Naturally Recovering Autism with Karen Thomas

The Function of Neurotransmitters and Their Disruptors

Why might my child be behaving this way. Toxins, inflammation on the brain, infections, and gut disruption reduce the production of neurotransmitters.

WHAT IS A NEUROTRANSMITTER?

Neurotransmitters can be thought of as the brain’s messengers. They are chemicals made in the digestive tract, or in the brain. They transmit messages vital to our brain’s ability to function properly, our body’s muscle movements, and more. They regulate our moods, appetite, and sleep. They even control our body’s response to pain. If the volume of these chemicals is too low or too high, the message is not sent properly and we experience symptoms.

Below are a some more commonly known neurotransmitters:

Serotonin

Serotonin is the neurotransmitter most involved in the cause of multiple medical and psychiatric problems.  It is greatly affected by inflammation and up to 95% of it is made in the gut, so the gut must be working properly. It mainly affects mood, sleep and appetite. 

Low levels of serotonin may contribute to:

• Moodiness, including irritability and depression
• Trouble sleeping

• Appetite control (lack of satiety)
• Night terrors
• Poor digestion
• Migraine headaches

Dopamine

Dopamine is essential in attention, focus, and impulse control. Low dopamine is often a contributor to trouble with handwriting, and ability to organize thoughts or plan future events , extremely low motivation and drive, extreme hyperactivity, motor control, and reward. 

Signals that dopamine is low:

• Trouble focusing
• No sense of pleasure or reward
• Inattentive
• Low motivation
• Difficulty with follow through

Too much dopamine can be a problem, just as too little can be a problem. Too much dopamine with phenylalanine can cause behavioral disorders such as schizophrenia and seizures.

Signals that dopamine is too high:

• Hyperfocus
• Stuck in negative behavior patterns (the grudge holder)

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Getting Rid of Pathogens and Toxins Slowly is Fundamental with Autism with Robert Harrison

Children with autism have poor detoxification and need assistance when going through the process. A child with autism is even more sensitive than the average individual. It should be a slow, and gentle process, or when the pathogens die off the behaviors can get extreme and it’s hard on your child’s body too.

There are a lot of supplements out there, so how do you know what to use unless you have a thorough guide through the process. First, let’s  talk about how getting rid of pathogens and toxins, slowly, is fundamental, so you understand this process a little better. Then we’ll talk about what supplements help and explain more about them.

I have successfully used these natural elixirs for about a decade now with autism recovery, including my own son’s journey. I have a lot of parents who have told me how valuable they have been for their own child after I shared them. In radio interview #75, with Robert Harrison, we will dive deep into the aspects of pathogens and detoxification for those with autism.

Supporting detoxification and helping calm

Some of the elixirs discussed with Robert Harrison in radio show #75.

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SNP Genes and Autism (Part-2) with Dr. Kendra Becker-Musante

Let’s talk about some genetic SNP’s that are associated and supported in recovering autism. Single nucleotide polymorphisms, often referred to as SNPs (pronounced “snips”) are basic genetic variations in people. Respectively, in a DNA sequence. There are thousands of genes associated with AUTISM and all of them have been randomized out in clinical trials which tells us that autism is largely environmental! However, even though our genes do not define us, they can guide our way toward healing.

Genetic susceptibilities come from trauma, both physical, emotional, and from toxic insult. Less than five percent of humans have genetic defects at birth.

Some favorite SNP’s that can be associated and supported in recovering autism:

MTHFR 

It is estimated that 98% of people with autism have the MTHFR gene snip. MTHFR or methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (methyl-ene-tetra-hydro-folate-reductase), when working properly, produces the MTHFR enzyme, MTHFR (5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase). However, if the gene is mutated it will not be able to make important compounds such as protein, and it disrupts the methylation cycle, otherwise known as detoxification. MTHFR gene mutation also disrupts the body’s ability to make the master antioxidant, glutathione. When the body cannot detoxify properly the toxins build up in the body and cause a myriad of health problems. MTHFR is also responsible for creating the process of converting the amino acid homocysteine to methionine. Methionine is the amino acid our body uses to make proteins.

With the MTHFR mutation metabolic issues are common, and so is the deficiency of folate, vitamin Methyl B12 , (vital for proper function of many things including methylation, digestion and food absorption), and pyridoxine (vitamin B6, for brain function and coping with stress), or mutations of related enzymes. Folate is natural and comes from food sources such as green vegetables, beans and other whole plant foods. It is responsible for synthesizing DNA, making red blood cells, transporting oxygen, and supports the functioning of our nervous and cardiovascular systems. Adequate B vitamins, including folate are also necessary for proper cognitive function.

