NEWS: Reported Cases of Autism Spike Alarmingly

According to the Department of Education, more than 60k children in America are being treated for autism, that is a sharp increase from 1992/93 - back then the number was about 12k. Like most children with autism, Tyler suffers from a higly elevated level of Mercury in his blood. The crisis with autism, and the crisis with mercury are intimately connected. Autism manifests itself in many ways, including but not limited to lethargy, violent outbursts, catatonia - a distant stare, learning difficulty, and a host of physiological ailments that arise from Mercury saturation of the blood. Luckily, Tyler is getting help, and his symptoms are manageable. Many children are not so lucky.



Many people simply don't understand the condition, and liken it unfairly to retardation. In fact, in most cases, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Many experts believe autistic children have IQs that would make Einstein blush, they are actually TOO smart. Their inteligence is of such a different strain than 'normal' people, communication varies from difficult to nearly impossible.

One of the key precursors to autism is highly elevated Mercury levels in the blood. Sometimes this is the result of an improper metabolic process, sometimes it's a case of simple saturation - so much Mercury enters the system that it becomes impossible to metabolize it fast enough, even with a healthy metabolic process. Mercury contamination of America has reached epic proportions, it is present in great quantities in ocean fish, shellfish, birds, soil, water, and even air. It was thought for a while that childhood vaccines might be contributing, but that has been largely debunked. However, many scientists and parents still express fear over the Mercury-based vaccine preservative Thimerosal.

Mercury has been proven to contribute to a drop in IQ in some children when exposed to the metal during pregnancy. It also contributes to chemical imbalances and organ failure, along with a host of other, poorly understood, connections to systemic failure and long term disability. Often sudden death is the result of over-exposure. The problem is, we're not doing anything meaningful to combat this problem, and for the most part, people don't even know about it.

Related News Links:
www.fda.gov
www.generationrescue.org
www.autism-society.org
www.nrdc.org

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
NEWS: High Levels of Mercury Found in Vermont Birds

I believe there is also a debate over the question -- Are there actually more cases of Autism or is it that Autism is finally being correctly diagnosed where in the past some autistic children were labeled retarded.

I am glad to see that there is much more information and support for Autism research also in just getting the word out there now. There are ribbons similar to the breast cancer ribbons but look like brightly colored puzzle pieces in the shape of a ribbon and there is even a NASCAR or Bush Driver who has it as part of the sponsors and colors on his car. All of which causes people to ask what the ribbon is --and just getting people to know a bit more about it is a huge start.

justme
You're right, absolutely right. There is some question as to whether reporting methods or environmental changes are responsible for the rising rates. My guess is a combination of both. So while there may not be a five-fold increase in autism cases, it is most likely still signifigant.

And I agree wholeheartedly that getting the word out is essential. Many people remain uninformed as to the signs, the causes, and the remedies. Many people still think that autism is a permanent debilitating condition, incurable by modern medicine. There have been amazing advances that parents of autistic children need to be aware of.

Many of these kids are of absolutely profound genius to boot! Some people speculate their IQs might range high into the thousands. Imagine if we could harness that! It would help our society immesurably. That's just what I'd like to see, our culture turning a curse into a blessing.

weird. you are inferring that autism is based from overexposure to mercury, but then you are also claiming that it makes people so smart their brain short circuts some how.

are they naturally smart or is it the mercury?

First off, it's wyrde, second of all, I made the distinction by saying that not all autistic kids are at the super genius level.

It appears to be a physical mutation, but it could just be the mercury increasing conductivity of their cerebral fluid, I don't know. Also, while studies have shown exposure of pregnant women to Mercury lowers IQ in children born to those women, there has not yet been a concrete link established between lowered brain function and Mercury exposure outside the womb. It is known to cause other forms of illness, but I don't believe an IQ study has been done.

The truth is, all we know for sure is that there's a connection, at least a statistical corrollary, between Mercury and Autism. The theory that some or many autistic kids have IQs in the thousands is just that, a theory. It's almost impossible to test he IQ of most autistic kids because they simply don't act, think, or perceive the world as most individuals do.

It's possible that they don't think better or worse, just differently.

More needs to be done to determine the actual link between these subjects. Right now, there's slow progress being made, but I think it's important to keep up the pressure for responsible change.

I would definately think that allthough the mercury and the natural mutation group show the same lack of social skills, I would think that the mercury group would show they lack cognitive skills as well (poorly wired) while the natural mutation group, some of them could be misunderstood supergenius (different wired)

silenus
Right, there could even be a misdiagnosis in the Mercury group, perhaps they have a different disorder that manifests in similar symptoms but with different results.

