RE: Please Help...Looking for nutrition for Autistic Son...Using soy now...

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

----------------------------

" The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause

heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " --

Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt

University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics

----------------------------

May 4, 2004

Well, that sounds much like programming people are not very outgoing

to start with and maybe those people are more prone to being to busy

to actually talking to their children. When I see most of the engineer

students at the local university, I can't imagine those as parents...

(not even as having a relationship with something else than a computer

)

I've thought that probably diet is more of a key than maybe most drs

think it is. Similar to ADS.

I do know one person whose kid has that, btw. But she is not the

" normal " mother to start with... very loud, erratic...

CU Anja

> It depends where you live. Actually it depends on your

> profession! In Silcon Valley, one of 50 kids is autistic.

> And most of the parents have Asperger's, and are programmers

> or engineers. Among the folks I KNOW, there are 3 very

> autistic children, and several with Asperger tendencies.

> Most programmers I know have at least some Asperger

> tendencies. There was a great writup in Wired magazine

> about it ... www.wired.com search on " autism " .

>

> Most experts believe it really IS becoming more common,

> it's not just a matter of being diagnosed more. There

> isn't a lot of consensus on WHY it is becoming more

> common.

>

> -- Heidi Jean

May 4, 2004

>I believe there are some that identify autism as a result of mercury and

>perhaps other heavy metal and toxin poisoning. I guess that's why there's a

>list specifically on this topic - " " . I wonder if Silicon

>Valley folks have excessive exposure to mercury and other heavy metals or

>other toxins? Do the dentists in that area fill teeth with the high copper

>(mercury) amalgams, which are much more toxic than " regular " mercury

>amalgams? OR...are the amalgams interacting in some way with the metals or

>electro magnetic fields of computer equipment? The various metals in

>fillings themselves - mercury, silver, copper, tin and zinc do interact with

>each other causing some kind of electric circuitry. They also interact with

>other metals used in crowns and such. And apparently the other metals in the

>mouth potentiate the toxicity of mercury.

>

>Maybe there's an excessive amount of mercury in that area from other sources

>as well - either natural sources in the environment or diet, or man-made

>such as paints, OTC medications, or household materials...

Well, you know it's possible. But my Dad had Asperger's, and so did his Mom,

and AFAIK neither was exposed to mercury much. It usually shows up in

toddlerhood. It's been described for hundreds of years. I can say for myself

that it was a problem for as long as I can remember. Most families can trace

it back thru their history. Mine certainly did not get worse when I took

up programming ... I just got more social because I could chat online!

Now, I can turn the symptoms back on by eating wheat, which I

think is a big clue. Personally I think the culprit is Zonulin, which some

people produce when exposed to an IgA allergen, and which makes the

gut and brain membranes permeable. Also, lately with all the formula

feeding, the gut might not for correctly because of the lack of bacteria

in the gut. But like I've said before, a lot more gluten sensitive people

are SURVIVING childhood now than ever before. It could be that mercury

turns on the IgA allergies, but a lot of other things (like pregnancy!) turn

them on too.

Also, when two Aspies marry, they tend to produce Autistic offspring.

It is unusual (or WAS unusual) for Aspies to marry each other. Usually they

are shy and retiring, and marry someone more social. In Silicon Valley what

is happening is that programmers meet each other on the job. Now in my

case, we do have a son that should have been at risk, and I'm the only

Aspie married to another that does NOT have an autistic or aspie son.

But he *never ever* got exposed to gluten. He was traumatized, vaccinated,

fed artificial food, had a lousy babyhood ... and has suffered some things

as a result, but he is perfectly normal psychologically and socially,

and happy and not neurotic. Interestingly he has some of the Aspie interests

(engineering etc.) and physical traits (big head) but he loves playing with

other boys and girls.

I'm convinced, myself, that if he'd been fed normally he'd be autistic.

-- Heidi Jean

May 4, 2004

>Well, that sounds much like programming people are not very outgoing

>to start with and maybe those people are more prone to being to busy

>to actually talking to their children. When I see most of the engineer

>students at the local university, I can't imagine those as parents...

>(not even as having a relationship with something else than a computer

> )

That was the usual thought in the past ... autistic kids seem

to come from " disinterested " mothers (Freud, I think, was the

first to notice that). But now, from studies of twins etc, it

seems to be more genetic. And environmental (food related, I think).

In my kids' case, they are the first really normal kids I've

ever seen in my family. But I don't consider myself and ideal

Mom by any means, except that I'm obsessive about their diet.

Having fought with this for years and years ... it's been the

goal of my life to figure out " what is wrong with me??? " ...

I DO know it turns off and on with diet. I knew that for a long

time, since I'd get better when fasting or on really restrictive

diets, then suddenly worse but I couldn't figure out what

the trigger was. The hard part is, when you are feeling " out of it "

you can't think clearly enough to figure it out. But, I could

still work on a 50,000 line program just fine ... I just couldn't

navigate the kitchen or drive across town without getting lost.

