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Prevention and Treatment of autism

The rapid increase in the rate of autism in many countries including USA, UK and Australia has posed a massive financial burden on the economies of each country and if it is not possible to reduce the incidence of the condition by prevention or help to treat the condition, the majority of the persons with autism cannot achieve successful employment and eventually end up on a disability insurance pension. Thus, the cost of Autism to the community in 2016 was estimated at over US$90 billion (in the USA) in 2016, raising to over $200 billion in 2019 and projected to rise to nearly half a trillion dollars in 2032. Clearly anything that can be done to treat or prevent the condition will have a massive impact on parents, carers, individuals with the condition and on the welfare system.

Through studying the major causes of autism, prevention of autism becomes patently obvious, and is very similar to treatment, with one exception, the mode of treatment with vitamin B12. The previous sections described the most common deficiencies, however, if the child has been placed on restrictive nutrient poor diets, such as egg-free, gluten free, or casein free diets, they may have other nutrient deficiencies that would need to be addressed, such as biotin, vitamin B2, calcium, magnesium, zinc deficiencies etc. Part of the "blame" must go to the change of diet, hence more and more people are going dairy-free and gluten-free..

The major causes of autism are:

  • Dietary insufficiency in the Mother during gestation, is by far the greatest cause of autism in the child.

  • Lack of a suitable prenatal multi-vitamin and mineral product

  • Exceedingly poor understanding of the consequences of dietary insufficiency by the obstetrician compounds the insufficiency

  • An inability of the paediatrician to diagnose the dietary insufficiency, eventually leads to the inadequate treatment methods to prevent or reduce the subsequent developmental delay.

  • "While there is considerable financial gain to the medical profession for treating autism, there is little incentive for them to prevent or cure the condition"

  • Improper diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency in these children potentially can lead to $1 million in costs to disability groups, such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Australia, over 20 years, with life-time costs of caring for a person with a preventable and treatable condition being US$1.2 to 2.4 million!

Vitamin B2 Deficiency. Overt vitamin B2 deficiency should be suspected in mothers on low dairy diets, and functional vitamin B2 deficiency would be suspected in those on GF, or GFCF diets. It should also be suspected in those who are obese, or had gestational diabetes, or pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. It is over 100 years since the importance of Iodine in the diet for prevention of developmental delay and conditions such as Cretinism, yet Iodine deficiency is now extremely common in pregnant mothers. Dietary deficiency in Iodine (less than 150 ug/day), Selenium (less that 55 ug/day) or Molybdenum (less than 100 ug/day) is common in those who have low intake of iodized salt, milk/dairy or seafood, or who are on gluten-free diets, or live in areas of known nutritional deficiency in the soil. Known deficiency in Iodine, occurs in the Goiter Belt in the US, whilst Selenium deficiency is widespread in Europe, the UK, New Zealand, parts of Australia, Norway, and much of the US and Canada. Molybdenum deficiency is common in autism with over 50% of children being deficient, and most of the Eastern half of the US being deficient in Molybdenum in the soil. Supplementation with Iodine should be with sodium or potassium Iodide salts, with selenium with sodium or potassium Selenite, or Selenate, whilst with Molybdenum sodium or ammonium Molybdate. Molydenum deficiency should be suspected in those who claim to be gluten-intolerant, or who react to sulphites.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency. Functional vitamin B12 in the mothers begats functional vitamin B12 deficiency in the children. B12 loading of the brain occurs predominantly in the womb, and hence the mothers must ensure that they are functionall sufficient in vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency in the neonate can possibly be detected between the ages of 2 to 12 month, and overt signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include vomiting, lethargy, failure to thrive, hypotonia, and arrest or regression of developmental skills. Early signs also include difficulty feeding, orofacial problems, difficulty sleeping and intolerance to foods. Other symptoms include abnormal movements, such as tremors, twitches, chorea, or myoclonus. Overt vitamin B12 deficiency is fairly easy to determine, and should be suspected if the mother is iron deficient, and in mothers on a vegetarian or vegan diet. Serum B12 levels of less than 250 pmol/L should be assessed as at risk. Detecting Paradoxical B12 deficiency is somewhat harder, but should be suspected if the mother is overweight, has diabetes, has hypothyroidism, or has a diet low in Iodine, Selenium and/or Molybdenum. Assessment of deficiency can be achieved through Mineral Hair Test Analysis combined with a Urinary Organic Acids Test. MMA values in the test should be as low as possible, or deficiency will be present. Treatment of both mothers and children with autism should address potential I/Se/Mo deficiency and include either injections or Transdermal application of Adenosyl/Methyl B12. No oral formulation will supply sufficient amounts of biologically active B12 to the child or mother. The so-called "Active B12 test" is a misnomer and its results should be disregarded. Vitamin B12 deficiency is very common in premature babies. Vitamin B12 deficiency should be suspected in mothers who become pregnant whilst on antidepressants (ADs) such as SSRIs or benzodiazepines, or who start to use these drugs during pregnancy "that use of ADs during the second and/or third trimester is associated with an 87% increased risk of ASD" (Boukhris et al, 2016; Mezzacappa et al, 2017; Pedersen, 2015; Sujan et al, 2017; Brown et al, 2017).