Folic acid is synthetic and commonly in multivitamins and fortified foods. This can cause excess to build in the body. The body has a limited ability to convert folic acid to folate. Too much folic acid can affect gene expression, may reduce immune system function, and exacerbate vitamin B12 deficiency. It is critical to make sure to check your multivitamin, because most will contain folic acid and not folate.

With the MTHFR mutation it is important to reduce inflammatory foods from the diet such as gluten, dairy, processed carbohydrates and sugars. detoxification and the use of toxin binders can be very helpful.

Common health issues related to a disruption in the MTHFR gene are:

• Food allergies
• Inflammation
• Alzheimer’s
• Cardiovascular problems
• ADD/ADHD
• thyroid issues
• Chronic fatigue
• Eczema
• Infertility
• Drug sensitivities
• Tactile sensitivity

A couple of physical signs to look for that refer to MTHFR are:

• A sacral dimple. This would be on the top and center of the gluteal fold.
• A blue line in between the eyebrows.
• Tongue tie

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Retroviruses and Coronavirus As Dangers In Using Animal Tissues in Human Therapies with Dr. Judy Mikovits

In Dr. Judy Mikovits’ book, Plague of Corruption, the broader question is raised, “What is the enormous risk in using animal tissue in research and mixing of it with human tissue for the development of medical therapies while covering up the value of efficacies of natural product therapies like cannabis, homeopathy, energy therapies, and other medical plants?”

 

What is a retrovirus?

Retroviruses cannot replicate without a host. The difference between a virus and a retrovirus is the retrovirus’ ability to insert its own gene expression into the genes of the host.

The virus binds to a receptor on the surface of the host cell. Then it uses reverse transcriptase enzyme to turn its RNA genetic material into DNA. This is necessary so it is compatible with its host to assure its survival. Now with the same DNA as the host it can invade the control center of cells called the nucleus. At this point it can now replicate itself creating new viral segments which can further invade the host’s cells and cause damage.

 

After infecting a cell, a retrovirus uses an enzyme called reverse transcriptase to convert its RNA into DNA. The retrovirus then integrates its viral DNA into the DNA of the host cell, which allows the retrovirus to replicate. The most common retrovirus is the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, which conveys an idea of how fatally dangerous retroviruses are.

 

 

Study on retroviruses pseudotyped. Retroviruses pseudotyped with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein efficiently infect cells expressing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Read the study.

Please listen to my radio show interview with Dr. Judy Mikovits. It’s show # 73.

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Early Childhood Dental Caries and Chronic Infection with Dr. Leonard Smith

Early childhood dental caries (ECC) are the most chronic infection now among children between ages two and five. The culprit is sugar. ECC’s are about much more than just baby teeth. “Caries” is another term for cavities, and they can be prevented if you know what to do. The teeth effect the health of every system in the body. Infectious diseases from this are preventable.

How do early childhood dental caries affect children?

Children with autism very commonly have problems with their teeth due to poor absorption of nutrition from an ill gut, inflammation, toxicity, and internal infections including Lyme, mold biotoxins, PANS/strep and staph(MARCoNS). Their body is in a state of chronic stress. This in turn elevates the stress hormone called cortisol. There is a chronic inflammatory response from body infections or from untreated dental caries. Get your free mold and Lyme resource guide here.

The behavioral impact on neural development continues on into adulthood if ECC’s are not properly treated. It’s now proven that adults with dental disease correlate to coronary heart disease. Microbes from periodontal disease are linked to inflammation in the brain and due to the brain’s response to the inflammation it creates various types of neural disruption and has been associated with Alzheimer’s.

What makes us susceptible and what can we do to prevent ECC’s?

If a parent has a history of bad teeth then the child is more susceptible. The gut also has an impact on the overall immune system and chronic infections. Staph infection in the nasal passageways, and other sinus infections drip bacteria into the moth causing decay so keeping the sinus’ clear and healthy is important. A xylitol spray can be even more helpful that a saline nasal spray.

Early childhood prevention of dental carries begins at birth. The first dental visit should be at six months of age, and no later than age one. Be sure to see a pediatric dental specialist. There’s no need to wait until your child’s first tooth erupts to begin oral hygiene. Any remaining food, including breastmilk, left in the mouth can begin bacterial overgrowth.

Wipe your child’s gums clean after each feeding of any kind. Never give a bottle to them at bedtime or to go to bed with. Know that milk and juices contain high amounts of sugar and can cause decay. It’s also important to supplement with adequate amounts of vitamin D3 for strong teeth and bones.

What symptoms do I look for?

