Helpful hits about how to negotiate a safe and fun Halloween!

I've talked before about two fantastic magazines (The Autism File and Living Without).  This month, both have articles discussing how to make Halloween fun, safe and stress-free of families dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or special diets.

Living Without's article focuses on tips for keeping Halloween and Trick or Treating fun but avoiding all the potential pit falls associated with food sensitivities.  Listed among their suggestion, I also recommend setting up a trading post for doing a treat exchange and or buy-back.  This allows kids to trade for safe goodies or to cash in their loot for coins.  At the end of the night you may even offer to exchange the whole lot for a new toy or gift card to their favorite book or toy store.   Follow this link to see the full article:  Grapevine: Trick or Treat! Seven ideas for a safe and happy Halloween

The ghostly season also brings lots of unexpected treats and baked goods at schools and daycares.  Consider a friendly reminder to teachers about your child's restrictions and an offer to bring in safe treats when needed.  Coaching your child to avoid those treats, and rewarding with special prizes can go along way to helping them stick to their diets.

The Autism File has extra strategies for kids that might struggle with the Halloween environment. It has ideas for how to manage the tactile concerns with costumes and the extra stresses of door to door visits.  For that article follow: Top 10 Strategies “To Ensure Halloween is Healthy and Stress-Free for your Family” from Autism File Readers

Happy Halloween to all the little goblins and ghosts!

Resources for Autism Spectrum and Special Diets

I'd like to take a quick break from hormones to point out two fantastic magazines: Living Without and The Autism File.  Living Without focuses on support and ideas for those with Special Diets, with extra tips for those starting a Gluten and/or Casein Free diet.  The Autism File is a newer North American Publication with articles spanning many aspects of ASD life and families.

I am grateful for both for providing comprehensive and well-researched information and for maintaining fantastic websites.  For any families working with diet restrictions, have a look at Living Without for their archived recipes.

Enjoy!

Naturopathic Medicine and Biomedical Therapies in Autism and ADHD

Naturopathic Medicine focuses on finding underlying causes or triggers for illness and optimizing overall health. It is a perfect fit for families looking for support for Autism Spectrum and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.   Some Naturopathic Physicians use a Biomedical approach for supporting the two conditions.  Biomedical therapies are defined as science-based therapies that look at optimizing the biology of the individual patient to improve the symptoms of Autism.  This is done in three ways:  assessing nutrient deficiencies, removing any interfering or triggering factors, and optimizing body systems (such as the digestive or immune system).  These three areas are targeted based on each patient’s specific circumstances, symptoms and lab results.

Perhaps we have a child diagnosed with Autism, whose biggest challenges are with language skills and unpredictable outbursts. We also find out he has difficult digestion and is very limited in his diet.  Since he’s eating limited foods, he’s probably quite nutritionally deficient.  Many nutrient deficiencies (B vitamins, amino acids and essential fatty acids) impact brain functioning, cognition and learning. 

We often try a special diet to eliminate reactive and inflammatory foods that are causing his pain and gassiness.  Many kids will express tummy pain or discomfort with restlessness and unpredictable stereotypic or aggressive behaviours.   

To help guide our treatment plan, we may choose to do specific testing to investigate various aspects of his digestion and nutritional status.  The testing, along with his symptoms and goals will dictate our treatment course.   This evolving plan often uses a combination of special diets, nutrient and supplement support, and sometimes pharmaceutical prescriptions. 

Naturopathic and Biomedical therapies are not cookie-cutter, but rather they are specific to the family and to the child.  This approach complements applied behavioural, speech and occupational therapies, as they help to reduce distractions and improve cognitive and learning functions.

More information about Biomedical Therapies is available at www.autism.com and to find a Naturopathic Physician in BC see www.bcna.ca.

How to sneak supplements or medications into kids?

Every child will need to take medications or supplements at some time and its not a secret that kids are picky about what they consume.  It's not always feasible to find yummy liquids or chewable forms of all of those products and let's be honest.. kids can be very good at not taking stuff.  And so I get lots and lots of phone calls asking for ideas about how about how to reliably administer supplements and medications to their sensitive kids. 

First for medications:  I usually try to chat with a compounding pharmacist before prescribing meds to kids.  There are often liquid suspensions that are slightly modified with taste in mind. We can make sure that the preparation is specific to a child's needs (ie. GFCF or colorant free) and all compounding pharmacies have the ability to make the medications into more kid-friendly forms like lollipops.  

