By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON – A chemical used to make baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic containers could be linked to a range of hormonal problems, a preliminary government report has found.

The report was greeted by some environmental groups as confirmation of their concerns, while chemical makers latched on to the report’s preliminary nature and its authors’ warning against drawing overly worrisome conclusions.

The federal National Toxicology Program said Tuesday that experiments on rats found precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems and early puberty when the animals were fed or injected with low doses of the plastics chemical bisphenol A.

While such animal studies only provide “limited evidence” of bisphenol’s developmental risks, the group’s draft report stresses the possible effects on humans “cannot be dismissed.” The group is made up of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration and the Institutes of Health.

More than 90 percent of Americans are exposed to trace amounts of bisphenol, according to the CDC. The chemical leaches out of water bottles, the lining of cans and other items made with it.

The American Chemistry Council, which represents manufacturers, said the report “affirms that there are no serious or high level concerns for adverse effects of bisphenol on human reproduction and development.” Among the manufacturers of bisphenol are Dow Chemical Co. and BASF Group.

The group said it supports additional research to determine whether adverse effects seen in animals “are of any significance to human health.”

Environmentalists, meanwhile, hailed the report as the first step toward reassessing a chemical they believe could contribute to cancer and other health problems.

“We’re hoping this decision will force FDA to recognize the toxicity of this chemical and make manufacturers set a safety standard that’s protective of the most vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Anila Jacob of the Environmental Working Group.

The toxicology group’s findings echo those of researchers assembled by the National Institutes of Health, who last August called for more research on bisphenol in humans.

The FDA in November said there is “no reason at this time to ban or otherwise restrict its use.” The agency on Tuesday did not immediately have any comment about the new report.

But growing concern about the chemical has pushed many consumers toward glass alternatives, and triggered investigations by state and federal lawmakers.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., called on FDA Tuesday to reconsider the safety of bisphenol, saying the toxicology report’s findings “fly in the face of the FDA’s determination.”

Dingell, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued letters to seven companies that make baby formulations earlier this year, questioning whether they use bisphenol in the lining of their cans and bottles.

The companies included Hain Celestial Group, Nestle USA and Abbott Laboratories.

A spokeswoman for the International Formula Council, which represents baby food makers, said Tuesday “the overwhelming scientific evidence supports the safety” of bisphenol, adding that no foreign governments have restricted or banned its use.

The National Toxicology Program will take public comments on its initial report through May. A final version will be issued this summer.

Earlier this month state lawmakers in New Jersey passed a bill that would ban the sale of all products containing bisphenol.

Canada’s health agency is also examining the health risks of bisphenol is expected to issue its findings in coming days.

This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information.

Delaying DPT Vaccination May Reduce Incidence of Childhood Asthma

News & CME Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/572891

Release Date: April 14, 2008; Valid for CME credit through April 14, 2009

April 14, 2008 — Childhood asthma is reduced by half when the first dose of diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DPT) is delayed by more than 2 months vs given during the recommended period, according to the results of a retrospective longitudinal study reported in the March issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.

“Early childhood immunizations have been viewed as promoters of asthma development by stimulating a TH2-type immune response or decreasing microbial pressure, which shifts the balance between TH1 and TH2 immunity,” write Kara L. McDonald, MSc, from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and colleagues. “Differing time schedules for childhood immunizations may explain the discrepant findings of an association with asthma reported in observational studies. This research was undertaken to determine whether timing of diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT) immunization has an effect on the development of childhood asthma by age 7 years.”

The investigators analyzed data from the complete immunization and healthcare records of a cohort of children born in Manitoba in 1995, from birth until age 7 years. Using multivariable logistic regression, they computed the adjusted odds ratio for asthma at age 7 years according to the timing of DPT immunization.

Among 11,531 children who received at least 4 doses of DPT, the risk for asthma was halved in children in whom administration of the first dose of DPT was delayed by more than 2 months. For children with delays in administration of all 3 doses, the likelihood of asthma was 0.39 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18 – 0.86).

