American Professor Couple Identify Major Cause of Autism

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I'm not dismissing it but until there's more information out there supporting this...
I'm going to put this in the same categories as...

Marijuana is the magic cure all to anything and everything... [While no doubt it's great for a lot of things... it's no golden goose...]
Dandelion tea cures cancer because a guy said so right before he died
Veganism cure cancer... because Freelee and Durian Rider said so
Coconut oil cures Alzheimer's disease
Taking vitamins cures depression
Taking vitamins fixes just about everything
Gluten Free diet fixes everything
Carbs are the reason everyone is fat

And yes... I'm a bit bitter because I had a friend who died of cancer and she tried a lot of scams and I watched in agony as she bounced back and forth between hopeful and disappointed over and over until she died because some idiots didn't do their research or jumped to conclusions about something that wasn't fully tested or completed and while trying to be helpful... they did her more harm than good.

I don't really want to cure my autism anyways. As much pain as it causes me it's a part of myself and what makes me me.

And now my mother is doing the same thing because her Psoriasis has almost consumed over 90% of her body and it's very very painful for her and she's tried every fake diet on the planet that some a**hole made up so they can profit off of sick or disabled people. I'm sick of scams.

Garbage

So, the OP posted a link to a translated report of a Korean press release of that article. Yes, that article makes a lot of statements that are appropriately raising "BS" flags. Now... that being said, this was not written by a scientist. Here is a link to the actual paper: https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v549/n7673/full/nature23910.html

And here is the copied an pasted abstract:

SO, now that we've read that, let's take a step back from the OP and remember some points that I think have gotten lost:

1. mice are good models for humans, but not everything that works in mice works in people
2. "autistic-like symptoms" in mice are not the same as "all people with autism."
3. Autism is a syndrome defined by common symptoms, and definitely can have many causes, so this article is attempting to shed light on one potential cause.

So in short, IF this works similarly in humans as in mice, and IF your mother is prone to inflamation due to certain foods, and IF she had certain gut microbes while pregnant, then there is a CHANCE that you might be neurologically different if your mother had different gut bacteria while pregnant.

These findings are not the same as "you're autistic because of your diet." It doesn't refute this claim, but it doesn't support it either.

As for the scientific rigor of this paper (the paper, not the sensationalist media coverage), I found it high. They did not rely on correlation. They actually manipulated the parental mice and induced the production of their model "autism-like" phenotype, then undid this and the mice went back to as before. That's very different from correlation. That's basically as high-constraint as it gets.

The OP said nothing about curing autism in mice. He says he has a cure for it in a HUMAN, namely HIMSELF. He states without evidence that bacteria in his guts caused this condition, and then changed his diet and believes again without evidence that this significantly changed his intestinal flora, effecting symptom relief. Where are the bacterial studies in humans showing this to be true, the isolation of autism causing strains, etc? How about a counter hypothesis namely this worked because its a psychological state and he believed the treatment would work for him? Such things are well known.

*sigh/deep breath* I'm replying, again, because there's value to what I have to say and I'd like to believe that someday it may help someone who's reading it.

I have never ever once said that I had a "cure." Ever. The original thread I posted ~4 years ago very clearly stated that this was how I was treating myself with miraculous results. Treating. Treatment protocol. Symptoms minimized. Never ever ONCE said that I was cured nor could cure anyone else. Further to that, an Israeli study discussed at length on these forums that used functional MRI scans proved that there is a neurological hard wired brain component to ASD as our brains do Not follow the NT connectivity map that almost everyone else' does. Ours are wired & connected differently, and are also unique from person to person, possibly explaining why some on the spectrum have opposite symptoms - as it was hypothesized from that study that hyper & hypo connectivity of various brain regions may explain such a variance in ASD traits & symptoms. So, assuming they are correct, there is a hard-wired component to ASD that cannot simply be rewired to NT status and thus there, IMO, can only ever be treatments and never a cure.

What evidence do you suggest I report here to you? Witness statements? Sworn/notorized affidavits or testimonials from friends, family, and employers about my behaviour & life? Lab test results from fecal samples? Newsflash: I'm some guy who figured this out & did this for himself. I've never ever stated that I conducted a medical study on myself & documented empirical evidence. I'm still willing to be scientifically observed & to provide biological samples should any of you be qualified to conduct & prove any such things, or have the resources to do so. So far no one has offered, so, here I am still carrying on living my life.

On that note, I'm living my life. Working full time, accumulating financial wealth that I couldn't before, happier, healthier, physically fitter etc. I attend major party event weekends, kite board on the ocean in the Summertime and so on. Go read my posting history (as I've said before, too.) and you'll note that I used to be ASD af & miserable as anyone on here, and over the last 4+ years I'm a pretty happy camper. Ditto with my Facebook timeline if you'd care to forensically research it. Hell, same goes for my bank account & now other investment accounts - broke/bankrupt, to.. currently in the black and working towards much larger goals in life.

