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Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other related disorders usually present a variety of underlying medical issues. Food intolerance, nutritional deficiencies, impaired detoxification, metabolic disorders, multiple infections, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, leaky gut, high toxic load, damage caused by heavy metals, immune dysregulation, multiple gut issues, blockages in neurological pathways and dysfunction in multiple biochemical pathways to name a few. Both my daughters have a combination of the issues I listed above in differing severity. And they each have a unique treatment plan and different sets of priorities. By addressing all these issues, we find that our children’s behavior, cognition and attention improve as well as a reduction in Autistic behaviors in Maya.
There is no 1-size-fits-all protocol in biomed, both my girls are unique and presents a different set of challenges. In view of the many issues to address, I prefer to work with a trusted DAN doctor who can provide an intensive and comprehensive treatment plan.
Due to the many issues that needs to be addressed, it makes sense that there is no 1 cure-all pill either. Commonly, we end up with 20-25 supplements a day! However, this list of supplements is ever revolving, the supplements and dosage may change according to which protocols are implemented and how we prioritize it. And we definitely do not start on all 20 supplements straight away. Each child has a different set of supplements and priorities, depending on clinical observations, historical findings, test results and parents’ feedback. Please consult with a trusted DAN practitioner as well as do your own research on this.
I usually introduce only 1 new supplement a week. In my personal experience, this seems to be the best method for my two girls. Some children are able to start and tolerate new supplements quickly, however going slow and steady has been most effective for us. Whenever we introduce too many new supplements at a faster pace, we usually experience intolerable side-effects and sometimes regression. This would eventually slow down the progress because we would then need more time to adjust the protocol and wait for the side-effects to subside. I would start with a lower dosage, perhaps 1/2 or even 1/4 depending on which supplement. And every 3 days I will increase the dosage slightly. Our child needs to get used to the taste and texture of the supplements. Some of them tastes horrible, also most children with ASD have very sensitive taste buds due to their sensory issues. Their body also needs time to build up tolerance to the full dosage. Most importantly, we need to observe for any improvements, side-effects and regression. Please remember that when taking any supplements, it causes changes in their body. Preferably good changes. However, we are not able to accurately predict how a child will react to a supplement or treatment until we try it.
I prefer to only purchase 3-4 new supplements per month. Because this is the maximum number of new things that I can try on my girls safely. Her reaction, whether good or bad, will determine the next course of action. Her reaction will give you a clue as to what the next step or protocol you should start. All of Maya’s positive reaction to a treatment gave me and my doctor further clues as to what works best for Maya. All of the negative reaction such as intolerable side-effects or regression gave us clues for other underlying issues she may have that we were not able to detect earlier.
Most children undergoing intensive biomedical intervention may end up taking 25 supplement eventually, however I would not buy all 25 at a time. This is counter-productive, because the list of supplements may vary. The next batch of supplements you add on will depend on your child’s reaction to certain supplements. You will need to work closely with your DAN doctor and provide him with regular updates. However, if you have already purchased all 25 supplements, and you are not sure what to start with, please consult your doctor. Please discuss with other parents and learn from their experience. Sign up to the KL Biomed forum, there you can post queries as well as learn from previous posts by other members.
When we first realized the extent of the damage and underlying medical conditions that we needed to address with Maya, our first questions was where do we start? How do we start? How do we prioritize which supplements or protocols to start with? We have several DAN doctors who provide crucial guidance and sets down the protocols, however it is still my responsibility to ensure that we execute it well.
With both my girls, I started by putting them on the GFCF diet. Then I introduced the basic supplements one by one. For the first 2-3 months of biomed, I started my girls on basic gut and nutritional supplements. Such as Vitamin C, B6 & B Vitamins formulations, calcium, magnesium, zinc, probiotics, 2 types of digestive enzymes, cod liver oil, epsom salt baths and L-Glutathione lotion. The sequence and order would differ according to each girl’s unique issues. After we have safely implemented those basic 12 supplements, only then were we ready to start other protocols. In my personal opinion, anti-fungals and anti-virals should not be implemented until you are in Month 3. I needed to have the basic s
upplements in place first, as this prepares the body for future treatments. If you don’t have a solid foundation, you may find that you are not fully optimizing the supplements and may not achieve the desired results. If you do not lay down a proper foundation, you may find that certain Tier 2 or Tier 3 treatments may have either no effect or worse, present an adverse effect instead. The first 2-3 months is crucial, the GFCF diet and 1st Tier supplements lays the ground-work for future more intensive protocols. Future protocols that use Tier 2 and 3 supplements includes anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, methylation products, amino acid supplementation, mitochondrial products, leaky gut protocol, detoxification, chelation and others.
upplements in place first, as this prepares the body for future treatments. If you don’t have a solid foundation, you may find that you are not fully optimizing the supplements and may not achieve the desired results. If you do not lay down a proper foundation, you may find that certain Tier 2 or Tier 3 treatments may have either no effect or worse, present an adverse effect instead. The first 2-3 months is crucial, the GFCF diet and 1st Tier supplements lays the ground-work for future more intensive protocols. Future protocols that use Tier 2 and 3 supplements includes anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, methylation products, amino acid supplementation, mitochondrial products, leaky gut protocol, detoxification, chelation and others.
I research each and every single supplement before I give it to my girls. I double check that the ingredients are safe and the dosage is correct. I also make sure that it is appropriate for this stage of my child’s treatment. We want to make sure that we maximize the benefits of these costly supplements, making sure which supplement can be safely taken with which. And which ones should be taken far apart from the other. Some supplements should be taken together as it provides a synergistic reaction. Some supplements should be taken separately, as one may cancel out the other. Or worse, react badly with each other.
Today, Maya takes 23 supplements, 1 injection, 1 bath and 2 lotions every day. This comes up to 30 capsules, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of powdered formulation, 10ml of liquid, 2 grams of cream and 1 cup of Epsom Salts daily. If you lined up every capsule, it would be a very long line indeed. And Yasmin has 20 supplements, 1 injection, 2 creams and 1 bath a day. This comes up to 26 capsules & tablets, 10ml of oral liquid supplements, 1 teaspoon of various powdered formulations, 2 grams of transdermal cream and 1 cup of Epsom Salts. That’s a lot of supplements to take. And it requires constant effort to ensure that both girls take them all. Because a majority of the supplements are included in their milk bottles, we sometimes feel like we’re a bartender, always mixing different cocktails every day. My husband pretends that he’s Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail. He sure knows how to shake a milk bottle…..
Spectrum Mum in Malaysia 