How’s Your Inner Garden?

Are you taking care of your inner garden, the microbiome?

Our microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria that live throughout our body, concentrated in our colon.

These microbes aid in digestion, absorption of nutrients, managing inflammation, and producing vitamins and neurotransmitters that affect our brain.

If there’s any disruption in your microbiome, inflammation and illness can ensue.

Factors that can disrupt the microbiome are c-section delivery, lack of breastfeeding, antibiotics mom may have received during pregnancy, medications such as antacids and anti-inflammatories, infections, stress, lack of sleep, toxins, and an ultra-processed nutritionally depleted diet.

This can lead to dysbiosis, an imbalance of microbes which can start with GI symptoms such as bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, constipation, and diarrhea.

If this imbalance persists, the lining of the intestines will break down causing a “leaky gut” leading to inflammatory disorders such as Autism.

The metabolites released by these problematic germs in the gut will travel to the brain leading to many of the sensory, motor, cognitive, and psychosocial delays that we see with our kids.

Taking care of your microbiome is like tending your garden.

You want to feed the good guys with foods high in prebiotic fiber and phytonutrients such as fruits and vegetables to allow them to thrive.

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, and yogurt provide probiotics to replenish our microbiome with healthy bacteria.

When you take care of the good germs by feeding your inner garden healthily, they’ll prevail and decimate the bad germs- like getting rid of the weeds.

Studies are currently being done on fecal microbial transplants from healthy donors to kids with ASD and the results look promising.

Hopefully, this will be an FDA-approved treatment shortly.

Applying the pillars of a healthy diet, exercise, sleep, stress, and toxin removal plays a tremendous role in supporting a healthy microbiome to help heal our kids.

#autism #ASD #microbiome #leakygut

Infertility and Our Decreasing Population

Did you know that infertility rates and erectile dysfunction rates are skyrocketing, and our population is decreasing?

This predated Covid and Covid vaccines even though they have had an impact.

Since the 1960s, there has been an annual one percent decrease in sperm count, testosterone, and fertility rates.

Men today have 50% less sperm compared to their grandfathers.

Almost 20% of couples are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying.

For these reasons, IVF has increased and is quite expensive with variable success rates.

The factors that affect our metabolic health are wreaking havoc on fertility just like we see in other conditions like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, dementia, depression, and cancer.

It is the usual culprits that lead to poor metabolic health:

· Diet with nutrient-depleted ultra-processed foods high in refined carbs and fats and low in fiber and protein

· Reduced sleep

· Stress

· Lack of movement/exercise

· Hormone-disrupting toxins

· Hormonal imbalances· Infections

· Smoking

· Alcohol

There can be structural genital problems however metabolic dysfunction plays a critical role.

If we take control of our metabolic health, we should be able to reverse these trends.

#Infertility #Erectiledysfunction #Population

Who’s on Your Team?

Have you found it difficult to find a provider to help you with your child?

So many families feel lost on their journey of healing their kids with Autism.

I’ve made numerous changes to our team working with our kids over the years.

One of the most important people on your team is your practitioner.

Years ago, integrative biomedical practitioners were part of DAN (Defeat Autism Now).

This dissolved many years ago, and shortly after, MAPS (Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs) was formed.

MAPS practitioners undergo extensive training to be able to assess and personalize treatment for each unique case.

There’s no protocol approach like DAN had preached.

You can find MAPS practitioners on their website, but you may have to travel to one that’s the right fit.

They’re training pediatricians and PCPs to learn how to manage our kids.

We as parents know what’s best for our kids, so ask your practitioner as many questions as needed and feel comfortable with them.

If it’s not working out, it is ok to fire your practitioner.

How can you keep your finger on the pulse and learn what’s new in the biomedical sphere?

There’s the Autism Health Summit in San Antonio this weekend and The Autism Community in Action (TACA) has many resources and annual conferences for parents and practitioners.

