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What is MTHFR? And Why Should You Even Care?

If you find yourself wondering “what is MTHFR?” you’re not alone. I, too, found this topic mysterious and overwhelming not so long ago, though I’ve long suspected it could be partly responsible for my health problems. Here, contributor Danielle gives us a simple overview.

What is MTHFR? And Why Should You Even Care? | The Family That Heals Together

MTHFR is a popular topic right now. You may have thought that it was a new curse acronym, or maybe a true natural health woo topic. But alas, it’s real and that’s it’s real name! And you have this gene in your body right now, so you better know what it is and how to manage it.

Unless you’re a geneticist, this can all be a bit confusing and frustrating. However, it can greatly benefit your health to know your MTHFR status and live accordingly, so here is your very basic primer on all things MTHFR.

What is MTHFR?

MTHFR, which is short for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, is an enzyme which helps in numerous important processes, including processing amino acids and converting the vitamin B9 (folate) to a usable form. This affects your cardiovasular system, hormones, metabolism, and detoxification.

Let’s go back to science class real quick. Everyone’s DNA has two sets of each of the 23 chromosomes. At each of these chromosomes, you may have mutations, which can affect how your body functions, just like your genes affect your hair color, eye color, and height.

In the case of mutations, you can have one “bad” gene, which means you’re heterozygous for a certain trait or mutation, or both genes can be “bad”, which is called homozygous. Your DNA is in all the trillions of cells in your body, and holds the instructions on how to do everything your body needs to do.

If there is a mutation in your genes, your cells may have a hard time following the instructions, trip up, and not complete the process the body needs to occur. Though there are many genes and genetic mutations, MTHFR is one of the main antagonists to the methylation (read detoxification) process.

The two most commonly known MTHFR mutations are named A1298T and C677T, with C677T being more serious. It is estimated that up to 20% of the population has the A1298T mutation, and 30-40% of the population has the C677T mutation.

What does the MTHFR gene do?

How your MTHFR enzyme functions is based on your MTHFR genetic mutation status. This enzyme is a key factor in the methylation process, which repairs, builds, and destroys our cells.

The methylation process is a very detailed process, but you can see a somewhat simple diagram here. You can see that the MTHFR enzyme is used to turn folate (vitamin B9) into a usable form for our bodies and to complete the methylation process. Without it, methylation is not completed, folate is deficient in our bodies, and we cannot detoxify and rebuild cells properly.

That can lead to chronic illness, behavioral disorders, susceptibility to acute illness, and food sensitivities and allergies, as well as a gamut of other small issues which may work together to produce a larger issue.

MTHFR Symptoms

Though numerous genetic and lifestyle choices affect your health, some symptoms are indicative of a MTHFR mutation. The most common symptoms associated with MTHFR are:

  • Metabolism issues
  • Inability or difficulty to detox toxins
  • An abnormally prominent vein through the forehead
  • Lip ties
  • High homocysteine levels
  • Behavioral disorders, including ADHD, depression and anxiety
  • Autism
  • Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
  • Miscarriage
  • Bladder and prostrate cancers
  • Poor digestion and nutrient absorption

Having these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have the MTHFR mutation, but it is more likely. In general, those with MTHFR cannot detoxify toxins as well as those without, and therefore are more likely to experience imbalance in the body which brings disease. Here is a full list of symptoms this mutation may cause.

If you have MTHFR, you may or may not have any symptoms. Your lifestyle, including the foods you eat, sleep and stress levels, detoxification attempts, sunlight and much more, will dictate if you experience significant symptoms, or if this mutation is barely noticeable.

Our lifestyle choices can, in effect, activate or deactivate our genes, meaning you have more power than you think. You are not at the mercy of your genes.

MTHFR treatment

A number of tests can be used to identify your genetic mutations, including MTHFR. Your doctor may be able to order genetic testing, which may be covered by insurance if you have a health concern. Otherwise, you can simply do a saliva test through an online provider like 23 And Me.


