Studies: Environment toxins can cause Autism

Leading health authority, Dr. Joe Mercola, writes, “Three decades ago, when I was still in medical school, autism affected one in 10,000 children. What changed between then and now to cause one in 50 children to become autistic?”

Research is pointing to “excessive exposure to toxins from multiple sources…” One study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found an average of 287 toxins in newborn blood. Of these, 180 are known to cause cancer in humans or animals. 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system.

“Autism appears to be strongly correlated,” and “this gives an indicator of environment load,” as Dr. Mercola quotes a University of Chicago study by Andrey Rzhetsky, Ph.D., professor of genetic medicine and human genetics. Another report from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai identified common chemicals known to disrupt brain development and cause brain damage. The authors call for the implementation of urgent preventive strategies.

Other Environmental Factors That Likely Contribute to Autism

“Besides overexposure to the environmental toxins already mentioned,” writes Mercola, “I believe there’s a variety of other important factors that also contribute to the rise in autism spectrum disorder, including but not limited to the following:

• Gut dysbiosis, especially in combination with vaccines and their additives like mercury (thimerosal), aluminum, and others, which are known to damage your mitochondria—the powerhouses in your body’s cells that produce energy. Your gastrointestinal system is often referred to as your “second brain…”
• Vitamin D deficiency. The link between vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and the proportionate jump in autism has been highlighted by Dr. John Cannell. Vitamin D receptors appear in a wide variety of brain tissue early in the fetal development, and activated vitamin D receptors increase nerve growth in your brain. I believe vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a MAJOR contributing factor to autism…
• Electromagnetic radiation (EMR / EMF) from cell phones, cell towers, Wi-Fi devices, which can trap heavy metals inside of nerve cells, accelerate heavy metal toxicity, and hinder natural detoxification processes.
• Microbial toxins, such as mold. Children with autism not only have overwhelmed detoxification pathways and often heavy metal toxicity, but, according to Dr. Klinghardt, their bodies are also frequently beset by toxic microbes.

How to limit your chemical exposure and improve your resistance

In addition to eating more organic and biodynamic foods in general and consuming foods known for their preventive properties (as described by Dr. Mercola here), be sure to limit your exposure to harmful electromagnetic frequencies (EMF).

Ten tips to reduce your EMF exposure:

1. 1. 1. Electrical equipment and electronics: Increase your distance from power cords, electrical equipment and electronic devices. 1 meter distance is best. Don’t forget the distance of your feet from power bars. Sit back from your computer.
      2. WiFi: Use ethernet as much as possible instead of wireless. Turn off WiFi when not in use. You can either unplug it or simply access the wireless router’s console from your browser to turn it off (and on when needed). Did you know your Macbook Air can be fitted with an Ethernet Adapter? (about $20)
      3. Cell Phones: Come up with a “cell phone off strategy” that works for your personal lifestyle. Even if you decide to have your phone in airplane mode 50% of the time, that’s 50% better. Make sure WiFi is off as well. Text instead of talk. Use the speaker phone when talking. Some headphones reduce electromagnetic radiation, but you’ll need to test them with an EMF meter. Don’t hold the phone to your head. Don’t keep the phone on your belt or in in a pocket.
      4. Cordless Phones: Throw them away. Replace with corded landlines. The new DECT phones emit high levels of constant microwave radiation, even when not being used.
      5. Home or Office Wiring: There is high frequency pollution in your electrical wiring. It needs to be dramatically reduced. The best way to do this is to have STETZERiSER filters installed in your home (an average of 2 per room). We can do this for you. Note: do not sleep or work near your building’s electrical panel. Keep at least 3 meters away.
      6. Smart Meters: Ask your utility to have your wireless smart meter wired or replaced with a wired model. Don’t sleep in a room near the location of the smart meter.
      7. Bedroom Sleeping Practices: Make sure sleeping quarters are EMF-clean. Follow the steps above that relate to electrical and electronic equipment, WiFi, phones, etc. And be sure to move your clock radio at least 1 meter from your head, and preferably across the room. Don’t use wireless Baby Monitors. Replace your metal lamp with wood or ceramic or unplug the lamp and move it away from your body. Consider turning off the power to your bedroom at the electrical panel for a better night’s sleep. More on how to get a good night’s sleep.
      8. Workspace Practices: Follow the applicable tips above and work with fluorescent tube lighting turned off. Remove CFL (compact fluorescent bulbs) from your workspace. Use LED lights (the type that don’t use transformers) incandescent light bulbs where possible. Suggestion: Have one of our EMF technicians come to your workplace (or home) and test the EMF levels. You won’t know until you have the electrical, magnetic and high frequency readings measured and interpreted for you. You should have values less than 1 milliGauss for magnetic fields;  5 V/m for power frequency electric fields; 40 – 50 GS units for dirty electricity; 0.01 microW/cm2 for wireless radiation; 0.5 V for ground current at 60 Hz; and 10 mV for kHz ground current.
      9. Consider Shielding: There are a lot of EMF mitigation techniques available, but some sources of harmful electromagnetic radiation simply can’t be avoided or removed. That’s where shielding comes in. We’ll help you select the best shielding options.
      10. Power Lines: What is a safe distance from power lines? Have us come and measure the magnetic and electrical readings from the power lines near your home or office. In research carried out at Oxford University, it was discovered that children who had lived within 200 m of high voltage lines at birth had a 70% higher risk of leukaemia than those 600 m or more away.  More about power lines here.

A General Health Tip: Keep fit and eat well. Exercise, get fresh air, eat fresh organic foods, take plant-based supplements because most of us don’t get enough nutrients for optimal health in our modern diet. And learn to have a relaxed attitude. You’ll live a healthier life and your body will be better equipped to cope with EMF exposure!

* GS filters are tuned capacitors that reduce high frequency voltages (transients) on electrical wires. They protect sensitive electronic equipment. Studies show they also reduce symptoms of electro-hypersensitivity. GS filters should be installed with proper monitoring (microsurge meter) to ensure levels are sufficiently low for maximum benefit.

By Paul Singer, EMF consultant

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