Recovery From Autism

Dietary Intervention is one of many treatments for children with Autism. One diet, specifically the gluten-free and casein-free diet is now wide known as a treatment worth trying.

The reason for placing a child on this diet is best explained in the book, Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery by Karyn Seroussi, who states “…a subtype of children with autism break down milk protein (casein) into peptides that affect the brain in the same way that hallucinogenic drugs do. A handful of scientists had discovered compounds containing opiates – a class of substances including opium and heroin – in the urine of autistic children. The researchers theorized that either these children were missing an enzyme that normally breaks down the peptides into a digestible form, or the peptides were somehow leaking into the bloodstream before they could be digested.”

In 1995, when her son was diagnosed, parents on support group websites told her parents had been cutting dairy out of their children’s diets for 20 years already, and that researchers were attempting to prove the connection between dairy and autism. The book also offers in an easy to understand language an explanation of why parents should try the diet.

Casein has a molecular structure that is almost identical to gluten. So, although a child may suffer from casein sensitivity more that gluten or visa versa; it is imperative to remove both from the diet. Casein includes all diary products and all products that contain casein. Parents must read labels carefully; products that include whey have casein in them. Some parents find managing the gluten-free side of the diet more difficult.

Gluten-free requires removing all wheat, rye, and barley out of a person’s diet. Oats have been an item of controversy. Most parents eliminate oats as well to be safe. Often oats are processed in the same mills as gluten grains, and the chance of cross contamination is too great. There are many hidden sources of gluten. MSG, modified food starch, some detergents and soaps may have hidden gluten. Talk about Curing Autism (TACA) has a thorough list of items containing gluten and casein at the website, http://gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringautism.org/hidden-sources-of-gluten.htm. The list may seem daunting to some parents, but as they continue to read it they will find many of the items listed have never been used in their home.

The Autism Research Institute at www.autism.org offers testimonials, scientific research data and other helpful information for parents considering the diet for their child. ARI states on their website that a remarkable 66% of children put on the diet showed improvement. When parents have over 700 treatment options available, they do not have time to waste on treatments that show 5% or 10% of children improved. It makes sense to try the treatments that have a proven history of success.
 
Some people attempt to discredit the impact of the diet on improvement in children by the fact no double blind studies have verified what parents have been doing for 40 years. Thankfully, a 2008 study has started to offer the proof. “This is the first study to develop and test a range of double-blind test foods for regular consumption by young children with autism.” The test is funded by Research Autism & The Children's Foundation (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18721407).
Once a parent decides to put their child on a gluten/casein free diet, getting started may feel intimidating. The single best resource for this parent is another parent who has gone through this same experience. Parents who find another parent in the community who also has a child on a GFCF diet instantly has a person on their side that wants them to succeed. The parent may feel inspired by the other child’s progress and will want their child to do as well. The mentor parent has most likely done investigating already and has a list of must have, safe items for both children. If finding a mentor is not an option, there are many others.

Web sites are available for parents who are overwhelmed by the transition of going GFCF. One website, gfcfdiet.com is a phenomenal resource. The site includes tips on going gluten and casein free, menus, recipes, testimonials, and sells snacks, vitamins and other necessary products. Also offered is a 3 disc DVD set explaining the diet, allergies, supplements, yeast cooking tips and phenols. This disc is helpful for parents starting the diet as well as parents of children who have been on the diet for some time.

Parents who enjoy cooking and baking will find thousands of recipes in the form of online websites and cookbooks. Two books not to overlook are Special Diets for Special Kids: Understanding and Implementing Special Diets to Aid in the Treatment of Autism and Related Developmental Disorders and Special Diets for Special Kids Two, both by Lisa Lewis, Ph.D. The third book parents will find helpful is, The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet , by Pamela Compart M.D. and Danna Laake, a nutritionist. Some websites that offer gfcf diet recipes are www.newdiets.com, www.gfcfrecipes.com, and www.domatalivingflour.com/glutenfreerecipes

Parents who do not like the idea of cooking two separate meals three times a day will appreciate companies such as Your Dinner Secret. At their website, gfmeals.com parents can purchase pre-cooked, pre-assembled meals. A wide variety of foods are offered, from homemade Ketchup to Shepard’s Pie to Mini-Bundt Cake. Pre-cooked meals are an option for rushed family dinners. This option also can add variety to a diet that may sometimes feel limited.

