One of the more common accusations leveled against the community of parents who
believe vaccines are at the heart of their children’s neurological problems is
that we don’t value science. This was probably best expressed by the headline of
an article in The New York Times from June 25, 2005 which declared, “On Autism’s
Cause, It’s Parents vs. Research.”
According to the article, we parents have come to a belief that our children
were harmed by vaccines and we’re going to believe it in spite of any evidence
to the contrary. I guess we’re supposed to believe vaccines are safe because the
Verstraeten study which showed an incidence rate of 20 autistics per 10,000 when
the generally accepted number in this country is 66 per 10,000, and despite
Thomas Verstraeten’s own assertion that his study shows no association for or
against vaccines causing neurological problems. Or do they mean we’re supposed
to find comfort in the Danish study, when they have a significantly different
vaccination schedule, and an autism rate of 7 per 10,000?
Let me be the first to say it. I’m the parent of an autistic child and I love
science.
I love it when Columbia researcher Dr. Mady Hornig creates an experiment where
she subjects mice with differing genetic profiles to levels of thimerosal equal
to the U.S. vaccination schedule and finds that the mice with a predisposition
to autoimmune disorders develop symptoms similar to autism in response to the
thimerosal.
I love it when Harvard neurologist Dr. Martha Herbert finds that the brains of
autistic children are not “wired differently”, but appear inflamed, and that
this inflammation is probably the result of a chronic disease or an external
environmental source, such as heavy metals.
I love it when Dr. Craig Newschaffer of Johns Hopkins University analyzes
special education data from the United States and finds that the greatest
increase in autism took place between 1987 and 1992, which matches the timing of
the near-tripling of the vaccines and the mercury load placed on our children.
But I have the greatest love for science that makes a difference for my child.
It was with great interest I read the recent paper entitled, “Inhibition of
p21-activated Kinase Rescues Symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome in Mice” by authors
from MIT and the Howard Hughes Institute. I’m sure that one jumped right out at
you, too.
In Fragile X syndrome, the neurons of a child are not fully developed and these
children have learning disorders and are often categorized as autistic. It is
the leading “genetic” cause of autism. The scientists theorized that the genes
of these children may be allowing the over-expression of a brain enzyme which is
keeping the neurons in an immature state. By inhibiting this brain enzyme
(p21-activated kinase, or PAK) the scientists wanted to see what effect this
would have on learning and behavior.
As reported by Dr. Susumu Tonegawa, a 1987 Nobel laureate, “Strikingly, PAK
inhibition also restored electrical communication between neurons in the brains
of the FXS mice, correcting their behavioral abnormalities.” The mice got
better. Some of them even appeared to be normal.
How do you test mice to see if they’re normal? Here’s what they did.
With normal mice you can play a tone, then thirty seconds later administer a
mild electric shock to the cage. When the normal mice heard the tone again, they
froze in place, a standard animal response. The fragile X mice never froze in
place, no matter how many times the tone was played, and followed by the
electric shock. After the experiment, they did. This worked even among the mice
which were well into adulthood.
I was excited by this news because I’ve long believed that my daughter’s
electrical communication is messed up, giving her seizures and autism. On the
daily seizure log prepared by my lovely wife we have all the various types
listed. There’s the eye-flutters, the spasms where her arms fold forward and
head down, the drop seizure where her body falls forward, the jerk seizure, the
grand mal seizure with a loss of consciousness, with/without face color changes
and tongue clicking sounds, and the absence-staring seizures. For years her
seizures were controlled by medication, but she didn’t develop normally. For the
past five years her seizures have been uncontrolled, usually averaging between
four to ten a day.
I provided this information to my wonderful autism doctor and she was intrigued.
She told me she didn’t have a supplement which exactly matched what they did,
but she had one that worked in the same general area. She would work on
developing a supplement to match their research, but in the meantime I could try
the supplement she had.
That was two weeks ago. For the past five days, my daughter Jacqueline has been
seizure-free.
I love science.
Kent Heckenlively has worked as an attorney, television producer, and is now a
beloved science teacher.
SOUTHINGTON -- Tyler Gauvin-Shortell is a little boy with some big medical
bills.
Tyler, 8, has suffered from a seizure disorder since he was 4 months old. His
family has spent years seeking treatment for the disorder, which has caused his
development to slow, and even made a trip down to Atlanta to meet with doctors
at the Edelson Center.
But each of the treatments -- and the many medications Tyler has been prescribed
-- come with a bill, most of which are not covered by Tyler’s mother Brenda
Shortell’s insurance.
The Southington Jaycees have stepped in and are sponsoring a dinner Nov. 16 in
Tyler’s honor to raise money to help his family, including Brenda Shortell, and
Tyler’s brother, Brendon.