You can then bring your information to a genetic counselor, biomedical doctor, or naturopath who is schooled in MTHFR mutations. You can also plug your information into databases which analyze your detox and methylation abilities, such as Genetic Genie.

If you experience have an MTHFR mutation, you can make lifestyle changes to improve your body’s methylation cycle. You can also add intermittent fasting to your routine, which will allow your body more time to detox.

Lifestyle changes

Managing an MTHFR mutation will require you to cut out some foods and supplements to achieve better health, as well as take care to be sure your body is getting what it needs.

Remove these:

  • Folic acid (the chemical-substitute of natural folate). This is added to everything processed. Check that your supplements do not have this form of folate.
  • Processed foods
  • Fluoridated water
  • Conventional, GMO-fed meats and dairy
  • Non-organic foods
  • Vaccines, and unnecessary antibiotics and OTC medications
  • Pork and shellfish (these meats have the highest concentration of toxins).

Get plenty of these:

  • Natural folate (methylfolate in supplement form) (Jaclyn’s note: not everyone will tolerate supplementation of methylfolate. When in doubt, work with a knowledgeable practitioner.)
  • Raw fruits and vegetables
  • Foods rich in natural folate, like grassfed liver
  • Probiotics
  • Natural sunlight
  • Good sleep (at least 8 hours a night).

Your best course of action to combat a MTHFR gene mutation is to get tested, move to a balanced, natural lifestyle, and see a naturopath or biomedical doctor for continued testing and a customized supplementation routine.

You can research for weeks on this mutation, as well as DNA’s role within health. However, balance is key in life as well as in DNA study. Just because you have this or other mutations does not mean you have a death sentence. Do not become overwhelmed in researching, but test how foods and supplements make you feel and listen to your body.

If you suffer from the symptoms listed above, it may be a good idea to get tested and use this information. Remember, our genetics do not dictate our health, but they are a big piece of the puzzle.

San Antonio DA Nico LaHood: “Parents, DO NOT BE SILENT.”

San Antonio DA Nico LaHood: "Parents Do Not Be Silent." | The Family That Heals Together

As the District Attorney in San Antonio, TX, Nicholas “Nico” LaHood may be a government employee, tasked with carrying out justice against criminals, but when it comes to speaking out about his son’s vaccine-induced autism, it’s very personal. He doesn’t care about being politically correct. (READ: The real cause of autism.)

“I’m just speaking my mind, which I have the right to do,” said LaHood.

LaHood said he had no idea the level of fame his recent statements regarding vaccines and autism would bring him. While he’s been surprised by the backlash, he’s been even more surprised by the tremendous amount of support he and his family have received following going public with the truth about their son, Michael’s, battle with autism. LaHood has heard from people not only in his home state of Texas, but people all over the country and world, from Canada to Switzerland. Their message for LaHood? “Thank you.”

Not only are folks passionately thanking him for speaking out on their behalf, but they’re sharing their stories with him. He said there are countless parents with stories just like his: “Their child was fine, and then they were vaccinated -there was this event- and they changed.

“We’re not all making it up. If I was 1 in 100 or 200, it would be an anomaly, but that’s not the case,” LaHood said. Most recent estimates indicate that 1 in 45 US children are now diagnosed with autism.

Why the LaHood family is doing things differently

Like most parents, LaHood and his wife Davida never questioned vaccinations. After they chose to have their oldest daughter vaccinated, she developed such severe hives that it was thought she had an autoimmune disease. He said she still struggles with a skin disorder. It was after their son, Michael received his MMR vaccine at around 18 mos old that life was forever changed for the LaHoods. Michael descended into his own world, babbling, and struggling to make eye contact and connect with family members.

They later learned Michael had autism.

The LaHoods were done with vaccinations: “I tried it your way. Two strikes, and we’re done,” said LaHood.

After their first two children had adverse reactions to vaccines, the LaHoods chose not to vaccinate their younger two children. “Praise God, our youngest two children are healthy,” he said. “We chose not to vaccinate them, and that’s our choice.”

