I am looking out from the 10th floor office that we occupy and I see the green trees, buildings off in the distance, airport control towers, and cars...hundreds and hundreds of cars. Sam used to love lining up our matchbox cars in color coordinated groupings. I would try and make vroom-vroom noises and get him to laugh. He would patiently wait for me to stop acting like a child and put the cars back in their place. I would do this again and it would make him frustrated. Each car had a specific place.

Acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol®, is a medication used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. Dr. Shaw owner of Great Plains Labs wrote about this topic in his newsletter stating there is strong evidence that increased acetaminophen use in genetically vulnerable children appears to be the major cause of the autism epidemic. Of course this possible genetic susceptibility is also a concern with pregnant women ingesting acetaminophen. Most pregnant women are told acetaminophen is an option to relive headaches with little known side effects.

~ So there I was with a plate (and a mouth) full of pie, choking back some of the emotions that the holiday season is always sure to sweep in. This year, my baker’s therapy was recreating a family tradition (from my husband’s family), Oats ‘N Honey Granola Pie. The “real” recipe called for a full cup of corn syrup, ½ cup of brown sugar, chocolate chips, and the star of the show – honey & oat granola bars (which contain canola oil, corn flour, brown sugar syrup, soy flour, and soy lecithin – all ingredients that we no longer call “safe” for our Molly).

Right around the corner lurks a yearly extravaganza of ghoulishly engrossing treats and spooktacular tricks. Children have selected their favorite characters to transform into for a night of house-hopping fun. Schools are having fall parties, churches are putting together carnivals, and neighborhoods are stocking up with sugary and corn-syrup laden “goodies”. Does this scare the nightlights out of anyone else?

This is the time of year where many get the flu shot so, I thought it would be wise with all the media attention around vaccination to tell you what is in your flu shot. There are many option you have to choose from so its best to do the least toxic one or skip it altogether if you are weary. Its important you know they base the current flu vaccine on strains from the previous years and viruses evolve, this is why people still get the flu despite the vaccine.

The current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics features a published study conducted to look at the recurrence risk for ASD’s. “The recurrence risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is estimated to be between 3% and 10%, but previous research was limited by small sample sizes and biases related to ascertainment, reporting, and stoppage factors” (Pediatrics, Sept 2011).

Many people have been told or have chosen to eliminate gluten from their diets and the diets of their families. For many they see a great response in how they feel and function whether they have confirmatory tests or not. However, many are confused about the differences between celiac, an allergy and non-celiac gluten intolerance. I want to explain this to you so you can understand the potential effects on your body. This can be very confusing but many treat them equally. It matters what you are dealing with for your long-term management and health.

Many parents come into my office and know that a gluten free diet can help their child but understanding how this affects the body is often unknown. An allergy and sensitivity are different, some people experience distress when eating gluten products and show improvements when these are taken out of the diet. There is a range of reactions one can have from behavior, sleep, appetite, weight loss/gain and bowel movements. The sensitivities get worse with time and are dependent on the sources many times. Not every gluten item will give the same symptom, some more than others.