“We found a negative association between delay in administration of the first dose of whole-cell DPT immunization in childhood and the development of asthma; the association was greater with delays in all of the first 3 doses,” the study authors write. “The mechanism for this phenomenon requires further research.”

Limitations of this study include possible ascertainment bias; findings not yet confirmed with the diphtheria, acellular pertussis, tetanus (DaPT) vaccine; and inability to refute the issue of early-life infections as an explanation for the association between delayed immunization and protection against the development of asthma.

“Further study is vital to gain a detailed understanding of the relationship between vaccination and allergic disease, because a perception that vaccination is harmful may have an adverse effect on the effectiveness of immunization programs,” the study authors conclude.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research supported this study. Some of the authors have disclosed various financial relationships with the Western Regional Training Center for Health Services Research, the National Training Program in Allergy and Asthma, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Allergen, and/or Novartis.

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;121:626-631.
Clinical Context

Early childhood vaccinations may promote development of asthma, directly by stimulating a TH2-type immune response or indirectly by decreasing microbial pressure. In support of this hypothesis, an IgE response to vaccine antigens often occurs in children vaccinated with diphtheria/tetanus, and this response is more pronounced among individuals with atopy.

Epidemiologic evidence linking DPT immunizations to childhood asthma is inconsistent. Some studies show an increased or decreased risk of developing asthma, whereas others show no association. This study assessed whether timing of DPT vaccination affects the risk of developing childhood asthma by age 7 years.
Study Highlights

* Of children born in Manitoba in 1995, 11,531 children (82.6%) had received at least 4 doses of DPT and were included in this study.
* These children were primarily immunized with whole-cell pertussis DPT, because the DaPT vaccine was phased in throughout Manitoba beginning in November 1997.
* The investigators analyzed data from the complete immunization and healthcare records of these children from birth until age 7 years.
* The investigators used multivariable logistic regression to compute the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for asthma at age 7 years, based on the timing of whole-cell DPT immunization.
* Prevalence of asthma was 11.7%.
* Children with asthma were predominantly boys (3:2) and lived in urban areas (70.3%); 25% were from low-income homes; and 10.1% had mothers with a history of asthma.
* The risk for asthma was decreased by 50% in children in whom administration of the first dose of DPT was delayed by more than 2 months (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.25 – 0.97).
* Sensitivity analyses that varied the interval for DPT immunization showed that these findings were robust.
* Asthma prevalence rates decreased successively from 13.8% to 5.9% with each month delay in DPT administration.
* Likelihood of childhood asthma was also decreased after delays in the administration of the second and third doses of DPT. Most of these delays were in children with delays in their first dose.
* The reduction in asthma risk for the second and third doses mainly resulted from the delay in the first dose because there were no statistically significant differences in asthma risk with delays in the second and third doses in the absence of delays in the first dose.
* However, for children with delays in administration of all 3 doses, the likelihood of asthma was further reduced by 60% (likelihood ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.18 – 0.86).
* Based on these findings, the investigators conclude that there was a negative association between delay in administration of the first dose of DPT immunization in childhood and the development of asthma; that the association was greater with delays in all of the first 3 doses; and that the underlying mechanism requires further research.
* Limitations of this study include possible ascertainment bias; findings not yet confirmed with the DaPT vaccine; and inability to refute the issue of early-life infections as an explanation for the association between delayed immunization and protection against the development of asthma.

Pearls for Practice

* Among children who received at least 4 doses of DPT, the risk for asthma was reduced by 50% in children in whom administration of the first dose of DPT was delayed by more than 2 months from the recommended period.
* For children with delays in administration of all 3 doses of DPT, the risk of developing asthma was decreased by 60%. The reduction in asthma risk for the second and third doses mainly resulted from the delay in the first dose.

