GMO's More Letters, Of Course

Why does Nick often react to watermelon? Seedless watermelon...

He has, he does and it's odd. He knows it too.

I found an article I read a while back, and it's pretty thought provoking. And, I am just now getting around to thinking about it, again. I need more time to think - I think... (ha-ha)

What are the dangers of genetically modified foods, and what are GMOs, anyway?

Posted on July 13, 2009
by Nikki Ostrower

We hear a lot about genetically modified foods (often referred to as GMOs, which stands for “genetically modified organisms”). But how many of us really understand what these things are, or what hazards they might pose to our health?

Genetically modified food is food that has been altered through genetics. Often, this is done to produce foods more quickly and in greater abundance. Seedless watermelons, for example, do not exist in nature. They’ve been genetically modified to produce more fruit with no seeds. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is another – it’s the thing that Ben & Jerry’s proudly proclaims NOT to use in any of its dairy cows. Why not? What’s so wrong with increasing dairy production or fruit production? Well, for dairy, at least, most other industrialized nations have banned rBGH because of potential harm to both people and animals.

And consider this: “The overwhelming consensus among the FDA’s own scientists was that GM foods were quite different and could lead to unpredictable and hard-to-detect allergens, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems” (Seeds of Deception).

A big part of the problem is that many folks don’t know if they’ve ever even consumed GM food and, further, are unaware of what foods could contain GMOs. You can find a comprehensive list of these foods here. Potential health risks of these foods are numerous, and may include increased allergies, exposure and reaction to toxic herbicide (including endocrine and intestinal problems) and problems passed along to infants from mothers who have consumed GM foods. A thorough examination of potential health problems can be found here.

The very bottom line is your health it is possible that your health is being put in jeopardy in order to increase the profits of big industry food. We can all combat this by educating ourselves and by feeding ourselves and our families with love. As always, none of this is meant to be alarmist. Rather, it is meant as a tool to help you live your healthiest life. For a full comprehensive understanding of GM foods and GMOs and what you can do to stay healthy, check this out. Here’s to your good health!

Nikki Ostrower is the founder of NAO Nutrition, a private practice in New York City specializing in weight loss, eating disorders, autism, fatigue and heart disease. She has a degree in Business Management from SUNY Binghamton and a certificate from The Academy of Healing Nutrition.

I've Been Holding Back... On MSG

I have been intentionally delaying these posts about MSG, because I knew it would consume me. And, it has. I thought I knew about MSG, after eliminating (or when I thought I had eliminated) it from my diet, in hopes of reducing my migraines.

I was not aware of the additional dangers of MSG. Not theories, but - facts. Truth. Remember when I said that "the truth can set us free"? The freedom to be healthy! I'm referring to Nicolas, my son - and the toxic world that he is now trapped in. I am not playing with words from the Bible - and (just for the record) I do believe that Jesus is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life - so, don't misinterpret me - here... BUT - there is so much information on the evils of MSG, that it will shock you. IT SHOCKED ME.

There are several websites which I often refer to, when I need information regarding MSG. I will refer to them as needed:

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

I knew I was in the right place, the first time I visited - when I read this:

If MSG wasn’t harmful, it wouldn’t be hidden.

MSG is a food additive that enhances flavors in food. It is almost flavorless and I remember my Grandmother using a little red shaker of Accent – a “special seasoning” when she cooked, to often bring out the flavor in meat. That little shaker did do something, by neurologically causing us to enjoy a more intense flavor from the food.

For consumers like us, it means experiencing an adverse effect (even if we don't notice it right away) from the additive and possible adverse health effects in the future. For babies and preemies, like Nicolas, I believe it contributed to his ASD. (Keep reading to find out how and why.)

For the food industry - $$ Increased profits (Cha-Ching…$$) and seemingly simple (cheap) way to balance taste in foods and mask unwanted tastes in order to make non-tasty (nasty) or undesirable foods taste good and be acceptable. Sounds innocent enough… MSG helps replace flavor lost by elimination of fat in many low-fat and no-fat foods. It is far from innocent.

“Autism is directly impacted by genes that affect the nervous system and the neurotransmitter glutamate according to research reported in Scientific American February 17, 2007. However, because vaccines, and processed gluten and casein (wheat and dairy), are high in the amino acid glutamate in its free form, we firmly believe these items WILL affect a child's brain during development - prior to age 7.”

