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Supplements

Does any one have any success stories about Autism symptom improvements made through the use of suppliments?  Please share.
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470168 tn?1237471245
One other thing.  Diet is really only a small part.  There are also lots of physical things that can help brain development such a 'brain gym'.  My physio also recommended alot of games whereby the child has to crawl.  So we play soldiers and crawl under the duvet etc.  Trampolining is also excellent for the brain and it can also highlight if your child has other difficulties eg. sequencing moves, following instructions etc.  But most importantly most autistic children/adults simply love bouncing.  It is very good for the vestibular and propriceptive senses.
I am going to see a class of Conductive Education next week simply out of interest.  I believe there is something powerful in learning things through all the bodily systems and carrying them out at the same time may lead to better integration.  
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470168 tn?1237471245
I think part of it is feeling like you are doing something positive about the diagnosis.  And it is hard not to try certain things when you hear other parents say their child has improved.  I think it is important to remember that no matter what the improvement (if any) there is no such thing as 'cured' or 'recovered'.  A child with autism will grow into an adult with autism and autism is part of who my son is.  So I am not hoping for a miracle cure.  And you do have to seriously consider how much of your time is taken up on all the therapies/interventions that you plan because you have to leave time for 'real family life' and you have to make time for yourself and other family members.  I do recognise that it is just as possible that any improvements may have happened anyway without the therapy or diet.  But the other side of the coin is that there may have been no improvement without the interventions/diet.  It's a tough call.  I think it is also sensible to have your child tested for allergies.  But from my point of view anything involving needles or skin ***** tests are out of the question for my son.  And other types of testing (eg. kinesthetic ones) meet with sceptcism too.  If I hadn't had such an improvement in how I was feeling then I probably wouldn't have considered the diet, especially since my son doesn't have what you would call behavioural problems.  But he does get alot of migraines and stomach pains (as I do) and he frequently used to appear as if he was drugged.  So I have decided to try it for a while and then reintroduce first dairy and then gluten.  If there is no change then I will drop the diet.
There is a university in Sunderland UK that tests urine to see if certain peptides are present.  The theory being that if those peptides are present (when they shouldn't be), that these peptides are getting through the blood brain barrier and once in the brain can have a similar effect as opiates and that this explains some of the behaviours seen in autism.  My son's urine came back positive for peptides for gluten and casein.  I was told gluten is quite common but casein is less common.  I have two other family members with dairy intolerance.  The university told me that they believe that a cluster of conditions including autism, ADHD, Fibromyalgia to name a few, have this same digestive problem.  Again there is no incontrivertable scientific proof that removal of these peptides coincides with lessening of some autistic behaviours, but I believe that there are scientific tests being carried out now in the UK to see if there is any real improvements with GF/CF diet.  
There are also two genetic conditions in our family that specifically effect how the body can deal with food.  One is called Hemochromatosis.  If you inherit this gene through both parents your body will not be able to get rid of excess iron in the blood.  When the iron builds up it causes health problems and eventual distruction of the liver.  The 'cure' for this is to not eat foods with iron and to have regular (weekly or monthly) blood removed (about a pint at a time) to dilute the iron.  My point is.  If it is possible to have biological problems whereby the body cannot deal with iron, I think it is just as plausible that there could be biological problems whereby the body cannot deal with any number of foods leading to a build up within the system which could then manifest itself in ill health.  But I do take your point of the 'silver bullet'.  I think for some children there may be one thing that causes a vast improvement.  For others it maybe a combination of things that cause a general improvement of whatever scale.  For others there will be no differences regardless of what is tried.  So I think we just have to try to be sensible and open minded, especially as alot, if not all, of these interventions/diets etc are being done to our children.  And always try to use proper medically trained people with real qualifications.
Regarding your point about shotgunning a number of supplements at one time.  The reason for this is because all those nutrients are needed by the body for the system to be running smoothly.  For example the body may need a certain vitamin, but to be able to use/break down that vitamin the body may also need something else to do that.  So, from a biological point of view it is trying to support the system from the beginning to the end process.  If one of the cogs within the system (essentially nervous system and digestive system) are not supported it effects the effectiveness of the whole and sometimes there is no real way of identifying what element within the process is causing the problem.  All the supplements are explained to me by a qualified physotherapist and nutricianist who works within the UK National Health Service.  
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367831 tn?1284258944
I guess i dunno how to scientifficly test this with placebo controlled double blind studies and still be ethical about it.
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367831 tn?1284258944
Sounds like good food is just a good idea in any case, no matter what.  Shotgunning so many things at once, I dunno how anyone can say any one  of the many treatment options  is the silver bullet.
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470168 tn?1237471245
I am using Omega 3,6,9 oil, probiotics, magnesium and B vit supplements.  My son is improving, but I can't say it is down to these suppliments.  This are just things that have been recommended by a nutricianist.  But if I have not given him these things for a couple of days he usually seems more 'spaced out' than usual.  On top of that I try to give him a wide variety of good quality foods.  I tend to cook most days.  I try to avoid any additives/sweetneers etc by only buying real food.  We about 3 months into GF/CF diet.
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