LESSONS LEARNED – PART THREE

October 19, 2011 by A Ventography! 3 Comments

Bucket of Toxins Theory... we can’t remember who we heard this from but… we believe that our kids are born with a bucket already semi full of toxins, where as a neurotypical child is born with an empty bucket. Then, as our children are exposed to pesticides, food additives, VOCs, and immunizations (to name a few) their bucket begins to overflow. This is when you can see a major regression seemingly overnight. Our job as parents is to empty our children’s buckets and to keep them from overflowing ever again. Educate yourself on the toxins in our food, water, air, soil, clothes, toys, etc. and minimize exposure to the ones you can control.

Some Supplements/Drugs Create New Problems... we are not bashing supplements. There are some supplements we feel we could never stop giving our children. However, we were surprised to learn that some supplements, that seem beneficial at first, can create a bigger problem in the long run.

For example, I began giving Annie 5HTP to help her sleep. At first, it was amazing. She actually slept through the night! But then, I realized I had to keep upping the dose in order for it to keep working. When I asked why this happened, it was explained to me this way. Annie’s brain did not manufacture enough 5HTP/tryptophan on its own so when I first gave her the supplement, her body responded well and worked the way it is supposed to (which is why she slept). But after some time, the 5HTP said to Annie’s brain, “you don’t need to manufacture this anymore, I’ll do it for you”. So Annie’s brain quit making any 5HTP at all and she ended up having a bigger deficit than before which is why I had to give her more and more of the supplement.

The point to this story? Do your homework before giving a new supplement or drug to your child. Look up potential negative side effects and interactions for yourself.

Follow You Child’s Lead... we all know our kids are super sensitive, right? Well, this can be challenging but it can also be very beneficial. For instance we believe our kids can size things up more quickly than most people (including us). For example, they know when people have good hearts. And they know when a particular treatment is beneficial for them. When I (Molly) tried Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Annie, she absolutely loved it at first. She would ask me to take her in the chamber. But when I increased the amount of “dives” (treatments) we were doing, she began to fight me about getting in. And when we got out, she no longer seemed healthier and energized. Instead, she became aggressive and Leah swears to this day that she was having mini seizures. Eventually, I paid attention to what Annie was telling me (through her actions/behavior) but I should have responded a lot sooner. This is something I still feel guilty about. Pay attention to the signals your child is giving you. They have extraordinary inner wisdom.

Is there anything you’ve learned along the way that you’d like to share? Email us and we may post your suggestion on our website, Health Induced Autism.