For almost 30 years, scientists have known that multiple sclerosis is more ordinary in higher latitudes than in the tropics. As sunlight is more abundant near the equator, many scientists have wondered if the high levels of vitamin D engendered by sunlight could put in plain words unusual pattern of frequency.Vitamin D may reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but in a recent study scientists have declared that the ultraviolet part of sunlight may play a bigger function than vitamin D in controlling MS.Multiple sclerosis is a sore neurological illness caused by deterioration in the nerve’s electrical conduction; approximately 400,000 people have the disabling condition in the United States. in recent years, it’s become clear the immunity systems of patients are destroying the electrical insulation on the nerve fibers.The ultraviolet portion of sunlight stimulates the body to produce vitamin D, and both vitamin D and the ultraviolet are able to control the immune system and possibly slow MS.

A mice was used in an experiment, because they are genetically susceptible to MS-like disease, the examiners triggered the disease by injecting a protein from nerve fibers. The researchers then exposed the mice to moderate levels of the ultraviolet radiation for almost a week. After they initiated disease by injecting the protein, they irradiated the mice every second or third day.The ultraviolet contact (equivalent to two hours of direct summer sun) did not change how many mice got the MS-like disease, but it did decrease the symptoms of MS, especially in the animals that were treated with the ultraviolet every other day.

The research group also found that although the ultraviolet contact did increase the level of vitamin D, that consequence, by itself, could not explain the reduced MS symptoms.

MS is a progressive neurological illness with a few effective treatments, but scientists declared that the study, however hopeful, may or may not lead to a new mode of cure. Also, scientists have mentioned that there are several ways that could go. if they could find out what the ultraviolet is producing, maybe they could give that as a medicine. in the short term, if they can define a specific wavelength of light that is active, and it does not overlap with the wavelengths that cause cancer, they could expose patients who have been diagnosed with MS to that wavelength.

However, this is just experimental study at this stage. Whether it can be translated into practical applications on MS remains to be seen.

Aging baby boomers are worried about their brainpower. A report in the new England Journal of Medicine (Oct. 6, 2011) notes that three-fourths of people over the age of 60 are concerned about problems with their memory.

Researchers have no clear explanation why memory seems to fade with age. but a recent study from England and Wales suggests that medications may be part of the problem (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Aug. 2011). Up to half of the people over the age of 65 were taking one or more drugs that could cause cognitive impairment.

The scientists were especially concerned about medicines that affect the function of the brain chemical acetylcholine. this neurotransmitter is essential for transmitting messages between nerve cells.

A surprising number of medications have anticholinergic activity. These include antidepressants such as amitriptyline, anticonvulsants like carbamazepine and heart drugs such as atenolol, furosemide and nifedipine. There are hundreds of others, including the medicines used to treat overactive bladder, allergy symptoms and anxiety.

Taking such drugs can cause fuzzy thinking, confusion, difficulty reasoning or planning and problems with memory. One reader shared this experience:

“I’m 72 and I have fibromyalgia. I was recently switched from Robaxin to baclofen for muscle spasms.

“I tried baclofen for a few days and realized my mind developed blank spots, like someone used Wite-Out. Two others I know had the same problem. The elderly are apt to be misdiagnosed with dementia due to drugs like this.”

People should never stop taking any prescribed medication without discussing the implications with their doctors. Some of these medicines are crucial for health.

However, the impact of combining several anticholinergic drugs can be devastating. Some people take three or four such medications, increasing the likelihood of cognitive side effects. The British research also found that patients on several anticholinergic medicines were at higher risk of dying prematurely.

It is frequently difficult for physicians to determine how a medication will affect acetylcholine activity and cognitive function in older patients. this kind of information is often left out of publications.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (July 2011) evaluated hundreds of studies of medications prescribed for overactive bladder. Three-fourths did not measure or report an impact on brain function. The authors called for more systematic examination of such side effects and better reporting in the medical literature.

Accumulating lots of birthdays can contribute to mental fog and memory problems all by itself. taking medications that have a negative impact on brain function can make the problems worse. Anyone who suspects that a medication could be contributing to confusion or forgetfulness should ask a physician to evaluate this possibility.

Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio. in their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Email them via their Web site.

By GORDON J. RAFOOL Gessler Clinic Published: Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 7:58 a.m. last Modified: Sunday, October 2, 2011 at 7:58 a.m.

Clinic most persons have suffered from musculoskeletal pain. Musculoskeletal pain is defined as the pain that affects bones, tendons, ligaments, and, usually this type of pain is associated with over activity, such as thinking that they can do an exercise program and start at an intense level which leads to the next day experiencing musculoskeletal pain.

There are many causes for musculoskeletal pain. it is known that as a person ages, they are going to be much more prone to having musculoskeletal pain.

There are a few people that will have musculoskeletal pain for no real known reason. these people may also experience sleep disturbances, chronic pain meaning that they experience whole body pain, and fatigue.

One of the most common causes of musculoskeketal pain of unknown cause is fibromyalgia. The definition of fibromyalgia is chronic widespread pain, a heightened and painful response to pressure on certain areas of the body.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that includes not only musculoskeletal pain, but fatigue, sleep disorder, memory and mood changes.

There are a group of scientists that do not believe that fibromyalgia is an actual entity but most authorities believe that it is a condition that amplifies painful sensations by affecting the way a person’s brain processes pain.

They believe that there is a biochemical change that leads to fibromyalgia symptoms.

It is known that women suffer from fibromyalgia more than men. If a person believes that they are suffering from fibromyalgia, they should see their family doctor.

There are many treatments for fibromyalgia that are quite effective.

Dr. Gordon J. Rafool is a specialist in Family Practice and Geriatrics at Gessler Clinic, Winter Haven, FL.

When it comes to predicting whether someone will have Alzheimer’s disease, newfangled diagnostic tests for the illness aren’t as good as old-fashioned quizzes of thinking and memory.

That’s the word from a study that compared different methods for identifying Alzheimer’s. the results was just published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Scientists have been looking for a scan or lab test, such as changes in particular proteins in the blood, to simplify and speed up the detection of Alzheimer’s. the goal is to be able to identify people at risk of the illness long before symptoms such as impaired thinking surface. But that goal is far from being realized.

In this study, researchers compared how well biological and cognitive tests did at identifying whether people who already had mild cognitive impairment would go on to develop Alzheimer’s. they found that two tests measuring verbal memory were the best at predicting whether someone would develop Alzheimer’s in the next two years.

In those tests, people were read a story or a list of words, and then asked to recall the information 30 minutes later. In people who are progressing to Alzheimer’s, “there’s forgetting,” neuroscientist Terry Goldberg, a co-author of the study, told Shots. “There’s an increased rate of forgetting.”

One biological marker, a brain scan that measured changes in the thickness of the middle temporal lobe, also predicted people who went on to have Alzheimer’s. Other biological markers, such as tests for telltale proteins in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, also revealed changes, but not as well. Those tests have been used in research laboratories, but aren’t being used to test for Alzheimer’s in clinical practice.

“It’s not that the biomarkers didn’t work,” says Goldberg, a professor at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine in Manhasset, N.Y. “But when you compared them head to head, you find that the cognitive markers are the most robust.”

That means that the thinking tests can also be used for guides in designing therapies. In fact, Goldberg says, they may ultimately be more useful that the biological tests. “What you want to change is how people do in everyday life,” he says.

The trick is to diagnose mild cognitive impairment, a stage between normal forgetfulness and serious cognitive problems. It sometimes leads to Alzheimer’s, but can be caused by other diseases, too. People with MCI can be more forgetful, have trouble multitasking, and take longer to remember or decide. this study looked at 116 people with MCI who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in two years, 204 people with MCI who didn’t get Alzheimer’s and 197 healthy people as controls.

The study used information from the Alzheimer’s Disease NeuroImaging Initiative, which is looking for ways to identify risk factors for Alzheimer’s, and techniques for early diagnosis.

The goal would then be to create treatments that could profoundly slow or even halt the disease’s process. No such treatments exist now. Earlier this year, the National Institute on Aging redefined Alzheimer’s, broadening the definition and including the fact that biomarkers can be used for early detection. But since there is no treatment that slows or halts the disease, those biomarker tests don’t help patients or families manage the disease.

