Table of Contents

Introduction The Little Boy and the Turtle - A Story of Evolution Chapter 1. What is Autism? 3 Main Challenges Page 4 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11

Chapter 2.

Why is This Happening? Arguments Against A Real Epidemic Those Arguments Put To Rest in 2009 How Did This Happen To MY Child? Epigenetics Toxicity Do Vaccines Cause Autism? 6 Problems I Have With Vaccines Two Enormous Slaps in The Face

Page 14 Page 14 Page 15 Page 17 Page 17 Page 19 Page 28 Page 30 Page 34

Chapter 3.

What is Actually Wrong? Documented Medical Issues When Should I Look For Problems? Understanding Typical Neurodevelopment The Neurological Issues We Love Labels The Biochemical Issues

Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 44 Page 46 Page 48 Page 53

Chapter 4. Chapter 5.

Bringing It All Together What can I do to start BEATING AUTISM NOW? Mainstream vs. Alternative Therapies Develop a Very Positive Attitude Learn as Much as You Can Get the Right Medical Tests Done The Fate of the Turtle - Reality and Dr. Mikes Call to Action

Page 55 Page 62 Page 64 Page 65 Page 65 Page 66

Chapter 6.

Page 67

This book outlines research about the possible development of Autism in children as well as interventions that may help children with Autism improve.

This book should NOT be construed as medical advice, and the ideas and recommendations suggested should not be followed without first consulting a health care professional.

This book has been written from the perspective of a parent of two children who had been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, who has since created a researchbased intervention to help children on the spectrum. Opinions shared throughout the book are strictly those of Dr. Michael Gruttadauria. References and websites have been included in an effort to further the readers knowledge. In no way, does the books copyright suggest an actual or inferred ownership of any of the materials to which people may link through this book.

Copyright 2010 by Michael A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Introduction

Once upon a time, a very happy couple brought their second child into the world. It was a little girl, and they got such a great sense of joy and amazement from this child. One day, the childs mother sensed that something wasn't right. She brought her concerns to the childs father who quickly denied that anything was wrong. She persisted in pointing out these small differences she noticed that were not present in their first child. He continued to resist. About three months later, when he couldnt resist anymore, they had an evaluation done. He had himself convinced that this was a speech delay that could be handled with speech therapy. When the evaluation was complete, and they were told that their child had an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, they were devastated. It was like they had her and then she was taken away. Everything seemed so perfect and normal, and all of the sudden it was gone.

Unfortunately, this is my story and it could probably be yours as well.

Google University
When you start looking for answers about Autism, most people turn to the Internet. Unfortunately, you will quickly find out that Autism, Autistic Spectrum Disorders and PDD-nos, are not considered treatable conditions. At best, certain symptoms are manageable through behavioral therapy and medication. You read reports and studies and you find that many of these children may never gain language or independence - it is devastating. This was just a second kick in the head for me and I was just really devastated. I remember so clearly - exactly where I was, and I remember so distinctly that pain that I felt as my wife and I cried for a week. We really were just two total zombies. Soon thereafter, I was told that our pediatrician had a child with Autism, and I said, Wow, you know what...we have an inside track. Were really lucky maybe well be able to figure this out with her help. I anxiously reached out to our pediatrician who was quick to tell me that, nothing works and dont waste your time or your money. She continued with more advice, focus on the early intervention and hope for the best. What? That was advice that I just could not take. This was my child and I felt that there had to be an answer. This was a neurological condition, but yet there were no neurologists that were treating it.

I was so confused. I spent a tremendous amount of time grappling with the idea that this was a medical condition that was now going to be managed educationally. If you had diabetes or heart disease you would not be prescribed educational interventions, so why would Autism be any different? There are so many very confusing and confounding questions that Im going to try to answer for you throughout this book. This became the most motivating thing in the world for me. I was going to figure this out. I felt like I needed to take this on as a personal mission, to try to help my child. I spent the next 3 years studying the biochemistry and neurology of Autism. I decided that we were going to give early intervention 12 months to see if she would respond. If this was really going to help her, I should have seen some dramatic changes. After all, what 18 month old has 5 hours a day of therapy and special education? She should have been a genius within a year.

When the year was up, I asked her therapists and her teachers for an update on her progress. Their response was, shes doing great, but if we miss a week with her she falls back 2 weeks. Although we saw some positive things (like it was really great to see her interact with them, and these people really loved her) she really hadnt made great progress. It was at that point that I realized that this was a brain-based disorder and it needs to be treated as such. We needed to actually try to modify the way the brain was working. I was studying the literature like a mad man. There was a tremendous amount of research available; it just wasnt making its way into mainstream medical practices. I became totally immersed personally and professionally.

My child went through a series of many different kinds of therapies that included all of the various educational interventions. In addition, specific sensory training programs were put in place to enhance the way her nervous system worked. As we did it consistently over a long period of time, she began to respond, change and grow. She also began to develop language and socialization skills. From 18 months to 5 years old she made such dramatic changes and gains that she was totally declassified and now is absolutely indistinguishable from her typical peers.

Her recovery has been nothing short of amazing and has been a real blessing for us. At this point, I have made a commitment to help every other child and their family, because I know the devastation that this causes as it totally rocked my entire family. Unfortunately, our next child was diagnosed with PDD-nos and we started all over again. At that point, I had an entirely different perspective about this as I knew it was a treatable condition.

Now, not every child will see total reduction of all symptoms. The really challenging thing about Autism is that its such a wide spectrum. There are so many different biochemical and neurological dysfunctions that lead to the same symptoms. This is why you really need knowledge, a game plan and a coach to guide you through the process to have the best chance for improvement. It is key that you work with someone who actually treats children with Autism, who sees what works and what doesn't. You need to have a clinician that can dissect the entire process and really look at whats going on chemically and neurologically and what kinds of interventions need to be brought into this childs world. They can show you where you need to spend your time and energy.

Unfortunately, not every parent has access to a DAN Doctor in their area, but that should not mean that their child is out of luck. I have put together this entire workbook to guide you through the process, from diagnosis to improvement.

As a result of reading the material in this book, you may experience a wide range of emotions. My goal is that you realize there is hope. Its goal is to inform you as to what is happening to a child with Autism, what you can do to help your child immediately and what needs to be done on a larger scale to handle the crisis we face. It actually began as a transcript from a series of international seminars that I did recently and has been modified to make it pertinent, and to include references and links.

Why I chose Beat Autism Now for the Title of This Book
You and I are in the fight of our lives. Winner takes our kids. Autism is a very tough opponent. It is stealthy, taking on many forms and presentations. As far as I am concerned it is misclassified as a psychiatric disorder, giving it more power. That power comes from the fact Autism has hit us like a tsunami over the past 20 years and this classification has kept its biochemical and neurological underpinnings hidden from mainstream doctors. Since it is considered psychiatric, there has been little to no training in medical school pediatrics programs with regard to appropriate interventions.

It is controversial, but I firmly believe that the vaccination schedule in the US has a lot to do with this dramatic rise in Autism cases. As you will see later in the book, I speak about vaccines and the potential relationships that may have with disease. Prior to 1983, children in the US received a total of 10 vaccines before the age of 6. After 1983, that number has risen to 36! Why do they need so many vaccines? We know that the babys brain and immune system are still developing during their first two years of life. Assaulting them with that many vaccines has got to have a negative effect.

Random Thoughts So here you are reading this book. More than likely you have a child that has been affected or know one that has been. With most pediatricians telling you the vaccines have nothing to do with Autism, the Autism stats growing to epidemic proportions and a political battle between powerful drug companies (and their media outlets) and those of us who know that our kids have been affected, IT IS UP TO YOU TO DECIDE TO FIGHT FOR YOUR CHILD.

You will probably be ridiculed and abused by friends, family and even your doctor for doing what you will come to know is right. Friends might think you are nuts if you choose to alter your childs vaccination schedule. They may tell you that they read in the news recently that the connection between the MMR vaccine and Dr. Wakefields Study linking it to Autism has been disproven. You family members might tell you that you are crazy for putting your child on a restricted diet, they NEED milk to build strong bones! Your childs doctor will almost certainly discharge your child from their care if you tell them that you do not feel that the vaccine schedule is appropriate for your child. They will be condescending and try to guilt you into thinking that your child could die from the Measles or the Mumps without being vaccinated. One of the pediatricians at the practice that sees my kids in the event they become ill is a real dope. She has bullied my wife on three separate occasions to sign a Death Waiver for my little guy because we have refused to vaccinate him. She has no idea what it is like to have a child with this diagnosis and she is a horrible human being for trying to be so hurtful.

For many reasons, most of them about money and politics, most people in the media will not tell the story straight and report the facts. Unfortunately, you will probably never see me on Oprah. The powers that be do not want the masses to know these things.

Know this: Knowledge is Power. Be Informed.

Turn your pain, anger, denial and regret into desire and motivation to do all you can to help your child to Beat Autism Now!
Dr. Mike

The Little Boy and the Turtle

What do turtles have to do with Autism? One day I was thinking about how scary this entire Autism epidemic truly is, affecting more than 1 out of every 100 kids. The number has grown 57% in the past 4 years alone. There is a mother and father that are crushed right now in 1 out of every 58 homes with new baby boys. If the number has increased over 50% in the past 4 years, where will it be 5 years from now? Will it one day be 1 out of 2 boys at some point? You literally have to be afraid to have a baby today. What has changed? The environment we live in has changed a lot since the Human Body was designed. God, Mother Nature, our Creator - whatever you believe - created the Human Body as a marvel of biochemical interaction. Each cell in the body generates hundreds of chemical reactions every day. Considering you have 100 TRILLION cells in your body, there are a lot of reactions going on! The body takes in the things that it needs from the environment, food and water. It extracts chemical compounds (vitamins, minerals, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, etc.) from food and water to help it accomplish the chemical reactions needed to keep the body alive and well. Each of these reactions plays a role in the process we call Metabolism. Metabolism and all of its reactions were very carefully designed to work within the Earth's environment. Unfortunately, we have polluted the environment with over 80,000 man-made chemicals that interfere with the body's metabolic processes. That interference causes mutations in our genes and also, disease. When environmental changes occur, all things must adapt. If they do not or cannot adapt, they die. I remember seeing a show about Charles Darwin, a researcher studying wildlife, and his trip to the Galapagos Islands. On the islands, he found two groups of turtles - one group had short necks and ate grass from the ground and the other group had long necks and they ate the leaves from bushes overhead. As the climate changed on the islands, the grass dried up and became very sparse. The short-neck turtles could not eat and they died off, while the long-neck turtles never missed a meal. This is the Theory of Natural Selection; part of evolution. I will finish this thought later on in the book.

Chapter 1: What is Autism?

There is (and always has been) a lot of confusion as to what Autism and the Autistic Spectrum Disorders are. This starts with a significant problem with the way Autism is classified; Autism is considered a mental disorder. Since it has been classified as such since the 1940s, most physicians learn little to nothing about it.

The classification further breaks down Autism to be impairment in 3 main areas: 1. Social interaction 2. Repetitive behaviors 3. Problems communicating With these defining characteristics, it is no wonder that these children are placed into a structured special learning environment accompanied by behavior modification with little to no medical intervention.

I understand Autism to be a biochemical and neurological problem that alters the way the brain and body develop. Eventually this dysfunction results in the social, behavioral and communication problems that these individuals experience. These characteristics are symptoms, and the result of a multi-system breakdown that went undiagnosed! We have let an entire generation of children slip through our fingertips and it is time to mobilize and get them back.

If the top three defining characteristics of Autism were; under-connected brain circuitry, chronic metabolic dysfunction and underlying autoimmune/inflammatory processes, we would see very different treatment criteria established for Autism! In fact, based on the research, these three things are among the true problems of Autism which eventually lead to the cognitive impairments.

