Confronting Autism With Courage, Common Sense and Raw Food
Written by Joanne on July 22, 2008 – -Every once in a while you encounter someone who is courageous enough to look main stream media and conventional stereotypes in the eye and say, “I DISAGREE!” When I found out about Gina Laverde and her muffin, Dougie, I asked if she’d share her story with us.
With the rate at which Ritalin is becoming a household name, we’re glad to have fiesty moms like Gina sharing her message with the world, and we looking forward to putting our heads together in the name of Natural Solutions to Autism, ADD, etc. Hopefully you’ll be hearing a lot more from Gina, Dougie and company!
Confronting Autism With Courage, Common Sense and Raw Food
By Gina Laverde
My son will be four in 13 days. And, two years ago, our own friends and family doubted he’d survive his many health challenges with so little scarring. He is Dougie. He is emerging through what the world is calling “autism.” And, he is by far the STRONGEST person I know.
The newborn Dougie was every parent’s dream. After a complicated pregnancy disrupted by a mis-diagnosed miscarriage, placenta previa, early contractions and dilation, candida skin eruptions, and ignorant remarks from a group of non supporters – I was blessed to have a healthy happy baby boy. I stared at him sleeping for the first three hours of his life.
In order to ensure that our boy’s health remained vibrant, his daddy and I employed the city’s most expensive pediatrician. I’m talking about one who charged $700 for a well visit with immunizations (after insurance, of course). Oh, how my heart sank when we couldn’t afford two of the recommended shots according to the recommended schedule!
But, our baby was sleeping through the night in his swing, sleeping through trips to the movies, friends’ parties, and car rides. The kid slept so much, my husband and I brought him on dates. My expensive pediatrician assured me, on one of our midnight-worry-calls, that all of this sleeping was a gift, and that I should revel in it. And, so I did.
And, when my dermatologist told me that the white rashes Dougie was getting were a direct reflection to the hormones in my breast milk — and that my baby was in fact suffering from ACNE, I weaned Dougie from mother’s milk. Colic began with dairy-based formula, but I never made the connection. Our E.P. (expensive pediatrician) assured me that the brand we selected was sooooo close to breast milk, and that I made the right choice. I didn’t want to poison my kid with my ruined milk, so I traded my happy sleeper for a rash-less night crier.
By the time he was ready for food he was in love with spinach, squash and bananas. We chose almond and rice milks over dairy and his tummy issues subsided. But, I regrettably kept him on formula for 14 months, because the E.P. made a case for the “unrivaled” calcium source. He was pooping about seven times a day, but at this point I knew nothing of the problem that symbolized.
I became more confident in my mommy skills as Dougie learned to walk, talk and ask for things he wanted. I knew that I wasn’t eating dairy myself. And I knew he didn’t need it either. We filled him with wholesome home cooked and raw organic foods. We made sure we chose quality food sources of fats, protein, and other essential nutrients. He craved bananas. We made sure that he never got processed foods, candy or typical un-natural kid food. And, yeah we experienced many upturned noses because of this. But the result was that my 2 year old never needed prescription meds.
And despite the life-sucking day jobs, threat of home foreclosure, disownment by some family members, and MY chronic ear infections, my husband and I were overjoyed at being parents.
My husband, Doug, brought Dougie to get his next round of shots while I was at work. I had an eerie feeling about it, but just couldn’t determine a good reason not to vaccinate. I just didn’t fully understand what we were doing to Dougie. And, that’s when fever and flu entered our lives.
I put on my Healer Helmet and got him better with magic elixirs of vitamins and herbs. My parents thought I was nuts.
But before I knew it, I was facing my own doctor and my own chest x-rays and blood tests that revealed I needed to rest. I had pneumonia and had apparently held it at bay for months with my natural therapies. My doctor was disgusted at the bottles of oil of oregano, colloidal silver and other goodies I brought to show him I was taking care of myself. I still didn’t fully “GET IT.”
Soon, I was being injected with various antibiotics that made it hard for me to hold my head up. My mom was taking care of Dougie. And, Dougie was in NEED of prescription meds for the first time in his life. Of course, the nurse comforted me with the fact that all kids get sick all the time, and antibiotics were simply a part of life.
I felt as though I failed him by not being there to cook his meals and make his “get better” tea. He was placed on 4 back to back rounds of antibiotics. And from Christmas Eve through mid January, he regressed into a dazed state of consciousness. He lost all of his language and had no emotional response to pain. He cried or screamed almost all the time, and refused to eat anything but pizza.
