Road Trip........

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Dear Noah.......stress

I cannot believe it has been this long in between posts. BUT it has. We have had a lot going on around here lately and there will be more to come. Needless to say this has created a bit of stress periodically in the house. Sometimes we both handle it well and sometimes not as well as we'd like.

You are going pretty well ...but do have your moments. A couple of times when you got frustated trying to tell me something....you got very upset and turned pretty red, and put your thumb in your mouth and bit down..hard enough to almost cut through the skin. You were also shaking at this time. AFTERwards we talked about it...how you handled that particular situation...how you could handle it perhaps better the next time round...and the unfortunate consequences of biting down on one's own body parts when angry. I sort of doubt you will do that again. I am thankful you did not come at me when you were angry.

Anyway....we have some loose teeth to get out of your mouth or the dentist will want to do SURGERY putting you under sedation to remove them. I am all for trying to do this ourselves and having you again avoid any surgery and sedation. SO we are working on the teeth.

You are really into Tom and Jerry right now.

Christmas was good and you handled your dentist and cardiology appointments well.

You have enjoyed your Wii so far.

I love you....I am hoping and praying I can keep this job or get an even better one and make your life as stress free and loving as possible.

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah....Jan. 4, 2010 - dentist and cardiology day........

Well we made it through the holidays. You had a wonderful Christmas and birthday. You got many nice presents......including a new HO scale train set from Santa and books, movies, gift certificates, and games. You got movies on Twisters and books on space and tornadoes. You got a Magic 8 Ball and Monopoly City, Diamond Scrabble and Yahtzee. You also got enough money on your birthday to order yourself a Wii!! That should be coming this week.

You did so well when it came time for everyone to sing to you on your birthday. IN fact....you have done well overall with all gatherings recently.

Today you had to go back to the dentist for a followup and cleaning. ZERO cavities and they look so nice again! However....you do have one baby tooth that came out partway and got jammed between the new tooth and the gum that we cannot get out. The dentist said it would have to be surgically removed and knowing you..laughing gas would not help you as you would still be awake and get too worked up probably to handle a shot in the gum to numb it. SO....he suggested sending you to the OR (operating room) to be put under and they can do everything to your mouth at one time. I guess there are also 2 upper teeth trying to do the same thing. He thinks and I agree, that those will probably come out on their own with your help. BUT so far we cannot budge that other tooth. SO you may be facing surgery for all that if we cannot get them out ourselves in the next few months. I would like to avoid any surgery for you if possible....so I am going to try to work on that bottom tooth and you are already working on the upper teeth.

Cardiology visit went better than last time as far as you handling the ultrasound of your heart. However, the doctor this time actually HEARD the aortic valve regurgitation and stenosis and is concerned if it continues on without any intervention....your left ventricle will eventually be affected as the back flow of blood goes there..so blood comes out from there but also some leaks back. Your aortic valve has narrowed a bit so she can hear things there now she could not before. Anyway....to make a long story short..the goal is to try to postpone any surgery for you as long as possible. SOME cardiologists do nothing for kids born with a bicuspid aortic valve and even if you develop aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation if not too bad, they just let it take its course. Some live normal lives and never have problems...most eventually one day face some sort of surgery to try to repair the valve or replace it. SINCE this is all open heart surgery so far to in most cases.....we are trying to postpone this as long as possible.

ONE way (if things slowly worsen) is to place you on an ACE inhibitor to lower the blood pressure (yours is NOT high)....which in turn reduces how hard your heart has to work to make up for the leaky valve....and the rate of pressure your blood is being pumped through the heart. SOMEtimes kids on ACE inhibitors ventricles improve and almost normalize..sometimes it appears it really does nothing. So some docs say to try something like medicine to see if you can HELP postpone the inevitable..some say it makes no difference. We are going to wait another 6 months...have you go back again for another ultrasound of the heart.....and then see how things are at that point. Each time things have changed a bit.....and she hears more or they see more leaking and things on the ultrasound images. She said in 6 months if things have again worsened even a little bit....she would recommend trying some sort of medicine. SO we will see. The problem with putting you on an ACE inhibitor when you don't really need it.....is we would have to monitor your blood pressure really closely until we got it regulated....since you are normal already....we would not want it to drop too low. I also want to do my own research on this and see if it really makes much difference in the inevitable outcome. If not......we may just let nature take its course and only act if things got really bad over time.

