M is for Mitochondrial Dysfunction. Mito-what you may be asking yourself. Take a moment and go back to high school biology class… remember that oval looking “organelle” in the cell with the squiggly lines- those little guys are your MITOCHONDRIA and they make energy to power every cell (except red blood cells) in your body! Just like little batteries. Take a look at these videos below to learn more.
Again I know you but be wondering what do mitochondria have to do with Autism.
To understand that you need to imagine a large city on a very hot day…when everyone is running their air conditioners and there is not enough energy to meet the demands of the body. A BROWN OUT… or a decrease in energy production until the demands (the air conditioners) lessen. So think about the same concept in the body and wonder for a moment what a brain running on half or quarter power might look like? Might it cause behavioral, psychiatric, aggressive, regressive or other types of behaviors that are often connected with a diagnosis of autism?
Turns out that is exactly what some researchers have found (here, here, here and here) when studying the biochemistry of autism and what is going on at a cellular level.
You can check out these Empowered Medical Advocacy resources if you want to dig deeper :
If you are unsure if your child’s immune system is working properly, start here with our top 10 lab tests ebook and this info on basic immune system testing.
First, let me clarify that I was a CHEMIST in my former life… chemicals are chemicals… some can be safe and some can be dangerous. Water by definition is a chemical compound (a thing that is composed of two or more separate elements; a mixture, ie. Hydrogen and Oxygen)
Ever since my daughter began having mysterious reactions to VERY common household cleaners like ETHYL ALCOHOL… I have been on a quest to reduce toxic chemicals in our house.
Now being a chemist, one must realize that all CHEMICALS are not bad under this definition:
a chemical is : a material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules
So the KEY here is to identify chemicals that we can use to clean our homes that are NOT HARMFUL (or maybe at least LESS HARMFUL) to our bodies, whether that be from an inhalation, contact, absorption or the digestive route!
Here are a few pointers for choosing safer household cleaners:
1. Some of the basics cleansers you can make a multitude of products out of include: baking soda, lemons, vinegar, water, hydrogen peroxide, castile soap, and salt.
2. If you do not like to or don’t have the time to make your own, there are companies out there who will make them for you (check out your local farmer’s market).
4. If you love the FRAGRANCE and the “clean smell” of all the perfumes (possible toxins) added to your favorite cleaning products, you can have your cake and eat it too, naturally, of course! A friend gave me some essential oils a few years ago and they smell amazing! Just a few drops of these added to the recipes above are amazing and natural, 100% pure from the plant they were derived from.
5. H is for Hydrogen peroxide There are numerous uses for this VERY inexpensive ingredient! It is an oxidizer and can be used IN PLACE of bleach, it works very well on blood an food stains, it also as disinfecting properties. You can use it to rinse cutting boards to get rid of yuck meat bacteria and even rinse fruits and veggie with it to get rid of bacteria that may be looming there (be sure to rinse well with water before eating!) So many uses and the best part about it all, is that when it washes down the drain it breaks down into biodegradable products, so it does not pollute the environment or water supply!
Some recent research linking chemicals to autism:
So far, evidence suggests that some criteria air pollutants, some metals, and several pesticides, with suggestions that some volatile organic compounds (e.g., methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, and styrene) and phthalates, may be linked to autism. (source)
and
An editorial published April 25 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives calls for increased research to identify possible environmental causes of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in America’s children and presents a list of ten target chemicals including which are considered highly likely to contribute to these conditions. These 10 chemicals include:
For the non science lingo watch this video cartoon about the basics of glutathione (the company that made this video also manufactures and sells glutathione , but this video is still helpful, we believe)
For the technical folks-
Glutathione is a tri-peptide which is a combination of 3 amino acids (the building blocks of protein): Glycine, Cysteine, and Glutamic acid. The cysteine amino acid contains a sulfur group responsible for the chemical properties of the whole glutathione protein. The other 2 amino acids: glutamic acid and glycine, are non-essential amino acids which means that they are manufactured by the body (yet also available through food).
Cysteine is ALSO classified as a non-essential amino acid because it can be produced in the body from another amino acid – methionine. BUT methionine is an “essential amino acid” because the body does not produce it, meaning that WE must get a supply of it, exclusively through the food we eat.
In this way methionine may serve as a building block for Glutathione as well, but it also has a tendency to convert into homocysteine, which increases the risk of heart disease. That is why excessive consumption of methionine is not advisable, and methionine cannot be viewed as a building block for Glutathione.
For a cell to be able to manufacture Glutathione these three GSH precursors – glutamate, glycine and cysteine – absolutely must be in a form that can be transported from the mouth, through the digestive system, into the blood and finally through the cell wall where they are combined into Glutathione.
Cysteine is a limiting factor for GSH because:
“For our bodies to sustain healthy glutathione levels, the limiting factor in our daily intake of food is usually the amino acid cysteine. It must be in a form that can survive the trip from our mouths to our cells. Unfortunately, merely eating either glutathione or the free amino acid cysteine does not give the cell what it needs to manufacture glutathione.”
