Re: Finally, an explanation?

[Guest guest]

wrote:

>

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/immune-disorders-and-autism.htm\

l?pagewanted=2 & _r=1 & nl=todaysheadlines & emc=edit_th_20120826

>

> and the para that hit me hardest, " Becker, a geneticist at the

> National Institutes of Health

>

<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/national_in\

stitutes_of_health/index.html?inline=nyt-org>,

> has pointed out that asthma and autism follow similar epidemiological

> patterns. They’re both more common in urban areas than rural; firstborns

> seem to be at greater risk; they disproportionately afflict young boys. "

>

> So we should avoid cities like the plague and let the kids play in the dirt?

>

> Bob

The NYT article is crap. But playing in the dirt has some merit. Read

Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat for a sympathetic look at that one.

- Bill ...AS; retired geneticist.

--

WD " Bill " Loughman - Berkeley, California USA

http://home.earthlink.net/~wdloughman/wdl.htm

[Guest guest]

This article is interesting, but it seems to be missing a huge part of the

picture. Modern " western diet " contains many inflammatory triggers. And if you

look at various nutritional interventions suggested for autism, they often tend

to be formulated in such a way as to reduce inflammation. And while the mother's

health is very important, the child (and later the adult) still has options to

reduce symptoms by reducing inflammation.

This is a subject that I have been studying and experimenting with for the past

two years. I have been on a low-inflammation, autoimmune-friendly, ketogenic

diet for the past year and have seen very significant improvements. As

interesting as this article is, it doesn't seem to even touch upon most of what

has been discovered about nutrition relating to autism.

>

>

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/immune-disorders-and-autism.htm\

l?pagewanted=2 & _r=1 & nl=todaysheadlines & emc=edit_th_20120826

>

> and the para that hit me hardest, " Becker, a geneticist at the National

Institutes of Health, has pointed out that asthma and autism follow similar

epidemiological patterns. They're both more common in urban areas than rural;

firstborns seem to be at greater risk; they disproportionately afflict young

boys. "

>

> So we should avoid cities like the plague and let the kids play in the dirt?

>

> Bob

>

[Guest guest]

,

So nice to see you pop in again!

What you say is spot on. In my own path to wellness, I'm learning how much diet

plays a role. Now I can really appreciate how the CF/CF diet can help autistics.

It won't make you less autistic, but since many on the spectrum struggle with

hidden autoimmune issues and inflammation, removing triggers will ease their

discomfort and in many cases dramatically reduce behavioral issues.

- Helen

> >

> >

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/immune-disorders-and-autism.htm\

l?pagewanted=2 & _r=1 & nl=todaysheadlines & emc=edit_th_20120826

> >

> > and the para that hit me hardest, " Becker, a geneticist at the

National Institutes of Health, has pointed out that asthma and autism follow

similar epidemiological patterns. They're both more common in urban areas than

rural; firstborns seem to be at greater risk; they disproportionately afflict

young boys. "

> >

> > So we should avoid cities like the plague and let the kids play in the dirt?

