UNTIL THE LATE 1960S THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY BELIEVED that autism was caused by “bad mothering”. Today, most people — and most of the medical community — believes that Autism is a genetic brain disorder. I’m here to tell you that neither one of these statements is true.
Think about it. Rates of autism have skyrocketed over the years, from an estimated 1 child in 3,000 to just 1 in 150 kids today. Sure, wider criteria for diagnosis and better detection might explain some of it — but not an increase of this magnitude.
The real reason we are seeing increasing rates of autism is simply this: Autism is a systemic body disorder that affects the brain. A toxic environment triggers certain genes in people susceptible to this condition. And research supports this position.
Today I will review some of this research and explain how imbalances in the 7 key systems of the body may be the real cause–and thus the real cure–of autism.
A New Understanding of Autism
Dramatic scientific discoveries have taken place during the last 10 to 20 years that reveal the true causes of autism — and turn conventional thinking on its head. For example, Martha Herbert, MD, a pediatric neurologist from Harvard Medical School has painted a picture of autism that shows how core abnormalities in body systems like immunity, gut function, and detoxification play a central role in causing the behavioral and mood symptoms of autism.
She’s also given us a new way of looking at mental disease (and disease in general) that is based on systems biology. Coming from the halls of the most conservative medical institution in the world, this is a call so loud and clear that it shatters our normal way of looking at things.
Everything is connected, Dr. Herbert says. The fact that these kids have smelly bowel movements, bloated bellies, frequent colds and ear infections, and dry skin is not just a coincidence that has nothing to do with their brain function. It is central to why they are sick in the first place! Yet conventional medicine often ignores this.
My friend and mentor, Sidney Baker, MD — a pioneer in the treatment of autism as a body disorder that affects the brain — often says, “Do you see what you believe or do you believe what you see?”
The problem in medicine is we are so stuck in seeing what we believe that we often ignore what is right in front of us because it doesn’t fit our belief system. Nowhere is this true more than in the treatment of autism.
This is in the front of my mind, because I see so many behavioral symptoms in kids from learning disabilities to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and even autism.
And I see the rates of medication use skyrocketing for these kids — from stimulants to anti-psychotics (one of the fastest growing drug categories) to anti-seizure medicine, and more. There is another way … Let me tell you a story about a little boy I saw recently.
Treating autism as a body disorder that affects the brain gives us many treatment choices. Children treated in this way can often have dramatic and remarkable — if not miraculous — recoveries.
Sam’s Case: Autism as a Systemic Disorder
Recently, a mother came to see me, desperate because her 2 1/2 year old son had just been diagnosed with autism.
Her son, Sam, was born bright and happy, was breast-fed, and received the best medical care available (including all the vaccinations he could possibly have). He talked, walked, loved, and played normally — that is, until after his measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination at 22 months.
He received diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, chicken pox, hepatitis A and B, influenza, pneumonia, hemophilous, and meningitis vaccines — all before he was 2 years old. Then something changed. Vaccines may affect susceptible children through different mechanisms. In some it is overwhelming of an already taxed immune system with over 2 dozen vaccinations at a very young age, for some it is the thimerosal (ethylmercury) used as a preservative until recently in most vaccines (although it is still present in most flu vaccines).
He lost his language abilities and became detached. He was unable to relate in normal ways with his parents and other children. And he became withdrawn, and less interactive. These are all signs of autism.
Sam was taken to the best doctors in New York and “pronounced” as having autism, as if it were a thing you catch like a bug. His parents were told that nothing could be done except arduously painful and barely effective behavioral and occupational therapy techniques. The progress would be slow, and his parents should keep their expectations low, the doctor said. Devastated, the mother began to seek other options and found her way to me.
There is much to undo and peel away, like the layers of an onion. But treating autism as a body disorder that affects the brain gives us SO many other treatment choices. Children treated in this way can often have dramatic and remarkable — if not miraculous — recoveries.
Before I explain how I found the clues that gave me a means to treat Sam, let me remind you that the whole basis of functional and systems medicine is the concept of biochemical individuality.
That means that if you take 100 kids with autism, each one may have unique genetics, and unique causes or triggers for their autism and need very different treatments to get better. Autism is just a label. Like every condition or illness, the key is to dig into the layers and peel the onion to discover what is really happening. It is not usually one think but a collection of insults, toxins and deficiencies piled on susceptible genetics that leads to biochemical train wreaks we see in these children.
We have to pay close attention to what we see, and be ready to work with the unexpected according to the basic principles of systems biology and medicine (known as functional medicine).
That is what I did for Sam …
When I first saw him, this little boy was deep in the inner wordless world of autism. Watching him was like watching someone on a psychedelic drug trip. So we dug into his biochemistry and genetics and found many things to account for the problems he was having.
He had very high level of antibodies to gluten. He was allergic not only to wheat, but to dairy, eggs, yeast, and soy — about 28 foods in total.
He also had a leaky gut, and his gut was very inflamed. The immune system in his gut showed a high level of inflammation by a marker called eosinophil protein X. He had 3 species of yeast growing in his gut and no growth of healthy bacteria. Urine tests showed very high levels of D-lactate, an indicator of overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine.
