RecoveringNicholas.com

Will There Be Justice?
26 January 2010 by C. Linderman Sr. - ATO Press
http://www.autismtodayonline.com/2010/autism/will-there-be-justice/

On Thursday, January 28th 2010, The GMC,General Medical Council, will release their finding in the professional misconduct charges filed against Dr. Andrew Wakefield and Professors John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch. While the verdict is days away, I don’t think anyone personally affected by the autism / vaccine connection is incredibly optimistic regarding this outcome. If you are, then you need to remove your rose-colored glasses and take a reality pill.

While many of us here in the U.S. that are closely involved in the autism community know of Dr. Wakefield’s work and are subsequently thankful for his truthfulness at the risk of his own professional reputation, we are also very cognizant of the corruption in all of our governments. The British government has proven themselves time and time again to be more corrupt than that of the U.S. (as hard as that may be for many of us to believe here in America) so we must be prepared for the worst case scenario as we hope for the best.

The British government, medical establishment and the Press have spent countless years and British pounds in what we know to be the “witch hunt” of the twenty-first century. To think that they will all of the sudden allow this case to come to fruition without serious consequences brought on these brave researchers, is an issue that must be addressed. I am hopeful that justice will prevail. I am hopeful that Brian Deer, the British free-lance journalist that has been the catalyst of the damaging charges against the doctors, will hang his head in shame at the verdict. But we must be prepared for the worst.

Read the rest here: http://www.autismtodayonline.com/2010/autism/will-there-be-justice/

Is Eating Sugar Really That Bad for Us?
http://www.alternet.org/story/145367/is_eating_sugar_really_that_bad_for_us
January 27, 2010

Americans eat 156 pounds of sugar per person per year. How did this happen and how concerned should we be?

Want to gross yourself out? Imagine eating eight teaspoons of sugar straight out of the bag. Yeek, right? That’s how much sugar is in a can of Coke. A Grande Vanilla Starbucks Frappuccino has 11. A McDonald’s Strawberry Triple Thick Shake has 27.

Keep reading here: http://www.alternet.org/story/145367/is_eating_sugar_really_that_bad_for_us

This is a bit off topic, but maybe not - as we work towards understanding what is going on with our children’s bodies…

Your Body Within One Hour of Drinking Soda
http://www.drmomma.org/2008/01/your-body-within-1-hour-of-drinking.html
I have to admit, as a former teacher, I used to cringe when I saw the amounts of soda my students could put away in a day. We may as well have installed a soda pop fountain instead of the water fountain. Later, as I worked with parents of infants, I almost choked on a bite of lunch one day to see a baby’s bottle filled with Coke. Since that memorable day, I have met others who regularly purchase Pepsi for their tots and think nothing of it when they stock the fridge with Mt. Dew.

One thing I know for sure: soda in no way benefits your baby, your child (or you!)

According to the Nutrition Research Center, this is what happens to your body within 1 hour of drinking a can of soda:

-10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system, which is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake. You’d normally vomit from such an intake, but the phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

-20 minutes: Your blood sugar skyrockets. Your liver attempts to maximize insulin production in order to turn high levels of sugar into fat.

-40 minutes: As your body finishes absorbing the caffeine, your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your liver pumps more sugar into the bloodstream. Adenosine receptors in your brain are blocked preventing you from feeling how tired you may actually be.

-45 minutes: Your body increases dopamine production, tricking you into feeling pleasure and adding to the addictiveness of the beverage. This physical neuro response works the same way as it would if we were consuming heroin.

>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, which boosts your metabolism a bit further. High doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners compound this effect, increasing the urinary excretion of calcium. The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (You have to GO!) Your body will eliminate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was otherwise heading to your bones. And you will also flush out the sodium, electrolytes and water. Your body has eliminated the water that was in the soda. And in the process it was infused with nutrients and minerals your body would have otherwise used to hydrate your system or build body cells, bones, teeth.

-60 minutes: The sugar crash begins. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You start feeling like crap. Time to grab another?

This article is a must read for anyone who consumes any food or drink with aspartame!

Aspartame Poison: The Silent Killer
By Ron Harder
There is an epidemic across North America today of Multiple Sclerosis and Lupus. Most people do not understand why this epidemic is happening, and they do not know why these diseases are so rampant. I would like to share with you the main reason we are having this very serious problem.

Many people today use artificial sweeteners in their tea or coffee. They do this because the ads they see on TV tell them that sugar is bad for their health. This is absolutely true. Sugar is toxic to us, but, what most people use as a replacement for sugar is much more deadly.