There are podcasts such as Spectrum Awakenings, Autism Parenting Secrets, and The Autism Detective that are highly informative and interview experts on diverse topics about ASD.

I have collaborated with some of these experts and developed the Autism Healing Program to empower, educate and guide families on a healing path, and am continuously researching and learning about what’s new and available for our kids.

Let me know if I can be of any assistance on your journey.

#ASD #autismstrong #autism #MAPS #TACA

How about Stem Cells?

What do you think about stem cells for Autism?

I had heard about this many years ago and considered taking my son to Panama, since it wasn’t available in the US, for stem cell therapy after a friend told me about the great results she had seen with her son.

After reading more testimonials, we seriously contemplated it but decided to hold off since it was a long trip, very expensive, and there just wasn’t enough safety data.

Stem cells can divide and form all different types of cells including muscle, nerve, heart and bone.

They have been studied for many conditions such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, heart disease, and dementia.

Stem cells can be derived from embryonic tissue, umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, or fat.

Stem cells can do many things including reducing neuroinflammation associated with ASD.

They secrete a multitude of metabolites that tell the immune system to calm down, start regenerating healthy tissue, and increase neural connections in the brain.

Stem cell treatment is not currently FDA-approved, however, there are multiple ongoing studies demonstrating safety and efficacy.

The most widely known study is at Duke where they gave 25 children from ages 4-6 were given a single infusion of stem cells.

This study and a recent meta-analysis of multiple studies demonstrated that the procedure was safe and that children showed significant improvement in multiple areas.

There needs to be an established standardized treatment protocol using the most suitable cell type along with administration method and dosing.

Hopefully, this will be standardized in the US very soon so many families can feel confident exploring this treatment for their kids.

#stemcells #ASD #autism

It’s That Time of the Year

It’s lovely to see the snow but I can do without Flu, Covid, RSV, Strep, etc.

Has your home been plagued with illness yet?

Many of our kids with ASD can regress when they get sick.

They may not exhibit classic symptoms of illness but only neuropsychiatric changes similar to PANS/PANDAS.

If this is the case, have them evaluated to rule out something like an ear infection, strep throat, or an infected tooth, since they may not be able to express what’s bothering them.

When some of our kids get a fever, some of their ASD features may improve.

How can we support their immune system to prevent getting attacked by the creepy crud?

·        Eat nutrient-dense whole foods and avoid nutrient-depleted ultra-processed foods such as finely refined carbs/sugar and seed oils that impair the immune system.

·        Get plenty of sleep- insufficient sleep can decimate your immune system.

·        Exercise regularly

·        Support the microbiome- these protective microbes are throughout our body and concentrated in our gut- 70% of our immune system is here. Our microbiome can be supported with prebiotic fiber from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and probiotic food sources such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha.

·        Sauna (if you have access to one) has been quite effective in supporting the immune system and detoxification.

What can you do once they get sick?

·        Maintain hydration and nutrition- add honey, ginger, and/or turmeric to fluids and eat chicken soup to help fight the infection.

·        Rest!! The body needs this to recover and also prevent transmission to others.

·        Steamed mist from a hot shower can help open the airways to mobilize secretions.

·        Gargling with salt water can loosen mucus and alleviate sore throat.

·        Salt water nasal rinses break up congestion and remove viral and bacterial particles from the nose.

·        Supplements that can help fight infections include garlic, oregano, thyme, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, echinacea, and n-acetylcysteine (NAC).

Hopefully, you can stave off these germs throughout the winter.

#sickness #autism #ASD #PANS #PANDAS

Are Your Hormones Out of Whack?

Our hormones play such an integral role in regulating our metabolism.

I have seen many women recently who have complained not only of fatigue and depression but also of stubborn belly fat and excess weight gain.

Some of the hormonal imbalances that contribute to this are insulin resistance, estrogen dominance, progesterone deficiency, and thyroid and cortisol imbalances.

All of these hormones need to be balanced to maintain a healthy metabolism.

