Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 6 comments Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
Changes to diet help with autism symptoms
Published Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Why do some cases of autism spectrum disorders have a favorable response to eliminating gluten and casein proteins? Well, first let’s identify the offenders, then we’ll look at what happens to them in the body and then the brain.
Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, oats, rye and barley. Including malt, soy sauce, flavorings and artificial colors. Casein is a protein found in dairy products. It can also be found in non-milk products such as soy cheese, hot dogs in the form of caseinate.
Now, here is the theory. When eliminated from the diet, the body is not burdened with products it can not properly digest, and the body turns these substances into byproducts that mimic opiates. The child’s behavior, responses to their environment, and perceptions become skewed.
It should be noted that not all children have a dramatic improvement in speech or behavior, but numerous families have noted that out of all the interventions they have tried, implementing a gluten/casein diet modification has produced immediate results. Then all you have to do is continue with this process, by implementing additional therapies and nutritional interventions, including environmental detoxification.
Thomas Coffman
There are specific medical tests that can be ordered by your pediatrician that can assist in determining if your child has a sensitivity or allergy to gluten/casein products. It is important to specify that you intend on incorporating a gluten/casein diet into your child’s treatment routine. If the tests come back with results indicating no allergy to the above mentioned, then it will save you a huge headache in introducing this specific diet. I’ve had several young mothers call after speaking to our dietician or nutritionist, frustrated with the difficulty of changing shopping behaviors. Though most stores now have sections in the nutrition departments that have identified gluten/casein-free products, including providing parents with a list of available products. Yet, many stores still have no idea what you are talking about.
A much simpler way for people that do not carry enough health insurance, or if they will not cover various tests, is to systematically remove one food item at a time, and note any changes in behavior or physical symptoms over a one to two week period. Some parents remove all GFCF products, and introduce one at a time. This method tends to be quicker, thus providing an immediate return on your interventions.
Remember, food today is genetically modified and is not the same that our ancestors evolved with over the last five to 10 generations. To get an idea of what I’m talking about, anyone who has changed their pets’ food abruptly knows what happens. Anyway, in an effort to increase harvest and size of produce, it also has its negative side. Something that I teach in my “Managing the Spectrum” lectures, is we need to take note of the Amish, and there lack of autistic disorders in their communities. The only case found so far was a child that was recently adopted from an American family returning from China with a young child. A little history first, when they visited China, the child was fine, or no remarkable diseases or disorders. But, once the child was “selected for adoption,” the child went through all her normal routine immigration medical criteria. Which, unless they are adopted, do not receive the same health care interventions.
It is also interesting to note that another group is gaining attention in Minnesota. It was brought to my attention a few weeks ago by another journalist that I’d be interested in a story published by the Associated Press. The article noted that based on population, the Somali children consisted of 6 percent of the children in the Minneapolis school system, but were counting for 25 percent of the children enrolled in the early childhood autism programs. It’s of interest to note that while awaiting immigration to countries like the United States and Sweden some children receive the same vaccinations three or four times due to inadequate record keeping.
A few years ago, one of my patients was instrumental in co-authoring legislation in Iowa banning thimerosal in childhood vaccines. The state of California followed suit. Now, one has to ask the question, where do these vaccines go, once they have been deemed unsafe for child immunizations?
It has been suspected that these vaccines have found their way to aid agencies in Africa and sold to China. When I first heard that, I thought to myself, they’re going to be furious. Some countries do not vaccinate until the infant brain has adequately developed, i.e. 3 years of age. But it is common practice to fully immunize prior to adoption and immigration into the United States and other countries.
Several members of our staff have crossed over the aisle from conventional medicine and have established theories and protocols consistent with the conservative holistic medicinal communities. Several of our nurses, physician assistants and physicians have established a vaccinate wisely protocol. Know what you are getting, ask why you are getting it and spread them out.
In some cases, if you have a child that has developed a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), you may want to consider exploring a medical waiver if you suspect vaccine injury, linked to a predisposed genetic vulnerability, when getting routine childhood vaccinations for the rest of the house.
