might have something to add before this story goes off HuffPost's websitre.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/mercury-how-to-get-this-l_b_469358.html?show_comment_id=40835398#comment_40835398
Those involved in the big pHARMa mess can't be in good moods of late.
Here's what I've been waiting for that I saw on the news yesterday & told you about. I said it wouldn't be long until someone at HuffPost wrote about it but I was wrong. I found the details in my inbox from my favorite health ranger, Mike Adams & here it is;
"GlaxoSmithKline deliberately hid evidence of Avandia harm, says Senate report"
http://www.naturalnews.com/028233_GlaxoSmithKline_Avandia.html
Among other incriminating matter in the article is this;
"GlaxoSmithKline intimidates scientists"
"This investigative report also reveals that GSK engaged in the intimidation of physicians, saying: "GSK executives attempted to intimidate independent physicians, focused on strategies to minimize or misrepresent findings that Avandia may increase cardiovascular risk and sought ways to downplay findings that a competing drug might reduce cardiovascular risk."
Bad news for those behind the witch hunt against him who, mistakenly, thought they had the upper hand..
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/02/wakefield-moving-into-new-leadership-role-in-autism-community-leaving-thoughtful-house.html
"Wakefield Moving into New Leadership Role in Autism Community, Leaving Thoughtful House."
By Dan Olmsted
Dr. Andrew Wakefield announced today his intention to move on to a new phase of leadership in the autism community as he also prepares a more aggressive defense of his scientific accomplishments in the wake of a ruling from the U.K.’s General Medical Council (GMC).
That ruling, which charged Wakefield and two pediatric gastroenterologists with misconduct, was followed shortly by the retraction of a 1998 case series report by Wakefield and his colleagues from London’s Royal Free Hospital in The Lancet.
“There has been an extraordinary outpouring of support from the autism community in response to the events of the last two weeks”, Wakefield told Age of Autism in an exclusive interview.
“The most exciting part of it has been the opening up of an entirely new sort of opportunity that will allow me to continue my work on behalf of autism families.
” Wakefield said he would provide more specifics on the nature of that opportunity soon. “In addition, I will now speak publicly to refute the findings that have been made against me...
I'm not a religious person that man made doctrine dictates to but I'm spiritual & believe in a lot of written scripture.
One especially I live by & applies here is Roman's 8:28. Check it out.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028194_Scott_Reuben_research_fraud.html
Those guilty of crimes against humanity responsible for the sad sick state of our nation are soon to face the music in form of wrath of our people. This is "NO CROC" as the duped & those who shill for corporate big boys like big pHARMa will try to tell us.
There's been a break for truth & it will put many on the war path, who will be joining many others who've been trying to tell the world "truth about vaccinations" Google those words & see for yourselves many articles that leave no room for doubt in any mind of those who have a fair share of common sense.
Metaphorically speaking our people have gone for the pitch forks, tar & feathers so maybe when this research fraud gets out of jail he'll want to redeem himself & be spokesperson for the moral side of humanity.
The worst of these crimes is this vaccination mess. The children can not continue to be put in harms way any longer. This has to have top priority & now.
http://www.naturalnews.com/028194_Scott_Reuben_research_fraud.html
Thanks for the link Marsha. What's sad is this is not ground breaking news. I think everyone knows or assume big pharma is paying off researchers, doctors, government officials...
Who can you trust?
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http://counteringageofautism.blogspot.com/2010/02/wakefield-removed-from-thoughtful-house.html
This is mind boggling.
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Those who still support Wakefield now argue, bizarrely, that Brian Deer's involvement with getting Wakefield before the GMC was somehow wrong. Even if we assume (wrongly) that it was only Brian Deer complaining then it is hard to imagine what moral or ethical precepts he violated by his actions-- whether he first went to the GMC and the GMC asked for details OR the GMC first went to him and asked for details.
But let us not forget that Wakefield, himself, in February 2004, asked for an investigation. Considering that supporters believe Wakefield to be a man of honesty and integrity, there should be no doubt that he carried out his promise to go to the GMC.
