Jenny McCarthy calls Bulls***!

**moomies** · April 3rd, 2008, 11:58 PM

Hey Mistify

**western** · April 4th, 2008, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by GaPeach

There is some reason autism has jumped

Has it? Or is it just because they combined a bunch of similar problems and renamed it all 'autism spectrum disorder'? So intead of having 10 kids suffering from 10 different problems you've got 100 kids suffering from autism, instant increase.

Not to knock autism, I just find it interesting that it's rarely mentioned that this was done when the 'increase' is talked about. So I wonder if there is truly an increase or just a greater awareness because more problems have the same label.

As for vaccines, who knows. Jenny McCarthy has attributed restricting her son's diet to helping with his recovery. Is it possible that there's something in our foods?? There has been a dramatic increase in preserved foods & insecticides that previous generations never had to worry about.

**mistify** · April 4th, 2008, 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by moomies

Hey Mistify

hi moomies love ya girlie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**GaPeach** · April 4th, 2008, 08:34 AM

I don't like celebs spouting off either but when it's your child it's a whole new ball game. You have to educate yourself because doctors either talk over you or don't listen to you at all.

I'm not saying it is the shots, I am saying it's within every parents rights to question. What are they giving our children and why? What are the risks.

When my daughter was ready to go to school she had to have her shots, there was no choice.

The signs for a lot of illnesses in children do not show up until after the age of two, why not give them the shots then and why not space out the shots?

I know little about autism but I do know about diabetes insipidus, I know it backwards and forwards and I'm not a doctor. I'm just a person who watched a normal healthy baby girl almost die. It may not just be the shots, it may be the antibotics we give our children.

I'm not advocating no meds, drugs, shots. I am saying know what you child is taking and know the risks.

Once your child is ill with a life threatening disease - you'll find while the doctors treat the symptoms your pretty much on your own in caring for your child.

Jenny is speaking from her heart. She is telling people what happened to her and her son and trying to help other people out .....

**crumpet** · April 4th, 2008, 09:24 AM

Screw her. I'm sorry her kid is sick and all but I'm tired of parents thinking they know more than the entire medical community. I can access a really good article written by a physician addressing these accusations, especially the ones made by Jenny in her book.

**louiswinthorpe111** · April 4th, 2008, 10:07 AM

^^Ok, I don't think this about Jenny knowing more than the medical community. But the "medical community" generally does not rush to make/implements changes to combat diseases. Remember when AIDS came out, anyone?

Vaccines are NOT the same now as they were when I was vaccinated. Starting at 6 months, babies get vaccination shots every 6 months to a year, and each set of shot has about 5 different vaccinations in there.

I have read about both Jenny's case and Holly Robinson's Peete's case. Both children transformed overnight after receiving the vaccination.

Do vaccinations cause autism? Honestly, I don't know. But I am not about to declare which side is right. I DO think there needs to be alot more research.

Jenny changed her son diet to a gluten free diet. Because sugars and starches seem to effect his brain differently. She has also worked with him very intensely to try to make his situation better. Holly Robinson Peete didn't start the "Jenny McCarthy" plan until later in her sons life, and he has shown signs of improvement, but not as well as Jenny's son has.

For those that knock Jenny and what she's trying to do, do not lay judgement until you've walked in her shoes.

FYI, you can get a child into school without vaccinations. You have to play the religion card.

**BoogsBun** · April 4th, 2008, 10:24 AM

Part of me thinks it's genetics more than anything. I have a friend with three kids that 2 have been diagnosed with some thing in the spectrum, and the third is shaping up to have something too.

I can't say it is or isn't caused by vaccines. There's millions of kids that do get vaccinated and are healthy, and there's millions of kids vaccinated that get autism.

**Corsair** · April 4th, 2008, 12:38 PM

louis, I did childcare for almost 2 years for an autistic child that was on the gluten/casein free diet it. It was an amazing difference in him. I could tell when his family slacked on the diet (which was often) because his tantrums and aggresive behavior always became worse. For my son it never made a difference.

Parents of kids on the spectrum are usually (hopefully) doing the best they can, and different kids respond to different things. It's easy to get caught up in a witch hunt or conspiracy (because you are angry and afraid and want to believe you know why). I was amazed at how many people would jump in and tell me I should do this or not do that based on watching a FUCKING MOVIE like Rainman or having been around a child with autism before. It doesn't make you an expert. Hell I've lived with it for over 11 years and I am not an expert. Just doing the best I can.

I just want research to continue to the point where things can be stated as fact.

**GaPeach** · April 4th, 2008, 12:50 PM

louiswinthorpe111 - I agree with your post

then I saw your avatar and fell out laughing!!!!