As a clinician, you MUST look at this globally and spend a tremendous amount of time with each family and child to gather as much information as possible in order to make a reasonable judgment as to what is happening. This is quite challenging for most doctors because almost all of the major systems of the body are impaired to some degree in a child with Autism.

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You have to understand the complexity and interrelationships of neurology, immunology, nutrition, gastrointestinal function, detoxification, interpreting lab results and understanding psychology and behavioral issues. And then turn around and be able to intervene at all those different levels, while integrating that treatment with an educational program. Its probably one of the greatest challenges for any doctor to take-on a child with Autism as a patient and to do it right. You really must go back and relearn all the basic sciences and things you never thought you were going to be using because they seemed so obscure. But the obscure is everyday reality for a child on the spectrum.

There are 3 main challenges as I see it right now.

Challenge No. 1 Since 1943 Autism has been classified as a psychiatric illness and until the mid-1980s it was a pretty rare psychiatric illness affecting 1 in 10,000 children. When one of these children was seen by their pediatrician they were referred to early intervention where they got behavioral therapies, but unfortunately never received any medical treatment. Since the mid 1980s, Autism has become an epidemic and the incidence has gone from 1 in 10,000 to one 1 in 91. In 2010, Autism is still classified as a psychiatric illness and as a result, its really not a significant part of medical education for pediatricians. These doctors do not see Autism as a metabolic or neurological illness. Physicians are trained that it is a developmental disorder classified alongside other mental disorders, so they refer the child to Early Intervention (EI). In EI, the child gets a psychological evaluation, a special-education assessment, a speech and language assessment and so on. Some parents are persistent and take their child to see a pediatric neurologist. The neurologist might order an MRI and/or an EEG, both of which generally show nothing. The neurologist might suggest modification of the behavioral aspects of the EI program and may offer to put the child on medication to control negative symptoms, depending on age and severity. Again, this is truly a metabolic and neurological issue that leads to social, behavioral and language problems. You cant fix these problems without ordering special lab testing to first see whats going on inside the body, and then creating a treatment program to address problems that are identified.

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Challenge No. 2 The prevailing thought out there is there is no treatment for Autism. Realistically, there is no treatment for Autism - because Autism in my mind is just a catch-all phrase that just describes a group of symptoms. What we really need to do is look at what is going into this childs diagnosis? What dysfunction is this particular child dealing with at the bio-chemical level, at the gastrointestinal level, at the immunological level, nutritionally and neurologically? Only after identifying these things can we decide what to do. Individually, most of the dysfunctions that are present are treatable conditions.

It is important to understand how normal brain development happens in the first place. If we can take-away the things that are holding this child back, and add-in the things that this child is missing, then we can allow for more normal development to take place and help this child go from where they are to where they need to be.

Challenge No. 3 Unlike childhood diabetes or leukemia, there are no blood tests, no scans, no imaging that can definitively detect Autism. The diagnosis is made based on behavioral observation at wellcare visits or Autism screenings. The screenings themselves are easy to do, but are time consuming. With the health care industry at the mercy of insurance companies, doctors do not usually spend time doing things that they are not being compensated for. The insurance reimbursement for these screenings is terribly low for such an important procedure.

The pediatrician is the professional with whom many families have the most contact with during the first 5 years of a child's life. Parents look to the pediatrician to be the expert not only on childhood illnesses but also on development. A policy statement from the journal Pediatrics in 2006 clearly states: Children diagnosed with developmental disorders should be identified as children with special health care needs, and chronic-condition management should be initiated.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/118/1/405?ijkey=fa7e0afc4ef3f6a2da51c84f28ed959a9a14f1de &keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

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How many pediatricians are being this proactive? Not that many In the April 27th, 2006 issue of Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, it was shown that only 8% of pediatricians surveyed were routinely screening for Autism! http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/05/autism_screen.html

What reasons did they give for not screening their patients? The main reasons reported were: # 1 - a lack of familiarity with the tools used for screening; # 2 when any sign of Autism was seen, the child was referred to early intervention; # 3 - they didnt have enough time. <-- what? I can't believe someone would actually admit that. This is a pretty clear indication that we need to make a gigantic shift in the way we look at, and define Autism. One of my goals is to help re-define Autism and see it reclassified it as a metabolic and neurological condition that may lead to a psychiatric illness.

With that in mind, Autism is not a mental condition It is a medical condition.

If this statement is true, why do these kids do so many peculiar things?
Autistic behaviors are systems consequences of widespread processing and connectivity abnormalities that preferentially target mental functions with a strong requirement for coordinated activity - which include the three defining impaired domains (Socialization, behavior and communication) Martha Herbert, MD, PhD Clinical Neuropsychiatry - 2005

Autism is the result of abnormal function or dysfunction of multiple systems that eventually will lead to symptoms of the cognitive, behavioral, learning and communication problems that we all know and see on a daily basis.

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Chapter 2: Why Is This Happening?

Whats going on? Why is 1 out of every 91 children being diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder? I was at a party recently and someone asked me this very question. As I began to describe what was going on, an outspoken, know-it-all jumped up and blurted out, there is no epidemic, these kids with Autism used to be called Mentally Retarded, now they are called Autistic. Its the same number of kids. The people at the party thought this was a valid argument, as is the fact that the diagnostic criteria for Autism has changed over the years.

Arguments Against a Real Epidemic

Argument #1 What used to be called Mental Retardation (MR) is now called Autism. In 2002, a study was done that basically concluded that the entire rise in number of Autism cases was due to a corresponding decrease in the number of children being diagnosed with MR. That study temporarily stunned the scientific community. However, later that year another group of scientists examined the data used in the first study. Their analysis showed that the data was misinterpreted and that the rise in Autism was real.

In 2009, another journal article was published where the authors went through the case files of 7003 Autism patients born before 1987 in California. Their careful review did find partial overlap of the two diagnoses, BUT it did not account for over 73% of the Autism increase! Using the probability of change between 1992 and 2005 to generalize to the population with Autism, it is estimated that 26.4% (95% CI 16.2536.48) of the increased Autism caseload in California is uniquely associated with diagnostic change through a single pathwayindividuals previously diagnosed with MR. http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/38/5/1224

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Argument #2 More things are called Autism now. Yes, in 1994 the classification of Autism began including the other spectrum disorders; Aspergers Syndrome, Rhetts Syndrome and PDD-nos. However, the MIND Institute at UC Davis did a study specifically to determine if including the spectrum disorders could explain the dramatic increase in Autism cases. Results of this study showed that the change in criteria COULD NOT explain the rise in cases. [http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/study.pdf] "Speculation about the increase in Autism in California has led some to try to explain it away as a statistical issue or with other factors that artificially inflated the numbers," said UC Davis pediatric epidemiologist Robert S. Byrd, who is the principal investigator on the study. "Instead, we found that Autism is on the rise in the state and we still do not know why. The results of this study are, without a doubt, sobering."

These arguments seem to have been put to rest once and for all in 2009.
A study by researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that the seven- to eight-fold increase in the number children born in California with Autism since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted - and the trend shows no sign of abating. Published in the January 2009 issue of the journal Epidemiology, results from the study also suggest that research should shift from genetics to the host of chemicals and infectious microbes in the environment that are likely at the root of changes in the neurodevelopment of California's children. "It's time to start looking for the environmental culprits responsible for the remarkable increase in the rate of Autism in California," said UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researcher Irva Hertz-Picciotto, a professor of environmental and occupational health and epidemiology and an internationally respected Autism researcher.

I want people to know that this is monstrous problem and there is no such thing as a Genetic Epidemic. We cant deny it or make excuses any more. What really is going on, according to the majority of the research, is that we have been poisoning ourselves since the 1950s. Over 80,000 chemicals have been released into the environment since then and, unfortunately, the vast majority of them have never been tested for toxicity. Theyve never been tested to see if they have a longterm negative effect on human health. Exposure to toxins alters the biochemistry of all the people that come in contact with those chemicals.

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Many people continue to say that Autism is a genetic disorder. In fact, so much research has been done and so many research dollars have been spent looking for that magic bullet - that gene - that missing chromosome that would guide us to a drug to fix the problem. Guess what. Nobodys been able to find it because it's not that easy. If it were purely genetic, we would have already known about it. We need to shift our thinking to a new paradigm of Autism. Its an illness that has a genetic susceptibility factor exacerbated by an environmental trigger or a series of environmental triggers. - Bryan Jepson, MD

Autism may well be one of many forms of collateral damage from our uncritical trust in progress. - Martha Herbert, M.D., Ph.D. Harvard Medical School

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How did this happen to my child?

I have asked myself that same question. Ive always taken good care of myself. Ive always exercised and eaten right, but, you know what? None of that really matters when the air you breathe is polluted, the water you drink is toxic and the food that you eat is laced with chemicals that you cant even pronounce. We live in such a fast-paced world that so much of what we eat is pre-packaged and is loaded with chemicals that have not been scrutinized for their long-term effects on human health. After years of toxic exposures, the way your body works has changed. Think about it this way you are toxic and you passed that toxicity on to your child.

Epigenetics
What we are dealing with is something called an Epigenetic disorder. Epigenetics is a new field within the science of genetics that is the study of the environmental impact on the human genome or how the environment alters how our genes work. This is a whole new concept, because for many, many years most people thought of genetics as being destiny. That youre born with a certain gene pool, and if your mother, father or grandparents had a certain disease, you were destined to have that also. Your genes determined how tall you are, your body-type, the color of your eyes and hair, and also what diseases you were going to have - we now know that this is only partially true.

Think about this...the same DNA molecule that is present in one of your brain cells is also present in your liver cells, and in your kidney cells and every other cell in your body. That DNA molecule is like the switchboard controlling every biochemical reaction in that cell. Somehow, it actually has to be doing different things in different cells; because you wouldnt want your liver cells to be doing the same functions as your brain cells or your kidney cells. Scientists have actually isolated biochemical processes that can actually turn-on and turn-off certain areas within the DNA molecule. One of these processes is called Methylation. This amazing chemical-DNA On-Off Switch was designed to work properly in a clean environment. When you add-in chemicals like pesticides, heavy metals, food preservatives, plastics and so on, function is altered at the cellular level which then interferes with this process of Methylation. Toxins change the way the genes and the DNA molecules work, altering control of the cell, which changes the systems that those cells are involved with, which changes human function and ultimately overall health.

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This is basically the same situation that is involved in cancer and many other chronic diseases. Adults dont develop Autism because timing of biochemical changes is what determines which disorder or disease you develop. Adults deal with the chronic illnesses of humankind, like Alzheimers disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Hypothyroidism, auto-immune disorders, cancer and heartdisease and many more. One of the scariest things about this is that we now know that DNA changes made by chemical exposures can be passed down from generation to generation.

We understand that an epigenetic defect can alter the development of your child. In fact, when we do lab-work (blood, urine and stool tests), we see the strangest chemical alterations in these kids. Sometimes, I look at a blood test and think, Is this a 6 year old or a 60 year old? So many different things are changed as a result of alterations in biochemistry and each cell hosts hundreds and thousands of bio-chemical reactions. Balanced biochemistry is critical to normal development and normal functionality, and when you mess with it things it can change forever.

An adults biochemistry is now known to be affected (or altered) by the things that their great grandparents were exposed to. Fortunately, the environment was pretty clean back then and most of them probably werent exposed to that much toxicity. Unfortunately, people of childbearing age have been and thats why our children, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren are all likely to have alterations in their biochemistry. This is a gigantic problem and its not something that I feel is going to go away on its own. In fact, I think its going to get much worse before it gets better. That is a horrible thing to think, but its very much our reality. Autism rates have risen 57% in the last 4 years alone, there is no reason to think that it will slow down.

