It’s official. Even the conservative CDC states the latest stats
show one in 50 US kids now has autism,
Boys are also four times as likely to be diagnosed with autism
as girls, according to the new data
This means there’s one child with autism on just about every
school bus (one school bus holds about 50 kids).
The majority of autism cases appear to result from environmental
factors that activate the expression of a number of different
genes, along with multiple epigenetic factors that produce the
traits of autism
By Dr. Mercola
It’s official. Even the conservative US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) states the latest stats show one in
50 US kids now has autism.
This is a startling increase from their 2007 data, which
showed one in 88 children with the condition. Boys are also four
times as likely to be diagnosed with autism as girls, according
to the new data. The CDC attributed the steep increase on
improved diagnoses, particularly in older kids, noting:
“Children who were first diagnosed in or after 2008
accounted for much of the observed prevalence increase among
school-aged children (those aged 6–17).”
Even if this is true (and this is the same rationale
they used to explain the last noted increase), the deeper
implications behind this rising trend are being downplayed by
the media, or worse, entirely ignored. The latest statistics
mean that between 3-4 percent of US boys now have autism, and
the rate is growing …
Consider that about 15 years ago, 1 in 10,000 kids had
autism. Ten years ago it was 1 in 1,000, then 1 in 150, 1 in 88
and now 1 in 50.1
This means there’s one child with autism on just about every
school bus (one school bus holds about 50 kids). This is beyond
tragic and a shocking testimony to the accumulated insults that
our modern health care system and lifestyle have on the
developing fetus.
Are Genes Really to Blame for Autism?
It’s long been known that boys have a greater risk for
developing autism than girls, a trend that’s often blamed on
mutations in genes on the X chromosome, which only affect boys.
Some have even gone so far as to say that genetics account
for 90 percent of a child's risk for autism. However, research
from Stanford University using identical twins suggested
otherwise.2
Since identical twins share nearly the same DNA, if there
were an important genetic component to autism, then if one
identical twin has autism, so should their identical sibling in
the vast majority of cases.
But, when researchers completed diagnostic assessments on 192
twin pairs, they found fraternal twins were more likely
to share an autism diagnosis than identical twins. Fraternal
twins share only 50 percent of their DNA, which means something
else is probably responsible for the double diagnosis -- and
researchers suspect environmental factors are likely to blame.
The majority of autism cases do appear to result from the
activation, or "expression," of a number of different genes,
along with multiple epigenetic and environmental factors that
interact to produce the traits of autism.
What Environmental Factors are Linked to Autism?
Science is increasingly showing us just how malleable our
genes are — they continuously respond to their environment,
meaning, your body and everything you put into and onto it. The
possible environmental factors for autism are incredibly
diverse. The following is just a short list of examples:
Vitamin D Deficiency: This is a simple and
inexpensive factor to eliminate. It is simply inexcusable to
be vitamin D deficient when you are pregnant. There
is also a link between rampant vitamin D deficiency in
pregnant women and the proportionate jump in autism, which
has been highlighted by Dr. John Cannell.3
The vitamin D receptor appears in a wide variety of brain
tissue early in the fetal development, and activated vitamin
D receptors increase nerve growth in your brain. You can
only imagine what happens to the fragile, developing nervous
system of an infant or young child if insufficient vitamin D
is present to support neurodevelopment.
Electromagnetic fields: Work by
Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt suggests there are distinct
correlations between a woman's exposure to electromagnetic
fields during pregnancy and her child's neurological
functioning. He found that if you sleep in strong
electromagnetic fields during pregnancy, your child will
likely begin to exhibit neurological abnormalities within
the first two years of life, such as neurological
dysfunction, hyperactivity, and learning disorders.
In 2007, this theory received additional support from a
study published in the Journal of the Australasian
College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine.4
It presented the theory that electromagnetic radiation (EMR)
from cell phones, cell towers, Wi-Fi devices and other
similar wireless technologies may work in conjunction with
genetic and environmental factors, becoming an
accelerating factor in autism.
After more than five years of research on children with
autism they found that EMR negatively affects cell
membranes, encouraging heavy metal toxins, which are
associated with autism, to build up.
Mercury toxicity: It is already an
established fact that exposure to mercury can cause immune,
sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions --
all similar to traits defining, or associated with autism.
Mercury pollution is widespread from the burning of fossil
fuels, but the use of thimerosal-containing vaccines (still
used in annual flu shots) and dental amalgams — both of
which contain mercury — also cannot be overlooked as major
sources of individual exposure to this neurotoxin.
Vaccines: A 2011 review of the
peer-reviewed published studies on autism (going all the way
back to 1943) revealed numerous documented cases of autism
caused by encephalitis following vaccination.5
There are many potential vaccine-related culprits, including
the use of toxic adjuvants, the presence of human DNA in
vaccines, and the increasing number of vaccines given in a
short period of time, any one of which could induce
autoantibodies to be formed that may attack self-structures
such as the myelin that coats the nerves, disrupting
neurological development and function.
Phthalates: Research from 2009
discovered that infants who lived in homes with vinyl floors
were twice as likely to have autism five years later,
compared to those with wood or linoleum flooring. Vinyl
floors can emit chemicals called
phthalates, which are widely used plastic softeners
found in much more than just vinyl flooring. Hairsprays,
perfumes, cosmetics, toys, shower curtains, wood finishers,
lubricants, certain medical devices and more all contain
phthalates. Researchers have suggested the chemicals may
contribute to autism by disrupting hormones not only in
small children but also in the womb.
