Special diets surpass drugs in autism
treatment success
Go Dairy Free
5/7/2006 10:08:26 PM
Public awareness of autism increased
exponentially last week, when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) released a report announcing the prevalence of autism in our
country. In 2003 and 2004, two national health organizations
interviewed the parents of approximately 98,000 school-aged
children, combined. The results estimated that nearly 1 in every 175
children is living with autism. This equates to approximately
300,000 autistic school-aged children in the U.S. alone. Some
researchers believe this number may still prove to be conservative.
To most Americans, this news comes as
quite a shock. However, for the hundreds of thousands of parents
with autistic children it is a mere affirmation that this condition
deserves far more attention than it has been receiving.
Autism is a brain disorder that
typically makes its presence known in early childhood. It affects
several crucial areas of development including social interaction,
communication, behavior, creativity, and imagination. Autism was
formally identified around the mid-1900s, but it has persisted as a
misunderstood and often mislabeled condition.
For decades the parents of autistic
children have been experimenting with various medical and
alternative treatments. Although a cure has yet to surface, their
network of trial and error has yielded some surprising and positive
results.
In 2005, The Autism Research
Institute published their findings from an ongoing study, focused on
the usefulness of different treatment interventions. Overall, they
questioned nearly 23,700 parents of autistic children. The parents
were asked to rate the therapies they had trialed according to
effectiveness. The treatment options fell under three major
categories: drugs; biomedical non-drug therapies, such as vitamin
supplements; and special diets. Much to the dismay of major drug
companies, the results swung largely in favor of alternative
therapies and diet.
Approximately 50 different drugs were
reported as tested. On average, 30% of the cases showed an
improvement of symptoms, however, 31% actually got worse while on
the drug. Biomedical non-drug therapies faired far better. 45% of
the cases reported a decline in symptoms with only 5% exhibiting an
increase. Amazingly, special diets rated as the most successful
treatment category overall. Among the autistic children who were put
on a special diet, 50% of the specific cases showed signs of
improvement, while only 2% experienced a rise in symptoms.
The simple removal of dairy products
was the special diet option trialed the most, with over 5,500
parental reports. On par with the category results, 49% of those who
chose a dairy free treatment option found it to improve their
child’s symptoms, while only 2% found it to worsen symptoms. Of
those who were willing to take it a step further to a gluten free /
casein free diet, a resounding 65% saw an improvement in symptoms.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other flours, while casein is
a highly allergenic milk protein.
Gradually, the gluten free / casein
free diet is becoming a mainstream recommendation for the treatment
autism. Primarily due to its high success rate, and relatively low
risk of side effects. Other alternative treatments are beginning to
receive similar recognition, particularly in the areas of reducing
chemical exposure (in food, water, and the environment) and
detoxification. Although numerous research studies do support the
hypothesis that alternative therapies and special diets can
dramatically aide in the severity of autism, the reason behind their
success is still somewhat elusive. For this reason, experts
recommend that parents consult a gastroenterologist before their
autistic child undergoes a dietary modification.
Alisa Fleming is the Senior Editor of
www.godairyfree.org your complete resource for living a healthy
dairy free life. Parties interested in interviews and appearances
with Alisa Fleming should contact Go Dairy Free public relations at
702 505-4426.
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