Category Archives: Biomedical treatment
New Research Shows HBOT Success
Although we know, from anecdotal evidence and previous uncontrolled testing, that Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy can successfully treat autism, there has been no controlled test to back up these claims…until now!
Finally, a controlled clinical trial has proved that HBOT leads to improvements in autism spectrum disorders – hurray!
The Trial
“Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism: a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial” a clinical trial carried out by Daniel A. Rossignol, Lanier W. Rossignol, Scott Smith, Cindy Schneider, Sally Logerquist, Anju Usman, Jim Neubrander, Eric M. Madren, Gregg Hintz, Barry Grushkin and Elizabeth A. Mumper, is the controlled trial that has got the autism world talking.
Rossignol, and his team from 6 different centers in the US, looked at a total of 62 children aged between 2 and 7 years, who were randomly split into two groups.
One group (the “treatment group”) underwent a program of 40 hours of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (1.3 atmosphere and 24% oxygen) and the second group (the “control group”) a program of 40 hours in a slightly pressurized room (1.03 atmosphere and 21% oxygen).
All of the children were assessed using various measures, including the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC).
The Results
At the end of the program of treatment, children in the treatment group, who had received HBOT, showed significantly improved CGI, ABC and ATEC scores, when compared to the control group.
Amino Acids
Amino acids play a major part in metabolism and as building blocks of protein. They are so essential that they have become known as “the building blocks of life”. Amino acids cause reactions in the cells of the body and control cellular process.
There are 22 amino acids needed by the body to manufacture around 50,000 proteins to keep the body healthy. Out of these 22, there are 8 that the body cannot produce itself and these are referred to as “essential amino acids”. These essential amino acids must be obtained on a daily basis from the food that we eat because they cannot be stored for later use.
Amino Acids and Autistic Children
Children require more amino acids in their diet than adults because they are growing, developing and also use more energy.
Studies have shown that some autistic children are deficient in certain amino acids and that they have an increased need for amino acids, when compared to other children, because they have problems metabolizing amino acids. It is therefore essential that parents make sure that their children are receiving adequate amounts of amino acids (from protein foods), particularly if they are on a restrictive diet like the GFCF Diet or SCD.
Vitamins and Supplements for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been talking about the importance of a healthy balanced diet and how eliminating some foods, such as casein, gluten and complex carbohydrates, can be beneficial to autistic children. A healthy diet can help combat deficiencies and elimination diets can stop autoimmune reactions and allow an inflamed gut to heal.
Autism and Nutritional Deficiencies
Research into autism has found that some autistic children have nutritional deficiencies, particularly in the B vitamins, Vitamin A, calcium, zinc, selenium and magnesium, so it may be worth getting your child tested for deficiencies.
However, it can be difficult to get a child to eat a healthy diet and almost impossible to get them to consume all of the right essential nutrients, especially if they are a fussy eater!
The good news is that there are vitamins and supplements out there that can remedy this and help ease some of the symptoms of autism. Here are some vitamins and supplements which have been found to be helpful in treating autism:-
The B Vitamins
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) – A thiamine deficiency can starve the brain of the fuel it needs to function properly, causing damage and inflammation to the brain. As autism is a neurological disease, a Vitamin B1 supplement can be beneficial, particularly where a child has suffered from gastrointestinal disorders which may have effected absorption of this vitamin.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)
Last week, I talked about the GFCF Diet which involves removing gluten and casein from your child’s diet. This diet allows the gut to heal, prevents the body having an autoimmune reaction and has been shown to reduce many of the symptoms of ASD.
The SCD, or Specific Carbohydrate Diet, is a step on from the GFCF Diet and was made popular by the book “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” by Elaine Gottschall.
Gottschall created the SCD after her daughter’s ulcerative colitis and neurological problems were dramatically improved by a change in diet. Elaine was able to make the “gut brain link” and realized that what her daughter ate affected her gut which, in turn, affected her brain. The SCD was born and has gone on to help sufferers of IBS, Crohn’s Disease, celiac, cystic fibrosis, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis and autism spectrum disorders.
The Diet Explained
Full information can be found in Elaine’s book, “Breaking the Vicious Cycle”, on the website www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info and also on www.pecanbread.com but I will give you a brief overview of the diet here.
The GFCF Diet
The GFCF or Gluten Free Casein Free (wheat free, milk free) Diet is just one of the biomedical treatments recommended by the DAN! Protocol. The diet has found to be very effective in helping children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) recover from autism and the diet has had a significant amount of publicity due to Jenny McCarthy’s success story.
