How I Gave My Son Autism
I
should start by saying that I was raised Catholic. The concepts of
reconciliation and absolution are completely ingrained in me. I grew up
going to confession at a beautiful monastery where Father Francis, an
elderly monk, held my hand as we walked the grounds, and I asked for
forgiveness for my transgressions. I always felt great relief
and unconditional love after our time together. Unfortunately, Father
Francis passed away years ago, and I haven’t been to confession since.
My spiritual beliefs have evolved and changed over the years, but the
idea of forgiveness is still critical to how I walk through life. There
are things I have done for which I know God forgives me. However, I’m
pretty sure that I will never forgive myself, for my transgressions are
embodied in a beautiful seven-year-old who tells me daily that I am “the
best Mom in the universe.” I know the truth. And someday, so will
he. All of these “unforgivable” actions were done with the best of
intentions, but we all know what they say about “good intentions” and
“the road to hell.” I am admitting here for all the world to see: I gave
my son Autism. I did it. Me. And no one can ever take that away.
So . . . how did I give my son autism? I wish I could say it was one
thing – one thing that I could take back that would make things neat and
easy, but it wasn’t. It was mistake after mistake, assault after
assault. The following are the biggest mistakes I made to which I
attribute my son’s descent into autism. I’m going to provide links that
are easily readable and understandable that contain links to the
research rather than providing links to the research itself. A simple
Google search about any one of these topics will provide more
information than you could ever want. Here goes . . .
1)
Ultrasounds – I had at least five while I was
pregnant. I was assured that they were completely safe. Heck, you can
get them in malls, so I assumed they were pretty benign. Wrong! While I
didn’t get ultrasounds in malls, I didn’t research them either.
Ultrasounds have, in fact, been implicated in autism among other
neurological disorders. While there is no definitive “causal link,”
enough has been found to warrant further research and precautionary
measures. According to
this
article, “Research shows populations exposed to ultrasound have a
quadrupled perinatal death rate, increased rates of brain damage, nerve
cell demylienation, dyslexia, speech delays, epilepsy and learning
difficulty.” Sound familiar?
2)
High-fructose corn syrup – I drank Coca Cola
every single day while I was pregnant. I was so incredibly nauseous and
it made my stomach feel better. Fast forward a few years and Coca Cola
Classic was found to have one of the highest levels of mercury due to
HFCS of any product tested. I didn’t eat one bite of fish during my
pregnancy for fear of mercury. While I didn’t know there was mercury in
the Coke, I have to be honest and admit that OF COURSE I knew that
eating and drinking junk wasn’t good for my baby.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/292982-foods-containing-mercury/
http://www.iatp.org/blog/2009/01/high-fructose-corn-syrups-not-so-sweet-surprise-mercury
3)
Lortab/Acetaminophen while pregnant – I have
Fibromyalgia. It is painful normally, but it was practically unbearable
while I was pregnant. My OB prescribed Lortab telling me that it didn’t
cross the placenta and was perfectly safe. I was in so much pain that I
wasn’t about to look into this further. I trusted my OB thoroughly and
needed to feel better.
Again, did I honestly think that this was good for the baby? Of
course not. Lortab is a Category C drug which basically means that not
enough human testing has been done to qualify it as safe, but based on
animal studies, there is reason to believe that it could be dangerous or
problematic. I couldn’t find any specific links between Lortab and
Autism, but common sense dictates that this was not good.
4)
Pitocin – Two of the ultrasounds I received at
the end of my pregnancy revealed that my water was getting dangerously
low, so my OB felt we should induce labor. After several hours of not
making progress on the Pitocin drip at low levels, the hospital
encouraged me to sign a waiver allowing them to increase the Pitocin to
illegal levels. Now, I know this seems absurd, but at the time, I was in
incredible pain and was told by hospital staff that it was perfectly
safe and was used at these levels all over the country. According to
them, Montana just has a very low cap on the highest level allowed. I
had Pitocin for 36 hours. Here is an explanation from an
excellent article on that explains the potential risks associated with Pitocin:
“In either induced or enhanced use of
Pitocin, the blood supply, and therefore the oxygen source to the
uterus, is greatly reduced. With naturally-paced contractions, there is a
time interval between contractions allowing for the baby to be fully
oxygenated before the next contraction. In induced or enhanced labor,
the contractions are closer together and last for a longer time, thus
shortening the interval where the baby receives the oxygen supply.
