I've kind of steered clear of the whole Vaccine Court issue that has arisen in the last few weeks. I really don't enjoy getting political and the whole thing just makes me sick to my stomach. But I just can't let this slid. As I'm sure most of you know the US Vaccine Court awarded the family of Hannah Poling compensation for a vaccine injury which aggravated a pre-existing underlying mitochondrial disorder which in turn resulted in her developing Autism. I.E. the Vaccine caused her Autism.

But recently that same Vaccine Court found that vaccines did not cause Autism in three other children. This news was spread wide and far by the CDC, FDA and many newspapers claiming it proves that Vaccines do not cause Autism.

BUT....(if you are even a somewhat frequent reader of my blog you know I love the word *But*. It carries with it so many endless possibilities, and in this case the possibility is great, profound, and vast)

But, those same news-mongers some how neglected to tell you about a young boy named Bailey Banks. You see, that same Vaccine Court, the one that proved Vaccines don't cause Autism, recently awarded Bailey Banks' family compensation because "In his conclusion, Special Master Abell ruled that Petitioners had proven that the MMR had directly caused a brain inflammation illness called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) which, in turn, had caused the autism spectrum disorder PDD-NOS in the child"

So Bailey's autism was directly caused by the MMR vaccine! Did you read what I read? That Special Master Abell said that a vaccine had caused a case of Autism. Wow, that makes two cases of Autism directly linked to a vaccine, yet there is NO PROOF THAT VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM? Really? Apparently Special Master Abell doesn't agree with that statement. And these two cases, both resulting in Autism, did not take the same exact path. Hannah had a mitochondrial disorder which was aggravated by vaccines while Bailey suffered from vaccine induced brain inflammation which caused his version of Autism. So I'm just taking a leap here, but maybe, just maybe, other kids are getting Autism from one or the other of these issues. And more importantly maybe there are other reactions to the vaccines that have yet to be identified but which also cause autism! Wow, profound thought, no? (yes, I do drip with sarcasm, don't I? I prefer to refer to it as my acerbic wit, it sounds more polite, don't you think?)

Anyway, there are now two cases which the Vaccine Court admits that a vaccine has directly caused a child's Autism. But it is not all sweets and roses for Autism families and the VC. "Jury trials are prohibited. Damages are capped; awards for pain and suffering are strictly limited and punitive damages banned altogether." Can you believe this is how the US government handles Vaccine Court? No jury trials. Why? Afraid that the public would do the right thing? Or afraid that the public would find out the truth?

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wrote a wonderful piece on this very topic and I'd love for you to read all about it. Please take a few minutes to read the following article (link below), then arm yourself with knowledge and love. Let's all save our children together.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20090225/cm_huffpost/169673

My father loves this soup! As he has gotten older he has gone from a man that rarely, if ever, ate a bowl of soup to a man that actually asks for soup almost every week. He even had a big bowl of this soup on his recent birthday. He likes it that much.

Our family first encountered this soup years ago while watching PBS. They had a show with Jacques Pepin, the well-known French Chef. This was one of his quick and easy, yet very tasty soups. I've made one very minor change to the original recipe and I think you all may really enjoy it. It is a great example of eating naturally GFCF foods, instead of taking gluten and casein laden foods and trying to "fake" them. I'm just not a fan of doing that. They rarely taste as good as you had hoped. But taking a recipe that does not rely heavily on gluten or casein and making it GFCF is easy. Or even better, find a recipe like this one that really doesn't need to be modified at all.

Ingredients

1 pound hot Italian sausage, uncased and broken up - (This is where I made a change, I used an organic GFCF sweet Italian chicken sausage)

1 1/2 cups chopped onion
6 chopped scallions - (I also dropped this from my soup because I didn't have it in the house and the soup is great without it)

6 cups water
1 to 2 pounds potatoes, diced
4 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage
1 teaspoon salt
1 minced garlic clove

Directions

Brown sausage well in bottom of soup pot.
Add onions, scallions and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in water, potatoes, cabbage and salt.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

I hope your family enjoys this soup as much as my family does, and that it will inspire you to make more GFCF recipes on your own.

