Midodrine is a medication used to boost blood pressure. Although it becomes effective within 1-2 hours, it can sometimes take a week for parents to accurately if it is beneficial for their child. Typically, the child may become more alert, more responsive, less hyper, less anxious, or less hungry.

Unfortunately not. Our understanding of the loss of unique bacterial species over the last 100 years is still in its infancy. The vast majority of everyone on the planet is believed not to have the full range of bacteria our ancestors had 100 or more years ago.nnWhile the consumption of probiotics or fermented foods might lessen some digestive symptoms, they do not provide the specific bacteria required within the intestinal microbiome. Even if a particular probiotic contained a unique species that historically was part of our microbiome, swallowing the bacteria will not result in the bacteria becoming a permanent part of the microbiome. Usually, the probiotic species disappears once the probiotic stops. FMT (fecal microbiome transplant) can lead to an increase in species within the intestinal tract but only partially. The use of FMT does not prevent the development of bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), the primary pathological defect in autism and developmental disorders.

Yes, of course. Individuals with severe intellectual impairment can still be affected by bacterial overgrowth, and autonomic dysfunction. The mental retardation can potentially have its origin in developmental delay that could improve with this protocol as can other forms of neurological delay.

Frequent emotional “meltdowns” are often due to one of two common mechanisms in children with autism and, as such, can be broken down into two recognizable patterns. The first meltdown pattern occurs when the child is simply sitting and without, and provocation slowly becomes emotionally distraught. This pattern results from the inability to maintain blood pressure and might happen when the child is forced to sit still (sitting in a car seat) or has gone without food or drink for a while (liquids, salt, and carbohydrates boost blood pressure).nnThe second pattern of meltdowns is often referred to as a transition issue. The child becomes distraught when irritated by an unwanted change in their current activity. This pattern is similar to road rage in adults and is covered in great detail in the second edition of our book.