Life on Hold: A Child’s Journey Out of Autism

By Rae Stone

When I started this journey through Autism with my son Jackson, I came across an article by Bruce Semon M.D. Ph.D., a child psychiatrist and nutritionist who has been treating children with autism using anti-yeast therapy for the past six years. The cases he presented all whom significant improvement in the first few weeks and months following anti-yeast therapy. Although, anti-yeast therapy should not be the only therapy that a child receives, he believes the use of diet and anti-fungal treatments vastly improves a child’s baseline physical functioning.

The Candida-yeast connection to autism is believed to be a result of a poor immune system in autistic individuals. “Leaky gut” syndrome is a condition that many believe exists in autistic individuals as well as some of the general population. Environmental factors are thought to play a role in leaky gut problems. Anything that interferes with the individual’s immune system is believed to have an impact on the person’s ability to remove yeast from the body.

The healthy gut contains both yeast and good bacteria, in balance with each other. In many Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children, however, one or the other can be out of balance. Bacteria can overgrow, there can be a complete lack of bacteria or bad bacteria can develop and take over, rather than good bacteria, causing major behavioral and physical symptoms for our children.

When I researched more on the autism-yeast connection, I discovered many supporting articles from professionals around the world in support of anti-yeast therapy and stumbled upon a list of symptoms of autism that are believed to be side effects of the toxins. When I read the list of symptoms, I knew that yeast was a culprit in hurting my son. What does yeast overgrowth look like in a child? It looks like my son two years ago; he suffered from headaches, sleep disturbances, constipation, inattention, hyperactivity, sensory defensiveness and gas pains.  Unfortunately, most our mainstream medical community do not recognize the research on the connection between autism and yeast. We were lucky enough to find a local naturopathic doctor who specialized in Autism and started the process.

According to best practices, yeast levels are best measured via stool testing. Genova Diagnostics, Great Plains Laboratories and Doctor’s Data provide comprehensive stool testing; there are many naturopathic doctors and medical specialists that parents can see to have the testing done or they can send the samples away personally. When we finally received the results for my son’s stool analysis, they were astonishing. All the research and reading I did, paid off. The lab results concluded there were high levels of yeast in my son’s gut and the laboratory recommended an anti-fungal for treatment.

After carefully weighing all of our options, we chose to treat our son with Nystatin (a prescription anti-fungal) and placed him on a Gluten Free-Casein Free Diet. The beginning of the process was not easy. In the autism world, we call it the “die off” period. “Die off” refers to the rapid dying of gut bugs, leading to excess release of toxins that can wreak havoc, causing a negative reaction before the positive occurs. It was tough. My son’s symptoms multiplied, he didn’t sleep, broken out in rashes and was even more irritable. There was a point when I contemplated taking him off this path because I was starting to doubt everything I had been so confident about.

Two years later; my son continues with Nystatin on a daily basis and we have slowly integrated small amounts of yeast back into his diet. Over this process I have taken him off Nystatin to ‘test’ the theories with very negative results. I do not know how long my son will need Nystatin to combat the yeast in his body, but I do know firsthand that it worked. It is a hard decision to make as a parent on whether to pursue Biomedical Therapies for your child affected by ASD. Some work and some do not. Not everything that works for one child will work for another; having the information and being proactive gives you the best opportunity to make an informed decision as a parent. We want the absolute best for our children, for them to be happy and healthy. Let’s be informed and create awareness.

Lead image: Candida-yeast.

This information is provided as inspirational and informative only. It is not intended as medical advice nor should it be construed as such.

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