Vitamins/Minerals
We all need vitamins. They’re part of the fuel for our body to run. We usually get these from our foods, but our children that don’t eat the most optimal diets quickly run low on the essentials. Unfortunately, a mul- tivitamin is not enough. It’s a good supple- ment to a healthy diet, but not a replacement for zero fruits and vegetables. High-dose supplements are effective and more impor- tantly, safe.
Antioxidants – Toxins cause damage
to the body. A great metaphor is a rusting car. If let out in the elements and acid rain, it will rust. Our bodies rust as well (known as oxidation) and the more toxins we are exposed to, the quicker our body disinte- grates, one little piece at a time. Luckily for us (not the car), our bodies have an internal defense against rusting (antioxidation). The more antioxidant vitamins and minerals we take (Vitamin A, C, E, selenium, zinc, alpha lipoic acid, popular berry juices) the faster our body can heal. This is essential in the brain where a lot of damage and oxidation is occurring.
B vitamins – There’s no coincidence that
‘B’ is for ‘Brain’, because the B vitamins are essential to produce our brain chemicals and neurotransmitters. Vitamin B6 has been
known to be beneficial and researched since the 1950’s, while Vitamin B12 has been re- cently popularized by Jenny McCarthy. There is a little known problem with the B Vitamin – folate. Certain people genetically cannot use this vitamin, but we routinely test for this genetic problem and have the supplement to cure it.
Magnesium – Great for constipation and
the brain, magnesium has been researched since the 1950’s for its benefit with autism. It provides relaxation, movement of the bow- els, and is a foundation that many children don’t get in their diets.
Digestive Support
The digestion in children with autism is usually compromised. Different diets are beneficial in different children (See the Special Diets and Autism article by Vicki Ko- bliner this month). Many children also have intestinal infections of candida or parasites, which worsen their hyperactivity symptoms. The more we can aid their digestion, the bet- ter your child will be. Digestive Enzymes – Our body creates enzymes in our pancreas and intestines to help digest our food into small pieces we can absorb into our blood stream. If your child doesn’t chew their food well or is
bloated, these are signs that they can benefit from digestive enzyme supplements. Olive Leaf – Olive leaf is one of the
many herbs that kill offending yeast in the intestines. Many children are given nystatin or diflucan for months or even years, but the herbs are sometimes more effective. While many herbs are beneficial, olive leaf seems to have the best taste and best compliance in my patients. Probiotics – Our intestines are filled with trillions and trillions of beneficial bac- teria. Most of you are probably familiar with acidophilus in yogurt. There are hundreds of different organisms that are essential for our health that may be killed by either antibiot- ics or chlorine in your tap water (chlorine is put in there to kill bad bacteria, but it kills good bacteria too). Probiotics can help diarrhea, constipation, as well as negative behaviors.
Others Detoxification/Chelation – A recent
study of over 200 healthy people showed that the average person has over 90 different toxins. Things from heavy metals to micro- waved plastics to pesticides. They are in the body and causing problems to the nervous system. The difference between detoxifica- tion and chelation is both the therapy and the side effects. Detoxification consists of natural oral therapies that enhance the body’s own ability to remove unwanted sub- stances. Chelation is usually IV therapies of substances such as DMPS or EDTA that work faster at removing offending toxins, but also have severe possible side effects. Fish Oil – One of the most popular
natural supplements today is fish oil. Full of essential fatty acids (EFA), oil from fish is a great source of two ingredients: EPA and DHA. The DHA is a very nourishing supple- ment for the brain. Most of the nerves in the brain are wrapped in a blanket of fat called myelin. If there is damage to this blanket, the nerves won’t fire and send signals properly. Giving fish oil can help heal the brain that is damaged by toxins or heavy metals. Homeopathics – Homeopathy has been used successfully for hundreds of years and is a very misunderstood therapy. It is a therapy of dilution and similarity. In our society where ‘more is better’, it’s hard for most people to wrap their minds around the power of diluting a medicine, but we see diluted medicines that have huge effects on the immune system, such as vaccines and allergy shots. Homeopathy probably has the best success at changing the autoimmune attack of the immune system that some chil- dren have on the spectrum.
12 Natural Nutmeg
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