Today is Matthew's 4th birthday. I just wanted to say how blessed we are to have you in our lives.

love,
Mommy and Daddy

We had Matthew's fourth birthday celebration yesterday. This was the more "public" celebration with friends from school and the neighborhood. We were not terribly prepared for the birthday bash. We had not planned much and just decided to have a part at our house with some light food, cake and one planned activity. As the day approached we realized we had not thought our plan through and we were a bit panicked thinking we did not have enough food or activities for the children. They would be bored and hungry!

But thank goodness we were wrong! The guests started to arrive and Matthew and his friends did what all children do. They played! It was marvelous to watch. My oldest boy talking to his guests, even taking one neighbor girl by the hand and directing her to the family room to play with him. He asked a friend's son to make "cupcakes" with him in the play kitchen. And even Nico got into the act playing with the other children and just being generally cute. He is pretty good at the latter. After they ate and played some more we broke out the cake. What a hit! I made a wonderful GFCF chocolate cake with vanilla icing. I even located a local baker, Camden Cakes, who produced some GFCF Egg-free chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing for one little boy who also has an egg allergy. The child was so thrilled that he could attend a party and eat something the host had provided. I'm sending the rest of the cupcakes in to Matthew's class for his actual birthday party at school!

As the party began to wind down we broke out some "stuffable" stuffed animals and had the children add the filling to cute little penguins. Once the stuffing was done, we gave them pennies to wish on and put inside their penguins. These became their take home treats. After the activity the families began to gather up their things and head home. Matthew was so disappointed his friends were leaving, but he had had a very busy day.

One of the best things that happened was one of the moms told me she had no idea that Matthew had an IEP. She couldn't believe there was any reason for him to have one. When I explained that he is on the Autism Spectrum she was completely astonished. We started talking about all the interventions we use for Matthew and how he has improved so much over the last few months and years. I mentioned Jenny McCarthy and the other mom jumped in and told me that she really admired what we have done for Matthew, and that I was a Warrior Mom just like Jenny.

This birthday naturally had me reflecting back on last years celebration. To compare the two is like comparing night and day. They are both part of the same whole but they are nothing alike. Last year I cried on Matthew's birthday. I cried for how different my son was from the other children in his class. I cried because his eyes were vacant most of the time. I cried because he just didn't care. About anything. I cried in fear of his future. And I cried for the child that could have been.

But this year there have been no tears. This year my son was just like every other child I saw. He initiated interaction with other kids. He told me and my husband to go away because he wanted to talk to the neighbor girl by himself. He tried to stuff the penguin and laughed and played with the children. He was so present and so involved with the other children it warmed my heart. Last year he stood alone and didn't care who else was around. This year he was sorry to see his friends leave.

What a difference a year, and some well thought out and executed interventions, can make! Much love to my two little boys who make this world worth living in.

Today there was an article in the Baltimore Sun about legislature looking to allow Maryland Dairy Farmers to sell Raw, Fresh, or Real Milk and Milk Products to Marylanders. I'm personally quite excited by this prospect. Recently we have decided to try Raw milk ourselves. Just like the article says, I'm picking up milk at a local drop spot. It feels very clandestine and I keep joking with my husband that we are going to be busted in the Great Raw Milk Controversy. But I guess if Michael Phelps can get off so can we, right?