(Read about the six types of people for whom vaccinations are a bad idea.)

More than anything, he thinks it’s important for parents to have the choice to make an informed decision.

DA LaHood said he struggled with guilt after learning that his son had autism, and knowing that he could have done things differently to prevent it, but, ultimately, he knows it’s through Michael’s story that he can educate others.

But LaHood isn’t anti-vaccination. He just wants parents to be informed and make educated decisions for their children. “Vaccinate your kids,” he said, “if that’s the decision you want to make. I’m not telling anyone not to vaccinate their children, I just want them to make an educated decision.”

How can parents make an educated decision?

LaHood said he doesn’t understand why “vaccines are this holy grail. Why can’t we question them?” He said his work as a prosecutor has put him in a position to question the government on many levels, but he finds that there’s much more resistance when it comes to questioning the government about vaccines.

He’s not giving up, though. LaHood said that, in essence, he’s being a DA for his son: getting to the truth and fighting for justice.

What about the push for “neuro-diversity?”

Many parents become offended when it comes to the idea that their child with autism is “damaged” or needs to be healed. They insist these children are just different and we need to accept “neuro-diversity.”

LaHood rejects autism as a variation of normal. “I’ll say it. There is something wrong with my child. We can live in a wonderland and ignore this problem, or we can try to make sure other families don’t go through this.

“I could stand in the shadow and not deal with this. I already have enough on my plate. But I can’t do that. I cannot sit quiet. When I know we have credible information to consider, I have to share that,” said LaHood. “If we don’t do something, one in two kids will have autism by 2032, and no one can tell me why. Why aren’t we asking questions? Give me the independent study that proves vaccines are safe. ”

LaHood wants to see four things happen.

To parents, he says:

  • Educate yourself.
  • Let doctors be doctors. They shouldn’t be ostracized if they don’t support vaccines.

And to the government and vaccine manufacturers:

  • Don’t force vaccinations on parents.
  • Do independent safety studies (not done by the CDC, he emphasized).

In order to have a safe and healthy society, said DA LaHood, we have guidelines; we have the penal code: “Don’t rape, don’t murder, these are obviously good laws, but we cannot force vaccinations.”

LaHood knows the importance of parental rights when it comes to vaccines, and that we must be active in order to protect those rights. “I encourage people to talk,” he said. “Tell your story.”

Most of all, LaHood wants to encourage parents: “Speak out, educate yourselves, and DO NOT BE SILENT.”

To buy the movie Vaxxed, which releases in just a few days, click here.

Do you stand with DA Nicholas “Nico” LaHood? Share his story using one of our links, then be bold enough to share your own!

San Antonio DA Nico LaHood: "Parents Do Not Be Silent." | The Family That Heals Together

A Holistic Approach – The Oppositional Defiant Disorder Treatment

If you have a child exhibiting symptoms of defiance, anger, rage, and more, these tips for a holistic oppositional defiant disorder treatment are for you.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder Treatment: A Holistic Approach

The anger. The yelling. The tears. The mood swings. And I’m just talking about the behavior of the mama of a child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. I kid, but let’s be honest, having a child with ODD is hard on the whole family. If you’ve read how we healed symptoms of PANDAS, it will come as no surprise that we’ve taken a holistic approach to our oppositional defiant disorder treatment.

The symptoms of ODD and PANDAS actually overlap a lot, and though they have two different clinical names, the white coats tend to be behind on the fact that emotional and psychiatric disorders are caused by underlying infections. For our son, it was all wrapped up in a strep infection in his gut.

I had made the obvious connections with diet and pinpointed reactions to food (read about one surprising trigger food here), but it was years after the onset of his ODD symptoms that we had testing done which revealed the strep infection. That was when the real work started.

Our holistic oppositional defiant disorder treatment

If you’re living with a child with symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder, you’re probably at your wit’s end, wondering what you can do to help your child.

