Last Updated on April 7, 2018 by Patricia Carter

Summary:  The article, [Handley, j.b.Handleyblog.com, April 2, 2018], is a must read for anyone interested in autism and/or autoimmune conditions including cognition, Alzheimer’s and other neurological concerns so prevalent in our times.  Handley’s article will make you think twice about healthcare shots and the power of the microbiome to mitigate immune system damage and dsyfunctionality.  Most of the research Handley cites is within the last 36 months, and it is from overseas (the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Israel, and China). That is not so surprising given that funding for these studies are very hard to come by in the US.  In sum, for autism:  The article discusses the role of immune activation events for vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants (in utero via maternal vaccines, as well as post birth vaccinations), and exposure to the MMR vaccine (a first time living virus exposure) that also comes on the heals of other immune stimulating exposures for the newborn.   Aluminum in autism brains has been found. [Mold et al 2018]  As well, autism is strongly linked to gut dysbiosis thus Handley’s article addresses, autoimmune and neurological interested audiences listen up:  That immune activating event(s) can cause gut dsybiosis, that aluminum is also found in the brains of neurological diseases including similarly high levels of aluminum in the brains of individuals who died of familial Alzheimer’s disease, and about   mediating gut microbiome inflammation using diet.  Leading light Alzheimer’s researcher [Exley 2017 Editorial] notes: “Alzheimer’s disease is not an inevitable consequence of aging in the absence of a brain burden of aluminum.” His editorial can be read here: Aluminum Should Now Be Considered a Primary Etiological Factor in Alzheimer’s Disease  Truth be told, healing dietary tenets that I teach are baseline for the chronic disease mitigation, autoimmune and autism healing diets (SCD, GAPS, FODMAPs, etc), and there are anecdotally plenty that see benefit of microbiome dietary intervention. These diets remove dietary aluminum, and below I note where you’ll find it. I also give substitutions for baking powder which contains aluminum.  Handley’s article also contains The Three Letters, sent in 2017 to caution American public health authorities, authored by three of the most important scientists in the field of aluminum adjuvant toxicity — Dr. Christopher Shaw of Canada, Dr. Chris Exley of England, and Dr. Romain Gherardi of France.  Whether you are a parent, grandparent, or just someone trying to get their arms around the microbiome — diet — health link, Handley’s article is a great read.  Accordingly, my post, focusing on autism, autoimmune, cognition, Alzheimer’s and other neurological concerns of our times, will only summarize a few pertinent salient points of Handley’s post.

How Aluminum Adjuvant in Vaccines Can Cause Autism

In sum, “Five clear, replicable, and related discoveries explaining how autism is triggered have formed an undeniably clear picture of autism’s causation, and possibly ways to alleviate the symptoms, too. Most of the research that has created this understanding has been published in the last 36 months, and largely from international scientists in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Israel, and China… Published studies are showing that autism is caused by an immune activation event. The adjuvant in vaccines — aluminum adjuvant — can activate the brain’s immune system and is far more neurotoxic than previously realized — all the new science has been published in just the last few years. Aluminum can cause IL-6, the key cytokine implicated in autism. Chinese scientists — for the first time anywhere in the world — used a vaccine to trigger an immune activation event, and recorded elevated levels of IL-6 in rats… Vaccines, administered early and often, are igniting immune activation event after immune activation event.  [Handley, j.b.Handleyblog.com, April 2, 2018]  International Scientists Have Found Autism’s Cause. What will Americans do?

“…while the aluminium content of each of the 5 brains [of people with autism] was shockingly high it was the location of the aluminium in the brain tissue which served as the standout observation…The new evidence strongly suggests that aluminium is entering the brain in ASD [autism spectrum disorders] via pro-inflammatory cells which have become loaded up with aluminium in the blood and/or lymph, much as has been demonstrated for monocytes at injection sites for vaccines including aluminium adjuvants.”

A “monocyte” is a type of white blood cell, of which one form of monocyte is a “macrophage.” A macrophage can be thought of as the garbage man of the immune system, eating up foreign substances, cell debris, etc. As you will see in a moment, macrophages appear to be playing a critical and devastating role in triggering autism, serving to escort aluminum injected from a vaccine directly into the brain, where it can disrupt brain development and trigger autism.

