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kamiyu910
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03 Mar 2013, 12:15 am

I'm a bit disturbed by the contents of this article and would like some other opinions on this please:

http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2013-0 ... on-autism/


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rapidroy
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03 Mar 2013, 12:59 am

Someone stuck on 1990's junk science on a guilt trip.



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03 Mar 2013, 7:22 am

Someone has a melt down because her impossible dream of a "perfect" child didn't happen. If her son didn't have Autism it would have been something else and she would have still gone on her guilt trip.


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whirlingmind
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03 Mar 2013, 8:08 am

This article had me almost shaking. I am a mum to two children. I entirely disagree with the two posts above. This woman clearly loves her child to pieces and feels responsible for what has happened. I think she is blaming herself unfairly because society is full of toxins and pollutants that it is virtually impossible to avoid. I think she is so blaming of herself because partly due to her Catholic upbringing, but also as a mum, you do feel guilty for every choice you make.

You wonder if it's the best choice for your child, you are inundated with decisions such as medications and vaccinations that professionals assure you are safe and normal and even imply that you are being an unfit parent if you decline, or at least put sufficient worry into your head that you are scared into agreeing.

We weren't meant to live this unnatural existence. Of course it's impossible that all that couldn't have had an effect on her child. I'm not saying categorically that it caused her child's autism, but we do know that there is more than one possible cause for autism or autism-like conditions. Until we have the proof of those causes we cannot rule out anything she has said. It may be that even if those things do not actually cause autism 100%, that in people with genetic susceptibility, it ensures that it happens.

I had ultrasounds, I had paracetamol when pregnant, I may also have had anti-biotics when pregnant, I have had the dentist almost horrified that I wasn't using fluoridated toothpaste on my children and without my permission coating my children's teeth with a fluoride substance because this was the latest guidelines from the NHS even though it's optional. Both my children had reflux, one until she was a year old. All of us have eczema. All of us have had anti-biotics. Maybe there are other things she gave to her baby that we have also had. All of us are on the spectrum.


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03 Mar 2013, 9:18 am

Quick note to Whirling Mind,

I have three children (all adults now) who are all on the spectrum. I did none of those things during any pregnancy because I am very anti-medication. The only exception to that is I did use fluoridated toothpastes when my children began to brush with toothpaste at about 6. Two were clearly on the spectrum before they reached that age. Also, there was no fluoride in our water supply. I don't believe that anything "she" did contributed to her child's autism.

On the other hand, I know many Catholics who are on her guilt trip because it just seems to be part and parcel of being raised Catholic. No offense is meant to any Catholics reading this as I do also know Catholics who are not on constant guilt trips.

Yes, the world is a polluted mess and getting worse. Our choices are: Get angry, feel guilty, give up, or DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Any step in the right direction, no matter how small, is still a step in the right direction.


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03 Mar 2013, 10:20 am

I am pretty sure that I caused my son's autism, too.

Chemicals were involved: adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine--all bound up in the same bizarre molecular stew that gave him hazel eyes, big feet, a tall frame and an appreciation for puns.

I did it with my deoxyribonucleic acid, my wife was my co-conspirator. It's something to celebrate.

There are real problems with pollution and it's likely that some of the junk our industrial society has flooded the environment with is playing a role in epigenetic effects and endocrine responses. To make this better, these areas need careful research. This kind of self-flagellating polemic is unlikely to be effective in improving healthcare technique, removing artificial toxins from the environment, or any other change of the kind the author seems to want.



whirlingmind
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03 Mar 2013, 11:15 am

Bliss wrote:
Quick note to Whirling Mind,

I have three children (all adults now) who are all on the spectrum. I did none of those things during any pregnancy because I am very anti-medication. The only exception to that is I did use fluoridated toothpastes when my children began to brush with toothpaste at about 6. Two were clearly on the spectrum before they reached that age. Also, there was no fluoride in our water supply. I don't believe that anything "she" did contributed to her child's autism.

On the other hand, I know many Catholics who are on her guilt trip because it just seems to be part and parcel of being raised Catholic. No offense is meant to any Catholics reading this as I do also know Catholics who are not on constant guilt trips.

Yes, the world is a polluted mess and getting worse. Our choices are: Get angry, feel guilty, give up, or DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Any step in the right direction, no matter how small, is still a step in the right direction.


...which is why I said:

Quote:
...we do know that there is more than one possible cause for autism or autism-like conditions. Until we have the proof of those causes we cannot rule out anything she has said. It may be that even if those things do not actually cause autism 100%, that in people with genetic susceptibility, it ensures that it happens.


It could also be, that in certain individuals with a particular genetic risk, a combination of toxins triggered the condition. Don't forget, autism isn't necessarily one disorder or caused by only one thing.

There is plenty of bone fide research for instance, showing mercury poisoning causes autistic-like traits:

http://abcmt.org/A%20Novel%20Form%20of% ... soning.pdf
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/dailynew ... poison.htm
http://www.icdrc.org/documents/Mercury% ... Autism.pdf

Quote:
A review of medical literature has shown that exposure to mercury, whether organic or inorganic, can give rise to the symptoms and traits defining or commonly found in ASD individuals. Mercury can cause impairments in social interaction, communication difficulties, and repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, which comprise the three DSM-IV autism diagnostic criteria. Additionally, mercury can induce features prominent in ASD such as sensory abnormalities, emotional/psychological changes, movement disorder, impairments in abstract or complex thinking, severe sleep disturbances, and self injurious behavior. Males are more affected than females in both conditions.

Physiological abnormalities more common in ASD populations and known to be caused by mercury exposure include gastrointestinal problems, autonomic nervous system disturbance, unusual EEG activity, immune system alterations, irregularities in neurotransmitter systems, and non-specific brain lesions.


