What are Adjuvants and Why Might They Be Causing the Autism Epidemic?

While most of us know someone who thinks they may have been harmed by a vaccine, we may not believe them... That is until we experience it for ourselves. That is what happened to us. The symptoms were subtle at first. Smiles disappearing, hyper-focusing on words, emotional outbursts, and social withdrawal came on so slowly that it was difficult to determine exactly when they started, or connect them to any one particular thing. That was until the MMR. The dark circles, night terrors, the hours and hours of screaming without any way to console. All that was met with what I now know was gaslighting from my child's doctor. These pediatricians had an agenda, and any question I raised was met with contention and downright coercion. My questions deserved an answer, and my child deserved care, but I got neither. One important question was about adjuvants. An adjuvant is a substance that helps the body find the pathogen so it can create an antibody for it. One of the chemicals in the vaccines is aluminum. Pathogens are expensive, aluminum is not. Vaccine manufacturers use nearly a milligram of aluminum (800 micrograms) in the Pedarix combo vaccine alone, which is only one of the three stabs a 2-month-old is to receive on schedule. The total amount of aluminum injected into a 2-month-old according to the schedule exceeds 1 milligram.

So what? It must be well understood and tested if we are putting it in there, right? This PubMed article says differently...

"Aluminum adjuvants are widely used in human vaccines based on their ability to enhance antibody production. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unknown...(emphasis added) Our findings suggest that aluminum hydroxide directly stimulates monocytes to produce proinflammatory cytokines activating T cells. Activated Th2 cells release IL-4, which in turn can induce an increase in the expression of MHC class II molecules on monocytes."(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11160013/)

Could this "unknown" mechanism also cause auto-immune problems or neurologic dysfunction causing some type of developmental delay? Let's look at a study done by the NIH..

“Following i.v. injection, ~ 0.001 to 0.01% of the aluminium dose enters each gram of brain and ~ 100-fold more each gram of bone. Brain aluminium uptake across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may be mediated by Tf-receptor mediated endocytosis (TfR-ME) and a Tf-independent mechanism that may transport aluminium citrate... Regardless of the duration of exposure, the toxicity attributed to aluminium is dependent upon the physiochemical properties (solubility, pH, bioavailability, etc.), type of aluminium preparation, route of administration, and physiological status (presence of renal dysfunction). Following oral exposure, aluminium distributes throughout the organism with accumulation in bone, kidneys and brain being of concern to humans with evidence of renal dysfunction, anemia or neurobehavioural alterations reported after excessive doses... There are no published reports of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling of aluminium. A few models have been developed that incorporate the reported results of toxicokinetic studies with aluminium.”(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2782734/) (emphasis added)

I guess this is basically saying, “we don’t know how this aluminum affects people.” This, of course, is beside the known inflammatory response noted in the previous study.

But wait... there was that one study about infant hydration fluid... This study was published on the American Academy of Pediatrics website in the mid-2000s, approximately 2006, but was then removed from their site because it stated that 500 micrograms of aluminum in hydration fluid administered over a period of 10 days to premature infants showed developmental delay by 18 months of age compared to the control group that was administered hydration fluid without the aluminum. That is less than half of the aluminum a 2-month old infant gets at their checkup. This study was quickly removed from the AAP site when researchers cited it as a possible concern with aluminum-containing vaccines.

The liver, a major detoxification organ, is affected by aluminum as well.

“Another complication of parenteral nutrition therapy in infants is cholestatic liver disease, manifested by reduced bile flow, and, occasionally, gallstones. Aluminum has been found to accumulate in the livers of these infants, and there is experimental evidence that aluminum can reduce bile flow both in rats and in piglets. Aluminum contamination of parenteral nutrition solutions puts infants at increased risk for complications of parenteral nutrition therapy; amounts of aluminum in parenteral nutrition solutions should therefore be minimized.” (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+7331) (Emphasis added)

I started this article in 2013, about 10 years ago, when someone on social media suggested that, "anti-vaxxers should be sterilized." I responded with some of this information and asked for reason and respect... "Until you read these studies, and the other multitude of NIH studies about aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG, thimerosal (Flu), and animal and human components found in vaccines, with understanding, I encourage everyone to not offer up parenting advice, ask for law enforcement intervention, or ask these 'anti-vaxxers' to be sterilized. Doing so only shows your ignorance." I dare say that my sentiment has been the same for the last 22 years.

            Read everything, and respond respectfully.

If we've learned anything from recent events, even "expert" researchers and scientists don't know everything. That is why we continue to ask questions.

Another one of those questions is, what is causing the side effects?

We know many drugs cause headaches, but what biological process is causing the headache? Are we causing micro changes in the myelin sheath on the nerve cells in the brain? Are we causing a sharp rise in blood pressure? Is there a receptor disruption, or hormonal imbalance that is caused by the introduction of the drug?