"It has been proposed that my role in this matter should be investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC). I not only welcome this, I insist on it and I will be making contact with the GMC personally, in the forthcoming week." http://briandeer.com/mmr/wakefield-sly.htm
Here are three others contemporaneous sources for the quote. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/23/1077384672552.html?from=storyrhs
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/200806412997981
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article1027465.ece
http://www.vaclib.org/sites/vap/uk-mmr-vaccination-rates-before-1998-20070605.htm
MMR Vaccination Rates in the UK Before 1998
By F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP
"It has literally been open season on Andrew Wakefield since he first published his pioneering research in February 1998. The cruelest and most unfair accusation leveled against him has been that he endangered the lives of children because his research resulted in decreasing MMR vaccination rates. In his expose’, Dr. Yazbak of our Scientific Board conclusively shows that MMR vaccination rates were already decreasing in the United Kingdom well before Wakefield’s article was published........."
"Conclusion: Thousands of British parents were not in favor of MMR vaccination before Andrew J. Wakefield published his original study in The Lancet in February 1998."
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Premises
1. Wakefield's paper was published in 1998.
2. Yazbak wrote:
The following is not a commentary on the article or the study on which it was based. It is in response to one statement: “After Dr Wakefield's article was published in 1998, immunization levels of MMR dropped…”
3. The latest statistics in Yazbak's are for 1998.
Conclusion: Yazbak's paper is irrelevant to the issue he sought answers to, whether immunization rates dropped after Wakefield's paper was published in 1998.
http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/02/wakefields-research-from-the-lancet-to-medical-veritas/
by that orac guy was what one could call a real attack. That hit piece is unacceptable & full of deception. That's what the bullies do best because they have no truth to use against the likes of Kim.
The fact that posts get deleted at AOA they complain about is for good reason. They get deleted with fair process just like here at HuffPost when it gets too down & dirty. If we can't say what we have to say in all seriousness & truth then we should be deleted when we stray off to such extreme hurt & lies that come in the form to unfairly discredit decent people like you guys shoot for.
The difference is we attack with truth. Some of us may get mean & we shouldn't but sometimes it's hard not to because there's so much at stake.
When the messenger is attacked & not the content of the message like some people so often resort to that's not right.
When those like me call them shills & such, that's not attacking them. It may seem like a double standard to those that buy into the deception they sell but when it's the truth, how could it be being unfair? They can call us who are activists for truth about vaccinations "shills" if they want because we are. We wouldn't care.
I saw you arrived at the above link for the show down I challenged you to, thank you.
I checked in there late last night to see if you or anyone else had anything to say. It was good to see you there but sad that not one other new commenter made an appearance in that challenge. I'm working my way there but there's many more important things to do first so it may be a while before I can get there.
I did kind of skim the beginning of your posts there but they were so long & I was so tired that I have yet been able to read them
I did see where you used words like my attacking you & calling you a shill here at HuffPost & such & want to explain the reason I attack you with truth is because I know you're a smart guy. Smart enough to have seen all the evidence that's surfaced & since you still take the stand all vaccinations are safe, it only makes sense that you have ulterior motive of ill will to me.
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time4truthnow believes that anyone who presents good arguments (is smart) and opposes what she believes is a shill with ulterior motives.l
She particularly directs this ad hominem attack at me. This is a clear violation of the Huffington-Post comment policy. Stating that this is a violation of the Huffington-Post comment policy is NOT a violation of the policy and is not grounds for censoring it.
February 14, 2010
NewsWithViews.com
"I’ve been asked many times over the last few weeks to share my opinion on the verdict of the U.K’s General Medical Council (GMC) about Dr. Andrew Wakefield and the retraction of his 1998 article, “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children” by the medical journal, Lancet. The many inquiries fall into four basic questions, answered below."........http://www.newswithviews.com/Tenpenny/sherri127.htm
Read the rest. I was hoping she would use the definingly appropriate words "witch hunt" & by the end of her very revealing letter & she did.
What are those bad doctors who have been knowingly & purposely participating in this whole charade & cover up going to do when all these good doctors finally bury them in enough truth that the whole world wakes up & gets their pitch forks, metaphorically speaking?
We know many doctors, like us, were duped but the decent of them are coming clean on the matter when truth sets in but as for the guilty involved to the core, they must be very depressed.
Maybe they should start taking all those antidepressants they so loosely prescribe. Those bad boy scientists may have to take some of their own medicine, too.
I'm sorry for being mean about it but I'm very scared for the children.
I don't want to discusses this further in a back & forth here because this thread is off the board. With no new people looking in who need the education there's no sense in getting into the back & forth banter.
