August 04, 2007
A Parent Seizes The Science, a Child's Seizures STOP
By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.
http://www.rescuepost.com/rescue_post/2007/08/a-parent-seizes.html
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.
China faces new health scare over 'bad vaccines'
Apr 7 09:36 AM US/Eastern
Four years ago, Qiang Qiang was a healthy boy. Now, he is epileptic and has trouble keeping up at school -- problems that emerged after a vaccination against Japanese encephalitis.
http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=CNG.1b07d1be69ebdf895fab113ba26ecde7.321&show_article=1
http://www.newbritainherald.com/site/news.cfm?
newsid=10486565&BRD=1641&PAG=461&dept_id=10110&rfi=6
Boy’s medical bills get help from Jaycees
By KRISTEN A. TURICK , Staff Writer 11/09/2003
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.
©The Herald 2003
(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.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=
PubMed&list_uids=6206715&dopt=Abstract&itool=iconabstr
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.
PMID: 6206715 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=
PubMed&list_uids=6133070&dopt=Abstract&itool=iconabstr
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.
(Source: Seizure. Online: www.harcourt-international.com/journals/seiz/)
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
.................................................................................................................................................................................
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?
&storyID=5736162&s
rc=rss/uk/healthNews§ion=news
Seizure Risk with MMR Vaccine Slight, Temporary
Wed 21 July, 2004 22:14
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.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/292/3/351
MMR Vaccination and Febrile Seizures
Evaluation of Susceptible Subgroups and Long-term Prognosis
Mogens Vestergaard, MD, PhD; Anders Hviid, MSci; Kreesten Meldgaard Madsen,
MD, PhD; Jan Wohlfahrt, MSci; Poul Thorsen, MD, PhD; Diana Schendel, PhD;
Mads Melbye, MD, DMSci; Jørn Olsen, MD, PhD
JAMA. 2004;292:351-357.
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."
http://professionals.epilepsy.com/page/infectious_fungal.html
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:
Immune risk/deficit Representative fungi
Prematurity Candida albicans
Inherited immune defects
(e.g., chronic granulomatous disease,
severe combined immunodeficiency) Candida, Cryptococcus,
Aspergillus
Acquired immune defects
Steroids Cryptococcus, Candida
Cytotoxic agents Aspergillus, Candida
HIV infection Cryptococcus, Histoplasma
Alcoholism Sporothrix
Iron chelator therapy Zygomycetes
Intravenous drug abuse Candida, Zygomycetes
Ketoacidosis Zygomycetes
Trauma, foreign body Candida
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.
Seizures From Fevers Don't Cause Brain Injury
http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/21/fevers.htm
Seizures From Fevers Don't Cause Brain Injury
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.
Neurology July 10, 2001;57:7-8,37-42
CDC clarifies preference on childhood vaccinesThu Mar 13, 4:17 PM EThttp://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080313/hl_nm/vaccine_usa_dc_1&printer=1;_ylt=A0WTcUBz_u9HURIAsQER.3QA
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)
A Parent Seizes The Science, a Child's Seizures STOP
By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.
http://www.rescuepost.com/rescue_post/2007/08/a-parent-seizes.html
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.
China faces new health scare over 'bad vaccines'
Apr 7 09:36 AM US/Eastern
Four years ago, Qiang Qiang was a healthy boy. Now, he is epileptic and has trouble keeping up at school -- problems that emerged after a vaccination against Japanese encephalitis.
http://www.breitbart.com/print.php?id=CNG.1b07d1be69ebdf895fab113ba26ecde7.321&show_article=1
http://www.newbritainherald.com/site/news.cfm?
newsid=10486565&BRD=1641&PAG=461&dept_id=10110&rfi=6
Boy’s medical bills get help from Jaycees
By KRISTEN A. TURICK , Staff Writer 11/09/2003
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.
©The Herald 2003
(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.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=
PubMed&list_uids=6206715&dopt=Abstract&itool=iconabstr
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.
PMID: 6206715 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=
PubMed&list_uids=6133070&dopt=Abstract&itool=iconabstr
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.
(Source: Seizure. Online: www.harcourt-international.com/journals/seiz/)
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
.................................................................................................................................................................................
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?
&storyID=5736162&s
rc=rss/uk/healthNews§ion=news
Seizure Risk with MMR Vaccine Slight, Temporary
Wed 21 July, 2004 22:14
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.
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/292/3/351
MMR Vaccination and Febrile Seizures
Evaluation of Susceptible Subgroups and Long-term Prognosis
Mogens Vestergaard, MD, PhD; Anders Hviid, MSci; Kreesten Meldgaard Madsen,
MD, PhD; Jan Wohlfahrt, MSci; Poul Thorsen, MD, PhD; Diana Schendel, PhD;
Mads Melbye, MD, DMSci; Jørn Olsen, MD, PhD
JAMA. 2004;292:351-357.
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."
http://professionals.epilepsy.com/page/infectious_fungal.html
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:
Immune risk/deficit Representative fungi
Prematurity Candida albicans
Inherited immune defects
(e.g., chronic granulomatous disease,
severe combined immunodeficiency) Candida, Cryptococcus,
Aspergillus
Acquired immune defects
Steroids Cryptococcus, Candida
Cytotoxic agents Aspergillus, Candida
HIV infection Cryptococcus, Histoplasma
Alcoholism Sporothrix
Iron chelator therapy Zygomycetes
Intravenous drug abuse Candida, Zygomycetes
Ketoacidosis Zygomycetes
Trauma, foreign body Candida
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.
Seizures From Fevers Don't Cause Brain Injury
http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/21/fevers.htm
Seizures From Fevers Don't Cause Brain Injury
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.
Neurology July 10, 2001;57:7-8,37-42
CDC clarifies preference on childhood vaccinesThu Mar 13, 4:17 PM EThttp://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080313/hl_nm/vaccine_usa_dc_1&printer=1;_ylt=A0WTcUBz_u9HURIAsQER.3QA
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)
