No doubt one of the worst things that can happen to a person is to lose a child. It’s terrible no matter what the cause but it’s especially bad when the loss is unexpected like with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is defined as the unexplained death of an infant within a year of birth. There is often times guilt on the part of the parents because the true cause of SIDS is not known.

A new study reveals that infants who die from SIDS have an unusually low level of the chemical serotonin in the brainstem portion of their brain. This affects responses to breathing and carbon dioxide, temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. There has long been a link between low serotonin levels and autism. It has even been speculated by some that the babies that live with these SIDS risk factors through the high risk period might be the children that develop autism in later years. It does seem in some studies that the increase in the diagnosis of autism followed a decrease in SIDS deaths.

It is hoped that this information along with other studies can help identify infants who might be a risk of dying from SIDS. It is no doubt multifactorial including the factors listed above along with sleep position and even exposure to cigarette smoke. Several risk factors are felt to be needed for SIDS to occur and the more that are present increases the likelihood of the condition occurring.  bjmdjd

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autism · health · healthcare · serotonin · SIDS · Sudden Infant Death Syndrome · wellness

Well…FINALLY! A United Kingdom regulatory panel has ruled that the doctor who led the study linking autism and the MMR vaccine acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly.” It started a worldwide panic among parents and led to an increase in measles due to a decrease in vaccinations. The ruling was only on the actions of the physicians involved in the study and not on the autism question.

The original study was published twelve years ago and in 2004 ten of the study’s thirteen authors rejected the findings. This week the medical journal (The Lancet) that originally published the study retracted it after finding out that the lead researcher had accepted money from lawyers suing vaccination manufacturers even before he designed the study.

Even with all of this there is still a very active movement around the world to convince parents that the vaccination – autism link is real. Celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy and her actor significant other Jim Carrey have made it their cause.

Whether or not you believe that this controversial topic is true or not there is now little doubt that the original study was a sham. There have been numerous studies since that have shown no link but many parents are convinced and it has led to a dangerous decrease in vaccination rates.  bjmdjd

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autism · health · healthcare · MMR vaccine · vaccination rates · wellness