Omega-3 fatty acid supplements may reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death in patients with autism who are prescribed atypical antipsychotics.
This paper describes the logic behind using omega-3 fatty acids to protect the hearts of children given brain drugs (atypical antipsychotics). Atypical antipsychotics may cause sudden death by causing the heart to stop beating. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to protect people from heart disease. The authors note that, in many cases, children with autism have only low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood. They believe that omega-3 fatty acid supplements may help children with autism in many ways and may help to protect the heart of children giving atypical antipsychotics.
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Using Temple Grandin as an example?
Feb 22, 2011 by AnonymousI'm not sure why this doctor is using Temple Grandin as an example of a person who excels without the GFCF diet. Temple IS on the GFCF diet. She put herself on it and finds that it has really helped her. She speaks about it in her books and in her interviews.
I also object to the oft repeated idea that being on a special diet will make it difficult to meet nutritional requirements. This is the statement of someone who knows very little about nutrition (which is usually the case with Pediatricians) because it is very easy to meet a child's nutritional requirements on the GFCF diet. There are lots of whole grains still available to them and dairy is highly over-rated. None of us "need" dairy to get calcium. It's easy to supplement and supplementation provides a form that is much easier to absorb.
Updated Information from iBiomed Creators for Tracking Autism Therapies
Jan 4, 2011 by scottieKnowing the financial burden attached to being a caregiver for an Autistic child, we were compelled to build a free web version for users who do not have a smartphone. In our journey with our children we realized that we needed healthcare providers, educators and mentors on board when it comes to improving the quality of care a person receives. The website is ready but is in the testing phase. Here is a link to pictures of what it will look like: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=188241727857292&set=a.188241557857309.51353.146190262062439. We encourage people to go to http://bit.ly/eoHQUR to be notified when iBiomed Health Organizer & Network is released to the general public. Please add us as a resource on Healing Thresholds. Thanks again.
iBiomed is a mobile application which was recently featured in the Post and Courier newspaper, in Charleston, SC. and the Wall Street Journal. It was built by Florence Iwegbue & Kwame Iwegbue who is also a Physician in Charleston, SC. They personally built this software in order to ease the back breaking burden on their family, after their son was diagnosed with Autism and started having unexplained seizures: "We developed the software specifically to manage our son's Autism care, but we now realize that it goes way beyond the world of Autism." They hope to spread the word about this software because they know all to well, the pressures & stress that caregivers and families of children with special needs have to endure.
iBiomed is a free native iPhone/iPad application designed to manage the health and well being of children with Special Needs or individuals with complex, chronic medical illnesses. The App is now available for a free download from the App store. They have left it free because we believe this tool would be of great benefit to many people living with complex medical conditions requiring multiple healthcare providers, medications, tests & rehabilitative therapies. "We cannot articulate why we are so driven by this effort but we believe the medical community has long awaited it. We also believe that as a family it is a calling for us because of the special skills we possess and the circumstance we have found ourselves in. Our son has taken us on an unforgettable journey." Below is a link to watch a demo of iBiomed and a link to our site and Facebook group for pictures of the App in action. They realize that not everyone has an Apple device so we will be making it available for free use online by the end of this month. People can register here to be notified upon it's release: http://bit.ly/eoHQUR.
Click Here: http://bit.ly/iin5H9 for info on how iBiomed can help Health care Providers, Therapists, Nutritionists, Chiropractors, Acupuncturists, Educational Institutions, Vendors and other Holistic Practitioners.
The iBiomed Software allows you to create an Interactive Social Network Bio. If you are a vendor, Holistic practitioner, Healthcare provider, Therapist, Blogger, or mentor, this feature allows an easy one-click access to you, your product and your service.
iBiomed's Features Include:
1. Treatment Log Book:
Keep detailed records on the go and soon online with a mobile logbook for Prescriptions, Supplements, Therapies, Diets, Allergies, and Tests.
2. Add Multiple Time Stamped Notes to each of the above treatment items.
Your Notes are easily search-able.
3. Manage the Treatment of as many people as you'd like; Just as with a portable electronic medical record.
3a. Add as many Supplements, Medications, Tests, Diets and Therapies & Alternative/Holistic Treatments as you’d like.
4. Treatment Journal:
Keep a Journal or Daily diary for each person whose treatment you'll be managing with iBiomed. The Journal entries are time stamped and easily search-able. e.g. foods, behavior logs or side effects and reactions.
5. Treatment History:
Review your treatment history of tests, supplements, diets, therapy notes, behaviors and journals. You can also edit past log entries, including test results. If the test results are numerical, you can easily differentiate between normal and abnormal values.
6. Treatment Reminder:
Treatment alerts to help you remember to administer supplements, medications tests and even Therapy sessions and medical appointments.
7. Share Treatment Information:
Share details of your treatment plan with family, health professionals, therapists or nutritionist by email. iBiomed can automatically generate an email summary of your treatment plan and treatment history by date range.
8. Supply Tracker for Rx & Supplements: Lets you know when you should reorder a prescription or Supplement.
9. Health Forum with "Smart Topic Filter" and Push notification to your mobile device: Now all your forum questions & answers can be accessed on your phone. It is also a so a great platform for parents and healthcare providers to interact.
10. Customizable Graph to track just about anything a person wants to watch closely; from symptoms to behaviors, appetite, sleep, or anything you want to track.
11. Available for online use at biomedprofile.com in January 2010. iBiomed Online Health Organizer will have all the same features of the App and much more. Go to: http://biomedprofile.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=61 to Sign up to receive an email notification when the site is ready for online use.