Reduced oxygen to the baby in labor has life-long consequences on the
baby’s brain function.”
5)
C-Section – George Malcolm Morley, OB/GYN has done
extensive research
regarding C-Sections and autism and has concluded that, “A baby born by
C-section is 3-4 times more likely to have autism.” His theory is that
it is probably due to ICC (immediate cord clamping) and there are really
good reasons to think he may be right. There are so many different
elements that play a part in C-sections, however, that it is really hard
to determine exactly which specific aspect is problematic: anesthesia,
maternal immobility, labor trauma, cord clamping, post-op drugs or lack
of friendly bacteria due to bypassing the vaginal canal are all suspect
individually. It is easy to see how a combination of all of the above
could have a negative impact.
Because I had made the bad decisions about the ultrasounds that led
to the bad decision about the Pitocin that led to labor trauma, I
ultimately had to have an emergency C-section. I can’t believe that
there are so many women who choose to deliver via C-section for cosmetic
reasons – I won’t elaborate on this one. Ick. I’ll be honest; I am
still a little bitter about this. I really wanted a natural childbirth.
My husband and I took the classes; we practiced at home. Thirty-six
hours of drug-induced hell, and I still ended up with a C-section. And
not just a regular C-section: it was such an emergency that I had to be
anesthetized via general anesthesia, even though I had an epidural in
place.
6)
Antibiotics – Oh boy. Where to begin? I have so
many mixed feelings about antibiotics. Here is what I know: My son was
exposed to antibiotics while he was in distress during labor. He was
then exposed for the first two weeks of his life via breast milk. He
then received five courses of antibiotics before he was a year old for
chronic ear infections. While this is bad cumulatively, the one event
that stands out for me, and literally makes me feel sick, was a single
dose of Augmentin when he was six months old. At his six-month “well”
visit, he was diagnosed with his second ear infection. He received
vaccinations for seven different diseases despite being ill, and we left
with a prescription for Amoxicillin. Six days later, he had developed
an upper respiratory infection and the ear infection was worse. Because
the Amoxicillin hadn’t worked, the pediatrician prescribed a course of
Augmentin. After one dose of this drug and within 24 hours, my
six-month-old baby had 35 acidic, liquid bowel movements. The skin
literally peeled off of his bottom in sheets. I had never seen anything
like it at that time, and I haven’t since. The pain that he was in was
beyond description. I called the doctor and she changed the antibiotic
to yet a different kind. So he had three different types of antibiotics
in his system within eight days. This episode was the biggie. His gut
was never the same after that. Nothing was.
Here is what everyone should know about Augmentin: Augmentin has been
implicated in autism.
It is comprised of Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium. When it is
manufactured, the clavulanic acid is fermented which involves large
amounts of urea/ammonia. Even a small amount of ingested ammonia can
potentially cause gut and brain inflammation. I strongly urge you to do
your homework before using this drug.
If you will notice in this link, this study was released in January
of 2005. My son was prescribed Augmentin in January of 2006. This was
never mentioned when I was handed the prescription. However, if I had
been a Thinker back then, I could have quickly Googled “Augmentin and
autism,” and I would have made a very different decision.