Are you looking for an alternative to aspartame? Try xylitol sweetener or stevia sweetener. And if you think you aspartame has effected your health you may want to consider an aspartame detox!

I am talking about Aspartame. It is the cause of the epidemic that was mentioned above. Aspartame is an extremely toxic chemical that is produced by a chemical company called Monsanto.

Aspartame is being marketed around the world as a sugar substitute and is found in all diet soft drinks, such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. It is also found in artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet, Equal, and Spoonful; and it is used in many other products as a sugar replacement.

Aspartame is marketed as a diet product, but it is not a diet product at all. In fact, it will cause you to GAIN weight because it makes you crave carbohydrates.

Causing you to gain weight is only a very small part of what Aspartame does. Aspartame is a toxic chemical that changes the brain’s chemistry. It can and does cause severe seizures. This chemical changes the dopamine level in the brain, and it is particularly deadly for anyone suffering from Parkinson’s diseases.

Aspartame is extremely poisonous, and here is why. One of the toxic ingredients of Aspartame is wood alcohol. When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in the Aspartame is converted to formaldehyde, and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis.

Formaldehyde is grouped in the same class of poisons as Cyanide and Arsenic - which are very deadly toxins. The only difference is… Formaldehyde kills quietly, and it takes a little longer. And, in the process of killing people, it causes all kinds of neurological problems.

There are 92 documented symptoms of Aspartame Poisoning leading to coma and death. The majority of these symptoms are neurological, because the Aspartame attacks and destroys the nervous system. Some of the symptoms of Aspartame Poisoning are covered below.

Read the rest of this article here: http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/aspartame-poison.html

Coming Soon to a (Toxic) Farm Near You: Monsanto’s Genetically Modified Wheat
Monday, January 25, 2010 by: E. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Monsanto, the multinational agriculture giant most known for its propagation of genetically-modified (GM) crops, has decided to resurrect its pursuit of GM wheat. Abandoned in 2004 due to opposition from American growers, merchants, and consumers, Monsanto’s GM wheat program is making a comeback.

Apparently many American wheat growers have since changed their mind about the issue. A survey conducted back in February revealed that more than 75 percent of wheat farmers are now interested in growing GM wheat. Citing concerns about pestilence and disease, farmers are reevaluating GM wheat based on claims by Monsanto that GM wheat will fare better than conventional in resisting bugs, disease, drought and frost.

Many nations around the world, including industrialized nations in Asia and Europe, have wholly rejected GM crops and foods that are made with them. Since 45 percent of the U.S. wheat crop is exported to Europe and Japan alone, the decision to allow GM wheat to be grown in the States will have a huge negative impact on the wheat business.

Hinged upon the recent food crisis in 2008 that caused the price of wheat to more than triple, Monsanto’s endeavors to capitalize on wheat by altering it genetically could not have been timed more precisely. Both China and Australia have been researching and running trials on Monsanto’s GM wheat for years and North America looks to be next if the AgriGiant has its way.

Earlier this year, Monsanto purchased Montana-based WestBred, a company that specializes in germplasm wheat breeding. This move indicates that the corporation intends to move forward with its plan to bring GM wheat to North America.

Concerns about the negative effects of GM crops, which include a variety of illnesses and digestive tract problems when consumed, continue to warrant opposition to their use. Conventional crop fields have also been shown to become contaminated with GM seed through pollination and cross-contamination.

If the public hopes to prevent wheat from taking the same GM course that corn and soy have, it is going to have to express loud and clear opposition to its introduction.

Younger mothers’ breast milk has highest levels of flame retardants.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/newscience/younger-womens-breast-milk-higher-levels-of-pbdes/

Daniels, JL, IJ Pan, R Jones, S Anderson, DG Patterson, LL Needham and A Sjödin. 2009. Individual characteristics associated with PBDE levels in U.S. human milk samples. Environmental Health Perspectives doi:10.1289/ehp.0900759.

Synopsis by Kim Harley, Ph.D.

Breast milk from young women – rather than from women older than 35 – has the highest measured levels of commonly used flame retardants known as PBDEs.

A study of breast milk samples from more than 300 women in North Carolina finds flame retardants contaminate the milk from almost three-quarters of the woman in the study. Women older than 35 had the lowest levels of PBDEs in their milk. The highest levels were measured in breast milk from women aged 25 to 29, followed by women younger than 25 years old.

The results suggest that younger mothers may have higher exposure to these flame retardant chemicals through their environment or lifestyles.

PBDEs are chemicals used in electronics, furniture, carpeting and textiles to reduce the risk of fire. In rats, early life exposures to PBDE has been associated with altered thyroid hormone function, hyperactivity and poorer learning and memory. Human health effects are not so well understood.