The Autism-Gut Connection You May Not Have Heard About
Neurologist Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride recently shared a
common thread that may be linking these and other environmental
factors together, namely brain toxicity stemming from gut
toxicity, otherwise known as Gut and Psychology Syndrome
(GAPS). She cured her own son of autism using an all-natural
treatment involving dietary changes and detoxification, and her
hypothesis is in my view one of the most relevant.
In her research, Dr. Campbell-McBride discovered that nearly
all of the mothers of autistic children have abnormal gut flora,
which is significant because newborns inherit their gut flora
from their mothers at the time of birth. Establishing normal gut
flora in the first 20 days or so of life plays a crucial role in
the maturation of your baby's immune system. Babies who develop
abnormal gut flora are left with compromised immune systems,
putting them at higher risk for suffering vaccine reactions.
If your baby has suboptimal gut flora, vaccines can become
the proverbial "last straw" — the trigger that "primes" his/her
immune system to develop chronic heath problems.
How to Prevent GAPS
In short, there is a close connection between abnormal gut
flora and abnormal brain development — a condition Dr.
Campbell-McBride calls Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS). The
best way to prevent GAPS is for the mother to avoid all
antibiotics and birth control pills prior to conception and then
by breastfeeding and avoiding the use of antibiotics during
(intrapartum) and after delivering. This is because they destroy
the balance of gut flora and promote the growth of pathogenic
bacteria.
Fortunately, it's possible to rather inexpensively identify
GAPS within the first weeks of your baby's life, which can help
you make better-informed decisions about vaccinations, and about
how to proceed to set your child on the path to a healthy life.
The entire process for identifying children who would be at
risk for developing autism from a vaccine is described in her
book Gut
and Psychology Syndrome, but to sum it up, in her
practice she starts out by collecting a complete health history
of the parents, and their gut health is assessed. Then, within
the first few days of life, the stool of the child can be
analyzed to determine the state of her gut flora, followed by a
urine test to check for metabolites, which can give you a
picture of the state of your child's immune system.
These tests are available in most laboratories around the
world and cost a very reasonable amount, about $80 to $100 per
test -- peanuts compared to the incredible expense of treating
an autistic child once the damage is done.
In my view it is absolutely VITAL to perform this analysis
BEFORE you consider vaccinating your child. If the test results
are normal the likelihood of autism after vaccines is
dramatically reduced. As Dr. Campbell-McBride states, she has
yet to find an autistic child with normal bowel flora. If you
find that your baby has abnormal gut microflora, or begins to
develop symptoms of autism a year or two later, the
GAPS program should be started immediately, as the younger
the child is when you start the treatment, the better the
results. The child should not be given any vaccines until their
microflora tests normal; that is, assuming you choose to
vaccinate at all.
If you want to know what is “normal” behavior for a
developing child, and what may indicate signs of autism or
another delay, the CDC has a milestone chart online for ages two
months to five years.6
Reducing Your Child’s Toxic Burden is Crucial to Preventing
Chronic Diseases Like Autism
Autism is a complex condition with many contributing factors
and it takes a multi-faceted approach to treat it. We're now
also beginning to understand it requires a multi-faceted
approach to prevent it. This includes avoiding as many
dangerous chemicals as possible, which makes listing the do's
and don'ts virtually impossible. As a general rule, eating whole
organic foods will go a long way, as that automatically cuts out
processed foods and related chemicals, genetically engineered
foods and artificial sweeteners.
Also be careful with the personal care products you use, as
well as your household cleaning products and home building
materials and furnishings ... Opting for "green" and/or organic
alternatives will help reduce many of the toxins most people
encounter on a daily basis. Do whatever you can to establish a
toxin-free environment for your whole family, and then establish
a detoxification program. Please remember hidden toxins like
mold and fluoride. The book
Our Toxic World: A Wake Up Call, by Dr. Doris Rapp,
is an excellent resource if you're unsure of how or where to
start. Other helpful tips for tackling autism include:
Carefully review the vaccination issue, including the
conventional vaccination schedule, and know that in most US
states you still have the right to
opt out of vaccines.
Avoid pasteurized milk; it's an absolute imperative to
the treatment of autism. Those managing this illness without
restricting milk are deceiving themselves. This includes all
milk products, such as ice cream, yogurt and whey. Even
natural flavorings in food must be avoided unless the
processor can guarantee that caseinate is not included.
Completely eliminating sugar/fructose, juice, soda,
French fries and wheat (pasta, bagels, cereal, pretzels,
etc.) is also highly recommended.
Get proper sun exposure. It is my personal belief that
vitamin D deficiency in conjunction with damaged gut
flora may be two of the most significant contributing
factors to autism. Optimizing your vitamin D levels and your
gut flora during pregnancy may be the most important
prevention strategies discovered to date.
Tell the White House It’s Time to Take Action Against Autism
Today the autism rates are one in 50. What are we waiting for
to start looking for real answers about this devastating
condition? For rates to rise to one in 30 or one in 15?
We must tackle this problem from all angles, and the Autism
Action Network has launched a campaign urging the US government
to finally take action against autism. You can
join in via this Take Action Link to send an email to the
President, your two United States Senators and your member of
the House, letting them know that it’s time to acknowledge
there’s a problem and start taking the autism epidemic
seriously.