Do vaccines cause Autism? Apparently not, according to the most recent judgments handed down by the “Special Masters” of the Vaccine Court. (http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/12/court-rules-vaccines-not-to-blame-for-autism/) Many parents of autistic children still believe otherwise, claiming that the normal development of their child was altered shortly after receiving a specific vaccine or a series of vaccines. So, even though studies have ‘proven’ that there is no connection and these special masters have judged that there is no connection, the parents remain unconvinced. The question remains “Could vaccines be a contributing factor to the onset of autistic symptoms?”
The scientific method is about isolating factors that can show cause and effect. Epidemiological studies may give a more accurate picture of trends, but they cannot conclusively prove a cause/effect relationship. That is why research is needed using the scientific method. Unfortunately, trying to prove a causal relationship between two things, such as vaccines and autism that clearly have so many variables creates quite a problem. It is an almost impossible scenario. Cause and effect can neither be proved nor disproved. Several studies have been done attempting to determine a cause/effect relationship between autism and vaccines, but let’s take a look at why this is so difficult.
First, a look at the complex medical conditions that face these little ones. There’s a reason why puzzle pieces represent autism – there are many pieces, but they are all connected. There is a wide range of symptoms and conditions that plague children on the autism spectrum including, but not limited to: Sensory Integration Dysfunction, inappropriate social skills, tantrums, speech delay, gastro-intestinal and digestive disorders (http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/autism.htm), seizure disorders, self ‘stimming’ behaviors, Vitamin B12 deficiency, Vitamin D deficiency, PANDAS (a specific type of strep infection), heavy metal toxicity (especially, lead, mercury and aluminum), food allergies and sensitivities, attention problems, asthma, allergies, eczema, yeast infections and repeated seasonal illnesses. While these symptoms and conditions may sound disconnected, autistic children have a mix of these conditions. What defines autism and autism spectrum is NOT narrow. Certainly, the cause of these conditions alone may have many different origins, but since these medical conditions are common among autistic children, it begs the question – why?
To make matters more complicated, vaccines have numerous components and there are numerous possible effects of each of the components. Vaccines have a microbe (the virus or bacteria intended to stimulate the immune system by mimicking the disease itself), and a medium, which the microbes are grown in (such as monkey kidney cells, chicken embryos, bovine fetal serum and human fetal diploid cells). Vaccines also contain other ingredients to preserve, stabilize it and make the microbe more effective. These other ingredients include formaldehyde, aluminum sulfate, thimerisol (ethyl mercury), aspartame, MSG, and a host of other, often unpronounceable, ingredients.
Commenting on the decision of the Vaccine Court, Dr. Max Wiznitzer, an autism expert at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio declares, "What the decision tells us is that these vaccinations are safe. The medical evidence tells us there is no association between vaccines and autism. This is one more piece that helps confirm that conclusion." It should be rather obvious that attempting to ‘prove’ a connection between vaccines and autism is an exercise in futility. But perhaps Dr. Wiznitzer’s conclusion is an oversimplification of an issue that clearly has too many variables to make such a pronouncement.
There is a group of doctors*, who do believe that vaccines may have contributed to the many conditions facing these autistic kiddos. These pioneering doctors have approached the puzzle of autism by addressing the pervasive medical issues one at a time. The focus of these doctors is not on blaming vaccines, but rather using the information that vaccines may have contributed to the condition, to help solve the medical pieces of the puzzle. If sources of potential triggers can be identified, treatment can be more effective. By addressing food allergies, metabolic and endocrine dysfunctions and heavy metal toxicity, they have seen reversals in autistic symptoms as the children’s bodies have begun to heal. Is it reversible across the board and can all the conditions be reversed? No. But in a significant number of children the quality of life has improved and their behaviors and conditions have become indistinguishable from their ‘typical’ peers.
So, there are many medical issues, many vaccine ingredients, polarized opinions on the subject and LOTS of variables. Is it possible to make connections between some of these? It would be next to impossible to isolate exactly which components or ingredients caused which symptoms and conditions wouldn’t it? And what role do genetics play? Can the DNA and RNA used to grow vaccine cultures have any effect on the DNA or the immune system of the recipient of the vaccine? Should we stop looking for answers because a court has decided that there is NO connection between vaccines and autism? Too many questions, not enough answers.
In 1983, 10 vaccines were recommended for children up to the age of 5. In 2007, 36 were recommended (360% increase). If SOME of the vaccine components could cause SOME of the conditions of autism, perhaps the increase in recommended vaccines could be correlated to the increased incidence of autism. And nobody has investigated the synergistic effect of all the vaccines, all their components, in conjunction with the frequency of vaccine administration. Epidemiological studies point to such a correlation. Doesn’t common sense tell us that even scientists cannot account for the synergistic effect of so many vaccines delivered in such a short period of time? Just because something can’t be proved, or hasn’t been proven yet, doesn’t mean there is no evidence of harm.
*For more information about the approach of these doctors read: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies by Kenneth Bock M.D.
For further reading on the vaccine/autism connection read: Evidence of Harm by David Kirby.
For actress Jenny McCarthy’s perspective regarding her autistic son, view http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5WTaLnDPY4
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