Help With Autism

When their child is finally diagnosed with autism, parents often experience conflicting emotions. It’s perfectly normal to feel frustrated and angry, but there is also a sense of closure associated with the experience – some justification that the parents’ fears were justified and their suspicions were correct. If left untreated, autism can tear a hole in the fabric of a healthy family dynamic. It complicates communication and presents a number of unique difficulties.

In order to deal with the issue with quickness and efficiency, parents should first remember that their child is no different now that he or she has been diagnosed with autism. The diagnosis should not be viewed as a damning sentence but rather as the first step on the road to recovery. After all, it’s impossible to treat a disorder that you don’t understand or cannot identify in the first place.

After a doctor makes that diagnosis, ask around to find specialists in the geographic area. Although pediatricians are for the most part very competent at treating a range of childhood problems, most are not equipped to deal with an autistic patient. You’ll want to get to work immediately in an attempt to trace the cause of the disorder. If you suspect that your child has been exposed to heavy metals such as mercury as a result of vaccine damage, you’ll want to do some homework on alternative therapeutic methods.

Every child is deserving of love! Unfortunately, many children’s needs are misunderstood or neglected, putting stress on the love within a family. Autism is a brain development disorder recognizable by impaired social interaction and communication and restricted by repetitive behavior. Don’t let your child’s needs go unnoticed; daily interaction with your children will keep you aware of potential warning signs.

Promoting autism education is an invaluable cause that will help parents recognize symptoms at an earlier age, ensuring that every autistic child receives the special care they need. If you’re already the parent of a diagnosed autistic child, you can continue to support autism awareness by voicing your knowledge and experiences to other parents. Together, we can promote gracious love and devotion to the children affected by autism.

In the last few weeks, we’ve dwelled on headlines that allude to the possibility of mercury-based preservatives in vaccines including that of the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. Today, let’s shift gears and investigate a potential solution for families that are already struggling with the scourge of autism as caused by mercury poisoning. Even if you’re feeling down, remember that there’s always hope.

Chelation therapy is one of the most popular forms of heavy-metal detox, and, along with the similar clathration therapy, has been proven an effective treatment of mercury-poisoning-related conditions. It’s important to note that in most cases the human body is capable of flushing mercury from the system in short order – but that’s not true of the heavy metal that reaches the brain. Once lodged inside the brain, mercury stays for years at a time unless it’s forced out through detoxification methods. With chelation therapy, you can wage a war against contaminants at the molecular level by dispatching chelating agents that counteract and remove mercury from the system.

In the last few weeks, a number of medical experts have raised concerns about the presence of thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, in swine flu vaccines. But these H1N1 inoculations do not represent the first instance of thimerosal in vaccines. As is the case with all heavy metals, mercury is detrimental to the human body. It’s highly toxic even in small doses and wreaks havoc on the nervous system. Therefore, many people expressed fear and dismay about the possibility that their children had been treated with a vaccine containing trace amounts of mercury.

Interestingly, vaccine manufacturers maintain their claims that thimerosal is not harmful. According to them, the substance – more generically referred to as ethyl mercury – doesn’t present the same danger to humans as methyl mercury, which is present in fish. The fact remains, however, that the preservative was removed from many childhood vaccines in the late ’90s. Only just recently have we seen thimerosal come back with a vengeance.

No matter what the medical establishment has to say about the issue, many parents feel frustrated and scorned about their children developing autism soon after their vaccinations. Conscientious parents owe it to themselves and their sons and daughters to read up on any autism information at their disposal. Treatment options abound, and it’s best to explore all available possibilities.

Each fall, news reports serve up the grim reminder that flu season is on the way. And in the wake of the recent swine flu scare that spread from Mexico into the United States and abroad, the level of hype and fear surrounding flu season is underscored further. Doctors and health professionals nationwide have been quick to point out, however, that swine flu vaccines shouldn’t be hastily slapped together and made available to the public without some serious scrutiny.

Experts are urging patience on the part of the Centers for Disease Control, which aim to release 120 million doses of H1N1 virus vaccine for popular consumption by autumn. The reason for this buzz kill? It’s “highly probable” that many of the doses of the new vaccine will include trace amounts of thimerosal. That mercury-based preservative has been linked to the development of autism and other disorders. As a result it has become notorious in autism support circles.

Government health officials have assured the press that rigorous clinical trials are set to take place before the fall release date, so there is certainly no reason to panic. Still, it remains essential for every conscientious parent to read as much as possible about the benefits and detriments of vaccination. It could mean the difference between a healthy childhood and serious communicative disorder.