It seems to knock out part of the brain, and enhance other parts.

They have documented this on MRI scans. They can replicate

the syndrome by using strong magnets to knock out part of the

brain. Since, in many cases, it turns " off " and " on " so easily,

I don't think it is permanent damage (as is mercury damage) ...

it can come on in an hour after eating and clear up in a week.

Mercury or lack of probiotics or some other trigger might

start the reactivity, I don't know, but once the reactivity

is there it seems to stick. It could also be that people who

are reacting to foods might not clear mercury from their systems

well, so keep various toxins around more than other folks.

-- Heidi Jean

May 4, 2004

> Re: Please Help...Looking for nutrition for Autistic

>Son...Using soy now...

>They have documented this on MRI scans. They can replicate

>the syndrome by using strong magnets to knock out part of the

>brain. Since, in many cases, it turns " off " and " on " so easily,

>I don't think it is permanent damage (as is mercury damage) ...

Actually, mercury damage is not always or necessarily even often permanent.

People undo mercury damage all the time by removing the source of their

poisoning - often either removing amalgams or leaving a workplace with high

mercury exposure. And by chelating and detoxing mercury from the system. It

DOES come out if done properly. However, it CAN cause permanent damage,

including death, I think especially in acute exposure incidences.

>it can come on in an hour after eating and clear up in a week.

>Mercury or lack of probiotics or some other trigger might

>start the reactivity, I don't know, but once the reactivity

>is there it seems to stick.

Mercury can seriously damage the digestive tract and interfere with normal

enzyme functions, so if you do have chronic mercury poisoning, you're

(much?) more likely to have food allergies.

It could also be that people who

>are reacting to foods might not clear mercury from their systems

>well, so keep various toxins around more than other folks.

This is true - everyone has a different abiltiy to clear it. I've also heard

that a certain percent of folks (like 10% maybe - I don't recall teh exact

figure) have a defect in the P450 enzyme, which I think is an important

enzyme in the detoxification pathway. So they tend not to clear heavy metals

and toxins like other folks and these metals and toxins accumulate and can

cause chronic damage.

Suze Fisher

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

----------------------------

" The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause

heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " --

Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt

University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics

----------------------------

>

May 4, 2004

> RE: Please Help...Looking for nutrition for Autistic

>Son...Using soy now...

>

>>Maybe there's an excessive amount of mercury in that area from

>other sources

>>as well - either natural sources in the environment or diet, or man-made

>>such as paints, OTC medications, or household materials...

>

>Well, you know it's possible. But my Dad had Asperger's, and so

>did his Mom,

>and AFAIK neither was exposed to mercury much.

You'd be amazed at how ubiquitous it is in all kinds of products including

both latex and oil-based paints among other things. Also, if either has

amalgams or root canals, then they are dealing with chronic mercury

toxicity.

It usually shows up in

>toddlerhood.

It's been shown that there's direct correlation between how many amalgams a

mother has and how much mercury ends up in her baby. I have no idea how long

it takes for the mercury to start manifesting its effects on the infant,

though. I've also seen testimonies about high tuna consumption while

pregnant along with amalgams, and kids ending up autistic.

>It's been described for hundreds of years.

Mercury amalgams have been used by dentists in the US since the early 1800s,

I believe. Aside from that, exposure can come from many, MANY different

sources. And aside from that, OTHER metals such as lead and copper are

problematic as well. In fact, copper toxicity apparently strongly mimics

mercury toxicity.

I can say

>for myself

>that it was a problem for as long as I can remember. Most families

>can trace

>it back thru their history. Mine certainly did not get worse when I took

>up programming ... I just got more social because I could chat online!

>

>Now, I can turn the symptoms back on by eating wheat, which I

>think is a big clue. Personally I think the culprit is Zonulin, which some

>people produce when exposed to an IgA allergen, and which makes the

>gut and brain membranes permeable. Also, lately with all the formula

>feeding, the gut might not for correctly because of the lack of bacteria

>in the gut. But like I've said before, a lot more gluten sensitive people

>are SURVIVING childhood now than ever before. It could be that mercury

>turns on the IgA allergies, but a lot of other things (like

>pregnancy!) turn

>them on too.

I think there are probably multiple causes. (Don't forget that mercurial

fungicides are used on wheat). Autistic kids apparently get better when

their amalgams are removed and the remaining mercury is chelated from their

bodies. They also apparently get better with Donna Gates' body ecology " gut

healing " program. Some also get better on a GF/CF diet. Obviously they

cannot get and stay truly healthy as long as they have toxic heavy metal

poisoning. They also need to have a healthy gut ecosystem, and for some,

need to eliminate the highly allergenic gluten and casein. However, some may

be able to go back to eating the formerly allergenic foods once the root

cause of the allergies is dealt with whether its mercury, another heavy

metal, other toxins, etc. Although I'm not arguing that folks who are

gluten-sensitive should return to eating wheat, as I'm sure for some, the

allergy may never go away.