Regardless you made it through the day. I took you to Hallmark to buy you the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid you had seen there before Christmas for a present for being so good today. You are still in your room reading.

I love you Noah. God will help us get through all these things together!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

From our house to yours Noah and I wanted to wish you all a very blessed holiday season!

Dear Noah......you have been very emotional lately....

I forgot that this time of year can be really hard on you. There are so many things going on and you get so excited.

We went to get you Domino's Pizza the other night to last you over the holidays and we noticed they have changed their pizza crust, sauce and cheese topping. One pizza was made the old way.....1 was made the new way. I am not sure if this is a new pizza from here on out or if they can still make them the old way. BUT yesterday morning you told me you were crying the night before after I tucked you in...and when I asked "why" you told me because you were afraid this was the way Domino's was going to make all of their pizzas from here on out and you did not care for the garlic crust and the red pepper spicier sauce as both burned your tongue and throat. Oh I do hope and pray this is a temp thing or I can still order one the old way. You cried about it again yesterday while I tried to convince you that trying a pizza from another pizza place might be a good thing for you to try again one day soon! We have a Papa Johns in town AND a Pizza Hut and I reminded you that you used to eat and love both at one time in the past.

You also want a sleep over with your cousin Audrey so badly right now.

You have been thinking a lot about your dad and some of the problems he had a few years back. You had a bad dream about him the other night too. Almost every little thing makes you want to cry...I mean real tears where you are very upset.

You DO snap back out of it quicker which is improvement, but I feel badly for you. Hopefully you will be fine once we get these holidays on the road!

Yesterday I washed all the sheets, and blankets, and afghans in the house and decided we needed to move some of your stuffed animals OFF your bed as they were taking up over HALF of the bed and it looked too cluttered. THIS



is how we rearranged them and I also have stuck some on your bookshelves which you cannot see in this photo. This is much easier and more doable for impromptu sleep overs for greater ease with getting IN the bed without it taking 30-45 minutes prep time removing all the plushies!

Anyway.....we need to send your letter off to Santa today.

I love you so very much Noah.

Mommy
XOXOXO

Dear Noah..........you lost another tooth.........

You have 2 more teeth to hopefully get out of your mouth before your dental visit in January. One I don't think is connected to anything anymore, but it is jammed down and wedged tight to the gum line.

We have been busy getting ready for Christmas and finishing up school for 2009. Time is going by so quickly!

I am going to keep this short. Sorry for lack of entries recently but we are just really busy this time of year. Today we went to see Grandma C. You had a new puzzle book you wanted to work some puzzles with her. We ended up staying for supper.

Love you much!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah..........that might "foil" our plans.......

OUR TREE this year......

We had talked about eating breakfast Monday at Cracker Barrel since we have not been there awhile and then railfanning (going to watch some trains nearby and videotaping them).

When you woke up today I told you starting tomorrow it may snow this coming week off and on...tomorrow's chance of snow was 50%.

You said "oh no....that may foil our plans to go to Cracker Barrel!" You sometimes amuse me with the words you choose to use in a very complete sentence that sounds so very grown up. When I asked you if you knew what FOIL our plans meant you said, "yeah..it means cancel them!" haha

you are something else. I love you......but I doubt it will snow so much it will foil our plans. BUT you never know!

adorably cute playful kitten

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Scientific link to autism identified....interesting read

During its research into the application of neuroscience in business, a New Jersey based think tank, The Center for Modeling Optimal Outcomes®, LLC (The Center) made an inadvertent and amazing discovery.

