Eating for Autism: The 10-Step Nutrition Plan to Help Treat Your Child's Autism, Asperger's, or ADHD by Elizabeth Strickland

Author:Elizabeth Strickland
Language: eng
Format: mobi, pdf
Tags: Da Capo Lifelong Books, ISBN-13: 9780738212432
ISBN: 0738212431
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 2009-04-27T21:00:00+00:00

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Explore Additional Supplements

There are many other vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, nutraceuticals, and herbs believed to benefit autistic children. These supplements are accepted and commonly used as advanced nutritional treatment in the autism community.

Before we get started, it’s important to understand that each of these advanced nutritional supplementations serves a very specific purpose, and not every autistic child needs them. Some autistic children will use most of them, other children only a few supplements, and still others should not try any advanced supplements because they aren’t appropriate for their individual conditions. Also, contrary to what many medical practitioners tell parents, you should not start your child on all of these supplements at once, nor should they all be used at the same time. Many parents end up purchasing dozens of expensive supplements and try to get their child to take all of these supplements every day, which never works. Doing so will only make you feel frustrated, overwhelmed, and totally disillusioned with all nutritional interventions.

Treating autism is like running a marathon—you need to start slowly and pace yourself. Work with your child’s registered dietitian or nutrition-oriented physician to figure out which advanced supplements, if any, might be appropriate for your child.

Lastly, do not even attempt to implement this step until your child has mastered the first nine steps of my program. His basic nutrition must be in place before you delve into more advanced interventions.

ADVANCED SUPPLEMENTS

Since there are so many advanced supplements to consider, it’s easiest to group them together by their intended purpose. Some supplements are used to enhance the detoxi-128

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STEP 10: EXPLORE ADDITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

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fication or immune systems, some to enhance cognitive function, and others to improve behavioral or other autistic symptoms. You’ll quickly see which groups of supplements may be appropriate to treat your child’s individual symptoms. Please note that the groupings are not all-inclusive but rather a general guideline to help you start a discussion with your child’s registered dietitian or physician. A few of these supplements are considered controversial and are not recommended by some medical professionals. You’ll need to work with someone who’s willing to have open discussions about all of these supplements so you can make a well-informed decision regarding their use for your child.

Supplements to Enhance Cognitive Function

The following supplements are used because of their ability to enhance a child’s comprehension, reasoning, decision making, planning, and learning abilities:

• carnitine

• iron

• choline

• zinc

• coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

Carnitine

Carnitine is the generic term for the compounds L-carnitine, acetyl-L-carnitine, and propionyl-L-carnitine. It’s synthesized in the body from the essential amino acids lysine and methionine. Carnitine plays a critical role in energy production, transporting long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria so they can be burned to produce energy.

It then transports waste out of the cell to prevent waste accumulation. Carnitine may also have brain and central nervous system protection abilities, cardio protective activity, triglyceride-lowering effects, and antioxidant properties.

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