Suze Fisher (The Mercuriantor)

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

----------------------------

" The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause

heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " --

Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt

University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics

----------------------------

>

May 4, 2004

>I think there are probably multiple causes. (Don't forget that mercurial

>fungicides are used on wheat). Autistic kids apparently get better when

>their amalgams are removed and the remaining mercury is chelated from their

>bodies. They also apparently get better with Donna Gates' body ecology " gut

>healing " program. Some also get better on a GF/CF diet. Obviously they

>cannot get and stay truly healthy as long as they have toxic heavy metal

>poisoning. They also need to have a healthy gut ecosystem, and for some,

>need to eliminate the highly allergenic gluten and casein. However, some may

>be able to go back to eating the formerly allergenic foods once the root

>cause of the allergies is dealt with whether its mercury, another heavy

>metal, other toxins, etc. Although I'm not arguing that folks who are

>gluten-sensitive should return to eating wheat, as I'm sure for some, the

>allergy may never go away.

>

>Suze Fisher (The Mercuriantor)

Spoken like someone who has done a lot of research on mercury! Well,

we'll see how the research pans out. Me, I'm looking at the long term ...

the problem started with the Assyrians and the Egyptians ... they got pretty

crazy when you read the history. Maybe they were using mercurial fungicides?

I think it's a vicious cycle ... they start farming, then they start smelting

metal,

then they start drinking from pewter cups. Lots of lead poisoning too,

which is even more insidious than mercury.

What is interesting is that many folks here would not think of eating

soy, yet still look for ways to make wheat " ok " . I guess it's got more

history than soy (on this side of the globe). The gluten allergies track

very closely with genetics though ... 70% of the folks with the wrong

genes react to wheat. Perhaps those with mercury exposure KNOW

it more, or perhaps the 30% who don't react had no mercury exposure

(or had breastfeeding, or probiotics, or whatever). About 0% of the folks

with the " right " genes react strongly to wheat, regardless of their

mercury status. HLA genes and IgA allergies are very much connected, but

mercury is a toxin to anyone.

-- Heidi Jean

May 5, 2004

> It depends where you live. Actually it depends on your

> profession! In Silcon Valley, one of 50 kids is autistic.

> And most of the parents have Asperger's, and are programmers

> or engineers. Among the folks I KNOW, there are 3 very

> autistic children, and several with Asperger tendencies.

> Most programmers I know have at least some Asperger

> tendencies. There was a great writup in Wired magazine

> about it ... www.wired.com search on " autism " .

Heidi

That's a very interesting observation! The aspergers boy's uncle

that I mentioned who may also have aspergers is Dr Alan who

had a very popular anti-virus toolkit (a business which he sold for

tens of £millions). He is by all accounts very bright, and very

technically minded and a computer whizz. My dad is also an engineer

(telecommunications).

Jo

May 5, 2004

> What is interesting is that many folks here would not think of

eating

> soy, yet still look for ways to make wheat " ok " . I guess it's got

more

> history than soy (on this side of the globe).

Not just history, but wheat is in EVERYTHING here in the UK, and it's

pervasiveness is damned hard to avoid. It's in all sausages and

beefburgers, most jars of sauce, packs of food etc. So cutting out

gluten means that you just can't eat anywhere but at home. If I go

to a BBQ at a friends, 99% of the food they cook is burger and

sausage, which means I have to take my own. And then there's bread -

such a convenient food, and tastes great with anything. I can't

blame anyone for trying to find a respectable substitute. It's very

hard to leave wheat out of baking, and still get a similar

consistency that gluten gives.

Soy is not quite everywhere yet over here. Plus it's used in much

smaller quantities in the packaged foods, so it doesn't seem quite as

bad as all that gluten that's everywhere in large quantities. And

where it is added in small quantities, you can make something similar

yourself and leave it out of the ingredients with no noticeable

impact.

Personally, I cut them both out 100% and don't try to find

replacements or make wheat " ok " .

All this talk of food, I'm now starving!

Jo

May 5, 2004

> RE: Please Help...Looking for nutrition for Autistic

>Son...Using soy now...

>

>>I think there are probably multiple causes. (Don't forget that mercurial

>>fungicides are used on wheat). Autistic kids apparently get better when

>>their amalgams are removed and the remaining mercury is chelated

>from their

>>bodies. They also apparently get better with Donna Gates' body

>ecology " gut

>>healing " program. Some also get better on a GF/CF diet. Obviously they

>>cannot get and stay truly healthy as long as they have toxic heavy metal

>>poisoning. They also need to have a healthy gut ecosystem, and for some,

>>need to eliminate the highly allergenic gluten and casein.