"We’re here for the community and it’s just what we do. We raise money and give
it out to people who need it. And Tyler is a little man who desperately needs
money," said Lisa Oakes, who will be a field director for the Jaycees in January
and is organizing the dinner.
Oakes said the members of the Jaycees were taken in by Tyler’s spirit when he
attended their meeting last week. When one person raised his hand to give an
oath of office to another member, Tyler ran up and high-fived him, Oakes said
with a laugh. "He’s just a good kid and we just want to see him get better,"
Oakes said.
According to Shortell, doctors are closer to stopping the seizures that Tyler, a
third-grader at Ivy Drive School in Bristol, experiences on a daily basis.
Earlier this year, Shortell said that one possible cause of the seizures is a
component of the diphtheria-petussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine Tyler and his twin
brother, Alex, received when they were 4 months old.
The boys experienced their first seizures within 10 hours of receiving the
vaccine, Shortell said. Alex died from the disorder before his second birthday.
According to Shortell, doctors have found mercury in Tyler’s system that may
have been introduced by the DPT vaccine. Thimerosal is a kind of mercury used as
a preservative in vaccines.
"They’re trying to detox that out of his body because nothing is getting
absorbed. The metal blocks anything from getting into his body," Shortell said.
"At least we know. Now I have a cause after all this time. I wish I had known
(when the twins were) 4 months of age, but I never thought of that because a
vaccine is there to protect them."
Shortell said she plans to use the money raised at the Jaycees dinner to pay
medical bills, fund some of the 10 medications Tyler currently takes and
purchase a LCD computer screen. Normal computer monitors tend to cause Tyler to
have seizures so he is unable to use them.
Oakes said the dinner, which will be held at the Falcon Club in Southington,
will be manned by Jaycees members and volunteers from Southington High School.
The club has already received donated food from various business, but is still
looking for donations of baked goods and items for a raffle.
Oakes said everyone just wants to see Tyler get better and hopes the dinner will
be a success in raising money to pay for his treatments.
"We’re hoping to have an awesome turnout," Oakes said. "People need to know
these kids are our future and if we can save one of them, it makes a world of
difference."
The dinner for Tyler will be held Nov. 16 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Falcon
Club, 33 Knowles Ave., Southington.
For information or to make a donation, call Lisa Oakes at (860) 621-7051.
Monetary donations can be sent to Tyler Gauvin Medical Fund, c/o Webster Bank,
647 Farmington Ave., Bristol, CT 06010 or any Webster Bank branch.
(Southington-WTNH, Nov. 17, 2003 5:00 PM) _ The seizures began shortly after
getting a vaccine when he was only four months old. Now an 8-year-old Bristol
boy is undergoing treatment with some promising results.
by News Channel 8's Jocelyn Maminta
Tyler Gauvin-Shortell is a bright boy, but a severe seizure disorder has slowed
down his development. His twin brother Alex died before his second birthday.
Their medical problem was recently traced back to a childhood vaccination.
"It started actually after their DPT vaccination," says mom Brenda Shortell.
"Less than 10 hours after the vaccine is when they had their first seizure."
Doctors say it introduced mercury into their bodies. Naturopathic physician Dr.
Nancy White in West Hartford is treating Tyler with homeopathic and nutritional
remedies.
"I'm trying to help his body overcome the insult and to help his body detoxify
the toxic materials," she said.
Dr. White says parents may want to consider delaying vaccines, which allows a
child's immune system to be more developed.
"I'm not saying don't have them. I'm saying look at it critically and reschedule
it. Make it a point to have single dose vaccines instead of four and six and
eight all at the same time."
Tyler's condition is showing a little improvement.
"He was having I would say more throughout the day than he is now," Brenda said.
"He has them daily, but it's mostly upon waking up."
Meantime, the single parent family is struggling to pay for Tyler's huge medical
bills not covered by insurance. Despite that, they are encouraged and hopeful
that one day Tyler will win his fight.
Am J Dis Child. 1984 Oct;138(10):908-11. Related Articles, Links
Recurrent seizures after diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine
immunization. Onset less than 24 hours after vaccination.
Murphy JV, Sarff LD, Marquardt KM.
Twenty-two patients with recurrent seizures that started less than 24 hours
after immunization with diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine were
retrospectively studied. The initial seizure generally occurred after one of
the first three DTP vaccine immunizations, and followed that immunization by
less than 12 hours. Two of the 22 patients were siblings. Eight patients had
additional immunizations with DTP vaccine and four had immediate worsening of
their seizures. Of the 22 patients, only one was seizure free and stopped
taking anticonvulsants. Three patients exhibited normal development, and 11
had severe developmental delays. Based on these observations, we reviewed
current contraindications for immunization with pertussis vaccine.
