Trump’s EPA Says Obama’s Mercury Limits On Coal Plants Not Necessary

The EPA says the federal rules imposed by Obama’s administration to limit mercury and other toxic emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants are too costly to justify, and are not “appropriate and necessary.” For now, the EPA has not done away with the 2012 restrictions because utility companies have already spent billions of dollars to comply with the standards. But the result could set a precedent for other environmental pollution, and it enables coal mining companies to challenge the restrictions in court.

It drastically changed the formula the government uses in its required cost-benefit analysis of the regulation by taking into account only certain effects that can be measured in dollars, while ignoring or playing down other health benefits.” – NY Times

“It will make it much more difficult for the government to justify environmental regulations in many cases.” – Robert N. Stavins, professor of environmental economics at Harvard University

When coal is burned it releases mercury into the air. Mercury causes health risks including neurological disorders, heart and lung problems, and can lead to autoimmune diseases and birth defects. In the new proposal, Trump’s EPA estimates the cost of compliance to be between $7.4 billion and $9.6 billion annually while the benefits are only $4 million to $6 million a year. But the Obama administration calculated that the cleaner air would prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths each year and save about $85 billion a year in health costs due to the decrease of mercury, particulate matter, and other toxic pollutants.




Scientists Predict Mercury in the Arctic Permafrost Will Be Released by Climate Change

Much has been made of the diseases that will be released once the world’s ice has melted, but scientists have now raised a new concern: mercury. Published in Geophysical Research Letters, scientists found that mercury levels in permafrost soil are twice that of all other soils. An Arctic Council report predicts that 20 percent of the surface permafrost will melt by 2040, and large amounts of mercury will be released. The permafrost studied was taken from Alaska, and study co-author and scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center Kevin Schaefer says,

As permafrost thaws in the future, some portion of this mercury will get released into the environment, with unknown impact to people and our food supplies…”

Mercury Buildup

This mercury is built up from before the last ice age, which will likely have effects we might not have thought of. Mercury exposure and poisoning can lead to mood swings, insomnia, headaches, pain, and tremors, while chronic mercury exposure can lead to the development of serious neurological issues. The neurotoxin has been phased out of objects like thermometers, light bulbs, dental amalgams, and most vaccines, but people are most commonly exposed to mercury through seafood.

Heavy Metals

The timeline for climate change leaves little wiggle room. Yet things like the release of the mercury in the permafrost aren’t necessarily being considered. This study estimates that this is the largest deposit of mercury in the world. Who knows where that will end up?

Some of our best:
Sources:



Safe Fish to Eat and the Fish to Avoid

We’ve always been told fish is a nutritious choice, a good source of lean protein and healthy fats. But is it still a good choice today? Whether we choose cooked fish or sushi in a restaurant, we buy our fish at the market, or we hook a worm and catch our own, it may not be healthy or safe to eat. And if we bought it, we may be a victim of seafood fraud.

Fishy Bait and Switch Schemes

Seafood fraud is serious business. Oceana has found that, on average, 1 in 5 samples of seafood is mislabeled at every sector of the supply chain. In other words, there is a 1 in 5 chance that the fish you buy at a restaurant or market may not be what you thought you were buying. Chances are, it may not be what they thought they were buying, either.

Oceana reports, “Asian catfish, hake, and escolar were the three types of fish most commonly substituted. Specifically, farmed Asian catfish was sold as 18 different types of higher-value fish.”

This isn’t just a scam that affects your pocketbook; it may affect your health. “More than half (58 percent) of the samples substituted for other seafood posed a species-specific health risk to consumers, meaning that consumers could be eating fish that could make them sick.”

In April 2017, George Washington University published their findings from testing the fish from 6 popular Washington D.C. restaurants. They discovered 1 in 3 samples were not what they claimed to be.

Fish substitution is not only a racket to sell a lower priced fish at a higher price, it is also a means to sell illegally caught endangered fish.

Related: 5 Tons of GM Fish Sold for Human Consumption (And only the producer knows where they are)

Radioactive Fish

Yes, you can find articles claiming that we are being poisoned by radioactive fish, but the sources are… questionable. But then again, can we trust the FDA when they say we are not in danger? The following is a response to a direct inquiry.

