Is it Genetics?

Big news this month! Scientists believe they found a gene mutation for children with Autism. Click here to read one of the articles on the discovery:

http://www.icare4autism.org/news/2012/04/not-a-breakthrough-but-a-turning-point-researchers-connect-gene-mutation-to-autism-risk/

This has always been a question people ask me ---- does Olivia's condition run in our family?  All I can say is that we have not seen this type of disability in either side of our families.  And although we took her to the U of M and had every available genetic test run on her (which she passed with flying colors), the genetic counselor ended our consultation with the comment, "Well, it's obviously a genetic error, we just haven't identified it scientifically yet." Hmmmmm.....

They didn't have the answers.....again.  Answers that made sense were not available.

I really liked how Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride answers this, what she says does make sense, especially in Olivia's case:

"Now and then we see articles in various journals reporting that some part of some gene has been found, which may have something to do with autism....... We are assured that scientists are working on it and that the genetic cause of these conditions will be found! Not that it will help the patients or their families, but it will put our minds at rest in that our children were meant to be disabled and there was nothing we could do about it!


In our modern world, genetics is a popular concept.  Almost every health problem is commonly blamed on genetics.  We pollute the water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe with industrial and nuclear wastes and when we get ill we blame it all on genetics.  We deplete our soils of minerals and other nutrients and replace them with pesticides, organophosphates, weedkillers and lots of other chemicals, we grow our crops on these soils, we eat these crops, we get ill and blame it all on genetics.  We damage our children's immune systems with vaccinations and antibiotics and blame it all on genetics.  We regularly consume processed foods with virtually no nourishment for the body that are full of chemicals and detrimental to health, and when we get ill we blame it all on genetics. We regularly intoxicate ourselves with alcohol, tobacco and drugs and when we get ill we blame it all on genetics.


We have epidemics of cancer, heart disease, learning disabilities, psychiatric maladies, autoimmune disorders etc etc etc.  These are all conditions which doctors very rarely encountered 100  years ago.  Have our genetics changed so quickly to cause these epidemics? For the last few decades genetic research or molecular biology has received the most research money in the Western world.  A lot of laboratories which used to do basic science have been converted into genetic research.  Billions have been poured into this area in every Western country. So, if every other scientist works in genetics then that is what they know and that is what they are going to think about when it comes to identifying the course of any disease.  Obesity? Don't worry about your eating habits. Just wait, we will find a gene to blame for it!.


As with other modern epidemics, there is a conclusion that there may be a genetic predisposition to the GAPS disorder rather than a genetic cause.  This predisposition can be made of tens or even hundreds of various genes, nobody knows yet how many and in what combinations.  But what we do know is that before any predisposition materializes into a disease it has to have certain environmental conditions.  Diet is a major part of this environmental conditioning.


There is a large body of research showing that maternal diet during pregnancy and the diet of a baby have a major impact on the genetics of that baby.  Apparently, there are many genes in a child which never become active.  For a gene to become operational it has to have certain conditions to express itself. Environment: our diet, lifestyle, pollution, stress, infections, etc. has a profound effect on what happens to the child's health. By changing the environment (diet etc.) we can make sure that whatever genetic predisposition the child may have, it will not develop into a disease.


In conclusion: it is possible that there are some non-specific genetic predispositions to autism, and other GAPS conditions, which quite likely overlap with a predisposition for autoimmune and digestive disorders and some weakness in the blood-brain barrier.  It is very likely that this predisposition is very widespread and that modern environmental factors make it materialize into disease much more often than 100 years ago, when the environment was different.  A century ago people may have had this predisposition just as much, but it did not show itself because the environment for it was not right - the diet was more natural, there was less pollution, less stress, no vaccinations, no antibiotics etc etc.  One hundred years ago the majority of doctors did not see autism in their practice at all.  Today we have a growing epidemic.  Genetics just don't work this way.  This epidemic can only be due to environmental factors: modern diet, lifestyles, vaccinations, drugs and pollution. Rather than dwelling on genetics, which we can do nothing about, I see this conclusion as positive, because there is a lot we can do to change the environment to help our children.  And those who have done so know that it works!"




