Autism: What can you do to help your child

Helping your child with autism can be very frustrating. You literally have to put the pieces together to discover what works best. Each child is different and while getting advice from others is fantastic, just understand it might not be what works for your child. Also, I've seen much better results from a variety of modalities and alterations to lifestyles are introduced together. 

 

Here are suggestions for places to start:

 

     1. Chiropractic care. You might think I am suggesting this because I am a Chiropractor. I am not. In fact, for my first few years in practice I would never have suggested it. With practice, I've come to understand that the reason Chiropractic helps is that it works on the nervous system and ASD is a problem with nerve system functioning. I've also come to understand the relationship of stress and how stress can make problems associated with ASD worse. Essentially, Chiropractic helps by decreasing the over stimulation of the nervous system by activating the parasympathetics. This will have a calming effect on your child that you will notice immediately. Over time, these adjustments will have a sustained effect that will last for days and weeks. It's a process and each child responds differently. Sensory processing disorders seem to clear up quickly with Chiropractic and parents have also reported back that their child detoxes following adjustments. I've seen children have remarkable changes in just a few visits and other take a couple of weeks. For anyone interested, I'm happy to speak with you personally and discuss in depth how Chiropractic can help.

     2. Change the diet. Chemicals including sugar, MSG and others can greatly affect your child. In some cases, their gut has been severely affected by the toxic ingredients like aluminum, mercury and antibiotics from vaccinations and food. It can take time to clear out and heal the gut, but it must be done. In addition to clearing the diet of chemicals, this is what seems to work for most children:

        a. Go gluten-free, casein-free (commonly found in cow's milk) and GMO free. This means buying organic, whole foods like fruits and vegetables. Packaged foods, even organic products contain genetically modified organisms which are proving to be destructive to the gut. To learn more about the problem with GMO's, check out the movie "Genetic Roulette". Because of GMO's, this means that buying organic meats is essential. The grain typically fed to non-organic animals are usually genetically modified. Plus, they typically are given antibiotics and steroids, which increase the chemicals that will filter down into your food. 

        b. Food. Try a simpler diet like one advocated by Sally Fallon, author of "Nourishing Traditions" and founder of the Weston A Price Group. There are groups all over the country that meet regularly that can support you while you incorporate these changes. I also advocate for foods high in Omega 3's...the healthy fats that decrease inflammation. These foods include avocados, olives and olive oil, meats, fruits and vegetables. Foods that tend to be inflammatory are grains, potato chips, trans-fatty acids, beans, etc.

     3. Supplements. Since each child is different, I would go to someone trained in working with children on the spectrum to evaluate what your child's deficiencies are and then get recommendations. However, I recommend I high quality probiotic (without fillers) taken on an empty stomach designed for your child. 

     4. Heavy metal cleansing. Since many children also have heavy metal toxicity, this should be explored since many heavy metals wind up in the gut and the brain. Many years ago there was a study done regarding Alzheimer's which also affects the brain. They found that people receiving the flu shot, which contains mercury, five years in a row were more likely to get Alzheimer's. During an autopsy, they found mercury in the brain of these people who had died. Mercury is a tough metal to find with ordinary tests and the most specific test I've heard of is one that is done by a company in France. There are many herbs that will detox heavy metals, but I would work with someone trained in this area to make sure it is done appropriately. 

     5. Homeopathy. While I don't understand how this works to help children with Autism, I've heard from patients that it is very helpful...particularly when combined with Chiropractic care. I would definitely recommend you use a Classical Homeopath and one that has had experience in working with children on the spectrum. 

     6. Electronic screens & EMF. Many years ago I read a study that was done on TV and ADD/ADHD. They found that this type of stimulation in young children causes ADD and ADHD. I've also seen reports as to behavioral problems with children that are directly connected with the screens. There is an excellent book that addresses this subject that I highly recommend, "Your Brain on Childhood" by Gabrielle Principe, Ph.D. I've also found that children are sensitive to electromagnetic frequency, commonly found with computers and other electronic devices. This sensitivity can increase their stress which can increase their symptoms. One thing you can do to start is to turn off your wireless router at night. Decreasing screen time is excellent, but also finding ways to reduce the EMF in your child's surrounding (including cell phone EMF's) is important too. Salt lamps are good as well as other EMF-reducing devices.

