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Sunday, November 4, 2012

Interesting Article on Food Allergies and Autism

Original Article: http://allergies.about.com/od/foodallergies/a/autismallergy.htm

Updated August 19, 2012

What is Autism?

Autism is a disorder that affects brain development in children. This disease causes problems with social interaction and communication skills, and limitations in behavior patterns. Autism is likely genetic, although there also seems to be environmental factors that influence the disease.

Do Food Allergies Cause or Worsen Autism?

In recent years, various studies -- mostly in the alternative medicine literature -- have suggested that food allergies play a role in causing or worsening autism. Specifically, gluten (a wheat protein) and casein (a milk protein) have been blamed for worsening symptoms in children with autism. These food proteins are felt to be broken down into smaller proteins (peptides) that function like narcotics in children with autism, thereby worsening the behavioral changes of autism. 
 Many other foods are blamed for worsening autism as well, including eggs, tomatoes, eggplant, avocado, red peppers, soy and corn. However, authors of alternative medicine literature on the subject of autism and food allergies admit that allergy tests to these foods, as well as to wheat and milk, are usually negative, and most of these children do not seem to experience typical symptoms of food allergies. Therefore, they recommend testing for specific antibodies (IgG) against these foods. However, a set of guidelines known as the Practice Parameters for Allergy Diagnostic Testing states that IgG antibodies have no role in the diagnosis of food allergies.
Diets free from the above foods, mostly gluten-free and casein-free diets, have been studied for children with autism. Most of these studies are of very poor quality and not up to modern-day scientific standards. Recently, a Cochrane analysis on this subject found only one small, well-designed study that showed some improvement in autistic traits in the children receiving a gluten-free/casein-free diet. Studies of larger numbers of children are needed to confirm the results of this small study.

How Could Foods Worsen Autism?

It’s not completely clear that foods do worsen autism, although there are many theories about how this could occur. It's been suggested that autism could result from a loss of regulation of the immune system, causing an increase in inflammatory-causing chemical signals from white blood cells. It is felt that these chemicals (cytokines) may be responsible for the neurological abnormalities seen in children with autism. 
 Recent studies suggest that children with autism may respond to certain foods, particularly gluten- and casein-containing foods, by producing more of these inflammatory cytokines. Blood cells from autistic children were cultured with various foods in a lab, and various inflammatory cytokines were measured. The cytokines from the autistic children were much higher than those from normal (non-autistic) children after being exposed to gluten or casein. This increase may help predict when an autistic child would benefit from dietary avoidance of these proteins.

Are Women with Allergies at Risk for having Children with Autism?

It has also recently been suggested that the immune system changes a pregnant woman experiences could place her child at risk for autism. Many reports of women with various autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, are at increased risk for having children with autism. 
 A recent study assessed the relationship between autoimmune diseases and autism. It found that only psoriasis predisposes a woman to having a child with autism. However, the study also showed that having allergic rhinitis and/or asthma, particularly when diagnosed during pregnancy, places a woman at increased risk of having a child with autism. 

Again, the reason for this is not completely clear; however, most theories involve changes to the immune system during pregnancy and the production of these inflammatory chemicals. These cytokines may somehow contribute to symptoms of autism in genetically predisposed children.

Should My Autistic Child Avoid Eating Gluten and Casein?

At the present time, there does not appear to be enough information to support following a gluten-free/casein-free diet for children with autism. Furthermore, limiting a child’s dietary intake, especially by avoiding nutritionally important foods such as milk and wheat, may be dangerous. Be sure to contact your child’s physicians before limiting his or her diet in any way. Find out about:
Sources:
Croen LA, Grether JK, Yoshida CK, et al. Maternal Autoimmune Diseases, Asthma and Allergies, and Childhood Autism Spectrum Disorders. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2005; 159:151-7.
Millward C, Ferriter M, Calver S, Connell-Jones G. Gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD003498.
Kidd PM. Autism, An Extreme Challenge to Integrative Medicine. Alternative Medicine Review. 2002; 7(6):472-99.
Sun S, Itokazu N, Le HT, et al. Innate Immune Responses and Cytokine Production Against Dietary Proteins in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Those with Dietary Protein Intolerances. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002; 109:S222.
Jyonouchi H, Sun S, Le HT, et al. Cytokine Production Against Common Dietary Proteins in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Regression in Comparison with Patients with Dietary Protein Intolerance. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002; 109:S221.
Practice Parameters for Allergy Diagnostic Testing. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1995; 75(6): 543-625.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this site is for educational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for personal care by a licensed physician. Please see your physician for diagnosis and treatment of any concerning symptoms or medical condition. 
 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Autism Benefit November 17th Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland Ohio

http://events.autismspeaks.org

Autism Benefit November 17th Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland Ohio
Autism Speaks

Monday, October 29, 2012

Possible Food Allergy Indicators

Aside from getting tested for food allergies did you know there is a basic simple way to narrow down what you are allergic too?  Your body is a massive and highly complex chemical processing plant, and like any high precision machine, the smallest irregularity can cause some form of reaction.  Sometimes not very pleasant.

Basically put in most cases what you crave most (food wise) is what you are most allergic to.  Now this isn't a foolproof medial test but in a lot of cases it holds true.  Asan example one of the many items i am allergic to is processed sugar.  And wouldn't you know I also have a major sweet tooth and though I avoid sugars I never stop craving sugar to an almost ridiculous level.

Something else to consider sometimes it isn't necessarily the food itself but the methodology in which the food is processed and cooked.  As an example of this would be if a food is cooked in a peanut based oil.  You might have a reaction to the oil and think it is the food that was cooked in the oil.

Aside from craving, other symptoms can include but not limited to mood swings, hives, headaches, rash, congestion, swelling, sweating, chicken pox like dots or rash, itchy skin, eyes, nose ear or throat, etc.

A lot of people who have bee or insect allergies carry Eppy Pens, food allergies can cause similar reactions that require these as well.

SPECIAL NOTE: if you are having an allergic reaction to food etc a lot of times Alka Seltzer Gold can HALT a allergic reaction. Regular Alka Seltzer will not work it has to be Gold.  Benadryl and Zertec D, Allegra D are also great at helping alleric reactions.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Autism and Food Allergies (Possible Misdiagnosis)

I believe I have found a possible correlation between Autism and Food Allergies.  Please read below:
 
My name is Joe Vitale Jr. son of rock drummer Joe Vitale (Drummer for the Eagles, Crosby Stills and Nash, Buffalo Springfield, Joe Walsh, Dan Fogelberg and many others) and my entire life I have battled a myriad of allergies especially food allergies.  When I was born the doctors actually said that I wasn't designed to live on the planet Earth.  This in turn has led to a lot of medical issues with my body my entire life.  My mother didn't know what to do about my hyper activity.  She wasn't even aware of what food allergies could actually do to one's personality.  She prayed to God for an anwser continually.  It wasn't that I was a bad child, it was that due to my unknown at the time allergies, I couldn't sit still or listen.  Then one day she read an article on food allergies and how they can affect someone.  She felt that she had finally found the answer.  And an answer she found!  I went in for allergy testing at 4 years old to a clinic in Cuyahoga Falls. Dr Waikman, who at that time was one of the leaders of allergy pioneering.  As I would get tested my system reacted to the tests where I would go from calm, to agitated, to angry, to scared to hyper, etc.  The doctors and nurses actually had staff meetings about me trying to figure out how to help heal or at least control my reactions.  Doctors had given me Ritalin to help my system but what they discovered was I was also allergic to that and would run around screaming.
 
Dr. Michael Waikman:
 
Using sublingual drops (Medication dropped under the tongue) which is specifically measured through testing, neutralizes the allergic reactions.  It has to be done daily in my case.  At present I am allergic to around 2.3 billion items on the planet.  Basically there isn't anything that I am not allergic to in some capacity.  You can imagine how this can affect someone in a world like we live.  I am a professional musician and travel makes for a lot of potential problems.
 
The purpose of this blog is to be an answer, a possibility of hope to anyone who is dealing with similar problems.  A few years ago I was working on a CD single for an autism benefit through my work with Stephen Stills of Crosby Stills and Nash.  The song was sung by a child with diagnosed Autism and also film and TV star Jack Black.  In the lyrics I noticed that the child was singing about a lot of the reactions or feels he had with Autism.  These included, Itch or scratchy skin, not being able to concentrate, mood shifts, extreme sensitivity (oddly enough the song was titled "Sensative", etc.  I realized that these "symptoms" were ALSO the EXACT same reactions I have with different food allergies.  One thing you should know as a side note is that you usually crave what you are most allergic to.  I came to the possible hypothesis that there could be a possible correlation between the diagnosis of autism and food allergies.  Rather that the diagnosis of autism might be a misdiagnosis of food allergies.
 
I am not saying that Autism doesn't exist.  What I am saying is that in certain conditions and circumstances your diagnosis of autism might actually be a undiagnosed and unknown food allergy.
 
If you have been diagnosed with Autism and have had to take a myriad of drugs to control it with little or no help, try getting tested for food allergies or allergies in general.  I am not talking about seasonal allergies.  A lot of people have allergies to shellfish, wheat, milk, etc.  These food allergies don't have to cause a lethal reaction like peanuts or shellfish.  What they can do though is completely affect your mood, personality, sensitivity, energy levels etc.  This can cause you to jump from one mood to another, concentration problems and more.  
 
I am not a doctor or pure expert in the field other than being a 31 year patient and have been tested my entire life.  If you are interested in this topic, or have had similar reactions please follow me or post to my blog as I am trying to help others and through all of us we can eradicate the earth of allergies.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me and I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can.
 
Being I am not a physician you should always check with your family doctor first before trying any treatment of any kind.  This blog is my opinion and does not reflect the allergy or Autism field.  Mainly just a thought for something you can try
 
 
 
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