re: Trump appoints leading vaccine skeptic as head of vaccine safety panel

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It is. You may not realize it is. But that is exactly what you are saying. Factually, the incidence appears to have increased. Meanwhile, the incidence of diagnosis has exploded.

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Skepticism is a good thing, even for something as generally valuable as vaccinations are.

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Well, we don't need blind acceptance of government massaged facts, either.

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quote: Well, we don't need blind acceptance of government massaged facts, either. You're right, but at least in the case of Autism and vaccines, the "massaged" facts were from the ONE study--with a sample size of like a dozen--of a hack researcher. It's crazy how much one poor and unethical study could cause such a response.

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Well, we don't need blind acceptance of government massaged facts, either.

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All of my kids are vaccinated.

That said, I don't like the way vaccine skepticism is treated.
I get why people are unsure about giving babies all of these shots and think it's dehumanizing the way people respond to anti-vaccination parents.

A stern response to what you perceive to be a public health threat (if you are qualified and informed to make that judgment) is fine, but I believe the response is usually overboard and does more to entrench the feelings of distrust in the skeptic than to change their mind.

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If you feel so strongly about it, then do your part to convince them.

Unless you actually want to burn them at the stake instead of just figuratively doing so.

Again, the vitriol of the response reduces its effectiveness.

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Vitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: relevance for autism
Rhonda P. Patrick1 and Bruce N. Ames1
+ Author Affiliations

Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, USA
?1Correspondence: Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, 5700 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. E-mail: R.P.P., rpatrick@chori.org; B.N.A., bames@chori.org
Abstract

Serotonin and vitamin D have been proposed to play a role in autism; however, no causal mechanism has been established. Here, we present evidence that vitamin D hormone (calcitriol) activates the transcription of the serotonin-synthesizing gene tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) in the brain at a vitamin D response element (VDRE) and represses the transcription of TPH1 in tissues outside the blood-brain barrier at a distinct VDRE. The proposed mechanism explains 4 major characteristics associated with autism: the low concentrations of serotonin in the brain and its elevated concentrations in tissues outside the blood-brain barrier; the low concentrations of the vitamin D hormone precursor 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D3]; the high male prevalence of autism; and the presence of maternal antibodies against fetal brain tissue. Two peptide hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, are also associated with autism and genes encoding the oxytocin-neurophysin I preproprotein, the oxytocin receptor, and the arginine vasopressin receptor contain VDREs for activation. Supplementation with vitamin D and tryptophan is a practical and affordable solution to help prevent autism and possibly ameliorate some symptoms of the disorder.—Patrick, R. P., Ames, B. N. Vitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: relevance for autism

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Vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: relevance for ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior
Rhonda P. Patrick1 and Bruce N. Ames1
+ Author Affiliations

Nutrition and Metabolism Center, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, USA
?1Correspondence: Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, 5700 M.L. King Jr. Way, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. E-mail: rpatrick@chori.org (R.P.P.), and bames@chori.org (B.N.A.)
Abstract

Serotonin regulates a wide variety of brain functions and behaviors. Here, we synthesize previous findings that serotonin regulates executive function, sensory gating, and social behavior and that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior all share in common defects in these functions. It has remained unclear why supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D improve cognitive function and behavior in these brain disorders. Here, we propose mechanisms by which serotonin synthesis, release, and function in the brain are modulated by vitamin D and the 2 marine omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Brain serotonin is synthesized from tryptophan by tryptophan hydroxylase 2, which is transcriptionally activated by vitamin D hormone. Inadequate levels of vitamin D (~70% of the population) and omega-3 fatty acids are common, suggesting that brain serotonin synthesis is not optimal. We propose mechanisms by which EPA increases serotonin release from presynaptic neurons by reducing E2 series prostaglandins and DHA influences serotonin receptor action by increasing cell membrane fluidity in postsynaptic neurons. We propose a model whereby insufficient levels of vitamin D, EPA, or DHA, in combination with genetic factors and at key periods during development, would lead to dysfunctional serotonin activation and function and may be one underlying mechanism that contributes to neuropsychiatric disorders and depression. This model suggests that optimizing vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acid intake may help prevent and modulate the severity of brain dysfunction.—Patrick, R. P., Ames, B. N. Vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: relevance for ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior.

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Men who have excessive faith in their theories or ideas are not only ill prepared for making discoveries; they also make very poor observations. Of necessity, they observe with a preconceived idea, and when they devise an experiment, they can see, in its results, only a confirmation of their theory. In this way they distort observation and often neglect very important facts because they do not further their aim…. But it happens further quite naturally that men who believe too firmly in their theories, do not believe enough in the theories of others. So the dominant idea of these despisers of their fellows is to find others’ theories faulty and to try to contradict them. The difficulty, for science, is still the same.

CLAUDE BERNARD, An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine, 1865

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You're right, but at least in the case of Autism and vaccines, the "massaged" facts were from the ONE study--with a sample size of like a dozen--of a hack researcher.

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