The Root Cause Of Autism & Autoimmunity
Episode 15 is a deep dive into the main drivers of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Autoimmunity. This podcast was stemmed from a comment who thought that his autism could not be cured. Most diseases are curable but not every person can be cured. Mindset matters!
Today in the Improvement Warrior podcast Episode 15 we will discuss:
- Audio and video podcast down below
- Today in the Improvement Warrior podcast Episode 15: The Root Cause of Autism & Autoimmunity we will discuss:
- How Autism Spectrum Disorder is caused and when and why
- What are transition metals and how do they affect autism
- An in-depth breakdown of two transition metals-Iron and Copper and they’re role in all disease
- How the mitochondria is passed down and what is the issue with kids’ mitochondria when they are born
- What causes Autoimmune diseases?
- Why the DC Electric Current is Vital to our health and what the heck is it?
- Why carbs help kids get sicker, especially with autism
- Why nnEMF is the worst thing for a human’s health
- Exactly how switches’ in us get turned on or kept off epigenetics 101
- Why Autism is an epi-genetic disease and not genetic!
Why Are Researchers Undecided On Some Issues
If autism has been in circulation since the 1940s, and researchers have access to so many powerful tools, why cant they give clear answers about the risks in 2022? Its a complicated question to answer.
Autism experts explain that the difficulty lies in determining things that are potentially linked to autism versus those that could trigger the disorder.
Plenty of autism research relies on observation. Researchers look at two things and try to draw parallels. For example, they may ask pregnant women how often they drink coffee. Then, they follow these women and determine how many of them have kids with autism.
Unfortunately, these studies cannot prove that one thing always leads to another. Researchers find a connection, but they are not sure if its meaningful.
Read through autism research like this, and you usually see a disclaimer that encourages more study. That means there is no definitive answer. The information is helpful to further studies, but no conclusions have been made.
For example, the National Center for Health Research cites a connection between income and ASD. In one study, for every $1,000 in income above average, the rate of autism went up by 3%.
Read this study, and you might believe wealth contributes to autism. But how does that work? How would that make sense?
Correlation is not causation. While links between autism and various other factors are interesting, they dont mean that these factors cause autism. We still need to learn more.
Understanding And Addressing Challenging Behaviors
The root cause of most challenging behaviors can be placed into one of three categories: a biological basis, a social basis, or an initial biological cause later maintained by social consequences.
Biological causes can include anxiety , painful medical comorbidities such as GI distress , or environmental sensory processing issues . Social causes generally relate to a desire for attention or a desire to avoid or acquire a certain object or situation . Some behaviors can originate from an underlying biological issue, usually associated with pain or discomfort, but continue due to social consequences, like gaining attention, even after the pain has stopped . Note that some challenging behaviors are caused by underlying genetic conditions and associated comorbidities.
Though the root causes of challenging behaviors vary, the behaviors themselves are generally understood and addressed as functions of communication. This is especially true for individuals with autism because communication difficulties are a core symptom. These challenging behaviors, as with any other, are learned via modeling, association, and observation. Therefore, given correct positive supports and interventions, they can be modified and replacement behaviors and coping strategies can be learned.
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Endogenous Opiate Precursor Theory
In 1979, Jaak Panksepp proposed a connection between autism and opiates, noting that injections of minute quantities of opiates in young laboratory animals induce symptoms similar to those observed among autistic children. The possibility of a relationship between autism and the consumption of gluten and casein was first articulated by Kalle Reichelt in 1991.
Opiate theory hypothesizes that autism is the result of a metabolic disorder in which opioid peptides gliadorphin and casomorphin, produced through metabolism of gluten and casein , pass through an abnormally permeable intestinal wall and then proceed to exert an effect on neurotransmission through binding with opioid receptors. It has been postulated that the resulting excess of opioids affects brain maturation, and causes autistic symptoms, including behavioural difficulties, attention problems, and alterations in communicative capacity and social and cognitive functioning.
What Doesnt Cause Autism
Bad parenting
There was a bleak period in history from the 1950s to 1970s when autism was believed to be a psychological disorder, and blamed on cold, uncaring parents, usually the mothers.
Fortunately, the myth of the ârefrigerator motherâ has been debunked by science, and autism is now recognised as a disorder of brain development with genetic links. Nothing you said or did as a parent caused your child to develop autism, so please donât listen to anyone who suggests otherwise.
Vaccines
Scores of scientific studies have effectively ruled out vaccines as a cause of autism. Concerns originally arose around two issues of Mercury and the MMR Vaccine
In 2014, a meta-analysis, combining the result of 10 studies and over 1.2 million children, found no link between vaccines and autism. The World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other leading international health groups have also concluded thereâs no link. Unfortunately, the belief persists among anti-vaccination campaigners, who are very vocal on the Internet. If you remain concerned about vaccines, arrange a time to talk your paediatrician or GP. Remember, Vaccines Save Lives!
