Biomedical Autism Resources, Autism Medical Care

Children with autism are sick and need medical attention.  Medical issues can trigger serious behavioral problems.  Many of our children are unable to communicate their pain or discomfort verbally but will exhibit their distress through behaviors and often times aggression.  Don't assume this is just a behavioral problem – look for underlying medical issues and talk to your physician.  Getting the right physician is paramount to a successful journey with your child.  Choose someone you feel comfortable with and who understands the needs of your child. Visit our Directory which includes numerous practitioner lists.  The most notable practitioner list for autism, the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS) is a group of highly specialized autism physicians well trained in the latest autism research and technology – an excellent place to start.

The Autism Exchange (AEX) has organized the Biomedical section to include:  Conditions and Contributing Factors.  Below is a sampling of some of the conditions and contributing factors detailed on The AEX.

Biomedical Conditions (more on The AEX)

• Excitotoxicity  Excitotoxins such as glutamate (MSG monosodium glutamate) and aspartate (aspartame) are amino acids that can excite and damage neurons to the point of cell death.  Gluten, casein, and hydrolyzed yeast are a few of the many sources of glutamate in foods.  When children with ASD experience an excitotoxicity reaction they become extremely hyperactive, engage in stemmng behaviors, lack focus and concentration, may be self-injurious, and may have seizures.
• Leaky Gut  Autism research has shown that when children with autism have a leaky gut, this means that they have abnormal intestinal permeability in which large spaces develop between the cells of the gut wall allowing for yeast overgrowth, pathogens, toxins, bacteria, viruses and foods to leak across the intestinal lining.
• Mitochondria Dysfunction  Mitochondria are responsible for generating energy in the cells.  The mitochondria found in granulocytes, a type of immune cell that fights infection and protects the body from invasion, has one third the capacity it normally should in ASD children.  This means far less oxygen is found in the cells of ASD children.  Symptoms such as abnormal fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, muscle weakness, hypotonia (low upper body muscle tone), seizures, motor delays, language and social impairment were identified.  Research on autism has found that treating Mitochondrial Dysfunction with nutritional supplementation, under the supervision of a physician, has found been found to improve symptoms of autism.

Biomedical Contributing Factors (more on The AEX)

• Bacteria Effects  For many of us "epigenetics" is not a familiar word and, least of all, that it has something to do with autism.  But the fact of the matter is that it has everything to do with autism.  Epigenetics is described as "the interactions of genes with their environment".  Basically, toxic environmental exposures can cause abnormal gene expression which is what we are now seeing with the widespread genetic mutation called the Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR).  According to the autism research study on the "Association of MTHFR Gene Variants with Autism", 98 percent of children with autism carry at least one copy of the MTHFR.  This means there is a defect in the methylation process, which ultimately affects the body's ability to excrete toxins effectively.

The Autism Exchange (AEX) Provides Comprehensive Biomedical Info and Autism Research

We hope that you find our AEX resources to be helpful.  We believe in sharing knowledge that can help guide autism caregivers to better care for their loved ones.  If you are interested in receiving the full benefits of The Autism Exchange, including discounts on supplements, products, and practitioner consults, please check out our Discount Club.