Natural aid for autism

I was once giving a nutrition lecture at a centre for Autistic children. The audience were mostly teachers, caretakers and parents. And, the turnout was great. Everyone wanted to know how food affects learning and behaviour and how they can utilise nutrition to their advantage to improve their child's brain function and ability to interact.

The experience was so rich that after the lecture, I was trying to decide whether the audience learned more from me or I learned more from them! The stories I heard were so touching it made me want to reach out and hug each and every one of the audience members.

It's tough having an autistic child. I know because I've seen friends do it and I've heard endless stories of parents struggling to go through each day. It is not infrequent that a parent of an autistic child ends up dedicating his/her whole life to finding solutions. These parents (and all parents of children with special needs) should get a special place in heaven.

If you don't know what autism is, it is a learning disability where the child lacks the communication and social skills necessary to lead a 'normal' life. Their speech and learning is also often slower and their interaction with other people is very poor.

What struck me the most from the stories I heard is that it seems that the parents would do anything for the child, including give him anything he wants to eat and drink.

There was one father in the audience who said that his autistic son waits for him at the door when he comes back from work because they ran out of bread and cheese and he won't eat anything else. So the father would run to the supermarket to get him some, no matter what time. Another parent, a mother, would give in to her child's requests for cola every day because he won't drink anything else.

If you have a child with autism or any other learning disability (or if you know a parent who does), you probably know that today, in spite of all the research advancements, autism cases are skyrocketing. Parents are bombarded with information and often have a hard time choosing a treatment approach.

The natural approach tends to differ from the medical approach in that it tends to focus on the causes of autism, rather than masking the symptoms to make the child 'easier to manage.'

While no treatment can remove the genetic component of autism, treating the underlying factors and reversing the effects of environmental influences can still improve or even eliminate autistic symptoms.

The five main areas to look into include:

Reducing toxic overload - Children are exposed to a heavy load of toxins as early as the womb. The toxins are transported from mother to foetus and continue to do so during breast-feeding. Children are then exposed to many vaccines, especially in the first two years of life, let alone chemicals from inorganic food and other environmental pollutants (e.g. smoke, exhaust fumes, paint, glue, cleaning products, mercury fillings, etc). There is growing evidence that these toxins are related to 'brain' conditions such as autism and learning disabilities.

Strengthening immunity - One of the most consistent findings in research on autism is the presence of weakened immune systems. Immunity must be strengthened. This can be done in many ways, such as reducing toxicity, removing sugar, adding antioxidants, lymphatic massage, dry brushing, juicing and more.

Addressing digestive problems - The health of the digestive system is always a reflection of health. If there is an imbalance in the good bacteria that live in the digestive tract, then many problems can occur including yeast (candida) and bacterial overgrowths. Many autistic children have been found to have severe candia overgrowth. This can be caused by too much antibiotics, mercury (which feeds candida), excess sugar, stress and various other factors.

Avoiding food sensitivities and food additives - Just as autistic children are hypersensitive to light and sound, they may also be hypersensitive to certain foods or food additives. These sensitivities may be the result of low immunity and digestive problems. If unaddressed, the body's reaction to these substances may worsen or even cause symptoms of autism. The most common culprits include wheat and dairy products. These foods contain proteins (gluten and casein) that, if not completely digested, can affect mental health.

Similarly, many children react to food additives such as MSG, artificial colourings, flavourings, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners found in most food today. These substances have been found to increase behaviour problems in children. That's why it is very important to carefully look at the ingredients list when buying any food.

Balancing nutritional deficiencies - Some of the most common deficiencies in autistic children are essential fats, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Essential fats are available in raw nuts and seeds and their oils (such as flax seed oil). Vitamin A is usually deficient in autistic children because the digestive tract needs to be healthy to absorb it, and it is often lacking in the diet.

Research shows that supplementing the vitamin results in dramatic and immediate improvements in language, vision, attention, and social interaction of some autistic children. Of course, do not supplement without checking with your healthcare provider.

All around me, I see many autistic children who are very lucky. They are lucky because they have parents who will not rest until they find a solution to help them. To these parents I want to say: hang in there, get the knowledge and implement it. It's tough but it works. Tough love can go a long way, and it will pay off in the long-run.

For more information or to book a workshop for your organisation, contact me through my website at www.AliaAlmoayed.com