Our sex/steroid hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone come from cholesterol.

When we are under stress, our body will convert the cholesterol to cortisol rather than the sex hormones.

Chronically elevated levels of our stress hormone cortisol deplete our sex hormones and contribute to many chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, obesity, and diabetes.

There are blood, urine, and saliva tests available to check levels.

What can you do to shift the balance from producing less cortisol to balancing your sex hormones?

·        Manage emotional stress.

·        Get enough sleep.

·        Eat enough healthy fat which makes your hormones from olive oil, avocadoes, nuts, seeds, poultry, beef, and fish.

·        Strive to consume 1 gram of protein per pound body weight to increase muscle synthesis and improve hormonal profile.

·        Avoid ultra-processed foods high in sugar, refined carbs, and fats that will increase insulin resistance, and cortisol and reduce sex hormones.

·        Eat plenty of fiber and fermented foods to feed our microbiome which helps maintain hormonal balance.

·        Minimize alcohol.

·        Stay hydrated.

·        Do strength training exercises to increase lean body mass which will improve hormones and increase fat-burning.

·        Avoid toxins such as BPA in plastics, phthalates in personal care products, and pesticides which are hormone disruptors.

If you are battling with losing weight, belly fat, fatigue, depression, or feeling like your hormones are out of balance, contact me to discuss how to help set you on the right path.

#hormones #hormonalimbalances #bellyfat #weightgain

Did Your Child Regress?

Approximately 2/3 of kids with ASD regress between 12-18 mos where parents state that their kids were developing normally and suddenly lost all of their skills.

The other 1/3 of cases have a genetic basis or prenatal stressor where parents typically comment that developmental delays are evident shortly after birth.

My son regressed and my daughter exhibited delays early on.

I have worked with hundreds of families that described a similar situation to my son’s.

The history would often reveal that everything was going fine up until an illness where the kid received an antibiotic, Tylenol, and/or was vaccinated.

Why could these factors that many of us would consider beneficial lead to autism?

Tylenol breaks down into metabolites that could be directly toxic to the brain and open up the blood-brain barrier making the brain more vulnerable.

Viruses such as live viruses like measles, mumps, and rubella are injected at 15 months old, and for a child whose blood-brain barrier has been compromised by a toxin metabolite from a medication like Tylenol or a heavy metal like aluminum or mercury used to preserve a vaccine, this perfect storm can induce regression into autism.

In addition, kids who receive antibiotics will disrupt their gut microbiome which impacts the brain.

The elephant in the room is having this discussion of why there has been this exponential increase in ASD.

How can you address all of these potential possibilities leading to regression?

Viral titers can be assessed to see if they are elevated and natural remedies like vitamin A and antivirals may be effective.

Avoid Tylenol and use Motrin or curcumin if an anti-inflammatory is needed.

Try to avoid antibiotics for situations like ear infections since most are viral unless it’s necessary.

Be aware of live virus vaccines like MMR and Varicella (Chicken Pox) which can be problematic for an immature immune system and that aluminum is in the majority of the vaccines as an adjuvant to boost the immune response but also is neurotoxic.

The problem is that we don’t know which kids can tolerate the onslaught of any of the insults that can lead to ASD.

There are more studies revealing correlations between ASD with toxins and infections, and anecdotally, myriad families express these concerns.

Awareness and knowledge give parents the tools to make decisions about what is best for their children.

#autism #regression #vaccines #toxins #antibiotics #tylenol #microbiome

Yeast the Beast

Do you think your child may have candida?

Do they laugh inappropriately?

May kids with ASD have difficulty fighting yeast due to their gut immunity being compromised.

Support the immune system through a healthy diet, exercise, and supplements such as zinc, omega 3’s, vitamin D, and magnesium.

Candida is a type of yeast that is a fungus that often invades our kids’ GI tracts and secretes metabolites that affect brain chemistry often leading to hyperactivity and inappropriate laughter.

