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94 Comments
- ManyAsOne, on 01/10/2009, -2/+17Typical press oversimplification. The actual conclusion of the study states:
"Autism incidence in California shows no sign yet of plateauing. Younger ages at diagnosis, differential migration, changes in diagnostic criteria, and inclusion of milder cases do not fully explain the observed increases. Other artifacts have yet to be quantified, and as a result, the extent to which the continued rise represents a true increase in the occurrence of autism remains unclear."
In other words, they haven't identified anything as a major causative factor at this point, only ruled out several factors as accounting for the entirety of the increase. Many other factors, including environmental changes, diagnostic substitution, and increased survival at birth (there's been a few studies recently suggesting preemies are more likely to be autistic), haven't been examined this way yet so their degree of influence is unknown. - EvilCan, on 01/10/2009, -4/+16YOU MEAN IT'S NOT VACCINATIONS?!?!
/s - joe7845, on 01/10/2009, -2/+12This needs to be buried as inaccurate. The summary is misleading, first of all. The study does not look at the environmental exposures mentioned at all. It's a study of age of diagnosis, diagnostic criteria and other factors in the rise of autism cases in California. It concludes that these factors cannot by themselves account for the rise.
Unfortunately, the data the paper uses is dubious, and the paper does not consider the most likely factor accounting for the rise: awareness.
There's some discussion about the paper in the autism blogsphere. See:
http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/?p=1771
http://autismnaturalvariation.blogspot.com/2009/01 ... - Skeptic1970, on 01/10/2009, -1/+11They have. In a number European countries they have outlawed all thimersol and mercury preservatives and they have seen ZERO change in the autism rate for the population.
See this peer-reviewed science publication.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/ ... - desertDenizen, on 01/10/2009, -2/+10My fear is that multiple agents are to blame, meaning very hard to tease apart the confounding effects. The scientific method is inherently reductionist (isolate one suspect at a time), but environmental toxins' effects are cumulative, sometimes even interactive. It can be an almost impossible puzzle.
On an only tangentially related but scary-ass note, my business partner's nephew started getting ***** when he was ten. His pediatrician suggested it might be hormones in milk, told his mom to take the kid off dairy. She did, and the ***** went away. Seriously people... WHAT THE ***** ARE WE DOING TO OURSELVES????? - Fitzwarren, on 01/10/2009, -3/+11Natural does not necessarily mean safe. Cyanide, asbestos, salmonella occur naturally. Personally I don’t want to be near any one of them. A lot of these “natural” products just mean they put the product in a green bag and jack up the price (placebos work better the higher the price!)
Worry less about chemicals, save a bit of cash and just eat healthy and exercise. Your children’s own bodies are the best protection against environmental ills and those bodies are entirely dependent on the quality of diet and exercise they get. - Skeptic1970, on 01/10/2009, -2/+10BS. The data does not support your opinion. If Thimersol was the cause then the countries that have banned all thimersol in their vacines should have a greatly reduced rate of autism. That is not the case.
See this peer-reviewed science publication.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/ ... - Skeptic1970, on 01/10/2009, -1/+8Have you ever met an amish person? I have I know a number them. They do eat processed food(not at the level of us english but they do), They also vaccinate(again not at the level of us English) Of course they also have Autism in they're population. You are wrong on all three counts.
Of course their lower rate of vaccination has caused some small outbreaks of Whooping cough and measles with in their communities. - Disgod, on 01/11/2009, -1/+8Unfortunately for you the evidence does not support her claims, I suggest you read this link:
http://www.csicop.org/si/2007-06/novella.html
It goes through the controversy, and guess what, there is absolutely no connection between vaccines and autism.
Here's an entire website talking about the reality of the controversy:
http://www.stopjenny.com/index.html
"jenny mccarthy who is just a mother trying to answer the question of why her child got really ***** sick after receiving shots."
Yeah, this means absolutely nothing as evidence for her case, it's just an emotional appeal and has no scientific merit. Correlation /= Causation, and considering that the evidence is completely against vaccines being the cause of autism this is definitely one of those instances.
"you do some ***** research that isn't sponsored by the cdc or big pharma "
Yeah... when you start claiming a conspiracy in the medical establishment is when you should start wondering about the sources you're listening to. There is no conspiracy in the medical field, sorry. - Skeptic1970, on 01/10/2009, -1/+8Ok here is the JAMA reference to the Danish study:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/290/13/1 ...
The weight of the evidence says that it is safe. Until new evidence comes in that shows otherwise(and it may you never know) I will side with the science. It allows for hot storage which is very good for vaccines that need to sent to 3rd world areas with out good refrigeration. So on balance it is a good thing that has allowed millions of lives to be saved and there has no evidence that it is harmful(and they have looked for evidence). - Skeptic1970, on 01/10/2009, -0/+7Yes it has. Did you read the article? Here is a Jama peer-reviewed article about the Danish Study. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/290/13/1 ...