Purchasing pre-cooked items are also available at supermarkets and specialty food stores. While the items can be more expensive than the regular items made with gluten, many times the convenience is worth it. Pizza crusts, bread items, rolls, waffles, and cereal are only some of the items offers on grocery store shelves. Any item made with gluten flour can be made using gluten-free flour. Parents should not feel their child will be lacking in the food available on this diet.

This diet costs money, but the health of the children can’t be measured in dollars. For parents in the United States, there are agencies that can help with the cost of specialty foods. In New York, for example, the WNYDDSO and Agape Parent’s Fellowship are a few such agencies. Eating healthy can save money in health care costs, prescriptions, and promotes a more active generation of little ones. Many parents of children on the Gluten and Casein Free diet are convinced their children eat better than their peers. In an age of childhood obesity, how can increasing the percentage of fruits and vegetables in a child’s diet be seen as unhealthy?

Finally, an answer to the ‘why’ question. Why do parents go through all of this trouble? Parents feel they must do something to fight against the normally depressing future given to them by the doctor giving the diagnosis. Some parents wait 6 months for an appointment for testing. Are they to sit and watch their child slip further away into themselves, giving up a possible 6 months of improvement. No! They fight. Proving the doctor wrong becomes their goal. A diet with proper dietician consultation is a noninvasive treatment. If a GFCF diet has a chance of reducing negative behaviors, increasing eye contact, and decreasing tantrums- parents will try it. Three months is all it takes to determine if the diet will help their child. Improvement could be made while waiting for the testing appointment. It is a challenge to implement, but they are up to it. The reward of having a child who reaches his potential is worth any sacrifice to a parent.

There are several diets that claim to help children with Autism. How does a parent decide which, if any, to put their child on? For many parents, data helps validate the claims and helps them feel more comfortable in their decisions. This article discusses about two diets and the third one GFCF Diet, I will discuss it in another article (please stay tuned ..). All of these diets have been used for years, and have documented proof that it helps some children.

Since Autism is a spectrum disorder, a therapy that helps hundreds of children will not help all; and there are cases of one child being “cured” by a therapy that did not help thousands of others. Parents are attracted by diets that may help their child recover, or limit the need for other evasive therapies.

Antifungal Diet
Up to 85% of children with Autism have gastrointestinal issues. Many of these are caused by an imbalance in the intestines due to Candida overgrowth. The overgrowth has significant behavior consequences. Dr. Bernard Rimland, founder of Autism Research Institute, stated, ”based on the weight of the information gathered to date, it seems to me highly probable that a small, but significant proportion of children diagnosed as autistic are in fact victims of a severe Candida infection.” With the incidence of Autism growing so alarmingly, the thought that 5-10% of children can recover by a diet is attractive and plausible to parents.

The antifungal diet requires the removal of sugar sources (that feed yeast), carbohydrates and fermented yeast products (The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism; Marone, Stephanie; 2002;p27).Recipes may be found on anti-candida-diet-chocolate-recipes.

The April 2007 Summary of Biomedical Treatments for Autism publication is available at, (Adams Biomed Summary). In it are the results of parent reports of the success of treatments and how to get more information on the therapies. In this report ARI found removing sugar from the diet as well as giving the child antifungal medication helped many children. Of the parents that reported removing sugar from the child’s diet, 48% showed an improvement, 51% showed no change, and only 2% stated their child got worse. Most antifungal diets begin with a round of antifungal medication. ARI found 55% of parents said their child got better on Diflucan and 49% got better on Nystatin, 41% and 46% showed no change respectively and 5% got worse taking either. It is important to point out that the use of antifungal medication often results in a die-off reaction.

This die-off sometimes results in an increase of negative behavior because the yeast gives off toxins as it dies. This may explain some of the 5% that got worse. This diet can be used in conjunction with other diets. Many parents try it because most people have had yeast overgrowth at one point in their lives. It is also an easier diet to manage than other diet therapies for children with Autism.