It could also be different levels of exposure. Radon is similar, it appears to actually help people at certain doses and kill them at others, not necessarily higher either. Probably has something to do with innate body chemistry, metabolic process, and an overreactive/underreactive pattern of receptors.

Thanks for bringing that up though.

Good find. Thanks. ...I am glad the mercury issue is not getting disappeared completely. The impacts are real and widespread - mercury pollution is a bad problem worldwide - and the UN/WHO's mercury ban was just killed by the US. Hope it gets revived and passes next time. Be nice to eat tuna again.

Mercury is indeed a problem that we need to deal with specially when regulations are not very good.

My husband sister was poison by mercury when she was a child, she came out of it OK the doctors back them said that is was because she ate to much tuna. funny but true.

This was back in the late 60s so the problem have been around for a while. Perhaps as years pass things tends to worsen, children tend to become the most vulnerable, and I mean pregnant women.



[edit on 3-4-2005 by marg6043]

www.forbes.com...

www.healthtalk.ca...

www.foodconsumer.org...

www.dfw.com...

www.rxpgnews.com...

hmmm...I think this might be damage control to mitigate the disaster of Mercury regulation, or should I say non-regulation...

This study just appeared later in the same day as one which, once again, tied autism to Mercury. The difference is, most of the accepted doctrine dealing wtih Autism is related to Mercury, and there was only one, perhaps a handful of links re-affirming the link today. In contrast, there were 20 or more pinning the blame on oxidants - out of the blue.

It could be both, certainly... But I think oxidants are a valuable tool in treating cancer in some patients, but you probably won't hear about it unless you have big bucks to see a specialist. Most people get told the opposite, without the in depth analysis and testing needed to determine which one will help with your particular 'brand' of cancer. They're pushing something hard, while seemingly ignoring the more concrete, preventable alternative THAT ISN'T PAYED FOR BY THE CONSUMER. We don't pay to have corporate goons clean up their mess... We do pay to buy loads of antioxidants from the local druggist, lovingly shipped from a Big Pharma subsidiary near you...

I'm suspicious of this. I was just having a conversation the other day with Mattison about how oxidants can be a critical part of the body's balance. Too much of one thing, too little of another, it's all bad. Notice how Antioxidants are being pushed like snake oil for the last half decade or so? That timeframe corresponds to the increased furor over Mercury emmissions stemming from power plants, coal burning power plants.

Is this a case of the more you know the better you are? Or a case of the better you know, the better you are?

I don't know. I put my faith in the responsible scientists left in the world who won't cherry pick for their corporate check-writers. I hope they give us all some more information we can use. Unfortunately, science is a big-money game, and corporations control most of the big money, if not all at this stage.

It's looking pretty bleak folks. The information war is being fought valiantly, but it's david against goliath, and our sling has gone missing.

Opinions on this antioxidant connection?

[edit on 3-4-2005 by WyrdeOne]

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
Many experts believe autistic children have IQs that would make Einstein blush, they are actually TOO smart. Their inteligence is of such a different strain than 'normal' people, communication varies from difficult to nearly impossible.

Who are these experts? I've never heard that before. Reference please.

phaedrus

Some numbers to chew on before the links. 1 in 10 autistic children have savant abilities - think Rainman. This is in contrast to about 1 in 100 normal children possessing some form for savant-like talent. So there's a large discrepancy, and it appears autism may be a sever form of genius, a sort of runaway genius train. Do read on, and enjoy your erudition.

www.centreforthemind.com...
Scroll down and download the nature piece on "Autistic Genius."

www.wired.com...
A wired news article on "The Key to Genius."

www.guardian.co.uk...
A Guardian article on autism and genius

groups.msn.com...
An excellent source of varied reading material on the subject

www.nacd.org...
OLD article in the Journal of the National Academy for Child Development

Originally posted by WyrdeOne

Opinions on this antioxidant connection?

Great stuff and links here - thanks.

The antioxidant question is good - I've been researching the association off and on for the past year.

...Looks to me like there are underlying diseases (re: misfolded proteins) that have active and inactive phases. In an active phase, the disease uses the immune system to get around the body - so if you take antioxidants during an active phase, they actually speed disease progression. OTH, if you take antioxidants when the disease is in its inactive phase, it helps and does boost the immune system.

...So it's absolutely critical to a) have a real diagnosis, and b) know how to identify active and inactive phases. Rule of thumb - if you feel rough and "fluey" - don't take any antioxidants (except maybe Vitamin C).

