What causes autism?

What causes us to be "different"?

I personally don't have the obvious signs of autism but I do have gut problems and a genius level IQ (and I'm modest, too). I'm also very untidy but organised and somewhat obsessive in my research. Very occasionally I'll have a crazy fit where I'll scream and throw things - usually triggered by very loud high-pitch noises. In addition, I have alopecia (complete hair loss), psoriasis (scaly patches of skin) and inflammation of the tendons in my hands. The gut problems cause bloating, pain and diarrhoea.

In my case I believe that it's caused by "leaky gut", which allows toxins into the bloodstream and thence to the brain. I've been aware of this for a decade and I've done lots of research. I've tried various diets, which help, but nothing has "cured" the leaky gut problem. But recently I came across this:-

The reason for allergies and food intolerances is a so-called “leaky gut”, when the gut lining is damaged by abnormal micro flora. Foods do not get the chance to be digested properly before they get absorbed through this damaged wall and cause the immune system to react to them. Many people try to identify which foods they react to. However, with damaged gut wall they are likely to absorb most of their foods partially digested, which may cause an immediate reaction or a delayed reaction (a day, a few days or even a couple of weeks later). As these reactions overlap with each other, you can never be sure what exactly you are reacting to on any given day. Testing for food allergies is notoriously unreliable: if they had enough resources to test twice a day for two weeks, they would find that they are “allergic” to everything they eat. As long as the gut wall is damaged and stays damaged you can be juggling your diet forever, removing different foods and never getting anywhere. It is best to concentrate on healing the gut wall with the Introduction Diet. Once the gut wall is healed, the foods will be digested properly before being absorbed, which will remove many food intolerances and allergies.

Excerpt From

Gut and Psychology Syndrome [GAPS]

This explains a lot. I know that my problem is exacerbated by carbohydrates and I spent two years weaning myself off bread, chips, cakes, biscuits, etc. It's not easy.

I got my doctor to prescribe Hydroxychloroquine ("Plaquenil") tablets because a study showed that it's extremely effective in cases of Colitis. I've never been diagnosed with Colitis but I definitely have "Irritable Bowel Syndrome", which is related.

Recently our German neighbours offered to bake me sourdough (Spelt flour) bread, which is a wholemeal bread. I thought that I could get away with eating a slice a day, since I was taking the tablets, but it seems that I was wrong. I need to stick to a special exclusion diet as well as taking the tablets. In addition, I succumbed to the occasional temptation of chips, ice cream, a biscuit...

Note: I've had this problem since my pre-teen years. I've always had a problem with bloating. When I had my first ever spinal x-ray,at a young age (about 20), the doctor actually laughed and stated that he'd never seen a gut so full of gas! The only suggestion was to eat charcoal tablets. They did nothing. So I've lived with this for some 60 years.

What causes "leaky gut" syndrome? Mainly it seems to be antibiotics, some infections and certain vaccines. A really bad junk food diet can also damage the gut. It can also be an inherited problem caused by one or both parents taking alcohol or drugs and/or lack of breast-feeding. The result is that the number of helpful bacteria in the gut, which convert toxins into chemicals that your body can use, are reduced and bad bacteria are allowed to thrive. These not only produce more toxins but also damage the gut wall to make it "leaky". The book explains all this in detail.

Symptoms of "leaky gut" are numerous:

All the usual symptoms of autism and autoimmune disorders.

• Excema.
• Psoriasis.
• Acne.
• Allergies.
• Asthma.
• Bloating.
• Diarrhoea alternating with constipation.
• Headaches, migraines.
• Mood swings/tantrums.
• IBS.
• Colitis.
• Coeliac disease.
• Crohn's disease.
• Epilepsy.
• Multiple Sclerosis.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Lupus.
• Rheumatism/arthritis.
• Weight gain.
• Bipolar disorder.
• Undiagnosed inflammation and many more.

Everyone is different. Everyone has a different gut microbiome that produces different symptoms.

The annoying thing is that most doctors know nothing about this. All they can do is to prescribe medicines to alleviate the symptoms. But this is hardly surprising because the food industry and the pharma industry make massive profits from people who are ill and they have no incentive to suggest a cure that would reduce sales of their products.