Posted on 09/06/2006 9:11:13 AM PDT by Marius3188
PROBIOTIC bacteria given to autistic children improved their concentration and behaviour so much that medical trials collapsed because parents refused to accept placebos, a scientist revealed yesterday.
The effect of the bacteria was so pronounced that some of the parents taking part in what was supposed to be a blind trial realised their children were taking something other than a placebo.
A number then refused to give their children the placebo when they were due to switch, resulting in the collapse of the trial.
Glenn Gibson, a microbiologist who ran the study of 40 autistic children aged between four and eight, said this meant it was difficult to draw any firm conclusions and he is planning to carry out further research.
However, he said parents had told him the probiotic bacteria was having a beneficial effect, resulting in "better concentration and better behaviour".
One parent said it was "heartbreaking" to have to stop their child taking it.
"It was really challenging for us and the parents. I'd really like to go back to it and do it in a better way, with perhaps more professional help from people who know how to deal with autistic children," said Prof Gibson.
"The trial ultimately failed because of the large number of drop-outs. About half the kids dropped out. Some of the parents worked out their child was on the test and didn't want to move on to the placebo."
Autistic children often suffer bowel conditions and Prof Gibson said a previous study had found high levels of a "bad" bacteria called clostridia in the gut.
The probiotic was then designed to reduce the levels of clostridia and promote "friendly" bacteria instead to see what effect this would have.
Prof Gibson, from Reading University, said the children appeared to show fewer signs of autism when taking the probiotic supplement, which was given in a powder once a day.
"Very subjectively, we asked the parents to fill in diaries about the mood of the children. We got very positive feedback generally," he said.
He said that certain kinds of clostridia produced neuro- toxins, which potentially could be the cause of autism or a contributory factor.
However, he said this was speculation and the apparent improvement could also simply be because the children had felt better.
"If your gut is not behaving yourself, you feel rough," Prof Gibson said.
The first bacteria in the gut is received from the mother during birth and then comes from the outside environment, with diet playing an important role.
"They [infants] may be under medication for an infection and that may have an effect," Prof Gibson said.
"There are all sorts of different factors that may affect that [the bacterial make-up of the gut]."
There was a scare over widely discredited claims that autism was linked to the MMR - measles, mumps and rubella - vaccine given to children.
Asked whether he thought childhood vaccines could have an effect, Prof Gibson said: "No. I don't think there is anything in this MMR business at all."
It is estimated that 535,000 people in the UK have some kind of autism, including a milder form called Asperger's Syndrome.
The condition affects four times as many boys as girls for reasons that are not clearly understood.
A spokeswoman for the National Autistic Society (NAS), the UK's leading charity for people with the condition and their families, said it followed new research into possible treatments with great interest.
She went on: "There is anecdotal evidence that certain vitamins and diets do have benefits for some people with autism. However, a great deal more research remains to be done in this area.
"The NAS looks forward to seeing the results of the further research that Professor Gibson hopes to conduct in the future."
She said that "rigorous scientific evaluation" was necessary to gauge the effects of any new treatment.
A whole range of therapies had been tried in the past, from medication and behavioural therapy to aromatherapy and swimming with dolphins, with varying degrees of success.
This is certainly good news.
This is good news. Did they have to go through all of that(the last sentence) to figure out that diet affects people though?
This parent should know that pro-biotics are available at most health food stores.
My sister has been treating her autistic daughter ever since she was diagnosed (at 2 years old. ....she's now 6). It hasn't worked.
True. I foresee a boom in health food stores selling various brands of "GI Flora" culture capsules. Having suffered through a major infestation of candida (and suffering the physical and mental effects of that), I can testify to the fact that having "inimical" species get "out of control" in the GI tract can be seriously detrimental in a major way.
Many varieties of yogurt sold in the grocery chains are labeled as being probiotic. Whether that would counter the supposed effects of clostridia, I couldn't say, though.
My 6 year old child (who is autistic) has been taking pro-biotics from Kirkland ind for about two years now. At first, it really helped him with his bowel moves, but has since declined. I do see a relationship with when his bowel moves are more regular, he is much more attentive and happy. But, I guess that would go without saying.
Remember, "probiotic" is a very general term. Even yoghurt can be described as a "probiotic".
This doesn't sound right. Patients are given placebos without their knowledge in order to determine if the improvements are psychological or real. You never tell the subject that you are switching from trial drug to placebo. Sounds like the researcher does not know what he is doing, or worst botched the research up to hide unfavorable results.
As I read it, that's not what happened. Parents of kids on the probiotics noticed so much improvement, they were able to figure out on their own that the kids were getting the real thing, and refused to change.
