🌸
🌸
Can Autism be Cured?
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/12/can-autism-be-cured/
by Mark Hyman, MD
The boy ... Dr. Hyman healed ...
... had very high level of antibodies to gluten.
He was allergic not only to wheat, but to dairy, eggs, yeast, and soy — about 28 foods in total.
He also had a leaky gut, and his gut was very inflamed. Sam was deficient in zinc, magnesium,
and manganese, vitamins A, B12, and D, and omega-3 fats.
Like many children with autism, he had trouble making energy in his cells, or mitochondria.
His amino acids — necessary for normal brain function and detoxification — were depleted.
And his blood showed high levels of aluminum and lead, while his hair showed very high levels of
antimony and arsenic, signs of a very toxic little boy.
His levels of sulfur and glutathione were low, indicating that he just couldn’t muster the power to
detox all these metals.
In fact, his genes showed a major weak spot in glutathione metabolism, which is the body’s main
antioxidant and major detoxification highway for getting rid of metals and pesticides.
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/12/can-autism-be-cured/
by Mark Hyman, MD
The boy ... Dr. Hyman healed ...
... had very high level of antibodies to gluten.
He was allergic not only to wheat, but to dairy, eggs, yeast, and soy — about 28 foods in total.
He also had a leaky gut, and his gut was very inflamed. Sam was deficient in zinc, magnesium,
and manganese, vitamins A, B12, and D, and omega-3 fats.
Like many children with autism, he had trouble making energy in his cells, or mitochondria.
His amino acids — necessary for normal brain function and detoxification — were depleted.
And his blood showed high levels of aluminum and lead, while his hair showed very high levels of
antimony and arsenic, signs of a very toxic little boy.
His levels of sulfur and glutathione were low, indicating that he just couldn’t muster the power to
detox all these metals.
In fact, his genes showed a major weak spot in glutathione metabolism, which is the body’s main
antioxidant and major detoxification highway for getting rid of metals and pesticides.
🌸
🌸
- Aluminum-containing products are likely fueling the rise in Alzheimer's disease and autism
- Aluminum and glyphosate appear to act as synergistic poisons that promote autism
- Fluoride in food and drinking water may also exacerbate the ill effects of aluminum
- The best way to protect yourself is to be careful about your choices in food, drink, and personal products, and minimize use of vaccines and other drugs that contain aluminum, mercury, and/or fluoride
- Dr. Seneff predicts that by 2025, half of all children born will be diagnosed with autism
🌸
Aluminum, Fluoride, and Glyphosate
A Toxic Trifecta Implicated
in Autism and Alzheimer's Disease
🌸
Aluminum, Fluoride, and Glyphosate
A Toxic Trifecta Implicated
in Autism and Alzheimer's Disease
🌸
Disponible en Español
By Dr. Mercola
Aluminum is a known neurotoxin, and according to Professor Christopher Exley of Keele University, aluminum-containing products are likely fueling the rise in Alzheimer's disease.1 In an article published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology,2 he writes:
“We are all accumulating a known neurotoxin in our brain from our conception to our death. The presence of aluminium in the human brain should be a red flag alerting us all to the potential dangers of the aluminium age.
How do we know that Alzheimer’s disease is not the manifestation of chronic aluminium toxicity in humans?”
People with aluminum toxicity display many of the same symptoms as those with dementia, Parkinson’s, ADHD, autism, and other neurological diseases, and mounting evidence suggests aluminum may play a significant role in the development of those (and other) diseases.
By taking steps to protect yourself, you can minimize your exposure while maximizing your body’s ability to rid itself of this toxic metal, which will move you toward a long and healthy life well into your senior years.
Other toxins to beware of include fluoride and glyphosate. All of these are toxic in their own right, but research suggests they may be even more hazardous in combination.
You May Be Exposed to More Aluminum Than You Think
Aluminum can be found in a wide range of consumer products, including:
According to CDC,5 the average adult in the US consumes about seven to nine mg of aluminum per day in food, and a lesser amount from air and water.
Approximately one percent of the aluminum you ingest orally gets absorbed into your body—the rest is moved out by your digestive tract, providing it’s functioning well. The remaining aluminum can be deposited not only in brain tissue, but also in your nerves, bone, liver, heart, spleen, and muscle.
