FEAT DAILY NEWSLETTER Sacramento, California

"Healing Autism: No Finer a Cause on the Planet" ________________________________________________________________

CARE

* President Says U.S. Must Make Commitment to Mental Health Care

RESEARCH

* New Wakefield Study Finds A Novel Form Of Enteropathy in ASD Kids

* Exclusions and Limitations in Children's Behavioral

Health Care Coverage

* Medical Imaging to Study PDD Child SSRIs

* Citalopram Effective In Children With Impulsive Aggression

AWARENESS

* Autism: A Child Stolen

EXCHANGE OVER DIGESTIVE ENZYMES

Cools to Discussing Biochemistry

Houston Clarifies on 'No-Phenols' Safety: 'I Apologize For Confusion'

- Dr. Jon Pangborn in response to the letter by Devin Houston

- Dr. Houston's Response to Dr. Pangborn’s Letter

LETTERS

* Sad About ARI's Article on Houston's Enzyme

* Thanks for the Balance

* The 'HEART' of the Vaccine Safety Inquiry

President Says U.S. Must Make Commitment to Mental Health Care University of New Mexico

[President Bush's speech April 29. Thanks to Arlene Shumaker.]

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much for that warm, New Mexican welcome. It's nice to be back in this beautiful state. [. . .]

Millions of Americans, millions, are impaired at work, at school, or at home by episodes of mental illness. Many are disabled by severe and persistent mental problems. These illnesses affect individuals, they affect their families, and they affect our country.

As many Americans know, it is incredibly painful to watch someone you love struggle with an illness that affects their mind and their feelings and their relationships with others. We heard stories today in a roundtable discussion about that -- what the struggle means for family.

Remarkable treatments exist, and that's good. Yet many people -- too many people -- remain untreated. Some end up addicted to drugs or alcohol. Some end up on the streets, homeless. Others end up in our jails, our prisons, our juvenile detention facilities.

Our country must make a commitment: Americans with mental illness deserve our understanding, and they deserve excellent care. (Applause.) They deserve a health care system that treats their illness with the same urgency as a physical illness. (Applause.)

To meet this goal, we've got to overcome obstacles, and I want to talk about three such obstacles this morning. The first obstacle is the stigma, the stigma that often surrounds mental illness -- a stigma caused by a history of misunderstanding, fear, and embarrassment.

Stigma leads to isolation, and discourages people from seeking the treatment they need. Political leaders, health care professionals, and all Americans must understand and send this message: mental disability is not a

scandal-- (applause) -- it is an illness. And like physical illness, it is treatable, especially when the treatment comes early.

Today, new drugs and therapies have vastly improved the outlook for millions of Americans with the most serious mental illnesses, and for millions more with less severe illnesses. The treatment success rates for schizophrenia and clinical depression are comparable to those for heart disease. That's good news in America, and we must encourage more and more Americans to understand, and to seek more treatment.

The second obstacle to quality mental health care is our fragmented mental health service delivery system. Mental health centers and hospitals, homeless shelters, the justice system, and our schools all have contact with individuals suffering from mental disorders. Yet many of these disorders are difficult to diagnose. This makes it even harder to provide the mentally ill with the care they need.

Many Americans fall through the cracks of the current system. Many years and lives are lost before help, if it is given at all, is given. Consider this example -- and for the experts in the field, they will confirm this is a story which is often times too true: a 14-year-old boy who started experimenting with drugs to ease his severe depression. That happens.

This former honor student became a drug addict. He dropped out of school, was incarcerated six times in 16 years. Only two years ago, when he was 30 years old, did the doctors finally diagnose his condition as bipolar disorder, and he began a successful program, a successful long-term treatment program.

And to make sure that the cracks are closed, I am honored to announce what we call the new Freedom Commission on Mental Health. It is charged to study the problems and gaps in our current system of treatment, and to make concrete recommendations for immediate provements that will be implemented -- (applause) -- and these will be improvements that can be implemented, and must be implemented, by the federal government, the state government, local agencies, as well as public and private health care providers.