>However, some may

>>be able to go back to eating the formerly allergenic foods once the root

>>cause of the allergies is dealt with whether its mercury, another heavy

>>metal, other toxins, etc. Although I'm not arguing that folks who are

>>gluten-sensitive should return to eating wheat, as I'm sure for some, the

>>allergy may never go away.

>>

>>Suze Fisher (The Mercuriantor)

>

>Spoken like someone who has done a lot of research on mercury!

Not really, but I've been focusing on it lately since I'm having my amalgams

removed and want to be as informed as possible about the whole process and

about removing the mercury that's in the rest of my body after the amalgams

are out.

Well,

>we'll see how the research pans out. Me, I'm looking at the long term ...

>the problem started with the Assyrians and the Egyptians ...

They had autism back then? That's what we were discussing right? But maybe

you're talking about general CNS damage, not any particular condition?

they

>got pretty

>crazy when you read the history. Maybe they were using mercurial

>fungicides?

I have NO idea. But, I read recently that the Romans (I think it was) used

to make prisoners work in mercury mines. The life expectancy of these

prisoners was 3 days(!) But I bet the Egyptians could've had exposure to

heavy metals or other toxins that are known to cause neurological damage.

That and their crappy refined diet, plus a lot of wheat might account for

their craziness.

>I think it's a vicious cycle ... they start farming, then they

>start smelting metal,

>then they start drinking from pewter cups. Lots of lead poisoning too,

>which is even more insidious than mercury.

I'm not sure if it's more insidious than mercury, but do agree that all

these things add up to trouble.

>

>What is interesting is that many folks here would not think of eating

>soy, yet still look for ways to make wheat " ok " . I guess it's got more

>history than soy (on this side of the globe). The gluten allergies track

>very closely with genetics though ... 70% of the folks with the wrong

>genes react to wheat.

Right, I'm not at all arguing that the genetic research re wheat tolerance

is not true. I was just saying that there seems to be a link between Autism

and mercury. Perhaps not every single case, but there seems to be a

connection in many, many cases. As for gluten intolerance, I dont' know if

there's any research on this but for those who are not genetically disposed

to it yet are intolerant, I wonder what their mercury or general heavy metal

load is? Even for those with a genetic predisposition I wonder what sets

their illness into motion? For the the 30% with the predisposing genes, but

who *don't* react to wheat...I wonder if there's been any research on their

mercury/heavy metal/toxin burden AND their detoxification pathway abilities

as compared to those who DO react to gluten?

Perhaps those with mercury exposure KNOW

>it more, or perhaps the 30% who don't react had no mercury exposure

>(or had breastfeeding, or probiotics, or whatever).

Right - this would make an interesting study!

About 0% of the folks

>with the " right " genes react strongly to wheat, regardless of their

>mercury status.

But I thought gluten intolerance is really common among the general

population, not just those with the " reactive " genes? Isn't that basically

what the authors of Dangerous Grains concluded? Or are you just saying

STRONG reactions are not common among those with the " right " genes?

HLA genes and IgA allergies are very much connected, but

>mercury is a toxin to anyone.

Right, but again I'm not arguing that the HLA genes aren't connected to IgA

allergies. Do you happen to know if the " wrong " HLA genes are prevelant

among austic folks? Because they tend towards GF/CF intolerance. IF there's

no gene connection with them, then it still points more toward heavy

metals/toxins that interrupt normal digestive functions in regards to food

allergies. Mercury, for example, can and does cause food allergies in people

who probably wouldn't have any food allergies had they not been poisoned

with mercury.

Suze Fisher

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

----------------------------

" The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause

heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " --

Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt

University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,40379,00.html

----------------------------

May 5, 2004

>Not just history, but wheat is in EVERYTHING here in the UK, and it's

>pervasiveness is damned hard to avoid. It's in all sausages and

>beefburgers, most jars of sauce, packs of food etc. So cutting out

>gluten means that you just can't eat anywhere but at home. If I go

>to a BBQ at a friends, 99% of the food they cook is burger and

>sausage, which means I have to take my own. And then there's bread -

>such a convenient food, and tastes great with anything. I can't

>blame anyone for trying to find a respectable substitute. It's very

>hard to leave wheat out of baking, and still get a similar

>consistency that gluten gives.

Jo:

Yeah, this is true! I do empathize with this, though not so

much for this group (who eats weird anyway). I really feel

sorry for the folks who rely totally on fast food and packaged

food for eating, and really just don't know how to cook.

I'd get depressed except that I do believe

there will be a paradigm shift ... a big one, fairly shortly. Already

here, some restaurants know what to keep separate and are

changing their menus ... the big food providers will change too.