While one percent may sound like a tiny amount, your overall toxic load will depend on the total amount of toxins you’re exposed to over time. Your diet and digestive health will also play a role in how much your body is actually able to eliminate.
Occupational Exposure to Aluminum Raises Your Risk for
Alzheimer’s
One recently published case study3 found high levels of aluminum in the brain of a man who was exposed to aluminum at work for eight years. He later died from Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the authors, it’s the first case showing a direct link between Alzheimer's disease and elevated brain aluminum following occupational exposure.4
An earlier study5 suggested that aluminum from food and drinking water may be contributing to rising Alzheimer’s rates, noting that:
“In recent years, interest in the potential role of metals in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has grown considerably.
In particular, aluminum (Al) neurotoxicity was suggested after its discovery in the senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that represent the principal neuropathological hallmarks of AD.
Al is omnipresent in everyday life and can enter the human body from several sources, most notably from drinking water and food consumption... Other elements present in drinking water, such as fluoride, copper, zinc, or iron could also have an effect on cognitive impairment or modify any Al neurotoxicity.”
Indeed, dozens of studies have shown that fluoride causes brain damage and lowers IQ. Fluoride emitted by aluminum plants has also been implicated in animal disease.6
Farmers in Iceland, for example, claim their animals are being sickened by environmental fluoride contamination—some to the point of having to be euthanized. Others report higher rates of tooth damage and infertility among their livestock.
Another related study7 linked occupational exposure to aluminum to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which scarring on your lungs make it difficult to breathe. In this case, the exposure occurred during sanding of Corian material.
All in all, it seems reasonable to conclude that the combination of aluminum, fluoride, and/or a number of other toxins can promote Alzheimer’s disease in addition to a number of other health problems.
Pesticides Can Also Wreak Havoc with Brain Function
Pesticides, for example, have also been shown to have an adverse effect on neurological function and brain health.8 In one study, farmers exposed to organochlorine insecticides had a 90 percent increased risk of depression compared to those who didn’t use them.
Exposure to fumigants increased risk of depression by 80 percent. People exposed to pesticides are also more likely to have Parkinson’s disease.
Clearly, when it comes to toxins, unless the chemical is acutely toxic, the real harm occurs when your body becomes chronically overloaded with them, and most people today are exposed to thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of different chemicals on a regular basis.
Farmers are not the only ones at risk for adverse effects from pesticide exposure. Glyphosate can be found in most processed foods in the Western diet courtesy of GE sugar beets, corn, and soy, and research shows glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of other chemical residues and toxins.
While nearly one billion pounds of glyphosate is doused on both conventional and GE crops worldwide each year, genetically engineered (GE) crops receive the heaviest amounts. Meats from animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) may also contain higher amounts of glyphosate residues, as GE soy is a staple of conventional livestock feed.
It’s quite crucial to understand that glyphosate contamination is systemic, meaning it is integrated into every cell of the plant, from root to tip. It’s not just an issue of topical contamination, as with many other agricultural chemicals sprayed on crops.
Normally, you need to thoroughly wash your produce to remove topical pesticide residues, but you simply cannot remove glyphosate from your produce. And neither can food and animal feed manufacturers who use GE ingredients in their products. This is part and parcel of what makes GE foods so harmful to your health.
Synergistic Poisoning from Aluminum and Glyphosate Implicated
in Autism
Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a senior research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has been instrumental in educating people about the hazards of glyphosate. In the video below, she explains how aluminum and glyphosate act together as synergistic poisons that promote autism. Based on the current trend, Dr. Seneff predicts that by 2025, half of all children born will be diagnosed with autism. Clearly, we must identify leading environmental factors contributing to this frightening trend. Lack of vitamin D caused by inadequate sun exposure is one factor. Nutritional deficiencies caused by poor diet are another.
Environmental toxins must not be overlooked however, and some toxins—glyphosate and aluminum included—are far more hazardous and ubiquitous than others, and are therefore likely to contribute to a greater degree. As Dr. Seneff explains, glyphosate’s mechanism of harm renders it particularly problematic. Indeed, according to Dr. Seneff, glyphosate is possibly "the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that have become prevalent in Westernized societies,” including but not limited to:
Autism
Gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, chronic diarrhea, colitis, and Crohn's disease
Obesity
Allergies
Cardiovascular disease
Depression
Cancer
Infertility
Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
ALS and more
Tips for Avoiding These Pernicious Toxins
It seems quite clear that aluminum exposure plays a role in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Other neurotoxins such as fluoride and glyphosate add to the toxic burden. The best way to protect yourself is to be careful about your choices in food and personal products, and minimize your use of vaccines and other drugs that are often contaminated with aluminum. Optimizing your dietary sulfur is also essential, as your body needs sulfur to manufacture its number one weapon against aluminum overload: glutathione.
