Again Homeopathy!

I often hate to post good thinks for fear that it "jinxes" us a bit.... I know...the Lord is above all of that. This is why I'm posting! Such good things are happening here at home! Caleb has come leaps and bounds in just a few short weeks. He is now talking in mostly complete sentences! He went from, "Play computer?" to "Mommy, Can I play computer please?" and waiting for a reply. He also will answer many more questions! All is really due to the Lord's working on Caleb's body, and allowing homeopathy to be a path which agrees with Caleb. I can't say enough about homeopathy...either sequential or classical homeopathy. We've seen amazing results with both, but lately with sequential.

This is our homeopath: http://www.homeopathy.com/clinic/ (Rudi Verspoor). Caleb has come leaps and bounds in 3 weeks! Just imagine what years of normal development could have done for him?! Thank you Lord for this time of growth! Whatever may come, I thank Him for this period of success!

P.S. Here's a picture of our Christmas cookies (gluten free of course!). They were so good, and no one realized they're gluten free! That's how good I'm getting at baking :) lol

Happy Late Thanksgiving!

This has been a GREAT Thanksgiving Weekend! Caleb was SO on target! He has even begun asking simple questions! I can only relate his doing well to two things....homeopathy and chelation (which we began again after having had a long break from it). Both things were changed this past month, but whatever it is....it's working! I'm giving thanks to the Maker who's working miracles in my little boy!

As an update...we now have an aide for Caleb! Hooray! It was a long battle with the school, but we won :) She's doing great with him so far, and I'm excited to see where it leads.

Bowling--"ANNUAL TAKING TURNS DAY"

We just had our annual family bowling day (instead of Halloween....which we don't celebrate). My husband calls it our "Annual Taking Turns Day" which is usually quite difficult for Caleb and our younger twins. This year, however, was a great day...especially for Caleb. He knew what the day was, where we were going, and even waited VERY patiently for his turns. He doesn't quite have the bowling technique down, but he did a great job! He cheered for everyone, and knew when his turn was coming. This one game of bowling lasts SUPER long though as we have to wait for the snail rolls to finally reach the pins :) Instead..Andy (one of our 3 year olds) thought every turn should be his own :) So....my husband's title still stands! Just not for Caleb anymore :)

**As a side note** Keep us in prayer as we continue to tackle the school on having a personal aide for Caleb throughout the day. He just isn't catching all the words the teacher says, and thus needs as aide to assist him with assignments, frustration, etc.

Inclusion and ADVOCACY for a child with autism

As promised...here are the inclusion and advocacy links & info.:


Websites supporting inclusion:

http://www.positivelyautism.com/volume2issue1.html
http://www.pbs.org/parents/inclusivecommunities/index.html
http://www.paulakluth.com/inclusive-schooling.html
http://www.iser.com/CAadvocacy.html

Websites on autism law:

http://www.iser.com/CAadvocacy.html
http://www.aboutautismlaw.com/sample_chapter.html
http://autism.about.com/od/termsanddefinitions/g/nclb.htm

Websites specific to Michigan:

http://www.northernautismnetwork.org/
http://www.wmin.org/events.htm
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Autism-Michigan/

Helpful resources for parents & teachers:

www.childcareland.com
www.positivelyautism.com
http://members.aol.com/Room5/strat.html
www.specialed.us/autism/structure/str10.htm
www.chileda.org/resources/teaching.htm

What is the law? What should you know going into an IEP?

1. Definition and description of Autism & it's symptoms for uneducated teachers/professionals
a) how autism is mantifested in your child
b) Mom hints on working with your child

Here are some ideas to print off:
-http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis
-http://www.autism.com/autism/


2. Key terms to understand & use regarding Autism & Law

LRE: Least Restrictive Environment
- to the maximum extent, children with disabilities should be educated with children who are not disabled; this might mean that supplemental supports be included (which must be spelled out in an IEP)

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Act
- to insure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.

FAPE: Free And Appropriate Public Education
-spec. education and related services that are provided in an IEP designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, meet state standards, and are provided at state expense (free to the individual)

NCLB: No Child Left Behind
-improve education by focusing on accountability for results, freedom for states and communities, proven education methods, and choices for parents. Much of this is evaluated through testing. Children with autism may take the tests with accomodations such as extra time, or support from an aide.

We Had A Better Week...hooray!

