I have been wanting to write about some of the very same topics that Monique has recently been sharing with us. As you have already read, the subject of nutrients that help the brain function has been very thoroughly covered! This is a very important topic for me since sorting through all the mess out there in regards to what parents should or shouldn’t do for their children who suffer from ADHD, autism, Asperger’s, and all the other “D’s” that fall into this category!

In the alternative therapies that are offered, many of the dietary suggestions are related to supplements only. Beyond avoiding chemical additives, the most discussed dietary change is a gluten/casein free diet. Then the list of what various individual vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients have been shown to benefit these disorders begins to grow.

One of the most prominent minerals discussed is zinc. As Monique already shared, studies have shown a connection between ADHD and zinc deficiency. So, what is recommended? Of course, to buy a zinc supplement and give that along with the mix of various other supplements and/or drugs that the pharmaceutical companies are profiting from!

My point here is: Why supplement when you can get the nutrients in their whole, natural form from fresh living foods?

There is something much deeper than a zinc deficiency (or any other you choose based on the latest nutrient singled out in research) going on for these children. I believe in a “whole body” treatment and along with that a “whole living foods diet” to help the body heal itself. Our bodies are amazing machines designed to repair themselves, if given the best available fuel. We shouldn’t single out any one nutrient and artificially supplement it with the hopes of that being the key to all our physical and mental problems.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that a raw diet is the golden ticket to all the problems here. In line with the “whole body” treatment, along with diet comes various other and equally important interventions such as speech therapy, sensory integration, physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, and social interventions. Not every therapy will be needed by every child. We are all unique and children will respond better to some therapies than others. Some are not needed depending on what problem within the spectrum is being addressed.

The key is that these are all ‘spectrum’ disorders and the therapies are only used when needed. What I believe is most important is to get the body and brain functioning on its optimum level to allow the other available therapies to work.

I have decided to do my own series on this very topic. In the coming weeks, I will examine each of the dietary or ‚biomedical’ interventions recommended for autism spectrum disorders and discuss how raw and living foods meets or beats the standard.

Whether or not you have a child within the spectrum, it will be filled with great information that anyone can use!

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 1st, 2008 at 10:50 am by Fiona and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.