From Acrodynia to Autism: Mercury Across Generations, More Evidence of Harm

Safeminds has put out a video about the similarities of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Acrodynia, also known as Pink Disease.

 

Laboratory Blood Test Results

I requested that my mainstream physician, who specializes in pediatrics and adolescent medicine, to send my laboratory blood tests via e-mail. Despite being a young adult, I am extremely glad and thankful that she is still able to be my mainstream medical doctor because she is very disability-friendly.

The table below shows the results. All but three of my results were within the normal range. The three that were in the low (L) range are highlighted in yellow.

Component	Latest Ref Rng	7/29/2013
WBC	3.70 - 11.00 k/uL	6.72
RBC	3.90 - 5.20 m/uL	4.98
Hemoglobin	11.5 - 15.5 g/dL	14.6
Hematocrit	36.0 - 46.0 %	44.4
MCV	80.0 - 100.0 fL	89.2
MCH	26.0 - 34.0 pG	29.3
MCHC	30.5 - 36.0 g/dL	32.9
RDW-CV	11.5 - 15.0 %	13.2
Platelet Count	150 - 400 k/uL	236
MPV	9.0 - 12.7 fL	11.8
Neut%	39.5 - 74.0 %	65.2
Abs Neut (ANC)	1.45 - 7.50 k/uL	4.38
Lymph%	15.9 - 47.3 %	26.6
Abs Lymph	1.00 - 4.00 k/uL	1.79
Mono%	0.0 - 12.0 %	5.4
Abs Mono	0.00 - 0.86 k/uL	0.36
Eosin%	0.0 - 6.6 %	2.4
Abs Eosin	0.00 - 0.45 k/uL	0.16
Baso%	0.0 - 1.2 %	0.4
Abs Baso	0.00 - 0.10 k/uL	0.03
Protein, Total	6.0 - 8.4 g/dL	7.1
Albumin	3.5 - 5.0 g/dL	4.4
Calcium	8.5 - 10.5 mg/dL	9.4
Bilirubin, Total	0.0 - 1.5 mg/dL	0.3
Alkaline Phosphatase	40 - 150 U/L	77
AST	7 - 40 U/L	19
Glucose	65 - 100 mg/dL	87
BUN	8 - 25 mg/dL	11
Creatinine	0.70 - 1.40 mg/dL	0.59 (L)
Sodium	132 - 148 mmol/L	138
Potassium	3.5 - 5.0 mmol/L	4.0
Chloride	98 - 110 mmol/L	104
CO2	23 - 32 mmol/L	26
Anion Gap	0 - 15 mmol/L	8
ALT	0 - 45 U/L	32
eGFR-African American		>60
eGFR-All Other Races		>60
Triglyceride	30 - 149 mg/dL	47
Cholesterol	100 - 199 mg/dL	151
HDL Cholesterol	>55 mg/dL	65
VLDL Cholesterol	6 - 40 mg/dL	9
LDL Cholesterol	60 - 129 mg/dL	77
Fasting Time		13
TC:HDL Ratio	1.00 - 5.00	2.32
LDL:HDL Ratio	0.50 - 3.55	1.18
Non HDL Cholesterol	90 - 159 mg/dL	86 (L)
TSH	0.400 - 5.500 uU/mL	1.630
Testosterone	20 - 70 ng/dL	15 (L)
LH		4.3
FSH		5

Autistic Adult Warrior of the Month!

Recently, I found a wonderful website that is run by a parent who has an adult son with autism. Her son's name is Joshua, and he regressed into autism following routine vaccination. The website is the family's journey of trying to recover Joshua from autism - and more importantly, from all his medical illnesses. 

Remember, autism is treatable!

 

A Form Of Phenylketonuria (PKU)

According to my geneticist, Dr. Marvin Natowicz, I have a very mild form of Phenylketonuria (PKU). This was diagnosed by a slightly elevated blood phenylalanine level, and it means that I must avoid foods with phenylalanine containing sweeteners - more specifically aspartame. Aspartame, or NutraSweet, is an artificial sweetener found in "diet" beverages, sugar-free foods and candy, and mostly commonly in chewing gum.

Since the only beverages that I drink are water, coffee, and tea, avoiding aspartame in drinks is extremely simple. As a general rule, I don't eat candy with or without artificial sweeteners (excludes dark chocolate on occasion).

Where my dietary restriction posed a problem was chewing gum. Sugar-free chewing gum contains both aspartame and phenylalanine; these are two ingredients that I am not allowed to consume.

Fortunately, there is chewing gum that does not contain aspartame or phenylalanine. It is called Spry gum (they also make mints).