Things seem to be going much more smoothly now! Hooray for now! We met with the autistic consultant from our county along with the principal, OT, special ed. teacher, and 1st grade teacher. The AI consultant had much advice to give, and once the teacher realized it wasn't a critique of her teaching, but more advice on how best to reach Caleb, things went very smoothly. It seems breakfast was a major source of tension for Caleb because he wanted what he couldn't have. Now, we have a sack lunch (from the lunchroom w/ things he can have) waiting for him in the Special Ed. room after he gets off the bus in the morning. He will get to have his breakfast & play computer games for 1/2 hour in the morning. That should give a good start to his day, and hopefully make it go smoother. The AI consultant also talked to the teacher about the necessity of a visual schedule and visual reminders. The teacher was mostly relying on her words being enough for Caleb to understand what's expected, but it was most likely getting him confused & frustrated. The reminders might not be needed later, but for now (since EVERYTHING has changed from last year), it will be added security for Caleb. I really like the AI lady because she reiterated that it isn't his fault for getting frustrated, that it's part of autism. The teacher had said, "But how will I implement these strategies in a room of 32 kids?", and the AI consultant said, "We aren't going to worry about that now. Let's zero in on Caleb & what's best for him, and worry about the rest later." I SO appreciated another professional being able to get through to the school. So, for now....I'm a bit more relaxed :) Better yet....so is Caleb!

I'll still go in on Tues. and Thurs. mornings to help out, and also I'll meet again with his school team to go over any other trouble spots in Caleb's day, but so far the fight has been successfull! Just think how easy the next ASD kids & families will have it :) Which reminds me....that for our district of 500 students, we have about 8-9 children that are possibly on the spectrum. That's much higher than the 1 in 150 statistic! We're much closer to the 1 in 50 or 60 that England is quoting. All who read this: keep praying for this country, these children, and their families!

Also, I hope to soon have some informational posts on dealing with IEPs, the law on education, and resources in your county. Keep watching!

Disillusionment sets in at School

Well, the excitement was short-lived as reality hit us like a brick. Caleb's educators are NOT trained in autism. I have had a phone call nearly every day this last week because he's not doing something right. This after they let him eat whatever he wants at lunch just to avoid a scene. Finally, we had a meeting with the principal & demanded an aide to be next to him. One that travels from year to year to give him security and boundaries. We also demanded TRAINING! It really isn't the teacher's fault as she is being forced to teach 32 children, 1 possible autistic child, and 1 definitely autistic child (Caleb). This, while 1/2 the class rotates to another teacher a few hours a day. It is controlled chaos! However, it isn't Caleb's fault, and he's TOTALLY capable of handling first grade. After all, the days I went and sat next to him, he did everything the other children did! This was surprising to the educators because they just don't understand his capabilities. We shall see what this week brings as a new aide should arise and training, hopefully, will be scheduled.

TO SCHOOL!

School started TODAY! Here's some great pictures of the kids. (Caleb's in yellow). I hope things go well. The older boys will make sure Caleb finds his class okay & doesn't head to last year's room. Otherwise, I'm praying all day for all 3 of them! Oh...I almost forgot! Caleb learned to RIDE A TWO WHEELER BIKE yesterday!! Hooray! We were at some friends playing volleyball, and all they had were regular kid bikes with no training wheels. Caleb found one his size, pushed off, and away he went! Just like he'd always been doing it! NO MORE TRAINING WHEELS! It was just last year that he learned to pedal, now he's riding a two-wheeler like any normal kid! Hopefully school goes just as well and easy as riding a bike :)

We're ready for SCHOOL!

Good times continue, and I'm just praying that they continue for the start of school next week. Caleb's already looking forward to school. He keeps carrying around his lunch box & says, "Bye! See ya later." We visited his first grade teacher & classroom, & probably will do so one more time before the big day. Hopefully he won't automatically head down to his former classroom. I'm really looking forward to sending the children to school! They're all so ready. Caleb has lately been wanting to go with anyone & everyone who comes to our home. All in hopes of better fun at their house :) He's ready for the challenge, and I'm ready to see what's in store for this year. 8 days to go until school!

