The surprising body part that could be causing Autism

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Hint: It's Not the brain

http://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/autisms ... w.facebook

There's a bit of info in this article that hasn't been in any of the others I've come across (someone shared this one in my FB newsfeed this morning) and posted. It's worth a read. For the TLDR crowd, basically it says what I've been saying here for more than a year, only it has some more scientific info about specific chemicals & some interesting statistics. Still, whoever wrote this is just dabbling with mice vs. having proved it in humans as I have. Nonetheless, it's valuable forward moving work that will eventually bring gut dysbiosis treatment to the forefront of Autism treatment. Read the article, it's not that long & worth reading.

I had a gastrointestinal problem when I was a child, without going into details.

Are they talking about actual Autism tho (the real Autism, where you can see the difference in the brain in a scan, like Temple Grandin for example, you can see her visual cortex is very developed), or about all these cases I have heard about of people who thought their child was autistic, but when they changed their diet the symptoms disappeared? Because I don't think these people were actually autistic, I think they had some issues with chemical "interactions" in their brain.

I don't take your post personally, but posts like this are irritating. You're essentially saying that the symptoms I lived with all my life, that got debilitatingly bad for a period, were not really autism symptoms. I beg to differ. After reading a few books about Autism I knew that they described my life's experiences EXACTLY and it couldn't be more real. What I experienced was TEXTBOOK autism symptoms. I've since treated myself via diet and herbal treatments (see thread in signature) and reduced/eliminated symptoms to the point that I am happier, healthier, and wealthier than ever - functioning ever higher, feeling ever more intuitively connected to the world, and am back to work and life and loving it.

As far as I know, no one knows if there's one single cause of autism, or more than one. Regardless, if the symptoms, signs, and traits all match textbook descriptions of autism (by textbook I'm referring to "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" by Dr. Tony Attwood) then it IS autism regardless of whether one has a brain scan to see if their neurological makeup matches Temple Grandin's or not. There's no "this is autism because brain scans show this," and this is exactly the same as autism based on symptoms but it's not because brain scans don't show this.

FYI I've never had my brain scanned, so I wouldn't know if it showed anything correlated to autism or not. I doubt most here have ever had their brains scanned, either.

Further, IMO these people were/are autistic AND yes, it's due to chemical "interactions," in their brains. I've shared all of this in the link in my signature.

If it is the gut bacteria it is easily solved. There is such a thing as 'transplants' of the gut biome which are routinely performed already.

If this is the cure then I want the gut biome of the most hypersocial SOB to be injected into me.. I got years to make up for dammit.

Not all autistic people have those different brain structures. For all we know Grandin may have had a condition or genetics that caused that on top of autism.

Either way, if the gut bacteria causes 'autistic like' symptoms and this cures it, then its great news for a lot of those currently labelled autistics. Who knows, maybe those who have the different brain structure also have the same gut problem and perhaps it will help alleviate some symptoms. If mice tests showed an increase in social activity that alone is pure gold for...well, anyone.

Last edited by Dantac on 27 Jun 2014, 6:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm sorry I probably didn't express myself correctly. I know the symptoms are very real either way, I was referring to parents who mentioned that after changing their child's diet the symptoms of Autism disappeared.

By "real" I meant observable physically through scans, the type of Autism caused by "circuits" in the brain that are "wired" differently, while in the type of Autism that can be treated through a diet, as far as I know, the "circuits" are perfectly normal (i.e. like the majority of people), and it is caused by chemical reactions (or bacteria, or other). While the other type of Autism (where the "circuits" in the brain are "wired" differently) is not treatable, either through a diet or medication (medication can only alleviate some of the disabling symptoms to a point).

And I agree with you that there is probably different causes for Autism.

Last edited by Shadi2 on 28 Jun 2014, 12:18 am, edited 2 times in total.

Yes a neurological disorder that has nothing to do with the brain....

Have they found any cases where child has autism, change of diet happens and child still remains autistic?

There may be some. I'm not sure what % success rate they had with this study, they only say how many successful cases they're talking about. Here's an excerpt from the AutismOne conference topic list:



And that's a lot of people that aren't me who've experienced the same thing I've been telling the forum about for quite some time now.

Every time I read the title I instantly think of the lower arm.

This gut theory thing has been around for ages. I think in some cases it could cause autism. It might be causing my mood problems. It might not. But I'll never know for sure because I feel quite comfortable with my diet.

Then you use also feel quite comfortable with your mood problems if current diet > mood problems & other symptoms to the point that you wouldn't want to find out for yourself if a change in diet benefited your neurological health.

This line of thinking seems bizarre to me. But then again, not everyone has experienced what I have and perhaps your symptoms aren't as bad as mine once were. Mine were bad enough that I'd have done A N Y T H I N G to change them and then it was pretty easy to stick to the diet protocol for well over a year because I Never want to go back to being the way I was before it.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were a link between autism and gut bacteria, as I have some gastrointestinal problems, but dammit, I've been autistic for 20 years, and my brain has been shaped by it so much there's no f*****g turning back now. Whatever the case is, autistics have SOMETHING different about them, and either it's permanent, or it's hard to "fix" unless certain dietary restrictions are followed, and it's not even the sort of thing that would cause someone to DIE or feel sick unless those restrictions were followed, like diabetes or a food allergy.

And I was about 30 before I even realized I was on the spectrum and that my symptoms had gotten much worse over the previous couple years - yet I've changed over the last year and a half or two. Significantly. And I'd never go back. I still have subtle ASD traits, but likely not enough for a diagnosis anymore. I've basically gotten rid of all the negative traits w/ only the odd symptom affecting my life a little here and there, yet I've been able to keep the more beneficial traits of my memory, ability to calculate things and see patterns, my vocabulary etc all of which are good for work/business/life.

While none of the autism specific articles I can recall have mentioned gut dysbiosis causing other illnesses, I've read that it can trigger various autoimmune diseases and ultimately shortens one's lifespan. So, while it isn't instantaneous, it does have other negative effects besides autism symptoms. Also, it can certainly make people feel sick with IBS symptoms.

I have a family history of mental illness, and my dad is an aspie through and through. This isn't something that just popped up for me. Making dietary changes would probably make me feel better, as I consumed a LOT less dairy at one time, and felt better somewhat, but it wouldn't make me any less "aspie".

Don't make me giggle.

My mother's immediate family all display AS and other mental disorder signs. My aunt, both my uncles (especially one), cousins, their kids. Also, my own siblings. They also all have signs and symptoms of digestive issues. I'm the only one that has dealt with them and changed myself and my life significantly for the better.

You're assuming it wouldn't make you any less "aspie," but you won't know unless you tried it. You could end up experiencing as positive of improvements as I have described on these forums for all you know.

OK. I won't tell any jokes.

This thread is actually very serious whether you believe it or not.