Sam was also deficient in zinc, magnesium, and manganese, vitamins A, B12, and D, and omega-3 fats. Like many children with autism, he had trouble making energy in his cells, or mitochondria.
His amino acids — necessary for normal brain function and detoxification — were depleted. And his blood showed high levels of aluminum and lead, while his hair showed very high levels of antimony and arsenic — signs of a very toxic little boy. His levels of sulfur and glutathione were low, indicating that he just couldn’t muster the power to detox all these metals. In fact, his genes showed a major weak spot in glutathione metabolism, which is the body’s main antioxidant and major detoxification highway for getting rid of metals and pesticides.
Sam also had trouble with a key biochemical function called methylation that is required to make normal neurotransmitters and brain chemicals and is critical for helping the body get rid of toxins. This showed up as low levels of homocysteine (signs of problems with folate metabolism) and high methylmalonic acid (signs of problems with B12 metabolism). He also had two genes that set him up for more problems with this system.
Finally, he also had very high levels of oxidative stress or free radical activity, including markers that told me that his brain was inflamed and under free-radical fire.
This may all seem complicated, but it really isn’t. When I see any patient, I simply work through the 7 keys to UltraWellness (based on functional medicine) to see how everything is connected, create a plan to get to the causes of the problems, and then help each patient deal with all the biochemical and physiological rubble that those causes have left along the road.
After 10 months, Sam’s bowels were back to normal, he was verbally fluent, mainstreamed in school and he “lost” his diagnosis of autism.
Having a roadmap, a new GPS system based on functional medicine and UltraWellness, makes this straightforward. You just take away what’s bothering the patient. Give his body what it is missing and needs to thrive (based on the individual’s biochemical uniqueness). Then the body does the rest.
Here is the roadmap I used to help Sam recover.
Sam’s Roadmap to Recovery: A Model for Treating Autism
Step 1: Fix His Gut and Cool the Inflammation There
This step included a number of different tactics including:
- Taking away gluten and other food allergens
- Getting rid of his yeast with anti-fungals
- Killing off the toxic bacteria in his small intestine with special antibiotics
- Replenishing healthy bacteria with probiotics
- Helping him digest his food with enzymes
Step 2: Replace the Missing Nutrients to Help His Genes Work Better
In Sam’s case we:
- Added back zinc, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A, B6, B12, and D
- Supported his brain with omega-3 fats
Step 3: Detoxify and Reduce Oxidative Stress
Once his biochemistry and nutrition was tuned up, we helped him detoxify and reduce oxidative stress.
Improve nutrition, reduce inflammation, heal the gut, detoxify — this should sound familiar.
As I said before, the keys of UltraWellness can help, no matter what the disease or condition. You see, biology has basic laws, which we have to follow and understand. All the details of Sam’s story fit into these laws. We just have to dig deep, peel back the layers, and understand what is going on. When we do this the results are nothing short of miraculous …
After following a gluten-free diet and treating his gut for 3 weeks, Sam showed dramatic and remarkable improvement. He’s getting back much of his language skills and showing much more connection and relatedness in his interactions.
After 4 months, he was more focused, unstuck and verbal.
After 10 months, his bowels were back to normal, he was verbally fluent, mainstreamed in school and he “lost” his diagnosis of autism.
After 2 years all his abnormal tests were normal including the high metals, gut inflammation and damage to his mitochondria and free radicals.
And more importantly, the child was totally normal. Not every child has such a dramatic recovery but many improve, and some improve dramatically using the approach of functional or systems medicine.
Every child with behavior problems, ADHD, or autism is unique — and each has to find his or her own path with a trained doctor. But the gates are open and the wide road of healing is in front of you. You simply have to take the first step.
Please visit the Defeat Autism Now website for more information on this subject, including resources and conferences for doctors and parents.
Now I’d like to hear from you…
Are you raising a child with autism?
How is he or she being treated?
Have you tried any of the approaches here? How have they helped?
Please share your thoughts by adding a comment below.
References
Because of the interest in this topic and controversies surrounding it, I am posting all the references for the issues talked about in the article.
1. Curtis TR, ed. The London Encyclopedia. London: Griffi n and Co; 1839.
2. James SJ, Melnyk S, Jernigan S, et al. Metabolic endophenotype and related genotypes are associated with oxidative stress in children with autism. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2006;141B(8):947-956.
3. Williams TA, Mars AE, Buyske SG, et al. Risk of autistic disorder in affected offspring of mothers with a glutathione S-transferase P1 haplotype. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(4):356-361.
4. Reddy MN. Reference ranges for total homocysteine in children. Clin Chim Acta. 1997;262(1-2):153-155.
5. James SJ, Cutler P, Melnyk S, et al. Metabolic biomarkers of increased oxidative stress and impaired methylation capacity in children with autism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80(6):1611-1617.
6. Bull G, Shattock P, Whiteley P, et al. Indolyl-3-acryloylglycine (IAG) is a putative diagnostic urinary marker for autism spectrum disorders. Med Sci Monit. 2003;9(10):CR422-CR425.
7. Wright B, Brzozowski AM, Calvert E, et al. Is the presence of urinary indolyl-3-acryloylglycine associated with autism spectrum disorder? Dev Med Child Neurol. 2005;47(3):190-192.