Supplements require a little more creativity.  Below is a list of suggestions compiled by many saavy parents.  A little trial and error is required to find the balance for each child and supplement.  For example: Chocolate hides bitter tastes nicely,  sour hides well in fruit or yogurt, minerals are often a little salty and can hide in savory foods or sweet ones, and B vitamins hide well in tangy foods like tomato or peanut butter.

Try to:

• mix into juices (lemonade, orange, grape and pear juices are good starts)
• mix into V-8 splash
• mix into yogurt, applesauce or pudding
• mix in fruit sorbets
• mix in chocolate syrup
• mix in nut butters (cashew, peanut or almond)
• add to a fruit smoothy or protein shake
• mix in honey, maple syrup or jam
• make popsicles with supplements or freeze in ice cube trays with toothpicks for smaller bites
• hide doses in rice-crispy treats
• mix in ketchup and put on french fries
• hide in baby-food
• add heat-stable products in cooked scrambled eggs or cooked spaghetti sauce, or pancake batter
• Sprinkle on toast or waffles before adding butter or coconut oil and jam

I'd welcome any other suggestions and good luck!

Food Sensitivity Testing - let's talk about your options!

So as promised in the last posting, today I'll give you a little more information about testing for Food Sensitivities.  And just to backtrack a little .. food sensitivities happen when the body reacts to proteins in specific foods and the immune system is activated by those proteins in much the same way as it is activated by proteins on bacteria.  A reaction is mounted by the immune system and can cause inflammation both at the gut level but also systemically.  Because of the complexity of the immune reaction, food sensitivities are often one of the key triggers for many different complaints.  I almost always think about them when dealing with three key complaints including: skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, GI upset including anything from heartburn to diarrhea, and behavior difficulties in kids (ADHD, temper or Autism Spectrum Disorder).  And  many people with autoimmune disorders and arthritis or migraine benefit from knowing if there are any food triggers aggravating their symptoms.

So we know its important to check for food sensitivities but how do you do it?  There are three different testing choices available to identify food sensitivities. Please note, that food sensitivities are very different from food allergies and the following testing methods are not adequate to diagnose food allergies. The gold standard is an Elimination and Challenge test.  In this case, we limit the diet to a very restricted set of hypo-allergenic foods (usually foods that are outside the normal diet) for a good period of time (usually 3-6 weeks).  The goal is to allow the body a chance to heal up as we take away any provoking foods.  Then we slowly add one food type at a time and gauge for reactions.  For example, we might do our elimination for 3 weeks and eat only lamb, pear and brown rice, then introduce dairy products for a few days while we watch for skin or tummy symptoms.   This type of diet needs a lot of planning and commitment and, because it is so limited, it should not be done without the supervision of a qualified practitioner.  And it should be mentioned that challenging with foods can cause quite a pronounced reaction and should be done exceptionally carefully with asthma or autoimmune conditions.

The next type of testing is called EAV testing, which is also known as Biomeridian or VEGA testing.  This testing evaluates the energy in specific acupuncture meridians and how that energy reacts when challenged with foods.   It sounds a little odd but is really very effective for many complaints.  The advantage to this is  that it can be done quickly and in-office and is non invasive.  It does require that the patient be able to sit relatively still for a period of time, so it can be difficult with younger kids or kids with restlessness/hyperactivity.  On the down-side, the testing isn't well accepted by conventional medical practitioners and so isn't my first choice when we are also working with an allergist or other specialist.

The last type of testing and the only one that can allow us some information about food allergies is called ELISA testing.  ELISA testing is a specific testing procedure that measures how much (if any) of an antibody (immune) reaction there is to specific food proteins.  There are many lab companies in North America that offer this testing and they have widely variable pricing and reliability of their tests.  Most have different food lists available that can be chosen specific for the patient's needs (ie. vegetarian panels or specific testing for food allergies).  This testing does require a blood sample, but depending on the type of tests, it is either with an arm drawn sample or more commonly a dried blood spot taken using a finger stick.  Most kids find the finger prick quick and easy, enough that they don't complain.. at least not much.  I find this to be the best choice for most people as the company I use has excellent pricing and turn-around time and has a choice for an expanded panel with many extra spices and foods.  In addition, ELISA testing is a common procedure and one that is being used by conventional allergists to explore food allergies.  So as a testing method, it is one that conventional physicians can identify with.

