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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Autism Outreach

I would first like to say that this blog was written,only of my personal experience in working with Autistic children. I make no claim to any "proven" cure, but I feel, after working with some twenty to thirty children, and seeing positive results in such children, (apx 92% of those children, now off of medications,and living a fuller and richer life) I feel, at least, that I am on the right track. In so that path has compelled me to write this blog and perhaps my "journey" will help others as well.

Autism Outreach
I've heard it said that many researchers have tried and failed to find the cause of autism.Since I have a tendency to believe in a more holistic,natural approach to healing, it led me to the remembrance of the movie Lorenzo's Oil. It is the story of a husband and wife who were frustrated with mainstream medicine's inability to help their son Lorenzo. He had adrenoleukodystropy (ALD). They set out on a mission to find a treatment to save their child.

In their quest, they clashed with doctors, scientists and support groups who were skeptical that anything could be done about ALD, much less by laypeople. However, they persisted until they finally hit upon a therapy that involved adding a certain kind of oil (actually, an oil containing  two specific long chain fatty acids, both isolated from rapeseed oil and olive oil) to their son's diet.

So you see, it is possible for answers to health problems to surface outside of mainstream pathways. Here is another example of this happening and this time it has to do with autism. Is the answer outside the box where mainstream medicine is concerned? I believe it is. The symptoms of the behavioral and neurological disorders that the word autism encompasses are all symptoms of varying degrees of vitamin and nutrient deficiencies.

A little over two years ago an article about autism was posted on the internet. It said that researchers then thought that the mercury in vaccines inhibits the production in the stomach of the acid and enzymes that digest gluten and milk proteins, as well as the enzymes that are needed by the adrenal glands to produce hormones.

The only reason I read the article was because the adrenal glands were mentioned. However, the article peaked my curiosity about the involvement of a possible adrenal gland link to autism. I found myself thinking that if the mercury was doing what the researchers thought it was  doing, then why wouldn't every child innoculated with vaccines containing mercury develop an autism spectrum disorder? To find the answer to this question, I first looked at the things that have been linked to autism and the possible impact that adrenal fatigue might have on the chemical operations of those systems.

What it adrenal fatigue? This occurs when the adrenal glands don't have enough of the specific vitamins they need in order to produce the adrenal enzymes and the amount of adrenal hormones being called for by the body. The gastric glands in the stomach require those same vitamins. Consequently, as adrenal fatigue is happening, so there exists a reduction in hydrochloric acid and digestive enzyme output in the stomach. This can bring gluten and lactose intolerance to the surface, as gluten and milk products are no longer being digested correctly. Other intestinal issues can also arise due to poor digestion.

The methylation cycle, homocysteine, glutathione, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, essential fatty acids and the behavior hormones serotonin and dopamine all need the same nutrients as the gastric and adrenal glands. The methylation cycle produces homocysteine. If not broken down, homocystiene becomes a free radical and can cause problems with nerve transmission in the brain. When homocysteine is broken down the cysteine is used to produce glutathione, which is the immune system defender against heavy metals such as mercury and other toxic substances. If homocysteine is not broken down, glutathione can't be produced to the degree needed.

Acetylcholine that is not broken down builds up in the synapses in the brain causing problems with nerve transmission.If essential fatty acids are not converted the production of the adrenal and behavior hormones declines, nerve transmission in the brain can be affected,and nerves cannot properly "re-myelinate" or be regenerated. When the behavior hormones decline or become out of balance the symptoms of autism surface.

What Causes Adrenal Fatigue In The Case Of Autism?

Stress caused by toxins,Toxins can include anything from vaccines, foods with pesticides,medications,mucous formed as a result of gluten and lactose intolerance, to name a few.
Immune cells looking for toxins constantly travel through the bloodstream.When they find a toxin these cells initiate an immune response that is in the form of a chemical message.The message is that there are toxins in the body and to turn on the immune system. The Adrenal Glands read and respond to the chemical message. Why? Because they produce two hormones that activate immune cells and that are needed in building antibody factories. The Adrenal Glands respond to the chemical message by using these adrenal hormones to turn on the immune system.

If vitamins and other nutrients needed by the Adrenal Glands are sufficient to meet this new demand,all works well. If there are deficiencies of these needed nutrients,problems arise. When the adrenal glands don't have the nutrients they need to produce they type and amount of hormones being called for by the body, they become stressed and fatigued. The cellular processes and chemical reactions needed to produce enzymes, hormones, and proteins are affected by the deficiencies that caused adrenal fatigue will then begin showing physical symptoms.


Enzymes normally break down homocysteine and the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine.When they are not broken down they can build up and interfere with nerve transmission, potentially causing tics, tremors or seizures. Glutathione being "handcuffed" allows toxins lots of free reign and causes the immune response to be ongoing.This causes a steady drain on the nutrients needed by the adrenals, which continue to pump out the hormones that activate the immune system cells. They will not stop doing so until the the immune response is cancelled.

The immune responese to any toxin when the nutrients needed by the adrenal glands to respond to the needs of the immune system are not being provided to the degree needed and/or are not being replenished. In either case the adrenal glands become fatigued. Consequently, the other systems in the body that depend on the same nutrients that the adrenal glands use are also now dealing with those same deficiencies. Symptoms then arise indicating that these systems are not operating correctly.
Any toxin that causes an immune response when there are borderline to pre-existing  vitamin deficiencies can cause a child to become vulnerable to both adrenal fatigue and broad spectrum of disorders - one, I believe, being autism.

Gluten and lactose intolerance's caused by B-vitamin deficiencies are good examples. When the mucus caused by the incomplete digestion of gluten grains and/or milk products enters the small intestine, it is seen as a toxin and triggers an immune response. Intolerance can cause further deficiencies by causing poor absorption of nutrients from the small intestine into the bloodstream.

Nutrient deficiencies can be present at birth if the mother experiences adrenal fatigue or B-vitamin deficiencies during her pregnancy. It is of my opinion and personal experience when working with autistic children, that the autism spectrum disorders can be caused by nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, when the deficiencies are replenished, their symptoms can be lessened and in some cases, I believe, totally eliminated.
If you would like to speak to me directly about this, I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. I am here to help.Thank you for reading this post.
Follow me on twitter  @spiritdance33

2 comments:

  1. Wow! You are smart, as well as glam. This is very well written & extremely interesting. I think you are on one of the tracks.I worked with autistic children in the 70's, and at that time the focus was on mother-child bonding issues. I don't think this theory is outdated or in opposition to your findings re vitamins.I think, especially with first born children, if the child doesn't bond right away and reinforce the mother's shaky new mothering skills, she feels hurt and withdraws. I believe that mother-child bonding issues are part of the mix. In addition, I feel that our society is creating an increase in autism. If you observe parents with babies and young kids, so often they are on cell phones, blackberries, I phones, the child gazing vacantly into space. Love begets love. Cold & metallic response begets cold & metallic response. It is no coincidence if you look around at our society and interaction, that autism is on the rise. The same information and techniques you're sharing about autism can be applied to those with dementia and alzheimers. Music, in both instances, helps heal the syntax of heart & mind,too. I am so impressed with your ideas. Are you working with autistic kids and horses? Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Thank you for your response. And I couldn't agree with you more! Your comment about the mother-child bonding issue is SPOT ON! I very much appreciate your input! And how genius of you! I do, from time to time work with autistic children and horses, the results are remarkable! Thank YOU for reply!!! :)

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