LDN (low dose naltrexone) and Caleb

Well I think I figured out a source of Caleb's irritibility! Just in time for school too....yay! I took him off the LDN (low dose naltrexone) cream that he's been on for over a year. I wanted to see if it really was still doing anything or not, and the best time to figure it out is the summer. LDN had really helped fight the immune responses Caleb had to food, and it boosted language a bit at the beginning. Anyhow....it's been much smoother since going off LDN. I use the cell salts like Kali Phos or one with all the salts to help with irritibility, but I've hardly needed anything. He's been great mood-wise for about a week now, which has taken a load off my heart for school coming up. We haven't had major yeast break-outs either, and that's been such a relief. Caleb's traditional response to supplements/medications he doesn't tolerate is to get VERY irritible and screamy. I'm just wondering if that's what started his irritible ball rolling....his not needing LDN anymore because it was no longer tolerated. Who knows, but I pray the good stays for a long while!

Cell Salts to the Rescue!

I've been reading more about cell salts or tissue salts developed by Schueller. Using these tissue salts is much like homeopathy, but focuses on 12 remedies that all cells need to maintain health. Kind of like look at the micro level instead of always the macro. Anyhow, the reason I've done so is because a friend suggested looking at using Kali sulph (potassium sulfate) for my son's mood issues. Immediatelly after trying it, I was sold on cell salts! We've seen nice gains along with a more even keeled mood. I'm going to order a few others to try as they all seem to work together nicely (according to the book), and I'd like to deal a bit more with some of my son's latest issues. For example, he is sensitive to any light touch on his upper body. People will come and touch him to get his attention, and they're taken aback by his reaction to hit them quite readily. It isn't his fault or their fault. He just is sensitive. Thus I'm anxious to try a few other remedies as it really seems to bring together homeopathy and modern scientific research.


I remember in biology/chemistry that we talked about the elements needed to fire a nerve or a muscle cell (sodium, potassium, etc.) and it makes sense that if the body doesn't have enough of one of these, it's going to throw the entire body off in some way. I'm just really excited to learn and try more! Here's a few links to consider:

http://www.doctoryourself.com/cell_salts.html
http://homeoinfo.com/08_non-classical_topics/minimal/schuesslers_cell_salts.php
http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/HealingTechniques/cell_salts.htm

Response to Michael Savage's Remarks

To view his horribly insensitive remarks about parents of autistic children, read here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,387662,00.html

Here's my reaction:

What I don't understand, is how Savage explains the fact that my son doesn't talk. He began to talk, then lost it all, then kept learning the same words every day. How is it that my other 4 children miraculously talk? Could my parenting be the cause of this as well? So he's saying the boy in the back of the room spinning, not clued in to the party going on around him, yet who notices the noise of a jet outside & screams at it, is just doing so because I haven't spanked him enough or told him to cut it out? This all occurs because I don't know how to parent?.....me with my Registered nurse license and my elementary school teacher husband?

How about the whole noodles showing up in my son's stool, or the way he went bezerk after eating 3 grilled cheese sandwiches, or how he could never sit through me reading a book to him? Are these due to my parenting as well? Apparently, Mike Savage has no close ties to a family member with autism, or he would see the tears that come to a family's eyes as they watch their child learn to peddle a bike, even though he's several years beyond the normal age for training wheels. He would see our heart's breaking as we consider the future for a child that is lucky to be able to manage any type of schooling. My heart cries at the lack of compassion! I truly invite Mr. Savage into my home, to witness first hand what it is like with autism, to read my journal and watch our home videos; to pore over test results & see how my son has over 3 times the immunity from the MMR, how his yeast numbers are out of control, and how many metals we pull out of him. I invite him to ask my other children questions about autism, to witness how my son reacts in public, or to watch him at school. Please come tell me that I can parent in a different way, and all of this will be over! I would LOVE that to be true!

HBOT for Autism

HBOT

HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) is one treatment we have not yet done and are still debating about it. Even if we had the money.....(we don't), it can be risky. Since we have seizure potential in our family (a close family member has been on medicine for seizures for years), I don't want to possibly lower Caleb's threshhold with HBOT thus potentially making seizures more likely. Since Caleb's never had seizures, I don't want to start now or ever! Most people say hbot is helpful in treating seizures, but there are those who claim it has caused them to begin which is why it just isn't on our agenda yet. I have heard MANY success stories, however, which makes it sound great. You be the judge, and feel free to let me know if it worked for you or not. Caleb's doctor had recommended HBOT before our summer started, so I had done some research on it. Here's what I found and feel free to do more research in your state. Michigan has only a few places where we could go that are over 3 hours away, or we could rent one for about $1,500 a month or buy one for $12,000+. HBOT usually requires a commitment of "40 dives" or sessions in an hbot machine. Also, there are 2 types of hbot, but most success I've heard about in autism comes with the mild type or lower pressure.

