Autism, Charcoal, Endotoxin, My Experience

[scarlettsmum]

Chocolate and egg white both can be quite allergenic, especially
egg white. RP is fine with strained yogurt, it is the lactic acid
in yogurt that is problematic. Vitamin K2 is very helpful in
dental health with adequate calcium and D3. Sugar is beneficial
in many different ways, one is improving dental health.
I think you might have to add good quality additive free
vitamins to prevent nutritional deficiencies and some
therapeutic effect of higher dose vitamins like K2.
Vitamin D deficiency is quite common now, daily dose of
vitamin D3 has shown wide range of health benefits
in addition to bone health.

You can experiment during weekends and holidays
to see if removing starch and allergenic food
makes any difference. I used to just eat coconut oil by spoon
and add to almost everything i was eating. You can make
ice cream with coconut oil. Pectin in apple and other foods can increase
serotonin even if it is ripe. You can try pectin free apple juice
or apple juice concentrate. It is a lot of work figuring out food
that are gut friendly. In addition to charcoal you can experiment
with other antibacterial fiber like cooked mushroom and cooked
bamboo shoots. I have found small amount of cooked bamboo
shoots to be very helpful. Raw carrot salad is bit tricky,
it's effect depends on a lot of things including quality,
size of shredding, timing of the intake, right amount of
chewing etc. You can also look into other safe herbal antiobiotics.

Thank you again, Mittir. I have been giving her 2 drops of Thorne vitamin D/K, but perhaps it's not enough. She does get lots of sugar from high quality local apple juice (doesn't haven any musty smell so I hope no fungus). She also eats gelatinous sweets (EU so no artificial colours) and generally I let her eat sugar and salt to taste. But I worry sometimes. Perhaps sugar is great for people with fantastic metabolism, but less so for autistic, hypothyroid people. Perhaps the sugar converts into acid that attacks teeth enamel? In terms of vitamins, not sure what brand to trust, but I will do some research because I feel she needs a help. It's a good idea to experiment with starch free weekends, bearing in mind that she can turn quite nasty if she doesn't get her chocolate, starch fix. I know, apples aren't ideal, but at this time of year I hardly find any fruit that is ripe in the shops besides apples. Fortunately she likes stewed apples as well, although these can't be dipped in the choc. I have been giving her cooked mushrooms already but she won't eat it every day. Interesting about carrots being so difficult to get right. I guess that's why so many people haven't find them working for them. I have never tried cooked bamboo shoots and am not even sure we can get it here. Herbal antibiotics sound interesting, do you have any suggestion?

 

[scarlettsmum]

Peat is not against all yoghurts.

good point. She has a favourite brand and I tried straining it, she refused, wasn't the same apparently. I tried buying greek yoghurt, again it was a different brand. I think I might just keep containers of the favourite one and swap the content with greek yoghurt. :)
Interesting he now thinks so long it's not acidic, it's ok to eat, if I understood correctly.

 

[InChristAlone]

Have you looked at her autism from a behavioral perspective? I have a boy with asperger symptoms since he was very young. He has great communication, but is most certainly sensitive. I follow a page called asperger experts and they talk a lot about getting the child out of defense mode. Sometimes diet and supps won't help that. My boy is generally healthy with some picky eating for strange reasons like he stopped eating ice cream because they changed his favorite packaging. I have worked a lot with him to help him process emotions better, I find that is the only way through some of this stuff. Some days are better than others. I stopped seeing him as broken though.

 

[scarlettsmum]

Have you looked at her autism from a behavioral perspective? I have a boy with asperger symptoms since he was very young. He has great communication, but is most certainly sensitive. I follow a page called asperger experts and they talk a lot about getting the child out of defense mode. Sometimes diet and supps won't help that. My boy is generally healthy with some picky eating for strange reasons like he stopped eating ice cream because they changed his favorite packaging. I have worked a lot with him to help him process emotions better, I find that is the only way through some of this stuff. Some days are better than others. I stopped seeing him as broken though.