So why am I taking chances and buying raw milk? I first heard about raw milk while attending the DAN! conference in San Diego this past October. Julie Matthews, a nutritionist that works with DAN! families, mentioned it in one of her nutritional presentations. At the time I just sort of let the information in one ear and out the other. I figured there was no way we could use any kind of milk, raw or pasteurized, with Matthew because he reacted so drastically to casein in his diet. He stimmed horribly on milk. We certainly weren't going to chance that again. A few months later I started going to a local biomedical support group and I met a woman who was talking about the wonders of raw milk. She was using it with her children, specifically her son who used to stim horribly on pasteurized milk. Sounded familiar. Still I put it off. It seemed like too much trouble and I really didn't think it would work for Matthew. I mean he really did seem to have such issues with milk.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I decided to try ordering some milk, yogurt, ice cream (chocolate) and some kombucha. You know I had to try the kombucha! Anyway, we picked up the milk and I was very eager to taste it. It tasted great. Pretty much like just really fresh milk. So far so good. So this week we decided to try a milk challenge with Matthew. Of course the little stinker doesn't actually want to drink the milk because he has been so programmed into thinking that all cows milk will make him sick. My poor baby. So I decided to try the cheese first. He had a grilled cheese sandwich today. So far, so good.

Why do people think raw dairy may be OK for kids on a GFCF diet? I'm going to Quote Julie Matthew's from her book Cooking to Heal, Support for Nourishing Hope page 76 "A1 and A2 Dairy- We often think of casein - all casein - as the enemy with milk. There are actually many forms of casein including alpha, beta and kappa casein. Scientists and farmers in New Zealand have been studying the effects of two types of beta casein - A1 vs. A2 beta-casein - and have found that A1 beta-casein is the protein in most (Holstein) dairy cows. Goat, sheep and buffalo, as well as certain dairy cows (Jersey and Guernsey) produce primarily A2 beta casein.

"The variance between A1 and A2 beta casein is a different amino acid at position 67 - Histidine for A1 milk vs Proline for A2. This small change causes A1 milk to be broken down during digestion into an opiate compound, BMC-7 (beta casomorhin 7); whereas, A2 does not.

"There are a few studies suggesting that the A1 beta-casein molecule and the resulting BMC-7 opiate may be responsible for many, if not all problems, with the casein in milk - increased risk of heart disease, type 1 diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia.

"One of the reasons raw milk may not cause negative casein reactions may be because raw milk dairy farms often have higher numbers of cows such as Guernsey and Jersey cows that produce much lower levels of A1 milk. It is also postulated that pasteurization or processing (cheese making) may also have an effect on the level of opiates in the milk.

"Goat, sheep, buffalo produce primarily A2 milk. Some people may choose to try different types of milk and see if any work better for them."


So there you have it. We decided to try it and see. If Matthew can handle the raw milk we may actually be able to allow him to live a more normal and enjoyable life. In addition raw milk is said to have many wonderful properties. For more information on the healthful properties of raw milk check out the Weston A. Price Foundation.

As you spend today with your loved ones, eating GFCF chocolates, remember just how lucky we are to have our children with us. Our Families are a beautiful gift that we can treasure. I feel very blessed by God this year since Matthew is gaining so much ground and Nico is picking up words so quickly. They are turning into everything a parent could want. Larry and I believe the we will make it, but only together, as a family.

So on this Valentine's Day we only want to wish you and your family love and peace, and most of all Recovery!

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

I'm giving The Love Ya Award to:
Marianna at Green Mama's Pad who was kind enough to give me this same award. I think she is a wonderful person with a desire to spread her love of "green" around. This is something very close to my heart too. Go check her out.

And Lauren at 4BabyandMom also gave me this same award. Lauren has been encouraging me for a while, and she has helped me stay strong during our battle with Autism. For that I love her too! Check out some of her cool picks for a cool mom and awesome kids.

Dr. Kurt Woeller is another brave soul in this battle against autism and I find his blog helpful and informational. Check him out.

The moms at Shaking The System pass on a lot of valuable autism related information. I love reading their blog.

Yum, yum, yummy gluten free recipes can be found here at Karina's Kitchen. Get cooking.

Bakerella, well just because. Look at the food! We can't really make a lot of this stuff, but oh, so yummy to the eyes.

GFCFRecipes is a great resource for those of us with kids on THE diet!

GlutenFreeGirl just has beautiful food. It isn't all dairy free, but a lot of it is.