Lancet. 1983 May 7;1(8332):1031-4. Related Articles, Links
Infantile spasms and pertussis immunisation.
Bellman MH, Ross EM, Miller DL.
The possible roles of pertussis immunisation and of other factors in the
aetiology of infantile spasms were investigated by analysis of 269 cases
reported to the National Childhood Encephalopathy Study. In 34% of the cases
an antecedent factor which may have caused infantile spasms was identified;
the commonest of these were perinatal hypoxia (38 cases) and tuberous
sclerosis (16 cases). Case-control analyses showed no significant association
between infantile spasms and pertussis immunisation in the 28 days before
onset. There was, however, some clustering of cases immunised with either
diphtheria-tetanuspertussis or diphtheria-tetanus vaccines in the 7 days
before onset. The excess compared with controls was compensated for by a
corresponding deficit over the remaining period up to 28 days. It is
suggested that these vaccines do not cause infantile spasms but may trigger
their onset in those children in whom the disorder is destined to develop.
PMID: 6133070 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
EPILEPSY: Guess what? Yup, the drugs don't work (part 4,791)
There have been several concerns about epilepsy therapy. The drugs are very
powerful (although it can be argued that they have to be), and we're aware of
quite a few people dying while on the drugs. The other problem is that
epilepsy is often wrongly diagnosed, and the patient doesn't have the
condition at all.
Now there's a new worry. A new study has revealed that nearly half of
patients taking epilepsy drugs continue to have seizures. In other words,
the drugs don't work. (NB: Drugs that don't work still come with the nasty
side effects, like death). The study monitored the seizure rate among 1,652
patients. Of these, one in three had 'severe' epilepsy, and the rest had a
milder form. Despite this, all the patients were taking up to seven
different drugs to control the seizures. Many of those on drugs could have
their seizures controlled by other forms of medical care, the researchers
suggest.
In 1955 AL Low of Chicago published a study in which he performed
electroencephalograms (EEGS) on 83 children before and after pertussis
immunization. (32) In two of the children he found that the EEGs turned
abnormal following the immunizations without other signs or symptoms of
abnormal reactions. In his report he commented:
“This study suggests that mild but possibly significant cerebral reactions
may occur in addition to the reported very severe neurological changes.”
Careful search of the literature has disclosed only one similar
before-and-after immunization study, one from Japan in which it was found
that 61 children with epilepsy or a history of febrile seizures showed
significant increases in “epileptic spikes” on EEGs following DTP, DT, or BCG
vaccines. (33)
Quote:
"A total of 439,251 children (82 percent) were given the MMR vaccine, lead
author Dr. Mogens Vestergaard, from Aarhus University, and colleagues note. Of
all children studied, 17,986 experienced febrile seizures at least once"
Okay, anyone other than myself totally floored by these numbers!! Over 17,000
experienced these seizures...and they seem fine with that? This is so
unacceptable to me. I don't care if these seizures are "usually harmless" (their
words NOT mine..). UGH!!!
Peace,
Laney
.................................................................................................................................................................................
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Vaccination with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
vaccine appears to increase a child's risk of having a seizure from a high fever
-- a usually harmless event. However, the increased risk appears to be small and
short-lived, Danish researchers report.
Moreover, like other febrile seizures, those arising after vaccination were not
associated with an increased risk of developing epilepsy. The findings, which
appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association, are based on a study
of all children born in Denmark between 1991 and 1998 who survived at least 3
months. More than 535,000 children were followed through 1999.
A total of 439,251 children (82 percent) were given the MMR vaccine, lead author
Dr. Mogens Vestergaard, from Aarhus University, and colleagues note. Of all
children studied, 17,986 experienced febrile seizures at least once. Within two
weeks of vaccination, immunized children were nearly three times more likely to
develop febrile seizures than children who were not vaccinated. Beyond this
point, however, the risk of seizures in each group was comparable.
A personal or sibling history of febrile seizures greatly increased the risk of
seizures following MMR vaccination, but the actual risk was still small.
Specifically, at 15 to 17 months, the overall rate of seizures within 2 weeks of
vaccination was 1.6 per 1000 children. With a personal or sibling history of
seizures, the corresponding rates were 19.5 and 4.0 per 1000 children.
Experiencing a febrile seizure after vaccination slightly increased the risk of
a repeat seizure, but had no effect on the risk of epilepsy compared with other
febrile seizures. "MMR vaccination is an effective health intervention," the
authors emphasize, "and the transient increased rate of febrile seizures was
restricted to 2 weeks following vaccination."
SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, July 21, 2004.
Context The rate of febrile seizures increases following measles, mumps,
and rubella (MMR) vaccination but it is unknown whether the rate varies
according to personal or family history of seizures, perinatal factors, or
socioeconomic status. Furthermore, little is known about the long-term
outcome of febrile seizures following vaccination.
Objectives To estimate incidence rate ratios (RRs) and risk differences of
febrile seizures following MMR vaccination within subgroups of children and
to evaluate the clinical outcome of febrile seizures following vaccination.
Design, Setting, and Participants A population-based cohort study of all
children born in Denmark between January 1, 1991, and December 31, 1998, who
were alive at 3 months; 537 171 children were followed up until December 31,
1999, by using data from the Danish Civil Registration System and 4 other
national registries.
Main Outcome Measures Incidence of first febrile seizure, recurrent febrile
seizures, and subsequent epilepsy.
Results A total of 439 251 children (82%) received MMR vaccination and 17
986 children developed febrile seizures at least once; 973 of these febrile
seizures occurred within 2 weeks of MMR vaccination. The RR of febrile
seizures increased during the 2 weeks following MMR vaccination (2.75; 95%
confidence interval [CI], 2.55-2.97), and thereafter was close to the
observed RR for nonvaccinated children. The RR did not vary significantly in
the subgroups of children that had been defined by their family history of
seizures, perinatal factors, or socioeconomic status. At 15 to 17 months, the
risk difference of febrile seizures within 2 weeks following MMR vaccination
was 1.56 per 1000 children overall (95% CI, 1.44-1.68), 3.97 per 1000 (95%
CI, 2.90-5.40) for siblings of children with a history of febrile seizures,
and 19.47 per 1000 (95% CI, 16.05-23.55) for children with a personal history
of febrile seizures. Children with febrile seizures following MMR
vaccinations had a slightly increased rate of recurrent febrile seizures (RR,
1.19; 95% CI, 1.01-1.41) but no increased rate of epilepsy (RR, 0.70; 95% CI,
0.33-1.50) compared with children who were nonvaccinated at the time of their
first febrile seizure.
Conclusions MMR vaccination was associated with a transient increased rate
of febrile seizures but the risk difference was small even in high-risk
children. The long-term rate of epilepsy was not increased in children who
had febrile seizures following vaccination compared with children who had
febrile seizures of a different etiology.
Seizure risk with MMR vaccine slight, temporary
Last Updated: 2004-07-21 16:17:10 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Vaccination with the measles, mumps, and rubella
(MMR) vaccine appears to increase a child's risk of having a seizure from a
high fever -- a usually harmless event. However, the increased risk appears
to be small and short-lived, Danish researchers report. Moreover, like
other febrile seizures, those arising after vaccination were not associated
with an increased risk of developing epilepsy.
The findings, which appear in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, are based on a study of all children born in Denmark between
1991 and 1998 who survived at least 3 months. More than 535,000 children were
followed through 1999. A total of 439,251 children (82 percent) were
given the MMR vaccine, lead author Dr. Mogens Vestergaard, from Aarhus
University, and colleagues note. Of all children studied, 17,986 experienced
febrile seizures at least once. Within two weeks of vaccination, immunized
children were nearly three times more likely to develop febrile seizures than
children who were not vaccinated. Beyond this point, however, the risk of
seizures in each group was comparable.
A personal or sibling history of febrile seizures greatly increased the risk
of seizures following MMR vaccination, but the actual risk was still small.
Specifically, at 15 to 17 months, the overall rate of seizures within 2 weeks
of vaccination was 1.6 per 1000 children. With a personal or sibling history
of seizures, the corresponding rates were 19.5 and 4.0 per 1000 children.
Experiencing a febrile seizure after vaccination slightly increased the risk
of a repeat seizure, but had no effect on the risk of epilepsy compared with
other febrile seizures. "MMR vaccination is an effective health
intervention," the authors emphasize, "and the transient increased rate of
febrile seizures was restricted to 2 weeks following vaccination."
SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, July 21, 20
J Child Neurol. 2004 Jun;19(6):405-12. Related Articles, Links
Neurologic complications of immunization.
Bale JF Jr.
Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics , The University of
Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. james.bale@hsc.utah.edu
In the United States and many other developed countries, active immunization
of children has virtually eliminated poliomyelitis, measles, rubella,
tetanus, and other diseases, such as disease due to Haemophilus influenzae
type b. Individual vaccines can produce systemic or neurologic reactions
ranging from minor events, such as pain and erythema at the injection site,
to major complications, such as seizures, shock, encephalopathy, or death.
