542 Autism caused by Bacteria - and overuse of Antibiotics

Autism caused by Bacteria - and overuse of Antibiotics

(1) The Autism Enigma takes on the Medical Establishment view that
Autism is Genetic
(2) The Autism Enigma - from CBC-TV's The Nature of Things with David
Suzuki (Canada)
(3) Watch the program (from Australia) online, until Sunday Sept. 9 2012
(4) Microbiologist Professor Sydney Finegold interviewed on the
connection between gut Bacteria and Autism
(5) Check food labels for preservatives 280 to 283 (Propionates) and
Whey powder
(6) Calcium propanoate used to prevent milk fever in cows, and as a feed
supplement in feedlots
(7) Treating Autism by understanding the Autism-Gut connection

(1) The Autism Enigma takes on the Medical Establishment view that
Autism is Genetic
- Peter Myers, August 29, 2012

Autism, Diabetes, Prostate - on these and many other conditions,
"orthodox" medicine is leading people astray. Ivan Illich first
proclaimed it in his book Medical Nemesis. Your Doctor is primarily an
Accountant looking after his own interest.

The cost is great, to parents of Autistic children, and to society at
large, which will foot the bill, as fewer healthy adults are expected to
support more incapacitated and older people.

The TV documentary The Autism Enigma shows that the challenge to
orthodoxy arose not within Science or Medicine itself, but among
distraught parents trying to help their afflicted children.

Those parents were assisted by dissident scientists not subservient to
orthodoxy.

The program features eminent Microbiologist Professor Sydney Finegold.

He says, in an interview with Marion Gruner (item 4), that it might be
possible, one day, to develop a vaccine "to totally prevent the disease
and wipe it out".

The most poignant part of the program is the statement that the new
findings - that harmful Bacteria can cause Autism, and that overuse of
Antibiotics, by killing off good Bacteria, can enable those harmful
Bacteria to do so - were ignored for over a decade.

Nature magazine issued a "Special" on Autism in 2011, which pushes the
Genetic interpretation. I could not find any reference to Bacteria as a
cause:

Special issue on neuroscience: The autism enigma
Nature magazine
02 November 2011
http://www.nature.com/news/specials/autism/index.html

The Autism Enigma was shown on Australia's "Four Corners" program. You
should be able to watch it online (item 3); please let me know if you
can't. It will be taken offline on Sunday Sept. 9.

The Autism Enigma shows footage of a baker making bread; in the US,
Britain and Australia, bakers add Proprionate compounds - which aid some
of the bacteria which cause Autism - to flour as a preservative. Check
food labels for preservatives 280 to 283 (Propionates) and Whey powder
(item 5).

Priorionates are also given to cattle in Feedlots. Their natural diet is
grass; grains make them sick, and the Priorionates are used to counter
this. Better buy grass-fed beef.

Autism sufferers have benefited from Gluten-Free diets - which means
that they give up bread. But I wonder if the problem is the Gluten (and
bread per se) or the Priorionate preservatives which have been
increasingly added to the flour in the last 20 years (not, apparently,
in Europe, and not much in New Zealand).

If any readers are on Gluten-free diets, I wonder if they might try
eating bread which contains no preservatives or "enhancers" - or
"elasticizers" to make the dough stretchy - nothing but flour, yeast,
salt and water. I would like to hear feedback on this. People in
countries where Priorionates are not used, please let me know if
"Gluten" is a problem there. Be sure that no additives of any kind are
added.

Years ago, I used to make No-Knead Sourdough Bread, in a Rayburn wood
stove in Tasmania. In coming weeks, I hope to revive the recipe, but
this time using a Camp Oven outdoors in Queensland. Once I've got it
right, I'll give you the recipe. You do not get your hands messy at all,
with this method - no sticky fingers, no floured board. And being a
fermented product, it's better for you too. Is anyone into fermented
foods? I now make my porridge by fermenting the rolled oats overnight.
Please give feedback if you are knowledgable on this topic.

One does not live by bread alone. Neverthless, to quote a railway
billboard in Sydney of the 1960s, "what you eat today walks and talks
tomorrow".

(2) The Autism Enigma - from CBC-TV's The Nature of Things with David
Suzuki (Canada)

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episode/autism-enigma.html

Autism Enigma

THURSDAY JULY 26, 2012 AT 8:00 PM ON CBC-TV
THURSDAY AUGUST 2 AT 10 PM ET/PT ON CBC NEWS NETWORK

Video Problems? THE FULL EPISODE IS ONLY AVAILABLE INSIDE CANADA.

Dr. Derrick MacFabe, Director of Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism Research
Group, University of Western Ontario
Read an interview with Dr. MacFabe and others involved in this film on
the filmmaker's website.

A fresh perspective on autism research with the developing "Bacterial
Theory" of autism. The fastest-growing developmental disorder in the
industrialized world, autism has increased an astounding 600 per cent
over the last 20 years. Science cannot say why. Some say it's triggered
by environmental factors and point to another intriguing statistic: 70
per cent of kids with autism also have severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
Could autism actually begin in the gut? The Autism Enigma looks at the
progress of an international group of scientists who are studying the
gut's amazingly diverse and powerful microbial ecosystem for clues to
the baffling disorder.

http://cogentbenger.com/autism/

Director's Notes: Marion Gruner
Director's Notes : Chris Sumpton
Credits

Interviews and discussions
Genetics or Environment?
Significance of clusters?
Environmental triggers?
Future research?