I sometimes wonder what is autism and what is simply a part of her that will never change. I never actually studied or followed any particular method but my biggest problem is her rigidity and inflexibility. How do you deal with that? She will not be consoled and it usually escalates into a full blown drama. If she wants something and I explain that she can't have it, she'll start asking me repeatedly and if that doesn't work she starts hitting me. If I hide from her so that I don't have to deal with her anger and to calm myself down so that I don't start hitting her back, she then wails by the door, and destroying things around her so that I come out and she can hit me some more. Btw. she doesn't want to be held to calm down, general stuff that works on other kids and works wonders on her brother do not work on her.

 

[InChristAlone]

I feel like I could have written that post. I've had A LOT of struggles with my kids. It is now sooo much better. And I didn't change our diet and I didn't give them any supps. My son also became vicious when he was triggered, he was in defense mode most of the time. And yes you do need to get away if you can't control the violence but ultimately it has to be dealt with. Just recently I decided to deal with my son's violence against his brother, it had escalated too far. I explained that I have to protect everyone both him and his brother and also me. So I won't allow it anymore. And that if he couldn't stop that I would have to call the police because the consequences for violence in our country is going to jail. And he thought about that for several days. I kept telling him when the issue arose again. Then he started asking questions about prison like he was processing through what that would be like. Because when he gets triggered he says things like I'm going to kill him and you! So in the last week I think it has finally clicked that there are consequences and that I'm going to keep everyone safe in the house because no one deserves to live in a house where they might get hit. They were actually playing together where no one got hurt yesterday! That is a dream come true. It is amazing the things that start happening when kids get out of defense mode. I'm not sure how to convey it in writing. I'm not sure how it works with autistic kids who lack communication skills. But really the ones who are the toughest to love need love the most and sometimes it is hard!!! My other son who is not even autistic but has hyperactivity at times started hitting me a lot when he was upset and love worked in his case but for the aspergers I had to go further. What we used to do was to just not let things escalate so we gave him lots of time to get ready to leave the house and if he didn't want to get ready then we had to say things like well then you will have to stay home all by yourself and that usually worked. He is now so easy to get ready. I could give many examples, but I know all kids are different. Its just the basic premise that it will be non stop drama until she gets out of defense mode.

 

[InChristAlone]

I should mention that I was able to work with my son over the years because I'm with him 24/7, we even sleep in the same bed!! We have a very close relationship, but that didn't stop him from getting violent towards me when he was triggered, until I put my foot down and really talked with him about why I have to protect myself and his brother. He really has come a long way and I really don't see his rigidity as so bad anymore. He is very picky and I do cater to that, but I just can't imagine being forced to do eat things I didn't like! So I just put myself in his shoes and how would I help him through those big emotions. I really do empathize with you! It also took me getting healthier to handle those big emotions. So me having love and respect for myself then I was able to give the love and respect my kids needed to handle their own adrenaline. So its all been very recent as I struggled with my own mental health in the last few years and being extremely exasperated with parenting challenges. I hope this gives you hope!

 

[Mittir]

RP rinses his mouth with baking soda after eating sugary and acidic
foods. I simply rinse with water and avoid acidic food and sticky
sugary foods like honey, chocolate bar, candy. Gelatinous sweets
are particularly sticky.I add some baking soda or calcium
hydroxide to acidic juice to reduce acidity. Acid seems more
damaging to enamel than sugar.

Sugar improves overall health by increasing metabolism
and sugar is absorbed in the upper part of small intestine
unlike starch. So, sugar mostly gets in the system before reaching
gut bacteria.

 

[lexis]

Powdered barley porridge helped with endotoxins

 

[Greg says]

@Makrosky squatting is not placebo. It helps and works. I learned that in India. Not only because of positioning and shape change which is beneficial, but in yogic terms, it descends the Apanu Vayu - the wind in the body that helps with intestinal elimination.