Autism has been described as a hyper-glutamatergic disorder. In words that I can understand… in autistic individuals, ADHD or those in the spectrum -- glutamate is in excess in the nervous system.

We also know, based on scientific information, (that even most doctors believe) that children with ASD or ADHD ... should be avoiding ALL sources of excess glutamate found in PROCESSED wheat, dairy, soy, and corn and VACCINES with any hydrolyzed protein or gelatin in them. I know, that is one long explanation… I’ll say it again, a little shorter – just in case I lost you: I avoid glutamate in Nick's diet. I am now avoiding all forms of MSG use in and for all of us– with the same attitude that I have towards Aspartame. "No thanks."

Tomorrow - hidden sources of MSG.

Sunday Q's & A's

Q: Is Folic Acid bad for me, if it's related to kids in the spectrum? A: No, not at all. We need B vitamins/folic acid and it's found in many fruits and veggies. The latest studies have shown that between 18-20% of the US population cannot metabolize it though. Here's my understanding - that it's a theory, and that in a certain number of people, there is a suspected link between folic acid and autism spectrum disorders:

This theory is tricky, because folic acid is something that all women should have while they are pregnant, including the period while they are trying to conceive.

It is proven that a lack of folic acid during early pregnancy can cause birth defects -such as spinabifida and Down’s syndrome. There's been a lot of drama about telling women to take this as a supplement so they can lower the chances of giving birth to a child with birth defects. Some that think this excessive intake of folic acid might be the root cause of autism for some children.

At the same time, doctors suggest a folic acid supplement for some women as a way to ensure they get enough. The result might be too much of a good thing, and the theory that this leads to autism is disturbing. There is a belief that too much folic acid can lead to changes in the fetus on a chromosomal level that in turn may lead to autism.

A woman concerned about her pregnancy might eat enough fruits and vegetables, eat folic acid fortified foods, and then take a supplement to boot. That will inevitably lead to too much folic acid within the system. Please consider discussing your folic acid intake with your physician if you are worried that you are over-doing it. Besides the theory about chromosomal changes, another theory states that too much of this promotes excess brain cell production. When there are too many cells, the connections between the cells essential for function do not form as they should. The theory is that this too could be a cause of autism.

Besides those theories --- that an overabundance of folic acid can cause a change in chromosomes, another theory states that it can also cause brain cells to grow too rapidly, enlarging the brain. This then cuts down on the room within the brain for proper connections between cells to grow. It's theory. Theory.

Q: So, why is it bad for kids in the spectrum?

A: It's my understanding that my child may not be able to handle this particular b vitamin, (B-9) or folic acid. I am now supplementing him with folinic acid. It will not hurt him and neurologists have had an amazing amount of success with patients, including those previously labeled with psychological disorders. Certainly this must apply to motherhood too... (Ha - just kidding!) Those of us who are mothers, understand that once we realized that we were responsible for our little blessing - that a new instinct emerged in us - the mother bear protective instinct! There is nothing that most moms wouldn't do for their kids.

I wouldn't go on Fear Factor and eat bugs to win a million dollars. No way! But - I would if my child was terminal and eating Madagascar hissing cockroaches would cure him. I would do anything, if that were the case.

So... do I think that because I took a ton of B vitamins before and during the pregnancy, including folic acid, I could have prevented Nick's illness?

No, I don't think so - at this time, with what I know and believe. I think that vaccinations played a huge role. I believe the MMR that he received last July... how can I say this?... it put him over what his compromised body could handle. Additionally, I do believe that it was a combination of factors. But - for this blog entry, I will focus on folic acid.

I believe that there is enough evidence to support that Autism is a multifaceted Nutrigenomic disorder (interaction between genes and nutrients). We can affect our genetic code; but - how much? It's unlikely to have changed or mutated in the last 100 years,so - genetics cannot account for the rise in all modern diseases, including Autism, in that short period. According to the US Bureau of Statistics, the incidence of Autism has increased 870% in ten years. And - since genetics have not changed and our diet and food chain have dramatically changed during this time... I believe this may be responsible for some of the increase in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Some. More are:

