How to Use Nutritional Therapies to Treat Autism

Food allergies are believed to be at the root of many health and behavioral problems facing autistic children. Certain triggers, such as gluten and dairy products can lead to increased hyperactivity, aggression and gastrointestinal problems. Many parents have found that eliminating trigger foods and boosting deficiencies with mineral and vitamin supplements can improve health and behavior in autistic children. Read on to learn how to use nutritional therapies to treat autism.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Use Nutritional Therapies to Treat Symptoms of Autism

1. Make your diet gluten-free, by eliminating grains such as wheat, barley, rye and oats. Children who have autism often have an excess of yeast in their intestines, causing gastrointestinal problems that may cause them to act sluggish or irritable. Use rice substitutes when possible.

2. Eliminate dairy products to make your child's diet casein-free. Casomorphines found in dairy products are thought to intensify many of the symptoms associated with autism, including confusion and lethargy.

3. Reduce or eliminate sugar from your child's diet to inhibit the growth of yeast, which can intensify stomach problems. Excess intestinal yeast, or Candida overgrowth, is a problem for many autistic children and may be a side effect of repeated exposure to antibiotics used to treat ear infections at a young age.

4. Use antioxidants and anti-fungal medication to treat autism while incorporating nutritional therapies. Cleansing the body of yeast and excess metals, such as mercury, can improve health and boost your immune system.

Add Vitamins and Minerals to Supplement Nutritional Therapies

5. Add vitamins A, C, E, B6, B12 and mineral supplements such as magnesium, which is often lacking in children with autism. Vitamin B6 can be found in leafy green vegetables, but Vitamin B12 must often be injected.

6. Add essential fatty acids such as primrose oil, flax seed oil and fish oil. Researchers have found that diets are often lacking in Omega-3 fatty acids, but too rich in Omega-6.

7. Supplement your child's diet with Dimethylglycine (DMG) and Dimethyl Amino Ethanol (DMAE), which can improve mood and memory. Both can be purchased as nutritional supplements.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask your doctor to recommend vitamin doses appropriate for child's age and size.
• Consult a physician before making dietary changes that could jeopardize nutrition for growing children.
• Know that dietary changes, especially those involving the elimination of yeast from the body, may make symptoms worse for a few weeks, before they improve.
• Plan ahead and be prepared for higher grocery bills. Wheat and dairy substitutes can be hard to find and more expensive to buy.

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[SpecialEducator]

on 6/12/2008 To learn more about the gluten-free, casein-free diet, and for kid-friendly recipes, I recommend reading _The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet_ by Pamela Compart and Dana Laake.

To find a doctor who can treat your child biomedically, go to Defeat Autism Now! at www.autism.com/dan/index.htm

To learn more about biomedical treatments for people who have autism, visit the Autism Research Institute at www.autism.com