Autism Autoimmune Disease Link Considered

HealthDay:

Children of mothers who have autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and celiac disease have up to a three times greater risk for autism, a new study finds.

Although the association between autism and a maternal history of type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis had been found in earlier research, the researchers behind the new study say that theirs is the first to find a link between autism and celiac disease. People with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye and barley.

Read the whole story: HealthDay

Comments

[mofmars333]

Journalist & author, Denise Dennis, tells it like it is & you should read every word of her article.

Please, for the sake of the people & children everywhere, including generations to come, get involved in this most urgent matter of health care reform.

Right now, whether you be layman or professional in the political, medical or scientific fields, it's time to make your move on behalf of the best interests of the American people.

Change is here, trying to manifest & we need all help possible in getting to where we need to be.

Our first priority is in beginning our road to recovery in the health system for our people, everywhere.

Please do your part so we can get down to business of healing this supposed to be great nation & finally, make it what it should be.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/denise-dennis/health-care-reform-why-we_b_230529.html

[mofmars333]

This matter ties in here & needs addressed.

It's all connected to the whole equation that "will" lead to the well being of our nation's health.

Please join in this important discussion;

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/13/alternative-medicine-supp_n_230610.html

[mofmars333]

This is getting very interested & ties right in with these debates we've been having;

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr.-daniel-palestrant/the-biggest-risk-to-us-ph_b_229068.html

[dugmaze]

That's a heavy article !

[mofmars333]

It sure is.

I hope they allow what I wrote to post & there's a lot of truthful follow up on the matter.

That could make it a lot heavier.

[dugmaze]

Does everyone share in my excitement that President Obama nominated Dr. Collins to head the NIH? For me, he is the missing link between science and religion.

I can see science really opening up.

[suzannemaria]

I don't know who he is, but I'm intrigued by your comment about he being the missing thlink between science and religion. Please elaborate or post a link. Thanks :)

[mofmars333]

Yes, Doug, I would like to know what make you excited about this, too. I'm looking forward to some good news so hurry & tell us, please.

[mofmars333]

I found this;

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009435848_collins09.html

See my comment at that site.

Maybe Doug meant since this doctor believes in science & religion, in the fashion stated in the article, that this good?

I'm not much for man-made doctrine. The differing sects serve purpose in dividing us but I am spiritual.

I can't buy into a lot of what I was taught in the old school of Christianity, anymore, but I do know there's an almighty intelligent energy out there.

I'm under the belief our minds are too tiny to conceive of what form our Creator/Creation takes. I do know I could never be part of that "my religion is better than yours", crap.

As long as others don't hurt people & are guided in love, they're okay in my book.

There are good Christian people & then there are those who say they are. Big difference & we all need beware of what we're taught in the name of religion.

I believe there's such a thing as righteous judgement & I judge others in their spiritual authenticity & being a true Christian by their stance on war. Those whose god tells them it's okay & they buy that, I question their judgement.

They scare me & can't possibly have true love in their hearts if they don't suffer for the innocents who have & are dying in the name of war.

[dugmaze]

Obama Nominates Francis Collins to Lead NIH
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-Intent-to-Nominate-Francis-Collins-as-NIH-Director/

Here's Dr. Collins' Wiki file:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Collins_(geneticist)

Here's his website:
http://www.biologos.org/

Part of the stimilus package is 10 billion to NIH for research. If there's ever a time to get research done for autism, it would be now while they have extra money.

Dr. Collins seems to me to be level headed and people orientated. He's already pushed back at insurance companies who are after gene research information(so they can deny coverage). Did you know that some insurance companies don't have to cover hereditary conditions?

As far as religion goes. I believe in both God and science but not blindly. I think both need some level of faith to accept answers and move forward. Plus, both have changed radically over the years so I assume they will also change in the future. Both have evolution.

Historically religion is used to wage wars, reap profits, and control people. The Neocons have mastered this through people like Jerry Farwell and now the world is suffering.
Jerry Falwell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Falwell
Neocon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocon
PNAC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNAC
I don't see religion in these people.

I'll do attend a church for mostly social reasons but I keep my faith between me and God.

