Sensory Learning Center March Newsletter

[Guest guest]

Sensory Learning Center

March 2006 Newsletter

Dear Sensory Learning Center family,

Welcome to our March newsletter, I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the renewing energies of Spring!

This month we have a wonderful guest writer, Rene Callahan. Rene is a Parent Advocate for the Sensory Learning Centers in Flint and Farmington Hills, Michigan and Naples, Florida. She has dedicated the last three years to recovering her first son, , from autism. Last year completed mainstream Kindergarten. He no longer meets the diagnostic criteria for autism.

Rene has extensive biomedical experience with autism spectrum disorders and is trained and certified in the Sensory Learning Program™. Rene, her husband Bill, and sons (age 6.5) and (age 1.5) live in Michigan. Her personal website is www.choosinghope.com.

I’d like to thank Rene for all she’s done for the Sensory Learning Centers, including penning this newsletter on the Gluten-free Casein-free diet for us.

If you are interested in guest writing for our newsletter, please contact me at

dr.habermehl@....

The Gluten-free Casein-free diet for autism - does it really work?

Among parents of autistic children, there’s a lot of talk about whether the gluten-free casein-free (GFCF) diet helps reduce autistic symptoms. To date, most medical doctors are unsupportive of the diet because there isn’t any hard science behind it. However, studies currently underway should soon shed light on this subject. But, as parents of autistic children, we don’t have the luxury of waiting until science catches up with this disorder. We constantly navigate all we hear about to seek out and decide what might be worthwhile trying now. So, would a GFCF diet help? There are a few key reasons why it makes sense:

Most autistic children have a history of digestive and bowel problems, like leaky gut, diarrhea, yeast overgrowth, etc. These problems make it easier for incomplete food particles (peptides) to enter the blood stream. This causes an immune response such as an allergy or intolerance. Also, the structure of the gluten (wheat, oats, barley, rye) and Casein (dairy) peptides are almost identical to opiates (yes, I mean like the drug opium!) and attach to the opiate receptors in the brain, causing an addictive response. If you see your child craving dairy and wheat, it is much like a smoker who needs a cigarette or like me needing my chocolate! The problem is that the opiate effect is much stronger than nicotine or chocolate. It is creating a mind-altering state. To read more about this I urge you to read the book, Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and PDD by Karyn Seroussi. (http://www.feingold.org/seroussi-book.html) Children with a history of bowel trouble are almost always diet responders.

Autistic children are almost always low in zinc and high in copper. The digestive enzymes needed to break down gluten and casein are zinc dependent. The less gluten and casein are broken down, the worse the bowel situation and the greater the chance of developing allergies and having the peptide response.

The GFCF diet avoids the peptide issue and gives the bowels a chance to calm down and heal. There is a huge connection between bowel health and mental health. As the bowels heal, the child becomes more responsive and the brain starts getting what it needs to function properly.

The GFGC diet is not a cure for autism, but with its use, significant improvements in the condition have been noted.

A few things to consider are the cost of the special foods, the inconvenience, and the extra time involved in maintaining the diet. However, deciding to try it for four weeks is a good place to start.

My son has been on the GFCF diet for almost four years. It is my personal feeling that this diet saved his life. I am available if you have any questions or would like help on this topic. Please feel free to contact me at rene@....

Recommended Websites:

http://www.gfcfdiet.com

http://www.autismndi.com

TACA: Autism - Gluten Free & Casein Free GFCF Diet

http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm

http://www.gnd.org/diet/Diet.htm

Recommended Reading:

Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery by Karyn Seroussi

When her son was diagnosed with autism at 19 months, Seroussi, a small-business owner and wife of a research chemist, determined to do everything in her power to help her child achieve normal functioning. In addition to pursuing recommended speech and behavior modification therapies for her son, Seroussi devoted her considerable energies researching alternative approaches. Her own experience and a growing body of scientific evidence pointed to connections between autism and diet… Convinced that the inability to digest certain proteins was contributing to her son's condition and that his autism was related to his reaction to MMR vaccines, Seroussi eliminated suspect foods from his diet; he made such dramatic improvement that, by age four, he was functioning normally. Now a crusader for dietary intervention, Seroussi has written a book that will give hope to many families--though she cautions that not every autistic child responds to such treatment. She includes a FAQ section, gluten- and casein-free recipes and resources, and a list of organizations and readings.

