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Dr. Molly would like to share this with all of her parent-clients out there-- a great online course to address the realities of parenting today. Check it out!


THE DAILY GROOVE ~ by Scott Noelle
www.enjoyparenting.com



Dear Groovin' Parents...

Great news! I've been honored with the opportunity
to co-present with some of the world's most inspiring
self-help, spirituality, and parenting experts for a
special LIVE event:

The Happier Kids Now Online Expo!

The line-up includes some of my favorite bestselling
authors, like Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love),
Bruce Lipton (The Biology of Belief), and Marci Schimoff
(Happy For No Reason).

They, along with me and 20 other teachers, will be sharing
a variety of leading-edge strategies for enriching the lives
of our children and teens, from October 4th - 21st.

I'll be presenting a teleseminar (or "webinar") entitled
"Help! I'm Turning Into My Parents!" In other words
words: How to avoid the mistakes of our parents' generation
and keep your parenting aligned with your highest principles.

And the whole Expo is available for free!

Just CLICK HERE and enter your name and email, and
all the details and reminders will be emailed to you.
(If you miss a live presentation, you'll have free access
to the replay for up to 48 hours afterwards.)

Please forward this announcement to any friends
you believe would be interested. Or just send them
this link:www.happierkidsnow.com.

Thanks!

~Scott Noelle
_____________________________________________________

"Inspiration & Coaching for Progressive Parents"
http://www.ScottNoelle.com
http://www.EnjoyParenting.com


PO Box 19901
Portland, OR 97280
USA

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Laura Walton starts her own practice!!!!

Most of you have known Dr. Laura Walton over the past years and it is with mixed emotions of both excitement for her and sadness that I realize this is her last few days at Emerald City Clinic. She opens her doors to her new practice in a week, next Monday, October 5th. Her last day at Emerald City Clinic is this Thursday, September 30th. Transitions for all!!! You can contact her Tilia Natural Health (206)257-5817 and you can contact her by email laura@vitalityhealthcare.net. Everyone at Emerald City Clinic wishes her great success and will continue not only a collegial relationships but warm friendships. Molly Linton, ND

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Build Relationships & Connections- for Parents of Young Children

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for sharing this with your colleagues and the families with whom you work.

Bringing Baby Home starts October 14th for expecting couples or those with a baby or toddler-strengthen your couple relationship and be a great parenting team!

PEPS/JFS group is a partnership offering the PEPS support group experience with an additional cultural component. All Jewish/interfaith parents of newborns are welcome to sign up!

Emotion Coaching: An Essential Part of Your Parenting Toolbox! on November 14th -guide your child through life's ups and downs in a way that builds confidence, resilience and strong relationships (more details posted soon).

Advance registration is required for these programs, so I encourage parents to sign up soon. They are welcome to email or call me anytime.
If you have any questions or need additional information on these programs, please feel free to contact me directly.

Warmly,
Marjorie Schnyder
Marjorie Schnyder
Director of Family Life Education
206.861.3146
mschnyder@jfsseattle.org

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Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act

We'd love for you, as our loyal naturopathic followers, to take action in legislation! Read the following article and follow the link to write to congress about the importance of testing our environment for potentially harmful substances. Thank you!


Congress Returns

Follow this link: Take Action!


Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act

Congress reconvenes September 13, and is scheduled to recess on October 8 for the final campaign push. The amount of work left to be accomplished in this narrow time frame is enormous. And yet, Members of Congress are anxious to please their constituency, which poses opportunity when you have a simple and clearly stated “ask” of them. The Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act provides us with such an opportunity.

The Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act (S 2828 and HR 4190) would authorize the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to conduct endocrine disruption research in order to develop assays that will identify endocrine disrupting chemicals and determine their safety. The program will rely on a panel of scientific experts, free of conflict of interest, to evaluate the findings and determine the level of concern. This information will be passed on to regulatory agencies (EPA, FDA, CPSC, OSHA, and the Dept. of Agriculture) who must propose a course of action in response to the findings.

