Interesting article...what Do You Think?

After my best friend's 2 oldest children were diagnosed with autism a week before she was to give birth to baby number 3 she decided not to BF baby number 3. Her first 2 with the diagnosis were BF. Her 3rd and 4th children were formula fed and do not have autism. I really do not think BF or not has anything to do with autism.

Here is the thing, the child I breastfed the longest is the one with autism spectrum. He is also the only one that had thrush that went diagnosed for five months because there was no record of me being given antibiotics when I was in labor other than at the hospital, I was also not told.

All my other kids have ADD, so do I, no big deal. I do think there was damage to his digestive system because as he ages, as his body heals, the symptoms keep getting less and less.

I don't think antobios are completely to blame but I think we should be made aware when they are given. I avoid them if I can overcome the illness without them. Still ruptured ear drums are a big deal as well. I had that happen with one of my kids. Thing is when you know you are taking antibios you can help your body withstand the effects by increasing yogurt intake and things of the like.

I guess what I am saying is regardless your child would have ADD, it is genetic. This is of course if he was properly diagnosed. The severity of the issues can be made worse because of the effects of antibios.

I do not believe the vaccinations had anything to do with anything. The only difference between the four kids is the thrush.

I am absolutely fascinated by this article, a few years back my husband and I were talking with my girlfriend who has a double-masters, both in child development and nutrition specializing in children with special needs. I remember my husband and I asking her about connections with diet and autism, ADD, ADHD, etc. She 100% felt they were connected, although felt that there were certainly some children pre-disposed or had genetic tendencies towards some of these problems.

So far (thank God) none of my 4 children showing signs of any of these conditions but this article has put me back on alert to how important it is to feed your children properly. We only have one chance to teach them good health and eating habits and like the article says, we as parents need to take on the challenge, there is no counting on anyone else to be motivated by anything other than money.

Great reading, thank you.

I have a friend who breastfed all of her three kids for at least a year, her last she nursed for 2 1/2 years. The two younger kids both have ADHD and her youngest has sensory integration disorder. They were all constantly on antibiotics for ear infections, the oldest and youngest had tubes in their ears and hearing loss due to so many infections, which of course led to speech issues.
Funny thing is that when they were all a bit older and no one was breastfeeding anymore, she altered their diet. No more processed foods, no more juice, nothing that came in a package was eaten anymore. If they wanted a snack there was fresh fruit on the table at all times, they ate a lot of yogurt and drank a lot of water. Her middle child's ADHD symptoms improved drastically and he never went on any kind of medication, even though that was the direction they were headed by first grade.
I'm sure that diet and medications in the early years affects our children, and adults as well! I'm not going to say I know that there is a specific cause or cure of any kind of neurological disorder, but it sure seems that there is a correlation between food and brain.
There is also a connection between measels and gut disorders that is worth researching and trying to understand how vaccines affect our gut, therefore affecting our brains - so much unknown and scary information out there it's hard to know where to start, or stop!

In my own personal experience (not saying its a majority or not) but the three kids I know who were on the autism spectrum were all extended breastfeders. I'm not sure about the antibiotics and medical treatment but I know I was exclusively formula fed, had TONS of ear infections (which are actually caused by the misshape of my ear canal, not because I was formula fed. I got tubes put in my ears three times throughout my childhood) and I have none of those conditions. My cousin was exclusively formula fed and he is now graduating from medical school with no autism. Another women I know has a 10 month old who is already showing signs of sensory disorders and she has been exclusively breastfed with no solid foods yet. So yea, I think she has some more research to do to really prove this one.

This was an interesting article, thanks for sharing it. I'm not totally convinced though. I breastfed my son til 14 months, but his personality was set way before that. I still think there must be some type of genetic component too. I was also reminded by someone else's recent post that kids can have digestive issues because of low muscle tone in their whole body. At least this article is a reminder not to overuse antibiotics or sugar.

I always thought that contraceptives are very damaging to any woman's body but this says that they are also damaging to a child's... even more reasons to avoid them. Hurray for condoms, that prevents sharing of the flora as well.
I always believed in proper nutrition, breathing, etc. Trying to do all that and to pass it on to the kids. The food pyramid as we know it is the most harmful tool and how we combine foods also makes a huge difference.

Does that sounds strange that only civilized world suffers from high rates of these diseases? I breastfed until 8 mo each of my kids, not exclusively, alas, not enough milk. No major infections, no autism, thank God. I also never used any contraceptive pills. I use condoms even though I am in a marriage.

The fact that the doc is Russian makes her credible already. Russians always were at the forefront of holistic medical practices. Many breathing systems, exercise techniques, nutrition programs were developed in the Eastern Europe. I think them and India and China know way more then the rest of the world about how to treat our bodies. Western medicine should be used in emergency only. If you want cure and maintenance- use eastern medicine. That is what I do.

My father used a Russian exercise system and cured himself from feet ulcers, leg edema, insufficient circulation and hypertension - all without any medical intervention, he is 75 y/o. Can US doctors do that?

There is no cure for autism, and there are no scientically proven causes at this time. This makes it a ripe subject for people to make lots of money (by speaking and selling books) off of many people's hope that someone, anyone, has an answer. (Hurry! Early bird discount expires August 1st.)!!

Please don't fall for it. There is a ton of scientific research being done on Autism. Eventually we'll know more about the causes. The problem is that real scientific research takes time, and people are anxious for a quick solution. Again, ripe for profit making.

wow interesting I think this makes more sense than vaccines being a cause. but i'm not up to anything more than a general response at the moment.

I nursed my daughter until she weaned at 4.5 years old. She has had 3 ear infections in her life (she'll be 6 y/o in Sept), 2 of which used antibiotics... then she had a 3 day bout of the rota virus and was the only child in her daycare and friend circle that did NOT need IV fluids for dehydration, and finally - she had Cat Scratch Disease, in which antibiotics was needed for treatment. So 6 years and only 3 cases of necessary antibiotics and she has no developmental, mental or sensory issues - - she is also 100% fully vaccinated per the CDC schedule.