A few years ago Autism Speaks was conducting probiotic treatment studies in ASD presenting mice. Where are the human trials and studies? Probably still years away as the glacial pace of research goes.. waiting for test after test, budget approvals blah blah blah all the things that make medical studies take time. Further, big pharma isn't about to finance a study in anything that doesn't have the pre concluded end of some new magic-bean pill for them to flog to treat symptoms in order to create lifelong dependency on their high profit pills. Fact.

To each their own, carry on as you are until someone tells you that it's okay to eat healthy food, do intestinal cleanses, and take a bunch of probiotics/supplements etc to better your health, minimize ASD symptoms, and in turn live a better quality of life. In the meantime I'm 4+ years into this second life and couldn't be happier for it. I'm going to carry on accomplishing goals and having fun whether you believe I'm doing it or not - doesn't affect me one bit.

For those who've read this far: This past Summer after being out in the Sun for 5-6 weeks my brain was much more fully lit and I realized just how much my ASD symptoms had acted up over the very low light Winter we had. The only reasonable explanation was lack of UV & vitamin D - which is a hormone that assists in nearly countless brain functions, that cannot be absorbed and used by the body without UV light. So, this Winter I've been taking large doses of vitamin D immediately prior to soaking up some UV light via a tanning bed. Result? I feel much better for it and my brain functions feel more like June/July than Winter mode. Whether a tanning bed or light therapy box, I now believe that UV light and vitamin D are a crucial component to keeping my brain functioning at it's highest and best levels and will continue to do so during the low light months. With improved mood, focus, and function I'm certain that I'll be much more productive year round vs. trying to get the absolute most out of our few months of Summer Sun/year.

I think it's petty obvious it's widly believed that lifestyle can affect mental performance. Sleep, diet, exercise, supplements, meditation - all that stuff.

People who devote themselves to certain regimens often state how much better they feel and perform. I don't see why this would be any different. And like with these things, your mileage may vary.

Yes, in general a healthy lifestyle (diet, exercise, sleep etc.) yields a healthier happier human. Fact.

More specifically, though, is that the specific things I do treat & manage the specific symptoms of ASD, result in a healthier happier human with minimized ASD symptoms to the extent that I may not qualify for an official diagnosis under observation of a qualified Psychiatrist. This is my personal experience & opinion. The results I've achieved in my life are a testament to it. I do what I do and symptoms/traits are nearly non-existent, I slip up, OR intentionally alter my diet/other biochemical factors (antibiotics, salicylate acids, vitamin D etc) & I can re-amplify symptoms to the point that they're painfully obvious to almost anyone, whether they know what they're looking at is an HFA individual or not.

Sometimes I slip and eat things I shouldn't, or allow too much time to pass between doing the intestinal cleanses I do, and symptoms creep back up. Or they come on strong if I take a course of certain antibiotics - and so now I know whenever I have to take them, I have to counteract the effects with mass amounts of probiotics. As long as I'm on top of my game, my symptoms are relatively mild & don't really mess with my life. When I do slip up, I tend not to notice (frog in boiling water parable) until someone makes a comment about my behaviour, and then I realize what they're describing is an ASD trait, do a mental checklist and realize other symptoms have been creeping up.. and then adjust my treatment of myself accordingly to get back on track. When it's been a bit more major, I go from frustrating people to them complimenting me on my recent improvements and taking their criticism very well and taking action on it instead of getting argumentative or upset. I've never disclosed that it wasn't a simple "attitude adjustment," but rather that I've done what I know I need to to kickstart my brain functions again, but I know.

The EVIDENCE is that autism is GENETIC in nature. No one in science puts any stock in the ENVIRONMENTAL fringe hypothesis. As for working full time, so do I. What does that have to do with autism? I detest beaches, bars, and parties (comic con excepted) so is this mental illness? I think not. And you've posted nothing to dispute my counter hypothesis.

I mean, you can try to troll me if you want, but I'm not calling anyone out. I am simply clarifying what the actual science in the paper is about, since it seems like everyone posting is unclear on these things. I'm not interested in engaging in debate about what the OP said or says. Just the science please.

Uh, perhaps partially genetic, yes. But it's also inherited via intestinal flora from one's mother. Further, yes, real life scientists do put stock into this exact environmental hypothesis. It was 2-3+ years ago that we discussed, on these forums, a medical study being conducted by Autism Speaks' research scientists that involved treating ASD behaving mice with probiotics and observing improvements in their behaviour/anxiety etc. It's real science whether you choose to accept it as the fact that it is or not.