• Here is the science behind hbot:

The rationale behind using hyperbaric for Autism is that the treatments increase cerebral blood flow and thus oxygen is delivered to areas of the brain, which are thought to be oxygen deficient. Greater amounts of blood and oxygen begin to stimulate cerebral tissues and aid in recovery of idling neurons. HBOT also reduces excess fluids and swelling of brain tissues which aid in neurological function and a less confused state in Autistics. Hyperbaric is also used as a complementary therapy for the treatment of heavy metal detox for such materials as mercury. Hyperbaric assists in the metabolism of heavy metal removal. It can help a patient counteract the effects of heavy metal poisoning and helps body deal with toxins even as noxious as cyanide. It is often used in conjunction with chelation and other detox procedures to help support the body to deal with the impact commonly seen in the removal of heavy metals, mercury, toxins, and other contaminants. (all courtesy of www.hbotreatment.com/Autism.htm)

• Here's some info showing both the good and bad of hbot:

links: http://www.autismstreet.org/weblog/?p=36 http://www.hypertc.com/testimonials/2005_September_Newsletter_email.pdf The Pressure Point; International Hyperbaric Association Newsletter; article on Autism http://www.drneubrander.com/Files/Pressure%20Point%20Autism2006%20Summer%20Special%2 0Newsletter.pdf More on Autism
http://photoninthedarkness.com/?p=131 (negatives of hbot)

• HBOT links including renting/buying/and in MIchigan:

• http://www.spectrumhyperbarics.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=22&Itemid=71 (latest hbot research in autism) http://www.hhi-kc.com/whatis.htm
• http://www.tacanow.com/medical/hbot.htm
• http://www.bodyspecific.com/main/services.aspx (hbot rental) http://www.healingwithhbot.com/OxfordStaff.htm (one site in MI)
• http://www.kid-power.org/hbo.html
• MICHIGAN Macomb/Clinton Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, LLC. 43475 Dalcoma Dr. Ste. 150 Clinton Township, MI. 48038 (586) 228-7308 FAX: (586) 228-7315WEBSITE: www.hyperbaricandwoundcare.com Metro Hyperbaric and Wound Healing Center20210 E 9 mile St. Clair Shores, MI PHONE: (586) 772-3403 FAX: (586) 771-1603 EMAIL: info@michiganhyperbaric.com WEBSITE: http://www.michiganhyperbaric.com

• Possible alternatives to HBOT (including perfusion supplements)

supplements: vinpocetine; a-l-carnitine; huperzine; gingko, Oxydrene, nutritional oxygen products http://www.autismweb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=112600&sid=bce9136f4a0e730ded470bcfb49ad814

How to Find a Homeopath that is Knowlegeable in Autism (and other areas as well)

Lately, a lot of attention has been coming back to homeopathy for autism. I've been asked a few times about my experience and recommendations for homeopathy & a good homeopath. Here's my thoughts on that. (Hopefully this will make it to my website eventually).

• My experience with homeopathy and autism:

Pretty much all of my son's initial speech came about with homeopathy. I also credit his normalizing of bowel movements and food absorption to homeopathy. All with one remedy actually! It happened about 2 years ago over the course of about 5 months. Caleb was prescribed lycopodium 6c 3 times daily by a homeopath that we consult with (from England) over the phone/internet. It was based on Caleb's constitution (or his symptoms, personality, responses to food, stimuli, etc., temperment, etc). Anyhow, lycopodium did wonderful things! I would actually know it was time for his next dose when he suddenly got quiet again. After dosing, he would again regain his chattering and new speech. When the remedy began to aggrevate more then help several months later, we tried a few things, then eventually moved on to other remedies, but low and behold the changes in bowel and speech stuck! Since then he's slowly added to his speech and we've tried to again regain that amazing growth, but the growth has been slow and steady with needing to change tactics and remedies every 6 months or so. However, I am completely sold on homeopathy now! If only I could get my friends and family to be so enlightened :)

We've thus far had success with the bowel nosode Morgan Gaertner (because it complements lycopodium), carcinosin, pulsatilla, thuja (one of the first remedies I tried on my own due to it's reputation for healing after vaccines), and also sequential homeopathy to clear vaccines & address miasms through the Hahnemann Center for Heilkunst (Rudi Verspoor).