8. Amminger GP, Berger GE, Schäfer MR, Klier C, Friedrich MH, Feucht M. Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation in children with autism: a double-blind randomized, placebo- controlled pilot study. Biol Psychiatry. 2007;61(4):551-553.
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18. Hornig M, Briese T, Buie T, et al. Lack of association between measles virus vaccine and autism with enteropathy: a case-control study. PLoS ONE. 2008;3(9):e3140.
19. Bradstreet JJ, El Dahr J, Anthony A, Kartzinel JJ, Wakefi eld AJ. Detection of measles virus genomic RNA in cerebrospinal fl uid of children with regressive autism: a report of three cases. J Am Phys Surgeons. 2004;9(2):38-45.
20. Taylor B, Miller E, Farrington CP, et al. Autism and measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine: no epidemiological evidence for a causal association. Lancet. 1999;353(9169):2026-2029.
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22. Autism Research Initiative. Treatment Options for Mercury/metal Toxicity in Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities: Consensus Position Paper. San Diego, CA: Autism Research Initiative; 2005. Available at: http://www.autism.com/triggers/vaccine/ heavymetals.pdf. Accessed September 17, 2008.
23. Holmes AS, Blaxill MF, Haley BE. Reduced levels of mercury in fi rst baby haircuts of autistic children. Int J Toxicol. 2003;22(4):277-285.
24. Adams JB, Romdalvik J, Ramanujam VM, Legator MS. Mercury, lead, and zinc in baby teeth of children with autism versus controls. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2007;70(12):1046-1051.
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I have a 6 year old son with Autism. His story is like most these days. He developed normally, hit allthe developmental milestones…sometimes ahead of schedule. He was NEVER sick the first year of his life. Around 15 months after his MMR he got sick, started running a fever, etc… He was put on antibiotics. He broke out into a rash about two days after starting the antibiotic, I was told he was allergic to penecillin. He continued to be sick, running fever etc, so they switched him to a higher does antibiotic (not penecillin). About 4-6 weeks later, he started to lose his speech, and started drifting off.
He is currently enrolled in a private ABA school, takes private Speech, private OT. At two and half I started the biomedical approach. However, we have srifted away slightly from some of the supplements because I no longer saw improvements. Nothing really changed when we went off. He is casien free but I have never gone gluten-free because he only eats about 5 things and I am so worried he will stop eating altogether if I try and go gluten-free. He was ridden with yeast when first tested. We did anti-fungal treatments, probiotics, etc… and saw dramatic imprvement, but I sometimes think it is back. He is doing well, but I think we could do better. He still not fully verbal, has ups and downs in happiness and tolerability. We are lucky that he does not have severe behavioral problems. I just wish I could do something to help get his speech coming more easily and help him feel better…which is what I think causes his mood swings, I just don’t think he feels well all the time. Plus, because he is such a poor eater I am concerned about malnutrition.
I would love to get your opinion or possible schedule an appointment with you. I know my son has so much to offer,he is sweet, loving and incredibly intelligent, I just need to help him reach his potential.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your the constellation of symptoms your son suffers from represents a complex medical condition. Issues like these cannot be addressed in a responsible manner via the Internet.
If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com. That site is designed to give prospective patients a comprehensive source of information about The UltraWellness Center. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637 9991.
Regardless of becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center, it sounds like you need to consult with a doctor. Please seek medical attention for the issues that you outlined in your message.
Wishing You the Best of Health!
I agree 100% wholeheartedly (from experience) with what Dr. Hyman discusses above. I knew there was something different with my Lily from the time she was 6 weeks old on. I stopped breast feeding and put her on formula and she screamed 24-hours a day 7 days a week. My husband and I were so concerned that we had her pediatrician admit her into the hospital. It was the first night of sleep we got in months. They came up with nothing. This was not a colic fit or gastric reflux, this was a “Im in extreme pain scream”. We tried every medication and herbal “remedy” we could find. She finally “grew out of that” but started to behave differently in other ways. She would never sleep unless she was bounced. I thought my foot would fall off from bouncing her with my foot while I worked. She seemed to reach every milestone. Being in the medical field and always being hesitant about vaccinations, i spaced hers our… well, i was more delinquent which was probably her saving grave. I stopped at her 9 months shots and didn’t give her any more. I am pleased that she never had the MMR, three live viruses at once… recipe for disaster! Autism is more prevalent in boys so I didn’t think much about her having Autism. She had what we called “Lilyisms”. Her way of rocking back and forth all the time and occasionally flapping her hands. She never seemed to say mama or dada and she never played appropriately with toys. We never knew what to buy her. My research began with severe eczema on her legs. I read that this was most often an immune response. I read more and more and thought possibly she had an allergy to milk (casein). During this same time, she walked into our bedroom with her hands over her eyes and was just acting “strange”. I told my husband for the first time “something is wrong with Lily”. I went on youtube and looked up videos of other children with Autism. I was amazed, Lily also had many of the same traits. I cried. My husband cried. This lasted a day and then we pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps. I read and read and read. I learned about diet. I read all of Jenny McCarthy’s books. I had hope. I took her off milk immediately. I am ashamed to say we were drowning her in milk. That is all she was drinking. We put her on rice milk and stopped giving her cheese, milk or any dairy products. Within a week I would say, eczema gone. Within two months or so, she started interacting with the family. She started saying words. We then did the gluten-free foods. She underwent early childhood intervention through Easter Seals and then we found out she had neurosensory issues. She began to talk more with the boost of language with some signing. Her words got more and more frequent. She is now doing wonderfully. She is speaking in full sentences and they want to kick her out of her special class at school and put her in mainstream pre-k classes. Diet is a big part as well as supplementation. Her little gut gets so bloated. She becomes a monster if she has a lot of sugar. I wish I could tell every mother, every parent what a big part diet and supplementation are to overall health. I have witnessed this with my own eyes and possibly would not have believed it otherwise. My husband and I are our daughters biggest advocates. I believe much of her symptoms were caused by having two pregnancies back-to-back (11 months apart). Her older sister took much of my vitamins and nutrients. Lily took what little left I had, leaving her with a nutrient deficient body with immune issues and myself with an auto-immune deficiency as well. I am one of the blessed ones though that my daughter is recovering and I am so thankful for functional medicine and biomedical treatment.
