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The Functional Medicine Approach to Autism

The Functional Medicine Approach to Autism

 

 

As of March 2016 the CDC estimated that 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder.  Key diagnostic criteria for ASD include repetitive patterns of behavior, interest, or activities and deficits in social interaction and language.  The recommended early intensive behavior therapy can be helpful, but many times there is much more that we can do!

 

One of the most rewarding things I do every day at The Ultrawellness Center is work with children on the autistic spectrum.  Often I am able to help many of them improve their communication and function. 

 

The concepts of functional medicine are well suited for disorders like autism.  There is a wide range of severities and a wide range of causes for children with autism, so not every child is the same.  Functional medicine recognizes this and looks for the triggers that caused imbalances in the patient’s body.

 

When I see a child on the autistic spectrum, I always start with the following 6 steps from a functional medicine approach to help decrease the patient’s symptoms:

 

1.  Work to decrease inflammation.  Excessive inflammation in the body can impact brain development.  Exploring the causes of inflammation can help to reduce the symptoms of autism.  Some common causes include food allergies/sensitivities, imbalances in the gut bacteria, and infections.  The following steps include more information on how to treat these causes of inflammation.

 

2.  One of the first things I recommend that the child does a trial gluten and dairy free diet.  This can be helpful for many reasons.  There are components of gluten and dairy that can cross the blood-brain barrier and impact the neurological system.  This causes symptoms such as confusion, fatigue, fluctuations in mood, and attention issues.  Gluten and dairy can also be a cause of inflammation for some people, impacting brain development.  In addition, antibodies against dairy have been found to block an important receptor in the brain of a number of autistic patients.  This receptor is called the folate receptor.  Folate receptor antibodies have been found in many children with autism, and is one of the reasons that many parents notice significant changes when they change their child’s diet.  Changing your child’s diet can be difficult, but by implementing a strict gluten and dairy free diet, you may start to see some changes in your child’s health.  I recommend that you work with a nutritionist to make sure that your child is getting adequate nutrients after eliminating gluten and dairy products. Here are a few tips to help families transition to a gluten and dairy free diet: http://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/2017/08/21/improving-autism-spectrum-disorders-asd-does-a-gluten-and-dairy-free-diet-really-make-a-difference/.

 

 

3.  Pay attention to the digestive system.  Multiple studies have shown that there is a correlation between autism and gastrointestinal symptoms.   Many children on the autistic spectrum have symptoms of bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain.  We evaluate the gut microbiota and use treatment to help improve the balance of the bacteria and yeast in the gastrointestinal system.  Try using a good quality probiotic and a digestive enzyme if your child has these symptoms. 

 

4.  Try a cod liver oil supplement.  This is a great supplement for many reasons.  It is rich in omega 3 fats which are naturally anti-inflammatory.  Essential fatty acids, also found in cod liver oil, are necessary for proper brain development.  Additionally, cod liver oil is naturally rich in vitamin A and vitamin D.  These fat-soluble vitamins are very important for your health.  Vitamin A is critical for eye health and adequate intake may have an influence on your child’s eye contact.  Vitamin D has many important functions in the body including supporting the immune system.  A typical dose is 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cod liver oil a day

 

5.  Avoid refined and processed foods.  That seems simple, but additives that can cause behavioral problems and digestive issues are found in many products.  Avoid anything with added food coloring and do your best to provide your child with whole foods at every meal. 

 

6.  Put your child on a good quality multivitamin / mineral formulaVitaspectrum by Prothera is a good multivitamin that is formulated for children on the autistic spectrum.   We often see some nutritional deficiencies in children on the spectrum, either because of inadequate intake or a genetic variation that increases their individual needs.  A good multivitamin is a great addition for most children. 

 

If these changes are not enough, I recommend that you see a doctor to investigate other imbalances in the body that might be the root cause.  At the UltraWellness Center, we often work to support the mitochondria (which influences the body’s energy production) with carnitine, CoQ10, and B vitamins.  We test for genetic variations that influence a person’s need for certain nutrients.  We test for toxins including heavy metals and work to help support the body’s natural detoxification system.

           

The above 6 steps are a great start and often will have a positive impact on your child’s health and development. 

Here is a link to the article.  

 

 

I Did Everything Right...But I Still Got Cancer

Do You feel like you did everything right, but still got sick?  I did!  In this blog I discuss how we need to dig deeper and work to create a healthy terrain in our body where cancer is less likely to develop.  

 

 

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30, this is exactly how I felt.  My undergraduate and graduate degrees were in nutrition and exercise physiology and I practiced what I preached.  I was careful with my diet and exercised regularly.  My weight was in the normal range and I ate many vegetables.  So why did I get cancer?  What could I do to decrease my risk of having a recurrence?  What can I do to help my patients decrease their risk of getting cancer?

