Who Wants More Speech?

I want my child to have more language!

This is one of the most common sentiments expressed by parents of children with autism.

So many families are told that it’s all due to autism and go for more OT, speech, and behavioral therapy.

There are adjunctive therapies such as Speech 2 Communicate, Facilitated Communication, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Although these can help, they are not addressing the underlying biological problems.

The key is trying to figure out the underlying root cause(s) in order to improve.

So, where do we start?

The most important factor is getting a strong history from mom and dad to find out everything from pregnancy to present to see what could be impairing speech.

Some of the most common causes are seizures, sleep apnea, cerebral folate deficiency, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, tongue-tie, retained primitive reflexes, brain chemistry imbalances, mitochondrial dysfunction, toxins, a leaky gut, and neuroinflammation.

When these metabolic abnormalities are addressed, we often see improvement in language.

Further testing may need to be done with your practitioner through brain imaging and labs to help determine the cause(s).

Many of our kids have vitamin deficiencies often due to gut malabsorption or poor diets.

How about supplements to increase speech?

Omega-3 fatty acids, methylB12, folinic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin D, magnesium, luteolin, phosphatidylcholine, sulforaphane, CoQ10, and tetrahydrobiopterin have helped many kids.

What diets can help?

Diets such as Gluten-Casein Free, Specific Carbohydrate, and Ketogenic have reduced inflammation and increased mitochondrial function to promote speech in some of our kids.

There are many options, so let’s figure out what can be affecting our kids, since each case is unique.

In the Autism Healing Program, we incorporate all of the factors that affect speech to work on improving it.

You can schedule a free discovery session to discuss how your child can improve speech at https://myhopewellness.satoriapp.com/offers/268129-discovery-session.

Could This Be The One?

I heard a webinar this past weekend from The Brain Foundation about a new supplement, Neuromodin, that they are funding a clinical trial on for children from ages 5-12.

Over the past few years, the same pharmaceutical company that has been working on getting FDA approval for Suramin to treat autism has been slowly progressing through FDA trials.

Suramin works on a pathway that targets the cell danger response so that when a child’s body is placed under stress from whatever the cause, the mitochondria will not switch into this danger response which causes loss of ATP which is the currency of energy.

Neuromodin has emodin, a plant compound derived from Japanese knotweed, and working in a similar fashion as Suramin to modulate purinergic signaling to halt the cell danger response through different pathways.

This is very encouraging knowing that we could have something to address a potential root cause of autism- the cell danger response causing the mitochondrial to lose energy.

Without mitochondria producing energy due to being in defense mode, the brain cannot function at full capacity which can lead to ASD.

Since Neuromodin is a supplement, it isn’t required to undergo FDA trials like Suramin; however, its manufacture, Polomar Health, wants to test it before rolling it out to market which I think is judicious.

It’s always encouraging when there’s something new on the horizon.

We’ve been through this with many drugs like Secretin but often the drugs fell short of what was forecasted.

Let’s pray that this will provide some benefits to our community.

If you’re interested, here’s a link to the criteria to become enrolled in the trial: https://brainfoundation.org/neuromodin/.

We are empowering families to find root causes such as mitochondrial dysfunction in order to heal.

Find out how the Autism Healing Program can help your child by scheduling a free discovery session at https://myhopewellness.satoriapp.com/offers/268129-discovery-session.

Follow us on IG @myhopewellness for the 30-day GFCF challenge starting to help improve your child’s health.

I’ll be live on IG at 2 PM on 6/30 to help guide you.

You can download your free GFCF guide at https://www.myhopewellness.com/gfcf-challenege.

Have You Attempted Going GFCF?

One of the first things that you hear about when entering the biomedical space of ASD is the gluten free casein free (GFCF) diet. With the many challenges that we parents are dealing with, it can seem overwhelming to take on a restrictive diet, especially with many of our kids being limited with what they are already eating which in many cases consists of gluten and casein.

Why are gluten (the protein in wheat) and casein (the protein in dairy) such problems for many of our kids?

·        They can affect folate metabolism, which is critical for brain development, detoxification, and making energy.

·        They can cause leaky gut leading to food and nutrients not being absorbed properly leading to metabolic imbalances and widespread inflammation.

·        Gluten and casein bind to opioid receptors in the brain which can have addictive effects on the brain and lead to many of the symptoms we see in autism.