Should this bill become law, the following protocols would be created for the purpose of developing reliable and reproducible methods to identify chemicals that can disrupt the human endocrine system.

* address the full range of possible health outcomes (including reproductive, behavioral, intellectual, metabolic, and endocrine disorders);
* be sensitive enough to detect effects at exposure levels relevant to human exposure (and not rely on the assumption that a lower dose produces less effect);
* consider the effects of exposure to multiple chemicals

Please write your Senators and Congressman today and ask them to cosponsor this legislation.

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Two new links to check out from Dr. Molly!

10 Tactics for Overcoming Sugar Addiction

AND

Arch Foundation

What is the ARCH Foundation?

The ARCH Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation established to assist low income patients who do not have insurance coverage for the Mirena® intrauterine contraceptive system.

For patients such as these who meet specific eligibility criteria, the ARCH Foundation may be able to provide Mirena free of charge.

Assistance is provided on a patient-specific basis according to predetermined eligibility criteria. Patients and providers must complete a one page application form prior to purchase to be considered for assistance. Retroactive assistance is not available.

Assistance may also be available for qualified patients who require removal of Mirena.

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THE CONTEGRITY APPROACH:

GENERATING CERTAINTY IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

For the last 18 years, Contegrity has offered pathways to individuals and companies for developing powerful ways of approaching life and work.

The Contegrity Approach integrates what is inspiring with what is practical. It is a way to approach life that has the circumstances of your life become the playing field for developing your power at a satisfying pace. It is an approach that calls on you to understand your unique fit with life and to live consistently with that fit. It is an approach that calls on you to discern what is fundamental and important and that empowers you to do so.

Consider these truths:

· Life has its ups and downs.

· What will happen next is uncertain.

· Much of what happens is out of your control.

· What others say and do affects you.

Regarding all of that, you have little or no say. But you can have a say about your approach to life; and you can approach life in a way that generates certainty, power, and freedom.

You are invited to attend a two day workshop to introduce you to the Contegrity Approach. During these two days, we will consider:

· An alternative to the prevailing culture that calls on us for more and more and more (money, energy, relations, etc.) but never calls on us to consider what is sufficient and sustainable.

· Getting free from the suppression of “shoulds” and comparisons with others

· Discerning what to take on next that is the right fit for you so that you can enjoy both power and peace in your life

Please join us for this powerful workshop. The tuition is $300 ($450 per couple), payable by cash, check, or most major credit cards. We will meet on Saturday and Sunday, October 2nd and 3rd from 10 AM to 6 PM. The program will be easily accessible just east of Seattle, Washington off Interstate 90.

If you have any questions, or to register, please contact Jane-Ellen Seymour locally (North Bend, Washington) at (425) 888-3806 or 941-2499 or janeellens@comcast.net or us directly at info@contegrity.com or call our office at (972) 387-9090. We look forward to being with you in our upcoming workshops.

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Memory Products On Sale

We have a lot of memory products on the sale shelf because I forgot to sell them. :) There are things for studying, alzeihmers, ADD, and just general short term memory improvement. You should notice a difference in one bottle and if you are already on Gingko there are great sale items. Molly

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School is starting

Parents and students: the summer is coming to an end and school is beginning soon. It is best if you start getting better sleep schedules now, eating better, getting back on your routine supplements because you will be exposing yourself (parent and students) alike to new germs, different stressors, etc. At the onset of school I often encourage people to take whatever they do to boost their immune systsems whether that is extra vitamin C or vitamin A or thymactive (homeopathic echinacea/thymus for younger children) starting over the weekend. But the best offense is a good defense: Dr. Molly's 5 Point Health Plan. This is just a gentle reminder for all school age students and their families.

