NBC News' Matt Lauer will take an unprecedented look at the emotional debate surrounding vaccines and the suggested link to autism on Sunday, August 30 at 7 p.m. ET with "Dose of Controversy." In the one-hour Dateline, Lauer speaks exclusively with Dr. Andrew Wakefield, whose 1998 medical study was the first in the world to suggest a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism. The British doctor has since influenced the lives and stirred the passions of millions of parents worldwide looking to solve the mystery of what causes the complex developmental disorder.
But Dr. Wakefield's theories have also raised serious questions from the media and the medical community. Lauer interviews investigative journalist Brian Deer who wrote a critical report for London's Sunday Times in 2004 detailing what he said were potential conflicts of interest that Dr. Wakefield had never revealed. Lauer also talks with Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and expert on vaccines who has spoken out on behalf of vaccine safety in the United States.
Now, Dr. Wakefield reacts to his harshest critics on the controversy that began over a decade ago.
Lauer also reports on Dr. Wakefield's most recent work in the United States and the medical community's continuing search for the cause of autism, including new studies from researchers working to understand the disorder that affects 1 in 150 American children.
Friends, I am not a Doctor (duh, you knew that) and I don't claim to know everything there is to know about this topic. I am a parent of a child with Autism and here are my reactions from the show....
First off, why is Mr. Deer SOOO intent on discrediting Dr. Wakefield? It just smells really fishy to me!! For pete's sake, he's a reporter, not a doctor and all Dr. Wakefield is suggesting is an alternate vaccine schedule. He's not saying "Don't Vaccinate"!! My question, who is Mr. Deer working for? And why is he so caught up in this?
Dr. Wakefield's "alleged" conflict of interest
Mr Deer claims there is a conflict of interest because Dr. W was paid $750K to be a medical witness in a class action lawsuit surrounding the vaccine controversy. Is Mr. Deer suggesting that he is being bribed and paid off to make these claims? I ask you....if you were a highly regarded physician (and I'm sure very highly compensated) would you take a bribe of $750K to falsify claims only to put your reputation on the line? I would guess not, that really isn't a large enough sum of money to "lie" about something and potentially ruin your career.
Mr Deer also claimed that Dr. W was working on an alternate "vaccine" to the MMR. Alleging that Dr. W was trying to discredit the MMR so that his "new" vaccine would take it's place. Thank you Dateline for allowing Dr. W to squash this claim. Dr. W in fact was obtaining a patent for a treatment that would HELP those whose bodies aren't able rid itself of the MMR strains. Thus helping anyone who contracts these diseases, or who I would guess have an adverse reaction to the MMR vaccine. Therefore, he is in fact NOT competing with the vaccine but making it more "safe". I don't see a conflict of interest there, what I see is someone who is trying to help make the MMR safer!!
Dr. Offit
Seriosly NBC could you not find a more credible person? This guy has such a vested interest in vaccines, it's dispicable that you would even consider interviewing him for this piece! Dr. Offit holds the patent for the Rotateq vaccine and has millions of dollars at stake personally counting on public confidence in the vaccine program! Doubly sickening is the Rotateq vaccine is to protect from the rotavirus an illness that at worse causes diarrhea! Why the hell are we vaccinating against diarhhea in the first place! Just go to El Salvador and drink the water and you'll get the D, I don't see us spending millions to help make the water safer there!
Thoughtful House
Dr. Wakefield is one of the back bone, ground breaking pyhscians who brought to us the biomedical treatment protocol that has helped thousands of children and in some cases curing children, something unthinkable 10 years ago! Since coming to the US, Dr. W founded TH and now oversees the pracitce with several other maverick doctors. In the episode they sadly downplayed what Thoughtful House is doing and therefore discredited how many children they have helped. They even suggested that the link between Autism and GI dysfunction was a load of crap. That may be true, but what I do know is what I have seen in my own child since we started in May. Six months ago I had a child that was gradually getting worse and worse as the years went on. He screamed every time we got in the car, would hit to get his way, would lean over the couch arm to relieve the pressure on his gut, etc. Spencer had chronic constipation and would only BM about once every 4-5 days. He was in PAIN and was starting to severely act out because of it! At 8 years old enough was enough and I made the last final leap of faith to help him and it has been worth every penny, every sleepless night, every late night baking bread!! No, Spencer still doesn't talk and still wears a pull up, but he's HAPPY and enjoys life so much more!! He's finally pain free, he has a BM everyday, and is much more an engaged part of our family!! Is there a link between ASD and GI dysfuntion, maybe not, but my ASD kid had a serious GI issue and we are on our way to correcting it, thanks to Thoughtful House and Dr. Wakefield.