It says "Population-based cohort study of all children born in Denmark from January 1, 1990, until December 31, 1996 (N = 467 450) comparing children vaccinated with a thimerosal-containing vaccine with children vaccinated with a thimerosal-free formulation of the same vaccine." What part thimersol free is unclear.
For the lazy here is the summary: "The risk of autism and other autistic-spectrum disorders did not differ significantly between children vaccinated with thimerosal-containing vaccine and children vaccinated with thimerosal-free vaccine" - yoshitx, on 01/11/2009, -0/+7Go back and look a the thimerosal argument.
It was originally suggested in the British Medical Journal the Lancet. The control group was not statistically valid. THE AUTHORS EVEN SAID THIS IN THE FINDINGs. They suggested additional study be done. The problem was the duplication studies could never produce collaborative results.
Unfortunately these studies take a bit of time. While these were being done, those that profit of rumor an innuendo: mainly the plaintiffs bar and those selling newspapers and cable news advertising jumped on the band wagon. There is lots of money to be made from scared patents of young children.
It is ever apparent that thimerosal is not involved. Study after study confirms.
Oddly, one of the original authors of the Lancet article seems to have gotten egg on his face when a very large conflict of interest was tripped up a few years ago. (Seems he had applied for a patent on a replacement for thimerosal) - bigdnl, on 01/10/2009, -2/+9Who exposes an infant to RaidX and Clorox?
- BillDoor, on 01/11/2009, -1/+8Livebold. I suggest that you try reading some legitimate science articles on the topic and stay away from the woo sites.
btw, abuse is the last refuge of someone who has no argument. - IrvineKinneas50, on 01/10/2009, -1/+7A scientific study carried out by a small research group makes you like Americans less? Take a step back and think about that.
- Skeptic1970, on 01/10/2009, -0/+6Yeah right. Sounds like you have been listening to Jenny and her ilk. If it was that simple I think it more widely accepted no one would have autism.
- enosp, on 01/11/2009, -1/+7Uneducated, poorly worded, unreferenced, pseudoscience on my Digg?
- DamnMan, on 01/10/2009, -1/+6Acetaminophen?
It was developed and marketed to children in the 1950s. Pretty sure kids in the 80s and 90s popped Tylenol as much or, given the popularity of homeopathic and natural treatments, considerably more. - mocisme, on 01/11/2009, -0/+5New study: Everything is linked to everything in one way or another
- rufishinjr, on 01/10/2009, -2/+7You sound like a commercial for something.
- chaiwalla, on 01/10/2009, -0/+5You are mixing up two abbreviations. ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder (but is no longer recognized, with ADHD-inattentive type being the standard now) and ASD stands for Autism Spectrum Disorder. They are different and as far as I know, unrelated.
- Disgod, on 01/10/2009, -3/+8Jenny McCarthy should get bitch slapped as hard as humanly possible. She has a body count!! She has been a major proponent of pseudoscience which has lead directly to the deaths of children for absolutely no gain. She has done absolutely nothing good for autism other than spread junk science, lies, and misinformation. ***** that bitch.
- Skeptic1970, on 01/10/2009, -3/+8BS. The data does not support your opinion.
In a number European countries they have outlawed all thimersol and mercury preservatives in vacines and they have seen ZERO change in the autism rate for the population.
See this peer-reviewed science publication.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/ ... - snowshoeless, on 01/10/2009, -5/+9This seems like a plausible explanation for an unprecedented rise in autism cases (both mild and severe) in recent years -- the more chemicals we are exposed to, the more risk we put ourselves at for any number of unknowns. Most chemicals, while known to be "bad" or "harmful" are only seen as that -- chemical corporations don't always determine who it will affect in the long run. Pregnant women and small babies can easily be exposed to a lot of different chemicals!
This certainly makes me think more about what types of chemicals I use in my home with two small children -- I'm glad I've been looking for more natural and organic ways to clean and do the things that chemicals do. - Fitzwarren, on 01/10/2009, -8/+12Quote: "California's sevenfold increase in autism cannot be explained by changes in doctors' diagnoses"
Really? With this in news and on TV and with nut balls like Jenny McCarthy running around making false claims about vaccines, which is stopping people getting protected and thus putting people that can't take vaccines for legitimate reasons at risk (look up herd immunity). California is notorious for fads like this. Maybe there are causes outside genetics that cause autism but relying on diagnosis rates in California is a bloody bad way to make assertions. - BillDoor, on 01/11/2009, -1/+5They stopped using Mercury in childhood vaccination about 2001.
- hagbard72, on 01/10/2009, -1/+5Interesting idea. Seems to have been added to more and more things in that period. My daughter has autism, so I have more than a passing interest in this topic.
- kern44, on 01/10/2009, -0/+4http://autism.about.com/b/2008/04/23/do-the-amish- ...
- drunkenoaf, on 01/10/2009, -1/+5Disease is caused by either:
Genetic, environmental or infective factors.