A study released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would appear to confirm the suspicion that autism rates have risen significantly in recent years. According to the findings, 1 percent of all U.S. children have an autism spectrum disorder. That percentage is even greater among male children – perhaps as high as 2.6 percent.

The symptoms of autism can differ tremendously on a case-by-case basis, and there are a few other disorders that fall under the purview of autism spectrum disorder. These include Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder. The health department study is particularly jarring because its findings are far different from previous autism estimates from the Centers for Disease Control.

Some experts have been led to wonder whether vaccine damage could be responsible for the spike in autism diagnoses. The Hepatitis B vaccine, which was introduced in 1991 and given to newborn babies within a few hours of birth, contained 25 micrograms of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal. Mercury exposure has been linked to the onset of autism in young children, which makes this potential connection even more troubling. 

The Swine Flu virus, which directly caused or contributed to 430 deaths this year alone, has been weighing on the minds of health professionals and other citizens since early spring. Many minds were eased when it was announced that a vaccine could treat the H1N1 outbreak. Unfortunately, that news has been tempered considerably by a new, disturbing discovery.

According to a number of natural health advocates, the vaccine could contain traces of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal. Parents of autistic children will likely be familiar with this substance, which has been banned in the United States for some time. It has been linked to the eventual onset of autism in young children.

The National Autism Association has reported that an ever increasing number of doctors and other health professionals have admitted a link between heavy-metal exposure and autism. As a conscientious consumer, it’s important to seek out information about thimerosal and other dangerous compounds. Make sure that you understand the potential benefits and detriments of a particular medication before having your child vaccinated.

As a parent, it can be shocking a dispiriting to learn that your child has developed autism. The disorder is seldom simple to diagnose, and it’s likewise difficult to pinpoint a cause. This ordeal is made even worse in the case of regressive autism, which manifests itself later, after the child has begun to speak and develop normally. Very few people could imagine the heartbreaking process of watching a child’s social and language skills slipping away.

There are people out there who understand, however. Autism support groups offer limitless advice and resources to help deal with a problem that most of America overlooks or misunderstands. Support groups are especially helpful because no two cases of autism are exactly alike. Every family’s situation is different, but it certainly helps to converse with others who are experiencing similar frustrations.

Support groups should be thought of as one of several ways for parents to deal with their child’s disorder. The other major part involves a dedicated search for effective treatment options. If, for example, a child was given vaccinations with a mercury-based preservative at a tender age, parents owe it to themselves to explore heavy metal detox. And as they pursue these treatment options, parents can offer each other advice in a constructive support group forum.

For many parents, the autism experience can be summed up in one word: frustration. It’s tremendously frustrating to sit idly by as a child struggles with social and academic development. Parents know that autistic kids are not dim – in many cases they display above-normal intelligence in flashes. In an ideal world, parents would harness those brief glimpses of happiness and contentment.

The medical establishment has yet to agree on a standard cure for autism, and this can serve to agitate parents even more. If you consult one doctor about potential treatment options and then seek a second opinion, chances are you will walk away confused and torn. The best bet is to take your trusted family physician’s advice into account, but also to do some independent research. 

Bear in mind that certain autism treatments will be more effective than others in your child’s unique case. Investigate the wide range of literature available that links early mercury exposure to the onset of autism. If you believe your child may be suffering from the long-term effects of mercury poisoning, clathration therapy may be the safest, most reliable option. In any case, read as much as you can about autism treatments and choose wisely.

The link between early exposure to mercury and the onset of autism is well established, but it’s not always easy to pinpoint where and when such an exposure occurs. Mercury occurs in nature and is found in varying levels in fish and shellfish. As a result, many expecting mothers tend to shy away from eating any of these foods at all. The reality is that fish and shellfish are rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to brain development.

It may seem like a paradox, then, that fish contain both a substance that boosts brain development – omega-3 – as well as one that can significantly stunt mental faculties – mercury. As is often the case, moderation is the key to enjoying the benefits of seafood without suffering the detrimental effects. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that pregnant women eat up to two meals a week of low-mercury fish and shellfish, which includes canned tuna, salmon and shrimp. On the other hand, pregnant women are urged to avoid eating shark or swordfish because of the high mercury levels inherent to these fish.

Mercury intake is not limited to naturally occurring methylmercury in fish and shellfish, unfortunately. The birth defects mercury poisoning causes have also been found in connection with vaccinations that contain the heavy metal as a preservative.