     7. Decrease Stress. Stress is seen as something that really increases ADD and ADHD as well as a sense of well-being. Your child will also pick up on your stress which is why I know that parents need to do what they can for themselves as well. Whether it is deep breathing several times per day, going out in nature, drinking a calming tea before bedtime, taking a regular yoga class, receiving Chiropractic or all of the above, this can make a significant difference. Many times I see children being shuttled off to a lot of activities that are supposed to be helping them, but it appears that being scheduled is increasing their stress. If you can focus on ways to help them de-stress you might get better results!

I've also seen children's behavior change before my eyes by just adjusting the parent! I've seen how my daughter reacts when I'm on edge so I've come to learn how important this is. I encourage you to work on whatever stress reduction methods work for you and use them regularly. Keeping your glass full is important so you don't burn yourself out.

     8. Neuro and Biofeedback. I've been using Biofeedback on adults for a variety of problems with great results. The changes that we see are immediate, particularly when combined with the Chiropractic adjustment. Biofeedback works by teaching someone how they can decrease their stress. Again, stress is a huge factor in children on the spectrum. I'm confident that we will start seeing research in this area in the near future.  To learn more about how Neurofeedback can help children with ADD and ADHD, check out this site. Dr. Melillo discusses the importance of brain balance to help children. 

 

While I realize that these solutions won't work for everyone, remember that they take time. It is a process and with time, the pieces should start coming together.  

The information contained here is not intended to replace medical advice. Consult a health care practitioner.

Autism: My perspective on the causes

Autism: The Cause

 

There are many factors being attributed to autism. It's not surprising that environmental toxins are at the top of the list. PCB's in plastics, increased mercury in fish, pesticides on our fruits and vegetables, aluminum in pots and pans, increased pollution in the water and air, toys from China...where does it end? Consider that the constant onslaught our babies and small children receive from our environment to be the beginning of creating a toxic body coupled with the increased use of antibiotics. 

 

Consider what life was like in 1983 when the autism rate was 1:10,000 children. Less plastic, more glass, less pollution, less genetically engineered food (although we still had DDT to deal) and far less vaccinations. If you look at vaccinations alone, the recommended schedule of vaccinations in 1983 vs the current recommendations have increased dramatically. To view the schedules, click here. While pro-vaccine people will tell you that there was less reporting of autism in 1983, it still does not account for the vast discrepancy.

 

While some people claim that there was no correlation between vaccinations and their child's autism, then maybe it was the tipping point. Maybe the polluted environment we live in started the process and the onslaught to the nervous system by the toxic ingredients of the vaccinations took their child from healthy or high functioning into ASD. 

 

I have a special interest is the relationship between vaccinations and autism. The reason is because I have talked to so many parents over the years who can tell me with absolute certainty that their child was fine and developing appropriately for his or her age, then had severe changes following being vaccinated.

 

In some cases, the changes were "minor" following a round of vaccinations. Like high-pitched screams for a couple of hours, or restlessness. Following the next round, their child changed before their eyes. In other cases, the change was immediate...usually after the MMR vaccination. 

 

For one particular child, the mom did not want to vaccinate but the dad did. There was increasing pressure from her doctor, family and friends as the boy got older. In the mom's heart, she knew that it would be a huge mistake. When her son was 15 months old, she relented. She told the nurse that she would agree to a total of 3 vaccinations (not shots). She brought her son to me 3 days later, limp. The boy had not eaten and had a very high fever. Despite taking him to the hospital, no one was able to help him. He had been healthy prior to receiving the shots.

 

When I looked at the Vaccine Card from the doctor, the boy had actually received 5 vaccinations in 3 shots. The doctor and nurse told her that it was a coincidence that the boy had the reaction...that he must have been sick without her realizing it. Fortunately, the chiropractic adjustment immediately brought him out of this detached and ill state. His fever dropped within minutes and before he left was looking at his mom. Needless to say, she would never vaccinate her son again. 