Yours in health,

Dr. Molly

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Community Involvement

I was inspired recently to take more responsibility for our planet. It may be that I am a Naturopath born or Earth Day but I decided Emerald City Clinic will adopt a street and help our neighborhood. Well we got 85th Ave. So we will be have our first cleaning day on Friday, Sept 10th. We will begin at 2 pm and we welcome anyone to help us clean up our neighborhood and enjoy camaraderie and community service. We will be doing this four times a year. Hope you can join us. Thanks Molly Linton and the staff at Emerald City Clinic

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Miles for Midwives!

In early October there will be a "Miles for Midwives" run in Seward Park. Please come, invite your family and friends, and help raise awareness of the midwifery practice! Visit http://milesformidwives.org/ for more information about the event! See you there!

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Washington State Insurance Commisioners Office: A GREAT resource!

I wanted to share this link with you all on the coattails of my survey response. www.insurance.wa.gov. This website has amazing resources for any discrepancies that you may notice, complaints that you have, or if you just need help in working out a claim. Search through the site (it's actually pretty easy to navigate!), and read about what they have done to help people receive the money they are owed. They also have many different comparison charts of insurance companies-- one even compares the amount of complaints for each insurance company in the state!

Good luck investigating......

Amanda Z

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Survey Response: Running on time and Insurance information

Dear Emerald City Clinic Clients,

Although we didn’t receive as many responses to the survey we emailed out with our newsletter as we hoped for, those we did receive were quite enlightening. Our main question, “If there was one thing you could change about Emerald City Clinic, what would it be?” definitely received the most interesting feedback. The two requested changes that beat out all others hands-down were:

1. The doctors need to run on time, as they are consistently running late to their appointments
And
2. We need to start taking insurance.

To address the #1 issue first: the doctor’s hear you! They are going to make every possible effort to run on time for you. However, they do wish you all to recognize that their number one responsibility is the person in their office or exam room. We pride ourselves on the individualized care we provide, and this care may take more time than was scheduled. When the doctors ask their final question near the end of their visit, “Is there anything else you would like to discuss today?” patients often bring up an entirely new concern whose treatment cannot be postponed. I’m sure that you can empathize as most of you have been that person for whom the doctor extended the visit. So please, be patient with us and allow ample time for your appointment and check out. Come with a written list of your concerns and tell these to your doctor at the start of your visit! We will do our best to be right with you, and when you are face to face with the doctor remember YOU are their number one priority!

To address #2, I’d like to quote an excerpt from one of our recent newsletter articles by Dr. Molly, “I have struggled both professionally and personally regarding medical insurance. It is a crisis in our country. As a Naturopathic Physician, I cannot do my medicine and make a livable wage if I am a “contracted provider.” As a health care consumer I cannot afford insurance premiums. My financial advisor, Mari Lee, made the comment causally in my office that hit the nail on the head for me, ‘Medical insurance is not insurance; it is financing our medical needs.’ It is a poor investment.”

Unfortunately, as Dr. Molly voices, we will be unable to comply with the request to contract with insurance providers. However, many of our patients have had great success with their reimbursement rates. Here’s a quick guide to being reimbursed that I know will make all the difference for you if you follow these simple steps:

1. Make sure you receive your superbill after each visit. Remind the doctor and remind the front desk. If it is unavailable at that moment, we will mail it to you.

2. While you are checking out, begin filling out your superbill! It only asks for your personal information and your insurance information that is found on your card, which you most likely have right there in your wallet. If you have it filled out before you leave—we will hand you an envelope to address, and we will put it in our mailbox for you! Done!

3. Understand your benefits. Emerald City Clinic doctors are all “out of network” providers. Each and every insurance company has an out of network plan. Most likely you will have additional deductible costs, and then the carrier will pay a percentage of the “allowable” visit fees. This percentage will go toward your deductible if you haven’t met it yet, or will be paid to you once your deductible has been covered.

4. Be sure to follow up. If you receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance and you do not understand it, call me! (Amanda 206-781-2206) I am more than happy to walk through this with you, and will even call your insurance company for clarification if necessary.

You all are making an investment in your health by coming to Emerald City Clinic, and our doctors here invest their time and energy into you in return. Why not collect from the insurance company in payment of your efforts? We’re all here to help.

