Are Vaccinations Causing Early Alzheimer's?

[Guest guest]

Are Vaccinations Causing Early Alzheimer's?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Byron s, CCN

http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/are_vaccinations_causing_early_\

onset_alzheimers_disease/?source=Email & camp=news112008

The issue of cognitive decline and the more advanced Alzheimer's disease is

predicted to be a public health crisis in America over the next 20 years, as

the swell of baby boomers hits the age when problems manifest. This past

week the Wall Street Journal ran an article on a man getting Alzheimer's in

his 40s, one of 500,000 Americans with early onset. The notion that this

problem is striking ever earlier sent shock waves through the country and

left people wondering why this is happening. Clearly, there are many

inflammatory factors in one's life and gene-related weaknesses involved.

However, theoretical data on the inflammatory nature of vaccines, especially

in the large numbers given to children at an early age while their nerves

are developing response patterns for future life, means that they cannot be

ruled out as one main factor that primes the Alzheimer's pump.

We already know from existing research the recipe that leads to Alzheimer's

risk. Data coming from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging found that

aging in general, fewer years of education (less brain exercise), and the

apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele were significantly associated with

increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Other research has shown that heavy

smoking and drinking speed the onset of Alzheimer's. A sluggish thyroid

also increases the risk.

On the other hand the Canadian researchers found that the use of

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, wine consumption, coffee consumption,

and regular physical activity were associated with a reduced risk of

Alzheimer's disease. There are many great anti-inflammatory nutrients that

readily replace the concept of drug use, including the grape seed extracts

of red wine (which have been shown to reduce Alzheimer's plaque formation).

Natural vitamin E at the dose of 2000 IU per day has been shown to extend

the life of Alzheimer's patients by two years. DHA and folic acid have been

shown to be protective against Alzheimer's. Even the FDA has approved

health claims for phosphatidylserine (PS): it may reduce the risk of

cognitive dysfunction in the elderly and may reduce the risk of dementia in

the elderly. Moderate coffee intake has a brain-activating effect, which

would be synergistic with learning or other forms of constructive brain

exercise that help keep your brain cells fit. Physical exercise is proven

to elevate levels of brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) vital for your

brain to withstand stress and inflammation and keep your brain cells living

longer in a healthier condition. The common theme is that using your brain

constructively helps keep it fit and factors that induce brain inflammation,

of which there are many, send you in the wrong direction.

Besides the above, obvious factors that cause brain inflammation include a

lack of sleep, emotional stress, physical exhaustion, cell phone use, and a

poor quality diet. This means that there will never be a specific cause of

Alzheimer's identified, other than the idea that too much inflammation

combined with genetic weaknesses will lead to the problem. Too much

inflammation is the common theme behind all nerve-related diseases, heart

disease, and cancer. Thus, the manifestation of various shades of cognitive

decline will be common in the overall population and progression into full

Alzheimer's, compared to some other serious problem, will depend on genetic

weak spots. For example, healthy children of Alzheimer's patients have

adverse changes in their brain structure before any symptoms appear. The

greater the amount of inflammation, combined with an individual's ability to

tolerate inflammation, will determine the age of onset.

Recently researchers did autopsies on the brains of individuals who

maintained sharp memory into their 80s. Those with sharp memory compared to

the brains of those with " normal aging " had far less brain tangles. Thus we

see a sliding scale of tangles, going from virtually none in true health, to

the common averages of " normal aging, " down into the diseased ranges of

cognitive decline, and eventually into Alzheimer's. With this

understanding, " normal aging " can be seen as abnormal from an optimal health

point of view. Such brain tangles are driven by inflammatory processes.

The Immunization-Alzheimer's Controversy

The adjuvants used in vaccines (putting the mercury issue aside) are

intentionally highly inflammatory so as to provoke a more active immune

response to the weakened pathogen. The fact that American children are the

most vaccinated in the world at such an early age, when their brains are

setting up shop, runs the high risk that vaccinations will " train " nerves to

become more hyper-active to future inflammatory stress of any kind. Such

issues would be magnified if a child had a history of stress in the womb,

stress as an infant (unstable environment), poor nutrition in the womb or

early life, other health problems as an infant, or has family-related gene

weaknesses predisposing to Alzheimer's (or any other nerve-related disease

for that matter). These massive numbers of early vaccinations could easily

set the stage for early onset Alzheimer's. At this point there is

absolutely no science that refutes this theory, and plenty of science to

predict it.

Our government, bless their little hearts, has no interest in proving this

not to be the case or in figuring out a safety threshold for the number of

vaccines or the age they are given. Rather, they operate on the assumption

that any number of vaccines is harmless. This public health mentality of

fire a shot gun and ask questions later (or never ask any questions at all)

is good for herd mentality and not so good for personalized wellness and

quality of life.

