Fwd: [specialmomsspecialkids] Fwd: Kirkman Family Newsletter January 2010

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From: joyandjoe@...Reply-to: specialmomsspecialkids To: specialmomsspecialkids Sent: 1/14/2010 8:30:41 A.M. Eastern Standard TimeSubj: [specialmomsspecialkids] Fwd: Kirkman Family Newsletter January 2010

----- Forwarded Message -----From: "Kirkman" <kfnewskirkmanlabs>To: joyandjoecomcast (DOT) netSent: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 5:31:17 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: Kirkman Family Newsletter January 2010

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Happy New Year!

In This Issue . . .

This Month's Special Offer Notice to Our Customers: Antimony Update

Report in Pediatrics Calls for Increased GI Evaluations of Children with ASD

XMRV Virus Linked to ME/CFS

Winter Warmth with Mulligatawny Soup

From Our Family to Yours

This Month's Special Offer15% off with your order of $75 or more Use this KEY CODE: JF15Offer valid from Jan. 14, 2010 to Feb. 12, 2010

Limit: One offer per customer.Retail customers only.

NOTICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS: On January 7, 2010 Kirkman® issued a notice to our customers to stop using seven of our products because they contained levels of antimony that we considered higher than acceptable for our customers. Those products are:

1. Zinc Liquid - Product #387/8 and 387/16

2. Super Nu-Thera® w/o Vitamins A & D Powder - Product #447/454

3. DMAE 50 mg Chewable - Product #489/90

4. Super Nu-Thera® Powder (Orange) - Product #410/454

5. B-Complex Powder Pro-Support - Product #399/7

6. TMG w/Folinic Acid and B-12 Powder - Product #413/4 and #413/8

7. Vitamin C 250 mg Chewable Tablets - Product #389/100 and #389/250

8. Trial sizes of the above seven products

Customers should request a replacement or refund for these products from our customer service department at 1-.

If you have not read this notice, please see it in its entirety on our website at www.kirkmangroup.com. The following is an update:

Antimony Update

January 12, 2010

What are the effects of ingesting antimony?

There are still unknowns regarding the ingestion of antimony. Antimony is not typically a contaminant in raw materials. It is not part of the USP heavy metal screening that raw materials are typically tested for by importers or food and supplement manufacturers. Furthermore, there are very few studies that define what are safe or potentially harmful levels of antimony. Kirkman® has spoken with government regulatory agencies regarding safety issues from the use of antimony. Their response is still forthcoming. As a result, we don’t have all the answers currently. Orally consumed antimony is typically eliminated by the body through the urine and feces in several weeks and probably isn’t bio-accumulated. If this is the case, the levels in Kirkman’s products would pose no risks. The few clinical studies reported in the literature tend to indicate that levels less than 1 mg. of antimony per kg. of body weight are eliminated without side effects. Kirkman® will continue to update our website as new information becomes available. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

Sincerely,

Larry Newman

Chief Operating Officer

Technical and Regulatory Affairs

Report in Pediatrics Calls for More GI Evaluations in Children with ASD

On January 4, a major report that conveys the validity and usefulness of gastrointestinal evaluations (GI) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the American Academy of Pediatrics' journal, Pediatrics.

The report, Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders in Individuals with ASDs: A Consensus Report, was the result of a consensus conference attended by leading pediatric gastroenterologists from around the world and also doctors and researchers from related disciplines. The conference, held in May 2008, was co-chaired by Drs. Harland Winter and Tim Buie of Massachusetts General Hospital for Children.

Major points made in the report are that children with autism should have increased medical evaluation and that GI difficulties may be a primary cause of their behavioral problems.

"Care providers should be aware that problem behavior in patients with ASD may be the primary or sole symptom of the underlying medical condition, including some GI disorders. For these patients, integration of behavioral and medical care may be most beneficial," the report states.

Further research into the effectiveness of nutritional intervention and priorities for future research are identified in the report. The report also stated that: "Anecdotal reports that restricted diets may ameliorate symptoms of ASDs in some children have not been supported or refuted in the scientific data, but these do not address the possibility that there exists a subgroup of individuals who may respond to such diets."

The reaction by professionals representing major autism groups was enthusiastic. "For years, families have reported that their children are struggling with destructive gut issues that affect their behavior and their quality of life," said Autism Society President and CEO Lee Grossman. "This study is tremendously significant in that it brings a roadmap of options for talented professionals of many disciplines to work together to make children with autism healthy. By improving their health, we can possibly reduce the more negative aspects of the condition and help individuals with autism achieve their maximum potential."