How Much Aluminum is in Our Brains?

Here’s the evidence for aluminum in autism and Alzheimer’s brains.

For autism, [Mold et al 2018]: “Aluminium-selective fluorescence microscopy was used to identify aluminium in brain tissue in 10 [autism] donors. While aluminium was imaged associated with neurones it appeared to be present intracellularly in microglia-like cells and other inflammatory non-neuronal cells in the meninges, vasculature, grey and white matter. The pre-eminence of intracellular aluminium associated with non-neuronal cells was a standout observation in autism brain tissue and may offer clues as to both the origin of the brain aluminium as well as a putative role in autism spectrum disorder.

For the aluminum in the  Alzheimer’s brain, the article [Exley 2017, the Hippocratic Oath] authored by the lead study researcher   Professor Chris Exley explains:

• “There are a number of predispositions to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, involving both environmental and genetic factors, and each of these acts to increase the aluminum content of brain tissue at specific periods in an individual’s life. This interplay between environmental and genetic factors explains both early and late onset disease, in each case the catalyst for the disease is always the brain aluminum content and how robustly an individual’s brain responds or copes with this aluminum burden.”   
• “Individuals with familial Alzheimer’s disease have specific genetic predispositions to Alzheimer’s developing earlier in life, perhaps as early as the fourth or fifth decade of life. All of these genetic predispositions are associated with how the body metabolises the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and yet there is no unequivocal explanation of how APP and its metabolic products, such as amyloid β cause Alzheimer’s disease. The contention in the new research is that these genetic mutations in the metabolism and processing of APP concomitantly act as predispositions to the retention of aluminium in brain tissue. Increased absorption of aluminium across the gut, as is seen in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease and in Down’s syndrome, could contribute to increased retention of aluminium in brain tissue. There are clearly many potential contributory factors in the aetiology of Alzheimer’s disease but what is now being suggested is that without concomitant pathologically-significant deposits of aluminium there would not be any Alzheimer’s disease.”

The amount of aluminum children are exposed to has nearly quadrupled for the full childhood vaccination schedule compared to mid-1980s.  A child in the mid-1980s would have received 1,250 micrograms of aluminum from their vaccines by their 18-month birthday if they were fully vaccinated. Today, that number is 4,925 micrograms. Additionally, the vaccination rate for all vaccines given to children rose as well (from 50–60% of children vaccinated in the mid-1980s to over 90% today).

An Immune Event in a Pregnant (Human) Mom Can Impact the Fetus’ Brain

Dr. Patterson was a Caltech scientist who published [Patterson 2006], finding that if a pregnant mother gets sick (virus, bacteria, gets the flu vaccine) while pregnant — an event that “activates” her immune system — that activation can impact the neurodevelopment (how exactly the brain is constructed) of her fetus, potentially leading to neurological problems after birth.  “Cytokines are produced by the white blood cells, and their levels in the blood increase when we get an infection… Further studies of the immune activation — potential impact to neurodevelopment of the fetus brain discovery led to understanding that immune activation can occur from Cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6). 

Many studies find cytokines are increased in the blood, brain, and cerebrospinal fluid of autistic subjects. Many autistic brains have elevated cytokine IL-6.

The study [Wei et al 2012] induced autism-like symptoms in mice by injecting them with IL-6 AFTER they were born. The authors noted, “Here we show that mice with elevated IL-6 in the brain display many autistic features, including impaired cognitive abilities, deficits in learning, abnormal anxiety traits and habituations, as well as decreased social interactions. IL-6 elevation caused alterations in excitatory and inhibitory synaptic formations and disrupted the balance of excitatory/inhibitory synaptic transmissions. IL-6 elevation also resulted in an abnormal change in the shape, length and distributing pattern of dendritic spines. These findings suggest that IL-6 elevation in the brain could mediate autistic-like behaviors, possibly through the imbalances of neural circuitry and impairments of synaptic plasticity.”

