The diet factor (Part II)

I truly need to write a book, don't I? I find myself getting deeper and deeper into these topics and my entries end up looking like a magazine article. If you only knew how many hours I have stressed about these things and how much effort I have put into digging for the truth. You would be amazed.

When you go to the doctor and ask for advice on what you can do to help your child who has either autism or ADD/ADHD there is not much they can offer except for drugs. In my opinion, drugs are for children that are at the point where the behavior is either self-destructive or can hurt others. What can you do for a child who has mild symptoms? What options are there for an autistic child who is at the high functioning level? These are questions that I had to figure out on my own.

The first line of defense or treatment should be diet change!! I cannot stress that enough. Everyone knows that certain foods cause problems for some kids. There are some symptoms that are obvious. For example, I fed my daughter orange juice when she was young and she broke out all over her face in welts. I waited for months to feed her orange juice again and when I did she broke out in welts again around her mouth. Now I know that she is definitely allergic to orange juice. She could outgrow it, but for now we avoid it. Other allergies, unfortunately, are NOT so obvious. Behavior change is more subtle. In my case, I tried to keep track of my #2's diet and eventually realized that when he had "pink milk" he would act differently. The strawberry syrup has Red dye #40. That is a big trigger for many kids. It can cause problems with hyperactivity, irritability, restlessness, and being able to sleep. I have to admit that it took me a few weeks of keeping track. The way we found out was I was reading about it online and then decided to stop giving him the syrup, and we immediately saw a change in his behavior. The hard part was I had to make sure, right? So...I gave him some pink milk to test my hypothesis and that day we definitely saw a change. That night he had trouble sleeping and the next day he did not have a good day. Darn the scientific method!!

What do you do when others won't support you or think you're nuts? That is a good question. It's a known fact that most mothers don't want their children to stand out unless it's for a good reason (such as intelligence and looks). So, I wish people would back off when mothers are just trying to do their job. It's also easy to get defensive when others question why you do what you do. The thing to remember is that as long as YOU remain calm and just explain it in a way that others can relate then you are less likely to get the backlash. For example, you can either say, "I am sorry, but Johnny can't have candy right now since it's a known fact that eating too much sugar causes hyperactivity in kids with autism".....or you can say, "Thanks for offering the candy, but Johnny is not allowed to have candy right now." Do you see how just changing a couple of words changes everything? Most mothers would not even question it and "Johnny" doesn't have to hear you defend your decision as a mother.

I think it's important to be consistent with diets. I have to admit that I get so lax with diets. The hardest time for me is when we are not home. I am sure it's that way for most mothers. If I give my children an inch they will take a yard when it comes to breaking rules. My husband is like a kid when it comes to bringing junk food home. Sometimes he will get "fun" cereal as well and then I feel like if we don't eat it then it is wasting food and money. Consequences of breaking diets can last for days. That is why if we do it, we have to take that into consideration. There is no easy answer to this dilemma, but just remember to try and be consistent as much as possible.

Another point I want to make is that some children are deficient in certain vitamins and nutrients. That is why my neurologist started my daughter on a supplement before we even had a diagnosis. He said that certain deficiencies can manifest in different ways. I thought that made perfect sense. I am definitely not a nutritionist and so I could see myself unknowingly feeding my family a diet lacking in something. Why can't doctors test children for this on a routine visit? In my opinion, I think that they should test children after they start solid foods. They could start at age 2 and then do it every six months during their routine visits until about age 4 and then every year after that. (Of course, I am talking about children who are having health problems or issues in development.) Again, this would be too easy. They would much rather wait and see or give drugs.

As years go on I see preventive medicine going down the drain. The pharmaceutical companies have too much money invested in their products and they are going to push doctors to give it to their patients for everything. There are so many alternatives to medicine out there and there are things parents can do without the help of the traditional medical community. The thing I want parents to know is that there is much more to health than meets the eye. Our bodies are a marvelous machine that can heal itself (if you will let it), can tell you when it's sick (if you will listen), and has greater potential than you can imagine (if you only have the faith).
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We live in a "gotta have it now" world
when it comes to everything. This
way of thinking will one day ruin our
health, destroy our planet, and end
everything that we call humanity.
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