New Theories About A Link Between Uterine Environment And Autism Raise Questions Without Answers
Two news events got people talking recently. One was that Casey was deemed not guilty of killing little daughter Caylee ( “O.J. all over again”, I heard repeatedly). I must admit I was rather surprised….
The second was the results of two new studies that were published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. One of them stated that environmental factors during pregnancy might contribute as much as genetics in the development of autism spectrum disorders. The 2nd study conducted by Kaiser Permanente Northern California found a 3 times higher risk of autism if the mother took antidepressants in the first trimester of pregnancy.
With the incidence of autism disorders increasing over time to the current range of 3-6 per 1,000 births, these studies are of interest to millions of parents and professionals. Autism affects boys at a rate of three times more than girls, and is usually detected by the age of 3. The cause has been maddeningly unknown.
While genes certainly play a part (as they do in most every disorder) other theories and assertions have been disproven. It certainly does not have anything to do with “poor mothering” or “lack of maternal bonding”. Those theories did more harm than bloodletting in the 19th century! The link between autism and vaccines has been thoroughly debunked. If you believe in science and research, you must believe that vaccines are not the cause and finally leave that one in the dust. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