 

Looking for answers to these questions sent me on a journey through my medical training and eventually to an education in Functional Medicine.  Functional medicine is a different way of looking at health and disease.  Instead of just naming the disease and then giving the same treatment to everyone with that disease, it looks at the individual systems in a person’s body to look for the underlying root cause.  Functional medicine individualizes treatment, focusing on the patient instead of the disease.  We appreciate the importance of prevention and look at the many interconnections within the body.  Most importantly, functional medicine asks the question… why?

 

Functional medicine helped me understand that some of the systems in my body were not working as well as I had thought.  I realized that my years of antibiotics as a child influenced my digestive system and therefore my detoxification system.  In addition, I did not handle stress in my life in the healthiest way.  This depleted my immune function.  I started to look at health and disease in a different way.  I began to understand that a person is not healthy one day and sick the next.  The changes in someone’s body that ultimately lead to cancer take many years to develop and are very different for each individual person.

 

In addition, every woman with breast cancer is not the same, and the causes for an individual person’s cancer are not the same.  There are many different kinds of breast cancer.  We are not just talking about cancer…but cancers.  We are not just talking about breast cancer… but breast cancers.  Even if we take all of the women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, they are not all the same.  Each has different causes, a different body environment, and different genetics. Because of this, it is important to treat each individual person differently and rebalance their body so that they do not get a recurrence.  This concept has helped me with my own health and the health of my patients.  In functional medicine, we have begun to look deeper at the various causes that can result in the growth of a cancer.  This way, we can help prevent cancer from occurring and, if it does, help treat people and prevent a recurrence. 

 

What we have learned is that the environment—or terrain—of the body influences whether or not cells can become invasive cancer.  A healthy terrain will prevent the growth of cancer whereas an unhealthy terrain can feed cancer and cause it to grow.  It is important that we focus on more than just the individual cells in the body, but also on the environment that these cells live in.  Creating a healthy terrain in our body is as simple as removing what is causing the imbalances in our body and replacing what is needed for balance to be restored in our body.

 

 

Let’s get started!  What can you do to create a healthy terrain in your body and decrease the risk of cancer?  Here are some of the components that we focus on at The UltraWellness Center.

 

1.   Eat a whole foods diet that avoids packaged and processed foods as much as possible.

2.  Avoid simple sugars and refined carbohydrates that cause spikes in blood glucose and insulin.

3.  Support your body’s natural detoxification system by eating cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale) every day.

4.  Avoid toxins in the environment such as pesticides, parabens, BPA, and heavy metals (like mercury and lead).  Get a test to see if these toxins may be suppressing your immune function.

5.  Only use antibiotics if necessary and consider adding a probiotic into your regimen. 

7.  Consume a diet rich in phytonutrients.  These can be found in colorful fruits, vegetables, and spices.

8.  Work on managing your stress with methods such as meditation and yoga.

 

This is just a start.  I talk more about creating a cancer-free terrain my free ebook that you can download at http://www.drboham.com/free-ebook.

 

 

To Your Health,

Elizabeth Boham, MD

 

Happy New Year!

For many of us, as we make resolutions for the new year, health and happiness are top priorities! So, my friend and colleague Heidi E Spear, MA, Stress-Reduction Coach, Meditation & Yoga Teacher, and I have pulled together reminders and tips for self-care that you can use on January 1st after the holiday push (and beyond)! 

 

Our bodies are equipped with the ability to regenerate and heal. In order for our natural healing processes to work, we need to take the time to take care of our body. That means, taking time to sleep and rest, eating a healthy balanced diet, getting daily movement and exercise, connecting with friends and family, and spending time each day to calm down our body.

 

Some stress-relieving ideas for post-holiday self-care:

 

    When you wake up in the morning, notice how you feel. Take a few deep breaths to wake up. Then think about the ways that you will support yourself throughout the day - envision how you will create space in between the other to-dos that often seem more urgent.

    Plan to get outside for some quiet time. Whether you take one short walk to the mailbox and back, or take a stroll with someone you love, create time to be peaceful outside. If you need to wait until the children fall asleep, then after that, step outside and take time all by yourself to enjoy the night sky and fresh air.

    Take time to reflect on something you are grateful for. For some of us the holidays are wonderful, for some of us the holidays are challenging, for some of us they are a mixed bag. To let go of stress that might have built up for you, take time to reflect on something you are grateful for. Let yourself really feel the gratitude, and turn the corners of your mouth up into a gentle smile. This is a proven mood-booster.

 

Also, plan to have nourishing food in the house for you and your family on New Year’s Day. Check out this amazing recipe by Dr Mark Hyman, and serve it with a big salad or sautéed greens.  http://drhyman.com/blog/2015/04/24/healing-meals-blackened-salmon/

 

Around the holidays, we often feel that we do not have enough time for ourselves. This is the best time of the year to refocus our attention on ourselves and our health.

 

All good wishes!

Elizabeth and Heidi