Esp. the easy changes ... like sausage!

The current thinking is that 1 in 100 folks in the US have

Celiac, which is darn serious even in conservative allopathic

medicine. Just those numbers will make the food producers

change, just to keep their audience.

I do miss eating out, but the restaurants are changing

so it's getting easier. I can order the " protein style " burger

at In 'n Out burger, steak at the Outback, and anything at

Kaili's. Thai Noodles are GF, and make a decent substitute

for Top Ramen (which was my one quick food addiction).

But I'm glad we finally got " off the food grid " for the most

part, my life is a lot simpler.

-- Heidi Jean

May 5, 2004

>Right, I'm not at all arguing that the genetic research re wheat tolerance

>is not true. I was just saying that there seems to be a link between Autism

>and mercury. Perhaps not every single case, but there seems to be a

>connection in many, many cases. As for gluten intolerance, I dont' know if

>there's any research on this but for those who are not genetically disposed

>to it yet are intolerant, I wonder what their mercury or general heavy metal

>load is?

I haven't seen research on mercurly load and Autism, but there is a high

correlation

between high IgA antigliadin levels and Autism. Since most IgA doesn't get into

the

blood, it would be a lot more meaningful if they did the stool test and tested

for IgA in the gut. Also there are a lot of IgA allergies, not just gluten, and

all of

them throw off the metal balances in the system big time.

Now, it decidedly a chicken and egg thing, but if we KNOW that IgA allergies

throw off metal balances bit time, and we KNOW that taking away the allergen

cures the illness, and IgA allergies only happen in folks with a genetic

predisposition, the food angle seems really important. Not that I'm in favor

of high heavy-metal diets! But the way IgA allergies work, is that the body

is pre-programmed to recognize certain protein sequences as " enemies " ...

and that will happen with or without mercury exposure.

So, all I'm saying is they are two separate issues. Potentially (probably)

they are more deadly combined. I don't know about autism in Egypt,

but they (and Northern Europe) certainly had their share of Asperger's.

People SHOULD remove all the mercury from everything, but I'm predicting

that when and if that happens, the autism and Asperger rates won't go

down.

> Even for those with a genetic predisposition I wonder what sets

>their illness into motion? For the the 30% with the predisposing genes, but

>who *don't* react to wheat...I wonder if there's been any research on their

>mercury/heavy metal/toxin burden AND their detoxification pathway abilities

>as compared to those who DO react to gluten?

Or if they will react later? It would be a good experiment. The current research

seems to indicate that breast feeding is one big factor, and when cereals

are introduced. However, when you listen on the GF groups, a lot of

gluten-sensitive

individuals avoid it instinctively. I went without bread for years and years,

not because

of any conscious decision, but because of food aversions. I had to FORCE myself

to eat it to be sociable. I'd love to see some research on that 30%, it would be

enlightening.

For folks with the genes for IgA reaction to klebisella, it turns out that the

folks who don't have ankylosing spondylitis also don't have kleb. in their guts!

>Right - this would make an interesting study!

>

>About 0% of the folks

>>with the " right " genes react strongly to wheat, regardless of their

>>mercury status.

>

>But I thought gluten intolerance is really common among the general

>population, not just those with the " reactive " genes? Isn't that basically

>what the authors of Dangerous Grains concluded? Or are you just saying

>STRONG reactions are not common among those with the " right " genes?

IgA immune reactions ONLY happen if you have the genes for it, is my

understanding.

They are the deadly kind that mess up your body. I tend to think (and DG

basically

says) that gluten isn't good for anyone's gut, it messes up digestion (unless

maybe you take it with red wine and olive oil ;-) and it may do some weirdness

to

the brain (it seems to act as a drug on everyone, which is probably why it is

so popular). But if gluten were as deadly to everyone as it is to IgA sensitive

people, then you wouldn't have all those long-lived Mediterranean people.

There are a number of IgA allergies, and they are just now beginning to research

them. All of them are nasty, but fairly easy to " fix " . The fix however, is

avoiding

the allergen (which is REALLY difficult if the allergen is a bacteria!).

>Right, but again I'm not arguing that the HLA genes aren't connected to IgA

>allergies. Do you happen to know if the " wrong " HLA genes are prevelant

>among austic folks?

Exactly. Autistic and Asperger folks tend to have the IgA intolerant HLA genes.

My guess

is that it is combined with some OTHER gene, and the mix tends to create the

condition.

There are 4 kinds of HLA tho that cause IgA gluten intolerance, and I'd guess

they

each might work a little differently (and it's worse if you have 2 or 3 of them

combined,

or worse if you have the gluten ones AND the casein one(s). Since the genes are

just now being identified, and IgA problems are just being identified, there

isn't as good

research as would be nice. It would be an easy theory to prove or disprove, but

most

of the testing is still done by looking for really high levels of IgA

antigliadin in the blood.

