Autism Recovery Treatment

Autism Treatment – Pandas, Probiotic Problems and Autism

autism — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:26:41 +0000

A phenomenon that I have seen with a number of kids on the Autism spectrum, some kids aren’t necessarily classically diagnosed with Autism but who have the characteristics of something called PANDAS which is a streptococcal infection where it is a condition in the body that is triggered by a streptococcal infection, specifically Group A Beta Hemolytic Strep where individuals develop obsessive compulsive behavior, sometimes tics, behavioral issues, weird and odd movements of the head or the eyes or side glancing, different manifestations like that usually come about after an infection, sometimes a sore throat. It can be a marked change in their behavior, social anxiety, anxiety in general and as I mentioned before very, very severe forms of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Now there are certain individuals on the Autism spectrum who have this characteristic and there are also other people who develop obsessive compulsive behavior and tics etc. who also have PANDAS who are not Autistic. One of the things that is interesting is in many of the supplements that people take, specifically probiotics, there is a specific bacteria called streptococcus thermophilus this is a natural bacteria and is essentially listed as a beneficial bacterial for the digestive system and for our overall health. You also find it in some yogurt products as well. Now it is reported that streptococcus thermophilus is entirely different than Group A Beta Hemolytic Strep as far as its protein structure, etc. and therefore should not be a contributing problem to the obsessive compulsive problems or the other manifestation of PANDAS. The problem is clinically I’ve not always seen that to be true. Which basically means in many kids that I have seen, whether they are on the spectrum or not, who have this problem just don’t seem to react very well to probiotics that have streptococcus thermophilus.

So the reason I am putting this video out here is just to inform you that if you have a suspicion that your child has PANDAS or is likely a problem, check their probiotics. See if the probiotics that they are taking have streptococcus thermophilus, if it does consider changing it out to a different probiotic. It doesn’t always fit but often times it does.

I had a situation a couple of years ago where a patient and a child actually who had PANDAS was successfully treated for it and was essentially in remission started a group of new supplements and all of a sudden started coming down with those PANDAS conditions again, anxiety, tics, obsessive behavior and so we went through a list of supplements and found out that there was a new probiotic that had been started. And the mom didn’t realize that the streptococcus thermophilus was an issue until we recognized that that was likely a contributing factor. Just stopping that one supplement alone, his PANDAS symptoms, his OCD, his anxiety disappeared. So I have seen that happen now with other kids and other people as well. So it is one of the things that I look at clinically is if streptococcus thermophilus is being used in a supplement, that is one thing I look to remove. So just a little FYI, I just wanted you to be aware of that.

Autism Treatment – Thyroid Evaluation and Autism

autism — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:06:13 +0000

The thyroid gland is an important gland in our body with respects to metabolism. It really helps with energy production throughout the body. Whether it is our immune system, our cardiovascular system including our heart, our lungs, our bones, our gut, our brain specifically and without good thyroid output we tend to run deficits in energy production. In many kids on the Autism spectrum we know that there are underlying medical problems which contribute to many of their issues. We know that research points to the fact that there are methylation chemistry problems which can affect attention and focusing, we know there are mitochondrial imbalances with can influence negatively metabolism throughout the body and energy production as well. We know that there can be immune system imbalances, digestive problems, etc.

One of the things that doesn’t get a lot of attention is thyroid imbalances. And the thyroid is often either not assessed or under assessed with respects to Autism. In patients with various mental health problems, depression, bipolar, etc., many times thyroid dysfunction is a contributing factor and often optimizing thyroid function helps to really improve the overall mental status and health status of patients. So I want you to be aware of the importance of thyroid function in Autism as something to just assess for your child’s overall health.

So if you are doing a blood chemistry test or any type of blood testing for your child, make sure that your doctor includes a thyroid panel and specifically what you want to look at is what’s called TSH, thyroid stimulating hormone, free T4, and free T3. Now these are important because the free fraction of those hormones, specifically the free T3 is what is acting physiologically at the cellular level. You can also add what is called a reverse T3 and if the body is producing a lot of reverse T3 it will actually inhibit thyroid function as well and often that goes missed. So TSH, free T4 and free T3.

Now personally I like to see the free T4 and the free T3 in the upper 2/3 of normal in its reference range. Often if they are low many times I will use natural thyroid such as Westhroid or Armour Thyroid etc. to try and replenish thyroid function. That is not something necessarily we do forever, but sometimes 6 months to a year just to see if we can re-establish thyroid function. And often times it helps with energy and brain function and cognitive function and even growth.