I hypothesize the pathogen, adjuvants, and preservative combo are responsible for some type of brain inflammation, which may be why we see an upturn in autism rates at about 2 years of age. Some others have blamed a complicated process involving inflammation and the use of acetaminophen. Auto-immune reactions similar to PANDAS, which is a disease where antibodies attack the part of the brain responsible for voluntary motion, may also be a factor. If strep can cause a reaction like this, why can't other viruses?

Also, MMR and Varicella are the first vaccines on the schedule to have human components. Is it possible that some people's immune systems make antibodies for these human components, which then start attacking their own human tissue? These questions are not being asked, and the growing evidence is ignored and dismissed as anecdotal. Science best practice aside, there are too many of these stories to ignore. Some doctors are finally stepping up and asking the tough questions, doing their own research and not relying on just the pharmaceutical company's findings.

Don't blindly take anything anyone says about any medication, including vaccines. Your patients deserve at least that. With all due respect for the time and training doctors receive in medical school, they are in fact conditioned by this very education to turn to drugs. I've read too many scientific studies on new drugs hailed as the latest wonder drug while the findings, when carefully understood, were mediocre at best.

Consider also that most hypotheses are designed to highlight a drug's effectiveness. When you chose an outcome that states what you hope to accomplish with the subject, the scientist's bias, which each one of us has, serves to predispose the outcome.

Some researchers take this into account and actually try to disprove the drug's effectiveness. Kudos to you bias blasters!

Unfortunately when bias slips in, and even a small difference between the subject group and the control is found, this product into which resources, energy, and time has been poured, is hailed as a success. The pharmaceutical company has money and time in the drug's production and wants to recoup its cost. No matter how small the success is, the side effects are often minimized, and it's deemed a win.

I'd like to conclude with this plea. Doctors, please treat your patients, not as cattle to be run through the system, but treat them as the individuals they are. Take time to read the studies of that new drug the rep just dropped off. Ask questions about past side effects, allergies, and other exposures. And please, please, check your patients for immunity before telling them they need a booster.

Your patients will thank you for your careful and considerate care, and you will sleep easy knowing that you did your absolute best for each individual.

Two years ago today I woke up with my eyes swelled shut. The inflammation in my face had been so bad, the pressure made my eyes bloodshot. We guessed it was our house making me, and some of my kids, very sick. We were right. We didn't want to be right.

I wake today grateful for the journey. I learned so much during our 3 months of homelessness. I learned that God is in control, and He will supply all my needs, according to His plan, not mine. I learned that bitterness only hurts me. I learned that people are flawed, and forgivable. I learned it is ok if they choose to walk away when you need them most, because God will never, ever, leave you.

I also learned that God's help comes through people. I learned to accept help from strangers. I learned what it's like to live in a shelter apartment, to glean fields, and how generous strangers can be. I learned that joyful moments can be had in the midst of intense physical and emotional pain. I learned that prayer is what really helps the most.

I learned what it's like to live in a house I don't own. I learned what it's like to watch your children lose everything, and emerge strong and wise way beyond their years. I learned what it was like to be stared at and talked about by strangers. I learned doctors don't really know a whole lot about certain diseases, unfortunately, but some try really hard, and despite the framework they must dance through, help a great many people. I learned what it's like to have nearly crippling fatigue lift, burning skin inflammation heal, and memory return. I learned what it's like for my kids to fear me dying and leaving them behind, and what it's like to cry out in prayer asking for more time.

Despite these challenges, I miss our old neighborhood terribly. My children learned things there that I wish I had known at their age. They learned that the color of your skin doesn't determine what an awesome friend you can be. They learned that some kids didn't have what they did, and the adults around them worked to make that matter less. I will never regret the journey, because we are forever changed by the people we met there, the strangers who helped us, and the friends and family who stepped in when they saw a need they could fill.

My prayers of thanks for bringing those people into our lives, the healing, the help, the hope, and even the pain, are lifted high today.

Breastfeeding Music

People are uptight.

About what? You got it, BREASTFEEDING!

All over the place you got people telling us why we shouldn't, why it's disgusting, how long we should, where we should and how we should.

To them I say, CHILL.

Grab your phones, put on some hip music and calm it. Let that babe and mama enjoy their bonding time.

I can even suggest the perfect selection.

Thanks to Meghan Trainor for providing the music and awesomly chill beat that is so so great to parody, and Lori Burke for her smooth lyrics.

Now, don't you feel better?

Time for an Overhaul

Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain

Out with the old and in with the new!

In the coming weeks I am going to tear down and rebuild this dated looking blog.  It's been 5 years since I started That's What Breasts are For and it is showing it's age. A new banner is in order and so is some updated fonts! Can you believe I am still using Times New Roman!!

I am still finishing up the school year and other family biz, but once I get that done, it will be no holds barred. I can't wait to see what you think. Thank you all for reading and most of all letting me know you like what I am writing. If you'd like to get a glimpse of everything, like me on Facebook.