The Center examined the neuroscientific dynamics of logic and emotion in decision making while researching neuroscience in business. They found unique corollary relationships between various brain chemicals (neurohormones, neurotransmitters, etc.). This apparent pattern led to a new path of research for the team outside of business. By looking at extensive scientific literature they discovered a cascade of hormones that emanate from the brain (hypothalamus). This same pattern of correlations was again apparent throughout the cascade. The group added a research biologist and started to test the pattern on genes (proteins). It remained consistent. The Center then called upon advisors from chemistry and physics to see if the pattern would apply in physical sciences.

To the amazement of the group, it became apparent that this pattern of corollary relationships could be applied to scientific processes for maintaining equilibrium (homeostatic relationships) throughout all of science; from subatomic particles to chemistry as well as between biological substances.

While the entire scientific community knows that homeostasis exists, this tacit knowledge has not been converted into a step-by-step, replicable model. The Center identified precisely such an explicit process.

Challenged by several of The Center's advisors, members of the team decided to test the efficacy of the model to determine if the disruptions that cause autism could be identified.

After careful review of countless scientific studies, meeting with several renowned scientists to discuss their findings, and then applying the modeling process to numerous hypotheses, The Center's Life Sciences group was able to formulate a scientifically verifiable model for the highly probable causal path of autism. Through the application of their model, it became apparent that autism is an outcome of several variables that, when the homeostatic relationship of each one is disrupted, a "perfect storm" scenario results in autism. The application of the model identified several of the variables that account for why boys have a 4 to 1 ratio of instances over girls as well as why not every boy is affected.

While the scientific community will have to validate The Center's findings, the model for assessing homeostatic relationships indicates the "trigger" behind autism is an imbalance between a pair of amino acid neurotransmitters; glutamate and glycine.

According to The Center's founder, William McFaul, a retired business person and not a member of the scientific community, "Because of its universal applicability, our Life Sciences group has already used the model as a tool to identify highly probable causal paths for several illnesses and disease entities. Autism was one of most difficult illnesses The Center had attempted to analyze. If it hadn't been for so many parents insisting that vaccines were responsible for the condition, we might never have found the fact that the stabilizer in MMR and a few other vaccines is hydrolyzed gelatin; a substance that is approximately 21% glycine. It appears that, based on readily verifiable science, the use of that form of glycine triggers an imbalance between the amino acid neurotransmitters responsible for the absorption rate of certain classes of cells throughout the body. It is that wide-spread disruption that apparently results in the systemic problems that encompass the mind and the body characterized in today's 'classic' autism." He also added, "The use of our model indicates each of the disorders within Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is attributable to different disruptions in homeostasis. We look forward to sharing our findings relative to each disorder with the scientific community."

According to Linda Oliver-Perrier, The Center's spokesperson for their Life Sciences group, "The details of the disruptive process are somewhat complex and not conducive for explanation in a press release. We have posted a more detailed explanation on our web site, www.TheCenterNJ.com/lifesciences.html." She added, "Undoubtedly, this finding based on the application of the model for homeostasis will cause immense controversy. Our Life Sciences group is prepared to meet with members of the scientific community to explain the model as well as the variables that create the 'perfect storm' that results in autism."

McFaul added, "The Center is seeking to affiliate with academic centers to provide its model for homeostasis to the scientific community for use as a tool to enable researchers to identify root causes of illnesses and disease entities. The Center is a think tank that creates models. We are not an operating company with the resources to educate individuals or organizations on the application of the models we create.

Dear Noah..........they're here!

PILLSBURY GINGERBREAD COOKIE DOUGH! We stopped in Krogers on Monday and they finally had some of your favorite Pillsburg gingerbread cookie dough rolls so we bought 6. That only left 3 in the case and those 3 looked slightly damaged. I hope they stock more so we can get you more rolls before the season is over. You hope to put 25 rolls in the freezer. Last year we did that and the cookie dough lasted you until August the following year!

We made cookies on Monday then.....and you are once again in gingerbread heaven!

I love you much!