Kids with ODD

  • lack respect for authority
  • become angry when they don’t get their way
  • manipulate the people around them to get their way
  • exhibit unreasonable anger over seemingly small things
  • are aggressive towards other children and even authority figures
  • suffer from mood swings
  • may also suffer from depression and anxiety.

Indeed, our son had all these symptoms and more. Thankfully, at the onset of his symptoms, our family was already interested in healthful eating and natural remedies, so a holistic oppositional defiant disorder treatment wasn’t a stretch.

Earlier this year, we rid our son of ODD for the first time since the whole ordeal started (he developed symptoms following an illness when he was four, which is associated with PANDAS).

Here’s what we did.

Diet

If you’ve heard me say it once, you’ve heard me say it a thousand times: diet is king. Before anything else, you have to get your child’s inflammation and food reactions under control.

In a disorder like ODD, a couple of things are happening behind the scenes. For one, the child is reacting to triggers in his environment: food and other toxins like mold and chemical exposures like laundry and cleaning supplies or home fragrances.

Secondly, poor food choices feed unwanted pathogens, making them stronger while the immune system and gut become weaker.

Children with ODD and related disorders (think of children on the autism spectrum, which is inclusive of a huge range of behaviors) are very sensitive. If they have a steady stream of toxins entering their body, their body will stay bogged down and their neurological and emotional health will be compromised.

Not only should you switch to natural products in your home, but it is very necessary to change the diet of a child with ODD.

We started with removing these five ingredients. Following the removal of harmful food additives, we removed refined sugars (see my guide to sugars to learn about acceptable replacements), then gluten and all grains, as well as processed dairy (we eat high-quality dairy which is raw, cultured, and grass-fed), and, eventually, we did the GAPS diet.

Changing our son’s diet got us 75% of the way to healing. The only problem was that he could not tolerate any cheating. Even a small amount of residue resulted in a meltdown.

After we found out about the strep, we tried lots of options for a natural oppositional defiant disorder treatment. Some were helpful, but most waned after time.

I wrote about how we used diatomaceous earth, oregano extract, and intestinal tract defense to rid our son of PANDAS symptoms. Following our success with those remedies, I added in what I now call the “game-changer.”

Our game-changing oppositional defiant disorder treatment

At the beginning of last year, we saw a holistic PA, who did the testing for us that revealed the strep infection. He also put us on a supplement called Liver Life from BioRay. I noticed an immediate improvement in both my and my son’s health after taking this liver support. It contains mushrooms and other nutrients to support detoxification of the liver.

When I learned that BioRay had come out with a children’s line of supplements, my interest was peaked, because I had already been impressed with Liver Life. One day, while browsing the supplements section, I came across one of their children’s supplements, called “Happy.” A tag on the bottle caught my eye: “formulated for unreasonable anger.” 

I took the bottle home that day and started my son on it immediately (in fact, I’m pretty sure I gave him his first dose in the car). I noticed an improvement in his overall demeanor after just one dose.

I began giving him the maximum dose twice a day and he became more pleasant and helpful, and all traces of anger vanished.

Even in the midst of choosing joy over a strict diet, his symptoms of ODD stayed away.

Happy contains a unique blend of liver and immune-system supporting mushrooms, as well as chlorella, which supports detoxification, plus herbs that support the removal of unwanted organisms, like bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Most importantly, it has been clinically proven to reduce angry outbursts.

This formula is so powerful for removing infections that a couple of months ago, when several members of our family came down with a stomach bug that lasted for weeks, it was the only thing that finally stopped the symptoms. I had tried everything I knew of to help my family get better, and finally, on a whim, I gave Happy a try, and after one dose the stomach bug was finally abated.

Why every kid needs BioRay

Our kids are constantly fighting an uphill battle. Not only do they get bombarded with junk food everywhere they go, but our modern air and water are tainted, and they are frequently given unnecessary pharmaceuticals.