We hope that you continue to fill out surveys that we may send periodically, as they do provide us with invaluable feedback. Thank you much for your time.

Sincerely,
Amanda Zuluaga
Clinic Manager

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If you know someone looking for a space:

We have 6 beautifully remodeled treatment rooms in our building that are available for lease to healthcare professionals. All utilities and janitorial service are included. Amenities include furnished waiting room, kitchen with washer-dryer, 2 bathrooms, and plenty of free street parking. Private reserved practitioner parking is available at the rear entrance of the building. The largest space is 232 sq ft and has a private bathroom. The other offices range in size from 72 sq ft. to 93 sq ft. Ideal for Acupuncture, Massage, Counseling, and Chiropractic practices. Current practitioners are a massage therapist and a counseling practice. Monthly rents range from $350 to $1200, and we offer one month free for each year of the lease. Contact Roberta at 206-781-2206 or at offmgr@emeraldcityclinic.com.

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Remember to Check out our Calendar for Community Events!

Remember that we have a link at the bottom of this page to our new calendar! Listed on the calendar will be ECN events and closures in black writing, and community events we are promoting to our patients will be in blue writing. If there are any questions about the classes that are listed, please feel free to contact Amanda at 206-781-2206 or amanda@emeraldcityclinic.com.Our current community listings are for "Yoga for the Curious but Reluctant," a class for those who'd love to try yoga but feel they are not up for the challenge for many reasons. This class takes place on August 29th. Find more details at http://www.twodogyoga.com/yoga/workshops.shtml. The other two are classes in herbology taught by Crystal Stelzer from Bastyr. She is hosting, "Simple Home Remedies: How to Make Your Own Herbal Medicine" from early September through October (you can sign up for one class or up to ten), as well as, "20 Herbs Everyone Should Know," held in September and October.We'll keep you posted on other new happenings in our community!Calendar: http://www.my.calendars.net/ecncalendar/d31/05/2010?authenticate=&display=M&style=BEmerald City TeamPrint Page

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Pharmacy Sale at Emerald City Clinic!

Hello dear friends and family of ECN,
We are having a summer blow-out sale of many of our pharmacy items with the hope of decreasing our present inventory. We have numerous items marked down 50% including a multitude of probiotics, cancer care supplements, anti-inflammatories, libido boosts, immune support, protein powders, allergy remedies and many more. Feel free to come in and browse the products for yourself, your family and your friends. We look forward to seeing you!
The Emerald City Team
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From the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians...

Dear AANP Supporter:

The AANP series on naturopathic medicine, produced by the American Health Journal's Discoveries in Alternative Health for PBS, is currently being syndicated to network affiliates around the U.S. Your generous donations made the production of this show possible. Thank you. Please look for a showing in your area next week (see below) and please look for further syndication notices from us.

As you may know, the series forms the base from which we continue our PR and media efforts. Consumer awareness is on the rise - over the past year visits to the AANP website have increased by 211% and www.naturopathic.org is now ranked in the top 95,000 U.S. websites. Media inquiries are also on the rise. Within one year, we expect to have placed NDs on over 100 network affiliate stations to talk about naturopathic medicine. It's all because of you. Thank you!

American Health Journal

7-20-10

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Update on Autism and Vitamin D from the Vitamin D Council April Newsletter

April 2, 2010

This is a periodic newsletter from the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit trying to end the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. If you are not subscribed, you can do so on the Vitamin D Council’s website: www.vitamindcouncil.org.

"Swedish Researchers on the Right Trail"


I continue to get encouraging emails – like the one at the end of this newsletter – from parents of autistic children. At the same time, some researchers in the USA continue to deride my theory while scientists in Sweden are starting to piece it together. Three Swedish papers were published this month that support the vitamin D theory of autism.