Best natural form of omega3
Dec 28, 2009 by AnonymousI want to share this information, because my son is taken this product and hi is making a lot of progress...
Sacha Inchi oil naturally contains 45% Omega-3 an award-winning flavor! Oh Mega! Sacha Inchi oil is obtained from cold-pressed Sacha Inchi seeds that grow in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest and it was used to feed one of the most powerful civilizations in history, the Inca Empire.
Today, Oh Mega! Sacha Inchi oil is very popular due to its amazing omega content, especially omega-3 , which our bodies do not produce on their own.
Sacha Inchi contains the highest omega-3 concentration of any food on the planet.
Award-winning for its taste alone, sacha inchi oil is making a major breakthrough in the US for health and nutrition – especially as a completely natural, organic replacement for fish oil and other omega-3 supplements.
High unsaturated fatty acids content *Low level of saturated fatty acids *Vitamins A and E *Balanced Omega composition
Sacha inchi seed is grown wildly in the Peruvian Amazon, it was known by native Peruvians thousands of years ago. The Incas represented sacha inchi seed in their ceramics. This seed is also known as the inca peanut.
Scientific researches have found that Sacha inchi is one of the best oilseeds by its composition and high nutritional profile:
sacha inchi oil has more omega 3 then cod liver oil.
The seeds of Inchi have high protein (27%) and oil (35 - 60%) content. Its oil is one of the largest plant sources of the Omega family of fatty acids, an essential for human life. It contains Omega 3 (48%), Omega 6 (36%), Omega 9 (9%), and protein (27%). They are also rich in iodine and vitamin A and vitamin E.
Modern Uses
Sacha Inchi oil production is increasing in the Peruvian Amazon and is gaining international recognition for its taste and health properties. In June 2007, Sacha Inchi oil won the Médalle D'or (Gold Medal) at the AVPA[1] Specialty Foods Commodities competition. Sacha Inchi has been called a super food because of its high content of essential fatty acids. The oil has a mild flavour, not bitter, with a nutty finish. With new research emphasizing the health benefits of Omega fatty acids, interest in sustainable sources of Omega is increasing. Sacha Inchi oil is used in vegetarian diets to provide a plant source for Omega-3 fatty acids.
Humanitarian group Oxfam and a group called SEPAR are collaborating to develop techniques for growing Sacha Inchi. Used as a cash crop, Sacha Inchi is bringing money to rural areas and allowing indigenous groups like the Ashaninka to stay in villages.[
Nutrition and Essential Fatty Acids May Help Verbal Apraxia and Autism
Dec 2, 2009 by AnonymousCan nutrition help verbal skills in children with autism? A study reported the August 2009 issue of Alternative Therapies says yes, for some children. Combined vitamin E and omega 3 therapy may help a type of verbal apraxia (a type of speech problem) that may be linked to food allergies and nutritional problems.
Children with verbal apraxia have trouble pronouncing words and may have severe speech problems. Many scientists have thought that verbal apraxia is a brain disorder. This study suggests that verbal apraxia may also be related to metabolism differences and nutritional problems.
Metabolism is the process of making energy from food. Metabolism is a complex system of enzymes, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates that work together to digest food and turn it into energy that the body can use. People likely have a wide range of metabolic differences. Some of those differences can be quite large for some individuals. In this study, they suggest that some children with autism may have metabolism differences that affect how they process foods, and how their brain works.
What did the study show? This study tested 187 children with verbal apraxia, and many of them also had autism. All of the children took 400-3,000 International Units of vitamin E daily. They also took 1-3 grams of polyunsaturated fats (including omega 3 fatty acids) per day.
Almost all of the families (97%) reported improvements in speech, imitation, coordination, eye contact, and other skills with vitamin E and omega-3 therapy. There were few side effects reported during the length of the study.
The authors also described blood test results for nutritional information about 26 of the children. They reported low carnitine levels, high anti-gluten antibodies (suggesting a gluten allergy), low vitamin D levels, and fat absorption problems in most of the children they tested. They described how nutrition and metabolism might be different in some children with autism.
What do these results mean for children with verbal apraxia and autism? The results are exciting because 97% of the children showed improvements, and there were few side effects. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? But it’s not quite as perfect as it sounds.
There are some major limitations of this study. First of all, the researchers asked parents to give their subjective opinion of improvements. The parents knew they were in a study. Although they were given specific improvements to look for, there is a possibility of bias in favor of reporting a good result.
Secondly, they did not use placebo controls. All of the parents and children knew they were getting the supplements. There is the possibility of the “placebo effect” which is when people taking placebo (“sugar pills”) report feeling better or actually show improvements. Many think it is the power of the mind/body connection that somehow influences how they feel or even how their body physically responds. There is scientific evidence for brain connections to the immune and endocrine systems to support these observations. It is possible that, in this study, the children and/or parents were hopeful that the supplements would work, and that influenced the outcome. There was a placebo effect observed in a recent study of citalopram and autism in children.
Third, the supplements may be helpful for only a subset of children with verbal apraxia. The researchers chose children with verbal apraxia who also had metabolism differences….
What is the bottom line for omega-3 and vitamin E from this study? In spite of the shortcomings of this study, the results are very promising. Children with verbal apraxia may benefit from vitamin E and omega-3 supplements, which may get their metabolism on a better track. And researchers will continue to explore the nutrition/metabolism link with brain function. Good nutrition is likely to be important for many brain functions, not just verbal apraxia.