–Dr. Jimmy Gutman “Glutathione. Your Key To Health”
“(the problem) is that cysteine does not survive the trip to the cell through the digestive system very well. Most cysteine is broken down or altered somewhere along the long trip from the mouth to the cell. That is why it is important to consume cysteine in a form that resists alteration and is strong enough not to be broken down in the digestive tract.”
To remember what Glutathione does in your body (according to Dr. Gutman)
remember the word AID:
A– antioxidant, the MASTER ANTIOXIDANT in fact, none of the other antioxidants in your body could work without Glutathione.
I– Immune System, Glutathione is the Fuel for the Immune System
D– Detoxification- levels of Glutathione are highest in your Liver and help rid your body of toxins- from cigarette smoke, to pesticides, to heavy metals, to impurities in food and water. Dr.Gutman says it is the most important detoxifier second only to WATER.
Another site- http://www.themaxsite.com/glutathione.html
talks about the ABC’s of Glutathione:
Glutathione’s three major roles in the body are summarized by the letters A-B-C. Anti-oxidant
Blood Booster
Cell Detoxifier
These are the three critical processes driven by glutathione.
What other Doctors are saying about Glutathione…
Many others in the medical community are talking about the importance of Glutathione and I have included videos about what they are saying here:
Dr. Keller (For those in the MITOCHONDRIAL community…this is an important one- as he states, Glutathione is the MAJOR PROTECTOR of Mitochondrial DNA)
Glutathione and the Autism Community
Dr. Jill James at Arkansas Children’s Hospital has done a tremendous amount of research on Glutathione (as well as folate and methionine metabolic cycles) and Autism.
Here is one paper by James that talks about low glutathione (along with low methionine, homocysteine, cysteine,etc.) in autistic children, and an interview with her about her findings
EPI 743 is a pharmaceutical that is in clinical trials for MITOCHONDRIAL DISEASE by Edison Pharmaceuticals. A Press release was recently published showing its success in treating Leigh’s Disease Mitochondrial Patients.
While reading about EPI and reading some papers published by one of it’s principal investigators, Dr. Gregory Enns, a common theme emerged: GLUTATHIONE.
EPI-743 is an orally bioavailable small molecule being developed by Edison Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of Leigh syndrome and other inherited mitochondrial diseases. EPI-743 is a member of the para-benzoquinone class of drugs. It serves as a cofactor for the novel drug target– NADPH quinone oxidase 1 (NQO1). Through a redox-based mechanism, EPI-743 augments endogenous glutathione biosynthesis– essential for the control of oxidative stress.
Glutathione and it’s impact on other disorders
This website (although selling a glutathione product) has a comprehensive list of published literature articles with references on the links between glutathione depletion and other disorders such as: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV, cystic fibrosis, cancer, Lyme disease, digestive disorders, and hepatitis.
Another excellent site with info about Glutathione and Disease and Longevity.
This article gives a nice overview of other conditions including agin that may be impacted by glutathione status.
Here is another site I JUST came across that has an EXHAUSTIVE list of other disorders linked to LOW Glutathione…
If you have never heard of Glutathione until now, I promise you this will not be the LAST time you have heard of it, and in the coming years I predict you will not have to look very far to hear something about the MIGHTY {G}!
just doing an informal survey… please leave a comment stating if you have heard of GLUTATHIONE and if so when/how you learned about it! Thanks!
Fructose is included in food in many forms, but namely in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). This sweetener is present in a plethora of processed food and drink, from soda and syrup to candy and cookies. Although consumers are generally aware that HFCS is “unhealthy,” it is connected to more serious health implications. This is true for all consumers, not just those with autism or ADHD.
Studies have shown that intake of high fructose corn syrup can lead to memory dysfunction, metabolic disorders, and liver disease, to name a few. Shockingly, one study demonstrated that metabolic disorders can develop in the absence of obesity! A diet filled with HFCS may not induce weight gain in your child, but it can cause him or her to develop serious metabolic dysregulation issues. Another study examined the effect of HFCS (through sugar-sweetened beverages) on memory. Juvenile and adolescent rats were given sugary beverages until they reached adulthood. At that point, they were not given any additional sugary beverages and were put through several memory tests. The results strongly suggested that exposure to HFCS at a young age had severe detrimental effects on memory function in adulthood. It had no effect on body weight, which concurred with the previously mentioned study. Overall, high fructose corn syrup is BAD NEWS.
The video link below leads to a talk given by Dr. Lustig of University of San Francisco on the Bitter Truth of Sugar and Fructose. It’s a long one, but contains some important and sobering points about what we feed ourselves and our families.
Here is some other interesting research into autism and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) suggesting the mineral depletion it causes can lead to autism.
What can you do? Take some time to stop and think about what you are putting in your body and your children’s bodies. Cut back on or eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your diet. This will have both immediate and long-term positive effects on your family’s overall health and well-being.
This article talks about the hypothesis of High Fructose Corn Syrup and Autism.
If you want to learn more about the effects of high fructose corn syrup, other toxins in your environment, or healthy alternatives for your entire family, we are here to help. Check out our Empowered Library for more resources.
