What's causing autism? Studies about the connection with mercury

3 studies, from Europe, America, Australia:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16782144
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17885929
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18704827
They are all showing that autistic children have elevated levels of porphyrine in the urine which is a clear indicator for environmental toxicity. Which could be likely caused my mercury.
Thiomersal (mercury) has been in vaccinations, and in amalgam fillings, giving children high doses of the neurotoxin mercury.

Why this is not known as the official cause of autism? What do you think any medical doctor or practicioner would tell you, if you mention that the vaccinations he has given to your child have caused some problems, or  that you have horrible health issues since you got those amalgam fillings from him?











Think about it.

Raw Brahs

I can't help it - I loooooove the Raw Brahs! :)
When I need some inspiration for healthy living and loving life, I look at their videos. They spread such JOY of life, radiate HEALTH and fitness, and at the same time they seem to be really nice genuine guys.

This one is my favorite video when I want to be inspired to do something for my fitness - and as you know from my anorexia post, I am far from being a Raw Sistah ;)

They live the dream life of a lot of people, and by doing what they love, they succeed.
They always bring a smile on my face :)
Check them out http://www.rawbrahs.com

Billy Craig

Billy Craig is a "Health & Nutritional Consultant who is also trained as Personal Trainer, Advanced Metabolic Typing Advisor, Massage Therapist, C.H.E.K. Practicioner, and Health Practicioner". And - he has the Asperger Syndrome. But that is not the topic here, it is more about is diet (or rather no diet) approach which is similar to Ray Peat or other Ex-Paleo followers like Matt Stone or Danny Roddy. His main recommendation is: EAT THE FOOD.
Diets lower your metabolism and you gain weight, besides being malnourished.
He is also not a fan of eating low glycemic.

His views:

• insuline reduces blood sugar and cortisol raises blood sugar
• carbs raise insuline and lower cortisol
• ergo: carbs cannot be the cause for high blood sugar/diabetes
• when too little glucose (when eating too little or low carb), then cortisol "produces" glucose, for example from the muscle tissue. Which creates stress and loss of muscle mass
• glycagon, cortisol, adrenaline, growth hormone and thyroid tend to increase the blood sugar, but it is common to misinterpret hyperglycemia as "diabetes", without measuring any of these factors (this one is by Ray Peat actually)

He is writing a book currently about his experiments with raising his calorie intake and losing weight.
His Homepage: http://www.billycraig.co.uk

Do we all have different diet needs?

After an odyssee from being vegetarian to vegan to raw vegan to Paleo to - "normal" (?) eating (which by the way is quite a typical "food career" from what you can read on the internet, like here or here), I was wondering if there is a thing called universal diet at all? Or do we all have different needs? Is it genetically programmed what we thrive on?
I found this interesting article:
http://www.evidencebasedcryonics.org/2012/07/25/apoe4-diet-and-gender/
But it is just saying, that if you know your genes which could make you more prone to certain diseases, then you could know how to eat to avoid it. Which is, taken from the article above: low fat plus exercise. It is rather that people with a certain gene can get away with eating high (saturated) fat and other don't.

In general, it makes sense to me, that different genes can demand different foods or rather: can get away with different food sins.
You can have your genes checked at http://www.23andme.com.

Mercury and autism - an overview on helping persons and sites

When I first started reading about these topics, and the possibility, that mercury from amalgam fillings and vaccinations could be a cause for autism, I came across a lot of information.

In this blog post I want to show a little overview (it is still very confusing how much information there is out there, and even more, to put it all together. And even more so, when you're brain is still a little Asperger-style  - I always get lost in the details and fail to show the whole picture. But I try).

The first person working in this field is Dr. Klinghardt from the Klinghardt Academy.
From his page:

Klinghardt studied medicine (1969-1975) and psychology (1975-1979) in Freiburg, Germany, completing his PhD on the involvement of the autonomic nervous system in autoimmune disorders. Several publications followed. Early in his career, he became interested in the sequelae of chronic toxicity (especially lead, mercury, environmental pollutants and electromagnetic fields) for the course of illness. While working in India as a junior physician, he encountered Eastern concepts of disease etiology and blended them with his Western training. This laid the foundation for his 5-level system of Integrative Medicine.

Since the 1970s, Dr. Klinghardt has contributed significantly to the understanding of metal toxicity and its connection with chronic infections, illness and pain. He is considered an authority on this subject and has been instrumental in advancing various fields within biological medicine -  non-invasive pain management, injection techniques for pain and orthopaedic dysfunction, anti-ageing medicine, toxicology, paediatrics (neuro-developmental disorders), energy psychology, biological dentistry, and others. He has also developed Autonomic Response Testing, a comprehensive diagnostic system that has helped many practitioners to become accomplished holistic physicians.

