OT: Autism Linked to Tylenol ??

From a comment:

"My concern about your interpretation of the Schultz (2008) study is that there are major problems with the study which are not being considered. The sample was not a random, controlled sample, but one which recruited participants online and relied on the memories of parents of whether or not they administered an over-the-counter drug (acetaminophen), potentially 18 years ago since the sample included children ages 1-18. Also, it was a relatively small sample and no diagnostic criteria was set for those who had developed ?autism?. There is also a problem of missing data, particularly among those who reported ibuprofen use. Finally, it is very possible that they Tylenol was administered because of accompanying sequelae and that it was these illness that might have caused the association, not the acetaminophen. The authors themselves conclude that ?The findings may be coincidental? and that they are preliminary."

Indeed! But the timing of the switch to Tylenol for children and the upswing of the incidence of autism suggests more than a coincidental connection.

I am deathly allergic to Tylenol.

They almost killed me two years ago, at my hip replacement... some dummy nurse didn't know that acetaminophen Tylenol... if my wife hadn't been there when I went into the shakes, I likely would have died :-(

What other major changes have occurred in the way we raise children? ...Jim Thompson

On Jan 13, 10:51=A0am, Jim Thompson What other major changes have occurred in the way we raise children?

Sedentary TV/internet/video game lifestyle vs. playing ball outside, eating highly processed & refined foods vs. fresh fruits and veggies, high-fructose corn syrup and trans-fats in everything, mandatory vaccinations... why do you ask? :D

Michael

The standards in many things that affect childraising have gone downhill - conduct, dress, language, media, television, education, church, politics etc. Whether there is any link to autism, I don't know.

Ed

I doubt that "raising" has anything to do with autism. I don't know of any "late-onset" autism. My grandson showed symptoms by about 3 months of age... right after the MMR vaccinations followed by Tylenol for "crankiness" as advised by the doctor. ...Jim Thompson

There is a correlation to parents being white, educated, and well-off. My wife works a lot with autistic kids, and she can often spot tendencies in their parents, specifically their fathers. It may be a result of geek-marries-geek, which is more common as more women go to college.

John

My autistic grandson's father (my son-in-law) is 2nd generation Hispanic-American... not geek-level, but college educated MBA accountant (bean counter at Honeywell). My daughter probably does qualify as geek-level... a chemist. Granddaughter from that pairing is perfectly normal but certainly high IQ, high achiever.

The other six grandchildren, definitely all geek pairings, are normal, but high achievers. ...Jim Thompson

They are no longer responsible for their acts, and we can't hold them back a year in school for fear it will damage their tiny minds.

Actually, that change was happening earlier than this. Even my generation was getting large amounts of processed foods and corn syrup (I'm 50+) and all the rest. Later generations might have been getting more of the same, but it would have been a slow ramp, not the exponential that we have seen.

Although, my wife has told me that TODAY, I would probably have been diagnosed as autistic... ;-)

Charlie

I vaguely recall some news special (Nightline? Dateline? 60 Minutes) some ~10 years ago about a woman who had an autistic child. Frustrated when the doctor said nothing could be done, she did research on the web, fed her son various vitamins and vegetables, etc., and when he grew up he functioned pretty much near normal.

Allison OD'd on Tylenol?

Allison doesn't have autism, she has a new hair cut... and a Brown Belt in Karate ;-) ...Jim Thompson

No it doesn't. The principle change is that lots more children are being diagnosed as autistic because the thresholds for diagnosis have changed. The author of this worried well panic article about Tylenol (Paracetomol outside US) is a paranoid organic greenie. The sort of person you would normally be laughing at.

Incidentally the drug is banned in Japan because the threshold between effective dose and LD50 is too close for comfort (and Japanese people tend to overdose on drugs - if one is good, two must be better etc.). There is an additive that can ameliorate the acute toxicity problem on overdose but it adds to the cost. UK has it listed as a known rsik for intentional self harm drug.

In the UK both Asprin and Paracetomol have been available essentially forever and the autism rate also has gone up. The MMR "causes autism" vaccine scare has screwed herd immunity and now children of the worried well parents who did not have them immunised are now catching measles, mumps and rubella with all the nasty consequences that entails. It is only a matter of time before there is a major measles epidemic in London. The irony was that the research that started the MMR scare was hopelessly constructed and utterly misleading, but it didn't stop people from panicing needlessly and making the wrong choice. People have forgotten just how nasty these childhood diseases were in the past.

Sedentary lifestyle with no exercise, masses of high fructose corn syrup, brominated oils, fluorinated fake sugars and synthetic dyes in fizzy drinks and over processed junk food consumed to excess.

Do you need any more?

Regards, Martin Brown

I would certainly have qualified as ADD ;-) ...Jim Thompson

Which reminds me... I video-taped her Brown Belt ceremony last Saturday... in a nasty crowd, plus the "arena" had a "soft" chain-link fence, so it was difficult.

I managed to get inside the fencing and stood in a corner.

But I was musing (I do that a lot ;-)... wonder how one would set up a wireless remote camera that sat atop the "fence"?

I could sit back of the crowd and operate the camera with a joy stick from my laptop ;-)

Does any such thing already exist? Or the components thereof? ...Jim Thompson

At least it'll match his eyes.

Like this? (I think this is the one I saw in the back room at work)

"his"??

"She"! But she does have brown eyes like her mother.

Nice! But likely out of my price range :-) ...Jim Thompson

We know.

Well, being a republican you certainly wouldn't want a large government over active food and drug administration digging into the effectiveness and safety of drugs that could impede the profits of the poor drug companies. After all what's important? Drug safety is only the concern of LIBERAL weenies not true free marketers. Let the market decide...if Tylenol is harming kids people wont by it...right!