This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: April 13, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government began an unprecedented effort Friday to give vaccine critics a say in shaping how the nation researches immunization safety questions.

The meeting, the first of more to be set, came amid new controversy about vaccines and autism — and a fledgling theory that vaccinations might worsen a rare condition called mitochondrial dysfunction that sets off certain forms of autism.

Federal health officials said the work was not in response to that controversy and included many more questions than autism, including rare side effects of the new shingles vaccine.

A government-appointed working group is to pick the most important safety questions for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research in the next five years. The group is also supposed to get significant public input in setting those priorities, to ease skepticism that the authorities hide or discount information about vaccines.

“A crisis of trust is going to be a crisis of public health,” said Dr. Bruce Gellin, head of the National Vaccine Program Office.

Dr. Andrew Pavia, a University of Utah pediatric infectious disease specialist who is head of the group, said Friday, “There’s a need to engage as many voices as possible. It’s a chance to make sure the right questions are going to be asked.”

Studies have addressed vaccines and autism and found no link, including with a once-common mercury-based preservative.

The new question surfaced last month, with news that the government had agreed to pay the family of a girl, Hannah Poling, 9, for injuries linked to vaccines. Her family said Hannah was a healthy 19-month-old when she received five shots. Afterward, she became feverish, her behavior changed, and eventually autism was diagnosed. Her parents filed a claim under the vaccine compensation act that was granted on the presumption that the vaccines could have exacerbated an underlying condition.

Hi Everyone,
One of my patients wants to re-finish the hardwood floors in preparation to selling the house. The contractor told them that the toxic fumes would only be around for a week or so after the coatings are applied.
Intuitively, I feel that the toxic fumes, (“off gas”?) would be around for a long time and would be quite harmful to their Autistic child. Does anyone have any data on how long before the toxic fumes really are gone and does anyone have any non-toxic floor finishes?
Response 1:
We went through this.  There are water-based finishes now.

http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwoodinstaller/finishes-water.htm

http://www.hardwoodscene.com/Water-Based-Hardwood-Floor-Finish.asp

I think where we got into a lot of toxicity in ‘the old days” was in hand applying wax to the floors…that had out-gassing for a long time.  Some of the new finishes are more maintenance free.

Response 2:
A case study to be published in the online open access journal Environmental Health suggests that old wood floor finishes in some homes may be an overlooked …
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/pcb-floor-finish-47011508

Dust in rooms with vinyl miniblinds, wallpaper and flooring may also contain phthalates. …. http://www.ewg.org/reports/beautysecrets/execsumm.html …
http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/chemicals/chemicals-detail-print.asp?Main_ID=281

My hunch is that there is lingering offgassing of various molecules from many, perhaps most, even nearly all finishes.  Better to discount the cost of re-finishing, ie, the cost of differently toxifying.
This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information.

I have found that Anxiety is a very common problem with Autistic kids, even the high functioning Asperger’s. We always like to start with natural supplements first: I have found that
5 hydroxy tryptophan( serotonin precursor)  to be very helpful as well as GABA (dopamine precursor). Both of these are raw materials to make  feel good calming neurotransmitters.

Then next I like to add Theanine, which is an amino acid from Green Tea
Finally, high doses of Inositol powder usually does the trick

In very rare cases, we have to go to pharmaceutical agents: Tenex seems to be the drug of choice. It is a beta blocker that seems to cut down on the flight or fight response. Of course, all this should be done under the care of a good DAN (Defeat Autism Now ) doctor.

This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information.