His successful treatment for autism mostly includes the detoxification of heavy metals, and the treatment of lyme. His Klinghardt Protocol includes Chlorella, bear leek and cilantro.

The next one, another German medical doctor, is Dr. Joachim Mutter who has published some books about heavy metal toxicity and detoxification. I don't know if you can get them in English too, but if you happen to understand German, take a look. They're the basic you need to know about environmental medicine.

Also Max Daunderer from the Tox Center should be mentioned but I don't approve his sensational style.

Then there is Andrew Cutler, who has written a whole book about mercury toxicity: Amalgam Illness. He has made up the Cutler protocol which a lot of parents are using for their autistic children. It mainly says to take DMSA (Dimercaptosuccinic acid) and later ALA (alpha lipoic acid) every 3-4 hours for a few days (mostly a weekend) and then pause. Included are also lots of supplements. Many people think protocol is one of the safest and most successfull.

There are lots of other methods, like getting DMPS, or acetylcysteine or glutathione, or taking castor oil weekly, taking iodine (see also here), or zeolites, charcoal and there are lots of other protocols out there.
In my opinion DMPS and DMSA are highly effective but of course can have side effects and should be only taken under supervision. Also alpha lipoic acid is highly effective. Chlorella & Co is a more natural method but can have some serious side effects if you don't have an experienced practicioner by your side.

In total I think the Cutler protocol is safest and best. A complete heavy metal detox is a slow process though and can take up to 4 years. Patience is key.

Anorexia and Autism

Researchers of the Maudsley clinic in London believe that anorexia is not caused by psychological issues, but maybe a genetic one.
There are also some relations to autism, for example 15-20 % of the anorexic patients are part of the autistic spectrum

It's possible, that the same genetic predisposition for autism and anorexia may be expressed differently depending on gender.
About 15 times as many boys are given a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome as are girls, and nearly 10 times as many girls develop anorexia as boys. It's easy to see how an outsized sense of perfectionism in a female might lead to an unhealthy obsession with thinness — given society's preoccupation with physical appearance — while a male might end up obsessing about cars or trains, which is typical in autistic boys. "The reason [Asperger's] is usually diagnosed less often in females may be because it takes a different form — anorexia may be just one of the forms," says Baron-Cohen, adding that there are likely multiple routes leading to anorexia and that autistic features may not factor in all of them.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1904999,00.html

Dr. Campbell-McBride: "It's all in the gut"

Dr. Campbell-McBride also sees a relation between autism and anorexia, and also mercury from amalgam fillings. The main cause in her eyes is the health of the gut. A disturbed gut flora is caused by anitbiotics, bad diets with lots of junk food and sugar, stress, the birth control pill etc.

Dr. Campbell-McBride points to a study showing that rats treated with antibiotics succumb to mercury poisoning while those with untreated gut flora do not. She believes the same is true of humans and that, while the government warns against eating fish because of mercury and PCB contamination, a healthy gut should be able to tolerate the exposure and get the health benefits of eating fish.

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/autism-anorexia-its-all-about-gut

So if you have a bad gut flora (which could also be caused by mercury itself) you have also more difficulties excreting heavy metals. A vicious cycle.
And also anorexia can be caused by a disbalance in the gut, she says:

 Even eating disorders, which are typically treated as psychiatric or psychological conditions, says Dr. Campbell-McBride, can start with nutritional deficiencies very often arising from vegetarianism in young girls. She believes that as girls progress from vegetarianism to veganism, they cut more and more healthy fats out of their diets, especially vitamins A and D, and are left with a compromised immune system.

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/autism-anorexia-its-all-about-gut

.
My take on it

I think toxins like mercury already change things in the unborn to the worse (which later could be called genetic defects). Having already a burden of heavy metals as a newborn, the children develop yeast and gut problems at an early age. Which will be accelerated by more toxins through the breast milk or not long enough being breastfed but being fed highly processed foods like milk formulas etc. This will be worsened by  vaccinations which bring even more toxins and heavy metals into the small child.
Mercury as a neurotoxin can cause all sorts of neurological issues. So I would not wonder if it can also cause anorexia caused by a wrong self-image and depressions. Ever seen autistic children? They look depressed, often sad. Even when there is no psychological reason for being so. Depression is mostly a disbalance in the brain's chemicals, nothing psychological. Ever wondered why some people are more resiliant than others? Maybe less toxins in the body and brain.
Combined with a disbalanced gut flora which causes digestive issues, the anorexic person might feel indeed much better when not eating. Adrenaline rises, giving you a high feeling.
The gut is the body's brain in a way. Lots of nerves are directly related to our brain. Our feelings are in the gut.
So for me it is no wonder at all if autism and anorexia are related, but it's not that one causes the other, it is more that both have the same cause.
By the way, when it comes to diet and autism, a lot of parents have gotten wonderful improvements on their autistic children when introducing a gluten-free casein-free diet. Probably because most autistic children have a compromised gut flora and gluten and casein are the most problematic substances when you have a leaky gut.

