By James Adams (parent)
First, many thanks to Bernie Rimland, Maureen Odonnell, Sid Baker and Jon
Pangborn for all their efforts in organizing the conference and the new DAN!
Protocol. The new version of the DAN! Treatment protocol is available from
the Autism Research Institute, 4182 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116 for $20 US
It is authored by Jon Pangborn, Ph.D., and Sidney Baker, M.D. It is a major
revision, and is now 161 pages.
Summary of Advanced Practitioner's Session:
Opioid Peptides: Karl Reichelt, Ph.D., presented a summary of many years of
work by himself and others on the role of opioid peptides in autism.
Protein is made of peptides, which are made of amino acids. Basically, his
lab and several others have published many articles in the scientific
literature on their findings of unusual proteins and peptides in the urine
of people with autism. Those proteins and peptides come from casein (dairy)
and gluten (wheat and related grains), and they have an opioid-like effect
on the brain, with a potency several times that of morphine. The peptides
enter the blood due to 2 major biological flaws: 1) a failure of the
digestive track to fully digest/break-down the casein and gluten molecules
into amino acids, and 2) a "leaky gut" which allows the undigested
proteins/peptides to pass into the blood stream. The failure of the gut to
properly digest the proteins is apparently due to a lack of peptidases
(digestive enzymes), which he hypothesises could be due to genetic defects
(other speakers also discussed environmental and nutritional causes).
Recent work by Dr. Cade (1999) found antibodies (IgA) to gluten and casein
in the mucous membranes of 12 of 44 people with autism. These opioid
peptides can have many behavioural and physical effects, and could cause many
of the symptoms of autism.
A single-blind, 2-year study found that children with autism improved
on a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet, but regressed if the diet was
stopped. A recent 2001 study by Cade found that digestive enzymes helped,
but were only half as effective as a GFCF diet. Currently, the best labs
have about a 5-10% false negatives and positives, so he recommends everyone
with autism try a GFCF diet.
Summary: Gluten and casein, from dairy and wheat, appear to have an
opioid-effect in autism, so a trial of total avoidance is strongly
recommended.
Immunology - Dr. Gupta gave a very detailed talk on immunological
abnormalities in autism.
Summary: In autism, there is a major change in the immunological system,
making people with autism vulnerable to bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and
causes the immune system to attack the body (autoimmunity). Mercury is a
possible cause of this.
Sulfation: Susan Owens substituted for Rosemarie Waring, and presented Dr.
Waring's data on sulfate in autism. Basically, people with autism were
found to excrete roughly twice as much sulfate in their urine, so that they
had only 1/5 the normal level of sulfate in their bodies. Sulfur is an
essential mineral, and is needed for many functions in the body.
Summary: Almost all people with autism have very low levels of sulfur in
their blood, which could cause many of the problems associated with autism.
Sulfur could be replaced by Epsom salt baths, sulfate creams (now available
from Kirkman labs), or possibly with cysteine or n-acetyl cysteine (but
Pangborn has concerns about the use of cysteine or n-acetyl cysteine).
Since sulfate leaves the blood in 4-8 hours, it should be used at least
1x/day, and possibly more often.
Mercury:
Jim Laidler discussed the latest statistics from the US Dept of
Education on the number of people with autism, which show a 10-fold increase
in the number of people with autism over the last 7 years. Also, they show
that, unlike other disabilities, the number of people with autism is heavily
skewed towards the younger ages (twice as many in the 6-11 as the 12-17
group).
Some similarities between autism and mercury toxicity include restriction of
visual field (tunnel vision), autoimmune abnormalities, and many other
symptoms.
Mercury detoxification is best done with DMSA. Chlorella and cilantro
should be avoided because, although they gather mercury from the
environment, they do not bind mercury as strongly as human tissue, so they
will tent to release mercury into humans. DMSA can best be used on a 3 day
on, 11 day off cycle, with dosing every 8 hours (4 hours vs. 8 does not seem
to make much difference). DMSA may cause some fatigue or irritability,
since it seems to cause GI dysbiosis temporarily. DMSA does not transport
mercury into the brain. Once DMSA has lowered the level of heavy metals,
alpha lipoic acid can be added on the days of DMSA, and will increase
excretion of mercury. Doses for alpha lipoic acid can start at 1-3
mg/kg-day, and increase up to 10 mg/kg-day. Chelation should be stopped
either when metal excretion is not detectable, or when no further
improvements are observed. Since some people with autism improve on DMSA
even when little metal is being excreted, DMSA may be having other effects,
such as acting as a powerful antioxidant, removing cysteine, or binding to
gliotoxin (a toxin from yeast that affects neurons).