Some parents feel that their children appear drunk since yeast can ferment sugar in the gut leading to the formation of alcohol similar to how alcohol is made.

What can you do if you suspect that yeast may be a problem?

Testing can be done through blood, stool, or urine to assess for yeast.

Since yeast thrives on sugar, reducing sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption is helpful.

There are conventional prescription and natural treatment options available.

A three-pronged approach of addressing the biofilm, the yeast, and the die-off reaction upon killing the yeast is quite effective.

The yeast produces biofilms to protect itself from immune system attack, so using enzymes such as Serrapeptase or Nattokinase can disrupt the biofilm to penetrate the yeast.

Prescription antifungals such as Nystatin or Diflucan can eradicate yeast with natural options being grapefruit seed extract, colloidal silver, and oil of oregano.

A die-off reaction occurs from the deleterious compounds released by yeast when they are attacked.

Our kids can feel worse initially from this, but binders such as chlorella, zeolite, or activated charcoal can bind to these endotoxins and remove them from the body.

Beware that Pre and Probiotics can worsen symptoms by creating a “war” inside the gut between the yeast and the beneficial bacteria.

Assess your child for yeast if behaviors are not improving, there are symptoms consistent with it, or they are not making progress.

#autism #candida #yeast

2024- Let the healing begin!

Are you ready for 2024?

There are always myriad issues to focus on and it is a matter of what to prioritize.

For our kids with ASD, we are trying to figure out how we can make progress- language, behaviors, social skills, academics, focus, energy, etc.

Many of us have resolutions for ourselves like eating healthier, reducing stress, sleeping more, working less, and exercising more but don’t know how to approach this with our kids.

With often multiple concerns happening simultaneously, it can be challenging to know where to begin.

I have been there with my two kids with ASD.

As each new year begins, I reflect upon what we’ve worked on with my kids using the biomedical approach, where we have made progress, and where there have been any setbacks.

What I have learned through my kids and others that I have worked with is how much progress our kids can make with easily manageable interventions.

Often, cleaning up the diet, having our kids exercise, getting a good night’s sleep, and removing toxins from their environment helps tremendously.

I recommend focusing on one thing such as nutrition and working on that. It can take up to 3 months to see any changes, so be patient.

Start with something that will be the lowest-hanging fruit for you, your child, and your family that will not create an upheaval.

In addition, when you’ve been successfully implementing something such as a gluten-free casein-free diet for at least 3 months, you will find this to be easily sustainable.

I have been amazed by the amount of progress that our kids have made despite the obstacles they face.

The biomedical approach has been life-changing for so many families!

If you need guidance and support, you can schedule a free strategy session at https://myhopewellness.satoriapp.com/offers/268129-strategy-session to discuss how to get your child on a healing path.

You will feel empowered and have an accountability partner to forge ahead to reach goals for your child.

I look forward to working with families in the new year to help heal their children.

Happy Holidays!

The holidays are here- so exciting!

Many of our kids struggle with what can be sensory overload for them.

Think about all the gatherings, lights, noise, gifts, traveling, food, etc.

So, here are some tips that can help reduce stress during the holiday season:

·        Discuss with your child ahead of time to prepare them for any activities that you’re doing.

·        If you are visiting family or having company, talk to your child about who’s coming and inform guests ahead of time about your kid’s sensitivities- there are many times we stayed in a separate quiet room in a house to ease the transition to interaction.

·        Include sensory items with a holiday theme such as jingle bells and squishy snowmen

·        Food can be a challenge, especially if your child has a food allergy or is on a special diet like GFCF. If you’re traveling, come prepared with what your child needs and discuss with the host about food allergies/sensitivities.

·        your child may not be up for taking family photos or photos with Santa. Preparing the family or anyone taking photos ahead of time about having a photo taken can help.

·        Opening gifts may not be a preferred activity, so make family and friends aware that your child may not be interested or may be sensitive to paper unwrapping.

·        If you are traveling a distance, bring along items such as toys, books, and movies that will make your child most comfortable and keep them busy and entertained.