> >

> > Bob

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Helen,Actually, I check this list pretty much daily, but I don't post very often -- I have too many "feeds" to be involved everywhere at the same time. But when I saw "parasites" as a proposed treatment for inflammatory issues -- in other words, utter nonsense -- I had to say something. I had dropped by to post a link to the article myself, but someone else had already done it.The world of popular nutritional information is crazy and upside down. We have medical providers using sources of information that derive from bad science, government agencies infiltrated by industry and turned around to promote sales of unhealthy commodities in the guise of providing nutritional information, the "bad science" researchers themselves, particularly those at universities that have (sometimes undisclosed) financial ties to industry, and the journalists that look for catchy headlines in research reports, turning "needs further study" into "scientists have discovered that..." All this is the NORM.All this confusion, much of it deliberate at some level, leads people to throw their hands up and go on doing what they are doing. And for those that don't give up, and do learn the basics of health from the available sources, an ordinary doctor's visit can be challenging. MD's usually aren't trained in nutrition, and they often behave as if any given disease were caused by a deficiency of some pharmaceutical. It can be quite uncomfortable when you discover that you know far more than your doctor about nutrition and prevention, and that it may sometimes be unwise to accept the medical advice given.What I have been discovering is that people eating a standard "western diet" (also known as the Standard American Diet -- SAD diet) may be experiencing serious malnutrition as well as food toxicity, leading to a variety of inflammatory conditions, in the gut, the brain, and elsewhere. Pharmaceutical remedies intended to reduce symptoms only add to the problem in the long run, but generate profits that simple prevention does not.If you are on the autistic spectrum, you are even more vulnerable to this problem (which may even cause autism). And if you are interested in having good relationships, I suspect now that it is vital to bring inflammation under control as much as possible. It doesn't make the autistic spectrum issues go away, I don't think, but it simplifies your task of dealing with them. And in some cases, it may make the symptoms go away. You won't know until you try.Dealing with inflammation can represent a huge lifestyle change. If you have major issues with change, as I do (I am an Aspie), it can take years to make needed changes. And because legitimate nutritional research tends to be underfunded, and because every body is unique, quite a bit of trial-and-error may be required, also sometimes stretching over years. But it can be well worth it.The thing that has helped me the most has been simply eliminating grains from my diet and lowering my carbohydrate intake. When I lowered it to about 70 grams/day, my lifelong problem with hypoglycemia went away, nearly overnight (it takes a few days). My weight gain problem vanished as well. Over the following months my arthritis began reversing itself.Further progress has been possible, but more difficult. I made the above adjustment a year ago. Since then I have been working on my "gut issues" and on having my brain work better. I lowered my carb intake even more, commencing a ketogenic diet that I have been following ever since. It is not a severe one, such as doctors sometimes prescribe, but a rather ordinary one of the variety favored in some segments of the paleo/primal community. My brain is doing quite a bit better now, and my gut seems to be improving slowly, although that part has proven to be very tricky.What I have found for myself -- and this can vary greatly from one individual to the next -- is that I have issues with gut bacteria (and possibly yeast). When I alter my diet it not only drives me crazy (because I HATE change), but it also provokes a reaction from the bacteria, which don't seem to like change either. So feeling sick can sometimes indicate progress -- it's hard to tell! But I continue to experiment, and I think I am moving in the right direction. Overactive gut bacteria can produce an excess of endotoxin -- toxic byproducts of bacterial fermentation (and don't get me started on metabolism -- the biochemistry of metabolism is my latest obsession). One form in particular, LPS, seems to cause a lot of trouble for some people. I have eliminated various foods that can be an issue for people with fermentation problems and that has helped, but there seems to be yet another layer to the problem that I am exploring now. Hopefully I can eventually alter the balance toward healthier bacteria and resume eating some of those foods that I like, such as avocado and onion. That's my goal, anyway. (I am also currently looking for a doctor I can work with that won't brand me as "one of those" if I try to discuss this with her/him).So the work is ongoing, but in the mean time the ketogenic diet seems to have enabled me to make some pretty significant behavioral changes, that have in turn improved both my personal and work relationships. It's hard from inside to see exactly what has happened, but something has definitely changed and the person I live with has noticed!My blog at far2go.net has a section where I discuss some of what I am doing. I haven't mentioned the autistic spectrum issues outright, but I don't mind doing so if there is a good reason for it. There are also links there to some of the resources I have been using. You are welcome to join me there.> > >> > > http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/opinion/sunday/immune-disorders-and-autism.html?pagewanted=2 & _r=1 & nl=todaysheadlines & emc=edit_th_20120826> > > > > > and the para that hit me hardest, " Becker, a geneticist at the National Institutes of Health, has pointed out that asthma and autism follow similar epidemiological patterns. They're both more common in urban areas than rural; firstborns seem to be at greater risk; they disproportionately afflict young boys."> > > > > > So we should avoid cities like the plague and let the kids play in the dirt?> > > > > > Bob > > >> >>

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your response, . I quickly checked your blog site and there

is lots of good stuff to read there. I will definitely go through it later. You

say a lot of what I'm thinking but don't want to say publicly lest it come off

sounding like " tin foil hats " LOL. In my own journey to wellness I have

discovered that our health and nutrition practices in the western world are

often so counter-intuitive. As you allude to below, you really have to dig deep

and approach your own wellness from an informed position.

- Helen

>

> Hi Helen,

> Actually, I check this list pretty much daily, but I don't post very

> often -- I have too many " feeds " to be involved everywhere at the same

> time. But when I saw " parasites " as a proposed treatment for

> inflammatory issues -- in other words, utter nonsense -- I had to say

> something. I had dropped by to post a link to the article myself, but

> someone else had already done it.

> The world of popular nutritional information is crazy and upside down.

