excerpted from........
FEAT DAILY NEWSLETTER
Sacramento, California http://www.feat.org
October 18, 2001
News Morgue Search www.feat.org/search/news.asp
·
Autism Advocates Press CDC Vaccine Committee for
Answers
[These Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
Meeting Highlights are Reported by Safe Minds.]
Ø 5.5% of routine
pediatric vaccines in providers’ offices still contain thimerosal.
Ø GlaxoSmithKline
announces a voluntary exchange program for remaining GSK thimerosal-containing
vaccines still in distribution.
Ø ACIP Working
Group on Thimerosal recommends delay in exclusive use of thimerosal-free
vaccines until April 2002, in direct contradiction of IOM recommendations.
Ø Safe Minds asks
ACIP and IOM support for investigation into CDC Thimerosal analysis, questions
CDC official’s dismissal of UK autism-thimerosal connection.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) held its meeting in Atlanta Tuesday and Wednesday.
Safe Minds representatives Lyn Redwood, President, and Sallie Bernard,
Executive Director, attended. At the end of yesterday’s session, Marie
McCormick of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) gave a presentation to the Committee
on the IOM report on thimerosal in vaccines and neurodevelopmental
disorders. Of special note, in light of
ACIP’s refusal since 1999 to give preference to thimerosal-free vaccines, was
the IOM’s unequivocal recommendation for (a) the exclusive use of
thimerosal-free DTaP, Hib, and Hep B vaccines for infants and children, even if
thimerosal-containing versions are still on the shelves, and (b) for professional
societies and government agencies to ensure the removal of thimerosal-containing
vaccines.
Dr. McCormick’s presentation was followed by a report from
Dean Mason, National Immunization Program (NIP) of the CDC, on the remaining
supply of thimerosal-containing DTaP, Hib, and Hepatitis B vaccines still in distribution.
Approximately half of the nation’s routine infant vaccine doses are purchased
by the CDC under contract; the remaining doses are purchased through the
private market. Mr. Mason’s report addresses only those doses covered by CDC
contracts. The results for the private market may or may not differ.
A study by the CDC was conducted during the week of
September 10-17, 2001 among a sample of healthcare providers covering 225 sites
in 16 states. The survey asked
providers to physically check their inventory of DTaP, Hib, and Hepatitis B
vaccines and to record the number of doses in the refrigerators, the brand, and
the lot numbers. With the assistance of the vaccine manufacturers, the lot
numbers were matched to production records to determine whether the vaccine
contained thimerosal or not. Nearly 66,000 doses were evaluated.
Among these doses, 5.5% contained thimerosal. The breakdown by vaccine type was as
follows: among the DTaPs, 9% contained thimerosal; among the DTaP-Hib
combination vaccine, it was 36%; among the Hibs - 2.7%; among the Hep B-Hib
combinations - 0%; and among the pediatric Hep Bs - 4.6%.
The CDC also conducted a study of thimerosal vaccines
still in depots or warehouses. They sampled two suppliers, each of which has
contracts with 8-12 states. Data collection occurred during September 10-17,
2001. Just 1% of vaccines contained thimerosal. There was considerable
variation by state, ranging from 0% to 12.3% of vaccines having thimerosal.
Among the overall 1% average, 80% was DTaP, 6% was Hep B, and 14% was DTaP-Hib
combination.
The CDC reported that a backorder for DTaP vaccines
currently exists and in fact has existed since the earlier part of this year. A backorder exists when the CDC orders
vaccines and the order is not filled within 15 days, as specified in their
contract with the vaccine suppliers. Backorders suggest that a shortage of DTaP
exists. Indications are that the shortage will end soon because US need is
about 1.44 million doses per month, and manufacturers say they can now produce
1.67 million doses per month. Additionally,
GlaxoSmithKline announced that the FDA CBER had just released or is about to
release 2 lots of DTaP (the average GSK lot size is 440,000 doses).
