Response to @suesa 's current "Autism and Vaccines" Series.
Steemian @suesa has just released part 2 of a well-written and creative series on Autism and vaccines, written as fiction, in the Sci-Fi genre.
I find the creative approach refreshing, but the arguments contained in the series are flawed.
It is in the spirit of honest discourse and debate, and not merely "being right," that I write this point-by-point criticism of the piece.
In the story, the protagonist, Mary, is afforded the unique opportunity to talk to an artificial intelligence equipped robot, who has access to top secret government information. Basically, this robot has totally destroyed lots of the state's corrupt plans, and Mary is excited to ask the bot why the government is covering up the connection between Autism and vaccines.
The AI responds:
“Alright. It is not a fact that vaccines cause autism, so the government can’t deny it. It is a fact however, that autism is caused by a mixture of genetic mutations, epigenetic influences and environmental factors. Do you want to hear about this?”
Criticism:
The above statement by the AI is interesting. Several peer-reviewed studies have suggested there may be a link and that it is imperative this potential link be investigated.
In fact, the head of the CDC has directly stated that vaccines can and do trigger Autism like symptoms in children with certain mitochondrial predispositions. Testing is not done to determine which children are at risk.
I quote the former head of the CDC:
Now, we all know that vaccines can occasionally cause fevers in kids. So if a child was immunized, got a fever, had other complications from the vaccines. And if you're predisposed with the mitochondrial disorder, it can certainly set off some damage. Some of the symptoms can be symptoms that have characteristics of autism.
~ Julie Gerberding, Head of CDC, on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's "House Call," CNN, 2008
SOURCE:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0803/29/hcsg.01.html
SOME PERTINENT, PEER-REVIEWED STUDIES CALLING FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/9756729/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12145534/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/17974154/
http://www.progressiveconvergence.com/Hepatitis%20B%20Vaccination%20male%20neonates%201997-2002.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21225508/
http://adventuresinautism.com/Hewitsonetal2010.pdf
In Part 2 of the series the AI reassures Mary that thimerasol and aluminum adjuvants being injected directly into the bloodstream of infants (who, as such, do not yet have fully developed immune systems) is completely safe. Why?
The AI states:
“That is true. But after 6 days, half the ethyl mercury is cleared from the human body. If it was methyl mercury, that time would be 40 to 50 days and thus a lot more dangerous. But if you wait four weeks, all the ethyl mercury is cleared from the system, even in infants.
Criticism:
The CDC itself disagrees with AI here. Ethylmercury may be less detectable, and thus said to be "cleared" from the body, but actually there is evidence suggesting it is merely metabolized faster and crosses the blood-brain barrier very easily.
"This scientific paper is the one of most important pieces of research to come out of the CDC in a decade," Paul Thomas, M.D., a Dartmouth-trained pediatrician who has been practicing medicine for 30 years, said. "It confirms what so many already suspected: that public health officials have been making a terrible mistake in recommending that we expose babies and pregnant women to this neurotoxin. I regret to say that I gave these shots to children. The CDC led us all to believe that it was perfectly safe."
The AI is dishonest about the safety of ethyl mercury being injected directly into the bloodstream. While ethyl mercury's half-life is much shorter than that of methyl mercury, the fact the the World Health Organization says it doesn't have time to accumulate in the body is really irrelevant here. As the studies listed above suggest, and as the field of immunology knows, an invasive element in the bloodstream need not "accumulate" to do damage, even severe, neurological damage.
@suesa links to this WHO source at the bottom of the post. The WHO source states:
Further, ethyl mercury is actively excreted via the gut, unlike methyl mercury, which accumulates in the body. This rapid elimination of ethyl mercury has been confirmed in all studies reviewed, even those that looked at low birth-weight infants.
This is extremely telling given the knowledge we now have about disorders of the gut and Autism. These connections are referenced in some of the studies listed above. This is common knowledge know, in science and medicine.
The New England Journal of Medicine and Stanford University also beg to differ with AI.
SOURCE.
You can learn more about the gut/nervous system connection here:
https://futurism.com/scientists-call-for-more-research-into-link-between-autism-and-gut-bacteria/
Finally, some snippets from the comments section.