 

I realize that there are studies that claim there is not a link between autism and vaccinations. You need to evaluate when looking at a study who actually paid for the study. Was it an independent group or was it the pharmaceutical industry with something to gain. After all, you can design a study to have the desired outcome if you choose. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) setup a committee to review the literature on vaccine side effects. They concluded that their knowledge was limited because there is 

1. Limited understanding of biological processes that underlie adverse events.
2. Incomplete and inconsistent information from individual reports.
3. Poorly constructed research studies (not enough people enrolled for the period of time).
4. Inadequate systems to track vaccine side effects.
5. Few experimental studies published in the medical literature. (CDC)

To date there has not been a study comparing vaccinated children to unvaccinated children in regards to the vaccine - autism link. You can look at communities where vaccinations are not given and you will find virtually no autism. The Amish community is one and another prominent community is the patient base of Dr. Mayer Eisenstein. He is a medical doctor in Chicago and serves a community of 30-35,000 children. Dr. Eisenstein is also author of the book, Make an Informed Vaccine Decision. He reports no autism in his community and he does not vaccinate his patients.  While this German study (illustration to the left) does not compare autism in the vaccinated community vs the unvaccinated, it does show Hyperactivity (a common symptom in children with autism) and Seizures (a common precursor to regressing into autism). 

 

With regards to reporting of vaccine injuries, even the CDC admits that vaccine reactions and injuries are under-reported. In every case where a child had a reaction to a vaccination, the parents had told me that their doctor insisted that it was a coincidence, that the child must have been sick. The parents were not aware of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting Serviceand when questioning their doctors, were told that they did not report this as an adverse event. 

 

Learn the facts about vaccinations. Understand what the ingredients are and how they are toxic to the brain. For instance, did you know some of the common ingredients include: aluminum, formaldehyde (used to embalm people when they die), antibiotics, egg protein, MSG or monosodiumglutamate (a neurotoxin), and thimerosol or mercury. Mercury is considered a hazardous material...why do we want to inject that in our children or ourselves?

 

Go to the manufacturer's website of the vaccine your child is supposed to receive and read what the contraindications are and possible reactions. For the MMR vaccine, Merck has a long list of possible reactions including vasculitis, diabetes, convulsions and seizures, and Guillain-Barré Syndrome. For the complete list for the MMR, click here. Your doctor should be educating you about the possible reactions to vaccines. It's called Informed Consent. 

 

Educate yourself by reading some excellent books on the topic including Dr. Eisenstein's and Neil Z. Miller. Watch the documentary, "The Greater Good Movie" by either purchasing the film or going to a screening of the film. Go to various websites such as the National Vaccine Information Center to learn more. Join Facebook groups to speak to real parents of children who have been vaccine injured. And, go to the CDC website for a list of possible vaccine reactions or ask you doctor for the insert from the vaccines for the list. 

 

While there are still a lot of questions about the cause of autism, I don't think you can point your finger to one thing. It's most likely an accumulation of neurological "insults" to the nervous system and brain. As a parent, start by doing your own research and speak to as many parents as you can who have children on the autism spectrum. And without a doubt, educate before you vaccinate!

Working through the Stressors of Live

Stress. Boy have things changed in my 54 years of life. It's no wonder there is more stress today and more people having their health challenged by it. Having a 9 year old daughter it gives me time to reflect how my life was when I was her age. While there was TV, there were only the major stations to choose from, so watching TV was not enticing. After school activities involved playing on the street or the backyard of our homes. Standardized tests didn't exist and school meant lots of dodge ball, PE, music and the arts (in addition to the academics). I don't remember getting caught in traffic to get anywhere. It was a time of discovery. Even as a teen and a young adult, free time was spent going to an occasional concert but mainly hanging out at parks, the beach and having lots of cookouts. Things were simpler then, both for adults and children. It felt like it was about connecting with nature and people, not electronic devices or feeling rushed to get to the next planned activity.

