Oct
28
Game Plan
October 28, 2008 |
By now you may have noticed there is a whole movement of medical professionals(DAN! Doctors) that believe autism is a multi-layered biological disorder and not a neurological disorder. A DAN(Defeat Autism Now!) Doctor is someone who incorporates biomedical treatment(more about that later). If this is the route you choose, I encourage you to find a DAN doctor before you start this program. You can do that by clicking on DAN Doctors and scroll down to find one close to you. (It may take a few months to get your first appointment.)
There are a few things you can do as you wait to see your biomedical DAN doctor. If you are like me, you would want to get started immediately with the program so that you can start seeing results. Most people will find out about these steps at their first appointment…but you can be ahead of the game plan.
Please note: The following is NOT medical advice. Every child is different and will respond differently to treatment. Some children will respond immediate with incredible results and some children will respond slower with minor results. Each kids have different amount of distress and different treatment helps different kids. Biomedical treatment can improve efficacy of other treatments such as behavioral therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, social therapy and educational program.
1. GFCF diet. This is the foundation for treating autism. Children who most crave dairy and/or wheat a lot are most likely to benefit. Cade’s large study of 150 children with autism found that 87 % had IgG antibodies(allergy) to gluten and 90% had IgG antibodies to casein. In one of the studies, whose followed the a GFCF diet, 81% improved significantly by the third month, with improvements continuing over the next 12 months. Interestingly, among the 19 % who did not improve, about 1/3 of them were not following the GFCF diet, and had high amount of gluten and casein peptides still in their blood. Cade R, Privette M et al. “Autism and Schizophrenia: Intestinal Disorders” Nutz. Neurosci 3 (2000) 57-72. Published by Overseas Pubblishers Association, (OPA)N.V. : Knivsberg AM, Reichelt KL, Nodland M. Reports on dietary intervention in autistic disorders. Nutr Neurosci. 2001;4(1):25-37 Review.
2. Consume whole unprocessed foods, organic fruits and vegetables, fermented/probiotic-rich foods, and good fats such as olive/coconut/flax oil/fish oil. The quality of fish oil can be judged by smell. Rancid smell is bad!
3. Avoid artifical sweeteners such as aspartame, food coloring/flavors and preservatives. Avoid MSG also know as hydrolyzed protein, trans fats/partially hydrogenated oil and refined sugar/corn syrup.
4. Find a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement that is casein and gluten free. Many moms find that a liquid form is easier to handle.
5. Supplement with a probiotic. Some children with autism have low levels of beneficial bacteria and high levels of harmful bacteria and yeast. The harmful bacteria and yeast produce toxins that can severely affect mental functioning and behavior. For an example, alcohol is just one of many toxins that yeast can produce that can severely affect behavior. Large study by Rosseneau et al. found that 95% of 80 children with regressive autism and chronic constipation had roughly 10,000x the normal amount of E. Coli and many also had similarly high levels of other types of Aerobic Gram Negative Bacilli.
“You’re not only dealing with Candida yeast overgrowth but also the fact that Candida albicans puts out 79 toxic by-products, all of which weaken your immune system. One of the major toxins produced from Candida albicans is acetaldehyde, which is transformed by the liver to ethanol (alcohol), creating the feeling of intoxication and brain fog. There have been cases where Candida patients have been pulled over and tested positive with elevated blood alcohol levels above normal.” - Ann Brooch, N.D. (Naturopathic Doctor)
6. Start an digestive enzyme program. A study by Kushak and Buie found that children with autism may have low levels and/or underactive digestive enzymes for complex sugars. Kusbak R and Buie T “Disaccharidase deficiencies in patients with autistic spectrum disorders,” presented at DAN! New Orleans Jan 2004.
7. Get rid of toxins in your home. Toxins aren’t good for anyone but they are especially troublesome to autistic children. Autistic children have a harder time detoxifying their bodies than the rest of us.
A wonderful resource is Reverse Autism DVD. It gives parents the tools to heal their children by introduction biomedical treatments.
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[...] First Steps: click on First Steps to biomedical interventions may include these. [...]
[...] children have difficulty digesting casein found in milk products and gluten found in wheat. (note the Cade study) The long chain amino acid protein found in casein and gluten does not get broken down like it would [...]
[...] Enzymes are normally found in the pancreas, salivary glands and in the mucosa of digestive tract. Autistic children have low levels of enzymes. [...]
[...] Biomedical therapy for autism Includes but not limited to: [...]