So again the thyroid is something important to assess and I recommend that any parent who is having their child be assessed by a physician with respects to blood work to make sure you include a thyroid panel, the TSH, the free T4 and the free T3. A couple other things that you could also add to that panel to rule out that an auto-immune process may be occurring is something called anti-TPO and an anti-thyroid globulin antibodies. If there are antibodies being produced to the thyroid gland then that indicates that there is some type of auto-immune process that is likely affecting the thyroid adversely so that would be really a complete thyroid panel. But minimally the TSH, the free T3 and the free T4 are critically important to look at.

Autism Treatment – Autism Research and Brain Inflammation

autism — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:51:53 +0000

In this video 1 of my 2 part series I will talk about brain inflammation and Autism. I’ve talked before about inflammation in the brain and what’s happening with respects to Autism, what we call neurological inflammation. And the advancing research that is emerging with respects to this important topic, there has been a lot of research projects in the past out of Johns Hopkins University and other research facilities showing that in Autism there tends to be a higher prevalence of neuro inflammatory markers likely affecting individuals on the Autism spectrum more adversely.

Well it turns out that there is a cell in the brain or a system in the brain called microglia. Microglia are part of the immune system function of the brain and the central nervous system. And in many individuals with Autism there appears to be what’s called microglia activation where the microglia become activated but don’t turn off. They can become activated from a virus, from a bacteria. They can become activated from a potential chemical reaction. There’s been some cases where it’s shown that certain vaccines may be a contributing factor to microglia activation.

When the system doesn’t turn off, it leads to chronic inflammation and essentially the destruction of what are called synapses. Synapses are the small spaces in between nerve cells where the neuro-chemicals are transferred from one nerve cell to the next as a communication link. So we get a chemical reaction across the synapse creating an electrical chemical reaction in the corresponding nerve cell. So anything that is going to affect the synapse will essentially affect chemical transportation from one brain region to the next and electrical impulse activation in the brain as well.

So there is just not one thing that causes microglia activation but it is something that should be on your radar. It is something to consider for your child on the Autism spectrum, something that may be a contributing factor to their overall condition. Whether your child had a vaccine reaction in the past that you felt happened, whether they had an infection at some point where things just never normalized or they’ve had chronic immune problems throughout their life whether it’s a lot of food sensitivities, gut problems, etc. You could be looking at the potential for microglia activation. And I will talk about ways to treat microglia activation in part 2 of this series.

Autism Treatment – Behavior Changes in Treating Autism

autism — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:03:06 +0000

I will continue to discuss things that can impact behavior in children with Autism in this second part of my 2 part series. Another thing to think about is when is the behavior issue occurring? Is it occurring before going to school or in the morning or happening when your child maybe gets home from school. Or is it happening at school or in the therapy sessions. Has there been some type of change occurring in their daily routine? I’ve often had kids who’ve had behavior problems because they’re in a classroom and a new child comes into the classroom that they either don’t like or they’re not getting along with or there is some type of conflict. A new therapist or a new teacher.

It can breakdown to something in their routine. Has there been some sort of change in their diet? Eating new foods or taking certain foods away that your child likes certainly can contribute to behavioral problems too. Have you added a new supplement? Often times I will see changes in behavior when new supplements are added. Often times people will add too many supplements at one time instead of spacing them out every two to three days introducing a new thing. Supplements sometimes can cause problems.

So you really have to be a detective of what is actually happening with your child and how long has that behavioral change been occurring, has it been over a couple days, a couple weeks and really try to piece together what may be going on. Because it is not always biomedical, it could be situational, like I mentioned it could be something at school or therapy, etc. So try and piece it together with respects to that. But hopefully this gives you some insight as to what to look for.

By the way, if it is something that might be tied to supplements, generally what I do is I will come back and say ok what supplements have you added since the behavioral change started? And then I will say why don’t you take those supplements out, take all of those supplements that were new, wait three to four to five days and see if the behavioral change shifts and then reintroduce those supplements one at a time maybe sometimes at half a dose and take it a little bit slower because just that change alone may be enough for your child to handle whatever new program you are putting them on.

