I believe there is no traditional medicine that is specifically for Autism. There are traditional medicines that help with some of the behaviors and cognitive abilities, but to me personally it is a band-aide and does not get down to the root of Autism.
Natural approaches toward anything seem to get to the root of what is going on and helps from the inside out. I would love for Sarah to go all natural but we have not reached that goal yet. It is a work in progress.
Let me share with you some of the natural approaches that I have researched.
Food allergy and other sensitivities
Many autistic children show hypersensitivities. Some parents clearly notice that the child is sensitive to food and environmental factors and the sensitivity makes their autistic behavior worse. But other parents do not recognize this sensitivity issue so obviously. The reason is that the immune responses caused by allergy and sensitivities show different directions depending upon the area it attaches. If it attaches digestive, respiratory or nervous system, related symptoms follow. But if the immune response is toward detox function, energy metabolism and hormonal system or other areas that no specific symptoms are correlated, it results in overall reduction of energy production, accumulation of toxins or malfunction of the body communications. Therefore, no matter sensitivity symptoms show up or not, immune response and sensitivities always play a major role in autism. Without addressing sensitivities and autoimmune response, the body never reaches optimal detox function and never gets out of the chaotic stage completely. Thus, Immune System Reprogramming is not just for allergies. It helps the immune system regain its function and gives the body a fresh start to heal the damages. Please read Immune System Reprogramming for details.
Candida and Parasites
Most of the autistic children have digestive problems more or less. Weak digestive system is a result of toxic damage and pathogen overgrowth. Because of the malfunction of the immune system and frequent usage of antibiotics, Candida yeast overgrowth becomes a common problem. Symptoms include bloating, constipation or diarrhea, sugar craving, mental fog, high inflammation, sleeping problems, increased mucus production and sinus congestion etc. Candida hides inside the intestinal lining and causes damage to the mucus membrane system. This condition is called leaky gut, which believes to be the cause of many digestive problems.
Parasites are also common in autistic children although it may not be easy to be detected through stool analysis. The common sign of parasites is that the child is a pick eater and tries to eat many odd things other than food. The body weight of those children is lower than normal kids because of malnutrition. They may or may not show constipation or diarrhea. Parasites and Candida often come together. But the treatment has to be carefully monitored and timing is also critical. At most of time we do not treat them together. Pathogens release extra toxins when dying out. Strong treatment plan may results in toxin overloading in the body and the child’s behavior going backwards. We usually treat Candida and parasites when whole body detox function has recovered somehow.
Leaky gut syndrome
Leaky gut describes a condition that there are damages on intestinal lining and the damages cause mal-absorption of nutrition and leakage of toxins to the body. Toxin damage and pathogen overgrowth are the major cause for leaky gut. The weak healing ability and low tissue regeneration also play a role here. Leaky gut can be a main cause of body’s toxin accumulation and high inflammation condition. Meanwhile, partially digested food leaks to the body and causes food intolerance and food allergies. Malabsorption of nutrients such as amino acids leads to deficiency of neurotransmitters and causes anxiety and depression. Therefore leaky gut is the center piece of the whole body puzzle to health. To treat leaky gut, not only pathogen has to be addressed, whole body healing ability, adrenal function, and tissue regeneration should also be addressed as well. Please read Leaky Gut Syndrome for details.
CF/GF diet
Casein is a protein in dairy product, while gluten is from wheat. Some people have trouble to digest them well. Partially digested casein and gluten peptides may leak into blood and behave like morphine chemicals and react to the receptors of brain tissue. The common reaction for casein and gluten is spacy, mental fog, focus and behavior issues. For autistic children, casein and gluten may cause inflammation and damage to the brain.
Autism is a multifactor disease. Casein/gluten factor may not be the only factor causing the problem. But most of the autistic children do have casein/gluten issue. Thus even you tried casein free gluten free diet and do not see good result, it’s still worth to continue the diet and adds on other therapies. Without CF/GF diet, some autistic children may not respond to other therapy very well. It believes that once leaky gut and food intolerance is fixed, CF/GF diet can be phased out gradually in the future. Children don’t need CF/GF forever. After their nervous system has developed and insulated, casein and gluten effect may not be as damaging as when they are young.
Sleep
Sleeping issue should be addressed as early as possible. Without efficient sleep the body would never detox and never recover its healing ability. Many autistic children have sleeping issues. Sometimes the parents do not realize the importance of the problem. Children under 10 years old require 10 hours of sleep or more. If a child only sleeps 7-8 hours, after a few years, the body will start to show sign of toxin and adrenal problems. To treat sleeping problem, digestion, adrenal or liver have to be addressed. Meanwhile, life style changes are necessary. Parents have to pay more attention to the child’s sleeping needs and schedule it accordingly.
Hyperactivity, Behavior and Emotions
Hyperactivity is often triggered by sugar intake but not limited to it. Some food additives such as colorings also lead to hyperactivity. Casein and gluten may cause behavior issues as well. Diet control is the number one tool to help hyperactivity and behavior related problems. Taking digestive enzymes and treating digestive system also help. The connection between digestion and behavior is not limited to food allergy, but the leaky gut and associated the neurotransmitter imbalance. Some neurotransmitter pathways such as serotonin pathway start from digestive system. Without a good digestion, neurotransmitter will never balance completely.
Emotional stress is another trigger for behavior issues. Most autistic children do not express them well. For them speaking is the most difficult tusk they have to face. Their emotional needs can not be easily met and are often ignored (unintentionally) by their parents. This results in emotional blockages in autistic children. Once emotion blocks meridians in the body, next time when they experience the same emotion, they are going to explode. Addressing emotional blockages using Energetic Emotional Therapy is an efficient way to help behavior issues. Giving flower essences or performing EFT to autistic children will make their parents’ life easier.
In later stage of the program, to further help autistic conditions by improving nerve regeneration and brain development, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) may be used. This is an optional and complementary therapy, which has been used by many clinics to treat autistic children. Further information can be found in HBOT page.
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