Mommy
XOXOXO

THANKS TO JACKANDJOANNE on Blogger........

for this wonderful link to a great explanation of the Mayan calendars and what the end of their LONG COUNT calendar really means......which TOTALLY helped to alleviate any fears about the year 2012 Noah had.

In case anyone else has similar angst regarding that date.....I am sharing the information in that article with you here.

Fears about the year 2012 rest on just one of at least three Maya calendar systems unearthed by scholars, the "Long Count," which began on Aug. 13, 3114 B.C.

The Long Count tracks the duration of what the Maya called "great cycles" of time. The cycle we're currently in ends on 13.0.0.0.0, what we non-Maya call Dec. 23, 2012.

"I tell my students it is similar to an odometer," says archaeologist Lisa Lucero of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "After it hits 100,000 miles, it starts again – but there is no new car, nor does the car self-destruct."

Worries about the date rest from a Maya inscription fragment suggesting the date's importance at the site of Tortuguero in Mexico, says archaeologist Kristin Romey, science adviser to Asylum.com. "The only problem is the Maya had Long Count calendar inscriptions mentioning baktuns (millennia) much further in the future at other sites, so 2012 hardly seems the end of the world."

On the plus side, the Mexican tourist industry could use a 2012 boost, Romey says, after swine flu and violence associated with narcotics. "I'm sure they will be selling a lot of T-shirts."

In all, the ancient Maya constructed calendars extending trillions of years into the past and future.

"They saw themselves as players in this awesomely long expanse of time," says epigrapher Simon Martin of the University of Pennsylvania. "Their calendar actually went back longer than the life of the universe."

If 2012 fails to bring about the end of the world, don't worry, adds Romey. "There is always another calendar somewhere coming to an end."

An Aztec calendar ends in 2027, for example.

I cannot thank you enough for this link to this information as it has greatly relieved the apprehension and fears Noah had. This offered a very logical explanation to him that he could easily understand and embrace. It also made him stop to think about our own calendar that we have in which each year comes to an END on December 31. This does not mean the world ends...but that we start all over again in a New Year.

SO this makes perfect sense to him......about the calendar the Mayans kept rolling back and starting all over again in a cycle.

THANK YOU... THANK YOU ....THANK YOU!

This is also the FIRST TIME I have ever heard this explained in this manner. It brings great relief now for me to be able to allay the fears of Noah or anyone else who might be fearful or thinking the world will end in 2012 based on the Mayan calendar.

Dear Noah...........2012.........

I happened to be watching some show on television as I flipped the channels the other night on the year 2012 and all the different theories and prophecies regarding that date.

I dozed off on the sofa.....you had come out to get ready for bed and sat down to watch the television with me...but see...I was sort of dozing off and on...but YOU were paying attention to the show. I have seen many shows before regarding 2012 and the doomsday prophecies for that date.....as well as some theories saying that year only marks a new beginning of time.

You interpreted it as very scary and as an end-of-the-world storyline. I felt so bad for you. I had asked you if you were watching the show when I roused up a bit and you of course said, "yes." I knew then you would probably be upset....and you were. You looked at me crying and said, "but I don't think I will be able to finish my time machine before 2012!!"

I felt so bad for you and then proceeded to try to reassure you. I told you many people have predicted doomsdays that were never fulfilled and I reminded you of all the year 2000 scares and then I asked you (since we are Christians) what the Bible says about the date of the end of the world? I reminded you that Jesus said NO ONE will know the date...... or the hour.....not Him or even the angels....but only the Father.

This made you feel a lot better....as God's word always does. BUT you are curious about this date.....and are hoping and praying it does not come......or at least not until you can build your time machine. You have done further research online about the year 2012 and some of the theories around December 21, 2012. At least every day you make a comment about how you hope and pray the world does not end.....you then found the movie trailer for 2012. I HIGHLY doubt I would ever let you watch that.

Regardless.....we are rapidly moving into the end of THIS year with Thanksgiving a mere 2 weeks away! Christmas will follow soon after that. Time goes by so quickly.

I love you so very much Noah. I really do....forever I will.