By taking a few steps to protect yourself, you’ll minimize your exposure while maximizing your body’s ability to rid itself of this toxic metal, which will move you toward a long and healthy life well into your senior years. For additional tips and strategies that can help prevent and/or treat Alzheimer’s, please see my previous article “Two Exciting Alzheimer’s Advances: A Novel Early Detection Test Using Peanut Butter, and a Study Evaluating Coconut Oil.”
The following list offers a number of suggestions for items to avoid, to reduce your exposure to aluminum, fluoride, glyphosate, and other brain-harming components:
Processed foods and sodas.
This will help you avoid both GE ingredients (which tend to be contaminated with glyphosate) and aluminum. In addition, replacing processed foods with whole organic foods will drastically reduce your sugar/fructose intake, which will help normalize your insulin and leptin sensitivity. This is in fact one of the best strategies for protecting and preserving your brain function and overall health. Fructose and gluten are other dietary factors that promote Alzheimer’s, and are best avoided as much as possible.
Mechanically deboned chicken, which tends to be high in fluoride as a result of the processing.
Dental amalgams. Dental amalgam fillings, which are 50 percent mercury by weight, are one of the major sources of heavy metal toxicity. However, you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet described in my optimized nutrition plan, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
Cosmetics and personal care products containing aluminum, such as antiperspirants (including salt crystals, made of alum), lotions, sunscreens, and shampoos.
Vaccines containing either mercury (thimerosal) and/or aluminum.
Aluminum-containing drugs, such as antacids, analgesics, anti-diarrheals, and others
Anticholinergics and statin drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers.
Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of coenzyme Q10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density lipoprotein.
Fluorinated medications, including Cipro.
Fluoridated water
Fluoridated toothpaste and fluoride gel treatments.
Non-stick cookware will outgas fluoride, but also avoid other aluminum-containing products, such as cans, foil, juice pouches, tins, and water bottles.
Help Support GMO Labeling The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)—Monsanto’s Evil Twin
is pulling out all the stops to keep you in the dark about what’s in your food. For nearly two decades, Monsanto and corporate agribusiness have exercised near-dictatorial control over American agriculture.
Finally public opinion around the biotech industry's contamination of our food supply and destruction of our environment has reached the tipping point. We're fighting back.
The insanity has gone far enough, which is why I encourage you to boycott every single product owned by members of the GMA, including natural and organic brands. More than 80 percent of our support comes from individual consumers like you, who understand that real change comes from the grassroots.
Thankfully, we have organizations like the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) to fight back against these corporate giants. So please, fight for your right to know what’s in your food and help support the GMO labeling movement by making a donation today.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More Together, Let's Help OCA Get The Funding They DeserveLet’s Help OCA
get the funding it deserves. I have found very few organizations who are as effective and efficient as OCA. It’s a public interest organization dedicated to promoting health justice and sustainability. A central focus of the OCA is building a healthy, equitable, and sustainable system of food production and consumption.
By Dr. Mercola
Aluminum is a known neurotoxin, and according to Professor Christopher Exley of Keele University, aluminum-containing products are likely fueling the rise in Alzheimer's disease.1 In an article published in the journal Frontiers in Neurology,2 he writes:
“We are all accumulating a known neurotoxin in our brain from our conception to our death. The presence of aluminium in the human brain should be a red flag alerting us all to the potential dangers of the aluminium age.
How do we know that Alzheimer’s disease is not the manifestation of chronic aluminium toxicity in humans?”
People with aluminum toxicity display many of the same symptoms as those with dementia, Parkinson’s, ADHD, autism, and other neurological diseases, and mounting evidence suggests aluminum may play a significant role in the development of those (and other) diseases.
By taking steps to protect yourself, you can minimize your exposure while maximizing your body’s ability to rid itself of this toxic metal, which will move you toward a long and healthy life well into your senior years.
