Research: Autism and Immunization

My assigned research topic for special problems this semester is Autism and Immunization. It's really quite interesting, but also hard to develop, because one side is very logical, and scientifically supported, but it is arguing against a very emotional counterpoint.

I don't believe that there is a causal link between immunization and autism and the research overwhelmingly supports this, but like I said in my paper: while there may be no conclusive evidence of a link, the suggestion of risk to their children is enough for many parents to opt out of immunizations, especially when they don't understand or believe in the risks associated with NOT immunizing. It's hard, because I get their point of view, I do...

In fact, I would choose not to give certain immunizations to my child... (the new HPV vaccine, and the Chicken Pox vaccine,) for various reasons. But I belive that these parents have been misinformed and misled by people preying on their fears (or in the case of the study that sparked this panic, deceived by people who have since admitted that their conclusions were false and motivated by a conflict of interest.

But when parents have lost their child to SIDS, or their formerly happy, healthy child now has some serious neurological problems and they have been given a likely scapegoat, how can you convince them that it's just coincidence or "bad things just happen to good people for absolutely no reason".

It's tough....

I may publish my paper on my personal website when it's done, if anyone is interested. Or, heck, maybe even if no one is.

I Need New Skinny Jeans...

I am having confuzed!weight issues.

My clothes are all too big for me. Good thing, right? YEAH!?

My skinny jeans, which have always been a bit stretchy (you know, really snug out of the dryer, comfortably looser by the end of the day) have entered gangsta territory (ie. barely hanging off my ass). My shirts are too big (but passible - I have a broad chest like an opera singer), My bras are too big (I've gone down a cup size due to weight loss), even my panties are now a size too big.

Great! Right? Except... I have no money for new clothes - heck, food and shelter are pretty much beyond my reach at this point, and I am just hoping the landlord holds off on the eviction notice a while longer.

Also, and the most confusing thing... I haven't lost a ton of weight. I've only lost 10-15 lbs in the last year (most of it this summer). And I haven't been that much more active (though I want to be), and yet, I feel ridiculous and self-conscious because my clothes are too big for me (yet, I still feel like a hugely obese aging whale.

I don't know, I guess that might be more pathetic things to whine about than dropping a few pounds, but I can't think of any right now.