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Bubbelehs, I need to talk to you all about something important. And that is how to read what has NOT been written.
Why? Because CNN didn't write a lot today. And in their video that they offer up as proof that there's no link between autism and vaccinations, they offer no proof at all.
Yet they do it with such finesse and passion that a lot of people out there are tweeting about the story and expressing anger that they've been had by Dr. Wakefield.
They haven't.
Many, many years ago, long before Andrew Wakefield was Dr. Wakefield, a study was conducted on measles, and they discovered that measles, when combined with mercury, goes through a change and can cause, in some people, a variant of measles, one that is essentially internal measles on the stomach lining. But no accusations were made by the researcher, and so there was no threat to the pharmaceutical company.
Dr. Wakefield, much later, conducted research and discovered that in some children, autism symptoms appeared or dramatically increased within a short period of time following their mercury-filled MMR vaccination, oftentimes within days.
I, myself, believe this 100%. Why? Well, because:
(a) if you have measles on your stomach lining, logic tells me that you'll probably have tiny fissures, which are the defining feature of Leaky Gut Syndrome which, for people who can't digest certain peptides properly, is a major problem because you've now got a way for these nasties to leave the stomach and get into the bloodstream causing an opiate effect,
(b) I know of at least one person whose son was actually tested for this internal variant of measles by his local GP and had them, so I don't have to wonder if it's a real risk or not; I know it's real,
(c) I have worked with many families with children with autism, some of whom have the familiar story of "he was progressing totally typically, hitting every milestone until his vaccination". Some tell me that he was sick for days immediately after the vaccination and then recovered but gradually lost skills and gradually added stims. Others tell me that within days, he lost all his emergent speech skills. NB: not every child regressed following their vaccination, not by any means. But enough have to make it a familiar story.
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching story was the one where a young boy had been hitting his milestones on time or early, was developing speech, was happy and healthy in all regards. He had his MMR right on schedule, and within days, he was screaming, spitting, spinning, squealing, and rocking ALL THE TIME, and he was no longer talking or making eye contact. It took several years to understand that he had developed autism (this was long enough ago -- about the time Dr. Wakefield was conducting his research, in fact -- that autism diagnoses were slow to come and treatment approaches were hard to find). Finally, at about age 4, he was diagnosed and started an ABA program. He made great progress, but never regained the speech he had lost.
About a year into his program, it was time for his younger brother to be vaccinated. His mother pondered… should she? Shouldn't she? Her medical background weighed heavily on the "should" side and so she did it. And within days, her happy, healthy toddler had lost eye contact, speech sounds, and was rocking, spinning, squealing, screaming, and spitting. Déjà vu.
Britain's medical community would like to convince you that she and so many parents with stories similar to hers simply had bad luck.
They believe in the theory that if you say it loud enough, convincingly enough, with confidence, disdain for non-believers, and repeat yourself frequently enough, then what you say will somehow become true. (I like to refer to this technique as the "Baffle them with Bull****" technique.)
So what are the latest accusations? Not every child in the Wakefield study developed their symptoms immediately following the vaccine. GASP! Wait -- we already knew that some kids who react to the vaccination decline gradually.
What proof do they offer that this is "falsified data"? 6,000,000 words. Mind, no one actually points out any of those words as being the ones that prove falsification. They just imply that if this body of medical experts believe so strongly in it that they're willing to commit the time and money it takes to put down 6 million words, then it must be true.
Oh. Here's some more "proof". All of the other authors of the research have removed themselves from the study. Hmm… does that tell you that the research is flawed? Or does it tell you that they couldn't afford to be kicked out of the medical association the way Dr. Wakefield was? It might imply they're a bit wimpy, but I don't think so. I think it simply implies that they were afraid. They were afraid that if they stand up to the British Medical Association, they, too, will be forced out of medicine, and they don't have the courage, ability, desire, and/or network of friends to move to a new country and continue practicing the medicine they love there. So they cut their losses and stepped out of the firing range.
So proof that Dr. Wakefield falsified his study is that he believes in his work so much that he's willing to risk losing his medical license, but others on the study aren't. Does that make sense?
Does any of this make sense?
In a word: No.
Now, here's the thing. For a dozen years, now, the British medical powers-that-be have been trying to discredit this study. And they're still trying. And yet they're still failing. So jot down in your calendar, this autumn you can expect YET ANOTHER attempt. And that one will fail, too.
One last bone of contention I need to bring up with you. Well, it's really two, but they're connected. CNN asks the question, "And what has happened as a result of vaccinations going down?" Ready for it? "Kids got sick!" Hm. Well, yeah. But they also got better. Who here hasn't gotten sick in their life? Anyone? That's what I thought.
Nearly five years ago, my then-four year old got the mumps. We self-diagnosed (the big lumpy neck was a big clue) and called our doctor. He said, "Yup. Sounds like mumps. Give her Tylenol and be prepared for her to be home this month." So we called a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner. He threw a bit of this and a bit of that together, told us how to make it into a *ahem* tasty tea for her, and wished us well. "Wait!", Bubbe cries. "When will she be able to return to school??" He looks at the calendar, says, "Well, today's Wednesday…. She'll be ready for school by Monday." AND SHE WAS. And now, she will never, ever get mumps again because she has a natural, God-given immunity.
We did tell her school that she was sick, and the school did send a warning out to the other students. But really, why? I mean, if vaccinations are so gosh-darn effective, please explain to me how one unvaccinated child who gets sick is going to infect all the other vaccinated children who are protected from catching it? And if they're not protected by the vaccination, then why bother vaccinating?
So go and listen to the CNN video clip. Read their article. Make sure, though, that you read it to the very end. Don't miss the part they hope you won't stick around to read. The part that says that someone who knows autism very, very well and who knows Dr. Wakefield very, very well as a result, cannot believe that the allegations (and that's all they are) can be true.
Because they're not.
And make sure you read what's NOT there.
Okay, Bubbe's done ranting now. Stay healthy, bubbelehs.
