FOX 49 news: Latest on Vaccines and Autism, Part 1

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<A HREF= " http://www.kpdx.com/Global/story.asp?s=772085 " >Latest on Vaccines

and Autism, Part 1</A>

http://www.kpdx.com/Global/story.asp?s=772085

Just over a year ago, Fox 49 broke the story of a Beaverton family who

believes their son became autistic as a result of his childhood vaccines.

Now, Mead is doing things doctors have said children with autism

would never do and he may be recovering.

Mead dances along with his Gymboree class, but he doesn't talk

much,

and he gets distracted easily. Pretty typical behavior of a shy, 2 and a

half year old child, but just turned four. His parents, and

Tory Mead say has lost more than one year of development since he

became autistic, they believe, the result of a mercury preservative in his

vaccines. But is battling back to normalcy, maybe even recovering.

Early last year, was speaking only in verbal tics, clenching his

fists. He was trapped in his own world. But today, he's almost a

different

kid. Through intensive speech and occupational therapy, is

talking.

He's making eye contact and communicating with his family. Therapist

Hoyt says recognizes pictures and letters, and he can finally

express

himself. is also on a strict regiment of vitamins and a gluten and

caesine-free diet. It means he is not eating wheat, oats, barley or any

dairy products. But and Tory say 's formula for recovery

would

not work without chelation . Chelation is a controversial treatment Dr.

Green uses with many of his autistic patients. It involves biweekly doses

of medicine to flush out mercury, that green believes has come from the

vaccine preservative thimerosal. Dr. Green says, " Chelation is reserved

really for the children who are toxic. And chelation, as is

receiving it is aimed at toxic metals, especially mercury. " Dr. Green sees

8

new autistic kids each week, one coming from as far away as Israel. A few

of

Green's patients have actually been declassified as autistic, and many

parents in the autism community call him a savior. Green's practices are

so

alternative, now the Oregon Medical Board is investigating him for

incompetence and " medically unnecessary treatments. " Sadly, Green knows he

could lose his license, " There is no indication that we have a cause or a

cure for autism. "

Doctor Mendelson is the former chairman of pediatrics at Legacy

Emanuel Children's Hospital and a practicing pediatrician of 37 years.

Mendelson has stopped using thimerosal containing vaccines, after a warning

from the American Academy of Pediatrics. But he says the autistic kids who

may be recovering now, were probably misdiagnosed in the first place and

their symptoms have no correlation to vaccines or mercury. Dr. Mendelson

says, " We're trying to take it out of the vaccines now just because there

is

so much mercury in the environment that wasn't there before that if we can

eliminate it from any source for children, we will. But there is no

scientific study to show there is damage from thimerosal or the vaccine.

It

just isn't there. "

But and Tory Mead believe they have found the science and now

they're

bringing it to court. Our story continues tomorrow night when we take a

closer look at the Mead family's legal battles, and how they are going

after

the vaccine makers who they say may have caused their son's illness.