Tag: gene

Folate Schmolate

When I was pregnant with my munchkins, I took care of myself and did all of the things I was supposed to do. I didn’t drink alcohol, I tried to eat healthy (not easy with morning sickness), I took my giant fish oil capsule, which, for a girl who doesn’t like the taste or smell of fish, was no easy task at the best of times, but with morning sickness it was almost impossible. Blahhh.  And of course, I took my pregnancy multivitamin…with folate. Of course, we all know now that low levels of folate when a woman is pregnant can cause neural tube defects in your new born, which is something that none of us would risk, especially when taking a simple folate supplement can avoid that all together. All pregnant women are told to take folate for this reason, and of course, we do it for our children and ourselves.   To avoid problems in women who don’t supplement, the government require food and beverage manufactures to ‘enrich’ their products with folate and thiamine (vitamin b1). Thiamine is added to avoid a nasty condition called Beriberi which is caused by overconsumption of carbohydrates and depletion of B1.

We are all aware for the most part to some extent, that food is not what it used to be. We know this don’t we? As an example, take my beloved Sauvignon Blanc, or Merlot. Were they traditionally made with the preservatives that they contain now? Nup. They have not always contained sulphites, as alcohol IS a preservative. Has meat always contained the growth hormones that it contains now? Nup. Cows and sheep all managed to just grow just fine on their own, thank you very much, if they were given grass, water and sunshine. So what we have, is a situation where food and livestock have been manipulated over time to be vastly different than they used to be. I remember an ad growing up that said ‘bread is the staff of life’ and for hundreds of years this may have been true, but now that the bread is enriched, it may be the exact opposite for a large percentage of people.

That problem is that approximately 45% of people can’t break down this chemical into the form of folate that the body can use, so it then becomes a toxin. Did any government check with the population before they loaded up every product that contains flour with these extra ingredients? Nup. It’s really a cheap and easy win for the government (I really don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but i’m getting fed up with this crap). They pass a bill saying ‘put folate into flour that is used for baking and babies won’t get spina bifida’. They look like super heroes. They just need capes and a leotard with a great big ‘F’ on the front. We of course would let them think that the F stands for folate 😉

A lot of people are affected by a Single Neucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) of the MethyleneTetraHydroFolate Reducatase gene (MTHFR).   A  what? Big long words for gene mutation. What is this gene mutation? I have written about this before in my post ‘You MTHFR’.  MTHFR is a gene and an enzyme that breaks down folate into the usable form ‘l-methylfolate’ which then is used for several cycles that included methylation (detoxification) and the B4 cycle (neurotransmitters). In a percentage of people, the mutation is such that they are unable to break down the folate into a usable form, so not only are they low in folate, but are now more toxic because the supplement then becomes a burden that the body has to deal with. If you’re on the pill the news is not good. The pill depletes folate in the body, and makes a bad situation worse. Gluten has been the big buzz word for the last decade and I couldn’t agree more that there is waaaay to much gluten around, but this flood of folate has been overlooked and could be causing a lot a people a lot a problems that they don’t  realise. What if, in taking my supplements and eating enriched foods, I have inadvertently helped to create or exacerbate another condition???? High histamine, or histadelia, is linked to this gene,  and can run in families. Is it possible that I have contributed to my own histdelic state, causing severe morning sickness and bombarding Fraser’s growing body with harmful levels of folate and hormones that my body could not break down or detoxify, which have in turn caused some or all of the issues he has today? It seems not only possible, but very likely. He had hallmarks of histamine issues from the time he was a month old, such intestinal discomfort and eczema on his face, which with good ol’ hindsight seems quite obvious now. So from where I stand today, looking back over this chain of events, it seems painfully obvious that I HAVE in fact at best, made things worse than they would have been, and at worse, caused a situation that might not have been. It might not be as cut and dried as that, but it might be. I am not one to look back with regret though, as regret serves no purpose in this instance. I keep my head high and look forward. I look forward to a time when scientists are able to stop a worm hole collapsing in on itself and making time travel possible. Only kidding….sort of.

