Maybe you have noticed those Ad Council public service announcements on TV lately...the ones about autism? While many facets of the campaign seem disconcerting (we'll get to that particular in a moment), its numbers are accurate: one child out of every 166 is currently identified as having autism, up from 1 in 10,000 just 13 years ago.

With stats like that screaming at us, even parents with normal, healthy children, like myself, wonder what this unprecedented spike in cases means, and why it is happening.

However, parents of autistic children started asking tough questions years ago.

A stop by at the Centers for Disease Control's website to find answers to those tough questions doesn't yield much help.

Moreover, the site's FAQ page for autism generally seems to dodge and duck those questions as opposed to answering them. What is unsettling is that the CDC appears wishy-washy about them of increasing cases, and practically denies that the surge in autism cases has anything at all related to vaccines.

And who's collaborating with the Ad Council on the above-mentioned PSA project, called "Autism Speaks"? Why, it's none besides their friendly, government big-brother, the CDC.

How ironic, given the proverbial duct tape that generally seems to being placed over the mouths of the concerned.

Yates' Story
I found a local paper, The Jackson Sun, a few Sundays ago, and read in regards to the Hazelhurst family. The oldest of the couples' two children, seven-year-old Yates, was identified as having autism shortly after his first birthday.

The Hazlehursts have filed case, alleging that the vaccinations Yates received after his first year of life caused a gastrointestinal condition and his autism, based on the Sun. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Charlotte, N.C. agreed to hear the family's claim, that has been also filed on behalf of 5000 other families.

The Hazelhursts were fortunate that Yates' father, Rolf (who is definitely an attorney), documented the first year of Yates' life with new-dad fervor. The "proud papa" videos made excellent fodder for the family's case. That video documentation made the Hazelhursts the ideal to family to represent another plaintiffs in the Tylenol Autism Lawsuit.

Videos of Yates' infancy show a healthier, brighter-than-average baby. He made eye contact. He explained several words like "please" and "thank you" before age one, and was videoed jabbering right into a pretend phone while riding in the trunk of his cousins' toy car.

Yates changed drastically, however, right after receiving the MMR, Hib, Hepatitis B and Prevnar vaccination in February 2001.

His mother, Angela, says in the Sun interview, ""Three days past his vaccine, at his birthday, he's dazed," Angela said. "Twelve days after, he'd a red, bumpy rash. We didn't recognize it as a reaction. Per month from then on, in the bathtub, I'm saying, 'Yates, Yates' and he won't look at us anymore."

Yates was identified as having autism.

On the flip-side, Angela Hazelhurst, Yates' mom, said she wished to clarify her stance on vaccines: "I'm not a mother who's against all vaccinations....but the rise in autism cases has parents concerned about how to proceed," she said.

Do Our Kids Have Mercury Poisoning?
Based on the Florida-based watchdog group K.N.O.W. Vaccines, the mercury-containing MMR was put into the vaccine schedule in the late '70s. In 1988, the mercury-containing HIB vaccine was added. Mercury-containing Hepatitis B for newborns was added in early 1990s. Children receive each one of these vaccines, plus mercury-containing DTP, in 3 to 4 doses during the first year and a 50% of their fragile lives, and the vaccines are often administered simultaneously (multiple mercury-containing vaccines on a single day).

It creates one wonder, at what point does a child's immunity reach a saturation point for toxic chemicals in the torso? The human body will attempt to process mercury. When it can't remove the extra, it travels to the mind where it clings to tissue in the cerebellum (the area of the brain affecting movement and balance), and in the rest of the mind that control emotional processing and the sorting and storage of information.

The vaccine/autism theory gains a lot more credence once the disease characteristics for both autism and mercury poisoning are compared: sound and touch-sensitivity, inability or difficulty understanding abstract ideas and symbols, clumsiness, rocking back and forth, speech and hearing problems, self-injury, social isolation, gastrointestinal problems...you obtain the idea.

Removing The Mercury, Reversing Autism?
Many doctors who treat autistic children seem to be aware of the mercury/heavy metal issue in terms of the disease. This is the reason chelators, substances that remove heavy metals, have become a popular alternative treatment; albeit one that is gaining wide-stream acceptance as well.

Recently, a different sort of chelator was patented, called liquid zeolite. A study is currently being conducted using the liquid mineral, and remarkable anecdotal results have already been recorded.

Zeolites could be called "super-chelators", in they are extremely efficient in removing heavy metals from the body. Zeolite is formed when lava meets ocean water, and it's been found in Asia for centuries as a treatment for overall good health. The initial honey-comb model of the mineral traps toxins and other wastes from the body and safely removes them, without stripping the body of vital nutrients and minerals.

Lucas' Story
In one single testimonial, available to read online, a little boy named Lucas recovers completely from autism.

Lucas' family had spent $300,000 over 36 months, and he improved somewhat, having progressed from extremely severe autism to mild autism. But after seven weeks on liquid zeolite at 45 drops per day (5 drops, 9 times per day), combined with several complementary treatments, nearly all of Lucas's autism symptoms just vanished. (The full report could be read at zeolitesource dot com.)

Lucas' pediatrician and the overall traditional medical establishment had ignored the truth that he'd over six times the toxic level of mercury in his system. And that same pediatrician called Lucas' parents "bleeping morons" for implying that his toxicity levels had any link with his autism.

At last report, Lucas was an ordinary, healthy little boy without signs of autism.

Why Isn't More Being Done?
The name, in addition, of the CDC's "autism awareness" program is "Learn The Signs; Act Early" ;.What kind of lame, contrite slogan is that? Any parent with an increase of than noodles for brains would know when something is wrong with the youngster, and they'd act upon it immediately. The CDC's program almost generally seems to imply that citizens need the us government to share with us what's happening to your kids, and to not worry because they're doing something about it.