In part 1 of this 2 part series we talked about how sometimes supplements can cause a worsening of symptoms at first. Sometimes vitamins like B vitamins can cause hyperactivity. And we’ve also seen some reactions with cod liver oil and when you add in another supplement like L-Carnitine it can help that reaction by aiding in the metabolism of fat.

One of the other things I’ve seen from time to time, is the use of single amino acids, whether it’s taurine, whether it’s Gaba, or number of other types of amino acid supplements. On occasion, those supplements will tend to aggravate a child where they become either hyper, or they become agitated, they become stimmy, their sensory needs go up, and it’s not necessarily that the supplement is toxic, most of these kids, when that’s occurring, have some underlying bacterial imbalance in the digestive tract also called dysbiosis. So bacteria, many times, will feed on some of these amino acids and they’ll essentially aggravate them or they’ll become more assertive if you will. And some of the toxic by-products that get produced from these bacteria can infiltrate into the body and affect kids behaviorally because all of these things are producing chemicals that have a chemical influence on the brain. So if you see that type of thing happen when you’re actually using an amino acid supplement or an amino acid blend, think gut problem. There’s some underlying gut problem going on.

So one of the things you want to do is look to do a stool test. A comprehensive digestive stool analysis from many of the different labs like Doctor’s Data, Great Plains, or even an organic acid test. The one that I use specifically is from Great Plains to see if there’s any toxic by-products of bacteria and yeast which are quite common. So just a few hints with respects to a few supplements that you may actually implement for your child and many times they work great but sometimes there’s some behavioral things that can come about. So it’s important to recognize that pattern.

If you are looking for a really great, well rounded, combination supplement, something that covers vitamins, something that covers minerals, something that covers antioxidants. I have seen very good success with a product that was actually created by Jim Adams. Jim Adams is a PhD researcher out of Arizona State University, been in the biomedical community for Autism for many, many years. It is called Syndion or Syndion SF. If you go to www.autismsupplementscenter.com you can look up Syndion and what you’ll see, it’s actually a liquid and it’s a wonderful product that is a combination of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You really cover three important supplement groups in one supplement.

So on the website as well there will be a dosing chart based on the child’s weight of how much to take. It is generally taken twice a day and can be mixed in a variety of different types juices. For some kids that need that sort of thing, if the taste doesn’t quite agree with them then you can mix it into different types of things. So if you have a child who has difficulty swallowing capsules or has some swallowing issues or sensitivity issues with respects to taste, Syndion is a great product. So again it covers vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which are very important things that are commonly lacking in individuals on the Autism spectrum.

Whenever you implement a new supplement like this, some things that you are looking for as far as improvements may be better language, the child having better eye contact, looking like they are recognizing things in their environment more. Maybe there is better mood, more comprehension, there is a wide variety of things that are happening but it is usually helping in those major areas that we know are affected in Autism. And that is the socialization issue, the language/communication issue, the higher cognitive functioning, the attention, focusing and in some respects some of the self-stimulatory behavior and that stereotypical behavior. We can’t expect a particular supplement to do all things that we are looking for but you know as far as something to just help improve your child’s health and give them the nutrients they need this Syndion is an excellent place to start.

In the first part of this 2 part series we discussed how some biomedical interventions for Autism can replace some medications that are used to treat Autism and also just how safe these therapies are. But, there is also no set timeframe to expect when using a biomedical approach. And in speaking about very safe, and well proven therapies, inevitably the gluten and casein free diet is discussed. Some wonder how this diet could be around for so long. Well a good reason is because it works for a good portion of individuals, it does not work for everyone but many, many people see good results on it. On average it is effective for 65% – 70% of the kids I see in my practice and I know other physicians from around the country who have similar results from just implementing the diet alone.

Another important intervention includes supplement therapy because what supplement therapy does is fill in those nutritional gaps. The deficiencies can include things like B vitamins, essential fats, zinc or other minerals, or other vitamins. And when there is a deficiency you do want to supplement for it. Many children with Autism tend to have very limited diets and are not getting the nutrients they need. So it is quite clear as to why you would want to use some specific supplements to support these nutritional needs.

I have a website at www.autismsupplementscenter.com that has a great deal of information on it about supplements. I have videos that I have created on the website where I discuss supplements that are useful for individuals on the Autism spectrum. I also have supplements broken down into categories so you can learn more about supplements that can aid with various issues. For example you can look up what supplements are helpful for hyperactivity or which supplements can aid with sleep problems or which supplements are helpful for constipation. I have created a ton of useful information that is available on the internet. I also do monthly webinars through www.Greatplainslaboratory.com where I cover different topics in regards to biomedical interventions. So there is a lot of information out there to help you improve your child’s quality of life. What you need is to investigate, open your mind and take the time to learn more.

