Pesticide link to autism suspected

[Duppers]

Pesticide link to autism suspected

A state study suggests two farm sprays may raise chances of having a child with the disorder.

By Marla Cone, Times Staff Writer
July 30, 2007

Women who live near California farm fields sprayed with organochlorine pesticides may be more likely to give birth to children with autism, according to a study by state health officials to be published today.

The rate of autism among the children of 29 women who lived near the fields was extremely high, suggesting that exposure to the insecticides in the womb might have played a role. The study is the first to report a link between pesticides and the neurological disorder, which affects one in every 150 children.

But the state scientists cautioned that their finding is highly preliminary because of the small number of women and children involved and lack of evidence from other studies....

The two pesticides implicated are older-generation compounds developed in the 1950s and used to kill mites, primarily on cotton as well as some vegetables and other crops. Their volumes have declined substantially in recent years.

Examining three years of birth records and pesticide data, scientists from the Public Health Department determined that the Central Valley women lived within 500 meters, or 547 yards, of fields sprayed with organochlorine pesticides during their first trimester of pregnancy. Eight of them, or 28%, had children with autism. Their rate of autism was six times greater than for mothers who did not live near the fields, the study said.

Susan Kegley, senior scientist of Pesticide Action Network North America, a San Francisco-based advocacy group, said the report adds to an existing body of evidence that endosulfan and dicofol, already banned in some countries, are harmful.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-autism30jul30,1,7552764.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true


Oh, what rubbish, what conjecture! We all know that pesticides cause no harm whatsoever.
Excuse me while I go soak in a tub of Raid.
:sarcasm:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. "Exposure to pesticides in the womb" they may be onto something

there.... then there is milk thistle that a pregnant woman can safely take that will help the liver deal with and dispose of many toxins, oxidants, pollutants, medications and pesticides. It should be a mandatory prenatal supplement.


http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-milkthistle.html
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Milk thistle has been used historically to improve breast milk flow, and two brief studies of milk thistle in pregnant women reported no side effects. However, there is not enough scientific evidence to support the safe use of milk thistle during pregnancy or breastfeeding at this time.

[lonestarnot]

4. Milk thistle, interesting.

[TalkingDog]

5. Not only that....Helpful for the "over-imbibers".....

I take it because I had lead poisoning a few years ago and it damaged my immune system. I need my liver to be as toxin free as possible. (love your liver, love yourself)


A few studies on the subject:

"Milk thistle’s hepatoprotective effect has been attributed to the antioxidant and free-radical scavenger properties of its flavonoid constituents, silymarin and silybin. Milk thistle is also believed to increase protein synthesis, decrease tumor-promoting activity, stabilize immunologic response, protect against cellular radiation damage and increase stability of cellular membranes.

In a study of 106 patients with alcoholic liver disease, subjects were randomly divided into two groups. One group received milk thistle for one month while the other group received a placebo. After one month of treatment, markers of liver disease (liver enzymes: AST and ALT) were statistically lower in subjects taking milk thistle compared to subjects who did not receive milk thistle. The liver cell biopsies of subjects taking milk thistle were shown to be closer to normal than subjects who did not take milk thistle.


Another study of 40 patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis demonstrated that milk thistle had a protective effect on the liver by decreasing markers of liver disease (liver enzymes: AST, ALT and GGT, and blood bilirubin).

Another study was conducted at the 1st Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Vienna, Austria on 170 patients with liver cirrhosis, 91 of which had alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Of the patients enrolled in this study, 87 received 140 mg of milk thistle while the remaining patients received a placebo. The four-year survival rate was 58% in patients treated with milk thistle compared to 39% in patients who did not receive milk thistle. The authors reported that no side effects were observed with the ingestion of milk thistle. The authors subsequently concluded that milk thistle appears to prolong life expectancy in patients with liver cirrhosis of alcoholic and other origin. "

[rockedthevoteinMA]

6. My ex boyfriend had Acute Hep C, saw a doc that was trained

in Germany, who recommended Milk Thistle. When he went back six months later to be checked for his levels, his body had cleared the disease. Amazing to me that not more is published on the positive benefits of Milk Thistle, but then... big Pharma wouldn't make any money that way.

I was unaware that it can help with clearing the body of toxic pesticides. Thank you for sharing. I work around chemicals like that often, but am a true believer in organics.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

14. Our exterminator at work was feeling might low for quite awhile...

he started taking milk thistle, 1000mg concentrate from Rexall Sundown, and he now claims that he feels better than he has in years. That is an unsolicited kudos for the mighty herb.

[rockedthevoteinMA]

15. That's amazing. I am still in awe of what an herb can do for the

body. I feel that there are many beneficial healing herbs out there, but due to the messed up pharmaceutical industry, we rarely hear of them.

Thank goodness for other countries, and their forward thinking medical communities. (for example, Germany).

[HysteryDiagnosis]

17. When you increase the levels of glutathione in the liver, you tend to

"feel better", since it is the liver's own natural antioxidant that it normally protects itself with.

http://www.bestcasemedicine.com/Library/AminoAcids1.htm
Daniel was getting progressively weaker. His joints and muscles ached, he felt mentally confused, and he was always tired. His work as an attorney was suffering badly because he just couldn't concentrate. His doctor listened sympathetically, but examinations and lab tests found nothing wrong. Based on his medical results, Daniel should have been the picture of health. His doctor thought Daniel was suffering from depression and prescribed antidepressant medication. Daniel took the pills, but they only made him feel worse and more exhausted than ever.

In desperation, Daniel decided to consult a nutritionist - me. A complete nutritional evaluation revealed that Daniel's liver was functioning at only half its normal capacity. Daniel's inefficient liver was letting wastes build up in his body, like a toxic storage dump. No wonder he was tired all the time.

I worked with Daniel to improve his liver function through nutrition. The mainstay of his program was a natural substance called glutathione (gloo-ta-thigh-on), along with some other nutrients that improve the efficacy of glutathione. His improvement was dramatic. Within ninety days, Daniel was a new man, restored to his previous energy and mental ability.

To understand why adding a few capsules containing a simple brown powder to his daily diet helped Daniel so much-and how it can help you too-you need to understand a little bit more about free radicals, antioxidants, and glutathione. Once you understand them, you'll recognize that glutathione is your best line of natural defense against environmental toxins, cancer, heart disease, cataracts, and many other health problems.

[bananas]

2. kick

[fed-up]

3. pesticides kill bugs-of course there may be harmful effects to humans-duhhh nt

[mzmolly]

7. I suspect pesticides are "helping along" many neurological disorders.

:(

[lovuian]

8. Hey where do you get the Milk thistle? at the vitamin store?

thanks

[rockedthevoteinMA]

16. Yeah, or your local homeopathic store. n/t

[Stuckinthebush]

9. Correlation is not causation

so I'm sure they will need to look at this possible link much more in depth before coming to any conclusions. It is a promising link however.

Autism is a curious thing. We've seen speculation on causes from mercury in vaccines to treated wood to melamine products. I'm sure there is no one cause of autism but it is nice to explore potential environmental variables and see if the connections hold up with testing.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. So a declining pesticide is linked to rising autism?

Hmmm.

[Blackhatjack]

11. I am reminded of a past Industry slogan "Better living through chemicals"

Wonder why they don't use that slogan today?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. I suppose you're asking why they don't?

It's a shame they don't. It's a good slogan.

I suppose the reason they don't is because of ignorance and scientific illiteracy. People see the word "chemicals" and, because they're not very smart, they're frightened of it. Take "dihydrogen monoxide" for instance.

[Blackhatjack]

13. Thanks! I fixed it. n/t