He also discussed the possible connection between the NMDA (n-methyl d
aspartate) receptor and autism. Blockage of that receptor could cause
reduced pain, tunnel vision, inability to shift attention, auditory
problems, repetitive behaviours, dilated pupils, and language problems. The
reason is that it controls pruning of brain cells during development,
modulates pain, and modulates dopamine and serotonin.
Summary: The increase in the number of people with autism could be
explained by mercury in vaccines. Many symptoms of autism could be
explained by mercury toxicity. DMSA, followed by DMSA and alpha lipoic
acid, are effective in decreasing mercury levels, and can improve the
symptoms of autism in some cases.
Lab Tests: Jon Pangborn discussed biochemical types of autism.
These include:
a.. PKU variants: may involve dihydrobipterin-to-tetrahydrobiopterin
(DPR or DHR reductase) -
a.. Phenylalanine -> Tyrosine -
b.. Tryptophan -> 5-HTP -> Serotonin
b.. Fragile X: may involve deficiency of deoxyuridine to deoxythymidine
transformation due to 5,10 methylene THF dysfunction
c.. Histidinemia: Histidine -> 5-Formimino THF
d.. Adenylosuccsinate Lyase Deficiency -
a.. Adenylosuccate -> AMP + Fumarate -
b.. Purine synthesis decreased before formation of inosine
e.. 5-PRPP Synthesis Deficient: - initial and rate limiting step for
purine synthesis; 5-PRPP also needed for pyrimidine synthesis
f.. Inosine Phosphate Dehydrogenase Weakness -
Inosine phoshate -> guanine phosphate, which makes biopterin
g.. Lesch-Nyhan Disease -
a.. Hypoxanthine -> Inosine Phosphate -
b.. Increase in uric acid and oxidants
h.. Purine autism - adenosine deaminase deficiency
i.. DPPIV weakness - adenosine deaminase binding protein (CD 26) -
inability to digest casein and gluten
For each of the disorders listed above, he provided a flow chart of how each
of them can affect metabolism. He also listed specific lab tests for
Hyperphenlyalaninemia/uria, Histidineemia, Fragile X, Rett, Lesch-Nyhan
Syndrome, and Purine Autism.
He briefly discussed the many factors that could weaken DPPIV, the
enzyme need to digest gluten and wheat.
Finally, he gave examples of typical findings in elemental analyses of
packed red blood cells and hair, amino acid testing, detox profiles,
comprehensive digestive stool analyses, yeast sensitivity, bacterial
sensitivity, and fatty acid analysis. This is all discussed in more detail
in the new DAN! Protocol, which he co-authored.
Treatments:
Woody McGinnis (from Practitioner Training session 1):
Autism and ADHD are similar, with multiple underlying problems, and the gut
and nutrition are of paramount importance. There has been extensive reports
in the literature of GI problems. In particular, 85% of children suffering
from night awakening were found to have reflux oesophagi's - stomach acid
rose into their oesophagus when they lay down, burning it.
GI problems lead to poor nutrient digestion and absorption, a leaky
gut, microbial overgrowth, and possibly altered signalling to the brain (80%
of vagus nerves go from gut to head).
Low zinc can lead to low stomach acid, which is critical for
digestion. 45% of people with ADHD have low stomach acid, and probably
similar for autism.
Greater oxidative stress is common. Hence, give vitamins C, E, A,
zinc, selenium, and taurine. Both the gut and brain are very sensitive to
oxidative stress.
To help with detoxification, give B6, B12, folate, Mg, zinc, selenium,
lipoic acid, and methionine.
Possible treatments include: diets (GFCF, low sugar, organic (esp. meat),
purified water, no Nutrasweet), digestive enzymes, probiotics,
vitamin/mineral supplements (esp. zinc and C), cod liver oil (for vitamin A
and D), fish oil and evening primrose oil (for omega 3 and omega 6 fatty
acids), anti-viral medications, secretin, DMSA/alpha lipoic acid (to remove
heavy metals), and bethanecol (helps intestinal mucosa, stimulates digestive
enzymes).
Recommends full nutritional assay. This includes checking stool pH
(easy at home), IgE or IgG food testing, and urinary pyroles (25% of
autistics have bad toxin; Vitamin Diagnostics is one possible lab).
