The Ideas That Strict Diets and Vitamins Can Cure Your Childs Autism
Autism
November 21, 2009
Research Paper
The Ideas that Strict Diets and Vitamins can Cure Your Childs Autism
For years now researchers, scientists, and parents have been looking for the cure to autism. Victoria Beck was one of those parents and thought she cured autism by using secretin, but it turned out she was wrong. Then Andrew Wakefield also gave false hope to parents around the world believing that he found the cure to autism (Offit, 2008). Most recently we have the argument that certain forms of diets can cure autism in children. A major promoter in this area is Jenny McCarthy. She has been Oprah, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live promoting that “gluten-free and casein-free diets with vitamin supplements” (Offit, 2008) helped her son’s autism. Does this treatment of gluten-free and casein-free diets with vitamin supplements help cure autism or is it just another false hope for parents with autistic children?
The idea that vitamin therapy helps biochemical errors in the body came from Pauling’s orthomolecular hypothesis in 1968 (Pfeiffer, et al., 1995). Orthomolecular pertains to the treatment of disease by increasing, decreasing, or otherwise controlling the intake of natural substances. The idea was to give vitamin B6 and Magnesium to children with autism. In this certain study a double-blind group was used and a placebo controlled group was also used. The treatment would range “from a low of 14 days to a high of 240 days with a mean of 42” (Pfeiffer, et al., 1995). Out of the twelve studies behavioral changes were found in ten of the twelve. “All reported a degree of behavioral improvement with descriptions ranging from “moderate” to “marked” (Pfeiffer, et al., 1995). This could mean that B6 and magnesium is a major contributor for autistic children who lack these vital vitamins. While “two reported significant decreases in autistic behaviors” (Pfeiffer, et al.,
November 21, 2009
Research Paper
The Ideas that Strict Diets and Vitamins can Cure Your Childs Autism
For years now researchers, scientists, and parents have been looking for the cure to autism. Victoria Beck was one of those parents and thought she cured autism by using secretin, but it turned out she was wrong. Then Andrew Wakefield also gave false hope to parents around the world believing that he found the cure to autism (Offit, 2008). Most recently we have the argument that certain forms of diets can cure autism in children. A major promoter in this area is Jenny McCarthy. She has been Oprah, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live promoting that “gluten-free and casein-free diets with vitamin supplements” (Offit, 2008) helped her son’s autism. Does this treatment of gluten-free and casein-free diets with vitamin supplements help cure autism or is it just another false hope for parents with autistic children?
The idea that vitamin therapy helps biochemical errors in the body came from Pauling’s orthomolecular hypothesis in 1968 (Pfeiffer, et al., 1995). Orthomolecular pertains to the treatment of disease by increasing, decreasing, or otherwise controlling the intake of natural substances. The idea was to give vitamin B6 and Magnesium to children with autism. In this certain study a double-blind group was used and a placebo controlled group was also used. The treatment would range “from a low of 14 days to a high of 240 days with a mean of 42” (Pfeiffer, et al., 1995). Out of the twelve studies behavioral changes were found in ten of the twelve. “All reported a degree of behavioral improvement with descriptions ranging from “moderate” to “marked” (Pfeiffer, et al., 1995). This could mean that B6 and magnesium is a major contributor for autistic children who lack these vital vitamins. While “two reported significant decreases in autistic behaviors” (Pfeiffer, et al.,
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