A happy mother ~
I have digestive problem, can i use any digestive enzymes for my problem, i have heard that digestive enzymes provide nutritional support for healthy digestion.
Dear Jennifer,
Please try to remove all gluten from your son’s diet. That is just a no brainer for children with autism. There are many gluten free foods available now that are tasty and nutritious.
It is my humble opinion that quality of food is more important than quantity.
If he seems picky, let him get hungry! He’ll eat sooner or later.
God bless you, dear.
Granny
I am a therapist and before my own life was greatly altered by mold in my home, because I genetically lack the genes to remove many biological toxins including mycotoxins, I treated lots of Autistic, OCD, ADD, ADHA kids. Most had numerous body symptoms. Personally I am not sure where anyone came up with the idea that everything in the body was separate, when anyone who takes time to just look at a real diagram of the body can see how totally connected it all is. Functional medicine is the key to helping those who are ill. The challenge is changing the huge medical, and mental health system, being fed by big Pharma.
Most doctor’s don’t understand yeast, let alone any other element you commented on. As a person who on my own figured out yeast was a problem despite doctors dismissal of the idea. I lost ovaries, uterus, and both breasts to inflammation and systemic fungal issues. Once I fired my doctors who were all making me sicker not better, researched diet and fungus myself, I lost 90 pounds and functed better then ever in my life. As a therapist, I learned to understand that depression anxiety, ocd, and many other issues were related to something else going on in the body, but having no doctor to even refer people too was at times a real challenge. When I would suggest at least some of the weight, pain and brain fog were related to yeast, when someone had chronic digestive issues, and chronic yeast infections. I would send them to their doctor, and get calls back suggesting their doctor informed them I was obviously a quack practicing out of my realm of expertise. I have since found functional medicine. If I ever am able to practice again you can bet every autistic patient, ADHD, OCD, or Bipolar client will go for medical work up first, with explanation that I can provide supportive care through the process, but biology including brain injury has to be addressed to expect real improvement.
You are so right on thanks for all you are doing to advance real education.
Could you detail which tests (blood, saliva, etc.) that should be used to determine how much gut inflammation, gluten-sensitivity, heavy metal load, and all the other findings in the above-mentioned autism vignette?
My son has ADHD combined type and we tried all the special diets, supplements and other nutritionals, but to no avail. We have spent an inordinate amount of money on things that have not helped, and we ended up having to medicate him with Concerta. The most recent thing we have tried is Classical Homeopathy, which still has not produced helpful effects for the ADHD symptoms (and we have tried it for two and a half years now). I do not like giving him the medicine, but have not seen another viable choice as of yet. I would like to get some more definitive tests done, but don’t know where to turn. Our naturopath already used the food-sensitivity testing (electrical) machine (can’t remember the name), and traditional bloodwork found no issues with vitamin, mineral deficiencies or heavy metal issues. I think it is possible their testing was flawed. Thank you.
I would love to be able to e-mail Dr. Hyman’s articles without having to copy and paste. It looks like you have tweet and facebook capability but no direct e-mail.
These messages are so important and I would like to get them into the hands of
people who need them. Thank you for your much needed word of wisdom in a chaotic medical environment.
I am so impressed to read your report. I will forward it to many friends who are dealing with autism. There are two books which confirm your ideas and add useful background information to this field of interest. I’ll be pleased to send you copies if you will give me an address.
The books are: “Say Goodbye to Allergy-Related Autism” by Dr. Nambudripad which describes her work to cure autism by curing the allergies. Her techniques would enhance your therapies. And “Enzymes for Autism” by Karen DeFelice which describes her successful cure of her own children as well as many others using enzymes including enzymes that successfully handle gluten, milk and other complex proteins.
