Autism Treatment – Seasonal changes, behavior and Autism

autism — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:41:42 +0000

The summer is upon us, we are now heading into June and July, etc. One of the things that is going to be happening, depending where you are, is that the days are getting longer. So there is going to be a natural tendency for your children to stay up longer because it is going to stay lighter longer, so it is just not going to get dark. So expect with that there can be some behavioral changes that occur. Your child may have a certain routine where they like to go to bed at a certain time whether that is 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:30 pm, maybe you have on the other end of the spectrum where you have a hard time getting your kid to sleep. One of the things I have seen is that kids when the clock either changes from daylight savings time and back or there is a natural increase in the light so the sunlight is staying out longer, it is staying lighter longer, kids have a natural tendency to want to stay up later. But that can create some problems behaviorally too.

Just remember sometimes it is simple changes in the environment that can impact a child on the spectrum behaviorally whether it is irritability, whether it is hyperactivity, whether it is aggressive behavior, whether it is tantruming, etc. You try to keep your child on a routine and it is now staying lighter longer, you may need to get some sort of dark out shades for their room or just allow for that natural tendency to stay up a little bit longer. As I have mentioned before, biomedicine is a very unique form of a medical approach to Autism but it is not always about a diet, a medication or a supplement. Sometimes it is lifestyle changes, changes in the environment that can make a world of difference. Just noticing and recognizing that those things can happen and many times can transition from one yearly cycle to the next.

Autism Recovery – Nutritional Lithium, Mood, & Behavior

autism — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:59:45 +0000

One of the things I have seen help a lot of kids who have mood issues, behavioral problems, temper tantrums, very irritable most of the time is something called nutritional lithium,. It is interesting because lithium has been around a long time as a medication, specifically something called lithium carbonate. Lithium carbonate has been generally used in people with bi-polar, depression, manic issues and in some cases can be quite helpful for that.

A lot people don’t realize though that lithium is actually a nutritional element that we get through our diet, not in really high amounts but it is important to help stabilize brain chemistry. There have been studies where they have looked at various communities and one thing they have recognized is that as the lower the rate of lithium in the water supply in particular communities, the higher the rate of crime, sometimes violent crime. So in this study, it has been repeated in various communities around the United States as well as around the world.

One thing lithium helps to do is stabilize a particular receptor in the brain called NMDA. NMDA is very much associated with the electrical or excitatory activity within the brain and certain substances like glutamate, glutamate is amino acid and helps to stimulate NMDA receptors, and lithium helps to stabilize that receptor. Which basically means lithium helps make that receptor site not so sensitive, not so easy to activate. That is very important because in a lot of neurological disorders, Alzheimer’s for example or other types of neurological conditions, and for Autism as well, NMDA receptor activity or over excitability of the NMDA receptor can lead to premature cellular damage and can lead to many neurological problems.

So lithium as a particular nutritional supplement, in low doses, we are talking sometimes 500 mcg to 1000 mcg maybe upwards of 5000 mcg in some individuals, can be very helpful for brain support and I have seen lithium be very helpful to stabilize their mood, decrease some of the irritability and agitation that kids can have. We also know this can be helpful in adults as well. So think about nutritional lithium as a potential supplement for your child if they deal with mood disorders, irritability, agitation, even aggression as well. New Beginnings Nutritionals, www.nbnus.com, carries a very good form of nutritional lithium.

Autism Recovery Treatment » behavior and autism

Autism Treatment – Seasonal changes, behavior and Autism

Recommended Reading

Autism Recovery – Nutritional Lithium, Mood, & Behavior

Recommended Reading