Iron Deficiency. Iron deficiency in the womb is the second most common nutrient deficiency associated with developmental delay in children. Iron deficient mothers begat iron deficient children, who may have a life-long intellectual impairment. Women entering pregnancy should be made aware of the dangers of iron deficiency on the development of foetal brain. Iron sufficiency is readily obtained by measuring serum ferritin levels, and in cases of the woman entering pregnancy supplementation should be considered if ferritin levels are below 70 ug/L. Iron deficiency should be suspected in individuals on a vegetarian or vegan diet. Similarly during  treatment of iron deficiency in the ASD child, ferritin levels of 70 ug/L should be achieved..

Vitamin D Deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is becoming increasingly more common, potentially due to the overuse of high SPF cosmetics in the general population. Further brittle bones are common in children with autism. Mothers should make sure that they do not "over-protect" their skin, and should have their vitamin D levels checked to ensure that at least during pregnancy they are in the mid to upper quartiles of vitamin D. Similarly, maintaining adequate vitamin D levels in children is essential to optimize neural development in the brains of neonates. If sunscreens are to be used they should be of lower, rather than higher SPF values. Clearly these guidelines are not being used as the incidence of Ricketts, a disease basically abolished in the early 1920's now is on the rise. Current suggestions are the daily administration of 1000 IU vitamin D, to those of fair skin, or 2000 IU/day in those with darker skin or those who cover up and have less sun exposure.

Nitrous oxide during delivery. Nitrous oxide binds to the Cobalt in vitamin B12 and forms the product nitrosylB12, which is inactive. Many mothers with children with autism remember having nitrous oxide during delivery. Current recommendations by the scientific community are to ban its use. Unfortunately the anesthetists have totally ignored the science behind this and in some countries up to 50% of mums receive nitrous during birth. The effects of nitrous are worse in those who are functionally deficient in vitamin B2. (NOandautism.pdf (understandingautism.com.au). It is now a common problem with the use of recreational N2O in Nangs.Unbelievably many medical associations are still recommending Nitrous, including ACOG, APSF OCHSNER, American Pregnancy Association, Mayo Clinic.No wonder there are so many children with developmental delay. No warnings on the long-term effect of nitrous on the foetus was found on any of the sites. Further, examination of serum B12 levels in people who have had Nitrous reveal levels to be normal or elevated, hence functional B12 deficiency is missed. One hand-out did suggest problems with nitrous in people who are B12 deficient, but not in those who are sufficient. Inactivation of B12 by nitrous occurs regardless of B12 concentration. Use of nitrous has been associated with a higher risk of developmental delay in the newborn (Ljungblad etal, 2022)

Other Deficiencies. Misunderstanding on intolerances associated with vitamin B12 deficiency can result in other deficiencies, such as biotin deficiency (low intake of eggs), Calcium deficiency (avoidance of dairy - a child's first food source) and vitamin B1, B2, Iodine, Selenium, Molybdenum and folate deficiencies due to gluten avoidance.  True gluten intolerance occurs in less than 1% of the population yet over 20% of individuals in UK, USA and Australia have decided to go "gluten-free". All of these individuals will through this source have lower levels of vitamin B1, Iodine, Selenium, Molybdenum and folate.. Simple blood tests will determine iron levels (via ferritin readings), Hair Metals Test Analysis can identify deficiency in Iodine, Selenium and Molybdenum, and iron and B12, whilst an Organic Acids Test can identify functional deficiencies in vitamin B1, vitamin B2, iron, biotin, folate and vitamin B12. Unfortunately the majority of health professionals are not versed in their interpretations.

