In the early 1970s the incidence of autistic spectrum disorders was one in 15,000 live births. Today the incidence of autistic spectrum disorders is approximately 1 in 75 live births with the glaring exception of the Amish where the incidence of autism is practically zero. During this 40 year period we have seen a major increase in number of vaccines administered, a rise in antibiotic use, a decrease in breast-feeding, a huge increase in the consumption of processed foods, a decrease in the number of natural births, an increase in the use of chemicals in agriculture and an increase in the use of toxic chemicals used in the manufacture of consumer goods.

In our work we often have the opportunity to perform hair analysis on children with autistic spectrum disorders. A significant number of their mothers have had amalgam fillings in place during their pregnancies. Each of these amalgam fillings on average releases 5000 trillion atoms of mercury daily. This mercury can pass through the placenta and into the fetus where it is concentrated, so that the fetus will have higher levels of mercury than the mother The vast majority of these hair tests reveal a phenomenon called trace mineral transport derangement (TMTD). It is very clear that TMTD is associated with impaired ability to detoxify the body and low glutathione levels, most often seen in persons exposed to excessive amounts of mercury, lead, and various chemicals.

We are all born with a functioning detoxification system although the efficiency of the system will vary from one individual to another. The autistic spectrum disorder clearly represents a failure of the nervous system to develop normally. As a neurologist who has studied nervous system development and biochemistry, it is obvious to me that autism tends to occur when the capacity for detoxification is exceeded so that the individual is no longer able to detoxify his body. Once this occurs, all kinds of toxins will accumulate in the body with resulting impairment of energy metabolism, thyroid dysfunction, brain, G-I and immune function as well as the appearance of behavioral abnormalities.

Effective testing is extremely important in order to reveal TMTD or high levels of toxic substances or which functions, hormones and nutrients may be out of balance or deficient. Treatment requires a comprehensive approach including restriction of exposure to toxins, restriction of allergenic foods, restoration of a normal redox balance by raising glutathione levels, using probiotics to restore a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the G.I. tract, correcting nutritional deficiencies and providing a healthy diet. It is important to realize that synthetic molecules such as pharmaceutical drugs require detoxification. Consequently, persons with an impaired detoxification system will tend to experience significant adverse side effects to pharmaceutical agents. Fortunately, natural agents can be safely used in these children.