NAIROBI (21 April 2011)— Research released in anticipation of World Malaria Day finds that plants in East Africa with promising antimalarial qualities—ones that have treated malaria symptoms in the region’s communities for hundreds of years—are at risk of extinction. Scientists fear that these natural remedial qualities, and thus their potential to become a widespread treatment for malaria, could be lost forever.

A new book by researchers at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Common Antimalarial Trees and Shrubs of East Africa, provides a detailed assessment of 22 of the region’s malaria-fighting trees and shrubs. while over a thousand plant species have been identified by traditional healers as effective in the prevention or treatment of malaria symptoms, the species in the book were assigned by both traditional medicinal practitioners and scientists as those that have potential for further study.

According to researchers, many species of trees in East Africa are at high risk of extinction due to deforestation and over-exploitation for medicinal uses. Scientists in the field have been able to identify at-risk tree species, including those that have antimalarial qualities, by monitoring deforestation in the region and by talking to herbalists and local communities. According to researchers, not all species of antimalarial trees are at risk, particularly those that grow wild in lowland and coastal areas.

ICRAF is doing its part preserving these trees and shrubs by holding samples of most of the species with antimalarial qualities in its genebank and growing these trees in plant nurseries at its headquarters in Nairobi. The ICRAF genebank holds close to 200 species, of which at least 30 are known to have antimalarial properties.

The field data was gathered by ICRAF scientists conducting research across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, where they met with approximately 180 herbalists and 100 malaria patients in 30 separate communities. KEMRI supported the process by supplying the information about each plant’s chemical compound make-up—research that is the result of a sophisticated laboratory process developed by KEMRI for testing natural products.

“We’ve only scratched the surface on the potential value of these plants. Although widely used by farmers and people in rural communities, most of this information has never been collected in a comprehensive way by researchers,” said Dr. Geoffrey Rukunga, Director of KEMRI’s Centre for Traditional Medicine and Drug Research and one of the book’s co-authors. “Going forward, I’d like to see more investment and more research on the power of these plants to fight the scourge of malaria and other diseases.”

One of the drugs most widely used historically to treat malaria, quinine, was derived from the bark of the Cinchona tree in South America. Today, the world’s newest, most-effective therapeutic treatment for malaria also comes from a plant, the Artemisia annua shrub. However, access to malaria therapies based on artemisinin compounds remains low—around 15 percent in most parts of Africa and well below the World Health Organizations’ 80 percent target.

Additionally, the malaria parasite’s ability to resist artemisinin is already beginning to emerge in Southeast Asia. this comes years after the World Health Organization labeled the spreading resistance of malaria to cheap and widely available drugs such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine as a major public health problem. The increasing failure of once-effective malaria drugs has added urgency to the search for promising new targets.

Malaria still kills some 800,000 people per year, the majority of whom are children under five years of age in sub-Saharan Africa. a lack of access to doctors and drugs leaves many communities in Africa with few alternatives other than looking for natural remedies to address symptoms of malaria, including high fever, severe headaches, bone aches, nausea and vomiting.

“We’re not saying that using these medicinal plants is a replacement for common prevention treatments like bed nets or effective medicines like ACT,” said Dr Najma Dharani, a Consultant Research Scientist at the ICRAF in Nairobi, Kenya, who led the field research portion of the study. “But we believe that it’s worth learning from communities that have been treating malaria symptoms with plants for hundreds of years. We need to do more research because one of these plants could prove to be the next Artemisia, and we need to do our best to preserve the plants that are going extinct.”

Indeed, without clear research or proper guidance for their sustainable use, many of the plants with medicinal properties are being over-exploited and are in danger of extinction. One such plant, which is critically endangered in Kenya and threatened in other regions, is Zanthoxylum chalybeum, commonly known as “Knobwood.” It grows in dry woodlands or grasslands of eastern and southern Africa and has been found to have antimalarial properties that need to be further explored. an extraction process from leaves, bark or root is used to effectively treat a malarial fever in many communities. other uses for the plant include infusing tea with the leaves, making toothbrushes, and using the seeds as beads in traditional garments.The African wild olive (Olea europaea Africana), also threatened in East Africa due to over-exploited for timber, contains organic extracts with significant levels of antimalarial activity, and is used to treat malarial and other fevers. The plant also acts as a natural laxative to expel parasites or tapeworms.

