[Perna]

Interesting article in Health Day News:

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=638630

Interesting, Perna.

A gluten/casein free diet has made a HUGE difference for my son.

[Callista]

I've seen repeated studies--large-scale and well-designed--that say GF/CF has no benefit for autistic children. It has, however, been proven to cause bone-density loss.

I've seen repeated testimonials that it does have a benefit. Most likely, I think, people who say that GF/CF has a benefit are mistaking natural--often sudden--growth and development of autistic children as being caused by the diet; or else seeing improvement that happens in a lactose-intolerant child when milk is taken out of the diet (or a child with a wheat allergy; or a child whose diet improves in quality due to the GF/CF restrictions removing overly processed, low-nutrition foods).

[Oakrun]

Interesting article about gluten free and autism.

Not mentioned in the article on alternative therapies, I've been reading Dr. Cannell's information on vitamin D3 possibly helping autism.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health/autism/

[Callista]

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: All these "alternative" things are alternative because they're unproven. No evidence. Often, evidence to the contrary. And some of them can be harmful.

For the most part, the ones that are beneficial are the ones that tend to be beneficial for anyone who tries them--things like yoga, or eating less highly-processed food, or fixing vitamin deficiencies.

If you are going to try something "alternative", then you have to remember that these things are medical treatments, too--experimental, possibly dangerous medical treatments; probably having no benefit; almost certainly causing side effects. They're not mainstream, because if they were shown to work, then the mainstream would have adopted them long ago!

There are some things that are quite safe to try, and will only waste money if they don't help. Those things, I can see trying. But I spent my childhood on the alternative-medicine merry-go-round, I'm still autistic, and the only things that were beneficial are the things that any sensible doctor would recommend anyway: Good food, enjoyable physical activity, and a calm, orderly environment.