“To date, FDA has no evidence that radionuclides are present in the U.S. food supply at levels that would pose a public health concern. This is true for both FDA-regulated food products imported from Japan and U.S. domestic food products, including seafood caught off the coast of the United States. Consequently, FDA is not advising consumers to alter their consumption of specific foods imported from Japan or domestically produced foods, including seafood. FDA continues to closely monitor the situation at and around the Fukushima Dai-ichi facility, as it has since the start of the incident and will coordinate with other Federal and state agencies as necessary, standing ready to take action if needed, to ensure the safety of food in the U.S. marketplace.”

So we are eating radioactive fish, but the contamination is at such a low level we don’t need to worry? Ah, okay…

Old McDonald Had a Farm…

Think of everything you’ve ever read or seen about the horrors of factory farming with pigs, chickens, and cows and imagine it’s worse for fish – much worse. Half of the fish consumed today are raised in aquafarms under horrific conditions of extreme overcrowding and filth. Some fish are genetically modified to accelerate growth. Hormones are injected to change reproduction. Antibiotics are added to the water in some countries. Fish that normally eat plants are fed fish and fish oils.

There is a high mortality rate among farm-raised fish. A high percentage of the fish are deaf or blind. Parasitic infestations are common. PETA reports, “Sea lice, for example, eat at the fish, causing their scales to fall off and creating large sores. In severely crowded conditions, these parasites often eat down to the bone on fish’s faces, resulting in what is sometimes called a “death crown.”

So, we are not only looking at genetic modification, disease, hormones, antibiotics, filth, starvation, genetically modified feed, and inhumane treatment, we also color fish. Salmon have artificial coloring added to their feed that changes the color of their flesh. Farm raised salmon are not naturally pink. They are gray. Chemicals are added to their feed to cause their flesh to turn pink. So we are also ingesting those chemicals when we eat farm-raised salmon. Bon appétit!

Related: Genetically Modified Salmon Is On Its Way To Your Store

The Mercurial Rise and More

The level of mercury in fish remains a serious health concern. We are warned to avoid certain fish. Scientific American lists the following as carrying “proportionately large mercury burden.”

  • bluefin tuna
  • walleye
  • king mackerel
  • marlin
  • bluefish
  • shark
  • swordfish
  • wild sturgeon
  • opah
  • bigeye tuna

Other fish that are “Also of concern, but to a slightly lesser extent” are:

  • orange roughy
  • Chilean sea bass
  • blue crab
  • lingcod
  • Spanish mackerel
  • spotted seatrout
  • wahoo
  • grouper
  • snapper
  • halibut
  • tile fish
  • rock fish
  • sable fish
  • blackfin, albacore, and yellowfin tuna.

Top level predators in the fish world accumulate mercury due to longevity and a constant diet of smaller, mercury laden fish. Concentrations in fish can be 1-10 million times higher than the mercury concentration in the water.

The Environmental Defense Fund tells us, “The problem of mercury-contaminated fish is widespread. According to the EPA’s National Listing of Fish Advisories:

  • Mercury advisories increased 95% between 2003 and 2010 (from 2,362 to 4,598). This is largely due to greater monitoring, not necessarily greater pollution.
  • All 50 states currently issue mercury advisories.
  • As of 2010, almost 18 million lake acres and approximately 1.4 million river miles were covered by some type of consumption advisory.
  • Currently, 28 states have statewide mercury advisories in freshwater lakes or rivers, and 19 states have statewide advisories for mercury in their coastal waters.”
Related: Top 5 Foods that Detox Heavy Metals and Toxins – With Protocol

The EPA says, “The 2011 total of 4,821 advisories covers 42% of the Nation’s total lake acreage and 36% of the nation’s total river miles.” But the EPA tells us mercury is not the only contaminant causing concern. “Ninety–four percent of all advisories in effect in 2011 involved five bioaccumulative chemical contaminants: mercury, PCBs, chlordane, dioxins, and DDT.” Remember these facts are 6 years old. How much worse is it now?

What Fish Should We Eat?

If you choose to eat fish, which fish should you choose? Clearly, this should be a simple question with an agreed upon list – but it isn’t. If you search through article after article on the Internet, zeroing in on trusted sources, you will still find widely varying lists. Although it is common knowledge that tuna is high in mercury, you will find tuna on many of these lists along with shellfish (the scavengers of the sea), and varieties of farm raised fish.

The most agreed upon healthy choices are:

  • Alaskan salmon (wild caught)
  • Cod
  • Mackerel (though Spanish Mackerel is on the “also of concern” list)
  • Sardines
  • Herring

We advise taking the time to research. Fish is not the same from one store to another. Look into the sustainability and health issues with each source.