Every supplement in the BioRay kids line contains their formula they call “NDF” (natural detox factors), which is comprised of chlorella, an effective and natural ingredient for detoxification.

Chlorella is a tiny, single-celled algae. It bonds to heavy metals, chemicals, pesticides, dioxins, chlorine, and BPA.

Each BioRay Kids formula combines chlorella with a blend of mushrooms, as well has herbs that are targeted to relieve a variety of symptoms.

So far, our family has used Happy, designed to alleviate unreasonable anger, Calm, designed to ease anxiety and nervous energy, and Focus, created to boost attention and improve clarity and cognitive function. Each of these formulas do what they say they do!

Please note: BioRay is not paying me to say any of this. I have just been so incredibly blown away by their unique formulas that I want every family to learn about and benefit from them. Their formulas address just about any symptom a child may be dealing with.

These formulas have done things for my son’s health that no other supplements have been able to: they provide effective, broad-spectrum,yet targeted results.

Why we’ll keep using our oppositional defiant disorder treatment

I’m finding it necessary to keep my son on these supplements, particularly as we’ve enjoyed a summer of fun foods (though fall will be bringing balance back to our diet).

BioRay sums it up well: “As parents, we’d like to think the safest place for our children is at home. However, now with environmental toxins in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe, we have to do more to ensure our kids are able to grow up healthy and happy. Did you know environmental toxins can impact how our children behave, think, interact with others and even how healthy they are?”

Because our kids are constantly exposed to toxins, keeping my son’s body healthy is not a “once and done” situation. If we go long between bottles of Happy, his symptoms start creeping back, particularly if we’ve indulged too much in birthday party food, or he spends lots of time in a new environment, which tends to stress him out and spur on symptoms. I plan to continue his oppositional defiant disorder treatment indefinitely.

Have you discovered an effective oppositional defiant disorder treatment? Share in the comments, then be sure to share this post for your friends whose children may be struggling with ODD.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder Treatment: A Holistic Approach

The REAL Cause of Autism

The REAL Cause of Autism - The Family That Heals Together

Science is finding new ways to treat diseases and injuries all the time… and yet, research is lagging on autism spectrum disorders. Children and parents are suffering and we aren’t taking this seriously enough (read: The One Thing We Need to Stop Saying About Autism). But if we’re willing to get to the bottom of things and learn about the REAL cause of autism, we can begin to create a plan to heal and prevent autism for future generations.

Autism is not the big mystery it has been made out to be. Not only do we have clear research pointing to some of the causes, but there are hundreds of stories of children who have been healed from autism. Yet, there is this big controversy.

Some parents of autistic children say “I love my child the way he is. Don’t say he needs to be cured,” then call you a bad parent for wanting differently for your own child.

The medical establishment assures you “we’ve got things under control… oh and by the way, there is NO cure and we don’t know what causes autism.”

Don’t even mention that vaccines may be the cause.

Why the controversy? Shouldn’t the goal be to raise healthy children? I wish I could believe that healthy children was a goal shared by all, but the truth is that we’ve been lied to.

We know what causes autism.

We know how to treat it.

We know how to prevent it.

But we’re not allowed to talk about it.

The REAL Cause of Autism

Autism is caused by a combination of factors. Genetic? Maybe. Environmental? Definitely. Cureable? You bet.

How genetics take part

Genetics are blamed for autism, but is this really accurate? Yes and no. Genetics DO play a part. That’s why you’ll sometimes see autistic children in families where a dad, uncle, or other relative has autism.

But just because a relative has autism and a child’s genetics predispose him towards the disorder doesn’t mean that child has to get it.

Genetics are the inborn but manipulable factor behind many diseases (i.e. you can dictate how your genetics play out by making good or bad lifestyle choices). There are genetic mutations (like MTHFR, which you may have heard about) that render an individual more sensitive or susceptible to autism and other diseases, but they aren’t necessarily expressing at any given time.

Here’s the thing: genetics may load the gun, but it’s the environmental insults that pull the trigger.

