Polly: Drastically reducing environmental exposures and eliminating all food allergies allows the immune system of the autistic to calm down. This can sometimes eliminate the symptoms of autism.
“Within 2-5 weeks of complete diet change and removal of all environmental contaminants, the physical manifestations of the disorder disappear. …
The subjects tended to quickly achieve age appropriate physical skills, abilities and temperament coinciding with normal health, however in terms of learned behaviors, the children have tended to behave as if the years they “lost” to autism never happened. The Autism Interventions 41 subjects have been able to learn quickly, eagerly, and with apparent ease, beginning again from the place in time that they became autistic….
In our program, without exception every child has improved. In the 45 children studied, 5 have fully recovered already and their diagnoses have been removed. Half of the children have achieved an 85% or greater reduction in overall symptom levels, and are well on their way to full recovery. The remainder have achieved at least a 50% reduction overall in their symptoms; the difference in this group are the parents, who have been slow to complete the environmental changes so clearly necessary for full recovery.” [41]
The program requires the installation of an industrial clean room in the home. Volatile organic compounds, plastics, resins, and molds must be eliminated from the environment. The clothes have to be pristine in nature. Charcoal filters need to be placed on the water supply for the toilets. (Without this intervention, the autistic would continually flush the toilet. They will also obsess over any remaining scented objects.) The diet is a rotation of unusual tropical root crops and other unusual foods. When placed in this new environment, the autistic will resort to smelling their own breath or bodily fluids. When this behavior is stopped, there is a dramatic reduction in symptoms.
It must be noted that the program cannot be followed halfway or gradually introduced without jeopardizing the results. Eliminating food allergies without cleaning the environment can lead to increased environmental sensitivities. Or eliminating environmental sensitivities without altering the food will lead to increased food sensitivities. Instead of calming the immune reaction, partial changes may cause the immune system to become overly sensitive. The dietary food used and much more comprehensive information can be found at Karen M. Slimak’s website.
http://www.specialfoods.com
Or contact Special Foods!
9207 Shotgun Court
Springfield, VA 22153 (703) 644 – 0991
A cautionary note. We really don’t know how to determine which children would benefit the most from this regimen, and it can get expensive. Therefore, for many, it may be best to first do some simple things to clean up the environment and see if there is any gradual improvement. I would like to emphasize the word “gradual” because changes in the immune system can take a long time to manifest. It took a year of using a HEPA filter in my daughter’s bedroom before her constant stuffy nose disappeared.