“Throughout my eight years of research in Africa, I have seen that we have an entire pharmacy in our farms and in our forests. We have plants that should be used by scientific companies to develop more options for malaria drugs,” said Dr. Dharan. “And we cannot become complacent and rely on one herb, because we’ve learned that developing resistance is likely.”

Beyond the complicated process to extract and test antimalarial compounds from these trees, scientists have struggled to track or replicate the treatment process as it occurs in communities. Besides the plant itself, there may be other factors contributing to a malaria patient’s recovery. For example, a healer may combine one plant with another that changes its chemical compound and boosts its effectiveness. Unless more is done to understand these processes in the field, scientists in laboratories and researchers at major drug companies will lose that knowledge.

“While we’ve made scientific progress identifying these compounds over the last few years, the fact is that we may lose these important trees before we’ve had a chance to understand their ability to defend us against malaria, a disease that devastates Africa—killing hundreds of thousands of our children and costing us billions of dollars in productivity year after year,” said Dr. Rukunga. “We need to approach this as an opportunity on multiple fronts: to preserve the biodiversity that may hold the next cure, to strengthen the research done on the ground in communities, and to continue our diligent work testing our natural resources in the lab.”

Source: Antimalarial trees in East Africa threatened with extinction

Influenza agent Tamiflu is effective in preventing symptoms of influenza H1N1. And the approaches of different groups of people. Scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine found that Tamiflu, the most commonly used against influenza – are often effective in preventing symptoms of influenza. due to the fact that the worldwide stockpile of drugs, in light of possible use against the spreading H1N1, and against the influenza viruses that may emerge in the future, were combined and analyzed data from seven studies published between 1999 and 2007 . In all these studies indicated that patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza, while taking Tamiflu symptoms developed to a lesser extent than patients in the control group receiving placebo. While taking Tamiflu had not experienced the full fever, headache and muscle aches, cough, and they continued to be infected with influenza. this medication is known for its ability to reduce symptoms and shorten the illness. six of the seven earlier studies conducted by pharmaceutical companies. to provide a meta-analysis was carried out huge work on the choice of 1900 research, which would severely methodologically capture statistically and clinically significant results. Analyzed the results of the seven works, sweeping study of more than 7,000 uninfected people who received Tamiflu within four weeks or more. the Working Group draws attention not only on the results of previous studies, but also the composition of the study and the one who sponsored the study. Their findings to the group built solely on the results of randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies. using such a strict approach to test material, the group gave this assessment: – About one case for 25 people taking Tamiflu, the drugs prevent the flu. Of course, not all of these 25 people will be infected during seasonal influenza outbreaks, the risk of contracting influenza during seasonal influenza outbreaks in seven studies ranged between 6 and 14 percent. Basically, Tamiflu was well tolerated. None of the earlier studies have not been reported any severe side effects, including neurological and psychiatric disorders, in any age or ethnic groups. the authors stressed that have not been investigated nor children under 12 years old or persons with immune diseases, although these groups are considered as the most disadvantaged in terms of risk of infection with influenza. Were not investigated and the persons vaccinated against influenza of any of the live attenuated vaccines. due to the fact that Tamiflu has shown activity in preventing symptoms of influenza, it can be used to fight with the observed worldwide flu intractable to treatment with other medicines. Although the analysis concerned the reduction of influenza-like symptoms in the case of people getting the flu who took Tamiflu with the goals of prevention, do not forget about the occurrence of asymptomatic cases of influenza.

CHRONIC fatigue syndrome can be reversed with counselling and exercise, a new study claims.

Researchers have identified two forms of treatment for the debilitating condition, also known as ME.

The study, led by a team in Edinburgh University, gives hope to the 250,000 sufferers who have to live with the illness in the UK.

Symptoms include severe tiredness, poor concentration and memory, disturbed sleep and muscle and joint pain.

Researchers used cognitive behavioural therapy – counselling to helps sufferers take charge of issues while encouraging activity – or graded exercise therapy, which is based on gradually increasing exercise.