For constipation problems, recommends magnesium citrate, fiber,
vitamin C, and bethanecol.
Glutamine can be great to feed intestine, but avoid if blood ammonia
high.
Jeff Bradstreet
He began discussing the biological problems in autism and how to
treat them. First, he explained that vaccines and vaccine additives can
shift the immune system from TH1 to TH2. In some cases these additives are
added specifically to stimulate antibody production, but in the case of
autism it may overstimulate it, causing autoimmunity problems.
Next, he discussed the etiology of autism in the following series:
a.. autistic enterocolitis creates an abnormal environment for bad
bacteria, yeast, and parasites
b.. Mercury exposure alters the type of microorganisms in the gut (also
occurs when DMSA is used to excrete mercury)
c.. In his small study, he found that on a DMSA challenge test, autistic
children excrete 5x as much mercury as normal children (8.63 mcg per 24 hr,
vs. 1.48 mcg per 24 hr). Thus, either they were exposed to high amounts
and/or they have a limited ability to excrete it. The mercury can have many
effects, including completely inhibiting the DPPIV, needed to digest gluten
and casein.
d.. In terms of nutritional abnormalities: -
-.. Zn deficiency exists in 90% of autistic children
- .. Cu excess exists in 90%
- .. Calcium and magnesium deficiencies are common
- .. Omega 3 deficiency exists in nearly 100%
- .. Fiber deficiency exists in nearly 100%
- .. Antioxidant deficiency exists in nearly 100%
e.. The damaged GI tract causes poor protein digestion. This results in:
-.. Deficiency of essential amino acids
- .. Extra food for bad bacteria, causing high levels of ammonia (a
toxin) - substances that reduce ammonia may reduce brain fog (alpha keto
glutaric acid is one option)
- .. Gluten and casein peptides, which act as opioids
- .. Undigested proteins causing allergic reactions in gut and blood
He also listed treatment options for various disorders. These include:
Treatment for Viral Infections:
Monolaurin: 1/4 tsp., 3x/day: active vs. measles, HHV-6, pathogenic
bacteria; seemed to have helped 2 kids
Treatment for Weakened Immune System
Zinc: 20-200 mg
Selenium: 100-200 mcg
Beta-glucan (activates macrophages, the part of the blood that eats
foreign matter)
Caution: easily becomes rancid, so make sure you get a good
brand
IP-6 (from Enzymatic Therapy): activates Natural Killer cells; 1-2/day
on empty stomach
Transfer Factor: from Chisolm
Oral immune globulin - prescription only
Treatment for Mercury and other Heavy Metals
(See Consensus Treatment for Metal Detoxification for Children with Autism)
DMSA: but it can cause temporary regression, possibly by the
undigested amount feeding gut bacteria -
Alpha Lipoic Acid: but caution, it can make some children worse -
Glutathione: oral, transdermal, or intravenous -
Colostrums (Kirkman's Super Colostrum Gold) -
Monolaurin -
Vancomycin or flagyl - to fight bad bacteria -
Fiber (Miralax is one option) -
Reduce sugars -
Eat vegetables -
Essential fatty acids
Treatment for Protein Maldigestion:
a.. morselation: chew food into smaller pieces, so more surface area for
digestion
b.. Digestive Enzymes: options include EnzymAid, Creon, others for all
meals/snacks
Treatment for Ammonia Excess
It is a neurotoxin. To test for it, ship blood only on dry ice.
To treat it, follow treatment for protein maldigestion. Also,
reduce/eliminate glutamine. Finally, use alpha keto glutaric acid, 100-300
mg, 2x/day
Treatment for Nutritional Deficiencies
Multivitamin/mineral supplement -
Essential fatty acids -
High-quality food (no junk food, soda, etc) -
Eat smaller portions, more frequently
Treatment for Food Allergies
Test for food allergies at a lab like Immunolabs - remove allergic
Foods -
Rotation diet (don't eat the same thing) -
Digestive enzymes -
IV Immunoglobulin and mercury detoxification may help
Treatment for Detoxification:
Oral sulfur: taurine, glucosamine sulfate, MSM, n-acetyl cysteine -
Transdermal magnesium sulfate (Kirkman), Epsom salt baths -
Glutathione - transdermal or IV -
Milk Thistle - to support liver
Summary:
a.. gut damage creates breeding ground for bad bacteria and fungi
b.. mercury causes GI problems
c.. many nutritional deficiencies exist
d.. poor protein digestion causes nutritional deficiencies and food for
bad bacteria
Effective treatments for the above conditions exist and can help.
