I have treated many children with autism and developmental delays over the past 10 years. Most have had excellent responses to the No-Grain Diet that I advocate for adults.
However, many treatment regimens for autism call for a gluten- and casein-free diet. Gluten is the major protein found in wheat and casein is the protein in milk.
Over the last six months I have come to realize that the major reason why autistic children need to avoid milk is because it is pasteurized. The pasteurization process turns casein into a very dangerous molecule that can further precipitate the brain injury. If the children are fed real raw milk this will not occur.
I have recently started recommending this to my autistic patients but have not received any feedback yet. However, I recently received an e-mail from two independent researchers and parents of autistic children who have been getting tremendous results with this approach.
The approach involves fermenting raw milk with kefir grains. If you are interested in fermenting the raw milk with kefir grains please read this comprehensive article.
"Dr. Mercola,
My colleague, Mary Helen, and myself have been feeding our children daily raw milk--either the raw cow's milk, or the raw goat's milk.
In addition to raw milk, we also have been fermenting the raw milk with kefir grains. The changes in our children are incredible!
However, we cannot spark any interest among other parents with autistic children, because they are deadly afraid of milk's theorized opioid effect.
In August 2002, we began to research opioids and their behavioral effects. It is almost a tragedy that this fallacious theory as the explanation for autism's symptoms had to be challenged by two mothers and not some research scientist. If autism wasn't such a serious problem, the opioid theory as provocateur of autism's symptoms is almost comical.
How parents of autistic children were ever sold on the idea that opioids caused those symptoms exposes the politics of research and the rejection of logic.
What should be embarrassing for medical scientists is that the one thing that probably can explain some of the behaviors seen in autism is hyperammonia, and in all the literature ever written on autism, there are only about three doctors who gave it the attention it deserved.
If you have never tried the real kefir grains, then you are in for a treat. Actually, the first time we tried them, we all experienced an elevated temperature and cleansing, presumably due to real detoxification. In any event, our families have greatly benefited from raw fermented milk products.
You will have to see for yourself. As mothers, we will always pursue optimal health and wellness for our families; but to also improve and possibly recover the cognitive functioning of our autistic children, that is our heart's desire.
The pasteurization of milk has damaged the gift of life and health. Even heating milk above 100 degrees to make yogurt causes protein cross-linking where amino acids become fused together. Poor lysine really goes through a beating!
You will never heat milk again after studying heat treatments, nor will you want pasteurized beer, pasteurized soy sauce, pasteurized fruit juices or pasteurized eggs.
The foundation for this paper is all on the 'autism-challenge;' a list that was created for autism research. It is where all this unfolded--one article at a time.
Sincerely,
Linda Carlton and Mary Helen Brauninger"
Please stay tuned for their informative paper on the link between pasteurized milk and autism in the next issue.