Interview Transcripts
Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe Interview
Dr. Sydney Finegold Interview
Dr. Richard Frye Interview
Dr. Martha Herbert Interview
Dr. Derrick MacFabe Interview
Dr. Tore Midtvedt Interview
Prof. Jeremy Nicholson Interview

THE AUTISM ENIGMA TRAILER
Premiered December 2011 on CBC-TV's The Nature Of Things With David Suzuki
Also broadcast June 2012 in France and Germany on ARTE
and August 2012 in Australia on ABC.

The Autism Enigma looks at the progress of an international group of
scientists who are looking for clues to the baffling disorder by
examining the amazingly diverse and powerful microbial ecosystem that's
an essential part of the human gastrointestinal tract, and the
extraordinary efforts of parents who have been relentlessly pushing
science forward in hopes of finding answers for their children's condition.

(3) Watch the program (from Australia) online, until Sunday Sept. 9 2012

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/08/23/3574441.htm

The Autism Enigma

By Autism Enigma Production Inc.

Updated August 28, 2012 10:38:00

Autism spectrum disorders are the fastest rising developmental disorders
in the Western world. Is genetics or the environment the cause?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the fastest growing developmental
condition in the western world. There is no typical case and there is no
accepted cure for it. Fifty years ago it was considered rare, affecting
one in 10,000 children. Now the number of children being diagnosed with
ASD in the United States is one in 90. The incidence is also rising
dramatically in Australia.

To add to this troubling picture, in North America and other parts of
the world, there's evidence that ASD rates are much higher in some
immigrant populations. So much so that ASD has become known as "the
Western disease".

But what is causing this dramatic rise, and why do some communities have
higher rates of ASD? Some experts suggest it's because doctors are
better able to diagnose the condition, and the criteria for autism
diagnosis has been expanded. Others are asking if there's a possible
environmental cause. Could the food we eat and commonly used drugs,
intended to kill infection, play a part in the development of certain
forms of autism?

Four Corners presents "The Autism Enigma". Filmed in the United States,
the United Kingdom and Canada the program looks at a controversial
theory examining the possible links between harmful bacteria in a
child's gut and ASD.

"The Autism Enigma" follows the work of an international group of
scientists researching the human intestine and the clues their work
might hold for treating and perhaps preventing this baffling disorder.

The film features the stories of two mothers with autistic sons. One, a
Somali immigrant called Adar, has been working with scientists who are
exploring why autism is more prevalent in her immigrant community. The
other is Ellen Bolte, from Chicago, who began her own investigation to
see if she could help her son who'd been diagnosed with autism. Using
home videos she shares the story of her search for answers and the
treatment she believes has given her son an opportunity to learn
language, play and become more socially interactive.

"The Autism Enigma", produced by Christopher Sumpton, Robin Benger and
Marion Gruner and presented by Kerry O'Brien, goes to air on Monday 27th
August at 8.30pm on ABC1. It is replayed on Tuesday 28th August at
11.35pm. The program can also be seen on ABC News 24 on Saturday at
8.00pm, on ABC iview and at abc.net.au/4corners.

The Autism Engima - 27 August 2012

KERRY O'BRIEN, PRESENTER: Autism is a baffling and heart wrenching
disorder that hits the very young. The puzzle is underscored by the
contentious debate on how to treat the condition.

KERRY O'BRIEN: Until now genetics has been the focus of research. But
are environmental factors at least part of the cause?

KERRY O'BRIEN: A controversial view, but is it time to take a fresh look
at what makes a child autistic.

Welcome to Four Corners.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is the fastest growing developmental condition
in the Western world. There is no typical case, and no accepted cure.

Fifty years ago it was considered rare. Today, in countries like America
and Australia, the number of children being diagnosed with it has risen
dramatically. So why the rise? One explanation might simply be that
doctors today are much more aware of the condition than they once were.
It's also true that the definition of autism has been widened over the
past 20 years.

But there is another school of thought that says the rates are
increasing because there is something in the environment that is
triggering the disorder. Those who support this view point out that the
children of Somalis who have moved from Africa to North America and
Scandinavia have autism rates up to four times higher than non-Somalis.
Again, the question is why?

Well at least one group of scientists believes that some types of autism
could be triggered by bad bacteria in the gut. They argue that the
significant use of antibiotics by very young children, or a major change
in diet that immigrants might experience could promote the development
of pathogens in the stomach that in turn could affect the brain.

Tonight's story looks at this theory, talks with the scientists that
have been researching it, and two mothers who've worked hard to
understand how they can help their children with autism.

In presenting their views we're conscious that parents of autistic
children desperate for some good news should bear in mind that this
debate is still wide open.

Titled 'The Autism Enigma', the program starts in the Somali community
of Toronto in Canada.