Then again, I am not denying that anorexia can be caused by psychological factors. If you are in the autism spectrum you feel awkward, sometimes anxious or depressed. Sometimes these feelings can lead to eating disorder too, of course.

Ray Peat

Links

Ray Peat Homepage
Ray Peat Forum
Ray Peat Forum 2
Interview with Ray Peat
e-book by Danny Rodder: The Peat-whisperer

Overview

Ray Peat is a biologist who has studied extensively the hormonal system. On his website he has several articles to the topics of female hormones, thyroid, nutrition etc.
He suggests to eat mostly fruit (preferably juices), milk, meat/gelatin, eggs, and you should avoid grains, legumes, polyunsaturated fats. Vegetables can be eaten but are not necessary and can sometimes contain anti-nutrients.

Main message:
1. avoid all PUFAs (polyunsaturated fats). No vegetable oils, no mayonnaise, no margarine. Also nuts and seeds are not optimal. Instead use saturated fats like coconut oil and butter.
With reduced PUFAs you can process much better fructose, he says.
2. so you should slowly increase your fruit consumption until you can completely eliminate grains as your carb source. He prefers orange juice without pulp (easy on the gut)
3. The best carb source is fruit. The second best is potatoes.
4. Protein from milk, eggs and meat. Muscle meat is not so preferable though but can be balanced out with gelatin. Liver twice a month for the b vitamins. After eating meat or liver you should drink coffee with milk to reduce iron absorption (too much iron is dangerous, he says)
5. You can consume as much chocolate, coffee, honey, sugar and water as you want. He regularly eats ice cream.

Okay, this kind of diet sounds not too bad though is quite the opposite of everything you may have learned.
Saturated fats are good. Iron absorption should be reduced. Coffee is healthy, and also ice cream and chocolate can help to stay healthy.
The thing is, on his website he explains the backgrounds in his articles, and reading through them it all makes sense. And he is not just a nutcase, he has studied these subjects, and he also looks quite well for his age and is very clear in his brain still (I think he is in his mid-70s).

Some ex-vegans or ex-low carb followers swear on Ray Peat now and claim to restore their metabolism with his diet, especially by increasing the carbs. Look up on Matt Stone or Danny Roddy.

There are awesome articles on Ray Peats website which I can just recommend to read.
A few summaries from me:

Hormonal stuff

• too much estrogen is bad. It can block the thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), and cause a lack of progesteron. Estrogen can make the adrenals produce more cortisol (which can lead to loss of bone mass and aging of the brain). You should have 50-100 times more progesterone than estrogen. 
• with the presence of thyroid hormones and vitamine a, and without inhibiting factors like too much carotene and PUFAs, the ovaries, the adrenals and the brain can build cholesterol into pregnelonone and progesterone
• in hypothyroidism often TRH is increased, which increases the TSH. TRH can cause tachycardy, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, high pressure of the eye and hyperventilation with alcalose. 
• in hypothyroidism the body often produces more adrnealine (fast pulse, waking up in the night, nightmares etc)
• the amount of glucose in the liver regulates the enzyme which converts T4 to T3. Hypoglycemie and Diabetes can cause hypothyroidism.If you are fasting or eating low carb, the mobilised fatty acids interact with the use of glucose, and some amoni acids suppress the thyroid
• too much aerobic exercise stops the T3 production
• too little protein can cause hypothyroidism. You need animal protein. Muscle meat though can suppress the thyroid. Rather more milk, cheese, eggs, shell fish and potatos.
• coconut oil supports the mitochondrial oxidation, raises the energy production
• raw carrots help reducing the absorption of estrogen
• hypothyroidism can lead to a reduced absorption of magnesium, sodium and copper, and a reduced protein synthesis. You often crave salt, which is very helpful to raise body temperature and lower aldosterone
• Milk and cheese are very good for the thyroid. Muscle meat contains lots of tryptophane and cystein which is negative for the thyroid. Can be reduced with the consumption of gelatin
• kelp and other sources of iodine are not good for the thyroid

