Autism.

[LaDestitute]

Do any of you know any friends or family members who have autism or asperger syndrome?

Some of you may not know it, but I am autistic (moderate asperger's syndrome) myself. I was diagnosed at the age of three because even though I learned to walk in less than 12 months akin to the normal rate of 19 months or so, I didn't say my first word until I was three or so. That seriously bothered my mother Rochelle, and she took me to the doctor; which was the day she found out about my neurological condition. Ever since, my life hasn't been the same as peers around me. I had trouble socializing (although I socialize easily on the internet, perhaps simply there's a big imaginary wall between us all, and most of us can get over problems caused by interaction on the internet easily) with others in real life, and I always felt different compared to everyone else. I struggled in school, and didn't understand alot of stuff until I was older. However, alot of my friends say I'm funny, creative, and smart.

 

[Pokémaniac]

My brother has fairly severe autism. He can talk, but not very logically, although he has a good understanding of words, he doesn't know how to use them. He has a really short temper and throws tantrums over the smallest things.

It's weird being 14 and having to tell people I'm minding my 20 year old brother. =/

EDIT: Also, I go to a selective school, so I know a lot of people with Asbergers.

 

[LaDestitute]

That's sad. I hate how people treat others just because they have a disability.

 

[Cryranos]

Asperger's was described to me as "anti-autism", and many people credited as geniuses are believed to have aspergers.

Sometimes it's called "idiot-savant syndrome".

I've known people with autism, and I always felt sorry for how they were treated as retarded.

I've known people on all points of the spectrum: slight, moderate, and severe (except for Asperger's). Some of them function, but some are complete wrecks now. I think this all has to do with the treatment, though. I know someone who was diagnosed as severely autistic, who at 17, is barely noticeable and is not even "retarded", but I knew someone who was diagnosed as slightly autistic, who was within a hair of being put in special education.

I think we will be able to get rid of autism, but not by preventing it like people want to do, but by making it irrelevant through treatment and education.

 

[silver wind]

Miles, I would have never guessed o.o
Can you explain what it means? what makes someone autistic- is it only having a hard time socializing?
I heard of cases where someone 'autistic' was healed by changing the diet.. not sure what to make of this.
If it's a neurological issue, it can't be true, right?

 

[LaDestitute]

Not healed; it's most likely a behavioral/social change, where it's improved greatly.

Autistic is a neurological disorder (well, how it's currently classified by doctors and physicians actually) involving the structure of the brain, specifically neurons and electrical impulses characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior (which explains why I listen to a piece of music several times and not even get tired of it). These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.

 

[silver wind]

sorry for bumping.
I found the book where I read autism can be treated by a diet change: The UltraMind Solution. The writer is Dr. Mark Hyman (http://www.drhyman.com)
He may be exaggerating the effects of his treatment, but there may be something to it. ARI (Autism Research Institute) mentions, in their website, autism.com, "high-dose vitamin B6 and Magnesium" as a method of treating Autism.
He's basically saying that the brain's information processing isn't perfect because of bad digestion (!)
Half digested materials enter through the blood stream to the brain. They constantly stimulate the immune system, causing 'un clearness' of the mind . Sounds far fetched, but what do I know ?
He supports his theory by saying many Autistics have digestion problems.

 

[Kemuri]

If autism could be "cured" by diet, or even remotely effectively treated by it, we'd be seeing more than one guy with a book promoting that diet.

My brother is autistic, and while there's hundreds of people with so called "cures" out there, they're all just feeding off of desperate parents willing to try everything and anything to help their child. I haven't heard of this Mark Hyman, but he's not only claiming to have a cure for autism. Google his name and on the first page is a book written by him called "UltraMetabolism" and he claims he can "program your body to automatically lose weight"... which is simply not possible on diet alone. Autism and weight-loss are two very different fields, and I highly doubt he's managed to become an expert in both. Eating differently will not alter brain structure or tell your body to shed off some pounds. He's clearly scamming people, and seeing people like him piss me off to no end. Sorry, I'm not angry at you silver for posting about it, but I had to say something.