Immunization programs have also generated considerable controversy, as
witnessed by recent concerns regarding the relationship between vaccines or
their constituents and autism or multiple sclerosis. This review summarizes
current information regarding vaccines, the diseases that they prevent, and
the potential relationships between vaccines and neurologic disease.
PMID: 15446387 [PubMed - in process]
Alert Janesville police officer saves the life of 17-month-old child
(Published Wednesday, November 17, 2004 10:38:31 AM CST)
By Sid Schwartz/Gazette Staff
Janesville police officer Todd Bailey, left, responded to a 911 dispatch
Friday morning after 17-month-old Justin Zelms, held by his mother, Michelle,
stopped breathing at the Zelmses’ residence. Bailey administered rescue
breaths and resuscitated Justin before paramedics arrived and took the child
to Mercy Hospital.
Al Hoch/Gazette Staff
Michelle Zelms and her 17-month-old son, Justin, played patty-cake and pulled
on his socks Friday morning before the toddler grabbed a handful of raisins
for a snack. "He was playing by the TV when his little arms fell straight to
his sides. He fell straight backwards and hit the back of his head," Michelle
said. "I looked at him and said, 'Justin,' because he didn't cry. His eyes
were starting to roll into his head. I thought he was dying."
Justin shook.
Michelle scooped up her child and ran to her father. "Dad! Dad! Dad! He's
dying! He's choking! He's dying!" she yelled. Her father, John Zelms, tried
performing the Heimlich maneuver.
No luck.
"That's not working! That's not working!" Michelle yelled. She needed help,
but the family has no telephone in their apartment at 619 S. Arch St., No. 5.
Michelle lifted Justin and ran up and down the hallway of her apartment
building, pounding on doors. No answer.
"Then a little girl answered one of the doors," Michelle said. "Her mother
rushed out of the back after hearing me. I was pretty loud." They laid Justin
on the kitchen table. "He was gasping," Michelle said. "I could tell he could
hear me. He just tried to look at me, but he couldn't control his eyes to
look at me. I started crying and crying. I was so scared." The neighbor,
Sherry Grams, told Michelle to call 911.
Michelle couldn't make the phone work. "It's a special phone. You have to
push 'Talk' and then dial 911 and then 'Talk,'" Michelle said. "I told her,
'It's not ringing!'"
Sherry took the phone and called 911.
Janesville police officer Todd Bailey was in his squad car at Rockport Park
when he heard the call dispatched. "I was only 30 seconds away," Bailey said.
"When you can go lights and sirens, you can cover pretty good ground." Under
the direction of 911 dispatchers, Michelle and Sherry were trying to give
Justin rescue breaths. "His mouth was clenched tight," Michelle said. "He
wouldn't open his mouth." They were about to start chest compressions when
Bailey burst into the apartment.
Bailey stopped them, checked Justin and found a pulse.
"If I was another 30 seconds getting there, then they would have been doing
those chest compressions," Bailey said. "If there's a pulse, you don't do
chest compressions." Bailey was able to unclench Justin's jaw and give three
rescue breaths one second apart.
Justin started breathing.
"Then I could hear it, coming out through his mouth and lightly through the
nose," Bailey said. "He was pretty much unconscious the whole time until he
got breathing. Then he'd kind of pop out of it. Then he'd roll back, and then
I'd stimulate him." Bailey would rub Justin's sternum and yell Justin's name
to bring him back toward consciousness. "I did that until I knew the
paramedics were there and then ran him down to them," Bailey said. At Mercy
Hospital in Janesville, a scan showed a spot on Justin's brain, Michelle
said. They transferred Justin to University Hospital in Madison.
"As soon as we got there, they super-glued some stuff to his head to check
his brain waves," Michelle said. That night, Justin was given a CAT scan, but
Michelle had to wait until Saturday morning to hear the results. "The doctor
came in the next morning at 10 and said, 'Everything is fine.' I said, 'Oh,
thank God!'"
The scan showed no spot on Justin's brain.
Doctors said Justin's seizure may have been caused by a fever he had after
getting immunizations the day before.
"From now on, he'll be more likely to have seizures," Michelle said. Doctors
prescribed medication to prevent seizures. "I'm so happy," Michelle said.
Bailey said he feels good that he was able to help. "I didn't even think
about it until it was all over," Bailey said. "Then you get that kind of
shaking, and think, 'What just happened?' It's one of those things you don't
run into every day. "The training paid off. I'm just really glad."