Miriam

Oxidative stress is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and has been extensively studied as a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Pyruvate, a natural metabolic intermediate and energy substrate, exerts antioxidant effects in brain and other tissues susceptible to oxidative stress. We tested the protective effects of pyruvate on hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) toxicity in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells and the mechanisms underlying its protection. Hydrogen peroxide insult resulted in 85% cell death, but co-treatment with pyruvate dose-dependently attenuated cell death. At concentrations of >or=1 mM, pyruvate totally blocked the cytotoxic effects of H(2)O(2). Pyruvate exerted its protective effects even when its administration was delayed up to 2 h after H(2)O(2) insult. As a scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS), pyruvate dose-dependently attenuated H(2)O(2)-induced ROS formation, assessed from 2,7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate fluorescence. Furthermore, pyruvate suppressed superoxide production by submitochondrial particles, and attenuated oxidative stress-induced collapse of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Collectively, these results suggest that pyruvate protects neuronal cells through its antioxidant actions on mitochondria.

This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information

Pyruvate protects mitochondria from oxidative stress in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells

Wang X, Perez E, Liu R, Yan LJ, Mallet RT, Yang SH.
Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76107-2699, USA.

Please check this out:

Autism Speaks has just announced its first large scale Environmental Sciences Grant RFA. Please get the word out and please apply! This RFA includes investigations into vaccines, mercury, mitochondria, immune response, pesticides, etc. The AS Environmental Sciences Work Group is chaired by David Baskin.

__________________________

http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science_news/environmental_sciences_rfa.php

Autism Speaks Announces Environmental Sciences Request for Applications

Recent research in autism spectrum disorders suggests that both genetics and environmental factors are involved in the causes of autism. In some instances, this complex disorder may be the result of an interaction of many genes with an as-yet undefined scope of environmental influences. In order to facilitate research into this area, Autism Speaks has issued a “request for applications” or RFA to support scientific study into environmental factors, and gene and environment interactions, in autism.

The types of projects that will be funded are pilot research projects to stimulate new research in this area; augmentation or enhancement awards to expand on-going large-scale research projects which will leverage existing research efforts; and funding for workshops or think tanks to stimulate the implementation of novel approaches in the field. Autism Speaks hopes to receive many meritorious applications, with the goals of expanding the interest and expertise in this important area, illuminating which environmental factors should be investigated further, and understanding how those factors may interact with genetic factors in the development of autism.

The first deadline for applications is June 2, 2008.

Download the Request for Application (PDF) for more information.

This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information.

Greetings to all of you!Today I would like add to the article I wrote earlier on Yeast that I have copied below. Specifically, how best to avoid yeast in Autism. The products of yeast are neurotoxic as well as toxic to the gut lining and can cause all kinds of undesirable behaviours. Whenever one of my patients start having strange behaviours, we suspect yeast.1) Please check on the website for yeast free diets: low sugars and low fermented foods that are high in yeast

2) Avoid antibiotics whenever possible. Most infections are viral and can be treated without anti-biotics. Most colds should be treated with Benadryl at night and Sudafed in the morning to keep the Eustachian tubes open in order to avoid ear infections. So unless the throat culture hows strep throat or the chest x-ray shows pneumonia,or unless there is another good indication, most colds can be treated without anti-biotics

3) Take good pro-biotics so that the gut has good bacteria that would compete for food with the bad ones. They say that to treat Autism is to treat the gut..there is nothing better than a healthy gut flora.

4) Sometimes, antifungals such as Nystatin, Diflucan or Sporonex is indicated.  Some kids respond better to one over the other. Sometimes you need a longer course of treatment.

Here is the earlier article I wrote on Yeast and Autism:

I would like to chat about the importance of poor yeast immunity in Autistic individuals. Of the patients that I test, I must say that at least 80% have yeast overgrowth in their bodies-most of them, in the bowels. My 2 favorite tests to look for Yeast is the Organix test by MetaMetrix and the stool test by Doctor’s Data.

What happens is that, in the presence of mercury and other heavy metals, the innocent immune stem cell is shifted to the pathway of increased allergies instead of cells to combat yeasts and viruses. So in Autistic individuals, there is a high chance of overgrowth of yeast and viruses. I will talk about the viruses in a future blog.