Altered Glucose Metabolism. Deficiency in vitamin B12 results in altered glucose metabolism and in mild deficiency, there is reduced glucose metabolism with elevated lactic acid. More severe deficiency results in reduced glycogenolysis and hypoglycemia.(See Glucose)

Testing for Deficiency. Deficiencies can best be identified by several tests. Simple blood tests will determine iron levels (via ferritin readings), Hair Metals Test Analysis can identify deficiency in Iodine, Selenium and Molybdenum, and iron and B12, whilst an Organic Acids Test can identify functional deficiencies in vitamin B1, vitamin B2, iron, biotin, folate and vitamin B12. Unfortunately the majority of health professionals are not versed in their interpretations. If you want such interpretation, contact us.

Treatment of Autism

Treatment Protocol. Treatment involves correcting the metabolic deficiencies that cause autism. The treatment is relatively simple and it involves

  • Identification of mineral deficiencies, particularly in Iodine, Selenium and Molybdenum, using a Hair Metals Test Analysis (Doctors Data).

  • Identification of functional vitamin deficiencies, particularly of vitamin B2 and vitamin B12 using a urinary Organic Acids Test (Great Plains Laboratories).

  • Correlation of the HMTA and OAT with serum markers of iron (Hb/Hct/MCV/MCH, iron, ferritin, transferrin), thyroid markers TSH/T4/T3 and serum vitamin B12, folate, creatinine.

  • Treatment of the deficiencies using the RnB treatment protocol, which addresses possible deficiencies and how to over-come them.

  • Follow up of OAT and HMTA markers to confirm or optimize the protocol

The strategy outlined above has proven to be very effective in children of all ages. If you would like further information then just use our Contact page to request further details..

There is some evidence that in some children, an addition of creatine in a defined protocol may help. Results though have been variable (Allen, 2012).

Follow Up. Once deficiencies have been identified and attempts made to treat them, it is essential that the mother or child be retested to ensure that treatment has been effective.

"Alternative" Treatment Protocols. A number of expensive, alternative treatment options exist. The basis of these treatments appears to try to deal with the issues, that result from nutritional deficiencies, rather than addressing the cause of the deficiencies. Further, treatment is generally on-going, as it does not fix the deficiencies, and costs often exceed $50,000 pa, ongoing. The protocols seem to have an illogical concept that you can somehow train a brain that has delayed myelination, is deficient in melatonin, and has an extreme deficiency of the energy transfer molecule creatine. A totally illogical concept.

These treatments include

Mothers who are at risk of giving birth to a child with Autism

Warning Signs.

Get "assessed" if you have and of the following signs or symptoms

  • Difficulty in becoming pregnant

  • Frequent mis-carriages

  • Gestational Diabetes - Nearly 6% of pregnant mothers (one in sixteen) have or develop diabetes during pregnancy

  • Premature or Pre-term delivery - low gestational age

  • Severe morning sickness (Hyperemesis Gravidarum)(Getahum etal, 2019)

  • Intrauterine growth restriction

  • Previous child with Autism

  • Maternal obesity - Nearly one in four (23.4%) of women are obese before becoming pregnant.

  • Depression during pregnancy and use of antidepressants

  • Post-natal depression

  • Fatigue during pregnancy

  • Low intake of vitamin B2, Iodine, Selenium, and/or molybdenum during pregnancy

  • Exposure to high levels of goitrogenic agents.