I really don't know if I trust any, yet, but know which ones I don't. All flu shots because I believe them, mainly, responsible for sickness & disease later in life. Just recently the chicken pox vaccine went on that "not to trust" list since the new government study came out.
Chickenpox Vaccine & Death – New US Government Study
http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/chickenpoxadultdeaths/
Hepatitis B which is ridiculous & a horror to even think about giving tiny babies such an assault for no good reason.
Gardasil is a monster for sure as well as the biggest insult to humanity having any intelligence at all. I'm pretty sure but undecided about tetanus & am looking into this one, next.
All facts about Gardasil can be found here about 7 posts down.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/radical-behaviorist/201002/the-autism-vaccines-myth-the-impact-the-media/comments?page=3
http://drtenpenny.com/Wakefield_Inquisitioners_Have_their_day.aspx
This isn't to deny the terrible results of these GI symptoms.
You would expect writers at Wakefield's own peer-reviewed journal to get this straight.
A new paper demonstrates that even where you would expect some expertise, looking for GI diseases (for which a colonoscopy might be indicated) is very separate from just GI symptoms (for which a colonoscopy ) are not relevant.
http://vaccineswork.blogspot.com/2010/02/misleading-research-at-autism-insights.html
Brain-numbing.
Wakefield monkey study withdrawn from press. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W81-4XC57CT-1&_user=10&_coverDate=10%2F02%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=ad2b44ec3cbb5c94eed5ed3bdf3c28f8
WITHDRAWN: Delayed acquisition of neonatal reflexes in newborn primates receiving a thimerosal-containing Hepatitis B vaccine: Influence of gestational age and birth weight from journal Neurotoxicology
See http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/02/wakefield_retracted_again.php
Kudos to the truth because those ignorant on facts who are decent people with no special interests will be waking up once they hear truth on this horrid matter and do the proper researh themselves. Those who are smart will and very soon see to it that all the wrongs will be righted.
Then vaccinations that started out as something good, can get back on the right track.
"**Only used for Articles in Press which represent early versions of articles and sometimes contain errors, or may have been accidentally submitted twice.** Occasionally, but less frequently, the articles may represent infringements of professional ethical codes, such as multiple submission, bogus claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data or the like."
If this is true, some will think it unfair. However, if you are found to have deliberately mislead the readers of a scientific paper and then repeat the dishonesty in response to letters to the journal and at scientific meetings, that is grounds for rejecting any paper which you are part of.
This result from the Wakefield taint shouldn't come as any surprise to those who wrote the paper. If Wakefield was found guilty, which was obvious when you read the charges laid in 2007, this was very likely to happen..
http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/02/no-parent-ever-complained-to-gmc-public-statement-from-lancet-families-supports-the-mmr3.html
"No Parent Ever Complained to the GMC: a Public Statement from the Lancet Families Supports The MMR3 (Dr. Wakefield, Prof. Murch, Prof. Walker-Smith.) "All of the investigations were carried out without distress to our children, many of whom made great improvements on treatment so that for the first time in years they were finally pain free."
One fact often lost in the media frenzy over the MMR 3 is that the accusations against the three doctors came entirely from the medical industry and their hired guns, never from the parents of the patients who were served"
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As to the parents, they believed vaccine damaged their child in 1996, why would you expect it to change in 2010.
They state: "investigations were carried out without distress to our children." I've gone through every procedure except for the EEG and the lumbar puncture. Even allowing for some procedures being carried out under a general, it would be distressing to an adult, let alone an autistic child.
The accusations came from the scientific community that believed the results false in some way. But it was Brian Deer who made this insanity public. Once done, the GMC used its own authority to start the investigation.
Although it would be nice to think that Wakefield helped them make up their mind, that doesn't seem to be true. But you couldn't blame them
"It has been proposed that my role in this matter should be investigated
by the General Medical Council (GMC). I not only welcome this, I insist on it and I
will be making contact with the GMC personally, in the forthcoming week."
Andrew Wakefield - February 2004
Are you kidding?
If Wakefield was guilty of what the witch hunters say, those parents would have realized they'd been duped & be all over him.
As for the coward Brian Deer, he's at the following bogus blog still working to deceive:
http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/02/wakefields-research-from-the-lancet-to-medical-veritas/
There's a registered nurse there kicking their butts, including Deer's but they have been deleting many of her informative posts.
I just posted there & if they haven't gotten around to deleting it yet as they have been known to do, especially to that smart nurse, it will still be there.