"The Pediatrics paper represents long-sought recognition by the mainstream medical community that treatment of GI problems in children with autism requires specific and specialized approaches," Dr. Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer of Autism Speaks said.

A second article, Recommendations for Evaluation and Treatment of Common Gastrointestinal Problems in Children with ASDs, a review by eight pediatric gastroenterologists of current published guidelines and recommendations for the management of GI symptoms that occur frequently in children with ASDs, was published at the same time.

"This study emphasizes the importance of looking for underlying gastrointestinal and other medical conditions in patients with ASD," said Dr. Buie. "Individuals with ASD often cannot verbalize their pain, and are left with behaviors that people often write off as simply an effect of autism. By identifying and treating these co-morbid factors, we can often eliminate a huge barrier to their progress and quality of life."

Sponsors of the consensus conference which resulted in these reports are The Autism Forum, the Autism Research Institute, the Autism Society, the Northwest Autism Foundation, and Easter Seals of Oregon.

Recent groundbreaking science . .

XMRV linked to ME/CFS

By Teri Arranga Consultant

Kirkman Group, Inc.

Researchers at the Whittemore Institute at the University of Nevada recently announced a link between the XMRV virus and ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome). Their groundbreaking study that was published on Oct. 8, 2009 in ScienceXpress focused on ME/CFS. The study was done in collaboration with investigators at the National Cancer Institute and the Cleveland Clinic.

In a subsequent television interview, lead researcher of the study, Dr. Judy Mikovits, reported that since the publication in Science, they have detected XMRV in a small number of autistic children. While Mikovits cautions that these data are preliminary my interest was peaked so I contacted her for more information. Here are excerpts from my interview with her:

Q: What prompted you/Whittemore Institute (WPI) to look for this virus in ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome)?

A: ME/CFS is a diagnosis of exclusion with immune dysfunction including chronic inflammation and importantly in many a defect in the antiviral pathway RNAseL. Because of my background in cancer research I knew that RNAseL was the HPC-1, the hereditary Prostate cancer gene locus associated with families where men got prostate cancer young and it ran in families (and not necessarily blood relatives..in laws..). We have not done many Fibromyalgia patients, but the logic in FM is the overlapping symptoms and to my naive eye FM is CFS with pain.

Q: What prompted the connection with autism?

A: The connection with autism was prompted because we were aware of families in our data set and those who saw the publication who contacted us, where mom had CFS or FM and several children had autism diagnoses. We have tested now ~5 such families and found XMRV in both the CFS patients and children. We also see overlapping GI and immune dysfunction as we see in ME and FM.

Q: Why do you refer to autism as a neuroimmune disease?

A: Several publications in the last few years (thinking of work at the M.I.N.D. Institute) and others, show gut inflammation, chronic immune activation, natural killer cell defects...the brain, gut, and immune system are intimately connected, so we hypothesize that the damages in all of these diseases are happening at a distance and affect the brain.

Q: What do you think is the balance between genetic predisposition and external triggers in prostate cancer? ME/CFS, fibromyalgia? Autism?

A: I think a key and the overlap in all of these diseases is chronic inflammation in a genetically susceptible host...genetic defects in both the innate and adaptive immune system that disrupts the delicate balance between good and bad inflammation. Inflammation is key to clear pathogens and a healthy immune response, but the body also has many controls to limit the inflammation because too much is bad.

Q: How can an individual be tested for the XMRV virus?

A: Testing is available . . . but right now these are first generation tests and as yet insensitive, so there are several labs getting conflicting and inaccurate results if they do not use at least 2 different assays for the virus - false negatives are a real problem.

Q: Are any more children being tested?

A: Many physicians are sending samples to VIPDx and they are seeing positive results for some, but I am not affiliated with any company, just know that the WPI has licensed it to VIPDx and is working with several additional companies. WPI is nonprofit and all profits from license and testing go back to continue the research.

Q: Criteria for testing?

A: Currently there is none, it is up to the patients and physicians.

Q: Can you still apply to be a research subject?

A: YES!!! The WPI is seeking research subjects for several research studies; for more information see our website www.wpinstitute.org.

Q: Do you have any comment on the UK study from Imperial and Kings Colleges in London that did not find an association between XMRV and CFS?

A: It is most correct to say that they did not DETECT XMRV in their samples which came from a psychiatric practice and not likely at all to be comparable to the CFS patients diagnosed by the Canadian consensus criteria...Moreover . . . the methods did not contain a single method that was done as in our study . . . .

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