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Is Autism Caused By Mother Or Father
One of the first questions you tend to ask after receiving the diagnosis of anautics is what caused them. In order to understand why we have an increase inAutism, we need to do everything we can. It is believed that autism is affected by an array of genetic and environmental factors. The development of autism is therefore more likely to be caused by these influences in children.
Myth #: Vaccines Cause Autism
Probably the most wide-spread myth on the root cause of autism is that childhood vaccines have a direct link. This rumor has convinced countless parents to withhold life-saving vaccines from their children, making it the most important one to debunk.
The myth began in 1998 when Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a paper stating that the MMR vaccine caused autism. The study looked at a very small sample of children, 12 in total. The large publicity came due to the rapid increase in autism diagnoses at the same time.
Since that paper was published, at least 12 follow-up studies have been done. None of those studies found any evidence that the MMR vaccine caused autism. An investigation into the 1998 study itself uncovered several problems with how it was conducted. This lead to the journal that published the paper retracting it. Wakefield lost his medical license, but the damage was already done. This myth has continued for over twenty years now.
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Cause #: Birth Injury
Despite the three myths, we laid out in the first section of this post. There are some environmental causes of autism, namely birth injuries.
Cerebral palsy is the most common motor disability in American children, but its not the only form of birth injury. A study examining the records of nearly 600,000 births found that complications during childbirth could increase the risk of autism development by 10 percent.
Once demographic factors had been adjusted, the study found that birth asphyxia and preeclampsia seemed to increase the childs risk of developing autism. There were also links found between the increased chance of autism and:
- Perinatal complications
- Fetal Dystocia
- Umbilical cord prolapse
This study, and others like it, are more than enough reason for parents who had birthing complications caused by medical professionals to seek birth injury compensation if their child was then born with autism.
Heavy Metal And Environmental Toxin Exposure
Thanks to scientific research, pregnant women can avoid certain toxins known to cause harm to a developing fetus. We as a society are much more health-conscious and aware of environmental toxins today.
However, environmental toxins still exist! Sometimes pregnant women do not know they are pregnant, or that theyve come in contact with toxins.
With so many toxins that exist in the world, which toxins cause autism? An easy answer: Researchers arent sure! Thats because many chemicals in use today havent been assessed for toxicity.
According to the Childrens Environmental Health Center the following 10 common environmental toxins and chemicals are suspected of causing autism and other learning disabilities:
Keep in mind that these 10 chemicals are only suspected of causing autism and learning disabilities. Still, more research needs to be conducted on the above chemicals and toxins.
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What Are The Different Types Of Autism
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition is published by the American Psychiatric Association . Clinicians use it to diagnose a variety of psychiatric disorders.
The most recent fifth edition of the DSM was released in 2013. The DSM-5 currently recognizes five different ASD subtypes, or specifiers. They are:
- with or without accompanying intellectual impairment
- with or without accompanying language impairment
- associated with a known medical or genetic condition or environmental factor
- associated with another neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavioral disorder
Someone can receive a diagnosis of one or more specifiers.
Before the DSM-5, autistic people may have received a diagnosis of:
- autistic disorder
- pervasive development disorder-not otherwise specified
- childhood disintegrative disorder
Its important to note that a person who received one of these earlier diagnoses has not lost their diagnosis and will not need to be reevaluated.
- evaluations
Do Vaccines Cause Autism
Theres a lot about autism that researchers dont understand quite yet. But the science is clear on this: There is no connection between vaccines and ASD.
In 1998, The Lancet published a study connecting the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine with autism. It caused quite a stir, and its still cited today by people worried about vaccines.
But as the National Capital Poison Center explains, the study is not accurate. The doctor and lead researcher falsified data. He violated accepted ethical practices and had substantial financial conflicts of interest. In time, he lost his license to practice medicine.
Moms who make decisions based on this false data are making a mistake. So are moms who avoid vaccines due to mercury exposure. The National Capitol Poison Center explains that a link between mercury in vaccines and ASD has also been debunked.
The American Academy of Pediatrics collects data on vaccines and safety. Dozens and dozens of studies prove that these interventions save lives, and they simply do not cause autism.
And yet, the association persists. Timing might play a role.
Signs and symptoms of autism emerge at about age 2, when a child is getting core vaccines. Some parents draw a causal link between the vaccine and ASD. The child had no observable signs before they got the vaccine and now, symptoms are noticeable.
Timing doesnt cause ASD. Vaccines arent the issue. This is one of the things we can say for certain regarding autism risks.
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How Is Asd Diagnosed
ASD symptoms can vary greatly from person to person depending on the severity of the disorder. Symptoms may even go unrecognized for young children who have mild ASD or less debilitating handicaps.
Autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed by clinicians based on symptoms, signs, and testing according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V, a guide created by the American Psychiatric Association used to diagnose mental disorders. Children should be screened for developmental delays during periodic checkups and specifically for autism at 18- and 24-month well-child visits.
Very early indicators that require evaluation by an expert include:
- no babbling or pointing by age 1
- no single words by age 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
- no response to name
- excessive lining up of toys or objects
- no smiling or social responsiveness
Later indicators include:
- impaired ability to make friends with peers
- impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
- absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
- repetitive or unusual use of language
- abnormally intense or focused interest
- preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
- inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals
Obstructive Sleep Apnea In Pregnancy
Sleep apnea can result in intermittent hypoxia and has been increasing in prevalence due in part to the obesity epidemic. The known maternal risk factors for autism diagnosis in her offspring are similar to the risk factors for sleep apnea. For example, advanced maternal age, maternalobesity, maternal type 2 diabetes and maternal hypertension all increase the risk of autism in her offspring. Likewise, these are all known risk factors for sleep apnea.
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How Can This Be
Autistics have some unique blend of up to five underlying health problems. These health problems have lists of symptoms that may overlap hugely, so they can be hard to tell apart. ALL health problems respond to a healthy lifestyle and the sicker you are, the bigger the impact a healthy lifestyle will have.
When you talk to health professionals who support autism turnarounds, many of them say, If you can restore an autistic person to health, you can restore ANYONE to health.
They say this because autistics get just about every illness we know about at such a young age that the stress changes how our brains develop . For more information on how stress changes development, I highly recommend Dr. Robert Scaers book, The Trauma Spectrum.
Unless there are certain co-occurring genetic syndromes, such as Downs or Fragile X, involved, our brains are developing just fine under all the physical, mental, and emotional disruption caused by these serious ailments we just cant communicate what were understanding.
Genetic Causes Of Autism
People with certain gene variations are said to likely to develop autism. These genes are believed to affect brain development.
People with genetic disorders such as the Fragile X syndrome are at high risk for developing autism. The syndrome, which causes learning disabilities, is one of the many gene abnormalities that can cause autism.
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What Are 3 Causes Of Autism
Disorders Of Amino Acid Metabolism
Epigenetic mechanisms may increase the risk of autism. Epigenetic changes occur as a result not of DNA sequence changes but of chromosomal histone modification or modification of the DNA bases. Such modifications are known to be affected by environmental factors, including nutrition, drugs, and mental stress. Interest has been expressed in imprinted regions on chromosomes 15q and 7q.
Most data supports a polygenic, epistatic model, meaning that the disorder is caused by two or more genes and that those genes are interacting in a complex manner. Several genes, between two and fifteen in number, have been identified and could potentially contribute to disease susceptibility. However, an exact determination of the cause of ASD has yet to be discovered and there probably is not one single genetic cause of any particular set of disorders, leading many researchers to believe that epigenetic mechanisms, such as genomic imprinting or epimutations, may play a major role.
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Interactions Between Genes And The Environment
If someone is susceptible to ASD because of genetic mutations, then certain situations might cause autism in that person.
For instance, an infection or contact with chemicals in the environment could cause autism in someone who is susceptible because of genetic mutations.1 However, someone who is genetically susceptible might not get an ASD even if he or she has the same experiences.2
Can Vaccines Cause Autism
The CDC states that there is no link between vaccines and developing autism spectrum disorder. The belief that vaccines cause autism started with a study in 1998 and another one in 2002 that concluded that certain vaccines for measles and rubella are linked with developing autism in children.
These studies have long been discredited, and the CDC has made it a point to educate parents and caregivers that vaccines are not what causes autism in babies.
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Epigenetic Errors Triggered By Environmental Insults
If you dont know what epigenetics is, its okay. There was a time I didnt either.
To begin to really understand autism, you have to know what the word epigenetic means, which in short, is how your genes can be influenced by environmental factors that impact your ability to think, focus, and concentrate effectively. Its not simply about the genes and not simply about the environment.
Both are factors that contribute to biochemical imbalances in the brain and body that produce the condition we know as autism, which is why food has such a significant impact on an autistic childs brain and gut.
Undermethylation alters gene programming during pregnancy resulting in lifelong vulnerability to high oxidative stresses and this is what we see in autism.
What does all this mean? Autism can be successfully treated with early testing and advanced nutrient therapies designed to normalize deviant gene expression. People with autism matter and are worth our time, investment, and deserve our love, but they also deserve us working together for the solution.
Lets join together in celebrating World Autism Awareness Day tomorrow, April 2nd, and for the entire month of April.
If you know of a child or parent who is struggling with autism and needs help then be hope for them by sharing this post!
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