Feingold Diet (Program)
Dr. Feingold began noticing a connection between behavior and artificial additives in the 1960’s. The Feingold Association, which carries on the work of Dr. Feingold, feel this program should be used in conjunction with other therapies, diets, vitamin supplements or medication a parent and the child’s doctor sees fit. There has been behavior, attention, physical and mental health improvements in children and adults on this program.

The attention and behavior improvements were not what the purpose of the diet was initially. The diet was started as an allergy diet, the behavior and attention improvements were an unanticipated bonus. Students with Autism, ADHD, OCD and ODD have all benefited from the Feingold Program. The program requires the elimination of food from the diet of the child if the food contains: artificial (synthetic) coloring, artificial (synthetic) flavoring, Aspartame (Nutrasweet, an artificial sweetener) and artificial (synthetic) preservatives BHA, BHT, TBHQ. Also, some salicylates are eliminated, depending on the source of the salicylate. Also, like many other diets, products used by the child that contain the ingredients listed above must be eliminated (Hence, Feingold Program versus Feingold Diet).

For example, some colored soaps may include artificial food coloring. The website www.feingold.org gives a complete description of the program, sources for food (including candy) that are allowed on the diet, and support to any parents wanting to try this for their child. The site shows how much more chemicals children today are subject to, compared to the children’s grandparents.

The Autism Research Institute surveyed thousands of parents on different therapies used to treat Autism and continually updates their findings. The April 2007 findings are available at autism.com | Biomed |Autism Speaks. The parents that responded to trying the Feingold Diet came to 758. Of those, 53% said their child was better after the diet, 2% said their child was worse, and 45% stated there was no change. Many parents do not find this diet difficult to maintain, and feel it should be tried.

Diet is an effective way to manage a child’s Autism. It is non-evasive and if done correctly has a good chance of success. Most diets parents can control themselves, and feel they are helping their child with Autism. If it doesn’t they try again with a different diet, and if it does, they are rewarded for their efforts. Patient parents are not easily frustrated by the trial and error aspects of dietary intervention.
Source: Ditetary interventions |Gluten Free|Casein Free|Anti Fungal|Feingold Diets

About RecoveryFromAutism.com:
The Recovery From Autism (RFA) offers parents a thriving support system where they can connect to other parents like them to get advice about parenting or just know about a treatment or the latest techniques to treat autism. Sharing information about treating autism is a huge inflection point for parents with autistic kids. The Recovery From Autism gives them a trusted place where they can get latest information  and resources related to autism treatments that could help their children to progress and can even  recover them from Autism.

Establish a routine and create healthy habits for your ADHD/High Functioning ASD child.

• Get out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off.
• Get fully dressed. pants, shirt, socks, and shoes before breakfast.
• Eat a healthy breakfast, take vitamins.
• Check backpack to make sure nothing is missing.
• Add lunch or make sure you have lunch money.
• Get to school on time and attend each class promptly.
• Sit near the front in each class, be attentive and respectful, ask questions, and take detailed notes.
• After school, go immediately to scheduled activity or go directly home.
• Eat a healthy snack after getting home and start homework.
• There is no TV or computer time until all homework is done.
• Homework is to be done at the kitchen table or in the library only.
• No iPod, music, phone, social networking, or texting is allowed while doing homework.
• After homework is complete and checked by a parent, you may have free time. When weather is nice, free time must take place outdoors until it starts to get dark or dinner is called.
• Screen time, television, computer, video games is limited to one hour, fifteen minutes each weekday, and two and a half hours per day on weekends.
• Extra screen time must be earned.
• Come in for dinner immediately when called.
• The family will eat together when possible. Each family member will wait for everyone to be finished before getting up from the table. Don’t ask to be excused without a good reason.
• Prepare backpack and select the next day’s wardrobe before bedtime.
• Set a non-negotiable bedtime during the week.
• Set an appropriate weekend and holiday bedtime, and allow extra time to be earned.
• Set a curfew that must be kept. No excuses!
• Set a time limit for phone calls, texting, and social media if applicable.
• Treat and speak to others with respect, and always clean up after yourself.
• Study for at least two days before a test.
• All projects will be completed a day before they are due.
• Sunday night from 8:00 to 9:00 is family meeting hour.
• Nothing else is scheduled during that time.
• Every Sunday each family member will write an action plan for the week.

Once you and your child have set real, actionable goals for the new school year, it’s important to give them guidelines to help them achieve their goals.

