Q&A about autism and vaccines

Is it possible that autism is actually mercury poisoning? Did mercury in vaccines cause autism? Does the flu vaccine contain mercury? Are vaccines really necessary? These answers were from Dr. Ari Brown who earned her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and continued her residency at Havard Medical School/Boston’s Children’s Hospital. See summary below:

What is autism?

It is a combination of disorders that are characterized by difficulty with social and communication skills, and obsessive traits. There are differences between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), however, together they include autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Devlopmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified).

What are some of the reasons for autism being on the rise?

1.) Interestingly enough, some years ago children were diagnosed with “metal retardation, schizophrenia, or some other psychiatric disorder.” Today, they would be diagnosed with autism.

2.) The definition of autism has also become much boarder.

3.) Today, there is early detection and more awareness of autism than in previous generations.

What causes autism?

Today, scientists believe that genetics, abnormal brain growth, premature birth and environmental triggers are all important factors for causes of autism

Dr. Brown ends this section with

“BOTTOM LINE: Researchers don’t know what causes autism, although the above factors provide clues. The goal is to find a way to PREVENT autism . . . but we aren’t there yet.”

http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2068.pdf