Much of the problem lies in the current diet of most Americans. The stuff we're eating, folks, is not meant for us. Do you remember when spreading peanut butter on a piece of white bread, without ripping the bread to pieces, was an act of almost surgical precision? How come, you may ask, that doesn't happen anymore? The answer is GLUTEN - the almost undigestable glue-like protein that is put in almost everything. There are about 3 million people with Celiac disease (gluten intolerance), like myself, that cannot have it at all, and another 90 million people (U.S.) that are gluten-sensitive - which can be even more dangerous because these people do not have the early-warning signs of Celiac.

Many of the children (with or without a Celiac diagnosis) with ADD, autism, and other ??incurable? problems need to go on a diet that is gluten-free, and casein (in milk) free as well. FFor those with a diagnosis of Celiac, this means avoidance of all products containing wheat, barley, rye, and other gluren-containing grains (and their derivatives). For others simply cutting down the offending foods, with proper supplementation and special enzymes, has helped.
http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p...12106489894.5e

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Diet: Gluten-Free; Casein-Free (GFCF)
The use of a Gluten-Free; Casein-Free (GFCF) diet for developmental and mood disorders is based on the theory that certain foods may affect the developing brains of some children. This is not because of allergies to these foods, but because many of these children are unable to properly break down certain proteins. The foods that may cause the most problems are gluten (the protein in wheat, rye and barley) and casein (milk protein.)
Several studies have found peptides (breakdown products of proteins) with opiate activity in the urine of a high percentage of autistic children. One theory is that these opiates (morphine-like compounds which affect brain function) may be caused by an inability to properly digest foods containing gluten and casein (gluten breaks down in the stomach to produce a peptide known as gluteomorphins; and casein produces a peptide known as casomorphine). Some researchers theorize that a small proportion of these peptides could be crossing into the brain and interfering with transmission in such a away that normal activity is altered or disrupted. If this ??opioid excess? hypothesis is correct, a diet which reduces foods containing gluten and casein may be helpful.

Gluten (found in grains like wheat, barley and rye) sensitivity can range from mild, causing indigestion and intestinal gas, to severe, as in Celiac Disease, an autoimmune condition in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged in response to ingestion of the protein gliadin. Studies have found that 10-25% of the population can be classified as gluten-sensitive.

People with lactose / casein intolerance lack the ability to produce an enzyme called lactase which is needed to digest the protein casein properly. Avoiding dairy products may be helpful for individuals who are lactose intolerant.


http://remedyfind.com/rem.asp?ID=21266




http://www.paleodiet.com/autism/

Outcome-based comparison of Ritalin versus food-supplement treated children with AD/HD.

Harding KL, Judah RD, Gant C.

McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, USA.

Twenty children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) were treated with either Ritalin (10 children) or dietary supplements (10 children), and outcomes were compared using the Intermediate Visual and Auditory/Continuous Performance Test (IVA/CPT) and the WINKS two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures and with Tukey multiple comparisons. Subjects in both groups showed significant gains (p less than 0.01) on the IVA/CPT's Full Scale Response Control Quotient and Full Scale Attention Control Quotient (p less than 0.001). Improvements in the four sub-quotients of the IVA/CPT were also found to be significant and essentially identical in both groups: Auditory Response Control Quotient (p less than 0.001), Visual Response Control Quotient (p less than 0.05), Auditory Attention Quotient (p less than 0.001), and Visual Attention Quotient (p less than 0.001). Numerous studies suggest that biochemical heterogeneous etiologies for AD/HD cluster around at least eight risk factors: food and additive allergies, heavy metal toxicity and other environmental toxins, low-protein/high-carbohydrate diets, mineral imbalances, essential fatty acid and phospholipid deficiencies, amino acid deficiencies, thyroid disorders, and B-vitamin deficiencies. The dietary supplements used were a mix of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, amino acids, essential fatty acids, phospholipids, and probiotics that attempted to address the AD/HD biochemical risk factors. These findings support the effectiveness of food supplement treatment in improving attention and self-control in children with AD/HD and suggest food supplement treatment of AD/HD may be of equal efficacy to Ritalin treatment.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract
http://remedyfind.com/rem.asp?ID=10418

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