Here is another simple remedy for sleeplessness in persons with Autism:
Melatonin
Melatonin is very safe, and actually has some health benefits. Children tolerate it well with few side effects. It sometimes causes grogginess the next morning, but this can be remedied by cutting the usual dose in half.
The tablets generally come in 3 mg doses, which is more than enough for an adult. You can also purchase 1.5 mg doses, but it is a little harder to find this package. Cutting the pill or using half a capsule works fine.
Extended release Melatonin is available, and works well, but is usually a little more expensive. Give the child the dose 20 - 30 minutes before the desired bedtime. Lately, we have been giving it about an hour before bedtime, to avoid the morning grogginess.
It is non-narcotic, (not habit-forming--non addictive) and is available over the counter without a prescription at most regular pharmacies. This will not be like a regular sedative, it doesn't work the same way. It does not prevent the child from awakening to use the bathroom (if he/she is toilet trained.)
My son is very picky about what he will eat or put into his mouth--(well at least food anyway!) and I was worried that he would refuse to take the Melatonin. But after coaxing the first pill into him and a good night's sleep, he accepted the next night's pill easily and now just puts it in his mouth and chews it. As a teen, he sometimes even reminds me that he needs to take one! He used to have dark circles under his eyes all the time, and with a regular good night's sleep he doesn't have this anymore.
So what is Melatonin?
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Melatonin is a hormone made by a part of the brain called the pineal gland. Melatonin may help our bodies know when it's time to go to sleep and when it's time to wake up. There are two types of melatonin that may be used in the pills: natural and synthetic (man-made). Natural melatonin is made from the pineal gland of animals. This form could be contaminated with a virus and is therefore not recommended. The synthetic form of melatonin does not carry this risk. If you are not sure if your melatonin is natural or synthetic, ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking it.
Research has shown the effectiveness of Melatonin for this use, and also for use in treating jet lag.
Melatonin Deficiency
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"Significant reductions in overall melatonin levels have been seen in Autistic Spectrum Disorders, and disturbed melatonin regulation may underlie sleep disturbances seen in many ASD subjects."
~"Autism, Brain, and Environment" by Richard Lathe 2006
Showing posts with label supplements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label supplements. Show all posts
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Another Supplement for Autism
In addition to the supplement, DMG, mentioned earlier, a similar supplement called TMG can also be used for the same purpose.
Both of these nutrients have the effect of helping the body to detoxify heavy metals through the urine. TMG is trimethylglycine.
Both nutrients increase methylation. They work best when taken with folinic acid and methyl-B-12.Take 125 to 1,000 mg of DMG per day.
Take 175 to 2,000 mg of TMG per day.
Begin with the smaller dose and work up to the larger doses.
We have also used Octocosonol with our son.
Source:
"Healing the New Childhood Epidemics, Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies; The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders"
~ by Kenneth Bock, M.D., and Cameron Stauth
Both of these nutrients have the effect of helping the body to detoxify heavy metals through the urine. TMG is trimethylglycine.
Both nutrients increase methylation. They work best when taken with folinic acid and methyl-B-12.Take 125 to 1,000 mg of DMG per day.
Take 175 to 2,000 mg of TMG per day.
Begin with the smaller dose and work up to the larger doses.
We have also used Octocosonol with our son.
Source:
"Healing the New Childhood Epidemics, Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies; The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders"
~ by Kenneth Bock, M.D., and Cameron Stauth
Supplements for Autism
There are some supplements that have used with children with Autism for over 12 years now, and have had enough success as to be consistently recommended by parents to other parents, and have had some limited research to back them up. A supplement is not a cure. It is not really a drug, since it is not regulated as a drug.
A supplement is generally a natural substance, like a vitamin, that at some point was shown that some Autistic persons' were low in, or improved with taking them.
The three main ones that appear are:
------------------------------------------------------
DMG*
Vitamin B6
Magnesium
*DMG = N, N-Dimethylglycine
I recommend purchasing one package, taking notes on behavior, amount and severity of tantrums and other measures of progress, like progress notes from therapists and school. Provide a single supplement, and give it about 2 weeks to work. A child might act differently at first-sometimes an improvment causes them to be a little more active, but then they settle down. After the package is used, go off the supplement for a week before buying another, and observe if the child gets worse without it. If he/she does, then you have some evidence that this helps them and you can justify the continued expense and trouble of giving it to them.
DMG is generally in a foil packet, as the tablets dissolve very easily in the open air. This makes them easy to give to the child, as they practically dissolve right on the tongue. My son as always seemed to like them and doesn't need to swallow them like a pill--he just chews them.
The dose is about 3 per day to start, for a very young child, age 3, and can be up to 6 per day. As they grow, you can add another tablet gradually.
B6 is given as a separate tablet. We cut them in half at first, and ground them up in a mortar and pestle and added the powder to baby food or honey. As the child gets older a larger dose can be given, but don't give a dose larger than an adult dose without consulting a physician.
Magnesium is given the same way. Start with half the adult dose. I use chelated Magnesium.
Don't consider a multivitamin to be sufficient with these last. An additional multivitamin is also a great idea, and there are some great tasting chewables out there that have no gluten, casein, or dyes in them.
I have heard of some Autistic children improving greatly--going from not speaking at all to speaking in sentences--on these supplements alone. I personally met one family who claimed this was true with their son, whom I also met. This was the deciding factor in getting me to go out and actually purchase them and try them, even though I had heard about them before that.
A supplement is generally a natural substance, like a vitamin, that at some point was shown that some Autistic persons' were low in, or improved with taking them.
The three main ones that appear are:
------------------------------------------------------
DMG*
Vitamin B6
Magnesium
*DMG = N, N-Dimethylglycine
I recommend purchasing one package, taking notes on behavior, amount and severity of tantrums and other measures of progress, like progress notes from therapists and school. Provide a single supplement, and give it about 2 weeks to work. A child might act differently at first-sometimes an improvment causes them to be a little more active, but then they settle down. After the package is used, go off the supplement for a week before buying another, and observe if the child gets worse without it. If he/she does, then you have some evidence that this helps them and you can justify the continued expense and trouble of giving it to them.
DMG is generally in a foil packet, as the tablets dissolve very easily in the open air. This makes them easy to give to the child, as they practically dissolve right on the tongue. My son as always seemed to like them and doesn't need to swallow them like a pill--he just chews them.
The dose is about 3 per day to start, for a very young child, age 3, and can be up to 6 per day. As they grow, you can add another tablet gradually.
B6 is given as a separate tablet. We cut them in half at first, and ground them up in a mortar and pestle and added the powder to baby food or honey. As the child gets older a larger dose can be given, but don't give a dose larger than an adult dose without consulting a physician.
Magnesium is given the same way. Start with half the adult dose. I use chelated Magnesium.
Don't consider a multivitamin to be sufficient with these last. An additional multivitamin is also a great idea, and there are some great tasting chewables out there that have no gluten, casein, or dyes in them.
I have heard of some Autistic children improving greatly--going from not speaking at all to speaking in sentences--on these supplements alone. I personally met one family who claimed this was true with their son, whom I also met. This was the deciding factor in getting me to go out and actually purchase them and try them, even though I had heard about them before that.
What If I Slip Up and Eat The Wrong Thing?
If a person on this diet slips up and eats some gluten or casein, they can take:
Peptidase
Peptidase is a digestive enzyme that breaks down the partial proteins (peptides) that gluten and casein can create.
Peptidase
Peptidase is a digestive enzyme that breaks down the partial proteins (peptides) that gluten and casein can create.
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