What is Autism and what are its causes?
Autism is a term that refers to a collection of neurologically
based developmental disorders in which individuals have
impairments in social interaction and communication skills,
along with a tendency to have repetitive behaviors or interests.
The severity of autism varies greatly, from individuals with
little speech and poor daily living skills, to others who
function well in most settings. Approximately 70 to 75 percent
of individuals with autism are believed to have mental
retardation. Some adults with autism live independently.
A variety of factors could be associated with some forms of
autism, including infectious, metabolic, genetic, neurological
and environmental factors. There has been a growing concern
among parents that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine can
cause autism and a study published in the Journal of the
American Association of Physicians and Surgeons examined
extensive data on vaccines in children. The astonishing
conclusion:
Children who receive just three vaccines containing the
mercury-based preservative thimerosal are 27- times more likely
to develop autism, compared to children who get vaccinations
containing no thimerosal. This was no surprise to the many
researchers who have recognized that mercury- exposure to
children through vaccines dramatically increased over the past
15 years, while the rate of autism jumped from 1 in 10,000 to 1
in 150 over the same period.
What are the symptoms of Autism and how is it diagnosed?
Autism is typically diagnosed during the toddler or preschool
years, although some children are diagnosed later. Language
delay or lack of appropriate social development may cause
parents or teachers to seek an evaluation.
Some children may have a period of normal development before the
onset of symptoms and may even lose some earlier acquired
skills, such as early words or social smiling.
Currently, there is no blood test or other medical test
available to diagnose autism. Correct diagnosis depends on
extensive and accurate developmental history, as well as
observations of the child's social, communicative and play
behaviors.
In autistic children, the inability of brain cells to
communicate properly manifests physically in a parallel way.
Autistic children often have difficulty with verbal
communication, and in their inability to participate well (if at
all) in a conversation.
Gestures and facial expressions, known as non-verbal
communication, are also difficult. They have trouble relating
socially to people and their surroundings, and often prefer
playing alone because they don't know how to make friends. Their
playtime may be very systematic and orderly, and not very
imaginative.
A compromised immune system is common for these children,
including other autoimmune diseases. Autistic children are often
more susceptible to infections, viruses in the colon, colds, ear
infections, allergies and asthma.
Is it true that nutrition can make a difference in my child's
autistic behavior?
Good nutrition is particularly important for children and
especially important for children with any type of health
challenge. Your child's body was not designed to be ill- and
that's good news. This means you need to give your child the
fuels he or she needs to help heal and correct their bodies.
In an article written by Dr. Steve Nugent, NMD, Phd and Jane
Ramberg, MS called "Reassessing the Need for Dietary Supplements
for America's Children", the following is stated: "Studies
indicate that poor nutrition in childhood can have irreversible
efffects, ranging from mild to serious, affecting brain
development, skeletal structure, and height. If malnutrition
occurs during the critical period of high brain growth
velocity (between the last trimester of pregnancy and age 2),
deleterious (harmful) effects on brain development are
permanent."
There should be no question that what your child eats will
affect his or her health. The only question is what can I learn
about my child's nutrition and what can I do to improve it?
WHAT NUTRIENTS DOES MY CHILD NEED?
The best way for your child to obtain good nutrition is by
consuming a healthy well balanced diet of protein,
carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. It's also important
to get Phytonutrients/Antioxidents (nutrients from plants,
vine-ripe fruits, & vegetables); Phytohormones which support
proper organ health; and Glyconutrients, the newest class of
necessary nutritrients.
Glyconutrients are required for complete cellular communication
and probably the most important nutrient for a child with any
type of chronic health challenge.
Why are some nutrients considered necessary for proper body and
immune system functioning and others are not considered
necessary?
In a nutshell, if you understand how a basic computer works, you
know that there is certain software, called the operating
system, that is required to make the computer run. Then there
are other software, like games and word document programs, that
use the operating system in order to function. The same applies
to your child's body. There are necessary nutrients (as
described above) that are essential to make the human body
function and then there are supplemental nutrients (like herbs)
that are useful when all of the essential nutrients are present.
Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, the most reassuring thing about
necessary nutrients is that they are non-toxic. Your child's
body will accept nutrition naturally without the toxic and
sometimes life threatening side affects of pharmaceutical drugs.
What would your rather have your child try first to improve his
or her health challenge?