SUESA:
...a death by one of these preventable diseases is still worse than any suspected side-effects.
KAFKA:
Not really, if you have read the actual package inserts.
SUESA:
...likely to be a newborn with whooping cough who wasn't yet vaccinated and picked it up from some unvaccinated older person.
KAFKA:
Yes, and the fact that vaccine-conferred immunity generally wanes after 10 years (see vaccine package inserts) contributes to the false sense of security that leads to these tragedies. Also, we are now beginning to witness a lack of transmission of breastmilk conferred immunity as most young mothers now have never had wild-type measles, etc., and thus have no immunity to pass on, due to vaccination.
SUESA:
Those who refuse to vaccinate endanger everyone who isn't able.
KAFKA:
This is an assertion, and not an argument. As my immunocompromised friends and the folks at Johns Hopkins Hospital will tell you, the recently vaccinated also put these infant and immunocompromised populations at risk.
Instead of attempting to shame others (not saying you are) we should be having a discussion. Why? Because the reason the "debate" is so heated is because most genuinely care about the well-being of our inestimably precious and beautiful little ones.
For my source on the Johns Hopkins claim above, and some input on the topic from immunocompromised individuals here on Steemit, you can reference this post:
For information regarding the duration of vaccine-conferred immunity (links and screen shots of actual vaccine inserts), check out this link:
Summary:
I find the series "Autism and Vaccines" to be a unique approach to an often challenging topic, but to be, nevertheless, severely wanting in scientific rigor and logical reasoning.
The worst comment below the piece, left by a reader of @suesa, was this one:
''Are you a doctor? No.'' case closed!"
I suppose I need to be a mechanic to ask why my car's engine blew, immediately after getting it back from the shop.
I'll close with this:
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
Ohhh, you had to, didn't ya? :) Thank the skies that you've got the thick skin, sir! The people observer in me is always intrigued by the reactions to these kind of discussions. I'd be more amused by it too, if the topic weren't so very vital to our health as a race. It's that big.
It's so interesting to me how often people willingly and blindly fall into the for or against category on hot button topics like this. Nearly all of the comments on this post up to this point, and I've read them all, are partisan in nature. I'm not even convinced that some of the comments in favor of your points on the potential link between vaccinations and autism are coming from a standpoint of knowledge, and not simply just because they like and trust you. Yeouch! Isn't that a terrible thought? I'm a mean person. Forgive me.
It's the missionary's dilemma, I think. When you're attempting to show folks whose eyes are not opened to the layers and layers of myth heaped on top of society, not opened to the conditioning that we've all received to respect and obey authority, then it can be so difficult to tell if your words have truly been heard, or if that "authority" has simply been transferred to you, a job that I very much doubt you'd want. Then there are the ones who dismiss your careful statements outright, because YOU are not the Authority (Are you a doctor? No! Case closed!!). So interesting to me to see how the mind works, or, rather, can be made to work.
As for my personal opinion? No, we may not be doctors, but we ARE parents. We are not given young human charges so that we can transfer our power as mothers and fathers over to any outside agency whatsoever. When it comes to MY children, I AM the highest authority over their welfare until they are old enough to take care of themselves. There is no doctor, no government official, no rabid parent wishing to control what happens to MY children, who has greater power than I do. As such, each parent has a responsibility, an obligation, to educate themselves on any procedure, food, event, schooling, and yes, vaccination, that others wish to impose upon their charges. The power has always been yours. The notion that you should trust anyone else blindly with the bright human spirit that you have the care over is statist thinking. Own yourself. Own your responsibilities.
This is a brilliant comment. Thank you.
And this. Wow. You really drew something out here that I have always felt, but have never really managed to put into words:
Yes.
Have a fantastic weekend!
~Graham
You too!
Very good article! It is a subject that interests me as I often wondered if my son's autistic traits were caused by vaccines. (I am planning to write about this some time, although it is not a subject I'm comfortable with).
As for the whole being a mechanic or doctor question, I'm not a doctor, either, but in this particular case I find myself over-qualified. I'm the mother.
You just said it. Yes. That is absolutely, 100% correct.
