NAC: Dr. Martha Herbert

I have seen Dr. Martha Herbert present several times and she is always impressive. Once again she gave an engaging, insightful and -- as always -- scientifically well-supported presentation. She challenged the old classic model of defining autism and researching causes and treatments. She asked what I think is a critical question: Is autism a "brain disorder" or is it a "disorder that affects the brain"? Based on what we learned from Dr. Herbert and others during the weekend, I vote for the latter! As Dr. Herbert argued, we need to move toward a whole body, interactive systems approach to autism.

She reminded us that "science" is not only about discovery, problem solving, and sleuthing, but also about rhetoric -- we need to challenge the old ways of thinking and change the model for autism. We need to reallocate resources for more direct and immediate help for those with autism. Dr. Herbert eloquently explained that she does not view autism as a tragedy because "tragedy" implies that nothing can be done. Rather, she views it as a catastrophe because we can step up in the wake of a catastrophe and take action.

Dr. Herbert demonstrated that it is not possible to explain away most of the increase in autism over recent years -- change in diagnostic criteria, age at time of diagnosis and inclusion of less severe cases can explain only a relatively small portion of the increase.

She also argued that we need to move away from thinking of autism as static encephalopathy -- whether "genetic" or "genetic/environmental" -- and recognize that the mechanism(s) of autism may be active. She discussed that the evidence now suggests "genetic influence" not "genetic determination" in autism causation and we need to recognize that the environment -- which impacts autism as well -- is not constant. Evidence of post-natal brain changes suggests that autism is not caused solely by prenatal injury/changes; however it is possible that prenatal injury may create a predisposition toward autism. Too many, according to Dr. Herbert, make the leap that something like prenatal insult, which might be a contributing element or a risk factor for autism, is the cause of autism. In fact, there is significant evidence of chronic/ongoing problems in autism, such as oxidative stress and inflammation, and these problems are not limited to the brain, which raises additional questions about the validity of the "all prenatal/predetermined" model.

She noted that there are some who believe that the brains of those with autism are "irretrievably broken." While there are changes in the brain associated with autism, we don't know if they are the cause of autism or caused by whatever it is that causes autism. Dr. Herbert discussed some of the science suggesting that there are improvements sometimes seen in autism suggesting that the "unfixable brain" theory is not valid. She also discussed the large scale structural problems sometimes seen in the brains of those with autism may not be the key playerbut rather that problems with cell metabolism can impact brain function and these may play a significant role. This theory makes sense because it helps explain that the cellular functioning changes seen throughout the body -- not just in the brain and changes in cell metabolism can be related to environmental insults. Moreover, many problems related to cell metabolism are treatable. She also talked about an increased ratio of excitation to inhibition in the neural pathways that could exhibit as many common features of autism such as seizures, sensory issues, sleep trouble. She discussed that treatments can potentially help many with autism (and other diseases such as Alzheimer's) by applying the new model of autism she discussed.

Dr. Herbert ended her talk of this new model of autism expressing the need to further research all the areas she discussed. She discussed research she and her colleagues would be doing in this regard and also urged that there be more formal documentation of recovery as a result of biomedical treatments so that the establishment could no longer ignore what so many parents and biomedical professionals are seeing -- children are getting better! While anecdotal evidence is nice, more formalized data collection is what is needed (not just clinical trials but also single subject studies where a child's treatment is well-documented and the child's progress is measured and compared at various points) to overcome the bias against biomedical treatments.

NAC: More to Come ....

Playing Catch Up .... So much info to share, but first I have to synthesize it! Look for posts soon on Dr. Martha Herbert, Dr. Dan Rossignol (on treating tough nuts and on seizures and autism), David Kirby, Dr. Andrew Wakefield and more...

NAC: Dr. Russell Blaylock on Immunoexcitotoxicity

Dr. Russell Blaylock (www.russellblaylockmd.com) gave a terrific scientific presentation on immunoexcitotoxicity. Dr. Blaylock's lecture was looking beyond the symptoms our children have to what he believes is a central mechanism. He spoke about the role of glutamate - which is necessary for brain development but which in excess (or released at the wrong time) is highly toxic. Excitotoxicity is the presence of too much glutamate. He discussed the role of zinc and magnesium as protective in this process and how low magnesium may be linked to seizures, autism and ADHD. Moreover, the protective glutamate transport proteins/enzymes may be damaged by, among other things, mercury and aluminum.

Dr. Blaylock discussed early brain formation and the proper migration of brain neurons and the role of glutamate rising and falling (along with IL-1) at the right times. The brain, when formed properly, first forms too many coonections that then need to be pruned and refined by an increase in glutamate and IL-1. From birth to 2 years old, there is extensive dendritic and pathway formation, so you don't want to mess with glutamate or the immune system during this period.

He then discussed immune dysfunction. He discussed chronic activation of microglia - the immune cells of the brain - or hyperactivation of those cells, which should shut down after infection (or after they have repaired damage from infection). The greatest damage in autism is often seen in the cerebellum (and prefrontal cortex and limbic system). He discussed microglial priming - you have the first hit (be it prenatal or post -- it may be vaccine or illness, for example) and then when the next hit or hits come, there is an over-reaction and over secretion of glutamate and excitatory cytokines. Infection can also activate microglia, as can metals, including mercury and aluminum. Dr. Blaylock discussed that ionic mercury is the most toxic and most difflicult to remove from the brain. 34% of ethyl mercury (the kind in thimerosal) converts to ionic mercury in the brain while only 7% of methyl mercury (the kind in fish, for example) is converted to ionic mercury in the brain. Aluminum is absorbed in many organs, including the brain and it is cummulative. It keeps microglia active which leads to excitotoxicity and immune system activation.
Further, many other ingredients in vaccines can activate microglial cells. Glutamate reuptake also is suppressed which leads to further excitatory activity. Food intolerance is a sign of systemic and brain immune system dysfunction.