I love how Dr. McBride dives further into causes of this disorder, separate from genetics.  Family history and learned behavior are things that are passed down from generation to generation.  Abnormal gut flora, which is the cornerstone of this treatment, is passed from mother to child. She explains it with this scenario:




Another familial factor is learned behavior. What children learn from their parents - what to eat, how to cook, what foods to choose from, personal values & priorities.  As Dr. McBride explains:

"Learned behaviours can vary quite dramatically from family to family. This is something being passed through generations without any genetic involvement.  But it is as important as genetics if not more so, because it will alter the gut flora, the pH, the metabolism and the biochemistry of the body.  And if the grandmother, daughter and granddaughter follow the same family behaviour then they will predispose themselves to similar health problems.  For example, imagine a family where rich sugary deserts were always a tradition together with a lot of bread, pies, biscuits and cakes.  This diet will alter the gut flora and promote an overgrowth of pathogenic microbes in the gut, which always has an unbalancing effect on the immune system.  At the same time this a very house-proud family, so there is a lot of cleaning and polishing with domestic chemicals, air fresheners, deodorants, personal care products and perfumes - all highly allergenic and toxic substances and another onslaught on already compromised immune systems.  We did not even come close to genetics here, but already you an see how the family can make us immune-compromised simply through learned behaviours."


How does this not make sense?  I feel as though my generation was the beginning of using processed food.  Casseroles made with pasta and cream of mushroom soup gained popularity for ease and economic reasons.  Thankfully, my mom did not like things from a can (and did not like pasta) so I escaped that sort of "processed food addiction".  Lunch and dinners at our house consisted of the same menu's over and over - meat, vegetable, vegetable, and my mom only had goodies like cakes and brownies for special occasions, never every night.  Boring yes, and at the time I grew tired of the same old thing.  But as I am learning, those meals preserved my immune system quite nicely.  It also confirms to me why Olivia was completely normal at birth until the little shakes started at 16 months.  Monthly doses of antibiotics, in addition to other factors took out her gut flora and set the stage for a very compromised immune system. I remember filling an antibiotic prescription once and the pharmacist said, "This is a pretty hefty dose for that little babe's body, I will call to check the accuracy." This memory makes me shudder. These words should have caused me to question, but I didn't - I trusted. Why did the doctor prescribing all these antibiotics think they were benign to the rest of her little body?

So, this is my answer to the people who have wondered about the genetic component of this tragedy.  I'll never forget the comment an acquaintance said while I was pregnant with Lauren.  She said, "Aren't you worried that your baby will turn out like Olivia?" The old me would have been extremely irritated by such an insensitive comment, but I was at peace.  In no way was I worried, because deep down I knew the truth and I knew that we would make different choices with our unborn daughter  -  choices I wished I would have made for Olivia.  Those choices, which included no vaccinations, have indeed produced a healthy child with a robust immune system.  Her diet has always consisted of low amounts of sugar and processed foods, and lots of fresh organic meat and vegetables and freshly pressed juice.  She may be one of the few six year olds that enjoys salmon, kale chips and kombucha tea!

To those reading this post whose future includes getting pregnant - get healthy yourself first!  There is an entire chapter in the GAPS book on this very subject.  You (and your future bundle of joy) will be thankful!

Close call! Olivia almost hit by a car!

Whew! Close call today.  An appliance repairman was leaving our house through the front door this evening.  As he approached the door, he thought Olivia wanted to go outside.  He opened the door and she took off down the lawn and darted right into the street.  This is what I was told anyway.  I was busy making dinner at the back of the house and did not realize anything was going on until my neighbor burst through the back door saying, "Kelly, your dau" - that's all she got out and I immediately raced past her thinking that Lauren got hit by a car (since Olivia is never outside without supervision).

As I approached the street I saw Olivia in our neighbor's arms and the poor gentleman who almost hit her pulled over and shaking.

I am posting this because although Olivia looks pretty normal (despite the seizure helmet she was wearing), she is not safe without supervision.  I know the service man's heart was in the right place, but she seriously was almost killed because of a gesture that was grossly inappropriate.

I am simply pointing out another anomaly of this autism epidemic.  When I was a kid, I don't remember any "normal looking" kids with such a serious development delay.  Sure, I knew kids with Downs Syndrome and Mental Retardation, but you could tell they were disabled because of their appearance.  Think about it.  In 1990, the autism rate was 4 or 5 in 10,000 -- now it is 1 in 88.

Confirmation I needed today

I have always said that even though Olivia is non verbal, can't follow a simple direction and hasn't showed any interest in anything but a string for years, I know in my heart that she is in there.  Many times I have thought that she is a smart cookie - smart but unable to show it.  A wave of confirmation flooded my soul as I watched this video today.

There is a reason I could never give up.  Someday Olivia's story will be powerful - I just know it.  She is in there........hopefully the steps I am taking will help her come out and talk with us SOON!

Autism Angel - Carly Fleischmann