[sirenity]

To all of you making statements that persons with any genetic/health factors that my increase their chances of having an autistic child should 'get their tubes tied' and comments about autistic children 'suffering the burden of autism', shame on you. Your comments imply that persons with autism are nothing but tragedy. You devalue the lives of people who are autistic. You are implying that an autistic person is less worthy than a person who is not. For shame! Every child has value. Being a child with autism does not equate 'a life of suffering'. Regardless of where on the spectrum a person is or is not they are still a person. They have strengths and weaknesses, talents, feelings and thoughts. They have as much right to exist in our world, just as they are, differences and all as any other person-more so I dare say than those that seek to exploit them.
I would not trade my son for anything! If he had been my first child, I still would have chosen to add to my family further.
How will your child feel when they are older, knowing that you feel they have no value, that you see them as a burden or a tragedy? Not sure? Go ask the autistic adults how they feel such comments. Read Michelle Dawson's court testimony, read the blogs.

[LaurieAnn]

I am glad that you would not trade you son for anyone. When I share here about the difficulties of raising him I'm being 100% honest. I don't share this stuff with my child, why would I?

For me, raising an autistic child is no picnic. It's just me and my husband raising him-our extended family wants nothing to do with us. My husband and I have gone over six years with no more than a few two hour breaks together without our son, he his considered "too high functioning" to qualify for any ABA programs in our area and our local school district has no clue how to educate him. My son is beginning to show signs of depression because he knows he's different from other kids and he's almost always excluded from birthday parties, etc.

This doesn't mean that I don't value my son or don't love him, it means that I'm really living where the rubber hits the road with the difficulties or raising him. It was heartbreaking for me to witness my extended family turning away from us because my son "made them uncomfortable." It is heartbreaking to have to try to find some way to explain to him why he's the only kid in the class who didn't get an invitation to Sam's birthday party,

And most worrisome of all is what will happen to him when I'm dead. He will be truly alone and truly vulnerable to the broken American safety net.

[sirenity]

LaurieAnn
Just for the record, that post was not fully directed at you.
I have three children, one ASD, so yes I empathize with raising a child on the spectrum as well as with being a parent. If you would like help finding resources I am willing to assist. There are ways to get funding for all sorts of help, if one is willing. Not always easy to find, but it is out there.
Some places even have respite funding-where a trained worker who IS happy to spend time with an autistic child, regardless of where on the spectrum they are, will either take your son in for a weekend, or come to your home to care for him so you and your husband can have some away time.
My son is also noticing, just recently, that he is 'different' (not the word he used). Rather than cry with him (I wanted to) I have engaged him in social training, found a socail skills group for him and, (I am so very thrilled) he has made incredible progress. I will happily share those resources with you as well.
I have family also, that are 'uncomfortable' and make ridiculous statements and are not involved. I no longer care. My family does not need persons involved with us that are that uncaring. I am sorry you went through that.
My offer to help find resources in your area is sincere. Check my profile, email address is there.

[kwombles]

LaurieAnn,

No, it isn't a picnic, and venting is sometimes necessary. Honesty about the difficulties in parenting children is, too, I think. I hope you'll join Sirenity, others, and me over at www.raisingautism.co.nr/. We'll be a soft shoulder for you. :-)

[MNmommy]

""One of the things we are realizing about autism is that it is not one disease but rather many different diseases or conditions that has many different etiologies," Dawson said. "This may be one cause or one risk factor, and if it interacts with a genetic vulnerability, it can increase the risk for autism," she said."

The money quote in the article.

[LaurieAnn]

This is exactly what I've believed for the last few years.

[suzannemaria]

So, you mean to tell me that the medical community has known since the Danish Study, which was done in 2002, that people with Type 1 Diabetes and Rheumotoid Arthritis have an increased risk of having autistic children and yet they have not bothered to make this information known to pregnant women??? I have quite a few friends and aquaintences that have these two conditions and also have autistic kids. Had they known this increased liklihood they could have more closely watched their baby's development and gotten the children in earlier intervention much sooner, which makes all the difference.

Seriously, this is just another example of the medical community's gross negelct of autism. 1 in every 25,000 children has PKU and yet every child is screened at birth for that condition. And yet, the medical knows autoimmunity is connected to autism, which affects 1 in every 150 kids - 1 in every 90 boys, for 7 years and they do nothing! Shame on the American Academy of Pediatrics!

[Josephius]

"And yet, the medical knows autoimmunity is connected to autism"

No, they don't know. There is one study that shows a correlation. There is a difference.

Just so you understand, these women may not have DISPLAYED rheumatoid arthritis until years later. It is a retrospective study. The AAP warning that you think should be in place is useless because only a very, very small number of pregnant women will have been diagnosed with the disorder.

Please, control the finger waving!