To chair the commission, I've selected Michael Hogan. Dr. Hogan, I appreciate your coming, Michael. (Applause.) Dr. Hogan has served as the Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health for more than ten years, and is recognized as a leader in this profession. He has been focused, as a state official, on how our mental health system works, and how it doesn't work.

I look forward to the Commission's findings. I look forward to their proposals. I look forward to making progress and fixing the system, so that Americans do not fall through the cracks. (Applause.)

The third major obstacle to effective mental health care is the often unfair treatment limitations placed on mental health in insurance coverage.

(Applause.) Many private health insurance plans have developed effective programs to identify patients with mental illnesses, and they help them get the treatment they need to regain their health.

But insurance plans too often place greater restrictions on the treatment of mental illness than on the treatment of other medical illnesses. As a result, some Americans are unable to get effective medical treatments that would allow them to function well in their daily lives.

Our health insurance system must treat serious mental illness like any other disease. (Applause.) And that was Senator Domenici's message to me at the Oval Office. (Laughter.) And it was Nancy's message when we had them up for dinner. (Laughter.) And I want to appreciate the fact that they have worked tirelessly on this problem. (Applause.)

I have a record on this issue. As the Governor of Texas, I signed a bill to ensure that patients who critically need mental health are treated fairly. Senator Domenici and I share this commitment: health plans should not be allowed to apply unfair treatment limitations or financial requirements on mental health benefits. (Applause.)

It is critical that we provide full -- as we provide full mental health parity, that we do not significantly run up the cost of health care. I'll work with the Senator. I will work with the Speaker. I will work with their House and Senate colleagues to reach an agreement on mental health parity -- this year. (Applause.)

We must work for a welcoming and compassionate society, a society where no American is dismissed, and no American is forgotten. This is the great and hopeful story of our country, and we can write another chapter. We must give all Americans who suffer from mental illness the treatment, and the respect, they deserve. (Applause.)

Thank you all. God bless. (Applause.)

* * *

Editor's Note: The following four items are summaries of scientific research papers and contain technical language. They are not intended for the general public, but for trained students of medical science, and therefore may be difficult to understand. We regularly present this material as it becomes available because it represents the most up-to-date developments and discoveries on autism and related subjects. While many of us may not understand all of it, it is hopeful to see so much of it. -LS

New Wakefield Study Finds A Novel Form Of Enteropathy in ASD Kids 'Small intestinal enteropathy with epithelial IgG and complement deposition in children with regressive autism.'

ds=11986981&dopt=Abstract

Torrente F, Ashwood P, Day R, Machado N, Furlano RI, Anthony A, Davies SE, Wakefield AJ, Thomson MA, Walker-Smith JA, Murch SH. Centre for Paediatric Gastroenterology.

We have reported lymphocytic colitis in children with regressive autism, with epithelial damage prominent. We now compare duodenal biopsies in 25 children with regressive autism to 11 with coeliac disease, five with cerebral palsy and mental retardation and 18 histologically normal controls. Immunohistochemistry was performed for lymphocyte and epithelial lineage and functional markers. We determined the density of intraepithelial and lamina propria lymphocyte populations, and studied mucosal immunoglobulin and complement C1q localisation. Standard histopathology showed increased enterocyte and Paneth cell numbers in the autistic children.

Immunohistochemistry demonstrated increased lymphocyte infiltration in both epithelium and lamina propria with upregulated crypt cell proliferation, compared to normal and cerebral palsy controls. Intraepithelial lymphocytes and lamina propria plasma cells were lower than in coeliac disease, but lamina propria T cell populations were higher and crypt proliferation similar. Most strikingly, IgG deposition was seen on the basolateral epithelial surface in 23/25 autistic children, co-localising with complement C1q. This was not seen in the other conditions.

These findings demonstrate a novel form of enteropathy in autistic children, in which increases in mucosal lymphocyte density and crypt cell proliferation occur with epithelial IgG deposition. The features are suggestive of an autoimmune lesion.