Autism... it's a whole spectrum of disease/disorders, and any one of the three can cause it. It's plausible that environmental factors are causing this increase... but since it's sooooo complicated, good luck to 'em proving anything. - snowshoeless, on 01/11/2009, -0/+4a commercial for Big Vinegar, maybe
- ozborn, on 01/10/2009, -1/+5Infants
- DamnMan, on 01/10/2009, -3/+7What new chemicals are kids being exposed to today that kids in the 80s and 90s and even earlier were not? Lead based solders in our toys, BPA in our soft drink bottles, leaded gas, second hand smoke, carcinogens in... everything. I even played with mercury a few times as a child.(!)
Why does it seem the tighter we pucker our collective ***** the less it does any good? - Swivelstick, on 01/10/2009, -2/+5Water, vinegar, citrus and maybe some bi-carb if things are gunked up don't need much else around the house?
"Natural does not necessarily mean safe. Cyanide, asbestos, salmonella occur naturally." WTF does that have to do with anything do you think the vested interests of the chemical companies are going to be honest about their products? History tells a different story and stating that nature creates things harmful to humans is a ploy used by them to get people to buy their products. Like anti-bacterial wipes et al which is false advertising in the extreme especially considering without bacteria we'd all be dead and killing off more then necessary doesn't allow the immune system to develop fully making us weaker. - unusualbob, on 01/11/2009, -1/+4Why is it that everyone treats autism as if its a disease? In reality its more like an alternate brain configuration. I have aspergers and I really don't appreciate it when people think I'm handicapped or something. Really its quite the opposite.
I feel like possibly this is a step in the evolution of the human species. If autistics are taught in a way that they can understand I know they can find a place in society. I see that its possible in the future that it will be the autistic doing things like crunching numbers and doing large scientific calculations. Someday it may be that being autistic will get you hired faster than anything else on your resume for certain jobs. - zaffir, on 01/13/2009, -0/+3You mean the vaccine studies that show there is absolutely no link between vaccinations and autism?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/07051 ...
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2004/504_iom.html
http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Link-bet ...
Wait, you're probably talking about this study, published in The Lancet, claiming to have found a link between autism and vaccinations:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9500320?dopt=Ab ...
Too bad it has been well-refuted.
http://briandeer.com/mmr-lancet.htm
Here's one example that was also published in The Lancet- http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/P ... - GlassAgate, on 01/11/2009, -0/+3Damn your logic and reasoning!
Why can't we just ban things just because
we can, or because we want to!?
/s - BradBrown, on 01/10/2009, -1/+4It's the Aspartame.
- GlassAgate, on 01/11/2009, -1/+3Curious infants, ignorant parents, the government...
Okay, the last one isn't true, unless you're into conspiracy theories. - yoshitx, on 01/11/2009, -1/+3@wassim2k
The media is prone to exagerate.
So lets not use any adjectives: 1500% increase in from 1990 to 2000 - Ramenhood, on 01/11/2009, -3/+5I thought the rise in Autism was just a rise in *saying* more and more socially awkward children are Autistic.
- snowshoeless, on 01/11/2009, -0/+2I was talking about baking soda, vinegar, etc -- NOT additional chemicals.
- wassim2k, on 01/11/2009, -1/+3"soaring incidence of the mysterious neurological disorder " Really? Soaring incidence or soaring diagnosis and media exageration?
- dongratius, on 01/10/2009, -1/+3Don't believe the stats about incidence. Autism or Autistic Spectrum Disorder is increasingly a diagnosis of convenience...that is the clinician cannot really help, the parents are pushing for a diagnosis (so they don't have to blame themselves)...and being Autistic gets the child (and parents) more support. Consequently perceptions of what Autism actually is slowly becomes distorted, so studies on causes become meaningless.
- rancidpony, on 01/10/2009, -1/+3On a more realistic note, how about the higher survival rate of babies?
- quantumBinky, on 01/10/2009, -0/+2actually, the best way to save is to get "natural" cleaners - vinegar, soap, and baking soda cleans almost everything.
- henismightier, on 01/13/2009, -0/+1How much of this increase in autism is aspergers?
- xeriscaped, on 01/13/2009, -0/+1That is correct Jenny McCarthy.
- jd75, on 01/11/2009, -1/+2well, my mom exposed all four of her girls to clorox, and we aren't autistic.
raid, on the other hand... and california... and cockroaches. hm. the northern climates don't have nearly the bug problem one has in socal. - EnergyEinstein, on 01/13/2009, -0/+1"Your children’s own bodies are the best protection against environmental ills and those bodies are entirely dependent on the quality of diet and exercise they get."
Isn't the point of this article saying that the mother's body's WEREN'T good enough protection? Nor the child's developing body...?? - p3ngwin, on 01/10/2009, -2/+3what do you mean?
RaidX and Clorox are full of meganutrients and vitamins! -
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