("The Autism Enigma" Written and directed by Marion Gruner and
Christopher Sumpton; narrated by Nicky Guadagni)

KERRY O'BRIEN: We can only hope it really does lead somewhere. But I
should state again that this is just one theory about to treat autism.
If parents are interested in changing their child's diet or wanting to
try probiotic treatments they should consult their child's GP or
paediatrician and possibly a dietician.

If you'd like more information you can go to our website, where we've
gathered together contact numbers for autism related organisations
across Australia.

Next week on Four Corners, a miracle at seas. A jet ditches into the
stormy waters off Norfolk Island and no-one dies. Nearly three years
later the real story of what happened that night.

Until then, good night. ==

Watch the program. It is online, until Sunday Sept. 9, at
http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/994811

(4) Microbiologist Professor Sydney Finegold interviewed on the
connection between gut Bacteria and Autism

http://cogentbenger.com/autism/interviews/finegold-interview/

The Autism Enigma

Dr. Sydney Finegold Interview

Interview by Marion Gruner

How long has your career in microbiology been?

Well, my first paper was published in 1951. It was based on work I did
as a medical student in the late '40s and we finally had enough data to
publish it in '51. And at that point, my wife and I and another medical
student all agreed to take some antibiotics to see what the impact would
be on the bowel flora, and so we documented changes, even with the crude
techniques available at that time. Now, I've been at it ever since then.
Our first anaerobe entered our stock collection in 1957, but we were
working with them for several years before that.

When did you start making a connection between gut bacteria and autism?

In 1998, I had a phone call from Dr. Richard Sandler in Chicago. He's a
pediatric gastroenterologist, and he had been seeing the autistic son of
a lady named Ellen Bolte. She had done a remarkable job reviewing the
medical literature on autism and related diseases, and concluded this
might well be a bacterial infection. And she thought the best example of
this was infant botulism, wherein the organism grows in the gut of the
baby, produces toxin, and it's absorbed. It goes to the central nervous
system and produces the disease. That's in contrast to the usual type of
botulism where we eat a food and it's contaminated with the toxin from
the organism and there's no involvement of the gut at all. The disease
occurs directly. So, she had recommended to Dr. Sandler that he treat
her child with oral Vancomycin, reasoning that this drug would be active
against the type of organism she thought might be causing the disease,
and that would be a Clostridia group. They're Gram-positive and the
Vancomycin is particularly active against Gram-positive organisms. So,
he agreed to do this and the child had a dramatic improvement, starting
within a few days and persisting for six weeks while he was still on the
drug. This involved improvement in language skills. He actually had no
language beforehand, but he picked up a few words and even began to
string together tiny sentences towards the end, like, "No, Mummy, I'd
like this." He was much more malleable. He would listen to people and
respond. He would look at them, which was quite different from his usual
behaviour. He didn't have any fits of anger and generally was a much
more, nearly normal child.

What impact would repeated antibiotic use have on gut bacteria?

Antibiotics have an impact on the bowel flora. Virtually all of them do.
Some, when given systemically, do not enter the bowel, so they would
not, but most antibiotics, even given systemically, are secreted into
the bowel to some extent. So, virtually all the time that we use
antibiotics, one of the lesser-known problems with antibiotic use is
that they do impact the bowel flora. The bowel flora, we're finding out
more and more in recent years, does a number of amazing things for the
body. Our innate immunity is developed by virtue to exposure from
bacteria living in the gut. And we know now that at least some forms of
obesity are related to changes in the bacterial flora from the norm. We
don't know that antibiotics are involved in that particular problem, but
they certainly seem to be in autism and clearly are in Clostridium
difficile-associated colitis. So, you have a normal complement of
organisms in your gut. It varies according to your diet and if you have
an immune system problem. If your immune system is not fully effective
either because of genetic problems or, more commonly, toxins in the
environment, then you are not able to control bacteria that get out of
the gut into other parts of the body, as you would if you had a normal
immune system. So, we have that kind of background, and then on top of
that, the key thing is that these children are susceptible to ear
infections; probably to other types of infection. And so, they receive
antibiotics, and the antibiotics that are favoured for that type of
infection, ear infections, do have a significant impact on the bowel
flora and tend to select out certain organisms while they suppress much
of the rest of the flora. And the organisms that tend to persist are
Clostridia, and this accounts, in Clostridium difficile colitis, for
that problem. And we think it accounts for the problem in autism as
well. Maybe not due to Clostridia specifically. Recent work suggests
that there's another organism that's much more important.

What is this new bacterium you're looking at and how is it related to
autism?

It's quite a different bug from the Clostridia. It's Gram-negative
instead of being Gram-positive. It does not produce spores, but it's a
very virulent organism. We have seen it over the years in serious
infections like blood poisoning. So, we know about the organism, but
it's difficult to grow and it's not been cultured many times when it has
been involved in infection. So, laboratories such as ours and many
others that have worked with anaerobes for years can grow this and it
turns out to be important in autism. We found about this when some of
the more high-throughput, detailed molecular approaches to studying the
bowel flora became available. So, this allows you to find at least 1,000
different organisms per gram of fecal content, whereas with the old
techniques, if you stayed for some time you could eventually pick up 300
different species. And now, there's talk that there may be as many as
10,000. So, this is a very powerful tool and using it, too, we found out
that the flora of autistic children is basically quite different from
that of normal control children. The organism of interest is in a phyla
called Proteobacteria. Our studies suggested that Desulfovibrio, one of
the Proteobacteria, might be important in autism because it was seen
with some frequency; about 50% of patients with autism but not at all in
any of the controls. Now, Desulfovibrio, as the name suggests, changes a
sulfate compound such as a hydrogen sulfate. It desulfates them and you
end up with hydrogen sulfide rather than sulfate as the principal end
product of that metabolism. Hydrogen sulfide is a major toxic compound,
known for centuries, actually, but not known to be important in relation
to bacteria. So, that may be one mechanism of its action. Also, the cell
wall of this organism, Desulfovibrio, contains a potent endotoxin, and
endotoxins are known to be very damaging to people, and animal models as
well. And there are probably other factors that account for its virulence.

