I have some issues, points, complaints, what-have-you, concerning ongoing issues that could really benefit from some changes.
DAN Doctors
I love most DAN doctors. Sadly, there are some who use the title to charge higher fees, and really don't seem to be any more helpful than your average doctor. But generally, DAN doctors are getting good results and risking their licenses by "thinking outside the box." I highly appreciate them and respect them for taking this risk. My complaint about DANs is that most really could be getting higher recovery rates, and at a quicker pace. I feel their big short-coming is not focusing on pleomorphic pathogens. My son had a famous DAN who did not treat for Lyme. My son was also recovered before his was. So, this really is an issue. I feel that they are actually pretty wise in general; they are just not giving the most important piece enough attention. But, there are some DANs who have figured out this connection between pleomorphic pathogens and autism, and they are quite popular.
Vaccines
The problem with vaccines is that many in the autism arena have lost faith in our governmental regulatory agencies at being credible. I have seen official research stating that symptoms commonly seen in autism are a side effect of vaccines. The issue I have with the vaccine program is that some research is being ignored, and much of the research that is highly publicized appears to have authors with conflicts-of-interest. But, aside from that, the vaccine program was doomed to fail from the time laws/procedures were enacted to protect vaccine manufacturers from being held accountable to the public. In other words, if you can't be sued, then odds are that you are not going to deliver a product as good as if you could be sued. One only has to imagine how many would pay their taxes if the IRS was not there to hold them accountable to see how this situation just can not work. Therefore, as long as vaccine manufacturers are protected from being held accountable to the public, it's likely unrealistic to expect to get a high quality program. Additionally, it is quite shocking to think about all the mercury that was and still is in some of the vaccines. How could such a thing happen? This causes me high concerns.
I have looked into vaccines a little, and seen many conflicting opinions from genuine researchers. I conclude we need research from entities who are not affiliated, nor should they receive funds from, those who are in charge of promoting vaccines. And by all means, we need research done on American soil. My recommendation is for everyone to do their own research on each individual vaccine and disease it's created to prevent, and to base their immunization decisions on what is best for their family. Reportedly, homeopathy has what they call titers. It is mentioned that they can raise antibodies which will show up in testing to show that the person has a built-up immunity towards a particular infectious agent. I don't know the laws in each state, but I have heard that these antibody tests are being accepted in lieu of obtaining a vaccine. Each state health department has information on waivers. As much as it is broadcasted that one can not go to school without having current vaccines, it's not true. The public schools have to accept the official waivers that individuals can obtain from state health departments.
I have seen reports that some vaccines are not recommended when the individual is ill. I can't help but wonder what would happen if doctors informed patients to wait until their colds and flues went away before getting their vaccines. Would it make a difference? And also, if the vaccines were given one at a time, would that make a difference? Sometimes I think little changes here and there could really make a difference. I am pretty sure most want the vaccine program to work. I can't help but wonder what improvements would be made to the vaccine program if federal laws/procedures were changed, allowing the public to sue vaccine manufacturers.
Food-labeling
I have a big issue with food labeling. I hear that the current biggest fad is home-gardening. I, myself, am growing a garden. Frankly, it's because I am not happy with the quality of food in the supermarkets. I want my food properly labeled with all pesticides used and all additives, ingredients, irradiation, etc. And I don't want a disguised name like "natural flavoring" for MSG. My children react very strongly to unorganic apples, unorganic corn, and products in general that have GMOs or MSG. We notice a big difference when we eat organic compared to non-organic. There are many who are ill nowadays, and they are looking for answers. The food supply is one of the areas they are looking at. People are losing trust that our food is healthy for us. Thus, many are now starting to buy locally from small farms and growing their own gardens.