I am a Gulf War vet from Desert Storm era, 1990-91. I didn’t get any help with my vaccine poisoning till 1997. That was back in the day of “mono” treatment. In other words, doctors treated symptoms individually without any goal of getting rid of the mystery malady. Along with everything that Sam suffered, I also acquired animal viruses from the animal tissue used to culture vaccines. I am female and received Hepatitis B with other vaccines. That is known as a vaccine cocktail. And most women DIE from Hep B cocktails. 20 years later, I am still hanging on by my fingernails, attempting to slay the dragon that is Dept of Veterans Affairs for compensation. I lost my career, my livelihood, my retirement nest egg, my ability to work in any capacity, and my social life. I call us surviving Gulf War veterans “the walking dead” because without private health insurance, we cannot get any healthcare at all. Oxidative medicine, available through doctors that list themselves as Alternative or Integrative Medicine Practitioners are available by zip code at http://www.acam.org That is American College for the Advancement of Medicine. Only there was I able to find doctors that believe in “multi-faceted” treatments and anti-oxident treatments to rustle out all the infections and diseases that vaccines cause. I was too sick from the first set of vaccines to deploy, so I never served in Theatre of Operations. Never left my home state of Texas. However, I suffer Gulf War Illness, which is caused by VACCINES. Not by oilwell fires, not by prescription drugs, not by anti-nerve agent pills, not by stress, not by depression, not even by the stupidity of our own government and military in particular. Other branches of the service did not receive the exhaustive list of vaccines that Army and Army Reserve Medical still receive today. And the U.S. is the only military that forces its troops to vaccinate with or without informed consent. No other country administers vaccines to its troops at all. Most 3rd World countries that vaccinate their newborns are forced to do so in order to receive other life-sustaining resources, such as potable water. First it was our pets that endured vaccines that shave off 10 years of their lives. Then it was our troops – all of them regardless of branch of service, and regardless of voluntary service or indentured servitude (the draft). Then it was our healthcare workers and medical students. Now its our newborns and our school children. Next will be the elderly, threatened with dropping their SS benefits if they refuse to take vaccines so deadly as Zostavax for shingles. My father died 3 years ago because a pharmacy administered Zostavax 3 days after his flu vaccine. My dog died 3 years and 3 months later because of her cocktail vaccines, massive inflammation for which there is no antidote. I’ve been hit 3 times by Merck, the murderers of all mankind.
Hi,
As the sister of a 58 year old brother (diagnosed with mental illness initially-we now believe him to be autistic) and aunt to a 22 year old nephew diagnosed with Aspergers, my question is: can autism be reversed in adults? My older brother refuses the help, but I remain hopeful for my nephew; neither was treated nutritionally for the condition. I prefer my question not be reprinted, thanks.
Sincerely,
Reba Gregg
I have a cousin that is now in her 40′s. What about those grown children who had been diagnosed with autism? Can it be “undone” after all these years? She is I believe very intelligent. She sort of reminds me of Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. She is “in there” somewhere. Are others in this same situation?
Thank you for all that you do to bring information to everyone. I enjoy reading your newsletter and everything that you suggest (other than soy….lol) I believe is right on. I wish that our medical professionals were REQUIRED to have had more training in the field of nutrition because I think that things today would be so much better for all. I believe that it is never too late to start and that Functional Medicine is so obviously the answer to our health issues. What can I do to help other than inform my physican about your site. Again, I thank you and all of your staff that I know work diligently to get this info out for all of us to be better informed. God Bless you all for all your effort.
28 july 2010,
Hi Dr H.
Read your article on autism and I am really enlightened by your insight and perception of the medical problem before us from a very different perspective.
I dont know how you can help me…. you see , I have a girl going on to 17 years old and she displayed all the signs of autism , however in lesser seriousness but as not diagnosed as autistic. The diagnosis was ” overall slow mental and motor development “.She was delayed in the normal milestones for children when she was young.This bomb was dropped on us when she was about 3 years old when she was diagnosed as above.
At present she has only very limited speech and her fine motor movement is hampered. However her mental alertness is there. She listens and she understands but there are a lot of times when she will show defiance and become uncooperative and rebellious.
She is not autistic so how do you see her? Your feedback via email would be very much appreciated .Best regards
Dr Hyman’s approach is eminently intelligent, confirming my experience of 40 years of practicing general Pediatrics. A thorough multisystems approach is vital to help restore good health to any child.
“Autism is a systemic body disorder that affects the brain.”
I explained that that was the case back in 1982 – http://www.autismcauses.info .
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the general public . No doubt that multiple sclerosis is due to leaky gut syndrom ..think about it >> all thoses sources of fluorides : tap water , toothpaste , mouthwash etc .add..sweets +gluton = bacteria=roten teeth followed by lead/mercury almagams that deteriorate over time being exposed to heat , acids, then you have franken foods synthetic gycemins fed to farm animals so that they’ll eat the gmos , aspartame , and deadly vaccines !
Magnetic water solutions improuve the body’s metabolism & defence system .( used successfuly in agriculture for years !) The symtoms that you described correspond 100% for both autism and multiple sclerosis sufferes ….the differance being that autisme is ascociated to the very young , and the sclerosis to the 30 -50 age group
I have an 18 month and I am expecting again in June. Jason has received all his shots so far and each time I take him I am so worried about the risks involved, but also concerned about the risks if he doesn’t get his shots. I would love to forgo vaccines all togher especially because I will be starting this cycle again with my newborn. I would like to know your opinion on this. Is there a happy medium like spreading the vaccines over a period of years, or eliminating some all together and just getting the “important” ones.
