Normal children, ADD/ADHD, and Autism . . . our story

[ginalc]

Hello,

I haven't posted here in some time. I've been busy taking care of my children and thought I would share our story! My children were VERY active, sensitive to many foods, and a single post from this website set me off on a crusade that has changed our lives!

I just finished reading the book "The Puzzle of Autism: Putting It All Together" along with the Supplement Guide DVD by Dr. Amy Yasko. I believe that Autism and ADD/ADHD and sensitivity in ALL children are simply different ways of manifesting symptoms of metal poisoning. After months of research, I find the Autism treatment info to be the most helpful. I've been giving supplements to support the various body systems that my kids have trouble with, the autism book and supplement DVD simply explain what to give and why.

You can get information on the supplements at www.holisticheal.com and www.holistichealth.com
Really good articles ADHD/ADD, and autism at www.gordonresearch.com
Fabulous Parent Group info moderated by Dr. Amy Yasko at www.autismanswer.com
Info on the mercury/autism/adhd link at www.generationrescue.org

As soon as I'm done breastfeeding I plan to treat myself, too. Right now I'm treating the baby and avoiding vaccines with her. I found "A User-Friendly Vaccination Schedule" by Dr. Donald Miller (http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller15.html) interesting.

I've seen amazing results in my children, I can't wait to treat myself! Ben is my greatest success story at the moment. Megan is a close second. Ben got "silver stars" in his teeth last summer and his behavior, head-banging, behavior issues and crying got really bad. I scheduled to have the mercury-laden fillings removed but I'm seeing wonderful results using Dr. Amy Yasko's Step One Protocol. This past week was his best week ever. It's like he is completely NORMAL!!!!

Megan has improved greatly in terms of focus and behavior, too, but she still has a little trouble with expressive language and stuttering at times. So much better than before we started the program, and I see improvement every day. Can't wait to see her in another few months.

I started thinking about heavy metal toxicity in May. At that time I added the Omega-3 fatty acids and it was like someone turned the lights on in their little minds. In June, I added supplements like milk thistle, taurine, grape seed extract, GABA, fenugreek, SAMe, kyolic (garlic), digestive enzymes with meals, N-acetyl Cysteine, acidophilolous, COQ-10, glutathione, and L-Carnitine. I added a complete multi-vitamin and antioxidant formula with selenium, and calcium EDTA 2 weeks ago and Wowza!!! Normal behavior in both kids! I don't know if I need all the supplements now, but things are going so well I hate to change anything. Dr. Amy's protocol guides you as to what supplement supports which systems. I didn't discover her protocol until I read her book. I've been reading her website, www.autismanswer.com and following what others were doing without realizing there was a protocol. Many of these parents are treating kids with autism. ADHD pales in comparison, but the supplememts have really made a difference in my children.

Dr. Amy explains in her book that there is a mutation in the methylation pathway in kids with these problems. By supporting the systems affected, you effectively complete the pathway and the body removes the toxins the way it should. Some form of supplementation is lifelong or the problems can reoccur.

My suggestion? Spend time reading the autismanswer website. Visit the parent group support board and read the posts related to adhd. Read this article: http://www.autismanswer.com/articles/yasko/autism_virus_thimerosal.html

The book is a fabulous read. Bare-bones info on how to start the program. Right now I believe that children with ADHD simply need Step One. The other steps are for true cases of autism.

Let me know what you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gina, mom to 4
Pernille - 8/90, Megan - 10/00, Ben, 11/02, and Rebecca, 4/05

[Elilly]

Your post couldn't be more timely for me. We have just begun speech and developmental therapy for Graham and I have been reading about generation rescue. Have you seen a DAN practitioner or are you just doing everything on your own?

[brittone2]

I'm so glad that you are having success with the new protocol that you are using!! How amazing! I'm a mama who used to work in an Austistic Spectrum classroom in a special needs preschool, so this is a topic that has always been near and dear to my heart.

I actually am almost finished reading the David Kirby book Evidence of Harm and I'm more infuriated about how many children in America have been and continue to be exposed to toxic metals, not to mention lots of other things we probably haven't even identified yet.

Again, I'm sorry that you are going through this, but I'm so happy that you are noticing big improvements with your kids. What a dedicated and loving mama you are.