...I don't have my research together on this - BUT, I can say the research definitely indicates this analysis, plus my personal experience verifies it.

FYI - Kaplan(?), the former head of the CDC was issuing warnings about antioxidants before Bush fired him. Also FYI - the pharmaceutical industry is hot on the supplement market - and trying to kill independent small business and take over the supplement sector.

That's an interesting point you made about timing being critical to result.

I wonder how many people know that? Likely very few.

Also, the CDC connection made my ears perk up. I'm going to try and find some more information - that could be another piece of this puzzle that needs fitting. Like usual the Surgeon General is clueless, incompetent, or downright compromised and servile. Like it matters in the end, the results are the same. Something has got to be done about these yes-men and corporate puppets in positions of power.

How can we ever make progress if we continue to allow monkeys to pilot the ship of state?

Thanks!

I always new that coal burning plants and such present an extreme danger.

Look at France and Japan, where a huge fraction of energy comes from nuclear plants.

It's been known for a long time that these are less polluting, believe it or not. Now this new finding confirms this.

Very good point Aelita. However, we still need a way to get rid of the waste products. (other than turning the DU into bullets and flinging them around in population centers)

Of course, Japan has the Tuna problem...

Large predatory ocean fish have a high concentration of Mercury in their flesh, so do shellfish. Both are very popular in Japanese diets.

I do think nuclear power is the future, but I think we are far from being able to claim it's without problems and limitations.

For example, the most modern energy generation system (nuclear reactors) use one of the most primitive technologies of the industrial era (steam turbines) to function. It's sort of ironic, no?

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
For example, the most modern energy generation system (nuclear reactors) use one of the most primitive technologies of the industrial era (steam turbines) to function. It's sort of ironic, no?

It's actually not. Due to the physics of nuclear processes, we release energy as heat. From the efficiency point of view, it is apparently hard to beat the turbine as a converter of energy. Seriously, there are few other ways.

I'd also invest in tidal, solar, and other types, and in energy conservation programs.

In addition to the question whether we are just getting better and/or more accurate at diagnosing autism, another question is whether potential mercury-poisoning related cases are being misdiagnosed as autism. That may help explain the savants in the autism population. I would not expect mercury-poisoned autism cases to exhibit any percentage of savantism. That's why I wonder if we are now mis-diagnosing again.

Aelita
I know there are few other ways, I think we should focus on developing some. The heat itself could be used if you could engineer the new solar panels to be tough enough to withstand the nuclear bath. I'm sure there are other ways not yet realized or explored.

Titian
It's certainly a good possibility. Of course, for all we know, Mercury exposure is totally responsible for Autistic Savants. Who knows. I agree that it's unlikely since a corrolation between Mercury exposure and reduced inteligence is well documented - but then again, there's a lot we don't know about all the involved subjects; Mercury poisoning, autism, savants, brain physiology, brain chemistry, in utero 'wild cards', and on and on.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
Some numbers to chew on before the links. 1 in 10 autistic children have savant abilities - think Rainman. This is in contrast to about 1 in 100 normal children possessing some form for savant-like talent. So there's a large discrepancy, and it appears autism may be a sever form of genius, a sort of runaway genius train. Do read on, and enjoy your erudition.

www.centreforthemind.com...
Scroll down and download the nature piece on "Autistic Genius."

www.wired.com...
A wired news article on "The Key to Genius."

www.guardian.co.uk...
A Guardian article on autism and genius

groups.msn.com...
An excellent source of varied reading material on the subject

www.nacd.org...
OLD article in the Journal of the National Academy for Child Development

Thanks for the links!! The first link was dead, but the others worked fine. However, I was unable to find any kind of data on the IQs of autistics in any of them. The second link from www.wired.com did mention IQ, but all it said was "But Matt is even rarer than that. While the IQs of most savants are below 70, he is highly intelligent." I wonder what his IQ is? Other than that, I just read mostly case studies.

These are interesting stories. However, they don't convince me that autistics have abnormally high IQs. They may indeed have above average abilities in particular domains (savant qualities), but not high IQs. IQs look at the big picture. That's exactly why savants stand out - they may lack average abilities in all domains except for one in which they excel. This is why they have problems in the real world - exceptional arithmetic ability does not substitute for normal verbal and social ability.

Savant properties are amazing because they are somewhat inexplicable. Most (the vast majority) autistics do not have savant abilities. I wonder if this is the result of some kind of genetic mutation, neural compensation, or lack of neuronal pruning during development. Does anyone else know more about studies of the genesis of savant properties?

Good thread.

phaedrus