Research
On the topic of "research" think about this.....the Dateline show stated that $122 million was being spent to research the causes of Autism let's contrast that to the $4 billion that was recently spent on the "Cash for Clunkers" program. Think what you will about this fact. In 2006 the number of children with Autism was 1 in 250, 2 short years later, in 2008, the number was 1 in 150 and today estimates are closer to 1 in 100. They say the Swine Flu is a pandemic....that is LAUGHABLE compared to the stagering cases of children with Autism. These children will grow to be adults, then what??? I would say that $4 billion would have been better spent elsewhere?!
My take on the vaccine debate:
Many people have asked our opinion on this and my answer is....no, we do not believe Spencer's Autism was due to the MMR or any vaccine for that matter. Spencer has always been different and special. I DO believe however that our country OVER vaccinates. Did you know that veterinarians were at one time giving 6-7 vaccines to our household pets, but because of the adverse reactions they have now trimmed it down to only 3. There ARE children out there that have been adversely affected by the MMR vaccine. I praise God we haven't had to endure what many other parents of ASD kids have had to go through. We have not had to experience the heart wrenching saga of walking into the doctors office with a perfectly healthy, normally developing child, allowing the child to receive a "safe" vaccine and within days watch as he retreats into the hell of Autism. To many parents, and many friends of mine, this is reality! Yes, the medical community has "tried" to replicate what many parents have seen in their children none of which have been able to do so. But I ask you, who would you believe more, the medical community (that has a vested interest in the vaccine schedule) or a parent that struggles daily with a child that was at one time "normal" with nothing to gain except to help other families avoid enduring the hell they are dealing with?
My advice to new parents:
Think about this....Dr. Wakefield suggests that there COULD be a link between the combo vaccine MMR and Autism. He does NOT say to not vaccinate. He proposes instead a more conservative vaccine schedule. I agreee 100%. I would NOT subject my child, by not vaccinating him, to a life threatening illness such as the Measles or Polio and risk death.
Some facts.....Did you know that by the time a child is 6 years old, s/he has received 36 vaccines? Now you probably don't realize this because they have created combo and supercombo vaccines that contain multiple vaccines into one, so you may be thinking they only get about 10 or 12. Remember also, a vaccine is a live strain of the disease you are vaccinating against. So, you are essential putting into a small child, with a developing immune system....36 strains of viruses. Did you also know that of the 36 vaccines 2 are for Chicken Pox, a disease that most of us got as a child and were lucky enough to stay home from school for a week, have mom wait on us hand and foot and we were fine! Another 2 are for the Rotovirus an illness that causes diarhhea, seriously last I checked that isn't a life threatening illness. Why then are we exposing our tiny babies to these 2 illnesses when neither are life threatening (in most cases)?
In closing....
New parents, find a Ped who follows an alternate vaccine schedule, but do NOT and I repeat do not NOT vaccinate!!
Everyone else....do your research on the Swine Flu. There's some really shocking and surprising information about that "new" vaccine!! I will NOT be giving it to my kids! We will wash our hands, practice good hygiene and if we get the Swine, we will treat the flu symptoms like we do any other time we have had the flu. (To see an indepth article on the Swine Flu conspiracy, email me tamieichenberger@hotmail.com and I'll send it your way. SHOCKING VERY SHOCKING!!)
As an aside, we have a follow up appointment at Thoughtful House tomorrow, so stay tuned to find out what else we get to add to our treatment protocol.
Check out Spencer's new Faux Hawk!
Until next time....grace, pleace, hope, love and prayers!
T
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