Other toxins to beware of include fluoride and glyphosate. All of these are toxic in their own right, but research suggests they may be even more hazardous in combination.
You May Be Exposed to More Aluminum Than You Think
Aluminum can be found in a wide range of consumer products, including:
- Foods such as baking powder, self rising flour, salt, baby formula, coffee creamers, baked goods, and processed foods, coloring, and caking agents
- Drugs, such as antacids, analgesics, anti-diarrheals, and others; additives such as magnesium stearate
- Vaccines—Hepatitis A and B, Hib, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), pneumococcal vaccine, Gardasil (HPV), and others
- Cosmetics and personal care products such as antiperspirants, deodorants (including salt crystals, made of alum), lotions, sunscreens, and shampoos
- Aluminum products, including foil, cans, juice pouches, tins, and water bottles
According to CDC,5 the average adult in the US consumes about seven to nine mg of aluminum per day in food, and a lesser amount from air and water.
Approximately one percent of the aluminum you ingest orally gets absorbed into your body—the rest is moved out by your digestive tract, providing it’s functioning well. The remaining aluminum can be deposited not only in brain tissue, but also in your nerves, bone, liver, heart, spleen, and muscle.
While one percent may sound like a tiny amount, your overall toxic load will depend on the total amount of toxins you’re exposed to over time. Your diet and digestive health will also play a role in how much your body is actually able to eliminate.
Occupational Exposure to Aluminum Raises Your Risk for
Alzheimer’s
One recently published case study3 found high levels of aluminum in the brain of a man who was exposed to aluminum at work for eight years. He later died from Alzheimer’s disease.
According to the authors, it’s the first case showing a direct link between Alzheimer's disease and elevated brain aluminum following occupational exposure.4
An earlier study5 suggested that aluminum from food and drinking water may be contributing to rising Alzheimer’s rates, noting that:
“In recent years, interest in the potential role of metals in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has grown considerably.
In particular, aluminum (Al) neurotoxicity was suggested after its discovery in the senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that represent the principal neuropathological hallmarks of AD.
Al is omnipresent in everyday life and can enter the human body from several sources, most notably from drinking water and food consumption... Other elements present in drinking water, such as fluoride, copper, zinc, or iron could also have an effect on cognitive impairment or modify any Al neurotoxicity.”
Indeed, dozens of studies have shown that fluoride causes brain damage and lowers IQ. Fluoride emitted by aluminum plants has also been implicated in animal disease.6
Farmers in Iceland, for example, claim their animals are being sickened by environmental fluoride contamination—some to the point of having to be euthanized. Others report higher rates of tooth damage and infertility among their livestock.
Another related study7 linked occupational exposure to aluminum to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, a condition in which scarring on your lungs make it difficult to breathe. In this case, the exposure occurred during sanding of Corian material.
All in all, it seems reasonable to conclude that the combination of aluminum, fluoride, and/or a number of other toxins can promote Alzheimer’s disease in addition to a number of other health problems.
Pesticides Can Also Wreak Havoc with Brain Function
Pesticides, for example, have also been shown to have an adverse effect on neurological function and brain health.8 In one study, farmers exposed to organochlorine insecticides had a 90 percent increased risk of depression compared to those who didn’t use them.
Exposure to fumigants increased risk of depression by 80 percent. People exposed to pesticides are also more likely to have Parkinson’s disease.
Clearly, when it comes to toxins, unless the chemical is acutely toxic, the real harm occurs when your body becomes chronically overloaded with them, and most people today are exposed to thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of different chemicals on a regular basis.
Farmers are not the only ones at risk for adverse effects from pesticide exposure. Glyphosate can be found in most processed foods in the Western diet courtesy of GE sugar beets, corn, and soy, and research shows glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of other chemical residues and toxins.
While nearly one billion pounds of glyphosate is doused on both conventional and GE crops worldwide each year, genetically engineered (GE) crops receive the heaviest amounts. Meats from animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) may also contain higher amounts of glyphosate residues, as GE soy is a staple of conventional livestock feed.
It’s quite crucial to understand that glyphosate contamination is systemic, meaning it is integrated into every cell of the plant, from root to tip. It’s not just an issue of topical contamination, as with many other agricultural chemicals sprayed on crops.