For patients coming into my office, I always suggest we discuss your complaints and talk about the testing options to figure out which, if any, is the best choice.  This might depend on your financial situation, time goals and the condition itself.  Most Naturopathic Physicians have done a good investigation into the testing options available in your area and can give you good guidance.  To find a Naturopathic Physician in Canada go to http://www.cand.ca/index.php?findnd&L=0 to find one in the US try http://www.naturopathic.org/AF_MemberDirectory.asp?version=1  .

Gluten Sensitivity, its not just a myth!

Finally, some research has illustrated what so many of us knew:  Even with a negative celiac test it is still possible to have a dramatic sensitivity to gluten proteins.

Have a quick look at this article from the Wall Street Journal "Clues to Gluten Sensitivity" from March 15th, 2011 publication by Melinda Beck.

Lisa Rayburn felt dizzy, bloated and exhausted. Wynn Avocette suffered migraines and body aches. Stephanie Meade's 4-year-old daughter had constipation and threw temper tantrums.

All three tested negative for celiac disease, a severe intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains. But after their doctors ruled out other causes, all three adults did their own research and cut gluten—and saw the symptoms subside.

A new study in the journal BMC Medicine may shed some light on why. It shows gluten can set off a distinct reaction in the intestines and the immune system, even in people who don't have celiac disease.

"For the first time, we have scientific evidence that indeed, gluten sensitivity not only exists, but is very different from celiac disease," says lead author Alessio Fasano, medical director of the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research. (Click here for the full article).

There are testing options available to confirm a gluten sensitivity.  They include an elimination and challenge, EAV testing or antibody tests (IgG and IgA).   In the next blog, we'll discuss these three options and the differences between them.

Victoria Autism Resource Fair, March 5th 10-4 at the Ambrosia Centre on Fisgard St.

Come join Dr Kellie and a variety of other providers for the Greater Victoria Autism Resource Fair.  This fair hopes to provide parents and professionals with an opportunity to learn about the wide variety of autism services and products available in the Greater Victoria area.

There will be several speakers presenting on many different topics including Art and Play therapies.  Dr Kellie will be doing a Brief Introduction to Biomedical Interventions with Dr Marianne Trevorrow, ND at 1:45.

There will be door prizes and some amazing silent auction items including gift certificates for restaurants, spas, clothing, hair salons and many items from local businesses and several exhibitor.

Admission is FREE and children are welcome!  In fact, there will be a small children's area where you can try out some therapy toys and a face painting station.

We hope to see you there and please stop by our table to say Hi!

~ Dr Kellie

How to Manage Special Diets on Holidays? Plan for treats!

Special Diets can be extremely helpful for a number of conditions and complaints.  Anything from acne to Autism Spectrum Disorders often benefit from Special Diets, which might limit food sensitivities or completely avoid specific foods like Gluten and Casein.  And there is nothing more exciting than having a parent or patient return to the office now that they've done planning and cooking and tell me they now know the foods they are avoiding really were a problem.  They really know that if those foods sneak in then the symptoms come back, their tummy feels gross or their child is doing their Tasmanian Devil imitation.  Then comes the big question..  "but Dr Kellie, I know we need to stick to this but its Valentine's Day and Grandma always has treats for the kids on Valentine's Day!".

So how do you manage a Special Diet on holidays?  Because there really is nothing worse and nothing that's going to make us hate our food challenges more than feeling left out or deprived.  The answer.. planning.  Yes, that's pretty much the answer for every question diet related and its especially true here.  Knowing that there is a treat-worthy holiday coming up and planning for a happier alternative is the best course. 

For Kids:
Parents may want to send out an emails out to other parents asking for a heads-up about birthday cupcakes so that a Special Diet friendly option can be send from home.  And sometimes giving the teacher a small supply of kid-friendly treats for the days when you may have had no warning.   For holidays when treats come in bulk (you know when there are bags and baskets involved) I suggest the Exchange Policy.   Kids love to trade in candy or chocolate for a much desired toy or game or even a special family outing.

For Us Adults:
Again, plan for holidays.  We'd love to think that our will-power has super-strength but in the face of treats everywhere its not hard to give in and then feel rotten for having done so.  Consider keeping the house and your desk drawer stocked with a few friendly treats.  Perhaps, do a little bargain with yourself.  "Self, I know that you love those creamy Easter eggs.  This year, let's make a deal to choose a better treat and reward myself with an indulgent pedicure." 

We all hate to feel like we can't have those lovely treats, especially when people around us are and when they are offering.  Having a plan and something to indulge yourself or your family with will make all the difference.

Happy Valentine's Day and please feel free to email if you have any questions you'd like to see answered in a future Post.
~~ Dr Kellie