Autism Treatment Serotonin

Imbalances

I have covered the topic of serotonin levels in special needs children in the past, and specifically serotonin levels in children with Autism. I have also gone over how serotonin can be influential in brain function and learning, and serotonin can also influence mood and states of happiness.

Many individuals take medications like Prozac, Paxil or Zoloft, which are called serotonin reuptake inhibitors.For many people serotonin levels can become depleted and that can lead to depression. The reverse may be true for many children on the Autism spectrum. It appears that many of them have a problem converting serotonin into its more active form.

Fish Oil and the Treatment For Autism

When that conversion of serotonin fails to occur, it can have adverse effects on many of the core issues we associate with Autism like language issues, lack of eye contact, self stimulatory problems and behavioral issues.MAO-A or monoamineoxidase A is an enzyme in the brain that has been identified as one of the problem areas.

MAO-A assists with the conversion of serotonin into its active form in a perfect scenario but seems to not function properly in some children with Autism.There is a therapy out there called reserpine which is an Indian herb that has been used in the past, even dating back to the 1950's.Reserpine has been used on individuals with Autism to boost levels of MAO-A and can help with many of those core issues seen in Autism.

Autism Treatment Neurological Inflammation

A new therapy called Respen-A is a homeopathic derivative of reserpine and is in a patch form. Respen-A has been showing good benefits in regards to many of the core issues like eye contact, attention, focusing, language, self stimulatory behaviors and sensory behaviors that can be very common in Autism.

So as we learn more and more about the complexities involved in brain chemistry and more and more research is done on Autism in general, we unfold more therapies that can help. This link between serotonin and MAO-A activity is an area of great interest in Autism treatment. And the potential use of Respen-A as a therapy can help in this area.

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Autism Treatment - Food Allergy Testing

The issue with food sensitivity is a big one for children on the spectrum. And because it impacts children of various ages and ethnicities, it cannot be pinpointed easily in just one group. However, we also see this in adults as well and we are seeing more people with intolerances to different foods.

Wheat is a common allergen as well as dairy and soy but other things can be problematic as well and testing can be challenging.

There is not just one test that can tell you what you need to know in regards to food intolerances. An IgE test gives you information on true food allergies but will not give you information on other foods that may be problematic for you.

IgE reactions are more classic allergic responses like hives, itching, runny nose and eyes, and in severe cases, anaphylactic reactions. For example, the person who reacts to the peanuts and has a life threatening reaction. But, an IgG test can pick up on some of those other foods that cause your body to produce an IgG chemical reactions.

IgG reactions are typically more mild and can be delayed and so you can have reactions to foods from hours to days after exposure. You may have fatigue, gas and/or bloating and it can be difficult to pinpoint.

Other tests out there can look at immune system reactions in general as well. You can look at other reactions to things besides just IgE and IgG foods. You can look at chemical sensitivities like for phenols, salicylates, artificial flavors and colors.

Some tests just look at food proteins but other immunological tests can look at more of a broad range of immune responses not just to foods but also chemicals in foods too.

Recent studies report that children with Autism are four times more likely to have digestive food allergy reactions that their neurotypical peers. So you can see that children with Autism often suffer with bowel issues directly related to the foods they are eating.

The more you learn about this issue the more your realize that inflammation in the gut increases the inflammation in the rest of the body and we know neurological inflammation is very detrimental to children with Autism. So knowing what testing is out there is important as is addressing this issue and removing foods that are causing immune reactions in your child with Autism.

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