“In summary, our study supports a critical role of IL-6 elevation in modulating autism-like behaviors through impairments on synapse formation, dendritic spine development, as well as on neuronal circuit balance. These findings suggest that manipulation of IL-6 may be a promising avenue for therapeutic interventions.” [Wei et al 2012]

The Aluminum Adjuvant and Autism Connection

Study [Gherardi et al 2015] from Université Paris Est Créteil (UPEC) in France further supported this new view of aluminum adjuvant as a dangerous, biopersistent, and ultimately brain-injuring toxin. (The study confirmed that aluminum adjuvant slowly makes its way to the brain, where it then stays, possibly forever.) The study explained that aluminum adjuvant can generate a long-term immune response because of its “biopersistence”, which basically means our body has no ability to rid itself of aluminum adjuvant, because its a man-made substance we have no natural designs to eliminate.

The IL-6-aluminum adjuvant connection was found in study [Alawdi et al 2016] where scientists were using aluminum to induce Alzheimer’s in rats,  “The results also showed that aluminum administration increased the hippocampus pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α by 3.8-fold, IL-6 by 4-fold, and iNOS by 3.8-fold compared to the normal control group.”

The Hep B vaccine (which contains aluminum) was studied in [Qingqing Li, et al 2015]. Researchers  found that rats had the kind of immune activation event that is seen in autism (high IL-6). This is biological proof of the link between a vaccine — given to a post-natal animal — inducing an immune activation event, including the cytokine marker for autism, IL-6.

Aluminum is in the brains of autism patients

In an interview soon after his 2017 study was released, Dr. Exley explained:

• “The amount of aluminum in the brain tissue was, I would say, extraordinarily high. Very high. My group has measured the aluminum content of probably more than one hundred human brains, and these brain tissues taken from the individuals with a diagnosis of autism were some of the highest we’ve measured bar none. The only ones we’ve seen that are similar were a recent study of familial Alzheimer’s. This in itself is a very important finding.”
• Professor Exley and his colleagues were startled by something else: the location of the aluminum within the brains:  “Perhaps equally important if not more important were the microscopy studies. The microscopy studies enable us to identify where the aluminum was in the brain tissue. When we looked at our brains of people with a diagnosis of autism, we found something completely different and something we’ve never seen before as yet in any other set of human brains. We found that the majority of aluminum was actually inside cells, intracellular. Some of it was inside neurons, but actually the majority of it was inside non-neuronal cell populations. So we found that these cells were heavily loaded with aluminum. We also saw evidence that cells in the lymph and in the blood were passing into the brain, so they were carrying with them a cargo of aluminum from the body into the brain. This is the first time in any human brain tissue we have seen this so this is a standout and as yet unique observation in autism. For myself, it very much implicates aluminum in the etiology of autism.”
• What Professor Exley found were macrophages, the kind the French scientists discovered were transporting aluminum into the brains of mice, loaded with aluminum, and serving as carriers to bring the aluminum into the brain. Dr. Exley’s study showed that the conclusion being drawn in the laboratory with mice were equally true in the brains of people with autism. It turns out the biological experiments using mice to gauge the impact of injected aluminum adjuvant were equally accurate when extrapolated to humans. In fact, Professor Exley was so shocked by the findings, it altered his view of the safety of using vaccines containing aluminum.  “I did not see a role for aluminum in autism. And I didn’t see a role for aluminum in vaccines in autism. I have to change my mind now on both of these. I have to change my mind that aluminum has a role in autism, I believe it now does. Now, because I have seen the same cells that we will see at an injection site carrying a cargo of aluminum into the brain tissue of individuals who died with autism I would now say that we have to think very carefully about who receives a vaccine that includes an aluminum adjuvant. We need to think carefully, is this vaccine a life-saving vaccine or not? If it isn’t, don’t have it with an aluminum adjuvant.” Dr. Exley just told parents not to get vaccines that constitute MOST of the childhood vaccine schedule. Dr. Exley, a tenured professor at Keele University of Bioinorganic chemistry and without peer the leading expert in the world on the neurotoxicity of aluminum.