Also, at the meeting Kirkman Laboratories distributed a free 176 page Guide
to Intestinal Health in Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can request a copy
from Kirkman Labs, 1-888-KIRKMAN.
Yeast Treatments: Sidney Baker:
Dr. Baker discussed the importance of first evaluating the severity of each
symptom on a simple scale (3=mild, 6=moderate, 9=severe, 12=incapacitating),
and then trying different treatments and evaluating their effect. Ie, treat
the child, not the tests.
He mentioned GFCF diets, anti-fungal treatments, vitamin/mineral
supplements, and essential fatty acid supplements.
He especially discussed an unusual anti-fungal treatment,
saccharomyces boulardi (available from 1-800-426-2831), which is a yeast
that attacks other yeast. It produces lactic acid that promotes good flora.
As with any effective anti-fungal, it can cause a die-off reaction (when the
yeast die all their toxins are released at once), and activated charcoal
(from a pharmacy, 4x/day) can help absorb those toxins. He also listed
several nonprescription anti-fungal treatments, including capryllic acid,
undecelynic acid, citrus seed extract, oil of oregano, and garlic. Both
organic acid tests and stool tests can sometimes be contradictory and
misleading.
He mentioned that high methylmalonic acid is an indicator of vitamin
B12 deficiency, and recommends B12 injections in those cases (absorption of
B12 is very low in the digestive tract). Only Vitamin Diagnostics has a
good direct test for B12 test. B12 injections can help within hours to
days.
Secretin - Walter Herlihy (RepliGen)
Initial collection of parental reports by the Autism Research Institute
(Bernie Rimland) helped them determine that a single infusion of secretin
seemed to help for 3-5 weeks.
Conclusion: The phase II study showed some statistically significant
benefit for secretin, especially when considering only the subset of
children who did not have chymotrypsin or calprotectin abnormalities. The
benefits included language, but did not include GI function.
Disordered Metal Metabolism:
William Walsh first discussed his data on 503
children with autism, which found an elevated Cu: Zinc ratio in nearly all
the children. Specifically, 85% had very high Cu: Zinc ratios, 8% were
receiving zinc supplements and had only moderate imbalances, 6% has a severe
pyrole disorder (indicating severe zinc depletion), and only 4 of the 503
children did not have a serious Cu: Zinc imbalance. The average Cu: Zinc
ration was 1.63 in autism, vs. 1.15 in the controls, and was highly
statistically significant (p<0.0001). This is a very important finding from
a very large study.
Walsh hypothesizes that the Cu: Zinc imbalance could be due to a
defect in metallothionein function, since metallothionein proteins regulate
Cu and Zinc levels. The primary functions of metallothionein include:
development of brain neuron's; cell transcription; regulation of Cu and Zinc;
detoxification of heavy metals; maturation of GI tract; powerful
antioxidant; immune function; deliver of zinc to cells. It is the primary
defense of the body against heavy metals. If a defect in metallothionein
exists, it could be due to a genetic impairment or due to environmental
damage.
A defective metallothionein could explain many of the symptoms of
autism, including sensitivity to heavy metals, zinc depletion and copper
overload, reduced stomach acid, incomplete breakdown of proteins. Since
metallothionein production is enhanced by estrogen and progesterone during
early development, females will be better protected than males against heavy
metals.
The activity of metallothionein is primarily enhanced by zinc,
glutathione, selenium, and n-acetyl cysteine. Of secondary benefit are
vitamins B6, A, C, D, E, genistein, biochanin A, and glucorticoids.
In Wilson's disease, copper overload can be treated by removing excess
copper and long-term zinc therapy. This may also help in autism, and may
lead to reduced GI problems, improved behavior and cognition, and reduced
vulnerability to heavy metals. His lab (Pfeiffer Labs) is investigating
nutritional interventions to promote metallothionein and thereby reduce
symptoms of autism.
Also, their lab found that 45% of children with autism were
undermethylated (needed folate and DMAE), whereas 15% were overmethylated.
Conclusion: In a very large and important study of 503 children with
autism, a very high Cu: Zinc ratio was found. This could have a
wide-reaching effect since copper and zinc play many roles in the body. It
is hypothesized that the Cu: Zn imbalance is due to a defect in
metallothionein, and such a defect could explain many of the biochemical
abnormalities in autism. Nutritional interventions with zinc and other
supplements are recommended for treating this imbalance.
