Resources for Parents
Practical information for parents researching autism, children's health, biomedical approaches, environmental health, gut health, heavy metals, and chelation.
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 If you've started researching autism beyond therapies and educational support, you've probably discovered that there is an enormous amount of information about your child's health. You may be looking at communication, behavior, sensory differences, sleep, digestion, eating, nutrition, or development—and wondering whether there are other aspects of your child's health worth understanding. That can lead you to a term you may not have encountered before: Biomedical approaches. So what does that actually mean? What Does "Biomedical Approaches" Mean? The term biomedical approaches is used by some parents and practitioners to describe approaches that look at biological and physical aspects of a child's health alongside developmental, behavioral, educational, and therapeutic support. There isn't one single biomedical treatment or protocol. Depending on the family, biomedical research may include:
The specific areas a family investigates can be very different from one child to another. Biomedical approaches are not one thing. It's a broad category of therapies to address the whole child and look at their health needs. Why Do Some Parents Begin Looking Into Biomedical Approaches? Most parents don't begin this research because they want to become experts in nutrition, environmental health, or biochemistry. They start because something about their child's health has them asking questions. Maybe your child has significant digestive problems along with developmental concerns. Maybe sleep has become a constant struggle. Maybe your child eats only a handful of foods and you're worried about nutrition. Maybe there are unusual health concerns that don't seem to fit neatly into one category, or perhaps you've simply reached the point where you want to understand more about what might be affecting your child's overall health. The starting question for many becomes: Are there health factors I should understand and investigate? Looking at the Whole Child One reason some parents are drawn to biomedical research is that it encourages them to look at more than one area of health. You might ask:
These questions don't automatically provide answers, but they can help you organize what you're seeing and decide which areas deserve further investigation. Nutrition Is Often a Place to Start Nutrition is one of the most accessible areas for parents to investigate. This can be particularly important when a child has a very restricted diet. A child who eats only a small number of foods may have nutritional needs that deserve closer attention. Parents may research:
You don't have to assume that a particular diet or supplement will change autism to recognize that good nutrition is an important part of a child's health. Gut Health and DigestionDigestive problems are another area many parents encounter when researching biomedical approaches. You may be dealing with constipation, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, unusual stool patterns, restricted eating, or other gastrointestinal concerns. Some parents also begin researching the gut microbiome, probiotics, yeast, and the relationship between gastrointestinal health and overall well-being. If your child has ongoing digestive problems, that is a health issue worth understanding on its own. You can learn more in our article Gut Health in Autism and the Gut-Brain Connection: What Parents Should Know. If you're specifically researching yeast, see Chronic Yeast Overgrowth in Autism: What Parents Should Know. Environmental HealthAnother area parents may begin exploring is environmental health. This can involve questions about substances a child may encounter through:
The point is to explore what might be affecting your child's health and understand what exposures actually exist and whether any are worth investigating or reducing. Our article What Are Environmental Toxins? introduces this subject. Where Do Heavy Metals Fit In?Heavy metals are another subject you may encounter as you research environmental health and biomedical approaches. Parents may have questions about mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, exposure sources, testing, and potential health effects. If you've never researched heavy metals before, the terminology can quickly become confusing. Our article Heavy Metals Explained: Sources, Exposure & What Parents Should Know provides an introduction to the subject, including common sources of exposure and the questions parents may have about testing. You may also encounter the term toxic burden, which refers to the broader idea of considering multiple environmental and health factors together. See What Is Toxic Burden? Understanding How Parents Evaluate Multiple Health Factors to learn more. Where Does Chelation Fit In? For some parents, research into heavy metals eventually leads to questions about chelation. Chelation is a process involving substances that bind certain metals so they can be eliminated from the body. There are different chelating agents and different approaches to chelation. Some parents who specifically research mercury and heavy-metal exposure eventually encounter the Andy Cutler Frequent-Dose Chelation Protocol, a particular approach with its own terminology and methods. If you've aren't familiar with this method or terms such as ALA, DMSA, frequent dosing, or chelation rounds, you may want to start with this article to find out why this is the protocol we recommend: What Is the Andy Cutler Frequent-Dose Chelation Protocol? A Parent's Guide The important thing is that biomedical approaches are much broader than chelation. Chelation is one specific subject within the larger landscape. What About Supplements and Other Approaches? Supplements are another area parents explore to provide additional nutritional support or address certain conditions. Depending on the child's individual situation, parents may use vitamins, minerals, probiotics, fatty acids, or other supplements. This can become confusing quickly because it's important to know why you're giving a each supplements and how much is appropriate to use. The fact that something is described as "natural" does not automatically mean it is appropriate or risk-free for every child. If you want to learn more about this aspect of biomed, the book Fight Autism and Win provides information on various supplements, their purpose and when they might be appropriate. Biomedical Approaches Don't Have to Mean Abandoning Other Support Exploring biomedical approaches does not necessarily mean choosing between your child's existing care and investigating other aspects of health. A family can continue working with doctors, therapists, educators, and other professionals while also learning about nutrition, digestive health, environmental exposures, or other areas. For many parents, the goal is simply to have a more complete picture of their child's health and bring together therapies that address their child's needs. Why Is Biomedical Information So Difficult to Navigate? You may read about nutrition in one place, gut health somewhere else, environmental exposures somewhere else, and heavy metals and chelation somewhere else entirely. One question leads to another. What are biomedical approaches? Then: What about gut health? Then: What about environmental exposures? Then: Could heavy metals be relevant? Then: What is chelation? It can become overwhelming very quickly. That's why it can help to approach the subjects one question at a time rather than trying to understand everything at once or use our book which brings this all together to make it easier to learn. Where Should You Start? Start with the question that is most relevant to your child right now. If you're concerned about multiple health problems, read My Autistic Child Has So Many Health Problems: How Parents Can Look at the Bigger Picture. If you're researching gut health, start with Gut Health in Autism and the Gut-Brain Connection. If you're concerned about environmental exposures, read What Are Environmental Toxins?. If heavy metals have entered your research, start with Heavy Metals Explained: Sources, Exposure & What Parents Should Know. If you're trying to understand toxic burden, read What Is Toxic Burden?. And if you've encountered the Andy Cutler Frequent-Dose Chelation Protocol, start with What Is the Andy Cutler Frequent-Dose Chelation Protocol? A Parent's Guide. You don't need to understand all of these subjects at once. Start with the question that brought you here. Then follow the next question. Fight Autism and Win Fight Autism and Win brings together many of the subjects parents may encounter while researching biomedical approaches, including the Andy Cutler Frequent-Dose Chelation Protocol, heavy metals, environmental factors, nutrition, gut health, supplements, and related topics.
If you're trying to make sense of a large amount of scattered information, the book provides another place to continue your research. Learn more about Fight Autism and Win Comments are closed.
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