  • Vegan or vegetarian diet (Hellesbostad etal 1985; Weiss etal 2004; Lucke etal, 2007; Dror and Allen, 2008; Chalouhi etal, 2008)

  • Low intake of iron during pregnancy of being diagnosed as iron deficient - Ferritin levels below 70 ug/L

  • Being a smoker

  • Low levels of vitamin D due to low intake of vitamin D or low exposure to the sun, or extensive use of high SPF rated cosmetics

  • Low intake of vitamin B12 during pregnancy, or undiagnosed vitamin B12 deficiency

  • Elevated homocysteine

  • Elevated methylmalonic acid (Lucke etal, 2007)

  • Use of PPIs or GERD medication

  • Crohn's disease in the mother

  • Use of nitrous oxide during delivery

Prevention

Autism is totally preventable by proper attention to diet by the mothers, before, during and after pregnancy.

Ideally mothers should enter pregnancy with a specific aim to optimize nutrition in the womb, and so maximize the potential for having a happy, health baby. Most mothers, however, appear to spend very little time in researching proper diets for pregnancy, and in our experience, few GPs have sufficient information, knowledge or understanding to help. There is very limited Biochemistry taught to physicians during their degree, yet surprisingly over 79% of students assessed stated that there was too much Biochemistry, yet most have exceedingly poor knowledge of essential biochemistry (Dennick, 2024).There are, however, clear guidelines on many government web-sites.

Government Guidelines

Governments of most countries have clear guidelines on nutritional requirements for Iodide, however, even they cannot agree (NSW Government Iodine supplements factsheet for consumers and health professionals - Maternal and newborn (nsw.gov.au); Iodine supplements factsheet for consumers and health professionals - Maternal and newborn (nsw.gov.au) NIH Iodine - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov) ; UK Vitamins and minerals - Iodine - NHS (www.nhs.uk). Similarly requirements for Selenium vary (NIH Selenium - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov); Aust Gov Selenium | Eat For Health)  Molybdenum (NHS Vitamins and minerals - Others - NHS (www.nhs.uk); NIH Molybdenum - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov);Aust Gov Molybdenum | Eat For Health). Despite this information being out there "It is surpisingly how come that the doctors or pediatricians never mentioned to us about iodine, selenium...." Iodine and your family: a guide | Raising Children Network

Vitamin B2 deficiency

Functional vitamin B2 deficiency has been shown to be universal in children with autism, which has been correlated with insufficient Iodine, Selenium and/or Molybdenum intake in the mothers during pregnancy, and subsequently in the children after birth.

Iodine sufficiency

Given that Iodine deficiency is the single most preventable cause of developmental delay in the world, then mothers should ensure that they have sufficient Iodine in their diets and in supplements. The normal recommended daily allowance for Iodine is 150 ug/day, and pregnant mothers, or those trying to get pregnant should consume 50% more, or 225 ug/day. (NHMRC and the New Zealand Ministry of Health recommend that women who are pregnant have 220µg of iodine per day. Women who are breastfeeding should have 270µg per day. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends women who are pregnant or breastfeeding take a daily oral iodine supplement so that the total daily intake is 250µg. (Delange 2007; See Iodine supplementation - Maternal and newborn (nsw.gov.au); NHMRC-Iodine Supplementation for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women.pdf (thyroidfoundation.org.au). As long ago as 2007 this figure was increased to a figure of 250-300 ug/day (Delange, 2007; Iodine works in concert with Selenium and Molybdenum in the activation of vitamin B2, and so sufficient Selenium (70-100 ug/day)(Selenium - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov) and Molybdenum (50-200 ug/day) (Molybdenum - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov) should also be taken. Mothers should ensure adequate Iodine sufficiency during breast-feeding as the neonate relies on Iodine in breast milk. Curiously, the suggested intake of Iodine is somewhat at odd with Associations such as the Australian Family Physician whose treatment of hypothyroidism in pregnancy is with thyroid hormone, rather than with increased intake of Iodine. There is active transport of Iodide from the mammary gland into milk via the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) (Laurberg etal, 2002). Despite the known requirement for sufficient Iodide intake during pregnancy, study after study has found many countries where Iodide intake was insufficient (Norway: Henjum etal, 2017). Despite the essential nature of Iodide during pregnancy "Low level of awareness regarding iodine needs and recommendations have also been reported in pregnant and lactating women in other countries" (Henjum etal, 2017). More recently a position statement has been issued by Professor Cres Eastman "All GPs should test for thyroid function and prescribe iodine supplements as necessary, says University of Sydney clinician, endocrinologist and researcher Professor Cres Eastman. “The commonest cause of preventable neurodevelopmental defects or disability in our world is iodine deficiency,” says Professor Eastman, pointing to the 2008 World Health Organization assessment. Despite this, the American and Australian Thyroid Associations have raised their cut-offs for diagnosing hypothyroidism, citing "Fewer women will be classified as having subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy, which is likely to lead to reductions in emotional stress, hospital visits, repeated blood tests and financial costs”. They appear to have totally disregarded the increased rate of autism in both countries, and the emotional and financial costs of autism to the mothers of these children (Hamblin etal, 2019).

