There has been a raging controversy during the last few
years about whether the mercury preservative in childhood
vaccines is the cause of autism, which is reaching epidemic
levels in the West. Some insist it is, while others say that
it only seems that way, because autism begins to manifest
around the age that children receive their vaccinations.
It's known to run in families. Autism has been called the
"geek disease" and some researchers say it comes from a
having a brain that is too "male"?that is, too analytical
and not empathetic enough. But none of this is any comfort
for parents who desperately want their kids to be normal.
Now additional evidence has been uncovered that shows that
while vaccines may not directly cause autism, heavy metal
pollution, including the mercury-based preservative in
vaccines, probably plays a major role in the condition.
Serena Gordon writes in Forbes.com that autistic children
have been found to have significantly lower levels of an
antioxidant called glutathione, which is the major substance
in cells that eliminates environmental toxins. Autistic
children have about 80% less of this. Lower levels of
glutathione would increase the level of "oxidative stress,"
meaning that antioxidants in the body are not able to clear
the body of free radicals, which can also cause cancer.
These days, we're being advised to eat brightly colored
foods (including chocolate and red wine), which are high in
antioxidants. Autistic kids are more sensitive to
environmental exposure to free radical pollution from heavy
metals (such as mercury), and are less able to detox from them.
Pediatrician S. Jill James says that while autism is
believed to have a genetic basis, there's an unknown
environmental trigger that brings it out. This "trigger" has
remained a mystery until recently. James found it by
comparing blood samples from autistic and normal children.
However, she says it could be a consequence, rather than a
cause, of the disorder.
Since autism is a relatively new phenomenon, researchers
have long known that it must be caused by something fairly
new in the environment. Some have even suggested it comes
from using margarine in place of butter. However, it looks
like it can actually be traced to that most modern of all
problems: pollution. Heavy metal pollution comes from car
exhausts (the same thing that causes most of our global
warming), lead-based paint and industrial fumes, among
other things. This is the exact kind of pollution that the
Bush administration wants to ease controls on with its Clear
Skies initiative.
Art credit: http://www.freeimages.co.uk
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