[suzannemaria]

It is not only one study that shows a correlation. DAN doctors, the only doctors that actually treat autism, have been finding this correlation between autoimmunity and autsim for decades and speaking out about it. Yes, DAN doctors who are in possession of some of the best data concerning what is going on insides the bodies of people with autism....the same DAN doctors who have offered their data to the American Academy of Pediatrics only to be turned down. So no, I will not control the finger waving when it comes to the AAP. In my opinion,then have grossly neglected Autism and need to be held accountable.

I don't enjoy feeling this angry . And yes, I am angry and I'm not sorry for it. You have NO IDEA what my family has been through. My autistic child had a complete change in personality and became violent...most of the day, everywhere. For two years the pediatricians told me "that's just part of the autism, there's nothing you can do." Finally I had enough and demanded an EEG, turns out it was like 4th of July in that child's head, he was seizing 24 hours a day. Why are so many of us unable to get doctors to take our children's health concerns seriously? Thousands of parents, including myself, report talking our autistic children who have severe GI problems for treatment only to have the doctor refuse to examine them.

[Kruddler]

yep, up to three times greater risk doesn't mean much when absolute values aren't provided. Is it 0.00001% versus 0.00003%?? Or 1 in 5 versus 6 in 10%?? People can cook numbers to say whatever they like. As I've always said, there's lies, da m n lies, and statistics.

[CraigWilloughby]

So, when will Doctors and Scientists listen to the parents?

For years, parents were attacked for using the GFCF diet to help their children recover. Even if it doesn't help the child recover, it does help with the serious and often debilitating Gastro-intestinal pain that so many autistic children seem to have. And now, it turns out that the parents may have been correct in this all along.

I also find it extremely interesting that so many children with autism that I know also have Celiac (I know, this is anecdotal). Has anyone ever done a study to see how common Celiac is in autistic children?

Again I ask; When will the Doctors and Scientists start listening to the parents?

[Josephius]

As if WE aren't parents as well.

If you had any idea some of the crazy shiznit that comes out of the mouths of parents, you might not be so quick to make that statement. Not everyone has the same opinion of your opinion, Craig.

Science is a process. It does not include adhering to what a particular group of people say/think. And you should be very appreciative of that.

[suzannemaria]

Josephius, first I want to thank you dialoguing with us here. As a doctor I'm guessing it may not be pleasant to see heaped all that we are heaping here, and we can seem rude maybe, but thanks for sticking around and talking. I want to be clear that I understand that there are some very good doctors out there.

I think Craig makes a good point about some doctors not listening to patients. My son's neuro put him on Depakote, which has helped with the seizures but has triggered the onset of severe OCD and full blown panic attacks when he leaves the house. I suggested to the neuro that maybe he is on the wrong med. He replied that he loves Depakote for kids and that is mostly what he prescribes because they tolerate it well. I feel like he was one size fits all viewing my son...should we really assume what works well for a typical kid with seizures will automatically work for an individual autistic kid with seizures?

Here's the worst of it: instead of considering switching the med he suggesting adding Risperdal. I asked him if there are any side effects to which he replied, "no, none". Well, I turn on CBS news the next day and learn that the company that makes Risperdal is being sued because a significant % of boys on it develop irreversable lactating breasts. So, you see, I've lost any automatic trust in my son's doctors.

[suzannemaria]

I agree. Parents and DAN docs have been saying Autoimmune disorders and Autism are connected for at least two decades. They don't listen to us. Plain as that.

[Josephius]

"They've been saying"

"They don't listen to us"

This is about SHOWING US THE DATA. Research, performed correctly, peer-reviewed and published. Not 'saying' something. Not BS claims. DAN! docs should know what their responsibilities are to humanity, if they are really doctors.

If they do not follow the proper procedure for testing and reporting, then what they say and do is little more than selling snake oil. Here's a hint: there's a reason why they do not perform the studies and publish, and instead, pedal their "treatments" over the internet or write books. That should be clue #1 for you. I guarantee you, a DAN! doc that publishes a bonafide study that is published in a reputable, mainstream journal will be front runner form the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Funny how it doesn't work that way, huh? That should be clue #2.

[dugmaze]

"When will the Doctors and Scientists start listening to the parents?"

What bothers me the most is the healthcare professionals that know there are issues but only see them in their peripheral vision.


Trust isn't being broken, it's being shattered.

