Lyme Disease and Autism

Recently, there have been many studies concluded regarding the link between Lyme disease and Autism. Do all physicians believe this to be true? No. Why not, I don't know. Again, this comes down to testing. Why not test a child for Lyme disease. If the test comes out negative following a couple of tries (as there are false negatives), go on with the other Autism issues, which are many. If the test results are positive, treatment is available. Will treatment completely solve the Autism issues? The answer to that question is unclear; however, this does create hope for those of us who have children in the Autistic Spectrum.

Does this mean that all children with Autism have Lyme disease? No. Right now, the informal studies show an estimate of at least 30% of children with Autism have Borrelia/Lyme. This would mean that over 200,000 children, just in the United States, have Lyme and Autism. Clinicians are reporting much higher numbers.

How does the child get Lyme? They don't have to have a tick bite. They can catch it in the womb, and some research shows that they may be able to catch it through breast milk.

..."Recently reports of white matter disease are prevelant in children and adults with autism paralleling patterns in Lyme disease."

..."Reports are clear, that parents of autistic children seem to have higher incidences of autoimmune conditions. This is telling us something. It is my belief, this is a sign that the parents themselves have Lyme disease-and are giving this infection to their children. Lyme disease is prevalent in all fifty states of the union, and know no geographical areas."

..."Recent reports show that children with autism are harboring Lyme disease. The cry for chromosomal faults are numerous, and often paid and backed to be equally the only way you get autism. What researchers know, is that no money is funded or researched or goes into the immune lowering/autoimmunity events that create autism, and is simply put down. The cogent finding of Lyme bacterium being a major risk factor for autism needs to be explored. This is superimposed on the already sustained belief, that autism is an autoimmune disorder. Many of the imbalances of autism could be explained as the body's inability to detox and to work on this bacteria. Lyme could also be a trigger or a circumstance that initiate or worsening of the autistic condition. This includes milk allergies, strep infections, mercury, dietary intolerances of wheat and milks, and inability to deal with toxic inhibitors. Interestingly, many of the imbalances and deficiencies can be caused by Lyme bacteria."

..."All involved with late state Lyme disease agree there is a large amount of inaccurate information on this subject. This disagreement exists at every level - journals, scientific meetings, clinical practice, and media outlets. The same can be said of autism, in which denials of its etiologies are profusely displayed as only genetic, and never any environmental iatrogenic factors involved. Profusely are denials of the existence that autism is based on the body’s response to a foreign material either of neurotoxicity, bacteria or virus, such as Lyme, such as vaccinal viruses, such as autoimmune processes that become overabundant. Reports are clear, that parents of autistic children seem to have higher incidences of autoimmune conditions."

..."Recently there have been reports of short term antibiotic use to kill clostridium and or AGBN's. Vancomycin was recently used, and reports are that
when on the antibiotic for thirty days, symptoms of autism decreased. The Jarish Herxheimer reaction is seen when antibiotics are having a therapeutic effect as well, as evidenced when the child is on the antibiotics. This often scares off the weary parent of an autistic child, stopping the antibiotic for fear it is contributing to their autism symptoms when in reality it was killing Lyme with mild to moderate reactions. Unfortunately, in these studies, the children regressed back to autism symptoms as soon as they were removed after thirty days. If the bacteria are not completely eliminated, the symptoms will return. This tells us, I believe, that Lyme is involved in their autism."

-- CanLyme Medical Hypothesis Link

"Autism is classically considered to be a neurodevelopment disorder, the cause of which is unknown. In our work with children who have developed Lyme disease, we have encountered a few children who had developed autistic-like disorders which were eventually also diagnosed as having Lyme Disease due to other concomitant symptoms; when the child received intensive antibiotic therapy, the autistic syndromes dramatically improved and, in some cases, resolved."

-- Link for quote from upcoming research study

"Researcher Robert Bransfield believes that tick-borne infections, such as Lyme disease, can weaken the immune system during infancy and make the sufferer more vulnerable to autistic-spectrum diseases."

--- Improving Autism Link

Yes, there are a plethora of quotations here. Where better to gather the information from than the experts. There are ongoing conferences and studies regarding the link between Autism and Lyme disease. This gives hope to those of us who have children in the Autism spectrum and who have been experiencing the joy of our children and the pain of Lyme disease. Perhaps we can help our children by simply testing them. I'm simply pursuing another avenue in the search to find a cure for Autism and Lyme at the same time, helping relieve the stress and pain of families all over the globe.

Sources:
www.lymeinducedautism.com
www.canlyme.com
www.columbia-lyme.org
improvingautism.wordpress.com
www.talkaboutcuringautism.org