To mimic that position without needing to squat, I use a yoga block for my feet when I sit on the toilet. I think you can also find like devices on Amazon for this purpose.

Choked rectum.

 

[StrongMom]

I sometimes wonder what is autism and what is simply a part of her that will never change. I never actually studied or followed any particular method but my biggest problem is her rigidity and inflexibility. How do you deal with that? She will not be consoled and it usually escalates into a full blown drama. If she wants something and I explain that she can't have it, she'll start asking me repeatedly and if that doesn't work she starts hitting me. If I hide from her so that I don't have to deal with her anger and to calm myself down so that I don't start hitting her back, she then wails by the door, and destroying things around her so that I come out and she can hit me some more. Btw. she doesn't want to be held to calm down, general stuff that works on other kids and works wonders on her brother do not work on her.

For us, it is the same; fixations and rigidity are the problem, and I have made no progress on that. I have very similar experiences. Obviously, I am working on the behavior aspect but it is not taking us anywhere. I am glad that charcoal is working for you; I would say it is almost impossible for us to use for my sons. One of them is extremely constipated; I am constantly giving him magnesium. So, I suppose when there is constipation, hypothyroid symptoms dominate serotonin symptoms?

 

[StrongMom]

I sometimes wonder what is autism and what is simply a part of her that will never change.

I thought a lot about that too. Do you or your husband have some of that personality too? I can be inflexible sometimes, especially if I am under stress or sleep deprived. My dad can sometimes be like that, but he has great social skills. I just don't know, it is hard to disentangle.

 

[scarlettsmum]

I should mention that I was able to work with my son over the years because I'm with him 24/7, we even sleep in the same bed!! We have a very close relationship, but that didn't stop him from getting violent towards me when he was triggered, until I put my foot down and really talked with him about why I have to protect myself and his brother. He really has come a long way and I really don't see his rigidity as so bad anymore. He is very picky and I do cater to that, but I just can't imagine being forced to do eat things I didn't like! So I just put myself in his shoes and how would I help him through those big emotions. I really do empathize with you! It also took me getting healthier to handle those big emotions. So me having love and respect for myself then I was able to give the love and respect my kids needed to handle their own adrenaline. So its all been very recent as I struggled with my own mental health in the last few years and being extremely exasperated with parenting challenges. I hope this gives you hope!

Thanks for your encouraging post, Janelle. My hope is that she will grow out of the rigidity, inflexibility. Fortunately her intellect hasn't been affected so I hope that as she grows older it will be less of an issue. It sounds like your son is older than my daughter, she's 6, so you can probably reason with him better than me. :)

 

[scarlettsmum]

RP rinses his mouth with baking soda after eating sugary and acidic
foods. I simply rinse with water and avoid acidic food and sticky
sugary foods like honey, chocolate bar, candy. Gelatinous sweets
are particularly sticky.I add some baking soda or calcium
hydroxide to acidic juice to reduce acidity. Acid seems more
damaging to enamel than sugar.

Sugar improves overall health by increasing metabolism
and sugar is absorbed in the upper part of small intestine
unlike starch. So, sugar mostly gets in the system before reaching
gut bacteria.

I can't imagine having her doing this willingly throughout the day, but I do ask her to do so before she goes to bed before brushing her teeth. Thanks for the sugar vs. starch explanation of digestion. Now I finally understand why starch is such a culprit.

 

[scarlettsmum]

For us, it is the same; fixations and rigidity are the problem, and I have made no progress on that. I have very similar experiences. Obviously, I am working on the behavior aspect but it is not taking us anywhere. I am glad that charcoal is working for you; I would say it is almost impossible for us to use for my sons. One of them is extremely constipated; I am constantly giving him magnesium. So, I suppose when there is constipation, hypothyroid symptoms dominate serotonin symptoms?