Folks with Dermatitis Herpetiformis (absolutely known to be gluten related)

don't test

with high IgA in the blood most of the time, even though the DH is *caused* by

IgA deposits

on the skin (Which is how they test for it). So until they do gut IgA testing,

we can't

prove or disprove the theory.

>Because they tend towards GF/CF intolerance. IF there's

>no gene connection with them, then it still points more toward heavy

>metals/toxins that interrupt normal digestive functions in regards to food

>allergies. Mercury, for example, can and does cause food allergies in people

>who probably wouldn't have any food allergies had they not been poisoned

>with mercury.

But by " food allergies " do you mean IgA or IgG or IgE? IgG and IgE can be caused

by any

leaky gut problem (and probably lots of other things) but they are the ones that

can

go away, because they aren't so genetically connected. IgA is " caused " by a

gene, but

seems to be " triggered " by some event (pregnancy very often, teenagehood,

stress, menopause,

virus, bacterial infection or candida, yeah, you could throw mercury in there

too). I

don't know how sure they are about the " trigger " tho because what they really

mean

is " now the person can feel the sysmptoms and goes to the doctor " . I'd guess the

person was producing IgA in the gut for long before that, given that 29% do, and

it

may have been in the blood before that, given that 11% have it in their blood.

But

at some point it gets " bad " and the person " feels sick " .

-- Heidi Jean

May 5, 2004

Suze, and anyone else interested ... Wired does have some

more recent articles on autism. I guess they've found one of the genes involved:

Scientists have long theorized that about 15 different genes play a role in who

is born with the severe brain disorder autism -- and now they've finally found

one of those genes.

A study of 57 autism patients found that 40 percent carry a mutated version of

the HOXA1 gene, which plays a crucial role in early brain development,

<http://www.rochester.edu/>University of Rochester scientists reported Monday

Children need to inherit just one copy of the mutated gene from one parent to

have autism. In fact, scientists found only one patient, a very severe case, who

inherited a copy of the bad gene from both parents, suggesting that when that

happens the fetus usually dies, said lead researcher Rodier, who heads

the university's <http://www.nih.gov>National Institutes of Health-funded autism

research center.

The NIH called the finding a significant step in understanding what predisposes

people to developing autism. More than 400,000 Americans have the brain

disorder, characterized by profound social withdrawal, repetitive behavior and

inability to communicate. Research suggests it's caused when something goes

wrong during critical fetal brain development -- a theory the gene discovery, in

the December issue of the journal Teratology, supports.

Why don't parents who harbor the defective gene have autism themselves? Some do

have very subtle symptoms, suggesting that something else, perhaps some other

gene, keeps the autism-related gene in check, Rodier said.

HOXA1 is one of a family of genes vital to early embryo development because

genes in the group turn other genes on or off. HOXA1's specific role is in brain

development. Mice who lack this gene have brainstem damage, malformed ears and

other classic signs of autism --one reason Rodier's research team decided to

check the gene's role in people.

It's not the kind of gene that could ever be fixed with gene therapy. But the

discovery may help doctors unravel just how the brain changes when HOXA1 is

abnormal, Rodier said.

" If you figure out the brain changes, you're on your way, we hope, to finding

better treatments, " she said.

May 5, 2004

And here is some fodder for the environmental toxins issue ... note that Texas

is one of the

worst offenders.

-- Heidi Jean

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,38661,00.html

WASHINGTON -- The 24 billion pounds of neurological toxins released annually

into the U.S. environment are linked to millions of cases of developmental

disabilities in children, claims a report released Friday.

Louisiana and Texas are the worst chemical polluters of air and water, according

to the report, which was prepared by the National Environmental Trust,

Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Learning Disabilities Association

of America. They were followed by Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia,

Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

The report is the first to comprehensively examine the scope and sources of

toxic chemicals known to cause health and developmental problems in children,

said NET policy director Jeff Wise.

The National Academy of Sciences estimated earlier this year that 3 percent of

developmental and neurological defects in children are caused by exposure to

known toxic substances, including drugs, cigarette smoke, lead, PCBs, and

mercury.

If that is accurate, it means that 360,000 children, or one in every 200, suffer

from developmental or neurological deficits caused by exposure to known toxic

substances.

The report said that the actual impact of toxic chemicals on child development

and learning is probably much greater. The National Academy's estimates

considered only known toxins, but the majority of the 80,000 chemicals used

commercially have never been tested for their developmental and neurological

effects.

