functional medicine and nutritional genomics - American Association ...

AAPI’S NUTRITION GUIDE TO OPTIMAL HEALTH: USING PRINCIPLES OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE AND NUTRITIONAL GENOMICS
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Integrative Nutrition
For Autism
Elizabeth
Strickland, MS, RD,
LD
There is an alarming increase in the rate of
developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum
disorders in our young children. Twenty-five
years ago, autism was rare; according to the
Center for Disease Control, now 1 in 110
children in the United States are diagnosed with
the disorder (1). Autism is a developmental
disorder identified in the first three years of life
and affects the brain’s normal development of
social and communication skills. First identified in
1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins
University, autism remains a puzzling childhood
disorder. Treating autism is a challenge and there
is no clear cut protocol. Every child is unique
and responds to a different variety of treatment
approaches. Therefore, it is critical that a multidisciplinary
team work together to create the most
effective combination of therapies for the individual
child.
Autism Treatment
Treatment of autism typically includes medication,
special education services, behavioral programs,
occupational therapy, sensory integration therapy,
speech-language therapy, complementary and
alternative medicine, and numerous other therapies
such as art, music, and hippo. Another treatment
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of autism includes nutrition therapy. Nutrition is
the foundation upon which all other treatments are
built. We can not expect a child with autism to
fully benefit from all his numerous therapies until
his nutritional needs are met.
Physician’s Role in Nutrition Therapy and Autism
More physicians now recognize that treating autism
purely as a psychiatric disorder is an outdated
model of care. Rather, autism is now seen as a
whole body disorder where the brain is affected by
biochemistry within the body. For many children
with autism, their physiological and behavioral
symptoms may stem from or be exacerbated by
impaired biochemistry. Physicians play a critical
role in ensuring that nutrition therapy is included
as a component of the child’s comprehensive
treatment plan. When physicians emphasize the
role that nutrition plays in enhancing a child’s
brain and body function and refer the child to a
Registered Dietitian, it encourages parents to take
good nutrition more seriously.
Nutritional Interventions Used to Treat Autism
Integrative nutritional interventions are utilized to
balance the child’s biochemistry and heal the child
systemically. Nutritional interventions include
removal of certain foods and food additives,
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