·        We love holiday music, but for some of our kids, it can be overwhelming. Let the company know that this is a concern ahead of time.

·        Be vigilant! Some of our kids can wander or elope, so designate someone to keep an eye on your kid if you get caught up socializing or involved in some other activity

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season!

#Autism #Happyholidays

Is Tylenol Innocuous?

How many of us have taken Tylenol (acetaminophen) for symptoms such as pain or fever or even had your doctor recommend giving Tylenol to our children after getting a vaccine or for an ear infection?

I have and would say that this is the majority of us.

Acetaminophen is in over 600 over-the-counter preparations including combination products for sleep, coughs, colds, and allergies.

Currently, there are many lawsuits against the manufacturer of Tylenol being linked to Autism.

How could these be related?

Tylenol requires detoxification by our liver using glutathione, our body's strongest detoxifier.

Tylenol breaks down into a toxic metabolite known as NAPQI which is dependent upon glutathione to neutralize and eliminate it.

Many kids are either glutathione deficient or have compromised glutathione pathways where they can’t detoxify the NAPQI, so if you administer Tylenol, the toxic metabolites can weaken the blood-brain barrier and impair brain development.

This can also happen to moms who are pregnant and taking Tylenol.

Studies are linking neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and language delays with the use of Tylenol during pregnancy.

There’s testing that could help determine if there’s a genetic susceptibility to impaired glutathione production.

Tylenol can overwhelm defenses at a vulnerable young age whether it’s in utero or as an infant/toddler.

Just like other toxins, we want to try and reduce the oxidative stress on our children’s systems and Tylenol could be a contributing factor.

So, what can you do if you or your child has a fever or pain?

First, it’s finding and addressing the root cause.

From a neurodevelopmental perspective, Motrin (ibuprofen) hasn’t had these concerns and there are natural approaches for pain and fever as well if symptoms are intolerable.

#Autism #TylenolAutism

Brain Bacteria?

Do you think your child may have bacteria in their brain?

Research shows that when the gut barrier breaks down better known as a “leaky gut”, these germs can travel from the gut through a conduit directly to the brain leading to a “leaky brain”.

This is the gut-brain connection.

These detrimental bacteria travel to the brain releasing their toxins and cause inflammation of the brain where it appears like the brain is on fire.

This inflammation can cause a wide array of symptoms of autism including self-stim behaviors, language deficits, motor and sensory disturbances, and poor socialization.

Any stressor can cause the release of stress hormones that compromise the gut barrier and immune system causing leakage leading to this neuroinflammation.

How can we prevent the gut barrier from breaking down and encourage the growth of healthy bacteria without leaking harmful germs with their toxins into our kids’ bodies?

Eating a healthy anti-inflammatory diet, getting abundant sleep, exercising, reducing stress, and eliminating toxic exposure is paramount.

Medications such as antacids, antibiotics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like Motrin can also disrupt the gut barrier.

Supplements like curcumin and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) can help reduce brain inflammation while feeding our microbiome prebiotic fiber and using probiotics can nourish the gut and help promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.

This can prevent the brain from being triggered by the problematic germs that are wreaking havoc on their bodies.

There is currently promising research showing that when healthy stool has been transplanted into kids with ASD many of their symptoms improve.

Take care of our kid’s gut buddies and they will take care of our kids.

#gutbrainconnection #leakygut #autism #ASD #brainbacteria

Which diet to choose?

Dietary intervention can have a profound effect on many of our kids.

Dr. Jim Adams and Julie Matthews just completed a study evaluating 13 therapeutic diets on 818 kids including benefits, adverse symptoms, and symptom improvement.

The diets included GFCF, ketogenic, Feingold, healthy diet, food avoidance, low sugar, specific carbohydrate, corn-free, casein-free, paleo, soy-free, and gluten-free.

The average overall benefit from the diet was greater than supplements and psychiatric medications.

