'Headline-Making Medical Mystery' & 'The Strangest Addictions Ever!'
Straight from the headlines, fifteen teenage girls in upstate New York have been afflicted with a mysterious illness causing Tourette's Syndrome-like symptoms. Anderson speaks with one of the teens, her family, and a team of medical experts to investigate what is really happening. Follow a mom whose daughter is trapped in a real life medical mystery as we search for an answer. Do you have a mysterious medical condition? Tell us.
Then, a man in a sexual relationship with his car, a woman who eats paper, and a woman obsessed with sniffing mothballs. Anderson speaks with these guests from TLC's "My Strange Addiction," which gives a face to those suffering from peculiar addictions. Also, woman who used to be obsessed with hair dryers tells Anderson about the latest appliance that is the object of her obsession. Anderson is joined by an expert who attempts to find out what is causing their obsessions.
Comments
I think your show today is one of the best ever!!!! Love Janet Jackson!!
Regarding the mystery illness that many women have been suffering from New York.....I wonder if it is only a female thing? Have any men been suffering from the same symptoms? Could this also be a clue to the illness? I certainly don't think any of them are faking it. That is a heartless and non compassionate point of view.
When I see mysterious neurological ailments appear suddenly in clusters of individuals who are close to the same age, and who were previously healthy, I think: "VACCINE-INDUCED EVENT." When this occurs amidst one gender, I think: "GARDASIL."
Contrary to what we medical consumers are led to believe, achieving perfect consistency of vaccine batches is not an exact science. The fact that a particular lot of vaccines could have been delivered to clinics in a certain area of New York State -- and that neurological signs appeared among a significant proportion of girls who may have received the vaccine, is a possibility worth exploring. After all, distressing side effects reported in the US and throughout the world among girls having taken the vaccines raise the question of whether Gardasil's ingredients could conceivably be unstable, inconsistent or, indeed, toxic to a substantial percentage of patients.
As a mother, aunt and grandmother, I need to see centers like the CDC and WHO employ OBJECTIVE SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES in compiling and analyzing short- and long-term data that would guide and enhance policies about administering vaccines. Having incurred SIX serious vaccine-induced events within my own family, I have noted that MD's are very dismissive of even the most obvious cases of significant vaccine side-effects. I think they are inherently afraid of "blame" (read: "lawsuits.") However, they also appear frightened of censure from medical disciplinary bodies, who have enormous powers to curtail or destroy an MD's practice if s/he dares to challenge one of Medicine's religious tenets. North American tots are shot with many more vaccines than is recommended for children in other modern nations, including Scandinavian countries, which generally enjoy superior standards of health and medical care than does North America. The comparatively reduced vaccination schedule applies to Switzerland, home of WHO (the World Health Organization.) Meanwhile in North America, The Omnipotent Temple of Allopathy successfully bullies parents into vaccinating and re-vaccinating; even children who have health-based contraindications, causing all or some vaccines to pose significant risks to these individuals. As for the supposed "evidence" the medical community invariably trots out as they circle the wagons to protect and affirm their position, I frankly find such data to be an insult to my intelligence. OF THE SIX SEPARATE VACCINE-INDUCED EVENTS EXPERIENCED BY MY FAMILY, NOT A SINGLE ONE WAS REPORTED BY THE MD TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. As I compare correspondence with THOUSANDS of other parents, I discover identical stories of non-reporting. MISSING DATA QUITE SIMPLY MAKES THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT'S ASSURANCES OF ABSOLUTE VACCINE SAFETY WORTHLESS.
When are agencies like CDC and WHO going to make it MANDATORY for local doctors to report ALL SERIOUS VACCINE-INDUCED SIDE-EFFECTS EXPERIENCED BY ANY OF THEIR PATIENTS to a data-collection collection agency? And when are the health departments of our governments (NOT past, present or future members of the vast, rich, powerful pharma industry) going to EXERCISE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT OUR CITIZENS, by ensuring that ONGOING, THOROUGH, CREDIBLE RESEARCH -- UNTAINTED BY THE PROFIT MOTIVE -- IS CARRIED OUT ON ALL PHARMACOLOGICAL PRODUCTS, ESPECIALLY MANDATORY ONES SUCH AS VACCINES?
In regards to your show about the young ladies an there mystery illness of these young girls.
I have a similar disorder cause is unknown. Now for a period of time of 24 years. I do not have the speech problem but with out medication I have no control of my arms or legs.
Believe me what the young ladies are experiencing an going through is no fun, and to those who think this is a copy cat among these girls, I believe are dead wrong. Also it is not a Mental illness as some may think. It is something very psychical in the nervous system.
But if this exposure in the media will help to find a cure great, but do not count on it
Ok, I'm confused. I work 2nd shift, so I record Anderson Cooper.I'm finally getting a chance to watch it right now. The episode is dated 2/10, and the show description is of the girls with Tourette's-like symptoms, and the strange addiction. Yet I'm actually watching it, and it's an interview with Anderson's mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, and discussions about his childhood and their family life. Am I missing something?
I would be interested to know whether these girls were given an HPV vaccine (such as Gardasil)? It is very odd that only teenaged girls have been affected. If it was an environmental toxin that was the cause, surely it would have affected other age groups and males.