• Homeopathic Help:

Here are my recommendations if you're looking to try homeopathy:

• First, do some research on what homeopathy is, how dosing works, what types of remedies there are, and find some success stories on using it.
• Second, try to find a homeopath in your area. Here are the most common links to do so, but be sure to check your yellow pages or talk to people living near you.
  

http://nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org/resources/practitioners.jsp

http://www.homeopathy.org/directory_entrance.html

• Third, if you're unsuccessful, try some of these well known homeopaths for autism:

www.homeopathy.com (Hahnemann Center of Homeopathy) sequential
www.homeopathyhouston.com (Houston Center of Homeopathy) sequential
www.homeopathysnc.org/deborah_olenev.htm (Deborah Olenev) classical
www.homeopathysnc.org/dr_luc_de_schepper.htm (Dr. Luc De Schepper) classical
www.homepage.ntlworld.com/homeopathy_advice/contact.html or www.homeopathy.expert@googlemail.com (these are both contacts for my homeopath from England--Simon King)

• Other homeopathy resources:

www.abchomeopathy.com
www.hpathy.com (one of my favorite resources)
www.homeopathy-software.net
www.homeopathysnc.org
www.tinussmits.com
www.renresearch.com/autism.html (amy lansky's story)
www.homeopathy-help.net
http://www.recoveredfromautism.com/recoveryplan.htm
http://www.homeopathy-cures.com
http://www.homeopathic.com (educational resources)

July 4th Fireworks

We had a great 4th of July! Caleb had a few mood issues due to late nights, but overall it was a fun time. Our own fireworks were on the 4th, and city fireworks on the 5th.

We've been having great success with a few mood rna products by Amy Yasko. Her products are VERY pricey, but so far they've been WONDERFUL for mood. We're using Nerve Calm and Mood focus. Her websites are : www.ch3nutrigenomics.com (her discussion group), and www.holisticheal.com / www.holistichealth.com (her products & program). I've read that they are homeopathic products, but not sure if that's true. They are helping mood though! So far so good :)

Summer Vacation AT LAST!!

Well this summer has thus far been a great relaxation time for Caleb. He's in much better spirits just from relaxing! We also have implemented selenium (the methionine kind) and valerian root sprinkles (since it doesn't make Caleb tired), and both have been helping with mood. We're also S--L--O--W--L--Y adding in some yeast support. He's responding well to this as long as we also give OLE for bacteria when we give yeast stuff (and vice versa). However, all in all it's starting to look like another good summer with lots of good improvements. If only we could get it to stop raining.....! (**Caleb's the one squinting in the background **)

Scripting.....Oh how tiresome Buzz Lightyear gets!!

These past few days have been nothing but "Buzz Lightyear". My son has been carrying around every Toy Story toy that we have. He frequently says a line that Sid says in the move...."whatever she says, it's not true! Hannah....Hannah..." Believe me, it gets ANNOYING! Now after a search on many yahoo groups, I'm trying folic acid, bacteria fighters, and of course yeast fighters (my last resort since Caleb's yeast has been such an issue).

The folic acid (combined with GABA so to not have to much excitotoxin and/or histamine release) at 800 mcg seemed to do something. The scripting is still there, but Caleb's not thinking only about Toy Story & nothing else. I shall keep you all posted as to what I discover :) Tomorrow I will up the folic dose and possibly add in OLE and a probiotic culturelle to attack some of the bacteria.

If anyone out in cyberland has a suggestion on what to do about scripting or obsessiveness....let me know!

It's GAME DAY!

Caleb had his first t-ball game after being rained out of two (which didn't really disappoint me that much). I helped him when fielding, since there's no way he'd stay put in one spot and pay attention. However, his hitting and throwing improved a lot, much to our amazement. It ended up being a fun time! I've included a few pictures of Game Day. There's one at the very bottom of my blog page, so check that out too :)

We figured out the Screaming!

