Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Gut and Psychology Syndrome Book Winner
I have randomly chosen Wendy to receive this book. Thanks everyone for your interest and make sure to check back for new articles and possibly more giveaways!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Free "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" book
"Gut and Psychology Syndrome" is an extremely enlightening book written by a doctor and mom of a child diagnosed with autism. It explores the connection between the digestive system and immune system and how an unhealthy gut can contribute to the many learning disabilities and mental issues that children have today, including autism, ADD, depression, etc.
Here is a quick description of the book:
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride set up The Cambridge Nutrition Clinic in 1998. As a parent of a child diagnosed with learning difficulties, she was acutely aware of the difficulties facing other parents like her, and she has devoted much of her time to helping these families. She realised that nutrition played a critical role in helping children and adults to overcome their disabilities, and has pioneered the use of probiotics in this field.
Her willingness to share her knowledge has resulted in her contributing to many publications, as well as presenting at numerous seminars and conferences on the subjects of learning disabilities and digestive disorders. Her book "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" captures her experience and knowledge, incorporating her most recent work.
She believes that the link between learning disabilities, the food and drink that we take, and the condition of our digestive system is absolute, and the results of her work have supported her position on this subject. In her clinic, parents discuss all aspects of their child's condition, confident in the knowledge that they are not only talking to a professional but to a parent who has lived their experience. Her deep understanding of the challenges they face, puts her advice in a class of it's own.
About the Author
Natasha Campbell-McBride holds a Degree in Medicine and Postgraduate Degrees in both Neurology and Human Nutrition. In her clinic in Cambridge she specialises in Nutrition for Children and Adults with Behavioural and Learning Disabilities, and Adults with Digestive and Immune System Disorders. Her son was diagnosed with autism.
You can read reviews here
This book was very eye opening for me, and I learned alot from it. I have implemented many things that are talked about in this book with my son. I would like to pass it on to someone else who can get use out of it.
So, if you are interested in this book, please click on the follow button to follow my blog or post a comment and mention that you would like to have it. On December 30th, I will randomly choose someone to receive this book. It does have alot of earmarks and some markings because I found so many parts of it that interested me that I liked to look back on, but it is definitely in good readable condition still. It retails for $30, so you will definitely be saving some money! Please make sure to check back as I will be posting the winner after December 30th. Thank you for your interest!
Here is a quick description of the book:
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride set up The Cambridge Nutrition Clinic in 1998. As a parent of a child diagnosed with learning difficulties, she was acutely aware of the difficulties facing other parents like her, and she has devoted much of her time to helping these families. She realised that nutrition played a critical role in helping children and adults to overcome their disabilities, and has pioneered the use of probiotics in this field.
Her willingness to share her knowledge has resulted in her contributing to many publications, as well as presenting at numerous seminars and conferences on the subjects of learning disabilities and digestive disorders. Her book "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" captures her experience and knowledge, incorporating her most recent work.
She believes that the link between learning disabilities, the food and drink that we take, and the condition of our digestive system is absolute, and the results of her work have supported her position on this subject. In her clinic, parents discuss all aspects of their child's condition, confident in the knowledge that they are not only talking to a professional but to a parent who has lived their experience. Her deep understanding of the challenges they face, puts her advice in a class of it's own.
About the Author
Natasha Campbell-McBride holds a Degree in Medicine and Postgraduate Degrees in both Neurology and Human Nutrition. In her clinic in Cambridge she specialises in Nutrition for Children and Adults with Behavioural and Learning Disabilities, and Adults with Digestive and Immune System Disorders. Her son was diagnosed with autism.
You can read reviews here
This book was very eye opening for me, and I learned alot from it. I have implemented many things that are talked about in this book with my son. I would like to pass it on to someone else who can get use out of it.
