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Providing Help and Support For Families Using a Gluten & Casein Free Diet in the Treatment of Autism and Related Developmental Disabilities.
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Dear Parents:

Due to the overwhelming amount of interest in dietary intervention for the treatment of autism spectrum disorders, we have been receiving hundreds of letters each day. The following form letter contains the answers to the questions that have been asked most often by concerned parents and professionals. Please read through it carefully.

We wish you the best of luck.

Sincerely,

Karyn Seroussi & Lisa S. Lewis
ANDI

Category: ALL  |  ANDI FAQ  |  Dietary FAQ



ANDI FAQ

1. Where can I find support?

2. My doctor has never heard of any of this and she is extremely skeptical. I'm embarrassed to tell her I'm considering this approach.

3. My friend's child tried Nystatin and it made him vomit. If Nystatin is so safe, why did he react to it?

4. That's why you're supposed to eat yogurt when you are on antibiotics!

5. Aren't probiotics the

6. How do I treat for candida?

7. So does yeast cause autism?

8. How do we know if this is really true?

9. What's all this I hear about yeast?

10. So how do I know if my child will respond to this diet?

11. What else does my child need?

12. So I should be giving my child a vitamin supplement?

13. I thought the

14. I'm already worried about my child's nutrition, and his

15. How do I know which foods he's allergic to?

16. So, if I can't give him milk or wheat, and if he has some other food allergies, what do I feed my child?

17. What causes this problem? Autism seems to be so much more common than it used to be.

18. But my child's immune system seems to be working unusually well - he is rarely sick.

19. So if these foods are not contributing to his autism, they're okay?

20. After I removed gluten and casein, I discovered that other foods seemed to be causing a problem, like apples, soy, corn, tomatoes, and bananas. I see irritability, red cheeks and ears, and sometimes diarrhea or a diaper rash. I thought you said that these kids don't have allergies!

21. What else contains gluten?

22. The only non-dairy, non-wheat foods my child will eat are french fries and chicken nuggets. Are these okay?

23. When my child was taken just off dairy he improved greatly, but then he started eating a lot of wheat, perhaps to make up the opiates he was missing. Will I see the same kind of noticeable improvement when I remove gluten?

24. Isn't milk necessary for children's health?

25. How do I know if this applies to my child?

26. Removing both foods at once seems overwhelming, and I'm afraid of my child's reaction. Can I start slowly?

27. I might be willing to try removing dairy products from his diet, but I don't think I could handle removing gluten. It seems like a lot of work, and I'm so busy already. Is this really necessary?

28. Is this diet expensive?

29. But if I take away milk, what will my child do for calcium?

30. But milk and wheat are the only two foods my child will eat. His diet is completely comprised of milk, cheese, cereal, pasta, and bread. If I take these away, I'm afraid he'll starve.

31. Which proteins are causing this problem?

32. What happens when they get these proteins?

33. I don't think my child has allergies, or that allergies could cause autism. Why should I try removing foods from his diet?

34. I would like to try this diet, but the idea of starting it, particularly with my child and my family, overwhelms me.

35. Why do I need to remove gluten AND casein?

36. How long do I need to do the diet before I see results?

37. My child does not crave certain foods - could he respond to the diet?

38. How do I know if my child will respond? I'd love to do some testing before starting the diet.

39. My doctor doesn't believe that there is a connection between autism and diet. Are there any scientific studies or papers I can show her?

40. Do older children and/or adults respond to this diet?

41. Do children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, Apraxia, Dyspraxia and Sensory Integration Dysfunction, and Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder respond to this diet?

42. I don't have a child with autism, but I have a young child and I am concerned about vaccinations. How do I know if he is at risk for getting autism?


Dietary FAQ

43. The only non-dairy, non-wheat foods my child will eat are french fries and chicken nuggets. Are these okay?

44. I thought the "five food groups" were so important!

45. Should I be giving my child a vitamin supplement?

46. What are my child's nutritional needs?

47. So how do I know if my child will respond to this diet?

48. What's all this I hear about yeast?

49. So does yeast cause autism?

50. How do I treat for candida?

51. That's why you're supposed to eat yogurt when you are on antibiotics!

52. My friend's child tried Nystatin and it made him vomit. If Nystatin is so safe, why did he react to it?

53. My doctor has never heard of any of this and she is extremely skeptical. I'm embarrassed to tell her I'm considering this approach.

54. Where can I find support?

55. When my child was taken just off dairy he improved greatly, but then he started eating a lot of wheat, perhaps to make up the opiates he was missing. Will I see the same kind of noticeable improvement when I remove gluten?

56. What is casomorphin?

57. What is gliadorphin?

58. Is it best to start with one or the other or just go GF/CF from the start?

59. Why do I need to completely remove both gluten and casein?

60. Do children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, Apraxia, Dyspraxia and Sensory Integration Dysfunction, and Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder respond to this diet?

61. Do older children or adults respond to this diet?

62. Can you recommend a pediatrician who will listen to me and is "open minded." My pediatrician does not believe diet changes can help. I am willing to go anywhere and do anything for my child.

63. My doctor has never heard of any of this and she is extremely skeptical. I'm embarrassed to tell her I'm considering this approach. What do you think?