Also: Seafood & Mercury – What’s Safe To Eat & What’s Not

Pollution is the Key

We can hook that worm or cast the perfect fly to catch a fish from a crystal clear lake or flowing stream. But we’d better check the local advisories before we eat it. There’s a good chance we’ll be advised to limit how much we eat or to avoid feeding our catch to pregnant women, small children, or the elderly.

It’s a no brainer. If we continue to pollute the water, we continue to pollute the fish. Although you’d never know it based on our current behavior, our oceans are not a dumping ground. If we continue to burn fossil fuels, we will continue to pump mercury into the air. Mercury will fall to the ground to contaminate the earth and our water. If we continue to use toxic chemicals that run off into our waterways, they will come back to us full circle through our food chain.

We have choices to make. Let’s make the right ones. For now? Be careful of the fish you choose to eat.

Recommended Reading:
Sources:



Vaccine Schedule – Why the FDA Ignored Mercury Issues For So Long

Regulatory agencies like the FDA and CDC agree with the classification on mercury as a neurotoxin. But it took until 1997 for the Food and Drug Administration, at the prompting of Congress, to finally tally up the total amount of mercury a six-month-old would be exposed to if the 1997 vaccine schedule was followed. The results of that calculation found that the average six-month-old had the potential to be injected with a total of 187.5 micrograms of mercury. In contrast, the FDA’s daily acceptable intake of mercury for an adult is 0.4 micrograms per kilogram of bodyweight. The FDA has known about the cumulative levels of mercury in childhood vaccines for over 20 years, and yet they still acknowledge that many childhood vaccines contain trace amounts (less than 1 microgram) of thimerosal, and certain inactivated influenza vaccines can contain up to 50 micrograms of thimerosal.

What You Do When You Realize Something Wrong

By any calculation, the level of mercury in childhood vaccines is too high. So why hasn’t it been removed from vaccines? New documents from FDA officials have discovered that the justification for the continued presence of thimerosal has less to do with safety and more to do with image. In an email from Dr. Peter Patriarca, Director, Division of Viral Products, Food and Drug to an official at the CDC, he discussed the impact of removing thimerosal from vaccines in a timely fashion, saying it would:

…raise questions about FDA being ‘asleep at the switch’ for decades by allowing a potentially hazardous compound to remain in many childhood vaccines, and not forcing manufacturers to exclude it from new products.

It will also raise questions about various advisory bodies regarding aggressive recommendations for use. We must keep in mind that the dose of ethylmercury was not generated by “rocket science.” Conversion of the percentage of thimerosal to actual micrograms of mercury involves ninth grade algebra. What took the FDA so long to do the calculations? Why didn’t the CDC and the advisory bodies do these calculations when they rapidly expanded the childhood immunization schedule?”

Equally as distressing as the FDA’s decision to hide culpability is what they’re sacrificing in pursuit of that decision. A press release in 1999 maintained that there wasn’t evidence that vaccines containing thimerosal caused any harm. It also maintained there was no reason to measure mercury exposure in children who received those vaccines, effectively ensuring that that evidence would not materialize anytime soon. In additional justification, public documents released by the FDA measured mercury exposure as if children were only exposed to a small amount of mercury each day through vaccines.

This is in stark contrast to the reality of the situation, where mercury exposure spikes at four specific times: at birth and at well baby (oh the irony!) check-ups at 2, 4, and 6 months. Since that release in 1999, the FDA has made an effort to lower the levels of thimerosal in childhood vaccines. Many still contain trace amounts, though, and the flu vaccine, recommended annually starting at 6 months, seems to be exempt from these reduction efforts thus far.

When Safeguards Are Not Safe

Vaccines are often sold as the best thing you can do for your baby. Yet the people who regulate these vaccines are not inclined to look at them critically. It took Congress requiring a list of intentionally introduced mercury compounds before the organization that regulates them took stock of exactly how much mercury children receive through childhood vaccines. The FDA then presented the data on a six-month average, instead of the four one-time spikes that actually occur and specifically said that testing mercury exposure is not necessary. Why are the vaccines considered necessary when safety checks and studies are not?

Recommended Reading:
Sources:



ADHD, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Autism – What Do They Have in Common?

