My 14YO son has autism. I've been treating him with a parasite cleanse system for 1.5 years (5 days on, 2 days off). He's made some remarkable improvements, but every time I try to wean him off the cleanse, the parasite symptoms flare up. He is nonverbal and fairly low-functioning, so I don't get any feedback from him as to how he is feeling. Last week, I started him on 1 drop of MMS then upped the dose to 1 drop, 2x a day this week. After about 4 days at 2 drops/day, he vomited once and had diarrhea all day. I am assuming it is the MMS. I decided to drop down to 1 drop/day again until he gets beyond this. He tends to have loose stools anyway, which I am guessing is related to this ongoing battle with the parasites. His gut tends to be very sensitive to anything I give him, so I have to go very carefully with anything new like the MMS. I am still giving him the other parasite cleanse (Systemic Formulas VRM 1-4). I would love to hear anyone's ideas or insight into this. I am working with a homeopath who has done extensive research into parasite cleanses, but she has not researched MMS. I'm looking to get my son beyond these parasites once and for all. My homeopath and her colleagues are autism experts and do consults with parents from around the world. They have found that the children with autism who are considered "tough nuts" tend to also be parasite kids. With their compromised immune systems, it is difficult to eradicate parasites.
Thank you for your encouragement! I truly appreciate it because even though I have read everything I can find on MMS the past few weeks, it's still a bit scary to move forward with a nonverbal child. In my search of archives and such there doesn't seem to be any discussion of anyone using it with an autistic child. I'm doing it on myself and ramping it up much faster with no side effects so far.
I agree with Johnny Apple Bomb---You're on the right track and going about it in the right way.
I'd also recommend you look into Neurofeedback as an additional adjunct for your son. I have seen numerous cases of Autism respond profoundly to this intervention---virtually normalizing kids in some cases...nearly always helping. It's well worth a try. Here's a link to a video description of what Neurofeeback is: http://www.eeginfo.com/win_video.html.
If you feel you're interested, you can go to http://www.eegdirectory.com
to find a practitioner near you.
Also, in case you're not already familiar with this (though I imagine you are...you sound reasonably saavy and well researched), check out this web site: http://www.gfcfdiet.com.
It's one more thing that can make a profound difference in your son.
Thank you for your *feedback* on feedback (neuro that is ). I will look at that link. As for gf/cf diet, yes we do that with an emphasis on alkaline foods (so in addition to gf/cf, we are sugar-free, corn-free, etc.). We started him on the diet when he was 3 and first dx'd.
I don't usually reply to #12345 screen numbers anymore, but I'm a grandparent of 2 fully recovered, formerly severely autistic grandsons.
Since we've spent several hundred thousand dollars and 10 years (and counting) discovering the methods to autistic recovery, we've also helped several dozen other families start the road to recovery for their autistic kids.
It's not expensive once you know what to do, but it's VERY expensive when you're in the "try everything and pray" mode, and your results will be necessarily limited, due MAINLY to the "professional" commmunity that takes your money, and guides you (mostly) in the wrong directions.
That said, a coupla things..... The "parasites" are the least of your problems and you really need to get rolling on recovering as much of your son as possible. The candida and leaky gut are ALSO just symptoms, and the longer he's non-verbal, the more likely he never will be verbal. Plus you have (as you've probably noticed) the problems of hormones kicking in and as his body develops, you have doorways closing to functions he'll never be able to recover.
You need to give more detail about your son...Was he autistic from birth, regressive after 18 months, is on gfcf/sf/cf diet, does he make eye contact and does have dental fillings and did YOU have dental problems that had been filled with Amalgam mercury before he born? Has he been vaccinated over the years, and what were they? (including the Hep-B at birth) Have you done any heavy metal chelation and does he have any problems with hearing or eyesight? (or can you tell?) Does he have violent tendencies, or can you control him pretty well?
I don't mean to get your hopes up for nothing, but I've seen some spectacular turn-arounds, and if you can get him talking, your lives will change dramatically. (it's generally not too hard to do this, btw)
Let me know if you'd like advice, but not if you're going to have me type it all out, just to ignore it because there's so many conflicting opinions coming at you.
I don't mind helping if I can, but it'll require discipline on your part and the willingness NOT TO TRY EVERYTHING AT ONCE. You can't make progress unless you follow a METHODICAL process of trial and error towards his problems.
His gut chemistry sounds fairly screwed up and the MMS drops will help him later, if he can't tolerate it now. But we're talking about a recovery process of YEARS, not MONTHS or days, and if you start a reasonable program of recovery today, you'll probably see measurable IQ and verbal differences within a year.
Our kids are not "tough nuts" when we spend enough of our own time DIRECTLY OBSERVING THEM, and we become their own personal "autism experts" with a little simple and inexpensive guidance of what to try next.