Where is Desulfovibrio found and how could it get into the body?

It's found in the environment. It likes the environment around oil
wells, for example. And it's such a powerful toxin producer that the oil
people are concerned about it because it corrodes metal in their
apparatus and is a real pest to them. We ingest it with certain foods;
meats in particular and cooked meats especially. And so, it is found in
the normal flora in low numbers of probably half the people. But again,
it depends on the diet, so that in the United Kingdom where probably
they eat more meat than we do, they have higher counts in normal
individuals of Desulfovibrio. If you take antibiotics for prophylaxis or
treatment of infections, and if you take certain ones that are active
against common elements of the normal flora of the bowel but not active
against Desulfovibrio—and that's true for a number of compounds,
antibiotic compounds—then you tend to select out Desulfovibrio. get much
higher counts and so more toxins produced and then, you can get disease
in that manner.

What type of autism have you been studying?

Regressive autism is the type that we have worked with exclusively. As
the name suggests, these children develop normally up to about eighteen
months of age, and then they begin to go backwards. They lose their
social graces. They're not warm and friendly with their parents. They
don't maintain eye contact. They have difficulty with other children of
the same age. They have gastrointestinal problems that often are quite
striking and may be the main feature of their illness. These include
abdominal distension, abdominal pain. Constipation is a principal
problem but not always obvious overtly. They may have so-called
compensatory diarrhea, attempting to get rid of the obstruction from the
constipation. And they, in the extreme, may bang their head against the
wall; be very damaging to themselves, to their playmates and siblings,
and even their parents.

Why would Clostridia and Desulfovibrio be important in regressive autism?

Well, first of all, these children are only susceptible to autism up to
the age of four. Anybody that has suspect autism after the age of four,
unless they've had it starting before the age four, it's not autism;
it's something else. So, you have to have a central nervous system
that's being developed at a certain critical stage. Then, you have to
have impairment of the immune system. This can be on a genetic basis but
we think much more commonly it's due to environmental toxins. So, that
sets the stage, and then the bacteria get into it when antibiotics are
given, appropriately or inappropriately. And the typical scenario for
that to happen is when the child develops an ear infection. If a
beta-lactam antibiotic, such as a penicillin or a cephalosporin, is
given, that eliminates certain parts of the bowel flora, and that
creates a niche for organisms such as Desulfovibrio and Clostridia to
grow out to larger numbers where they produce enough toxin to cause the
disease.

What are the reasons to wonder if this condition might be somehow
"infectious"?

Yeah, this leads to consideration of how these diseases spread from one
to another and why the incidence of autism should be increasing so much,
and why C. difficile colitis is a big problem in hospitals. So, let's
start with C. difficile colitis as the model. Patients acquire
Clostridium difficile. Again, it may be present as a normal flora. Seems
to be the case in about 3% of adults. But we think it's been pretty well
established now with C. difficile colitis that when the organism
contaminates the environment of a hospital, it's a big problem and
accounts for spread from patient to patient. Clostridium difficile, when
it's exposed to antibiotics, tries to protect itself. It does this by
converting the ordinary vegetative bacterial cells into the spore form
where they can withstand anything short of autoclaving. So, we've
demonstrated spores from Clostridium difficile on the floor of a
hospital room that was cleaned after the patient left and left without
patients in it for over a month, and we were still able to culture C.
difficile. They knew the study was being performed, so the housekeepers
tried to do an extra good job on cleaning, and we could still find them.
I think that same sort of thing is going on in the case of autism, but
it remains to be documented. With Desulfovibrio. now, that organism is
not a spore-former, but it has other mechanisms, various enzymes that
protect it from exposure to oxygen and to other deleterious influences.
So, Desulfovibrio can live in the environment for months on end in its
vegetative state until conditions are improved and it has the
opportunity to survive and multiply.

How does Dr. MacFabe's work relate to yours?

We don't have the full connection that we need to be able to say that
Dr. MacFabe's work fits in key and lock with what we're doing, but it
seems like a likely possibility. Dr. MacFabe takes certain compounds
that are by-products of the activity of bacteria in the gut—we call them
short-chain fatty acids—and he injects them into the brain of rats and
that leads to a set of symptoms and findings that are characteristic of
what we see in autism in humans. So, it may be a very good animal model
for us, and so that would be very helpful. Research would be sped up
considerably if we knew that was a reliable animal model and we could do
a lot of manipulation of the bacteria in the gut of the rat and save
time in terms of coming up with answers that apply to humans. Now,
Clostridia do produce some of the compounds that MacFabe uses in his
model and Desulfovibrio does not, but it does it in a roundabout way. In
other words, it doesn't produce those compounds itself, but it leads to
their production in a roundabout way. So, both of those things would fit
with his hypothesis and with his animal model.