Re: Full time work, that was simple a comparison of myself Now & over the last 4 years or so vs. the few years prior to that when my symptoms did not allow me to work regularly or anywhere near full time. Treatment of all of these issues via diet/supplements etc as I've described have minimized symptoms and allowed me to live a fuller more complete normal life.

Maybe you detest those environments no matter your state, or maybe you detest them due to social anxiety & depression symptoms - so, it may or may not be symptomatic of mental illness. That's up to you and each individual to determine along with their doctor(s), not me.

What counter hypothesis have I not responded to or disputed?

Oh, here's your "counter hypothesis."

It's not the placebo affect.

I do what I do, symptoms remain minimized. I don't do what I do, they creep back up. I eat certain things, or ingest antibiotics, or do any number of things that undo the treatment protocol I follow and symptoms return stronger. I do what I do to counter them and they stay under control. I've been doing this for more than 4 years with very consistent results.

What further evidence would you like from me? Someone to follow me around with a camera 24/7 like I'm the star of some reality TV show? lol I have exactly ZERO reasons to make any of this up & put the information out there for others to learn from. There is literally nothing in it for me. I'm not selling anything. I'm not profiting from anything. I'm simply telling you what I've learned and done to treat my own ASD symptoms with, as far as I can tell, FAR greater success than anyone else is sharing on these forums. Feel free to do, or not do, with the information what you will.

Dude, I never had an unproductive life, and am perfectly happy as I am. My counter hypothesis is that you were in fact never autistic, had some anxiety disorder, and effected a placebo cure with your nostrums. I strenuously object to people without medical degrees playing doctor in real life but hey at least you didn't harm anyone unlike other Newage (rhymes with sewage) people trying to get around the pesky requirements for proof that modern medicine has .

Autism Speaks is a hate group who sides with the parents of low functioning Autistic children who have murdered them and or wish it were legal to do so. Their "science" may as well be the same as a "scientist" who works for the KKK with "evidence" that blacks are genetically inferior. As for high functioning Autistics like myself and my soon to be wife, I strenuously contend that there is *NOTHING* wrong with us and we should be left alone completely.

Ok, so you lead a productive life & ASD has never constrained you from that.

Oh the irony.. people aren't allowed to discuss medical things without the designation as a Medical Doctor (in your expressed opinion), however, you think it's perfectly Okay to give me an armchair diagnosis. Fascinating. Like many others on this forum, I've done my research (more than 10,000 pages worth between books & online) and I know full well what my diagnosis and experience of life is regardless of whether you validate it or not.

Yourself & your HFA wife are free to choose to live however you see fit, treat or not treat your ASD symptoms. That does not mean there is anything wrong with others choosing to treat our symptoms in order to lead a better quality of life. To each their own.

OK so you believe your nostrums have changed your intestinal flora. What proof do you have of this? None. You have no proof that the intestinal flora suite was even CHANGED by your actions, to say nothing of proving that this resulted in symptom relief. And YES, you would need a properly done cultural study with controls to prove it. No, I'm not an MD, but I am a scientist, and I know how research is done.

Yes, gut bacteria causes a differently wired brain??? How, exactly? It's a bit like suggesting having blue eyes causes smelly feet! There is no physical mechanism for this to happen. Can people please stop peddling this alternative medicine b&*((£^s? It is getting tiresome.

No, not "nostrums." Beneficial probiotic bacteria, commercially produced & packaged with strict quality control to know the strains & CFU count contained.

The proof I have is exactly as I report. I ingest at least 30B CFU daily, plus high probiotic foods regularly (usually some sauerkraut, which is said to have CFU counts in the Trillions), and ~4B CFU taken rectally. The proof I have is the difference it makes in my symptoms & overall well being. There's exactly a zero% probability that one is going to ingest at LEAST 34B CFU daily and not alter their intestinal flora.

As stated repeatedly like a broken record for more than 4 years, I'm not a MD, nor am I a research scientist. I am an educated, quantitative, and analytical person, though. I never ever once stated that I was conducting a research study. I said I was treating myself, diving right in and doing what I learned I needed to in order to save my own life back at the worst point of my health. I wasn't, and am not, conducting lab tests and documenting the results. I've offered to subject myself to a research study should any of you have the resources. I'm not opposed, I simply do not have the resources. I'm quite familiar with how research is done, too. I'm also aware of what results are & when they are so blatantly obviously black & white/night & day as mine have, and continue, to be, I acknowledge and accept them. I've also shared them here for others to learn from because the results have been so incredibly positive to have been, and continue to be, life changing. You are free to continue believing I have some sinister anti-scientific study, anti-empirical evidence, agenda for sharing what's worked so well for me - and I'll continue to say the same thing as the last 4+ years... it is what it is, take it or leave it, do with it what you will (or won't) but I'm living a much happier, healthier, wealthier life for it regardless of what others believe, do or don't do.