(Just in case you're wondering, I have nothing to sell and have a real job in an unrelated field, not one that bleeds hurting parents dry when they're at their most vulnerable.)
Wow, what a beautiful and heartbreaking post..
My admiration and love to you and your family, Hellth... you have been through
both amazing and hellish times!
And thank you for allowing it to "let you become" who you are! You are truly
a wonderful inspiration!
As we say in Texas, "Aw shucks, mam." (kicking dirt)
You're really too nice :) My wife hits me every I volunteer to help some else with autistic kids, but when you've been through as much as we have with our grandkids and with other parents of autistic kids, it's hard just to watch them suffer when you know that they could be helped.
There's so much misinformation and outright fraud on the internet these days, it's (paradoxically) getting HARDER to find good info, as the internet grows!
Sorry about the anonymous user name. This was my very first post here, so I don't really know what I'm doing . On this reply I will let my user name show. To answer your questions: He regressed at about 2 years old, he is on the diet (as mentioned in my last reply), he makes eye contact (is very social), one composite dental filling, yes I had Amalgams before he was born, he was vaccinated with everything on the schedule through 15 months (including HepB at 10 days, not right at birth), 3 months of DMSA chelation and two DMSA challenges a couple years later, no apparent eye or ear problems (but not able to confirm this; he's most likely sound sensitive), no longer aggressive at all.
I would be interested in hearing what you have to say. We have done many things out there, seen 20 different practitioners (mostly alternative, some DAN! docs). Right now he is going through a treatment of sequential/integrative homeopathy that is clearing out all the insults to his body, including vaccines. This is the only treatment that he has responded to over the past 11+ years.
In your original post, you said Moses was "low functioning", and since most parents over-estimate their kid's ability when they're autistic, I assumed that he wasn't able to communicate his wishes and didn't respond to stimulus appropriately. (let alone, be sociable!)
So is Moses able to tell you when something hurts and point to the pain? And if you would, please describe what kinds of communication that YOU ARE able to do with him, because so much more is possible when autistic kids can give you feedback. Also, will he/can he swallow capsules, and if not, will he take eye-dropper supplements mixed with fruit juice?
From the small amount I do know about your situation, it sounds VERY HOPEFUL that you've "taken the bull by the horns" and tried the diets over the years. And I would suggest that his loose stools are telling you that you're missing something, probably with gluten in it, and you may not realize how TINY AMOUNTS of gluten can render all your efforts worthless, without you even realizing. For example, most HAND SOAPS have gluten ingredients and even 1 CRUMB of a bread product may nullify months of faithful dieting, to someone who's highly immune compromised.
I know it sounds like "pie in the sky" after so many years of doctors and watching him grow up with impairment, but if Moses was a NORMAL child at birth, then regressed at the usual time (after the MMR vaccines) then you have an EXCELLENT chance of recovering him to the point where he can live his own life. (unless there's something else I don't know about his disability)
You mentioned chelating with DMSA. Was that under the direction of a doctor? (Incidentally, just FYI, DAN doctors are simply regular doctors who go to 1 day convention, and are pronounced DAN after the day. Some of the WORST doctors go to the DAN convention, because they don't have enough patients to fill their normal schedule, so they go, hoping to get a whole new clientele. I haven't been reading up on it for the past few years, but their initial "DAN protocols" were nothing short of laughable)
DMSA is an excellent chelator, but it DOES NOT PASS the BBB (blood brain barrier).
Autism is a toxic metal disease. And the mercury is stored in the brain, where DMSA can't get at it. (lipid tissue has a 5X preferential uptake of toxic metals over other bodily tissues)
It sounds like you have the resources to see doctors and such, so you should find a doctor who'll prescribe DMPS (dimercapto propane sulphate) which is the "cadillac" of mercury BBB chelation agents. DO NOT ALLOW a doctor to do "challenges" and IV administration of chelators, because while faster, they are also MUCH more dangerous to Moses and are completely unnecessary. Speed is something the DOCTOR needs, in order to see more patients. With more patience and less speed, you can administer chelation orally and avoid the horrible side effects of improper redistribution of the body burden, and actually get RID of the stuff, once and for all.
If you don't have the money for doctors, you can also use Alpha Lipoic acid, a strong sulphur-based antioxidant that is perfectly OK for BBB chelation. The downside of ALA is that it tends to create yeast problems, and most unexpected reactions from chelating are YEAST/CANDIDA related. (this includes repetitive behaviors, stimming, uncontrollable outbursts, spitting, you name it) Just be sure to get the ALA from a store or online source that sells a lot of it, so that you can be sure it's fresh.