Six in 10 patients reported significant improvements, with half reporting a return to normal energy levels.

Scientists, who spent eight years on the research, believe it could herald a new dawn for treatment.

In journal the Lancet, report co-author Professor Michael Sharpe said: “Previously, it has been thought that these treatments could harm patients and there was a very confused picture.

“This trial has found both have substantial beneficial effects and they are safe if delivered properly.”

Psoriasis is a skin disease in which patients undergo a process of change of skin that is too fast. This disease sometimes appears in the long term or recurrent in time of uncertainty. This disease is not life-threatening and not contagious.the exact cause of psoriasis is not known with certainty. many scientists believe that the conditions in which is derived from parents to their children. the trigger could be a scratching / repetitive friction, anti-hypertension drugs and antibiotics, applying medication is too harsh for the skin, uncontrollable emotions, and high-calorie foods.

SymptomsSymptoms of psoriasis in the skin known if there is a bright red area than the surrounding skin, there are small areas that bleed when scratched, diseases of the nails, and itching of the red area.

TreatmentPsoriasis Treatment is usually done in various ways starting with topical ointment (topical), swallowed drug (systemic) or by irradiation using UVB rays. both the ointment and radiation treatments only help reduce the disease and not cure at all, so that at times the disease can arise again.

I wouldn't risk it.

First of all, smoking anything during pregnancy deprives the fetus of oxygen. Just as smoking tobacco is discouraged in pregnant women, so is smoking marijuana. Smoking any type of substance interferes with the fetus's blood supply. this can mean the fetus doesn't get enough oxygen, and s/he may be born smaller in both weight and length. Smaller babies have a higher risk of other problems after birth, such as infections, severe jaundice, difficulty feeding, breathing problems, low blood sugar, difficulty regulating temperature, bleeding into the brain, and problems with vision.

No it doesn't..I work as a Medical Assistant at an OBGYN office, I asked the DR's and I have seen it with NUMEROUS patients..There is no scientific connection between the two. Scientists have not found any effect on smoking marijuana while pregnant..

But I advice all Pregnant women put that blunt down as soon as you see have a positive pregnancy test..Because DR's these days will do random drug test on you anytime during the pregnancy..and they have the right too.If the DOCS suspects that the chick is on something they will test her asap..

We had a women who was positive for marijuana and cocaine.The DR reported her to Department of Children and Families and they still are fighting for the custody of their child..The media scares people telling them that smoking weed messes up the children..Thinking it will make them stop..but the possiblity of having their child taken away will..

The effects of smoking marijuana have not been linked to autism or autistic symptoms, however smoking ANYTHING during pregnancy deprives the fetus of oxygen. Smoking any type of substance also interferes with the fetus's blood supply. secondly, marijuana is frequently and unpredictably "cut" with other substances. so the fetus may be unintentionally exposed to other potentially harmful substances in addition to marijuana. Marijuana can also be transmitted through breast milk. It can be as much as 8 times higher in breast milk than in the mother's bloodstream.

Pregnancy. Marijuana. Bad.
Ok, here's some details. getting pregnant is going to be harder in the first place. Usually, male partners abuse the same substances that their female counterparts do. In men, marijuana decreases testosterone, sperm count, and potency. Needless to say, not a winning combination for conception. Women who smoke marijuana have increased risk of abnormalities in ovulation and therefore more infertility. this risk is enhanced when the use is within one year before attempting conception. this risk did not change with frequency or length of use. so, that means that even occasional use of small amounts of marijuana can decrease women's fertility.

But many women overcome those hurdles. then, they go on to have higher rates of spontaneous abortion, pregnancy complications, and problems with labor and delivery. Birth defects are associated with marijuana use. Fathers' use lead to higher rates of certain heart abnormalities. Mothers' use is associated with mutant lymphocytes–deranged immune cell factors–which could later lead to higher rates of childhood cancers.