Many Parents has seen a wide range of benefits such as inmprovement in gastrointestinal health, Increased eye contact, improved skin color, sleeping patterns and cognitive ability by simply adding vitamin C as part of their biomedical interventions.Here is an interesting article about this intervention.
Parents See Results with Vitamin C

The only thing more overwhelming then learning about the various biomedical interventions available to treat autism is the idea of actually implementing them into your everyday life. Many parents feel this way when first beginning dietary or other treatments. These same parents will now tell you, it is okay – you too can do it.

Like anything else, implementing a treatment is a process. You don’t have to change your entire life in one day. Instead, you can take steps to reach your goal and do it at a pace you’re comfortable with. Learning about these treatments it’s a process in itself. As you become more comfortable with the terms used, underlying pathologies and actual changes, you’ll be able to explore topics in more depth and apply changes with greater accuracy and efficiency.

Gaining support from other parents and the advice of experienced professionals can be the key between success and failure. People who understand, and are available for support, while you implement these changes can relieve stress, provide encouragement and be a motivator to continue when challenges arise.

The first step of any process is becoming educated on the topic or treatment at hand. Second, you begin to connect and gain support from those with similar and personal experience to draw from. Third, you make a plan and become organized. Then you implement the plan. Lastly, you observe, evaluate and adjust as needed.

The process above can be applied to any treatment and works well for almost everyone. Avoid becoming down on yourself by understanding everyone can make mistakes and it’s more important to stay positive. Taking care of ‘you’ is integral to maintain the energy and dedication you need to be successful, so be proud of your willingness and achievements.

Many parents face challenges and opposing views from family members, other parents and the medical community when certain interventions are used. It is helpful to remember you are the expert on your child. This does not mean you must become an expert on autism or biochemistry, only your child. Feel confident in the decisions you make as a parent and avoid those who belittle or criticize your efforts. Turn to those who understand instead.

Some interventions and treatments can require substantial financial resources. This too can be a challenge for many families and often difficult to remedy. Depending upon where you live, there may be groups and organizations to help you obtain services or financial reimbursement. Depending upon the treatment, private insurance carriers may or may not cover some of the cost. While investigating monetary help, you can prioritize treatments and build your individual action plan taking into account the resources currently on hand. For example, instead of beginning three supplements in one month, try beginning one per month if that’s what is manageable.

When you feel overwhelmed or are facing a challenge, remind yourself you’ve already faced the greatest challenge ever – learning your child has autism. You can help your child recover. You can implement treatments and interventions with a little preparation and planning. Have confidence in your ability, decisions and remain positive. Once you’re on track, you’ll be in a position to help another parent like you and you’ll be quickly reminded how far you’ve come.

Many children with autism have nutritional deficiencies. There are a variety of factors that contribute to this including biological processes that may inefficiently nutrients that are received. Establishing optimum health can be a lengthy and challenging process but is well worth every ounce of effort and energy. Since it is so comprehensive, many parents wonder where to begin and what nutrients will elicit the quickest result.

Taking into account how common it is for children with autism to have a very limited diet, and the nutritional quality of processed foods, it is easy to see how nutrients can be lacking. The implications of these deficiencies can mistakenly be contributed to the symptoms of autism or behavioral issues when, in fact, they are symptoms of physical discomfort and nutritional deficiencies.

Vitamin B6 is one integral vitamin that many children with autism respond very well to. Once given, parents report seeing changes in as little as three days. It is important to note that B6 must be given with Magnesium in order to be effective.

The positive changes reported are exciting. Parents state their children have an overall increase in functioning. Many parents notice how significant the changes are when they stop giving their child B6 and Magnesium, and they immediately understand its effectiveness.

Whether or not children with autism are specifically deficient in B6 is yet to be determined. Once on a supplementation program for one month, if no changes are seen, parents are encouraged to discontinue its usage. Like all treatments for autism, not all children respond to the same treatment or in the same way.

When beginning supplementation it is always recommended to have the advice and support of a medical team and to begin each stage slowly. If B6 and Magnesium are given in too high of a dosage or the amount is increased too quickly, negative side effects can occur. Nausea, hyperactivity, increased behaviors and diarrhea are the most common ones experienced. If any of these occur, consult your medical team immediately to adjust or discontinue the supplement.