Mommy
XOXOXOX

PLEASE consider sending this little dying boy a Christmas card.......see story below...and link to video

Diana Biorkman needs your help in making her son's wish come true. She has a 5 year old son, Noah, in the last stages of a 2.5 year battle with Neuroblastoma Cancer. The family is celebrating Christmas next week and Noahs request is to get lots of Christmas cards. Please consider sending cards to:

Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountian Viewcircle
South Lyon, MI 48178

here is a link to the video......

NOAH BIORKMAN

Please send whatever you are led to send. Thanks!

Dear Noah......Halloween......

Well you went trick or treating twice.....once at a church where they do a local SHINE program and you walk through different booths and displays they have set up at the same time learning something from the Bible. AND then they tie in a full-sized treat/candy bar with the story they told. For example, when they told about Noah's Ark and how people "laughed" or "snickered" at Noah when he was building the ark.....they passed out "Snickers" candy bars.

Then we went around trick or treating with your cousin Audrey and aunties.....I dressed up like the creepy BURGER KING......he is soooo creepy isn't he? I just went as him as a BUCKEYE FAN since we won the game Saturday. I stuffed all sorts of stuff under my jacket, around my neck, and in my pockets to beef me up even more than I already am beefed up. YOU went as a Dominos Pizza delivery guy (I fixed you up a jacket and you already had a real Dominos hat)....and cousin Audrey went in a cool poodle skirt....

My pics did not turn out great..but here are a couple. I will have to dress you into the costume again and take better pics with you holding the pizza boxes as if you were delivering them. I made it so the people could fill up your boxes with candy so you carried that instead of a treat bag.

Anyway.......I love you.....we are so ready for Christmas now......in fact...tonight we are again listening to Christmas music!

I LOVE YOU!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah......your thoughts at 6:15 a.m. when you get up to pee......

you came into my office since I had been working since 4:00 a.m. to tell me yesterday that "Mom...the neighbors are copycats!" When I asked you why you proceeded to tell me "because they wait and take their trash out on Friday mornings like you, they have a garden and they also have a child!"

I busted out laughing......all these were true......but I did inform you the people had moved in WITH the child......

you are a trip Noah. Tonight we go trick or treating with cousin Audrey! You have been so excited! You are going as a Domino's Pizza Delivery guy......I will take pics!

Meanwhile where we lived in Colorado got 28 inches of snow and you are hoping it comes our way. I told you we are too warm to have it be snow...it would likely be rain if it makes it this far.

I LOVE YOU!

Mommy
XOXOXO

for some great Halloween ideas to use for kids check this out!

She always has some amazing stuff! A lot of it is free to use too...which is great. I have been using things from this source for a few years with Noah. I love it!

TEACHING HEART

Dear Noah.......a surprise sleep over.....Brumbaugh's Fruit Farm....and Foy's Halloween Store!

We have been pretty busy again! Sunday we decided to go pick up cousin Audrey and head over to Brumbaugh's Fruit Farm for some fall fun! We all had a great time.....I took many photos and videos.....

Audrey then decided at the last minute that she WOULD spend the night. You were so happy and excited! We hit up Burger King for supper and their play area. Back to our house for fun. The next day we ended up at Foy's Halloween Store and did some other things.

All was well until after we had taken Audrey home...and we finally got back home. I heard something and found you crying quietly by yourself in your bedroom. You were already really missing Audrey and said you wished she could live with us forever! You were so sad and really really missing her. You then wanted to talk to your dad but he had a birthday dinner to go to....but he did talk with you by phone for a bit and put on your half sisters to talk with you too. SO that helped you some.

I let you cry it out for a while in with me on my bed.

I have to say you have been doing so much better in get togethers and things like that. A little boy fell off the zipline at the fruit farm and you even yelled over asking him if he was alright. Something you never would have thought about doing before let alone actually do it.

You are hoping your dad will get to come in now for a visit in between Christmas and New Years. We have even told him he could stay here if he wanted to in order to cut costs for the hotel room and rental car. That was your idea...telling me he then would only have to come up with the money for the plane ticket. I thought that was pretty sweet actually considering you really enjoy staying in hotel rooms with your dad instead when he comes in for a visit.