Thank you, Sherry, for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.
If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com. That site is designed to give prospective patients a comprehensive source of information about The UltraWellness Center. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637 9991.
Regardless of becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center, it sounds like you need to consult with a doctor. Please seek medical attention for the issues that you outlined in your message.
Wishing You the Best of Health!
Thank you, Leon, for your message and your interest in Dr. Hyman’s work. Your question and constellation of symptoms represents a complex medical condition. Questions regarding conditions like these cannot be answered in a responsible manner via the Internet.
If you would like information on becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center please see “How to Become a Patient” at http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com. That site is designed to give prospective patients a comprehensive source of information about The UltraWellness Center. You may also feel free to call The UltraWellness Center at (413) 637 9991.
Regardless of becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center, it sounds like you need to consult with a doctor. Please seek medical attention for the issues that you outlined in your message.
Wishing You the Best of Health!
Are there ways to prevent the onset of autism, like spreading out the immunizations over more time, not getting some of the more risky ones like MMR, or certain supplements to take during pregnancy/breast feeding and organic or dairy and gluten-free diets during pregnancy/breastfeeding?
Even if there is just something parents can do to reduce the risk of having it come on…
Thank you!
Hi again,
I forgot one more thing. Having high iodine levels (range 0.25-1.3) Results for my son 3.6. Does this mean he can have hypothyrodism? Because I read so many articles saying that thyroide problem can cause “autism” I call it metabolic disorder.
Thank You
I was an Applied Behaviour Analysis Therapist about 10 years ago when studying psychology simultaneously at university. I was in a team of 4 therapists working under the supervision of an ABA PhD.
The information at our hands was not as sophisticated as this article although I see great improvements are being made – and for this I am thankful.
Firstly, in our minds, it was the MMR vaccine that was our sign that ‘where’s the smoke there’s fire.’ I also saw that when the mother ‘caved-in’ and gave gluten ‘treats’ to her son, his progress was harmed in a very real way – he simply regressed.
ABA can only work as a complimentary therapy – the initial bio balance is imperative. I worked with a 4 year old boy and facilitated speech, play and learning so that he could join his peers in kindergarten. Like anything, it seemed the younger you get them and start treatment – the better.
Sometimes, I wonder if I am autistic. I now don’t see any tie with special mental abilities from that kid in the movie Mercury Rising starring Bruce Willis. I now just think the movie might send a message that mercury could be a possible reason for autism.
This is why I want a job so that I can purchase MY OWN foods that can’t be provided for me. I don’t mind riding my bike to the grocery store to get what I want. It should be a blessing I want to eat avocadoes and wild blueberries but I can’t do that but look at chips, chocolate pie(which is good inspite of the crazy ingredients), distilled water, which I bought, and very few other things.
I THOUGHT and THINK about the same ways to helping somebody. It’s definitely dietary and if it’s mental, some people really need someone great to talk to about ANYTHING, but people, honestly, like my mom don’t believe in shit, or just doesn’t express herself a lot. Sometimes, helping somebody takes a relationship, not a once a week plan, but something constant and helpful. If both people are mallnourished, eventually one person might just get bothered. Maybe facing one’s own lack of tolerance is a way of help, but surely smothering and alienating someone with irrational lack of freedom doesn’t seem great either. If America is free, then so should each patient express themselves freely. I know it’s hard for people to adapt to some thing smentally but it’s good to listen.. and I can’t think much about condemnation if it’s not going to help. Surely, negativity can exercise but what about constant negativity? How about positivity? Could that ever create acts of being spoiled? Why does being spoiled somewhat relate to someone who’s actually truly needy and begging? Or really needs something.
I LOVE and thank you for this because without information like this, I mentally feel worried about what other people think of any mental abnormalty I have even though I SELF-assure or REASSURE myself of what I understand… More and more people make me doubt it… people? That’s just the past, but it’s nice to know something I idealized all by myself, with reading some tings like this at least a long time ago, as in two years, and that it pays off when my own theories are verified by your research!
Thank you, Mark Hyman! Hah, if I can just get a job soon, I’d love to be more nutritious. I think maybe some people even myself could use detoxification ways that sick people need to get a little more healthy.
I have a question that could be great for your research is connecting “those ways” that influence autism, including malnourishment and lack of nutrients with skin cancer from the sun or being in the sun. The sun can be healthy, but many people think they’re so smart, yet obnoxious, when they talk about getting skin cancer from the sun. I went through a full semester in college napping in the sun by the fountain. Yeah, the cancer is killing me. I think it has to do with one’s own negligence of care for their body by means of nutrients and health. I’d love to be able to tell somebody and be right “you probably would get sunburnt and susceptible to skin cancer very quickly because you don’t consume enough magnesium, vegetables, water, etc. One’s likeliness to get skin cancer depends on how much time they already have been acclimated to the sun by being exposed to it and their diet. ” I am tired of people who don’t live my life as extreme as I do, when there are others who live with more extremities of the sun and yet he or she can’t be there to back me up when someone wants to tell me about the sun’s burdens as if it applies to me. Surely, if I was on the sun, I wouldn’t be on the sun anymore, hahah, if you know what I mean. So I GET the picture but we’re still living.