The amount of B6 and Magnesium given to children with autism is ultimately determined by a professional based on the individual child’s needs. There is a condition called neuropathy that is rarely seen when too much B6 is given. Again, a medical team experienced with these supplements as treatments for autism should monitor the regimen to avoid such experiences.

As is the case with Vitamin C, many parents report their child does well on exceptionally high doses of these nutrients; amounts that greatly exceed the recommended limits. This is what parents and professionals will often call ‘mega-dosing’. Many medical professionals will strangely advise against high doses of nutrients but will quickly prescribe a drug known to be harmful, so this is why having a team that understands these treatments in regards to children with autism is so necessary.

There are many supplements that help children with autism recover. Vitamin B6 is one of them. It must be taken with Magnesium to be effective and when the child is deficient in these nutrients, the results can be seen almost immediately. With a small chance of side effects, beginning this regimen is ideal for many families. It is recommended to keep track and record dosages and the supplements effects for ongoing maintenance and modification. Once this process has begun and one month or more has passed, parents can continue to see progress by continuing to add supplementation. As more and more parents use these treatments, the results are more and more convincing that there is hope for children with autism.

Source: Recoveryfromautism.com

About RecoveryFromAutism.com:
The Recovery From Autism (RFA) offers parents a thriving support system where they can connect to other parents like them to get advice about parenting or just know about a treatment or the latest techniques to treat autism. Sharing information about treating autism is a huge inflection point for parents with autistic kids. The Recovery From Autism gives them a trusted place where they can get latest information  and resources related to autism treatments that could help their childeren to progress and can even  recover them from Autism.

No matter the disease, disorder or disability, early intervention and treatment is always recommended. This theory certainly applies to autism and is the reason why there are so many awareness campaigns and initiatives promoting early detection and treatment of autism.
We know the brains of children that have autism are developed atypically. When children are young, the brain undergoes many organizational changes responsible for development.
For example, when toddlers experience what is called the ‘language boom’, in which vocabulary can grow from a few dozen words to hundreds or more in a short period of time, the brain is undergoing changes by way of establishing new neural pathways and cutting back those that are unused.
The brain can do this because of what is known as plasticity. This means the brain has the ability to change and mold if you will. The older a child the less plasticity there is believed to be. This is one reason why early intervention is so important. Should the window of opportunity to establish certain brain activity be closed, there is less hope of development.
It is common sense that the earlier a wound is given treatment, the sooner and more complete it should heal. Children with autism have pathological and biomedical needs that, once healed, cause damage to cease. This is very apparent when gastrointestinal function and immune function is discussed. In short, the sooner biomedical treatments are established to heal the gut, immune and nervous system, the better the chances of complete recovery.
There are many possible assailants to the brain and body. Certain foods, environmental toxins, antibiotics, other drugs and more can disrupt normal biological processes. With an experience team, some research and support, parents can begin to treat their child’s specific needs with the range of effective treatments immediately available.
Dietary interventions can remove toxic substances that have negative affects on the brain. Supplementation can restore and support the immune system. Chelation can remove toxins and cumulatively they result in reported recovery from the symptoms of autism.
Food allergies and sensitivities also play a very big role in aggravating the symptoms of autism. Cognitively, the brain can be considered clouded or even short-circuited when a child is receiving foods, such as gluten containing food that has negative effects on the brain once broken down by the body. An allergy is in itself an immune system response, so removing this constant assault, the body can begin to heal and reestablish optimum functioning. Improvement of gastrointestinal function should be immediately considered also, because if it is inefficient, it could be allowing substances to escape the gut and enter the brain.
The gut-brain relationship is rarely discussed but is integral to overall functioning and development. As the gut heals it will be able to perform its various functions, such as keeping broken-down nutrients in the gut and out of the brain. Certain enzymes can be given to help children break down specific proteins and address other gastrointestinal issues.
While intervention and treatment is recommended to begin while the child is quite young, parents should begin implementing a protocol immediately upon diagnosis regardless of the child’s age. There are many options to consider and many parents who can share their experience as a means of support. The research is clear – early intervention is one key to success and children can start to recover from the damage of autism as soon as treatment begins and it could be as simple as making dietary changes.
Source: Recoveryfromautism.com

About RecoveryFromAutism.com:
The Recovery From Autism (RFA) offers parents a thriving support system where they can connect to other parents like them to get advice about parenting or just know about a treatment or the latest techniques to treat autism. Sharing information about treating autism is a huge inflection point for parents with autistic kids. The Recovery From Autism gives them a trusted place where they can get latest information  and resources related to autism treatments that could help their childeren to progress and can even  recover them from Autism.