Paul Shattock (AKA Robert Redbird):
Paul humorously discussed the great increase in the incidence of autism,
which now affects 1 in 150 children. He thinks it is due to a combination
of a genetic susceptibility and an increase in an environmental toxin(s).
These could include vaccines, pesticides, dietary changes, gut dysbioses,
heavy metals, plasticisers, toxic fumes, food additives, and drug residues
in food and water.
In his studies of the urine of people with autism, they often find peptides
that are similar to opioids, several times as potent as morphine. Opioids
are known to decrease sociability, decrease memory and learning ability,
increase stereotopy and hyperactivity, cause constipation and lower body
temperature. These peptides could interfere with the central nervous
system, and affect many functions, including perception, cognition,
behaviors, mood, emotions, CNS development, immune system, and gut function.
Based on the levels of one type of peptide (IAG), there seem to be two types
of autism:
Type 1: elevation in many peptides, including IAG
Type 2: elevation in many peptides, but normal IAG
Type 2 is the more recent type, and occurs about 10% of the time in the UK
and 50% in the US, suggesting it is due to vaccine exposure which is more
recent and higher in the US. Type 2 children tend to be more social, have
unusual thirst, have an abnormal gait, and have bowel problems.
Elevated IAG levels are also found in Gulf War veterans.
Freeman had found dermorphin, a peptide 2000x more potent than morphine, in
some children with autism.
Waring had found that people with autism had only 1/5 as much sulfur in
their blood as normal, which could cause several problems, including:
a.. neurotransmitters not being processed after use
b.. reduced ability to eliminate metals
c.. leaky gut
d.. proliferation of yeast in gut
Organophosphate pesticides act by blocking enzymes in insects, and may also
affect enzymes in humans and IAG levels.
Sunderland treatment protocol -
http://www.osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/autism
a.. test for coeliac disease and amino acids
b.. vitamin/mineral supplements
c.. GFCF diet, and keep a food diary to determine if other foods should be
avoided
d.. Test vitamin/mineral levels, and test for allergies
e.. Comprehensive digestive stool analysis
f.. Increase sulfation with Epsom salts
g.. Try betaine HCl to increase stomach acid
h.. Fatty acid supplements
i.. L-glutamine to feed intestinal mucosa
j.. 5-HTP
k.. possibly try chelation
Summary: There are elevated peptides in the urine of people with autism
that have an opioid effect, and could cause many of the symptoms of autism.
Vaccines: Jeff Bradstreet
The US Dept of Education now estimates that 1 in 150 children in the US have
autism. This increase could be due to the increased use of vaccinations.
Vaccines contain mercury (a preservative), aluminium (to increase antibody
production), crude toxoids, and live viruses. Prof. Singh has found
antibodies to myelin basic protein in many autistic children, and this is
likely related to an atypical measles infection.
He has tested the mercury excretion of 200 children with autism using
DMSA, and found that it varies greatly with age, peaking around age 5 and
again around age 10.
In collaboration with researchers in Indonesia, a study of 27 children
with autism found that 23/27 had autoimmunity, 6 of 27 had elevated mercury,
and 25 of 27 had elevated mercury in their hair.
Elevated ammonia is common in autism, and a study of 65 children with
autism found that 70% had levels above the reference range of the lab.
Thrombophilia, a coagulation disorder, was found in 70% of the
children with autism, and in many of the parents (he advised all parents to
have it tested)
Bernard Rimland gave an overview of the history of the fight against
autism. He provided several articles on the importance of B6 and magnesium,
and discussed the effectiveness of DMG in enhancing the immune system. He
discussed his survey results of thousands of parents on treatment efficacy
(see www.ari.org for full report).
Intervention: % benefited % worse
Nutritional supplements 40-67% 0-7%
Special diets 41-52% 1-2%
Antifungal medications 47-66% 5-6%
Psychiatric medications 16-46% 15-47%
Supplements included calcium, DMG, folic acid, melatonin, vitamin B3,
vitamin B6 with magnesium, vitamin C, and zinc.
Diets included candida, Feingold, rotation, no chocolate, no dairy, no eggs,
no sugar, no wheat.
Antifungal medications included nystatin and diflucan.