I am often asked “How long does my child need to do a diet?” – such as the gluten and casein free diet, or “How long does my child need to take methyl B-12 therapy?” or “How long does my child need to do a particular other therapy?” whether it is dietary therapy or supplements. And it is a very difficult question to answer because each kid truly is an individual. I wish we could say that we could implement these therapies straight across the board and get 100% improvement 100% of the time with all kids. It is just not the reality and to be honest with you that is just not the reality with anything in life. Specifically that is not the reality with anything in medicine. There is always a certain level of uncertainty with different types of therapies that are implemented. And there is always a certain level of non-responders to any particular type of therapy.

However with the majority of biomedical therapies that are available, the things that have stood the test of time or the things that have been around now for many, many years, these things tend to work in great percentages for a wide variety of different kids, from all shapes, sizes and ages. More importantly from my experience they are very, very safe when you compare them to many of the traditional medications that are used, specifically something called Risperdal which is the main medication that is actually FDA approved as a treatment for Autism. When you are talking about dietary intervention or nutritional supplements or methyl B-12 therapy or treating yeast or bacterial issues that are quite common with individuals on the Autism spectrum, they are incredibly safe compared to many of the pharmaceutical medications. Now that is not to say that some kids, or teenagers or adults who are on the Autism spectrum may not need any medication from time to time because clearly behavioral problems, learning difficulties, attention issues can certainly be quite problematic and sometimes medications are needed. But in many cases medication isn’t needed and so actually implementing a variety of different treatments can make a world of difference. Part 2 of the series will cover more information on dietary interventions as well as nutritional supplements.

I have been a physician now for well over a decade, having worked with thousands of kids and families across the United States as well as all over the world in implementing biomedical therapy for Autism. I wanted to point out a couple of key points so that you’re armed with more information about where to go and how to proceed. There’s a tremendous amount of information on the internet, some of it good, some of it not so good. You are going to get conflicting information with respects to diet. You are going to get conflicting information with respects to supplements. You are going to get conflicting information with respects to testing.

You may have already come across some of this conflict whether it is working with your pediatrician, whether it is working with a neurologist, whether it is working a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Everyone has their opinion, everyone has what they perceive to be their level of expertise. But it is critically important to know that Autism is treatable and in many cases Autism is reversible. There have been kids who have recovered from Autism, lost their diagnosis and are fully mainstreamed now into school at different levels and that can happen. That is not to say that it can happen for all kids. Nothing is 100%, 100% of the time for every individual you work with.

There is always going to be a level of improvement and there is going to be a certain level of non-improvement that occurs with any patient no matter what type of health condition you are dealing with, whether that is somebody who has heart disease, somebody who has cancer, somebody who has diabetes, somebody who has chronic fatigue, and certainly with individuals on the Autism spectrum. But I just want to let you know that Autism is treatable and even reversible in many cases. So the first step is to take that first step, it is to become informed, it’s to open your mind, its to seek help such as information you get from this particular website or other resources. So feel encouraged there is a lot that you can do, there is a lot to learn, there is a lot to implement to help your kids.

Let me talk to you a little bit about why I think it is so important to do biomedical intervention if you have a child on the Autism spectrum. And here is one of the biggest reasons; the majority of kids that I have seen and physicians such as myself have seen over the years have underlying medical issues which are contributing to their Autistic condition. Now that does not indicate for all kids or all individuals on the Autism spectrum that a variety of different medical disorders or medical conditions is the sole reason that they actually have a diagnosis of Autism. But as a biomedical physician who has been involved in this now for well over a decade and has worked with thousands of families all across the United States and around the world, there hasn’t been one child who I haven’t at least been able to help by doing some type of biomedical therapy. Whether that is dietary therapy, supplement therapy, sometimes medication, a variety of forms, whether we are treating yeast or bacterial issues, working with digestive issues, heavy metal toxicity, and so forth.

There is a lot that can be done so as a parent I know there is a lot of choices you have to make and a lot of information you have to sift through. But it is really critical, you know if you are watching this video and you don’t quite know what biomedicine is, I really encourage you to investigate some more. Not only information on this particular blog site, other information that I have whether it is the webinars through Great Plains or the www.AutismActionPlan.com website which is a membership site where there is a whole host of information from video instructions to articles to protocols to the parent chat forum that I am intimately involved in.

It is really important to realize that your child can be helped, there is a tremendous amount of gain that can be improved with respect to their overall ability to be more social, have better language, just in their overall cognitive awareness, their attention, their focusing. Please take the time, it is a real serious issue obviously, you wouldn’t be watching this if you didn’t know this is a serious issue. I just wanted to let you know that as a physician who has been practicing a long, long time there is so much that can be done to help your kids and I look forward to being able to disseminate more information as well as information I already have through these different websites. So take the time and investigate more.