At first glance, ADHD, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and autism have little in common. When we think of ADHD, we tend to think of hyperactivity, kids zooming from room to room. Chronic fatigue brings up opposite images, of people so wracked with fatigue they can barely get out of bed. Autism suggests children lost in their own world, spinning objects while rocking from side to side. How could they possibly have anything in common?

In order to answer that question, we have to take a serious look at the numbers and understand the diagnostic criteria. If we don’t, the myths and lies will continue to overshadow every effort to understand the real story behind the rise in these debilitating conditions.

ADHD, CFS, and Autism – Epidemics

The first thing these diseases have in common is the fact that all three have reached epidemic proportions. The CDC reports the following statistics:

ADHD (> 6 million children in the U.S.)

  • 11% of our children have ADHD as of 2011 (up from 7.8% in 2003)
  • 1 out of 42 boys
  • 1 out of 189 girls
  • Rates vary from state to state

ADHD Chart

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (up to 2.5 million estimated in the U.S.)

  • Between 0.2% and 2.3% of children or adolescents (up to 1.7 million) suffer from CFS.

Autism (> 11 million Americans)

  • 30% increase from 2012 to 2014
  • 5 times more prevalent in boys
  • Up 119.4% since 2000, though some current reports now say it has moved from 1 in 68 children to 1 in 50; other reports say 1 in 45.

autism prevalenceAdd up the current numbers afflicted with one of these three illnesses, and we are talking about 6% of the population – without counting adults with ADHD.

Public Perception of ADHD, CFS, and Autism

The perception of these three illnesses are skewed and no clarity is in sight.

ADHD Myths and Propaganda

  • ADHD is horribly over diagnosed
  • Children can’t sit still in a classroom; ergo, hyperactivity is normal
  • All active little boys are diagnosed with ADHD
  • The rising numbers of ADHD cases are all due to over diagnosis
  • Kids diagnosed with ADHD are spoiled children who don’t behave

For decades, we have heard the number of children with ADHD is dramatically over reported. This myth has resulted in the public ignoring the alarming rise in the number of children (and children who have grown into adulthood) afflicted by this disorder.

The idea that children are diagnosed with ADHD just to medicate them is ludicrous. That might be a good argument if tranquilizers were the medication prescribed for ADHD, but the opposite is true. Put any child without ADHD on amphetamines and the child will become hyper, anxious, and out of control. Amphetamines have the opposite effect on most of the children with ADHD. The child is able to calm down, focus, concentrate and control impulsivity. (Note: We are NOT advocating the use of medication to treat ADHD).

As long as we continue to discount the validity of this diagnosis, the sheer number of afflicted children won’t alarm us, and we won’t shake the boat by looking for the cause or causes.

Chronic Fatigue Myths and Propaganda

  • It’s all in their head
  • They’re not sick, they’re lazy
  • There is no such thing as chronic fatigue syndrome

Like ADHD, chronic fatigue syndrome has been discounted, but in this case, it is dismissed as a non-disease. It was even given a derogatory nickname, the yuppie flu. Severe chronic fatigue is a devastating illness, and yet, due to propaganda within the medical field and vague diagnostics, many doctors believe it to be psychosomatic. Patients are dismissed as attention seekers, histrionics, and malingerers. This is an all too common occurrence whenever doctors cannot find a cause or determine a diagnosis for autoimmune or neurological symptoms unless evidence can clearly be shown through a blood test, an MRI, or some other definitive test.

Although it is estimated that twice as many Americans suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome as HIV, the National Institutes of Health budgeted a paltry $6 million in funding for chronic fatigue research for 2016 while HIV/AIDS research is budgeted at $3.1 billion. (Compare this amount to headaches budgeted at $25 million – migraines have a separate budget of $21 million.) So we have a serious, debilitating illness on the rise that affects a huge number of Americans, but since it became an issue, it has been discounted and largely ignored.

Autism Myths and Propaganda

  • The change in diagnostic criteria is responsible for the increase in rates.
  • Vaccines have no association with autism.
  • Autism is an entirely genetic disease.

Autism was a rare diagnosis in the last century. In the 1980s, estimates from multiple studies suggest autism affected 1 in 10,000 children. In a mere 20 years, the year 2000, that number rose to 1 in 150 children. By 2010, the number was 1 in 68. The 2010 numbers are still being reported as the official numbers by the CDC and used by other organizations, though some are now estimating 1 in 45 children. Dr. Stephanie Seneff, Senior Research Scientist from MIT, stated, “At today’s rate, by 2025, one in two children will be autistic.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3P6wVUH0pc

While there is truth to the claim that new diagnostic parameters created a bump in the numbers, the increase happened once. Once! And again the numbers climbed and continue to climb. Like ADHD and CFS, autism is a relatively new disease with the first case diagnosed and named in 1938.