PMID: 11986981 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

Exclusions and Limitations in Children's Behavioral Health Care Coverage

ds=11986509&dopt=Abstract.

Peele PB, Lave JR, Kelleher KJ.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify benefit limits, diagnostic exclusions, and service exclusions of private behavioral health care plans that can influence the delivery of care to children.

METHODS: A total of 128 commercial, employment-based behavioral health plans were examined for types of benefit limits, service exclusions, and diagnostic exclusions applicable to children.

RESULTS: Almost half of the plans had restrictions on the number of outpatient visits, with limits ranging from 12 to 60 clinic visits a year. More than half of the plans had limitations on the number of inpatient days, ranging from 20 to 60 days a year. Diagnoses excluded from coverage included autism, mental retardation, problems related to child abuse, and impulse control disorders, such as kleptomania and pyromania. Half of the services excluded could be categorized as either social and human services or complementary medicine rather than as mental health care.

CONCLUSIONS: Plans commonly had service and diagnostic exclusions that could disrupt children's health care. The results of the study emphasize a need to address the types of treatment covered by mental health insurance.

PMID: 11986509 [PubMed - in process]

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* * *

Medical Imaging to Study PDD Child SSRIs

"Fluorine magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurement of brain fluvoxamine and fluoxetine in pediatric patients treated for pervasive developmental disorders."

ds=11986128&dopt=Abstract <- - address ends here.

Strauss WL, Unis AS, Cowan C, Dawson G, Dager SR.

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric populations, including those with autistic disorder or other pervasive developmental disorders, increasingly are being prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Little is known about the age-related brain pharmacokinetics of SSRIs; there is a lack of data regarding optimal dosing of medications for children. The authors used fluorine magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((19)F MRS) to evaluate age effects on whole-brain concentrations of fluvoxamine and fluoxetine in children taking SSRIs.

METHOD: Twenty-one pediatric subjects with diagnoses of autistic disorder or other pervasive developmental disorders, 6-15 years old and stabilized with a consistent dose of fluvoxamine or fluoxetine, were recruited for the study; 16 successfully completed the imaging protocol. Whole-brain drug levels in this group were compared to similarly acquired data from 28 adults.

RESULTS: A significant relationship between dose and brain drug concentration was observed for both drugs across the age range studied. Brain fluvoxamine concentration in the children was lower, consistent with a lower dose/body mass drug prescription; when brain concentration was adjusted for dose/mass, age effects were no longer significant. Brain fluoxetine concentration was similar between age groups; no significant age effects on brain fluoxetine drug levels remained after adjustment for dose/mass. Observations of brain fluoxetine bioavailability and elimination half-life also were similar between age groups.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that fluvoxamine or fluoxetine prescriptions adjusted for dose/mass are an acceptable treatment approach for medicating children with autistic disorder or other pervasive developmental disorders. It must be determined whether these findings can be generalized to other pediatric populations.

PMID: 11986128 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

Citalopram Effective In Children With Impulsive Aggression

h=&year= <- - address ends here.

Reuters Health - Among children and adolescents with impulsive aggression, citalopram is well tolerated and effective in reducing symptoms of aggression, according to the results of a pilot study reported in the May issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Drs. Jorge L. Armenteros and John E. Lewis, from the University of Miami School of Medicine, evaluated 12 subjects, 7 to 15 years of age who were attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic and had a profile of impulse aggression. The subjects received citalopram for 6 weeks after a 1-week washout period.

The researchers regulated citalopram doses individually over 4 weeks, starting at 10 mg/day and adjusting the dose to a maximum of 40 mg/day. Primary outcomes were changes on the Modified Overt Aggression Scale, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Clinical Global Impressions.

For the 11 subjects who completed the trial, citalopram, at doses ranging from 20 mg/day to 40 mg/day, produced statistically significant and clinically significant reductions in symptoms of impulsive aggression, as measured on all three assessment instruments, Drs. Armenteros and Lewis report. These changes were independent of other behavioral problems, and there were no major adverse reactions, they note.

