CONCERN ON THE STATE OF RESEARCH OF CFS / AUTISM and OTHER AUTO-IMMUNE MAN-MADE DISEASES

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" Expression of Concern " on Arrest and Incarceration of Dr. Judy Mikovits

The editors and writers of Age of Autism express their concern over media reports of the arrest and jailing of Dr. Judy Mikovits on Friday, November 18, 2011 in Ventura, California.

According to Science magazine writer Jon Cohen in an article entitled " Controversial CFS Researcher Arrested and Jailed " , Dr. Mikovits was arrested on " felony charges that she is a fugitive from justice. "  

Dr. Mikovits was the research director at the Whittemore Institute for Neuro-Immune Diseases in Reno, Nevada until she was fired on September 29, 2011.  Upon being fired she returned to her home in southern California where her husband was staying.  On November 4, the WPI filed suit against Dr. Mikovits, claiming she had kept lab notebooks and other information in her laptop, flash drives, and in her personal e-mail account.  A preliminary injunction on this matter was to be held in Nevada's Second District Judicial Court on November 22, 2011.

Lois Hart, an attorney for Dr. Mikovits denies that her client has any notebooks or other proprietary items.  Age of Autism must note the unusual circumstances which would cause the WPI to arrest Dr. Mikovits when a hearing on the preliminary injunction had already been set.  After her arrest on Friday, November 18, Dr. Mikovits was not allowed to post bail and has spent the weekend in jail.  A hearing for Dr. Mikovits in Ventura, California will take place on Tuesday, November 22 at the Ventura County Government Center, Hall of Justice, Room 13 at 1:30.  She remains in jail at the time of this writing.

The hearing in California will prevent Dr. Mikovits from attending the hearing in Nevada.

Another curious aspect to this case is that Dr. Mikovits was supposed to speak at a panel discussion the weekend of November 19-20 on chronic fatigue syndrome/ME at Mt. Sinai Hospital where a chronic fatigue/ME center had recently been established under the guidance of Dr. Enlander.  It had also been rumored that Dr. Mikovits might end up collaborating with Dr. Enlander. 

Dr. Mikovits was unable to attend this conference in New York because she was in a jail cell in California.  Is anybody else seeing a pattern?

According to reports circulating in the chronic fatigue syndrome/ME community, Dr. Mikovits was fired after work on September 29, 2011 by a call to her cell-phone while she was outside her condo in Reno.  When Dr. Mikovits returned to her home in southern California she spoke with Lilly Meehan, a CFS/ME advocate.  At some time near the arrest of Dr. Mikovits, nine policeman appeared at the home of Lilly Meehan in California, and executed a search of her home.  Nothing was found.

Many in the autism community have become familiar with Dr. Mikovits and her belief that autism may share many similarities with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME and that both may turn out to be neuro-immune diseases.  It must be noted that the majority of the autism community is still undecided about the likelihood of such a link, although they eagerly await further evidence.

But the autism community stands united with the chronic fatigue syndrome/ME community in support of scientific freedom and the protection of research scientists from witch hunts and criminal persecution.  While it is clear that all of us in the autism and chronic fatigue syndrome/ME community await the truth of the allegations against Dr. Mikovits, there is a way in which these matters are to be resolved.  

The normal manner of resolving such disputes has not been followed in this case.  Senior scientists do not rank the risk of incarceration on the list of fears which attend losing a position, especially prior to any charges being proven in a court of law.

The jailing of Dr. Mikovits without bail for at least five days prior to any legal proceedings raises suspicions of what is ultimately at stake in this case.

We  urge anybody in the southern California area to attend the hearing for Dr. Mikovits which takes place on Tuesday, November 22 at 1:30 p.m. at the Ventura County Government Center, Hall of Justice, 800 S. Avenue, Room 13, Ventura, California 93309.

Posted by Age of Autism at November 22, 2011 at 5:40 AM in Current Affairs, Science | Permalink | Comments (16) 

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Note to many researchers, if you think getting into the autism research front is tough, you're right, you're either jailed, maligned, discredited, not funded, told your on the parameter of science, villified by agenda reporters or called a callous disregarder. You may have to give up your livelehood, retirement, and even your country. I hope those who do, have a firm self image intact. No wonder we aren't getting anywhere with autism research! No wonder, that, as I was told, Judy was told, that she should not speak of Autism or study it in the same sentence with CFS/ME, or she will become another Wakefield. Well, look what happened~! When I contacted her to do a study on CFS/ME moms who have autistic kids (which was a great idea in and of itself), she unhesitingly did so with very disturbing, though realistic findings (that it can be passed to child, no duh). I am sure she knew she was opening up a LARGE can of worms. I am sorry Judy this has happened. I have asked for my donations back from WPI, but all I hear are cricketts! And I agree with the ioatragenic things of this retrovirus, it is clear we were coming to this conculsion on many angles, and someone, or some people, or some institution had to stop that in it's tracks! Hello predjudice! Hello saving your behind! Must stop truth at all cost~! UGH...

