Over 50 scientific references say this important issue shall not be censored any longer

Commentary by Ralph K. Campbell, MD

(OMNS Mar 17 2019) There are some fraudulent medical articles that repeatedly reappear on the scene that trash the function of vitamins, other nutritional substances and "outside the box" medical treatments. Here I present the measles vaccine - autism connection that started as a theory in the mind of a British gastroenterologist, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, as an illustration.

Andrew Wakefield, MB. BS., was an early proponent of gut health being dependent on being colonized with beneficial bacterial that quell what he called "the leaky gut syndrome', in which intact antigens from the gut can sneak into the blood stream. [1-3] From recent studies touting the value of a healthy biome, we can see in hindsight that his theory had some validity. [4-7] He also noted an association of some of his gastroenterology patients who received the Mumps, Measles, Rubella vaccine (MMR) with the development of autism (or what we now would call autism spectrum disorder). On the basis of studying only 12, mostly family member children, and realizing it was not a double-blinded study with a large number of subjects, his study was published in 1998 in Lancet, a widely-cited British medical journal. [8-10] Meanwhile two other reputable researchers published similar studies with the similar conclusions. Initially, Wakefield was more concerned about giving the multiple antigen, MMR, to infants with both an immature immune system and an immature nervous system, than just the single measles component. Many pediatricians felt the same way and urged doctors to attempt to administer the three component vaccines one at a time. If this could not be done, then, the public was advised, postpone administrating the MMR vaccine well beyond the U.S. time of 15 months of age. Several countries favorably changed their policies in this manner. Later, Dr. Wakefield found a strain of measles virus in the vaccine that caused severe irritable bowel syndrome and may have contributed to autism. Many other articles, published before and after Wakefield's 1998 study, have suggested that abnormalities of the microbiome in the gut often occur in children with autism.

Shortly after Wakefield published his findings, character assassins seemed to come out of the woodwork as they strongly condemned Wakefield's study. Brian Deer, a journalist, apparently started his vitriol with Lancet, but then jumped to The British Medical Journal where he teamed up with a sympathizer, Dr. Fiona Godlee, editor of the journal. Others joined in and were believed to the point that Wakefield was stripped of his medical license and he eventually moved to the U.S. [11-21]

In 2011, Wakefield fought back by suing The British Medical Journal. [22-24] Interestingly, the prosecutors discovered that the defendants had used the same tactics as those they had accused Wakefield of using: the fraud of altering the data of the study to suit their agenda and of getting other well-known researchers to devise phony studies. It was discovered that both Godlee and Deer had ties to the pharmaceutical industry, most importantly to Merck, the maker of the MMR vaccine. But Deer never quit. He made an appearance on CNN with Anderson Cooper, in CNN's early days and spread his misleading rhetoric. We no longer hear from Deer, but he is replaced by a very powerful "anti-antivaccer," Dr. Paul Offit, Director of Vaccine Education Center and Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia and Professor of Vaccinology at Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. The list of awards he has received is nearly a full page long. He has many publications, including a book about the danger to others from children who do not get their vaccines because of parents who believe they cause harm, not good. Some say, "Dr. Offit never met a vaccine he didn't like." A very impressive figure except for one caveat: he has close financial ties with the pharmaceutical industry, including Merck. The total involvement is in the tens of millions. [25-27]

Regardless, in order to discredit anyone who questions the efficacy of the MMR vaccine or the possibility of it being a cause of autism, our "Communicable Disease Center" (CDC) presents the studies showing there is no connection between the measles shot and the development of autism. Spokespersons from the CDC often back up their comments by referring to an Offit study. Recently, a commentator on the evening TV news, after presenting a segment about a jump in cases of measles, particularly in areas of low compliance with vaccination recommendations, said it was too bad that some were still listening to this "quack doctor" Wakefield. As a pediatrician, I would like to see more studies that could resolve the apparent discrepancies between studies that have shown a connection between the MMR vaccine, abnormalities in the gut, and onset of autism and more recent ones showing lack of a connection. Further, since many studies have found that children with autism often have abnormalities in the gut, likely related to nutrition and the microbiome, I propose that studies on autism proceed with a rationale for maintaining excellent nutrition.

Many parents have reported that vaccinations in their children appear to cause detrimental side effects, likely due to vaccine adjuvants, preservatives, and possibly the antigens or other viral components. To reduce the risk and magnitude of side effects, I recommend supplements of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients taken before and after vaccinations, as these can help the body deal with chemicals that act as toxins to cause inflammation. Supplements of vitamins C, E, D, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, and a multivitamin, given to children in adequate pediatric doses can prevent much of the detrimental reaction to vaccinations. [28-32]

Editor's note: Even CBS News has questioned vaccination advocacy that money can - and evidently does - buy. You can read their print story but you can NOT view their video at CBS News' website [ https://www.cbsnews.com/.../how-independent-are-vaccine-defe.../ ]. However, the video is up at YouTube . . . at least for now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfkYaetrJak

(This commentary presents the opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of all members of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service Editorial Review Board. OMNS allows equal time for dissenting opinions, which may be submitted to the Editor at the contact listed further below.)