~Being Proactive~

I was very depressed back in September when Mickie turned 10, because of the lack of progress I had seen and on top of that he was becoming anorexic, loosing his hair and was becoming very violent towards himself and others. He had not slept through the night in over nine years.

Turned out that he just needed better nutrition and his hair has grown back with a vengeance and even his sister is jealous of his hair now. His aggressiveness was nothing more than his way to cope with pain in his digestive system.

I took that sadness and I turned it around. I started being more proactive. I went to this website: http://www.generationrescue.org and there I found stories of hope and recovery. They also had a list of rescue angels, which are parents just like us who are recovering their children. They will walk you through it.

I know that you must think it's too late, because your son is not little anymore or maybe you think that the window of opportunity has closed, but I am here to tell you it's not to late!

Mickie said Mama yesterday for the first time in nine years. It can happen to your son or daughter too. With digestive enzymes, Probiotics, multivitamins, multi-minerals and diet modifications most Autistic kids and even older ones can have a better quality of life.

You can reverse many of the worse symptoms. So they are still autistic, but at least they can continue to be who they are, without pain and frustration.

Autistic by Injection

April is Autism Awareness month and April is International Autism Day.

Low Dose Naltrexone

FDA-approved naltrexone, used to block opioids in the brain. Used in a low dose, can also boost the immune system.

Naltrexone itself was approved by the FDA in 1984 in a 50mg dose for the purpose of helping heroin or opium addicts, by blocking the effect of such drugs. By blocking opioid receptors, naltrexone also blocks the reception of the opioid hormones that our brain and adrenal glands produce: beta-endorphin and metenkephalin. Many body tissues have receptors for these endorphins and enkephalins, including virtually every cell of the body's immune system.

It is one medication that according to Dr. William Shaw Ph.D should be added to the anti-yeast and free of casein and gluten diet and Nystatin protocol for children with autism. Naltrexone blocks opioids in the brain. The opioids from milk and wheat may slow the brain down.

At low doses, naltrexone may help clear the brain of opioids which have already gotten into the brain. In the past studies of this protocol have been done using doses that were to high and therefore showed that sometimes naltrexone has the opposite effect of what is intended. The doses used were 25 to 50 milligrams per day, which can cause pain. These studies failed to include the combination of the elimination of dairy and wheat products.

In autistic children where immune deficiencies are present, naltrexone can boost the immune system and given in low doses.

Reicheit KI et al. Gluten, milk proteins and autism: Results of dietary intervention on behavior and urinary peptide secretion. J. Applied Nutrition 42: 1-11, 1990.

Bovard, et al. Low-dose naltrexone effects on plasma chemistries and clinical symptoms in autism: a double-blind-placebo controlled study Psychiatry
Research 58: 191-20, 1995

Roy S, Loh HH. Effects of opioids on the immune system. Neurochem Res 1996;21:1375-1386

The SCD Diet-Gut Issues in Autism

Of the many issues affecting Autistic individuals none is more prevalent then the gut issues. In my son's case it was diagnosed as malabsoption. I was given this diagnosis when he was five and sent home with no information that could help him.

I had an immune panel done and found out he had an Immunoglobin A deficiency and high inmunoglobin E. I took the results to a gastroenterologist who told me that due to his high IgE could not have any dairy and that his immune deficiency made him prone to gastrointestinal infections.

I remember that I took him off milk and cereals. That diet change, stopped the chronic diarrhea,which he had suffered with, since his first birthday. I thought that would be the end of that, but no. He then developed constipation, which caused him a lot of pain.

For eight years my Mickie woke up during the night, giggling, crying screaming or running through the house. During the last three years or so, he has slept very little. He could not lay flat on the bed, but slept sitting up. To me this was the most troublesome part of his issues.

He stimmed constantly and had horrible tantrums or meltdowns.

While networking with other parents I learned about a special diet called SCD diet or Specific Carbohydrate Diet. This diet is described in detail in the book "Breaking The Vicious Cycle" Intestinal Health Through Diet, by Elaine Gottschall. The reason behind this diet is simple. It is supposed to starve the yeast in the stomach, by depriving it of fermentable carbohydrates.

I heard from other parents of the benefits of this diet had brought to their autistic children's health. I decided to implement the diet with Mickie about one month ago. At about two days into the diet, while I was dressing him, he gave me a spontaneous hug. I remember just staying really still. Up to that point this kind of behavior meant that he was going to pull my hair or tug at my clothes and try to hurt me, but his big sister that could see his face said.....___It's Okay mom, he's smiling. I think he just wants a hug. So I hugged him back and proceeded to dress him once more, then he did it again.

The last time Mickie gave me hug was so long ago, I had forgotten how it felt.

A few more days went by and he stopped stimming, seemed more aware of his surroundings, started to notice our pets and even attempted to talk. By the 15Th day he was sleeping through the night. He was no longer sitting up, but was laying flat on the bed.

I have not seen change like this in him since I took him off Casein and Gluten five years ago. Slowly but surely.........

www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info

British Medical Journal, Lancet, The American Journal of Gastroenterology (Wakefield) 95:2285-2295.

Hovarth, K., 1999. Gastrointestinal abnormalities in children with autistic disorder. Journal of Pediatrics 135:559-63

Ashwood, P., S.H. Murch, A. Anthony., A. A. Pellicer, F. Torrente, M.A. Thomson, J.A. Walker-Smith, and AJ. Wakefield. 2003. Intestinal Lymphocyte populations in children with regressive autism: Evidence for extensive mucosal immunopathology. Journal of Clinical immunology 23(6):504-517
Buie, T., G. Winter and R. Kushak. 2002.
J.O. Hunter. 1991.

Mickie's Regression into the World of Autism