So much for poeple judging how I am these years when I realize I couldn’t spell acclimate right, as I probably could have spelled it correctly just by hearing it. I would logically assemble a “possible correct spelling” I can’t do that now… Why not? I could say: my toxicity levels, dietary plan, and being able to do what I want, when I want, and how I want; freedom, in other words. I believe freedom is also important, next to being healthy. It contradicts my freedom of speech when one isn’t open-minded. I hate even being reminded of what it is to be ran by a tyrant in any history of any country on how to think but as I might say: negativity can strengthen but how do you repair the damage caused especially a social “hurt” in being wrong or being condemned for saying either the right or wrong thing. What about positivity? Some people may end up being obnoxious because they get preachy for being smart and right. Sure, constructive criticism is constructive, isn’t it?
By my knowledge of lumosity.com, there is still more to help promote mental health and intelligence. Most truly, eating the right things and … maybe even drinking the right water is a lot better for someone training their brain by any means from studying or training programs like lumosity or intense video gaming and taking breaks… since my bad habits come into play a lot more when I am still playing a game I am tired of at the same time.
Thanks again, Mark! Autism like a sickness? That’s neat! Especially because it’s true! I guess some people have more mental composure than others, regardless of their level of health. Even smart people might become more sensitive to opinions… but it’s not always about their “characteristics” but also maybe their diet. Not everyone would be conscious of the idea deep down inside that they actually wish things were better… and they don’t know about certain ways “optimization” through diet, fasting, etc. Right now, I am concerned about my focus at this monitor and how weird I feel… I am wondering what kind of problem is occuring right now within me; I sense it… not all of it… but I meditate to sense it.. See, I end up blaming other people for not allowing me to “use my brain to promote clarity.” If that’s a chemical problem or their problem… or both of ours, I only simply just want my mental health back and abilities so I can also maybe one day provide research and ways of helping people. I sometimes just want to learn all that so it can somehow addd on to my musical abilities and figure out “help” by ways of sound and image. Everything I say and do would be part of that picture I have in mind… but I can’t be perfect… but I can be… technically… if I believed in it. So, I … blame myself and I don’t know about others… just lending in my views and any dysfunction.
So functional medicine means “basics” applying to basics of how things work? That must also imply possbilitiy of herbal use. I seriously and literally heard someone recently who said herbal remedies are bullshit. I simply want to be someone they can’t get past telling me that. Anyone who can speak from experience… and maybe by “blood is thicker than water” kind of attitude… even though attitude is a concer because I agree with what I read about a lot of things in life all depends on our attitudes like “how we say or do things.” Of course, that information was to influence me because I talk about attitude and yet have a bad one. I am only trying teach people how to treat me right. I don’t care about my attitude when I know I am safe with the ones who don’t know how to help simply because I SOLEY believe they don’t believe they can. Until they KNOW BETTER, my attitude will change. That’s just me right now. I also don’t want to deal with them or anybody right now. I like thinking of helping people but only people have become preachers, when they know me; to preach to me. I am tired of them. They’ll learn to stop what it is they do with me. Some of them I trust try to stay back and also understand me. Others believe they can change me just by kissing my ass “You should always have classy hair, Joe,” but the gimmick is “I won’t leave you alone until you change your ways to how I wish them to be for you.” I don’t want to grow up like that. I really want to figure out a way, right or wrong, that simulates a parent beating their ass for treating me like shit so that they also… learn… too!
Don’t touch the poison arrow frog! Got it, my acquainted ones?
We have a grandson with a similar story as Sam’s. We were told by his pediatrician there was no hope. He would always bang his head, spin, hand flap, etc. Since I am the kind of person that never accepts NO for answer, I sought out unconventional methods of treatment. My daughter took our grandson to a ABA doctor who did all the testing, showing allergens to gluten, casein, nuts, seeds, beans, soy and even peas. His testing also showed high levels of lead, mercury, aluminum, and arsenic. It took us a year to get rid of as many of the toxins as we could and fine tune the gluten/casien free diet. He also had vaccines. But the MMR was the one where he started losing speach, he would no longer look at us, started steming etc. A very familiar story. He also had chronic ear infections starting around 3 months. They gave him amoxicilin which contains gluten! He would vomit, and our daughter told the doctor he was allergic to it. And the doctor would not listen, so she changed doctors, one who would listen. There is a great website that shows all medications, even over the counter, that are gluten free. Google Gluten Free medications. Once we stopped gluten and casien, he did not have ear infections anymore. He was diagnosed at 18 months with autism, now 6 years old is mainstreamed in school. Several articles have been written about his continued recovery and his teachers refer other families to us to share our story. We firmly believe that he will fully recover. We give him digesive enzymes from a licensed nutritionist, a low dose of bovine thyroid, vitamin D, and progestrone in vitamin E oil, along with bathes of epsom salts (magnesium). we get these from lita@litalee.com. She also does a urine test to individualize treatment and works with people and children allover the world for all sorts of medical conditions. We also started the Son Rise Program through the Option Institute in Shefild, MA. A great, easy in home program. ABA is great program, but very expensive, and it just did not work for Sean early on. Thimerasol is still in vaccines today. It took me 6 months to track down the ingredients in vaccines through the CDC. They don’t want to share the information for obvious reasons. Thimerosal is listed with an * that states “Where “Thimerosal” is marked with an asterisk (*) it indicates that the product should be considered equivalent to thimerosal-free products…” But worse yet is other ingredients like Formaldehyde, Alumnum Hydroxide, Human Albumin (also known as Humn Diploid Tissue, aborted fetal tissue used to incubate the vaccine), Green Monkey Tissue, Mouse Lung tissue and the list goes on. Here is the link if anyone would care to look:http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-1.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf
I was personally shocked. I am 58 years old and have had two vaccnes. Polio in the sugar cube, which they did away with. It caused brain cancer in children, and small pox, which they no longer do since it did not work.