Miles, the best advice I can give is to socialize as much as possible with people in-person, even if it's difficult. That's what has helped my brother, his austism-spectrum schoolmates, and also myself, more than anything else.

 

[silver wind]

I understand your feelings, this kind of con man are the worst.
Still, I wouldn't be so quick to judge.
While our health system seems to place everyone's health as its top goal, it is after all a business and driven by profits- its own profits and those of the medicine companies, which cooperate with it. No formal institute has interest to publish a non-medicine treatment, which you can do for free in your private home, without needing a doctor or a recipe.
Dr Hyman's other books are best Sellers, and (quote from the book cover):
"Dr Hyman is a doctor which experts in Preventive medicine. He is the head editor of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine magazine. Worked as Medical manager in Canyon Ranch health-farm for 10 years. Today he owns the UltraWellness center in Massachusetts. He is the author of the best seller UltraMetabolism, and was part of writing another: Always Healthy."
(please excuse bad translation from Hebrew ^^

 

[mawk]

Half digested materials enter through the blood stream to the brain. They constantly stimulate the immune system, causing 'un clearness' of the mind .

yeah, this sounds like total bunk.

autism can't be "cured", really, at least not with neuroscience as it stands. it's entirely possible for someone with a lighter case to overcome it over time, and scores of others can eliminate the symptoms through conscious learning and effort, but to suggest that a neurological condition is caused by not digesting your food properly sounds really far-fetched. it's a disorder in how the neurons are arranged and organized, not an allergic reaction.

Asperger's was described to me as "anti-autism", and many people credited as geniuses are believed to have aspergers.

not sure if this has been brought up already, but earlier in the year asperger's was reclassified to sit on the autism spectrum. there is still a distinction, but the two are no longer separate disorders. I don't know that there's anything "anti-autism" about it, either; the two share many characteristics, although asperger's doesn't tend to restrict cognitive functions like more severe cases of autism.

oh, it has. never mind me, then! :x

 

[silver wind]

He's basically saying that the brain's information processing isn't perfect because of bad digestion (!)
Half digested materials enter through the blood stream to the brain. They constantly stimulate the immune system, causing 'un clearness' of the mind .

^ poor translation + over simplification + lack of medical knowledge = Fail.
Please don't judge him by that. If you wish to know what he is saying, pay a visit to his website (in my previous post).

it's entirely possible for someone with a lighter case to overcome it over time

so you agree it's not irreversible, whatever be the brain structure causing Autism. Surely, there are things that can't be cured, but if some people heal from Autism, it's evidently cure-able, and not a life-long physical handicap -- at least in some cases.

 

[Pokémaniac]

I don't think you can really count it as "curing", though. Like if you have a broken arm, and you learn how to move your arm without it affecting you, you haven't really cured it, you've just made it a non-issue. Even "cured" autistic people will always have strange quirks and odd tendencies(although everyone has quirks, don't they?).

I don't think autism could be caused by just the one thing. It has so many forms, that they can't even really put in severities because a person may have a severe case of one part of autism, but a very mild case of another, or vice versa, or anywhere in between or outwards.

 

[Venetia]

silver wind the guy who writes those books is a well known scammer.

also all digested material may enter the bloodstream. you cannot "half digest" something. digestion is the act of breaking down a food to the smallest possible form that can be absorbed. if you "half digested" a thing it wouldn't be absorbed (it'd be too big!). and in any case, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. ever wonder why people say it's good to eat fiber? it's because fiber cannot be pulverized by our digestive system enough to absorb. this causes the fibrous material to "cling" to other detritus in your digestive tract and be expelled more efficiently.

different foods, after digestion, contain different amino acids and chemical elements. these all will, at a molecular level, break down into simpler and simpler compounds. each of these compounds have different effects on the chemical receptors in your brain. just because something is more broken down, it doesn't mean it's more beneficial, either.

take tryptophan. it is an essential amino acid. you can get it from poultry, eggs, cheese, etc. as it degrades and breaks down in your bloodstream, it creates serotonin. this is called a neurotransmitter. you have serotonin receptors in your brain, and when serotonin is absorbed, they are stimulated and you receive the effects (usually feelings of contentment, satisfaction, etc). This, in turn, can possibly degrade into melatonin, which regulates your body's sleep cycle.