So, if you are interested in this book, please click on the follow button to follow my blog or post a comment and mention that you would like to have it. On December 30th, I will randomly choose someone to receive this book. It does have alot of earmarks and some markings because I found so many parts of it that interested me that I liked to look back on, but it is definitely in good readable condition still. It retails for $30, so you will definitely be saving some money! Please make sure to check back as I will be posting the winner after December 30th. Thank you for your interest!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Finding a good ABA therapist
ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) Therapy is one of the most widely used and most effective therapies for autism. I started ABA therapy for my son a few years ago and I believe it has helped him considerably as far as his imitation skills, ability to follow simple commands, and word approximations. At the beginning of therapy, my son would not sit down and do anything that was asked of him. He would scream and cry whenever we tried to get him to work. Now, he will usually go right to his chair as soon as the therapist arrives and is ready to work. He has also learned how to use word approximations or babbling to ask for what he wants. Before therapy, he would just throw a tantrum to try and get what he wanted because he didn't have an effective way to communicate what he wanted.
The therapist uses a child's favorite foods, toys, etc in order to motivate the child to do tasks. ABA therapy can also help with a child's problem behaviors, such as tantrums and aggression.
You can learn more about ABA therapy here
Now finding an ABA therapist can be tough. Many are very busy and have long wait lists. I am also in a small area so I had to find a therapist that would be willing to travel. And, I needed to find one that accepted Tricare insurance. My son's ABA therapy is covered through the ECHO program with Tricare.
For more information about the ECHO program if you have Tricare insurance, click here
For a link to an informative page on how to go about obtaining insurance coverage for the therapy, click here
To find ABA therapists in your area, you can use the Behavior Analyst Certification Board where you can search by zip code or city and state for certified therapists. Click here
ABA therapy is definitely worth checking into if you haven't already.
I hope this has been helpful!
The therapist uses a child's favorite foods, toys, etc in order to motivate the child to do tasks. ABA therapy can also help with a child's problem behaviors, such as tantrums and aggression.
You can learn more about ABA therapy here
Now finding an ABA therapist can be tough. Many are very busy and have long wait lists. I am also in a small area so I had to find a therapist that would be willing to travel. And, I needed to find one that accepted Tricare insurance. My son's ABA therapy is covered through the ECHO program with Tricare.
For more information about the ECHO program if you have Tricare insurance, click here
For a link to an informative page on how to go about obtaining insurance coverage for the therapy, click here
To find ABA therapists in your area, you can use the Behavior Analyst Certification Board where you can search by zip code or city and state for certified therapists. Click here
ABA therapy is definitely worth checking into if you haven't already.
I hope this has been helpful!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Special Diets for Autism
Many autistic children have digestive issues and "leaky gut syndrome" which is explained well here
Therefore most can benefit from a special diet. There is the Gluten Free Casein Free diet, which means wheat and dairy free. This is probably the most well known and most widely used diet for autism. I started my son on this diet a few years ago and noticed big improvements such as less hyperactivity and the ability to focus.
To help you get started with this diet, click here
Another diet that seems to have good results is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which I have not personally tried but I have heard from other parents that it has helped their children significantly, especially with yeast overgrowth. Basically, it cuts out grains like rice, wheat, and corn.
For more information concerning this diet, click here
The last diet I will talk about is the Body Ecology Diet. This diet is similar to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet but differs in that it offers certain very digestible grains such as quinoa, millett, buckwheat and amaranth. This is a diet I have used with my son and I have found it to be very beneficial for him, along with Vitality Greens, which I mentioned in a previous article.
For an excellent article explaining this diet, click here
I hope that this has been of some help to those of you who are trying to find a suitable diet for your child. Please make sure to check with your child's doctor before making any major dietary changes.
Therefore most can benefit from a special diet. There is the Gluten Free Casein Free diet, which means wheat and dairy free. This is probably the most well known and most widely used diet for autism. I started my son on this diet a few years ago and noticed big improvements such as less hyperactivity and the ability to focus.