Available on Amazon.com in hardcover and paperback:

Amazon.com: Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder : A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery: Books: Karyn Seroussi

============UPCOMING SENSORY LEARNING CENTER NEWSLETTERS=============

Metallothionein and Autism - A Breakthrough in Autism Research

The Basics of the DAN! Protocol (Defeat Autism Now)

Neurology 101 - what is Sensory Dysfunction?

============================PLEASE SHARE OUR NEWSLETTER =======================

Our new free Sensory Learning Center Newsletter is written with the same philosophy that our program is built upon­—working to help improve the lives of children with special needs and their families. So please help us improve lives by forwarding our newsletter and encouraging others to subscribe.

To subscribe simply write PLEASE SUBSCRIBE US in the subject line of an email and send it to: dr.habermehl@....

If you would like to unsubscribe please write UNSUBSCRIBE in an email and send it to: dr.habermehl@....

===================================PRIVACY STATEMENT============================

Your e-mail address is absolutely confidential.

We will NEVER give, sell, or share your address with anyone.

=====================================OUR LOCATIONS==============================

Flint Sensory Learning Center, LLCBrad Habermehl, OD4091 Richfield RdFlint, MI 48506810-736-0710Toll free: 877-736-0710

www.FlintSensoryLearning.com

Sensory Learning Center - Farmington Hills

36520 Grand River Ave., Suite 100

Farmington Hills, Michigan 48335

248-536-0300

Toll free: 888-823-9235

Fax: 248-536-0303

www.SensoryLearning-FarmingtonHills.com

Sensory Learning Center – NaplesParagon Building, Unit 140130 Tamiami Trail NorthNaples, FL 34102239-213-9983Toll free: 866-346-9983www.SensoryLearning-Naples.com

[Guest guest]

This diet information is so interesting-my son also has crohns disease, he receives remicade infusions every 8 weeks for it. I'm going to look into this more thoroughly JoanieRene Callahan <rene.callahan@...> wrote: Sensory Learning Center March 2006 Newsletter Dear Sensory Learning Center family, Welcome to our March newsletter, I’m sure we’re all looking forward to the renewing energies of Spring! This month we have a wonderful guest writer, Rene Callahan. Rene is a Parent Advocate for the Sensory Learning Centers in Flint and Farmington Hills, Michigan and Naples, Florida. She has dedicated the

last three years to recovering her first son, , from autism. Last year completed mainstream Kindergarten. He no longer meets the diagnostic criteria for autism. Rene has extensive biomedical experience with autism spectrum disorders and is trained and certified in the Sensory Learning Program™. Rene, her husband Bill, and sons (age 6.5) and (age 1.5) live in Michigan. Her personal website is www.choosinghope.com. I’d like to thank Rene for all she’s done for the Sensory Learning Centers, including penning this newsletter on the Gluten-free Casein-free diet for us. If you are interested in guest writing for our newsletter, please contact me at dr.habermehl@.... The Gluten-free Casein-free diet for autism - does it really work? Among parents of autistic children, there’s a lot of talk about whether the gluten-free casein-free (GFCF) diet helps reduce autistic symptoms. To date, most medical doctors are

unsupportive of the diet because there isn’t any hard science behind it. However, studies currently underway should soon shed light on this subject. But, as parents of autistic children, we don’t have the luxury of waiting until science catches up with this disorder. We constantly navigate all we hear about to seek out and decide what might be worthwhile trying now. So, would a GFCF diet help? There are a few key reasons why it makes sense: Most autistic children have a history of digestive and bowel problems, like leaky gut, diarrhea, yeast overgrowth, etc. These problems make it easier for incomplete food particles (peptides) to enter the blood stream. This causes an immune response such as an allergy or intolerance. Also, the structure of the gluten (wheat, oats, barley,

