Can Autism Be Cured?

By Jaclyn, Contributing Writer

Things are heating up. Last week I posted Vaccines DO Cause Autism, but That’s Not The Point, and things got ugly. But I’m not going to stop there. It’s the month where everyone lights it up blue… and there’s nothing wrong with that. But I think we need to focus on more than blue lights. We should be asking the question: can autism be cured?

According to many of your recent comments, autism cannot be cured. You say that autism is a genetic, neurological disorder that some children are born with.

Well, I hate to disagree… but, I disagree.

Can autism be cured? In a word: yes. Absolutely.

How do I know? Well, aside from healing autistic behaviors and symptoms in my own son, there are stories from countless parents of healing their children of autism. You can read Gordon’s story here and Brendan’s story here. A quick Google search will yield pages and pages of results.

For anyone to claim that autism cannot be healed is a reflection of their own ignorance and not a reflection of children with autism. So, in order to combat the misinformed idea that autism cannot be healed, let’s break down the facts:

The Cause of Autism

Autism is caused by a combination of factors. We covered one in Vaccines DO Cause Autism, but, obviously vaccines are not the only cause of autism. If you want to read in-depth about the cause of autism, you can read The REAL Cause of Autism. Here, I’ll break down the basics:

Genetics

Some want to blame genetics solely for autism, but that just isn’t true. Genetics do, however, play an important role, which is why some kids become autistic following vaccines and some don’t. Some kids can eat junk food with seemingly no consequences, whereas some kids have to eat a very strict diet because every infraction seems to result in a meltdown.

Genetics can predispose a person towards sensitivities to the factors that cause autism, but it’s up to a person to make lifestyle choices (i.e. diet and toxin exposure) that determine whether those genes express or not.

Environmental Toxins

Because of genetic susceptibility, some people are just unable to deal with the toxins in our environment, which, instead of being properly eliminated, build up in the body and contribute to overall toxicty. It’s this heavy burden of toxins that causes many children to tip over into autism spectrum disorders. Sometimes a vaccine is the tipping point.

These environmental toxins can come from the food we eat (hello high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors!), the water we drink (most of which is treated with chlorine and fluoride- look into getting filters for your shower like this and something to filter your drinking water like this), and even the air we breathe, which is constantly circulating pesticides and herbicides, fragrances both indoors and out, and industrial pollutants from vehicles and factories.

Gut health

It’s been said that the gut is the second brain. This is rather applicable when talking about autism.

Many studies have found that children with autism have gut abnormalities, like chronic constipation or diarrhea, which are caused by a gut bacteria imbalance. This study implicates overgrowth of pathogenic gut bacteria in cases of autism, and reports improvement with probiotic usage. (This is a very good probiotic for sensitive children with gut abnormalities.)

The gut is also host to a good portion of the immune system. Without good gut health, one cannot have a strong immune system. Without a strong immune system, the body cannot protect itself from environmental insults. See how this is a vicious cycle?

Environmental toxins damage the gut and break down the immune system, which then fails to protect the body from disease, whether autism or something else.

If We Know What Causes Autism, the Question “Can Autism Be Cured?” Becomes a Reasonable Inquiry

We simply have to put remedies in place for the causes. Here are four ways:

1. Eliminate Environmental Toxins

Use natural cleaning supplies and personal care products (I love this soap for a host of cleaning duties!) Eliminate indoor pollutants like conventional laundry detergent and fabric softener. Ditch the baby soaps and lotions.

2. Do Some Research on Whether or Not Vaccinations Are a Good Fit For Your Child

Many children these days have immune systems that just aren’t strong enough to protect the body from the ingredients in vaccines. If you aren’t sure, read Vaccine Contraindications: Six People Who Should Not Be Vaccinated. Your child, your choice, and if you have an uneasy feeling about having your child vaccinated, don’t ignore it, especially if your child has autism.

3. Heal the Gut

Many children respond to easy diet changes (read Heal Behavioral Disorders: Remove These Ingredients from Your Child’s Diet NOW), while others need a more intensive healing diet. The GAPS diet was created for children with autism and has been successful at healing many! GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome and recognizes the gut-brain connection that causes the symptoms of autism and allows for healing of those same symptoms.

4. Supplement wisely

Children with autism are generally malnourished and need lots of nutrition in order to begin healing. Doing a gut healing diet like GAPS is helpful, but sometimes supplementation like fish oil, probiotics, and vitamins and minerals can help to fill in holes in the diet, especially as the gut is still healing.

Autism is not a one-size-fits-all diagnosis, as symptoms on the spectrum can vary greatly, so neither is the cure for autism. How quickly or easily, and to what extent autism can be healed depends greatly on the severity of symptoms.

By implementing the above tips, parents can begin to get to the root of their autistic child’s health conditions which manifest as symptoms of autism, and have hope that their child can be healed!

Can autism be cured? You betcha! It takes time and hard work, but I can attest it is worth it!

Do You Believe Autism Can Be Healed? Share This Post so Others Can Have Hope For Their Own Children!