Specific fungi associated with CNS infections Increased use of immunosuppressive
drugs, increasingly potent broad-spectrum antibiotics, and the spread of AIDS
have made fungal infections of the CNS much less rare than they once were. They
may even be predicted from the clinical context.141
Most patients with a fungal infection of the central nervous system (CNS) have
some predisposing flaw in their immune response that allows invasion by
relatively nonvirulent fungi:
Different clinical syndromes are more commonly associated with various specific
fungi:
Species Relative incidence Clinical syndrome
Meningitis Abscess Infarct
Cryptococcus Common Common Infrequent Infrequent
Coccidioides Common Common Infrequent Infrequent
Candida Common Occasional Occasional Rare
Molds (e.g., Aspergillus) Occasional Infrequent Occasional Common
Zygomycetes Occasional Infrequent Occasional Common
Histoplasma Occasional Infrequent Infrequent Infrequent
Blastomyces Occasional Infrequent Infrequent Rare
Sporothrix Occasional Infrequent Rare Rare
Information on the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of CNS fungal
infections that can be complicated by seizures is listed in Table:
Epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of CNS
fungal infections
Fungal meningitis
Clinical manifestations of fungal meningitis are less stereotyped than the
manifestations of bacterial meningitis. Patients often present with a chronic
meningitis syndrome (defined as meningitis
that persists for at least 1 month). In fact, fungal meningitis is always a
consideration in the differential diagnosis of any patient with a chronic
meningitis syndrome.
CSF cultures are frequently negative. Because fungal meningitis often involves
the base of the brain more prominently than the spinal cord, cisternal CSF may
yield organisms when lumbar CSF is negative. Repeated examinations of lumbar CSF
or aspirates of cisternal or ventricular fluid may be needed before a diagnosis
is made.139,140 Cryptococcal meningitis is the easiest fungal CNS infection to
diagnose via CSF analysis.
Seizures with CNS fungal infections
The full range of seizure symptomatology can occur secondary to CNS fungal
infections. There are many reports of patients presenting with new-onset
seizures who deteriorated or died before a fungal cause was diagnosed,142
underscoring the importance of liberal inclusion of fungal infection in the
differential diagnosis of new-onset seizure, especially when any predisposing
clinical context exists.143
Anticonvulsant therapy follows routine guidelines. The clinician must be aware
of frequent antifungal-anticonvulsant interactions. Maintenance anticonvulsant
therapy is usually required, even after
definitive antifungal treatment.
Immune Response Table adapted from JR Perfect, DT Durack. Fungal Meningitis. In
WM Scheld, RJ Whitley, DT Durack (eds), Infections of the Central Nervous
System. Philadelphia: Lippincott–Raven, 1997;721–739.
Different clinical syndromes Table adapted from JR Perfect, DT Durack. Fungal
Meningitis. In WM Scheld, RJ Whitley, DT Durack (eds),Infections of the Central
Nervous System. Philadelphia: Lippincott– Raven, 1997;721–739.
Adapted from: Goldstein MA and Harden CL. Infectious states. In:
Ettinger AB and Devinsky O, eds. Managing epilepsy and co-existing
disorders. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann; 2002;83-133.
With permission from Elsevier (www.elsevier.com).
Reviewed and revised March 2004 by Steven C. Schachter, MD, epilepsy.com
Editorial Board.
When my then 6 year old daughter developed seizures I had to find the
answers myself. She was riddled with parasites after several courses of
antibiotics. Just garden variety pinworms, most kids get them at some point. Her
seizures occurred every 28 or so days. Her period? NO, SHE WAS SIX. The 28 days
was the life cycle of the PINWORM -- as they died off in her she became more
toxic. You can bet your sweet bippee that no neurologist ever told me that -- it
was the Naturpath I found.
Cleaning up her digestive system really helped her -- ultimately the seizures
stopped after (don't cry) 4 long years of exhaustion. I did not use meds after a
3 month trial didn't stop a single seizure and the drugs made her loopy and took
away her limited speech.
I say clean your child up -- from the inside up, to re-raise her seizure
threshold. I suggest "The Parasite Menace" by Skye Weintraub. I am not
anti-drugs, Nancy, and would not tell you that you shouldn't use anti-epileptic
meds. However, educate yourself on the pros and cons and continue to keep the
child "clean" so as to combat any side effects.
Good luck and God bless.
August 16, 2007
Parents Warned Cough Medicines Imperil Infants
By GARDINER HARRIS
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/health/16cough.html
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 — Hoping to halt the growing number of injuries to infants
and toddlers, the Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory Wednesday
warning parents never to give cough and cold medicines to children under
the age of 2 unless instructed to do so by a doctor. The warning is part of a
broad reassessment by the agency of the safety of the popular medicines, which
have been blamed for hundreds of adverse reactions and a handful of deaths in
children under the age of 2.