Helicobacter Pylori and Autism – What Tests to Perfom

autism — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:55:58 +0000

In the first video, I have talked about Helicobacter Pylori, or what is called H. Pylori, and what it does. There’s a number ways of testing for H. Pylori. The most common test that most doctors will run is something they call an H. Pylori antibody test where they look at what are called antibodies, these immune protiens that are generated by our immune system to the presence of an infection, whether it’s a bacteria or a virus. The most common one that is done by most labs is called an IGG antibody to H. Pylori. The problem with that is that IGG is only indicative of exposure to H. Pylori, doesn’t really give you any idea if there is an active infection, so even with that test you still have to correlate it to symptoms. Some labs will also do an IGA and an IGM antibody to H. Pylori, but often times you have to request. Those are important because IGM is actually a marker of active immune activity or immune activity against an active infection, IGA is also part of the complex as well. IGA, IGM and IGG are the common bloodtests that are done for H. Pylori. There is also a breath test that can be done, difficult to do with kids, small kids particularly, so that’s not something that is often used in the pediatrics population, certainly not in the autism population either. Some of the labs are doing stool testing for H. Pylori and are looking for what are called antigen staining or an antigen test.

One of the labs I use is called biohealth diagnostics and they have a panel called 401 which is a stool pathogen panel that when you add the H. Pylori component to it, it’s called the 401 H, it not only becomes a great test for parasites, looking for things like giardia, cryptosporidium, blastocystis hominis, entamoeba histolytica but it also has a stool antigen test for H. Pylori and that if a stool antigen is present, it’s a very good evidence that H. Pylori active infection is present. I often will do that, as an add-on stool test for kids on the autism spectrum to look for the presence of H. Pylori and also to look for the presence of other parasites that maybe missed by other stool test. Those typically are the major tests that are done; the blood testing, the breath testing and the stool testing. The ones that are most common in the autism community would certainly be doing stool testing and the blood testing as well. I realized with some small kids its difficult to get blood and again, if your doctors only gonna run H. Pylori IGG, in my experience that’s not going to be enough, they need to at least do the IGM, the IGA antibody and better than that, will be to add a stool H. Pylori antigen test as well.

Autism Treatment – Helicobacter pylori and Autism

autism — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 06:01:42 +0000

Let’s talk about something called Helicobacter pylori and Autism or H Pylori. H. Pylori is a bacteria that has been responsible for the development of stomach ulcers. Now we typically wouldn’t think of kids having problems with H Pylori or even ulcers but it does happen. We know that kids on the Autism spectrum seem to have a lot of gut problems. They have a lot of bacterial imbalances, they have a lot of yeast problems, many of them just have digestive problems in general. So they seem to have a greater susceptibility of these types of infections. Or at least they have a greater susceptibility of behavioral problems associated with these infections whether it is self stimulatory behavior that is driven by yeast, or aggressive behavior that is exacerbated by the presence of clostridia bacteria.

Helicobacter Pylori is also found in kids on the spectrum and what it typically tends to do is it tends to aggravate the stomach, alters stomach acid production which can affect digestive enzyme function in the small intestine. It leads to poor digestion, malabsorption, etc. Helicobacter Pylori can also be a trigger for food allergies or food sensitivities. It can also lead to stomach pain, it can lead to reflux, gastritis and just overall discomfort in the upper intestinal area, particularly after eating. A lot of kids will actually avoid meat because it is just hard to digest. We see that a lot in adults too they just don’t have a desire to eat meat. And that can be an indicator that Helicobacter Pylori may be a problem. So I want you to think about Helicobacter Pylori as another type of infection that may be affecting your child’s digestive system and affecting the way they digest food and in the next video I will actually talk about specific tests that can be done to help detect the presence of Helicobacter Pylori.

Autism Treatment – How to Successfully Work With a Biomedical Autism Doctor

autism — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 07:25:49 +0000

These suggestions have been acquired over the years in my practice and have helped me assist my patients greatly. Also, in talking with many other doctors working with families of a loved one with autism these recommendations often hold true as well.

Journal – keep a running journal of your observations and timeline of therapies you are implementing.

Keep a spreadsheet of therapies.

Keep dates of when new therapies such as when supplements were started, stopped, and what reactions were seen (good or bad).

Recognize your child’s patterns – situational, seasonal, time of day.

If added new therapies and problems are seen – then cut out some or all new therapies giving before reactions occurred, then reintroduce slowly to isolate which one was the potential culprit. Notify your doctor of these changes.

You will need to become a detective of your child’s particular autism condition.

You know your child better than anyone – be involved 100%.

You are ultimately responsible for your own health and your child’s health care.

Be prepared for your consultations with questions, concerns, and important topics you want to cover. Have these sent via fax or email prior to your consult.

Ask whether your practitioner receives faxes, emails, or voice mail regarding questions. Be prepared to pay for extra time. Most doctors will answer questions that are related to a new therapy introduced or quick follow-up questions to a recent visit.

Partnering with your practitioner also means having a relationship with the office staff. Treat them with respect. They are there to help.

Do not assume your doctor remembers every detail about your child – keep them informed.