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Environmental Toxins + Genetic Predisposition Sets the Stage for Autism

What is an 'Environmental Exposure'?
Whenever you hear these words, you should think about a chemical or toxin that you or your child have been and are being exposed to in the environment. That chemical compound or toxicant would be present in air, water, food, soil, dust or other environmental media, such as consumer products like toys and computers.

Since World War II, approximately 80,000 commercial chemicals have been produced or imported into the US. In 1976, the Federal Gov. passed The Toxic Substances Control Act, a set of laws meant to ensure the safety of commercial chemicals. Unfortunately, the 63,000 existing chemicals were essentially deemed "safe as used" the day the law was passed. The law forces the government to approve new chemicals within 90 days of a company's application at an average pace of seven per day. This law has not been improved for nearly 30 years longer than any other major environmental or public health statute and does nothing to reduce or ensure the safety of exposure to pollution in the womb.

Babies today are born toxic. It was once thought that the placenta was actually a barrier between the mother and the baby. Then we realized that nicotine and alcohol could cross. Now we know that there is no barrier - everything can cross. Everything in the mothers body ends-up in the babys body. Whether its intentionally or accidentally ingested, or its been in the mother's body for many, many years it all ends-up into the babys body. In fact, between the 9 months of pregnancy and 6 months of breast feeding, 50% of the mothers total toxic burden will transfer to the baby! Even though we think breast-feeding is the best thing for a child, if mothers are toxic then it actually could be pretty devastating. Now the child is born with altered biochemistry and they may have an inability or decreased ability to detoxify their own system. Human Beings have an in-born ability to detoxify or clean-out environmental toxins.

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Imagine this - you go out to dinner with your friends every single night for years and years and have two glasses of wine. Every morning both glasses of wine are entirely removed by a healthy system. However, a body challenged by altered biochemistry might only detoxify 1 of the 2 glasses of wine. It wouldnt take long before the alcohol content building up would absolutely devastate and disable your brain. In essence, thats whats going on with a child that has a weakened detoxification system. They cant eliminate toxins and their function is negatively affected.

There was a study done where they took hair samples from children with Autism and children without Autism. [http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/holmes2.pdf] Strangely, they found that the typically developing children (without Autism) had higher mercury levels in their hair than the children with Autism. This finding was the opposite of what they thought they were going to find. We know that children (and adults) naturally detoxify metals like Mercury through their hair, skin, feces and urine. After contemplating this whole thing what they realized was that the children with Autism just werent doing that and as a result their toxic burden of Mercury was building up. Unless you can identify that weakness and then work toward detoxifying that system, it will ravage the cellular function in all different aspects of that childs body. This is scary

EPA drops ball on danger of chemicals to children

Agency oversight panel out of money and, critics say, beholden to industry
By Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel Posted: March 30, 2008 http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/29563189.html

Key Findings A Journal Sentinel investigation found that an Environmental Protection Agency program is not assessing the dangers of chemicals to children, despite claims to the contrary. The program, which relies on chemical companies to report on the safety of the chemicals that they make, ran out of funding last year. Chemical companies presented data that was misleading and incomplete. Panels were disproportionately filled with scientists who had financial ties to the chemical industry. Information about the program - including budget information - is not available to the public.

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The scariness continues

EPA veils hazardous substances

By Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Journal Sentinel Posted: Dec. 20, 2008
http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/36514449.html

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency routinely allows companies to keep new information about their chemicals secret, including compounds that have been shown to cause cancer and respiratory problems, the Journal Sentinel has found. The newspaper examined more than 2,000 filings in the EPA's registry of dangerous chemicals for the past three years. In more than half the cases, the EPA agreed to keep the chemical name a secret. In hundreds of other cases, it allowed the company filing the report to keep its name and address confidential. This is despite a federal law calling for public notice of any new information through the EPA's program monitoring chemicals that pose substantial risk. The whole idea of the program is to warn the public of newfound dangers. The EPA's rules are supposed to allow confidentiality only "under very limited circumstances." Legal experts and environmental advocates say the practice of "sanitizing," or blacking out, this information not only strips vital information from the public, it violates the agency's own law. Section 14 of the Toxic Substances Control Act, the foundation for all the EPA's toxic and chemical regulations, stipulates that chemical producers may not be granted confidentiality when it comes to health and safety data. "The EPA has chosen to ignore that," said Wendy Wagner, a law professor at the University of Texas-Austin.

The bottom line is - you have been and are still being poisoned. If you have a child on the spectrum, more than likely that is whats happening. My understanding (based on all that I have read) is that their body chemistry is altered due to environmental exposures (and a possible epigenetic weakness) which alters neurodevelopment.

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Here are some recent studies (of the many hundreds) correlating toxins and neurological disorders/Autism.

1. 2008 - Journal of Neurological Sciences Biomarkers of environmental toxicity and susceptibility in Autism.
David A. Geier, Janet Kern "Autistic Spectrum Disorders may result from a combination of genetic/biochemical susceptibilities in the form of a reduced ability to excrete mercury and/or increased environmental exposure at key developmental times."

2. 2006 - www.thelancet.com Review - Developmental neurotoxicity of industrial chemicals

P Grandjean, PJ Landrigan Neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism, attention def cit disorder, mental retardation, and cerebral palsy are common, costly, and can cause lifelong disability. Their causes are mostly unknown. A few industrial chemicals (ie, lead, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], arsenic, and toluene) are recognized causes of neurodevelopmental disorders and subclinical brain dysfunction. Exposure to these chemicals during early fetal development can cause brain injury at doses much lower than those affecting adult brain functions.

3. 2009 The Severity of Autism Is Associated With Toxic Metal Body Burden and Red Blood Cell Glutathione Levels
J.B. Adams, M. Baral1 This study investigated the relationship of childrens Autism symptoms with their toxic metal body burden and red blood cell (RBC) glutathione levels. In children ages 3-8 years, the severity of Autism was assessed using four tools: ADOS, PDD-BI, ATEC, and SAS. Toxic metal body burden was assessed by measuring urinary excretion of toxic metals, both before and after oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). Multiple positive correlations were found between the severity of Autism and the urinary excretion of toxic metals. Variations in the severity of Autism measurements could be explained, in part, by regression analyses of urinary excretion of toxic metals before and after DMSA and the level of RBC glutathione (adjusted R2 of 0.22-0.45, p<0.005 in all cases). This study demonstrates a significant positive association between the severity of Autism and the relative body burden of toxic metals.

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4. 2000 - Alternative Medicine Review - Environmental Medicine, Part 1: The Human Burden of Environmental Toxins and Their Common Health Effects
Walter J. Crinnion, ND Chemical compounds ubiquitous in our food, air, and water are now found in every person. The bioaccumulation of these compounds in some individuals can lead to a variety of metabolic and systemic dysfunctions, and in some cases outright disease states. The systems most affected by these xenobiotic compounds include the immune, neurological, and endocrine systems. Toxicity in these systems can lead to immune dysfunction, autoimmunity, asthma, allergies, cancers, cognitive deficit, mood changes, Neurological illnesses, changes in libido, reproductive dysfunction, and glucose dysregulation.

5. 2007 - Scientific Consensus Statement on Environmental Agents Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Steven G. Gilbert, PhD, DABT, Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders Developed by the Collaborative on Health and the Environments Learning and Developmental Disabilities "Given the established knowledge, protecting children from neurotoxic environmental exposures from the earliest stages of fetal development clearly is an essential public health measure if we are to help prevent learning and developmental disorders and create an environment in which children can reach and maintain their full potential."

6. 2006 - Maternal Child Health Journal 10:S123S128 Preconception Brief: Occupational/Environmental Exposures
Melissa A. McDiarmid Kim Gehle In the last decade, more than half of U.S. children were born to working mothers and 65% of working men and women were of reproductive age. In 2004 more than 28 million women age 1844 were employed full time. This implies the need for clinicians to possess awareness about the impact of work on the health of their patients and their future offspring. Most chemicals in the workplace have not been evaluated for reproductive toxicity, and where exposure limits do exist, they were generally not designed to mitigate reproductive risk. Therefore, many toxicants with unambiguous reproductive and developmental effects are still in regular commercial or therapeutic use and thus present exposure potential to workers. Examples of these include heavy metals, (lead, cadmium), organic solvents (glycol ethers, percholoroethylene), pesticides and herbicides (ethylene dibromide) and sterilants, anesthetic gases and anti-cancer drugs used in healthcare. Surprisingly, many of these reproductive toxicants are well represented in traditional employment sectors of women, such as healthcare and cosmetology. Environmental exposures also figure prominently in evaluating a womans health risk and that to a pregnancy. Food and water quality and pesticide and solvent usage are increasingly topics raised by women and men contemplating pregnancy. The microenvironment of a woman, such as her choices of hobbies and leisure time activities also come into play. Caregivers must be aware of their patients potential environmental and workplace exposures and weigh any risk of exposure in the context of the time-dependent window of reproductive susceptibility.

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7. 2007 - Environmental hazards: evidence for effects on child health. Journal of Toxicology Environ Health
Wigle DT, Arbuckle TE, Walker M, Wade MG, Liu S, Krewski D. McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, U of Ottawa The human fetus, child, and adult may experience adverse health outcomes from parental or childhood exposures to environmental toxicants. The fetus and infant are especially vulnerable to toxicants that disrupt developmental processes during relatively narrow time windows. This review summarizes knowledge of associations between child health and development outcomes and environmental exposures, including lead, methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and related polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs), certain pesticides, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), aeroallergens, ambient air toxicants (especially particulate matter [PM] and ozone), chlorination disinfection by-products (DBPs), sunlight, power-frequency magnetic fields, radiofrequency (RF) radiation, residential proximity to hazardous waste disposal sites, and solvents. The adverse health effects linked to such exposures include fetal death, birth defects, being small for gestational age (SGA), preterm birth, clinically overt cognitive, neurologic, and behavioral abnormalities, subtle neuropsychologic deficits, childhood cancer, asthma, other respiratory diseases, and acute poisoning.

8. 2008 - Assessing Developmental Toxicant Exposures via Biomonitoring

Nordic Pharmacological Society - Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology Larry L. Needham, Antonia M. Calafat and Dana B. Barr Most of the developmental effects that populations experience are believed to be linked with their exposure scenario and/or their susceptibility to these exposures. In environmental public health, most studies have focused on exposures to environmental chemicals but certainly other environmental factors and susceptibility factors must be considered. Our laboratory assesses exposure to environmental chemicals by measuring the chemical, its metabolite(s) or chemical adduct(s) in a biological matrix taken from members of the populations of interest (via biomonitoring). To help interpret data from the many uses of biomonitoring and for other purposes in public health, we have determined, and made public, data on the concentrations of environmental chemicals in the general population of the USA. Exposures at critical time periods of development to many of these chemicals have been linked with adverse developmental effects. In this paper, we examine this linkage using several chemicals as examples and providing biomonitoring information for these chemicals in the US population as a whole but also at various life stages.

9. 2008 - Environmental exposures and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A review of the science. Reprod Sci. 2008 Sep;15(7):631-50.
Stillerman KP, Mattison DR, Giudice LC, Woodruff TJ. Physicians for Social Responsibility. To better understand the science linking environmental contaminants exposures with adverse pregnancy outcomes, we reviewed the relevant epidemiologic literature. We searched PubMed (primarily 1995-2006) using the key word combinations for select environmental exposures and pregnancy outcomes. Environmental tobacco smoke is a risk factor for reduced birth weight and preterm delivery. Outdoor air pollution is associated with reduced term birth weight and preterm delivery. Suggestive evidence associates pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with decreased fetal growth and length of gestation. Stronger evidence, primarily occupational, links certain birth defects with exposure to organic solvents and chlorophenoxy herbicides. Evidence suggests dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and bisphenol-A could be associated with pregnancy loss.