But wait–there's more. Their newborns can experience mild withdrawal and some nervous system effects. and the toxic effects of pre-natal marijuana exposure is the gift that keeps on giving. Effects are often not readily apparent in newborns. still, psychologists who have studied these babies have found neurological delays. likewise, few negative effects are apparent between the ages of 1 and 3. but a woman shouldn't be fooled if she has heard of a study where the very young kids show no ill effects. Pre-natal marijuana exposure effects what are called "higher cognitive functions" which don't express themselves until later. at four years old, decreases in verbal ability and memory can be found in those kid exposed to pre-natal marijuana use. at ages 5 and 6, more problems with attention span are found. Needless to say, none of this sets the kid up for a great experience in grade school. at ages 9-12, the same problems persist and compound. Pre-natally exposed to marijuana kids have lower impulse control, don't do as well on certain types of analysis and reasoning tasks, and have lower reading and language skills.

So best advice–quit. Ideally, a woman and her partner should quit long before they try for conception. Should a woman find herself pregnant while still using, she should seek out a treatment program immediately. Quitting any substance abused is difficult, but pregnancy is the strongest motivator for women. There are treatment programs geared towards women, and some even geared towards pregnant women.

it can…it can cause alot of birth defects but nothing has been "PROVEN" yet [ive heard]…so theres alot of crack head women that try to stick up for smoking weed while pregnant. but why SHOULD anything have to be proven??? its a DRUG. the bottom line…dont do it whether you are or arent pregnant..ESPECIALLY when you are pregnant though.

and bellas sister is FULL OF ISH…either that or she was seeing a doctor with NO lisence.

EDIT: a girl i went to HS with smoked weed throughout her pregnancy and there is something not quite right about her little girl now, i dont know what it is or if she has even brought her to be diagnosed by a mental health doctor [her daughter is about 3] but she is definatly "not all there"…its so sad because i just KNOW its because of her horrible crack head mother. i called CPS on her one night but they never did anything to her….its pitiful

Honey please do not smoke marijuana while you are pregnant. It is very unhealthy for the baby. You could damage the baby's body and brain. and all hospitals drug test new born babies to see if the mother did any drugs during pregnancy and if it comes out positive they will take your baby away immediately!! Please do not smoke pot!

I don't know exactly. I know of a lady that did while she was pregnant back in the 80's with her son. he is 20 something and perfectly fine. but who knows, I wouldn't take the chance of doing anything that could negatively effect my unborn child. That goes from smoking dope to eating sushi.

yea, kinda. In a way.

its alot better then ciggs tho!!! That has tar and toxic ****.

Mary jane is natural unless it's laced with something.

Its better to stop. You'll notice your baby wont move as much and if it makes u high, its do worse to the baby.

Most babies dont have problems.

Lets say the blood cell is suppose to be an inch big, Well every time you take a hit and the blood cell that carry it to you baby are only 1/4 of an inch and he or she cant breath as much.

Smoking cigs causes MUCH more harm to a unborn baby.
And if you smoke both cigs and marijuana you should cut cigs immediately and try to cut back on the weed eventually quiting.

Dr's advise from them to me, from me to you

not that i know of
but smoking anything during pregnancy deprives the baby of oxygen..which can cause a variety of problems…
save the trees for after the baby is born to be safe

MOST people are just judgmental, I wouldn't smoke during pregnancy, but one of my friends that was a severe anorexic was told by her doctor to try smoking maryjane and it helped her.

GOOD LUCK

A woman i know smoked marijuana during pregnancy and she has an autism child… the child has other issues also.

well, yes it does, it can also cause your child to become downsyndrome and cause braindamage.

Why would you smoke at all during pregnancy? let alone something illegal….

Who knows? The answer is really irrelevant. You shouldn't smoke when you are pregnant! only idiots do that.

Ummm… What idiot smokes while they're pregnant???

i don't know if it does,but hopefully your not doing that

well dah why do u think they tell u not to that & maybe bc it is illegal

when my sister was pregnant, her doctor told her many of his patients would smoke to ease the morning sickness and such. he recommended that if she do it, she only smokes a puff or two, and not get completely baked. also clearly not every day! it is fine unless ur smoking bongs all day long

YOU SHOULDN'T BE S M O K I N G AT ALL ARE YOU CRAZY !
YOUR CHILD COULD HAVE LUNG CANCER OR SOMETHING !

