Physical symptoms, beliefs about medications, negative mood, and long-term HIV medication adherence

BACKGROUND: The vaccine/autism controversy has caused vast scientific and public confusion, and it has set back research and education into genuine vaccine-induced neurological disorders. The great strawman of autism has been so emphasized by the vaccine industry that it, and it alone, often appears in authoritative discussions of adverse effects of the MMR and other vaccines. By dismissing the chimerical vaccine/autism controversy, vaccine defenders often dismiss all genuinely neurological aftereffects of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and other vaccines, including well-documented events, such as relatively rare cases of encephalopathy and encephalitis. OBJECTIVE: This report explains that autism is not a physical or neurological disorder. It is not caused by injury or disease of the brain. It is a developmental disorder that has no physical origins and no physical symptoms. It is extremely unlikely that vaccines are causing autism; but it is extremely likely that they are causing more neurological damage than currently appreciated, some of it resulting in psychosocial disabilities that can be confused with autism and other psychosocial disorders. This confusion between a developmental, psychosocial disorder and a physical neurological disease has played into the hands of interest groups who want to deny that vaccines have any neurological and associated neuropsychiatric effects. METHODS: A review of the scientific literature, textbooks, and related media commentary is integrated with basic clinical knowledge. RESULTS: This report shows how scientific sources have used the vaccine/autism controversy to avoid dealing with genuine neurological risks associated with vaccines and summarizes evidence that vaccines, including the MMR, can cause serious neurological disorders. Manufacturers have been allowed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to gain vaccine approval without placebo-controlled clinical trials. CONCLUSIONS: The misleading vaccine autism controversy must be set aside in favor of examining actual neurological harms associated with vaccines, including building on existing research that has been ignored. Manufacturers of vaccines must be required to conduct placebo-controlled clinical studies for existing vaccines and for government approval of new vaccines. Many probable or confirmed neurological adverse events occur within a few days or weeks after immunization and could be detected if the trials were sufficiently large. Contrary to current opinion, large, long-term placebo-controlled trials of existing and new vaccines would be relatively easy and safe to conduct.

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Narrative arcs and shaping influences in long-term medication adherence

Social Science & Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114264 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 114264

Author(s):

Cheryl Nakata ◽

Lisa K. Sharp ◽

Jelena Spanjol ◽

Anna Shaojie Cui ◽

Elif Izberk-bilgin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medication Adherence

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Telephone Nurse Counseling Improves HIV Medication Adherence: An Effectiveness Study

Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care ◽

10.1016/j.jana.2009.02.008 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 316-325 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Paul F. Cook ◽

Mishcha M. McCabe ◽

Suzie Emiliozzi ◽

Lauren Pointer

Keyword(s):

Medication Adherence ◽

Effectiveness Study ◽

Hiv Medication

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Literacy, self-efficacy, and HIV medication adherence

Patient Education and Counseling ◽

10.1016/j.pec.2006.08.006 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 253-260 ◽

Cited By ~ 179

Author(s):

Michael S. Wolf ◽

Terry C. Davis ◽

Chandra Y. Osborn ◽

Silvia Skripkauskas ◽

Charles L. Bennett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medication Adherence ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Hiv Medication

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Light Therapy for QoL/Depression in AYA With Cancer: A Randomized Trial

Journal of Pediatric Psychology ◽

10.1093/jpepsy/jsab098 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kayla N LaRosa ◽

Erin MacArthur ◽

Fang Wang ◽

Hui Zhang ◽

Haitao Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Negative Mood ◽

Red Light ◽

Light Therapy ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

Self Report ◽

School Functioning ◽

Bright White Light

Abstract Objective Secondary outcomes from a published feasibility and acceptability trial were examined to explore the effect of bright white light (BWL) on quality of life (QoL) and depressive symptoms compared to dim red light (DRL) control in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) receiving cancer-directed therapy. Methods Fifty-one AYAs (12–22 years, 51% male) newly diagnosed with cancer were randomized to receive 8 weeks of BWL (n = 26) or DRL (n = 25). The CDI-2 (total score, negative mood/physical symptoms, interpersonal problems, ineffectiveness, and negative self-esteem) and parent- and self-report PedsQL (total score and subscales of physical, emotional, social, and school QoL) were completed at multiple timepoints. Results BWL produced improvements in self-reported total depression (d = −.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] = −1.26, −0.01), negative self-esteem (d = −.80; 95% CI = −1.43, −.14), negative mood/physical symptoms (d = −.73; 95% CI = −1.36, −0.08), ineffectiveness (d = −.43; 95% CI = −1.04, .19), total self-reported QoL (d = .41; 95% CI = −.16, .96), emotional (d = .78; 95% CI = .19, 1.37), school functioning (d = .48; 95% CI = −.09, 1.04), and parent-reported school functioning (d = .66; 95% CI = 0.02, 1.33). BWL reported a greater rate of improvement than DRL for total depression (β = .49, p < .05) and self-esteem (β = .44, p < .05), and parent-reported school functioning (β = −1.68, p < .05). Conclusions BWL improved QoL and depressive symptoms for AYAs with cancer. These findings will inform larger randomized controlled trials.

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