In the first paper, Dr. Mats Humble and his colleagues – at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm – measured vitamin D levels on 117 adult psychiatric outpatients. They found that the 10 adult patients with autism had the lowest 25(OH)D levels of any of the other groups, including the patients with schizophrenia and depression, an average of about 12 ng/ml, a level known to cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Even more interesting, they reported that some of the patients with depression and schizophrenia seemed to improve when treated with an average of about 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day. They did not say if they treated any of the vitamin D deficient autism patients.(Humble MB et al. Low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) among psychiatric out-patients in Sweden: Relations with season, age, ethnic origin and psychiatric diagnosis. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2010 Mar 7. [Epub ahead of print)

"Mothers of autistic children have very low 25(OH)D levels"

The second paper, by Dr. Elisbeth Fernell and colleagues – from various institutions in Sweden – measured vitamin D levels in mothers about six years after they had given birth to a child now diagnosed with autism. The Somali mothers had very low vitamin D levels, less than 10 ng/ml. The trend was in the direction of lower vitamin D levels for Somali mothers with autistic children, compared to Somali mothers without an autistic child. (Fernell E et al. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in mothers of Swedish and of Somali origin who have children with and without autism. Acta Paediatr. 2010 Mar 5. [Epub ahead of print])

"Another scientist endorses the vitamin D theory of autism."

The third paper, an invited editorial in Acta Paediatrica by Dr. Darryl Eyles – of the University of Queensland – was more interesting, at least to me, as he issued an outright endorsement of my autism theory, not that it is proven, but that it is parsimonious, a word and concept I love. Darryl is a prolific researcher and was involved in many of the rat studies that showed gestational vitamin D deficiency damages the brains of the infant rat pups. It was the work of Dr. Eyles, together with that of Dr. John McGrath, which helped me formulate my vitamin D theory of autism. I wrote about their research in 2005, before I realized that the human brain damage I wrote about was manifesitng itself as the autism epidemic. Shortly after I wrote the newsletter below, I saw an autistic child at a shopping mall and started my research into autism and vitamin D. (Cannell JJ. The Tuskegee Experiment. Vitamin D Newsletter 7/17/05)

Anyway, this month Dr. Eyles said, “Low maternal vitamin D remains a highly parsimonious explanation for certain prominent features of autism,” explaining how well their animal data fits with human data on autism. Perfect parsimony is when one theory explains all the known facts, and if there is one major autism fact the vitamin D theory of autism cannot explain, I have yet to locate it. (Eyles DW. Vitamin D and Autism, Does skin colour modify risk? Acta Paediatr. 2010 Mar 8. [Epub ahead of print])

"Pregnant women need 5,000 IU/day"

Dr. Eyles discussed the crucial importance of all pregnant women having adequate amounts of vitamin D and said he was eagerly awaiting the results of the clinical trial Bruce Hollis and Carol Wagner of the Medical University of South Carolina have conducted. They have given 4,000 IU/day to pregnant women, comparing that to 400 IU/day (the amount in prenatal vitamins) and to 2,000 IU/day. However, several months ago in Brugge, Belgium, Dr. Hollis recently presented some of the data from his clinical trial, reporting that 4,000 IU/day in pregnancy is not only safe, but significantly reduces complications of pregnancy more than 2,000 IU/day does and a lot more than 400 IU/day does. All pregnant women should be on at least 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day and take neither cod liver oil nor any retinyl acetate or retinyl palmitate (vitamin A).

Dear Dr. Cannell: (email received 5 weeks ago)
I have just recently learned about the Vitamin D link with autism. I am starting to supplement my 12- year old with Vit D because it is such a cheap and easy thing to do, with low risk. I want so much to be able to help him!! I am hoping very much that this will help, yet I am afraid to hope! He has Asperger’s type autism, and he was recently diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder, which is no surprise to me considering his very oppositional behavior. So, my question is: has Vitamin D supplementation helped children like my son? Is it too late??