Are you wondering what the hell this has to do with Autism? Well, my investigations constantly bring me back to a figure of 98%. It is estimated the 98% of people with Autism have a MTHFR gene mutation. That is a pretty staggering number. The list of health conditions linked to this gene don’t stop at Autism. It is really mind blowing. I won’t overwhelm you with it here, but it’s worth Googling or Binging or Yahooing.

So, solution? Come on Kitty, what do I do then? For Fraser I get Oat sour dough that does not contain folate from the local health food shop. Yes it’s expensive, but I think of it as an investment in his health rather than an expense. The thing about it is, is that he is better on this bread. Of course the other option is to make your own bread. I mean from scratch…even the bread mixes at the supermarket already contain folate. Argh! Be aware of everything that has flour in it from breads to biscuits to pastries. It’s everywhere! Avoid packaged foods as much as possible and add in fresh fruit and vegetables  as much as you can.  Not easy with a kid with Autism!  I guess the thing is to not be too stressed. Just do what you can and be aware that it could be causing problems. The best thing to do if you can is get a test for the gene (doing it in the next few weeks), and you can supplement with the active forms of B Vitamins. I use a website called  iherb which have very affordable supplements and shipping.  Just type in ‘activated b vitamins’ and you’ll have a range to choose from that will suit your budget.  It pays to do this slowly as it will begin a cascade of detoxification processes that could be uncomfortable.  I will post on this in the coming weeks.  Otherwise, do the easiest thing…stay away from processed food and stick to food naturally high in folate. Ah, if only wine were high in folate 🙂

Take care,

Kitty. xx

Link to my app – https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/emotion-fonts/id779305002?mt=8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is Autism Inevitable?

Over the years, I have had many many conversations with many many people about Autism.  Some are wanting information, some are just curious,  and mostly people are kind and caring.  I have noticed though, that one question gets asked more than others.  The question is…’are there more kids with Autism these days or is it just diagnosed better’?  And my answer is this ‘there are more kids with Autism these days and it is diagnosed better’.  I’m not trying to be wiseacre, but to me, that seems to be the answer!  With that said, I do have to add one thing. Yes our diagnostic tools are better these days.  There are more tests available, and a whole lot more information than there used to be.  Of course there are more diagnostic categories than there used to be.  It’s not just Autism anymore, it’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and within that spectrum lie a vast number of extreme’s and diagnosis.  For example :  PDD (Pervasive Development Disorder), SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD), Rett Syndrome, Aspergers Syndrome and of course Autistic Disorder.  So indeed, there are a lot more possibilities for diagnosis, BUT, there are waaaaaaay more children being diagnosed than ever before because there are waaaaaaaay more children affected than ever before.  All you have to do to know that this is true is to think back to your own school days.  Of course there were always one or two kids in the school that were ‘a bit different’, but now it’s hard to meet anyone who doesn’t know or know of, someone that is affected in some way.

Lets look at the possibility of why. 100 years ago, when statistically there was no Autism, what was different?  The short answer is almost everything, but lets at least start with something that affects everybody, everyday…food.  This is an obvious place to start when you look at the supermarkets of today.  Basically, they had meat, vegetables  (mostly locally sourced) a little fruit, grains in the form of bread and porridge, eggs, milk, water and perhaps a little sugar in their tea.  Of course any treats such as biscuits and cakes were rare and home made.  There may have been, for the average person at least, a little alcohol on the odd occasion.  Fast forward to today, and while our diet may resemble the basics, it’s a safe bet that we all have a lot more sugar than just a little in our tea, probably more grains than vegetables from all of the pasta, bread, rice and breakfast cereals that we eat each and every day. Add to that, the hormones and antibiotics feed to the animals that we eat, add to that the grains, especially corn, fed to the animals that were never meant to eat grains. Add to that the bombardment of agricultural sprays on our fruits and vegetables, add to that the gmo’s,  add to that the depletion of the soils from over farming, add to that the chemicals such as BPA added to bottled water and canned goods that we eat.  Add to that preservatives, food colourings, flavour enhancers, gluten gluten and more gluten!  Add to that things you can’t even freaking pronounce!!!