Can you comment on the connection of these bacteria to the foods we eat?

Well, I think we're beginning to appreciate that diet is extremely
important. It has a definite impact on the bowel flora and the impact
can be good or bad depending on the diet. I think we need to study it
further, but there's been one study done where subjects, volunteers who
were not ill, agreed to go on several different diets with intervals
between the diets of whatever they chose to eat normally. And that
showed clear concordance with a high meat content diet, cooked meat, and
overgrowth of Desulfovibrio. So, I think that's an important lead. Also,
others have found over the years that certain diets benefit autistic
children. So, a gluten-free, casein-free diet, which is difficult to
make, time-consuming, and expensive, but many autistic children improve
to a degree—sometimes a significant degree—on that diet. There's also a
specific carbohydrate diet, which is even more difficult to make and
more expensive, which is helpful to other autistic children. Ellen
Bolte's son, for example, did not respond to the gluten, casein-free
diet, but did respond well to the specific carbohydrate diet.

What do you think about the future of gut bacteria research and its
connection with autism?

We think that bacteria are very important in autism, as I mentioned, and
knowing what bacteria do in other circumstances, it's easy to visualize
spread of these bacteria to siblings of autistic children. And we do see
now more multiple cases in families than we did before and an increased
frequency of autism, probably because of spread of these organisms by
way of the environment and even direct transfer from one person to
another. The very encouraging thing about all of this is that we know a
lot about bacteria and if we know for sure which bacteria are involved
in autism, we have ways of combating them. Knowing what we know about
bacteria, we can visualize making a vaccine that could be given by
mouth. It would be very well-tolerated in all respects and would build
up antibodies and other parts of the immune system that fight Clostridia
and Desulfovibrio, and could not only control it once it's established
but could prevent it entirely. So, the day may come when we have a
vaccine that could be given just as any other vaccine could be
given—polio vaccine, for example—to totally prevent the disease and wipe
it out. But besides waiting for the vaccine, we can be working on
developing these good bacteria that we know about. And we don't know
enough about them, so we have to do more research there. But we have
things called probiotics. And you'll hear and see a lot of
advertisements for this yoghurt or that yoghurt, which supposedly is
good in its own right and is supplemented by some of the good guys. You
can hardly buy ice cream these days, especially yoghourt-based ice
creams, without addition of these things. That's because it's a good
advertising gimmick. But the scientific background for it is not solid.
There's no research to prove that these foods can do something good for
autism, for example. But there are ways of putting good bacteria back
into people to fight the bad ones, and as soon as we have enough
research done to know which particular types of bacteria, and sub-types,
are the absolute good ones which would not backfire on us, then we could
put them into probiotics.

Not long ago people thought autism was a permanent condition but, now,
are there suggestions that it may be at least party reversible?

The reversibility of autism is a very exciting proposition. As I
indicated, children who have had it for even a year or so, within two to
three weeks of antibiotic therapy are much better, and it's within the
realm of possibility that we can maintain the improvement and take it
all the way back to a totally normal child if we treat them early
enough. There's been a lot in the lay press recently about the
importance of diagnosing autism early and suggestions have been made to
both physicians and parents as to how one can suspect it and verify the
diagnosis. I'm afraid that as the child gets older, when they get into
their teens and, particularly, into adulthood, it may be much less
reversible.

16 THOUGHTS ON "DR. SYDNEY FINEGOLD INTERVIEW"

Ien van Houten on August 6, 2012 at 2:25 pm said: I was recently
hospitalized for reasons that have nothing to do with autism spectrum.
Picked up Clostridium Difficile. Was told by the public health nurse to
get some Saccharomyces boulardii, a probiotic that is especially
effective against Cdiff. I found some here: http://nationalnutrition.ca.

J. Berg on July 26, 2012 at 11:45 pm said: GAPS Diet. Specific
Carbohydrate Diet. Why were neither of these diets mentioned in the
documentary? SCD has been around since the 1950s and has been
successfully treating GI disorders since it was developed. GAPS is an
offshoot of SCD, was developed by a doctor in the UK to treat her own
son, and she's been successfully treating patients in the UK for years.
She published a book. I believe she was on Oprah. Surely some scientist
in North America knows about her or at least GAPS.

I encourage everyone to google GAPS or SCD and learn about the gut/brain
connection and how these diets can cure disease, including helping with
autism. These diets will help heal the gut and repopulate it with
healthy bacteria to put it back in balance. I am living proof it works.
It saved my life.