[JMS]

Thank you very much Gina for posting this. I can't wait to read through the websites you listed. The topics/issues you are discussing are ones I am very interested in, although not for any personal reasons. DD is only 18 months old and does not display any red flags, as far as I am aware, but metal poisoning (to categorize the many aliments possibly afflicting children in our society) is something I don't believe can be taken lightly; I guess I just want to be as preventative as possible and know what to be on the lookout for. That brings me to my question/fear: how do you know if your child has true symptons, or is just behaving in a age-appropriate manner? I hope that question makes sense; I am more specifically referring to children with borderline symptons and are therefore more likely to fall through the diagnosis cracks.

Thanks again so much.

[aliceinwonderland]

I was reading an MDC thread about lead poisoning, and someone posted a cilantro pesto recipe.

What else are good measures to take? If someone can post a cliff notes version I'd greatly appreciate it, because when i wonder through these websites I feak out, hyperventilate and literaly lose what little sleep I get these days. Many thanks, mamas. And if anyone wants the cilantro recipe I can post late tonight b/c it's on the laptop at home.

Thanks again.

[cchavez]

Can the omega 3 fatty acids only be taken in pill form? Diego would never swallow a pill. tia!

[aliceinwonderland]

I think Flaxseed oil contains omega 3s right? I add a spoonfull of oil to Eriks's milk as often as I rememeber. I think it's pretty tasteless, thankfully. I'm trying to add it more to our food too.

[psophia17]

I'm glad this protocol is working for you - I worked on a book about the causes and treatments for autism when I first started working in publishing, and it was an eye-opener for me. I hope to never go through it with my family, but I'm so glad that there are options available so that families who do have to deal with it can be pro-active and make their children's lives better.

For anyone interested in reading it, the book I refer to is Unraveling the Myster of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, by Karyn Seroussi.

Keep up the good work, Mama!

[chlobo]

I believe it can be found in a liquid. Ihave heard very good things about this website for high quality supplements:

http://nordicnaturals.com/direct/direct.asp

[essnce629]

About the omega-3 fatty acids-- yes, flaxseed does contain it and you can either eat the ground seeds or use the oil. Whenever I make smoothies I add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil and I also add a tablespoon of the ground seeds to Conner's daily serving of yogurt or applesauce. I just started adding it to my yogurt too. Walnuts and salmon are also very high in omega-3s.

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif 23 months & counting! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[calebsmama03]

Gina -
congrats to your family and thanks for posting. Been wondering about you since we were due w/in a month of eachother! I was looking into mercury detox and planned to do it once C weaned but then I found out I was pg and expect to BF at least another 2 yrs.... Can I ask what you are doing for the baby specifically, or if there's a specific protocol you're following for her age/wt? I am very interested in doing this. Will check out the links (saving them) but hoped to get a point in the right direction :)
Thanks!!
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[ginalc]

There are no DAN doctors in my area at all. My ped. told me my kids were fine and simply needed more attention. HA!!!!!! She needs to take them home for a week to really "get it" IMO.

I'm doing it all on my own.

gina

[ginalc]

Good question. I honestly don't know if we can truly tell what is "age appropriate behavior" anymore. I went to a b-day party at Chuck E. Cheese today and honestly, my kids were some of the best behaved children there! If you look at children with the idea that they all suffer from some degree of poisoning, the whole paradigm shifts and your perspective changes.

gina

[ginalc]

Myself, I take one capsule of Fenugreek & Omega 3 fatty acids daily -- the Fenugreek helps boost the milk supply a bit, and helps with social interactions in children. I'm also giving 1/8 a tablet of Folapro and 1/8 a tablet of Intrinsic B12 directly to the baby. These supplements complete the methylation pathway to help her rid her body of toxins naturally. I ordered both through www.holisticheal.com

I also opted to avoid the vaccination issue until she's at least 2 years old. All 3 of my older children reacted with excessive crying for months following their vacs. The doc told me it was just teething but I just don't buy that story anymore.

ETA: I just realized that I didn't even congratulate you on your precious new baby! I am so focused on answering questions I guess I just forgot. ---- I don't know if there are age/weight issues with the Folapro or Intrinsic B12. I use a pill cutter to get a really small piece and just give that before a feeding. I noticed a change is Rebecca's BMs almost immediately. They are actually the right color again. The suggested dosage for my 2 yo and 4 yo is 1/4 to 1/2 tablet.

gina

[redhookmom]

We add the liquid to smoothies.

