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CARNOSINE, DIGESTIVE ENZYMES,
CHELATION, and More:
New Options For The Autistic
Exciting New Options For
Parents!!!
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In this section, I'll post useful information I've come across as I
continue
looking into things that can help in Zachary.. It is not
that these things are "new" to everyone...just to me. These are things I did not know of at the time I wrote
my first book...things that are making a real difference in the lives of many
children with autism!!!
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CARNOSINE |
Taken from Autism Awakening Newsletter - October 9,
2002
http://autismawakeninginia.bizland.com/autismworldnewspaper/id16.html
Part of the article is reproduced below:
Natural protein called l-carnosine. Dr. Michael Chez of Lake
Bluff, Ill., has recently completed the first study of the substance.
"It affected language, receptive language, eye contact, communication, all
of which are things which children with autism have big gaps with," Chez
said.
Over an eight-week period, Chez's study showed that carnosine improved
behavior and communication by 16 percent. Social interaction improved by 27
percent and, in just four weeks, parents reported an overall improvement
that more than doubled
through the length of the study.
More and more research shows that the frontal lobes and the temporal lobes
in the brain control emotion, epileptic activity, cognitive, expressive
speech, and abstract thinking.
Chez said I-carnozine apparently works in the front part of the brain. So
far, he said he's used it on about 1,000 children, with a 90 percent success
rate.
On some children, the change has been dramatic.
More studies will be needed to confirm the results of Chez's
study.
For more information contact Dr. Michael Chez
at (847) 735-0901.
To get more information on I-carnosine, go to:
http://www.carn-aware.com/faq.html
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DIGESTIVE ENZYMES |
Note: You do not need a prescription for
digestive enzymes...they've been around for decades and are classified as a
"food" by the FDA. Many children are
improving greatly according to parents.
In addition to products specifically for the
breakdown of casein and gluten, these enzymes also help in the breakdown of
phenols, carbohydrates, triglycerides, soy and vegetables. They also seem to
help somewhat with yeast issues.
Parents may want to review all four enzyme
products and discuss this option with their doctor/pediatrician.
1)
Peptizyde
for breakdown of proteins found in dairy, wheat,
soy, meats and vegetables,
2)
AFP
Peptizyde (same as Peptizyde only
better if child can't tolerate phenols),
3)
HN Zyme Prime
for breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and triglycerides,
and 4)No
Fenol for breakdown of foods high in
phenols.
Here's the link to Houston Neutraceuticals, Inc., the
company I use, for those of you who want to check this out further:
http://www.houstonni.com/.
Most parents know their children's digestive
systems are not working properly, these enzymes help the digestive system
break down things it can't break down on its own.
Yahoo Groups (yahoogroups.com) has a group called
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enzymesandautism/.
I recommend to all parents of autistic children that they join this
discussion group and see what other parents are saying about these life
changing products...you'll also learn a ton of stuff about other autism
related issues as well on this discussion board! Very very
informative!
Foods high in phenols include tomatoes, apples,
bananas, red grapes/raisins, chocolate.
I will be doing a lot of reading on this subject before I reintroduce
casein and gluten and other "normal foods". Zachary has been on
these enzymes since Feb 2002. Personally, I have chosen to keep
Zachary on a cfgf diet also - at least until the brain reorganization stage
that goes on at puberty/adolescence is over with. |
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CHELATION |
This, again, for many families, is
considered a life changing option in their child's recovery.
It is a process whereby heavy metals (mercury from thimerosal vaccines, etc. ) are removed from a child.
I have not tried chelation, yet. I'm still researching options.
This is an option I will most likely be looking into this year based on what
I have come to understand of the pre-puberty changes in the brain and what
happens in Schizophrenia. Make sure you research this one
closely should you want to try it. It is definitely one on my "radar"
screen and most likely something I will do once I learn more. I suggest anyone interested in
this option read the posts as well as the many files related to this subject
that are found in the
Autism-Mercury Files and join the
Yahoo parent discussion group called
Autism-Mercury. There is a LOT of information for
anyone interested in this process/therapy for their child on these TWO
links!
You'll see what parents are
saying, discuss options and results of chelation...pros and cons of various
alternatives. The web site of the US Autism Ambassador also has
information on this subject - here is a link to that part of her site for those of
you who are interested (look on the left hand column and you'll see the info
on chelation):
Click here for more info on chelation.
When heavy metals are removed, they are processed
through major organs (i.e., liver) and so, for many parents, the jury is
still out on whether or not to do this...but, again, many believe this
absolutely helped their child. Chelation can be stressful, but, so is mercury poisoning! There is
risk in both alternatives...doing chelation...and not doing chelation.
That's why each parent has to decide what is best for his or her child in
consultation with the child's pediatrician/doctor.
An added
benefit I am particularly interested in is the fact that many parents
believe the body is better able to control yeast on its own after chelation...and for us, yeast always seems to flare up
again.
Also, mercury is in dental fillings. NO ONE should
undertake chelation in a person who has mercury/SILVER fillings since that
could "pull" the mercury and lodge it into other parts of the body (i.e.,
the brain) and may lead to further damage.
There is a bill before congress to ban all mercury fillings by
2006...immediately ban them in pregnant women. Read more under
"Important
Vaccination Info"... lots on mercury there that all parents need
to know about! |
| Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) |
As I read more and more on the yahoo group board
called
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enzymesandautism/ , I quickly came to
see that many, many parents give their children GSE to control yeast.
I had never heard of this until I read messages on this board.
If you have a heart condition, you should not take GSE
without first checking with your doctor. GSE has a strong taste so it must be masked in juice. I started
giving some to Zachary. Parents need to be careful though.
Children who react very badly to phenols can react to this too since it is
quite high in phenol content. I just give Zachary 2-3 drops in
diluted juice...he gets a touch red on the cheeks, but, not much, so, I'm
going to try this for a while and see how he does. You can pick
this up at a health food store. I also give the
No-Fenol enzyme from
http://www.houstonni.com/
to help break down the phenols in this product.
NOTE: Grapefruit seed extract is known to make medication
"more potent" and as such, before giving this to anyone, you should consult
with your doctor because there can be dangers involved if you are on
medication.
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