In 1998, the British medical journal “Lancet” published a study by Andrew Wakefield linking autism to vaccines – specifically the MMR (the triple dose of measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. Wakefield’s study suggested that the measles virus found in the “gut” caused a new syndrome of irritable bowel disease, which resulted in a loss of vitamins and nutrients. He said in turn the deficiencies could lead to autism.However, in 2004, 10 of the 13 authors of the study retracted their conclusions in a follow-up article also published in the “Lancet.” But Wakefield had set the wheels in motion – parents of autistic children took notice, and kept the wheels turning.Autism is the most severe form of autism spectrum disorders, as defined by the National Institute of Health Neurological Disorders and Stroke. ASD involves a wide range of neurodevelopment disorders “characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior.” Other conditions under the spectrum include Asperger’s syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder.Science has yet to find a cause or cure for autism, but the connection to toxicity in vaccines has been widely studied and debated.The MMR vaccine and the mercury-containing preservative, thimerosal, in vaccines have been at the forefront of the debate.According to the Federal Drug Administration, thimerosal has been used in many vaccines as a preservative to prevent the growth of fungi. The FDA contends that thimerosal has been effective and safe, with no long-lasting ill effects.At the same time, the FDA has been working with manufacturers to eliminate thimerosal from all vaccines. Currently, the FDA states that all vaccines recommended – and marketed in the U.S. – for children age 6 or younger contain no thimerosal or “only trace amounts.” (One exception is the inactivated influenza vaccine for children age 6 to 23 months.)A study conducted in Denmark, where thimerosal was banned in vaccines, supposedly proved that the absence of the preservative did not result in fewer cases of autism.While working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S., Dr. Poul Thorsen of Denmark was instrumental in securing a research grant worth $11 million – distributed between 2000 and 2009 – in part for a Denmark study on autism and the link to vaccines.Thorsen returned to Denmark as the chief investigator to study the relationship between vaccines and autism minus the preservative, thimerosal. The research was known as the Danish Study, which showed there had been a significant increase in autism in Denmark even in the absence of thimerosal.Thorsen’s conclusion: Thimerosal was safe.The study had long been a doctrinal reference in medical and academic circles, including the CDC. However, Thorsen’s credibility was challenged this year.According to the United States Attorney’s Office Northern District of Georgia, in April, Thorsen was indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta and charged with 13 counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering. Thorsen allegedly stole more than $1 million from autism research funds between February 2004 and June 2008. He used the money for personal expenses – a home in Atlanta, cars and a motorcycle. Thorsen was accused of submitting more than a dozen false invoices from the CDC for research expenses to Aarhus University, where he was a faculty member.The Copenhagen Post reported problems with the study as well. At the time Thorsen discovered an increase in autism in Denmark, a new law that mandated the reporting of autism cases on a national level had gone into effect. And a new clinic for autism treatment had opened simultaneously. Both factors had been left out of the study’s conclusions.There have been many other studies by reputable organizations like the Institute of Medicine negating the link between autism and vaccines. Those studies have by far outweighed studies that support a link.Dr. Bernadette Albanese, medical director of El Paso County Public Health, said there is no scientific evidence to support a link between autism and the MMR vaccine or any other vaccines. She said numerous studies have been done – and repeated.”These are straightforward studies,” Albanese said. In studies looking at autistic and non-autistic children and their experiences with vaccines, there is no difference, she added.”It’s not about personal opinion; it’s about what the science is telling us, and anything beyond that is conjecture and opinion,” Albanese said.”Vaccine side effects are monitored. If there are concerns, it’s put through a rigorous study.”But not everyone is convinced.The Coalition for Safeminds, which launched in 2000, is the largest private nonprofit organization funding research on the link between mercury and autism and other neurological disorders. The organization published its own study “Autism, a Novel Form of Mercury Poisoning Approach” in 2001, which is available on its Web site.Eric Uram, executive director, said the Institute of Medicine has claimed “big population studies” but the actual research is too narrow. “They look at the direct connect between thimerosol and ASD, but there are other symptoms … neurological impacts that are not diagnosed as ASD,” Uram said.And there are other factors that could contribute to a child’s susceptibility to reactions from vaccines.”There are definitely other environmental triggers … leaded paint, leaded gas, lead in the environment,” Uram said. “Lead has similar toxic outcomes (to mercury).”Vaccines could be a “tipping point” in children who are metabolically vulnerable, he said. The vaccine could be the last straw.Dr. Cindy Schneider is a general practitioner and the director of the Center for Autism Research and Education – and a parent of autistic children. “Vaccines are not safe for everyone. Look at penicillin – it’s not safe for everyone,” Schneider said. “People have died from reactions to penicillin.”Like penicillin, vaccines can save lives, but they can also “kill and maim,” she said.”We don’t even check kids for immune deficiency before we vaccinate them,” Schneider said. “Some kids are not good at fighting off a live virus in a vaccine – not everyone is equal.”The pharmaceutical companies have too much influence on the government and the FDA, she said. “Look at the drugs that have been recalled – the FDA is letting vaccines through that aren’t safe.”Schneider said flu vaccinations still contain mercury, but mercury is already present in adults.”One out of six women already has high levels of mercury,” she said. “There are many variables in the environment, from fillings (teeth) to tuna.”I grew up on a farm, where we used pesticides on our crops. I was also mixing chemicals in the chemistry lab. There is toxicity everywhere in the environment. Women are having babies later in life – think how many years they have had to build up toxins in their system.”For women or potential parents or parents who are baffled by the debate, Schneider has some holistic advice.”Before conceiving, stay away from mercury and mercury containing vaccines and fillings … take care of all the possible problems,” she said. “Is your blood sugar normal – are you nutritionally in the best of health?”If you are already pregnant, do not get the flu shot and stay mercury free.”Safe vaccines are relative to the complete omission of mercury, Uram said. “The pharmaceutical companies need to experiment to get mercury out of all vaccines,” he said.”The common sense approach is that mercury exposure is a real problem.”For more information, go to http://cdc.gov/az/vhtml, http://iom.edu, http://safeminds.org and http://center4autism.org