Adults tolerate vaccinations much better than the highly vulnerable infant nervous system. Think of the Amish the next time you vaccinate. Remember, their food is different, the clothing textiles are different, and the containers they store their food in are different. The big one is, they have zero documented cases of PDD or autism.
I would be interested to see how many wives of physicians would be willing to give birth in a foreign country, do some aide work for two years, then return to the States, knowing they will have to go through the same routine. Just a thought.
Last word: Last week, prior to announcing his VP pick, FOX News was taking note of VP Hopefuls. When Gov. Sara Palin’s child was brought into the mix, I was so confident that she would be the pick, I predicted on my Monday morning radio spot that fact alone was the silver bullet for Sen. John McCain. An advocate in the White House for childhood disorders is the single most important topic to the majority of American families. Because when it comes down to it, where are your priorities?
Dr. Thomas Coffman is the medical director of the British Clinic Health System, host of Integrative Medicine Radio, and author of four books on homeopathic psychology, ancient Egyptian medicine, and managing the spectrum. Coffman lectures for the British Institute of Homeopathy in the United States and England.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE THIS STORY?
Comments
Posted by drskg (anonymous) on September 10, 2008 at 10:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
INFANTILE AUTISM
Autism is characterized by a qualitative impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication in imaginative activity and in reciprocal social interactions. The prevalence is 3-4/10,000 children. The cause of autism has been poorly understood.
Pathologic abnormalities have not been conclusive, but in brain increased cell-packing density and reduced neuronal cell size, and an absence of obvious gliosis are suggestive of abnormal development of portions of the limbic system and cerebellar circuits.
Hypoperfusion of association cortex and decreased brain cellular metabolism have been observed on PET, SPECT, MRI, EEG and evoked potential studies.
AAY therapy have given a ray of hope for children with Autism by improving their over all development. It works by improving the cellular metabolism of brain hence giving an improvement in functioning of brain and clinical improvement in these children.
For details contact
www.aaycentre.org
www.krassindia.org
Dr. Sunil Gupta, MBBS, MD, Ph.D.
Consultant KRASS
drsunil@krassindia.org
info@krassindia.org
krass@sancharnet.in
krass@bsnl.in
drskg@yahoo.com
www.krassindia.org
RESEARCH WITH PURPOSE
Posted by sbahr (Stacey Bahr) on September 11, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
drskg: 3-4/10,000 children???? Where have you been the last 10 years? The numbers now are staggering, in MN alone, the numbers are as high as 1 in 100.
Many say that the diagnosis process now is different than several years ago, that there aren't really more children now with autism, just a better way of catching them, however if that were true, then in my high school alone, there should have been at least 8-10 kids with autism, but we had one, and at that time, no one had really heard of autism, other than what we had seen on "Rain Man." Get real. Times are changing, our environmental influences on the body are changing for the worse, far more toxins in our air, water and food, and these children, my son included, are the collateral damage. Frankly I'm disgusted that my son has to go through life with autism because we can't seem to see that these children are being poisoned.
As I said in my own blog, many children with ASD can't flush heavy metals and other toxins out of their bodies the way others can, causing them to build up at dangerous levels. It appears that there is a genetic predisposition for this, an evolution, if you will. So, all of the dangerous toxins we are exposed to every day, lead in paint, mercury in vaccines (and yes, it is still there), aluminum, formaldehyde, aborted human fetal tissue (you read that right) in vaccines, imagine what a build up of these things in a developing body can do. Lead and mercury are both very dangerous neurotoxins, and to a newly developing brain, the effects are devastating.
Autism is a complex puzzle. All of the chemical interactions that take place in the body work together, and if one is compromised, who knows home many other systems it will affect? Even with all of our advances in medicine, the entire process is still elusive to us, and we can't say for sure that one thing can't in some way cause another.
I have seen first hand how eliminating gluten, casein, soy, etc. is very beneficial to some children with autism, in some cases eliminating the symptoms. With other children, chelation therapy to remove heavy metals has been the answer. And for others like my son, they are only small pieces of a larger puzzle, and we are still trying to figure out what else is going on in his body that we need to address.