Jessica Flaherty on July 14, 2012 at 7:20 pm said: Hi …We just watched
Autism Enigma. WOW….well we have run the gammit with our 6 year daughter
and her autism. Diagnosed at 2 years old…hit every milestone her first
year ….had words, looked at us all the time and smiled and was very
engaged. Then she lost all words, lost eye contact and slipped away. We
have done The Sonrise program….have worked with 2 DAN doctors…have been
seen and are seeing GI Doctors…..she has severe contipation, she has
tested positive for Clostridia by Genova Dignostics… the GI doctors
ignore this and will not do thier own testing. She has had fecal
decompaction procedures…..botox injections into her sphincter….she had
tons of ear infections and many rounds of antibiotics as a baby also
breathing treatments for a cough..we stopped dairy and the cough
stopped. We have done GFCF diet…We are on 3 years of ABA….our daughter
goes to school in a "special room". Our daughters severe sleep issues
have been looked into for 3 years now with no help. Her day is about 21
hours long and she is nonstop. She does have some words again and eye
contact is better. I feel like she is suffering and does not need to be
but we have not had much insight from the many doctors we have
seen….Genetics {has had testing} sleep clinics, GI doctors and more. I
agree the gut plays a major role in autism behaviors. We have done
probiotics and other supplements. Is there a probiotic they you could
suggest? We get items from Kirkmann. Now that we have seen The Autism
Enigma we are re-energized to battle her gut bugs. Thank you for doing
what you do for the world of Autism

Deborah David on July 19, 2012 at 10:28 am said: Have your Dr. open up
the CPS which is the book they prescribe from and they will see a
product called Immunocal. There is a Medical Clinicl Trial underway at
the Eleanor Roosevelt Clinic in Huston for Autism. Children taking this
nutricutical supplement are returning back to there parents. Glutathione
is the bodies Master Antioxidant. When there is problems in the
digestive tract of these young babies they cannot maintain the
supplements or to process what is necessary for a healthy child. This
product is a cistine delivery system which when ingested the three
precoursors(Amion Acids) bind and metabolizes as Glutathione being the
bodies MASTER ANTIOXIDANT. Without this we cannot sustain a healthy
life. Immunotec is located in Montreal Canada. This product is food. It
can be expensive. I feel that my life is worth it! Deborah David
Courtenay B.C.

Kate on January 12, 2012 at 5:24 am said: I'm interested that you talked
about Hydrogen sulfide, as IIRC, it has also been investigated in ME,
aka Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There is a neurotoxic metabolite test for
ME patients that I think looks at hydrogen sulphide. Would this test be
any use for autism?

Gut Bacteria Lend a Molecular Hand to Viruses
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/334/6053/168.summary

Maryln Didion on December 21, 2011 at 4:56 am said: Basically to follow
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wendy ferguson on December 16, 2011 at 1:21 am said: Hi My mother had c
difficil in her 80s and we used the book The Gut Solution and enteric
peppermint oil in order to kill the spores. We still us BioK and other
probiotics but she is doing great and still paints her fence, deck etc.
this summer at 90. Wendy from Edmonton, AB

Ieneke van Houten on December 19, 2011 at 6:23 pm said: Wendy, could you
tell more about enteric peppermint oil? Did you pu it in capsules? With
a carrier oil?

Surinder on December 15, 2011 at 11:15 pm said: Hello there;

My youngest daughter experienced immediate GI symptoms following her 18
month MMR. She had diarhhea 15 times per day and stopped eating all, but
5 foods. On a hunch, having worked with autistic kids as a
physiotherapist, I put her on a gluten-free, dairy-free diet and the
diarrhea immediately stopped. She never ate normally again, and
regressed in her speech, socialization and showed problems with learning
in preschool. Fast forward to now, she is 5 and a half years old. She is
completely social, and learning well in senior kindergarten. She no
longer shows social anxieties that she had. We approached things from a
completely different premise, but it could be related to the whole
bacteria theory. We started thyroid/adrenal treatment and she is a
different child today. This despite, her having normal blood work. When
Ellen Bolte was talking about how to get rid of the spores on the Autism
episode on The Nature of Things, I thought of how this may relate to my
daughters's successful treatment. Well thyroid hormones do affect our
immune system. In fact, with a tremendous amount of reading/research, I
have learned that people who have chronic infections that they can't get
rid of may well have a thyroid problem. Research shows that autistic
kids and their moms have something like 40% less iodine that normal
groups. Iodine makes up 65% of your thyroid hormone. My daugher is now
social, doing well academically and her teacher says there is a big
difference, that she is actually "there" this year. Just thought I would
put it out there. Hopefully, someone as passionate as Ellen Bolte can
look into this further.

Signed Another Passionate Mother in Canada

Vicki Graham on December 12, 2011 at 11:40 pm said: I am 46 years old
and recently was diagnosed with Asberger's Syndrom. As a child I had
strep throat every 3 to 4 weeks and I was constantly on antibiotics. I
also had ear infections, but not to the degree I had strep. I had severe
constipation which left me incapacitated as I would not have a movement
or pass gas for 4 weeks at a time. After multiple tests and
hospitalisations, in 1994 I was diagnosed with Megacolon, a condition
where there is paralysis of the membranes within the colon. I had a
sub-total colectomy in December of that year where they removed part of
the large intestine. In December of 1995 I had 2 more surgeries; a.total
colectomy and then an emergency surgery 8 days later to fix a blockage.
Things did not go well and they removed the rest of the large intestine,
colon, and part of the small intestine. The rest of the small intestine
was stretched, made into a bag-like pouch to ressemble the colon, and
then it was resectioned to the anus. I struggle with my health, my
immune system is compromised and despite the fact I try to operate like
a regularly healthy person in a professional capacity, coping and just
getting through many of my days is tremendously challenging. Could you
please point me in the direction where I could find some help, for
instance in diet, and coping strategies? My diagnosis of Asberger's my
doctor advised me to keep secret as it might cause me to eventually lose
my job. I live in Canada. Could you please try to connect me to some
help. Thank you,