Drs. Armenteros and Lewis conclude that "these preliminary results are favorable and suggest that citalopram is effective and well tolerated in children and adolescents. A critical assessment of efficacy and safety of citalopram under double-blind and placebo-controlled conditions seems justified."

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2002;41:522-529.

* * *

Autism: A Child Stolen

What goes on behind those eyes?

She and her husband Joel watched him fade away, Camille Ferriss says.

"I was very concerned. All of a sudden, if Nathan gained a word, he lost a word."

He was like a Polaroid snapshot left in sunshine too long. First the edges — the definition — disappeared. Then the core, the visual evidence of his soul, his personality, vanished into a glassy, wordless stare.

"One day there was this bizarre laugh," she says. "It sent me over the edge. And I thought: autism. I don't know how I knew, but I did."

Nathan, now 13 years old, disappeared into himself at 18 months, into a mysterious world of obsession and repetition and howling frustration.

It was gut-wrenching for the Ferrisses. It was like a death in the family. The Nathan they knew was gone, maybe forever.

At the kitchen table in their home in Brandon, his mother shows a snapshot photo album, before-and-after documentation of Nathan's two lives.

"The pictures tell the story," she says.

At first he's a smiling, laughing, mop-haired toddler, playing with toys, hugging his brother Chandler. Then he's gone, lost behind an expressionless face.

Autism, which once showed itself in one of every 10,000 births, now occurs in one in 250 births, according to the Autism Society of America. Autism affects three times as many boys as girls. There are no simple answers or cures.

At the present rate of acceleration, "In less than 10 years autism will be the No. 1 disability in the U.S.," says Lee Grossman, president of the Autism Society.

To call attention to the crisis, April has been declared National Autism Awareness Month and today is Mississippi Autism Awareness Day. A "Walk for Autism" is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon today at First Baptist Church Christian Life Center in Jackson, followed by a rally on the steps of the state Capitol at 1 p.m.

He's ... gone

"It was like we'd lost our son and had a different son in his place," says Pam Dollar of Magee, whose child, Watson, will turn 11 early next month.

Watson's father, Donald, says:

"You know, I wonder if when I get to heaven I'll have two sons, the one I lost and the one I have now."

"He was about 18 months old," Pam Dollar says. "He had a 150-word vocabulary, never met a stranger, played with toys appropriately.

"Then over about a two-month period he lost language down to about five words. He became socially withdrawn. He had been happy and well-adjusted, then he began to cry a lot.

"At first we thought it was a problem with his hearing," she says. "It took a few months to get our diagnosis."

For parents, once the initial shock and grief begin to wane, the diagnosis is a full-throated call to war, a desperate search for answers, for help, something — anything — that will restore their child's personality, that will unlock the door to their real selves, that will give proof to the dreams parents hold for their children.

In the Ferriss family, Joel, an accountant, put his nose to the grindstone to pay the bills. Camille, who had been a teacher, attacked.

"I'm not athletic, but I'm competitive," she says. "I couldn't keep my mother from dying and I couldn't keep Nathan from being autistic. It's hard to lose. We've had a lot of tough blows.

"But we've learned that it's better to fight than to give up.

"We've seen so many doctors," she says. "We even drove to Los Angeles to see a doctor."

They met with so many experts, that "we knew everybody." They'd go to an autism conference and know everyone on the panel.

Two years ago, they found their small miracle in Baton Rouge. Dr. Amy Holmes believes mercury poisoning is related to the onset of autism. Mercury can be passed to a fetus from something as routine as the mother's dental work.

Nathan began to develop symptoms soon after receiving his mumps, measles and rubella vaccine, which — like many vaccines — contains mercury. Coincidental timing? Maybe. Maybe not.

Periodically, Nathan goes to Baton Rouge to be chelated, a process that helps remove heavy metals from his system.

When the chelating began, Camille Ferriss says, Nathan's regression stopped, to the point that last summer, for the first time in his life, he was able to attend his brother's baseball games.

