Health: Fever Can Unlock Autism's Grip: Study

[Guest guest]

As you read on down you will appreciate why those in the know who work with

children who are autistic always say .. listen to the parents. I

watched three of these folks being interviewed on TV and they all stated

this over and over and over. Butch

 

Fever Can Unlock Autism's Grip: Study

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2921232720071203

 

Mon Dec 3, 2007 1:06am EST

 

By Michael Conlon

 

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Fever can temporarily unlock autism's grip on children,

a finding that could shed light on the roots of the condition and perhaps

provide clues for treatment, researchers reported on Monday.

 

It appears that fever restores nerve cell communications in regions of the

autistic brain, restoring a child's ability to interact and socialize during

the fever, the study said.

 

" The results of this study are important because they show us that the

autistic brain is plastic, or capable of altering current connections and

forming new ones in response to different experiences or conditions, " said

Dr. Andrew Zimmerman, a pediatric neurologist at Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger

Institute, who was one of the study authors.

 

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, was based on 30 children

with autism aged 2 to 18 who were observed during and after a fever of at

least 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

More than 80 percent of those with fever showed some improvements in

behavior during it and 30 percent had dramatic improvements, the researchers

said. The change involved things like longer concentration spans, more

talking, improved eye contact and better overall relations with adults and

other children.

 

Zimmerman's team said the fever effect had been noted anecdotally in the

past by parents and doctors.

 

Lee Grossman, president and chief executive officer of the Autism Society of

America, said he had noticed it in his own son, who is now 20.

 

But he noted in an interview that the study's authors said expanded research

was needed on the fever effect and its implications. " It's good that they've

noticed this and are bringing it forward, " he said.

 

People with autism spectrum disorders suffer in varying degrees from limited

social interactions, lack of verbal and non-verbal communication and other

abilities.

 

As many as 1.5 million Americans have some form of autism, according to ASA.

It is not known what causes the condition.

 

Zimmerman said that while there currently is no definitive medical

treatment, speech and language therapy started as soon as possible after

diagnosis " can make a significant difference. "

 

He called the fever research, headed by colleague Laura Curran, " an exciting

lead " that could help point the way to a treatment that would reconnect the

autistic brain. He said the fever effect was believed found only in

children, whose brains are more " plastic " than those of adults.

 

(Editing by Andrew Stern and Eric Beech)

 

© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

my little note on this:

 

husband is austistic... Aspergers.

 

He was " normal " until he got the measles. It was the high fever that short

circuted HIS brain and fried SOMETHING (I don't pretend to know what).

 

The saddest thing he ever said to me was " I remember being normal " .

 

K

 

 

On 12/3/07, Butch Owen <butchowen wrote:

>

> .

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

Cheers!

Kathleen Petrides

Publisher

http://www.aromaticsage.com

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Butch,

 

I'm a parent of an autistic son. The group of parents and

neurodevelopmentalists I have worked with for 7 years have seen this

happen over and over again. Not only does fever seem to improve

symptoms, but also anti-biotics and anti-inflammatory medication. The

improvements are only temporary. They go away when the fever and the

medications go away. It doesn't happen with every kid. Seemingly, we

believe, the child who responds like this has some sort of viral load or

bacterial growth in their system that is causing neurological problems.

We believe there is a strong connection between the gut and the brain in

autism.

 

When I had my son screened with muscle testing in January we found CMV

(cytomegalovirus) in his system. It was in his spleen and in his brain.

In all likelihood, I had CMV while I was pregnant with him.

Unfortunately, CMV is present in 50-85% of the population. It is

completely benign unless you have it during pregnancy. Then it has been

implicated in both Autism and Cerebral Palsy. We cleared it with

homeopathics and were able to regain even more lucidity with my son.

 

It would be great if every kid had the same cause for their autism!

However, it just isn't that way. My son was autistic from birth. He has

never had the MMR. He was showing signs of autism long before he ever

had his first vaccination. He has had only a minimal number of vaccines

before I bailed on that whole idea.

 

So, yes, we are happy the medical community has finally legitimized our

anecdotal knowledge. Hopefully they will not use this knowledge to

create yet another drug to put kids on for a lifetime.

 

Sabrina

 

 

Butch Owen wrote:

>

> As you read on down you will appreciate why those in the know who work

> with

> children who are autistic always say .. listen to the parents. I

> watched three of these folks being interviewed on TV and they all stated

> this over and over and over. Butch

>

> Fever Can Unlock Autism's Grip: Study

>

> http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2921232720071203

> <http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2921232720071203>

>

> Mon Dec 3, 2007 1:06am EST

>

> .

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kathleen,

 

There is a company named Celletech that sells homeopathic immunization

clearing kits. You have nothing to lose by trying these out to see if

they repair some of the damage. Also, digestive enzymes through Houston

Pharmaceuticals have been known to help with symptoms by reversing

damage in the gut caused by measles.

 

Just a thought.

 

Sabrina

 

 

Kathleen Petrides wrote:

>

> my little note on this:

>

> husband is austistic... Aspergers.

>

> He was " normal " until he got the measles. It was the high fever that short

> circuted HIS brain and fried SOMETHING (I don't pretend to know what).

>

> The saddest thing he ever said to me was " I remember being normal " .

>

> K

>

> On 12/3/07, Butch Owen <butchowen

> <butchowen%40gmail.com>> wrote:

> >

> > .

> >

> >

> >

>

> --

> Cheers!

> Kathleen Petrides

> Publisher

> http://www.aromaticsage.com <http://www.aromaticsage.com>

>

>

[Guest guest]

There's also quite a bit of talk about autism being linked to gluten

intolerance or allergies.

 

 

 

~*~Leann B~*~

www.patchoulymoon.com

 

Handmade Soap That's Out of This World!