Deborah Merlin
In this edition of expert corner, Deborah Merlin, Los Angeles mother and author of Victory Over AD/HD; A holistic approach for helping children with Attention Hyperactivity Disorder, discusses the role of environmental toxins in AD/HD and autism.
We face an epidemic of neurological and learning disorders that cannot be explained by simple genetics. The Centers for Disease Control report that one out of six children has a neurological disorder.
In the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) alone, 82,326 students receive special-education services. Students with symptoms of ADHD fall under the “Other Health Impairment” category. In 2008, LAUSD reported a total of 6,022 students classified with ADHD.
The increase in students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) enrolled in LAUSD between 2003 and 2008 is truly alarming, especially since the overall student population decreased during those years. Students with ASD numbered 3,497 in 2003. 2008 enrollment figures indicate there were 8,516 students enrolled, almost two and a half times the number of students registered in 2003.
In other words, in 2003, one out of 211 children was identified on the autism spectrum. In 2008, the number of students with autism increased to one out of 81. If this trend continues, in eight years there could be one out of ten students on the autistic spectrum.
Autism was one of the main health topics discussed during the presidential debates. Autism has increased twelve-fold in California, and many others states are experiencing similar increases. This is an urgent crisis, and we must immediately address the root causes of these neurological disorders.
Environmental toxicity, particularly heavy-metal toxicity, causes a range of serious neurological and degenerative disorders. Heavy metals and other environmental toxins saturate our world. Our children come into frequent contact with mercury, lead, aluminum, pesticides and other toxins like the fire retardants found in cars and electronic equipment.
These toxins accumulate in the body’s vital organs and tissues, including the brain, liver, kidneys, spleen, and pancreas. They disrupt normal function, encouraging obstacles to a child’s education and general well-being. Some of the conditions resulting from this disruption include learning disabilities, hyperactivity, impaired intelligence, poor concentration, depression, anxiety, violent behavior, and headaches.
How prevalent is environmental toxicity? We don’t have the answers yet. But, as the Environmental Protection Agency reports, we do know that one out of six women carries unsafe levels of mercury in her blood, putting 630,000 American infants per year at risk for cognitive and developmental damage. In particular, fetuses are at great risk if they mature in a cesspool of toxins.
No level of lead exposure can be considered safe. The U.S. Public Health Service guidelines for “acceptable” blood level exposures (in micrograms per deciliter) have dropped dramatically over the years: Until 1969, 60 micrograms had been deemed safe; now, any exposure over 3 micrograms is considered a contributing factor to lower IQ and various behavior problems.
What can be done? All men and women should get tested for heavy metal toxicity before they start having children. But that aside, with such a large population of children struggling against learning disabilities, why not evaluate all children for environmental toxins before they enter the school system? A simple hair clipping, for instance, can be inexpensively tested for heavy metals. If test results indicate toxicity, there are several safe, scientifically-proven ways to remove toxins from the body. Many families find success with chelation therapy.
Another inconvenient truth regards the food our children consume. Two characteristics of toxins in our food are artificial food coloring and aspartame. Most artificial food coloring contains mercury, lead, and arsenic at microdose levels, but there is no safe level of these destructive toxins. Aspartame is a known neurotoxin. These additives should not be in children’s cereal or commercial vitamins. Regrettably, not one school district in the United States has established a policy to measure environmental toxicity in students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders.
Systematic testing and detoxification of heavy metals and other environmental toxins could help reverse neurological disorders, and over time, help reign in school district budgets by spending less on special education services while better serving students. And the potential value for your child’s education and well-being — well, who could put a dollar figure on that?
There must be a strong campaign to educate young people about diet and testing for heavy metal toxicity and other environmental toxins. If you would like to join a campaign to raise awareness about the causes and solutions for addressing the epidemic of neurological disorders, please contact Deborah Merlin.
References:
Wolcott, William and Trish Fahey. The Metabolic Diet. New Your: Broadway Books, 2000. Online edition for download.