7)
Vaccines – I really don’t even know what to say
about vaccines other than to say that if I had it to do over again, my
children wouldn’t have received a single one. Of everything I did wrong,
if I could have my pick of one thing to take back, it would be the
shots. No question. Shortly after my son turned three, we left the idiot
pediatrician that led me down this trail of terror. The new MD looked
at my son’s blood work and heavy metals testing and informed me
unequivocally that my son was vaccine injured and that he had never been
a candidate for immunization. She said that because of my fibromyalgia
and the fact that autoimmune disease and digestive disorders are
pervasive across both sides of our family, he never should have been
vaccinated. Add in the birth history and the fact that he had severe
jaundice and a cephalohematoma that took more than six months to
resolve, plus rashes, severe reflux, chronic rhinitis and ear infections
along with eczema, it should have been very apparent that his immune
system was not functioning properly. Vaccination REQUIRES a properly
functioning immune system to work, which may explain why he has ZERO
titers to the diseases he was immunized against. According to the CDC
and the vaccine inserts, children should not be vaccinated if they are
sick or on antibiotics. My son was sick and/or on antibiotics for almost
every single round of vaccinations. People, I know what happened to my
kid. I KNOW. I watched it. Ginger Taylor has been
compiling studies for years that link vaccines to autism. That list has now reached over 60 studies.
Another word – Don’t bother making comments arguing about vaccines. I
won’t post them. I am fully aware that there are children with autism
who weren’t vaccinated. I am not suggesting that vaccines are SOLELY
responsible for EVERY child’s autism. I KNOW, however, that they caused
irreparable damage to my son’s immune system which ultimately led to his
autism. There. Done.
8)
Acetaminophen/Paracetamol — My baby received an
incredible amount of this red, liquid death. Acetaminophen shuts down
the production of glutathione, the body’s #1 antioxidant. Glutathione is
absolutely critical in the body’s ability to rid itself of toxins. So
basically, one of the absolute worst things you can do is to give a baby
acetaminophen when they get vaccinations or when their body is trying
to fight an infection. The nurse at my son’s pediatrician’s office
literally dosed him with acetaminophen at the exact moment she stuck in
the needle. When the ear infections and stomach pain and fevers started
as a result of the vaccine damage, I gave him acetaminophen to alleviate
his pain. Are you starting to see how all of these horrors interlace?
One problem requires a solution that creates another problem that
requires a solution that creates another problem, etc. For more
information regarding acetaminophen and its link to autism, click
here.
9)
Fluoride – Fluoride probably pisses me off more
than anything else on this list, because I am convinced that the
fluoride program is one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated on a
population in the history of mankind. If you ever have some time and
enjoy history, Google “the history of fluoride.” It reads like a Dan
Brown novel and would be completely entertaining, if it weren’t for the
fact that children are being brain-damaged by the very water they drink.
I’ll let you do your own research for the nitty-gritty, but here are
the basics: Fluoride contains fluorine. Fluorine is only slightly less
toxic than arsenic and is more toxic than lead. It is also a carrier
molecule. It loves to combine with other materials and create even more
toxic situations. It also can cross the blood/brain barrier. So if there
is circulating aluminum in the body from say, oh, I don’t know, vaccine
adjuvants for instance, or if there is lead in the joints of water
pipes, the fluoride can attach itself to these toxins and escort them
right across the blood/brain barrier and into the brain. According to
the National Research Council, 36 studies have linked fluoride with
reduced IQ in children. Here are some great links to fluoride
information:
http://slweb.org/ftrc.html ,
http://www.fluoridealert.org/ ,
http://nofluoride.com/ ,
http://www.earthclinic.com/fluoride_questions_and_answers.php
Here’s the kicker. This is the part where I bang my head on the
table, pull my hair and yell, “Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!” like Chris
Farley on SNL. We didn’t even HAVE fluoridated water. I actually
purchased it and gave it to my son ON PURPOSE. My pediatrician told me
that he needed it because our water wasn’t fluoridated. I bought
“nursery water” that came in cute little plastic bottles with pictures
of Bert and Ernie and Cookie Monster on them. I also gave him
prescription vitamins – Poly Vi Flor – that contained fluoride. After
all of this, we still ended up with over $4,000 worth of dental work by
the time he was five. This dental work required general anesthesia that
contained — yep, you guessed it — fluoride. Fluoride is also in many
pharmaceuticals, including the antibiotic Cipro – drops used for ear
infections — and Diflucan – the yeast killer we used off and on for
years. How in the hell could I make sure that I didn’t give him
toothpaste that had fluoride in it because it was poisonous, but give
him fluoridated water? If you want a good scare, read the label on a
tube of fluoridated toothpaste sometime. Ingestion of only half a tube
of that candy-flavored fluoridated toothpaste could be fatal to a child,
and yet we fluoridate our water supply. It is criminal in my opinion.