[sirenity]

" dugmaze
"When will the Doctors and Scientists start listening to the parents?"
What bothers me the most is the healthcare professionals that know there are issues but only see them in their peripheral vision.
Trust isn't being broken, it's being shattered."
*****************
Good grief. Are you accusing the entire medical profession of a mind boggling coverup? So not only do you disbelieve the scientific studies that have been peer reviewed, and disbelieve anything the CDC has to say, and disbelieve that vaccines prevent deadly disease and believe that vaccines cause autism, believe that DAN doctors are the only doctors who magically escaped the conspiracy, believe vaccines/m­ercury/tox­ins/endles­s list causes autism yet also believe it is not genetic... you Also believe that doctors KNOW!! They know these untrained emotional parents are right! and that they what? pretend?

How about some realism

[abitcrunchy]

"So, when will Doctors and Scientists listen to the parents?"

There are some decent doctors who realize they've been brainwashed in med school. Then there are those who will jail a parent for SBS, following the death of their child, and never once will they even consider damage by pharmaceut­icals/vacc­ines. Do they have a conscious, or do they just put it aside when doing their jobs?

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/108624

(Beware, it will bring you to tears.)

[Josephius]

So, this is universally institutionalized then, because many doctors here in the U.S. trained at foreign schools. Perhaps it's medicine in general. Is it all corrupt nonsense? And those who enter the field? What are their motives.

Your perspective is highly questionable.

[sirenity]

abitcrunchy

There are some doctors who realize that parents are open to being brainwashed by the many fear mongering, fact twisting organizations that use anecdotes over evidence. These doctors go on to sell their 'miracle cure' or 'amazing treatment' at great cost to the parents.

These treatments and cures are rarely harmless, sometimes downright dangerous. Do those doctors have a conscious? Does the almighty buck make it ok for them?
http://www.raisingautism.co.nr/ Is one of many places you can find info on these 'cures' and 'treatments'.

As for this woo link you posted, Shaken Baby syndrome is not a joke. "Medical professionals strongly suspect shaking as the cause of injuries when a baby or small child presents with retinal hemorrhage, fractures, soft tissue injuries or subdural hematoma, that cannot be explained by accidental trauma or other medical conditions. About three quarters of cases involve retinal hemorrhaging." *from wiki*

Care to explain what else would cause broken ribs, retinal hemorrhage, subdural hematoma? oh wait, let me guess... vaccines magically do these things. I see.
Studies to back up your passionate fear mongering please.

[sirenity]

Craig, with all due respect, perhaps the doctors and scientists will start listening to parents tell them how to do their job, how bodies work, how medications work, how neurological disorders work if and/or when those parents obtain credited degrees in the fields they are professing to have expertise in.
GFCF diet. 1. what were the reasons stated for the doctors discrediting GFCF?
2. Where exactly is this prrof that the 'parents were rigth all along?'
Also I have never seen a study or statistical data on autistic children and Ceiliac. Only rumours. Do you have a source for this that is credible? The article, btw, states that persons with Celiac may be more likely to have children with autism, not that autistic children also have ceiliac.

Also, Craig and Suzan This quote "Atladottir said. "The large majority of people affected by an autoimmune disease do not have children with autism."" needs to be read as well. THE LARGE majority DO NOT have children with autism.

[CraigWilloughby]

Sirenity, the Oraccolytes claim that the GFCF diet is snake-oil and show extreme contempt for anyone who uses it.

Parents have been using the GFCF diet for years now, and they have seen good results in most cases. I use it because my son is allergic to wheat and milk products.

I never claimed that there was a study that looked at children with Celiac. I was asking if one had been done.

[suzannemaria]

Right, the large majority of people with autoimmune do not have children with autism. Exactly, this points to the complexity of autism in that there are many influences, this being but one in some cases. I have gluten intolerance and an autistic son. The medical community did not know officially that there might be a connection back when he was born so I am not blaming them for anything in this regard. But, to know since 2002 about the Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diabetes 1 connection and just basically ignore it as a curiosity, unacceptable!

[Acleacius]

Hopefully the same people whom put so much effort into blaming vaccines will put the same heart and soul into more beneficial directions now like the contamination of our water supply. We need to force our government to monitor 4th and 5th factors, House Hold Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, instead of only the 3 factors it monitors currently. We in US have been brainwashed by corporations into thinking the more chemicals we use in our homes the better.

There was a study in the last five or so years that found that their were massive amounts of unhealthy chemicals in pregnant women's umbilical fluid, even things like antifreeze, this has to be coming from either food, water or air quality issues. How can this not be a factor?