Having gone through considerable digestive problems and having been taking also that mixture created for autistic childern, Spectrum Awakening, I am well aware as well of the importance of probiotics straightening out the digestive tract.
But I must emphasize, the probiotics are half of it. For them to work they need room and bad bacteria and candida yeasts must be pushed aside. It can be done. I am living proof. Lab tests from Great Smokies (Now Genova) showed the major bad infestations before and followup now, the bad stuff is eradicated and high quality probiotics have filled the gap.
It is amazingly simple. A few drops of ordinary oregano oil mixed with olive oil (it burns otherwise) swallowed each day gets rid of the bad stuff in about a month or sooner. Candida is susceptible to grapefruit seed extract which can be taken much the same way. Went from major infestation to level below measurement. The oregano oil is available in local health food stores in little bottles of essence, Now brand or similar. Grapefruitseed oil is sold in little squeeze bottles. Both are cheap. Both are powerful natural anti-biotic and anti-fungals. No guessing, these oils simply work.
There are probiotics and good probiotics. The effective ones need refrigeration although there is some good in all of them I suppose. I want the stuff that has the most live critters in it and that is the refrigerated kind.
See my post above. Both remedies I mentioned have been used to treat clostridium difficile as well, giving some room for Lactobacillus probiotics to take hold.
Another avenue to explore is the path taken by Dr. Skowron. I know him and have been impressed with his insight. In my case he identified correctly that what I thought was a heart condition was a stress related matter instead. Chances are great another doctor would have treated me for the heart condition I did not have. He was effective. But his abiding interest is in helping autistic children. Here is his website:
8mm
Well, I think it probably depends on how bad the infestation is. My doctor prescribed Nystatin specifically to kill off the candida.
"It is amazingly simple. A few drops of ordinary oregano oil mixed with olive oil (it burns otherwise) swallowed each day gets rid of the bad stuff in about a month or sooner. Candida is susceptible to grapefruit seed extract which can be taken much the same way. Went from major infestation to level below measurement. The oregano oil is available in local health food stores in little bottles of essence, Now brand or similar. Grapefruitseed oil is sold in little squeeze bottles. Both are cheap. Both are powerful natural anti-biotic and anti-fungals. No guessing, these oils simply work."
Interesting. I wasn't aware of those. In my case, the Nystatin worked.
"The effective ones need refrigeration although there is some good in all of them I suppose. I want the stuff that has the most live critters in it and that is the refrigerated kind."
True. And I think it is also desirable to get the type that has a wide spectrum of DIFFERENT "friendly critters" rather than a "monoculture" containing only a single type.
In my case, the malady was caused by having taken strong antibiotics for recurring sinus infections for long periods of time. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!---IF YOU TAKE ANTIBIOTICS, TAKE ACIDOPHILUS CULTURE CAPSULES AT THE SAME TIME!!!! This immediately "re-seeds" the friendly bacteria killed off by the antibiotic and prevents candida and other nasties from overgrowing.
You are on target with that. My problems also came with antibiotics. And I think a hearty variety of probiotics is important. In my case, the infestation was bad, leading to perforated intestines and potential septic infection.
Grapefruit seed extract certainly works and is cheap and easy and the lab proven results show it is a dramatic effect as well. Problem with these kinds of cures is not much profit for the drug companies.
This is actually a terrible result.
Now we do not know if this treatment really works or not.
Parents of autistic children will read this and try it out, not really knowing if it works or not but having great hope that it will.
And there have many treatments for autism which turned out to give a lot of false hope.
So is it necessary to eradicate the infestations (with oregano / grape seed oils) before taking pro-biotics, or can one take both at the same time?
We actually take the probiotics several hours after each dose and I guess some of the good bacteria may be killed in the process, but we keep piling it on. After stopping the oregano oil or grapefruit seed extract, we take it full speed ahead so as to give no time for the bad bacteria to recover.
Caution! I have made the mistake myself. It is grapeFRUIT seed extact, not grape seed extract which may be sold right next to it.
Many years ago I was fascinated how wild grapefruit would fall to the floor of the woods and not spoil. It was protected by this powerful antifungal I suppose.
Caution! I have made the mistake myself. It is grapeFRUIT seed extact, not grape seed extract which may be sold right next to it.
Many years ago I was fascinated how wild grapefruit would fall to the floor of the woods and not spoil. It was protected by this powerful antifungal I suppose.
I need to start taking that stuff to see if it will help me. Do you have a link to purchase it on line? I don't know if our one horse town would have it, and it would be cheaper for me to buy it on line than to have to go all the way into Albuquerque, with gas as high as it is. :o)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.