Dysbiosis In Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Dysbiosis is a term that can be used to describe an internal imbalance of the body. Often it is used to describe a particular imbalance in the microflora of the intestinal system. The body's intestinal systems, which comprises of the small and large intestines, works by breaking down food for our bodies to use as energy and brings out waste and toxins. To be able to achieve this, our intestinal systems are host to many microorganisms.

Microbes exist in a different ratio of good bacteria and yeasts that work to help the body function at its maximum. Sadly, this balance is often interrupted by many external issues. Our modern diet is filled with high amounts of processed, and sugar foods, constant use of antibiotics and parasites are all contributing factors. All these factors coupled with the stress of modern day society advance dysbiosis. The state of dysbiosis is what causes the rise of candidiasis, an overgrowth of yeast in the body's intestinal system.

In this article, we are going to look at dysbiosis as it affects children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

What Are Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

ASD is a combination of developmental disabilities that highly affect a child's social, communication and behavioral abilities that the child have to deal with for life. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) projects that the rate of autism occurrence is 1 in 88 children in the United States. The high number of incidents rankss ASD much more common than diabetes, AIDS, pediatric cancer combined. Autism cannot be detected by a blood test or x-ray. It is mostly diagnosed through proper observation. ASD has a vast range of symptoms that appears differently from a child to another.

ASD is a complex disorder that affects 1 in 88 children according to reports by Center for Disease Control (CDC). Boys suffer 4:1 in comparison to the girls. Many children are diagnosed as young as age three by a neurologist, pediatrician or developmental specialist. Some children may show signs of autism but are not diagnosed.

Dysbiosis In Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Gastrointestinal issues are often associated with many children diagnosed with autism. Because gut malfunction is so common in children with autism, researchers have looked closely at the disorders and therapies as they are related to digestion.

Many studies have discovered a relationship between autism and gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis occurs when there is an imbalance in the inner ecology of the intestinal tract. What this means is that the amount of disease-causing bugs outnumber the ones helping the body.

Many studies have pointed out a strong connection between the microbes that we have in our digestive tract, brain health, and the immune system.

What The Gut Does For Us.

While each of us has special microbiota, the work is the same: fulfilling the physiological functions impact on our health.

Gut functions are:

• It assist the body to digesting certain foods that the stomach and small intestine have digested.

• It helps produce some vitamins.

• It combats aggressions from other microorganisms, maintaining the intestinal wholeness.

• It plays a significant role in the immune system, performing a barrier effect.

• A healthy and balanced gut microbiota is vital to ensuring good digestive functioning.

• It plays a significant role in waste removal from the body.

When one takes into account the main roles gut microbiota plays in the functioning of the body system and the various functions it does, many experts nowadays consider it as an organ.

How To Detect Unbalanced Gut.

If you experience frequent digestive symptoms and discomfort, you most likely have a problem with the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut.

Most people often overlook that many other ongoing health issues can be related to unhealthy digestive microflora. At times, the issues are due to an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria like candida, they also maybe as a result of weaknesses in the gut membrane.

Safe and healthy gut bacteria produce byproducts that help us keep our intestinal lining very strong, and if there are not enough good bacteria to help with this function, the intestinal tract becomes highly prone to damage. The inflammation can lead to ulceration; this destroys areas of the mucosal lining of our intestinal wall. These "opens" allow disease-causing toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles to move directly into the bloodstream, where they disturb the body's normal function in various ways.

These Symptoms Are Associated with unbalanced gut.

• Constipation
• Excess intestinal gas
• Too little or no intestinal gas
• Chronic diarrhea
• Chronic bad breath
• Sugar cravings
• Undigested food in stools
• Abnormal posturing
• Gassiness
• Dairy intolerance

Characteristics Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

ASD is not a single disorder, but a group of closely related disorders with a common root of symptoms. Each disorder on the autism spectrum has problems to some extent with interaction, communication, empathy, and flexible behavior. Although the level of symptoms and disability varies from person to another. As a matter of facts, two children with the same diagnosis may look va whole lot different when it comes to their abilities and behaviors.

ASD is diagnosed based on the presence of collective symptoms that disturbs a child’s ability to explore, learn, play, communicate, or form relationships

Signs That Your Child Has Dysbiosis.

Gastrointestinal symptoms are mostly the first sign that a child has gut dysbiosis and immune dysregulation. Any child that shows any of the following symptoms with persistence must be evaluated for gut dysbiosis:

• Regular diaper rashes: This may be as a result of the sign of a Candida growth.
• Esophageal reflux might reflect allergies, or be associated with bacterial overgrowth in the gut.
• White coating on the tongue may indicate a Candida (yeast) overgrowth in the gastrointestinal tract.
• Frequent diarrhea: might be as result of gut dysbiosis, inflammation in the intestines
• Undigested food in stools– may show gut dysbiosis, lack of appropriate digestive enzymes
• Constipation or infrequent stooling may reflect gut dysbiosis, allergies or any other immune related issues (or more complex problems about energy metabolism).
• Excessive gas, flatulence — often indicative of carbohydrate fermentation in the colon, a typical result of gut dysbiosis.
• Floating stools or dry stools.
• “Tummy Aches.”
• Distended “pot belly” — may indicate inflammation or excessive gas production.

Request your healthcare provider for a complete stool analysis where the lab will look for signs of gut dysbiosis.

Also, ask your healthcare provider to conduct an “organic acids test” for your child this may provide some answers to whether or not your child has gut dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis: Advice On Cleaning Up The Diet.

Since the leading causes of dysbiosis are found in medicine and foods, altering eating habits and staying away from antibiotics are essential to healing. Apart from antibiotics, herbicides and pesticides are two main factors contributing to dysbiosis. Because of this, one must stop the consumption of non-organic fruits while wheat products, vegetables, and animal products should be our top priority.

Our diet must be rich in natural foods and organic vegetables, while staying away from caffeine, sugar and cutting down on alcohol and gluten are other ways to heal dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis is a severe and common health issue that leads to so many other symptoms, such as leaky gut syndrome and candida overgrowth. Avoiding antibiotics, changing diet, cleansing the body to detoxify and restore alkalinity, and restoring gut flora can help heal dysbiosis.