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Exposures in utero can also increase the risk of developmental delays (ie, impaired neurological function), adult chronic illnesses (ie. heart disease, diabetes, cancer), and next generation effects (ie. reduced reproductive capacity). Further research, education, and improved public health policy are needed to reduce potentially adverse exposures. PMID: 18836129 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ewg.org/kid-safe-chemicals-act-blog/2010/01/chemical-industry-hides-thousands-of-secrets

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http://www.ewg.org/kid-safe-chemicals-act-blog/2009/12/tests-find-hundreds-of-pollutants-in-u-s-tap-water

Hospitals Flush 250 Million Pounds of Expired Drugs Into Public Sewers Every Year
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by: David Gutierrez The Associated Press (AP) estimates that hospitals and long-term medical care institutions across the United States are dumping 250 million pounds of pharmacologically active drugs directly into public sewer systems each year. The vast majority of this waste is disposed of by flushing it down sinks or toilets, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This pharmacological waste is much more potent than the drugs that patients flush down their own home toilets, including not only stronger versions of over-the-counter drugs but also highly toxic chemicals like cancer treatments. Tests of hospital sewers in Oslo and Paris have revealed high concentrations of antibiotics, heart drugs, hormones, painkillers skin medication -- in addition to the well-known high concentrations of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Studies of wastewater near hospitals in Europe and the US have found higher concentrations of antibiotic resistant bacteria and of organisms with genetic mutations similar to those that can cause cancer in humans.

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That always brings up the big question Do Vaccines Cause Autism?

The answer is absolutely not. If vaccines caused Autism, then almost everybody who got vaccines would have Autism. My feeling about it, and I think that most of the research will bear this out, is that if you have a pre-disposition to having these chemical alterations, that multiple vaccines can cause an overwhelming affect on your immune system and actually initiate almost a domino effect within your biochemistry and can be the straw that breaks the camels back.

There are a lot of people that believe that Mercury-containing vaccines cause Autism. Supposedly now all of the vaccines are made without the Mercury preservative Thimerosal and yet the number of Autism cases continues to rise. Its easy to say that the vaccines cause Autism, or that Thimerosal causes Autism, but it is much more complex than that. Children (and adults) today continue to have adverse reactions to vaccines, and these reactions probably arent caused by Thimerosal. It is more than likely an adverse immune response that they had to the vaccine. Adverse reactions to vaccines are more common than anyone would think. So much so that the American Government has set up a website dedicated to compiling reports of vaccine-related injuries. It is called VAERS. Here is an excerpt from the site:

Approximately 30,000 VAERS reports are filed annually, with 10-15% classified as serious (resulting in permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illnesses or death). Anyone can file a VAERS report, including health care providers, manufacturers, and vaccine recipients or their parents or guardians.

30,000 reports per year and some say that over half of vaccine reactions go unreported! Check out the site at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Activities/vaers.html

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There is also a fund set up to pay people that have been vaccine injured (in lieu of lawsuits). Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund The Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund (Trust Fund) provides funding for the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) to compensate vaccine-related injury or death claims for covered vaccines administered on or after October 1, 1988. The Trust Fund is funded by a $0.75 excise tax on each dose of vaccine purchased (i.e., each disease prevented in a dose of vaccine). For example, the excise tax imposed on a dose of trivalent influenza vaccine is $0.75 because it prevents one disease, whereas the excise tax imposed on a dose of the measles-mumpsrubella vaccine is $2.25 because prevents three diseases. The taxable vaccines have also been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for routine administration to children. The Department of Treasury collects the excise taxes, and oversees and manages the investing activities for the Trust Fund. As of January 31, 2007, the Trust Fund balance was nearly $2.5 billion. http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/VIC_Trust_Fund.htm

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Personally, I have 6 major issues with vaccines.

Issue #1 Why so many?
In 1983, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended a total of 10 vaccines for our children. Today, the CDC recommends 36, an increase of 260%! (and that does not include flu shots). I was born before 1983 and amazingly, I am still alive and well and did not get the EXTRA 26 shots. Are these vaccines necessary or are they a way for big pharma (drug companies) to make huge profits? Imagine if you had a created something that EVERYONE in the country had to buy? You would make a fortuneand you would start making more variations on that theme. <--- I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Issue #2 How could the same dose be right for every child no matter how much they weigh?
We are all biochemically unique. I can drink a cup of coffee and go to bed while someone else could be kept awake all night from that same cup! Tens of thousands of people DIE EVERY YEAR from properly prescribed medications. Why? Because what works for one person can be deadly for another. http://www.naturalnews.com/009278.html

Issue #3 - Did you ever wonder what is in these vaccines?

Here are a few ingredients commonly found it the vaccines that have been given to your child: Thimerosal (A mercury derivative) Ethylene glycol (antifreeze) Phenol (a disinfectant dye) Casein (Cow milk protein) Chicken embryo Aluminum (toxic metal) African Green Monkey Kidney Formaldehyde (embalming fluid) Tissue from an aborted human fetus <- You cant be serious????? Amphotericin (an antibiotic) That is a crazy listand we are injecting this stuff into our kids?

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Here is a link to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website for more complete list. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf

Issue #4 - Why don't doctors and the government just do studies involving the safety of vaccines used singly and in combination?
They also need to do retrospective studies of children with Autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders and try to find links. IT IS CRITICAL THAT THESE STUDIES BE FUNDED BY AN ENTITY OTHER THAN THE DRUG COMPANIES THAT MAKE VACCINES! Instead of speaking to the American public like they are stupid and insisting that vaccines have no association with neurodevelopmental disorders, DO THE STUDIES!

Actually, someone DID DO THE STUDY! Generation Rescue, a non-profit organization, did something called the Cal-Oregon Unvaccinated Survey in 2007.

"We surveyed over 9,000 boys in California and Oregon and found that vaccinated boys had a 155% greater chance of having a neurological disorder like ADHD or Autism than unvaccinated boys." -Generation Rescue

Read these results

All vaccinated boys, compared to unvaccinated boys: - Vaccinated boys were 155% more likely to have a neurological disorder (RR 2.55) - Vaccinated boys were 224% more likely to have ADHD (RR 3.24) - Vaccinated boys were 61% more likely to have Autism (RR 1.61)

Older vaccinated boys, ages 11-17 (about half the boys surveyed), compared to older unvaccinated boys: - Vaccinated boys were 158% more likely to have a neurological disorder (RR 2.58) - Vaccinated boys were 317% more likely to have ADHD (RR 4.17) - Vaccinated boys were 112% more likely to have Autism (RR 2.12) That scares me.

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Issue #5 Could that be true?

If the stats in Issue #3 are even remotely accurate, why would our government continue to mandate this schedule?

Issue #6 Why does a newborn infant need a Hepatitis B vaccination? Hepatitis B is transmitted by unprotected sexual contact, blood transfusions and the re-use of contaminated needles & syringes. Does the FDA know something about my newborn baby's unsafe sex and illicit drug habits that I don't know?

An interesting article in 2008 linked this Hep B vaccine to a statistically significant increase in developmental delays in boys!

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Linking Childhood Vaccines and Adverse Reactions

"A new study shows a direct link between standard childhood vaccination series, MMR, and Autismlike symptoms in monkeys. The principal scientist involved in the study, Dr. Laura Hewitson of the University of Pittsburgh, presented the alarming conclusions as an abstract pending publication at the International Meeting for Autism Research. It has been presented at scientific conferences in both London and Seattle, USA. The study compared vaccinated macaque monkeys with non-vaccinated macaques. No major flaws in the study have been revealed by any attending scientist. The vaccines included the popular MMR series. The study found a marked increase in gastrointestinal tissue gene expression and inflammation issues with those monkeys which received vaccinations. They are a common symptom of children with regressive Autism." "Its The Vaccines Stupid!" Part I: Evidence Linking Autism Rise in Children to Vaccinations, GlobalResearch.ca -- 2009- 9- 5

"Government Again Concedes Vaccines Cause Autism" "The ruling states, "The Court found that Bailey would not have suffered this delay but for the administration of the MMR vaccine...a proximate sequence of cause and effect leading inexorably from vaccination to PDD [Autism]."" PRNewswire -- 2009- 2-25 "Kids Vaccine Linked to Fever, Seizures" "Children suffered higher rates of fever-related convulsions when they got a Merck & Co. combination vaccine instead of two separate shots, according to a new study presented Wednesday. The results prompted a federal advisory panel on vaccines to water down their preference for the combo vaccine ProQuad, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella as well as chickenpox. In the study of children ages 12 months through 23 months, the rate of seizures was twice as high in toddlers who got ProQuad, compared with those who got one shot for chickenpox and one for the three other diseases." Stobbe M, Associated Press -- 2008- 2-27 "Alberta halts most mumps vaccinations due to serious allergic reactions" "Alberta has suspended a province wide campaign to vaccinate young people against the mumps after five people suffered serious allergic reactions for reasons that are still unknown. ... "Obviously, our level of concern was great, and this is above what we would expect to be a normal rate of anaphylaxis in MMR (measles-mumps-rubella)," she said after the decision to suspend the program was made in conjunction with Health Canada. ...Anaphylaxis is a serious reaction that can cause wheezing, swelling of the throat and collapse." No Author, The Canadian Press -- 2007-12-12

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TWO ENORMOUS SLAPS IN THE FACE

THE FIRST ONE CAME IN 2008: MONKEYS GET AUTISM FROM VACCINES

Laura Hewitson, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, described how vaccinated Macaque Monkeys, when compared to unvaccinated animals, showed significant neurodevelopmental deficits and "significant associations between specific aberrant social and non-social behaviors, isotope binding, and vaccine exposure." Researchers also reported, "vaccinated animals exhibited progressively severe chronic active inflammation whereas unexposed animals did not" and found "many significant differences in the GI tissue gene expression profiles between vaccinated and unvaccinated animals." Gastrointestinal issues are a common symptom of children with regressive Autism.

The study described biological changes and altered behavior in vaccinated Macaques that are similar to those observed in children with Autism. Unvaccinated animals showed no such adverse outcomes. The vaccines given were those recommended for U.S. infants in the 1990s, including several with the mercury preservative thimerosal and the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine. Rates of Autism spectrum disorder among children born in the 1990s surged dramatically, from about 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 150 children.

** You mean, they did a study using the US vaccination schedule on monkeys and they became autistic and the research was presented once and seemingly squashed? Hasn't ANYONE demanded that these studies continue and while they do, that the vaccine schedule in the US should revert back to the use used in the 1980s??? <--- I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

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THE SECOND SLAP CAME IN 2009: HANNAH POLING GETS AUTISM FROM VACCINES

For the first time federal authorities have conceded a connection between her autistic symptoms and the vaccines she received, though the connection is by no means simple. A panel of medical evaluators at the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that Hannah had been injured by vaccines and recommended that her family be compensated for the injuries. The panel said that Hannah had an underlying cellular disorder that was aggravated by the vaccines, causing brain damage with features of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

A special federal vaccine court has yet to award damages, but the recommendation, made public last week, is causing a sensation in the Autism advocacy community. The Polings, who live in Athens, Ga., were originally part of a group of nearly 5,000 families with autistic children seeking damages through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The other cases remain before the court.