• The introduction of toxic chemicals (antibiotics, heavy metals, pesticides, additives and preservatives) in our food chain.
• The depletion of nutrients in our food due to high intensity farming of the same soil year after year for decades.
• Farming methods that substitute chemical fertilisers for the natural decomposition of organic matter by bacteria. Increased herbicides and pesticides, etc.
• Food processing methods that destroy nutrients.
• The excessive use of antibiotics in babies and children.
• The 20-40X increase of Omega 6 oils in our diet, and a reduction in Omega 3 consumption from fish and the heating of these oils producing trans-fatty acids that damage cell membrane integrity
• Slow prolonged cooking methods that destroy vitamins.
• Microwave cooking that destroys some vitamins and bioflavanoids.
• A change in eating habits in the last 50 years: We have replaced natural nutrient-rich foods, such as organically grown fruit and vegetables, with nutrient-poor and processed foods.
• Chickens that are grown several times faster on a diet laced with antibiotics.

Nutritional deficiencies along with pre-existing genetic flaws result in sensitive cellular structures. These cells are later exposed to toxic chemicals (immunizations/vaccinations, fluoride), heavy metals (mercury, fillings, etc.) and antigens such as bacteria and viruses , which in turn can be easily damaged and consequently fail to perform their normal functions.



These cells are distributed throughout the body's systems, such as: Immune System, Central Nervous System, Gastrointestinal system, Neuroendocrine and Musculoskeletal systems and others. Consequently Autism has been described as a multi-systemic disorder.

Whew - it's a good thing that I taught Andrew his biology, health and science a few years back. It's amazing what I have had to re-learn while home educating! And here I am again, for a 3rd time, diving into biological functions.

Good News: I believe that with specific supplementation, detoxification and allergen treatment, we will see continued increased healing for Nicolas. We have noticed differences in just 3 weeks.



Looking ahead: I recently discovered the AiA - whichs stand for Allergy Induced Autism and is based waaaaayyyy over in the UK, as in the United Kingdom. I got my hands on an amazing cookbook, from the CEO of the AiA, I believe.

The AiA is a "sister" organization to our US organization called ANDI: American Network for Dietary Intervention.

This website - Autism Medical - explains the relationship between autism and eating dairy and wheat. I've copied, pasted, posted and linked before on this blog about this exact subject; but - here we have it again. This time over in the United Kingdom.

Please, take 2 minutes and read this.

Someday, somewhere and sometime, you will see a child or befriend someone who will need to know this information. Maybe someone has come to your mind already. If so, please send them the link! Oh - and just be their friend.

Our Diets Affect Our Genes?

The following sums up what I have been thinking - except in a much shorter and concise-ish kinda/sorta way...

There is emerging evidence that Autism is a multifaceted Nutrigenomic disorder (interaction between genes and nutrients). Since our genetic code is unlikely to have changed or mutated in the last 100 years, genetics cannot account for the rise in all modern diseases, including Autism, in that short period. According to the US Bureau of Statistics, the incidence of Autism has increased 870% in ten years. However, while genetics have not changed, our diet and food chain has changed dramatically in that time and may be responsible for the observed increase in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

• The introduction of toxic chemicals (antibiotics, heavy metals, pesticides, additives and preservatives) in our food chain.
• The depletion of nutrients in our food due to high intensity farming of the same soil year after year for decades.
• Farming methods that substitute chemical fertilizers for the natural decomposition of organic matter by bacteria.
• Food processing methods that destroy nutrients.
• The excessive use of antibiotics in babies and children.
• The 20-40X increase of Omega 6 oils in our diet, and a reduction in Omega 3 consumption from fish. and Heating of these oils producing trans-fatty acids that damage cell membrane integrity
• Slow prolonged cooking methods that destroy vitamins.
• Microwave cooking that destroys some vitamins and bioflavanoids.
• A change in eating habits in the last 50 years: We have replaced natural nutrient-rich foods, such as organically grown fruit and vegetables, with nutrient-poor and processed foods.
• Chickens that are grown several times faster on a diet laced with antibiotics.

Nutritional deficiencies interacting with pre-existing genetic flaws result in cellular structures and internal cellular apparatus that are less than optimum. When these cells are later exposed to toxic chemicals, heavy metals and antigens such as bacteria and viruses they can be easily damaged and consequently fail to perform their normal functions.

These cells are distributed throughout the body's systems, such as: Immune System, Central Nervous System, Gastrointestinal system, Neuroendocrine and musculoskeletal systems and others. Consequently Autism has been described as a multi-systemic disorder.