This week there were two more nationally publicized announcements that "prove" there is no link between the mercury in vaccines and autism. (Update 2/26/2008 - But in US Federal Court, they just conceded that there is a link) Yet, this week I also had a total stranger at a gas station come up to me and ask what I thought was really going on. He had heard the announcements too, but had serious doubts, and he had a son about to vaccinated. Here's why I think these announcements are not working.
Science does not know what causes autism
Medicine has not the first clue as to the cause of autism. They admit it. By default, the medical establishment is speaking from lack of knowledge. That is dangerous and unscientific. We have only theories, nothing more. Science is just getting started on autism. Until there are concrete answers, people will want to play it safe. That is normal.
Autism rates continue to explode: 1 in every 150 children, getting worse
Something is obviously happening. There is a theory that better diagnosis is the reason. But this theory has a big problem: we can now properly diagnose the adult autism population, and the corresponding numbers are simply not there. A large portion of our population now has a friend, family member, co-worker, church member, or neighbor where someone's child has autism. This is something new, and we all know it. Anyone working in a public elementary school especially knows it. Five years ago, China reported no cases of autism in their population. This year, the count was 1.8 million kids. What changed? A nationwide program of an aggressive vaccination schedule, with widespread use of mercury-based vaccines.
Divided scientific opinion among doctors and researchers
In spite of what is portrayed on television, the medical community is not at all in lock step. Some of the most vocal promoters of a possible link are doctors, particularly if they have autistic children themselves. These are trained professionals and medical observers. Their number is growing each day. Many doctors are giving their own children mercury-free vaccines, but not sharing this fact with their colleagues for fear of ridicule.
Studies claiming no link are quickly debunked
Autism doctors are easily and successfully debunking these studies, usually within 48 hours. They actually read the study and the footnotes, and find holes you can drive a truck through. In one example, the famous Denmark study continuously quoted by the CDC, made all its calculations based upon a nine month exposure rate. No big deal? That means the study assumes that the day you administer the vaccine, the amount of mercury is not the actual amount, but the adjusted amount: 1/270th of the actual amount. If we follow this logic, taking nine months of sleeping pills in one day is perfectly safe. By the way, US-made vaccines with mercury are banned in Denmark, almost all Europe, and Japan.
Update 2/12/2008 - Both studies released this week declaring no link have been debunked. The MMR study was debunked as it narrows the field of eligible children to those with concurrent symptoms that basically eliminates autistic children from the study. The California mercury ban announcement (for year 2005) was debunked as it did not account for the fact that the vaccines with mercury were not removed from the system before the end of 2006, and studies will not be clear until 2009-2010. In other words, they are making claims about a law's lack of effect before the law had been put into effect. It is no accident that these announcements have gone unreported by national and local news media.
Independent scientific studies show a direct link
Virtually every study not funded by a pharmaceutical company has concluded there is a link. For example, the study from Columbia University which strongly suggested a link, has gone unchallenged and practically unreported. But it was strong enough for the CDC to threaten the University with getting their federal funds stopped if they did not change their conclusions. To their credit, they refused.
Mercury In Fish Is Bad: Mercury In Vaccines Is Good?!
The most toxic substance on our planet is being injected into babies. It's for their health. It's perfectly safe. But pregnant women shouldn't have fish more than one day a week, because mercury is bad. Sending these mixed messages does not instill public trust. Common sense, give it a try.
Criticizing parents does not work
In fact, it makes them mad, and even more determined. The most vocal proponents of no-link have consistently engaged in personal attacks against parents. This fact has not been lost on John Q. Public. When that person being attacked is a close friend or family member, a doubt is planted. Parents want this mystery solved -- now. In stark contrast, the CDC, the medical establishment, and big pharma are all happy to leave the mystery unsolved indefinitely.
When CDC officials go before Congress and oppose autism research funding, parents have every right to be upset, and ask inconvenient questions. You would think that any doctors would be begging for any medical research money they could get their hands on -- every penny. Why is autism the exception? Why is this particular mystery good for the CDC? It just doesn't make sense.
Doctors and hospitals are pushing vaccinations aggressively and emotionally
This was the point that I remembered most of my conversation at the gas station. His gut told him that something was wrong with the emotional, over-the-top conversation about vaccination safety. Getting over forty vaccines before age two sounds a bit -- crazy. Let me make this clear, I'm against mercury. I'm not against vaccines. I'm against vaccinations before the age of three. I'm for vaccines when a child has a better developed immune system, has an adequate production of MT protein, and the vaccine schedule that is spread out, using prudence and conservative caution that is consistent with the Hippocratic Oath and Scientific Method. Vaccines have reached a religious fever pitch of "perfection": the biggest God complex of all.
We've Seen This Before: The Tobacco Industry
Four out of five doctors prefer Camels. Hey, I didn't make that up. There were even TV commercials showing doctors smoking while treating kids. What were they thinking? Well, they weren't. They still aren't.
Big Pharma makes Big Tobbacco look like a beggar. Watch any national news program, and count the number of drug commercials. It took thirty years of conflicting medical studies before we finally realized that smoking caused lung cancer. What about the people killed by Vioxx? Is there something shady going on? Don't take my word for it. New documents about secret meetings and strategies to ridicule parents of autistic children are discovered or leaked all the time. Check out a book that has yet to have a single fact disputed by either side.
Conclusion
I submit that history is probably repeating itself right now. I predict the autism epidemic will get a LOT worse. Regardless of what your opinion is on the controversy, I have one question for anyone who will dare to answer:
How many autistic kids will it take before we do something? One in 100? One in 50? One in 10? Give us a number. Until that sea change happens, all the announcements will fail to put it to rest.
-- Cole Joplin
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