A year ago, I had come from the "old school" thought of Autism as a genetic anomaly, which results in a diffusion of brain circuitry. Autism was behavioral, did not result from outside influences, and was not an epidemic. I was trained at the university level to believe that Autism should be treated behaviorally. But I was also trained in "Evidence-Based Practice" and to peruse the research annals, to think critically, and to take the interests of my clients' families to heart.
We tried several therapies with Nathan; we trained ourselves in ABA, did Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Special Ed, etc. I started to get to know several moms who were doing biomed. I respected them and liked them, but scoffed at the things they were doing. I was sad for these "poor kids" being fed pills day in and day out by quacks parading as doctors. All these "junk therapies" would do nothing to help these kids, and could even be dangerous! And chelation?! Don't get me started!! I said all this as my son continued to remain nonverbal, inattentive, and would go from laughing to sobbing in 2 seconds flat.
Zoom to this summer: Nathan began changing, and not for the better. He was no longer using his PECS book. He became sound-sensitive, running and covering his ears to sounds that you and I wouldn't notice. He would cry inconsolably over nothing, it seemed. He would go crazy during the day and run up and down the hallway, smacking the wall and door at each end. The sounds of loud verbal stimming resounded through the house all day. Something was wrong; I had to get him tested. Test results showed the presence of yeast in his gut, extremely low levels of Vitamin C, mitochondria that weren't doing their job, and signs of neural excitotoxicity and inflammation. That, and allergies to 40 different foods, plus environmental allergies. Finally, he had high arsenic and mineral transport issues that pointed to possibly mercury in his body. I was FLOORED. I was simply checking to see if he needed a certain vitamin...looks like our work was cut out for us.
Present beliefs: Autism is the result of a medical condition that begins early in life and cascades into a full-blown, whole-body illness that includes the brain and immune system. It is missed by doctors, who do not bother checking the immune systems of children before administering vaccine after vaccine in the child's first 2 years of life. Vaccines have many objectional ingredients, many which are made to stimulate the immune system. The science is out there, but pediatricians are not the ones staying up late into the night reading the research...we parents do. We parents have become the experts, with the help of a few doctors. Since we began to treat our son's issues, we have seen gradual improvements...enough to get me writing a blog about it! Get your kids tested, ask questions, and demand answers...if your pediatrician will not cooperate, find someone who will. Otherwise, there is an ARMY of fellow moms and dads out there in cyberworld who are willing to help. Never give up!
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