Normally, you need to thoroughly wash your produce to remove topical pesticide residues, but you simply cannot remove glyphosate from your produce. And neither can food and animal feed manufacturers who use GE ingredients in their products. This is part and parcel of what makes GE foods so harmful to your health.
Synergistic Poisoning from Aluminum and Glyphosate Implicated
in Autism
Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a senior research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has been instrumental in educating people about the hazards of glyphosate. In the video below, she explains how aluminum and glyphosate act together as synergistic poisons that promote autism. Based on the current trend, Dr. Seneff predicts that by 2025, half of all children born will be diagnosed with autism. Clearly, we must identify leading environmental factors contributing to this frightening trend. Lack of vitamin D caused by inadequate sun exposure is one factor. Nutritional deficiencies caused by poor diet are another.
Environmental toxins must not be overlooked however, and some toxins—glyphosate and aluminum included—are far more hazardous and ubiquitous than others, and are therefore likely to contribute to a greater degree. As Dr. Seneff explains, glyphosate’s mechanism of harm renders it particularly problematic. Indeed, according to Dr. Seneff, glyphosate is possibly "the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that have become prevalent in Westernized societies,” including but not limited to:
Autism
Gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, chronic diarrhea, colitis, and Crohn's disease
Obesity
Allergies
Cardiovascular disease
Depression
Cancer
Infertility
Alzheimer’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
ALS and more
Tips for Avoiding These Pernicious Toxins
It seems quite clear that aluminum exposure plays a role in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Other neurotoxins such as fluoride and glyphosate add to the toxic burden. The best way to protect yourself is to be careful about your choices in food and personal products, and minimize your use of vaccines and other drugs that are often contaminated with aluminum. Optimizing your dietary sulfur is also essential, as your body needs sulfur to manufacture its number one weapon against aluminum overload: glutathione.
By taking a few steps to protect yourself, you’ll minimize your exposure while maximizing your body’s ability to rid itself of this toxic metal, which will move you toward a long and healthy life well into your senior years. For additional tips and strategies that can help prevent and/or treat Alzheimer’s, please see my previous article “Two Exciting Alzheimer’s Advances: A Novel Early Detection Test Using Peanut Butter, and a Study Evaluating Coconut Oil.”
The following list offers a number of suggestions for items to avoid, to reduce your exposure to aluminum, fluoride, glyphosate, and other brain-harming components:
Processed foods and sodas.
This will help you avoid both GE ingredients (which tend to be contaminated with glyphosate) and aluminum. In addition, replacing processed foods with whole organic foods will drastically reduce your sugar/fructose intake, which will help normalize your insulin and leptin sensitivity. This is in fact one of the best strategies for protecting and preserving your brain function and overall health. Fructose and gluten are other dietary factors that promote Alzheimer’s, and are best avoided as much as possible.
Mechanically deboned chicken, which tends to be high in fluoride as a result of the processing.
Dental amalgams. Dental amalgam fillings, which are 50 percent mercury by weight, are one of the major sources of heavy metal toxicity. However, you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet described in my optimized nutrition plan, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
Cosmetics and personal care products containing aluminum, such as antiperspirants (including salt crystals, made of alum), lotions, sunscreens, and shampoos.
Vaccines containing either mercury (thimerosal) and/or aluminum.
Aluminum-containing drugs, such as antacids, analgesics, anti-diarrheals, and others
Anticholinergics and statin drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers.
Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of coenzyme Q10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density lipoprotein.
Fluorinated medications, including Cipro.
Fluoridated water
Fluoridated toothpaste and fluoride gel treatments.
Non-stick cookware will outgas fluoride, but also avoid other aluminum-containing products, such as cans, foil, juice pouches, tins, and water bottles.
Help Support GMO Labeling The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)—Monsanto’s Evil Twin
is pulling out all the stops to keep you in the dark about what’s in your food. For nearly two decades, Monsanto and corporate agribusiness have exercised near-dictatorial control over American agriculture.
Finally public opinion around the biotech industry's contamination of our food supply and destruction of our environment has reached the tipping point. We're fighting back.
The insanity has gone far enough, which is why I encourage you to boycott every single product owned by members of the GMA, including natural and organic brands. More than 80 percent of our support comes from individual consumers like you, who understand that real change comes from the grassroots.