I am so glad to see the medical industry begin to uncover what we see happening with our environment and our children. When we changed to the gluten/casein free diet, we found that many of the products were not palatable. Our grandson lived on potato chips. So my sister and I found a way to take gluten recipes and make them gluten free keeping the same taste and texture of gluten products. All because of Sean, we formed a business to share our recipes and created baking mixes. It is a tough transition to begin with, but critical to recovery. We offer many recipes on our website: http://www.inspirationmixes.com. Make the change and make a commitment for at least a year. It takes a long time to get rid of all the toxins. And do the urine test to fine tune treatment. Autism is truly a spectrum. And I firmly believe individualized treatment is the only way to reach recovery. Good luck to all finding your way through the maze of treatment.
“This showed up as low levels of homocysteine (signs of problems with folate metabolism) and high methylmalonic acid (signs of problems with B12 metabolism).”
I think this should say that high levels of homocysteine are associated with low folate and normal levels of MMA are associated with low B12.
Otherwise, I think there’s a lot to your overall approach and I’m speaking from personal experience. Your talk at Google was very interesting.
Hi, Thanks for this, I’ve often suspected vaccines and food intolerances to be the cause. My 4 year old son has been (almost) diagnosed with ADHD/autism. We’ve been gluten-free for several months and have been giving a fish oil supplement and probiotic drinks for 2 months or so. I haven’t really noticed a change in ADHD/autism symptoms but he has been less gassy and more regular in toilet habits than before going gluten-free. He did have frequent ear infections until mid year when he had grommets fitted because he apparently had glue ear, which was deemed to be the reason for all his behavioural/speech problems at the time, sadly this wasn’t the case. All seemed to be going well with the fish oil supplement until 2 or 3 weeks ago when he started to have loose, smelly stools with a green tinge, although the green tinge could be because he loves blueberries and has them quite often. (He’s also had a cold for the last 2 or 3 weeks). I stopped the fish oil for a bit but restarted and now we have the smelly green stools back…sigh, could fsh oil cause this or is it something else? I’m angry and worn out, trying to figure this out on my own. Our doctors are useless at this and don’t even recommend trying the diet changes as it’s “hard”. Please! What’s hard is trying to figure out what I can do to improve things for him without any help.
Hi Mary,
We hear your frustration and admire the courage you have as a mother to help your son. The stool change could most likely be from any virus or illness he has had. When the immune system is taxed as it is when we are sick, the gut often gets “sick” too. When we lose the good bacteria or they are compromised with illness our bowel habits can manifest this by change in color, consistency, frequency. I would stick with the fish oil if he tolerated it well before but try a probiotic and a immune boosting diet- lots of fnutrient dense foods as possible with a child! I know it is hard but get his immunity strenthened and then you can better assess. Perhaps you might have him be checked out by a functional med practitoner. Go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org and scroll down to locate a practiitoner. enter your zip code and choose the provider best suited for your needs.
In good health!
Thank you, unfortunately I’m in the UK and stuck with our rotten National Health system. I will see how if things improve once his cold has fully gone and will have to see a GP to get him checked, although they never seem to spot anything amiss until there is a full-blown infection usually.
My son is now 11 he attends a very costly private school for autistic children. He is non verbal with the exception of 5-10 words. He is also being treated for ADHD, ADD, and BD. Some days are better than others with his behavior, the behaviors seem to steem form him being non verbal and the people around him not knowing what he wants. He is functional, continent of B/B, will feed himself at times, until recently he slept through the whole night accident free since he was 4 years old. Everytime I sit down and read on autism everything goes back to smelly bowel movements, bloating of the stomach, dry skin, and being sick all the time. He has none of these and as far as vaccines I do not believe that had anything to do with him being autistic, I have always said that his autism related back to the lack of oxygen somewhere during the birthing process. My pediatrician does her best him, we have been to see behavior therapist, psych doctors and he receives ABA therapy but he seems to be geting worse instead of better, i am looking for help from anyone or anywhere so someone please help its like I have hit a brick wall. My husband and I are willing to do whatever it takes regardless of the cost to get him better and verbal. Hearing him say I love you mommy is would be worth the world in gold.
Dear Heather,
In order to provide you the proper care you need we hope you will seek the attention of a local qualified Functional Med practitioner soon. To locate a doctor who practices functional medicine like Dr. Hyman, go to http://www.functionalmedicine.org/findfmphysician/index.asp and scroll down to where it says “locate a practitioner” and enter your zip. Progress accordingly from there.
In good health,
Lizzy