A child with untreated ECC learns to think that tooth pain is normal. It may be why your child is a picky eater, or seems to be.

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Once A Month Meals with Tricia

Tired of being on the meal planning treadmill? Learn how you can have healthy meals planned, and prepared ahead so you have more free time to spend with your family having fun, or just relaxing. 

You can build your own meal plan or have them designed for you with the variations offered from Once A Month Meals. To learn more about them and how they can help you save time and money go to NaturallyRecoveringAutism.com/meals. 

Meet Tricia Callahan

In 2009, I started a hobby, freezer-meal-planning blog (Once A Month Mom) to empower busy mothers, like myself, to make meals ahead. Fast forward 10 years, and my personal “mom” blog grew to be a thriving meal planning site, filled with an amazing team ready to help families make meals ahead and learn to freezer cook. Our mission is simple: help you never have to plan daily meals ever again!

I use my “I don’t have to cook dinner nightly” time to play Minecraft with my 10-year-old Asperger’s son, craft with my 9-year old daughter and travel the world!

Learn more, and sign up for once a month meals at, NaturallyRecoveringAutism.com/meals

Listen to my live radio show interview with Tricia. It’s radio show #71.

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The Best Omega 3’s and Their Health and Behavioral Benefits for Autism with Dr. Gordon Bell

Omega-3’s are essential fatty acids, which means they cannot be made in the body, so they must be ingested. The essential fatty acids derived from omega-3 oils are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). Where DHA helps to build and protect the brain, EPA helps with the functioning of the brain. We need both.

Some of the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation in the brain and the body which can be helpful in gut health recovery, therefore improving the immune system. They help protect the mitochondrion which is like the insulation on a phone wire. This helps the transmission of vital information to get into the cell. They are necessary for neurotransmitters in the brain, and assist in cognitive ability and mood. Omega-3 fatty acids are commonly used for mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, and aggressive or violent behavior.

The essential or omega-3 fatty acid is DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). It is particularly important in brain health, synapse health, assisting the brains circuitry, and in its ability to function properly. Several studies have shown that low levels of DHA fats increase depression and that increasing its intake relieves it. (Weidner, Conner, Conner and Hollis, “Improvements in hostility and depression in relation to dietary change and cholesterol lowering.” Annuals Internal Medicine 117(1992):820-823.)

Quick reference benefits of omega 3’s:

• improve the health of the colon
• assist in the detoxification process
• Brain protection
• optimizes brain function
• protects the myelin sheath helping connect brain messages
• increase thyroid hormone transfer to the brain
• helps fight free radical damage and oxidative stress
• strengthen the immune system
• reduce inflammation
• promote cardiovascular health
• improves eye function
• may help normalize calcium blood levels helping bones, teeth and muscle function
• may support normal blood triglyceride levels, normal blood pressure, and cell division
  
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Stem Cell Therapy For Autism with with Dr. Joy Kong

How does stem cell therapy work?

Stem cell therapy has been utilized by parents of children with autism for its ability to modulate the immune response by slowing or stopping pathological immune responses, and having the ability to be antigen specific. It also assists with the defect in T cell numbers associated with autism.

The lymphatic system are organs of the immune system with circulatory vessels and lymph nodes that transport bacteria fighting white blood cells to sites of infection in the body. Bone marrow of certain bones such as the pelvic bone, produce specialized cells that circulate throughout the immune system.

There are two major types of lymphocytes, B cells that attach to foreign substances to mark them as targets for destruction by other cells, and T cells that can attack and destroy cells. T cells have the additional advantage of coordinating overall immune response.

Is stem cell therapy safe?

Stem cell therapy transports the bone marrow from healthy individuals to those in need of immune regulation. This can be safe, if done correctly. This is important to note that not all stem cell therapy is done properly or ethically, and the bone marrow of unhealthy individuals has been used in many countries without proper regulation. There are unethical clinics doing this and charging extreme amounts of money to unknowing patients.

It is essential to be aware of foreign doctors from stem cell clinics holding numerous free seminars to recruit patients for their centers all over the United States. Is that legal? What precautions should parents take to not get roped in by dubious claims?

In my radio show #69, with Dr. Joy Kong, specialist in stem cell therapy, we  discuss these issues and how to know where you can go to find quality stem cell therapy from reputable and knowledgeable doctors.

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Mold, Autism and Other Autoimmune Illnesses (PART 2) with Dr. Jodie Dashore

Allergies to gluten are common with the mold genotype, non-coincidently, the same is true for those on the autism spectrum. The mold biotoxin issue is often referred to as chronic inflammatory response syndrome, or CIRS. It inflames all systems and organs of the body including the brain.