Let me tell you something about clay baths. Now clay baths have been around for quite some time in the Autism community. Clay baths are used primarily for children who are sitting in the bath tub to help with detoxification. Now at first I was a little skeptical of clay bath treatments, wasn’t quite sure how this would fit in, how it would work, particularly when you are talking about metal toxicity or metal detox. But I have found now over time with many parents coming back, particular parents who were looking to do things more naturally, more gently, things that they can control, things they can purchase on their own, clay baths seem to have a beneficial influence for the majority of kids who are using them. So I have had some very good feedback from parents stating such that they really liked the effects the clay baths can have. So what I just wanted to point out to you is that I think this is a viable therapy, it is something you can look to do with your child.

Clay baths aren’t something from my experience that have really worked immediately meaning that you do a clay bath and within 2 or 3 days there is some immediate positive changes but it is something that helps over time. Whether it is with eye contact, whether it is sleeping problems, whether it is behavioral issues, I can’t clearly say that a clay bath treatment or one specific clay bath remedy is going to have a specific targeted effect on a behavioral issue. It just seems to help overall with kids being more clear, being more healthy and just being more well adjusted. So if you are looking to use something natural, something more gentle, something that you could purchase on your own, something that you could control in your own home, the clay bath therapy may be the way to go. There are plenty of websites on the internet that support this therapy. So check it out, do some research into it but I think you will find, for your child, particularly if your child is real young and still taking baths, obviously it is much easier to do if they are still taking baths. But clay bath therapy may be something that could help your child.

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.

Let me tell you a little bit about exercise and Autism. There has been some recent information that’s come out about exercise and depression. What they are finding is that individuals who are on an exercise program, at least 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 times per week, have a significant reduction, up to 45%, in their depressive issues. That is quite significant when you think of depression in this country being treated primarily with anti-depressive medication. So this simple aerobic exercise of 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 times per week can have a significant effect on depression.

One of the things I have seen over the years too is with kids on the spectrum functioning more appropriately, whether it is behavior, attention, focusing, anxiety, etc. when they actually get exercise. It could be going to the park and letting the child run around on the play gym, working out things that way. The child can ride a bike certainly, just being physically active. Swimming for example is a great activity. So I really encourage parents particularly now as the summer months are coming along, the days are getting longer, to get their kids outside in the fresh air and the natural sunlight, and let them run, let them play, let them explore if your child is inclined to do that.

So many kids now are trapped inside, they are either inside stuck to the computer, or stuck to video games, or movies. I know kids certainly a lot of kids are in therapy sessions all day long and they get out of those therapy sessions and they tend to be agitated, or hyper, they are anxious, they have difficulty sleeping. So simple lifestyle changes like that can make a world of difference. Maybe it is going on a walk after dinner at night because it is not all about medication, it is not all about a diet, it is not all about supplementation. Sometimes just pure good physical exertion, physical activity can really set the tone for a better attitude and a better mental state with your child on the spectrum.

Let me talk to you about something called creatine. Creatine is an autism supplement product that actually helps to build what is called creatine phosphate in our muscle tissue. Creatine is a fuel source that our cells use, our muscle tissue uses, our cells in our body use as a fuel source for energy production. Our cells produce a tremendous amount of energy through something called ATP. ATP is the energy currency in our body and our cells use a tremendous amount of it in order to do the metabolic work needed to keep us healthy and alive. Creatine is actually created as a byproduct or a side chain reaction of something called methylation. We know that in Autism methylation problems are quite prevalent. So when you have a methylation deficiency or problem within the methylation cycle, creatine may be one of those things not being produced in an adequate amount. So creatine helps as I mentioned, helps with energy in the cell.

Creatine is also very useful for energy production in the brain. One of the areas that is has been useful for is to help, in many cases, with expressive language production. We know that many kids on the spectrum have problems with language, particularly expressive language. So creatine is something that can be useful in those cases. Creatine as a supplement has been used for years by athletes, in fact athletes will use creatine as a way to bulk up muscle tissue and to create more muscle power or muscle energy through their athletic activities.

We have seen creatine helpful for kids who have low muscle tone, poor coordination, whether it is gross motor, fine motor, usually the gross motor skills tend to be improved with creatine. It comes in a powder and the dosing range is fairly large. You are talking between 300 mg – 1000 mg / kg per day which can be quite a significant amount of creatine to give. It is fairly easy to give and I haven’t really seen any type of negative side effects from it. Although when you do take creatine it is important to keep yourself hydrated because it does flow through the kidneys and you want to make sure the body is hydrated in order to flush out extra creatine that is not being used.

So think of creatine as something to be used and helpful for kids who have low muscle tone, low energy, low metabolic energy, very lethargic, sometimes in expressive speech areas. Usually what I will do with kids who are 3, 4, 5, 6 years old I’ll be conservative in my dosing. I may start with 500 mg twice per day then work up to 1000 mg twice per day. In some cases I have gone upwards of 5000 mg or even 10000 mg per day. On average anywhere between 1500 mg to 3000 mg per day is about where I’m having most kids as their target dose. Creatine is a useful supplement and it can be very helpful in just supporting the underlying metabolic aspect, particularly muscle metabolism in the body and again as well in brain chemistry and brain energy too.