In my last blog (https://liverighteu.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/are-you-aware-that-autism-recovery-is-possible/), I shared two wonderful real stories of children who recovered from autism. I told you about two mothers who managed to help their kids overcome lots of problems and recover from autism completely. But did you notice that both of these cases were about regressive autism? Are you aware that up to 30% of all autistic children have this specific type of autism? And this number keeps on growing! So, what exactly is regressive autism and how can we help children with this type of autism?
Regressive autism means that the child is born normal and develops completely normally, up until, usually, somewhere between 18 and 36 months old, at which point they start to show signs of regression and develop symptoms of autism. Of course, this is a shock for their parents who simply cannot understand what happened to their child and why he changed so suddenly. Indeed, what can trigger such an event? Why are the changes in development often so rapid and unpredictable?
As with everything autism related, there is no simple answer! But lots of research and real life examples indicate that these changes are not as sudden as they seem, that they are the result of the accumulation of multiple epigenetic factors. IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED THAT REGRESSIVE AUTISM IS LINKED TO CHANGES IN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. This simply means that, from birth, the child has had a weak and compromised immune system, vulnerable to change. Usually, a weak immune system is due to many reasons including delivery by C-section, absence of prolonged breast feeding, early infections and illnesses, early treatment with antibiotics or other drugs, malnourishment, exposure to toxins and so on. Together with the intensive vaccination programme all children are subjected to, all of these factors cause a huge amount of additional distress to a child’s body during the early stages of their life, providing a big chemical overload that leads to unhealthy developments in the immune system.
So, when the immune system is already very fragile, any additional, even very small, factor, such as another vaccination, another viral infection or further treatment with antibiotics, could trigger regression.
Therefore, THIS TYPE OF AUTISM IS DEFINITELY A BIO-MEDICAL CONDITION AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY UNDERSTANDING THE REAL CAUSES OF THE ISSUE AND BY FOCUSING ON THEM. Very often, the following symptoms are present in children with autism:
- The level of in-body toxicity is particularly high, meaning that the liver cannot function and support the body and brain properly.
- Great microbial misbalance, meaning that the gastrointestinal tract cannot function properly causing lots of issues in the whole body, including the brain.
- A lack of micronutrients leads to a lack of “building material” in the body and brain, thus triggering many biochemical abnormalities in all tissues and organs.
- Mitochondrial malfunction leads to a lack of energy, brain development and body detoxification.
These fundamental factors contribute to combinations of different neurological symptoms like repetitive behaviours, lack of communication skills, anxiety and meltdowns. Therefore, TO HELP CHILDREN WITH REGRESSIVE AUTISM, WE CAN, AND SHOULD, IMPLEMENT DETOXIFICATION AND NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES THAT WILL ALLOW THE BODY TO RESTORE ITS MICROBIOME, ELIMINATE TOXICITY, RESTORE MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION AND TO NORMALISE THE LEVEL OF VITAL MICRONUTRIENTS IN THE BODY. All of these factors are likewise crucial for neuroplasticity – our brain’s ability to make new neuronal connections and stimulate neurons to be effective and adaptable to the environment. As a result, a child’s brain can be ‘re-wired’, many functions can be restored and their behaviour can be normalised.
This is exactly what happened in both the cases mentioned in my last blog. Both boys, Tommy and Matteo, went through intensive nutritional changes that allowed them to reset the body and brain, contributed to the elimination of toxins and normalised the chronic inflammation within the whole body, including the brain. Huge thanks must be given to their parents whose strength and determination to see positive changes, motivated them to follow the dietary programmes properly. As we know, sometimes, parents give up on implementing dietary changes far too soon.
Of course, these boys also followed other therapies and went through different treatments, but nutrition was the first and most fundamental step that then allowed other positive changes to happen faster and more effectively.
So, my message today is that REGRESSIVE AUTISM CAN BE EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSED AND MANY CHILDREN CAN BE HELPED. You can already start today, simply by deciding upon a small goal for only a week or two and implementing it into your family life! Are you prepared to try?
How about replacing all the refined sugar in your house with only natural alternatives, like honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, dried and fresh fruits! It would be great if you could use organic versions of these products. Just bin any products that contain sugar, as well as sugar itself. Do not wait until they run out! Be proactive and start your changes and your child’s recovery boost today! Monitor your results, progress and frustrations in a RECOVERY Journal and, if you like, share your thoughts with me. I am always ready to listen!
If you want to find out more information about how to start a nutrition programme to initiate your child’s recovery process, please, contact me at www.liveright.eu or email me: irina@liveright.eu
I look forward to receiving your ever-valuable questions, comments and feedback.
Photo: Autism – Our story of recovery. Read a whole story here:
http://delicatebelly.com/autism-our-story-of-recovery-part-1/
http://delicatebelly.com/autism-our-story-of-recovery-part-2/
http://delicatebelly.com/autism-our-story-of-recovery-part-3/
http://delicatebelly.com/autism-our-story-of-recovery-final-part/
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