Aspartame Detox Program by Janet Starr Hull, PhD
Environmental information for parents by Debbie Lindgren
Lead levels in children
Deborah Merlin is the author of Victory over AD/HD; A holistic approach for helping children with Attention Hyperactivity Disorder, which can be purchased at Amazon.com. Read an excerpt from her book.
For fifteen years, Deborah Merlin has made it her mission to advocate for her twins’ special needs. As a new mother of very premature twins with challenging health problems, she found that doctors and other professionals offered drugs as the only solution.
In her search for alternative treatments, she has become a leading advocate for holistic therapies, encouraging parents and doctors to try new, alternative techniques for overcoming AD/HD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
She is a frequent guest speaker on radio shows through out the United States and Canada. Deborah is also a consultant to parents who need support and provides resources regarding their children’s individual needs. Email Deborah Merlin.
If you have an article idea to submit, please email Dr. Kari Miller at klmiller555@sbcglobal.net.
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Comments
Many nutritional issues need exploration as ADHD causes before blindly attacking environmental chemicals. First, comments here about aspartame are simply untrue. Methanol from aspartame is oxidized to formaldehyde and formate. The latter is used by the folate vitamin system to make vital methyl groups for methionine and regulation of DNA. All aspartame issues can easily be explained by personal folate deficiency, folate polymorphisms, or accrued homocysteine (prevented by folate). There are no scientific aspartame papers in rodents or humans that cannot be explained by these paradigms. For ADHD consider folate polymorphisms (10% to 40% of the population) and other nutrients [For the citations Google PubMed then in its search line type in 18154909 19476419].
John Garst is the man who tried to mislead the New Mexico legislature on aspartame. You can email me at bettym19@mindspring.com if you want the full post and aspartame experts comments. Read Report for Schools on www.mpwhi.com, scroll down to banners for full detail of what aspartame does to the brains of children and the unborn. It is a big time trigger of ADD and ADHD. Read Feingold's remarks in the Report For Schools. This weekend is Aspartame Awareness Weekend. The medical text, Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic by H. J. Roberts, M.D. has chapters on the effects of aspartame in children as well.
Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder of Mission Possible Intl, warning the world off aspartame
Garst said, "blindly attacking environmental chemicals"?!!! Geez, dude, try a better tack than that - your boat got swamped before it left the dock! How about we quit using the American consumer as a guinea pig & use a standard that requires chemicals be considered guilty until proven innocent -- by an independent 3rd party lab (or two or three or a dozen)! The food industry's games have left us with food that is so unreal our bodies don't even recognize it anymore & handle it like toxic waste. We are all getting sicker & sicker; it won't stop until we return to eating real food again - if only we can be allowed to have non-radiated, non-Frankenstein, non-neutralized food.
Perhaps Grace ought to read what I wrote before going off half cocked. ADHD is likely related more to nutrition; [Google PubMed, then in its search line ADHD,nutrients and see 418 references. For folate polymorphisms (10% to 40% of the population) and other relevant nutrients type in 18154909 19476419.]
To Ms Martini (her Doctor is honorary) I ask what western world nations agree with your non-sense about aspartame? Certainly not the Europeans (the European Food Safety Authority just validated again their support) nor the FDA nor the Aussies, etc. She has also failed to get her way in NM or Hawaii or anywhere in the states either and she is just pouting. In the USA we have skilled scientists evaluating these issues; we don't ban something because some layperson or some scientifically illiterate physician or surgeon thinks we should, no matter how loud they yell.
