World Autism Awareness Day

Before biomed and recovery. This was the best I could get all the while calling his name repeatedly to get him to look at me.

After biomed and recovery - This photo courtesy of Arne Kaiser, my son's wonderful teacher. This was taken at school.

Oh goody, World Autism Awareness Day. If you are an Autism parent I'm pretty sure you are very aware already. So who is supposed to be aware? Would I have listened before I had a child with Autism? Probably not. I would not have made any of the changes in my life that would make having a child with Autism less likely. That includes what can be done prenatally or how we feed our children once they are born, the toxic onslaught from day 1 of life starting with a vaccine to prevent STD's (which is so freaking ridiculous I still don't know how they get away with it), or what toxins they come into contact with in their lives. We need World Autism RECOVERY Awareness Day. I'm sorry to say with recent numbers coming out that 1 in 50 children have or will have Autism (and that puts rates for boys in the 1 in 38 range) more and more mothers will join our club. The club nobody really wants to be in, sorry but true. It is a hard road and often you are criticized for your parenting, your "extreme" dietary choices, your aversion to the toxic shit other people are ok with pumping into their childrens' growing bodies and even your views on avoiding the very things you know caused your child's Autism. Heaven forbid you expose "the herd" to something like a flu bug. Yes, cynicism often runs deep. We've been told we are stupid, don't know what we are talking about, just trust us we're the Drs. Except many of us have had to find a workaround and find "alternative" practitioners or do it ourselves to heal our children. There are good Drs. out there but they often get persecuted too. No one seems to give a rats ass about helping our kids, they just want you to keep with the status quo. Our world is more toxic than it EVER HAS BEEN. There HAVE been twin studies on the fact that there is a HUGE environmental piece to Autism. If there wasn't, my son could not have recovered to the point where he is today. PERIOD. It is not all genetic, in fact it is more epigenetic in nature. We are changing our DNA with our toxic world. There you have it. Listen up because with number the way they are, someone close to you is going to need info on Autism recovery in the near future.

So shall we all "Light it up Blue?". I won't say how I really feel but I will say "SCREW THE BLUE!". As a newly diagnosed parent I "walked" for Autism Speaks. I raised a lot of money. And then I found out the money primarily goes to the big wigs' salaries (6 figures!) and marketing/PR. Yes, do we need the word out? Yes, do we need activism? But I'm sorry, we need HELP! We need grants for supplements, Dr. visits to people who know how to successfully treat Autism, we need help paying for therapy, WE.NEED.RESPITE!!!!! If you are considering donating (and I thank you if you are) please look at organizations like TACA (local chapters in many states), NAA or local Autism support groups that give to the families, not spend money on genetic research and pay their top dogs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. The info is out there, look into how they spend their money. You will be astounded. And maybe like me you make even feel a little bit taken. If you want to do real research, look at the effects of toxins in our world. Look at what supplements HAVE been helping our kids. Look at the recovered children, find out what they did and study that.

We are not alone thankfully. More and more parents are educating themselves on what they can do to help their child. We are not helpless victims to a purely genetic condition. Autism CAN be treated, recovery CAN happen. Don't be overwhelmed, be EMPOWERED!!! Parents have a huge responsibility here but with that is great control. You can help your child. It is not easy, it is not cheap, but it is possible. You will meet a lot of haters but you will also meet the strongest parents. Parents who will spend their night hours (even though many times we are exhausted ourselves) emailing you back about test results, supplement recommendations, therapy options, how to navigate your state services, IEP help, etc. We spend our very limited free time helping others because we are a family. My online group of Autism parents is one I am constantly humbled by. They are courageous, knowledgeable and we at our core, just want success for YOUR child as much as we want it for our own. I cannot tell you the tears I have shed over an accomplishment after a recommendation I gave worked for someone else's child. Or the tears I've shed when a dedicated parent HAS done everything and yet little to no response that time. We have to stick together because we've been hung out to dry by our government and society. They want to cover up the real causes of Autism because they line the pockets of those who are tasked with regulating them. So until that changes we have to stick together, share what works, encourage each other.

So, plenty of us are Autism "aware". We need Autism empowerment. You only become aware when you are thrown into our club. But I must say that now that I'm here, I'm in very good company. You want stuff changed, you want research done, you want out side of the box thinkers, then go find yourself an Autism mom, especially a hard core biomed mom!! She can probably spout the methylation cycles, talk to you about the MTHFR gene mutation all while making some kick ass GFCFSF paleo pancakes and a green smoothie chaser. She can probably look at your skin and tell you that you need some liver support and ask you about your poop. Forget Cher, after the apocalypse I can guarantee you us Autism moms will be around! Hey, we know how to detox just about anything! ;)

So while the hype is out there to "Light it up Blue" just realize that Autism is very real. And until we make some serious changes, it is coming soon to a child near you.