If you change supplements by either removing or adding them let your practitioner know in writing via fax or email. This way they can keep a copy for their records.

Come prepared with your latest observations about your child.

Let your doctor know what different therapies, testing, etc. you want to explore.

Keep a running list of supplements, medications, calendar of therapy implementation, reactions to therapies.

Let your doctor know when you have sent off tests or if you are having problems getting tests samples collected. Some offices track follow-up appointments based on incoming tests results.

Autism Treatment – The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

autism — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:19:20 +0000

For some children, particularly those with inflammatory bowel conditions (Chron’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Autistic-Enterocolitis), very weak immune systems, or the inability to eradicate opportunistic bacteria and yeast from their digestive system often times will receive benefit from a more detailed autism treatment dietary program than just the gluten and casein-free diet. One such autism treatment program is called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) as promoted by the late Elaine Gottschall, author of a groundbreaking book titled “Breaking the Vicious Cycle.” This diet is an extension of the gluten/casein-free diet (and soy-free diet) and has been a big boost health wise for many children on the autism-spectrum.

I have seen this autism treatment diet work miracles with patients with digestive conditions such as Ulcerative Colitis or Chron’s Disease. Many autism children are suffering with a similar condition called Autistic Entereocolitis as described by Andrew Wakefield, M.D. Many more kids are suffering with undiagnosed bowel disorders that benefit from the SCD approach.

The SCD is not just a low carbohydrate diet, but instead is focused on removing certain grains such as wheat, barley, rye (same as the GF/CF diet), as well as rice, corn and other offending foods. The theory is that certain digestive enzymes that breakdown disaccharides (complex sugars) are missing (or are being blocked from reaching the food in the digestive system by excessive layers of intestinal mucus) in the child’s digestive system making it difficult to digest these additional food sources. The lack of digestive function leads to chronic inflammation in the digestive system leading to gut wall deterioration. With the breakdown of the gut wall food absorption is compromised leading to mineral, amino acid and vitamin imbalances, as well as immune dysfunction and the overgrowth of opportunistic infections such as yeast and bacteria.

The digestive system is the largest immune organ in the body and acts as the first line immune defense against pathogens such as parasites, yeast, bacteria and intestinal exposed viruses. The loss of this immune response and the eventually breakdown of the gut wall can lead to systemic immune dysfunction and leaky gut. Leaky gut is analogous to a screen door on a submarine – “everything and anything can get through.” This means you lose the ability to keep the bad stuff from entering your blood stream. Increased toxins filtering into your child’s blood stream can activate systemic immune responses leading to local and systemic inflammation – including the brain. Celiac disease (which is a genetic disorder evidenced by the inability to digest gluten – specifically gliadin – containing grains) is an example of this where gluten proteins from food can adversely affect the brain.

To learn more about this autism treatment approach – the Specific Carbohydrate Diet -and the benefits it may have for your child visit – www.breakingtheviciouscycle.com

Autism Treatment – Dietary Treatment Options for Autism Treatment

autism — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:29:56 +0000

There are a number of dietary interventions that are helpful for individuals on the autism-spectrum. These include the gluten and casein-free diet (GF/CF), the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), Low Oxalate Diet (LOD), Feingold, GAPS, and anti-candida. Deciding on which diet is right for your child can be confusing. How do you know where to start? Which one do I do? Which one is best? All of these are common questions, but sometimes difficult to answer. In my experience there is no one diet that is right for every person – certainly not every autism-spectrum child. One size does not fit all. It is true that in the context of eating the elimination of toxic foods such as processed grains, high fructose corn syrup, and trans fats is critical, and in doing so will go a long way in improving the health of your child. Let’s take a glance at one diet – The Body Ecology – as a treatment option for autism.

Yeast is a major problem in autism. The biotoxins from yeast contribute to cognitive, behavioral and language difficulties. Working to reduce or eliminate yeast toxins is an important consideration for any person on the autism-spectrum. Programs such as the Body Ecology Diet help in attacking chronic yeast problems. Here is an overview of the Body Ecology Diet:

* Anti-candida diet by eliminating all fruits other than lemons, limes, dried cranberries, and black currant seed juice.
* Cultured vegetables which aide in proper digestion, normalizing intestinal beneficial bacteria levels and acid-alkaline balance.
* Using various kefir products which are a good source of protein.
* Using a wide variety of protein meats, vegetables, and certain non-gluten (gliadin) grains (quinoa, amaranth, millet and buckwheat).
* Vegetable juices for increased nutrient bioavailability.
* Proper food combining to reduce digestive problems such as bloating, gas, and yeast overgrowth, etc.

