Aspies For Freedom

...

*beeb* This is erkolos speaking

This kind of sound alot better than this stuff:

http://autism.about.com/od/alternativetr...ltview.htm

[/quote]

I don't know that I agree with you ekolos - while reading the first article I noticed they didn't talk about the effect on the brain.
An allergy type of reaction to wheat and milk effects my brain and my gut. The second article included the effect on the brain.
Although I don't know if my intolerances are AS related.

We need an option to edit - sorry for the confusion.

Lucie1,

How does it affect your brain?  Can you list symptoms, etc?

I don't know if any studies have proved a link - but I know there is a lot of literature that shows sometimes the two are linked. Parents often talk about their children with ASD experiencing gastrointestinal problems.

My son diagnosed with AS reacted to milk from a very young age - he had awful colic.

Hi Batman - I have to think back cause I usually avoid these products in my diet.
Extreme fatigue, extremely grump/irritable, bad and nasty mood seems to  come on out of nowhere, but when I think back I realise related to wheat products. Bad mood related to fatigue, just want to lie down and go to sleep.
Other symptoms, like itching.

I read the whole article right to the end.

My thoughts are this :-

Many people  AS & NT these days are suffering from food & other allergies, this has also been referred to as an epidemic.

Anyone who is feeling unwell for whatever reason, will feel some mental effects, say for instance if you have a cold / flue thing, but as soon as you are feeling better, the mental symptoms also go.( can take a while though )

Allergies can cause mental effects, but as with an illness, if the allergens are removed, usually the affected person's mental symptoms improve. (this can also take a while).

For some unfortunate individuals AS & NT, the mental & physical symptoms can persist for years after either.

In my experience yes.

I believe that you are correct.

Some people AS & NT can go for days without having a bowel movement, that is normal for them, others go once a day, others more often & for all, it can be normal.
Equally for other people the above can be abnormal
What is more important is a deviation from the specific person's usual habits.

Yes, many autistics have sensory issues & as you know, what will cause upset & distress for one, will not bother another at all.
I can't see why a reaction / non reaction to food, or eliminating food should be any different.

I think the success of GFCF diets is due to an increase in the percentage of individuals with food sensitivities within the group of autism. If this is true, is that increase due to increased sensitivity, as in more autistic individuals who notice the problem which would go unnoticed on someone with less 'tuned' senses, or is it due to a propensity of autistic's immune system to be wary of outsiders?

I agree with tenaciouscj that it doesn't seem to make sense for food to 'leak out the gut' into the brain. I don't think the digestive system works that way.

I can't seem to find sources now, but I have read that some of the symptoms of gluten intolerance include headache, fatigue, dizziness. But how celiac disease works is that your body isn't getting the nutrients you need. I'd think that alone could heavily affect the brain and your thinking ability. I think it is pretty easy to add depression, anxiety, and overall confusion, but that is just my reaction to things. I'm in a process of trying to discover whether I have a gluten intolerance or not.

I would be interested to know if it is true that Autistic people have a higher percentage of food intolerance  than NT's...... who says that this is definitely fact?

It would be interesting perhaps to have a poll of members re this on the forum?

We are told so much as if it was fact, when sometimes it is speculation & informed guesses.

I also agree.

Really, undiagnosed Celiac Disease can cause Asperger's?

Lack of nutrients, because of the disease, prevents part of the brain from developing properly?  Really?

Sounds a bit far fetched to me, and not the kind of stuff we'd like to think other AFF members, actually believe in.

Well, personally, I am absolutely certain that there is no link whatever between Asperger's and Coeliac disease, or any other food allergy or intolerance. However, there is no reason why those of us with Asperger's shouldn't get Coeliac disease; and if we have it AND it goes undiagnosed it will make us sick.

Successful treatment is likely to make us happier people. Isn't happiness what we all want?

I do not have Coeliac disease. My gluten enteropathy is linked with one of my cardiovascular diorders. I don't blame them for my Aspieness either!

I had pretty bad asthma as a child, only went away when I was around 15 years old.

I don't know if I have celiac disease... but I do have some pretty brutal health problems/disturbances that needs to be looked at, it might be celiac, who knows.

Trying again here. I don't know if there actually is a higher incidence of food allergies or sensitivities within autistics. I do think that an autistic individual currently suffering with a food issue will be significantly less function than an autistic individual who isn't-- perhaps enough to look 'cured'.

I also think that food intolerances like celiac disease are likely largely undiagnosed. (it isn't easy to diagnose, and given the varied symptoms, when do you look for it?) Thus, more focus on looking food intolerances within a certain group could come make the group look like there is a higher incidence of food intolerances within it.


I don't know for sure about food intolerances, but I seem to have a mild problem with kiwi, cantalope and mango. It isn't texture since it seems to be a problem in juice- causing throat tightening and nausea.

For contact allergies I have grass, tree, and pollution- though I suppose maybe it isn't an allergy if it is a 'realistic' response.

IBS, can that include intestinal gas?