The autism epidemic is huge. How can we continue to deny the truth? The numbers are frightening and not just for the afflicted child and parents. The impact on our society will be tremendous when the children with severe autism grow to adulthood. Who will care for them when their parents are no longer able to provide for them?

Diagnostic Criteria

The myth that “ADHD is horribly over diagnosed,” is a bit harder to swallow when you understand the diagnostic criteria, when you appreciate the severity of the impact ADHD has on a child and his/her family, and when you see how unlikely it is for a child to be improperly diagnosed.

CDC Diagnostic Criteria for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The CDC uses the DSM V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V – the diagnostic manual for mental health professionals) definition as follows:

“People with ADHD show a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.”

Inattention: Six or more symptoms of inattention for children up to age 16, or five or more for adolescents 17 and older and adults; symptoms of inattention have been present for at least 6 months, and they are inappropriate for developmental level:

  • Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work, or with other activities.
  • Often has trouble holding attention on tasks or play activities.
  • Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
  • Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (e.g., loses focus, side-tracked).
  • Often has trouble organizing tasks and activities.
  • Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to do tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time (such as schoolwork or homework).
  • Often loses things necessary for tasks and activities (e.g. school materials, pencils, books, tools, wallets, keys, paperwork, eyeglasses, mobile telephones).
  • Is often easily distracted.
  • Is often forgetful in daily activities.

Hyperactivity and Impulsivity: Six or more symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity for children up to age 16, or five or more for adolescents 17 and older and adults; symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have been present for at least 6 months to an extent that is disruptive and inappropriate for the person’s developmental level:

  • Often fidgets with or taps hands or feet, or squirms in seat.
  • Often leaves seat in situations when remaining seated is expected.
  • Often runs about or climbs in situations where it is not appropriate (adolescents or adults may be limited to feeling restless).
  • Often unable to play or take part in leisure activities quietly.
  • Is often “on the go” acting as if “driven by a motor”.
  • Often talks excessively.
  • Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed.
  • Often has trouble waiting his/her turn.
  • Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games).

In addition, the following conditions must be met

  • Several inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were present before age 12 years.
  • Several symptoms are present in two or more setting, (e.g., at home, school or work; with friends or relatives; in other activities).
  • There is clear evidence that the symptoms interfere with, or reduce the quality of, social, school, or work functioning.
  • The symptoms do not happen only during the course of schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder. The symptoms are not better explained by another mental disorder (e.g. Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder).”

DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Diagnostic Criteria

Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive, see text):

  1. Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
  2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
  3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.

Specify current severity

Severity is based on social communication impairments and restricted repetitive patterns of behavior (see Table 2)

Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):

  1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).
  2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns or verbal nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat food every day).
  3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest).
  4. Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g., apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement).

Specify current severity

Severity is based on social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior (see Table 2)

  1. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life).
  2. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.
  3. These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay. Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur; to make comorbid diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, social communication should be below that expected for general developmental level.

Note: Individuals with a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified should be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Individuals who have marked deficits in social communication, but whose symptoms do not otherwise meet criteria for autism spectrum disorder, should be evaluated for social (pragmatic) communication disorder.

Specify if:

  • With or without accompanying intellectual impairment
  • With or without accompanying language impairment
  • Associated with a known medical or genetic condition or environmental factor
    (Coding note: Use additional code to identify the associated medical or genetic condition.)
  • Associated with another neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder
    (Coding note: Use additional code[s] to identify the associated neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder[s].)
  • With catatonia (refer to the criteria for catatonia associated with another mental disorder, pp. 119-120, for definition) (Coding note: Use additional code 293.89 [F06.1] catatonia associated with autism spectrum disorder to indicate the presence of the comorbid catatonia.)