The audio on this interview is bad, but I think you might enjoy listening to Nora Flowers, mother of a vaccine-injured child in New Zealand.
She said that most doctors now, under the "modern" system, will attempt to take that power from you. The power of MOTHER.
I just graduated as a pharmacist this past May. I can tell you that the latest research shows that there ISN'T a link between autism and vaccines.
The myth started by a doctor who forged his data and then was widely disproved by the whole scientific community .
And I can tell that you haven't read that report, because there is no claim to a link therein. Your field of study is irrelevant to the claim that the Wakefield report claimed a link, when in fact, it did not.
I never claimed to have or have not read that particular report. I am simply stating that there isnt a link. So that your readers and followers arent confused such as this one guy arckrai down below who stated " I found it a good read, I didn't know that vaccines have the potential to cause autism like symptoms"
He is correct. The CDC says the same.
You claimed:
...about a study you have never read.
Again, i never claimed to have or have not read any particular article. For all you know i could have read it, i never claimed one way or another. What i am claiming is that the scientific community has disproved to this date any link between autism and vaccines. That is my only statement so that people are not confused about that .
Right. And yet you still claim the data was "forged." Which data?
You do realize that the peer-reviewed studies I listed in this post are part of that scientific community, right?
izmini you totally need to watch 'vaccines revealed'. There it shows very clearly that there is a definite link between vaccines and autism the evidence of which was destroyed by the CDC and exposed by the whistleblower Dr William Thomson. There are numerous other studes proving links as well. Recently there was a report on the news about the link that they have now conclusively found between heavy metals and autism. There are heavy metals in vaccines. Don't take my word for it, watch Vaccines Revealed, please!
"The worst comment below the piece" really touched a nerve for me as well. To me, the statement, ''Are you a doctor? No.'' case closed!" is nothing more than an admission that the people saying it have no logical argument to base their beliefs on. So to protect their feelings, they will grasp on to any trivial fact and "close" the case.
Take it from someone with an advanced degree is science (I admit, not an MD) that there are no phenomena in this universe (the risk of vaccines included) that cannot be explained to anyone with average intelligence or better within 5 to 10 minutes.
On a controversial topic such as vaccines where there is money and fuzzy concepts such as risk involved, you may need to talk to a couple of people from both sides and see what facts are common to both sides. Then you have to take the common facts and piece them together to find the "truth". You have to develop some judgement to do this but it is doable. And if something in someone argument does not make seance, then explore it further, its probably wrong. And above all, don't let someone with a degree dictate what you think. Most people are honest and well intentioned whether they have a degree or not but where there is money involved, people with degrees are hired to enforce the party line and intimidate dissenters into silence.
This many times takes the form of inducing fear followed by selling you a product to alleviate that fear. I hate to see people fall for this tactic.
Nice refutation! The info you state and more was discussed in The Truth About Vaccines Docu-series (I did a quick search and it looks like all episodes can be found on Youtube)
Thanks! I'll check it out.
The Truth About Vaccines Docu-series was amazing, as was Vaccines Revealed by Patrick Gentempo. Both were amazingly informative and captivating. There was quite a bit of overlap. My personal favorite was Vaccines Revealed. I think everyone on the planet should watch it. Even if you're not interested in vaccines it's captivating viewing!!!
Really good topic. I'm really curious. At this moment with the knowledge I have I would never want to give my future children vaccines. What some countries are doing now is that u can get fined if u don't. That's really scary and disgusting. Good to have a real discussion on this topic. Great post.
cheers,
Ernst
Thanks Ernst,
It's my opinion that everyone should come to their own decision, but I think it is important to get all of the information out there. In my own case, I chose to not stick those needles in my son, and to trust myself and my research over a medical industry fraught with corruption, and which publishes incongruous information regularly.
Bless you, man. And thanks for the comment.
really very good article and well written
followed you because I liked it
keep it up
Good article - you nailed it. Voted you up bro ;)
Thanks man. Cheers✨
We are all entitled to an opinion and your´s makes a diference. Did a light reading because im not home at the moment, but ill be sure to dig a bit more on this post!
Upvoted!
I appreciatte your content! Following you and upvoted!