Anyway.......we have been busy. You are plugging along...

and as usual....I love you still.

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Here is a clip of you and Audrey coming down the slide!

Hepatitis B vaccine triples the risk of autism in infant boys.........

This is from Dr. Mercola's updates and is quite interesting. I have said all along that this is yet another vaccine that is given to babies multiple times that is totally UNNECESSARY at such a young age. Read more below:

A new study has shown that giving Hepatitis B vaccine to newborn baby boys more than triples their risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder.

The study’s authors used U.S. probability samples obtained from National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 1997–2002 datasets.

The conclusion states that: “Findings suggest that U.S. male neonates vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine had a 3-fold greater risk of ASD.”

The authors also noted that an earlier study by them found that hepatitis B vaccination was associated with receipt of early intervention and special education services.

The new study used a different database than their earlier study, and they found same results, suggesting a validation of their findings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Dr. Mercola:

Routine use of the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns began in 1992, despite the fact that there was absolutely NO logical argument for it. It should never have been included in the immunization schedule, and here’s why.

Do Newborns Really NEED the Hepatitis B Vaccine?

Folks, hepatitis B is about as difficult to catch as AIDS. Namely, you nearly always need to have blood or sexual contact of some sort.

That is why the main risk factors are IV drug abusers and those who engage in sex with multiple partners.

In addition, vaccine-derived immunity is thought to be short lived. Up to 60 percent of persons who initially respond will lose detectable antibodies within 12 years. So that means that these vaccines will provide little to no protection to the real risks of acquiring hepatitis B, namely promiscuous sexual behavior and IV drug abuse.

The Vaccine Harms FAR More Children Than it Helps

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) was developed by the government to report vaccine reactions. Many experts believe that only 10 percent of the adverse reactions are reported though, as reporting is not mandated by law. (Some surveys puts this number closer to ONE percent.)

Even with only 10 percent of the problems being reported, there were nearly 25,000 VAERS hepatitis B reports from July 1990 to October 31, 1998 (prior to adding the Hep B vaccine to the immunization schedule), showing 439 deaths and 9,673 serious reactions involving emergency room visits, hospitalization, disablement, or death.

Now, hepatitis B is a rare, mainly blood-transmitted disease. In 1996 only 54 cases of the disease were reported to the CDC in the 0-1 age group. There were 3.9 million births that year, so the observed incidence of hepatitis B in the 0-1 age group was just 0.001 percent.

Meanwhile, in that same year VAERS received 1,080 total reports of adverse reactions from hepatitis B vaccine in the 0-1 age group, including 47 deaths!

Put in simpler terms: for every child that contracted hepatitis B there were 20 immunized babies that were reported to have severe complications. Let us also remember that only 10 percent of the reactions are ever reported, which means traditional medicine is harming about 200 children to protect one from hepatitis B!

It is simply inexcusable…

The Vaccine-Autism Links

Despite the assertion by conventional health experts that no link has ever been found between vaccines and autism, there are plenty of links, if you know how to look. And as the article in The Age of Autism states, you cannot come to a conclusion on the vaccine-autism issue by looking at studies that examine just one type of vaccine, or one type of ingredient.

Children today receive a whopping 48 doses of vaccines before the age of six. For a chart showing the various types of vaccines included in the childhood vaccination schedule, you can download this flyer from NVIC.org.

According to David Kirby, author of Evidence of Harm: Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy, of the 11 different types of vaccines administered, only the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) shot has actually been studied in association with autism. But where are the studies of all the others in relation to autism?

And where are the rigorous studies demonstrating the cumulative effect of several vaccines administered simultaneously , or within a short time span?

It is illogical, and downright ignorant, to state that the current vaccination schedule is a-okay and vaccines have nothing to do with the rise in autism, based on the studies that have been done so far.

