BBB AUTISM
SUPPORT NETWORK
http://www.bbbautism.com/about_bbb.htm
PARENT
STRATEGIES FOR PARENTS, BY PARENTS
EPSOM SALTS AND YOUR CHILD WITH ASD
(CONDENSED
VERSION)
A
Note To Our Readers: Welcome to our BBB Guides, a series of documents by
parents, for parents on various topics. When
searching the web, I could find little in the way practical solutions to issues
like handling Halloween and large family gatherings. Our message board, however always contains such fantastic
tips offered by our experts: parents of children with ASD. These are parents of various ages, their children are
affected with various severities and they are all different ages.
About half of our contributors have more than one child on the spectrum.
I
hope you enjoy this guide and the upcoming series; and that they are helpful to
you. If you would like to
contribute to or have ideas for future guides, please email me at
bbbautism@deaknet.com.
Thanks
to all our great parent-contributors. It couldn’t be done it without you!
Note:
Our children are referred to as first initials only and we don’t include last
names. We never publish these comments without permission from the contributor.
Husbands/wives are not mentioned by name either.
THE
QUESTIONS
Epsom
Salts Bathers – Please Help!
By Sue
I was telling someone
about this recipe I read, (in BBB Autism). It was an ointment with Epsom salts
for those of our kids who respond to getting their Magnesium this way. I
remember reading that it was a bit like making Mayonnaise? Does anyone else
remember this? I went back to the old club site and have spent hours reading
through old posts with no luck, so I was hoping someone here might recall what
it was and maybe even have it.
I sure hope this is not a figment of my imagination!
Ummmm.... If it is, could someone who does know how to make homemade Mayonnaise
please develop the recipe, as I am sure that it is a brilliant and effective
intervention!
MY
SON WON’T SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT!
By
Diana
T. is having a horrible time sleeping through
the night. The Epsom salt baths seem to help, but Sue mentioned that she had
heard about this homemade lotion/cream. I thought that it might be easier..
Got any ideas to keep a kid sleeping through the night?. We have no problems
getting him to sleep, but at 4ish he wakes up crying. Sometimes we are up for an hour or two.!
thanks for any help!
EPSOM
SALTS, DO THEY HELP?
I have heard that some kids with autism have
big improvements using Epsom salts. In
what way are they being used? Does
anyone know why they help?
Liz
Epsom
Salts Baths
Read
one family’s experience here: http://www.afrikanalouisiana.com/epsom_salts_baths__candace_start.htm
“Sulfation
also plays an important part in detoxifying the body, according to Paul
Shattock. These children do not absorb sulfur-based substances well.
He recommended giving children baths in Epsom salts two or three times a
week to help sulfur be absorbed through the skin. Although baths are best,
he also suggested that bottle with a sponge tip (such as those used for
dish detergent) could be used as an applicator to wet the skin with a mixture of
Epsom salts and water. “ From the Biology of Autism conference: http://autismcoach.com/page2.html
Kirkman’s
Magnesium Sulfate Cream:
http://www.kirkmanlabs.com/products/specifications/Magnesium/Mag_Sulf_Cream_Spec.htm
Hi
Sue,
Do you want to use the Epsom Salt as a cream for sulphation purposes? We use a
magnesium sulphate cream for that. We got it from our local pharmacy, but I know
you can get it from Kirkmans (you don't need a prescription). This magnesium
sulphate cream is just like mayonnaise, and we rub a teeny amount on L. as he
sleeps.
Info
on Magnesium & Epsom Salts and Everything!
By Bev
Hi
Sue,
OK I have my books out here for you...Let's see what they say about
magnesium...
MAGNESIUM
Sue you wondered if this was related to leaky gut. Don't know about that,
but since it is an "anti-stress" mineral, perhaps it helps out.
Magnesium is needed for calcium & vitamin C metabolism. Essential for
nerve & muscle functioning & to convert blood sugar into energy.
Combined with calcium can work as a natural tranquilizer.
A person under stress tends to lose excess magnesium. A deficiency then
creates the setting for less resistance to stress. (My interpretation -
autistic children are under stress, they lose magnesium, becoming less
resistance to stress... therefore magnesium is calming because it helps reduce
stress). I know there is a ratio for calcium-magnesium (I think it's 3:1)
EPSOM SALTS
I don't have anything written in front of me about this, but here's my
interpretation... Epsom Salts help sulphation. That's the process where
enzymes transform chemicals in our bodies (I think!). In other words, it's the
body's ability to detoxify itself. It's believed that autistic people don't
have this ability (most likely showing a PST deficiency - one of the enzymes
needed to do this sulphation). Two things you can do about this - reduce the
intake of things that need detoxification such as reducing artificial
colouring, preservatives, and food additives. And Epsom salts work in the
bath, by absorbing into the skin... or what we use is magnesium sulfate cream
(doctor needs to recommend this). As for the leaky gut and how this is all
intertwined... The proteins lining the gut are normally sulfated and form a
protective layer over the surface of the gut wall. If sulphation is deficient,
gaps occur in the gut wall (says my book).
Bath
Tub Soaking
By
placing 1
cup per every 60 lbs. of body weight (it is not necessary to exceed 4
cups) in a warm* bathtub of water. The water temperature should be as comfortable.
Rub skin all over with a washcloth to open up the pores for absorption of the
Epsom salts. If some areas are sore rub them a little longer. If you are
treating an injury you should rub both the area of the involved site on one
extremity and the same area on the other extremity (bilateral stimulation
reflex). In rubbing both extremities you yield a little extra stimulation to the
injured site. Don't rinse off before getting out of the bathtub. Just dry off
and retire for the evening.
Special
Notation:
1.You
may want to have some water for drinking near the tub. Hot baths can make you
light headed and thirsty.
DO
NOT LET YOUR CHILD DRINK BATH WATER WITH EPSOM SALTS IN IT!!!
2.
If you want to take a soap bath - do it first, because soap does not work in a
salt bath.
Bath
Procedure
Epsom
salt baths are taken routinely, just before going to bed, the night before a
major competitive event or race and just after. It also helps with combating
jet. The bath will allow a more productive and restful sleep as well as produce
an energy charging up effect on your body for the next day’s performance.
According to nutritional researchers it improves the rate by 33.333%. This means
that not only will you body heal faster but also sleep productivity will
increase. That is to say, if you sleep eight hours, following the Epsom salts
bath, the body productivity would be 8 hrs times 33.333% increase or 10.666 hrs
of productivity. The body's performance is that of 10.66 hours of rest and
repair.
Epsom
salts and water are very therapeutic and help to prevent problems as well as
help to solve them. Epsom salt
baths may be taken daily, one, twice, or even more to provide the necessary
energy levels needed to both recover from injury or illness and charge up extra
energy going into high stress levels of mental and/or physical activity. Routine
Epsom salt baths are often recommended as a form of prevention.
*
Use common sense when adjusting temperature for your
child. A hot bath can be
dangerous. To dissolve the salts, mix in with some hot water to start and add
the cold to make the bath nice and warm.
Never put your child in a hot bath!
Epsom
Salts are simply hydrated Magnesium Sulfate, (MgSO4), and can be used as an
alternative source of magnesium, beyond their use as a sulfate, since the
magnesium can also be absorbed through the skin.
This
has been found useful in persons who have Leaky Gut Syndrome, and thus have
difficulty in absorbing certain essential minerals through the skin.
Interestingly
enough, Epsom salts, taken orally, used to be the treatment of choice for
chelation of heavy metals, such as lead. (This is back around the beginning of
this century). Often this is called Methylation or Sulfination. Other things,
like Zinc, should be used to prevent reabsorbtion of mercury or lead. - Sue
Magnesium
Sulfate is also used to treat Pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor, asthma, Magnesium
Sulfate Class CNS Depressant
Description
Magnesium sulfate reduces striated muscle contractions and blocks peripheral
neuromuscular transmission by reducing acetylcholine release at the myoneural
junction. In emergency care,
magnesium sulfate is used in the management of seizures associated with toxemia
of pregnancy. Other uses of magnesium sulfate include uterine relaxation (to
inhibit
Contractions
of premature labor), as a bronchodilator after beta agonist and
anticholinergic agents have been used, replacement therapy for magnesium
deficiency, as a cathartic to reduce the absorption of poisons from the GI
tract, and in the initial therapy for convulsions. Magnesium sulfate is
gaining popularity as an initial treatment in the management of various
dysrhythmias, particularly torsades de pointes, and dysrhythmias secondary to
TCA overdose or digitalis toxicity. The drug is also considered as a class IIa
agent (probably helpful) for refractory VF/VT after administration of
lidocaine or bretylium doses.
***Note
in post above that it is also used in treating Alzheimer's/Dementia. I do know
one woman whose father does much better with Epsom salts in his sponge bath
water. He does calm down. His memory does not improve but his deterioration
stabilized then later, when a new aide was bathing him and forgot the Epsom
salts, he did become agitated and deteriorated further before they discovered
that he had not been getting his Epsom salt baths daily. After starting them
again he was calmer after two days.
-
Sue
Phenolsulphertransferase (PST) deficiency—theory that some with autism are low on sulphate or an enzyme that uses this, called phenol-sulphotransferase-P. This means that they will be unable to get rid of amines and phenolic compounds once they no longer have any use for them. These then stay in their body and may cause adverse effects, even in the brain. Treatment is dietary as well as Epsom salts baths.
Magnesium
By Karen
Forms
of Magnesium:
After
looking into magnesium for months, what I came away with is that magnesium comes
in two types: soluble forms/organic (aspartate, malate, glycinate, citrate and
succinate etc.) and insoluble forms/inorganic salts (chloride, carbonate, oxide). Overall, the chelated magnesium
and magnesium glycinate are often referred to as being very absorbable.
The soluble ones are pretty equally absorbed and as a group are much better
absorbed than the insoluble group. Of the insoluble group, the oxide is the best
absorbed. The insoluble group is far more likely to cause loose stools/diarrhea
than the other group. If magnesium nutrition is what you want, go for the
soluble group. If constipation is the issue, then some insoluble forms are okay.
The loose stool effect (if not wanted) can be minimized by taking the magnesium
with food.
Most of the products I saw on the shelves at the store were a mixture of
magnesium types. Sometimes I would see a bottle of a specific type of magnesium,
such as Magnesium Citrate. But the ones marked just Magnesium were usually a
mixture. And some had as many as 4-5 different types in the mixture.
Although I have spent some time looking at magnesium sources, there seems to be
varied opinions. Here is a reputable source from a book on nutrition:
"Magnesium chelated with amino acids is probably the most absorbable
form. Less absorbable forms include magnesium bicarbonate, magnesium oxide, and
magnesium carbonate. Magnesium oxide is probably somewhat better than magnesium
carbonate (dolomite). The newly available salts of magnesium aspartate or
citrate, both known as mineral transporters, have a better percentage of
absorption."
http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=2060
What
Chelate Form Means:
"Magnesium Chelate
(Amino Acid): A chemically reacted magnesium ion, bound to 1 or more amino
acids, thus allowing the magnesium to enter through the intestinal wall via the
amino acid pathway rather than active magnesium diffusion. A true reacted
chelate differs from simply mixing the amino acids and minerals which is often
referred to as "chelated"."
http://www.nutraceuticals.com/reactedmagnesium.htm
You need to balance out how absorbable a product is versus the quantity of the
mineral that is in it versus the price.
------------------------------
Magnesium
in the Body:
Many times the chelated
forms of anything are very absorbable and this explains why. Next is a link to a
short summary of magnesium and its role in the body:
http://www.auravita.com/secure_check.asp?prodpage=http://www.auravita.com/healthnotesonline/ukinet50/Supp/Magnesium.asp
An even shorter summary:
http://health.yahoo.com/health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Disease_Feed_Data/Magnesium_in_diet
--------------------------
Recommended
Dosing:
RDAs:
350 mg/day for adult
males over age 18
280 mg for females over age 18
320 mg for adult females - pregnant
355 mg for females lactating 0-6 months
340 mg for females lactating 6 months+
400 mg for males ages 15-18
300 mg for females ages 15-18
270 mg for males ages 11-14
280 mg for females ages 11-14
170 mg for children ages 7-10
120 mg for children ages 4-6
80 mg for children ages 1-3
60 mg for infants ages 0.5-1.0
40 mg for infants ages 0-0.5
These amounts are for
healthy people. A person in an unwell or deficient state would need more. Most
places recommend 2:1 calcium: magnesium ratio for regular function, not
including a deficient state. When I was researching this, I looked up the
amounts in a reference book in the HFS. The average recommended amount was
generally 1000 mg/day for ADHD, anxiety disorder, migraines, sleep disorders,
autism and some of the autoimmune disorders. These are probably for an adult and
so a child should have 1/2 or 1/3. This puts it around 300-500 mg/day. I haven't
found an upper limit to magnesium, and have read several places there is no
known toxicity.
Also, we saw again and again that there was not a toxicity problem because the
body does not store magnesium as it does calcium. The body excretes what is not
used. Your upper limit will be when you notice continuous loose stools.
Here is a link to children's doses for vitamins, minerals and herbs. You may
need to piece the URL together since it is so long:
http://www.alternativeparenting.com/health/natural_remedies/herbal_dos
NOTE: Excessive
magnesium inhibits calcium and excessive calcium inhibits magnesium - although I
didn't seen any amount as given as "excessive" for magnesium. Calcium
had the number of 2500 mg/day most likely for an adult - from the Encyclopedia
of Nutritional Supplements at the HFS. It is a balancing act.
-------------------------------------
Symptoms of
Magnesium Deficiency
Magnesium deficiency is
associated with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, migraines, and a bunch of other
ailments. Supplementing with magnesium has helped many of these conditions in
clinical studies.
The symptoms of magnesium deficiency are irritability, tantrums, seizures,
insomnia, muscle cramps/twitching, hyperactivity and poor digestion among
others. Magnesium is needed for proper electrolyte function, over 300 enzyme
functions, and calcium absorption.
I also found it very interested to read that one of the primary sources of
dietary magnesium is whole grains and cereals. If one goes 100% gluten free, you
would be loosing a main source of magnesium, and could go deficient especially
if you are also supplementing with extra calcium to make up for the casein free
part.
Higher amount of magnesium may cause a laxative effect (milk of magnesium, Epsom
salts).
--------------------------------------
References:
I am currently using Natural Calm. It is a very absorbable magnesium citrate
powder that you dissolve in water and drink. I like heating it and drinking it
like tea - it has a very mild citrus/orange taste. There is a web site http://www.naturalcalm.com/
and you can get it at your health food store.
Here is the site for Natural Calm magnesium: http://www.naturalcalm.net/home.shtml
Even if you aren't interested in this product, it has LOADS of information on
magnesium, how is affects different conditions, how calcium and/or magnesium
deficiencies are created AND you can ask for a free sample to be sent. I got a
free sample in the HFS and, if it is the same sample, it contains 3 full
teaspoons, which is 1 serving. Although for a child you would give at least half
and start lower. The price on the web site is the same as it is at my HFS.
Magnesium is supposed to help with pain, migraines, chronic fatigue, fibro and
other conditions. This is supposed to be quickly absorbed. The literature says
it can work "in minutes" and so I made some as soon as I got
home. About 20 minutes later, my headache was significantly better. It is used
by doctors and clinics according to the literature.
The Brainchild Night-Cal supplement contains the following, each 2 Teaspoon
Dose of NightCal:
Calcium
from Kreb's Chelates450 mg
Magnesium from Kreb's Chelates50 mg
Potassium Alpha Ketoglutarate100 mg
Selenium from Selenomethionine100 mcg
Vitamin D-3 as Cholecalciferol100 IU
The direct link with description is: http://www.brainchildnutritionals.com/Night_Calx.html
Here is a link to a pretty thorough, but easy to follow, description of
magnesium from HealthWorld Online.
http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=2060
"Magnesium chelated with amino acids is probably the most absorbable
form. Less absorbable forms include magnesium bicarbonate, magnesium oxide, and
magnesium carbonate. Magnesium oxide is probably somewhat better than magnesium
carbonate (dolomite). The newly available salts of magnesium aspartate or
citrate, both known as mineral transporters have a better percentage of
absorption."
It also says that calcium and magnesium should be taken in between meals, on an
empty stomach for best absorption.
"The many enzyme systems that require magnesium help restore normal energy
levels. Because of this function and its nerve and muscle support, magnesium may
also be helpful for nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and muscle
cramps. Magnesium is also given as part of a treatment for autism or
hyperactivity in kids, usually along with vitamin B6."
---------------------------------------------
Clinical
Indications of Magnesium Deficiency Were Associated With the Following:
·ADD/ADHD
·Alzheimer's disease
·Anxiety
·Asthma
·Attention deficit disorder
·Autism
·Auto immune disorders- all types
·Cerebral Palsy- in children from magnesium deficient mothers
·Chronic fatigue syndrome
·Chronic pain
·Congestive heart failure
·Constipation
·Crohn's disease
·Depression
·Diabetes mellitus
·Endometriosis
·Fibromyalgia
·Gut disorders- including peptic ulcer, Crohn's disease, colitis,
food allergy
·Headaches
·Hyperactivity
·Hypertension
·Hypoglycemia
·Insomnia
·Irritable bowel syndrome
·Menopause
·Migraines
·Multiple sclerosis
·Muscle cramps
·Muscle weakness, fatigue
·Osteoarthritis
·Osteoporosis
·Parkinson's disease
·PMS
·Psoriasis
·Schizophrenia
·Stress
·Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
·Tension
·Ulcerative colitis
Epsom
Salts
by Karen DeFelice and notes from Susan Owens
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enzymesandautism
What are Epsom salts?
Epsom salts are
magnesium sulfate. Salts are just molecules that come together based on having a
positive and negative charge. Magnesium has a positive charge. Sulfate has a
negative charge, and they dissociate (or go their separate ways) in solution.
Sulfate is a sulfur atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms and it has a negative
charge. It has all sorts of unique biological functions. Epsom salts can be very
beneficial for individuals with neurological conditions including autism
spectrum, sensory integration disorder, and ADD/ADHD.
How
do they work? Why do they work?
Dr. Rosemary Waring has
found that most autistic spectrum kids, and lots of others with neurological
conditions, are very low in sulfate. They may be as low as 15% of neurologically
typical people. Sulfate is needed
for a pathway in the body that processes salicylates, phenols, chemicals of all
kinds (including food colors, artificial flavoring, and preservatives), and
other things the body sees as toxins. This can include heavy metals. The body
may have more toxins to process than it can because of a lack of sulfur. To
alleviate the unpleasant reactions such as hyperness, aggression, tantrums,
sleep problems, night sweats, irritability, eczema, other skin conditions, etc.
you can unclog this "bottleneck" by 1) getting rid of the amount of
toxins that enter the body, or 2) supplying more sulfur to increase the amount
of toxins that can be processed from the body. Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate)
supplies the needed sulfur. The body takes in more sulfur, more toxins are
processed and you don't see the nasty behaviors and effects.
Many people on a typical American diet are very deficient in magnesium as well.
Epsom salts also supplies magnesium. A main effect
of insufficient magnesium is hyperness, irritability, anxiety and muscle
twitching or spasms. So the salts provide two-way assistance.
Sulfur can also be added to the body by supplementing with MSM.
Some people may think Epsom salts work by pulling the toxins out of the body and
into the water. Certainly you can sweat out certain toxins like you would in a
sauna, but the role of sulfate in the water for that process is questionable.
The way sulfate in the water is most likely to be working is by being absorbed
into the body through the skin where it can become part of the biological
process of detoxification.
Once in the blood, sulfate does not stay there for long. In fact, some studies
have suggested that it does what it does and then ends up in the urine four to
nine hours later. The Epsom salts left on the skin may continue to be absorbed
as long as it is still on the skin, offering something sort of like "timed
release" into the blood stream. For that reason, leaving the Epsom salts on
the skin to dry may be beneficial for stretching out the effectiveness of this
intervention, like medications that are administered through skin patches. None
of this process of skin absorption has ever been quantified (as far as I know).
Here is a link to a VERY LONG description (may "thorough" is a better
description) of this detox pathway and sulfur.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/enzymesandautism/files/Related Topics/PST
Here is a link to a quick
description on phenols and salicylates.
http://autismawakeninginia.bizland.com/autismawakeningdietintervention/id10.html
If you do a search for PST or phenyl sulfotransferase system, you will find
many, many references on this.
How
to Give Epsom Salts:
There
are several methods parents have used.
1. Epsom salt baths. Most people use about 1-2 cups per tub. Dissolve the
salts in hot water first and then fill the tub to about waist deep, as warm as
possible. The amount of salts that you may find works best will depend on the
individual tolerance, the temperature of the water, and the size of the tub.
The warmer the water and larger the tub, the more salts will dissolve. You may
need to start slowly using as little as one tablespoon of salts and working up
gradually. Some people have been deficient for so long that the full quantity
is too much a shock, and you will see negative reactions. In the beginning, a
person may react with hyperactivity, irritability or moodiness. However, at
the right amount, most people find the salts very calming and relaxing. This
works well before bedtime. Soak in the bath a good 20 minutes. It is okay to
let the salts dry on the skin. They may leave a dry clear- white powder. If it
is too itchy or irritating, just rinse them off.
If the skin feels too dry, use lotion or oils to moisturize. Don't
drink the bath water because it could cause diarrhea.
2. Epsom salt oil. I have been experimenting a bit with the Epsom salts.
It would leave a salty film on the skin, which my two boys and I didn't like
(itchy). Lately, I have been mixing some coconut oil in with the salts and
water. Actually it is more oil than water. 3 tablespoons water + 4 tablespoons
salts + 12 tablespoon coconut oil. The
coconut oil is good for the skin anyway and it seems to counter the drying
effect of the salts. I found that just mixing the salts and oil did not
dissolve the salts, so I needed to add just some water. I apply this liberally
on the skin and it soaks in plus leaves the skin smooth and soft.
3. Mix 1 part salts to 2 parts water (or more so the salts dissolve)
and let the person soak their feet in it. My boys would soak their feet
about 30 minutes while they did reading or homework.
4. Mix 1 part salts and 1 part water (add more water if the salts are not
dissolved) and put in a spray-squirt bottle. Mist the child's chest
and/or back and let it dry on. Works well in the summer.
5. Use one of those plastic squeeze bottles with a sponge on top that
are used for dampening postal stamps, and fill it with the Epsom salts and
water. A solution of 1 part salts to 4 parts water works well. This can be
applied to the arms or leg or tummy or whatever is easily accessible.
6. There are some new Epsom salt creams available.
7. You can mix a salt and some kind of acceptable lotion into a paste.
Put this paste on a large band-aid and apply to the skin. The salts will soak
in.
A
FEW ADDITIONAL NOTES:
As you can see, there is no exact ratio…just what seems to get the salts
dissolved and on the skin. MSM powder or creams (many of these on the market)
can help with the sulfur. However, some recent research shows that oral sulfur
is not as well absorbed. Also, this won't supply magnesium.
Sulfate has an influence over almost every cellular function.
Sulfate attaches to phenols and makes them less harmful, and sets them
up for being excreted from your kidneys. A lot of these potentially toxic
molecules are in foods, and since this is a capacity-limited system, those who
are low in sulfate do well to eliminate exposures to foods and environmental
things, which might put extra stress on this chemistry. That strategy is the
focus of the Feingold diet, which restricts phenols from the diet. Your body
also makes many different chemicals of this type, and they need to be cleared
from the system before they get harmful.
If growth factors were bankers, sulfate would be their money. Growth factors
use sulfate to do their business. That is why it is known that if you become
VERY deficient in sulfate you will stop growing if you are a child, or you
will start to break down (catabolize) your own muscle to make up for this
deficiency. That means if your child has not been growing, and has very flimsy
muscles, you should be concerned that his sulfate chemistry may be hurting.
When this happens in very sick adults, it puts them into a state called
cachexia, a wasting process that happens in Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, cancer,
and an autism spectrum disorder called Rett Syndrome.
Sulfate is used to regulate the performance of many other molecules. Many
systems in the body will not function well in a low-sulfate environment. One
of the things is influences is the hormone that helps humans recognize faces
and "socialize". Increasing sulfur in the body can improve
socialization and related issues. Sulfur is so critical to life that the body
will apparently borrow protein from the muscles to keep from running too low.
The autism community is learning that activating the immune system can put
significant demands on this chemistry, and if that happens during infancy
often enough and at critical stages, it may change or slow development. The
body can start to waste sulfate into the urine: sulfate that it needs
critically. If this happens, it could lead to the situation where the dietary
sources of sulfur cannot be adequate to keep up with this drain. Dr. Rosemary
Waring has found that autistic children tend to be dumping needed sulfate and
related sulfur compounds into the urine. She has also found that the enzymes
that make sulfate out of protein appear to be inhibited by one of the
chemicals that is turned on by an activated immune system
Blood tests are not really adequate for measuring this, because the blood is a
delivery system, and can be a compensatory system. Blood levels of
sulfur-related compounds will actually go UP in the blood when the cells are
starving, because the liver is trying to help out the rest of the body by
exporting these materials.
(Please note: I got this recipe from a message board, and that person had got it from a list...you get the idea. I have not tried this myself, so it's not a personal endorsement)
>>I am sure that a handy
person can come up with a cream/ ointment in the same way I did but here is
the formula I have been using for about a year now. We use it after a bath
before bed and as a hand and foot lotion during PT and to soothe. It absorbs
fine and leaves only a little powder type residue.
1 cup Epsom salts
2 t non-aluminum baking soda
1/2 cup boiling distilled water
2 T glycerin
1/4 cup almond, olive, or sunflower oil
1/2 cup favorite natural lotion or cream from HFS OR 1/2 cup coconut butter
optional
a few drops lavender or other essential oils
a T flaxseed oil
a T evening primrose oil
a T of MSM powder to boost sulfate levels
This is like making real mayonnaise, you need to blend at high speed and add
ingredients a little at a time.
Boil water and add to Epsom salts and baking soda in blender, pulse till
dissolved and not grainy (must be boiling).
Add glycerin, then slowly add oils while blending to emulsify.
Still blending add lotion, cream, or coconut butter a little at a time.
Pour into a clean container, preferably ceramic or glass (I use a wide mouth
mason jar that I can sterilize).
If this separates into layers when cool, rewarm and add 2T guar gum dissolved
into a bit of hot water, reblend and cool.
********************************************************************
Mine separates almost immediately and I can't find any guar gum ANYWHERE. If
anyone knows what could be used to stop the separation, please post a
solution.
********************************************************************
It should not get grainy and should smooth on well and be rubbed into warm
open pores. If you like it more or less oily change that part of the recipe, I
make mine kind of thin like a light massage oil rather than a cream.<<
OTHER BBB PARENT GUIDES AVAILABLE
CONTAINS PRACTICAL INFORMATION BY PARENTS FOR PARENTS
Available on request, e-mail liz@deaknet.com and ask for: (now available in PDF format)
1. Halloween
2. Epsom Salts (long version)
3. Epsom Salts (condensed)
4. Pros and Cons of telling your ASD child his/her diagnosis
5. How we advocate for our children
6. Guide to holidays and large family gatherings
A notice to our readers...
The founder of this document and the BBB Autism support club contributors are not physicians.
This document may references books and other web sites that may be of interest to the reader. The founder and contributors make no presentation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on any of these web sites or in the books, and specifically disclaim any liability for any information contained on, or omissions from, these books or web sites. Reference to these web sites or books herein shall not be construed to be an endorsement of these web sites or books or of the information contained thereon, by the founder or contributors.
The founder reserves the right to make decisions as to whether contributions are appropriate with respect to content, length, etc. We will not publish offensive material using foul language, or contributions that are inflammatory or disrespectful to decisions by other parents (i.e. therapies). We do not generally accept contributions if they are ads for private service agencies/clinics. We reserve the right to edit content, but will inform you in advance if we are going to do this. J
(c) BBB
Autism – October 2001
This E-News is the intellectual property of BBB Autism Support
Network.
Permission to reproduce and hand out is granted, provided the
document is displayed in its entirety. Other permissions may be requested
by email: liz@deaknet.com. The purpose of
this copyright is to protect your right to make free copies of this paper for
your friends and colleagues, to prevent publishers from using it for commercial
advantage, and to prevent ill-meaning people from altering the meaning of the
document by changing or removing a few paragraphs.
Note: BBB Autism Support Network would like to thank the parents who contributed and Gabrielle who helped format this version of the document.