Autism Cure?

I have two boys who are autistic and just recently I received this email from a friend of mine.

Autism Study Halted - Improvements "Too Obvious"    

To Thrilled Parents         

Hi, As much as I would love to say otherwise, the autism epidemic is getting worse.

It has evolved into a disease classification of "Autism Spectrum Disorder" (ASD) which includes the classic Autistic Disorder as well as the similar but milder symptom Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

The official numbers for newly ASD diagnosed kids is now 1 in 110, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). It used to be 1 in 150. And in the 1980s, it was around 1 in 2,500.

The cause of autism

Many theories exist about what causes autism, including:

- mercury in vaccinations

- genetics

- environmental toxins (including heavy metals, pesticides and flame retardants)

- viral or bacterial infections

- disruption of early fetal brain development and

- diet

(I personally know three different people who swear their kids were completely normal in every way up until the day they had their MMR vaccine...and now they are autistic.) Hundreds more have contacted us and told us the same thing about how their kids changed IMMEDIATELY after vaccines.

Although the causes of autism is hotly debated, what happens afterward is not in doubt and is not debated.

Most of them have chronic digestive problems, including leaky gut syndrome and high levels of the bacteria Clostridium tetani in their systems.

This has led to increasing research into the links between autism and intestinal flora.

The link

According to Mark Brudnak, PhD, author of "The Probiotic Solution," a child may have a reaction to a vaccine or an infection that disrupts how certain genes in their body switch on or off. This can cause malfunctioning in the child's immune and digestive systems.

When this occurs, proteins are no longer properly broken down in the GI tract. Additionally, the friendly bacteria and healthy cells in the intestinal walls die off, the harmful bacteria (like Clostridium tetani) flourish, and the gut lining becomes like a sieve (called leaky gut syndrome).

When the gut wall is leaky, incompletely digested proteins like casein (the protein in dairy products) and gluten (the protein in wheat, barley and rye) seep out into the bloodstream.

Then these proteins can travel to the brain and cause it to trigger opiate-like effects (like being on morphine), which is a common symptom of children with autism.

That's why parents of autistic children are frequently told to eliminate both casein and gluten from their child's diet...and they see great results when they do.

The probiotic-autism study that was stopped

Since probiotics are effective in helping to alleviate leaky gut syndrome and achieving a healthy flora balance, many researchers and forward-thinking healthcare professionals now recommend probiotics for children with autism.

And the results have been VERY encouraging.

One medical study in particular has proven so successful that the study technically "failed," according to a New Scientist report on September 9, 2006.

The study, led by Professor Glenn Gibson at Reading University, UK, found that autistic children vastly improved their concentration and behavior when given probiotics.

He studied 40 autistic children, aged 4 to 8. Half were given the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus Plantarum while the other half received a placebo. The parents were asked to record their children's mood and behavior in a diary.

It was supposed to have been a blind study, where the participants were not told who was taking the actual probiotics and who was taking placebos.

But the results were WAY too obvious...

Parents whose autistic children were taking the actual probiotics saw such drastic improvements in their children's behavior that they knew their children were taking the real thing.

This lead to problems at the crossover point of the study, where the two groups were supposed to switch medicines. The parents whose children were taking the real probiotics refused to make the switch because their children had improved so dramatically!

Pretty conclusive, wouldn't you say?

That's why the study was considered a "failure..."

...because the second half couldn't be completed! But the results spoke for themselves -- the probiotic was a smashing success.

Hundreds of similar studies have been and are currently being conducted that provide hope for people with this devastating condition.

Two super bacteria

Two bacteria that are showing a LOT of promise with autism are Lactobacillus plantarum (used in Dr. Gibson's study above) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

Species of both of these strains are in Super Shield probiotic formula.

In addition to showing promise with helping to alleviate autism symptoms, these powerhouse strains can also help your body in other ways:

- L. plantarum helps reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol levels while boosting your overall immune response and fighting off pathogens like E. coli.

- L. rhamnosus can help shorten diarrhea (and prevent it altogether), relieve constipation, and possibly even prevent lactose intolerance.  It can also help alleviate symptoms of IBD and IBS, helps ease yeast and urinary tract infections and strengthens the gut wall (which is vital for leaky gut syndrome).