(http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/ray-peat.htm)

Nutrition

• fasting should only be done when the PUFAs are out of the tissues and the glycogen store in the liver is big enough, to avoid stress. coconut oil helps
• fruit and potatos only have 2 % protein, nuts, grains and legumes have 15-40 %. BUT you have to watch this in relation to the high water content of fruit and potatos. The same is with milk (3% protein). The protein content of grains can be neglected, because the protein is in a form which is rich in nitrogen but poor in essential amino acids. It needs special preparation to reduce the toxins of the seeds, and when it comes to legumes, this is never enough.
• liver of animals contains only few toxins since the liver is excreting them. The toxins are more in the urine and the fat of the animals
• plants contain lots of toxins to defend themselves against being eaten. Fruit is more or less free from toxins, because the plant wants them to be eaten. Roots contain some toxins against micro organisms but not much, because they are protected being under the earth. 
• so the base of your food should be fruit and animal products
• Lack of protein can lead to an accumulation of toxins because the detox capacity of the liver depends on proteins. A lack of protein also leads to an accumulation of estrogen.

(http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/vegetables.shtml)

• you should not eat protein by itself, it can lower the blood sugar. It should always be combined with fruit
• 1 raw carrot per day helps decreasing estrogen, best to be eaten before lunch
• for heavy metal detox Peat recommends succinates, like sodium- or magnesium-succinates (200 mg twice per day, for a week)
• people with casein intolerance should have a look here: http://www.glutenfreeshoponline.com/gluten-free-casein-free-diet/gluten-free-casein-free-diet-gfcf/

Sugar and diabetes

• Diabetes means, that the patient is losing more sugar than he takes in, even when he is not eating any sugar anymore. So the recommendation, not to eat sugar as a diabetic, is useless, because the body can also produce sugar from its own tissues.
• Originally diabetes had been a wasting disease, the patients lost weight. Today it is more related to being obese, together with high blood sugar and high blood pressure. It is said that sugar causes the high weight, especially the fat around the weight, and especially it is supposed to be the fructose instead of the glucose
• In 1874 E. Kulz found out that diabetics can assimilate fructose much better than glucose, and the treatment of diabetes with fructose was much more successful.
• Blood fats increase arteriosklerosis and heart diseases, BUT saturated fats are not the cause for high triglycerides and cholesterol
• Experiment of fat-free diet (consisting of sugar and protein from fatfree milk) led to an improvement of health. PUFAs are interacting with the glucose metabolism.
• A diet rich in sugars, free from PUFAs, leads to a high metabolism
• Starches lead to overweight and hyperglycemia
• Rats on a starch-based diet with lack of vitamin d had lack of calcium in blood and bones. Rats on a sucrose-diet with lack of vitamin d had no loss of calcium in blood or bones
• In earlier times diabetes had been diagnosed as a loss of sugar (much sugar in the urine). Today it is diagnosed when there is too much sugar in the blood (even without sugar in the urine)
• Budd in 1857 gave sugar to a diabetes-patient (ca. 225 g white sugar) because people with diabetes lose a lot of sugar in the urine. She got better and she lost less sugar in the urine
• insuline-producing cells in the pancreas can recover when given DHEA
• Possible cause for autoimmune disease Diabetes: cell damage has happened because of metaolic toxins, and the immune system is trying to attack the damaged cells
• 1940 Houssay finds that coconut oil protects against toxin-induced diabetes. Later it was found out that glucose itself protects the pancreas cells
• In 1963 Randle finds that the sugar-oxidation is hindered by free fatty acids
• estrogen and stress can cause diabetes symptoms, and they also hinder the glucose oxidation and increase the fat oxidation. Stress can cause diabetes. Estrogen increases the free fatty acids and decreases the glycogen store. The birth control pill can cause diabetes.
• sugar is not the cause of diabetes
• hyperglycemia is instead a sign that there is too little glucose, and it is needed more energy (sugar cannot get into the cells
• In diabetes there is lack of sugar in the sugar-needing cells, so the brains increases the blood sugar to get more sugar into the cells
• Fats hinder the sugar to get into the cells. If you eat bigger amounts of sugars, the fat oxidation is suppressed, meaning little fat is released from the fat depots and less free fatty acids are in the blood. Insulin also hinders the release of fatty acids. Free fatty acids hinder the mitochondrial breathing
• 1988 Wright finds that a lack of PUFAs prevents toxin-induced diabetes and inflammation. A suppressed fat oxidation improves the heart contraction and the flow of oxygen (Chandler, 2003). Niacinamid helps with that, because it reduces the concentration of free fatty acids
• glucose supports the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, which is supported by bicarbonates and sodium. Sodium activates the cells and regulates the calcium-balance. Too much intracellular calcium damages the insulin producing cells
• Oxidative stress and cell damage are a consequence when glucose is not metabolised in the right way
• T3 protects the heart by supporting the glucose-oxidation. The amount of produced T3 depends on the amount of sugar
• progesteron increases the glucose oxidation instead of the fat oxidation
• 2008 the Jetton study finds that pancreas cells can recover fast when getting glucose which balances the blood sugar
• Blood sugar probably just a little influenced by insulin. Much more by potassium
• lack of vitamin d and/or calcium can lead to an increase of the parathyroid hormone which promotes inflammation and diabetes
• Vitamin D and K protect againbst diabetes, but they need enough carbon dioxid.If there is a lack like for example in hypothyroidism, the calcium can get into the cells (calcification). You need optimal carbon dioxid for the optimal balance of calcium
• gelatin (contains lots of glycin) protects proteins against cell damage
• optimal nutrition: lots of sugar and salt and a balanced amount of protein
• Sugar from fruit better than grains or legumes, because of the PUFAs. 
• Helpful supplements with diabetes: niacinamide, thiamine, thyroid hormones, progesterone and pregnelonone. Also vitamine D and K.
• Coffe is protecting against diabetes because of the niacine and magnesium and the antioxidants. Good for nomal thyroid and progesterone numbers. Cacao probably similar effect. Also aspirin protects against inflammation, good for diabetes