Neonatal screening for Iodine sufficiency

"Neonatal TSH screening is a surveillance method that targets those at highest risk of Iodine Deficiency, and it is reliably universal in its capture of those high-risk groups and is cheap and efficient to administer ((Robertson etal, 2020; Eastman and Li, 2022).

Vitamin B12 sufficiency

Given that every child that we have data for is functionally deficient in vitamin B12, vitamin B12 (at least 6 ug/day) should either be consumed (red meat or seafood) or given as a supplement, in concert with sufficient I/Se/Mo (see above). This is somewhat higher than is recommended by the NIH (Vitamin B12 - Consumer (nih.gov). Studies have shown that once a person is functionally deficient in vitamin B12 (which must be established by either OAT or serum homocysteine and MMA measurement), no oral vitamin B12 preparation will work for overcoming functional deficiency. Further functional sufficiency cannot be achieved if the child is still functionally deficient in vitamin B2.

Iron sufficiency

Iron deficiency is the second most preventable cause of developmental delay in children and there is a correlation between low iron and low IQ. Iron insufficiency can be seen in the bone marrow when ferritin is below 100, and functional iron deficiency starts when ferritin is below 70 ug/L. Recommendations are for all pregnant women to have ferritin levels above 70 ug/L. Given that over 80% of children with autism are iron deficient, clearly this requirement is not being met. Few mothers are aware of the consequences of low iron on the future development of their child. Functional iron deficiency cannot be overcome in functional B2 and B12 deficiency

Vitamin D sufficiency

Vitamin D deficiency is also causative for developmental delay in children, and potentially the huge increase in the usage of high SPF make-up products and "encouragement" by several organizations to stay out of the sun, the subsequent drop in over-all vitamin D levels, may in a large part explain the great increase in the rate of autism. Over 80% of the children we have data for are vitamin D deficient. For this reason it has been suggested that pregnant mothers with fair skin supplement with 1000 IU/day vitamin D, whilst those with darker skin or who cover up due to religious or other reasons supplement with 2000 IU/day.  40-60% of the entire U.S. population is vitamin D deficient, including pregnant women. A recent study found women taking 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily had the greatest benefits in preventing preterm labor/births and infections (Vitamin D and Pregnancy - American Pregnancy Association)

Prenatal Supplementation

A recent review of over 20,547 dietary supplements, only 1 product actually contained the target doses of Vitamin A, D, folate, calcium, iron and omega3 FAs (Sauder, etal, 2023). None contained suitable formulations of Iodide, Selenite and/or Molybdate. We have yet to find a pregnancy prenatal that even dissolves completely.

Postnatal Supplementation

Once the baby is born, supplementation of the mother should continue at pregnancy levels. At this stage the only way that the newborn can get their RDA of vitamins and minerals is via mother's breast milk.

Comments from Mothers

"Doctors never talk about diet or stress! All the talk about is vaccines, gestational diabetes and c-sections during pregnancy."

Comments from Clinicians

It is apparent from several attempts to inform the medical profession about the prevention of Autism in children, they appear to not want to know. The Australian Chief Medical Officer was contacted and a minion replied with a standard non-committal form letter - see below.

Diagnosis

Early diagnosis is a key to prevention and treatment of autism.