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** You mean a child develops Autism after vaccination because she had a predisposing factor called Mitochondrial Dysfunction? Isn't Mitochondrial Dysfunction kinda common?? Well, surely after this they started testing babies for Mitochondrial Dysfunction PRIOR to vaccinating them, right? NO? I think they should... <--- I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

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David Kirby, author of Evidence of Harm wrote in an article on Autism and Mitochondrial Dysfunction:
Mitochondrial disorders are now thought to be the most common disease associated with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Some journal articles and other analyses have estimated that 10% to 20% of all autism cases may involve mitochondrial disorders, which would make them one thousand times more common among people with ASD than the general population. Another article, published in the Journal of Child Neurology and co-authored by Dr. Zimmerman, showed that 38% of Kennedy Krieger Institute autism patients studied had one marker for impaired oxidative phosphorylation, and 47% had a second marker. The authors noted that "children who have (mitochondrial dysfunction) might be more prone to undergo autistic regression between 18 and 30 months of age if they also have infections or immunizations at the same time." An interesting aspect of Mt disease (mitochondrial dysfunction) in autism is that, with ASD, the mitochondrial disease seems to be milder than in "classic" cases of Mt disorder.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/government-concedes-vacci_b_88323.html

Dr. Mikes Comments

So, mild mitochondrial issues + infection and/or vaccines make children more prone to developing regressive Autism. It is a fact. Do you know if your child has mild mitochondrial dysfunction? How could you if you did not have testing done for it! Dont you think that a $300 urine test that would show signs of mild mitochondrial dysfunction should be MANDATORY for all children PRIOR to receiving vaccines? How about a huge billboard in your pediatricians office that says If your child has recently been or is sick today, they WILL NOT receive any vaccinations.

<- Neither is being done.

Remember the QuestionWhy my child?

Its really almost impossible to say exactly why outside of, There is a genetic pre-disposition and something in the environment triggered off a series of events that delayed the developmental process. Thats what Autism and Autistic Spectrum Disorders are...Pervasive Developmental Disorders or disorders of development. Meaning that the normal developmental process does not go from point A to point B to point C to point D.

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Chapter 3: What Is Actually Wrong?

Autism is 50% Biochemical, 50% Neurological and 0% Psychiatric (at first).
Now that you understand that this doesnt start as a psychiatric condition, we have to talk about what it is. I have used the term Bio-Neuro Dysfunction to describe Autism. Remember, doctors are trained to identify and treat disease..and they are very good at it. Our understanding of disease processes has gotten so incredible with the advent of diagnostic equipment like MRI, CT Scans, ECHO Cardiograms, etc. Unfortunately, for many different reasons, doctors have become extremely specialized and focus much of their attention on individual body parts or organ systems and lose sight of the fact that their patient is a whole interconnected Human Being. The Art of the physical examination has taken a hit as well.

These factors create a real problem for a child with Autism. First of all, Autism is not a single disease entity. It is not conveniently confined to an organ or body part. Second, it is not an advanced-stage disease process that readily shows itself on common medical testing. Third issue is that most kids with developmental delays usually do not look sick. Add all of these factors together and you can start to understand how this problem has grown to epidemic proportions The true biological markers are there, but they are not being tested for, and the average doctor doesnt usually use the type of tests that need to be ordered and may not even consider their use in the first place. They see things that do not appear to be signs of typical development and they refer them to Early Intervention for psychological and educational testing. The result of this referral, at best, delays appropriate biomedical treatment and sometimes creates a situation where this treatment is never sought.

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Here are some of the DOCUMENTED medical problems associated with Autism that are easily found in the literature.

NUTRITIONAL ABNORMALITIES Picky eaters Vitamin/mineral deficiencies Fatty & Amino Acid imbalances Allergic to certain foods Too many carbohydrates

OXIDATIVE STRESS More free radicals than the body can handle. Mercury, Arsenic, Lead, Aluminum Overload Depletion of Antioxidants, Glutathione, and Metallothionein

IMMUNE SYSTEM DYSREGULATION GASTROINTESTINAL DYSFUNCTION Diarrhea/Constipation Dysbiosis (Yeast, Bad Bacteria, Parasites, Virus) Maldigestion & Malabsorption Colitis Chronic infections (visible and subclinical) Either prone to getting sick or rarely get sick Allergic to many things in the environment Altered immune cell responses Increased Autoimmune Markers

INFLAMMATION Body and Brain Elevated ESR/cRp Microglial Activation IMPAIRED DETOXIFICATION Methylation Defects Sulfation Defects Glutathione Deficiency (GSH) MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION Elevated Oxidative Stress Markers Abnormal Ammonia, Lactate, Pyruvate Low Carnitine/COq10 LEVELS Cysteine Deficiency

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When Should I Start To Look For Problems?

From Day 1. Very commonly I see children who have had very early signs that were just missed. In retrospect, most parents see, Oh yeah, you know my child never crawled." Or, "my when my child crawled, he only used his left arm." Or, "I remember one leg was a little floppy, and we kind of always thought it was cute. Or, My child never really looked at us. Or, hundreds of little signs that tell us that Autism can be seen at very early ages. Research has been done in this field that is fascinating.

Movement analysis in infancy may be useful for early diagnosis of Autism

Philip Teitelbaum*,, Osnat Teitelbaum*, Jennifer Nye*, Joshua Fryman*, and Ralph G. Maurer

All of the 17 autistic children studied in the present paper showed disturbances of movement that with our methods could be detected clearly at the age of 46 months, and sometimes even at birth. We used the EshkolWachman Movement Analysis System in combination with still-frame videodisc analysis to study videos obtained from parents of children who had been diagnosed as autistic by conventional methods, usually around 3 years old. The videos showed their behaviors when they were infants, long before they had been diagnosed as autistic. The movement disorders varied from child to child. Disturbances were revealed in the shape of the mouth and in some or all of the milestones of development, including, lying, righting, sitting, crawling, and walking. Our findings support the view that movement disturbances play an intrinsic part in the phenomenon of Autism, that they are present at birth, and that they can be used to diagnose the presence of Autism in the first few months of life.

If you understand what to look for, then you can actually pick these things up a lot earlier and start early intervention even earlier. And thats the best time to do it. Not saying that you cant help an older child, (most children that I see are not 18 months old), its important to know that the earlier the better, but its never too late.

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Testing Babys Brain Infants with Early Signs of Autism Respond Well to Therapy.
By David H. Freedman | NEWSWEEK Mar 31, 2008 Issue

"Parents, schools and doctors still frequently ignore warning signs in very young children. These can be subtle: a child never points at things, shows more interest in objects than people, has delayed speech and develops a fascination with spinning in place or with spinning toys. Many pediatricians dismiss these symptoms as harmless quirks that kids will outgrow."

"A 12- or 18-month-old's brain is, in a sense, highly reprogrammablethat is, it responds well to treatments designed to permanently change basic patterns of thought and behavior. "All the evidence we have suggests that outcomes for these children will be better with an earlier diagnosis, before they reach 18 months, if possible," says child psychiatrist Christopher Gillberg, MD.

Even children who exhibit only partial or mild versions of Autism symptoms are at risk of ending up with lifelong challenges, say researchers, and would benefit from Autism therapies.

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UC-Davis Study Reveals Age When Autism Appears

February 16, 2010 by Bill Lindelof Sacramento Bee - The signs of autism are not present at 6 months, but show up gradually later in an infant's first year, a UC Davis study reveals. Sacramento Bee - Contrary to what autism experts once thought, signs of the disorder appear later in an infant's first year of life. Most babies are born apparently normal before a gradual decline begins between 6 and 12 months of age, the study done at the UC Davis MIND Institute and UCLA shows. A lack of eye contact, smiling or babbling are signs of autism, and researchers focused on those developmental markers during examinations in a five-year period. They concluded that autism's symptoms are not evident in children under 6 months. The study showed that by one year, social and communication behavior of autistic children had dramatically deteriorated.

The Bottom Line is - Know the signs and Act early!

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html

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Understanding Typical Neurodevelopment

The Human Brain begins to form during the 3rd week of embryological life...before a woman even knows she is pregnant. Brain cells (neurons) begin to grow, multiply, move into a layered pattern and interconnect. Neurons reproduce at an astonishing rate of 250,000 per minute early on! The human brain has approximately 100 billion neurons and one trillion cells that provide structural support to the neurons called Glial cells. Even though a baby is born after 9 months, the brain is not finished with this developmental process. By the age of two things are getting pretty set, but development continues even after that. Connections between brain cells are the key to creating normal brain function. These connections are heavily influenced by normal brain chemistry, as well as sensory experiences and bodily movement.

Normal neuron growth and connectivity (connections between neurons) can be disrupted by a wide variety of factors including; poor nutrition, oxygen deprivation and toxin exposure. This disruption can significantly alter cognitive and behavioral development and can lead to Neurodevelopmental Disorders like Autism. The brain's development in babies is tracked by the "Developmental Milestones". These are signs that the baby's brain and nervous system are developing appropriately. Normal development happens as a result of proper nutrition being in place and the baby's ability to sense and move. Youre born with a set of innate primitive survival reflexes. Then you start to develop your sensory systems sight and sound. You can hear things, and you can orient toward sounds. Then you develop taste and your vestibular or balance system. At the same time, you are developing early motor abilities and then later motor, and it goes up and up and up this developmental pyramid - each thing building on the last. More complex sensory-motor integration takes place which is your ability to perceive and combine sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, balance and movement.

The repetitive use of these abilities is what essentially 'drives brain growth.' Eventually you get to the point where you develop cognition; the ability to learn, think and reason. These higher brain functions or Executive Functions are what makes us Human and they live within your Frontal Cortex, which is the newest and most recently developed aspect of the human brain. It is challenges in this area where Autism is diagnosed.

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The Neurological Issues

A child has problems communicating, problems socializing, problems with behavior and problems learning they are diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. These criteria represent functions at some of the highest levels of human brain development. What I see is that the problem really started at the much earlier stages. I am curious why we evaluate for and diagnose a problem and then try to treat it at that same level? Its like youre treating the symptoms. These symptoms are the end-result of long-standing bio-neural dysfunction that needs to be evaluated by a properly trained clinician.

Commonly, you could be looking at a child that is chronologically 4 years old, but developmentally that child may be 2 years old. There is a gap between their developmental age and their chronological age. I call this The Gap. The Gap is our enemy. Our (societys) expectations of a 3 year old are much greater than those of a 2 year old. In fact, our expectations of childrens abilities get exponentially greater with each passing year. If your childs neurodevelopment is slowed by Autism, but the expectations grow very quickly, you can see how this Gap can become very big, very fast. The only thing that makes any sense to me is, what can we do to close or shorten this gap? What can we do to increase speed up the developmental age? For example, every day that goes by we would expect our child to have 24 hours worth of brain development. Unfortunately, a child with Autism may only have the equivalent of 18 hours worth of brain development as a result of this whole problem.

Can we do things therapeutically to see if we can get it as close to 24 hours worth of development as possible? Understanding that the brain develops through sensory-motor integration, and knowing that our kids have sensory issues and motor problems, it is important that I be expert at understanding how these systems work, where the breakdowns are occurring in these kids and what I can do to remediate them. We can actually use the sensory and motor systems as leverage to accelerate brain function.

Stimulating the sensory systems brings information into the brain. For instance, you have special senses like your eyes for vision, your nose for smell, your tongue for taste and your ears for hearing. These are called a non-constant receptor systems, meaning you could turn them on and off. You close your eyes and your eyes turn off. You put plugs in your ears, and you dont hear anything.

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Whereas the Vestibular System, (a.k.a. balance system thats located in your inner-ear and at the base of your brain), as well as the muscle and joint receptors are called constant receptors because they are always on, constantly feeding information to your brain because of Earths gravity always affecting them.

So, since gravity is pulling down on you all the time your body needs to resist gravity and sit up, or stand up. In order to do that your muscles need to contract and your joints need to move they are working all the time. The other thing is that your brain always wants to know where your head is in space. So, if your eyes were closed and someone were to stand you on your head, youd know that you were upside-down because this vestibular system would send signals into your brain and let your brain know where you were. Because of gravity and your need to keep your head in an upright position, the vestibular system is always working also. Since these systems are constants they are very, very, very powerful brain developers. That is why movement and sensory-integration are the main drivers of the brain.