Any notion that the treatment is problematic, such as a contributor to

autism, is met with flat out denial. It does not matter to them what data

is presented or what new science obviously predicts. Our government's

illness is their bizarre concept of control at all costs by unelected

bureaucrats, risks be dammed. The bottom line, our government doesn't

actually care what adverse effects vaccinations may cause to your child,

they are treating a herd.

This issue flared up back in 1997 when a leading proponent of the

vaccine-autism link, Hugh Fudenberg, MD, presented his research at the NVIC

International Vaccine Conference, Arlington, VA. His data showed that if an

individual had five consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years

studied) his/her chances of getting Alzheimer's disease is 10 times higher

than if he/she had one, two, or no shots. This data was never published in

a peer reviewed journal. Supporters of Fudenberg describe him as " the world's

leading immunogeneticist and 13th most quoted biologist of our times (nearly

850 papers in peer review journals). "

The Alzheimer's Association website attempts to discredit Fudenberg, but not

the data he presented, stating that his " license was suspended by the South

Carolina Board of Medical Examiners. " This is true, but that was due to a

classic witch hunt because of his anti-vaccine position. The Alzheimer's

Association went on to reference a meaningless study in which those with a

negligible vaccine history had no apparent risk of Alzheimer's. The data

does not begin to approximate the potential risk of massive numbers of

vaccines given to American children and future Alzheimer's risk.

Thus, the question of the immunization link to Alzheimer's is an open-ended

and controversial issue. A responsible government would have demanded

animal studies with different levels of immunizations at different ages in

relation to the onset of Alzheimer's. These studies aren't being conducted

because OUR GOVERNMENT DOES NOT WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER.

Since Americans are more vaccinated than Europeans, a detailed analysis of

vaccine amounts compared to Alzheimer's risk or early onset of Alzheimer's

could be conducted. However, if the government is behind this study they

will use statistical techniques that water down the results so that risk

disappears, the favorite strategy employed when any drug or medicine has

potential risks that would cause people not to take them.

Stopping Problems Early

Regardless of factors that set the stage for Alzheimer's it is quite clear

that an overall strategy that balances your inflammation checkbook is

central to preventing the problem. On one side of the equation is the wear

and tear in your life. On the other side is the healthy things you do to

rejuvenate and recover. No matter what you believe in, you better figure

out a way to balance this checkbook.

We definitely know that it takes many years of wear and tear for full blown

Alzheimer's to manifest. It is vital to act aggressively to prevent the

problem if you are sliding down the Alzheimer's slope. Managing

inflammatory stressors is at the top of your list. It is easiest to make

changes in your brain before the problem gets large. Various memory

glitches are normal and others are not. The Alzheimer's Association does

have a list of the ten warning signs that is helpful:

1. Memory loss. Forgetting recently learned information is one of the most

common early signs of dementia. A person begins to forget more often and is

unable to recall the information later. What's normal? Forgetting names or

appointments occasionally.

2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks. People with dementia often find it

hard to plan or complete everyday tasks. Individuals may lose track of the

steps involved in preparing a meal, placing a telephone call or playing a

game. What's normal? Occasionally forgetting why you came into a room or

what you planned to say.

3. Problems with language. People with Alzheimer's disease often forget

simple words or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing

hard to understand. They may be unable to find the toothbrush, for example,

and instead ask for " that thing for my mouth. " What's normal? Sometimes

having trouble finding the right word.

4. Disorientation to time and place. People with Alzheimer's disease can

become lost in their own neighborhood, forget where they are and how they

got there, and not know how to get back home. What's normal? Forgetting the

day of the week or where you were going.

5. Poor or decreased judgment. Those with Alzheimer's may dress

inappropriately, wearing several layers on a warm day or little clothing in

the cold. They may show poor judgment, like giving away large sums of money

to telemarketers. What's normal? Making a questionable or debatable

decision from time to time.

6. Problems with abstract thinking. Someone with Alzheimer's disease may

have unusual difficulty performing complex mental tasks, like forgetting

what numbers are for and how they should be used. What's normal? Finding it

challenging to balance a checkbook.

7. Misplacing things. A person with Alzheimer's disease may put things in

unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.

What's normal? Misplacing keys or a wallet temporarily.

8. Changes in mood or behavior. Someone with Alzheimer's disease may show

rapid mood swings - from calm to tears to anger - for no apparent reason.

What's normal? Occasionally feeling sad or moody.

9. Changes in personality. The personalities of people with dementia can

change dramatically. They may become extremely confused, suspicious, fearful

or dependent on a family member. What's normal? People's personalities do

change somewhat with age.

10. Loss of initiative. A person with Alzheimer's disease may become very

passive, sitting in front of the TV for hours, sleeping more than usual or

not wanting to do usual activities. What's normal? Sometimes feeling weary

of work or social obligations.