Thankfully, we have organizations like the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) to fight back against these corporate giants. So please, fight for your right to know what’s in your food and help support the GMO labeling movement by making a donation today.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More Together, Let's Help OCA Get The Funding They DeserveLet’s Help OCA
get the funding it deserves. I have found very few organizations who are as effective and efficient as OCA. It’s a public interest organization dedicated to promoting health justice and sustainability. A central focus of the OCA is building a healthy, equitable, and sustainable system of food production and consumption.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/02/12/aluminum-fluoride-glyphosate-poisoning.aspx?e_cid=20150212Z1_DNL_NB_DNO_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=
art2&utm_campaign=20150212Z1_DNL_NB_DNO&et_cid=DM67234&et_rid=838871429
art2&utm_campaign=20150212Z1_DNL_NB_DNO&et_cid=DM67234&et_rid=838871429
🌸
.. had very high level of antibodies to gluten.
He was allergic not only to wheat, but to dairy, eggs, yeast, and soy — about 28 foods in total.
He also had a leaky gut, and his gut was very inflamed. Sam was deficient in zinc, magnesium,
and manganese, vitamins A, B12, and D, and omega-3 fats.
Like many children with autism, he had trouble making energy in his cells, or mitochondria.
His amino acids — necessary for normal brain function and detoxification — were depleted.
And his blood showed high levels of aluminum and lead, while his hair showed very high levels of
antimony and arsenic, signs of a very toxic little boy.
His levels of sulfur and glutathione were low, indicating that he just couldn’t muster the power to
detox all these metals.
In fact, his genes showed a major weak spot in glutathione metabolism, which is the body’s main
antioxidant and major detoxification highway for getting rid of metals and pesticides.
Can Autism be Cured?
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/12/can-autism-be-cured/
by Mark Hyman, MD
TODAY MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE that Autism is a genetic brain disorder.
I’m here to tell you that this isn’t true. The real reason we are seeing increasing rates of autism is simply this: Autism is a systemic body disorder that affects the brain. A toxic environment triggers certain genes in people susceptible to this condition. And research supports this position.
Think about it. Rates of autism have skyrocketed over the years, from an estimated 1 child in 3,000 to just 1 in 150 kids today. Sure, wider criteria for diagnosis and better detection might explain some of it but not an increase of this magnitude.
Dramatic scientific discoveries have taken place during the last 10 to 20 years that reveal the true causes of autism, and turn conventional thinking on its head. For example, Martha Herbert, MD, a pediatric neurologist from Harvard Medical School has painted a picture of autism that shows how core abnormalities in body systems like immunity, gut function, and detoxification play a central role in causing the behavioral and mood symptoms of autism.
Recently I treated a 2 ½ year old boy named Sam. He was born healthy but diagnosed with autism after his vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella at 22 months.
Every child with autism has unique genetics, causes or triggers. And it is not usually one thing but a collection of insults, toxins and deficiencies piled on susceptible genetics that leads to biochemical train wrecks we see in these children.
When I first saw him, this little boy was deep in the inner wordless world of autism. Watching him was like watching someone on a psychedelic drug trip. So we dug into his biochemistry and genetics and found many things to account for the problems he was having.
He had very high level of antibodies to gluten. He was allergic not only to wheat, but to dairy, eggs, yeast, and soy — about 28 foods in total. He also had a leaky gut, and his gut was very inflamed. Sam was deficient in zinc, magnesium, and manganese, vitamins A, B12, and D, and omega-3 fats. Like many children with autism, he had trouble making energy in his cells, or mitochondria.
His amino acids — necessary for normal brain function and detoxification — were depleted. And his blood showed high levels of aluminum and lead, while his hair showed very high levels of antimony and arsenic, signs of a very toxic little boy. His levels of sulfur and glutathionewere low, indicating that he just couldn’t muster the power to detox all these metals. In fact, his genes showed a major weak spot in glutathione metabolism, which is the body’s main antioxidant and major detoxification highway for getting rid of metals and pesticides.
Sam also had trouble with a key biochemical function called methylation that is required to make normal neurotransmitters and brain chemicals and is critical for helping the body get rid of toxins. This showed up as low levels of homocysteine (signs of problems with folate metabolism) and high methylmalonic acid (signs of problems with B12 metabolism). He also had two genes that set him up for more problems with this system.