The benefits derived from the Body Ecology program are a reduction in yeast overgrowth (and other opportunistic intestinal “gut bugs” such as bacteria and parasites), reduced exposure to harmful sugars, proper digestion, stronger immune function and less food allergies.

The Body Ecology Diet is a good example of how a more whole food diet (with the incorporation of fresh fruits and vegetables, organic meats, and healthy grains), and the elimination of fast foods can have wide-sweeping positive effects on your child’s health by reducing many of the artificial food ingredients, sugars and toxic fats that plague so much of the typical American diet.

Autism Treatment – Using Methylation Chemistry for Autism Treatment

autism — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:46:04 +0000

Methylation is a vital biochemical reaction in the body that supports the cardiovascular, hormone, immune, and detoxification systems, DNA/RNA structure and function, and other key metabolic system controlling energy production. It is commonly a problem in many autistic-spectrum individuals. There are some effective therapies, namely methylcobolamin therapy (injection, oral, sublingual), as well as other methylation supplements such as DMG and TMG.

The two most referenced chemical reactions in this methylation system are Re-methylation and Trans-Sulfuration.

Re-Methylation (or methylation) – this pathway involves the conversion of Homocysteine to Methionine. Methionine is a rate-limiting step for the production of other necessary chemicals which affect the heart and blood vessels, muscle tissue, immune and nervous system. The conversion of homocysteine to methionine can occur by direct transference of a methyl (CH3) groups from Methylcobalamin (B12) or betaine (trimethylglycine or TMG).

Homocysteine sits at a junction of two different biochemical reactions. Because of its position in this biochemical matrix it has the capacity to impact all methylation and sulfur group transference metabolic processes in the body. The most recognized impact of homocysteine is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. However, in individuals with autism its impact affects other functions as well particularly cognition including concentration, attention, and language.

Trans-Sulfuration – this pathway involves degrading homocysteine to two different amino acids – taurine and cysteine. Taurine is most commonly known for cardiac support and liver support, detoxification, bile acid formation and cholesterol excretion. Cysteine has direct influence on glutathione production. Glutathione is a potent anti-oxidant and has broad reaching effects on the DNA/RNA protection, heavy metal detoxification, and immune function. Many children on the autistic-spectrum have deficiencies of both taurine and cysteine.

There are many intermediary steps involved in these two important biochemical reactions. Envision a wheel that is constantly spinning in a clockwise fashion. Homocysteine is at 6 o’clock and Methionine is at 12 o’clock. The goal is to get from 6 o’clock to 12 o’clock, and then from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock. This keeps the wheel spinning in the right direction. Certain other chemicals will impact upon this wheel at specific points. If any one of these intermediary steps is blocked than the wheel slows down or stops. This causes a backlog of chemical information that has deleterious effects on our overall health.

Methylcobolamin, activated Folic Acid (called methyl-folate), and Betaine (TMG) are responsible for taking homocysteine from 6 o’clock to methionine at 12 o’clock. If one system is faulty (methylcobolamin/Folic acid) than betaine (TMG) can help out. SAMe (s-adenosylmethionine) the body’s “universal methyl donor” helps take methionine from 12 o’clock to homocysteine at 6 o’clock. Along the way other important chemicals are being spun off in different directions to support the many dependent biochemical reactions in the body.

The problem with many autistic individuals is that this system does not operate properly severely compromising their immune, nervous, and detoxification systems. The impact can be enormous including increased chronic infections, inability to detoxify their body of chemicals and heavy metal toxins, and neuro-cognitive problems such as language processing, attention, focusing, and concentration. There appears to be a genetic component with many autistic individuals for having a problem with this methylation and trans-sulfuration chemisty. However, for many the problem does not become manifest until their system is negatively impacted upon from nutritional deficiencies, digestive problems from yeast, bacteria, parasites, malabsorption from digestive imbalances, heavy metal toxins from vaccines or environmental exposures.

Autism Recovery Treatment

Autism Treatment – Pandas, Probiotic Problems and Autism

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Autism Treatment – Thyroid Evaluation and Autism

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Autism Treatment – Autism Research and Brain Inflammation

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Autism Treatment – Behavior Changes in Treating Autism

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Helicobacter Pylori and Autism – What Tests to Perfom

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Autism Treatment – Helicobacter pylori and Autism

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Autism Treatment – How to Successfully Work With a Biomedical Autism Doctor

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Autism Treatment – The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

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Autism Treatment – Dietary Treatment Options for Autism Treatment

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Autism Treatment – Using Methylation Chemistry for Autism Treatment

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