So_what_now

Overview
by Ed Arranga

My child has just been diagnosed with Autism. Where do I begin?

Education is key. Parents are, and must remain, the driving force of our community, the stakes are too
high and the issues too sacred to delegate to outside interests. Networking is vital. Parents need to
network with more experienced parents, therapists, doctors, school officials and others who will be involved
in the care of their child. Time is crucial. While a diagnosis provides entry to certain programs there is no
need to wait, in some cases a year or more, before beginning various interventions. Biomedical tests, for
instance, while not a diagnostic tool can identify many of a child's underlying etiologies and treatments
started.

Treating a child with autism is a large effort involving many professionals and non-professionals. The world
of autism is dynamic. It is crucial parents continue to educate themselves and monitor, maintain, and direct
the goals of the team for the benefit of their child.

For many parents perhaps the greatest challenge is responsibility. Leaving the warm cocoon of
established medicine to embark upon a more promising path requires faith in their own abilities and
judgments and an understanding of their unique role as the final authority to help their child.

Autism requires a parent's knowledge to be broad and deep. Questions and answers do not stop at the
boundary of a discipline. There are no algorithmic answers. The most effective treatment plans combine a
number of disciplines from the biomedical to the behavioral, each with their own range of options, each
impacting the other. Parents must also deal with issues involving insurance companies, separation and
divorce, state and federal regulations, and legal issues.

Each child is different responding in different ways to identical treatments. Each parent is different as well.
Some parents immediately recognize the benefits of and embrace treatments while others are reluctant at
best or hostile at worst to even consider the most benign treatments.

My expertise and job as a parent is to investigate, weigh, and implement the best options for my son, be
they biomedical, behavioral, or other with an understanding of his unique talents, abilities, constitution and
response to various treatments. Together the autism community moves forward replacing ignorance and
fear with growing numbers of healthy children.

In May of this year, my two year-old daughter was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has
begun a few interventions already including developmental and speech therapy. She is to start a
neurohealth preschool next month. Adding Omega 3-6-9 organic formula fatty acids to her diet has greatly
reduced the amount of frustration that appears to be her constant companion. Also, a vitamin and iron
supplement was added. What words of advice do you have for us? What is the rate of autism in children
who are unvaccinated?

My heart goes out to you autism can be a devastating diagnosis. I admire you and your husband's
decision to move forward. There will be difficult days ahead but more than anything else your daughter
needs your grace and strength, not your grief.

Your daughter is fortunate to have been diagnosed at such a tender age. Please be aware our children
get better; many recover completely given the proper treatments and therapies (and by recover I mean
they are indistinguishable from neurotypical children). The earlier interventions are started the better.

The fact our children get better is extremely important in how you perceive the problem and how you
proceed to help. Recovery is not a rumor, or a myth, or a dream, or an article of faith, it is a fact borne of
tens of thousands of children who have improved dramatically, many recovered.

The idea of recovering children from autism is so far removed from people's concepts it is rarely thought
about or acted upon. Currently the language of autism revolves around noise words like "Not Otherwise
Specified" and "Pervasive Development Disorder" which reveal more about the meaning makers than the
disease.

Linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf contended that language determines the nature and content of our thought.
Absent a vocabulary, the vehicle of thought which carry the ideas of recovery forward it will not happen.
The vocabulary of autism needs to be placed firmly in the best tradition of the scientific method; testing,
empirical evidence, measurement, examination, and objectivity.

Hope is real. Autism is multivariate in presentation and cure. The disease bows to the collective weight of
doctors working with therapists working with educators working with researchers working with parents
working to recover their children. Your daughter's team of therapists, doctors, and educators must
understand your goal and work together to implement your ideas and plans.

Therapy
You mention your daughter is receiving developmental and speech therapy at home. At her age Applied
Behavior Analysis (ABA) is generally the most effective developmental therapy. You may want to include
sensory integration. Other therapies to investigate for possible inclusion at a later date or to incorporate at
the present depending upon her progress are Verbal Behavior (VB) and Floortime (DIR/Floortime).

Preschool You also mention your daughter's enrollment in a "neurohealth" preschool. While it sounds
good there are a number of factors to be considered.
• How many hours per week does she attend? She should be receiving a combined 30 to 40 hours a week
(in-house and preschool) of one-on-one therapy.
• Does she have an Individualized Education Program (IEP)? Working in conjunction with the preschool
you should develop an IEP with goals and objectives targeting skill-sets and behaviors.
• Do you receive a daily written log of her activities and behavior? A log, not a summary, detailing her day
is a wonderful tool to track performance, uncover potential problems, and plan proactively. It also serves
as a means for you to communicate in writing with the teachers. (I discuss this in more detail below.)
• How experienced are the teachers/therapists working with your daughter? She needs bright, energetic
individuals with a minimum of 1 to 2 years working with children with autism. It would be preferable if they
have obtained or are working toward their master's degree. A supervisor with a minimum of 5 years
experience should work closely with your daughter's team of teachers and therapists overseeing,
coordinating efforts, and adjusting the program as necessary. Coordinate the efforts of home therapy with
school therapy.

Act Now - Five Steps You Should Begin Immediately
1.) Find a doctor for your daughter who has recovered children with autism. Time after time parents fall
into the trap of feeling a need to "educate" their practitioner. It becomes a full-time job, an end in itself. Left
untreated autism is a deteriorating disease. Do not waste time playing "teacher." Your current doctor can
be used to order tests while you locate a more qualified physician.

Your daughter's doctors do not have to be located in the same city or even the same state. Technology
has created a global village. She can be videotaped so the doctor may better appreciate her behaviors
and condition. Online video conferencing is also becoming popular. Conference calls, emails, instant
messaging, and faxes facilitate real-time communication.

Work with a variety of professionals including allopathic, naturopathic, chiropractic, Ayurvedic,
homeopathic and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners. For instance, children with autism should not
take most over-the-counter medicines. Instead homeopathic remedies can be safely used to treat all the
cuts, scraps, coughs, insect bites and other minor maladies our children are susceptible to. Ayurvedic and
Traditional Chinese Medicine botanicals are marvelous for treating fevers, yeast, and parasites. Many
chiropractors are trained in cranial sacral therapy, a form of manipulation which has been very helpful for
many children with autism.

2.) Test for yeast and bacteria overgrowth in your daughter's gut. A form of yeast called candida albicans
and other intestinal microbes are a known problem in children with autism. The Organic Acid Test (OAT)
will help you determine the severity of the problem.

Typically children with autism have a history of ear infections which were treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics
kill the "good" gut bacteria which normally keeps the yeast in check. Once the delicate balance has been
disrupted yeast flourishes. Some of the behaviors linked to yeast overgrowth include confusion,
hyperactivity, short attention span, lethargy, irritability, and aggression.

Attempting to restore intestinal balance is a constant struggle. Probiotics (meaning good bacteria) are an
excellent supplement to begin replenishing the stock of natural flora. Controlling yeast may be
accomplished using an anti-fungal medication like Nystatin in combination with natural yeast-fighting
supplements like garlic, MCT oil (medium chain triglycerides) and activated charcoal.

Be careful. Other antifungal medications, like Diflucan and Nizoral inhibit the synthesis of steroid
hormones. Treatment with either should not exceed 3 to 4 weeks followed by a 3 to 4 week rest period
before beginning another round.

During yeast die-off symptoms and behaviors often temporarily worsen due to toxins flooding the body.
Yeast die-off reactions generally begin within a week after antifungal treatments are started and last for 2
to 7 days, sometimes longer. Your daughter should drink plenty of distilled water, at least 8 ounces every
2 hours, during the die-off period.

There is growing evidence to suggest that individuals who experience greater than normal yeast die-off
reactions suffer from elevated heavy metal levels. In addition, yeast overgrowth may only be eliminated in
the long-term by removing the heavy-metal burden from the body. (Heavy-metal toxicity is something I will
discuss in more detail below.)

3.) Implement a gluten- and casein-free (GFCF) diet. Almost 70 percent of children with autism respond
favorably. The diet is not as difficult as it may seem at first. Download Mary Romaniec's presentation
"GFCF and Do We Really Have to do this Diet" from this page which provides easy to follow, step-by-step
instructions.

Instead of "GFCF diet" the phrase "GFCF environment" might be more appropriate. Gluten is found in
toothpaste, hair shampoo, Play Dough, glue, and finger paint among other items. Gluten is also hidden in
many foods you would never suspect, for instance, raisins are often dusted with flour (gluten) to keep
them from clumping.

To effectively implement a GFCF diet a child's exposure to gluten and casein must be completely
restricted (GFCF environment). Contamination can occur by touch, taste, or smell (skin, mouth, or nose).
Some children are so sensitive they will react to gluten-free labeled foods which have been cross
contaminated by the tiny amounts of airborne gluten found in plants processing other foods.

Call the manufacturers to ensure foods are gluten and casein free. Your daughter may not react to cross-
contaminated foods. On the other hand be alert to the possibility. In addition, manufacturers often change
ingredients and manufacturing operations. Food from a trusted company may suddenly become a
problem. It is a good habit to constantly check food labels and keep in phone contact with companies.

The first month or two is a learning experience. Within a very short period of time, however, it will become
second nature. Don't forget to throw away the old toothbrush when you begin the GFCF diet and begin
using GFCF toothpaste.

In addition to the GFCF diet is the Special Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). Many children who do not respond to
the GFCF diet fare wonderfully on the SCD. Elaine Gottschall created the SCD and her book Breaking the
Vicious Cycle is a testament that good science and clear, concise writing are not mutually exclusive.

Reading Elaine's book is to know the illuminating power of science in the hands of a gifted writer. Ideas are
presented not only in terms of what to do, but more importantly in terms of why. Elaine's work is a program
for action steeped in something lived (Elaine saved her own daughter using a special diet).

In conjunction with a special diet (GFCF or SCD) consider enzymes as part of your daughter's
supplements. Enzymes will help her properly digest gluten and casein introduced inadvertently. Enzymes
will also help her digest other proteins, fats, starches, carbohydrates, and fibers.

4.) Test for nutritional deficiencies. I'm happy your daughter responded well to the omega 3-6-9 fatty acids
as well as the iron and vitamin supplement. Frustration is a behavior often associated with a deficiency in
omega fatty acids. Care, however, must be exercised.

Children with autism face unique nutritional requirements and can be particularly sensitive to the
introduction of supplements. For example, omega fatty acids can have the effect of increasing sound
sensitivities, tantrums, and meltdowns. B6 needs to be supplemented with magnesium. Copper and zinc
ratios are usually out of balance requiring additional zinc. Iron will exasperate constipation. Binders,
diluents, lubricants, artificial flavorings, and colorings found in most vitamins can cause problems.

Our children are severely deficient in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, other nutrients, and fiber. A good place
to start is to perform a nutritional assay. Please keep in mind each child is unique. How your daughter
reacts can only be determined by carefully adding, or in some cases withdrawing, supplements and
monitoring her behaviors, skin, nails, hair, stools, and urine. For the first year additional testing should be
done about every 2 to 3 months to determine if she is digesting and absorbing the nutrients, and to make
any necessary changes in supplements and dosage.

Vitamin Diagnostics is a good lab for testing for deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids,
amino acids, and neurotransmitters as well as testing for heavy metals and other problems associated with
autism. Vitamin Diagnostics can be reached by phone at 1.800.886.7773 or by email at
vitamindiag@optonline.net. Other good labs include Doctor's Data, Immunosciences and Great Smokies.

5.) Test for heavy-metals. Over the past few years it has become more and more evident many of our
children suffer from heavy-metal toxicity, particularly mercury.

Mercury is in the air, water, food supply, dental amalgams (silver fillings), and it remains in many vaccines
and the flu shot. It is not simply a matter of how much mercury our children are currently exposed to. Of
great importance is the mother's exposure before, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding. Studies by
the CDC indicate that nearly 8 percent of childbearing-age American women currently have blood levels of
mercury that exceed safe amounts.

Many women received Rhogam shots during pregnancy and immediately after delivery. Rhogam, until
recently, contained as much as 25 mcg of mercury. The mercury in a mother is passed to the developing
fetus or nursing infant. Other sources, for example, in consumer products and fish can increase the level
of mercury to the toxic tipping point.

We normally excrete mercury through our hair, urine, feces, nails, and breath. Many children with autism,
on the other hand, cannot effectively eliminate mercury. Their detoxification pathways are broken with
mercury in the environment continually adding to burden.

A hair-sample study by Amy Holmes, MD found strikingly lower levels of mercury in the hair of children with
autism than neurotypical children. Dr. Holmes collected samples of baby hair, the first haircut, of 43 boys
with autism and 14 neurotypical boys.

The hair level of mercury in the boys with autism was barely detectable. The findings suggest children with
autism cannot excrete mercury from their systems. The mercury builds to toxic levels. More information
about Dr. Holmes treatment for mercury is available here.

A study by Jeff Bradstreet, MD et al. corroborates Dr. Holmes' conclusion that children with autism lack the
ability to eliminate mercury. The study evaluated the concentration of mercury in the urine following a
three-day treatment with DMSA. DMSA (meso2,3 dimercaptosuccinic acid) is a chelating agent which binds
with and pulls heavy metals out of the body. The test results showed mercury in the urine of children with
autism to be six times higher than the control group.

Contrary to claims by vaccine manufacturers touting "mercury free" vaccines an investigation by Health
Advocacy in the Public Interest (HAPI) recently found mercury in all four vials tested. This despite
manufacturer claims that two of the vials were completely mercury free. Boyd Haley, PhD, Chemistry
Department Chair, University of Kentucky, feels that if mercury can be detected in any vaccine using
standard instrumentation, the content should be disclosed in the product insert and manufacturers should
not be allowed to call the product "mercury free."

Heavy metal testing can be done using a sample of hair (2 - 3 cm) cut from the nape of your daughter's
neck and sent to Vitamin Diagnostics or one of the other laboratories mentioned above. You will need to
check with each lab for their policy about ordering test kits. Some require a physician's signature.

Hair tests while a good general indicator of heavy metals do not provide absolute certainty. There is a
small subset of children with autism who excrete far more mercury than average. Another test called a
challenge test involves the use of a chelating agent followed by collecting and testing the urine for heavy
metals. The challenge typically involves multiple doses over a 3-day period. Often multiple challenges are
necessary before a child begins to eliminate the mercury in their system.

Many parents are currently using DMSA as the chelating agent. Although DMSA is approved by the FDA
Dr. Boyd Haley considers DMSA to be a neurotoxin. Dr. Rashid Buttar is experiencing great success using
transdermal (applied to the skin) DMPS (2,3 dimercaptopropane sulfonate) as the chelating agent. A
presentation by Dr. Buttar is available on this page.

Education
Socrates when asked what is good replied "knowledge." There is no greater good you can do for your
daughter than becoming knowledgeable about all aspects of autism. You are the expert. You know her
abilities, desires, passions, problems, obstacles, and potential as no one else ever will or could.

A number of good books to read include Children With Starving Brains, Biological Treatments for Autism
and PDD and Let Me Hear Your Voice. Autism is a dynamic field. Try to keep abreast of the latest
developments. The Schafer Autism Report is a free daily e-newsletter which provides important and timely
information about autism. Also, the Yahoo groups previously mentioned will help.

Responsibility
Several years ago my son started ABA therapy. Crying during the initial ABA sessions, although common,
is nonetheless heart-wrenching. This particular session Jarad's cries seemed different. The therapist was
physically attempting to keep Jarad in his seat, forcing him to sit. I agonized for ten minutes trying to
decide if I was imagining things. Finally, I entered the room picking Jarad up to comfort him, much to the
chagrin of the therapist. I could see the wheels turning in her head, "overly-protective parent rushes to aid
of child, disrupting session, thwarting progress."

Jarad's bottom and back of his legs were dotted with punctures. Being forced to sit compressed the
cushion pushing the sharp screws into Jarad. The tips were not visible, hidden by the plastic seat cover.
Jarad's screams were cries of pain, not frustration.

Trust your instincts. No matter the time, place, or professional involved if you feel the least bit
uncomfortable remove your child from the situation. Give yourself time to reflect, collect your thoughts,
weigh other options, and make an informed decision. You are the final and ultimate authority on what is
best for your daughter. Do not be bullied.

For some it is a terrifying thought, the idea of assuming complete responsibility, the equivalent of stepping
off the edge of a cliff at night. It can be the greatest difficulty parents face on the road to helping their
children - the transition from trusting to questioning from acquiescence to Cartesian doubt.

Question everything. The personnel at your daughter's preschool may be well-intentioned and wonderful
professionals. As harsh as this may sound they are not your friends. Cultivate clinical detachment when
dealing with professionals. Attempt to put as many decisions as possible in writing. A daily log can serve as
an important permanent record for communication between you and the school. Sections can be devoted
to requests, decisions, daily activities, special requirements, nutritional supplements, dietary restrictions,
and other categories.

Experimenting is Good
While experiment has a Frankenstein-ish connotation it is the bedrock of science. Many parents,
unfortunately, distance themselves from the idea.

You will need to experiment with your daughter. For example, she may have great difficulty with any
number of nutrients. Regardless of test results indicating particular deficiencies it is often not as simple as
adding them to the mix.

Proceed cautiously. Should there be a problem experiment with the dosage, experiment with the time of
day a nutrient is given, experiment with every other day or every third day dosing. Your daughter's unique
constitution is the only barometer of a treatment's efficacy.

I am not aware of any treatment that does not cause some percentage, no matter how small, of regression
in children with autism. Regression is generally not permanent and reverses when the offending treatment
is discontinued.

Develop a Plan
Develop a 3-, 6-, and 12-month biomedical plan similar to an IEP. For instance, your daughter's IEP will
contain specific goals like identifying shapes along with the methods employed to reach the goal. The
same type of goal-driven plan may be employed for biomedical treatments.

Consider the results of a hypothetical organic acid test indicating your daughter suffers from yeast. The
goal is to drastically reduce the amount of yeast in your daughter's intestine. Define quantitative measures
(numbers or percentages) to use as milestones (goals to reach in 3, 6 and 12 months).

Again hypothetically consider her yeast "score" is 100. Normal is 5. The 3-month goal could be 60, the 6-
month goal 20 and the 12-month goal 8. What methods will be utilized to reach the goals? MCT oil,
Nystatin, probiotics and garlic are all effective in fighting yeast. She may have a bad reaction to one.
Should another supplement be substituted? Which one? There are at least a dozen others. What dosage?
What are the side effects? What if in 6 months the level of yeast is elevated?

Perform the exercise for every problem (e.g., sound sensitivity, short attention span) or deficiency (e.g.
vitamins) you can identify paying particular attention to the holistic action among treatments. For instance,
omega-6 may cause sensitivity to sound. After removing the omega-6 your daughter could begin audio
integration therapy and the omega-6 reintroduced.

Developing a plan uncovers scenarios and leads to a better and deeper understanding of options and
constraints. The plan is not static and is best if it accurately reflects your daughter's current condition as
well as the latest treatment options.

Keep a Log
It is very easy to forget when a supplement was added or when a behavior first appeared. You have
enough on your mind without trying to remember which came first. Also the act of writing serves as an aid
to memory.

Vaccinated versus Non-vaccinated
I am not aware of any credible studies which compare the rates of autism in vaccinated versus non-
vaccinated populations. There have been some studies which after initially receiving much attention by the
mainstream media were shown to be fatally flawed, for instance, the "Danish" studies.

You may be interested in the Geier's research which found children are 27 times more likely to develop
autism after exposure to three thimerosal-containing vaccines than those who receive thimerosal-free
versions. Mark Geier, MD, PhD, and his son David, are the only self-funded researchers publishing in
peer-reviewed journals on thimerosal and autism using CDC data.

A piece of great news and another indicator of the effect of mercury-containing vaccines versus mercury-
free vaccines is the recent drop in the number of cases of autism reported in California. For the first time
in the 35-year history of collecting data in July, 2004 California reported a third consecutive quarter drop
in the number of children with autism. The decrease in the number of children with autism is the result of
the reduction of thimerosal in vaccines beginning in 2000 and 2001.

Much more work remains to be done as the autism community moves forward both at the state and federal
levels to eliminate a known neurotoxin from vaccines and full shots. This year Iowa became the first state
to ban the use of thimerosal in childhood vaccines with many other states preparing to introduce similar
legislation. At the federal level Congressman Dave Weldon, MD, and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
introduced legislation - HR4169 - for a broader ban on the use of mercury in vaccines.

Can you offer a better understanding of orthodox medicine as it applies to autism treatment?
I find it helpful when attempting to understand a field, orthodox medicine in this case, to put it in terms of
familiar ideas. My background is software engineering. Surprisingly, at a fundamental level software
engineering has more in common with medicine than it does with many of its engineering cousins, like
mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Software engineering and orthodox medicine suffer from the same underlying problem. The problem which
causes your Windows Operating System to crash is the same problem which prevents orthodox medicine
from helping children with autism.
A misdiagnosis
Orthodox medical theory and practice misdiagnoses discrete systems as continuous. The belief that
children with autism function as continuous systems has been devastating in terms of diagnosis, research,
and treatment. While orthodox medicine does not use the term continuous systems its diagnostic
techniques, organization, and treatment options operate under many of the same assumptions.
Orthodox medicine is obsessed with germ theory and disease states. The emphasis is on outputs and
algorithms, or to put it in medical terms, on diseases (symptoms) and formulistic treatments. Only at a very
superficial level does orthodox medicine permit the possibility of discrete systems behavior (any input has
unforeseen outputs, small inputs produce drastic outputs).

The differences between continuous and discrete systems demand different mindsets, new kinds of
analysis and synthesis, and a different world-view. The most important step is to acknowledge the problem
domain, to grant, rather than deny, the types of characteristics exhibited by children with autism are the
same as those found in discrete systems.
Small changes in input and predictable outputs
Esteemed biochemist Roger Williams, PhD, found a 200-fold difference in calcium requirements among
different healthy human subjects. Recent research in the toxicity of mercury has revealed sensitivities to
mercury vary as much as a million-fold from one individual to another.
Dr. Williams stressed that inborn differences between humans are extensive, significant, and crucial to
understanding and solving most human problems. Dr. Williams also found nutritional status can influence
the expression of genetic characteristics. The most important consideration according to Dr. Williams is
biochemical individuality.
Vitamins and other nutritional substances may well be the greatest and most enduring of medical
discoveries of the 20th century. Vitamin A (1912, the first vitamin to be discovered) was named retinol
because, without it, a healthy retina in the eye could not be formed. With the B-vitamins came the cures for
beriberi, pellagra, pernicious anemia, nerve degeneration, enlarged heart, energy production, and many
others diseases and conditions. Incredibly, orthodox medical practitioners are not required to understand
nutrition to be licensed to practice medicine.
The biochemistry of children with autism reveal many nutritional deficiencies, including vitamins, minerals,
essential fatty acids, and amino acids (small inputs). Many children given supplements improve along a
number of axes (profound outputs).
For instance, children with autism often rub and poke their eyes. Some must be restrained with head gear
to keep from gouging their eyes. It’s due to a calcium deficiency. The red rash seen around the lips, often
called clown lips, is due to a vitamin B2 deficiency.

Viewing a child with autism in terms of discrete systems behavior provides a more accurate model than the
current continuous systems concepts. Children from autism suffer from extreme chemical sensitivities, food
allergies, delayed food allergies, hypersensitivity to sound and light (small inputs). In addition, how
different children react to trace amounts of the same substances cannot be predicted (outputs –
biochemical individuality). One child may suffer anger, another constipation, a third diarrhea.
Limited by continuous systems thinking orthodox medical practitioners cling to the notion that your child is
the same as my child is the same as every child. Autism is a one size fits all label precluding the necessity
of further individualized investigation.

Separation of concerns
Orthodox medicine is a house defined by separation of concerns. The two general divisions are medicine
and surgery. Within medicine there is internal medicine, cardiology, gastroenterology, pediatrics,
geriatrics, dermatology, immunology, epidemiology, allergy, neurology, psychiatry, radiology, and
pathology. Surgery is divided into surgery, orthopedics, urology, ear, nose and throat, obstetrics and
gynecology, anesthesiology, and ophthalmology. Anatomical divisions include cardiovascular, nervous,
immune, reproductive, gastrointestinal, urinary, integumentary, musculoskeletal, endocrine,
reticuloendothelial and hematologic systems.
One technique of mastering complexity has been known since ancient times: Divide et impera (Divide and
rule). Granted, many important discoveries are due to analytical techniques which by partitioning
(separating) produce manageable areas of study. Partitioning, however, is not without its own effects and
not all of them are good. Analysis is only part of the equation.

The separation of orthodox medicine into its current specialty and anatomical divisions is not by necessity,
but by convention. Divisions evolved arbitrarily over a period dating to the middle ages. Today, it stands
as the defining organizational paradigm of orthodox medicine.
The blood brain barrier (BBB) was and is touted as a natural partition separating the brain from the body
protecting our most vital organ from all manner of potential toxins. Recently, however, a number of
methods have been discovered allowing toxins to penetrate the barrier. The entire blood-brain barrier
edifice was built on experiments conducted in the 1920s and 30s.
It was widely held, practiced, and believed that emotions originate in the brain. The hypothalamus was
considered the seat of emotions which trickled down through its neural connections to the back of the
brain, or brainstem, or through the secretions of the pituitary gland to the body. It is now understood
emotions can originate in the body as well the mind, the paths are two-way, not one-way streets.
Only within the past twenty years have cellular communication capabilities been discovered with the
detection of interleukins, now called cytokines. The list of discoveries is endless, as it should be. Yet
experience, not just theory must guide our understanding. There is an old adage, “When theory meets
reality, reality always wins.”
A child with autism symptoms appear to originate in the mind, but that is only to the untrained eye which
avoids looking at the entire body. Every input (possibility), including food, toxins, yeast, and others must
be considered when a child bangs their head on the ground and walks on their toes. In children with
autism the ball will continue upward and the plane will execute a sharp dive.
Sidney Baker, MD, one of the founders of DAN! says “Anatomically the CNS (central nervous system) and
immune systems are quite distinct and different. One is made up of stationary long branching permanent
cells with a compact headquarters between ones ears. The other is made up of a disseminated population
of short-lived mobile cells with no specific organ to call home. Pick up any textbook of anatomy, physiology,
or pathology. The CNS and immune system chapters are widely separated as are the experts who wrote
the chapters. From the way I see it, however, they are a functional unit.”
Dr. Baker suggests a different world-view, a separation of concerns based not on anatomy, but on
functionality, a more natural and richer model. Functional medicine is part of a larger holistic health care
movement which seeks to integrate, not separate. Holistic practitioners follow in the footsteps of empiricist
physicians in the continuing battle for medicine dating to the dawn of science.
Empirics promote the practice of medicine based on observation and experience. Rationalists (today
known as orthodox medicine) seek medical certainty in formal logic (mathematics). Formal logic, however,
has proven to be inadequate as a means to model large discrete systems.

Organizational behavior
Organizational behavior theory can be used to help understand, to examine how organizations work. The
survival instinct is well established as one of the basic foundations in life, but it is not just life forms which
exhibit survival strategies, organizations do so as well. Sterling’s pioneering work discovered a key
organizational foundation: An organization’s chief concern is the optimum allocation of its resources to
ensure its own survival.
The specialties and anatomical divisions in orthodox medicine are organizations that act in their own best
interests regardless of stated goals. Organizational behavior also finds the structure of an organization
dictates its solutions, not to change them, but to reflect them.
The super-structure surrounding orthodox medicine, including fundraising, allocation of resources for
research, prestige, power, reimbursement for medical care and medical education depend on the current
organizational format. Internal as well as external forces dictate its continuance.
As a biomedical disease autism does not fit well into the current separation of concerns. (Autism is a
multisystem disease with neurological, gastrointestinal, endocrine, immune, developmental, and
communicative abnormalities.) Turf warfare, politics, bureaucratic inertia, hubris, and other “human”
factors prevent orthodox medicine from applying an interdisciplinary approach to autism.
Attempting to “divide and rule” the body orthodox medicine has created walls to understanding. Orthodox
medicine places a premium on analysis yet lacks an equal emphasis on synthesis. The organizational
structure of orthodox medicine is an artificial separation of concerns. The tool has usurped reality as a
world-view. Derivations from the model, like autism, are not addressed.
Problems with orthodox medicine
Do not equate orthodox medicine with medical science. Orthodox medicine is deeply flawed; its science
preserved in amber-logic, existing outside of experience. Orthodox medicine has metastasized; rigidly
staying within the confines of its own self-reinforcing coterie making it singularly unable to adjust, to learn,
to help.

Orthodox medicine’s fetish with continuous systems thinking, specialties and anatomical divisions relegates
children with autism to a number of pre-determined, hugely unqualified, sub-specialists, among them
pediatric neurologists and behavioral psychiatrists, where they are largely declared beyond the help of
“medical science.”
To any of the countless questions parents raise when talking to orthodox medical practitioners the
answers are uniquely uninformed, misleading, and often dangerous: Environmental toxins? Not a problem:
Chemical sensitivities? Unlikely: Food allergies? Unproven: Vaccines? Completely safe: Increase in
autism? A theory: Nutritional supplements? Baseless: Cause? Genetics: Treatment? Psychotropic drugs:
The future? Consider institutionalizing.
At its core orthodox medicine is antithetical to autism. A rigid reliance on deterministic disease definitions
spins jabberwocky non-answers inducing Alice in Wonderland effects. After reading Jabberwocky Alice
proclaimed, “Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas - only I don’t know exactly what they are.”

Summing up
All children with autism exhibit discrete systems behavior (widely divergent outputs are exhibited based on
similar inputs). Key for parents is recognizing the biochemical individuality of each child, bringing
biomedical treatments to bear at the most appropriate points.
Much as a jeweler carefully giving a gentle tap on a diamond reveals its inner symmetry, sparkle, brilliance
and fire parents can bring the inner beauty of their children to the world by biomedical “tapping” at the
“right” points. Our children are diamonds; each is unique, infinitely more precious.
Contrary to the widely held orthodox medical opinion our children get better; many fully recover (please
see my previous column). Following Alice down the rabbit hole will never reveal the inner brilliance and
happiness of our children, addressing their biochemical individuality and needs will.

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