Welcome news was given by the representative from
GlaxoSmithKline, who announced a voluntary exchange program for
thimerosal-containing vaccines. Any US
healthcare provider may exchange, for free, their thimerosal vaccine stocks
with thimerosal-free versions upon request. This program covers the GSK Engerix
Hepatitis B vaccine, in both pediatric and adult versions. Safe Minds urges
pediatricians and family physicians to take advantage of this program. Parents
should ask their doctors to find out about this program and make this exchange
without delay. The GSK DTaP vaccine,
Infanrix, has never contained thimerosal.
Additionally, to preserve high public confidence in immunization
programs, a GSK spokesman has said that GSK will roll out thimerosal-free
vaccines throughout the world, as reformulations pass through the regulatory
process in each country.
The Merck representative at the ACIP meeting said that a
similar exchange program was under consideration but no decision had been
reached. Merck’s Recombivax Hepatitis B
used to contain thimerosal but since last year has been made preservative-free
in single dose vials. However, a small percentage of Recombivax B was produced
in prefilled syringes, and until last month, this product contained thimerosal.
Representatives from Wyeth Lederle and Aventis said their
products no longer contain thimerosal. Exchange programs for remaining
thimerosal stocks are not under consideration but have not been ruled out.
Roger Bernier of the NIP/CDC announced that a Working
Group on Thimerosal had been formed to determine the official response to the
IOM thimerosal recommendations. Six options were under consideration:
1. A recommendation
for the immediate cessation of use of thimerosal vaccines for infant DTaP, Hib,
and Hep B.
2. A recommendation to
state an immediate preference for thimerosal-free infant DTaP, Hib, and Hep B
vaccines.
3. Establishing a date
in the future by which only thimerosal vaccines will be given.
4. A recommendation
for the primary immunizations (given at 6 months of age or younger) to be
thimerosal free with no preference given for boosters given to older children
until thimerosal stocks are used up.
5. Stating a
preference for the Hib and Hep B vaccines to be only thimerosal-free, while
waiting for the DTaP shortage to resolve before stating a preference for
mercury-free DTaPs.
6. Making no change to
ACIP policy, which was set in 1999 and says that thimerosal should be removed
from vaccines as soon as feasibly possible but no preference would be given to
thimerosal-free formulations.
The recommendation of the Working Group is to state a
preference for thimerosal-free DTaP, Hib, and Hep B vaccines as of March 31,
2002, which is when the 2002 Routine Infant Immunization Schedule is scheduled
to be announced. The Working Group is
asking that this recommendation be issued as a joint statement by ACIP, AAP,
AAFP, and PHS, and be approved by these organizations by November 30, 2001.
Sallie Bernard of Safe Minds had urged the Working Group
to state a strong and decided preference for thimerosal-free vaccines immediately.
Safe Minds is extremely disappointed that the official recommendation will not take
effect until April 2002, over 5 months from now. The Working Group recommendation
ignores the IOM recommendations and will continue to put infants at risk.
During public comments, Lyn Redwood of Safe Minds spoke to
the Committee about recent documents obtained through the Freedom of
Information Act by Safe Minds. These documents contained a CDC analysis of the
Vaccine Safety Datalink study which found a 2.48 elevated risk of autism with exposure
to 62.5+ micrograms of mercury from vaccines in the first 3 months of
life. The findings in this analysis
differed significantly from those publicly presented to ACIP and IOM by CDC
researchers. Ms. Redwood called on ACIP and IOM to support an investigation
into why the public analyses differed from the version conducted according to
the original study protocol.
Robert Chen of the NIP/CDC told the ACIP members that
epidemiological studies in Great Britain have shown a rapid rise in autism
among children born in the first half of the 1990s. Dr. Chen said that UK
immunization practices had not changed during that time and therefore
thimerosal could not be implicated in autism. Safe Minds finds it curious that
Dr. Chen would make this statement to such an important forum. In a 1999 book,
“Vaccines”, edited by Stanley Plotkin and Walter Orenstein, former and current
directors respectively of the NIP/CDC, there is a chapter on European immunization
practices, co-written by David Salisbury, who is the London Department of Health
Liaison Representative to ACIP and was present at the meeting. The chapter
clearly states that “many aspects of the provision of immunization services [in
the UK] have been changed during this decade”.