" Now we know what we have suspected for years, that toxic chemicals are bringing

anguish to thousands of families in this country, " said Dr. Larry Silver,

president of the Learning Disabilities Association of America. " These are

families that worry, work overtime, and go without to take care of a child with

a developmental or neurological disability. "

May 5, 2004

>Heidi

>That's a very interesting observation! The aspergers boy's uncle

>that I mentioned who may also have aspergers is Dr Alan who

>had a very popular anti-virus toolkit (a business which he sold for

>tens of £millions). He is by all accounts very bright, and very

>technically minded and a computer whizz. My dad is also an engineer

>(telecommunications).

>

>Jo

Then you will love this article!

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aspergers.html

The Geek Syndrome

Autism - and its milder cousin Asperger's syndrome - is surging among the

children of Silicon Valley. Are math-and-tech genes to blame?

Nick is building a universe on his computer. He's already mapped out his first

planet: an anvil-shaped world called Denthaim that is home to gnomes and gods,

along with a three-gendered race known as kiman. As he tells me about his

universe, Nick looks up at the ceiling, humming fragments of a melody over and

over. " I'm thinking of making magic a form of quantum physics, but I haven't

decided yet, actually, " he explains. The music of his speech is pitched high,

alternately poetic and pedantic - as if the soul of an Oxford don has been

awkwardly reincarnated in the body of a chubby, rosy-cheeked boy from Silicon

Valley. Nick is 11 years old

May 5, 2004

> I do miss eating out, but the restaurants are changing

> so it's getting easier. I can order the " protein style " burger

> at In 'n Out burger, steak at the Outback, and anything at

> Kaili's. Thai Noodles are GF, and make a decent substitute

> for Top Ramen (which was my one quick food addiction).

> But I'm glad we finally got " off the food grid " for the most

> part, my life is a lot simpler.

>

I am quite prepared to spend quite a lot of money on eating out -

it's more expensive here than in the US anyway. If we go somewhere

that's around £10 per head for 1-2 courses, then it will be just

crap. But extremely popular among the general public!

We always go for the good quality restaurants that are dear, but I

know I don't need to ask if something is GF, because they make their

own stocks, and their sauces are not thickened with anything but

reduced down to the right consistency instead. At my regular, I

don't know the source of their meats, but it can't be that bad

because it's delicious! Our regular opened up about a year ago, and

we go 2-3 times per month. We pay around £65 per visit, which incl 1

bottle wine, so it's not cheap, but then, we don't go to the pub

every week to spend our money on beer, and we see it as money well

spent.

Jo (hungry and thinking about going out to eat!)

May 5, 2004

> > I do miss eating out, but the restaurants are changing

> > so it's getting easier. I can order the " protein style " burger

> > at In 'n Out burger, steak at the Outback, and anything at

> > Kaili's. Thai Noodles are GF, and make a decent substitute

> > for Top Ramen (which was my one quick food addiction).

> > But I'm glad we finally got " off the food grid " for the most

> > part, my life is a lot simpler.

> >

>

> I am quite prepared to spend quite a lot of money on eating out -

> it's more expensive here than in the US anyway. If we go somewhere

> that's around £10 per head for 1-2 courses, then it will be just

> crap. But extremely popular among the general public!

>

> We always go for the good quality restaurants that are dear, but I

> know I don't need to ask if something is GF, because they make

their

> own stocks, and their sauces are not thickened with anything but

> reduced down to the right consistency instead. At my regular, I

> don't know the source of their meats, but it can't be that bad

> because it's delicious! Our regular opened up about a year ago,

and

> we go 2-3 times per month. We pay around £65 per visit, which incl

1

> bottle wine, so it's not cheap, but then, we don't go to the pub

> every week to spend our money on beer, and we see it as money well

> spent.

>

> Jo (hungry and thinking about going out to eat!)

May 5, 2004

>Heidi,

>

>I am so pleased that you mentioned Thai noodles being GF....My son

> is addicted to spagetti and Roman noodles and I was wonder how

>I could substatute that....Thank you!

>

And Tinkyada noodles! They make great spaghetti and fettucini!

-- Heidi Jean

May 6, 2004

> RE: Please Help...Looking for nutrition for Autistic

>Son...Using soy now...

>

>>Right, I'm not at all arguing that the genetic research re wheat tolerance

>>is not true. I was just saying that there seems to be a link

>between Autism

>>and mercury. Perhaps not every single case, but there seems to be a

>>connection in many, many cases. As for gluten intolerance, I dont' know if

>>there's any research on this but for those who are not

>genetically disposed

>>to it yet are intolerant, I wonder what their mercury or general

>heavy metal

>>load is?

>

>I haven't seen research on mercurly load and Autism, but there is

>a high correlation

>between high IgA antigliadin levels and Autism. Since most IgA

>doesn't get into the

>blood, it would be a lot more meaningful if they did the stool

>test and tested

>for IgA in the gut. Also there are a lot of IgA allergies, not

>just gluten, and all of

>them throw off the metal balances in the system big time.