Table 2  Severity levels for autism spectrum disorder

Severity level Social communication Restricted, repetitive behaviors
Level 3
“Requiring very substantial support”
Severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills cause severe impairments in functioning, very limited initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others. For example, a person with few words of intelligible speech who rarely initiates interaction and, when he or she does, makes unusual approaches to meet needs only and responds to only very direct social approaches Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors markedly interfere with functioning in all spheres. Great distress/difficulty changing focus or action.
Level 2
“Requiring substantial support”
Marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills; social impairments apparent even with supports in place; limited initiation of social interactions; and reduced or  abnormal responses to social overtures from others. For example, a person who speaks simple sentences, whose interaction is limited  to narrow special interests, and how has markedly odd nonverbal communication. Inflexibility of behavior, difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in  a variety of contexts. Distress and/or difficulty changing focus or action.
Level 1
“Requiring support”
Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. Difficulty initiating social interactions, and clear examples of atypical or unsuccessful response to social overtures of others. May appear to have decreased interest in social interactions. For example, a person who is able to speak in full sentences and engages in communication but who to- and-fro conversation with others fails, and whose attempts to make friends are odd and typically unsuccessful. Inflexibility of behavior causes significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. Difficulty switching between activities. Problems of organization and planning hamper independence.

CDC Diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

A clinician should consider a diagnosis of CFS if these three criteria are met:

  1. The individual has unexplained, persistent fatigue for 6 months or longer that is not due to ongoing exertion, is not substantially relieved by rest, has begun recently (is not lifelong)
  2. The fatigue significantly interferes with daily activities and work
  3. The individual has had 4 or more of the following 8 symptoms:
    • post-exertion malaise lasting more than 24 hours
    • unrefreshing sleep
    • significant impairment of short-term memory or concentration
    • muscle pain
    • pain in the joints without swelling or redness
    • a sore throat that is frequent or recurring
    • tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpit
    • headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity

Association Not Cause

In a recent interview, Judy Mikovits, PhD eloquently explained the scientific definition of cause and effect versus association. In order to say that a disease is “caused” by something, there has to be a clear cause and effect that is the same each time. For instance, mumps is caused by a particular virus – every time. It isn’t caused by a virus in one case and a bacteria in another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6HPe-s1V2o

Most of us are used to defining an illness through cause and effect of a bacterial or viral infection. Contagious illness and trauma are well understood by the general public. Autoimmune diseases and neurological diseases are much harder to understand, and this is true for medical professionals as well as the general public.

There are few definitive diagnostic tests for ADHD, CFS, or autism. Most of the diagnostic criteria is based on observation and patient report.

However, MRI studies with children diagnosed with ADHD have shown lower activity in the frontal lobes as well as recent discoveries of disrupted connections between different areas of the brain showing structural and functional abnormalities.

In 2011, Judy Mikovitz, PhD, found an association between gammaretrovirus XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome and autism. Retroviruses damage DNA and cause autoimmune and neurological damage. Judy believes up to one-third of our vaccines are contaminated with this retrovirus that accidently contaminated cell lines in the labs where vaccines were made.

Fragile X syndrome is “…the most common inherited cause of intellectual disabilities. It is also the most common known cause of autism.” – Fraxa Research Foundation website.

Fragile X is caused by a defect in the FMR1 gene. The gene shuts down and fails to produce a protein vital for brain development. Symptoms include mild to severe attention deficit and hyperactivity and autism. One can’t help but wonder if damage to the FMR1 gene is caused by a retrovirus.

What Do We Know?

Vaccines are certainly proving to be a major factor associated with ADHD, autism, autoimmune disease, and other diseases with mercury poisoning, retrovirus exposure, and damage from aluminum and other toxins all playing a part. But vaccines are not the only toxins we are exposed to and clearly not the only factor in play. We know that there are multiple means to damage the immune system and the neurological system and that damage is cumulative.

Damage begins in utero. A fetus pulls mercury out of its mother’s body. It is tragic that doctors continue to recommend pregnant women get vaccines, especially the flu shot that contains mercury.

In addition to vaccines, environmental toxins contribute to damage. Herbicides and pesticides accumulate in our tissues along with the countless chemicals we are exposed to every day.

Conclusion

If we are to stop the current epidemic of neurological and autoimmune diseases including ADHD, CFS, and autism, we have to stop poisoning our bodies and our children’s bodies with chemicals and heavy metals. We need to clean up our food, eliminate toxin exposure in our homes and workplaces, and stop poisoning ourselves and our children through vaccines. The numbers don’t lie. ADHD, CFS, and autism are the result of our polluted lives and a vaccine schedule that would defy common sense even if our vaccines were safe and effective. Too many of us are sick. Too many children are sick. It’s time we stand up and demand change.

Further Reading:
Sources: