For those that believe ASD is Only hard wired/genetic

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I might have misinterpreted you, but I doubt it.

No matter how 'balanced' I'm, no matter how fulfilled or capable I've become as a human -- I'm still autistic. What changed; is how my mind and body took the input it as, how much I know myself, and what I've done and where I'm now.


But sure. I have my own explainations why I had fluctuating symptoms -- and it's almost no different from any human states of ups and downs, just different on the whys, whats, and it's scale compare to NTs.
I had it both worlds -- getting worse and getting better, also both or either in short terms and long terms within time spans too. Thus functioning level 'varies' across time. Same true for everyone -- the difference is the variations. Mine isn't exactly constant either.

In my opinion, it's about timing too. Not just simply something to be done.
In longterms; Age 5-10 were the best times for me to sought socialization and had succeeded. Ages 12-15 are not -- seeking it nearly broke me. Ages 19 and later, maybe I'll try again. I may stop again or tune it down at age 25 or so. Then try again later or take more, then stop afterwards. And so forth.



I, for one, don't have their lives, their circumstances and their desires, nor others have mine. And not every one had ever had a 'time' to learn what timings are, nor a choice or an option to 'stop' and take a break or even go on. And not everyone would've chosen it either.
All I know is that people do change regardless.

Thanks. I have a really hard time when people are mean. It makes me very worked up even if I'm not involved. I'm always the person at work telling the boss off for being unfair to my coworkers. And I can understand where goldfish is coming from. I recently healed my gut for the first time in my life (had constipation issues on and of since I was little) and it's improved my life enormously. I thought it was my endometriosis causing me my daily, chronic pain but it was my gut. I want to tell all the women everywhere with endometriosis and gut issues that healing their gut could make their pain go away. I've tried a bit but I don't think anyone cares or can understand. Healing my gut also decreased my anxiety, improved my mood, my cognitive functioning, my sensory processing and proprioception. I don't dare try to spread the word around here though because of how people respond to goldfish. I will say that times in my life when I've struggled the most are times when my gut has been the worst. Stress makes my gut misbehave and a dysfunctional gut makes me less functional.

It seems common whenever people make changes to themselves, they expect others to do the same and when they don't, they get frustrated and then get critical of other people who don't do it. I used to be the same way.

You remind me very much of 343 Guilty Spark. I'm hoping you've played Halo and will understand why.

No. I wouldn't even recognize it on a screen unless the title was displayed. I don't play video games and almost never watch TV these days. My screen time is on here, facebook, news/science/finance site etc.

The way I see it is that the skills are a bi-product of genetics and environment. Its true for any skill NT would have, so I don't see why it wouldn't be true for autistic as well.

I guess it might not be "politically correct" to say this because, in the past, there were theories that autism is caused by "refrigirator mothers" so any kind of hint that anything other than biology/genetics can contribute is automatically put into that "nonesense" category. But, just because somehting reminds you of something else thats stupid, doesn't mean that its stupid.

Like I said, if the outcome of an NT child can be influenced by their upbringing, I don't see why that can't be the case for an autistic. That doesn't change the fact that biology plays a role: if an autistic and NT are raised in identical ways, autistic will end up looking more autistic. That doesn't negate the fact that if two identical autistics are raised differently they can have different outcomes. Both statements are true.

No. Evidence is just fine & welcome.

I've never ever said I cured my Autism. I don't know where anyone on this forum gets that from. I've been telling y'all for 5+ years that I've figured out how to treat it and it's how I function as highly at work, play, and life as I do. That's it, that's all.

edit: As I've said countless times.. if you, or anyone else here, had figured out how to treat AS you'd be interested in it, too, as well as keen to share it with others it could help. I'm not sure why that is so difficult for others to grasp.

Last edited by goldfish21 on 06 May 2018, 12:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No. But I'm pretty sure that everyone here can attest to the fact that various ASD symptoms of theirs do fluctuate, not just their behaviours. I'm talking about noticeable measurable symptoms. Like someone might notice they have EXTREME difficulty making eye contact one day, and not another. Or that their audio sensitivity is intense at one time, at not at another. etc. Symptoms fluctuate vs. remain static, not just behaviours, but symptoms.

How can you say that ASD symptoms don't fluctuate and then say they may get worse due to ____, ____, ____ ? Peoples' symptoms do fluctuate vs. remain static. Simple fact. Not just mine, pretty well everyones.

Yes, I agree. Stress (cortisol levels), sleep deprivation, sickness etc - these things all affect human functioning levels in general. But I'm talking specifically about changes in ASD symptoms for people who experience life on the spectrum.

Yes, I do think that stress/sleep/illness will impact ASD symptoms, too, especially digestive illness/nausea, but it's been my experience that they don't impact it to nearly the same degree as changes in gut flora - whether dramatic reductions caused by antibiotics or increases via "probiotic therapy," as the phrase was coined in one study.

Yes, neurotransmitter levels change constantly, with exercise, happiness, etc. We know they are not fixed from birth.

I've observed AS symptoms in 4 generations of my family, from my recently deceased 96yo grandmother down to her great grand children. Yes, genes are inherited (hence the hard wired component) - but so are a mothers' gut flora to her baby. This area of medicine is only recently being investigated. I heard from someone that they read that mothers who have c-sections babies are often found to have the gut flora of the nurses/medical staff who handle the baby vs. the mothers because they weren't born through the birth canal and didn't receive those bacteria, so the first ones they come in contact with take hold and then they're not the right mix for that particular human and they don't grow & develop quite as they should. Even without observing this myself, it makes sense to me. No, I'm not suggesting a delivery room nurse' bacteria causes Autism, only pointing out that gut flora are inherited and sometimes babies get the wrong ones even.

Vitamins are good stuff, but it's probiotic bacteria that work their magic. As human beings we're ~1 Trillion human cells out of 11 Trillion cells. Nearly all of the remaining cells are bacteria, and nearly all of those are in the digestive tract. ~90% of what we are is our digestive bacteria. Change them, change yourself. It's really that simple. If I hadn't experienced the benefit of this myself over the last 5 years I wouldn't believe it either. But it is what it is, and very real, and there are very sound reasons that researchers are researching the gut microbiome just as others are sequencing DNA. It will bring forth a new area of medicine, especially when it comes to treating mental/neurological health. Right now we have compounding pharmacists binding chemicals together to treat ailments, in the future we'll have biologists custom blending bacteria to balance an individual's gut flora depending on their specific requirements. Balance a human from the core outward & they'll function better, be healthier and happier.

Ok, don't believe in myths then. But NT's are never going to change and accept socially unacceptable behaviour from others. There's a reason it's called socially unacceptable behaviour. Society is not going to just toss aside evolutionary rules of engagement and communication and embrace people who are perceived as "weird," or "rude." Our only option is to do the best we can to fit into NT society via whatever means we can. Personally, I choose medicine because it works. Others might opt for some other method, or none at all - but then they'll continue to suffer the frustration and disappointment of how others react to them and don't accept them. You've observed it for 5 generations and know this is true.

Ok, sure, think of AS as an inherited skeleton.. now think of probiotic bacteria as that skeleton's bone marrow. Balance it properly and you have a strong frame to work with, leave it unbalanced and we're just a rickety bag of bones being kicked around by the whims of life.

Yes, our brains function differently. I used to rely on "intellectual processing," in order to get through even the simplest of social situations. But what I've been sharing here for 5+ years is that probiotics alter that programming & get things firing in such a way that my reactions are socially acceptable, in tune, and intuitive vs. stress, anxiety, and burnout inducing intellectual processing.

It could be that those pathways do form during development - and we know that they're wired differently from NT brains. I don't know, but I do wonder if gut flora in-utero triggers the "different," wiring of these pathways via some sort of neurotoxin or something, it it begins that early from the earliest inherited gut flora influencing the synaptic connections of our brains and bodies as we develop from conception onward.

I think anyone's personality/behaviour is going to be influenced by upbringing, but I don't think ASD symptoms are caused/influenced by it, unless we're talking environmental factors like diet/antibiotic use during upbringing vs. how we're treated by parents and others.

Abuse & trauma have proven to F kids up BIG TIME for the rest of their lives, so yes, there is that. I just don't think that parenting style/mistreatment causes ASD symptoms. PTSD/depression/anger etc, sure, but sensory issues? Social blindness? I personally don't believe these are caused by bad parenting.

I don't now deny that it's hard wired, either. At one point I believed it wasn't a hard wiring issue due to the evidence I experienced of it being so strongly correlated to digestive health. However, with new information available over the last 5 years I do believe that it is in fact both. We know that our brains are each wired differently than each others and do not follow the NT "map," of brain region interconnectivity that most peoples' do thanks to an Israeli study that scanned the brains of many different ASD people with fMRI technology. NT brain scans can all stack on top of each other and follow the same map. Ours do not and are all different. They then theorized that hyper or hypo connectivity in various regions may be the explanation for differing ASD traits & symptoms, especially those that are polar opposite in some AS people. It has yet to be proven via analysis & correlation afaik, but it's a promising theory IMO.

Great self observations and control w/ the sleep & dietary things. For coffee, maybe it's the stimulant effect of caffeine, but I'd be more inclined to think it was due to the food acids in it. W/ sugar I'd guess it fuels whatever "bad stuff," is in your/our gut(s) & symptoms flair up - that's been my experience. How exactly this process occurs I don't know and can only guess. Whether the "bad stuff," emits a neurotoxin, or is attached to intestinal walls and flairs up causing increased permeability (or via some other method - blood sugar levels even) I can't really say for sure. All I know are the results of how I feel when I do or don't eat certain things.

In hindsight, over the course of my lifetime I've been pumped full of antibiotics. Tons right after birth for months due to ear infections. YEARS of antibiotics as a teenager for skin. Probably another dozen times for strep throat. etc. IMO, the compound effect of all these courses of antibiotics dramatically altered my gut flora and over time amplified my ASD symptoms, especially when combined with relatively poor diet for my particular gut, until my symptoms were off the charts ~6 years ago and I began my journey of self discovery and then what to do about it all.

I don't know, but based on taking any antibiotics now (especially doxycycline), I know that a course of antibiotics amplifies my ASD symptoms Big Time, and that I Need to counter them with probiotics as I do in order to regain balance & functioning levels.

Gut bacteria remain out of balance until you rebalance them, especially if there are "bad things," growing that kill off any small amounts of good things. They won't just repopulate themselves out of thin are. High probiotic foods/supplements are required to rebalance the gut after antibiotics, I've found. Maybe not so much for some people, especially if they don't have some sort of "undesirable," growth in their gut. But for myself, intentional repopulation is an absolute necessity.

I can never be completely "cured," either. But I can be far better balanced.

I've never claimed to have a miracle cure. I HAVE stated that I have achieved "miraculous results," because that part is true. I went from being unable to function in life, couldn't work, zero executive function/short term memory, mood swings, highly anxious & depressed, high audio sensitivity, zero social capabilities etc etc to functioning incredibly highly, able to work more than full time, and play, and socialize like never before with it coming naturally and intuitively vs. forced and intellectually processed. These are the reasons why I was beyond excited to share my experience with this particular group 5+ years ago, and in return the response has been to call me a liar, a hoax, a snake oil salesman, or manic. I'm not manic, but I'm certainly a lot happier than I used to be & I suspect that those who call me manic have been depressed for so long that they're not sure what happiness even looks like, so, to them I'm manic.

I've told you countless times, I am my authentic self here. I've figured out how to treat these textbook symptoms and shared it with the group. You're not obligated to want to treat your own symptoms via my method or anyone else', but it's quite rude of you to call me "messed up," for sharing the truth of what I've learned and done with those it could benefit most.

5 years on and you really don't get it. I'm an Autistic man who's figured out how to treat AS & shared it with the community here. Whether you believe it or not, this is an emerging area of medicine that will become mainstream. Like others who've figured out medical truths before me, there are many who don't believe it.

You, and some others on this forum, make me feel a little like Ignaz Semmelweis must have in 1850 when he told the American Medical Association that doctors Need to wash their hands because invisible bacteria were cross contaminating patients and resulting in unnecessary deaths due to infection. He went nuts by 1865 & it wasn't until after his death that doctors would eventually accept that he was in fact correct, and that hand washing would save countless patients' lives. Fortunately for me I don't need your belief, acceptance, approval, nor encouragement to persist with my message of truth & fact, nor my pursuit of higher education. Over the last 5+ years, when my accounts are at their highest, I've made a quarter million dollar swing & I'm going to spend all of my time and money returning to University until they let me into medical school, and then all of these things will no longer be my layman thoughts on the matter, but rather, my medical opinion. That's one reason I'm going to pursue this career path, but not the only. It's something I Want to do. Health is wealth and medicine is the single most valuable profession I could possibly put myself to work in. There is no other field where I feel I would be utilizing my potential to serve others in a greater capacity, and no other where I would be as satisfied. So, I must Try.

You could have the attitude of "Oh wow, hey look, one of us figured it out and now he's going to go on to do bigger things for himself and others like us. Go goldfish go!" but instead you s**t on me at every opportunity. Like I said, I understand that you are socially impaired enough to believe that you are incapable of making friends, so I don't expect you to be nice. I also don't need your pat on the back or encouragement to do anything I'm going to - my own personal drive and reasons why are enough. Naysayers just drive me to overcome constraints and do things anyways, tbh.

Last edited by goldfish21 on 06 May 2018, 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.