Vicki

Jackie on December 23, 2011 at 10:45 pm said: Hi Vicki, I also have
Aspergers. I kept quiet for many years while organizing and volunteering
on the side in the autism field, because of fear; it may not be as bad
as you think, now to be "out". I was lucky. My parents were throw-backs,
eating a much more whole-food, probiotic-rich, and healthy fats diet
than most of my generation (I'm also 46). When I was eleven, they sent
me to a wilderness camp for one month, where my functional gains and the
drop in pain levels was more than enough to raise my curiosity and
determination to figure out WHY. 3/4 of my life later, I'm still
following that thread of what makes things better, and what makes things
worse. Look for thrive with autism, for the 5 root causes of autism
report. It's free, and it'll help frame things a bit. Best wishes, and
don't give up hope. A lot of us have seen improvements well beyond what
the medical field promises.

Deborah David on December 14, 2011 at 11:27 pm said: Hi vicki: I do have
some info for you and wish I could share with you I live here in Canada
on Vancouver Island. I had been sick to not with the severity of
problems you have had. However the H1N1 almost did me in due to the
problems I have had with my health issues. I am only here as I have a
granddaughter who is high functioning asbergers. My dsughter does a
different approach and makes trips to the Neurological Institute in
Toronto. I am of the feeling it is about the gut as well. I have been on
a protacal which I am not allowed to speak about on this forum. I will
try to post my e-mail address which is dldavid@telus.net Perhaps you can
e-mail me and I will explain

Shannon Tara on December 9, 2011 at 1:03 pm said: Cathy it is possible
to help you child with gluten free diet, sugar free diet , dairy free
diet. We have really helped our kids this way. Shannon Tara

Dionne Noel on December 12, 2011 at 9:56 am said: Hi Ms Tara,

My son is on the diet you described ( gluten, sugar and diary free). I
find it difficult to find a selection of foods to prepare. Could you
give me some suggestions. I buy organic foods for my son. My son is six
years old and he is also is a vegetarian.

Dionne

Cathy-Jo Nyeste on December 9, 2011 at 12:47 am said: Extremely
interested in this after watching a TV program called "The Autism
Enigma" – my 4+ year old was recently diagnosed with Pervasive
Development Disorder – Non Specific. I now realize that several of the
symptoms I've come to know as those associated with Autism were ones
that my daughter has displayed off and on since she was a toddler. I'm
now trying to take in all the information while trying to get her help.
It's rather a helpless feeling at the moment, but I am hopeful we'll get
her on the right path and that she will make progress and be okay.

wendy ferguson on December 16, 2011 at 1:27 am said: I found the program
on tv great. My mother had c. difficil and was a skelleton. We used the
book The Gut Solution and enteric peppermint oil to kill the spores and
now do biok and other probiotics. She does wonders at 90.

(5) Check food labels for preservatives 280 to 283 (Propionates) and
Whey powder

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/Fact282.htm

FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK FACTSHEET

The bread preservative (282)

• 280 Propionic acid

• 281 Sodium propionate

• 282 Calcium propionate - most commonly used preservative in bread

• 283 Potassium propionate

• Whey powder – see below

The use of calcium propionate (282) as a preservative in bread became
widespread in Australia in the early 1990s. This preservative is rarely
used in Europe or New Zealand, used increasingly in the UK, and is
common in Australia and the US. Consumers are often confused by a label
claiming "now with extra calcium". Calcium propionate is used for the
propionate, not the calcium. Calcium is added to bread in other forms.

Calcium propionate and the other propionates (280-283) occur naturally
in many foods and dairy products like Swiss cheese. In small amounts
they are not harmful but, as with other additives, the effects are dose
related. Very few people will be affected by two slices of preserved
bread but effects are cumulative, so can build up slowly over days or
weeks, varying with the dose. This makes identification of the cause of
symptoms extremely difficult. Like all additives, this preservative was
not tested before approval for its effects on children's behaviour and
learning ability.

How does it affect people?

Reactions can be anything from the usual range of food intolerance
symptoms: migraine and headaches; gastro-intestinal symptoms including
stomach aches, irritable bowel, diarrhoea, urinary urgency, bedwetting;
eczema and other itchy skin rashes; nasal congestion (stuffy or runny
nose); depression, unexplained tiredness, impairment of memory and
concentration, speech delay; tachycardia (fast heart beat); growing
pains, loud voice (no volume control); irritability, restlessness,
inattention, difficulty settling to sleep, night waking and night terrors.

Propionates are one of the most difficult additives to avoid because
their use is widespread and they are in a healthy food that is generally
eaten every day. In less than one generation, many Australians have gone
from eating none of this preservative to eating it every day of their lives.