Thus, whereas in 1987, the UK fell in the lower third
among European countries in its level of infant immunization coverage, by 1997
its coverage ranged from 92% to 96%, depending on the vaccine. Additionally, the chapter says the UK
immunization schedule was greatly accelerated, so that vaccines, including the
DTP, were given at much younger ages than previously. Finally, the Hib vaccine was added to the schedule, some versions
of which contained thimerosal.
Interestingly, Dr. Salisbury did not correct Dr. Chen’s
statement at the ACIP meeting.
>>> PROFESSORS, TEACHERS, TRAINERS
<<<
Students Now Available
FEAT Daily Newsletter, NO FEE.
* * *
Summary of Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) October 2001
Conference
Part 3 of 3
·
Autism History:
Bernard Rimland
·
Omega 3 Fatty Acids:
Andrew Stolle
·
Omega 3 Fatty Acids:
Paul Hardy
·
Mercury: Jane
El-Dah
·
Treatment of Mercury Toxicity: Amy Holme
·
Bug in the Gut:
Andrew Wakefield
[This is the last of three segments of notes of the conference
speakers taken by James Adams, a parent, who has volunteered them for us.
Readers should know that these are personal notes, they
are not fact-checked nor are they meant as medical advice. Presenters are encouraged to submit any
additions or corrections to the notes to FEAT, schafer@feat.org. The new version of the DAN! Treatment protocol is available from
the Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116 for $20.]
Bernard Rimland gave an overview of the history of the
fight against autism. He provided
several articles on the importance of B6 and magnesium, and discussed the
effectiveness of DMG in enhancing the immune system. He discussed his survey results of thousands of parents on
treatment efficacy (see www.ari.org for full report).
Intervention: % benefited
% worse
nutritional supplements 40-67% 0-7%
special diets 41-52%
1-2%
antifungal medications 47-66% 5-6%
psychiatric medications 16-46%
15-47%
Supplements included calcium, DMG, folic acid, melatonin,
vitamin B3, vitamin B6 with magnesium, vitamin C, and zinc. Diets included
candida, feingold, rotation, no chocolate, no dairy, no eggs, no sugar, no
wheat. Antifungal medications included
nystatin and diflucan. Summary:
Nutritional supplements, special diets, and antifungal medications have
been reported by parents to be beneficial in roughly half the cases, with
minimal risk of becoming worse.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids:
Andrew Stolle: Omega 3 fatty acids have been evaluated for the treatment
of a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression,
postpartum depression, and bipolar disorder.
DHA (found in flax seed) does not help those conditions, but EPA (found
in fish oil) does help. In fact, EPA
was often more beneficial than conventional medications.
In his previous study of bipolar disorder, he found that
10 g/day of fish oil helped.
Eskimos consume 15-19 g/day of omega 3 fatty acids (EPA
and DHA), but in the US we consume less than 1 g/day, probably far less than is
needed. Omega 3 oils are created only
by phytoplankton (algae), and are then consumed by fish. Animals cannot make omega 3 oils. The primary sources of omega 3 oils are flax
seed (which has some drawbacks), seaweed (which may be contaminated), fish oil,
and Country Hen eggs (chickens fed flaxseed and fish, so the eggs are high in
omega 3).
In Japan, although they consume a large amount of fish,
they do not seem to be affected by the high level of mercury in their diet.
Most commercial fish oils are low quality. Need one that does not have a rancid
flavor. One option is Omega Brite,
which is highly concentrated.
There has been a theoretical concern that too much omega 3
could cause bleeding, but studies of over 15,000 patients taking omega 3 found
that there was no evidence of increased bleeding.
Dose: He recommends
2-5 g of omega 3, 1-2x/day, with the EPA level much higher than the DHA level
(except possibly for young children, who need some DHA for their brain
development, since the brain in 60% DHA.
For more information, read his book, The Omega 3 Connection.
Summary:
EPA has recently proven to be beneficial in a number of
psychiatric disorders, whereas DHA has not.
