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Kids’ Health Alert: Genes Are NOT the Main Cause of Autism
It has been a prevailing belief among many scientists that genetics account for 90 percent of a child’s autism risk. A new study, though, suggests that environmental factors could pose a much larger influence on the disorder.
Published in a National Public Radio (NPR) article, a Stanford University School of Medicine study looked at nearly 200 pairs of twins. To the researchers’ surprise, a greater number of fraternal twins shared autism than identical twins. Fraternal twins share only half their genes with each other.
NPR says:
“Scientists have long suspected that there’s been an environmental contribution to autism … and previous studies have shown that it may occur in the early stages of pregnancy.” (Link)
Dr. Joachim Hallmayer, the lead author of the study, emphasizes “the importance of conducting further study on autism and the factors that contribute to it.”
‘Incredibly Diverse’ Environmental Factors for Autism
Autism was still an uncommon condition when natural health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola was in medical school. “It impacted maybe one in 10,000 children. Now we are seeing an explosion of cases numbering somewhere between 1 in 50 and 1 in 110 children, depending on what source of statistics you use,” he says.
Dr. Mercola reveals that there are “incredibly diverse” environmental factors for autism that you can possibly look at. A recent review by Helen Ratajczak in the Journal of Immunotoxicology, for instance, showed that autism may be due to a brain inflammation caused by:
- Encephalitis following vaccination
- Immune response of the mother to infection while pregnant
- Toxic environment
- Defective placenta
- Premature birth
- Immature blood-brain barrier
- Encephalitis in the child after birth
Another truly eye-opening account of autism is shown in a Mercola interview with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a physician who cured her own son of the disorder using an all-natural treatment involving dietary changes and detoxification.
Dr. Campbell is convinced that autistic children are actually born with perfectly normal brains and normal sensory organs, but abnormal gut flora passed on from their parents leads to devastating toxicity. This is known as the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS), where toxicity flowing from their gut throughout their bodies and into their brains clogs the brain, preventing it from performing its normal function and processing sensory information.
Among those that set the stage for increasingly abnormal gut flora are bottle-feeding and the overuse of antibiotics.
Vaccines may also play a role in autism. In your child’s developing brain, immune over-activation has been shown to be particularly damaging to the amygdala and other limbic structures.
“What is lost is that which makes us social human beings, able to function in a complex world of ideas and interactions—and this is what is lost with autism. What we see is a vicious cycle of immune activation, excitotoxin and cytokine excretion, and free radical production. The latter starts the cycle all over again,” Dr. Mercola explains.
Addressing Autism and Its Environmental Causes
Dr. Mercola encourages identifying GAPS within the first weeks of your baby’s life. This can be done through a stool analysis, followed by a urine test to check for metabolites. These tests cost about 80 to 100 dollars each and are available in most laboratories worldwide.
Other simple ways to address the environmental causes of autism include:
- Eliminating sugar (specifically fructose) and grains from your child’s diet
- Avoiding pasteurized milk
- Feeding your child whole, fresh organic foods
- Lowering his microbial and toxic burden
- Reducing his EMF exposure
- Optimizing his vitamin D levels
- Using EMF and other effective tools to address emotional stresses
- Having informed vaccine choices
- Homeopathy
Aside from promoting proper diet and regular exercise, you can also help your child achieve optimal health through natural supplements like krill oil, which supports crucial bodily processes like a strong cognitive function and normal social development.
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Tags: Autism, Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Mercola, kids’ health, Krill Oil, optimal health
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