Every child who has autism has seen at least one doctor, and in some cases multiple doctors per year. We even know of one child whose father was the family physician, and who had seen the child every day of his life for over 35 years.. Despite this, the Medical Profession has been totally inept at the diagnosis and treatment of these children. This, has occurred despite the diagnosis of the deficiencies being extremely obvious to the trained eye.

Lack of proper diagnosis of the functional B12 deficiency in children is extremely costly. If the children are put on the various health departments such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Australia, will end up costing these schemes over $1,000,000 over 20 years. A staggering amount for an incompetent diagnosis by the medical profession.

Diagnosis of potential problems can be done at various stages during the pregnancy by urinary organic acids testing (OAT).

Vitamin B2 deficiency can be detected using many markers

EGRA - Erythrocyte glutathione Reductase Assay is performed as a standard test in Europe and the UK. The test indicates functional B2 deficiency

Thyroid markers - Increasing TSH levels above 1.5 are indicative of increasing hypothyroidism and increasing functional B2 deficiency, due to Iodine deficiency. T4 levels decrease as TSH goes up. Reduced T3 is indicative of Selenium deficiency.

Urinary Iodine, Selenium and Molybdenum are standard and inexpensive assessments

Neonatal Screening for Iodine Deficiency.

OAT markers that are indicative of functional B2 deficiency, including elevated succinic acid, lactic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, and elevated QA:KA ratio (>3.0). A suitable test is available from Mosaic Diagnostics. The test from Genova is not as comprehensive.

Hair Metals Test Analysis (HMTA) can be used fro diagnosis of Iodine deficiency (<0.8 ppm), Selenium (<1.0 ppm), and Molybdenum (<0.07 ppm). A suitable test is available from Doctors Data, the test from ARL does not test Iodide.

The prick test is used to detect congenital hypothyroidism, however, the cut-off level is very high and so I/Se/Mo deficiency would be missed.

Gestational diabetes is a potential marker of functional B2 deficiency. There is an association between Iodine deficiency in the placenta and gestational diabetes mellitus (Chen etal, 2023; Neven etal, 2021; Karakaya et al, 2020). Unfortunately the authors had no concept of why, or how the Iodine deficiency would lead to functional B2 deficiency and poor glucose processing. This is despite publications associating Iodine sufficiency with glucose processing (Ilias etal, 2023).Unbelievably the authors had absolutely no idea about the role of Iodine in the activation of vitamin B2!!!!.

NB, IF functional vitamin B2 deficiency is indicated there is an extremely likely probability of functional vitamin B12 deficiency.

Tongue Tie is very common in children who are subsequently diagnosed with autism.

Preterm Delivery is very common in children who are subsequently diagnosed with autism.

Elevated Bilirubin is very common in children who are subsequently diagnosed with autism

 

Vitamin B12 deficiency  This cannot be properly assessed by simple blood values, unless it is low (< 250 pmol/L), it must therefore be checked by using many markers.

NB Elevated serum vitamin B12 is extremely common in autism (Hope et al, 2020), and is indicative of Paradoxical B12 deficiency.

Methyl Malonic Acid (MMA) is elevated in Adenosyl B12 deficiency (OAT >0.6)

Homocysteine (Hcy) is elevated in Methyl B12 deficiency

Neonatal screening for vitamin B12 deficiency, using B12, homocysteine and MMA was able to identify deficiency before onset of symptoms, 4 times more frequently than those who were not screened. Those who were not screened and who were subsequently found to have B12 deficiency were identified by symptoms of deficiency such as muscular hypotonia (68%), anemia (58%), developmental delay (44%), microcephalia (30%), and seizures (12%).(Mütze etal, 2024)

There is currently a test for homocystinuria of the new-born. This test is aimed to pick up the condition, which has a frequency of 0.82:100,000. If the sensitivity of the test was increased it would be able to detect functional B12 deficiency in neonates who subsequently are diagnosed with autism (rate 1:50 - 1:30). In discussions with the NHS in the UK they would not consider this as an option.

OAT markers, HVA/VMA/QA/KA/pyroglutamate are all elevated in functional B12 deficiency.

Hypotonia

Difficulty feeding

Low weight for age babies

Poor sleep

 

Iron deficiency can also be detected using many markers.