[Elilly]

So, where did you start? With the book alone? We are just starting speech and developmental therapy. There is not a true autistic diagnosis yet but we all know that we are headed in that direction. Any helpful hints that you could give would be greatly appreciated. We're already doing a CFGF diet, giving kirkman's probiotics, and I'm trying to figure out what supplements to give. TIA.

[ginalc]

Hi Erica,

I started with the Feingold diet last Fall. We hit a plateau with the diet and that is when I figured out that diet is just not enough -- there were other factores involved (metals). I started treating the kids with fish oil after reading how it helped with cognition. I used the suggestions from Dr. Rashid Buttar at www.generationrescue.org and included enzymes with meals.

I got rid of all the plastics in my kitchen and bought stainless steel, glass & cast iron cookware. I moved my kids' beds so their heads were at least 3 feet from any outlet. I follow as many suggestions as I can afford.

I've read as many articles on line as my eyeballs could focus upon. Dr. Garry Gordon has loads of information on autism and adhd. Dr. Amy Yasko's protocol is available through Dr. Gordon's website, www.gordonresearch.com under the autism info.

I get daily digest info from several autism mercury chat rooms and I will include their links:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EnzymesandAutism/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Mercury/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chelationdiscussiongroup/

As a cardiac nurse I learned that the healthiest patients were the ones who took action and cared for themselves. There is no "magic pill" for these kids. All the speech therapy in the world won't help kids who can't get rid of the toxins on their own.

I only just finished the book and video by Dr. Yasko. If I were you, I'd order that right away and read www.autismanswer.com until you get the book. There is a 3 year wait to actually see Dr. Yasko but she helps parents daily through her site. Spend time reading through other posts. I've learned so much just reading the archives there.

I would also recommend the Boston DVD and Dr. Amy's Supplement Guide DVD. You can post on the Autism Answer Parent Discussion Board as well. The parents there are awesome in terms of guiding and supporting each other. That site is like a dream come true for exhausted parents!

HTH,

gina

[ginalc]

Please just take a deep breath and enjoy the fact that your health is good and we have internet to guide us on our way. And remember that knowledge is power!!! :)

Also, there are many ways to detox your environment that are actually quite simple like: read food labels, clean your home with vinegar and water or baking soda, avoid anything that smells strong or burns your eyes, if it's got artificial anything -- leave it in the store. There are "No Scent" or "Dye Free" formulas for many many household products. Some may cost more but they generally work as well if not better than cheaper alternatives.

www.generationrescue.org and www.feingold.org have some really good articles and guides as to other things that you can do. There are 2 books on my reading list: The Detox Solution, and Our Toxic World.

One thing that freaked me out was aluminum. Besides putting it in vaccines for children, they put it in flour when they bleach it, they put in in fast food cheese slices so it melts better, it was in the baking powder in my cupboard, and in all of my cookware -- anything with a non-stick coating contains it. I got rid of it all and slowly replaced them with either glassware, stoneware, cast iron and stainless steel cookware.

I, too, was freaked out at first, but now I feel empowered. My skin is clearer than ever, my migraines are gone, and I feel as if I have more energy. Overall, it's been good for my family.

gina

[ginalc]

Many children with adhd and autism have digestive problems. A direct source of Omega-3 fatty acids goes directly to work and begins healing immediately.

From the Nordic Naturals website:

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish is a direct source of EPA and DHA, while flax seed oil yields ALA which then must be converted into EPA and DHA. The human conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA is slow, only a maximum of 15% of ALA (flax seed oil) can convert to EPA and 5%, in any at all, may convert to DHA. Although flax seed has many benefits, it is not recommended as a source of Omega-3 EPA and DHA fatty acids.

http://www.nordicnaturals.com/direct/whatareefas.asp

gina

[ginalc]

Beth, I haven't read David Kirby's book. Does he address the issue of our generation carrying excess metals due to vaccinations we received, passing on our burden to our children? I would really like to read the book. Would you recommend it for me at this point?

gina

btw, my dh refers to me as obsessed with the whole issue. I like the term *dedicated* much better! :)