BUT tryptophan's molecular chain can also break down into niacin, which is useful for steroid production and dna repair, but can be detrimental in large doses. It can also be broken down into unusable pyridine chemicals.

There is no method for you to regulate what, exactly, a chemical will degrade into--it is a chaotic effect that will result in a number of results, basically a play in statistics. You CAN learn more about amino acids, and where you derive them from, and make food choices based on that, however. Really all it will mostly boil down to, in the end, is choosing fresh dairy, meat, and green vegetables.

How does this affect autism?

Autism, in its weakest forms (Asperger's is a good example), can (IMO) be generalized better as psychological disorders than neurological disorders. Diet can help a mildly autistic person in the same way it would help someone without: a healthy diet rich in essential amino acids will increase happiness, sense of well-being, etc. What is MOST beneficial to autism and aspie sufferers is an incredibly hands-on approach to social interaction from an early age and the best "cure" is a loving, accepting family, and a network of helpful friends. When that fails, autism is much harder to curb.

(and note: there is no such thing as a "cure" for neurological disorders. there are only means to lessen the severity of symptoms.)

 

[Venetia]

ugh god i need to stop writing shit when i'm dead tired, none of it ever makes any grammatical sense :/

 

[Ellie]

Silver Wind, I recommend a very good read: Bad Science

 

[silver wind]

I suggest you take a look at the website. Or find a synopsis of the book, or watch one of his many youTube videos. or search 'healed from autism' videos.
You can't judge this person by the single paragraph I posted. It does not and cannot contain the whole book (1 of 3 he wrote), not to mention years of experience.

Also what about people who say they were healed by him?
I myself have doubts about voodoo sciences such as Reflexology. Still some people swear it helps- it's probably the placebo effect.

This can't be the case here. Autistic kids which are not responding to their surroundings cannot be healed by the placebo effect alone. and when you go from non-responding-non-talking kid to a responding, talking, friendly kid within weeks of treatment, it is not a 'natural development process of autistic kids' either.
So what is it, you tell me.
Why do people find it so hard to believe that your diet can heal or cause illness? Many medicines are made from common plants. Alcohol affect our brain as well as lack of certain vitamins & minerals. I find it more likely that a mental illness is caused by lack of vitamins/minerals than lack of Ritalin or some other psychotic drug.

 

[Venetia]

No one ever said your diet had no effect on your body ... In fact, at length, I gave examples of how it does. And I explained a small bit of the actual science behind it ...

Alright. Dr. Hyman is not TECHNICALLY spewing bunk. He's not. He regurgitates WELL KNOWN and FREELY AVAILABLE information in forms you have to pay for.

If your child has autism, then you are most likely bringing him/her to a neurologist. If that neurologist is not offering information on dietary alternatives then the neurologist is a shithead. Glycemic load and amino acid monitoring are essential precautions when it comes to any neurological disorder. Changes in diet can have a significant effect on lessening the severity of symptoms.

That said, a change in diet will not CURE a neurological disorder.
Cure, meaning, to absolve the problem entirely.

I agree that drug peddling, especially to children/teens, should always be a last resort. With autism, especially with mild spectral disorders like Aspergers, alternative methods (like social adjustment/rehab/counseling) are often better than drug treatment because the major symptom of these disorders are social in nature. Pushing drugs on a kid will only foster a "crutch" reaction: Instead of relying on their own ability to overcome social anxiety, they rely on a non-social construct to normalize.