I should pause here, and tell you that I speak from PERSONAL experience, as well as with our experience with our grandkids and hundreds of others we have known. I was probably the MOST MERCURY TOXIC person you'll ever meet (that lived to tell about it) and I am INTIMATELY acquainted with all the problems of acute toxic metal chelation.
The CHELATION of Mose's brain burden of mercury, is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO. This will take AT LEAST a couple of YEARS, but will be well worth it. (based on my experience)
You don't need a lot of tests, or doctors, or anything else that costs a lot of $$$. All you need is a bottle of chelator, some critical antioxidant supplements and support vitamins, and the faith that will see you through the scary times of "what do I do now?"
If Moses was of normal intellect before his regression, it is very likely that he's much smarter than you think, and once he's talking, he'll probably tell you that he remembers all those years that you took care of him, but he couldn't put together the sounds in his head in order to talk. (this has happened time and again, with kids who were once diagnosed as "institutional" candidates)
Let me know if you plan to try the above suggestions. There's much more to it, of course, but I have to get to work and I need to know more about your situation as outlined above.
Thank you so much for your detailed reply. Your family is very fortunate to have you and your research/support. I will consider your recommendations. The group that we are now working with (http://www.homeopathyhouston.com), is having great success detoxing ASD kids with its approach. We haven't kept up on lab tests in the past few years ($$$ have run dry), but some parents who are veteran chelators and who are now with the Houston group, have reported that their children are detoxing mercury at a rate similar to or greater than when they were doing chemical chelation. One mom, in particular, worked with Buttar prior to coming to Houston. In 2002, we were doing ALA before, during and after our 3-months on DMSA (Captomer) and about one month after stopping DMSA, he had his first-ever grand-mal seizure. He had reacted so horribly to the DMSA (and perhaps ALA) that I always wondered if it hadn't stirred up some problems that caused the seizure. After that, we pretty much vowed to avoid chemical chelation.
At any rate, just to touch on a couple of your other points/questions. I refer to him as low-functioning because he appears to be so since he is non-verbal. His teacher places him with the high-functioning kids in her classroom. He communicates with a device that has pictures and is rapidly learning to use one with a keyboard. His communication is not perfect at this point, but is improving. He can't swallow capsules, but he drinks a supplement cocktail that I prepare for him. The thing about his loose stools is that his gut has been slowly improving over the past year (after going downhill during SCD). So right now, even though his BM's aren't perfect, they are a far cry from where they were a year ago. Some of the autism GI docs out there (like Krigsman) have said that it can take as long to heal a gut as it took to get to dysbiosis in the first place. My son has had dysbiosis on and off since he was a baby, so if it never truly healed in between problem periods, then it could take 10 years or more to fully heal according to Krigsman. I don't expect it to take that long, but I expect it to be slow and from what I am seeing now, he's making progress. The MMS seemed to throw things off a bit.
Again, thank you for taking the time to offer some suggestions and ideas!
"One mom, in particular, worked with Buttar prior to coming to Houston. In 2002, we were doing ALA before, during and after our 3-months on DMSA (Captomer) and about one month after stopping DMSA, he had his first-ever grand-mal seizure."
Sorry to hear about your son's seizure, MM. We had some minor seizure episodes, but found out that by cutting out ALL TRANS-FATS, the seizures went away without antiseizure meds. (You know how TRYING these exclusionary diets can be, when trying to keep weight on ASD kids, so we found out that MCDONALDS had NO GLUTEN in their French Fries, which they loved, but then we started getting scary little seizure episodes until we realized it had something to do with MCDONALDS...lol .... shocker!)
Unfortunately, McDonalds fries now have gluten, although they have apparently removed the transfatty acids.
"He had reacted so horribly to the DMSA (and perhaps ALA) that I always wondered if it hadn't stirred up some problems that caused the seizure. After that, we pretty much vowed to avoid chemical chelation."
He couldn't tolerate even a drop of MMS either, right? Do you have Moses on digestive enzymes? They cover a multitude of unintentional "sins" in the leaky gut diets. After about a month, the right enzymes will make your boy seem happier over all. I don't think I ever saw it fail. (when given enough time to work out)
"At any rate, just to touch on a couple of your other points/questions. I refer to him as low-functioning because he appears to be so since he is non-verbal. His teacher places him with the high-functioning kids in her classroom."
I forgot to mention this for Mose's verbal problem. HAVE YOU TRIED VINPOCETINE? If you haven't, find a good fresh source for this supplement (I think we got ours from Kirkman Labs... more expensive, but good quality) and give him 1-2 capsules every day. Watch for HEADACHES though, and if he gets them, back off for a week or two, then go again. This has turned on some ASD kids verbal ability LIKE A LIGHT SWITCH! Vinpocetine increases blood flow in the brain, and is a "natural" extract of the periwinkle plant. THIS IS WORTH A TRY!
"Again, thank you for taking the time to offer some suggestions and ideas!"