There has not been any formal research on its use in autism, but it may
be beneficial. High-quality fish oil is
a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids:
Paul Hardy Dr. Hardy discussed his experience with treating many people
with autism with omega 3 fatty acids and other nutritional supplements. He hypothesizes that some people diagnosed
with ASD may actually have bipolar disorder.
During the last 100 years, brain size has decreased 10%,
and this could be due to a lack of omega 3 fatty acids since they make up over
60% of the brain. Dietary intake of
omega 3 fatty acids has greatly decreased in the US. Farm-raised fish are usually raised on corn, so they have little
or no omega 3 fatty acids (which are made by algae). Also, the use of cod liver oil as a medication was largely
stopped in the 1960s for no apparent reason.
Finally, baby formulas do not contain any essential fatty acids.
In his clinical experience, he finds that many people with
autism have an omega 3 deficiency, and often have elevated arachidonic acid (a
bad fatty acid). Also, since omega 3
levels are very low in the US, the reference ranges of the testing labs may be
too low. He estimates that 90% of
people with ASD need omega 3 fatty acids.
He recommends 2-5 g/day of combined EPA and DHA, starting
at a lower level and increasing.
Mercury: Jane
El-Dahr (all her viewgraphs are on the www.ari.org website; she also recommends
going to www.safeminds.org)
She recommends a new book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Childrens
Vaccinations, by Stephanie Cave (just released).
Hypothesis: In
genetically-susceptible individuals, prenatal and early childhood exposure to
mercury may cause neurological damage leading to autism. This hypothesis is supported by symptom
comparisons, toxicity studies, case studies, and epidemiology. The most likely sources of the mercury are
maternal dental fillings, maternal fish consumption, consumer products (eye
drops, nasal sprays, others), Rho-gam shot, Influenza vaccine during pregnancy,
and childhood vaccines. The increase in
autism appears to correlate with the increased use of vaccinations. In children who are fully vaccinated, by the
sixth month of life they have received more mercury from vaccines than
recommended by the EPA.
There are many similarities in symptoms between mercury
toxicity and autism, including social deficits, language deficits, repetitive
behaviors, sensory abnormalities, cognition deficits, movement disorders, and behavioral
problems. There are also similarities
in physical symptoms, including biochemical, gastrointestinal, muscle tone,
neurochemistry, neurophysiology, EEG measurements, and immune
system/autoimmunity.
In an analysis of the Vaccine Safety Database (two HMOs,
covering 110,000 children born from 1992 to 1997), found that there were statistically
significant associations between cumulative exposure to thimerosal-containing
vaccines and risk for developmental delays, tics, ADD, language/speech delay
and neurodevelopmental delay. However,
there were too few children to determine if there was a risk for autism.
Conclusion:
Mercury may be the cause of some of the cases of autism. Children were exposed to high amounts of
mercury through childhood vaccinations, and there is a strong similarity in
symptoms between mercury toxicity and autism.
Treatment of Mercury Toxicity: Amy Holmes Dr. Holmes discussed the treatment of mercury toxicity
with DMSA, followed by DMSA plus alpha lipoic acid. It is very difficult to test for mercury toxicity, because it
clears quickly from blood, urine and hair (within months or less) and resides
in tissue. Instead, she recommends
testing for the effects of mercury, including urine organic acid, fractionated
urine porphyrins, immune system test, and other blood tests. She especially favors looking for sulfate wasting
in urine, as that indicates kidney disfunction, and mercury binds strongly to
kidneys. (Note that Waring has found
sulfate wasting in most children with autism).
Before beginning mercury detoxification, first clear up
the gut of bacteria and yeast, and keep it clean. Also, remove all sources of mercury, including removing dental
mercury-silver fillings, stop seafood consumption, and avoid thimerosal
exposure from vaccines or other sources.
Also, nutritional supplements are important.
Then, in step 1, use DMSA alone to remove mercury from the
body. Take a maximum dose of 10 mg/kg,
3x/day, for 3 days, then 11 days off.