Now, it's an endless stream of after school activities for our children, the standardized tests (for No Child Left Behind), about 20 minutes of recess, homework that can take children an hour to complete...leaving no time for after school play, as well as dealing with illness which starts the stress cycle at a young age. These stressors could actually be the causing poor sleep which may lead to ADD and ADHD.

For adults, sitting in traffic for hours to get to work, working at a job that is unfulfilling, spending hours helping our children, or just working and dealing with "stuff" causes our stress. There is little time for us to take care of ourselves. The stress we feel as adults can also lead to insomnia, cause our hormones to get out of balance and cause other health problems. From personal experience, I know that chronic sleeplessness can lead to depression and anxiety. Taking sleep medicine is definitely not the answer.

In practice, I've seen everything from chronic fatigue and illnesses, ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and other severe health problems connected to stress. Autoimmune disorders are exacerbated stress. Even memory problems, behavioral problems, and hormonal imbalances will worsen. Many times it becomes a vicious cycle. You have a stressor (physical, emotional or chemical), your body or mind reacts in a certain way (high blood pressure/racing heart, thoughts running through your head), you might find yourself eating "comfort" food (which is usually not very healthy), you don't sleep well as a result. Suddenly, you find yourself spiraling down. You might have an anchor that can help you through, but internally, you are still stressed. You keep going because you have to. You might even tell yourself that you feel fine.

But deep inside, the stressors are there...lurking and creating havoc in your body. I know all about this. Since my injury in 2005, I've had a lot of stressors. Mainly physical and emotional. I'd talk myself out of feeling stress. Maybe get lost in Facebook or Glee. But that is not facing the stressor or working through it. Because of my own challenges with stress, it has become important for me to help others facing challenges.

I've worked with families that have a child with ADD or ADHD. I've seen the stress it causes the entire family. What about adults who are caregivers to loved ones with physical challenges? Or someone who has a difficult daily commute or does not feel fulfilled in their job. New parents have their own set of challenges trying to figure out what their baby needs. And teenagers, trying to figure out where they fit in in the world, where it will lead them and what their next steps should be. Stress is all around us and working through these stressors can be challenging.

This is why I focus my practice on helping people with stress. Helping adults and children with their stress truly changes lives. From seeing a student finding ease in their studies and sports activities, a child becoming more "social", a parent feeling more relaxed so that he or she can sleep better and feel "connected" to themselves to the adult trying to enjoy life more. I've seen this work both in my practice and in my own life. When my stress level is down I know I am a better parent and wife. When my daughter feels better then I feel better. It's about breaking these vicious cycles of life.

I do my work in several ways. First, I utilize the Stress Response Evaluation. This will help me to objectively identify how the stress is affecting you. It checks out your heart function, how you are breathing, your brain wave activity, skin conductance and temperature. This is important information as it tells me how long you've had stress and specifically how it has effected you.

With this information, it tells me what style of adjustment would benefit you the most. For instance, I typically use a Logan adjustment on someone with chronic stress. It relaxes the body and calms the mind to allow for a better night's sleep. This same adjustment will allow the nervous system to be balanced so your health will improve. People also tell me that with this adjustment, they find they are more patient with their children or colleagues at work. Amazing!

I can also determine if someone would benefit by a breathing exercise, if they need specific nutritional support or if they need new tools to deal with stressors. The SRE will also help me to guide you if you need to do a regular calming practices and even the type of workout that would most benefit them. For instance, someone with chronic stress might benefit more by a restorative yoga practice, to help build them up, rather than a hot yoga practice that will literally burn them out. This tool will even give me insight as to what challenges you on a physiological level (sounds or a cognitive challenge).

By combining this objective and subjective information, offering you choices to help you work through your stressors, and having healthy workshops (and webinars coming soon) available, you can determine how you want to proceed to resolving stress both for you and your family so you all lead happy and healthy lives. Give me a call. I'm happy to talk to you over the phone to answer any of your questions. Namaste, Dr. Nancy