By January’s end, I picked up my head, opened my laptop, and confirmed to myself and to my best friend that Dougie had autism. At this time,
my husband was too sensitive to hear the word because it held so many negative connotations for him. Dougie was so sick and his daddy was so scared. I longed for someone to scream at. Someone to talk to. But, at this point I wasn’t sad or guilty. I was determined to find a cure.
Our financial predicament left us shacking up in my brother-in-law’s basement for a few months. God bless them for not killing me as I embraced the weirdness of self-healing.
Doug and I are not those parents who took our child from doctor to doctor trying to figure out what happened. Not only could we not afford it, but our experience with doctors taught us that they (at least the ones we knew of) would not have an answer. I refused to take the money we could use for getting better and hand it over to a doctor, just to hear “I’m so sorry Mr. and Mrs. McDermott, your son has autism.” I can’t even imagine the dread those parents must feel when being sold the “no way out” approach to autism. Because we were broke, we were spared this. We never got a set of blinders or a list of therapies to help us cope.
I didn’t want to cope. I wanted to cure this. But, the autism battleground had been trudged by some dedicated people who were far more educated than me, and none of them could find a cure. I knew I had to do it differently. I knew I had to embrace Dougie’s gifts. I remember explaining this to a non-mom girlfriend who reassured me of the value of early interventions like psych drugs and speech therapies. Instead of killing her I dove inside my computer.
One half hour of research solidified the Candida question that kept popping up in my mind. We definitely had it. I had to cut sugar from our diets. A few clicks later I found a woman who lived in my state and had successfully recovered her son from autism. I sent her an email and she called me the next day. She gave me hope that I could reverse Dougie’s condition with diet. We talked for 2 hours and she referred me to the bedrokcommunity.org – who have been my backbone and best friends through this journey.
I was now coming to the deeper understanding of gut health as it relates to brain function. I introduced cultured vegetables and coconut kefir to Dougie’s diet, using a tablespoon to 4oz each day for a month – AND WE GOT EYE CONTACT BACK!! The cultured veggies helped his taste buds accept greens and gluten free grains – AND HE STARTED SAYING “THOMAS THOMAS” after his favorite train. He was getting physically stronger too, and so some more autistic symptoms began to surface. Dougie hand-flapped, licked the floor and the walls, toe-walked, used repetitive language, like “Thomas, Thomas,” and would smash his face into the floor or walls. He was mystified by wheels. But, he was becoming happier and showing it. He still wasn’t responding to his name. His behavior was very hard to handle for me, as I wanted to see more results.
Another month passed and I learned that trusting my gut meant going back to my spirituality. I prayed and meditated a lot. One moment I was blending green sludge for my son to drink and the next I was screaming in excitement and horror over the phone to my mom “I saw bugs in his poop.” Yeah, bugs. Weird stuff. And each time Dougie released something overly nasty in diaper… he gained more skills. The diet was working! But not enough for anyone to believe me.
That hurt.
My mom was so loving and my dad just kept his mouth shut. But everyone was whispering behind our backs…. wondering if the boy was getting enough protein or this or that other nutrient. And, I realized they were wearing blinders too. They too were duped by the “milk does a body good” mindset . My mom, who slaved over delicious home-cooked meals every day of my life, didn’t understand the gift that good food gives our bodies. No one understood me like the moms at the BEDROK community.
Their level of understanding goes beyond diet cures. They helped me realize that Dougie is unique. I could do Body Ecology the generic way and get some pretty great results. Or I could apply it to Dougie’s particular needs, and consider his toxins, and deficiencies — and fully recover him from autism.
We are definitely still learning. We have embraced our son as a unique being with very special talents. His spark shines brighter as we peel away the layers of damage. We no longer focus on curing him. He has a sickness that gets better each day, but it does not define him.
In time, we’ve learned to tweak his diet to address his needs. He has now adapted to a high raw and mostly vegan diet. Something he could’ve never handled in the beginning. He does get brain food like the essential fats of cod liver oil and coconut oil. He drinks about a quart of coconut kefir each day which balances out the good gut bacteria, fills him with minerals, and makes digestion of other foods a breeze. He drinks green smoothies each morning and loooves peas with apple cider vinegar. The kid craves spirulina now! What a gift!\
By first focusing on his gut, we’ve prepared him to eat a wider variety of foods. As long as he gets his cultured foods, he can handle sweeter fruits, beans, and grains much better than before. In the last 2 months he went from speaking in two-word sentences to complex sentences.
We embrace each moment for what it can teach us.