John E. Garst, Ph.D. (Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Nutrition)
I am the founder of Mission Possible International in the US and 40 nations warning the public off aspartame. I work with the world experts on aspartame who told Garst he was wrong. The medical text, Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic is dedicated to me, www.sunsentpress.com I am not a medical doctor, doctorate in humanities. That's what I do, warn humanity so they won't perish from this poison oftene called Rumsfeld's plague because it was approved by his political chicanery and not by science. I am delighted to give anyone the report where world experts and researchers showed Garst to be wrong. We work free to save lives. I do have a medical background and created the first health delivrey system in the US. The bills written to ban aspartame in Hawaii and New Mexico were not written by me but those who knew how poisonous aspartame is. So he can't make a case. He even bragged to the daughter of a man who died from aspartame how he tried to stop the bill in New Mexico .
I have absolutely no financial or biasing connection with the aspartame, soft drink or their related industries and have made not one penny from my opposition, unlike many antiaspartame critics who profit from books, internet sales, and offer treatment not even for folate issues. Their clearly stated goals are unjustified lawsuits. The author has an undergraduate degree in chemistry (with emphasis in organic and biological chemistry) from the University of Kansas, a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry (Pharmacy) from the University of Iowa, postdoctoral experience at Yale University (Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry) and two postdoctoral fellowships at Vanderbilt University (physiology-pharmacology (mentor moved), then nutritional toxicology) and taught nutritional toxicology at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana, UIUC) besides having conducted federally funded research at Vanderbilt, UIUC, and at several other universities before recently entering into semi-retirement.
PS. While I did not write the bill to ban aspartame in Hawaii and New Mexico I did help write the resolution with Stephen Fox in Hawaii. I think everyone should read it who doesn't know how poisonous aspartame is. Go to www.mpwhi.com and click on Hawaii. Read the concurrent resolutio. After reading this anyone will know why aspartame should be banned. It's a terrible thing to stumble the public and that's what Garst is trying to do by trying to convince people its safe. .
Dr. Betty Martini, Founder
Mission Possible Intl
www.mpwhi.com, www.dorway.com and www.wnho.net
Aspartame EToxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame
People should know the concurrent resolution in Hawaii couldn't even make it out of the legislature! There are no valid scientific papers suggesting any harm from aspartame, but there is a vast literature suggesting harm from folate deficiency, folate polymorphisms and homocysteine.
In answer to Garst, 92% of ALL independent studies, peer reviewed show the problems aspartame cause. Read it by Dr. Ralph Walton on www.dorway.com Doctors speak out. Further Garst talks about EFSA. They reviewed the Ramazzini Studies that showed aspartame to be a multipotential carcinogen and peer reviewed by 7 world experts. They said the rats had respiratory disease. We all had a big laugh over that before lead researcher, Dr. Soffritti explained to EFSA that respiratory disease is the dying proces. Finally Dr. Koeter, head of committee confessed in a press release that EFSA had been pressured by industry to highjack science. Now they are reviewing aspartame but still need to add "independent" scientists.
As to Garst remarks about experts in the anti-aspartame campaign writing books and selling them, be glad they are. Because of the power of the manufacturers its sometimes hard to get information published. They are also known to threaten researchers who do studies.
Evidently Ms Martini is unaware of two letters by world expert pathologists Schoeb et al (PMID 19107899) and Goodman et al (PMID 19107900). These NINE coauthors strongly dispute the claim of Caldwell et al (PMID 18095346) that the "increased incidences of lymphomas and leukemias in Sprague-Dawley rats treated with aspartame or methyltertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) reported by the European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF) are unlikely to be a consequence of infection with chronic respiratory disease (as discussed by the European Food Safety Authority [EFSA] for aspartame, [EFSA, 2006])". Indeed growing evidence suggests that all Soffritti's non-pathogen free animals were infected. A coming full paper suggests infection also explains their tumors (PMID 19430000). Pathology work is but the first of four more lines of corroborating evidence; together they cast unquestionable doubt on the validity of all the ERF papers, whether they involve aspartame, MTBE, alcohols, aldehydes, or even arsenite.
Had a great comment, computer crashed, so will make this one short..