The idea that vaccines cause autism received yet another blow this week, with a new article in the British Journal of Medicine declaring the 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield, which originally found an autism-vaccine link, an "elaborate fraud." the article is the latest criticism of a theory that has been widely discredited. but if vaccines are off the table, what does cause autism?

while scientists are still investigating the issue, they say the disorder likely has a number of causes involving both our genes and our environment, or some combination of the two. For instance, people may have underlying genetic susceptibilities to autism that are triggered by something they encounter in the environment.

Making things even more complicated is the fact that autism, which is characterized by problems interacting and communicating with others, is not a single disorder, but a range of disorders that may have various causes. [See a timeline of events: Vaccines and Autism: How the Truth Unfolded]

"People are going to manifest the disorder in different ways, and that could be because there are different sets of genes, [or] different sets of environmental factors," that contribute to how the disorder presents itself, said Alycia Halladay, director of research for environmental sciences for Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy organization that funds autism research.

Here are the latest findings and ideas from scientists about what might really cause this mysterious condition.

There is strong evidence that changes in our genes contribute to autism.

For one thing, the disorder is highly heritable. Families that have one child with autism have a 1 in 20 chance of having a second child with autism, according to the National Institutes of Health. this is a higher risk than in the general population. And twin studies have found that if one twin has autism, the other twin as a 90 percent chance of having the disorder.

Research has also shown that the genetic changes that contribute to autism don't have to be inherited – they may also arise spontaneously.

In total, scientists have identified about 20 genes that may be involved in autism spectrum disorder, Halladay said. while these genes are located all over the human genome, they share a common theme, she said. many have a role in brain development, brain growth and the way brain cells communicate.

For example, a recent study found that children with a genetic mutation on chromosome 17 were 14 times more likely to develop autism than those without the mutation.

Exposure to pesticides has also been linked to autism. Some studies have found that pesticides may interfere with genes involved in the central nervous system, said Dr. Alice Mao, a professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Scientists think that chemicals in pesticides may adversely affect those who are genetically predisposed to autism, leading them to develop the full-blown disorder, Mao said.

"maybe they were born with a vulnerability to autism, but then exposure to the pesticides might have cause the presentation of autism," Mao told MyHealthNewsDaily.

Babies that have been exposed to certain pharmaceuticals in the womb, including valproic acid and thalidomide, have been found to have a higher risk of autism.

Thalidomide is a drug that was first used in the 1950s to treat morning sickness, anxiety and insomnia. the drug was withdrawn from the market after it was linked with birth defects, but is currently prescribed for a severe skin disorder and as a treatment for cancer.

Valproic acid is a medication prescribed for seizures, mood disorders and bipolar disorder, according to the NIH.

Parental age

As parents grow older, they have a higher risk of having children with autism, Halladay said.

A study published last February found that women who are 40 years old have a 50 percent greater risk of having a child with autism than women who are between 20 and 29 years old.

Researchers aren't sure why parental age may influence autism risk, but it might be related to genetic mutations that occur in the sperm or the egg as parents grow older, Halladay said.

The development of the brain

Particular areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum, have been implicated in autism, Mao said. These brain areas are thought to be responsible for concentration, movement and mood regulation.

Irregularities in the levels of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, have also been tied to autism, Mao said. Problems regulating dopamine can lead to problems with concentration and movement disabilities, while troubles controlling serotonin levels can result in mood problems.

Research advances

While scientists cannot say definitively what causes autism, they have come a long way in the last decade, Halladay said.

For example, researchers originally thought there might be just a single gene or a few environmental factors that are linked to autism, but now evidence has shown there are likely to be more.

"I think our knowledge has increased, and the way that we go about looking for potential genes and environmental candidates has improved," Halladay said.

"We're thinking about a new model – it's not just going to be just one gene or one environmental factor, it's more complex than that," she said.

Pass it on: Autism likely has a number of causes, both genetic and environmental.

• Vaccines and Autism Timeline: How the Truth Unfolded
• 1998 Study Linking Autism to Vaccines was an 'Elaborate Fraud'
• Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments

Follow MyHealthNewsDaily staff writer Rachael Rettner on Twitter @Rachael_MHND.

• Original Story: Beyond Vaccines: 5 Things that might Really Cause Autism

LiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.