This Year’s Autism One conference (held over 5 days in Chicago as always) was as large and impressive as ever with 8 tracks, 126 speakers and over a thousand parents and professionals racing to 172 lectures on treatments that have the potential to recover their children from Autism.
This year was especially noteworthy as it featured French Nobel Laureate Dr Luc Montagnier, who won a Nobel prize in 2008 for co-discovering HIV. Monsieur Montagnier presented clinical findings from his French team who has found Autism to be treatable and language and socialisation gains to be profound by treating bacterial infections in a responsive subset of Autistic children. Another eminent scientist, Australia’s own Professor Tom Borody, lectured on Gastro Intestinal Microbiota and Regressive Autism drawing on his considerable expertise to make the connection between gut bugs, brain function and cognitive regression. The scientific endorsement from 2 world-renowned scientists represents a significant step forward for the Biomedical movement!
Even more encouraging, was that these respected scientists and hundreds more scientists and physicians had a strong education in the multi-system approach to a multi-factorial disorder from the world’s top Biomedical/ASD scientists including; Dr Martha Herbert on Mainstreaming Biomed: Why and How, Dick Deith PhD on Redox & Methylation in the Gut, Brain & Immune System; Dr Arthur Krigsman on Autistic Enterocolitis; Dr Richard Frye on Neurological Abnormalities and Seizures in Autism; Dr Anju Usman on The Autonomic Nervous System, Hormones and Stress; Dr Kyle Van Dyke on Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Hormesis and Hyperbaric Therapy in Autism; William Walsh PhD on An Epigenetic Model of Autism; Anat Baniel on Linking Powerful Pathways to Harness the Potential of the Brain; Dr John Hicks on Biofilms, Bugs and Bowels; Dr Dan Rossignol on Cerebral Folate Auto-Antibodies in Autism; Dr David Berger on Environmental and Nutritional Strategies for Lowering the Risk of Autism; Dr Jeff Bradstreet on Are Stem Cells the Future of Autism Biomedical Therapies?
Another exciting development is the formation of MAPS, the Medical Advisory for Pediatric Special needs, spearheaded by Dr Dan Rossignol and Dr David Berger. MAPS will offer a certification and fellowship to licensed practitioners worldwide. Within their curriculum will be a strong evidence-based approach and a rating system that ranks treatments based on research to date. Mindd Foundation will be providing the MAPS training in Australia and New Zealand as of May 2013 (see MAPS article in this newsletter).
Autism One fittingly opened with Culinary Day, an entire day dedicated to lectures on the importance of diet as part of the Biomedical treatment program. Speakers emphasized the need for a nutrient-dense, no additive, low GI, low grain and casein/gluten/soy/corn –free diet and covered the key diets; Casein/Gluten-Free, Specific Carbohydrate, GAPS, Body Ecology and Weston Price. Most importantly they showed parents how to make nutrient-rich foods their kids will eat.
More “alternative treatments” were also presented at Autism One with very impressive anecdotal reporting including lectures on MMS in the treatment of infections; fermented foods in providing long-term beneficial gut flora; hyperbaric in improving socialisation and reducing inflammation; homeopathy in supporting the body’s ability to heal; Osteopathy in treating seizures and much more…
The treatment of Down Syndrome had a significant presence with many of the experienced Autism clinicians presenting on effective biomedical treatments for DS patients of all ages. These Biomedical doctors and scientists have found the principles of improving cellular health through digestive and metabolic support to be very effective not only in neuro-developmental disorders but in a range of illness including allergies, asthma, auto-immune disease, depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes and much more…
Other noteworthy happenings at Autism One include a strong show by dads who this year more than ever took copious notes, chased down specialists, attended several dad-focused lectures and mingled at a beer & pizza night.
While the numerous and complex lectures at Autism One can be intimidating, especially to newer parents, the information offers hope and helps strengthen their resolve to comply with the diet, supplement, medical and lifestyle regimes that have significantly improved the lives of tens of thousands of children worldwide.
In an effort to make the information more accessible to delegates, the conference offered a very successful Q & A session featuring 4 of the world’s top Biomedical physicians and 3 experienced Biomedical mums. This standing room only event was a HUGE success allowing very important information exchange to happen.
This coming together of parents, patients and practitioners is at the heart of the Biomedical and Integrative movements. As one of the Biomedical doctors on the panel emphasised; “it’s the information from parents that has lead us to our most important treatments.”
The Mindd Forum, 17-20 May, 2013 will feature several key speakers from Autism One including MAPS Founding Director, Dr Dan Rossignol, Dr Martha Herbert, PhD, Harvard University and Anat Baniel who will speak on neuroplasticity and brain repair.
