J.B. Handley is the co-founder and chairman of Generation Rescue, a non-profit organization focused on helping children recover from autism that was inspired by the journey of his son, Jamison, who was diagnosed with autism in 2004. In the first half, he offered an explanation of what's causing the autism epidemic, and the steps parents and society can take to end it. The severity of autism, he remarked, has been "whitewashed" as most of those with the condition will be heavily impacted and grow up barely able to take care of themselves. One of the confounding issues of autism, he continued, is that it can't be diagnosed through either blood or genetic tests. Rather it's identified through behaviors around communication and socialization which manifest on a spectrum.
Published research shows that neuroinflammation is associated with autism, he stated, and impairs the processing functions of the brain. While Handley pins the cause of autism on certain vaccinations, he believes that some children are more susceptible to damaging reactions from the shots and can be screened ahead of time to see if they're at risk. Some of the red flags that indicate a greater risk include a maternal history of autoimmune problems, mutations of the MTHFR gene, mitochondrial disorder, and physical maladies such as ear infection or eczema. Handley said that in some cases autism can be recovered from, especially if countermeasures are started earlier in life. The approaches he cited included changing diet, removing heavy metals from the body, and improving immune system function.
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In the latter half, journalist, radio host, general manager, and college professor Charlie Seraphin addressed his work researching what individuals consider the biggest mistakes they've made in their lives, and how their decision-making process failed them. We all have an internal mechanism capable of properly guiding our thoughts, words, and actions, he noted, as he detailed cases where people lost touch with reason and their inner voice. The recent incident involving Baraboo, WI high school students giving a Nazi salute in a photo is an example of poor decision making, he said, though some students in the image knew better than to play along. In today's era of media saturation and social networks, thoughtless mistakes such as this can receive far more attention than in the past, he added.
He also talked about the case of a young man whose car grazed another man's vehicle while making a U-turn. The other driver's car spun out of control and rolled over, and he was killed. The young man watched with horror for a minute, and then panicked and left the scene of the accident. Later, he was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter-- if he had stayed, the consequences would have been much less severe. "It's those split-second decisions," he said, "where we have the opportunity to do the right thing or the wrong thing," and sadly many today are taking the wrong course of action. One method he recommended to get in touch with the small voice inside one's head, is to go outside and simply listen for five minutes, which helps to center the mind.
News segment guests: Gary Ridenour, Mish Shedlock