He also discussed astrocytes, which monitor what is going on in the brain. Mercury accululates in astrocytes and mitochondria. If the astrocytes cannot monitor, this leads to further trouble.

Finally, he discussed dietary and supplement treatment to help with immunoexcitotoxicity.

This was an extremely complex lecture and my synopsis cannot begin to cover it all. Moreover, as with all my notes here - any error is my own...

NAC Saturday: Barbara Loe Fisher - Vaccine Safety & Science

Barbara Loe Fisher, the co-founder and President of the National Vaccine Information Center (www.NVIC.org) gave a moving and empowering talk this morning. Following a poignant slideshow of children who died or were severely injured following vaccination, Barbara shared her own family's story of vaccine injury.

She discussed the science behind how certain vaccine ingredients (even when allegedly treated to reduce activation) can cause injury. She explained how certain vaccines (such as DTaP, HIB and the seasonal flu vaccine) contain endotoxins and that often these vaccines are given on the same day thereby compounding the effect of those endotoxins. She highlighted the increasing number of vaccines and the increasing rates of not only autism but also asthma, ADHD, learning disabilities, and diabetes, among other conditions.

On www.NVIC.org you can find a new vaccine ingredient calculator which is a work in progress - check back for further refinements.

She discussed the risk of compromising the integrity of our immune systems by having no natural expose to disease. She discussed the increase in drug-resistant disease strains (with vaccine manufacturers' responding by merely creating new vaccines to address more strains). She also pointed out that many of those who have gotten sick in recent outbreaks of childhood disease are those who are vaccinated against the disease - we are creating more resistant disease strains in highly vaccinated populations.

She raised the fact that vaccine safety testing is not rigorous - vaccines in combination are rarely tested and the vaccine trial methodologies are set up in such a way that adverse reactions -- even death and serious injury -- may be written off and excluded as merely "coincidental." Other protocols may allow for the comparison of two experimental vaccines with no placebo/control. She also told the audience that reports of serious adverse effects to the H1N1 vaccine are coming out. In short, she referred to an uncontrolled national medical experiment on our children.

She urged parents to educate themselves to make the right choices for their family and to weigh the costs and benefits given your family's situation. She told us not to trust blindly but to trust those who earn our trust. We need to stand up for voluntary and informed consent and be brave enough to stand up for the integrity of our bodies and those of our children. It was chilling to hear Barbara frankly state that the biological integrity of the human race is at risk. She urged us to never give up.

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet (second from left) with NAA-NY Metro's Peggy Becker, Sabeeha Rehman, Khalid Rehman and Kim Mack Rosenberg

NAC Saturday: Dr. Jeff Bradstreet: Common Problems & Effective Treatments

Dr. Jeff Bradstreet presented on treatments based and judged on lab results. Dr. Bradstreet told us that neurotypical is the goal for our children and that goal requires our persistance and the persistance of our doctors and other treaters. He reminded us that if you have no idea which medical problems your child has, biomedical treatment can be a guessing game. This is why doing labs is important -- you can define the problem, then choose appropriate interventions. This can save both time and money. You also can use those lab tests to help evaluate how effective an intervention may be for a child.

Brain inflammation is a common problem for our kids and can be challenging to treat. Children on the spectrum often have chronic autoimmune processes. Neopterin is a good biomarker for this. High neopterin = inflammation and, in the absence of infection, suggests autoimmunity issues.

He also suggested some non-invasive biomarkers for inflammatory bowel disease or similar conditions. In particular, he suggested calprotectin as the biomarker that shows the strongest correlations with bowel conditions. Genova Diagnostics can run this test.

Dr. Bradstreet noted that differences between individuals' microbiotia influence not only our health risks but may also help explain why individuals respond differently to interventions.

Dr. Bradstreet noted that recent research has shown that, in one study, 11.5% of mothers of children with autism have reactivity against fetal brain (but not adult) without similar numbers in the control groups. The cause is not known at this time but may potentially be viral. This reactivity may also play a role in families with multiple children on the spectrum, but this requires more research to determine the connection, if any.

Dr. Bradstreet also said that while we know that many of our children have oxidative stress issues, we should test ourselves too. Many parents have increased RNA oxidation which increases our risk for early onset Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. We also are at greater risk for autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Bradstreet reminded us to take care of ourselves as well as our children.

NAC Friday Night: Gary Null PhD

Late last night (we ended after midnight!), Gary Null, PhD, a nutrition and health sciences expert, health advocate, and documentary filmmaker, spoke to and took questions from parents. He discussed generally his work in developing protocols for treating autism as well as his new documentary "Autism: Made in the USA". In this documentary he presents the research he and his colleagues conducted regarding causation, treatment, and why he believes we have been misled in many respects. I. am very curious to see the documentary! He also urged us to watch his earlier documentary "Vaccine Nation," which is not autism-focused but addresses death and other serious damage suffered by some families following vaccination. Dr. Null also discussed his research in other areas including AIDs, Alzheimer's Disease, cancer, aging, menopause and a host of other conditions. He has made numerous documentaries, including several on AIDs (and he currently is at work on another). He speaks at professional gatherings as well as before political leaders and challenges them -- as well as us -- to step outside the current health and medical paradigm, to not just accept what we are told but to challenge, and to dig deeper for the truth.