Finding a Way to Heal Autism

[Guest guest]

Finding a Way to Heal Autism

Reported by: _Jaye Watson_

(http://www.11alive.com/company/bios/article_bio.aspx?storyid=9632)

Last Modified: 11/21/2007 12:59:50 PM

 

(http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=106774#comment) " Does

your son have autism? " actress Jenny McCarthy is regularly asked.

 

She smiles. " No. Not anymore, " McCarthy replies.

 

It's a question actress McCarthy is eager to answer. It is clear she has

been asked and answered the same questions dozens, if not hundreds of times, in

the past few months. She has been on a nationwide publicity tour for her book

that details her journey with autism and how she healed her son.

 

Dr. Kenneth Bock is leading the way in the world of autism recovery. He said

autism, which was long considered a psychiatric disorder, is actually a

neurological disorder that impacts the whole body.

 

" It's the immune system. It's the gastrointestinal system. It's the

metabolic system. And we can do something about it, " Bock said.

 

Bock's treatment includes a specific diet, often a gluten-free casein diet,

and detox.

 

Many children with autism have gastrointestinal problems that affect their

behavior and development. In the case of McCarthy's son, and many other

children with autism, the problem was an overgrowth of yeast.

 

McCarthy said her son Evan was given anti-fungal treatment and that after a

few weeks, his vocabulary began to improve. McCarthy said she healed her son

through diet and detox and knew he was cured when she had a visit.

 

" Recovery is when the state comes over and says what the hell happened? And,

you are no longer eligible for services, sorry. And I said thank you. Get

the hell out! " McCarthy said.

 

Another treatment, this one more controversial, is chelation, which

sometimes involves the intravenous administering of drugs.

 

" What a chelator does it actually latches onto heavy metals and then takes

it out usually through the urine, " said Bock.

 

While chelation has been approved by the FDA for metal toxicity, its use in

children with autism has been more controversial.

 

" When used appropriately, chelation is really safe. Unfortunately years ago

there was an accident because a doctor used a wrong type of chelator and a

kid died, " said Bock.

 

In a survey of 25,000 parents, Bock said, " The single most positive

intervention in terms of therapy is chelation therapy. "

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends early intervention for the

treatment of autism. The interventions they recommend are a minimum of 25 hours

a week of behavioral therapy, speech and occupational therapies costing

upwards of $50,000 a year.

 

While there is some public assistance available for families, it's not

uncommon for insurance agencies to deny coverage for these therapies. In fact,

11Alive News received a letter from an Atlanta family that was denied coverage

of the therapies recommended by the AAP. The reason given in the letter:

" Treatment for autism is not considered to be short-term therapy. "

 

Therapies, such as chelation and detox, are also rarely covered by insurance

and can be quite costly. Toward that end, Dr. Bock has created a foundation

that will help families get necessary treatment for their children.