We study poop, tongues and skin color. We rely on our instincts, our research and our friends who are in the same boat. To date, we have only done one test to confirm the presence of heavy metals from vaccines and environment.
My almost four year old drinks green, plays air guitar, and is beginning to read. What more could a mommy ask for. He IS my dream come true!
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Posted in Success Stories | 26 Comments »
By maya on Jul 23, 2008
i’m so happy that your son is doing better. have you read *disease proof your child*? just wondering. it talks about nutritional excellence for children.
dr. fuhrman, who wrote that book, has a supplement he sells that is a vegan source of DHA. dr. f says that he tested a variety of fish oils and that they are all rancid.
http://drfuhrman.com/shop/DHA.aspx
HTH.
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By SHANNON on Jul 23, 2008
wow! Blessings on this brave mom for seeing this difficult trial for all the gifts it gave her and her husband and son, and for becoming empowered through it all!
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By Gina on Jul 23, 2008
Thank you Shannon!
I am just thankful that I found answers that worked for my son. Others have it much harder.
Our children are so precious and deserve the best future we can offer. And, I can see that many changes are being made to make that future brighter for them.
Gina
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By Kathryn on Jul 23, 2008
Gina, it was wonderful to read Dougie’s whole story and the amazing progress he’s made. You’re awesome to fight for him and to share your journey!
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By Monique on Jul 23, 2008
Hi Ginna,
It may have been a ruff go in the beginning but you and your husband have turned things around for your son. Try to ignore what others are saying, they are speaking out of fear and ignorance.
I look forward to hearing more about his progress. Keep moving forward.
Lots of Love
Monique
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By Gina on Jul 24, 2008
Hi Monique,
Thank you! As our son pulls more and more out of this poison each day our lives become that much more full. to look at him now, you’d have a hard time labeling him as autisitc. When we’re getting results like this, its hard to be angry at ANYTHING at all, ya know? He is such a strong little muffin!!!
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By Candice on Jul 24, 2008
A very moving post. I can’t imagine what it’s like to need help for your child and see that the community that should be able to give it not only won’t, but can’t. I have 2 nephews and a young cousin (not blood related to each other) who’ve been diagnosed ADD. 2 of the 3 are medicated. The last is left to suffer the consequences of his behavior. I don’t judge their parents, having never been in their shoes, but I’m thrilled to see you, your husband, and your BEDROK friends finding alternatives together. Wishing you all well.
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By Gina on Jul 24, 2008
thanks! Being a good parent is a daily challenge. there are so many choices and not lots of honest information. I know all parents are just doing the best they can for their kids. we all want our children to thrive. When you’ve got a degreed doctor telling you to choose Ritalin and a little mommy from Chicago telling you to use coconut kefir — most folks would listen to the doctor. Its perfectly normal. I never considered drugs. I only let my child have antibiotics when I was too sick to fight. I chose a different path and thank goodness its working for me. The more we choose to make these alternative choices — the more they won’t seem alternative.
I continue to counsel families and see more people changing their minds. I think its a great time for healing!!
thanks for reading and sharing. I wish the best for the children in your family.
Gina
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By Tera on Jul 24, 2008
Yeah, Gina!!
What wonderful feedback on this piece! Keep ‘em coming, Lovebud!!!
YEAH!!!!
I’m soooo excited about getting more resources for solutions to psych drugs and behaviour/learning struggles.
Thank you everyone for your contributions!!!
xoxox
Tera
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By Tina on Jul 24, 2008
I love you all so much! You are the best Mom in the world and Dougie is my Super Star! I love to watch him eat his veggies!!!
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By Angela on Jul 25, 2008
Hi Gina,
It was good to read your story again – I first read about you recently on We Like it Raw – and at that time I vented my frustration with my own adult brother with autism. I’ve noticed that progress for us comes in gradual steps forward, but recently he has been taking them more in his stride. After showing him a range of gluten free foods he could eat instead of wheat and dairy based products, he began buying these himself, and readily accepted stevia as a replacement for nutrasweet and white sugar (yay!!).
At the moment I’m working on a superfood smoothie recipe he would find acceptable.
Thank you for being so inspiring, Gina.
Love Angela
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By Joanne on Jul 25, 2008
Gina, amazing story!
You’ve been through such a tough time – and now everything is coming together. I LOVE stories like that! And your little guy is just adorable. Looking forward to hearing more about your journey.
Love Jo
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By Gina on Jul 26, 2008
Thank you Tera and Jo,
I am so happy to be able to share my stories on this loving forum. My son learned how to blow bubbles yesterday.. we’ve been trying to teach him for a year. we’re juice/smoothie feasting now and all of a sudden he just did it!!