Well...it's taken a month or so, but we've finally figured out the screaming! Hooray! Come to find out...any yeast fighter is just plain causing Caleb to scream. Prescription or natural...doesn't matter. It all causes screaming. Not sure why, but when I took them all away, life got much easier :) We still see yeast on occasion (marked by silly laughing for no reason, or waving his hands in front of his eyes), and we're still trying to figure out what to do for that...but Caleb's mood has improved TREMENDOUSLY and the yeast clues don't last for long. He's once again getting good reports at school, and he is more fun to be around.

There's still lots to keep working on, such as speech, and social conversation/appropriate behavior. However, I'm really going to try to focus on homeopathy and also a bit of Amy Yasko's approach (www.ch3nutrigenomics.com) as adding in the ammonia RNA at 1 drop twice daily has really helped. I'm wondering if his "yeasty behavior" isn't just a cause of high ammonia or some other gut issue that throws off his yeast/bacteria balance in his intestines. It certainly isn't being helped by yeast meds! Keep in mind (for those who are thinking it might just be die-off), that Caleb's been on different things for yeast for months and years! I truly don't see die-off any more. Also, his BMs are normal, and food is much less of an issue now. I've explored so many things for yeast, that I'm really hoping to find the cause, not just the symptom of how his gut gets so unbalanced.

Anyhow....yay for now :)

Still Screaming.....grrr!

Caleb has still been screaming about anything and everything :( I can say, "It's time for dinner", and he MUST emit a high pitched shriek just because. It can really grate on the nerves when you spend any amount of time with him. Our DAN doctor thinks it's probably yeast, and I'm not so sure. We're going the homeopathy route while adding in some yeast med (diflucan) to see if one of these will help. It's not a willful behavior, just a bit compulsive; like he just HAS to get it out. I've tried imitating his scream back at him, and he smiles or laughs because he knows it's annoying....but it doesn't stop him from screaming again.....sigh.... Oh, the joys of autism :)

Flu Season Hits!

Well, we just made it through this year's flu. Glad to feel alive again! I have to tell you that I discovered the most amazing thing about homeopathy through this flu! Nothing was touching the body aches, headache, queasy feeling.....not motrin, not icyhot, nothing. That is until I happened to remember that I bought this homeopathic remedy on clearance last time I went grocery shopping. It said it was safe and effective to either prevent the flu or fight the flu. Thus, I decided to put it to the test, and hope for the best. I read the ingredients and was pleasantly surprised that it was just the influenzinum nosode. Anyhow.....I took it, and gave it to Caleb and my other young son who all felt rotten. Lo and behold, within a 1/2 hour, we all were up and around. Caleb was no longer so flushed, and he was up playing and talking! I gave us another dose a few hours later, and we again continued to feel better. Every few hours and another dose of the remedy, and a day later we're all feeling normal! Hooray :) Caleb went to school and I'm eating again & doing the things I normally do. I feel like myself once again! Again, in case you've all forgotten.....I LOVE homeopathy!

Safe TOY links

Trying to think of a great birthday gift for Caleb as his 6th b-day is coming quickly...Feb. 26th. I want it to be educational, fun, and SAFE! Here's some lead-safe toys sites that I've found:

www.bluedominos.com
http://www.fatbraintoys.com
http://toysamerican.com
http://www.coolmompicks.com/safertoy07/
http://safetoyinfo.blogspot.com/

A few sites also contain American Made toys. I'm thinking of getting something different to build and construct with since Caleb loves to build houses, and is VERY good at it. We say that someday he's going to be an architect! If anyone has any additional websites to add to this list....let me know :)

Chiropractor/Muscle Testing

We had a chiropractic appointment for Caleb the other day, and it was very interesting. Basically, I just take Caleb there for help with supplements, and for muscle testing for deficiencies. I'm always amazed at how our chiropractor puts physiology of the body into plain, understandable language. He was talking about how important oils are for the body, especially in winter. Not only are the fat-soluble vitamins low (like vitamin D), omega 6 and 3s are very low as well. He taught me to examine elbows, the hairline, and especially the lips to look for dry patches, indicating being low in oils. Since oils are the "food for the brain" as he put it, it's SO necessary to maintain healthy oils in the body, especially when you have autism as my son does. He also taught me to check for ketones in first morning urine (with a simple strip you can get from the pharmacy) to see that Caleb is spilling at least some ketones into his urine. This lets you know that his body is using fats for brain fuel and not just simple sugars (which can leave you with a quick fix, but also a crash later). Thus I have Caleb now on a tsp of olive oil with meals, a supplement to help digest and utilize oils, and also omega 3s (DHA). So far, Caleb just seems much happier, and has the "softer" look to his eyes that I love to see ;)

Just to keep updated with the glutathione.....I'm giving it twice a day now, and will probably increase to 3 times a dy next week. Speech is better again, but still not up to where I'd like it to be. I do think it's working though!