To help you get started with this diet, click here
Another diet that seems to have good results is the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which I have not personally tried but I have heard from other parents that it has helped their children significantly, especially with yeast overgrowth. Basically, it cuts out grains like rice, wheat, and corn.
For more information concerning this diet, click here
The last diet I will talk about is the Body Ecology Diet. This diet is similar to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet but differs in that it offers certain very digestible grains such as quinoa, millett, buckwheat and amaranth. This is a diet I have used with my son and I have found it to be very beneficial for him, along with Vitality Greens, which I mentioned in a previous article.
For an excellent article explaining this diet, click here
I hope that this has been of some help to those of you who are trying to find a suitable diet for your child. Please make sure to check with your child's doctor before making any major dietary changes.
Yeast Overgrowth and Bacteria
For many children with autism, yeast overgrowth is a big problem. When my son was tested for yeast, his levels were so high that I almost thought it was a typo on the lab report! Yeast in children with autism can cause many problems, such as hyperactivity and inability to focus. Once I started treating my son's yeast, he became less hyperactive and was able to concentrate more on tasks.
Here are some of the signs and symptoms of yeast overgrowth in autistic children.
Signs and Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth:
On Candida Overgrowth Dr. Kenneth Bock writes:
Bloating in the belly, particularly after eating a yeast promoting food.
Thrush, a thick white coating on the tongue, or white patches in the mouth.
Itching or redness in any of the mucosal membranes, or in any external body tissue that is in a warm, moist area.
Recurrent vaginal infections, or "jock itch" irritation in males.
Recurrent fungal infections of the toenails and fingernails, or recurrent athlete's foot.
Swelling throughout the body, particularly in the hands, face and feet; or a tendency to suffer from chronic water retention.
Fatigue, for no apparent reason.
Depression, for no apparent reason.
Poor memory, poor cognitive function, and brain fog.
Chronic nasal congestion from mucus or swelling of the nasal membranes.
Insomnia, restlessness.
Joint pain, with or without swelling.
Muscle aches, or headaches.
Weight gain, or difficulty losing weight.
Cravings for sweets and other refined carbohydrates, including bread and pasta.
A history of steroid use.
A history of frequent antibiotic use.
Even with just this list, you can see how yeast overgrowth can negatively impact a child's mental state and ability to learn.
There are many treatments for yeast, many that I have tried and alot that I haven't but have heard good things from other parents, such as herbal antifungal treatments like grapefruit seed extract or oil of oregano. But I believe one of the most important things to combat yeast is probiotics. There are many different strains to choose from. I find that a probiotic with a wide range of probiotic cultures is the best kind. Probiotics help to keep the immune system in good working condition and also help to control yeast and bad bacteria in the body.
Right now I am using a product called Vitality Greens by Body Ecology.
https://shop.bodyecology.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BE005
It is rather expensive, but well worth it! It contains fermented vegetables which contain many different probiotic cultures. It also contains enzymes, which help with digestive issues that many autistic children have, and antioxidants, which help repair damage caused by free radicals.
This is actually part of the body ecology diet, which I will talk about more in a later post.
I hope this has been helpful!
Here are some of the signs and symptoms of yeast overgrowth in autistic children.
Signs and Symptoms of Candida Overgrowth:
On Candida Overgrowth Dr. Kenneth Bock writes:
Bloating in the belly, particularly after eating a yeast promoting food.
Thrush, a thick white coating on the tongue, or white patches in the mouth.
Itching or redness in any of the mucosal membranes, or in any external body tissue that is in a warm, moist area.
Recurrent vaginal infections, or "jock itch" irritation in males.
Recurrent fungal infections of the toenails and fingernails, or recurrent athlete's foot.
Swelling throughout the body, particularly in the hands, face and feet; or a tendency to suffer from chronic water retention.
Fatigue, for no apparent reason.
Depression, for no apparent reason.
