Camel's milk.....2 1/2 weeks in

So update #1 on our trial of Camel's milk. We haven't been very scientific, we don't give the same amounts every day or even give it to our son everyday. But we did see an increase in appetite and physical growth very quickly. I began to truly believe the power of this stuff when an unintended dietary infraction happened early on in our trial of camel's milk. Turns out that a product we have used over the years changed their formulation and he actually got wheat without our knowing. What we saw was an increase in emotions. But it also coincided with the fighting of a small cold so it was hard to tell what was what. It certainly was not to the level that we have ever seen with gluten infraction which is usually off the charts meltdowns, aggression, lots of screaming and crying with a level of irrationality that is not usually present. So, being that it is school break, we decided to try adding in wheat and/or dairy to see what is going on. I will admit, this is scary. The tantrumming, lack of sleep and aggression for 3 days (at least) is hard to stomach, especially doing it ON PURPOSE. But, our goal is to get to the point where the occassional infraction is not a big deal. In the past it turned his little world upside down. Since then we've embarked on lots of things to help heal his body. And reactivity to food for us is an indicator of healing in the body.

So here we are today. We decided to hit up Diablo Burger. Diablo Burger is a local restaurant that serves up local, organic, grassfed burgers (and veggie burgers) and they offer gluten free buns as well! They focus on local, quality, fresh food. It is DELISH. Since we've been to Diablo Burger before without any reaction whatsoever, we figured changing one thing today would give us a reliable look at reactions. We gave him the choice, either a regular, gluten bun or a gluten free bun but with cheese. He chose a regular bun. No surprising since the child can only remember the dairy free cheses (some awful) that we've tried over the years. I was actually happy since I would prefer for him to try raw cheese if anything, given his strong reaction and addition to dairy in the past.

We ordered the burgers, ate and waited.......nothing. We went shopping in downtown Flag, ran into some school friends, no auditory processing delays, no "in his own world" behaviors, no running off. Hmmmmm. So here we are 7 hours in, still no reaction. Now, I will be watching for the next few days but I am optimistically hopeful that we've turned a corner here. The last time we had a real infraction (1 Ritz cracker) was in kindergarten and he came home a screaming child, bit his sister (he's never been a biter) and then slammed her finger in the dresser drawer. It was a weekend of that type of behavior. So the reaction was immediate and strong. So far this afternoon was filled with imaginary play with his sister while I finished some Christmas presents. There is none of the vacant eyes, crying, or addictive cravings we've seen in the past. Now, whether we have detox from this we shall see. But, I look at this as a promising step in his recovery.

My 13 year old step daughter wondered whether we would begin eating wheat and dairy again if this is sucessful. I believe this was said very hopefully, lol. There was probably some disappointment when I said No (OK maybe a lot of disappointment). We've learned too much to go back. I now know the immune stimulation that occurs with gluten ingestion in most of us, largely unnoticed but contributing to so many auto-immune disorders and overall degradation of health. I would NEVER go back to drinking cow's milk. But, I would like for a school treat or birthday party slice of cake to be able to be eaten without a major breakdown in functioning for days. These changes have helped all of us so much, even when for those who didn't think they needed to make the changes, that I would not go back to the way we used to eat at all. But this is a very good step in the right direction I believe. So, here's to our first trial of wheat. Let's hope this is just the beginning of no more food reactions!!!!

Food and Nutrition for Autism Course by Julie Matthews!

I first met Julie years ago as we embarked on a biomedical treatment plan to heal my son. Dr. Woeller recommended her after labs revealed IgG food allergies and unbelievably high oxalate levels. As a veteran of GFCFSF cooking, the oxalate issue threw me for a loop and I needed help, big time! You see, even healthy food can be damaging if there is an issue like oxalates or food allergies. We had been juicing, adding lots of raw recipes filled with nuts and doing green smoothies, all very high in oxalates. This posed a problem for my son with gut pathogens such as yeast and bacteria and a leaky gut. She helped us navigate this twisty, turny path and gave me ideas on what to fix, how to fix it and recipes to help nourish my son's brain and body. Over the years I have gotten to know Julie on a personal level. Very few people have a passion at helping our kids on the spectrum without one of their own also on the spectrum. And yet Julie has that passion, she researches and continues to grow her own skill set and delves deeper into the science of these issues and then helps to educate parents.

She often does classes around the country and at the major conferences like Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!). But, if you have not had the chance to take one of her classes or have a consult with her, this may be a great time for you to do so. She is offering a discount HERE. From first hand experience, Julie will help you understand the role nutrition plays and the scientific explainations as to why these diets work for our kids. Start the new year empowered!!

DIR Floortime therapy??

Hello East Valley parents! If you are looking for an in-home therapist who specializes in DIR/Floortime therapy please contact me. Since our move, our therapist has our spots open in her schedule. If you don't know what DIR/Floortime therapy is then click HERE to find out more. It is our therapy of choice and our therapist is WONDERFUL (we miss her tons!!). Please leave a comment and a way to contact you and I will put you in touch with her. Not only does she provide one on one in-home therapy during the week but she also does social groups on the weekends. And yes, DDD HAB hours can be used for your sessions!!!

Camel milk, healing or hype by Julie Matthews

Camel milk, new treatment to help children with Autism? Maybe....and a whole host of other issues if the research is to be believed. My friend Julie Matthews, Nutrition Specialist for Autism recently wrote an article talking about this very thing. You can find the article HERE. If you know Julie then you know how scientific she is in her basis for diets in helping individuals with Autism. One of the best things about her book in my opinion was its citation of WHY these children have issues with gluten and dairy. She doesn't gloss over the why's, she explains to you the biomechanics of food intolerances and why certain products, including some raw dairy products in certain people, can be tolerated when the pasteurized and processed forms can't be. For me, understanding the chemistry of the body and the breakdown of our food was so important. Our food is the basis for our health or disease so we really do need at least a basic understanding.

So, when camel milk was introduced on the scene (important to note, this is NOT a new thing in other countries) it intrigued me. Julie and I had chatted a few months ago about the potential here. When you read just how powerful this stuff can be and how because of the small immunoglobulin size, the camel's milk is able to penetrate and heal the gut/immune system like few other things, you will be intrigued too! Julie has been trying this personally and will be sharing more of her findings. I will pass those on as well along with my own. ;) Wish us luck as we embark on this next phase. And by the way, because of its intense immune boosting potential, I am trying this on several members of my family so our experiences will cover more than just Autism!