This article had a chance to be a GREAT resource, however, it tanked in my mind..where is the mention of the toxins that are not 'just' in the environment, or ingested in our horrible diets, where is the mention of the toxins that are INJECTED into our bodies? I am upset that authors today can write an article including all of this great info, but miss a HUGE one? I am tired of authors too afraid to even HINT at the 'V" word. Heavy metals are heavy metals, whether in our environment or in our vaccines. Too many toxins are flodding our childrens bodies and brains, and they ALL have an TERRIBLE impact on their health.
Garst, i have seen you post online about this topic of Aspartame MANY times, however, I have not been able to find one piece of info that give you any creditbility as an official in"Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Nutrition" other than the credit you give yourself. Please show me...
It sound to me like Mr. Garst has it all figured out. Why doesn't he just bottle the "cure" for ADHD and heck, while he's at it why not just go ahead and mix up a remedy for autism too! It sounds like him and his group of study buddies could use a Noble Prize to add to the brag list....what a popmus, narrow-minded mule! Exactly the type of person that blogs were created for...a place to spew their rhetorical vomit, and consider themselves published.
My take on all of this? I have a 5 year old son with Autism who just mainstreamed into kindergarden and is doing well. Diagnosed at 15 months-many different interventions and therapies, one thing has remained constant-give my kid gluten or anything with artificial coloring and he is bouncing off the walls. Literally, he seeks stimulation, he can't concentrate, is easily frustrated, diminished eye contact, and is constipated (it's all gastrointestinal related).
You can study rats all you want, my son is the real deal...Mr. Garst.
I think to say that the environment is "responsible" for autism is an easy way to avoid the main topic - vaccinations. Autism is increased in kids living in different parts of the world. Where the vaccinations are not done - there is no pollution as well. It goes together. Thus, what is about kids living earlier in polluted areas with less vaccins? What is about fishers? In Portugal research shows very high mercury level in fisher's blood, but no signs of neurological disorders. In Russia for AGES the mercury fillings were used, now less, but autism cases increase.
I think it's easy to discuss environment, because we everyone responsible for this - and nobody. When in vaccins there are very particular companies involved.
… the findings are interesting and show that parental age is related to autism risk even after controlling for education, year of birth, and birth order. The fact that birth year was significant also suggests that there are significant temporal trends in autism diagnosis that we may not fully understand. The temporal trends may be related to increasing parental awareness, increasing provider familiarity with autism and ASD symptoms leading to better ascertainment, and likely a combination of all of these and other factors. Finally, the finding that higher maternal education is associated with increased risk, even after controlling for maternal age, is a fascinating finding and leads one to wonder what factors (increased maternal ascertainment or true biological mechanism) might be associated with educational achievement or ability and risk for autism in offspring. (Croen LA, Najjar DV, Fireman B, Grether JK. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161:334-340)
There is a relationship between Autism and Aspartame. The Senate is determining what correlates with Autism. For the Senate Hearing on Autism going on this month, it may be beneficial to know that along with Mercury and other contaminations in the environment, Aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal) has also been linked to Autism. If you email me back and ask for the information I have, I can show you a chart that significantly matches Autism rates with Aspartame use rate. Europe has banned the use of Aspartame for pregnant and nursing women as well as children. The countries where Aspartame has been banned or never accepted, their Autism rate is only a small fraction of the U.S. rate. Since Aspartame has been approved in 1981, and placed in soft drinks in 1986, the Autism rate has skyrocketed. The Aspartame notes page explains just a few studies on how Aspartame has been linked with brain disorders.
Some Main Points:
Dr. Olney warned of the damage that this product would do to the unborn a
ارجو منك مساعدتي ابني مصاب بالتوحد ونحن في اليمن لاتوجد عنايه بهاذا المرض انا احاول مساعدة ابني لاكن لااجد احد يساعدنب
ارجو منك مساعدتي ابني مصاب بالتوحد ونحن في اليمن لاتوجد عنايه بهاذا المرض انا احاول مساعدة ابني لاكن لااجد احد يساعدنب
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