> We have medical providers using sources of information that derive from

> bad science, government agencies infiltrated by industry and turned

> around to promote sales of unhealthy commodities in the guise of

> providing nutritional information, the " bad science " researchers

> themselves, particularly those at universities that have (sometimes

> undisclosed) financial ties to industry, and the journalists that look

> for catchy headlines in research reports, turning " needs further study "

> into " scientists have discovered that... " All this is the NORM.

> All this confusion, much of it deliberate at some level, leads people to

> throw their hands up and go on doing what they are doing. And for those

> that don't give up, and do learn the basics of health from the available

> sources, an ordinary doctor's visit can be challenging. MD's usually

> aren't trained in nutrition, and they often behave as if any given

> disease were caused by a deficiency of some pharmaceutical. It can be

> quite uncomfortable when you discover that you know far more than your

> doctor about nutrition and prevention, and that it may sometimes be

> unwise to accept the medical advice given.

> What I have been discovering is that people eating a standard " western

> diet " (also known as the Standard American Diet -- SAD diet) may be

> experiencing serious malnutrition as well as food toxicity, leading to a

> variety of inflammatory conditions, in the gut, the brain, and

> elsewhere. Pharmaceutical remedies intended to reduce symptoms only add

> to the problem in the long run, but generate profits that simple

> prevention does not.

> If you are on the autistic spectrum, you are even more vulnerable to

> this problem (which may even cause autism). And if you are interested in

> having good relationships, I suspect now that it is vital to bring

> inflammation under control as much as possible. It doesn't make the

> autistic spectrum issues go away, I don't think, but it simplifies your

> task of dealing with them. And in some cases, it may make the symptoms

> go away. You won't know until you try.

> Dealing with inflammation can represent a huge lifestyle change. If you

> have major issues with change, as I do (I am an Aspie), it can take

> years to make needed changes. And because legitimate nutritional

> research tends to be underfunded, and because every body is unique,

> quite a bit of trial-and-error may be required, also sometimes

> stretching over years. But it can be well worth it.

> The thing that has helped me the most has been simply eliminating grains

> from my diet and lowering my carbohydrate intake. When I lowered it to

> about 70 grams/day, my lifelong problem with hypoglycemia went away,

> nearly overnight (it takes a few days). My weight gain problem vanished

> as well. Over the following months my arthritis began reversing itself.

> Further progress has been possible, but more difficult. I made the above

> adjustment a year ago. Since then I have been working on my " gut issues "

> and on having my brain work better. I lowered my carb intake even more,

> commencing a ketogenic diet that I have been following ever since. It is

> not a severe one, such as doctors sometimes prescribe, but a rather

> ordinary one of the variety favored in some segments of the paleo/primal

> community. My brain is doing quite a bit better now, and my gut seems to

> be improving slowly, although that part has proven to be very tricky.

> What I have found for myself -- and this can vary greatly from one

> individual to the next -- is that I have issues with gut bacteria (and

> possibly yeast). When I alter my diet it not only drives me crazy

> (because I HATE change), but it also provokes a reaction from the

> bacteria, which don't seem to like change either. So feeling sick can

> sometimes indicate progress -- it's hard to tell! But I continue to

> experiment, and I think I am moving in the right direction.

> Overactive gut bacteria can produce an excess of endotoxin -- toxic

> byproducts of bacterial fermentation (and don't get me started on

> metabolism -- the biochemistry of metabolism is my latest obsession).

> One form in particular, LPS, seems to cause a lot of trouble for some

> people. I have eliminated various foods that can be an issue for people

> with fermentation problems and that has helped, but there seems to be

> yet another layer to the problem that I am exploring now. Hopefully I

> can eventually alter the balance toward healthier bacteria and resume

> eating some of those foods that I like, such as avocado and onion.

> That's my goal, anyway. (I am also currently looking for a doctor I can

> work with that won't brand me as " one of those " if I try to discuss this

> with her/him).

> So the work is ongoing, but in the mean time the ketogenic diet seems to

> have enabled me to make some pretty significant behavioral changes, that

> have in turn improved both my personal and work relationships. It's hard

> from inside to see exactly what has happened, but something has

> definitely changed and the person I live with has noticed!

> My blog at far2go.net <http://far2go.net> has a section where I

> discuss some of what I am doing. I haven't mentioned the autistic

> spectrum issues outright, but I don't mind doing so if there is a good

> reason for it. There are also links there to some of the resources I

> have been using. You are welcome to join me there.

>