She is a proponent of no vaccines. Honestly, I think if it were that easy everyone with an autistic child would do it. Also, telling people not to get vaccines, is irresponsible to the rest of us.

Vaccines do not cause autism. I think sometimes when there is something 'wrong' with a kid, parents will look for anything to blame. Some pick god, some pick themselves or their partner, and some picked vaccines. Studies about this have been done for years. There is absolutely no evidence that vaccines cause autism.

The theory got some footing in 1998 after the publication of a fraudulent research paper. The paper was later retracted. The researcher had manipulated data, had conflicts of interest, it was an ethical mess. And none of the data stood up in following studies.

I think it's a pile of crap. That's what thought came to my mind when she said her son was "cured" of autism. With the right help, people on the autistic spectrum can improve greatly, but it never fully goes away.

You gave your sister good advice in going to a medical professional and seeking out their professional opinion.

There can be reactions from a vaccine like anything else, but by far it's saved countless lives from all kinds of diseases. That's fact.

Also Autism rates are the same in unvaccinated children as in vaccinated ones. And the symptoms often start at the same age children routinely get their shots. Scientists believe it's genetics and environment, it's not vaccines...that's been long debunked.

This is somewhat lengthy, but if you get a chance it's worth watching...

http://youtu.be/RLcOz4EKrxg

Here is my take:

The way any single person's body can handle the combination of all of those vaccines can vary. ADD, ADHD, Autism is spreading like wild fire. So is processed foods and chemical fertilizers.

Jenny MCCarthy's big thing seems to really being just going organic and getting rid of processed foods to cleans the system. Can that help many kids- YES!!! Does that mean don't get kids immunized... eh. My son got all his shots like normal for his first year and then I switched to the Dr Sears method after that to slow flow after some really serious seizures that he had. I waited until my daughter was 1 to do any shots. I stayed at home and she breast fed. There was very minimal risk and I was supported by my thankfully "hippie" pediatrician.

You have to do what you think is best. Talk to professionals and come up with a plan to keep your kids safe. That is all we can do as parents.

Throwing in my two cents for what it is worth...

There is research that supports that vaccines work. There is research that supports vaccines have certain side effects in x% of people.

Autism is now 1 in 50, 10 years ago was 1 in 1,000, 15 years ago it was 1 in 10,000

I don't think you will find anyone who would argue there is a spike in autism and likely an external cause or "trigger" to something that is underlining in the genetics.

Vaccines have been around long enough that I think it's safe to say they aren't the issue. What I think is incredible is all of the money going into this research when if you just look at the big picture of environmental changes in the last 15 years look at how many other possibilities.

-Hormonal Birth Control (my opinion is, you mess with mother nature and there will be consequences)
-Processed foods/GMO/fructose corn syrup/MSG/fast food/convenience food- 50 years ago most people lived off of pretty "natural" diets and food was fresh and had to be cooked
-electricity- cell phones/laptops/tablets/TV/microwaves etc. Just walking down the street you are exposed to all kinds of waves that weren't an issue 50 years ago
-Vitamin D deficiency
-Chemicals- everyone seems to be "going green" with chemicals lately, but look at how many chemicals are found just around your household, look at how much "stuff" is plastic or rubber etc., it all has to be made/formed

I'm not saying I am a scientist or an autism specialist in anyway, but common sense tells me that there are many other factors to consider than vaccines.

There are some specialists who think that a mutation on a gene called MTHFR may cause or contribute to autism, among numerous other chronic illnesses. This gene involves they way we break down folic acid, which is a precusor to lots of different reactions in our bodies. It also impacts the immune system and the ability to rid our bodies of chemicals and metals. Here's a couple of links about MTHFR mutations:
http://www.rawlins.org/mthfr/mthfr.html
http://mthfr.net/

So if you go on a limb and put the two theories together, maybe people with a MTHFR mutation are more sensitive to the vaccines which puts them at risk for autism?

The interesting thing is that people with this mutation can just take an already broken down form of folic acid, thereby allowing the downstream reactions to occur. It'll be interesting to see where this research goes.

I'm sure an autistic child is a challenge. Autism is WAY more diagnosed, but does it really present more? I think there are a LOT of coincidental changes that suggest that autism may not be occuring more frequently but instead symptoms are more problematic for society. I'm not slamming the situations people face, I'm just saying we don't live the way we did 40 years ago.

* Children in daycare instead of being cared for in the home
* More children in a classroom
* Less strict parenting
* More social pressure for children (a reflection of parents when young, before it was when they were older)
* etc etc