Diagnoses
Somewhere along the line we have developed an epidemic of diagnosing individuals without looking for the cause. Diagnoses such as Bipolar, ADHD, OCD, ODD, Autism, Asperger's, PDD, Anxiety, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, MS, ALS, Lupus, Alzheimer's, arthritis, asthma, epilepsy, etc. are examples of this. It is typical when one gets one of these diagnoses to be told, "There is no known cause, just take this medicine to partially relieve symptoms." This whole situation has gotten out-of-hand. We now have a huge increase in all of these diagnoses while simultaneously having a huge decrease in giving such individuals medical treatment. For example, since doctors are not looking for what is causing Bipolar, then of course, it is not being decreased. One can Google and find medical literature that states that borna virus can cause Bipolar, and Lyme and Bartonella can cause Bipolar, just to name of few of the causes. Now, how many people do you think that have the diagnosis of Bipolar were tested for such conditions? I know of none, yet I have met hundreds with Bipolar. I have a work history of working with individuals with such diagnoses. This is but one example of a much larger picture. Surely, testing for medical causes in those with the aforementioned diagnoses could significantly decrease these epidemics. What is really going on? How did we get so far away from efficiency? The patient has responsibility as well. Patients need to demand better care from their doctors.
Lyme doctors
There is something fishy going on with Lyme doctors. The forums are full of postings of people saying their doctor refused to treat them because they asked for a Lyme test. For some reason, treating Lyme has become taboo. It's so bad that there are many forum-posts of people afraid their doctor will be delicensed or ran out of town for seemingly no other reason than for treating Lyme. They are afraid their doctors will not be able to continue to treat them, and they are very protective of keeping their doctor's name hidden. I find this very perplexing and extremely frightening. I have seen many reports of Lyme being alarmingly on the rise. Even stranger is when people say their "one" doctor treats more Lyme patients than the CDC admits is in their entire state. Therefore, the amount of patients with Lyme is much larger than what is tabulated by the CDC. I found this one of the most alarming issues I came across in my research. Don't take my word for it. Go to the Lyme forums yourself and ask about this. Pick any Lyme forum you want.
Toxins
Somewhere along the way, toxins have gotten way out-of-hand. I keep reading that high lead levels are being found in toys, dishes, herbs, etc. The complaints I see on the forums of people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and even those in the autism community with MCS, is abundant. People are getting sick from their houses, cars, fencing, clothing, detergents, etc. People are trying to find products that are not toxic, to relieve such symptoms. In addition, many are reporting that they are unable to work, either due to their own MCS or due to their child's MCS. We have to put some more regulations in place to control toxins, or I fear more and more will become unable to work. I have heard reports that nearly every state in the U.S. has a fish advisory warning due to toxins. Think about it; we already are being warned that eating fish can endanger our health. What is being done about this? We need to protect our food supply!
State of emergency
I am at a loss as to why this autism epidemic and other disabling epidemics are not getting alarming attention. The schools are in a panic, over-whelmed, and ill-quipped. Parents are struggling emotionally and financially. If we do not make some serious changes soon, the ramifications could be alarming!
Conflicts of Issues
Conflicts-of-issues may be the root of many of these current health problems. Apparently, not enough checks and balances are currently in force. With so many individuals having ties with both regulatory agencies, research positions, and private corporations, this creates a situation where objectiveness is lacking, and opportunity for personal advancement is taken advantage of. It has always been well-known that without checks and balances, people just seem to not be able to resist temptation for personal gain at the expense of the general population. I don't know if we currently don't have such laws and guidelines or if we have them and just don't follow them. But, what I do know is that where there is biased ties and market domination, there is a likelihood of greed at the expense of the general population. For example, it is being reported in the news that many are being sued by entities like Medicaid due to promoting psychiatric medication for children that have not been FDA approved for children. It was uncovered that sometimes certain psychiatrists were receiving very hefty amounts of money from pharmaceutical companies for consultation fees and such.
Another example is that I have seen reports where employees of private companies became employees of regulatory agencies, got certain things approved, and then returned to these same private companies. It is described as a "revolving door" amongst critics. Basically, these antics are for the gain of the individual or company, but to the expense of the general public. This scenario has lead to the distrust the public now has for our regulatory agencies. Unless such practices are halted, we can expect to continue to watch our current health epidemics increase. We have to accept that humankind in general, just plain needs checks and balances. This is why we have a three-part government (judicial, executive, and legislative branches). I believe that if we did enact and enforce a dissolution of conflicts-of-interests, then many of our current health problems would subsequently start to decrease.