We know that the vestibular system is intimately connected to the cerebellum. When you look at the research, you find that autopsy studies and fMRI (functional imaging) studies on children with Autism show Cerebellar dysfunction. Over the past 10-15 years we have uncovered that the cerebellum has multi system abilities, way beyond what was once thought to be a motion system. We now know the cerebellum to be involved in language and learning. If you have a problem in the cerebellum that probably would be a good place to target some interventions. That also applies to the musculoskeletal system. We can stimulate these systems to increase brain connectivity (development) through a process called synaptogenesis or plasticity. This is based on Stroke rehabilitation. If an 85 year old man with cardiovascular disease can regain function after a stroke as a result of intensive therapy, why can't a child with no brain damage?

Movement is essential. The more movement your child experiences, the more brain stimulation they get. Consider this, a person who exercises feels better than a person who doesnt. The reason is that when youre moving youre driving your brain.

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We Love Labels

We have grown accustomed to asking the questions, "what does my child have" or "what do I have"? You are looking for a label. Medicine has developed a system of labels that categorizes symptoms into specific classifications. Many kids get labeled with ADD, or ADHD, or OCD, or PDD, or Autism, or learning disabilities, or sensory-processing disorder, or speech apraxia, or a myriad of others. As far as Im concerned theyre all inter-related. They all describe some level of brain dysfunction that causes slightly different (and most of the time overlapping) symptoms. Thats why you can have a child with Autism and it looks like they have 4 of these other diagnoses at the same time. When you have brain dysfunction it shows up in many ways, so trying to label each one of these things is kind of ludicrous. The only thing that you really need this label for is so that the school district can identify what kind of services your child will do best with. But, as far as Im concerned I dont look at the label at all, and I dont treat any labels. What I do is, I look at the child and try to discern which systems are working well and which systems aren't. Only then can we make the best decisions for how to best intervene.

You must restore function to as close to normal as possible.

This is a challenge because most clinicians looking at a child with Autism are not trained to look for dysfunction; theyre trained to look for disease. Theyre using tools that look for disease. You could do an MRI of the brain on these kids and 99% of the time youre going to see a normal brain. All the regions are there, but what the research tells us about the brain is that the regions are not interconnected. Theyre not working well together. Theyre not communicating from one region to the other. When a neurologist orders an MRI and the results come back 'Normal', then they do an EEG and the electrical activity is within normal limits, their hands are tied because their training is such that they look for disease.

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Here in the United States, we have one of the most advanced medical systems in the world. Yet, we are really only the best at acute-care medicine. For many years now, weve been unsuccessfully trying to apply this acute-care model to a chronic-disease laden population. Thats why we have so many sick people here and its also why children with Autism arent really getting the care that they need.

What is Sensory Integration?

Imagine the sensory systems that Ive been describing bringing information into your brain. Your eyes bring in vision to the back of the brain, where it is interpreted. The sense of touch goes to like the middle part of your brain. Smell and taste and balance are all taken to different parts of your brain. Then your brain integrates the senses - it brings it all together so that your brain can form a single image or perception of the world that you live in. Perception or consciousness is dependent upon normal sensory integration. Once this integration happens within a developed brain, youre then able to prioritize which sensory situations, which sensory in-coming information you want to attend to. Well, thats an advanced brain process. For instance, I could be having a conversation with you right now on the telephone and your kids could be screaming in the background, and the doorbell could be ringing, the dog could be barking, it might be a little too hot or a little too cold in the room you are standing in and your brain takes it all in and actually prioritizes your focus to the phone-call. Pretty amazing.

Now, imagine a child on the spectrum taking-in all of these different sensory experiences. Sight, sound, taste and touch all get equal representation. Everything commands this childs attention. Because the childs brain development is not where it should be, they dont have a real clear combination or integration of their sensory experiences. To someone observing this child, it may appear that they are in their own world because they are having multiple experiences at the same time. This is my understanding of what these children are dealing with. They arent able to prioritize whats most important and just cant focus on one.

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Here is an example. We use different kinds of sensory inputs to increase the functionality of one or both sides of the brain. So, I could be working with a child with a relative weakness on the right side of the brain. Before I start, I ask him, Whats your name? And the child might answer, Jake. And Id say, How old are you, Jake? And he could say, Five. I would then apply vibratory sensation to his left ankle to stimulate his right cortex. I might also hold a tuning fork near their left ear, which also stimulates their right cortex. But then, as soon as I start with this sensory input, I ask, Whats your name? In exactly the same tone, exactly the same way - he cant answer the question. This is because he now has multiple sensory inputs that are competing for his focus. Try to do this with your kids; youll see that same thing. A different example - I could call my son, Michael! Michael! and he would not respond. I initially thought he couldnt hear me or that he was ignoring me. But then, he could hear an Elmo or Little Einsteins video playing in the living room downstairs and jump-up and run and be totally content. I knew he could hear, but I then realized that he was actually experiencing different things than I was. That is our perception of whats going on with these children; that their experience is so different from ours that we interpret it as a psychiatric illness.

You need to understand everything that you can about your child, and you want to understand as much as you can about normal function. Ultimately, you need a clinician that is really adept at doing these kinds of evaluations, and then is willing to sit down and spend the time to explain all of these things to you. Its important that you know it. Once you can get a grip on it, then you become a very, very key factor in your childs on-going treatment and development.

I tell the parents of the kids I work with in my office that my job is two-fold. Half of my job is to treat their child, and the other half is to educate them as to what they must know to help this child as well. The more you know the stronger you will be, not only as an advocate but as a therapist for your child. You can learn to do these very basic sensory inputs. What you can do 5 days a week twice a day, if need be, is much more powerful than what I can do three times a week, once a day. Changing brain is very much like going to the gym. The frequency, intensity and duration of your approach to taking-on this endeavor of getting into shape will absolutely determine the outcome. The more frequently you do it, the more intensely you do it, and for the longer duration you do it, the greater the results youre going to see. It is very much the same way with altering brain activity.

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This all comes to light when you think about somebody whos experienced a stroke. Very often when someone has a stroke, for instance on the left side of their brain in an area called the internal capsule (which is a common area to stroke), they might lose total function of their right arm. So, a stroke in the left-brain, patient loses the right arm in this example. Now that right arm is held in flexion, kind of squeezed-up against the body. Function is lost because an area of the brain has been killed-off by a lack of oxygen due to the stroke. Today, doctors and therapists have been able to rehabilitate stroke victims, forcing adjacent brain regions to take-over the functions of the areas that have been wiped-out. So, if therapy can remediate a 75 year old brain that has been damaged, then very specific therapies have also got to be able to enhance brain dysfunction. It should be a lot easier in a child with Autism because there has been no damage incurred.

Functional Brain Research

A lot of great research about Autism and brain dysfunction is coming out of the University of Pittsburg, by Dr. Marcel Just. Hes doing studies on something called under-connectivity, and showing that there is a lack of synaptic connection between brain regions that causes the neurological disconnect in Autism. Elsewhere, doctors are doing research on Mini-Columns in the brain and showing that certain Mini-Columns or organizations of neurons that fire together are not working well. Other researchers are revealing weakness in Neural networks, while still others describe functional disconnection between brain hemispheres.

Sensory-Motor Issues
Kids with Autism usually have sensory problems. One example of sensory processing problems is repetitive or self-stimulatory actions, especially when they get anxious or excited. Examples of this are flapping their hands or jumping up and down or spinning in circles or looking out of the corners of their eyes or crossing their eyes and many other types of stimulatory actions. Many people look at this as a behavior that needs to be extinguished. I see this as a challenge for us to figure out why is their nervous system so dysfunctional that they actually try to ramp up the functionality of it on their own. They are actually telling us where the neurological weakness in their system is. Its not a behavior, but a coping mechanism that we call stimming. They also may have either depressed or heightened senses of smell or touch. Actually, all of the senses can be affected in some way.

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The inner feelings of what these kids are experiencing change rapidly due to the sensory issues they have and in order for them to recapture what they would consider to be normal they need to consciously stimulate their own brain. This is done by jumping or spinning or hand flapping, or any number of things whose common denominator is that they all send powerful signals into the brain. This is done to balance function on both sides of the brain.

Someone with a healthy nervous system never gets to the point where they are so excited that they start stimming, or running around in circles or bouncing off the walls because their sensory integration and biochemical integration balanced. Even if you get very excited about something (like the NY Jets making the playoffs), its not so up that it is uncomfortable. When you hit your low point its not like youre so low that you are falling asleep at the wheel or experience narcolepsy. Our system has a tight set of brain rhythms that our kids with Autism absolutely do not, they start in an upswing and go right through that boundary and that upswing continues to go until they are so jacked up that they cant control themselves and before you know it theyre stimming. Then they hit this top peak and start coming down into an area of function where they feel within their context of normal, and then they overshoot and they go really, really low and the only way to get back is to stim again. So you see this pretty chronic cycle of ups and downs and both ways these kids handle it is through stimming.

Aside from these sensory issues, kids with Autism have motor problems. A common example of this is coordination problems; like the inability to ride a bike, the inability to catch a ball appropriately, etc. When you watch them run, they look "uncoordinated". Motor planning is a big issue for children with Autism. Many of the physical signs that we see in Autism (in varying degrees in different children) are sensory and multi-sensory dysfunctions. We see positive neurological soft signs like low muscle tone or a droopy eyelid. We see persistent Primitive Reflexes, like a need to suck on or put things in their mouths (Suck Reflex) or a rooting reflex, where you touch the side of their mouth and they turn their head toward that side. We also see Cerebellar Signs (like balance issues) and Vestibular-Ocular dysfunction, (problems with eye movements).

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BIOCHEMICAL ISSUES: A METABOLIC DISORDER?

THINK ABOUT THIS: We need to shift our new paradigm of Autism. Its an illness which has a genetic susceptibility factor exacerbated by an environmental trigger or series of environmental triggers. - Brian Jepson, MD Thoughtful House AND THIS: Autism may well be one of many forms of collateral damage from our uncritical trust in progress. - Martha Herbert, MD, PhD Harvard Medical School

The idea that Autism is a purely genetic problem is dead. There is just so much toxicity in our world as a result of our industrialization that Autism is collateral damage! It is a major problem and in 2009 we had new statistics as high as 1 in 58 boys being diagnosed with Autism on a daily basis.

To Recap: What is Autism?

The word Autism, or this diagnosis, is a description of mental, emotional and behavioral symptoms. And these symptoms are really the end result of this dysfunction in biochemical and neurological development. So its not some obscure psychological illness, its not a primary behavioral problem. The issues that kids have with sociability and with education and communication and so on are really the symptoms of a much greater problem. When parents come to my office, they always have two big questions, Whats happening inside my child? and Can you help us? This is a quote from an outstanding Defeat Autism Now! Physician, Dr. Nancy OHara from Connecticut; she said you will benefit more from what I teach you than what I will do for you. That really hit me when she said that at a DAN! Conference recently. It made me realize that a big part of what I need to do is educate families about this problem and empower them with knowledge so that they can navigate their child's care.

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It has taken me years to compile all of these materials, to be able to come up with a strategy to intervene on behalf of these children. But the process of working with any child on the autistic spectrum is not only involved with fixing the underlying biological dysfunctions that we find, but also teaching the parents what they can be doing on an ongoing basis. Also, to open their eyes to the many different problems that are going on educationally, vocationally and medically, and point them in the right direction as to the different types of providers that they should be aligning themselves with.

