diabetes, celiac and aspergers -- long example

[Rosemary C Hyde PhD]

Hi,Margaret from Boston. This is Rosemary (originally) from Providence. Due to the high numbers of people of Irish descent, this area of the country is a focal point for celiac syndrome. This article on a link between Asperger's and celiac is fascinating. I hadn't read it before. In hindsight, with new medical information, we're realizing that my daughter also had Asperger's, along with multiple learning disabilities. When the criteria for ADHD became known in the 80s, she was diagnosed with that. But the emotional component, her inability since age 18 months or so, to interact emotionally with others, is something we're only now realizing corresponds to some level of Asperger's, which we hadn't even heard of back then. All three conditions, along with universal severe allergies of all kinds and some alcoholism, run through my family. I have wondered about a link with vaccines -- perhaps their increasing number explains why the symptoms seem markedly worse with each passing generation. On the other hand, I can pinpoint individuals in my family's immediate past (in both my mother's and my father's families, which probably explains the strength of this genetic profile in my generation and the subsequent ones) who clearly had one or another aspect of this whole coalition -- the celiac (they died in childhood or young adulthood from just plain "sickliness."), the minor grades of autism (I'm realizing this was one important aspect of my mother's craziness, and I see it in a couple of my nephews as well as in my daughter), the learning disabilities and ADHD (which I have, as does my daughter, as do 4 out of 6 nephews and nieces), and the atopic allergies -- eczema, hay fever, asthma -- which I and all my siblings and all their children and grandchildren have, some more severely than others. Each person seems to have their most severe to least severe scale of being affected relative to each component of this group.

So my assumption would be that if vaccine damage is involved, it has heightened an already present set of genetic weaknesses, in this instance at least. My mother became completely autistic about 6 years before her death at age 80, and what killed her was an allergic reaction to medications -- these aren't minor problems. As the oldest daughter (of 5), I was the de facto mother in the family from about age 8, because my mother just couldn't deal with the task (neither could I, being the age I was, but that's another set of problems...).

At least my family history, in a tangled way, does confirm the connection between celiac and Asperger's referred to in the article. Everyone in my generation actually had all the childhood diseases -- measles, etc... rather than getting vaccinated against them. My daughter's generation was the first to get all the vaccines, and now their children.

A ray of hope -- Childhood was extremely difficult for these kids -- things like success in school, ability to socialize normally, to make and keep friends, to learn basic skills such as reading and arithmetic, to take responsibility for their own health by eating what they could and avoiding what they couldn't (with a lot of sneaked cookies and sick days along the way). But they've all managed to become solid adults with the ability to function well in the family and on the job, and with a general feeling of happiness about their lives -- and, from what I've seen so far, they seem able to nurture their children lovingly and responsibly. Homeopathic remedies would have been a tremendous help, but they're relatively new on the scene for us -- potentially a huge asset. Homeopathic treatment over the years has certainly improved dramatically my own position relative to celiac, ADHD, and allergies.

Your friend's daughter can find ways to deal with the cafeteria selections with only minor problems. She needs to get her own bread, crackers, etc... and take what she wants to the cafeteria so it's not hard to avoid the wheat products. Except for nights when the main course is macaroni and cheese, or spaghetti and meatballs, she won't have any problem eating just fine. Her friends will get used to her strange bread. They'll all taste it and pronounce it delicious, and envy her a little for having it (been there done that).

) Rosemary