Vaccines and autism: the debate over a link

There are two main debates over links to autism and vaccines. One is over the preservative thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in vaccines from the 1980’s until 2003. The type of mercury in thimerosal is a neurotoxin that clears the body in 6 weeks and in theory should not be enough to do any harm. Babies getting vaccinated during this time, however, were injected with numerous injections exceeding the recommended safe levels of the FDA.

The CDC conducted several studies and found that thimerosal could not be responsible for the huge growth in autism cases, but held hearings in secret causing mistrust and fueling conspiracy theories.

The other main debate is over links between the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine and autism. The MMR is a live-virus vaccine that some people believe negatively impacts children born with compromised immune systems. The immune weakness may be genetic or environmentally induced, but these children cannot properly pass the virus. The virus remains in the gut causing an immune response and inflammation, ultimately spreading to the brain potentially causing damage and autism.

The NIH and CDC both say there are no links between vaccines and autism, but parents think there is more to the story and are going to continue researching the connection.

Depression and Nutritional Deficiencies as the Causes of Reversible Dementia

Depression and Nutritional Deficiencies as the Causes of Reversible Dementia

Depression is not only a symptom of dementia, but it can cause other symptoms typical of dementia, as well. Consequently, depression is often misdiagnosed as dementia, particularly in the elderly. This misdiagnosis is tragic, because the majority of people with depression can be effectively treated. In addition to the depressed mood, loss of interest and social withdrawal we commonly think of as depression, both syndromes can produce sleep disorders, weight loss or weight gain, psychomotor retardation (an abnormal slowing down of activities and mental processes) and a diminished ability to think or concentrate. In many instances, depressed people, particularly older individuals, may appear confused and may suffer memory loss. Read more

Boost Your Immune System

How to Boost Your Immune System

Clich+¬s are clich+¬s because they make sense and are, almost always, timely. "Prevention is better than cure" is one of the old sayings we might as well follow. The only method to keep our bodies up and going is not to take medicine when we are sick but to avoid becoming sick in the first place. This means we have to keep our immune system in shape. Read more

No Cold Meds for Kids

In the past, we have always treated our children's cold symptoms with liquids and some good ole cough medications. Well, the old school of thought has been rejected in the new era of medicinal knowledge. A major drug manufacturer recently announced that they were pulling cold medications for kids under 4 years old. The reason? They felt it didn't have any significant benefits for young ones who caught the cold. This reasoning also has the FDA considering a ban on meds for children under the age of 6. This ban may take a year or so, but it poses a very serious question. Do our kids need cold meds? Experts agree the answer to that question is a wholehearted NO! Read more

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