We discussed in part 1 of this 2 part series how supplements can sometimes cause a worsening of symptoms in the beginning. We see things like B vitamins causing hyperactivity and cod liver oil often causing reactions because of flavorings. And using L-Carnitine with cod liver oil can also aid in the fat metabolism which helps with reactions as well.

So another thing I have seen, besides the issues already discussed regarding cod liver oil and B vitamins, is a reaction with the use of single amino acids. When using things like Gaba or Taurine or other amino acids, there can be a reaction where your child becomes stimmy or has more sensory needs or becomes hyper or even agitated. When we see these types of reactions, it is not due to toxicity from the supplement at all. What we are seeing is an issue with gut dysbiosis in the child where there is an imbalance of bacteria in their digestive tract. The bacteria in the digestive tract will feed on these amino acids which tends to make them flourish and become more assertive in the gut. There are toxic byproducts that are produced by the bacteria that can interfere with normal brain functioning and cause behavioral issues in sensitive children. The chemicals influence the child's brain and you see the changes behaviorally. So if you see differences like this when you begin an amino acid supplement or an amino acid blend. You may want to consider that there could be a gut dysbiosis issue and bacteria could be feeding off of the amino acid supplements.

A stool test is one thing that you can do to help determine whether your child has gut dysbiosis or not. You can get a comprehensive digestive stool analysis performed by many different labs, including two I use frequently called Doctor's Data and Great Plains Labs. Another test I use frequently to determine gut dysbiosis is from Great Plains Labs and it is a urine test called an organic acid test (OAT). It checks the urine for toxic byproducts that we talked about that are produced by yeast and bacteria, which tend to be very common in children on the Autism spectrum. So as you implement some of these supplements, hopefully you will be more aware of some of the behaviors that can happen as a result. Many of these supplements work very, very well for many children and there are some tips you can try when you see some of these behaviors, if you know about them.

About the Author
Don't let ANYONE tell you there is nothing you can do to help your child. Autism really is treatable! Start your child down the road to recovery from autism. For free biomedical autism intervention information and videos from Dr. Kurt Woeller go to www.AutismRecoveryTreatment.com and interact with him directly at his membership website at www.AutismActionPlan.com. Dr. Kurt Woeller may be contacted at http://www.autismrecoverytreatment.com/. Click here to view more articles by Dr. Kurt Woeller.