"He might eat 10 packs of Skittles while he's there," his mother says, "but he seemed to enjoy it."

For the first time since Nathan was 18 months old, the whole family's been able to go out to dinner together. That is no minor victory.

The hitch is, chelating can only be done for so long so often. It's hard on certain organs such as the liver. So it's a limited process.

You chelate. You take a break. You regress a little. You chelate again.

Nathan, who still doesn't talk, is a fifth-grader at Brandon Elementary. Next year he'll attend Brandon Middle School. He loves school, his mother says. He loves structure.

Getting to work

Watson Dollar's therapy began with intense language intervention. He'd go to day care in the morning to be around other children, then go to Hattiesburg for speech therapy at the University of Southern Mississippi in the afternoons.

They've tried Hudspeth Center in Rankin County and the Magnolia Speech School in Jackson.

"I do feel it has helped," Pam Dollar says. "We got a lot of his behaviors under control to the point that he could sit and attend in a classroom. And he gets medication for hyperactivity, which has helped a lot."

Today, Watson, a third-grader, goes to Mendenhall Elementary School. He has a one-on-one assistant and is included in all activities. He gets speech and occupational therapy.

"We've been exceptionally lucky," his mother says. "We have a great school district. We work together as a team.

"We still deal with a lot of frustration. His language is still delayed. He speaks in short phrases. Most of his language is to get his needs met. We still don't have conversational language. We still don't know how he's feeling in his world.

"We're hopeful," Pam Dollar says. "When you're the parent of a child with autism, every little developmental milestone means so much."

The routines

Mazzio's pizza. Cheese. Regular crust. Every night.

It's one of Nathan's obsessions. He's been through Happy Meals at McDonald's. At one point, the Domino's man delivered pizza every night. Now, Mazzio's.

Camille Ferriss laughs. The household Skittles budget is enormous.

Autism, strangely enough, brings with it gastro-intestinal issues, which lead to bizarre eating habits. That, too, may be related to mercury poisoning.

"I do think to a degree that Nathan has narrowed his diet down to things that don't give him so much diarrhea and constipation."

He's visual, Camille Ferriss says, much like brother Chandler, 15, who is an artist.

He loves the water hose. "He loves seeing the water bounce off the driveway or the ground," his mother says. He loves what sunshine does to the stream of water, the colors, the changes.

A landscaper was over at the house a while back, she says, and asked about the erosion in the back yard.

"That's Nathan's Grand Canyon," she explained.

The positives ...

For all the heartache, for all the tears, Camille Ferriss says she wouldn't be willing to trade places with anyone.

She says growing up with an autistic brother — Nathan's sister, Mary Sanders Ferriss, attends Millsaps College, and Chandler is a ninth-grader at Brandon High — has helped them to become more thoughtful, more understanding and more nurturing human beings.

She's sure that she has evolved into a more complete person because of the challenge Nathan presents.

"I didn't have time to have a nervous breakdown," Camille Ferriss says. "I'd rather keep digging."

Says Pam Dollar, "I can honestly say I feel blessed that God allowed me the opportunity to parent a child with a disability.

"Him having autism has made me a better person. Because he's our only child, autism has become my life. It has given my life purpose and focus. Before, everything was about material things.

"Now, it's about trying to make the world better for people with disabilities in general and autism in particular. And trying to make the world understand them better."

Camille and Joel Ferriss' greatest fear over the years is that Nathan — who is nearly 5 feet, 6 inches and 155 pounds now — would grow so hard to handle that he'd have to live somewhere else.

Chelating, she says, has eased those fears.

"I at least have him," she says. "As long as I've got him, there's hope. Strides are made every day."

And sometimes there's magic.

Summer before last, after an especially effective chelating session, Nathan looked up at his mother and said slowly, "Mama."

It was the best day ever ... so far.

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* * *

Exchange Over Digestive Enzymes Cools to Discussing Biochemistry

Houston Clarifies on 'No-Phenols' Safety: 'I Apologize For Confusion'

From Dr. Jon Pangborn in response to the letter by Devin Houstin, Ph.D., which appeared in May 5, 2002 FEAT Newsletter.