[kotipup]

I agree that we need to look into environmental factors - it seems a stretch that increased awareness accounts for the entire explosion of autism diagnosises - I disagree that vaccines are innocuous There are nasty preservatives in them, too (thimeresol has been replaced, but many use fromaldehyde or other neurotoxins in its place), plus, if an autistic child's immune system is "different", perhaps vaccines affect them differently (after all, vaccines are designed to stimulate the immune system).

There shouldn't be hysteria or a war on vaccines, but neither should parents' claims of traumatic changes in a child following vaccinations be poo-pooed. (my daughter is special-needs - not autism, and not likely caused by vaccines - but my experience gives me enough insight to know that, rather than wanting to "blame someone", most parents of special-needs kids are exceptionally tuned-into their kids and know more about their individual child than any doctor could.)

[abitcrunchy]

Maybe its cause we don't go 'round injecting things like antifreeze...or do we?

[Josephius]

We don't. Antifreeze is ethylene glycol. No vaccine EVER has contained ethylene glycol. Why would you think that antifreeze would be injected? Oh yeah! An internet 'education'.

[dugmaze]

I agree with you. Here's a couple of my favorite articles:

Mercury in products straight off the shelf:
http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2
Companies are using sugar as a preservative ! Pretty clever.
You can help by visiting this site:http://oceana.org/north-america/what-we-do/stop-seafood-contamination/

Look up any pesticide on this list. Most are banned in other countries but not in the US:
http://thailand.ipm-info.org/pesticides/pesticides_banned.htm

Our everday drinking water includes, perchlorates, lead, MTBE, flouride, pharmaceuticals, trihalomethanes, arsenic, and everything that floats in our air.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_water_quality_in_the_United_States

I happen to work at a water treatment plant, both waste and potable. The water you drink is the same water that is used in industrial process', field runoff, waste water discharge, and any pollution in sediment from 200 years of polluting our waterways. We get our water straight out of the Mississippi or deep wells when we have to. When we are done using that water, it gets "treated" and sent right back to the river.

The government will also "monitor" a list of known pollutants in our water but they won't ban them. That way they can say, "We test for _________ in our water". Pretty clever.

This is also the same government that "monitors" our vaccines.(sorry, I couldn't resist !)

[Josephius]

Perhaps you could tell us how we could "ban" them since detectable levels of those chemical can be found everywhere.

The issue is relevance. Just because we have technologies to detect compounds at sub-femtomolar concentrations, that doesn't mean it maters.

[HelixScanr]

Psychoneur­oimmunolog­y http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoneuroimmunology

This lays out a rough sketch of the plausibility that an auto-immune reaction could influence brain development in infants.

[Kruddler]

No it doesn't (unless I missed it). Please provide the quote from your link that specifically implicates auto-immunity in abnormal infantile brain development.

[HelixScanr]

Think: PNEI or psycho-neu­ro-endo-im­munology

Explainer --> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoneuroimmunology

[lillibelle]

Excellent point. The immune-brain loop holds the key to unlocking so many mysteries. This next decade (fingers crossed) looks to be very promising.

[SageFire]

I have Celiac Disease and been Gluten Free for over 15 years. For the first time recently accidentally ate one non GF toaster waffle. Among the other nasty things it caused was that I felt literally autistic for several days. I had no previous information about this alleged link at all, it was an attempt to explain the way my brain was processing and how my body felt during my "event". I am also deathly allergic to many vaccinations. I was bit by a raccoon a couple of years ago and the medical staff involved decided the vaccination would as likely kill me as rabies would if the raccoon were found to be rabid. Fortunately for me the raccoon was found and tested. Not so fortunate for the raccoon. All of this may mean nothing beyond coincidence but I find it anecdotally supportive of a link between autoimmune disorders, autism and vaccination issues.

[dugmaze]

" For the first time recently accidentally ate one non GF toaster waffle. Among the other nasty things it caused was that I felt literally autistic for several days. "

I think this is why parents like me turned toward dieting. The more strict the diet, the better my son got. Food affects my son similar to the way your are showing. I swear if he eats bread sticks, it's like he's drunk.

How did you get bit by a racoon?

[SageFire]

I have Celiac Disease and been Gluten Free for over 15 years. I recently accidentally ate one non GF toaster waffle, more gluten than I have had in many years in one incident. Among the other nasty things it caused was that I felt literally autistic for several days. I had no previous information about this alleged link at all, it was an attempt to explain the way my brain was processing and how my body felt during my "event". I am also deathly allergic to many vaccinations. I was bit by a raccoon a couple of years ago and the medical staff involved decided the vaccination would as likely kill me as rabies would if the raccoon were found to be rabid. Fortunately for me the raccoon was found and tested. Not so fortunate for the raccoon. All of this may mean nothing beyond coincidence but I find it anecdotally supportive of a link between autoimmune disorders, autism and vaccination issues.