Summary: Nutritional supplements, special diets, and antifungal medications
have been reported by parents to be beneficial in roughly half the cases,
with minimal risk of becoming worse.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Andrew Stolle:
Omega 3 fatty acids have been evaluated for the treatment of a wide range of
psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, postpartum
depression, and bipolar disorder. DHA (found in flaxseed) does not help
those conditions, but EPA (found in fish oil) does help. In fact, EPA was
often more beneficial than conventional medications.
In his previous study of bipolar disorder, he found that 10 g/day of
fish oil helped.
Eskimos consume 15-19 g/day of omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), but
in the US we consume less than 1 g/day, probably far less than is needed.
Omega 3 oils are created only by phytoplankton (algae), and are then
consumed by fish. Animals cannot make omega 3 oils. The primary sources of
omega 3 oils are flaxseed (which has some drawbacks), seaweed (which may be
contaminated), fish oil, and Country Hen eggs (chickens fed flaxseed and
fish, so the eggs are high in omega 3).
In Japan, although they consume a large amount of fish, they do not
seem to be affected by the high level of mercury in their diet.
Most commercial fish oils are low quality. Need one that does not
have a rancid flavor. One option is Omega Brite, which is highly
concentrated.
There has been a theoretical concern that too much omega 3 could cause
bleeding, but studies of over 15,000 patients taking omega 3 found that
there was no evidence of increased bleeding.
Dose: He recommends 2-5 g of omega 3, 1-2x/day, with the EPA level
much higher than the DHA level (except possibly for young children, who need
some DHA for their brain development, since the brain in 60% DHA.
For more information, read his book, The Omega 3 Connection.
Summary: EPA has recently proven to be beneficial in a number of
psychiatric disorders, whereas DHA has not. There has not been any formal
research on its use in autism, but it may be beneficial. High-quality fish
oil is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Paul Hardy
Dr. Hardy discussed his experience with treating many people with autism
with omega 3 fatty acids and other nutritional supplements. He hypothesizes
that some people diagnosed with ASD may actually have bipolar disorder.
During the last 100 years, brain size has decreased 10%, and this
could be due to a lack of omega 3 fatty acids since they make up over 60% of
the brain. Dietary intake of omega 3 fatty acids has greatly decreased in
the US. Farm-raised fish are usually raised on corn, so they have little or
no omega 3 fatty acids (which are made by algae). Also, the use of cod
liver oil as a medication was largely stopped in the 1960s for no apparent
reason. Finally, baby formulas do not contain any essential fatty acids.
In his clinical experience, he finds that many people with autism have
an omega 3 deficiency, and often have elevated arachidonic acid (a bad fatty
acid). Also, since omega 3 levels are very low in the US, the reference
ranges of the testing labs may be too low. He estimates that 90% of people
with ASD need omega 3 fatty acids.
He recommends 2-5 g/day of combined EPA and DHA, starting at a lower
level and increasing.
Mercury: Jane El-Dahr
(All her viewgraphs are on the www.ari.org website; she also recommends
going to www.safeminds.org)
She recommends a new book, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About
Children's Vaccinations, by Stephanie Cave (just released).
Hypothesis: In genetically susceptible individuals, prenatal and
early childhood exposure to mercury may cause neurological damage leading to
autism. This hypothesis is supported by symptom comparisons, toxicity
studies, case studies, and epidemiology. The most likely sources of the
mercury are maternal dental fillings, maternal fish consumption, consumer
products (eye drops, nasal sprays, others), Rho-gam shot, Influenza vaccine
during pregnancy, and childhood vaccines. The increase in autism appears to
correlate with the increased use of vaccinations. In children who are fully
vaccinated, by the sixth month of life they have received more mercury from
vaccines than recommended by the EPA.
There are many similarities in symptoms between mercury toxicity and
autism, including social deficits, language deficits, repetitive behaviors,
sensory abnormalities, cognition deficits, movement disorders, and
behavioral problems. There are also similarities in physical symptoms,
including biochemical, gastrointestinal, muscle tone, neurochemistry,
neurophysiology, EEG measurements, and immune system/autoimmunity.
In an analysis of the Vaccine Safety Database (two HMOs, covering
110,000 children born from 1992 to 1997), found that there were
statistically significant associations between cumulative exposure to
thimerosal-containing vaccines and risk for developmental delays, tics, ADD,
language/speech delay and neurodevelopmental delay. However, there were too
few children to determine if there was a risk for autism.
Conclusion: Mercury may be the cause of some of the cases of autism.