Most Americans have detectable levels of PBDEs in their blood. Dust and food may be the biggest sources for people. Breast fed babies are exposed through breast milk, however, experts agree that breastfeeding also provides important nutritional and immune benefits for the infant.

The study also found higher levels of these fat-soluble chemicals among obese women.

Interestingly, longer breastfeeding did not appear to lower PBDE levels in breast milk. Measured levels in breast feeding mothers a year after they gave birth were not significantly different from their levels when their infants were 3 months old. Having more previous pregnancies was also not associated with lower PBDE levels.

These findings are in contrast to other persistent pollutants, such as PCBs or DDT, which have been shown to decrease in the mother’s body and her breastmilk with longer breastfeeding. The author’s speculate that levels may not decrease either because mothers’ exposure to PBDEs is on-going or because maternal weight loss after pregnancy continues to mobilize PBDEs from fat stores.

The researchers measured and compared levels of individual and total PBDEs. Measured levels of total PBDEs in the samples were higher than those reported in other studies and ranged widely, from 1 to 2,010 nanograms per gram of fat.

PBDE compounds have been banned in Europe and several U.S. states, and legislation to further limit use in pending in many regions.

Done with Round 66!!

Started with 6 drops - we’ll be ramping up to 5 dropperfuls 2x a day. If we see good things from this, we’ll go as high as 5 dropperfuls 2x a day and gauge the best dose for him.

Update - 1/27/2010: After speaking with a friend, I decided to be a little bit quicker at increasing the dose here. Today was his first day of 2 dropperfuls 2x a day. Nothing to report yet - but no negatives either. Also wanted to note that we have not seen any OCD yet either. Other probiotics with strep strains make him OCD within a matter of a day or two.

Update: January 29, 2010, 9:45 am
This is totally totally totally pre-mature - but yesterday, he was talking like no tomorrow. The stuff coming out of his mouth had us looking at each other in utter shock. (This was at 3 dropperfuls which I gave him twice.) Today, we’re doing four twice. We shall see.

Update: February 5, 2010, 4:14 pm
Nicholas is doing great on this! We’re up to 5 dropperfuls 2x a day and we’re seeing more language, he’s more in tune with us and he really just wants to help us with everything. ….and we’re getting WHY questions!!!

Update - 2/12/2010 - We have not seen any OCD from this supplement like we have with other strep-strain probiotics. With other probiotics containing the streptococcus strain, we would see OCD symptoms in about 2 days which would progressively get worse as time went on. We’ve seen nothing like this with Cytoflora.

Update: February 13, 2010
We’ve finished the first bottle of cytoflora and the results speak for themselves. I was able to remove the additional magnesium he was getting and he’s pooping just fine without it. The language boost was definately a good one - definately worth the money in my opinion.

Update: March 8, 2010
About a week ago, I lowered the dose down to 5 dropperfuls once a day and have not lost the gains we made.

Healthy Gut Function - BiorayNaturalDetox.com

CytoFlora™ Study with Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Frequently Asked Questions regarding CytoFlora™ and Gut Function

I love Culturelle, always have. Nicholas has been on it from the very beginning. It’s been pretty much one of very few supplements that I never changed brands, looked to remove from his regiment, etc. In December, I ran out of it and figured he could go a little while without it until I started placing supplement orders in January. That proved to be very wrong and a huge mistake.

We started seeing a version of Nicholas we had not seen in over a year. Flat out defiance, massive temper tantrums, crying at the drop of a hat - and as if that wasn’t bad enough, his obession with water came back.

Not being a very happy camper with this new improved version of a defiant, temper-tantruming, obessed with water child - I went through my supplement list. What did I change? Did I add anything new? Did I forget about something? At first, I thought it was the methyl-folate I had started giving him (I had since stopped thinking this could be it - it was not) - then it hit me - could this be bacterial? After all, I had run our of his Culturelle. Could it be that easy though? And why would bacteria cause him to be obsessed with playing with water? Previously, when he had the water addiction, inositol stopped that - and I had removed it quite some time ago.

So, I reordered the Culturelle and got him back on it immediately. I also added Physician’s Strength Wild Oil of Oregano, 2 capsules twice a day - not given near probiotics. And after a few days, Nicholas is back. The obessive water play is gone. The massive tantruming is gone. The defiance is gone.

The people in our lives that witnessed this are absolutely astonished that a bacterial overgrowth/infection could make a child act this way. If they can see this happen to a child and also see it rectified with the appropriate supplements/medication/whatever, why is it so hard for the medical establishment, which is failing our children, to simply do their jobs?

Keeping count!!