The first very important step in improving your child’s health is improving their gut function. The gut affects the entire body, not just in a physical sense but also in terms of behaviour, emotions, and other mental factors. 

The gut directly affects the ability of the brain to function. Bacteria in the gut communicate with the brain and the neurotransmitters, brain messengers, are made in the gut. The gut also makes up 80% of the immune system. It follows that, the gut controls the brain and the immune system.

Numerous studies indicate gastrointestinal problems are common among children with ASD. Studies have reported that anywhere from 9% to 90% of the autistic children had at least one gastrointestinal symptom. 

The most common symptoms reported by parents are constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, reflux, bloating and excessive gas.

Many children with ASD eat only a few foods, are picky eaters, prefer highly processed foods, and eat fewer fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Therefore, they may have nutritionally poor diets and weight related health issues that can extend into adulthood. They are also at increased risk of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. In addition, children with ASD are at an increased risk for inflammatory bowel disease. IBD includes the painful condition Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and is associated with an overactive immune system. 

Dr. Michael Kucera, a member of many research teams in Europe and the USA, expert in Mitochondrial Medicine and ASD, says that all children with autism have many biological health related issues. This often includes poor immunity, a predisposition to viral and bacterial infections, toxic overload, a weak and leaky gut, malnutrition, due to poor absorption of nutrients, poor detoxification, higher sensitivity to environmental toxins, allergies, autoimmune issues, parasitic infections and more. He believes that when these biological issues are cleared the brain can function at optimum and many symptoms disappear. 

Pesticides, repeated administration of antibiotics, antidepressants and epilepsy drugs given to the mother during pregnancy also appears to contribute to damage to the gut of developing babies and children, making them more susceptible to ASD. Antibiotics are the most prescribed drugs for children and they are also most likely to cause inflammatory bowel disease when child grows. 

Children given antibiotics to treat a respiratory virus suffered major disruption to the gut microbiome of bacteria. When that happens, gut fungal microbiota can flourish, and this can lead to inflammatory diseases and obesity later in life, say researches from the University of Helsinki.

Antibiotics not only irritate the intestinal wall and cause gut inflammation, but also destroy the beneficial bacteria, creating an opportunity for Candida, Clostrida and other pathogens normally kept in balance to overgrow and cause further damage. 

Scientists suspect that our gut microbiome, the mix of bacteria that inhabit our intestines, affects our health in many ways, but a finding suggests that a healthy microbiome may ease the symptoms of autism. The study of 18 children who also had severe digestive problems found that a fecal transplant to rebalance their gut microbiome reduced both their digestive symptoms and their autistic symptoms. The improvements persisted during the two year study follow-up period. 

“We treated children with autism by altering the gut microbiota. All had gastrointestinal symptoms- diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain- and those symptoms were reduced dramatically, and their behaviour improved as well.”

Parents and physicians often focus on the more obvious cognitive impairments and may not realize that correcting their child’s underlying intestinal imbalances can lead to remarkable overall improvement. When GI ailments are treated successfully, not only digestive health and function is improved, but also the developmental responses.

Leaky gut. What is it and what does it mean for you?

A leaky gut is the result of the gut lining becoming inflamed due to food intolerances, drug ingestion, bacterial and viral infections, and stress. The cells of the intestinal track are only one cell thick and can be damaged. Leaky gut happens when partially digested food, toxins and bacteria pass through the small intestine and enter the bloodstream through spaces in the gut wall. Gaps in the gut wall allow tiny food particles and other foreign microbes to enter the body and create an immune system response that impacts the entire system including brain function.The damaged gut cells are then unable to do the job properly. They can’t manufacture the enzymes that are vital to good digestion. This means that proper digestion is impaired and the proper absorption of nutrition is affected. Damaging substances then invade the bloodstream. This can result in food intolerance,  allergies, skin issues, joint inflammation, impaired brain function and it can also trigger autoimmune diseases. When the immune system becomes overburdened   by toxins that enter the liver, the toxins are flushed back into the blood where they are sent to connective tissues and muscles. 

Leaky gut syndrome is connected with allergies, autism, inflammatory bowel, Crohn”s disease,, fibromyalgia,  chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, pancreatic disfunction, IBS, lupus and many more conditions.       

Homeopathic remedies can help heal the imbalance in the gut as well as addressing the underlying reason why the imbalance started in the first place.