Q. Hi Cynthia, my 4 year old son with Autism has had major problems with Candida and bacteria overgrowth. He had a severe reaction to Threelac causing a major bacterial infection. I tried a product called yeast Aid by Kirkman Labs and it helped him immensely! I have since then added a probiotic and prescription Diflucan to his regimen. he is a lot better, focusing more and has even started using sign language that we have been trying to use for years. On the down side, he seems to be catching every virus that is out there. He went from never being sick, not catching anything, to having the flu for weeks and now a bad cold for a few weeks. What is causing this and is there anything I can give him to help with this? He is also mouthing objects all the time, any ideas on what causes this? he only seems to do this when he is sick. Thanks, Sarah
A. Hi Sarah,
Yes, unfortunately, many people including myself have had a similar reaction to Threelac. If you haven’t read Is Threelac Safe and Effective, I encourage you to do so.
There are a variety of possible reasons for what your child is experiencing. It is my understanding that mouthing objects is a common symptom among autistic children, so it may be a new symptom beginning to emerge for your child that wasn’t displayed previously.
As you know, Autism is a developmental disorder. The mouth is what infants use to explore their world and gather information. The mouth and tongue are rich in sensory receptors and mouthing is a normal part of development for infants. So on one hand it could be that developmentally your child is still in this infant stage of exploring.
However, if your child never went through this phase and is now going through this phase for the first time, this could be a good sign. I read an article by Dr. James Dr. Neubrander, who says an increase in mouthing is often a side effect of B12 treatment and means that the child’s sensory receptors are coming alive for the first time. This would mean the child is moving forward developmentally.
Now the Kirkman Yeast Aid doesn’t have B12, but it does have Biotin, Vit C and Selenium, so perhaps one of those ingredients is stimulating the senses. Or perhaps the reduction of yeast overgrowth and other bacteria is allowing the sensory receptors to come alive, because as the toxins are reduced, then brain function improves.
My research indicates that mouthing at this age can also be the result of a mineral imbalance. Perhaps the selenium has caused an imbalance in minerals. A mineral imbalance is usually best addressed by supplementing with the opposing mineral. An RBC mineral test and a hair analysis should be used to assess the mineral levels. Deficiencies in minerals is a common underlying cause of Autism and should be explored regardless.
As for the increase in flu and colds, that too has a variety of possible causes. Flu-like symptoms are common side-effects of treating Candida overgrowth; it is the result of die off. Die off occurs when the yeast is killed and it releases a lot of toxins in the body. A little die off is a good thing, but severe die off should be avoided as it overloads the body with too many toxins. Perhaps this product is too strong for your child and is weakening his immune system.
On the other hand, increasing vitamin A, D, zinc and selenium can help the immune system be stronger to handle the die off a little better and fight off viruses. These nutrients are often deficient in people with Candida. He’s already taking selenium in the Yeast Aid, so you’ve got that one covered.
Autism is a complex condition so there is no way to know for sure; please be aware that I am only speculating and that my knowledge base on Autism is not advanced, so I strongly encourage you to discuss these issues with your doctor.
Since you are treating Candida, you may have already done this, but be sure to investigate other common contributing factors to Autism, like heavy metal toxicity, nutritional deficiencies (vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids), leaky gut, emf exposures,food sensitivities pesticide toxicity and other organisms that may be living in the gastrointestinal tract.
Candida is only one of the organisms that is commonly found in the gut of autistic children. There are many others. A GI Effects stool test could help you identify all of them. Many people make significant improvements in their Autistic child’s life by addressing these issues.
All the best.
Cynthia