Poor memory, poor cognitive function, and brain fog.
Chronic nasal congestion from mucus or swelling of the nasal membranes.
Insomnia, restlessness.
Joint pain, with or without swelling.
Muscle aches, or headaches.
Weight gain, or difficulty losing weight.
Cravings for sweets and other refined carbohydrates, including bread and pasta.
A history of steroid use.
A history of frequent antibiotic use.
Even with just this list, you can see how yeast overgrowth can negatively impact a child's mental state and ability to learn.
There are many treatments for yeast, many that I have tried and alot that I haven't but have heard good things from other parents, such as herbal antifungal treatments like grapefruit seed extract or oil of oregano. But I believe one of the most important things to combat yeast is probiotics. There are many different strains to choose from. I find that a probiotic with a wide range of probiotic cultures is the best kind. Probiotics help to keep the immune system in good working condition and also help to control yeast and bad bacteria in the body.
Right now I am using a product called Vitality Greens by Body Ecology.
https://shop.bodyecology.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BE005
It is rather expensive, but well worth it! It contains fermented vegetables which contain many different probiotic cultures. It also contains enzymes, which help with digestive issues that many autistic children have, and antioxidants, which help repair damage caused by free radicals.
This is actually part of the body ecology diet, which I will talk about more in a later post.
I hope this has been helpful!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Homeopathic remedy potencies
There are many different potencies of homeopathic remedies. It can all be a little overwhelming at first to understand. It is best to consult with a qualified homeopath to learn more. From my research and talking with others, I believe that the LM dosing is the most effective for a chronic condition like autism. The LM potencies work gently, while still being very potent.
Here is an excellent article explaining about different potencies and how they are given.
http://www.hanp.net/general/article2
Here is an excellent article explaining about different potencies and how they are given.
http://www.hanp.net/general/article2
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Introduction--Treatments for Autism
Well I am new to blogging and this is my first post so bear with me. I have a 5 year old son with autism. He is currently nonverbal though he does babble quite a bit. He was diagnosed when he was 3, and ever since that time, I have been determined to do whatever I can to help him. The only thing I knew to do at the time was get him started with therapy, so I started him with ABA therapy, which has been a great help. But I still felt like there was more I should be doing for him. I started visiting internet forums to talk with other moms of children with autism. Then, I slowly started learning that many have had success with certain diets and biomedical treatments. The first thing I did was to start my son on the GFCF (wheat and dairy free diet). I noticed a huge change with this. My son developed a fever, which he rarely does, soon after I took out all wheat and dairy. He went from being an incredibly hyperactive child who wouldn't slow down, let alone have eye contact with anyone, to being calmer and engaging with others. I feel like this is really when my journey to help him began. I knew at that moment that there were ways I could help my son and improve his quality of life, as well as our entire family's lives.
So, I began talking to other parents and really researching effective treatments for children with autism. Soon after this, I took my son to a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor. He ran quite a few tests, including tests for yeast and bacteria, metals, toxins, etc. We discovered that my son's system was overloaded with yeast. I knew that I had to do something about this. So we tried Diflucan for awhile, which seemed to help, but was not really a long term solution. We then tried MB12 shots, which did seem to help my son with his hyperactivity, but after about 10 months of this, we finally stopped. We also were giving my son quite a few different supplements, such as a multivitamin, fish oil, biotin, probiotics, and more that I can't seem to remember right now! I do believe that all of these things did help to some extent and we saw some improvements in our son, but I still felt that his progress was very slow.