Relative iron deficiency occurs when Haemoglobin <14.5, Haematocrit < 0.45, Ferritin <70 ug/L, and citrate >140. Deficiency becomes more significant the lower Hb/Hct/ferrtin is, and the higher the citrate level is. NB, inflammatory conditions such as COVID, COVID vaccination or viral or bacterial infections can artificially increase ferritin levels.

 

Vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D deficiency increases as serum vitamin D levels decrease below 75 nmol/L

Summary of Mineral and vitamin Requirements During pregnancy.

Mineral intake

The following are the minimal daily requirements for a mother who is replete. Many mothers may use much more. Efficacy should be checked by OAT,

Iodide 250-300 ug/day - TSH ~1.0, T4 mid to upper range. HMTA >0.7 ppm

Selenite 150 ug/day Target HMTA >1.0 ppm NB studies suggest previous RDA of 55 ug for RDA is too low.

Molybdate 150 ug/day Target HMTA > 0.07 ppm

Iron intake 18 mg/day. Target Ferritin >70 ug/L

Vitamin B12 Intake 6 ug/day. Target serum B12 >3300 pmol/L.B12 should be Adenosyl/Methyl B12, NOT the inactive Cyanocobalamin.

Vitamin D 2000 IU/day. Target >70 nanomol/L

Postnatal Support

In many countries, there is now considerable post natal support for the mothers as far as nutrition (https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/kidsfamilies/MCFhealth/child/Pages/baby-bundle.aspx)

Suggestions for raising children are at https://raisingchildren.net.au/ Neurodivergent children and their families represent the largest single group of participants accessing the NDIS

Iodine Supplementation https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/kidsfamilies/MCFhealth/maternity/Pages/iodine-supplement.aspx Delange and others have suggested that full Iodine supplementation of mothers be continued through the period of breast feeding ie 250-300 ug/day, as the breast milk is the babies only source of Iodine through this period (Delange, 2007, Azizi and Smyth, 2009; Dror and Allen, 2018). During this period it is deemed desirable to maintain breast milk concentrations of 150 ug/L Iodine, however, many countries fail to achieve these (Dror and Allen, 2018).

Unfortunately there is no recommendation for either Selenium or Molybdenum for Post Natal supplemenation.

Guidelines should be similar for pregnancy

Iodine supplements factsheet for consumers and health professionals - Maternal and newborn (nsw.gov.au); Iodine supplements factsheet for consumers and health professionals - Maternal and newborn (nsw.gov.au) NIH Iodine - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov) ; UK Vitamins and minerals - Iodine - NHS (www.nhs.uk). Similarly requirements for Selenium vary (NIH Selenium - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov); Aust Gov Selenium | Eat For Health)  Molybdenum (NHS Vitamins and minerals - Others - NHS (www.nhs.uk); NIH Molybdenum - Health Professional Fact Sheet (nih.gov);Aust Gov Molybdenum | Eat For Health)

Things to avoid

Apart from the requirements outline above there are also a number of things that should be avoided whilst pregnant

 

Dairy Free Alternatives

The foetus requires calcium for bone growth, but also calcium is a signaling molecule in the brain, and as such 3 servings of mammalian milk are suggested for intake. Milk also is a good source of riboflavin, vitamin D, and Iodine. Milk alternatives such as Soy and Almond drinks are generally not fortified with riboflavin or vitamin D or Iodine, and as such persons consuming these alternatives are likely to be deficient. Further Soy drinks are goitrogenic, and almond milks often contain cyanide in them.

Gluten Free

Many people who claim to be gluten intolerant have been found to be Molydbenum deficient, and the intolerance is actually to the sulphite preservative in commercial bread products. When one switches to gluten-free products, these also are not fortified with folate, Iodine, vitamin B1 and have little Selenium in them. Further, many gluten-free products are made with rice flour, which has high levels of arsenic and lead in it, and can cause massive bioaccumulation of arsenic in the foetus and the neonate, particularly if they are exclusively breast fed.generally not fortified with riboflavin or vitamin D or Iodine, and as such persons consuming these alternatives are likely to be deficient. Further Soy drinks are goitrogenic, and almond milks often contain cyanide in them. Hair Metals Test Analysis has shown that exclusively breast fed children of mothers on gluten-free diets have evidence of high levels of arsenic in the hair of the children.