Jenny’s Success with the GFCF Diet
Jenny McCarthy is an autism “crusader” who has appeared on many TV shows, including Larry King and Oprah, has spoken at many events and has written various books on the subject of autism, its causes and the biomedical approach to treating it. Jenny believes that it was starting the GFCF Diet with her autistic son, Evan, that started him on the road to recovery. This diet combined with other biomedical treatments, such as chelation, vitamin supplements and anti-fungal treatment, has led to Evan recovering from autism and no longer being on the autism spectrum. Jenny does not use the word “cured” but Evan no longer displays any signs or symptoms of autism.
Many other children have also benefited from the GFCF Diet. Watch the video below to hear about another family’s experience:-
A Healthy Diet
Dietary changes and special diets, like the GFCF Diet, are a valuable part of a program of biomedical treatments for autistic children.
Many autistic children have gastrointestinal (GI) disorders which mean that they have problems digesting food properly, or are “allergic” to certain foods. “Elimination” type diets can work wonders at improving GI problems and other autism symptoms. Examples of elimination diets are the GFCF Diet and the SCD, which both remove gluten and casein from a child’s diet.
However, there are simple dietary changes which can be made before following a strict diet program. Little changes that can have a big impact on your child’s health and behavior.
Think about your child’s diet. Is your child eating a healthy, well-balanced diet which is rich in essential nutrients? Be honest.
The Modern Diet
Many children in these modern times are well fed, but actually malnourished. They are eating plenty of food, but much of it is junk food. This type of food is bad for their bodies, has empty calories and has no nutritional value at all.
Even if you are avoiding giving your child the obvious junk food, you may not realize what artificial colors, preservatives, flavors and fillers are in the everyday foods that they are consuming.
A Menu of Biomedical Treatments
What are Biomedical Treatments?
If you are a parent or carer of a child with an autism spectrum disorder, you are bound to have heard of biomedical treatments for autism, but what are they?
Unlike traditional psychotropic drug therapies, biomedical treatments work by addressing what is triggering or causing the autism in the child, rather than just treating or masking symptoms.
Biomedical approaches are working wonders all over the world and are helping children that some doctors had given up on, and working what many parents would call “miracles”. What could be more miraculous than having eye contact with your child for the first time in years or hearing them say their first word?
A Menu of Biomedical Approaches
In an interview, Jenny McCarthy, autism crusader, writer and mother to Evan, spoke about there being a menu of biomedical treatments to choose from and that you need to work through this menu until you find what works for your child. Every child is unique and has different needs, and the right treatment for your child will often depend on what is actually causing your child’s autism.
Here are some examples of biomedical approaches which are being successfully used to treat autism :-
Heavy Metal Toxicity
Many studies suggest that the epidemic rise of autism spectrum disorders is due to the fact that we are living in an evermore hostile environment, a world filled with pollution and toxins. We know that our toxic environment is to blame for many diseases and conditions, and now it seems that we can add autism to this list.
Environmental toxins include pesticides, emissions, dioxins and PCBs, Nicotine, Solvents and heavy metals. In this blog post, we will examine the link between heavy metal exposure and autism, and how this can be combated.
Heavy Metals
Some research has linked autism with heavy metal exposure, but what are heavy metals and how are our children exposed to them?
- Mercury – Mercury is used as a preservative (thimerosal) in certain medicines and some vaccines, and is also a by-product emitted by various industrial processes. Mercury is poisonous in high doses and the symptoms of mercury poisoning are incredibly similar to autism symptoms.
The Wonder of HBOT
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has been adapted from use by deep sea divers and the navy, to being used all around the world to treat and heal a multitude of diseases and conditions with remarkable results. HBOT is being hailed as a revolutionary and ground-breaking treatment for conditions and injuries like:-
One of my HBOT chambers
- Strokes and brain injuries
- Burns
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Wounds
- Poisoning
- Circulatory problems
- AIDS
- Autism
HBOT has even been approved by the FDA for 13 different conditions! It is not a fad, it is a recognized treatment with proven results.
The conditions which HBOT treats so successfully all have something in common – they are all conditions which can benefit from an increased amount of oxygen in the blood.
The DAN! Project
What is “DAN!”?
DAN! stands for “Defeat Autism Now!” and is a project which was initiated by The Autism Research Institute to educate parents, caregivers and therapists about the biomedical approach to healing autism and biomedical testing and research.
The Autism Research Institute (ARI) believe, as do I, that autism is a treatable condition and that psychotropic drugs, with all of their side effects, are not the best way to treat autism spectrum disorders. The ARI, and many physicians and researchers, believe that there are more effective ways to alleviate, and sometimes cure, these disorders.
Mission Statement
The Defeat Autism Now! project’s mission statement is:-
“Defeat Autism Now! is dedicated to the exploration, evaluation and dissemination of scientifically documented biomedical interventions for individuals within the autism spectrum, through the collaborative efforts of clinicians, researchers and parents.”
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