Autism Rates have Risen to New Heights

For a number of years the accepted rate of autism was about 1 in 150, but the most recent statistics suggest that autism rates in the U.S. have now conservatively increased to 1 in 63. And this number is TWO years old.

This is the shocking conclusion from the 2007 survey results from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), which reveals a 100 percent increase in parent-reported cases of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), compared to their 2003 survey.

A similar British study puts the current U.K. rate at 1 in 83.

Clearly, something is going on; something is going wrong! And to simply dismiss the vaccine link with a blanket statement that has not been verified by rigorous scientific study is unconscionable.

If we want a healthier world, we must all become citizens for sanity and logic, and demand a more rational approach, where safety comes before profits.

After all, just like there were links between smoking and lung cancer long before conventional medicine changed their tune, there’s enough proof today to call a complete halt to our excessive vaccine program, and ban any level of mercury in vaccines.

But just like the case of Big Tobacco, Big Pharma refuses to do what’s right and protect you and your children from unnecessary harm, because it would mean a drastic reduction in profits.

Hepatitis B Vaccine and Increased Risk of Neurological Disorders

Using datasets from 1997 to 2002, this latest study found that newborn boys more than tripled their risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder after receiving the Hepatitis B vaccine.

The increased use of the Hepatitis B vaccine also coincides with the original rise in autism. According to the CDC's National Immunization Survey, 8 percent of infants received the Hep B vaccine in 1992. At the time the ASD rate was 67 in 10,000.

Four years later, at which time 82 percent of infants received the Hep B vaccine, the ASD rate rose to about 100 in 10,000.

At the time, the Hep B vaccine contained 25 micrograms of thimerosal – a mercury-containing ingredient that has long been thought to be a contributing factor to autism due to its potent neurotoxic effects.

According to the FDA, new thimerosal-free pediatric formulations of hepatitis B vaccines were licensed in August 1999, (Recombivax-HB by Merck) and in January 2007 (Engerix-B by Glaxo SmithKline). (For a listing of thimerosal content in current U.S. licensed vaccines, see this link.)

However, despite the fact that the Hep B vaccine no longer contains thimerosal, recent research have shown that the Hepatitis B vaccine can still damage myelin in those with certain genetic factors.

One recent study found that children who received the Hepatitis B vaccine were 50 percent more likely to develop "central nervous system inflammatory demyelination" than children who did not receive the vaccine.

GlaxoSmithKline’s Engerix B brand of the vaccine was shown to be the worst of the bunch, increasing the risk of demyelination by 74 percent. It also nearly tripled the risk of developing multiple sclerosis in genetically susceptible people.

As I mentioned above, Engerix-B was licensed as a thimerosal free version of the vaccine in January 2007. However, all formulations contain approximately 0.5 mg of aluminum per mL of vaccine instead, which may be even worse than mercury…

As you can see, there are likely a wide variety of potential factors involved; not just one vaccine or one ingredient.

We need to know what all of these exposures in combination mean to the health of our children if we ever want to turn this tide of autism around.

The Evidence Against Thimerosal

Again, newer studies dispute initial industry-funded findings that thimerosal is safe to inject. For example, a study published in the journal Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry in June this year, showed that the mercury-based compound used as a vaccine preservative -- known as ‘thimerosal’ -- induces neural damage similar to that seen in autism patients.

According to the study, thimerosal-induced cellular damage led to:

•Concentration- and time-dependent mitochondrial damage

•Reduced oxidative-reduction activity

•Cellular degeneration

•Cell death

Even low concentrations of thimerosal induced significant cellular toxicity in human neuronal and fetal cells. Thimerosal was also found to be significantly more toxic than the other metal compounds examined.

Four years ago, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wrote a must-read Rolling Stone article exposing the truth about the drug industry's greed, and the secret gathering where a plan was hatched to cover up the dangers of thimerosal.

According to Kennedy’s account, in June of 2000, a group of top government scientists and health officials -- including high-level officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the top vaccine specialists from the World Health Organization (WHO), and representatives from every major vaccine manufacturer -- secretly gathered to discuss the use of thimerosal in childhood vaccines.