Now lets look at the environment we live in.  100 years ago, the population was much smaller than it is today.  They were simpler times when people worked close to where they lived.  The transport was much more limited than it is today, with bicycles, horses, trains and of course walking being the major ways of getting around.  Fast forward to today and there are MILLIONS of cars clogging up roads everyday.  If you live in the suburbs or inner urban areas, you can’t escape the sound of traffic, let alone, the bi-products of the traffic namely,  cadmium, lead and carbon monoxide. Then add mercury from industrial fumes as well as countless other nasties, now add endless cleaning chemicals and antibacterial hand washes that contain liver damaging triclosan, add to that, heating and air conditioning, flame retardants on our pj’s and almost every piece of furniture we own and of course the biggest add of them all, electromagnetic radiation from power lines, appliances and wireless technology.

Lets have a quick look at the water we drink now.  100 years ago, it was as basic as it gets, fast forward to today and things have dramatically changed with the addition of fluoride and chlorine in the water, not mention the countless heavy metals and industrial waste that have polluted our water supply.  There are so many more things that could be added here, but I think i’ve made my point.

So, what does this have to do with Autism?  Well, I think when you look at the changes that have occurred  in the last 100 years (and this is only scratching the surface), you have to wonder what effect does this have on the human body???  To answer that question, you really only need to look around and see the epidemics surrounding us.  It’s on the news almost every day!  Obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and Alzheimers and of course Autism which now affects 1 in 68 children.  In 1975 it was 1 in 5000!!!  Growing up in the 70’s I don’t think i’d ever heard of anyone having autism or cancer, now, I know too many people who are suffering from these once rare conditions.  It is happening really fast.  Our bodies have evolved over 100,000 years.  How are they supposed to adapt to this tidal wave of assaults in 100 years!!!!  I believe that when industrial chemicals, food additives, petrol fumes etc, made their way into the environment, that our grandparents were affected. How could they not be? I believe that these affects were passed down to their children, who have now passed them onto our children and I will use my own family as an example, as this is why this post has any relevance at all.  My grandfather died of bowel cancer and Alzheimers disease. My Mum was diagnosed as a child with Crohns Disease and in the last 10 years has developed Rheumatoid Arthritis, her twin sister in that time has been diagnosed with Lupus.  Their older sister developed severe Rheumatoid Arthritis in her 30’s.  Her daughter, my cousin, was also diagnosed with RA in her 30’s. My grandmother, my mum and her two sisters have all had thyroid problems. I won’t delve further than that for now, but of course, my interest peaks at my own son who has Autism, Intellectual Disability and PANDAS, which is an Autoimmune condition (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Crohns are also autoimmune diseases). I believe the affect of these changes have been profound.  I believe that our bodies and brains are the results of the cumulative affect of these changes. I believe that some of us, generationally speaking, have paid a fairly high price for these changes. I believe that while our bodies are truly incredible and are obviously capable of dealing with many things, gene’s have been switched on and off in ways that must differ from those 100 short years ago. (Please see my post ‘You MTHFR’). I believe that with all of this in mind,  Autism and other conditions must be an inevitability.   There are more than 200 chemicals found in umbilical cord blood. 200!!!!!!!!  Babies are compromised in utero. Not necessarily through any fault of the poor mother, but from the environment we are living in. Children with Autism are  the canaries in the coal mine.

So what is my point?  My point as usual is to make people aware.  We need to keep our minds open, we need to understand what we are doing and what future we are contributing to. We need to look further than the brain for answers.  We need to look more at the gut and the liver, at what price they have paid and will keep paying.  We need to not just look for an ‘Autism Gene’, but look for which genes are effected in a person with Autism. We have come such a long way in our understanding, but I think we have a long long way to go. You may not agree with my theory at all and thats okay.  But after researching for ten years, it feels pretty obvious to me.  As a parent, it is my responsibility to not only look after my beautiful boy, but to help my daughter have the best possible outcomes when she is old enough to have children of her own.  This is my conclusion and it feels pretty logical.  Now that you’ve read this you may truly understand why I made the title a question and why i’m off to get a glass of Sauv Blanc. Actually, I might make it a green tea instead 🙂

Take care,

Kitty

xx