Lancet retracts claims… might science be influenced by industry?

 

feb-2010-bCould Science be influenced by Industry and Government or individual self-interest?

Of course we all know that science, because of its objective methods, is free from bias of particular self interests.  That is why this new retraction of a publication, declaring it unholy and not worthy of being quoted as scientific evidence in the scientific peer reviewed literature, is such a shock to people like me who have devoted part of my life to doing good scientific investigation.  And it was done so, supposedly on a technicality related to the methods used.

It is very interesting indeed, that many reputable scientists and physicians are outspoken in their denial of any evidence that vaccination could be linked to Autism, and that this report stood as a scientific thorn in the side of that denial, until it was recently withdrawn.

This is a new tactic in denial of any relationship of the relationship between the rising incidence of autism and vaccination.  Autism is officially a disease without a known cause, and will probably become more an more common, and expensive to us as a society and to the parents who bear its burden, until we take our heads out of the sand, and look around for a cause in an unbiased way.  I have heard many patient stories, read reports in the literature, and heard of colleagues treating this disorder in a manner highly suggestive of vaccination being given just before a child dropped off the normal development curve.  I cannot let go of the strong suspicion of association  between vaccine and autism without some really well-done honest investigation that accounts for the post-vaccination illness followed by loss of normal behavior in these infants and children.

I still believe that vaccination protects people in general, at the same time I believe that some sort of immunological screening and changes in vaccine technology and administration could reduce this incidence.  So too, might a combination of warning and intense therapy during the acute post- vaccination illness.  But this type of “science control” assumes that we are all dumb sheep, and can have our fates controlled and manipulated by those who know better than us when they admit they do not understand the cause of autism.

This is a wakeup call to the entire General Public, as well as scientific and medical community. If we let this go by, we are saying we are suckers for whatever other nonsense they have to cram down our throats.  I thank naturopath James Elkin for bringing this to my attention, and hope that you share this with your friends and legislators.

By the way, the mercury in vaccinations and the attenuated viruses both have the ability to disrupt normal regulation of the immune system, and to modify normal cells so that the body will attack them.  Development of the nervous system involves a form of removal of unwanted connections, known as “neuronal pruning”, which is done by microglial cells, which are also part of the Brain/spinal cord immune system.  So if you disrupt the signals for these immune cells known as glial cells, you could disrupt the developmental process in the brain.  This new removal is a statement that we will not look in that direction for answers.

Alan M Dattner, MD

Lancet Retracts 1998 Paper Linking Autism to MMR Vaccination 

 

The Lancet has “fully” retracted a paper it published in 1998 that suggested a link between measles-mumps-rubella vaccination and the subsequent development of autism.

 

The journal’s editors point to a recent judgment by a panel of the U.K.’s General Medical Council, saying that “it has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al. are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation.”

 

The editors say that two claims in the paper “have been proven to be false.” Contrary to the authors’ claims, the patients studied were not consecutively referred, and the local ethics committee had not approved the investigations. The editors conclude: “Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record.”

 

Asked to comment on the journal’s action, Dr. Andrew Wakefield sent the following statement: “The allegations against me and against my colleagues are both unfounded and unjust and I invite anyone to examine the contents of these proceedings and come to their own conclusion.”

 


Holistic Dermatology at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting?

Depositphotos_4519852_xsI just returned from the American Academy of Dermatology meeting with lots of new information from the host of sessions I attended. I will present a series of blogs from my experience at this meeting in the upcoming months. On the exhibit hall floor, many products from skin care companies appeared for the first time.

Products which I have been using in my alternative medicine practice for the past 15 to 20 years. What an affirming surprise to find how far ahead of the curve I have been, and to see that methods I have been practicing are finally catching on.

One product, which appeared in various forms, was homeopathic Arnica for post operative healing and pain prevention. In some cases it was sold with or combined with the enzyme bromelain. I was reassured to see that I had been using this at least 20 years ago, that my correct insights had been confirmed.

Sadly, Still Using Only the Western Model

Unfortunately, although products I have used are appearing, the philosophy and understanding with which I employ
these seems to be sorely lacking. Probiotics (healthy bacteria, like acidophilus) were both praised and questioned for use in treating atopic dermatitis.

Despite multiple positive studies, skeptics mentioned one study in which children’s dermatitis actually did worse
with probiotics. But no consideration was given in the study regarding which diets corresponded to counteracting yeast and helping the probiotics work better.

Now that alternative medicine supplements are being accepted into traditional medicine, researchers are creating
studies on them, but are treating these supplements in the same way they treat pharmaceuticals. So the idea of having a magic pill that cures everything still seems to float above the concept of treating the whole person, which is what I continue to do and promote as a holistic dermatologist.

To your health,
Alan M Dattner, MD

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As always, the content of this blog is for information and education purposes only, and should not be used to prevent, diagnose or treat illness; please see your physician for care.