Is anyone looking into why this mysterious illness is only affecting girls - has anyone checked what commonality they share - possible a vaccine or some medication given to women and not men. Why is it when women suffer from a disease it is written off as hysteria. If it were from water or soil contamination why aren't boys and men also suffering? Going back in history, how long did it take government officials to acknowledge Love Canal contamination, and how long will it take government officials to acknowledge that 9/11 is causing cancers, not only in the first responders but also survivors and those who live and work in the WTC area.
When our daughter was a senior in high school she began to have similar symptoms to the girls on your show. A local neurologist diagnosed it as conversion also. Even though her symptoms dramatically increased and included seizures (which as the Dr. on your show) said they were not really seizures and continued to allow her to drive. We chose to take her to the Cleveland Clinic where she was properly diagnosed after extensive testing which included MRI(which showed a small area misfiring in her brain, but was ignored), PET scan, spinal tap, eeg and psychiatric evaluation. We were told that waiting for the right diagnosis caused further damage to her hand. They were unsure as to the reason this started, but was put on medication for a rare form of epilepsy - epilepsy partialis continua(ongoing partial seizure)along with grand mal seizures. Her most recent MRI showed what appeared to possibly be a partially burned out virus. I pray that these parents will consider having Dr. Jenike or a facility that uses a team of Drs. like Cleveland Clinic or Mayo Clinic etc. I would be glad be support for any parent or child. Thank you for bringing this issue to the attention of the public. Nancy Russell
Could the mystery illness possibly be Sydenham's Chorea also called St. Vitus Dance? I am currently 63, but about 50 years ago I was diagnosed with Sydenham's chorea after having an untreated strep infection. I was only about 13 years old at the time, but I remember the doctor telling my mother that the disease was a neurological infection caused by strep similar to the way rheumatic fever can infect the heart. Coincidently, Rheumatic fever is also triggered by strep. My symptoms were very similar to those of your guests: uncontrollable jerky motions, difficulty walking straight, clumsiness, weakness on my right side & interrupted speech patterns. Lucky for me our family doctor figured out the diagnosis quickly which he confirmed through blood tests, and I was treated with penicillin and complete bedrest. It took about 10-12 weeks before I started to improve, but the treatment was successful. After I recovered, our doctor had me take a lose dose of penicillin every day until I was 18 to prevent reoccurence. I hope this information is helpful. I'd also like to add how much I admire you and your staff for your program each day. Please don't stop! Kind regards, Bernadette McDevitt - Overland Park, Kansas
I saw the show today I couldn't believe what I saw I have been going through this for almost five years. The doctors I went to had never seen anything like it. My life have change so much. What sad is my teenage daughter is now showing signs with the tics. I'm not prepare to go through all this again just to get no answers.
It's been my experience doctor's opinions are ONLY formulated upon their OWN area of expertise - not an impartial informed opinion. If you go to a foot doctor, whatever your symptoms may present, he will figure out a way your problem stems from something wrong with your feet. If you go to dentist - all your problems stem from dental health. When the psychiatrist gave his opinion of the young lady who experienced a seizure was to obliquely say she'll get over it: it's in her head (my interpretation). Being different is NOT sought after by high school people; they want to fit in. She is not making it up, you can clearly see it by the involuntary movements she suffers. The general reaction is driven by money - if it is recognized as being a chemical induced, then someone has to pay - therefore, it is staunchly denied.
I do hope she finds relief, for her own sake, as well as the community at large.
I have no opinions or answers or suggestions about the mysterious illness affecting the girls in New York. But I CAN relate to the frustration of being told "it's your imagination" or something similar, and knowing nothing can be done for you. For 10 years, many physicians told my parents I was a very intelligent and imaginative child who was bored with school, so I faked having "fits" to get out of going to school rather than have the very pedestrian "tummy ache". I find it so insulting that physicians cannot say "I don't know" when they cannot make a diagnosis then blame the patient in one way or another. Thank goodness my epilepsy was finally diagnosed, anticonvulsants prescribed, and I went on to drive, be employed, and have had a wonderful life. Hang in there, girls.
I know i am, most likely to young to post opinion here, given that i am not old enough to really know what going on to the extent most fully educated adults do, but i think that its real to an extent, then heavily dramatized. I believe the older female, she hasn't anything to lie about, and she seemed to really be having a hard time, but it was way easier for the younger girl to talk, and when she wasn't talking, the spasms increased. as i said before, i believe both of them, but if the girl has seizures every time she goes out....why not communicate via webcam, of off location camera? I have a friend who recently moved away who had turrets. he would to things like say the last word in a sentence multiple times, or wave his arms around as if he were trying to fly, but that didn't make him any different and no one treated him any different than a regular person. and personally i don't think that this young lady should be treated any different either. as a 14 year old, i know things can be tough and all an i have no right to judge.. but i am very confused and i think that the mother and daughter need to get their facts straight.
l use the pill called clonazepan and it keeps my ticks almost under control 2 .05mg at 9pm every night for 20 years now
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I was watching today's show about the mysterious twitching-tick syndrom... In December, I watched a program on 'The Nature of Things' relating Autism to a certain gut bacteria. This gut bacteria, when found in abundance, can create a neurotoxin producing Autistic-like behaviour. Sometimes antibiotics can kill the positive gut bacteria, leaving the neurotoxin-producing bacteria to multiply like crazy in the gut. If you can review that show, they give the doctors' names who specialize in gut bacteria. They assess stool samples looking for an abundance of this bacteria...