Speech Issues and the Glutathione Component

I've been wondering about my son's glutathione levels lately. We had run out of glutathione cream, and hadn't reordered it to try to see if it actually did anything positive for Caleb. He was off it for about 3 weeks, and his speech progressively got worse, less defined, less spontaneous. Finally, I had some old Kirkman's glutathione, and I put some on my son to see if we could find something to improve his speech. Truly, within 20 minutes, his speech was much clearer and spontaneous. I then decided I needed to up the glutathione to twice a day if it is helping that much. That's where we're at now. I'm upping it to twice daily to see if improvements are noted.

You know, if it ends up helping, what's to prevent me from putting it on 3 times, then 4 times a day, etc. It got me thinking about how to raise glutathione. I know that vitamin C and N-A-C (n-acetyl-cysteine) both are supposed to be precursers to glutathione. But, since Caleb does NOT do well on vitamin C, I'll have to try the NAC. Also, I know that a new study came out (I'll have to see if I can find it for the website) about how chelation with DMSA raises glutathione for weeks by just one round. So.....until I start the NAC, I'm doing another round of chelation for which Caleb already seems happier at least. Is it the glutathione from the DMSA or something else??? I also know about the glutathione IV's, but it just isn't practical for us since the nearest DAN is over 3 hours away.

As I sit here researching glutathione, I see that whey in milk is a precurser. Now that is not possible with most autistics, since a strict GFCF is key. However, my son is actually on milk products, just not straight milk, and not a lot per day. Wheat has always been his major "no-no", not so much milk. One day last summer during a post-tball celebration, after allowing my son to have an icecream cone, he acted so normal and was playing tag with the other t-ball kids. I wondered what could this be. I now wonder if it didn't have something to do with glutathione. Not quite sure I want to increase his milk intake, but I'll have to think some more about it. Now if I could get my hands on that raw milk.....!

For now it will be glut. cream, try NAC, and more regular chelation. Hopefully, it will improve speech!

Raw Milk Debate

I've been doing a lot of thinking about raw milk recently. Anybody have any thoughts on it? I just read an article about the link between pasteurization and colitis/Chron's disease. I've always known that the hormones and antibiotics fed to the cows gets through to the milk, just as a mother would give these things to her breast-feeding child if she took them. However, I never realized all that pasteurization did to the milk. Even homoginization apparently isn't too good either. Please read these sites:

http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/06/07/08/raw.milk.html

www.realmilk.com

www.rawmilk.org

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/1/1/does-tainted-milk-cause-crohn-s-disease.aspx
http://www.suegregg.com/about/The%20Wonder%20of%20Raw%20Milk.pdf

I'm seriously thinking about buying a share of a cow and getting the raw milk. I'm sure my husband and my kids will truly believe I've gone off the deep end! Maybe I have :)

How I love homeopathy! It should be called hopeopathy :) Caleb's anxiety was again getting out of control. The only thing that seemed to help was the supplement GABA, 1000mg at a time (twice daily). I'm glad it helps, but must we rely on this everyday now? Low and behold, Caleb's constitutional remedy lycopodium finally helped a bit (only now in a larger dose of 200c). It made his return to school after the holidays somewhat bearable. No one sent me notes about his behavior....so that's a positive thing :)
The reason I knew to try GABA was because GABA often balances excitotoxins in the brain from excess glutamates. Some glutamate sources are calcium and folic acid, many foods like wheat and milk, and I'm sure others. For Caleb, we had been trying Calcium for a while, and it had seemed to help at first. Then we hit the wall..... Instead it raised his glutamates (or so I supposed) and made GABA necessary. He's extremely good on GABA, but just quiet & not as fiesty (which I like him to defend himself and have opinions...just in smaller doses). Caleb has needed folic acid before for clearer speech, but it also often ends up fluctuating his body to excitotoxin mode. For him, we see "screaminess" over every little thing, and weeping over nothing. He also gets a bit OCD. Anyhow.....lycopodium has helped for these past few days. Thank you Lord for that!