Conversely, mercury (and other metals) throw off the enzyme systems in the

body and make it difficult to digest foods that a person would normally be

able to digest if there were no mercury in their system. As well, mercury

often causes candida overgrowth, which in turn causes digestion issues, as

you know. I keep hearing reports from some of the authors/health

professionals that deal with mercury poisoning, that their patients candida

issues clear up after their amalgams have been removed. I've also read in a

few places that candida is actually the body's " survival " response to

mercury overload because it binds it.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by IgA allergies throwing off metal

balances in the body, but I don't see how that's relevant to mercury

toxicity. Mercury simply needs to be *removed* not rebalanced.

>

>Now, it decidedly a chicken and egg thing, but if we KNOW that IgA

>allergies

>throw off metal balances bit time, and we KNOW that taking away

>the allergen

>cures the illness, and IgA allergies only happen in folks with a genetic

>predisposition, the food angle seems really important.

No doubt food is elemental in all this. But my question is what turns a

*predisposition* into a reality?

>

>So, all I'm saying is they are two separate issues.

I agree, although they may be interrelated in ways we're not aware of. I

wonder if mercury or IgA allergies interfere with the parents' gene

expression?

Potentially (probably)

>they are more deadly combined. I don't know about autism in Egypt,

>but they (and Northern Europe) certainly had their share of Asperger's.

>People SHOULD remove all the mercury from everything, but I'm predicting

>that when and if that happens, the autism and Asperger rates won't go

>down.

But it already is among those who remove mercury from their kids! Parents

are removing mercury from their_kids and some of these kids are no longer

being classified as autistic. The whole mercury-autism connection is not

simply theoretical - mercury removal to cure autism is already being done

successfully. Again, I don't know what percent of kids are being " cured " by

mercury removal, but some are. In fact, I believe there are many people -

children AND adults whose chronic and degenerative diseases have disappeared

after mercury removal (I keep reading about it anyways, and it's the reason

I'm having my amalgams removed). I'm reading a book by Tom Warren now for

example, " Reversing Chronic Disease " , and he cured his Alzheimer's disease

by removing his amalgams and other sources of mercury in his environment.

>>

>>About 0% of the folks

>>>with the " right " genes react strongly to wheat, regardless of their

>>>mercury status.

>>

>>But I thought gluten intolerance is really common among the general

>>population, not just those with the " reactive " genes? Isn't that basically

>>what the authors of Dangerous Grains concluded? Or are you just saying

>>STRONG reactions are not common among those with the " right " genes?

>

>IgA immune reactions ONLY happen if you have the genes for it, is

>my understanding.

Really? Then what type of allergy is it if a person with the NON gluten

sensitive genes develops anti-gliadin antibodies?

>

>>Right, but again I'm not arguing that the HLA genes aren't

>connected to IgA

>>allergies. Do you happen to know if the " wrong " HLA genes are prevelant

>>among austic folks?

>

>Exactly. Autistic and Asperger folks tend to have the IgA

>intolerant HLA genes.

The ones specific to gluten?

>

>>Because they tend towards GF/CF intolerance. IF there's

>>no gene connection with them, then it still points more toward heavy

>>metals/toxins that interrupt normal digestive functions in regards to food

>>allergies. Mercury, for example, can and does cause food

>allergies in people

>>who probably wouldn't have any food allergies had they not been poisoned

>>with mercury.

>

>But by " food allergies " do you mean IgA or IgG or IgE?

I don't know. I'm still fairly new to this subject and only recall reading

that it interferes with enzymes. So I'm guessing it may disrupt digestive

enzymes, thus allowing intact or semi-intact proteins to go undigested. And

it can cause candida overgrowth, all of which can lead to leaky gut, so

maybe those intact proteins leak into the blood and are attacked as foreign

proteins. I don't know WHICH type of allergy this is though - maybe you can

comment? And again, this is my best guess based on what little reading I've

done on the mercury-allergy connection to date.

IgG and IgE

>can be caused by any

>leaky gut problem (and probably lots of other things) but they are

>the ones that can

>go away, because they aren't so genetically connected. IgA is

> " caused " by a gene, but

>seems to be " triggered " by some event (pregnancy very often,

>teenagehood, stress, menopause,

>virus, bacterial infection or candida, yeah, you could throw

>mercury in there too).

But how can an IgA allergy be " caused " by a gene, if 30% with that gene

don't get the allergy? It would have to be 100% of the people having the

gene also having the allergy for the gene to be the " cause " of the allergy.

So mercury, or some other stressor has to come along for the predisposition

to the allergy to actually *become* an allergy. I don't see it as chicken

and egg then. you need both A (gene) plus B (stressor) to arrive at C (IgA

allergy).

Suze Fisher

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

----------------------------

" The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause

heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " --

Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt

University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics