This is the final part of my interview series with Dr. Julie Buckley, author of Healing Our Autistic Children. (Click to read Part 1 and Part 2 of the series.) I want to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Buckley for writing about and presenting on this topic in a way that has profoundly changed my perspective and approach to life. I hope that you will enjoy and take something powerful away from this interview series.
LAW: Part 2 of your book is dedicated to guiding parents through biomedical treatments with their child’s doctor; please share a little bit about the standard steps to biomedical recovery.
JB: The hard part about autism is that there is little that is “standard” about the approach we use. It is a highly individualized process – each child is unique in their genes, in their environmental exposures over the course of their short lives, and in the manifestations of the disease process. It takes a careful eye observing, and careful ears listening to a parent to find a starting point for working toward recovery.

If you take some time to scroll back through my blog posts over time, or if you’ve been a follower of my blog from the beginning, you’ll note that I am highly concerned about the dangerous toxins and chemicals that have become an increasingly common part of our environment. I’m passionate about finding ways to limit our exposures where we can, especially when it comes to young children, infants and pregnant women. Our most susceptible population deserves a healthy, less-toxic future.
Around this time every year the flu shot is one concern that flares on my radar because all of the pharmacies are pushing it…right alongside many doctors, pediatricians, grocery store chains and even friends and family members. Just this weekend a well-meaning extended family member asked me (after I told her that I was battling a cold) if we had gotten our flu shots. We’ve had this discussion before. In fact, we’ve had this discussion several years in a row (every fall); she just doesn’t seem to remember.

In November 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doubled the recommended daily intake of vitamin D for infants and children, from 200 IU/day (2003 recommendation) to 400 IU/day. They aimed to assess the prevalence of infants meeting the recommended intake of vitamin D and the use of oral vitamin D supplements was found to be low, regardless of whether infants were consuming breast milk or formula. The findings suggested that most US infants are not consuming adequate amounts of vitamin D.
Vitamin D, also called Cholecalciferol is important for many reasons
• Hormone activity

The heat is ablazin’ here in Texas, leaving no room for argument that summer is in full swing. Moms everywhere are packing up their coolers of sugar-pouch drinks, oily chips, cheesy puffed sticks, and cream-laden cones and setting up camp with a poolside view. On a yeast-free, cheesy-puff-free, ice-cream-free diet, it is easy to feel like your left in the shade. It’s a good thing that the shade is exactly where you want to be right now!

A few weeks ago I did part 1 of this blog to bring awareness to parents with special needs children and the importance of getting guidance. So, lets dive in and answer these questions so you can get started tomorrow.
Does the type of testing matter?
Each doctor has a toolbox of testing they do and all are not equal, neither is the interpretation of the results. I will touch on this more next month but in the mean time find someone that treats and sees children with special needs and make sure they have the knowledge in functional medicine (treating the core issues) to treat your child.

It is Autism Awareness month and it makes me think most about those parents and families that are without guidance on their journey. In a blink of an eye your life changes and your child is diagnosed, this overwhelms every family and most all have little guidance. The maze of the internet becomes the constant as you search online for hope. Some parents get the care they need and others spend 10 years following dead ends. It is my mission to see parents get ALL their options for treatment. I cannot count the number of parents that have cried in frustration and in joy.

On this grand green holiday of Irish traditions, why not use the festivities to your fullest advantage. If you are struggling with the challenges of a special diet, you may not feel so very lucky, but you can count your clovers this week – St. Patrick’s Day just may give your GFCF life a wee little pick-me-up.
This week, eating GREEN should be an easy sell, even to those picky eaters. It is the perfect time to get creative with hiding some of those nutrient-rich green veggies into traditional favorites.

In my last post we covered some basic questions about yeast and now I want to get into testing, treatment and what parents should know and expect. I find the kids that do great under care have parents that are willing to comply with treatment and follow through to the end. The consistency especially when treating yeast is imperative to ridding the body of it.
How can parents determine if their child has a problem with yeast ?

Growing up in special education, I endured what felt like endless years of bullying. I've been called names, tossed in lockers and closets, and had my head shoved in toilets. I've been kicked, tripped, spat on, and had gum slapped on my head I can't tell you how many times, only for my friend to cut it out with a pocket knife. And, yes, that hurt.