Different diets were reported to affect different symptoms, suggesting that using an individual’s symptoms could be used to guide which diet may be most effective.

After averaging all of the diets, the top symptom improvements were in attention, irritability, cognition, health, hyperactivity, aggression, anxiety, language, and GI symptoms.

The results suggested that these can be safe and effective interventions for improving symptoms with few adverse effects.

Individuals who used therapeutic diets had significant improvement compared to those who didn’t implement one.

Many of the diets may seem overwhelming due to many of the sensory issues and limited repertoires of food that our kids consume.

The ANRC Autism Treatment Rater app can be downloaded where you can compare the data of the different diets, supplements, medications, and therapies’ effects on various symptoms.

I have found for clients and children that dietary intervention has been one of the most effective approaches and produces fewer adverse effects compared to supplements and medications.

I can help guide you through a personalized approach which may be the best diet to initiate for your child.

Diet is a major component of our Autism Healing Program.

The Black Friday sale of 15% off all of our programs and Wellness Sessions has been extended to December 1.

Please message me with any questions and you can enroll at www.myhopewellness.com.

#ASD #autismdiets #GFCFdiet #glutenfreediet #caseinfreediet #therapeuticdiets #autism

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

As Thanksgiving approaches, I find myself reflecting on the many blessings in my life: my health, my beautiful family, the wonderful clients, patients, and families I've had the privilege to work with, and the tremendous support surrounding me.

During my time practicing medicine, I was pushing myself to the limit, neglecting my well-being as work took precedence.

Despite being free of medical issues, I experienced heightened stress, fatigue, and irritability, and found myself relying on adrenaline to get through the majority of my days.

Unfortunately, this lifestyle is a common theme for many, with people often sacrificing their health in the relentless pursuit of their goals—a pattern I, too, fell into.

Upon shifting my work-life balance through health coaching, I prioritized self-care by adopting healthier eating habits, incorporating regular exercise, ensuring sufficient sleep, managing stress, and eliminating toxins from my living space. The positive impact on my overall well-being was profound.

If you're currently experiencing the same challenges I once faced, know that you have the power to reverse this trend and take the crucial first step towards prioritizing your health.

There's no need to wait until the New Year to make a change.

To support you in this journey, we're offering a 15% discount on all our programs and wellness sessions pre-Black Friday, available from 11/22 to 11/30.

Our aim is to assist you and your family in embarking on a path to optimal health and feeling great..

Whether you're dealing with conditions like diabetes, obesity, autism, or depression, or experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, bloating, or joint pain, I am here to empower and support you.

Take advantage of this limited-time discount this week, with no expiration date on when you can enroll in any program or session.

For more information on our programs and wellness sessions, please visit www.myhopewellness.com.

Alleviate Anxiety

Is Anxiety affecting your child?

Astonishingly, approximately 40% of kids have it.

It’s paramount to try and figure out what could be triggering it.

Multiple underlying causes can lead to symptoms in our kids that include stimming, difficulty breathing, heart racing, shaking, aggression, irritability, and self-injurious behavior.

There are non-medical causes such as lack of communication, bullying, and abuse that trigger or exacerbate anxiety.

There are quite a few medical factors that should be investigated to get to the root cause including poor diet with inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, sugar, MSG and food additives, inadequate sleep, PANS/PANDAS, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, elevated histamine from allergies, toxins, gut dysbiosis, and GABA/Glutamate imbalance.

The history of when it started will provide clues to what the causes may be.

Lab testing evaluating food sensitivities, allergies, infections, toxins, inflammatory markers, vitamins, minerals, and the gut microbiome can help determine the cause.

There are supplements such as GABA, Valerian, Magnesium, Lithium Orotate, L-theanine, and Ashwagandha that may be helpful.

Other modalities that can be therapeutic are deep pressure, neurofeedback, deep breathing techniques, and massage.

Your practitioner can prescribe medications such as beta-blockers or antihistamines that can help mitigate anxiety if no underlying cause is found and natural options are not working.