Finally, he also had very high levels of oxidative stress or free radical activity, including markers that told me that his brain was inflamed and under free-radical fire.
This may all seem complicated, but it really isn’t. When I see any patient, I simply work through the 7 Keys to UltraWellness (based on functional medicine) to see how everything is connected, create a plan to get to the causes of the problems, and then help each patient deal with all the biochemical and physiological rubble that those causes have left along the road.
To create a roadmap for recovery you just take away what’s bothering the patient and give his body what it is missing and needs to thrive (based on the individual’s biochemical uniqueness). Then the body does the rest. Here is the roadmap I used to help Sam recover.
Step 1: Fix His Gut and Cool the Inflammation There
This step included a number of different tactics including:
Step 2: Replace the Missing Nutrients to Help His Genes
Work Better
In Sam’s case we:
Step 3: Detoxify and Reduce Oxidative Stress
As I said before, the keys of UltraWellness can help, no matter what the disease or condition. Biology has basic laws, which we have to follow and understand. All the details of Sam’s story fit into these laws. We just have to dig deep, peel back the layers, and understand what is going on. When we do this the results are nothing short of miraculous…
After following a gluten-free diet and treating his gut for 3 weeks, Sam showed dramatic and remarkable improvement. He was getting back much of his language skills and showing much more connection and relatedness in his interactions.
After 4 months, he was more focused, unstuck and verbal.
After 10 months, his bowels were back to normal, he was verbally fluent, mainstreamed in school and he “lost” his diagnosis of autism.
After 2 years all his abnormal tests were normal including the high metals, gut inflammation and damage to his mitochondria and free radicals.
And more importantly, the child was totally normal. Not every child has such a dramatic recovery but many improve, and some improve dramatically using the approach of functional or systems medicine.
This is just the beginning.
Read the full article on Why Current Thinking About Autism Is Completely Wrong.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
About Mark Hyman, MD
Mark Hyman, MD, believes that we all deserve a life of vitality—and that we have the potential to create it for ourselves. That’s why he is dedicated to tackling the root causes of chronic disease by harnessing the power of Functional Medicine to transform healthcare. He is a practicing family physician, an nine-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field.
He is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and has been a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, the Today Show, CNN, The View, the Katie Couric show and The Dr. Oz Show.
View all posts by Mark Hyman, MD →
He was allergic not only to wheat, but to dairy, eggs, yeast, and soy — about 28 foods in total.
He also had a leaky gut, and his gut was very inflamed. Sam was deficient in zinc, magnesium,
and manganese, vitamins A, B12, and D, and omega-3 fats.
Like many children with autism, he had trouble making energy in his cells, or mitochondria.
His amino acids — necessary for normal brain function and detoxification — were depleted.
And his blood showed high levels of aluminum and lead, while his hair showed very high levels of
antimony and arsenic, signs of a very toxic little boy.
His levels of sulfur and glutathione were low, indicating that he just couldn’t muster the power to
detox all these metals.
In fact, his genes showed a major weak spot in glutathione metabolism, which is the body’s main
antioxidant and major detoxification highway for getting rid of metals and pesticides.
Can Autism be Cured?
http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/12/can-autism-be-cured/
by Mark Hyman, MD
TODAY MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE that Autism is a genetic brain disorder.
I’m here to tell you that this isn’t true. The real reason we are seeing increasing rates of autism is simply this: Autism is a systemic body disorder that affects the brain. A toxic environment triggers certain genes in people susceptible to this condition. And research supports this position.
Think about it. Rates of autism have skyrocketed over the years, from an estimated 1 child in 3,000 to just 1 in 150 kids today. Sure, wider criteria for diagnosis and better detection might explain some of it but not an increase of this magnitude.
Dramatic scientific discoveries have taken place during the last 10 to 20 years that reveal the true causes of autism, and turn conventional thinking on its head. For example, Martha Herbert, MD, a pediatric neurologist from Harvard Medical School has painted a picture of autism that shows how core abnormalities in body systems like immunity, gut function, and detoxification play a central role in causing the behavioral and mood symptoms of autism.
Recently I treated a 2 ½ year old boy named Sam. He was born healthy but diagnosed with autism after his vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella at 22 months.