Data indicated that the toxic heavy metal appeared to be responsible for a drastic increase in autism and other neurological disorders among children.

However, rather than taking every precaution to protect public health, they spent the majority of the next two days plotting how to protect the industry’s bottom line by getting rid of the troubling data.

Although thimerosal was eventually removed from the majority of childhood vaccines in 2001, it’s still used in some multi-dose vials, and is present in nearly all seasonal flu vaccines.

Many of the soon-to-be-introduced swine flu vaccines will also contain 25 mcg of mercury.

Another recent study confirming the link between low-level mercury poisoning in children and diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was published in the Journal of Neurological Sciences in September 2008.

It was the first prospective, blinded cohort study to examine children diagnosed with an ASD using urinary porphyrin profile analysis (UPPA) to assess the physiological effects of mercury toxicity. They also used glutathione analysis to assess the children’s susceptibility to mercury poisoning.

Children with severe ASDs were found to have significantly higher levels of mercury intoxication in comparison to participants with mild ASDs. And glutathione -- a key biochemical in your body’s mercury detoxification pathway -- was significantly lower in patients diagnosed with an ASD in comparison with the control group.

I’d like to point out, though, that although this study shows a relationship between lower glutathione levels and greater severity of autism, mercury is not the only toxin that can affect glutathione levels.

There’s a plethora of toxins in your daily environment that contribute to your toxic load, so any number of toxins may be contributing to the problem.

For example, there’s strong evidence suggesting that toxic microbes, endotoxins, environmental chemicals like phthalates, and the influence of electromagnetic fields may be significant contributing factors to autism as well.

And vitamin D deficiency has recently been implicated as an underlying condition.

Moving Forward

It is becoming increasingly necessary to continue to educate yourself and your family on the issues surrounding vaccinations of all kinds. There are so many problems; no one article can possibly cover them all.

For example, if you missed my special report on squalene – yet another dangerous vaccine ingredient – please read it now. You can also search my site as I’ve written countless articles on different aspects of the vaccine issue. I also recommend you familiarize yourself with the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) web site. As a leader for vaccine safety, the NVIC offers information on everything from laws to informed consent to late-breaking vaccine news.

In addition, I'm collaborating with some of the leading experts in autism, including Dr. Klinghardt, and participating in the THRiiiVE think-tank to provide basic resources for those afflicted with autism. During the most recent THRiiiVE summit in October, 2008 we created the “Top 10 Prioritized To Do List” for people with autism. I have detailed the entire list in this past article, so please, if your child or someone you know has autism, take a few minutes to review it.

If you are interested in receiving important updates on matters relating to autism directly from THRiiiVE, you can sign up for their e-Alert by sending an email to Autism@THRiiiVE.com.

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AND there are more reports now out especially one from a top researchers concerning the GARDASIL vaccines...which again I have said DO NOT give to your child......they are now coming out and saying it DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! (except possible hurt your child or even kill them).

One of the key researchers who worked on the top cervical cancer vaccines has decided to go public with a warning about their safety. Her name is Dr. Diane Harper, and she was a researcher for both Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. She's now on the record saying these vaccines "...will not decrease cervical cancer rates at all."

Dear Noah......lots of field trips and activities....

Let's see...we went to WPAFB Museum a couple of Mondays ago.......this pat Monday we went to Boonshoft Museum......we went to a fire parade Saturday and a local play of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow on Sunday! We stayed up last night for movie night....and here is it Monday again already!

Fall is in the air and today we had to turn the heat on this morning just to take the chill out of the air a bit as it had dropped to about 63 degrees in the house. It is a beautiful day and I am still not sure what we will do.....though I have a million things needing done here at home!

I would like to try to get over to see Grandma C. sometime today if possible.

I also would like to get OUTSIDE and enjoy the outdoors a bit today.

Anyway.....everything is going along......I may take some time off for the holidays around Christmas and you are super excited about that.

I love you!

Mommy
XOXOXOXOX