And there is one more I want to mention although you now have to be invited to his blog. Mark at Something Beginning with A. If you come to visit Mark, please invite me to your blog. I miss it.

There are several other fine blogs I love to read, but if you visit either Marianna's or Lauren's you will find links to OhanaMama, The Mom Buzz, My Sentiments ExactLee, and a few other really great, fun blogs by some supper moms I sort of, kinda know. Check them out

Today Matthew received his 2nd Quarter Report Card. Basically his teacher and therapists go over his IEP goals and determine if he is proficient (P), in process (I), or not yet (N) meeting a goal. There are several sections they evaluate. They are Personal and Social Development, Language and Literacy, Mathematical Thinking, Scientific Thinking, Social Studies, The Arts, and Physical Development/Health. Some of these seem so silly or odd when talking about a 3/4 yr old child, don't they? I mean really, Literacy? Mathematical thinking, Scientific thinking? Well, they do break them down into very simple categories which fit a child of his age. As an example, shows an interest in counting and numbers is under Mathematical thinking. Oddly, my little hyperlexic child is Proficient in that task! Strange isn't it?! (For those of you that don't know, having hyperlexia means that you have an abnormal obsession with numbers and letter, so it is pretty unlikely that Matthew wouldn't be proficient in this subcategory. Right now the kid can count well over 100 and can visually identify those same numbers.)

I was really pleased to see that he had no N's and that many of his I's from 1st quarter have progressed to P's in the second quarter. Six of them to be exact. He still seems to lag behind in some critical areas such as "Gains meaning by listening", "Comprehends and responds to stories read aloud", "Uses scribbles and unconventional shapes to write", "Begins to use simple tools and equipment to investigate", "Describes some jobs that people do", "Participate in group music experiences", and "Responds to artistic creations or events". As I'm sure you can tell, many of these are quite critical for him to master. He will need to be able to gain meaning by listening as he gets older and progresses through school. He'll have to understand stories that are read aloud to the class so he can participate in class discussions. He will need to be able to associate different people with the types of jobs they can do and what they are responsible for. And the others are important to enjoying the world around you, being able to express feelings and understand why others are touched or moved by art and music.

Autism is so far reaching. Many people think it only has something to do with kids that bang their heads or flap their arms, but they don't see that autism reaches into every single aspect of a child's life. And the life of their family. Matthew has additional goals that the school is trying to meet and they include him being able to walk up and down stairs independently and to use a good running pattern. Boom, another aspect of Matthew's life effected. "Matthew will use eye-hand coordination and strength to perform simple tasks." Read that again. To perform simple tasks. Did that sink in the first time you read it? He needs to practice simple eye-hand coordination and build normal, NORMAL, muscle strength to do simple everyday tasks. Boom, it strikes again. "Matthew will approach play with purpose and inventiveness..." Who's child needs to be taught how to play with purpose and inventiveness? They watch you and they play, they take their life experiences and they make new, fun experiences with their toys. They don't need to be taught to do that. But Matthew does. And autism strikes again. "Matthew will be able to demonstrate age-appropriate speaking and listening skills during structured language tasks and spontaneous communication." It is frightening how much of Matthew is Autism. Where does it stop and he begin? Who is our son? It effects every single aspect of Matthew's life and every aspect of his being. How do we discern which is Matthew the boy and which is Matthew the autism? By working through these issues he has are we changing our son or are we opening him up? I don't really know. I'm very confused, but I'm really glad he is doing better every single day.

Just yesterday a web friend of mine, who knows I have a son on the spectrum and who also knows I have some views on vaccines and autism, forwarded me the name of a reporter that would like to do a story on parents of ASD kids and their beliefs about the role vaccines play in the autism story. I emailed the reported and told her a little about myself and our family. I explained that we were "fired" from our pediatrician's office because we wanted to use a different, delayed vaccine schedule and that she was more than welcome to talk to me or to view this blog. She emailed me back and said that she is trying to locate parents of ASD kids that never vaccinated their child. I told her that was not us, that both kids had some form of vaccines and that Matthew was actually "fully" vaccinated according to the recommended schedule our former pediatricians used.