Dr. Coffman, when and where are your "Managing the Spectrum" lectures?
Posted by davek (anonymous) on September 11, 2008 at 1:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We have used the GFCF diet successfully with our ADHD grandson. It seems that many ADHD kids have the same digestive issues as many autistic kids. We have found many resources on the Internet that help with the diet. However, the best is a nationwide supplier of excellent GFCF food. The supplier is www.gfMeals.com. Although our grandson is a picky eater, he seems to like just about everything we get from these folks. Good luck with the diet. It really works.
Posted by sbahr (Stacey Bahr) on September 11, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have heard the same about ADHD and autism being similar chemically, and I'm pleased to hear you are having good luck with it. We tried the GF/CF diet with our son and saw no real benefits in his case, but we may give it another go, who knows, maybe there was some gluten or casein sneaking in the back door of his diet that we didn't know about. Some of the other children I have met, however, that are using the diet, the results are truly amazing.
Posted by BritishClinic (anonymous) on September 14, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
MANAGING THE SPECTRUM ~ Lectures will resume in the fall, once people get back into their normal routine with kids back in school. I have prior patients / parents, our nutritionist, our nurse (with herbal / psych / dark field training) attend various lectures through out the year and depending on the location.
Now that I'm back from deployment, I'd like to start up a support group in Southern Minnesota, similar to the groups we have in Iowa / California.
Let me know if you are interested in hosting a 1-2 hour lecture and where you would like me to give it. Other wise we will start them back up in the Clinic above the Post Office Next Month. The Full Lecture is 4 hours for parents (patients) and 8 hours for Professionals.
We address these cases from a four tier approach.
A ~ Classical Homeopathic Evaluation ( Based on Mental Symptoms & Physical Symptoms ) 40%
B ~ Diet Modifications / BioAvlb Nutrition 20%
C ~ Envir / Heavy metal Detox 20%
D ~ Additional Therapies : ie ABA, Pecs, One on One, group... 20%
We Involve the parent in the treatment process, by educating them about the condition, the treatment methods, and empowering them to take direct action in their interventions & progress. Depending on the level of interest / commitment of the parent, dictates the level of progress of the child. We've had parents only implement 1/2 of the program and still have great results. But one of the most important things a parent can do is network with other parents on a monthly basis and share success stories and get involved in each others cases. This is also a great place to find people that understand the condition and can be there when you need a break. Knowing a parent with ASD (special needs) is watching your child for a weekend, is just what the doctor ordered for your OWN Mental Health.
Give me a call at the Clinic 377-1727
Posted by BritishClinic (anonymous) on September 14, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I've had some cases not respond to the GFCF Diet, but that just means that they don't have the allergies associated with the condition. There are numerous factors that contribute to Toxic Brain Syndrome ( including ADHD / Autism / Aspergers / Downs ). Genetic, Environment, Diet, Heavy Metals, Parenting Skills, Behavior modification interventions, etc.
Each case is unique & Individualized. This is where it takes 500% more effort to properly treat these cases than the conventional approach.
Some of the worse cases are those associated with young single mothers, that skipped prenatal care, including nutrition during the fetal developmental stage, then fall into the welfare system / health care system. WIC doesn't do a thing for parent education ( shopping / diet / child development ) and typically the child falls into the care of over burden / over crowded special education programs in the public school system. Comes home to junk food and zero parenting. It takes parents that are on top of their game to be able to drop what they're doing to fully attend to the special needs associated with these cases. Conventional medicine isn't ready to take any responsibility for the treatment of these cases. Their answer is Tenex / Zanex / Zoloft / Risperadone / Ritalin (Sp?). I've seen 5 year olds on Adult Only Rx.
*Drug them so they're not disruptive. But the drugs listed above don't qualify as TREATMENT or MEDICINE ....
In My Dictionary, Treatment & Medicine = Left better than you found them . . . .
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
The Tribune encourages healthy, respectful dialogue in the spirit of community enlightenment. It's OK to disagree, but be courteous and civil. Name-calling, vulgarity and claims of criminality are subject to removal.
(Requires free registration.)