[suzannemaria]

Oh I hear ya. I have gluten intolerance and an autistic child. I only found out about my gluten intolerance when he was diagnosed and I didn't want to eat his favorite foods in front of him. I still cannot believe I lived 34 years with such spaciness, social anxiety, slow cognitive processing, etc.

[dugmaze]

Is there something specific you can do now that you couldn't do before?

It makes you wonder if some of us live our whole lives never knowing we have problems.

[abitcrunchy]

ITA

If you look, you'll find your same story written by others.

You may also be interested to know that when an Autistic person dies and an autopsy is performed, they often find measles in the gut and/or brain. MMR is the only explanation of how it got there. I'm sorry I don't have time or I would give you more details.

[Josephius]

Nonsense! Document that claim!

Show me where they perform a measles analysis on gut tissues of cadavers of anybody, autistic or otherwise. Please! Back up your claim.

[nowGo4ward]

Maybe the best area to study for the cause of immune dysfunction is immune system adjuvents such as aluminum salts used in vaccinations, organic mercurials that tend to be hyper-allergenic (thimerosal for instance), maybe similar pollutants in our environment.

For example, I don't see how an ingredient added to a vaccine serum intended to increase the body's immune reaction to the inactivated antigens cannot also cause unwanted immune responses to other materials in the bloodstrea­m--autoimm­unity, allergies, etc.

[Josephius]

Aluminum salts are excreted within 24 hours.

"I don't see how an ingredient added to a vaccine serum intended to increase the body's immune reaction to the inactivated antigens cannot also cause unwanted immune responses to other materials in the bloodstrea­m--autoimm­unity, allergies, etc."

Then you should probably take a college immunology course because you clearly don't understand the mechanisms behind acquired immunity and autoimmunity. That would be a good start (instead of making unsubstantiated claims).

[suzannemaria]

Josephius, if you don't mind me asking what field of medicine do you practice?

Do you know much about autoimmunity (sincere question)?

[suzannemaria]

So is Josephius saying that he has proof that in 100% of the population aluminum salts are excreted in 24 hours?

[jozzie]

Whenever they don't know how a disease is caused these days, they call it an auto-immune prob.

It could very well be true. And if that's the case it's primary cause is the lack of, or insufficient, breast-feeding.

Human milk contains very complex immunity chemicals, along with hormones. It is low in protein to keep the stomach more alkaline. It is thin to prompt more feeding and thereby more emotional interaction -- growing/stimulating the brain.

It is a miracle that more auto-immune diseases do not beset us with our disastrous ignorance of and disrespect for nature's genius.

[LaurieAnn]

Well, I breast fed my autistic son until he was four (not his only food source, mostly for comfort the last two years) which is not to say there's no correlation as you suggest. My bigger fear though is that perhaps toxins I had stored in my body were shared with my son during breast feeding. I do not want to open a can of worms about breast feeding here but I would love to see some serious study of the toxicity of women's bodies once they reach childbearing age so that something may be accomplished for the woman prior to conception to possibly lower the risk of the child developing autism. One theory is that older parents are more likely to have autistic kids due to damage to eggs and sperm, however toxins stored in the body may very well be a contributing factor as well.

[abitcrunchy]

No, your idea is flawed. We didn't begin having children until late, my husband was 40 and I was 34 when we had our first. I was 41 when our youngest was born. My children are neuro-typical. They were breastfed for months after their first birthdays.

My grandmother was almost 50 when her youngest was born. My mother was 20 when her perfectly normal son was born. He even learned to talk early! It was only a few hours after the DPT that he showed his first symptom of Autism. So, no --- us old ladies are not contaminated when we deliver our babies and that is not what causes Autism.

The idea in this piece is flawed about as badly as your idea is. Not every parent with an Autistic child has autoimmune disease.

I wonder if pieces like this aren't written in an attempt to take the focus off the real culprit. It sure seems that way, I mean the *scientific method* seems to matter so much but where is the logic in some of these wild ideas? If EVERY parent of an Autistic child had an autoimmune disorder then OK - but they don't...so why even go there??? I don't think the white coats are this stupid...but I do think that they need us to be. (One would have to be to fall for this BS).