He really is an indoor kid. He is a red-head and burns easily and I’ve always protected him from the sun, thinking he must get enough vitamin D from the milk we drink. Well, I was probably wrong, I feel so guilty—is it too late? I am starting him on 5000 IU of D3; considering he is starting puberty now and weighs almost 110 pounds; does this sound reasonable? Has anyone out there seen help for high-functioning kids? He has so much social dysfunction, self-stimulatory behavior (belly-smacking and hair pulling, nail biting, etc.), paranoia, attention problems, and real difficulty with group dynamics, and of course, obsession with computers.

He is really smart (yet can barely use this because of his behavior), and wonderful with small children, animals, severely disabled children, and the elderly. Isn’t that interesting?? I am hoping that this helps. PLEASE reply to me email. My husband and I are discouraged and depressed about it all, and concerned for my son’s future. His doctors imply there is no hope and think vitamin D is nonsense. I can barely get my husband to interact with my son anymore—he is so discouraged by our son’s negativity and defiant behavior. I realize there is no “magic” pill, but please let me know if there is any hope.

Terry, Nebraska

Dear Terry:
There is always hope. As I wrote in my autism paper, I think a treatment effect is likely, especially with younger children. The fact that your son is 12 years old makes it less likely that vitamin D will have a treatment effect but it is certainly worth trying. I think it likely that there are two reasons why some parents do not see a treatment effect in their autistic children. Again, a treatment effect is quite different than a cure.

The first reason is that many of these children have been overdosed with vitamin A, either as bolus doses (large one time doses) some DAN practitioners use or from the 3,500 IU of preformed retinol in the powdered multivitamin commonly used for autistic children. Be sure to stop any cod liver oil or any vitamin A that he may be taking in his multivitamins or other supplements. No one knows how long it takes for excess vitamin A to get out of the body but, as no known mechanism exists for its degradation, it may take years.

This is very different than vitamin D. Vitamin D is transformed in the cells of the body to a steroid hormone, calcitriol. It functions by turning genes on and off; more than 1,000 such genes have been discovered. As soon as it functions to turn on or off the genes in question, perhaps a matter of seconds, the calcitriol is rapidly degraded to calcitroic acid and then removed from the body. Thus, unlike vitamin A, which is used again and again, vitamin D is rapidly catabolized (degraded), removed from the body, and must be replenished.

The second reason for a poor response in autism is dose. Autistic children need aggressive doses of vitamin D, not maintenance doses. Think of it like treating rickets. My advice is to give enough vitamin D to get him to at least a 100 ng/ml and if that does not work increase the dose until his 25(OH)D level is 150 ng/ml. This will require 2,000 – 5,000 IU/day/25 pounds of body weight, and occasionally more than that.

However, he will need frequent 25(OH)D levels as these are pharmacological doses, not physiological ones, meaning these doses should only be given, and monitored, in the hope of a treatment effect in the serious disease that has been linked to vitamin D deficiency. It is best done under the care of a knowledgeable physician. I know that is not always possible and time is of the essence in autism as it is a progressive inflammatory brain disease.

Good luck, my prayers are with you.

John Cannell MD

Dear Dr. Cannell:

My 12-year-old autistic son is doing better on 5,000 IU of Vit. D3 every day, after only one month! I explained to him why he needs to take it, and he is fine with it. So, it has been over 1 month now. I was planning to get a 25 (OH)D test at the 3 month mark; should I stick to that? Is it a hard test? His behavior has improved in almost all areas. He is still obsessive about his favorite computer games of course, and still smacks his belly when he really feels like it, but it overall is better. He has been doing much better in school behavior wise and has earned his privileges back in several areas. I don't feel so desperate about everything anymore. He does still throw fits, but everything has been a little more manageable. I have also been bringing him to the YMCA for swimming, hoping more exercise is good for him. He is still very self-focused. I don't know if that will ever change, after all, that is what autism IS.