I’ve often found cleaning up the diet, getting our kids exercising, abundant sleep, toxin removal including eating organic, and limiting EMF exposure from devices and screens can help tremendously.

The Autism Healing Program addresses all of these underlying root causes of anxiety along with a comprehensive personalized approach to ASD to help recover your child.

Take advantage of our Black Friday special of 15% off the program starting 11/24 until the end of the month to get your kids on a healing path.

#ASD #Anxiety #Autismhealing #Autism

Just Say No to NO!

Why should we be concerned about Nitric Oxide (NO)?

Studies have established a link between NO and Autism.

So, what in the world is NO?

This is not to be confused with Nitrous Oxide (N2O) which is laughing gas and is also harmful to our kids.

It’s a gas messenger chemical produced by the body that helps dilate blood vessels and reduces blood pressure so is generally regarding as beneficial for many people at higher levels.

In fact, this is how Viagra works to increase circulation to the penis to improve erectile dysfunction.

You would think that increasing circulation to the brain would benefit our kids with ASD.

However, studies have shown that NO is negatively affecting the GABA and glutamate balance in the ASD brain leading to increased excitability and behavioral deficits.

Excessive NO can also cause oxidative damage to cells and the energy-producing mitochondria causing neuroinflammation leading to cognitive and behavioral concerns.

Air pollution exposure to moms during pregnancy or early childhood can raise NO levels increasing risk for ASD.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any commercially available lab biomarkers to test for NO.

Vitamin D has been studied to help regulate NO levels in our kids and is still being investigated.

Research is also looking at NO donors and NOS inhibitors as therapeutic treatments for ASD.

Glycine and GABA may be modulating production of NO leading to improvement in ASD symptoms.

I have seen many kids improve on vitamin D, GABA, and glycine which may be attributable to a reduction in NO.

Hopefully, we’ll have more NO conclusive testing and available treatments in the near future.

#NitricOxide #Autism #ASD

Be The CEO of Your Family’s Health

How can you take on the role of CEO for your family's well-being?

There are numerous steps you can take to enhance the health of both you and your family.

Maintaining good health does require effort, but when you integrate a healthy routine into your daily life, it becomes second nature.

The positive results and the improved well-being of your family will serve as a powerful motivation to continue on this path.

While the medical field is there to assist, it's important to remember that they are not in the trenches with you.

By putting in the effort and making proactive choices, you can reduce the likelihood of needing frequent medical interventions.

So, where should you begin?

I recommend starting with the low-hanging fruit.

For instance, in my own family's journey, we began by overhauling our diet, eliminating ultra-processed foods, seed oils, and refined carbs. The impact was remarkable.

I've worked with individuals on various interventions that are within our control, such as dietary choices, exercise, sleep, stress management, toxin reduction, nurturing relationships, and tailored supplementation. These changes have led to dramatic improvements in their overall health.

Why wait for the New Year to set resolutions for your family's health improvement?

Join me on November 6th at 1 PM EST for a free masterclass on Zoom, "Becoming the CEO of You and Your Family’s Health."

This class will provide you with the tools you need to live the most vibrant and healthy life possible.

You can access the Zoom event via this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87010921951

During the session, we'll discuss the strategies and actions you can take to prevent and even reverse chronic metabolic conditions like diabetes, obesity, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, dementia, and autism. Implementing these strategies can be truly life-changing.

I'm excited to connect with you live on November 6th.

Don't miss this opportunity to take charge of your family's well-being.

#HealthCEO #autism

Don’t Let Yourself Go

As parents, we try to do everything possible to help our kids.

Parents of children with autism certainly have a lot on their plate.

When my children are not feeling well or have behaviors that are unexplainable and I feel helpless, the stress begins, I don’t feel well and am more vulnerable to illness.

As I’ve learned to manage stressful situations better, my mental and physical health have improved, which has reflected on my kids and their well-being.