64. But my child's immune system seems to be working unusually well - he is rarely sick.

65. What causes this problem? Autism seems to be so much more common than it used to be?

66. I heard that dairy peptides (from casein) leave the body in about 2-4 days and that
gluten takes much longer. How long does it take to eliminate gluten from the system, or at least bring it down to an acceptable level? Is it possible that gluten might never leave the body completely?

67. I am confused about allergy vs. intolerance. I understand that our children may be sensitive to corn, soy and other foods as well as gluten and casein. Does this mean that they will eventually start turning these foods into the morphine-like compounds too? If this were the case, would they show up as an allergy on a RAST test? Or were our children were always allergic to these foods (a regular allergy that may cause behavioral changes in our children), and we just didn't know because the gluten and casein were hiding the allergy.

68. What is Urinary Peptide Testing?

69. If I am restricting my child's foods, should I give him/her nutritional supplements?

70. What do I do when we go to a party or out to another person's house and are trying to maintain my child on a GF/CF diet? At times we find it impossible to catch him before he ingests something he shouldn't.

71. Could you give me some advice about how you keep products cold or frozen (dry ice?) when traveling, and where to find foods in health foods stores in Europe?

72. How strict do I have to be?

73. Is there a standard protocol for going GF/CF?

74. I'd like to have my child tested for Celiac Disease, but he's already been gluten-free for several months. Will the test results be accurate?

75. I am breast feeding him and am wondering if you have met anybody who has a child with autism and has found an improvement in symptoms after weaning. I have read several articles that say breastfeeding is fine because the casien protein is different. Yet I find that he for whatever reason that he feels weak and falls apart if he doesn't nurse often.

76. Do you have any information on a sweetener called XYLITOL?

77. I have come across several studies speculating that oats might be suitable for people on a GF diet. Is this true?

78. I happen to read about the supplement DMG with folic acid. When I asked about DMG to her doctor she said that she is not aware of it.

Will the DMG have any side effects? Can it be taken without prescription?

79. My child responded dramatically to dietary intervention and no longer has autism. However, he has now been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Do you think these are on the same spectrum?

80. People with celiac disease suffer from gut damage caused by a type of allergy to gluten, and this illness has never been associated with autistic behavior. If these patients have a leaky gut, why don't they experience neurological symptoms?

81. 

82. Do we need to worry about gluten-containing lotions, shampoos, and toothpaste being absorbed through the skin?

83. As I am learning to read labels I see monosodium glutamate and don't know if that is ok? Anybody know what it is?

84. I'm trying an anti-yeast diet with my daughter. What's the problem with using aspartame (nutrasweet/ instead of sugar?

85. I am wondering if anyone else is having problems with school and keeping them on the diet? I have sent a note saying "Please don't give him dairy, wheat, corn, or soy." Today I came in and they were giving him Popcorn!

86. Is it okay to be on the diet and allow occasional infractions if there are no obvious reactions?

87. What percentage of children will respond to dietary intervention?

88. Which foods contain phenols and salicylates? How do I know if my child tolerates them?

89. What else contains gluten?

90. Aren't probiotics the "healthy flora" I've heard about?

91. How do I interpret the test results?

92. My child does not crave certain foods - could he respond to the diet?

93. If my child responds to the removal of dairy, does that mean I have to remove gluten? Is it possible that he can have a problem with one, and not the other?

94. How do I know if this applies to my child?

95. What if I don't get results after a long time on the diet?

96. Are they reliable? How reliable?

97. Which labs do food allergy blood testing?

98. I might be willing to try removing dairy products from his diet, but I don't think I could handle removing gluten. It seems like a lot of work, and I'm so busy already. Is this really necessary?

99. Removing both foods at once seems overwhelming. I'm afraid of my child's reaction. Can I start slowly?

100. How do I know if this applies to my child?

101. My son has been on the diet for several months now, with positive results. He recently ate a hamburger bun, and there has been no regression. What does this mean?

102. I don't think my child has allergies, or that allergies could cause autism. Why should I try removing foods from his diet?

103. What happens when they get these proteins?

104. Which proteins are causing this problem?

105. Milk and wheat are the only two foods my child will eat. His diet is completely comprised of milk, cheese, cereal, pasta, and bread. If I take these away, I'm afraid he'll starve.

106. If I take away milk, what will my child do for calcium?

107. Is this diet expensive?

108. I'd love to do some testing before starting the diet. Is there a measurable test result I can use to convince myself, my spouse, or my doctor?

109. How can I contact the labs that do urinary peptide testing?

110. Isn't milk necessary for children's health?

111. After I removed gluten and casein, I discovered that other foods seemed to be causing a problem, like apples, soy, corn, tomatoes, and bananas. I see irritability, red cheeks and ears, and sometimes diarrhea or a diaper rash. I thought you said that these kids don't have allergies!

112. So if these foods are not contributing to his autism, they're okay?

113. My child's immune system seems to be working unusually well - he is rarely sick.

114. What causes this problem? Autism seems to be so much more common than it used to be.

115. If I can't give him milk or wheat, and if he has some other food allergies, what do I feed my child?