“It’s not that our opponents are ignorant, it’s just that so much of what they know, just isn’t so.” –President Ronald Reagan
Many days it can be frustrating to know what I know about health, autism, sensory issues, allergies, their causes, and live in this society. There is so much misinformation about treatments for autism and developmental delays, etc. The main push is: go do some therapies like ABA, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, socialization, etc. And the sooner you get those therapies for you child, the greater chance there is for a better outcome. Let me be clear about this – I am NOT against these therapies. They CAN be helpful. However, they are only minimally helpful if that is the ONLY treatment these children get. If these children get other treatments FIRST, or even simultaneously, these forms of therapy will be exponentially more helpful. But, often times these therapies are the only thing moms hear about to help their child.
First we must get rid of the things in the child life that are harming the functioning of the brain and body. Things like food allergens (casein, gluten, and others specific to the child), foods that in general harm the body and alter how it functions (sugar, caffeine), and chemical inputs (perfumes, cleaners, detergents, soaps, lotions, etc that are all toxic). These are all things that can be done at home relatively inexpensively. And these are very critical first steps, and can be done even before (or without ever) starting treatments with a doctor.
Second, we need to address what is physically wrong with the child. For this, additional professional help is needed. Is the child’s head misshapen or are some of the cranial bones overlapping or out of place? (If so, the brain is likely not getting nutrients to all the right places in adequate amounts). Is there an overgrowth of yeast? Does the child have heavy metal toxicity? Does the child have chronic diarrhea or constipation? What does the child’s vitamin/mineral profile look like? And other similar things.
These issues are critical to treatment, and all the therapies (physical, occupational, ABA, etc) in the world will not correct them. Not only will it not correct them, until these issues are addressed, the brain’s functioning is compromised and the therapies will only be minimally effective. They may show some good results, but if these things were addressed the results would be so much more!
So the media is celebrating new advances and cutting-edge therapies for autism. For example, just last week the Today Show did a special on how they are now using robots to teach autistic kids socialization skills. It’s so cutting-edge and exciting. Before there was no hope for treating autistic kids, but now there are robots!!! And there has been 60 million dollars donated to this research about using the robots. But they are missing the boat. If the things compromising the functioning of the brain and the physical problems are dealt with FIRST, then the therapies (including robots) utilized – to teach the kids what they missed learning when their brains couldn’t function properly – that would be a breakthrough!
It isn’t that these scientists, doctors, moms are ignorant, not at all, in fact they are very knowledgeable, they just have wrong information or are missing information. Ronald Regan said it perfectly, “so much of what they know just isn’t so.”
Help! My Baby Is Allergic To All Food! 