What are environment insults? Is that just a fancy way of saying vaccines cause autism?

It sort of is. But it isn’t just about vaccines. Environmental insults come from every part of our environment: the food we eat; the water we drink; even the air we breathe.

Modern day life has us swimming in a sea of toxins. I can drive through my neighborhood on any given day and see a neighbor spraying their yard with weed killer, which then fills the air for the rest of us to breathe. Chemicals are added to our water supply to make it clean enough to drink and because they are erroneously believed to be beneficial to us. Our food supply is a mess.

If you consider just how many toxins a child is exposed to JUST before they leave for school in the mornings, you may be shocked:

  • They wake up and get out of bedding which has been doused in pollutants via detergent and fabric softener.
  • They brush their teeth and wash their bodies with toxic toothpaste and soap.
  • They put on clothes that have also been polluted by laundry chemicals.
  • Then, if they’re eating a typical standard American breakfast, they are eating pastries, cereal, etc. with refined flours, hydrogenated oils, sugar, preservatives, food coloring and more. And maybe wash it all down with a glass of pasteurized milk or juice.

Are vaccinations a problem? Absolutely.

Vaccinations are a huge insult to the body: between adjuvants like aluminum, preservatives like mercury, other additives like antibiotics, contaminants like viruses, and the diseases themselves, vaccines are an intolerable insult to many of today’s immunocompromised children (which is more common than you think! Read Vaccine Contraindications: Six People Who Should Not Be Vaccinated).

All of the factors, combined with genetic vulnerability, contribute to autism. But there’s one more important factor.

All disease begins in the gut

A third cause of autism, which plays into both points above, is poor gut health. As part of the vicious cycle that is poor systemic health and disease, poor gut health is both a cause and result of susceptibility to autism.

This is due to more than one factor:

  1. the immune system is found mostly in the gut. When the gut is unhealthy, the immune system is unhealthy, causing an individual to be more likely to have reactions to vaccinations, as well as inability to detoxify from environmental contaminants.
  2. pathogenic overload. When the immune system is compromised, the gut becomes a hospitable environment for pathogens like candida (fungal yeast), bacteria, viruses, and parasites, all of which are implicated in autism.
  3. the gut leaks food proteins, which disturb brain activity and cause other systemic problems.

In addition to the above points, there is a nerve, called the vagus nerve, that directly connects the gut to the brain. Not only does this nerve allow the brain to communicate with the gut (to digest food, to cause “butterfly” sensations during times of nervousness, etc.), but the gut is able to communicate with the brain as well.

When a genetically susceptible individual with a heavy load of environmental toxicity and poor gut health eats certain foods, the brain can be directly affected. We see this phenomenon occur in the case of gluten and dairy, the proteins of which can be converted into opioids due to lack of proper digestion, creating gluteo- and caseo- morphins, respectively.

The opioids can make an individual feel like they are tripping on drugs, which may explain a lot about the behaviors of autistic children who appear to be in their own world, with little recognition of what’s going on around them.

Need help getting started with improving you child’s behavior, whether from asd or other disorder, or just occasional crankiness? Get my free e-books:

Free e-books: 30 Minute GAPS and Paleo Meals - The Family That Heals Together

Russian Roulette

As you can see, autism is caused by a combination of factors, and the lack of information circulating on the subject has us playing Russian Roulette with our children’s health.

There’s no way to be certain of a child’s genetic predisposition towards autism and related disorders without thorough testing, so we have to be proactive to protect our children by reducing environmental toxins and supporting their immune systems and gut health with proper nutrition and supplements. The gun may be loaded, but we DON’T have to pull the trigger.

Read about the ingredients to remove from your child’s diet NOW to heal behavioral disorders– this is a good place to start! Then head over to how to choose a good probiotic for tips on picking the best one for gut health, particularly for sensitive kiddos on the spectrum; this is the only one I trust for my kids!

The Real Cause of Autism - The Family That Heals Together

Do you agree that we have some clues as to the cause of autism? Share below and see if your friends agree!

