★★★★★
It is really difficult to get rid of candida/leaky gut if the toxic metal problem isn't addressed. Zeolite products, chlorella, spirulina, cilantro, fermented foods - these should probably be in your arsenal. The other thing I've noticed, in general, is that the toxic metal/candida/leaky gut trio also leads to more than the usual number of allergies. This is probably why one acquaintance has successfully resolved all of her son's autistic tendencies with extreme diet observation/monitoring/controlling. Any mistakes lead to a slide back to autistic symptoms. NAET practitioners have done a study that showed that energetic elimination of allergies in autistic children leads to increasingly normal function, too.
I really appreciate the benefits of both elimination diets and NAET, but for long-term health I think it is important to remove the toxins, prevent further introduction of toxins, balance the gut as you mention doing with probiotics, and healing the gut with proper nutrition. Thanks for bringing up this important topic. Not enough people realize the link between leaky gut and autism, nor the important info on vaccinations.
Candida Detox
★★★★★
Link Between Gut Health and Autism
I am convinced that autism begins in the gut. My own struggles with candida overgrowth and leaky gut syndrome led me to believe that even while I was pregnant with my 3rd child, a son born 02/02/09, that he would have health and possibly mental issues. While in my belly he was extremely hyper and although I tried my best to restrict my diet I could feel that something would be different with my baby. He has been breast feed from the beginning and still breast feeds, but it has not prevented signs of autism.
Because I knew of my own health conditions I opted from the start not to give my son any vaccinations. I noticed about 3 weeks after he was born that his tongue was white like mine, which means I passed my own compromised immune system to my son. I was determined to breast feed because I wanted him to have the best chance possible to help build his immune system, but still the autistic signs emerged early on. When he was 5 months old I took myself to a natural path who explained that I must strictly restrict gluten and milk in my diet so as to not harm my baby. Although, my son seemed to nurse around the clock he never gained weight properly and seemed always hungry. His pediatrician advised I introduce cereal into his diet and although I knew of my own allergy to gluten I gave my son cereal mixed in Similac to stave off his hunger and help him gain weight. This was a huge mistake as he immediately, broke out in hives and diarrhea. I believed if I avoided the vaccinations and watched my diet carefully while nursing I could help strengthen his immune system and avoid autism.
I have since learned that it is possibly the mercury in vaccinations that damage the immune system. I have also learned that wheat products today are full of mercury. When introducing wheat to a child born with an already weakened immune system it reeks havoc on the body. I have found through trial and error that not only keeping my son from wheat and dairy are important, but also peanuts due to the high amount of fungus they carry. We avoid giving him sugar and corn products because they effect the gut flora and cause hyper behavior in most children, but especially those that are on the autistic spectrum.
I have recently introduced fivelac probiotics and he has shown much improvement in his eating habits and weight gain. We are not out of the woods yet, but hopefully as we push towards his 2nd birthday his speech will improve. He has excellent motor skills and makes eye contact and interacts well with people, but we still have speech delay.