But this got me thinking. Do I know of any child that has autism that hasn't been vaccinated? No, I can't say I do. I also can't say I know a lot of people that have chosen not to vaccinate, well ones that had chosen not to vaccinate BEFORE one of their children got autism. Now I know a lot of people that have chosen not to vaccinate new children and not to proceed any further with vaccinating those children that already had some vaccines before they found out about the link between autism and vaccines. Interestingly, those same parents that chose not to vaccinate any new children have not reported these unvaccinated children as having autism, and they are siblings of autistic kids. They share the same genetic makeup. Interesting, no?

So the question is, What is in your vaccine? I decided to find out. Last night I went to a biomedical support group meeting and we had a Physician's Assistant come in and talk to us about IV Chelation. Or at least that is what she was supposed to talk to us about. She was so knowledgeable about vaccines and other biomedical interventions that many of us interrupted her with other questions. I was, of course, one of those parents. I asked her about the Hep B vaccine that Matthew received at birth. The reason I wanted to know about the Hep B vaccine is because Matthew never presented like a "typical" regressive autism kid. When I talk about regressive autism I am speaking about those children that developed normally for a period of time, usually at least a year or more, then the child regressed into an autistic state. These are also the children that seem to respond very well to biomedical interventions. Well, Matthew was not like these children at all. You see, Matthew never developed normally. When Matthew was born (at 11:10 PM) he was not breathing. He was completely purple and didn't make a sound. They rushed him away from Larry and I and rang the alarm. Within seconds he was surrounded by 8 hospital staff members who were trying to get my baby to breathe. It was so frightening. But they did get him to breathe! Looking back I now know that his system was probably pretty compromised and they should never have given him any vaccines after having experienced such a disruption to his system. But they did. They inoculated him the very next day. I don't know the exact time, but I do know that it could have been within minutes or just a few hours of his dramatic birth. I also know that from that moment forward Matthew had serious problems. He could not sustain a latch to breastfeed. He was jaundiced. He had enough problems passing stool that we took him to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Gastroenterology. He was diagnosed with hypertonia, which was so bad that he could not even hold his head up. His stools were so horrid and frequent as he got older that we were terribly concerned and asked repeatedly what was wrong. I mention these things because to me it implied that Matthew did not have regressive autism, he never met any of his normal milestones. But we decided to try the biomedical interventions that seemed to work so well with kids that have regressive autism and to our delight and amazement he began to improve. So could that mean that he didn't have classic autism but actually had regressive autism? Could that mean that what normally would trigger regressive autism in a child at age, say 18 months, actually triggered regressive autism in Matthew at age 1 or 2 days? I am beginning to think so.

When I asked the PA about the Hep B vaccine and Matthew's particular situation she said she does not doubt that Matthew's already compromised system was injured by the junk in his Hep B vaccine used to upregulate his immune system and produce the inoculated response associated with a vaccine. So what is in the Hep B vaccine? From what I can find the following are in the Recombinant Hepatitis B GlaxoSmithKline Vaccine: genetic sequence of the hepatitis B virus that codes for the surface antigen (HbSAg), cloned into GMO (genetically modified) yeast, aluminum hydroxide,and thimerosal (mercury) and Recombivax Hepatitis B Vaccine Recombinant Merck & Co., Inc. is produced using thimerosal (mercury), aluminum hydroxide and the medium: yeast. Is it any wonder Matthew needs chelation? Does it make you sick that the drug companies are pushing genetically modified yeast into newborns? I am sickened and saddened that this has happened to our son and that without our knowing we have exposed our second son to the same pollutants.

When is enough, enough? When do we as a society say this needs to stop? Are you going to stand up for these children?

I suggest you take a look at a few pages to find out what is really in your vaccines.
http://www.wnho.net/vaccine_ingredients.htm
http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html
http://www.momsagainstmercury.org/
http://www.vaccinenation.net/