An immune activation event can CAUSE gut dysbiosis

[Hsiao et al 2013] explains that “Many cytokines including IL-6 regulate tight junction expression and intestinal barrier integrity, and further, a variety of enteric microbes are known to regulate intestinal tight junction and cytokine levels (Turner, 2009). Our study suggests that B. fragilis is able to ameliorate leaky gut by directly targeting tight junction expression, cytokine production and/or microbiome composition. Intriguingly, recent analysis in humans shows that among the Bacteroidaceae family, only a single phylotype most closely related to B. fragilis is selectively depleted in ASD children compared to matched controls, and most dramatically in those subjects with more severe GI issues (Dae-Wook Kang and Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown, personal communication). Thus, the correlation between B. fragilis and improved intestinal health is present in both mice and humans.  Consistent with the role of GI microbes in regulating intestinal permeability and metabolic homeostasis (Nicholson et al., 2012; Wikoff et al., 2009), we show that B. fragilis treatment corrects MIA-associated changes in specific serum metabolites that appear to have a gut origin, suggesting B. fragilis may prevent leakage of harmful molecules from the GI lumen. Taken together, these findings support a gut-microbiome-brain connection in ASD and identify a potential probiotic therapy for GI and behavioral symptoms of autism.”

What to Practically Do for Autism Impacted Children (and by extension, what others concerned with neurological conditions should consider for further research)

Handley suggests:  Remove aluminum, introduce ketones to the brain, repair the gut, and supplement with Vitamin D and selenium  to alleviate autism and other ailments in children who have already been damaged.

1. Get the aluminum adjuvant [and dietary] out of the body.

Handley doesn’t mention removing  dietary aluminum, or that sweating removes it, but I will:

• Remove dietary aluminum sources such as aluminium cookware, deodorants, over-the-counter and prescription medications, baking powder [this is eliminated on the healing diets — see substitutions below]  baked goods, aluminum foil, containers, baking sheets, antacids, sunscreens…], and EWG’S DIRTY DOZEN GUIDE TO FOOD ADDITIVES: FOOD ADDITIVE “WATCH LIST” has aluminum-based food additives such as sodium aluminum phosphate and  sodium aluminum sulfate, which are used as stabilizers in many processed foods, on it.  [DiNicolantonio et al 2018] discusses magnesium deficiency due to aluminium:  “Dietary aluminium may lead to magnesium deficit by reducing the absorption of magnesium by approximately five-fold, reducing magnesium retention by 41% and causing a reduction of magnesium in the bone.⁶⁸ And since aluminium is widely prevalent in modern-day society (such as in aluminium cookware, deodorants, over-the-counter and prescription medications, baking powder, baked goods, and others), this could be a major contributor to magnesium deficiency. In fact, an area near a Skawina aluminium plant in Poland was found to have a lower percentage of people with normal magnesium levels in red blood cells and urine compared with those in Chorzów.⁶⁹
• Baking Powder substitution used in healing diets:  The substitution for 1 tsp baking powder is: 1/4 tsp baking soda + ½ tsp vinegar or lemon juice, or 1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt [BonAppetit].  But just saying… some bloggers making fab recipes use the substitution for 1 tsp baking powder: 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1½ tsp vinegar or lemon juice. [The Science and Art of Paleofying—Part 3 Leavening and Fats].  
• “… Perspiration is a major route of excretion of aluminum from the body [22]. In the absence of physical exercise, women produce only half the volume of perspiration as men and so may be predisposed to the retention of aluminum in their tissues. In both sexes, physical exercise can increase the perspiration volume many times and so improve the excretion of aluminum from the body. Could exercise-induced improvements in the excretion of aluminum from the body be significant in the benefits of exercise in Alzheimer’s disease?” [Exley 2017 Editorial] 

Handley article:  I know that silica and zeolites are both considered possible ways to remove aluminum from the body. Will they also work on aluminum adjuvant? I have no idea. VP has a perspective on aluminum removal that cites a wide body of scientific research. Also, Dr. Exley is on the record advocating the consumption of silica-rich mineral water. Here’s an article about various waters: 3 Mineral Waters That Remove Aluminum from the Brain [ Spritzer, Volvic and Fiji].There has been a dramatic increase in neurological diseases linked to aluminum toxicity. The blood brain barrier doesn…realfarmacy.com

