At the DaSilva Institute, we are against drug therapy for those with autism. There are far safer ways to treat this increasingly common condition.
Three decades ago autism was rare. Today, it affects one in 150 American children.
One popular but unproven explanation for this epidemic of autism is the unreasonable number of immunizations forced upon our children during their first few months of life. It’s theorized that some kids simply cannot handle this toxic burden, and it damages their neurological, immune, and gastrointestinal systems.
Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder range from mild impairments in language, behavior, and/or social skills to near-complete social withdrawal and mental retardation in the most severe cases.
Conventional treatment includes language and behavior therapy. Some physicians address the gastrointestinal problems these kids often exhibit, and many of them prescribe psychotropic drugs aimed at improving behavior and mood.
Stimulants, antidepressants, and anti-psychotic drugs, which are the most common classes of drugs used, have never been approved for use in children with autism. Furthermore, these medications have very serious adverse effects.
The good news is, there are far safer natural treatments for autism.
Personalized Lifestyle Program for Autistic Children
Most kids with autism have numerous gastrointestinal problems such as leaky gut syndrome, yeast and bacterial overgrowth, and imbalances in normal gut bacteria (dysbiosis), which can lead to immune hyperfunction that produces physical and behavioral symptoms. At the DaSilva Institute we work with parents and caregivers of autistic patients to identify and replace problematic foods.
Nutritional supplements are also a big part of our treatment protocol for autism.
Deficiencies in key nutrients are quite common in autistic children, and we will prescribe a personalized supplement program designed to restore levels of critical vitamins and minerals. Targeted supplements to boost digestive and immune function will be recommended as well.
Environmental toxins are also addressed. A hallmark of autism is an increased sensitivity to toxins and a reduced ability to eliminate them from the body. Ridding the autistic patient’s home and surroundings of toxic chemicals while simultaneously boosting their immune and detoxification systems often results in dramatic improvements.
Revolutionary Therapies for Autism
We offer several therapies for children with autism. Many of these kids tend to have high levels of mercury and other toxins. Therefore, we test their urine levels for heavy metals and, if elevated, administer intravenous chelation therapy.
Most autistic children exhibit progress in language, social interaction, and eye contact after being treated with chelation.
It is also common for autistic children to have critically low levels of glutathione, a crucial antioxidant that also removes heavy metals from the body, so we boost the child’s levels with oral precursors or glutathione intravenous preparations as well.
Another powerful treatment for autism is hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). During an HBOT treatment, the child sits in a pressurized chamber — usually with a parent — while breathing concentrated oxygen. This therapy, which has been used for decades with excellent results to treat brain injuries, infections, and autoimmune disorders, is showing great promise in the treatment of autism. In a recent study, the majority of individuals treated had significant advances in communication skills and overall health.
Many patients with autism respond well to low doses of a little-known yet highly effective prescription drug called Naltrexone. When taken at bedtime, this safe, inexpensive medication dramatically enhances immune function.
Although it has been best studied for treating autoimmune disorders and cancer, low-dose Naltrexone (LDN) is also taken by thousands of autistic children. The majority of them respond well, with improvements in social interaction, eye contact, sleep, and ability to ward off colds and other infections.