What harm can high phenylalanine levels do in the blood? My general doctor, Dr. Ellen Rome, told me that consuming artificial sweeteners such as aspartame can lower IQ points. This makes sense from a logical perspective since people who have all the symptoms of PKU have very low IQ points and have severe and profound intellectual impairment. Untreated full-blown (all the symptoms) PKU in infancy leads to significant cognitive impairment.

While I have a mild version of PKU diagnosed in adulthood, I believe my prior consumption of aspartame (soda and sugar-free candy when I was very young), caused more subtle issues such as attention and learning difficulties.

Wordless Wednesday: Welcome To The Age Of The AUTISM EPIDEMIC!

 



 

10 Things Every Adult On The Spectrum Wishes You Knew

1. I have autism (or am autistic). Autism is a medical condition, neuro-biological and developmental disability. My abilities - whether they are strengths related to my autism or not, are not defined by my medical condition. 

2. My employment opportunities aren't limited to jobs that are "good for people with autism." This doesn't even make any sense. I have my own interests, strengths and challenges. I want to be able to have a job based on these things.

3. Autism is a medical condition and developmental disability, not a disease, and especially NOT like cancer. Autism is NOT directly fatal.

4. I am a person that help you advocate for, but I am an ADULT. I have my own brain. I can think for myself. I know what I want and don't want.

5. I am a logical and literal thinker. Sometimes, that can be an advantage, but I take things literally too. I'm always working on understanding humor and figurative language better. With the rights supports, I will keep improving.

6. Social interactions are difficult for me and can be extremely challenging, overwhelming, and exhausting. Sensory processing issues that can effect my five senses can make highly situations unbearable. I do try to attend social events when I can, but when I am not able or interested to because of the activity, please respect that.

7. I have a movement, anxiety, communication, sensory, social skills and interactions disorder. I also may have serious medical diseases or issues. I do NOT have an intellectual disability. I'm highly intelligent, but I may struggle significantly to communicate that to you like a typical person. 

8. Self-Regulation is a learned skill. I have been working on this skill my entire life. When I react in a way (meltdown, offensive comment, etc.) that is unexpected and inappropriate, please know that I did NOT intend for this. I was simply trying to make the best of the situation.

9. Please be patient with me. I promise you that I am worth it. I have trouble communicating; however, I don't have trouble feeling or thinking. 

10. Believe in me, and show me that you believe in me. I have autism (or am autistic), but I can still be successful. I learn and process things differently, but I can learn.

Crucial Side Note: Remember, autism is a developmental disability, not a static condition. People with developmental disabilities continue to learn things all their lives.

Response To Adam Christopher: Autism Sucks!

 "My Name Is Adam Christopher..."

My name is Katie Kagan. I live in Ohio. I will hopefully be working at the Cleveland Clinic in Solon as an office assistant verifying insurance and doing other things. Oh, by the way, I have autism.

Dear Adam Christopher,

Be careful what you ask. Questioning the existence of Jewish people shows hatred and bigotry.

That's a good question. WHY do I have autism? If you ask me, I think it's a combination of genetic susceptibility, environmental factors and toxins, and yes even vaccines (the last causation factor does NOT apply to all people with autism).

Yes, you are correct. Autism makes me different (and I don't mean a "quirky eccentric genius"). I'm NOT a genius; but I can be quirky and eccentric which if more often than not to my disadvantage.

You're wrong though that autism and being intelligent are opposites. After all - if I wasn't intelligent, how was I able to attend college from 2009 - May 2013 (no degree earned).

You remember being sick as a baby. Welcome to my world. I spent my entire infancy in the hospital with IV's and antibiotics with flu and other complications. So much for "baby fun time." I definitely missed out on that.
 
Disabilities aren't negative. Disabilities are expected. In this time period, as you age, you become disabled in some way. Abilities are what people have that make them who they are. Autism is NOT an ability. Whether autism causes abilities is a long controversy (not in my opinion) that I will save for a future post.

Listen to that wise staff member. Having autism sure makes you work harder - in the most literal sense. Since autism impairs every aspect of daily life such as movement, anxiety, communication, sensory perception and reactions, social skills and interactions, in many causes or comes with mental health or medical issues, people on the autism spectrum have to work extremely hard to overcome the impairments and challenges caused by autism.
Sometimes, neurologically typical people, or NT for short, don't understand how hard people with autism work to cope, function and fit in.

That's a good question, Adam. Why do we have a disability such as autism! It doesn't look like our federal or state government has any answers. According to many media sources,the rate of autism isn't really increasing; it's just better diagnosis and services! How much better?
1 in 50 people are now "being noticed more" with autism. These are children, adolescents, and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder's (ASD's).

Where are the 1 in 50 elderly with ASD? I don't mean socially awkward senior citizens with few or no friends. I mean older men and women who struggle with communication, social skills, sensory issues, and other deficits that ASD causes.

And one more thing: Autism Sucks!

- Katie K.