Repeat several times. Glycine
can be added, but has only a very small effect on mercury excretion (5%). Test urine after 2-5 rounds, since the
metals are mostly excreted in the urine.
Continue until little mercury/heavy metals are being eliminated.
Then, in step 2, take the DMSA with alpha lipoic acid, at
a ratio of DMSA:LA from 2:1 to 6:1.
Whereas DMSA cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, LA can, and causes
the mercury to mostly be excreted in the stool. Thus, the additiona of LA will result in much more mercury being
excreted, possibly from the brain.
Test the stool every 4-6 months, to determine how much is eliminated,
and continue until it is in the normal range.
If stool is difficult to obtain, hair can be used instead.
Step 2 was greatly slowed if lead or tin were still
present, so it is important to remove those before adding the LA to the DMSA.
During step 2, common side effects are: worse behavior
initially,
diarrhea, headache, fatigue, overgrowth of intestinal yeast
and bad
bacteria. Also, must
monitor complete blood counts, liver enzymes, and
mineral problems.
These are uncommon effects, affecting only 0.5%
She summarized their preliminary results for treating 152
children with DMSA + LA after 6 months.
Note that some children, probably the older ones, might need longer
treatment times.
Childs age
Level of Improvement Marked
Moderate Slight None
1-5 yr
36% 39% 15% 9%
6-12
15% 35% 36% 15%
13-17
0% 17% 54% 29%
18+
0% 14% 14% 71%
Marked improvement means little/no autistic symptoms. The degree of improvement correlated with
the amount of metals being excreted on DMSA + LA. The children who responded most quickly were the ones who had
developed normally and then regressed.
The other children may take longer.
Much more research is needed. Conclusion: DMSA followed by DMSA + alpha lipoic acid is effective in
removing mercury and other heavy metals, and results in significant
improvements, especially in younger children and in those who had developed
normally and then regressed.
Bug in the Gut:
Andrew Wakefield Dr. Wakefield first summarized his research on autistic
enterocolitis. First, there is evidence
of a persistent viral infection in the blood of many children with autism,
based on decreased CD3 lymphocytes, raised IgG1, and low IgG4 and IgG2. Also, biopsies of children with autism
reveals inflammation of the gut, including the epithelium (lining), usually
throughout the entire small intestine, large intestine, and colon.
Live measles virus was found in 76 of 83 children with
autism, vs 1 of 35 controls. Genetic
testing revealed that it was from the vaccine strain, not the wild strain. Dr. Singh tested autistic children and found
that they tended to have elevated levels of antibodies to measles, but not to
other viruses. Altogether, this data
suggests that MMR could be causally related to autism.
To test that hypothesis, he considered a
challenge-rechallenge study. Basically,
he looked at children with autism who seemed to have regressed after their
first MMR. He then followed the
children to see what happened if they had a second MMR, and compared them
against children who did not have a second MMR. He looked at a wide range of types of data, including behavior,
physical symptoms, macroscopic and microscopic pathology, and growth
charts. In those children who had a
second MMR, over half of them had a second regression shortly after that MMR,
whereas few/none of the children without a second MMR had additional
regression. This appears to be strong
evidence that the MMR can cause autism.
At the end of the conference, there was a Q&A period
for the mercury panel, and then Sidney Baker summarized what we had
learned. Overall, it was clear that
many of the physicians and researchers agreed on many points, although
sometimes with different emphases.
Part 1 Notes can be found at:
http://www.feat.org/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0110&L=FEATNEWS&P=R8252
Part 2 Notes can be found at:
http://www.feat.org/scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0110&L=FEATNEWS&P=R9571
>> DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW <<
Subscribe, Read, then Forward the FEAT Daily
Newsletter.
To Subscribe go to www.feat.org/FEATnews No Cost!
Lenny Schafer, Editor Catherine Johnson PhD
Ron Sleith Kay Stammers
Editor@feat.org Edward Decelie CALENDAR: Michelle Guppy events@feat.org
Unsubscribe: FEATNews-signoff-request@LIST.FEAT.ORG
ALL
INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE
KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED
AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO
VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU
ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.