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By Gina on Jul 27, 2008
Tina.. you are the best friend anyone could dream of. Thank you for your support though all of this! DOUGIE LOVES YOU SO MUCH! thanks for reading. And, please share with any moms who can benefit. My mission is to break this autism cycle so that other moms will not have to deal with the agony of it.
Angela, you are a awesoome!!! Great job with your bro.
Here is a great superfood smoothie:
1 avocado
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 tblspoon of spirulina
1 tblspoon of vitamineral green
1/4 cup of coconut kefir
1 tsp of omega 3 oil
ice and maybe some mineral water if needed to thin.
stevia for sweetening if needed
Here is another one
avocado or (frozen almond milk)
cacao powder
spirulina
vitamineral green
1/2 cup coconut kefir
raw agave for sweetening
ice and mineral water
you can add maca which is great for thyroid and hemp protein as well
Green smoothie
1 cup home-made green juice (spinach, cucumber, celery , cilantro, ginger, lemon or lime, green apple)
frozen berries to taste (+1/2 frozen banana is optional)
1/4 tsp vit C powder
hemp protein
spirulina and vitamineral green
squeeze of lime, orange or grapefruit (its sort of sweet and sour)
sweeten if necessary with
My favorite green juice
cucumber
celery
cilantro
orange
mix with young coconut kefir and ice… its bubbly and refreshing… kind of like lemon lime soda.
best of luck. let me know if u need more recipes
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By Masha on Aug 4, 2008
Dear Gina,
I have been blessed with a wonderful son who was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when he was 3.5. He is 7 now.
As long as I can remember we have had tummy problems. Every time he goes – it’s diarrhea. I guess I am not surprised. His diet consists of macNcheese, cheese pizza, grilled cheese sandwich, 2 kinds of cereal, and of course – gallons of milk.
We were told from the beginning that his diet will never be that of a “normal” child – due to sensory issues. The doctor says he is healthy and strong, he is growing normally, and not to worry. But I can’t help it.
There was a time when we tried to make him eat a couple peas, or one slice of cucumber, or 3 kernels of corn, only to end up with a fit of throwing up every time. Then we gave up…
He will NOT try any fruits or veggies or greens. My husband and I have been drinking green smoothies for a month now, but we have not been able to entice our son.
I don’t know what to do. I cannot force him. Would you have any advise?
Thank you, Masha
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By Gina on Aug 6, 2008
Hi Masha,
It’s great that you’ve realized the impact of his diet, even against the doctor’s recommendations.I recently attended a 3 day intensive autism training and got tons of new information, including the importance of mom and dad’s diet. So you are doing wonders by simply changing your own eating habits. The fact is that children copy their parents so u are setting the stage for health with that alone.
also, the very best thing I did for my son was to introduce probiotic foods (coconut kefir and cultured vegetables) these help change taste buds and make the body crave green and nutritious foods. at this point your son may have a viral, fungal or bacterial infection that thrives on the sugar and numbing proteins (casein) found in dairy. The body will crave these things to numb the inflammation caused by toxic overload ( I can explain in detail if u like). probiotics help balance gut bacteria and get infection under control. Once this happens the body craves more good because it now wants to heal.
young coconut kefir and cultured vegetables are the most beneficial forms of probiotics because they enter the body as foods and do not get burned by stomach acids — u can start with even just one teaspoon(and I can give u directions on how to make them). But, if you feel you need to start even smaller — try an store-bought probiotic for children. I did use jarrow-dopholis and fivelac in the past. the problem with these is that they stop working once you stop using them.. but they can help u transition into the foods I mentioned.
also, you may want to begin replacing his milk with some healthier choices. you may want to try organic grass fed raw milk. while it is still mucous forming it is a completely different product than homogenized milk.
I would replace it with raw almond milk, or grain milk like quinoa. you can make milks out of any nut or seed….
Reducing his sugar intake is also going to allow the probiotics to work much quicker.
if you are comfortable with this, I would suggest some colon hydrotherapy even before u begin the diet. this will give you a head start in getting out toxins. some colon therapists do mineral or probiotic implants after sessions and some do not. In my experience implants are a must! if your therapist does not do them you can do them at home after the session.
so yes I think that adding great food like green drinks is a must.. but we need to bring his body to a point to accept these foods.