Every child with autism has unique genetics, causes or triggers. And it is not usually one thing but a collection of insults, toxins and deficiencies piled on susceptible genetics that leads to biochemical train wrecks we see in these children.
When I first saw him, this little boy was deep in the inner wordless world of autism. Watching him was like watching someone on a psychedelic drug trip. So we dug into his biochemistry and genetics and found many things to account for the problems he was having.
He had very high level of antibodies to gluten. He was allergic not only to wheat, but to dairy, eggs, yeast, and soy — about 28 foods in total. He also had a leaky gut, and his gut was very inflamed. Sam was deficient in zinc, magnesium, and manganese, vitamins A, B12, and D, and omega-3 fats. Like many children with autism, he had trouble making energy in his cells, or mitochondria.
His amino acids — necessary for normal brain function and detoxification — were depleted. And his blood showed high levels of aluminum and lead, while his hair showed very high levels of antimony and arsenic, signs of a very toxic little boy. His levels of sulfur and glutathionewere low, indicating that he just couldn’t muster the power to detox all these metals. In fact, his genes showed a major weak spot in glutathione metabolism, which is the body’s main antioxidant and major detoxification highway for getting rid of metals and pesticides.
Sam also had trouble with a key biochemical function called methylation that is required to make normal neurotransmitters and brain chemicals and is critical for helping the body get rid of toxins. This showed up as low levels of homocysteine (signs of problems with folate metabolism) and high methylmalonic acid (signs of problems with B12 metabolism). He also had two genes that set him up for more problems with this system.
Finally, he also had very high levels of oxidative stress or free radical activity, including markers that told me that his brain was inflamed and under free-radical fire.
This may all seem complicated, but it really isn’t. When I see any patient, I simply work through the 7 Keys to UltraWellness (based on functional medicine) to see how everything is connected, create a plan to get to the causes of the problems, and then help each patient deal with all the biochemical and physiological rubble that those causes have left along the road.
To create a roadmap for recovery you just take away what’s bothering the patient and give his body what it is missing and needs to thrive (based on the individual’s biochemical uniqueness). Then the body does the rest. Here is the roadmap I used to help Sam recover.
Step 1: Fix His Gut and Cool the Inflammation There
This step included a number of different tactics including:
- Taking away gluten and other food allergens
- Getting rid of his yeast with anti-fungals
- Killing off the toxic bacteria in his small intestine with special antibiotics
- Replenishing healthy bacteria with probiotics
- Helping him digest his food with enzymes
Step 2: Replace the Missing Nutrients to Help His Genes
Work Better
In Sam’s case we:
- Added back zinc, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A, B6, B12, and D
- Supported his brain with omega-3 fats
Step 3: Detoxify and Reduce Oxidative Stress
- Once his biochemistry and nutrition was tuned up, we helped him detoxify and reduce oxidative stress.
- Improve nutrition, reduce inflammation, heal the gut, detoxify — this should sound familiar.
As I said before, the keys of UltraWellness can help, no matter what the disease or condition. Biology has basic laws, which we have to follow and understand. All the details of Sam’s story fit into these laws. We just have to dig deep, peel back the layers, and understand what is going on. When we do this the results are nothing short of miraculous…
After following a gluten-free diet and treating his gut for 3 weeks, Sam showed dramatic and remarkable improvement. He was getting back much of his language skills and showing much more connection and relatedness in his interactions.
After 4 months, he was more focused, unstuck and verbal.
After 10 months, his bowels were back to normal, he was verbally fluent, mainstreamed in school and he “lost” his diagnosis of autism.
After 2 years all his abnormal tests were normal including the high metals, gut inflammation and damage to his mitochondria and free radicals.
And more importantly, the child was totally normal. Not every child has such a dramatic recovery but many improve, and some improve dramatically using the approach of functional or systems medicine.
This is just the beginning.
Read the full article on Why Current Thinking About Autism Is Completely Wrong.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
About Mark Hyman, MD
Mark Hyman, MD, believes that we all deserve a life of vitality—and that we have the potential to create it for ourselves. That’s why he is dedicated to tackling the root causes of chronic disease by harnessing the power of Functional Medicine to transform healthcare. He is a practicing family physician, an nine-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field.
He is the Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and has been a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, the Today Show, CNN, The View, the Katie Couric show and The Dr. Oz Show.
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