Surprised by Grief - Pregnancy Loss at 6 Years

This morning I was surprised by the key to the old farmhouse in my sewing-table drawer. As I looked at the address, a flood of regret and grief poured out. I lost my baby there, a baby I would never get to hold this side of heaven.

At first I wanted to stuff the feelings, find a way to ignore them. It's been 6 whole years since we lost our 10 week old pregnancy. Why am I crying? Haven't I got over this?

Layers of Grief  - By Christine Emmick

I ran to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. Maybe my blood sugar was low. Yes, sure, that must be why I am so weepy.

I stopped myself. No, I will not run to food again for comfort. With my hands on the counter I began to cry out great sobs of unmitigated grief.

It's been 6 years. Six whole years since the bewilderment of an ultrasound tech's silent treatment. Six years since the very difficult task of telling my 4 year old that the baby in my tummy no longer had a beating heart. Six years since burying the discharge that held my little one underneath our redbud tree, the 3-year-old tree I had planted when we moved in to our farmhouse as a 3 year anniversary gift to my husband.

The one that was ripped out of the ground to make room for a barn when the farmhouse was sold. It was the same age as our marriage, and since that time, our marriage has not been the same. Was it the loss of a child? Was it a loss of the family history that the farmhouse held? Was it the ruthless ripping up of the redbud tree?

This story is one of grief, and regret. I am so sorry I sold that little farmhouse and allowed our child's memory to be ripped out of the ground like the roots of our tree. If I could have stopped it from happening I would have.

I tell this story not to cause guilt or point blame. I tell it to fully mourn the loss of our child, and of our marriage. Life's changes, change lives. We are no longer blissfully ignorant of child loss. We now know that the delicate beating heart can stop. We know the sorrow of mourning a child.

To those who share this experience, I hope you find peace and healing. For me, there is healing in the telling. Let's not be silent. Silence tends to sharpen our grief, even the well hidden sorrow.

This Sunday, May 3, 2015, marks the International Bereaved Mother's Day. Acknowledging the loss and sharing your story will let others know they are not alone, and also encourage us all on the road to healing. Click here to go to the Facebook event or click here to visit the Carly Marie Project Heal website.

All content is copyrighted by Christine Emmick, unless otherwise noted. Follow her on Facebook.

Vaccines and School Segregation

If you are over 40 years old, you probably remember talk of school segregation and re-integration. There were protests about this including this, now laughable, image. But a comment on a heated vaccine-debate piece written by a doctor had some gold in it.

"I think we should create schools for un-vaccinated children"

This is the first intelligent comment I've read on either side of the debate. I know it was meant to be snarky, but actually it makes a lot of sense. You have a group of kids together who are vaccinated and those who are immuno-compromised can feel safer with them, while those who are sensitive to neurological damage due to the aluminum ajuvant or trace levels of ethyl mercury, or predisposed to auto-immune disease when presented with the human components of the vaccines can safely acquire natural immunity without endangering those who may experience severe complications of the disease.

This solution is certainly not perfect, but it is a viable option. A better option is to actually make vaccines without neurotoxic chemicals and human components, but I'll leave the debating to the "experts."

Copyright 2015 Christine Emmick
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"Just Trust Me, I'm the Expert" Says the Pro-Vac Doc

I recently read an opinion piece on the vaccine debate which reminded me again why I dislike many doctors. This post itself did little to convince me to immunize my kids, and it also gave me even less faith in our medical system.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

His premise is that if you don't immunize, he will not see you in his practice. Many doctors are taking this stance, and they have a right to run their practice as they wish, at least until someone sues them for lack of service like some couples are suing for cake toppers and wedding flowers.

What really bothered me was his premise of why he took this harsh stance. It was not of lack of protection of his other patients; it was one of lack of trust in his abilities.

With medical errors being the 3rd leading cause of death in this country, there is no one doctor anyone should put their trust in wholeheartedly. Doctors can, and do make mistakes, to the tune of 1,000 to 1,200 deaths per day with as many as a half million deaths attributed to preventable medical errors every year.

Your medical care should always be a partnership between you and your doctor. Any doctor that insists that his expertise supersedes your intuition is ignorant at best, and at worst, deadly.

Far from a relationship with your local florist, a doctor's changing vaccine policy can clash with a parent's personal beliefs at great cost. It's not like you can walk down the street to a new doctor for a second MRI like you can walk to the next baker to order a 3-tier cake. A doctor has access to important medical records and test results which can paint a clearer picture of the matters of life and health. Giving up on a patient after they are established in the practice is like ripping out the roots of their healthcare.

The doctor's stance on vaccines and his position of perceived infallibility actually bring about the very thing he is hoping to avoid...a lack of trust.

  I think John Quiñones of What Would You Do? said it best when he said, "People deserve to be served regardless of personal beliefs."

Copyright 2015 Christine Emmick
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