There’s One Thing We Need to Stop Saying About Autism

The One Thing We Need to Stop Saying About Autism | The Family That Heals Together

I’ve heard it too many times to count, both from personal friends and strangers on the internet. But if you’ve spent much time in forums and groups of parents working so hard to heal their children of behavioral and developmental disorders and other special needs conditions,  there is one thing you will NOT hear them say:

“God made him/her that way.”

No.

No, God did not give me an angry child. He did not “bless” me with a child with special needs. My son has not had to battle with suicidal thoughts, violence, anger, aggression, low self-esteem, inability to make friends, and poor familial relationships because “God made him that way.”

Don’t be offended

If it offends you for me to say that I am healing my son and bringing him back from the brink of autism, it shouldn’t.

I have posted about children being healed from autism and have some truly wonderful stories here (read Brendan’s Story: Deliverance from Autism and Gordon’s Story of healing from autism). These children HAD autism and NOW they don’t.

But when I post about these stories, I inevitably get comments from someone on the spectrum who says “I find this offensive. Autism isn’t a disease and I don’t need to be healed.”

That’s all fine and well, but clearly those comments come from highly functioning individuals. Not all of those with autism are highly functioning. And to say it’s offensive to think autism should be healed is offensive to those working to heal it!

What about those parents who are working to potty train a child who is still not using the toilet at the age of 10… 15… 25?

What about the mom who spends all day and night attending to her autistic child who cannot be left alone because he will self-injure or injure another child?

What about the parents of autistic children who have never slept through the night? Ever?

Do you still want to tell these parents that autism is a blessing and “God made him that way?”

Autism is not a blessing

Fine, maybe some of those on the autism spectrum have some unique abilities. There are amazing musicians and artists who see things in ways the rest of us cannot due to autism and the unique functioning of their brains.

Those are “neat” stories… but they are the exception, not the rule.

Kids with autism are more likely to grow up and have trouble finding and keeping a job.

They are more likely to struggle with maintaining friendships, let alone a long-term relationship like marriage.

A recent study out of Switzerland found that autistic individuals die, on average, 18 years earlier than those without autism, are 9 times more likely to commit suicide, and 40 times more likely to die prematurely. [source]

No, autism is not a blessing, it is a disease that steals joy, peace, health, happiness, and years off of individuals’ lives. But it can be healed.

Healing autism

My son was on the brink of autism and had we not completely changed our lifestyle, I’m sure we would have an ASD diagnosis under out belt by now.

He had become so difficult in his interactions with other children that we could not spend time with friends. He had no control over his emotions or physical outbursts. He was violent and aggressive.

All that changed when we took steps to heal him with food and biomedical interventions. Read about how we healed some of his symptoms in my post PANDAS Syndrome: Camden’s Story of Healing.

We have come really far, thanks in big part to the GAPS diet, a temporary, restrictive, healing diet. You can read more about our experience with the GAPS diet here.

Don’t tell me autism is a blessing

You will never -ever- hear me say that God made my son angry. I will never say God made my son socially awkward. I won’t say autism and related disorders are a blessing. They’re not.

The behaviors associated with autism have robbed my family of so much joy and peace and I’m thankful every day we’ve learned how to heal them.

If you have a special child with autistic behaviors or full-blown autism, perhaps you can understand where I’m coming from.

Perhaps you’ve spent many sleepless nights, up with a child who refuses to sleep, or maybe just worrying about the incessant behaviors that put him or others at risk.

Maybe you’re exhausted from cleaning up messes that leave you scratching your head and wondering… “how?” or “why?”

And maybe, just maybe, you dream of healing the symptoms known as autism, because deep down, you know that this is not right and this is not who your child was meant to be.

You’re not alone, mama. And don’t worry, you won’t hear me try to convince you that “autism is a blessing” or that “God made your child that way.”

The One Thing We Need to Stop Saying About Autism | The Family That Heals Together

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