The prevalence of autism is now one child in every one hundred ten.  What is interesting is that the researchers are touching upon environmental causes of autism and other childhood diseases.  Of course, vaccines are considered part of the environmental milieu.  They just seem to never hit the issue head on and ask if we are making our children sick.  Meanwhile, it is incumbent upon us all to do what we can to prevent autism and other illnesses in our children.  I am a strong advocate of vitamin D, as are many physicians and researchers.

From a study released online Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., ahead of print publication Wednesday we learn the following:

Researchers analyzed the prevalence of illnesses by surveying the mothers of approximately 5,000 children. Data from three time periods were analyzed: 1988 to 1994, 1994 to 2000, and 2000 to 2006. In each time frame, the children, ages 2 through 8 at the start of each period, were followed for six years.

The rate of chronic conditions increased from 12.8% in 1994 to 26.6% in 2006. Latino and black youths and males were more likely to have health problems.

"We have a whole different set of conditions we're looking at today and a broader set of definitions for illnesses," said Halfon, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study. "We're seeing bigger increases in obesity, attention deficit disorder and other mental and behavioral conditions. Part of that has to do with the kinds of environments in which children are growing up."

Again, I say, take your vitamin D, give it to your kids.  There is more information on other blog posts listed below.

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There are a few known risk factors for autism, not the least of which is a vitamin D deficiency.  I listed a few risk factors for autism in my last blog and here are some known to be associated with onset of autism symptoms:

 Hepatitis B vaccine given at birth triples autism risk.
 Frequent ear infections.
 Frequent use or overuse of antibiotics. Parents report that their healthy babies get ear infections, treatment with anti-biotics, multiple vaccinations, and then develop autism.  Most of the time we only look at the last trigger to this disease, vaccination.
 History of reacting to vaccines.
 Mother has asthma or allergies.
 Mother has history of Rheumatoid Arthritis or Celiac Disease.
 Either parent has history of Type 1 Diabetes.

Don’t neglect to give your children vitamin D.  Normally children can have about 1000 IU total from supplements up to about age three and then they can have the dosage increased according to their weight up to 5000 IU in adulthood.  If you have children requiring the 1000 IU you can give them ½ a 2000 IU capsule or pearl per day.

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I have said it before and will continue to urge all our readers to not only give your children with autism symptoms vitamin D but take it yourself.  In last week's newsletter, Mercola made a great case for the importance of avoiding vitamin D deficiency.  Experts are now saying that vitamin D deficiency may be common in our culture. Vitamin D is inexpensive and easy to take.  I personally take 4000 IU per day.

Most children with autism symptoms suffer from what is termed “regressive autism”.  This means that the child was not born with the condition but was developing as a healthy,  normal kid until somewhere between the age of one and three.  Then, with no apparent warning, the child regressed into autism symptoms.  A high percentage of parents of such children swear that the regression started after a routine childhood immunization.  Whether the vaccines are connected with development of autism is hotly debated with the parents on one side and the pharmaceutical industry on the other.  In future blog posts I will discuss preventive measures parents can take, including taking of vitamin D, also previously discussed.  Here are some of the known risk factors for development of autism.

 Boys 3 to 4 times greater risk than girls.
 Family History.. 7% of families with one autistic child will have a second autistic child.
 Children with certain neurological disorders.
 Children born to men 40 years or older were almost six times more likely to have autism spectrum disorder than were children born to men younger than 30 years.

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Researchers have noted that the increase in incidence of autism has paralleled an increase in prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency.  Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin by exposure to sunlight.  Thirty minutes of exposure will provide the body’s Vitamin D requirements for a full day.  Due to urging by medical authorities over the last decade we have been limiting our exposure to sunlight resulting in an across the board deficiency in Vitamin D.  We stay out of the sun and when we are out in it, we use all kinds of sun blockers on our skin to filter out the natural benefits of sunlight.  During winter months the problem is compounded. Informed doctors are now routinely testing patients for Vitamin D and recommending it when indicated.   It has been theorized that a vitamin D deficiency plays a role in autism starting with the pregnancy.  It has also been implicated in a number of other conditions including colon cancer.

A call for Vitamin D and autism study participants

A study is under way which will test the theory of a Vitamin D and autism connection. Funded by the Autism Research Institute,   the purpose of this study is to determine if autism can be prevented in the newborn sibling of a child with autism through the use of Vitamin D3.  If the theory is proven to be correct it will constitute  a tremendous leap forward in the battle against autism. 

The investigators are seeking families who currently have an autistic child and are either pregnant or planning a pregnancy.  The mother will be required to take Vitamin D through the pregnancy and the child will be given the vitamin up until age three at which time an evaluation of the child for autism will be conducted.  There is no risk and no cost to participants.  Anyone desiring all the details on the study can contact me. 

I personally take 4000 IU of Vitamin D per day and urge all my readers to do so as well.
If you want to have your blood levels of Vitamin D tested, ask your doctor to do the 25(OH)D test.  The experts tell us the optimal blood level should be around 50 even though the lab report normal range will be down around 30.