[Exley 2017 Editorial] also notes:  Epidemiological data have been equivocal in establishing a relationship between the aluminum content of drinking water and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. However, research has shown a significant protective effect of silicon in drinking water, irrespective of the aluminum content, with higher silicon reducing the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease [23]. In addition, clinical trials involving only a small number of participants have shown that regular drinking of a silicon-rich mineral water helps to remove aluminum from the body of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease [24, 25]. For 20% of such individuals, the lowering of the body burden of aluminum following drinking a silicon-rich mineral water for just 12 weeks produced clinically significant improvements in their cognitive function [25]. The potential benefits of silicon in Alzheimer’s disease can only be explained if aluminum has a role to play in the disease.

2. Consider ketogenics

I [Handley] was incredibly excited to see this study about the impact a ketogenic diet had on suppressing immune activation in mice. Could ketones play a role in reducing brain inflammation and turning off the brain’s immune system?

3. Heal the microbiome

We know that aluminum adjuvant can contribute to gastrointestinal distress. But, how do you heal that gut (the microbiome)? The [Hsiao et al 2013] study highlights the relationship between the gut microbiota, immune activation, and autism:  “Our findings provide a novel mechanism by which a human commensal bacterium can improve ASD-related GI deficits and behavioral abnormalities in mice, possibly explaining the rapid increase in ASD prevalence by identifying the microbiome as a critical environmental contributor to disease. We propose the transformative concept that autism is, at least in part, a disease involving the gut that impacts the immune, metabolic and nervous systems, and that microbiome-mediated therapies may be a safe and effective treatment for ASD.”  

There a wide variety of natural therapies to “heal the gut” that should be discussed with your health care professional.

A more recent study: Emerging Roles for the Gut Microbiome in Autism Spectrum Disorder.  “… studies suggest that ASD is associated with altered composition and function of the gut microbiota…  no defined microbial signature has been identified for ASD, though many studies
report microbiome differences within independent cohorts of ASD individuals and control subjects.  Several factors could contribute to these discrepancies, including methodological variations and inherent heterogeneity of ASD cohorts based on symptom severity, comorbid conditions, varied lifestyle, and medical history. ASD-associated alterations in eating behavior and diet are likely to play a role, as the gut
microbiota can be stably altered in response to dietary changes and exposures to xenobiotics (49)…  Overall, this research raises the fascinating question of whether microbial dysbiosis can contribute to the immune dysregulation seen in ASD, such as microglial activation and T regulatory cell deficits, and whether manipulations of the microbiota can ameliorate ASD-related immune bnormalities. Although parallel studies of immune problems in ASD and effects of the microbiome on the immune system are revealing some converging pathways, additional preclinical studies are required to determine whether microbiome changes in ASD can sufficiently cause any of the immune abnormalities seen in the disorder… The microbiota is well positioned at the intersection between genes and environment, as its composition and function are dependent on genetic background and critically shaped by environmental factors, including age, infection, diet, and xenobiotics. Moreover, early life changes in the microbiota can have lasting effects on health and disease. For example, several diet-induced host phenotypes are sufficiently mediated by changes in the gut microbiota (85–88).”

4. Vitamin D

VP has an excellent section on the role Vitamin D can play in reducing immune activation, stating: “Vitamin D strongly reduces immune activation and IL-17 production specifically. Vitamin D strongly improves many diseases, including almost any disease with inflammatory or autoimmune aspects. Vitamin D favorably regulates the immune system, simultaneously improving its effectiveness at eliminating pathogens, and reducing inflammation. This is exactly what you want for optimal health: the combination of high immune function and low inflammation. When the body has adequate vitamin D, the immune system can eliminate pathogens without becoming dangerously overactivated…  Vitamin D is consumed by the immune system when its activated. It is a nutrient that is metabolized at a faster rate during infection or inflammation. Consequently, people with inflammatory conditions need greater amounts of vitamin D. They must supplement at a higher dose to achieve healthy blood levels. Since chronic immune activation is always present in autism, autistics require higher vitamin D intake than normal people.” [Hsiao et al 2013] is a case report from China where a child’s autism symptoms improved dramatically from Vitamin D.

