www.thewinonline.comFrequently Asked Questions
(Frequently Asked Questions) for Elayne Pearson,
National Autism Recovery Speaker/ Parent/ Author
Q: ABA therapy (Applied Behavior Analysis) has been recommended from the majority of books dealing with autism issues. Why didn’t you do it for Heidi?
A: Yes, it’s been used a lot, but it is very expensive to get the recommended 40 hours a week and I didn’t have that luxury. I felt like Heidi would never comply with the repetitious tasks. I preferred to use our resources removing the toxins from her systems.
I believe when you heal the physical body, the emotions and mind follow.
Q: Elayne, I know you're children are grown, but if you were having a baby, what would you do?
A: First, I would insist that both my husband and I really made a consistent effort for about one year to clean out any existing toxins that comes from living in this era. Then, during the pregnancy, I would never get extensive dental work done. I would be very careful to only take natural remedies from the health food store if I had a health need arise such as a sore throat. (There are wonderful books by experts and doctors that give tried and true ways with virtually no side effects to the baby. For example oregano capsules are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal!)
Many girls now are having infertility, miscarriages, or go into pre-eclampsia. This is due in part to the 80,000 chemicals allowed here. I would clean out the chemically laden foods, cosmetics, cleaners from our home and replace them with safer choices from the health food stores.
We would take classes for a natural delivery without drugs, as new technology proves the drugs do cross to the placenta and go into the baby. I would nurse our baby as long as I could.
I would choose to exercise my rights and do as they did in Japan in the 1970's and start the shots at age 2, with only one at a time. There are some I would opt out on like Hepatitis, pneumonia, HPV and all flu shots, as they are just not necessary. I would read the insert paper to insure our baby’s vaccines had no mercury-based thimerosal as the preservative. I would never give my infant or toddler any shots if they were ill and use natural antibiotics.
I'd increase his vitamins before and after the time around vaccines. I would be diligent in feeding him right.
Above all, I’d trust my mother’s intuition and use good common sense!
Q: Gluten, casein, and soy free diets are often recommended by health care providers in the recovery process, why didn’t you do that with Heidi?
A: Honestly, by the time she was finally diagnosed at age 13, her habits were so entrenched - and I was too exhausted! The next best option is to find specific digestive enzymes that break down those particular proteins in grains and dairy. Enzymedica (brand) from your health food store has several good choices from grains, to dairy.
We also tried to curb her diet by “raising the bar” and feeding her better choices. (Pizza is one of the worst!) We found raw goat milk or rice milk and gluten free snacks whenever we could. You have to be strong and don’t buy junk foods. It’s “Tough love!”
Q: I've got a daughter with a disability, so I wondered what did you do to manage Heidi’s monthly cycles?
A: It was a mess for a few years, as she would not wear pads, and tampons were out of the question. Heidi finally agreed to “pull-up” diapers. We tried the hormone-based Depo-Provera shots (which either stops the periods or greatly increases the flow).
For Heidi, it did stop her cycle, but in a matter of 4-5 weeks, she gained about 25 pounds of weight! Her doctor informed us that created pre-diabetes! The extra estrogen gave her acne and caused terrible mood swings.
So, we eventually hired a lawyer and went before a judge to get permission for a hysterectomy. There was an ad-lidem lawyer appointed for Heidi’s behalf at no charge. It was emotionally exhausting but thankfully, the judge agreed. Medicaid said this was an unnecessary operation and would not pay for it. Our surgeon decided to leave her ovaries intact, (but removed her appendix!). Heidi’s recovery went very well.
Q: I’m so torn as to whom should I believe about all the complex vaccines issues? A:Yes, those who are for them or against them are both very passionate. I’m pretty much in the center of the road, as I think they have their place in our world. But you must not just blindly follow anyone! You need to read as much as you can on all points of view and then follow your instincts for each child. It depends on what area of the world you live in, your access to health care, and your commitment to keep his immune system strong.
(Everybody knows that if your immunity is strong in the winter months you won’t catch every virus that comes along.)
Also your life-style is part of the decision. (Are there needles used in your child’s world for tattoos or drugs? Are there multiple sex partners? These are the factors with the hepatitis B.)
Whose advice can you follow? Statistics prove the pharmaceuticals make billions from vaccines but haven't done long term studies or researched autism. I try to use the word of God as much as I can. There are actually a lot of answers in the Scriptures about many health issues.
Q: So then why was there such a jump of autism in the early 1990’s?
A: In 1991 the Hib and the hep B vaccines were added to the “required” vaccine schedule, which increased thimerosal (the mercury derivative preservative) exposure by 150%.
Up to then children received 11 vaccines in the first six months, then it became a whopping 28 shots in infants. Too much -too fast!
Today, the kids get 36 shots before kindergarten by comparison, and that is not even counting the annual flu shot!
Q: Some doctor’s feel that auto-immunity health problems are actually related to toxins and inflammation similar to those in the autism spectrum, so what can they do?
A: Children diagnosed in the autism spectrum are simply not genetically designed to release toxins well. Their blood relatives dealing with other health issues often don’t either, but they can do the same autism recovery protocol and get results! I have personally spoken to DAN doctors (Defeat Autism Now!) who use the bio-medical approach and their patients gradually recovered from auto-immune disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s!
Q: How long can this take?
A: No set answer, but generally about 2-3 yrs of consistent work for recovery. For Heidi, it was over 3 yrs.
Q: What can we do for the long haul ahead?
A: You must set up a support system, simplify your family, or you'll burn out.
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