God bless you and Moses, and expect a miracle with him. Keep trying to chelate him, though, and get that darn mercury out of his brain. You don't have to win any races, just keep up the effort and don't get discouraged. It seemed to us, that JUST when we couldn't take another day of "no change", something new would suddenly happen, and we'd be on the next level of improvement all of a sudden. Don't give up, MM! :)
Dear,
I almost in tears after reading your post regarding you kindness towards Autistic children.
Sadly my 4 and half years old boy is one of them. We have been trying so many different ways during the past one and half year. He is improving in many ways and he has started to speak many words. The most significant improvement was achieved by adding Vb series into his supplements. however, non of the methods are changing him enough to recover. He still have GUT problems, he still in many routines, he still has audio processing difficulty, etc
We have done many tests in the past. We had given him EDTA for chelation and that really helped Haohan. The last few runs did not help for some reasons. Therefore we concentrated on supplements at the moment.
He is the regressive from 18 month type of Autism. He is on GFCF diet. He does not have problems with hearing or eyesight. He is a very clam and gentle boy. We can control him very well.
The main problem for us is we still in try everything and pray mode at the moment. We urgently need a methodical process for my son. It would be very grateful if you could help us base on your experience.
Many thanks and best regards.
Yi & Hui
Autistic kids are deficient, many times in fatty acids, B vits, enzymes & minerals. These needs must be met and maintained for true healing to begin. All the cleansing and chelation will only further debilitate a deficient body.
I would suggest seeking out a molecular nutrition specialist, who can determine a proper nutrient balance for your boy. Get the bowel issue corrected, strengthen the body, then get him on MMS and I would also suggest following EM's advice on biofeedback, it is excellent for brain wave balancing.
To remain on parasite cleansers for a year and a half is irresponsible on the part of those doctors that you a seeing. I would get a second opinion.
Thank you for your reply. Can you help me understand why it is irresponsible for my son to be on the parasite cleanse so long -- is it pulling nutrients from his body? How long is a reasonable time? I have read it can take up to 2 years to get to the bottom of a parasite problem -- especially when the immune system is compromised. The Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) doctors say that the immune systems of children with autism are as messed up as those who have AIDS. This is one reason why I was attracted to MMS, because Jim Humble keeps saying that it strengthens the immune system. The DAN! doctors have no concrete answers for repairing these kids' immune systems. At any rate, as I mentioned, every time we try to wean him off the herbs, his parasite behaviors flare up and we just can't live with that anymore (e.g. feces smearing/eating, aggressiveness, OCD, etc.). As for nutritional stuff, within a week of his diagnosis, I took him to a naturopath and started him on supplements, diet, etc. in support of nutritional deficiencies. He has a fantastic diet that is supplemented with EFA's and enzymes. His gut problems have come and gone through the years, but in the past 4-5 years have gotten worse in spite of the intervention and focus on gut. A couple years ago, he tested positive for b. hominis, a parasite that is linked to chronic diarrhea and is considered impossible to eradicate. His homeopath suspects we are still dealing with some sort of gut parasite. We are also working on gut biofilm to release any eggs that may be hiding there. Chlorine dioxide is said to break down biofilm. I appreciate your feedback and would love to hear more of your thoughts. Thanks!
Have you seen this post on the Parasites Forum ? It's from the curezone member North:
This is a really excellent site maintained by a woman who suffered with IBS caused by the parasites B. Hominis and D. fragilis for years, then was mostly cured when she took specific treatments that targeted these two parasites. She lists the treatments that worked (they are Rx, unfortunately, but nothing else worked), and she lists everything that DIDNT work, for comparison. The site doesn't sell anything - it is just unbiased info feedback from people who had these parasites.
"The Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) doctors say that the immune systems of children with autism are as messed up as those who have AIDS."
Very true...and why it is essential to determine any deficencies and correct them! All food allergies must be determined and not by hocus pocus testing, like keinesiology. Though, I believe there is some validity to this type of testing, it is not always reliable.
Bottom line---no matter how many parasite concoctions your child takes, if the body is depleted and lacking the correct nutrients to function then the body will remain off balance and parasites will continue to thrive.
Personally, I think very small amounts of MMS used everyday would be more beneficial, much cheaper and far safer than any herbal parasite cleanse. However, your child may be low or deficient in antioxidant reserves so be sure to provide an antioxidant rich vit/min supplement therapy taken away from the MMS dose.
$$$ and issue...try this experiment:
Remove all treatments now taken and give a strong quality multi vit/min in am, Morningstar trace minerals on empty stomach and provide a diet that is free of wheat and gluten and give him 2 drops of MMS at bedtime. See how that goes for 2-weeks, if stomach problems continue try removing cow milk products too...
Home
Son with autism 
SCD diet 