Dr. Hyman's approach of profiting off ignorance makes him a modern-day "snake oil salesman" (look it up). His approach is in buying up multiple websites, adspaces, and page sections, looking like a neutral 3rd party, touting the excellence of his methods. The fact that most of google's search results speak of his efficacy (done by his own hand or his own company) will be perceived as actual efficacy to the layman. The testimonials are all made-up. There is no way to prove if they were or not--and money will buy some very convincing testimonials. And once you buy his books and "programs", and realize you could get this info for free through your doctor or the internet, you can't do anything about it. Because technically you bought a wikipedia article but it was freely stated what you were getting into before you did.

If the testimonials are real--they are given THEMSELVES by laymen, who have no measure of actual DIRECT program success. If the average guy, for example, wanders through life with a rash, then buys a book that tells him to rub cortizone on it, chances are good that he will positively review the BOOK and not the CORTIZONE. When all he had to do was a little research for free. Alternatively, if the book tells him to rub semen on it, and is flagrantly wrong, there is still a chance that the rash will go away after he tries this stupid thing, and he will still assume the book was right and positively review it.

Doctors do it with alternative medicine all the time. Self-proclaimed "market analysts" do it with "hot tips" in stocks. Supposed "millionaires" do it with telling you how to eliminate credit debt. Snake oil salesmen, all of them.


It's like ... Let's say you're suffering from severe allergies. You meet a guy on the street who sees you sneezing and says, "Man, if you give me $20, I can teach you how to get rid of that shit forever." You're skeptical. But then a dozen people nearby say, "Oh yeah! My allergies were awful before but now they're cured!". Your skepticism is reduced. You pay him $20. He tells you to go buy some saline and squirt it up your nose.

Alright, you do it. And damn! It works a little! But wait a minute. The reason is obvious: Allergens are washed out of your nasal cavity. This was no hot tip and you could have learned it for free anywhere. But you didn't cure your allergies, you just allayed the effects. And you can't get your money back because the dude did what he said he'd do.


Make sense?


Look up Revitol Hair Remover sometime on google. It's basically a less-effective version of Nair. But they bought out SO MANY websites that say they're the best thing on the market that they LOOK legit. Then look up the reviews on Amazon, something they couldn't have bought out. Not so great.


P.S.: Reflexology is a legitimate medical line of treatment. The basic premise is in targetting and stimulating nerve clusters in your body, which are received by the brain, and the reaction to said stimulation is the release of certain brain chemicals. It doesn't cure anything but it is useful as a proactive strategy in pain management. It's basically a more massage-focused tier of physical therapy. Claims that it will "cure" anything are bollocks but when you are in constant pain and experience some relief, it helps!

 

[Venetia]

And if you see "before" and "after" shots of kids with autism, there is no way to prove if the kids were "cured" by social rehab or by the dietary adjustment--because they were very likely receiving both! And social rehab is a PROVEN more effective method, whereas dietary changes alone will do extremely little. When paired it can only be assumed the benefits would be somewhat increased.

 

[silver wind]

Not much to say, I pretty much agree with all you said/ have no way to test it. Heck, it's possible matrix was real and I'm just dreaming now. It's possible every internet article commenting Dr Hyman was written by him or people payed by him. It's possible many different coincidences led to people healing exactly when trying his methods.
I think there's a 50:50 chance either way, so I choose to believe him for now.
Do you have anything concrete, some sort of fact, or maybe a quote from someone important in the medical world saying he's a scammer?

 

[silver wind]

P.S.: Reflexology is a legitimate medical line of treatment. The basic premise is in targetting and stimulating nerve clusters in your body, which are received by the brain, and the reaction to said stimulation is the release of certain brain chemicals. It doesn't cure anything but it is useful as a proactive strategy in pain management. It's basically a more massage-focused tier of physical therapy. Claims that it will "cure" anything are bollocks but when you are in constant pain and experience some relief, it helps!

I also choose to believe it's the attention and the feeling someone's treating you =p