Here's what convinced me of the importance of the diet...
by in limbo
I'll try to make this brief but feel a long post in order...
While in the first trimester with my son I had 5 amalgams placed. He was born with sensory issues evident at 3 days of age. I didn't know what I was looking at at the time but now in retropsect it was obvious. He also had a HepB at birth (w/thimerasol). He was put on a GFCF diet a little over a year ago at the age of 22 mos. He has done very well on the diet. I feel it contributed greatly to his progress. But often wondered just how much.
OK fast forward...
Here we are over a year later. He is doing chelation under the supervision of Amy Holmes. Making huge strides in language and particularly pronunciation. Over the past 5 months he has gone from being able to label or identify about 25 objects to full sentences for the last 3-4 weeks. Such as "Hi! Whatcha doin?", "OK, I'll try again.", "Oh dear, what a mess." He has over the past week or two begun to use these sentences very repetitiously. I would say he uses them appropriately approximately 25% of the time. Lots of echolalia. We visited a neurologists last week that wants to use Luvox on him for the OCD/repetitive behaviors. We won't be using the Luvox because I feel that to suppress any language right now when it is only just developing would be detrimental. Besides I am not much on medicating anyway. I'll take the echolalia and repetition, I mean he was silent for so long I am not complaining. And other than the recent language developments he has very little OCD, if any.
Anyway, back to the diet...
Over the last 6-8 months my health had deteriorated to a point that I could not function. My memory had gotten so bad that I would forget therapy appointments or to pick up my daughter from school. I would forget what day of the week it was within ten minutes time. The insomnia was so bad I could survive on 3-4 hours of sleep per night for weeks on end. I had suspected mecury toxicity of myself when I began to read about chelation therapy for autistic children. I have had the symptoms since first having my amalgams placed and have even visited doctors to find out why I was having stomach problems, etc. but never associated the amalgams with the symptoms. Over the last 3 years it had got so very bad that I knew I had to do something. After reading this website
I decided that I had to give the diet a try. I have been on the diet since Valentine's day and I have not felt this good since conceiving my son. I had always complained to my husband that the pregnancy with my son had just taken so much out of me and that I couldn't seem to overcome it. Now I know it wasn't the pregnancy at all. I have read and researched and implemented a lot of the suggestions for myself. And I don't necessarily agree with everything on the above website but it is the first that I have seen that connects wheat, milk and mercury toxicity. I know the diet has helped me tremendously. I have more energy and am much more focused than before. I can tell when I have a diet infraction because I have stomach upset and usually get really irritable. I realize now just how sick I was/am. I mean for a person to go GFCF on Valentine's Day should give you some idea as to how sick I was. Plus I quit smoking same day. I am having amalgams removed and will follow through with chelation when that is completed. Already have an appointment with Dr. Cave. Because mercury toxicity interferes with absorption and processing of nutrients, vitamins and minerals I am also taking many supplements. Without them I very quickly regress back to where I was 2 months ago. This has really convinced me how dangerous this mercury issue really is and it takes an enormous amount of effort to get well again.
I don't post as much as I used to but still try to keep up with my favorite boards. But I am much more active outside of my computer than I used to be and I just feel really good. Also trying to catch up on a lot of stuff that got shoved aside when I was just too sick to take care of it. So for those wondering about where I have been...I am still here just busy, busy, busy.
Plus I quit smoking same day. I am having amalgams removed and will follow through with chelation when that is completed. Already have an appointment with Dr. Cave. Because mercury toxicity interferes with absorption and processing of nutrients, vitamins and minerals I am also taking many supplements. Without them I very quickly regress back to where I was 2 months ago. This has really convinced me how dangerous this mercury issue really is and it takes an enormous amount of effort to get well again.