Anyway, I really wasn't sure what to do next. I felt like I had tried so many different things and I was beginning to feel like I was running out of options. I prayed to find something that could help my son. Then one day on one of my forums I came across a post about homeopathy. Someone had recommended the book "The Impossible Cure" by Amy Lansky.
http://www.impossiblecure.com/autism.html
So I ordered this book and it really opened my eyes to homeopathy and its effectiveness in treating autism as well as many other chronic conditions. Since homeopathy seemed very safe, I figured it would be worth a shot. So I found a homeopath and she got us started on the path. We started my son on a remedy that matched his symptoms very well. As soon as I gave my son the first dose, he threw up that night. Then for about the next week, he just had no energy and he developed a fever. He also had what seemed to be a very bad cold. I believe his body had a healing response to this remedy. I did see some positives though. My son was copying and imitating us more and he was also imitating one of his videos, which he had never done before! So I knew something good was happening.
Obviously though I didn't want him to get sick like this every time I gave him the remedy, so I decreased the amount I gave him each time. I have been giving it to him about every 3 days or so for about a month now and have seen some subtle but noticeable improvements each time. He has become more focused and is starting to use sounds and babbling more to ask for what he wants. The improvements are small ones, but I can see that he is definitely progressing, more so than with all the other treatments I have tried for him.
If you want to learn more about homeopathy, there are a ton of good websites. Here is one to start with. http://www.homeopathy-soh.org/about-homeopathy/what-is-homeopathy/
It can be confusing at first, but after studying it for awhile, you get the hang of it!
So, for now, homeopathy is the main thing I am focusing on. The only other thing I am doing is trying to keep him on a healthy diet and keep him away from sugar (which of course feeds yeast)!
Well, this about sums up our story up to this point. I will continue with updates! Thank you all for reading this!!
So, I began talking to other parents and really researching effective treatments for children with autism. Soon after this, I took my son to a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor. He ran quite a few tests, including tests for yeast and bacteria, metals, toxins, etc. We discovered that my son's system was overloaded with yeast. I knew that I had to do something about this. So we tried Diflucan for awhile, which seemed to help, but was not really a long term solution. We then tried MB12 shots, which did seem to help my son with his hyperactivity, but after about 10 months of this, we finally stopped. We also were giving my son quite a few different supplements, such as a multivitamin, fish oil, biotin, probiotics, and more that I can't seem to remember right now! I do believe that all of these things did help to some extent and we saw some improvements in our son, but I still felt that his progress was very slow.
Anyway, I really wasn't sure what to do next. I felt like I had tried so many different things and I was beginning to feel like I was running out of options. I prayed to find something that could help my son. Then one day on one of my forums I came across a post about homeopathy. Someone had recommended the book "The Impossible Cure" by Amy Lansky.
http://www.impossiblecure.com/autism.html
So I ordered this book and it really opened my eyes to homeopathy and its effectiveness in treating autism as well as many other chronic conditions. Since homeopathy seemed very safe, I figured it would be worth a shot. So I found a homeopath and she got us started on the path. We started my son on a remedy that matched his symptoms very well. As soon as I gave my son the first dose, he threw up that night. Then for about the next week, he just had no energy and he developed a fever. He also had what seemed to be a very bad cold. I believe his body had a healing response to this remedy. I did see some positives though. My son was copying and imitating us more and he was also imitating one of his videos, which he had never done before! So I knew something good was happening.
Obviously though I didn't want him to get sick like this every time I gave him the remedy, so I decreased the amount I gave him each time. I have been giving it to him about every 3 days or so for about a month now and have seen some subtle but noticeable improvements each time. He has become more focused and is starting to use sounds and babbling more to ask for what he wants. The improvements are small ones, but I can see that he is definitely progressing, more so than with all the other treatments I have tried for him.
If you want to learn more about homeopathy, there are a ton of good websites. Here is one to start with. http://www.homeopathy-soh.org/about-homeopathy/what-is-homeopathy/
It can be confusing at first, but after studying it for awhile, you get the hang of it!
So, for now, homeopathy is the main thing I am focusing on. The only other thing I am doing is trying to keep him on a healthy diet and keep him away from sugar (which of course feeds yeast)!
Well, this about sums up our story up to this point. I will continue with updates! Thank you all for reading this!!
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