Forget Dangerous Pharmaceuticals — Here’s How to Help Heal Autism, ADHD and More With Natural Therapies

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Forget Dangerous Pharmaceuticals - Here’s How to Help Heal Autism, ADHD and More With Natural Therapies 1

By Carolanne Wright

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

“It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a child with autism to raise the consciousness of the village.” ~ Elaine Hall

Healing Without Hurting

When your child suffers from autism, ADD/ADHD, anxiety or other developmental and behavioral issues, it’s easy to fall into the trap of a promised ‘quick fix’ regarding pharmaceutical medications. After all, you trust your child’s doctor, what’s to question? As it turns out, quite a bit.

Unfortunately, most parents are not told that these pharmaceuticals can unleash a host of unpleasant, if not dangerous, side-effects — including increased anger, depression, fogginess, as well as seizures, paranoia, tics and psychosis. Many times, parents feel these effects are worse than the original ailment the meds were aimed to treat. But this doesn’t mean you have to choose between pharmaceutical intervention or simply suffering through the disorder. A myriad of natural therapies and treatments have a strong track record of improving the lives of countless children diagnosed with developmental delay and behavioral issues.


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Be that as it may, the task of researching and investigating what might work best for your child can be a daunting task. Fortunately, a board-certified psychotherapist, who has experience with patients suffering from autism spectrum, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other developmental/behavioral issues, has drawn together a comprehensive resource to help fully educate parents about the different options available for healing. But Jennifer Giustra-Kozek didn’t approach the book simply from a clinical standpoint — she also has firsthand experience as the mother of an autistic child.

First rule of medicine: do no harm

With a Masters of Science in Counseling, and specializing in ADHD, depression, anxiety/OCD and autism, Jennifer has a strong background of working with those who suffer from these disorders. But it wasn’t until her son Evan was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), ADHD, anxiety, motor and speech apraxia, along with a sensory processing disorder, that her quest to help others became personal. Later, her son was also diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Through years of practical knowledge, she knew that it was only a matter of time before medication would be recommended for Evan. But Jennifer was also well aware of the side-effects of such intervention — and wanted to avoid triggering further complications, especially since she understood that pharmaceuticals only mask symptoms, rather than address underlying causes. She knew there had to be a better way. And so began her quest to heal her son without causing further harm.

Through extensive research, she had a significant “ah-ha” moment, realizing that most children on the spectrum, or those who have behavioral issues/developmental delay, are actually biochemically unbalanced and afflicted by nutritional deficiencies. Due to genetic mutations and various food intolerances, the intestinal tract becomes inflamed, which prevents proper brain and metabolic functioning. The bottom line: an inflamed gut equals an inflamed brain. With the help of a naturopath and other natural therapies, Evan’s gut began to heal at a deep level and significant strides were seen in all areas of development.

“Evan is now a healthy and well adjusted child. He is successful in school, on the golf course, on the basketball team, and swim class. He is more sociable, and his communication abilities have improved. He has friends, and engages easily with family. He is imaginative and independent, and expresses his needs, opinions and tastes. He has a strong personality, with a dry sense of humor. The improvements are profound,” said Jennifer.

Truth be told, there are countless books in print addressing natural healing and autism. What makes Healing Without Hurting different is that it’s exceedingly thorough.

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One-stop resource for natural healing

It’s easy to understand how parents can be utterly overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices in caring naturally for their child who is struggling with developmental or behavioral issues. Not only are they coming to terms with the diagnosis, but also dealing with the day-to-day challenge of caring for a child with special needs. Many find it’s near impossible to research alternatives to pharmaceutical intervention — which is why parents frequently opt for meds instead of natural therapies. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Healing Without Hurting presents a wide-range of rigorously researched options for parents, many of which are endorsed by medical doctors. Areas covered include:

  • Exhaustive overview of popular medications like Ritalin, Strattera, Wellbutrin, Prozac, Zoloft, Clonidine — and why each can cause significant side-effects.
  • Genetic mutations such as MTHFR, COMT, VDR, FOXP2 and CHD8, all of which can contribute to autism, ADHD, developmental delay or behavioral problems.
  • How environmental toxins influence the expression of our genetic code.
  • The strong link between food sensitivities and an inflamed gut with autism and other developmental delay/behavioral issues.
  • Why vaccines, antibiotics, excessive ultrasounds during pregnancy, viral and bacterial infections can set the stage for autism, behavioral issues and developmental delay.
  • The importance of diet and specific nutrients for restoring proper gut and brain function. Explores gluten/dairy free, Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) and phenol/salicylate intolerance diets.
  • Using supplements, herbs and essential oils to support the body in healing.
  • Detoxification — especially heavy metals.
  • Important neurotransmitters in the brain, their function and why children with behavioral/developmental issues can be lacking in one or more — and what to do about it.
  • Beneficial therapies such as craniosacral, chiropractic, Brain Balancing Therapy, BioSET, massage, reiki and acupuncture.
  • Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination technique (NAET), which combines muscle testing, chiropractic adjustments, Western medicine and acupressure/acupuncture to diagnose and reverse allergies, to the point where autism spectrum children have been able to stop their highly restrictive diets without issue. The technique permanently eliminates energy blockages (allergies) and allows children to properly absorb nutrients, instead of being blocked by the body.

When all is said and done, the most important aspect is how we can best support the healing of our children. In Evan’s case, after a year of following a range of natural therapies and dietary interventions described in the book, he has made incredible advances in health and many of his autistic symptoms have disappeared. His focus and learning capabilities have greatly improved, plus he’s taken an enormous leap in speech articulation and communication. He’s less anxious and has better emotional regulation. Best of all, this bright little boy’s personality is now able to shine with a fantastic sense of humor and friendliness that wasn’t apparent before embarking on his healing journey.

Article sources:

About the author:

Carolanne WrightCarolanne Wright enthusiastically believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be the change. As a nutritionist, natural foods chef and wellness coach, Carolanne has encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of organic living, gratefulness and joyful orientation for over 13 years.

Through her website Thrive-Living.net, she looks forward to connecting with other like-minded people from around the world who share a similar vision. You can also follow Carolanne on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Further reading from Carolanne Wright:

 

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