I agree about her blaming herself too much, which I also said in my post.

There are many people out there who I am sure would love to do something about the toxic state of the world, but with governments and huge corporations and money being impossible for the little man to fight, it's all thrust upon us (frequently unwittingly) and we are mostly powerless to change it (I'm not saying that should make us apathetic to it though).

I think this mother who wrote the article, although unfairly blaming herself, is actually trying to do something about it, by educating people. Even if those toxins were not the cause of her son's autism, it might make people sit up and listen and think a bit more about what other effects those pollutants are having.


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kamiyu910
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03 Mar 2013, 1:01 pm

It's mostly the comments now that are disturbing on that site. This Heidi person wrote: "This mother has made clear that her child is suffering. She is surely doing all she can to help her child.

But the fact is that people with autism require special help and many, if not most, will never be able to function normally in society. That's why it's such a concern.

I'm not characterizing all people with autism as being like Rain Man. The fact is that many will never function that well, and some will function better.

Those given the diagnosis of Asperger's - or whatever the current fashion is - are also limited. A very few are able to function in society. But most require assistance of some sort to learn how, and many labeled with Asperger's continue to require assistance into adulthood. That is a burden on society, whether you like it or not. And it certainly doesn't mean that those people are just okay. They aren't. Their lives are limited - whether they realize it or not.

Yes, this child is a tragic victim. Whether he lost speech and regained it (never an easy task) is unknown. But he does have autism and it limits his life."

Edit: I have been blocked and deleted for telling her to talk to Temple Grandin, and other autistics


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Last edited by kamiyu910 on 03 Mar 2013, 2:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.

whirlingmind
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03 Mar 2013, 1:26 pm

Your last post totally confused me, as I thought you meant comments on this thread, and didn't know what you meant by "blocked and deleted" - until I clicked the link and realised you meant the comments on the article on the Gaia Health website.

I can't believe a site would ban you for making helpful suggestions...not all sites are created equal obviously!


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03 Mar 2013, 11:48 pm

Well the link which the OP posted, was to an page which used things like this (http://icpa4kids.org/Wellness-Articles/ ... utism.html) saying it was an article. To my mind article can been newspaper article or article (paper) in a scientific journal. I think from reading the article it is closer to the former rather than the latter.


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rapidroy
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04 Mar 2013, 12:28 am

My mom used to play me classical music when she was pregnant with me, arn't 1/2 those guys suppost to be aspie? no wonder I came out like them. Note to expecting moms, no classical music! lol



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04 Mar 2013, 5:40 am

whirlingmind wrote:
I can't believe a site would ban you for making helpful suggestions...not all sites are created equal obviously!


In which way should they have been helpful for the Mom behind the thread? There is not only one phrase about the boy itself, and how he fells it and which problem he really has. Only the mum, using her child to talk about herself, using her own blame against herself to talk about herself, thats want to be pitied.

I know this really sounds harsh, but when autistic come to her and try to comfort her, to become aggressive out of that, stamping around and denying what affected people herself tell her, that sure some things had could gone better, but that this mustn´t mean catastrophe for her son automatic, telling THEM that they would not understand because she has to be pitied, and her son has to be pitied, and everything has to be catastrophe, because her son has autism, and if we dont know that this means automatic catastrophe, we need to be made understand how terrible all of our lives are... She dont want to be comforted. The only things she wants to hear is a confirmation of her oppinion. If it was only for her, ok, let her have her will if its that important for her to think that everything is s**t. But I fear she will also give that oppinion to her son, and the last thing on earth you need, when anyway confronted with a bit more of poo then "normal" people, is someone telling that you are anyway doomed to poo.

The important thing is not, to be able to live like everyone else does, the important thing, depending how much you profit from your life is to be able to be happy from now and then. And this works. Compared to my sister, who didnt inherit the autism stuff, but who was presented with my moms lung asthma and countless allergies against everything, which I didnt inherit on the other side, I couldnt tell you who had more "luck". ^^ So where are the threads about the moms that ruined their life of their childs with allergies. These poor kids are not supposed to live as they should! So this must be terrible for them! *ironic*

The thing is: Both of us found ways to have a happy life through most time of the year. Sure there will be always some misadvantages. But a misadvantage doesnt ruin your life automatically. Life is not about mourning what you cant acchieve anyway, but about working on the things you can acchieve. :) From her selfpity, her son hasnt got any use.



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04 Mar 2013, 5:45 am

Schneekugel,

Thank you for saying better than I could.


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kamiyu910
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09 Mar 2013, 2:33 pm

Schneekugel,
I really wish she could read what you wrote and understand


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01 Apr 2013, 7:47 am

The woman sounds she has a lot of that Catholic guilt.

The interesting random thing was about the fluoridated water... she got him fluoridated water in bottles, yet $5,000 in dental work by the time he was 5??? Is that due to using unfluoridated water during brushing?

Why would you spend 5 grand$$ when it's babyteeth that will be lost after 5 years of age.. unless it was causing him pain.
I am curious what caused the bad dentals.

Cipro for ear infections??? Thats a strong antibiotic....

agh. I think the woman has a guilty complex and yes there are lots of things she shouldn't have done while pregnant, however i don't see them directly resulting in Autism.



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01 Apr 2013, 1:58 pm

kamiyu910 wrote:
I'm a bit disturbed by the contents of this article and would like some other opinions on this please:

http://gaia-health.com/gaia-blog/2013-0 ... on-autism/


Pretty absurd. She gave her son autism by

1. genetics

2. inflammation of the limbic system caused by any number of factors, including allergens, excessive hygiene, or even stress, perhaps

She should have been less stressed and less hygienic; then her son might not have developed autism.