Without any doubt our kids of today are facing a serious, real, rapidly exploding pandemic, and it isn’t swine flu, bird flu, or any other sort of flu. The real pandemic at the doorstep of millions of US families is autism.
Earlier this year the CDC announced that this disorder now affects 1 in 88 kids (1 in 42 boys), a dramatic 30% rise in just 2 years. Even more scary is that when we look back even further, the truth is that autism has gone from something that was nearly unheard of just a generation or two before, to something that soon will be affecting 1 in 25 kids (the CDC data is 5 years old, and autism diagnosis rates are only continuing to explode each year).
So when we look at these terrifying statistics and realities, it begs us to ask these two questions:
- Why is this happening?
- What is causing autism?
There is no way I can do more than introduce the answers to those two questions, but I can assure you that despite what you may hear on the nightly news, on CNN, or any other place, we are closer to a full understanding of those two answers than ever before! The key is, once we understand and admit them, what are we going to do about it?
Dispelling the Myths
The most common reason given for why the rates are exploding is that we are simply now diagnosis it better. As for what causes autism, you will continue to mostly hear that it’s “genetic” or that really – we don’t know. Looking deeper into those two questions however tells us that is far more pieces to those puzzles.
First off, if we go with the answer that we just “missed” the diagnoses back a generation or two ago, that would mean that teachers and parents of the previous generation (my generation) just “missed” about 2-3 additional kids in each classroom who had major speech and social delays, frequent behavior challenges, major GI and immune challenges, and more? I don’t think so.
As far as the cause of autism, the true reality about genetic change is that it takes THOUSANDS of years to really see dramatic genetic changes become present in a population, not just a few decades at most. If you look in the psychiatric literature and research prior to 1950 there is hardly a single mention of autism or anything similar to it. So our genetic profile just started falling apart that quickly? It’s simply not possible or plausible, and to label autism as a “genetic disorder” is a very poor understanding of what true genetic disorders and challenges are.
The Real Causes of Autism
The reality behind all this is that there is no one single reason why autism rates are exploding, and why so many kids and families are suffering, there are several reasons and severe pieces to the puzzle. In our work we see a very common pathway or “recipe” of ingredients that contributes to the cause of autism, and we’ve collectively called that pathway “The Perfect Storm.”
Put simply, our kids are growing up in a “perfect storm” world of stress and toxicity. In just one or two generations we’ve dramatically changed the way we birth and deliver our babies (C-section rates have exploded in same time frame), the amount of vaccinations, antibiotics, and other medications our kids get, and the amount of chemicals, toxins, and junk food our kids ingest. There are many reasons why are kids are so sick and suffer so much today, and it has little to do with genetics, and everything to do with the nasty environment they are now a part of.
Article originally posted on Premier Wellness Chiropractic’s blog: http://www.premierwellnesschiro.com/autism-putting-the-puzzle-together/
Dr. Tony Ebel is a pediatric and wellness certified chiropractor, who specializes in neuro-developmental disorders such as autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, seizure disorders and other special needs cases. He has extensive education, experience, and passion in these areas, and has a large family practice in Crystal Lake, Illinois, serving this population, as well as general family wellness. He holds post-doctorate certifications in pediatrics and wellness, and also has hundreds of hours of continuing education and training in the areas of autism, ADHD, sensory challenges, seizures, neuro-immunology, and other pediatric topics.
Dr. Tony now frequently travels throughout the country as well as internationally, providing his Perfect Storm lecture and seminar to other chiropractors, staff, and related professionals, and also has done over 100 public/parent lectures on this topic and others. He has been a featured presenter at the world’s largest autism seminar, Autism One, held each year in Chicago.
He has a beautiful wife Kristina, three incredible daughters, Addison, Alaina and their latest addition, Emilia, and an amazing little boy Oliver who himself went through “the perfect storm” spending 6 weeks in the NICU with a very grave prognosis of lifelong epilepsy, autism, and severe developmental delays. However, thanks to the early application of chiropractic care, Oliver never had a single seizure, or a single delay, and today is a vibrant and healthy 6-year-old stud! Dr. Tony is a health and wellness “junkie” who loves CrossFit and juicing, spending time with his family, and sports.