5. Selenium

Selective induction of IL-6 by aluminum-induced oxidative stress can be prevented by selenium Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 2012, Dale Viezeliene, Piet Beekhof, Eric Gremmer, Hiliaras Rodovicius, Ilona Sadauskien, Eugene Jansen, Leonid Ivanov.  This fascinating study from scientists in Lithuania and the Netherlands highlighted two things:

• Aluminum raises IL-6 levels in rats
• The mineral Selenium reduces some of Aluminum’s negative effects

“Therefore it was concluded that short-term exposure to Al [aluminum] causes adverse effects on the intracellular oxidative stress processes in the liver, as reflected by the selective increase in the IL-6 concentration. This process can be restored by co-administration of the trace element Se [selenium] as a part of the glutathione redox system.”

Read The three letters (here)

They are authored and written in mid 2017 by three of the most important scientists in the field of aluminum adjuvant toxicity — Dr. Christopher Shaw of Canada, Dr. Chris Exley of England, and Dr. Romain Gherardi of France.  They took the extraordinary step of writing letters of caution to our American public health authorities, you should read them too.

Hoping you find this article interesting, especially for your brain health,

♥References

1. [Handley, j.b.Handleyblog.com, April 2, 2018]  International Scientists Have Found Autism’s Cause. What will Americans do?
2. [Mold et al 2018] Aluminium in brain tissue in autism
3. [Exley 2017 Editorial] Aluminum Should Now Be Considered a Primary Etiological Factor in Alzheimer’s Disease  “Alzheimer’s disease is not an inevitable consequence of aging in the absence of a brain burden of aluminum.”
4. [Exley 2017, the Hippocratic Oath] No aluminium, no Alzheimer’s disease,
5. [Patterson 2006] Pregnancy, Immunity, Schizophrenia, and Autism
6. [Wei et al 2012] Brain IL-6 elevation causes neuronal circuitry imbalances and mediates autism-like behaviors.
7. [Gherardi et al 2015] Biopersistence and brain translocation of aluminum adjuvants of vaccines
8. [Alawdi et al 2016] Neuroprotective Effect of Nanodiamond in Alzheimer’s Disease Rat Model: a Pivotal Role for Modulating NF-κB and STAT3 Signaling
9. [Qingqing Li, et al 2015] Neonatal vaccination with bacillus Calmette–Guérin and hepatitis B vaccines modulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity in rats
10. [Hsiao et al 2013] The microbiota modulates gut physiology and behavioral abnormalities associated with autism
11. [BonAppetit] The substitution for 1 tsp baking powder is: 1/4 tsp baking soda + ½ tsp vinegar or lemon juice, or 1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt
12. [The Science and Art of Paleofying—Part 3 Leavening and Fats]  

    The substitution for 1 tsp baking powder is: 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1½ tsp vinegar or lemon juice.

13. [DiNicolantonio et al 2018] Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis. Sources of dietary aluminum
14.  Emerging Roles for the Gut Microbiome in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
15. Selective induction of IL-6 by aluminum-induced oxidative stress can be prevented by selenium

♥ Last updated: April 7, 2018 at 8:42 am  To add dietary aluminum sources such as aluminium cookware, deodorants, over-the-counter and prescription medications, baking powder, baked goods, aluminum foil, containers, baking sheets, antacids, sunscreens…, and EWG’S DIRTY DOZEN GUIDE TO FOOD ADDITIVES: FOOD ADDITIVE “WATCH LIST” has aluminum-based food additives such as sodium aluminum phosphate and sodium aluminum sulfate, which are used as stabilizers in many processed foods, on it.  [DiNicolantonio et al 2018] info was added as well as “Baking Powder substitution used in healing diets:  The substitution for 1 tsp baking powder is: 1/4 tsp baking soda + ½ tsp vinegar or lemon juice, or 1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt [BonAppetit].   But just saying… some bloggers making fab recipes use the substitution for 1 tsp baking powder: 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1½ tsp vinegar or lemon juice. [The Science and Art of Paleofying—Part 3 Leavening and Fats].”