Autism, Linked to vaccines?
For several years lawmakers have heard a growing outcry from parents and advocacy groups who believe autism is directly related to childhood vaccinations. This year, lawmakers were finally ready to address the issue on Capitol Hill. The bill—the Vaccine Safety and Public Assurance Act of 2006—was introduced during the summer by Rep. Dave Weldon of Florida. Weldon’s bill proposes that a new authority regarding vaccine safety be established to replace the voice of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) due to the CDC’s ties to pharmaceutical manufacturers who produce the vaccines. The legislation would create a brand new agency to oversee vaccine safety issues and research.
In the midst of the controversy, the CDC claims that recent studies indicate no link between childhood vaccinations and developmental disorders, such as autism. What the CDC failed to report is just how little research they had actually done on the subject.
Even more disturbing is that the CDC does not recognize the harm in using Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in all childhood vaccines up until the year 2004. As the public outcry for the ban on thimerosal intensified, the federal government banned the use of mercury in vaccines, but only as a precautionary measure. Three years later an independent study concluded that a link DOES exist between thimerosal and autism. But the Institutes of Medicine, contacted by the CDC to study the possible link, conducted their own study that there was no connection. This study is still being used today as the official position on the issue. It also explains why the government still allows the use of Thimerosal in the Flu shot.
Meanwhile, parents of the over 140,000 autistic kids in the U.S. are struggling to understand why the cases of autism have skyrocketed by 500 percent over the last decade. Experts now estimate that one in every 166 children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with autism.
Until our government can established a non-biased research group to take a closer look at medicine and it’s affects on the human body, we need to do all we can to keep ourselves healthy. Start by making chiropractic adjustments part of your regular lifestyle routine.
[Source: www.foxnews.com 10/10/06]