Vegan and Vegetarian diets

These diets are deficient in both vitamin B12 and iron. Many mothers reporting to us, have also reported that they "had their child" (who later turned out to have autism), during their vegan or vegetarian period.

 

Iodine deficiency in at risk populations

Australia - According to a study by the NHMS "The NHMS showed that iodine levels were relatively low among women of childbearing years. Although women aged 16–44 years had sufficient iodine levels overall (a median UIC of 121.0 μg/L), around 18.3% had iodine levels less than 50 μg/L, compared with the national average of 12.8%. Likewise, nearly two thirds (62.2%) had a UIC less than 150 μg/L, which is the iodine level recommended by WHO for pregnant and breastfeeding women. (Iodine | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au))

United Kingdom - According to the NDNS teenage girls, milk and fish avoiders and vegans may be at particular risk of iodine deficiency, with 17% of that population <50 µg/L - (https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.14368). United Kingdom is one of the few countries in the world that does not require mandatory iodine supplementation

United States - the prevalence of inadequate iodine intake increased from 2001-2004 to 2017-2020 among U.S. school-age children and adults. Sex, race, thyroid problems, and a decreased intake of milk products were significantly associated with iodine intake below the EAR. In the U.S. in 2011–2012, 38% of the population had a UIC of <100 and were therefore classified as iodine deficient. 23% of a sample of pregnant women in Michigan had inadequate intake of iodine (Iodine and Iodine Deficiency: A Comprehensive Review of a Re-Emerging Issue - PMC (nih.gov) In the US, autism rates were highest in states that had poorest nutrition, particularly in vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and vitamin D (Shamberger, 2011),  In South East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean IDD is estimated to be present in 36% and 43% of the general population, respectively. In children, iodine deficiency can cause goiter, intellectual/physical developmental impairment, deafness and cretinism.

Norway Recent studies have shown that there is inadequate iodine intake and insufficient iodine status among lactating women in the inland area of Norway and medium knowledge awareness about iodine (Groufh-Jacobsen etal, 2020), with the least being in vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians (Groufh-Jacobsen et al, 2020; Henjum, et al, 2018).

 

Explanatory Videos

We have put together several videos discussing the process of "Turning Autism around" https://vimeo.com/warnervision/turningautismaround AND "Nutritional deficiencies and autism"  https://vimeo.com/warnervision/whydonutritionaldeficiencies We would like to thank both Becki and Tanja very much for their help in the preparation of the videos.

 

Heatlh Professionals Contacted.

Minister for Health, NSW, Australia Contact the Minister for Water, Housing, Homelessness, Mental Health, Youth and the North Coast | NSW Government Hon Rose Jackson

Australian Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly - Response can be found at https://understandingautism.com.au/LettertoCMOReASDAustralia.PDF Of note, CMOs are accountable to the ministers, the premier and the parliament. Ultimately "the buck stops with them". In his role Prof Kelly has the remit to gather and interpret data and evidence. Clearly from his response he has totally ignored the evidence presented to him.

 

Media Contacted.

ndis@contact.net.au

 

Medical Indemnity

Potentially one of the things stopping the Medical Profession for doing anything about autism is their Medical Indemnity Insurance, which may mean that they cannot step outside of mainstream thought, even if there are countless references in the literature supporting change, as to do something out of the ordinary, would potentially void their Indemnity. In this regard, the Medical Profession has this odd interaction with the Pathology Laboratories, whereby Path Labs will relate the data that they find to the range of data that the Path Labs measure. This is called normalization of data. This normalization does not relate to biochemical normality, rather it relates to normalization of the data that the Lab gets. The Medicos take the path Lab data as gospel, so if the data fits within a range (as determined by the Path Lab, not by a Biochemist), they deem the patient as normal and do nothing. Hence, there is no incentive for the Medical Profession to actually determine if the patient is Biochemically normal or not. Perhaps the saddest thing about this is the comment "they will never get rid of the NDIS because every epersonknows someone who is or should be on it"

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