All parents want what is best for their child and will do just about anything possible to help their child recover from autism or a related disorder. However, few parents are reminded that taking care of themselves is paramount to helping their child recover. Amber Kane, an autism specialist, parent consultant and owner of Autism Connection, offers the following advice.

• The first thing every parent should do is obtain support.

Specifically, two types of support: parent to parent support, which is not difficult to find using the internet, and the support of a consultant – but not any consultant – one that matches your needs, and that can be difficult to find.
Parent to parent support is going to yield the greatest and most immediate benefit to parents. There are few professionals who have children with autism and those people may understand and be able to provide support and advice, but for the most-part, professionals lend a different kind of support by way of advising parents on how to handle their child. What parents need is simple: friends that have been there and understand because they live it.

In my opinion, obtaining parent support is as critical as treating autism. Being supported and empowered can be the catalyst to obtaining and maintaining treatment, because many interventions require substantial energy, time, money and emotion. Few can do this alone without becoming depleted or overwhelmed.

Consultants come in all shapes and sizes and use a variety of titles. If at all possible, I recommend finding a consultant who is a highly educated, very experienced person able to help you with real-life goals and situations that arise at home and in the community; not only in educational settings. A huge word of caution: anyone can call themselves a consultant; there are no regulations in this field, so parents should take their time finding a consultant to work with.

The benefits of having a consultant that focuses on real-life instead of one treatment program, is simple: autism affects every single minute of every single day sometimes and many challenges are just part of daily life. An educational consultant may not be able to help in a way conducive to home, just like they may not understand financial limitations or other personal factors directly affect the choices of parents.

More often then not, parents will have questions and need help overcoming challenges such as, sibling rivalry, screaming, behaviors, hitting, not eating, stimulatory and sensory issues and countless others that are not exclusive to school. Another realistic hurdle is many, if not most, parents simply do not have time to execute a regimented, structured program at home because, simply put: life is going on!

Another advantage of a private consultant is gaining support for the entire family and not only focusing on the child's disability. Siblings have to deal with autism; parents are responsible for entire family, household, careers and their interpersonal relationships.

I know what parents face and need because I have a son with autism. His sister is eight and has no disabilities, so I know because I live it. To almost contradict what I said earlier, it is imperative a parent consultant have academic and professional training and experience directly applicable to helping you, or again, it can be a waste of time and resources, so this is why I propose finding a consultant in this capacity can be challenging. Never be under the impression that if you would go through an agent you would get good consultants. That's not true. I got a very good consultant just by posting an ad in Craig's list.

I know my advice thus far is not earth-shattering and it may seem too simple. However, I can assure you with 100% certainty that you will reap countless and necessary benefits once you have the support needed – even if you don't think you need it, you soon will.

To locate other parents for support, the web is a great place to start and online support is wonderful, since it is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and will allow you to meet more people then imaginable. However, in addition, I highly recommend finding a local parent group or individual families that you can meet face to face with for support and socialization; not to mention sharing local resources.

To locate a consultant you have fewer options, but it is possible. Keep in mind there are consultants specializing in every niche of autism, so you may have an idea of where to begin based on your personal beliefs and treatment choices. Ask other parents, review and interview consultants who are referred and take your time making the decision to hire.

Of course you have a lot going on and your main focus is helping your child recover from autism. An integral part of that however, is taking care of and supporting yourself so you are in the condition to help your child. Other parents and a parent consultant, with firsthand experience, can make challenges seem smaller, progress come quicker and relieve the feelings of loneliness that commonly surface while parenting a child with autism. You can do this and there are people to help, so reach out, get connected, get empowered and get going.

Need more information on Autism recovery? http://recoveryfromautism.com

All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. The author is not liable for anything allegedly arising from any information in this article. Author is not responsible for your specific health needs.