I can think of many more things I did wrong that I am sure
contributed to my son’s health crisis. I will mention diet, toxic
cookware, benzocaine teething gel and toxic building materials but won’t
elaborate because at this point, common sense should dictate. I am
writing this to try to hit the biggies that people really need to
research to make better decisions than I did.
I am already anticipating three different responses to this post:
Response 1) There will be people who read this and think, “Good
grief, woman. How stupid can you be? What you did borders on child
abuse. OF COURSE your child has Autism.” And to that, I have no
argument. You are absolutely right. And good for you for knowing better
than I did.
Response 2) Some of you will read this and know exactly how I feel
because your story is very similar. To all of you, you have my deepest,
heartfelt sympathy. While we will always have our mistakes to live with,
the best thing we can do now is to share our truth and our story to
help others.
Response 3) There will be people who feel pity for me because I have
not been able to make peace with myself for my role in my son’s health
crisis. You will feel compelled to reach out to me with kind messages
imploring me to forgive myself. Please . . . don’t. It won’t do any
good. I am not fishing for forgiveness, and while I know you mean well,
it won’t help me. If you really, REALLY want to help, take five minutes
and send this blog to everyone you know – especially those who are
pregnant or have babies. Implore them to read this blog. No child should
have to endure what mine has endured. No mother should ever have to
experience the kind of torturous guilt I live with every day.
The mistakes I made were, by and large, recommended by healthcare
professionals. That is no excuse. My son’s health was MY
responsibility. I could choose to follow the recommendations or not.
Even a small bit of research would have changed the outcome for my son.
There are women, as we speak, who are on the way to the doctor for their
second or third ultrasound. There are mothers dosing their babies with
acetaminophen before their shots. There are expectant moms being hooked
up to Pitocin drips. Some moms are administering unnecessary antibiotics
for yet another ear infection and haven’t made the connection that
their baby’s immune system is failing. There are also many, many mothers
who are hearing the following words for the first time, “Your child has
autism.” Help them.
I truly believe that my son’s autism was preventable. Think. Research. At this point, you can’t afford not to.
~ Mountain Mama
Quindi, dopo il decreto svuota-carceri, ci vuole una bella legge anti-arresti. Vi sta provvedendo la ministra Cancellieri, coadiuvata da un’apposita commissione presieduta da Giovanni Canzio,
il presidente della Corte d’appello di Milano che nel febbraio 2012
impiegò un mese per respingere la ricusazione dei giudici del processo
Mills, regalando così a B. la sua ottava prescrizione. Insomma l’uomo
giusto al posto giusto per una giustizia più rapida ed efficiente.
Il disegno di legge infatti è comicamente dedicato alla “velocizzazione del processo penale” e prevede alcune novità strepitose.
La prima è l’obbligo per il giudice di interrogare l’indagato prima di
arrestarlo: oggi infatti capita che alcuni candidati all’arresto, non
sapendo di essere nel mirino dei magistrati, si facciano trovare in casa
al momento del blitz e dunque finiscano sventuratamente in manette. Il
governo ritiene che ciò non sia sportivo: l’arrestando dovrà essere
preavvertito col dovuto anticipo della prava intenzione dei giudici,
convocato per l’interrogatorio e ivi informato dettagliatamente dei
sospetti che gravano sul suo capo: così, ove ritenesse ingiusto il
proprio arresto, avrà modo di dileguarsi per tempo.