(http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/glucose-sucrose-diabetes.shtml)

Osteoporose

• too much estrogen leads to loss of bone mass and to holes in the teeth. Thyroid hormones can reduce that
• Desiccated thyroid leads to higher metabolism and bigger bone mass
• T3 increases bone mass. Aspirin and vitamine K2 increase calcium in the bones
• PUFAs are associated with bone mass loss. Fruit and vegetables help with bone mass

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/osteoporosis-aging.shtml)

Water

• in dry climate you can drink a lot without the need to pee, but in humid climate too much water can be dangerous for persons with a slow metabolism
• In hypothyroidism the body cannot hold sodium and holds back water (edema). Muscles retain water and fatigue fast
• Sleep problems=lack of salt
• Nutrition rich in proteins and a little extra salt can solve lots of problems like edemas, high blood pressure or bad blood circulation
• too little sodium leads to a higher production of aldosterone. Which reduces the loss of sodium in the urine, but the body loses more potassium, magnesium and probably also calcium. Lack of potassium can lead to heart- and kidney damage and high blood pressure. A little extra salt helps with the absorption of magnesium
• progesterone is an antigon to aldosterone and helps against high blood pressure, edemas, heart failure, heart palpitations, diabetes, kidney problems and other inflammation
• drinking water only when thirsty

(http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/water.shtml)

Salt

• Lack of salt leads to edemas
• Studies show connection between diet low in salt and higher death rates. Salt can raise the blood pressure, but a lower blood pressure doesn't necessarily mean a better health
• a restriction in salt leads to more adrenaline
• protein, salt and thyroid are regulating the body temperature
• a lack of salt slows down the metabolism, promotes inflammation, stress and degeneration 
• fast metabolism=longevity

(http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/salt.shtml)

Hypothyroid

• TSH should be under 1
• Hypophysis hormones are regulating themselves when more protein and sugar are eaten
• stress leads to hypothyroid
• healthy pulse is 85 beats per minute
• adrenaline can raise pulse in hypothyroid situation, increased by lack of salt

(http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/hypothyroidism.shtml)

Progesterone

• progesterone is the most important hormone to protect the body (high levels in pregnancy)
• progesterone is important for stress resistance ( a lack leads to fat around the waist, osteoporosis, skin aging and brain cell damage)
• progesterone helps reducing estrogen (high estrogen because of diet high in PUFAs)
• Progesterone creme from the 14th till the 28th day of cyclus
• Progesterone is more efficient when enough protein is eaten
• lack of progesterone leads to an enlargement of thyroid

(http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/progesterone-summaries.shtml)

Coffee

• protects against thyroid problems
• protects the liver against alcohol and other toxins
• protects against cancer due to radiation, viruses etc
• raises the amount of progesterone in the blood
• can protect against breast cancer
• provides lots of magnesium and vitamine B1
• protects against suicide
• protects against heavy metals
• protects against too much iron
• protects against parkinson
• negative reactions of coffee often reduced by sugar

(http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/caffeine.shtml)