Posted by: kathy blanco | November 22, 2011 at 12:41 PM

I'm not sure I've followed the history correctly, but didn't WPI researchers state that an immunization could be a factor that might cause the XMRV virus to replicate out of control? Is that the cause of this suppression or is it also the possibility/probability that this virus entered human systems through iatrogenic means, very likely vaccination?

From what I saw, it was " OK " to research the possible role of a pathogen in chronic illness (who knows, such research might even lead to another vaccine pipeline)--didn't Insel state that XMRV was a promising route of research some time ago-- but implicating a possible manmade source...is this the reason Dr. Mikovits is in jail?

Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | November 22, 2011 at 12:36 PM

Why is it so hard to figure all this stuff out?Is there at times both a retro virus and a metal like mercury or squalene or Al salt involved or not?

I imagine it is all a building up and exciting to death the immune system by vaccines. IT is only a matter of time untill every one's immune system is whacked up.

I bet anything that there are B cells out there messing up the energy cycle of the body's cells. They are attacking the mitrochondria, they are attacking the perdioisome that is responsible for breaking up and carrying the long chain carbs to the mitrochondria, and they are attacking the actual ATP too.

But the B cells also require a lot of energy from glucose in certain stages of their development - and that is why the Ketogenic, low carbs diets work.Meanwhile diabeties rate in America continues to climb?

It ain't just autism anymore!How hard is it to measure SED rates and actually after the labs find them high -actually do something besides just sending the patients off to a rhuematologist (another do nothing fraud ridden profession, yet they too collect a big specialist fee). Now there is fraud on a wide scale base! To bad the authorities,won't make Dr. Mikovits scoot over and share her jail cell with them!

Posted by: Benedetta | November 22, 2011 at 11:41 AM

yet, Thorsen who is suspected of embezzling millions from the federal government remains a free man.. go figure

Posted by: | November 22, 2011 at 11:09 AM

This is awful! I did a google search after reading this, and a Chicago Trib article came up. Wouldn't you know that it's being covered by our fave reporter. Coincidence?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-nw-chronic-fatigue-scientist-arrest-20111122,0,5455739.story

Posted by: Joanna | November 22, 2011 at 11:05 AM

I have to say, when I read that Mikovits had been jailed, it seemed like overkill to me. Even if we assume (for the sake of argument) that she committed fraud or misconduct, holding her without bail does not seem justified. The police could seize any possessions of hers that are required to make the case against her, without holding her in jail.

Indeed, Marc Hauser, the Harvard professor who was found guilty of eight counts of misconduct, was not jailed at the time of his arrest (so far as I have read), and was even permitted to continue to teach at the Harvard Extension School during his " leave of absence " from teaching full-time undergraduates. He eventually resigned.

More details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Hauser

and here: http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=marc+hauser+site%3athe-scientist.com & d=4810140389016430 & mkt=en-US & setlang=en-US & w=2fa00b35,c032e772

I don't know whether XMRV is a factor in CFS (or other diseases, such as autism or prostate cancer) in humans. I don't think more research into the effects of this virus is a bad thing, particularly given that XMRV likely contaminates a vast amount of biological product. (I do understand Burd's concerns, and although I haven't made my own mind up about HIV and AIDS, the existence of AIDS patients who are HIV-negative casts doubt on the one-to-one cause-and-effect relationship that mainstream scientists believe exists between HIV and AIDS.)

Maybe the fact that Dr. Mikovits is being charged in a real court (rather than an academic tribunal, for example) is a good thing. Real rules of evidence will apply, and she'll have a chance to make her case on the record. In the interim, it is disturbing that she is being treated more severely than (as points out) Jerry Sandusky or other individuals charged with academic misconduct.

Posted by: Theresa O | November 22, 2011 at 10:59 AM

: I am no expert on the issue, but the fact that retroviruses have been spread via the vaccine program seems to be a big problem for the scientist that talk about them.

Posted by: Sylvia | November 22, 2011 at 10:10 AM

Holy Mother of GOD, this is insane! I am shocked beyond words! Dr. Mikovits is in jail for the weekend because she has been accused of not returning a notebook? For that she is JAILED????? OH MY GOD, we ARE living in a police state!

Posted by: Sylvia | November 22, 2011 at 09:53 AM

This is unreal! Jerry Sandusky has never served a day in jail despite a decade of criminal investigations but Dr. Mitovits is arrested and jailed without bail, allegedly because she took a notebook home?

Don't the Whittemore people realize how ridiculous they look? The government is behaving as if Dr. Mitovits stole state secrets, as if she is a spy. One has to wonder what is really going on here. Why is Whittemore so terrified of? What information is in those notebooks and flashdrives? Is it a coincidence that Mitovits uncovered the connection to XMRV and CFS? If there is really no relationship why this hysteria about getting back a dumb notebook?

Posted by: | November 22, 2011 at 09:48 AM

david,it may not be that far off from pointing to a source of iatrogenic causations. By mixing attenuated viral RNA, residual " junk " RNA and homologous human DNA with known mutagens there may be new viral forms being created by an over ambitious vaccine schedule.