Do you notice when you’re feeling more agitated, so will your child?

Our energy is certainly transmitted to our kids and maintaining that positivity along with taking care of ourselves is so important.

Many parents have seen their health decline due to diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart disease, and so on.

In many cases, it’s because the parents let themselves go due to the hecticness of our lives.

Many of our kids will need ongoing support for the rest of their lives, and we need to be in the best shape possible to take care of them.

After developing the Autism Healing Program for our kids and seeing transformational results, I wanted to create programs for parents as well to help keep them in optimal health to best help their kids.

Many parents mentioned that their health was suboptimal and that they couldn’t show up and do their best “work” to help their kids.

Therefore, I have developed the Revitalization and Rejuvenation Programs for longevity to allow us to age gracefully with quality of life and the Body Transformation Program to lose weight and maintain a healthy metabolism to prevent chronic diseases.

You can find more information at www.myhoopewellness.com.

Let’s take care of ourselves so we can be in the best place physically and emotionally to care for our kids.

#autism #autismparents

Is Your Child Getting Enough Zzz’s?

Are your children getting enough Zzz’s?

Do you find your kids awakening often in the middle of the night?

Sleep disturbances are seen in over 50 % of kids with ASD.

Why so high?

There are many possible medical reasons such as allergies, reflux, gut dysbiosis, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, sleep apnea, medication/supplement side effects, anxiety, inflammation, low blood sugar, seizures, mitochondrial dysfunction, infections, and overexposure to EMFs are some of the more common reasons.

With anyone, the lack of sleep or disturbed sleep increases the stress hormone cortisol which has detrimental consequences on learning, memory, emotions, irritability, and metabolism in general.

In my son’s case, the first sign of him having ulcerative colitis was a change in his sleep pattern. The pain was awakening him, but he couldn’t articulate this.

Finding the root cause is the most effective approach, although you may try something like melatonin until figuring it out.

Just treating with melatonin, GABA or magnesium doesn’t always do the job.

After discussing the history of when it started, it could be as simple as removing stimulating medication, supplements, or caffeine from soft drinks.

Sometimes, it involves further investigation with lab work and studies such as a sleep study or EEG looking for seizures.

We discuss all of these factors in the Autism Healing Program.

For parents, it’s important to get our kids good sleep hygiene consisting of avoiding food at least 2 hours before bed, avoiding caffeine, removing blue light/device exposure too close to bed, and creating a cool soothing environment to promote sleep.

When we find the cause of the sleep disturbance and address it, we see dramatic improvement.

#sleep #autism

Hooray for Hormesis!

Hormesis? Huh?

This is where a little bit of stress on the body makes the body stronger.

Exercise is one of the best hormetic therapies for everyone.

Besides exercise, some hermetic therapies that have been effect for some kids with ASD are hyperbaric oxygen therapy, near infrared sauna treatment, and near infrared light therapy.

For example, with resistance training, we can see how a muscle responds to weight, adapts, grows, and improves our metabolism.

Hormesis tells the body to make adaptations from the stress exerted on it.

With hyperbaric oxygen theraoy (HBOT), oxygen is applied under pressure in a chamber to increase neuroplasticity, improve mitochondrial function, and reduce neuroinflammation in our kids with some success.

This is used off label and there’s not anything typically in a kid’s history that will tell us if they’re going to be a responder.

With infrared light and infrared sauna therapies, the near infrared wavelength is stimulating our mitochondria to grow bigger, multiply, and become stronger.

Infrared lights can be purchased online relatively inexpensively with near infrared saunas being more expensive.

The additional benefit of the sauna is detox.

There are national companies like Restore Hyper Wellness that provide all of these hormetic therapies, so you can try one without the expense of a purchase.

In most cases, our kids have some degree of mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation.

These are tools that we have in our toolbox to improve energetics and reduce inflammation as options to potentially help our kids.

#hormesis #HBOT #autism #infraredlight #infraredsauna #nearinfraredsauna