Children were exposed to high amounts of mercury through childhood
vaccinations, and there is a strong similarity in symptoms between mercury
toxicity and autism.
Treatment of Mercury Toxicity: Amy Holmes
Dr. Holmes discussed the treatment of mercury toxicity with DMSA, followed
by DMSA plus alpha lipoic acid. It is very difficult to test for mercury
toxicity, because it clears quickly from blood, urine and hair (within
months or less) and resides in tissue. Instead, she recommends testing for
the effects of mercury, including urine organic acid, fractionated urine
porphyrins, immune system test, and other blood tests. She especially
favors looking for sulfate wasting in urine, as that indicates kidney
dysfunction, and mercury binds strongly to kidneys. (Note that Waring has
found sulfate wasting in most children with autism).
Before beginning mercury detoxification, first clear up the gut of
bacteria and yeast, and keep it clean. Also, remove all sources of mercury,
including removing dental mercury-silver fillings, stop seafood consumption,
and avoid thimerosal exposure from vaccines or other sources. Also,
nutritional supplements are important.
Then, in step 1, use DMSA alone to remove mercury from the body. Take
a maximum dose of 10 mg/kg, 3x/day, for 3 days, then 11 days off. Repeat
several times. Glycine can be added, but has only a very small effect on
mercury excretion (5%). Test urine after 2-5 rounds, since the metals are
mostly excreted in the urine. Continue until little mercury/heavy metals
are being eliminated.
Then, in step 2, take the DMSA with alpha lipoic acid, at a ratio of
DMSA: LA from 2:1 to 6:1. Whereas DMSA cannot cross the blood-brain
barrier, LA can, and causes the mercury to mostly be excreted in the stool.
Thus, the addition of LA will result in much more mercury being excreted,
possibly from the brain. Test the stool every 4-6 months, to determine how
much is eliminated, and continue until it is in the normal range. If stool
is difficult to obtain, hair can be used instead.
Step 2 was greatly slowed if lead or tin were still present, so it is
important to remove those before adding the LA to the DMSA.
During step 2, common side effects are: worse behaviour initially,
diarrhea, headache, fatigue, overgrowth of intestinal yeast and bad
bacteria. Also, must monitor complete blood counts, liver enzymes, and
mineral problems. These are uncommon effects, affecting only 0.5%
She summarised their preliminary results for treating 152 children
with DMSA + LA after 6 months. Note that some children, probably the older
ones, might need longer treatment times.
Marked improvement means little/no autistic symptoms. The degree of
improvement correlated with the amount of metals being excreted on DMSA +
LA. The children who responded most quickly were the ones who had developed
normally and then regressed. The other children may take longer. Much more
research is needed. Child's age Level of Improvement
Marked Moderate Slight None
1-5 yr. 36% 39% 15% 9%
6-12 15% 35% 36% 15%
13-17 0% 17% 54% 29%
18+ 0% 14% 14% 71%
Conclusion: DMSA followed by DMSA + alpha lipoic acid is effective in
removing mercury and other heavy metals, and results in significant
improvements, especially in younger children and in those who had developed
normally and then regressed.
Bug in the Gut: Andrew Wakefield
Dr. Wakefield first summarised his research on autistic enterocolitis.
First, there is evidence of a persistent viral infection in the blood of
many children with autism, based on decreased CD3 lymphocytes, raised IgG1,
and low IgG4 and IgG2. Also, biopsy of children with autism reveals
inflammation of the gut, including the epithelium (lining), usually
throughout the entire small intestine, large intestine, and colon. Live
measles virus was found in 76 of 83 children with autism, vs. 1 of 35
controls. Genetic testing revealed that it was from the vaccine strain, not
the wild strain. Dr. Singh tested autistic children and found that they
tended to have elevated levels of antibodies to measles, but not to other
viruses. Altogether, this data suggests that MMR could be causally related
to autism.
To test that hypothesis, he considered a challenge/re-challenge study.
Basically, he looked at children with autism who seemed to have regressed
after their first MMR. He then followed the children to see what happened
if they had a second MMR, and compared them against children who did not
have a second MMR. He looked at a wide range of types of data, including
behavior, physical symptoms, macroscopic and microscopic pathology, and
growth charts. In those children who had a second MMR, over half of them
had a second regression shortly after that MMR, whereas few/none of the
children without a second MMR had additional regression. This appears to be
strong evidence that the MMR can cause autism.