Autism signs and symptoms are the result of fundamental and clinical imbalances that are going on inside a childs body. Here are just a few. We see an increase in oxidative stress or the amount of free radicals formed in the childs body. We see something called mitochondrial dysfunction, which is a breakdown in the energy system and the energy producing organelles in cells. We see imbalances in the detoxification system, these kids are just not able to efficiently take toxins out of their system and excrete them. We commonly see immune system imbalances; we talk about a T1 T2 shift in white blood cells. We commonly see gut dysfunction (digestion/absorption/infection) in these kids. Instead of having normal intestinal bacteria (aka gut flora) we see a dramatic change in the environment in the intestinal track and see things like staph and other nasty bacteria growing, as well as yeast and mold and that leads to a whole host of problems. We see challenges in nutrient density, we see vitamin and mineral deficiencies and we see food sensitivities (allergies). We see gut inflammatory processes and about half of the kids have motility issues like diarrhea or constipation. Since 7580 % of the human immune system is located in and around the intestinal system, gut dysfunction negatively affects immune system function. It is all connected.

Kids with Autism deal with a lot of allergies, both environmental allergies and food allergies. Also, they tend to get sick very easily or almost not at all. Again, these are just generalizations, but when you start thinking about all of these different things that Im talking about, I wouldnt call that a psychological condition, I would call that a multi-system breakdown. I would say that this child is very, very sick. To think about it any other way is silly.

To think that you can fix this with education alone is ridiculous. We really need to get on board with what is going on physiologically with these children. Lets get them tested, and lets find out what we can do to help them.

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Chapter 4 Bringing It All Together

Autism is a medical disorder; its not a mental disorder. PDD, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder, actually means its a disorder of development. These kids have immature and underdeveloped nervous systems. Autism and Autistic Spectrum Disorders are actually a syndrome of bio-neuro dysfunction. As a result, they experience an altered state of consciousness or an altered state of perception. We hear people describe kids with Autism as being in his or her own world. Thats because when you dont have normal sensory integration, or the combination of all the different senses into a unified percept or perception, you very much are in your own world. Youre attending to several different things at the same time. Kids with Autism have a biologically impaired brain. This isnt some lack of education, or lack of exposure to enough love and nurturing at home. This is a physiological problem.

Here is a wild statement: Autism IS NOT treatable in and of itself.

As far as Im concerned, it really doesnt even exist. Autism is really just a label that describes so many different things that people have a hard time getting their arms around. The diagnosis of Autism is a combination of so many different problems, and it is those problems that become treatment targets. A CHILD WITH AUTISM IS TREATABLE! Frankly we need to be proactive and cant simply wait until formal research proves what we already know. Fixing underlying dysfunctions in these kids makes a big difference. Individualized dietary changes, nutritional supplements, sensory integration programs, motor planning programs, hBOT, detox, etc., etc., etc. There are so many different things that help children with Autism. Its in the literature - its there to be found. Dr Martha Herbert, an outstanding pediatric neurologist wrote a dynamic paper called Autism: a Brain Disorder or a Disorder that Affects the Brain. This really pulls it all together. It came out in 2005 in a journal called Clinical Neuropsychiatry. Let me just give you some excerpts from this article. She says, the encephalopathic feature (brain disorder) may rest on chronic tissue abnormalities and maladaptive processing patterns and may be treatable and even reversible. So when you have these chronic tissue abnormalities and processing problems, its physiological. How awesome is that? Martha Herbert, MD, PhD. A Harvard Pediatric Neurologist and Autism researcher says that underlying problems in Autism ARE TREATABLE!!!

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The next thing she says is Abnormalities in Autism may come from sustained neuromodulator and connectivity abnormalities that may be amenable to reduction by properly targeted intervention. She says it again! She goes on to say Targeted treatment for metabolic changes in Autism may point to pathway related interventions like vitamins and minerals that are generally recognized as safe. I cant wait to meet her! You might not believe that simple nutritional changes like adding Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6 and Zinc to your childs daily intake - can affect their Autism symptoms, but it actually can make a gigantic difference.

I think that if I was to be able to redefine Autism right now, I would say that it is a group of higher brain function challenges that result from an epigenetic defect, (meaning the environments impact on the human genome causes an alteration in the way our biochemistry works) PLUS environmental stress resulting in altered biochemistry and brain connectivity in the developing fetus or shortly after birth. Then, expose this weakened newborn to even more environmental stress and/or toxins and the stage is set for Autism. There are so many different research journal articles and people talking about this that its just plain to see and theres no two ways about it. Right now, we know of no genes that directly and inevitably cause Autism Martha Herbert said that at Harvard. This is not a purely genetic disorder. We have a reality check coming on. With whats going on, you have to worry about each and every baby thats being born, and this is going to get worse before it gets better. We, as adults are all very toxic from the environment that weve been living in. We get together with another toxic individual and form a child that is born into this toxic soup, and thats a major problem. So we have a biologically impaired brain, metabolic changes, biochemical and nutritional imbalances, and all those things need to be evaluated and handled. As far as Im concerned, there are three different subtypes of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Type I - The child is delayed from birth. This child develops slowly right from the beginning and usually dont hit their developmental milestones on time. This could happen as a result of a significant maternal exposure to chemical toxicity.

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Type II - Some delays in the childs development are present, but everything seems to be looking pretty good. When the child hits 18-24 months of age, there is a regression in skills; they lose skills, they lose speech, they lose abilities. Thats probably a maternal and baby exposure, as far as I can tell. This is my own theory, that there was a maternal exposure, but when the babys weakened system was exposed to this environment, there was a regression. Type III - I hear it very commonly in my office where parents come in and say My baby was perfect. My baby was fine; He/she had no issues. I have video to prove it. Then they got an MMR shot and three days later they were totally non-functional. The baby experiences a significant environmental exposure which cripples their metabolism and derails their development.

Autism as a Perfect Storm

Lets talk a little bit about how this happens. I call it the perfect storm because so many different things have to come together to make this happen. What are the common denominators? We see gut dysfunction. We see high levels of oxidative stress. We see Vitamin D deficiency. We see high levels of toxic metals; elevated levels of mercury, lead, and aluminum. We see deficiencies in minerals like Zinc, Magnesium and Selenium. We see Mitochondrial Dysfunction. We see very allergic kids. We see sensory problems. We see muscular coordination problems. We see low muscle tone. When you see the same thing over and over and over, you say this pattern has to mean something. To affect this many aspects of a Human Body, something that has negatively impacted its very core must have happened. By this I mean, we need to isolate the level of the lesion where has the damage occurred to create this presentation. For example: If you had weakness in your hand, the lesion could be at the hand, the wrist, the elbow, the shoulder, the neck, the spinal cord or the brain. That is it.

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But when you impact all of the things listed above as common denominators, the insult has to be throughout the entire body. Well, weve been poisoned. The chemical revolution over the past 50 years has altered nearly every aspect of our lives. Many of the products we rely on every day, from plastic bags to computers, would not exist without synthetic chemicals. This is from a PBS show called trade secrets that you can watch online. They go on to say that most of us believe that the chemicals have been tested and approved by some government agency, and in fact, until theyre proven harmful, mot chemicals are presumed safe! Thats a major problem, as far as Im concerned, because were using products on a daily basis that are extremely toxic to our bodies and to our children. Between 1 and 5 billion tons of chemicals are being discharged annually in the United States alone. 1500-2500 new chemicals are brought to market each year. For the 15,000 chemicals already in use, no toxicity data exists for over 43% of those chemicals, according to the EPA. Complete neurotoxicity data for only 15 of those chemicals exists. So 15 out of 15,000, we have complete neurotoxicity data on. Its just absolutely ludicrous. Were using things that we have a feeling are causing problems in our bodies and illness in our children and we continue to use them and theres no oversight.

In 2006, researchers from Harvard said a silent pandemic is going on. Industrial chemicals are impairing the brain development of children worldwide. In this journal article it says that fetal and early childhood exposure to industrial chemicals in the environment can damage the developing brain and lead to disorders such as Autism, ADHD, and mental retardation. They found that 202 industrial chemicals have the capacity to damage the human brain. They claim that chemical pollution may have harmed the brains of millions of children worldwide. And this is a worldwide problem. Every two years, the United States Environmental Protection Agency releases something called the Toxics Release Inventory, which basically allows the public to see whats going on with the toxic chemicals that are in our environment produced by our companies and how theyre handled. Well this is pretty frightening. The Environmental Protection Agencys Toxics Release Data Program collects info on disposal or other releases of over 650 chemicals from industrial sources in all 50 states and the U.S. territories. Disposal or other releases represent the wide range of management methods from highly controlled disposal to uncontrolled releases due to accidental leaks or spills. About 4.25 billion pounds of these 650 chemicals were disposed of or otherwise released in 2006 alone. Mercury, and mercury compound, made up 5.1 million pounds of that. Known carcinogens represented 820 million pounds. So were talking about some really bad stuff.

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Then what we need to do is figure out where does this stuff go? 33% of it, or 1.41 million pounds, was actually released right into the air we breathe. And then we wonder why were sick.

19% of it, or 827 million pounds, are kept in surface impoundments. 14% were injected into the ground. 14%, or 591 million pounds, went into waste

piles or spills or leaks.

So 14% of this gigantic quantity of toxic chemicals just gets spilled and we have to live with it? It ends up inside of us. http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri06/

The Human Body Burden.

Not too long ago doctors thought that the placenta shielded a baby from most pollutants in the environment. Then all the sudden they got worried about smoking and then they said well if you smoke that will cross the placenta and then alcohol could cross the placenta. Now we realize that there is no placental shield and during this critical time in the babys development, the umbilical cord carries not only the building blocks of life but also a steady stream of industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides that cross the placenta as regularly as the residue from smoking and alcohol do. Evidence suggests that neurodevelopmental disorders caused by industrial chemicals have created a silent pandemic in modern society. There was an amazing study done by the Environmental Working Group in 2004 where they took 10 babies in the hospital and evaluated their umbilical cord blood and what they found was a total of 287 chemicals including; pesticides, consumer product ingredients, waste from burning coal, gasoline and garbage. Before we are even born we have this stuff running through our veins. At least 287 chemicals are already inside of us before we are born. Of the 287 chemicals; 134 of them cause cancer, 151 cause birth defects, 154 cause hormone disruption, 186 are associated with infertility and 130 affect the immune system. Imagine being sick before being born. http://www.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php

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Known neurodevelopment toxins include pesticides, solvents, dioxins, PCBs, metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, manganese, alcohol and nicotine. The three biggies are heavy metals, pesticides and plastics that are damaging us and our kids.

Another study was done called Across Generations. What these researchers wanted to know was what actually goes from mother to baby. They found that same industrial chemicals present in mothers were also present in their daughters. They found chemicals called phalates, used in plastics, cosmetics and building materials, chemicals like Bisphenol or BPA which is the chemical in plastic that makes it pliable (like in bottled water), Brominated flame retardants used in computers, TVs and foam furniture, Teflon used in pots and pans and Scotch Guard, the stuff that keeps stains off of your carpet. Almost 93% of the chemicals that daughters harbor in their body tissues were also found in their mothers. We know that the placental connection is pretty significant. http://www.ewg.org/reports/generations

Then we also found out that 6 months of breast feeding can put 50% of the mothers body burden into the baby. So 50% of all the stuff that the mom has been collecting for her whole life can actually get transferred to the baby in 6 months. The mothers body is trying to give the baby all that it can get including, vitamins and minerals. Very commonly minerals like calcium are stored in your bones so hormonal changes in the moms body soften the bones to allow Calcium to get into the baby. Unfortunately, toxic metals are also stored in bone. So when the mothers body starts to release these minerals, they also release toxins into circulation.

A 2001, another expose called Wasteland, The Threat of Toxic Fertilizer, revealed some more scary facts. Between 1990 and 1995, 270 million pounds of toxic waste was spread on US farmland as fertilizer. First of all, fertilizer is a totally unregulated commodity. Industrial companies create waste products that may include certain metals and minerals. If the mineral content is sufficient in the waste, it potentially could be used as fertilizer! Even though it just happens to be contaminated with other stuff like mercury or lead, they can still sell it as fertilizer! - Dont you want to throw up?

