I wrote this article a number
of years ago. Since then I have worked with many, many people who are on the continuum. I am fascinated by what seems to be the very high number of sugar sensitive people who also deal with these issues. This past week, I came across an amazing article that described why people on the continuum often have so much anxiety. They process stress differently. It has such huge implications for us. It also makes me realize that my musings from 10 years ago were pretty on target. I
will be thinking about this lots more, but here is a chance for you to stretch your brain a bit.
And here is the original publication
that Autism Speaks is referencing:
And my original thoughts:
A number of you have asked me about autism and Aspergers Syndrome and what you might do nutritionally? While I am not an expert in autism, I can outline some of the research that is being done and share my reflections on how it might fit together. You have the lived experience. Perhaps we can explore our way to some working
solutions.
I have often wondered about autism. A couple of years ago I got a gorgeous rescue golden retriever. Her people gave her up because she was a behavioral problem. I took her and then observed. She would not connect, made no eye contact, and spent her days immobile with her head under the bed. She collected all the dog
toys and hoarded them with her there under the bed. She could not cope with new experiences. She was stubborn, willful and terrified of rain and thunder. I worked with her behaviorally for 6 months with no change made.
Eventually, I took her to a homeopathic vet to see if he might offer some perspective. We met for an hour. He
said, I think she is autistic. He had a remedy for her, but had to order it and said it would take 2 weeks. I figured while I was waiting, I would play with her food and see what happened. I did and in 3 days, this dog was transformed. She connected, she started wagging her tail, she started to play with the other dogs. Six months more and she was in a loving home being funny and loving. She is at times a little quirky, but they adore her and see her as a normal dog. The transformation got my
attention.
Science does not know what autism is or how to treat it. Basically, researchers admit that they are trying stuff to see if it makes any difference. But as I started reading the literature, I found some intriguing connections.
Autistic children generally have high levels of serotonin in their blood platelets, but the level of free serotonin was low. This means that somehow the serotonin that is in the blood gets bound to the platelets but extra does not float around. This may mean high serotonin in blood cells, but low serotonin in brain. [think about this in terms of that article and not being able to turn off the distress
cues]
One study suggests that this early high level could have an impact on the infant brain. Small babies do not have a formed blood-brain barrier; so high levels of serotonin could cross over ad knock out or overload the brain. This would mean a dysfunction in the serotonin receptor system. Fewer receptor sites, or impaired
receptor binding, could account for the strange combination of no impulse control and obsessive brain lock we see in autistic children. At any rate, think of impaired serotonin function in your children. It is complex and not really clear, but there is no question that serotonin in some form is implicated.
Research also
comments on the fact that autistic children have high beta-endorphin levels. The literature does not reference baseline beta-endorphin but talks about an exaggerated stress response. Measuring beta-endorphin evokes stress, so the high levels they see may be a function of the exaggerated stress reaction. Stress evokes BE, and generally serotonin modulates the spike. If the serotonin system is impaired, there could be nothing to tone the beta-endorphin spike down so there would be a constant
spiking and crashing. [I have to go back to my original sources to put this all together]
Higher BE levels are associated with difficulty in bonding. BE is designed to kill pain, it creates numb. This can be life saving in a crisis, but it does not bode well for bonding. Children treated with a BE blocker actually had
fewer autistic symptoms. Researchers used a drug called Naltrexone that sits in beta-endorphin receptor sites and does not allow the heightened BE reaction to charge the system. But it does nothing to heal it.
I began thinking, what about food? What do we know and how might we design a food program for your kids. The variables
we are working with:
- An impaired serotonin system
- A heightened stress response
- Heightened levels of BE in response to the exaggerated stress response
OK,
this simplifies the task. Here's what we want to do:
- Have no blood sugar spiking and crashing. These evoke stress. These children need to eat every 3 hours. Three meals, on time, 2 daytime snacks and an evening snack before bed.
- No BE spiking from sugar and white things
- Increased omega 3 fatty acids to repair the brain. The brain is made of omega 3 fatty acids. If your childs brain does not have an adequate supply, it will be brittle rather than supple. And a brittle brain overreacts even more.
What does this mean in terms of food?
Increase the protein to make sure that the brain has the amino acids it needs to make serotonin in the brain factory. This means regular and consistent protein. And yes, I know that most of your children only want to eat carbs. Think whey protein power. Identify what proteins your kids are willing to try and use those creatively.
Give your children a children's formula of fish oil. Check the DHA formulation we have in the store. I love Nordic Naturals Products and think they are safe and very appropriate for your children.
Ultimately, you will want to move
your kids to a food plan that has no wheat, no hard-core dairy (whey protein isolate powder is ok because it does not have casein), and no sugar. Get a subscription to the magazine Living Without (www.livingwithout.com). They are great about the no wheat, no dairy part. They do not understand about the no sugar part.
Wheat and dairy contain opioid peptides and raise BE levels more. Sugar does the same. Obviously you will not do all of this at once. But you can take out things like soda and move incrementally towards the goal.
Now, at this point, you are probably either laughing or recoiling in horror. You may be thinking, Kathleen, that is a joke, my child only eats 2 things. I realize we have some major logistics to get through. I am very pragmatic. But, if you knew that putting your child on a protein/veggies/oil food plan with a timed evening carb would create a profound improvement, wouldnt you wan to at least try? I know you have spent thousands of dollars and have tried 100 other
things. We have nothing to lose. Lets share and do problem solving together.
And, of course, it is critical that YOU do the steps. You cannot even think of making these changes with your child unless you are totally steady. Lets do it together.