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Autism is an overwhelming, heartbreaking epidemic. One theory of possible cause is vitamin d deficiency.  Vitamin D deficiency has statistically been on the rise approximately parallel to the rise in autism symptoms.  Some Vitamin D experts have theorized that Vitamin D deficiency may be a contributing factor in the autism symptoms epidemic. A study is under way to test the theory and I will talk about it in a later post.  

The latest statistics tell us that one of every 110 children, both boys and girls, born will have autism.  The prevalence is worse in some states and here in Missouri we have the unbelievable prospect of one boy of every 52 developing autism symptoms.  This is horrifying and is unacceptable.  In the very near future, autism will be effecting most families in the country.  It dwarfs the other epidemics of our time including the polio epidemic of the 1950’s.  In my blog posts during the next few months I will address the questions that everyone, especially the media, should be asking: 

• Is there a simple vitamin that can help prevent and/or treat autism?
• What can be done to prevent autism during pregnancy? 
• What can be done to prevent autism in childhood?
• What are the risk factors for autism during pregnancy?
• What are the risk factors for autism during childhood?
• What can be done to prevent autism Google
• What causes autism?
• Do vaccines play a role or not?
• Does overuse of antibiotics contribute to autism?
• What are biomedical protocols for autism treatment? 
• The success had by Jenny McCarthy and many others.
• What are the political ramifications?
• The incestuous relationship between pharmaceutical companies and the National Institutes of Health.
• The autism cover-up.

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As indicated by the graph I’ve included below the higher your body mass index, the greater the probability of your having a hysterectomy. And even after hysterectomy you need to get rid of the weight.  Check our bmi chart to see where your risk may lie.  The point I would like to drive home here is that elevated body mass index brings with it  many consequences of obesity we all would rather avoid.  We have discussed the propensity for diabetes, gall bladder surgery, hypertension ( with risk for heart attack and stroke) and now even hysterectomy.  All these, and many others are risk factors result directly from being overweight.

My urgent plea to you, if your body mass index is too high, is to take the metabolic type test, learn about your metabolism and then get on the appropriate dietary program to lose the weight.  All the information about dieting according to your metabolic type is on this web site.

 
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a constant bedfellow with obesity.  As discussed in previous blog posts you can calculate bmi utilizing a bmi chart or bmi calculator.  The graph below gives the increase in incidence of hypertension in relation to your body mass index.  This is yet another reason for you to lose weight.  They call hypertension the silent killer.  They aren’t kidding.

I urge all our readers to see where you fall on the bmi chart  and then make a serious effort to improve your position on the chart.  You will greatly simplify your endeavor to improve your body mass index if you follow the guidelines for your metabolic type.

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Diabetes and obesity are common bedfellows.  If you are on a diabetes diet, you will be especially interested in the chart provided below.  It gives a graphic presentation of how the incidence of diabetes goes up in proportion to the body mass index.   Remember from previous blogs that you can calculate bmi  using either a bmi chart or online bmi calculator.  We have provided a bmi chart for you previously
 
The bottom line is this, lose the weight and you will lose the diabetes along with it.  Remember the information you receive from your metabolic type test  will make your weight loss easier.

                                                 New Cases Per

                                       1000 Person-Years

                                                                  Body Mass Index                         

To calculate bmi, body mass index, you will need either access to an online bmi calculator or a bmi chart. For your convenience I am including a bmi chart here.  As I discussed in a previous blog the bmi chart is the gold standard that physicians use to determine whether you are obese.  Here are the guidelines to interpret your body mass index:
                                                     Body Mass Index                                     Interpretation
                                                     Below 25                                        Not overweight
                                                     25 to 30                                        Overweight
                                                     30 to 40                                        Obese
                                                     Above 40                                       Morbidly obese (it's gonna kill you)

If you are serious about weight loss, you will give yourself an advantage by eating according to your metabolic type .  Determining your metabolic type is free and simple to do online.  Everyone, working on weight loss or not, should know their metabolic type.  It is an essential piece to the puzzle of healthy lifestyle and longevity.

Your new year’s resolution weight loss diet can be much more beneficial to you than just a quick weight loss to appease your holiday guilt.   Healthy lifestyle, including not only your weight loss diet but also exercise, healthy eating, nutritional supplements and metabolic typing all add up to give you a longer, healthier and happier life.  The chart below shows exactly what I’m talking about.

 The chart is provided as part of the Firstline Therapy program from the Metagenics Company.  Note the Typical Lifeline wherein optimum health is lost and Overall Health and Vitality begins to be lost at about age 35.  From there it is a downhill decline in health and disability until death at the age of 80 or thereabouts.  Are you on that Typical Lifeline?  If so, note also that by implementing a healthy lifestyle as I mentioned above, you can move your lifeline from Typical to Ideal.  Once on the Ideal Lifeline, you can live a healthy, vibrant lifestyle until well into your 70’s and you then, as we all ultimately must,  go through the Progressive Disability and Chronic Disability in a compressed time span, all nearer the end. In other words, you have a great life and then get it overwith in a relatively short time span.

I upcoming blog articles, I will detail for you how to implement the Ideal Lifeline which includes metabolic typing.

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