I am here to help u with whatever I can.
email me at ginalaverde@gmail.com
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By Shannon on Jan 20, 2009
If I could add anything to that beautiful response of Gina’s, I would say to try my chocolate pudding recipe using avocado, honey or dates and carob or cacao powder- and making frozen smoothies that become ‘popsicles’ and serving fresh applesauce and making candies out of nuts and dried fruit- ALL these things can have some leafy greens and other veggies HIDDEN in them…even serving cooked pasta sauce with chopped up raw veggies, or rice dishes with same, or cooked soups with raw veggies finely chopped- it is all a start and over time it WILL LEAD TO PROGRESS. God bless you and all your efforts for your beautiful son. xo
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By Kristen's Raw on Feb 21, 2009
Your post brought tears to my eyes. I admire your strength and courage. You’re such an awesome mom!
I’m so grateful for the Internet… helping people connect and learn from each other. Thank you for sharing your story.
Healthy regards,
Kristen
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By Kristen's Raw on Feb 21, 2009
Your post brought tears to my eyes. I admire your strength and courage. You’re such an awesome mom!
I’m so grateful for the Internet… helping people connect and learn from each other. Thank you for sharing your story.
Healthy regards,
Kristen
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By Kristen's Raw on Feb 21, 2009
Your post brought tears to my eyes. I admire your strength and courage. You’re such an awesome mom!
I’m so grateful for the Internet… helping people connect and learn from each other. Thank you for sharing your story.
Healthy regards,
Kristen
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By Kristen's Raw on Feb 21, 2009
Your post brought tears to my eyes. I admire your strength and courage. You’re such an awesome mom!
I’m so grateful for the Internet… helping people connect and learn from each other. Thank you for sharing your story.
Healthy regards,
Kristen
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By Gina Laverde on Jun 8, 2009
Kristen, thanks so much! I appreciate your response.
Shannon, thanks for the recipes. I do use avocado to make puddings and hide stuff in them. I love blueberries, avocado and no sweeteners.. then add spirulina. Its great to hide greens in treats they like. I even like this for myself. I would be very careful using wheat, sugar (dates, hones) and cacao with kids with autism. these are all triggers for toxin flare up. sugar feeds yeast, cacao has metals sometimes mold and is acidic. I would prefer try carob instead.. raw carob.. and I would sweeten with stevia, xylitol or lakanto which do not feed the poisons… BUT intransition those recipes are fine.
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By Jennifer on Feb 9, 2010
I realize this post was made a while ago, but I have to say that when I saw the Autism category on your blog, I felt compelled to click it. My 7-year-old son is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation to determine if he has Asperger’s, or just some Anxiety tossed in with the ADHD that “they” have already said he has. I have thought, since the beginning of his troubles, that changing my children’s diet would change MANY things (including my 8-year-old daughter’s asthma, which “they” are now thinking is atypical CF)… along with my health, as well (240 lbs. does not sit well on a 5’5″ fram). This post has just reaffirmed what I have believed all along. Now, if only I could get their father and stepmother to see what I see….
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By Beat Langariti on Sep 29, 2010
Hey ,
Iam a Ugandan Mom with son who is was diagonosed with Autism 2 years ago. He turns six this October. I am very desperate to help him experience good health and recovery from Autism. I want to try the raw food diet because of the testimony and good experiences others have had.
He is diet is strictly vegan.
Please help me…. we have access to raw food . Ho do I get started ?
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By Melissa on Oct 5, 2010
Hi Gina,
You have such a unique and powerful story! Everyone’s experience with autism is different and it helps to hear how you have chosen to approach this challenge.
To other autism moms out there – here is a link to another blog I sometimes read. It is written by a mother with two boys, one of whom has autism. The blog is heartwarming and honest!
http://myvoice.mygofer.com/mission_possible
Good luck to all!
Melissa
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By marina on Dec 15, 2010
Hi Gina nad all the mums out there. I found yur site today so I hope someone is still reading it !
Firstly-for Jennifer-my son was also highly,highly anxious- a terrible thing to see in a 5 y.o. Intuition and a switched on friend directed me to a fantastic chiropractor who said that my boy was operating in fight or flight mode all the time,poor little thing ! we now have adjustments twice a week and his progress has been amazing !
As for diet,we have been directed towards the GAPS diet which we are finding hard to implement and anyway,he wont eat most of the food-he is also low salicylate,gf/cg/corn and soy free.Its a nightmare. I am thinking more and more about raw.I would love some feedback-and congratulations to all you parents who are taking your health into your own hands.Long live warrior mummies(and daddies).
By the way have implemented the sinrise program with great results. Marina
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