They found that 29 out of 29 brands of fertilizers randomly tested were found to contain 22 hazardous metals such as mercury, Cadmium and lead. 13 out of the 22 metals measured in the fertilizers exceeded the maximum allowed in hazardous treatment of landfills. So here we are spreading this across the nation, right on our food supply! THEN WE BUY IT AND EAT IT! http://www.pirg.org/toxics/reports/wastelands/

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The chronic low level exposure to toxins metals is an increasing global problem. The expression of toxic effects may not appear until later in lifewe know that these things have a long term affect. Toxic metals cause a lot of problems because they interfere with normal biochemistry and increase oxidative stress by creating free radicals. These free radicals travel around and damage cells and their DNA.

The Human Body has a system in place where we can balance out the free radicals with internal ANTIOXIDANTS. Every time you produce free radicals, you can bind them up with a naturally occurring molecule that your body produces called Glutathione.

Another biochemical problem that kids with Autism can have is a defect in the Methylation Cycle. When you cant Methylate, you cant make Glutathione efficiently! Its a double whammy for these kids because you have an increase in free radical formation AND damage to the Glutathione production that is supposed to squash the free radicals. This condition of increased Oxidative Stress can create Mitochondrial Dysfunction or damage in cellular structures that metabolize food into energy. Since the most metabolic tissues in the body are brain, heart and muscle tissue, they are more prone to dysfunction. It is all connected.

A study in Texas was done where they were actually able to link the amount of toxins released from power plants and an increase in the number of Autism cases throughout the state. The areas with the highest amount of this toxic waste also had the highest number kids diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorders.

Then we switch over to plastics and we realize the risks of plastics add up for infants. 84% of the United States population is contaminated with at least 6 different phthalates, which are chemicals in plastic. Very commonly, people place plastic wrap and plates in the microwave, which actually melts the plastic and allows a release of these chemicals into their food. We also use chewy toys for babies that are plastic. Plastic is usually very hard. In order for it to become pliable, (like water bottles) they have to treat it with a chemical called BPA. BPA has been linked to infertility and feminization of boys. We need to clean up our childs environment first, and then look at cleaning up the way we do things.

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Chapter 5 What Can You Do To Start Beating Autism NOW?

It took years for me to even begin to create a plan because there are so many different things to do. But yet, every child is so different that the interventions needed for every child is different. That drives me crazy. So often, during a consultation parents say, Well, I tried this. I tried that. I tried this. I tried that. They give you the whole list. They sometimes have it all written down; intervention that was tried (ie. diet changes, fish oil, sound therapy, etc., etc.), when they tried it and for how long. Inevitably they say something like, You know, we tried the Gluten Free Diet for 6 weeks and we saw no change. That is where I have to stop them and ask, What was your expectation? What is it that you thought you were going to see, from any of these things, in 6 weeks or 10 weeks or 12 weeks? The child has had this problem either from birth, before birth or just after birth. Now theyre 5, 6, 7 years old and youve tried this intervention for a month and a half or two months. What is it that you thought you were going to see? If you answer that, it makes it a little more real that this is something that we need to come-up with a strategy for, and stick with the strategy thats individualized for that particular child. What I want to know about each one of the kids that I see is: whats going on within their chemistry? Whats going on within their sensory systems? What kind of emotional state are they in? Whats going on in their home? How much love, attention and affection are they getting? What educational setting are they in? What do they respond to? How much language do they have, expressively and receptively? There are so many different components to this, so I need to get so much feedback from the parents. I want to see pictures of the child from when they were younger to see if we can find a physical 'change' in the child at a certain point.

I go through a complete history from the day that the mom was pregnant.

About the mother, I want to know: How old she was when she got pregnant? Did she take fertility meds or do IVF? Was she taking any regular medication for any reason prior to pregnancy? Did she take any medication for any reason during pregnancy?

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What was happening in her life for the 4 weeks prior tofinding out she was pregnant ? Was she sick at all during her pregnancy? Did she have any bleeding or spotting during her pregnancy? Did she have any dental work during pregnancy? Did she have a lot of amalgam (silver) fillings in her mouth when she got pregnant? How was her diet during pregnancy? Did she eat a lot of fish prior to pregnancy? Does she have any history of exposure to toxins? Is there any family history of autoimmune illness on either side of the family? (This includes thyroid problems, Diabetes, Psoriasis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis) What was her gut function like prior to and during pregnancy? Did she poop every day? Was it formed and of normal color? Was she prone to yeast infections? Was the baby born vaginally or via C-Section? Was the baby ever in any distress? Did the baby have any trouble breathing? Did the baby have any jaundice? Did the baby spend any time in the Neonatal ICU? What was the baby's Apgar Score? Did the baby receive a Hepatitis B shot at the hospital?

All of these things are important. I need every clue that I possibly can get to do my best to try to help this family. Then starts an evaluation: a physical exam, an educational assessment, occupational therapy evaluations and a review of what's been done already. I order all the lab-work - blood, urine and stool testing. Once all the results are in, I am able to put it all together and get to know this child. Let me try to figure out who this child is on the inside, whats going on inside their brain? Then Ill be the best position to create an intervention strategy to try to help them develop better.

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Mainstream vs. Alternative Therapies ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis), speech, occupational therapy and physical therapy are considered Mainstream therapies. Because of the classification of Autism and the mental characteristics associated with it, any therapy outside of psychological intervention, learning and behavioral approaches are considered alternative! This must change immediately, as anything designed to treat the CAUSE of the problem is not considered a mainstream therapy. Most intervention approaches for autism are education and behavior based. In many cases, children do hours and hours of repetitive programs where they are taught scripted behaviors that have limited value in many real-life interactions. For example (and this is advanced), a child may be taught a strategy for how to approach another child to engage in play. However, rehearsed strategies do not give a child the ability to participate in the spontaneous, highly fluid peer interactions of even a simple playground environment. While they clearly have benefit, even the most widely used and most intensive mainstream intervention methods have not demonstrated what is needed most: the ability to produce independence and a high quality of life for people with Autism. Having language and intelligence are critically important, but they are not enough. Unfortunately, even those children who speak well and do well in school are at high risk for failure in life. The National Autistic Society (NAS) of Great Britain conducted a study of high functioning adults with Asperger's Syndrome and Autism in 2001. The researchers followed hundreds of young adults on the autism spectrum that had high IQ's and good language. 50% of these bright individuals went on to higher education after high school. Yet, at the time of the study:

Only 12% were employed Only 3% could live independently Over 65% had almost no social contact outside of their family None were married or involved in a significant emotional relationship

In my opinion, mainstream evaluation and intervention of Autistic Spectrum Disorders are archaic and the prognosis for quality of life for people on the spectrum continues to remain poor.

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The Therapy Your Child Needs MUST Address the Core Problems Very basically, you MUST get your child to a place of physiological balance called Homeostasis. To get there you have to give them what they are missing and take away what is detrimental to them. This balance is necessary for normal growth and development to take place. Before you can do this, you have to test to see what is missing and what is hurting.

Your Child Has His/Her Own Unique Potential. You and everyone who works with your child must believe in his ability to learn, grow and have a bright future. This is a fight for your child between you and Autism. With early, appropriate and intensive intervention, most children experience improvement, ranging from mild changes to complete recovery. The degree of recovery a child experiences depends primarily on his/her unique potential, combined with their parents willingness to do whatever it takes.

Here are some steps that you can take immediately.

Step 1 Develop a positive attitude and absolutely avoid any and all people that do not support your plan to help your child. You will encounter teachers, pediatricians, well-meaning friends, etc. that will try to dissuade you from committing yourself to your childs improvement and recovery. Recovery? I thought this was not treatable? There are children that have RECOVERED from Autism and you need to strive for recovering your child. Not every child will recover, but if you dont try, it will certainly not happen. Go here to see some great stories of recovery. http://www.autism.com/treatable/recovered/recoveredvideo20042005.htm Step 2 Learn As Much As You Can Knowledge is power. You MUST know what is happening. You MUST know what is best for them physically and educationally.

1. Get involved in support groups or online communities. 2. Go to seminars on educational interventions and biomedical interventions.

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Step 3 - Get the Right Tests Done I hear all the time, my child had a blood test, everything was fine. Or, my child was tested for lead and everything was fine, they didnt have any lead in their blood. Well, typically lab tests are run to look for disease. Theyre not looking for dysfunction. We know that Autism is not a disease, its not the end result of a long-standing disease process that you would commonly see, and its not a breakdown of any one particular system. Its actually a series of dysfunctions, and dysfunctions dont normally show up on a standard blood/urinalysis. What tests can be done to find out what kind of functionality your childs system has? We need specialized tests so that we can try to identify what we can affect, things that we can actually do something about. Thats really all were concerned about, what can we find that we can change? What can we find that we can make better?

We run panels of special blood, urine and stool tests to get an accurate picture of what is happening inside of each patient.

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Chapter 6: The Fate of the Turtle, Reality and a Call to Action

What Charles Darwin realized was that the stronger, more adaptable members of a group would out survive the weaker, less adaptable group. This is called Natural Selection and it acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of a species developed a functional advantage (it grew wings and learned to fly). Its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior (disadvantaged) members of the same species would gradually die out, leaving only the superior (advantaged) members of the species. Natural selection is the preservation of a functional advantage that enables a species to compete better in the wild.

The shorter-necked turtles that I described in the beginning of the book eventually died out as their environment changed and altered their food supply. The turtles with the longer necks had an advantage as they had the ability to eat from bushes and were able to keep the newer, stronger version of the species alive.

Over the past 100 years, we Human Beings have achieved many great things. Sometimes those achievements have been at the expense of the environment in which we live. Our children are like the turtles of the Galapagos Islands. We have systematically changed the chemical make-up of our very surroundings; things critical to our survival.

We have altered the air we breathe with carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particle pollution. Weve polluted the water we drink with chlorine, mercury, fluoride, Perchlorate and hundreds of other chemicals.

We have contaminated the food we eat that actually BECOMES PART OF OUR BODY. We start with pesticides, plant-growth regulators, veterinary drugs and antibiotics. Then we package our food and expose it to antimony, tin, lead and Bisphenol A, then we process our food using equipment that exposes it to copper, or other metal chips, lubricants, cleaning and sanitizing agents, then we preserve the food with other chemicals.

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When the environment changed on the Galapagos Islands, the inhabitants had to adapt to survive. Tiny genetic variants allowed for these adaptations. Those that could not survive died off. It has been that way on Earth since the beginning; the difference is that we are causing this environmental shift and the consequences that result.

It is my feeling that Autism results from a failure to adapt to these environmental changes. With the toxins that I have described throughout this book present in all of us (even newborns), Human Beings that have sufficient detoxification capacity to get rid of those toxins will survive and the ones that cant detoxify will not.

It is a horrible thought, but this is our REALITY. Will kids with Autism be able to reproduce? Will we have grandchildren? This problem is bigger than anyone can even imaginewhat can we do to change things?

All I can say is that I try to help one child at a time, but that is not good enough. We need proactive leadership that doesnt mortgage the future for quick payoffs.

Do something. Get involved. Change things and make them better. Our future depends on it.

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Finally
The material that I have presented in this book represents years of research and practical application. Once you embrace the idea that it is never too early or too late to start a functional neuro and Bionutritional approach with your child in addition to what you are already doing, you can help them in ways that you could not imagine.

Click on the Becoming A Patient link http://www.nycfuturedocs.com/becoming-a-patient-autism/ here on the Autistic Spectrum section of the website to find out how you can get in to see us in our practice.

Good Luck and God Bless.

Dr. Mike

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