I have reduced his meds a little, esp. on non-school days. I have reduced his Adderall by eliminating his third dose in the afternoon, and reduced his second daily dose of Risperdal and Zoloft. (He was not ever on large doses, quite moderate or small ones). One of my friends told me his meds were making him worse but all these meds helped when we started them but now I cannot tell the difference on these lower doses, so I am very happy about that. I haven't talked to his doctors about it all yet. I am waiting for our next appointment. I have asked them many times about what would be good supplements for him, and all they have ever said is for him to take a multivitamin daily. I don't think that ever helped at all. I stopped his multivitamin because I don't want the vitamin A to antagonize the Vit. D. He does eat fruit well, and some veggies.

Both my husband and I are daring to hope and my husband is starting to interact with him again. Thanks again for helping people and writing to me. My blessings to you!

Terry, Nebraska

Dear Terry:

This is very hopeful, especially the improvement in face of the reductions in his medications. My advice is to continue his vitamin D at 5,000 IU per day for now and continue taking him to the YMCA for swimming and make sure it is an outdoor pool during the middle of the day. His sun-exposure should occur when the sun is high enough up in the sky so his shadow is shorter than he is, the shorter the better, the more skin the better. If he is outdoors in these conditions frequently enough, his 5,000 IU/day supplement and the sun should raise his 25(OH)D to about 100 ng/ml.

As he is red-headed and fair-skinned, use no sunblock for the first 10 minutes, or the time it takes for his skin to begin to turn slightly pink, and then put it on. I recommend sunblock that contains zinc oxide, titanium oxide or both. In spite of his fair skin, I predict that as his vitamin D level goes up, you will notice he tans with sun exposure; and then he will need less sunblock.

Obtain a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (not a 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D) every month. You want his 25(OH)D to be high, as high as a lifeguard in Miami in August, so at least 100 ng/ml. Then, even if he is responding to 100 ng/ml, the question arises, “Would he respond even better at 150 ng/ml? From what we know, this is perfectly safe as long as you get regular 25(OH)D tests and keep his 25(OH)D under 150 ng/ml. Documented toxicity (almost always asymptomatic hypercalcemia) has never been reported with 25(OH)D levels less than 200 ng/ml. On our website, you can order in-home vitamin D testing. After you pay $65.00, ZRT will send you a test kit. You will need to stick his finger or his heel to get a small amount of blood on the blotter paper in the ZRT test kit. Maybe a nurse or a paramedic who you know will stick his finger or heel if you can’t stand to do it. If you mess up the first time, just contact ZRT, they will send you another test kit for free.

As far as reducing his psychiatric medication, be sure to do it very slowly, as an abrupt discontinuation may worsen his condition. His Adderall is an amphetamine stimulant, his Risperdal is an antipsychotic and his Zoloft is an antidepressant, but all can be helpful in autism. Also, be sure his psychiatrist is OK with slow reductions in his medication. Ignore anyone who tells you his psychiatric medications made him worse; they have their own agenda and it is not to help your son.

Also, make sure your son has a source of magnesium, zinc, boron and vitamin K. Vitamin D has many co-factors, but these are the four Americans are the most likely to be deficient in. A large handful of seeds and nuts, together with whole grains, will help with the first three and green leafy vegetables with the vitamin K. Trader Joe’s sells sunflower and almond butter, both excellent sources of magnesium, zinc, and boron.

Finally, expect anger and defensiveness from many in the medical profession. Remember, if I’m right, it was not the evil power plants, or the mercury polluters, or the vaccine industry that caused your son’s autism. It was the CDC, the NIH, the AMA, and all the other committees and organizations that fell for the dermatologists' calculations (the cosmetic industry will give me a larger grant if I warn about sunlight) and who then blasphemed the Sun God. That is, the worst charge you can level against medicine, “You have violated your primary duty; you have caused harm.” If I am right, the current autism epidemic is the worst iatrogenic disease in human history.

I am so glad your husband is starting to interact with his son more. As far as hope goes, Emily Dickenson once wrote:

Hope is the thing with feathers,
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
and never stops at all.

John Cannell MD
Executive Director
Vitamin D Council

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