**darksithbunny** · April 4th, 2008, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by Corsair

Ok, my 14 year old son has autism. I don't blame the vaccinations. I had my youngest child vaccinated, I have 3 kids and only one with autism. I also don't believe it can be cured, however early intervention can do wonders and has with my son. This is a huge soapbox topic for me. Getting the diagnosis is devastating and as a parent you want to blame something. My personal opinion based on my family and the kids I've been around, is that it's more genetic but environmental factors may play a part. At this point, for me, I just want to make sure my son gets the best he can and am not going to spout off about what I don't know to be fact, there are studies that both support and refute the vaccination being the cause.

ETA: Something that interests me is studying the drug cocktail that is our drinking water and considering the medications that get recycled, that weren't there a couple of generations ago.

Corsair,
At what age was you soon diagnosed? I was curious as to I read recently that they say they can diagnose it as early as 6 months.

Also, I agree about the medicines in our recycled drinking water. Very alarming.

**MrsMarsters** · April 4th, 2008, 02:53 PM

Well AIDS isn't exactly the easiest virus..to get rid of..people expect a cure for anything, it takes time, and lots of money..and I am sure most doctors out there are busting their asses to find a cure.

There hasn't exactly been a proven link that these vaccines directly cause it. HOWEVER...it seems like people in general are looking for something just anything so they can blame SOMEONE for what has happened to the child..

Maybe, it is maybe it isn't..but I don't think anyone really knows enough about to blame vaccines.

**tulip** · April 4th, 2008, 07:33 PM

I have a child on the spectrum, so I know what it's like to live with this. Although, my son is only mildly affected and so I don't know what it is like to have your child be a loving kid one moment and remote and detached another.

First of all, I think it's great that Jenny McCarthy is bringing some attention to the disorder. HOWEVER, I think that she needs to stop acting like she knows more than everyone else does. Things are being discovered all the time about autism, and I do believe that one day they'll figure this stuff out. Also, her child is not recovered -- he is managing his disorder, which is wonderful. Take him off his diet and keep him out of his speech and social therapies and I bet he'd take some huge steps backwards. This isn't something you recover from or are cured of, but you can manage it and make incredible strides by learning coping mechanisms and having therapy for your individual issues -- speech, social, sensory, auditory, OT, PT, etc.

I think part of my problem with Jenny is that I still can't get past all that Crystal Child bullshit she was involved with. She thought her kid was magical and special, and now she knows what was really going on...so tell me how she remembers him changing right after his MMR shot?

Now, I can tell you that 10 years ago my son would have just been considered "quirky" and not been diagnosed ASD. I think the dramatic increase in cases is because of the spectrum being widened. ASD is so much more than what we thought it was years ago.

I don't know about the vaccine connection, but my children never had 30 of them! And, the mercury has been out of them for several years, and we're still seeing kids being diagnosed. I don't know, but I know how desperate parents are to blame something for this. I understand that. I do think we'd be seeing far more cases if the vaccine were to blame. My friend didn't get her son the MMR for a long time and he still has ASD -- there was no connection. Perhaps it awakens something in some kids, and not in others.

OK, I'm done now.

**Corsair** · April 4th, 2008, 10:18 PM

My son was 2 years 9 months when he was diagnosed, after me going to my pediatrician telling him something was wrong, and being told I was an "over-anxious" parent, and that maybe I should take parenting classes (which conveniently were done by his wife). He got into intensive home therapy (Lovaas) as well as speech, O.T., adaptive P.E., play therapy. I was very lucky, as after he got into the home program (30 hours a week) it became much harder to get. I tried to get involved with a local parents group but they were so militant and angry and looking to blame, I dropped out and don't have anything to do with them. I didn't have enough energy for that on top of trying to deal with everything at home.

Tulip how old is your son?

**aabbcc** · April 5th, 2008, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by tulip

I think part of my problem with Jenny is that I still can't get past all that Crystal Child bullshit she was involved with. She thought her kid was magical and special, and now she knows what was really going on...so tell me how she remembers him changing right after his MMR shot?

I am active on several pagan/witchcraft forums, and I can tell you that most pagans with a brain think that whole Indigo/Crystal children thing is pure crap. It seems to be a great excuse for parents to either ignore that their kid has problems or let him/her act like a beastly little brat who needs a good ass-kicking pronto or both.

Every time someone posts on a forum that they are Indigo and so 'speshul' and important to the future of the planet, I want to barf. Half of them can't spell and come off sounding incredibly ignorant. It makes you wonder if their parents bothered to teach them anything when they were growing up.

**sherbear905** · April 5th, 2008, 10:34 AM

My 10 year old nephew has a very mild form of autism, and I commend any parent who is raising an autistic child.

He had the same vaccinations that all of our sons had. My son is almost 13, and when he was getting his shots, I didn't opt out of any of them, and he's fine. My other sister has 2 boys, the 15 year old having a strong case of ADHD, still. We've never tried to figure out "why" with either boy, it's challenging enough just to try to live a normal life for each of my sisters and their families.