The F.D.A. will convene a panel of independent experts on Oct. 18 to discuss
whether more prohibitions or warnings are warranted. Such meetings often signal
that the agency is seriously concerned about the safety of the drugs under
review. The drugs’ labels currently advise parents to see a doctor before giving
the medicines if their child is under the age of 2, but too many parents are
failing to heed this advice, the agency said. “We continue to see adverse
effects associated with the medicines because people are not using them
properly,” said Susan Cruzan, an F.D.A. spokeswoman. If, despite label warnings,
parents continue to use the drugs inappropriately in young children, the agency
could take more serious action, like restricting the drugs’ wide
availability.Most drugs that have been withdrawn in the past 15 years were taken
off the market because doctors and patients failed to heed prominent warnings.
Some prominent pediatricians and public health experts said that the drug
agency’s advisory did not go far enough. One group petitioned the agency to ban
the marketing of the drugs for children under the age of 6, and some said that
the medicines should no longer be sold over-the-counter for use in children at
all.
“Unless convincing evidence shows that these medications are effective for
children, their easy availability to families should be re-examined,” said Dr.
Ian M. Paul, a pediatrician at Penn State Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa.
But the drugs’ makers say that the F.D.A. approved the drugs because they are
safe and effective. Virginia Cox, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Healthcare
Products Association, said that the drugs’ labels already advised against their
use in children under the age of 2 unless a doctor approved. Ms. Cox said there
was no need to raise this age limit to 6. Some of the drugs have drawings or
pictures of infants in diapers on their labels.
The debate results because the standards for drug approvals have changed sharply
in the decades since many of the medicines in children’s cough and cold products
were approved. If those drugs were currently up for review, they would not be
approved for use in children because the manufacturers never tested them
thoroughly in children. Instead, the drugs’ makers performed studies in adults
and then simply assumed that they would work in children. Such assumptions, once
common, are no longer acceptable. Indeed, a growing number of studies in
children suggest that cough and cold medicines work no better than placebos.
Among the ingredients that have caused concern are anticough medicines including
dextromethorphan, which is the DM in many preparations. They can cause
neurological problems, including abnormal movements and hallucinations, even in
standard doses. Another is pseudoephedrine, which is a decongestant that has
been associated with infant deaths, increased blood pressure and arrhythmias.
Some of the injuries and deaths associated with these products have resulted
when parents gave two different products to their child, not realizing that both
contained identical medicines, resulting in an overdose.
In rare cases, children have been injured when given recommended doses.
Everyone agrees that more studies in children are needed, but companies have
little incentive to undertake new trials because the medicines’ patents long ago
expired. So the F.D.A. must decide how to regulate drugs that it knows very
little about — a position in which it frequently finds itself. In such
circumstances, it often turns to advisory boards. Despite the growing worries,
sales of the drugs are booming. Most major pharmacies carry a dozen or more
brands. The medicines are popular largely because children have an average of 6
to 10 colds each year, far more than adults.
Even those who petitioned the agency to raise the age limit on the drugs said
that dramatic regulatory action against the drugs was unlikely. Dr. Wayne R.
Snodgrass, a petition author who is chairman of the American Academy of
Pediatrics’ committee on drugs, predicted that the advisory committee would
recommend stronger wording on the drugs’ labels, not an outright ban.
“Personally in a common cold in a young child, I wouldn’t recommend these
agents,” Dr. Snodgrass said.
Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department
and an author of the petition, applauded the F.D.A.’s decision to hold an
advisory committee meeting and predicted it would lead to changes in the way the
agency regulates the drugs. “Having an advisory committee meeting is a good way
for the F.D.A. to switch gears on this,” Dr. Sharfstein said.
Subject: 80 Percent of Schools are Applying Pesticides
80 Percent of Schools are Applying Pesticides
More than 80 percent of schools in America use toxic pesticides as a
preventative measure, whether it's needed or not.
Mark Lame, an entomologist and professor at Indiana University's School of
Public and Environmental Affairs, believes this is an entirely unnecessary
practice that carries more risks than benefits to students and faculty.
The most widely used pesticides are, in fact, nerve poisons. They cause
uncontrolled nerve firing, and disrupt the delicate hormone systems.
The link between pesticide exposure and health problems in children is already
well established. Research has connected these endocrine-disrupting
pesticides to health problems such as ADHD, autism, and infertility -- all of
which are on the rise.
Professor Lame says pest problems are better managed through an integrated
approach -- by preventing the conditions that attract pests into school
facilities in the first place.
Lame serves as a consultant for schools around the country, helping them reduce
the toxic load by implementing his Integrated Pest Management (IPM) process.