Typical symptoms for those with the genetic mold defect:

• Wake exhausted, never really getting a good nights sleep
• Chronic fatigue blamed on stress or possible thyroid issue
• Chronic pain
• Trouble concentrating
• Poor memory
• Anxiety
• ADD/ADHD
• Cold hands and feet
• Hormone imbalance
• Frequent urination (more than 3-4 times per day).
• Chronic headaches
• Abdominal pain
• Bed wetting
• High immunoglobulin E (IgE) triggering asthma
• Polyps in nose
• Redness on hands and feet
• Redness from one cheek over the nose to the other cheek
• Blurred vision
• Light sensitivity
• Red eyes
• Dizziness when standing quickly

NOTE: Adults commonly have multiple symptoms, but children may only have one symptom present.

The most common symptoms in children with the mold genotype are:

• Chronic headaches that last more than one to two months
• Fatigue for more than two weeks
• Chronic abdominal pain
• Bed wetting in children older than six years of age
• Inattention and ADHD (once treated for biotoxin illness children often no longer need Ritalin).
Testing for mononucleosis and H. pylori bacterium are important to rule out with symptoms of chronic fatigue and abdominal cramps, but it is important to remember the mold genotype illness mimics these symptoms as well. Note if either of the child’s parents had bed wetting issues as a child, or even as an adult.

Be sure to get your FREE Lyme and mold resource guide. Tell me where to send it to you in the purple box below.

Further resources:

Please listen to radio show #68, where Dr. Jodie Dashore and I discuss the common infections and symptoms of mold biotoxins and how they relate to autism. It could be why your child is still sick.

Additional radio show interviews on the coinfections of autism can all be found HERE:

• Radio Show #2 is on the comorbid symptoms.
• Radio Shows #7 and #34 are on mold biotoxins.
• Radio Show #11, 15, and 18 are focused on Lyme Disease.

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Autism Treatment With Cannabis with Dr. Christopher Shade

Autism Treatment With Cannabis  

In an effort to find help for their child with autism many parents have turned to the use of high quality medical grade cannabis. Those who had resisted in the past due to stigmas attached to it have found new hope.

For the treatment of the symptoms of autism parents have reported a greater ability in focus and concentration, increased ability to handle emotions such as rage and fears, friendlier and more socially aware, increased appetite, and better sleep.

One lesser known fact about children with autism is that roughly fifty percent start having seizures around the onset of puberty. The best news lately for this issue is that cannabis is a solution for it that works for many individuals.

Some of the newest and most enlightening studies regarding seizures, Crohns disease, pain, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer is in cannabis, that’s right, marijuana. Specific strains are used for specific needs. Before you think about it as only a drug that people use to get high, think again.

Decades ago, in the 1970’s, Israel became the medical marijuana research capitol. There are two ingredients in cannabis; THC and CBD. Israel was the first to isolate the psychotropic portion of cannabis called THC, from the medicinal, non-intoxicating, CBD portion. Medical marijuana can have less than one percent THC and it has the potential to treat many diseases with NO HARMFUL SIDE EFFECTS! This is opposite of what the medical prescription drugs are doing. Every nineteen minutes there is a fatality due to accidental prescription medical overdoses. There are no reports of fatal marijuana overdoses, and it is less harmful or addictive, (less than nine percent), than alcohol.

The science behind it tells us so far that the CBD or cannibal diol modulates chemical and electrical activity in the brain that quiets excessive activity causing seizures. Specific strains are used for different illnesses. In Israel over 10,000 patients are licensed to use marijuana medicinally. There are more than a dozen studies to treat illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, Crohns disease, pain and cancer.

Depending on the age or need of the patient, cannabis can be used like an herbal tincture in liquid form with only a few drops put under the tongue. Additional methods of delivery are as a topical cream, encapsulated, or added to food. Dr. Christopher Shade has developed a liposomal delivery system to allow for optimal absorption in the mouth. You can watch my interview with him about this here.

Although the FDA has approved studies there are organizations who say there is no evidence that it is effective. These organizations include the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institute of Drug Abuse. They block out the studies that are positive because it is not in their scope of beliefs. This can be the case with any organization. Changing beliefs is a difficult thing to do. I strongly encourage you to make your own educated decisions.

Radio Show Interview

To help with your education on CBD and cannabis, I have interviewed Dr. Christopher Shade, an expert on the medical benefits of CBD. In this radio show interview we deep dive into the many details on how CBD positively benefits the cells of the body, and the systems of the body including the immune system. CBD is also widely known to calm in cases of anxiousness and hyperactivity. Please listen to radio show #67.

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