Overgrowth of yeast creates toxins that can manifest in bowel problems-constipation, gas, bloating diarrhea etc or in bad behaviours. Treating this yeast by the use of good probiotics and natural antifungals such as MonoLaurin or Caprylic acid or antifungals such as Nystatin or Diflucan is a must. Very often, we are treating a child and he or she is progressing well and then all of a sudden, the child regresses—the first suspicion is yeast overgrowth again, even though we already treated the yeast before.

Remember that when you treat with antifungals, to use activated charcoal about 2-3 hours away from meds and supplements, 2-3 times a day to absorb the yeast die off products otherwise you will have horrible behaviours. For kids who have this yeast weakness, be careful of using products containing sulfur such as glutathione, cysteine, lipoic acid, taurine and DMSA or DMPS as the sulfur can feed yeast.

So remember no matter how many times you have treated the yeast, whenever you have a regression, think yeast overgrowth again. One more word of caution about using anti-fungal, there are problems with using them on a long term basis: first is that immunity against the med can be formed so that the med is no longer effective. Secondly, the meds are often very hard on the liver and kidneys so you must do blood tests to look at the liver and kidney enzymes often when you are on these meds.

Good luck to all of you!

Miriam Jang MD

This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information.

I was quite shocked when I read this article and would love to hear from all of you about any experience of this:

Two very well known DAN doctors have been trying to help a physician’s son who developed fairly classic autism within days of partially severing a finger and having the plastic surgeon repair it under local anesthesia.

They are  convinced that this is a case of physical trauma being associated with PTSD leading to autism.  They know of one other case that is similar.

 In the collective wisdom and experience of this amazing group does anyone know of other cases or literature on this subject?

 

This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information.

 

 

 

What effect does melatonin have in colitis?

Good news, for those of you who use melatonin to help your Autistic child sleep at night, there seems to be an extra beneficial side effect: the anti-inflammatory effects, especially in areas like the gut! So often we worry about bad side effects in sleep aides, so it i such a pleasure to find good side effects!

In rats with experimental colitis, the marked increase in bacterial translocation in postcolitis rats has been reversed by melatonin administration. This is due to melatonin’s anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects.

Using an elegant study design, including experimental colitis model, this research was performed by doctors from the Departments of General Surgery, Microbiology, Pathology and Biochemistry of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Erciyes, Kayseri, Turkey.

This study, performed by a team led by Dr. Alper Akcan, is described in a research article in the February 14 2008 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology.

According to the authors, the purpose of this study was to determine whether exogenously administered melatonin had any influence on the impairment of bacterial translocation and apoptosis in experimental colitis. To their knowledge, their study is the first one showing the relation between colitis, melatonin, and bacterial translocation.

The exact pathogenesis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is poorly understood, but evidence exists that IBD involves interactions between immune system, genetic susceptibility and the environment. In IBDs, the intestinal mucosal barrier is disrupted by inflammation and ulceration. In these circumstances, translocation of enteric bacteria and their products through the bowel wall to extra-intestinal sterile sites may result. Bacterial translocation may cause secondary infection of intra-abdominal inflammatory processes, such as intra-abdominal abscesses, or peritonitis. Recent studies have, however, shown the important role of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents, including melatonin, in IBDs.

Melatonin is an agent that promotes sleep and is produced at night by the pineal gland. While produced primarily in the pineal gland, melatonin can also be found in cells of the bone marrow and the gastrointestinal tract and plays a fundamental role in the neuroimmuno-endocrine system. In most of the published studies an antioxidative effect, improved microcirculation and a stimulation of intestinal epithelium may also apply in the preventive or therapeutic effect of melatonin on the symptoms of colitis induced in rats has been documented.

Further research should explain the similar effects of melatonin in humans.

 

This is a medical disclaimer: Please remember that this not meant as medical advice but as a desire to share information. Please always implement treatments under medical supervision. We are cannot be held liable for any of this information.