I don't get it either. If it was just serotonin, it would be so easy. But as many autistic kids as there are, there are probably equally as many treatments, approaches. I have decided against giving her charcoal regularly, but I will give it to her if her behaviour gets particularly bad. I am working on her eating carrot again. It takes me 2 hours of constant reminders and threats and bribing to get her to eat one small carrot at the moment, but I hope we will get there. I forbid her favourite chocolate or disney princess film or whatever it takes if she doesn't eat the carrot. I'm hoping that overtime she'll accept it. I will however still take charcoal regularly because I find it so helpful with bloating and endotoxin caused by anxiety.

 

[scarlettsmum]

Btw. I have managed to contact Ray Peat and he was ever so kind to comment on my daughter's autism and the state of her teeth. In his answer there wasn't anything particularly new or revealing, but it gave me certain reassurance that I'm doing the right thing. His answer below fresh from this morning. :)

"Her taste for starches and sweet pastry is probably because she isn’t able to store glycogen efficiently, with stress hormones causing her to metabolize glucose quickly and wastefully. In hypothyroidism, chronically high free fatty acids interfere with the production of energy needed to stop the stress that keeps the fatty acids high. The starches are probably contributing to inflammation and the production of serotonin. Small doses of an antibiotic such as tetracycline or erythromycin can sometimes lower intestinal serotonin production, but it’s best to find an antiseptic food that can be used daily—well cooked mushrooms and bamboo sprouts are alternatives to raw carrot. Finding alternative foods for the starches might be possible—cakes can be made with powdered milk instead of flour, with eggs; salty meats (puffed pork rinds, or bacon fried in coconut oil, for example, can be used to make finely shredded carrots tasty); chewy gelatin with various flavors; and things like cream-puffs or yorkshire pudding, that minimize the use of flour, might help to lower her serotonin. I don’t think anesthesia should be combined with cyproheptadine, but I think dentists are too aggressive in treating deciduous teeth; the important thing is to improve her digestion and hormones as her permanent teeth are developing. The so-called temporary fillings, made of zinc oxide and eugenol, are very easy to put in, and are antiseptic and mildly anesthetic topically. (I had them in wisdom teeth, and they lasted for years.) X-rays, anesthesia, and drilling into invisible cavities have their place in especially problematic adult teeth, but seem inappropriate for teeth that will soon be gone."


If anyone tried to make a cake with milk powder instead of flour, please let me know how it turned out. I'm really curious. What about the oxidised cholesterol, is this an issue at all?

@tara can you please put his quote in the section on rp email depository advice, I can't seem to be able to do that. I thought maybe it could also be divided into an advice on autism and teeth, as there were quite a few people discussing X-rays and from his email he seems to be ok with them if they are done on problematic permanent teeth.

@StressedMom

 

[A. squamosa]

Hey, don't know if anyone has said it yet, but I'm fairly sure bamboo is on par with carrot for positive gut effects, have you tried that out?*

*edit: just saw your latest post, looks like you know this already!

 

[scarlettsmum]

Hey, don't know if anyone has said it yet, but I'm fairly sure bamboo is on par with carrot for positive gut effects, have you tried that out?

It's not really part of my culture. I have never tried it and am not even sure if I can get it here.

 

[A. squamosa]

It's not really part of my culture. I have never tried it and am not even sure if I can get it here.

It's really mild in flavour, maybe you've had some without realising in thai food (it's quite prevalent in that particular cuisine). If you have access to any Asian grocers they will most likely stock it (I'm not sure where you're located so not sure if that is useful advice!).

I turned to bamboo because a carrot a day always turns me a little bit orange in the face after a couple of months.

 

[milk_lover]

It's not really part of my culture. I have never tried it and am not even sure if I can get it here.

I saw canned bamboo shoot in the supermarket before. Only water and salt as the other ingredients. I don't know if they are cooked or not, but I would guess they are cooked. I tried them before and I didn't like the taste; it tasted like something between pickles and olives which was a weird taste for me.

 

[raypeatclips]

@scarlettsmum Just letting you know I added your quote to the email advice depository!