Three Potential New Treatments For Autism

Earlier this week, I shared an article on new autism discoveries going on in the field, which could potentially help our kids. Although there are no medical tests that we can use to diagnose autism, this article talked about two new potential ways (sniff test and eye-tracking technology) that scientists have found that could be helpful in diagnosing our keiki.

Today, I wanted to share three new autism cures and treatments. While they are still in the research phase, for us parents, these ongoing studies are worth keeping an eye on while progress is being made.  

1. Water pills. These are inexpensive generic drugs used to treat high blood pressure. They may relieve some of the behavioral symptoms of autism, especially in those with milder forms of the condition, according to a study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

2. A low-glycemic diet. This means going on a low-sugar diet. In this study, mice prone to autism were fed a high-glycemic or low-glycemic diet and their offspring kept on the same diet after birth. Young mice that ate the high-glycemic diet showed typical symptoms of autism, and their brains showed they were developing fewer neurons than mice fed the low-glycemic diet. Try keeping your kids away from artificial sugars – all that candy, sugary cereals, soda – and see how they improve.

3. Sleeping sickness drug. I shared an article a couple weeks ago about how experts believe that autism is the result of cells not communicating normally. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that a drug called suramin restores normal signaling between cells, and reverses autism-like symptoms in mice after a single dose. 

The drug, which is also used to treat sleeping sickness since 1916, has shown promising results for participants with autism in phase 1 trials.  The downside is that it can't be taken long-term because of side effects. But it’s a start! These researchers hope that this study will lead to newer drugs being formed to treat autism.

To read the full article, you can visit: https://www.newsmax.com/Health/Headline/autism-treatments-discoveries-help/2015/09/08/id/678659/