rye) and Casein (dairy) peptides are almost identical to opiates (yes, I mean like the drug opium!) and attach to the opiate receptors in the brain, causing an addictive response. If you see your child craving dairy and wheat, it is much like a smoker who needs a cigarette or like me needing my chocolate! The problem is that the opiate effect is much stronger than nicotine or chocolate. It is creating a mind-altering state. To read more about this I urge you to read the book, Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and PDD by Karyn Seroussi. (http://www.feingold.org/seroussi-book.html) Children with a history of bowel trouble are almost always diet responders. Autistic children are almost always low in zinc and high in copper. The digestive

enzymes needed to break down gluten and casein are zinc dependent. The less gluten and casein are broken down, the worse the bowel situation and the greater the chance of developing allergies and having the peptide response. The GFCF diet avoids the peptide issue and gives the bowels a chance to calm down and heal. There is a huge connection between bowel health and mental health. As the bowels heal, the child becomes more responsive and the brain starts getting what it needs to function properly. The GFGC diet is not a cure for autism, but with its use, significant improvements in the condition have been noted. A few things to consider are the cost of the special foods, the inconvenience, and the extra time involved in maintaining the diet. However, deciding to try it for four weeks is a good place to start. My son has been on the GFCF diet for almost four years. It is my personal feeling that this diet saved his life. I am available if you have any questions or would like help on this topic. Please feel free to contact me at rene@.... Recommended

Websites: http://www.gfcfdiet.com http://www.autismndi.com TACA: Autism - Gluten Free & Casein Free GFCF Diet http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm http://www.gnd.org/diet/Diet.htm Recommended Reading: Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery by Karyn Seroussi When her son was diagnosed with autism at 19 months, Seroussi, a small-business owner and wife of a research chemist, determined to do everything in her power to help her child achieve normal functioning. In addition to pursuing recommended speech and behavior modification therapies for her son, Seroussi devoted her considerable energies researching alternative approaches. Her own experience and a growing body of scientific evidence pointed to connections between autism and diet… Convinced that the inability to digest certain proteins was contributing to her son's condition and that his autism was related to his reaction to MMR vaccines, Seroussi eliminated suspect foods from his diet; he made such dramatic improvement that, by age four, he was functioning normally. Now a crusader for dietary intervention, Seroussi has written

a book that will give hope to many families--though she cautions that not every autistic child responds to such treatment. She includes a FAQ section, gluten- and casein-free recipes and resources, and a list of organizations and readings. Available on Amazon.com in hardcover and paperback: Amazon.com: Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder : A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery: Books: Karyn

Seroussi ============UPCOMING SENSORY LEARNING CENTER NEWSLETTERS============= Metallothionein and Autism - A Breakthrough in Autism Research The Basics of the DAN! Protocol (Defeat Autism Now) Neurology 101 - what is Sensory Dysfunction? ============================PLEASE SHARE OUR NEWSLETTER ======================= Our new free Sensory Learning Center Newsletter is written with the same philosophy that our program is built upon­—working to help improve the lives of children with

special needs and their families. So please help us improve lives by forwarding our newsletter and encouraging others to subscribe. To subscribe simply write PLEASE SUBSCRIBE US in the subject line of an email and send it to: dr.habermehl@.... If you would like to unsubscribe please write UNSUBSCRIBE in an email and send it to: dr.habermehl@.... ===================================PRIVACY STATEMENT============================ Your e-mail address is absolutely confidential. We will NEVER give, sell, or share your address with anyone. =====================================OUR LOCATIONS============================== Flint Sensory Learning Center, LLCBrad Habermehl, OD4091 Richfield RdFlint, MI 48506810-736-0710Toll free: 877-736-0710 www.FlintSensoryLearning.com Sensory Learning Center - Farmington Hills 36520 Grand River Ave., Suite 100 Farmington Hills, Michigan 48335 248-536-0300 Toll free: 888-823-9235 Fax: 248-536-0303 www.SensoryLearning-FarmingtonHills.com Sensory Learning Center – NaplesParagon Building, Unit 140130 Tamiami Trail NorthNaples, FL 34102239-213-9983Toll free: 866-346-9983www.SensoryLearning-Naples.com Joan L Potter (Jordan)

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