Please read the posted Houston Nutraceuticals: "For immediate Release" article titled "NO-FENOL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION". Note the fourth sentence of the second paragraph: "Another possibility as to why No-Fenol is beneficial in helping to digest phenolic foods is that it may promote oxidation of the phenol structure…"

Sir, your own posted literature says "No-Fenol" may oxidize phenols. If it does it could be harmful, as in destroying tyrosine. If it does not, your literature and your product name are misleading at best. You have no business promoting it as a digestive aid, especially to autistic children.

Jon Pangborn, Ph.D.

Bionostics, Inc.

Houston's Response to Dr. Pangborn’s Letter

May 6, 2002

Dr. Pangborn;

Thank you for your input. As a result of your interpretation of the No-Fenol description, I have slightly modified the text of the No-Fenol description to clarify the meaning. I apologize for any confusion it may have caused you. I will address your concerns regarding the proposed mechanism of action of No-Fenol.

+ Letter continues at:

* * *

Sad About ARI's Article on Houston's Enzyme

To the Editor

I feel very sad concerning the last article recently posted on ARI's website about Houston's enzyme.

Because this is about my son and because within the jungle of doctor's false advices (starting from the French psy's who would have locked him in a psychiatric hospital and treating him with "psychotherapy") and numerous and costly supplements and multitude of contradictory information, I've learned I should trust nothing but my own judgment and observation, notwithstanding ARI's article I continue to use No Fenol.

I have absolutely no commercial interest in Devin Houston's company, and I live in France. The only interest I have is that he continues to produce his enzymes because they are beneficial to my son and I'm much grateful for that!

I just feel it's a real pity a sort of commercial war seems to be going on, and slandering takes the place of objectivity. Between French psychiatrists who seem to consider it an insult that autism could have any sort of biological cause, American companies who sell their lab tests like they were selling umbrellas or supplements as if they were sausages, I feel tired. Who thinks about our kids and tries to assess what's best for them with some objectivity and disinterest ?

There is soon to be a new DAN! conference and I hope people will objectively discuss the situation and bring some clarification.

I just wanted to attest that, as a user of Devin Houston's enzyme, these products, including no fenol, have helped my son.

Martine Filiptchenko

* *

Thanks for the Balance

Thanks for printing Devin Houston's rebuttal. There are indeed (at

least) two sides to every story, and I like to hear both of them before making up my mind.

Denise Karp

* * *

The 'HEART' of the Vaccine Safety Inquiry

To the Editor of the LA Times Letters@LATimes.com

Editor, I am writing you concerning Vicki Kemper's article on May 3rd, concerning vaccine safety inquiry. Your article was very one-sided and , in my opinion, politically motivated. Your article in no way addressed the REASON why Dan Burton is interested in subpoenaing that vaccine database.

The reason is that the CDC's own study showed a very significant statistical link between the amount of the neurotoxin, thimerosol, received by infants and children via vaccinations, and neurodevelopmental damage.

The CDC then repeatedly altered their own study, ending up with a 'version' that no longer shows a statistically significant link. Their behavior appears highly suspect.

We are in the midst of an ongoing horrible national tragedy of tens of thousands of brain-damaged children, as rates of neurological and immunologic diseases skyrocket..

There is a large body of circumstantial data that points to our vaccines as the causative environmental factor, coupled with a probable genetic 'weakness'. If our vaccines have done this, we must get to that TRUTH. That is what Dan Burton is attempting to do!

If we have a fundamental problem in how our public health leaders are functioning, we must recognize this and have appropriate reform. (Probably legislation separating conflicts of interests, similar to that which exists in the defense industry, and now exists in campaign finance.)

I implore you to utilize independant experts in your effort to understand and responsibly report this national disaster. Those individuals

(still) in our public health leadership roles are those on whom culpability for this horrific tragedy lay. All of our children deserve this. They are the HEART of this issue.

Chris Bogert San Jose, CA

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