Science Daily July 21, 2007
Even though schools believe they are doing the right thing by eliminating bugs
and pests from the premises, they are actually putting children at serious risk
for long-term damage.
The United states uses about 888 million pounds of pesticides and herbicides
each year. That's the equivalent of three pounds of toxins for every man, woman
and child, and the current pesticide load on your body is surely taking its
toll.
Among the many problems they cause include:
a.. Heart congestion
b.. Lung and kidney damage
c.. Low blood pressure
d.. Muscle damage
e.. Weight loss
f.. Damage to adrenal glands
g.. Brain damage, like Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's is not a pretty picture. You may know someone with it. If you do,
there is a high likelihood that exposure to pesticides played a role in this
devastating disease. Unfortunately, it typically takes many years for this to
happen, and by the time the damage is done there is very little you can do. So
the smart thing is to avoid them to begin with.
Neurological Damage in Children is a Growing Problem
What is, perhaps, even more disturbing is the neurological damage that is
imposed on children.
Pesticides are especially dangerous to children because they are still
developing, and may not be able to fully remove pesticides from their body.
There are also periods during development when exposure to pesticides, or any
toxin, can cause permanent damage to their system.
While some of the damage of these toxins may be apparent immediately, other harm
may not appear until years later.
Researchers are increasingly pointing to pesticide and herbicide contamination
as one cause for the many reported cases of autism, as well as attention deficit
disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Additionally, other researchers are finding links between pesticide exposure and
decreased cognitive abilities, and aggression in children. Your nervous system,
your immune system, and your endocrine (hormone) system are all closely related
and in constant communication with each other, so when any one of the three
systems is damaged or degraded, the other two may be adversely affected as well.
Pesticides and herbicides can adversely affect your child's thyroid hormones,
too. This is important, as irritability and aggressive behavior are linked to
your thyroid hormone levels. Furthermore, some studies have shown that attention
deficit and/or hyperactivity disorders in children are linked to changes in
their levels of thyroid hormone.
Basic Precautions to Protect Your Family From Pesticides
a.. Get rid of any pesticides or herbicides in your home, including any
insecticides or lawn and garden products. There are safe natural alternatives
that can be used in their place.
a.. Make sure the food you eat is organically grown and organically fed.
a.. Find out if the water you use for showering, bathing, washing dishes,
cooking, cleaning, and drinking is free of pesticides, herbicides or other
toxins. If it is contaminated, get the right water treatment system to treat
your specific problem.
a.. Never spray pesticides -- such as DEET-containing insect repellents --
directly on your body. Look for natural repellents instead, or simply wear
long-sleeved shirts and pants.
Is there any doubt that pesticides and herbicides -- not to mention fertilizers,
plastics and toxic metals -- are affecting American children's mental
capacities, emotional balance, and social adjustment? Not in my mind.
Talk to your child's school administration about their use of pesticides. Open
up a dialog and raise awareness to the fact that there are other, safer
alternatives out there.
The fever-induced convulsions that some young children suffer appear to have no
long-term impact on their brain functioning. However, there is a risk of
developmental problems when infants suffer the seizures. Fever-induced seizures,
or febrile convulsions, affect up to 4% of children by age 5.
The possible long-term consequences for children's brain development and school
achievement have been unclear. Some research has suggested that children
who experience prolonged or recurrent febrile convulsions are at higher-than-average
risk for mental retardation and behavioral problems. In sharp contrast, other
studies have found these children to perform better on tests of intelligence and
academic skills. This latest research bolsters the findings of the latter
studies, showing that children with a history of fever-induced seizures actually
outperformed other kids in tests of memory and learning capacity.
The exception was for children who suffered febrile convulsions before the age
of 1. These children were at increased risk for deficits in mental abilities.
This study provides "reassuring data" that fever-induced convulsions have no
lasting impact on most children's memory. However, it also reinforces the
concern that during infancy, these seizures may injure certain brain cells and
lead to more profound dysfunction. The 'take home' message is that most febrile
seizures do not adversely affect global measures of intelligence, nor do they
harm more specific functions such as memory, in children older than 1 year of
age.
Children who get a combined vaccine against measles, mumps,
rubella and chicken pox are slightly more likely to have seizures
compared to those getting two separate shots for the same diseases,
U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The seizures are not usually life-threatening and the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was no longer
expressing a preference that children get the so-called MMRV
combined vaccine rather than two shots -- the MMR vaccine against
measles, mumps and rubella (German measles) and a separate one
against varicella (chicken pox).
The CDC said it made the change after seeing evidence that
children who got the combined MMRV vaccine faced an elevated, but
still very small, risk of suffering febrile seizures after
vaccination compared to those who got the two shots.
(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Maggie Fox and Eric Beech)