·        They can cause a mast cell reaction similar to a food allergy which induces a systemic inflammatory response worsening a leaky gut which leads to a “leaky brain.”

·        Gluten and casein can glutamate levels increase which lead to more excitability which increases anxiety, chance for seizures and more stimmy behaviors.

The research supports a GFCF trial for our kids.

Who doesn’t want improvement in language, behaviors, energy, cognition, focus, allergies, and GI symptoms?

GFCF has been a game changer for many families, and we don’t have to worry about putting anything into our system that could cause side effects, however there can be mild “withdrawal symptoms” just like removing anything that the body has become accustomed to.

Anecdotally, approximately 2/3 of children with autism respond favorably to GFCF.

Some kids can have sensory defensiveness due to taste or texture of the new foods, so be prepared!

We don’t want our kids to become nutritionally deficient if they are not receptive to dietary changes, so take it one step at a time if you are meeting resistance- for example, remove casein first.

Make sure to get clearance from your practitioner, use organic GFCF products because glyphosate can cause leaky gut just like gluten and casein, and avoid ultra processed GFCF foods that contain ingredients you can’t pronounce.

There are many good reasons to consider implementing a GFCF diet.

We’ll be doing a 30-day GFCF challenge starting July 1, so follow me on Instagram @myhopewellness for pointers to help guide you through it and subscribe to our newsletter for up-to-date info on the challenge.

Check an Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) pre and post starting GFCF to measure effects.

Here’s a link to the ATEC: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bd0998ff8135a0c3bfefdc9/t/5bfc352b8985839163d1cb76/1543255339852/ATEC-AUTISM+Spectrum+Disorder++Checklist.pdf

Let’s do it!

Hazy Plume

The air we breathe is vitally important.

The air quality has been so poor over these past couple of day due to the Canadian wildfires.

There’s no way to avoid it if you’re going outside- unsightly and noxious.

Hopefully, this will be abating over the weekend.

It made me realize how important our air quality is- not just outside but inside our homes.

We can’t control our outdoor environment, but we can work on purifying our indoor air or modifying our homes to mitigate health problems.

Many of our homes where we spend the majority of our time have poor air quality which could stem from allergens such as dust or pet dander or even germs such as mold.

There are studies linking air pollution to autism and how air filters may reduce the risk.

Many kids with autism have a decline in their condition when exposed to allergens or germs in the home that worsens air quality.

The inflammatory response impacts the brain leading to an exacerbation of symptoms- often behaviors and language.

How can we improve our air quality?

You can test the quality of the air in your home with a home or have a professional come out for evaluation.

Investing in an air purifier such as from Air Doctor in the main living area and bedrooms can filter out these air pollutants.

HEPA filters for HVAC systems tend to offer the best protection.

The air we breathe is as important as the water we drink and the food we eat.

The cleaner the air, the less potential neuroinflammation will occur to help our kids recover.

Does your kid have an MTHFR mutation colloquially known as the Mother F’er gene?

The MTHFR gene regulates the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase which is involved in methylation of B vitamins which are essential cofactors for many enzymatic pathways.

High levels of homocysteine and low levels of B vitamins such as B6, folate (B9) and B12 occur which can lead to many health issues such as cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, miscarriages, and pregnancies with neural tube defects.

Some reports have up to 98% of kids with autism having the mutation.

The two mutations seen that can lead to reduced MTHFR activity are C677T and A1298C.

Reduced activity of MTHFR leads to decreased formation of methylfolate and methyl B12 which are needed to form brain neurotransmitters- dopamine and serotonin- to regulate mood, attention, behaviors, communication, learning, and movement.

In addition, glutathione, one of the most potent antioxidants and detoxification molecules in the body, is reduced from an MTHFR mutation; therefore, detoxification can be impaired.

There’s genetic testing for MTHFR available through many companies such as 23andme.

Treatment typically is with methylfolate or folinic acid to provide the methylated form of folate since the body’s methylation’s ability is diminished.

With some kids, we see dramatic changes with folinic acid or methylfolate supplementation.

Support is sometimes also needed with methylB12 and glutathione.

In the Autism Healing Program, MTHFR is addressed since it is such a common finding amongst our kids.

You can schedule a complementary session at https://myhopewellness.satoriapp.com/offers/268129-discovery-session to review MTHFR and discuss other underlying factors that could be affecting your child and how the program can benefit them.