Isn't it important to keep our bread fresh?

Contrary to what the food industry would like you to believe, this
additive is not to keep your bread fresh. Calcium propionate (282) is
added to inhibit the growth of mould. There is no mould on a freshly
baked loaf of bread, so why use a mould inhibitor? Bakers who keep their
work benches and slicer blades clean and mould-free, by wiping with
vinegar every day, do not need this additive. However, bakers in large
factories prefer the less time-consuming method of "fogging" their
equipment with a chemical spray. Putting hot loaves in plastic bags
makes the problem worse. Preservative 282 allows for sloppy hygiene. It
is for the convenience of the manufacturer not the consumer.

How will I know if I am affected?

Very few people realise they or their children are affected by this
additive, because if you eat it every day, your problems will seem to
come and go without any obvious cause. Some people notice a difference
within days if they switch to preservative free bread. This is sometimes
a sign that other additives and some natural food chemicals could be a
problem too. Babies can be affected through breastmilk.

Two stories

My breastfed baby son screamed for the first 31?2 months of his life all
day and half of the night until my doctor got me onto a dietitian for
the elimination diet. He reacts when I eat most additives but the bread
preservative is the worst. He screams in agony within 24 hours and often
gets a red rash on his face, back and stomach. Before we tried the diet,
we were hospitalised twice because I just couldn't cope. - Dani Hewton,
WA My daughter is nearly 5 years old. When we did the elimination diet
we found that she reacts to the bread preservative, some other
preservatives and MSG. Her reactions to the bread preservative range
from temper tantrums to very moody pre-diet behaviour. This includes
hitting and annoying her brother and sister if they are trying to do
homework or just generally whingy and very demanding behaviour and
refusing to do as requested. At night, she wakes up from 1 to 5 times
per night and walks the house. When we put her back on to
preservative-free bread her behaviour changed back to good behaviour
within 3 or 4 days. - Moya Connell, Qld In Australia, propionates are
now permitted in other products such as cheese or fruit juice but we
have not yet received any complaints about these items. A mother in the
US who was keeping her son on a propionate-free diet noticed a big
reaction after a pizza. When she asked, they told her their pizza crusts
were propionate-free but the cheese was "just loaded with it".

Watch out for whey

Propionibacteria can be cultured in whey powder as a method of using
natural 282 preservative without having to declare it on the label.
Avoid breads containing whey or whey powder, even if marked
"preservative free". This potential problem applies only to whey powder
in bread and other bakery products such as croissants, and does not
apply to whey powder in icecream.

Q. We are still unclear about the relationship between whey and calcium
propionate. I read that whey in bread should be avoided because it acts
like natural calcium propionate. What I'm not sure about is the effect
of whey when in foods other than bread. Specifically, we have been
buying carob buttons from a local health food store and whey is an
ingredient. My wife in particular is concerned about this. She does not
want to bake them into cookies for fear of having a reaction. Is this a
legitimate concern?

A. The only whey powder you have to avoid is whey powder that has been
cultured with propionibacteria, but unfortunately, you can't tell
whether it has been cultured or not because some manufacturers specify
'cultured whey powder' and some don't. Obviously, it should be mandatory
to list cultured whey powder, but that's a battle for another day. In
the meantime, it is probably safe to assume that whey powder in baked
products such as bread, cakes and croissants has been cultured, and whey
powder in anything else, including carob buttons, icecream and any other
dairy products has not been cultured and is safe to eat.

Where can I buy safe bread?

See Factsheet on safe bread.

www.fedup.com.au

The information given is not intended as medical advice. Always consult
with your doctor for underlying illness. Before beginning dietary
investigation, consult a dietician with an interest in food intolerance.
You can find a supportive dietitian through the Dietitians Association
of Australia www.daa.asn.au or write for our list of supportive
dietitians (confoodnet@ozemail.com.au)

© Sue Dengate update June 2006

(6) Calcium propanoate used to prevent milk fever in cows, and as a feed
supplement in feedlots

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_propanoate

Calcium propanoate

Calcium propanoate or calcium propionate has the formula Ca(C2H5COO)2.
It is the calcium salt of propanoic acid.

[edit]Uses

As a food additive, it is listed as E number 282 in the Codex
Alimentarius. Calcium propanoate is used as a preservative in a wide
variety of products, including but not limited to bread, other baked
goods, processed meat, whey, and other dairy products.[2] In
agriculture, it is used, amongst other things, to prevent milk fever in
cows and as a feed supplement [3] Propanoates prevent microbes from
producing the energy they need, like benzoates do. However, unlike
benzoates, propanoates do not require an acidic environment.[4] Calcium
propanoate is used in bakery products as a mold inhibitor, typically at
0.1-0.4% [5] (though animal feed may contain up to 1%). Mold
contamination is considered a serious problem amongst bakers, and
conditions commonly found in baking present near-optimal conditions for
mold growth.[6] ...

[edit]References {omitted here}

[edit]External links {omitted here}

This page was last modified on 26 May 2012 at 16:34.

(7) Treating Autism by understanding the Autism-Gut connection

http://autismitsgutstupid.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/propionic-propionate-autism/

Dr. Anil

Nov 23, 2012