Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Conditions [Paperback]

Karen L. Defelice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

This edition has been replaced by an updated third edition, which is available on this site.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The great story and practical explanation of how to incorporate this alternative in everyday life makes this work unique. -- editor

About the Author

Karen DeFelice and her two boys deal with pervasive neurological and sensory integration dysfunctions, and have seen dramatic improvement in their conditions through the use of enzyme therapy. Karen has a Masters in Science, and works in education and the sciences.

Product Details

• Paperback: 367 pages
• Publisher: Thundersnow Interactive; Special edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972591877
• ISBN-13: 978-0972591874
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #959,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 72 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, using enzymes truly does work! January 2, 2005

By H. Hess

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

UPDATE a year later: all his bad bowel movements are gone! And it really did help with potty training him since the BM's were under control. Thank you for writing this book. You helped us where we kept getting swept under the carpet by the 'specialists'.
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If your children or you have Sensory Integration Dysfunction or PDD, please read this book. My son has both as well as digestive issues and after trying diet changes with no luck, I literally stumbled upon this book and gave it a whirl.

YES..it does work. My son has regular bowel movements now, his tantrums have significantly decreased, his attention span is much better, his speech has blossomed and I could go on and on. Ths information in this book is verified (as I did a lot of research researching the book and sources).

This is a natural remedy to try and it cannot hurt you in any way. At the very least read it to understand about the leaky gut and how it affects development.

In the book she mentions her group on yahoo which I have been a part of after reading the book. You can post messages there to get information about getting started, anything, anything, anything. I cannot tell you how relieved we are to have found this book and try her suggestions. We had been to a pediatric gastroenterologist who told us our son would grow out of it by the time he started school.

You have nothing to lose. This book is well written, divided into logical chapters and you can start implementing the enzymes into your diet even before you finish reading the book (but I would recommend finishing the book).

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enzymes for alot more than Autism August 26, 2007

By S. Moore

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book because my son was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, tourettes syndrome, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. In the three years after the diagnoses at age 8, he seemed to be getting worse. I had already discovered that vitamins B6 and B3 (niacin) work better for his anxiety than zoloft, plus relieved his allergies and asthma somewhat, so I expected to learn more along the same lines from this book.

My son did ok in school grade-wise, but didn't speak a word all day and acted peculiar as far as not moving his arms when walking, sitting with his palms up, avoiding eye contact, etc. I was afraid he would have a lonely life. At home he threw constant temper tantrums, wouldn't cooperate with showering or changing clothes or going anywhere in the car, etc.

I had discovered yeast overgrowth in a diet book a few months earlier and treated myself successfully for constant yeast infections, but I had no idea until I read this book that yeast overgrowth (dysbiosis) caused leaky gut syndrome, which results in neurological disorders in the young and over 5000 symptoms and 80 diseases in older people. This is the basic auto-immune disorder.

When I read this book, I learned what the root cause of my sons neurological problems was. Also, I made the connection that my lifelong shyness, attention deficit, low thyroid, allergies, and lately constant yeast infections and worsening joint inflammation were caused by dysbiosis and/or leaky gut. Plus my anxiety was getting worse than ever along with the arthritis (caused by anti-inflammatories). I bought the enzymes for my son to take with meals, but he wouldn't take them, so I tried them myself and in two days my hip wasn't sore, and by the end of the week my anxiety was gone! My hip had been throbbing constantly for the past 2 years and I assumed that I would have to be on anti-anflammatory meds for life or get a hip replacement.

Along with taking the enzymes, I dieted low carb and took nutrients to help my intestines heal faster. It took about 4 months before I could stop taking the enzymes without the arthritis or anxiety returning. I feel so lucky to have discovered this. In the end, all my son needed was the yeast cleansing and restoring beneficial bacteria. He took four small pills daily for yeast cleansing - pearls probiotic, garlic oil, grapefruit seed extract, and biotin for 6 weeks (if your child won't swallow pills, try using a tincture called wormwood complex or something similar and make sure you are giving a large enough dosage, it is hard to overdose but easy to underdose), then he took only the probiotics, a couple of them daily. After 4 days on only the probiotics, his behavior changed significantly because he was building plenty of proteins in his intestines for the first time. I would say that about 95 percent of all of his disorders disappeared. He walked and sat differently, he laughed at jokes, he quit fighting about everything and became very cooperative. He started enjoying life! All of our relatives noticed the difference.

This book doesn't cover all aspects of yeast killing (like the leaky gut diet for instance), but neither do most of the other books and websites that I've read. I've learned something new from each source. I highly recommend this book as an excellent start for correcting your dysbiosis including products to use, daily maintenance and a timeline. This author could revamp the book to cover B vitamin deficiencies (B vitamins secrete from our beneficial bacteria which is compromised by the dysbiosis) and mention all auto-immune disorders and re-title it: Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Disorders plus Over 5,000 Diseases and Symptoms.

Also, a caution. About six months after the yeast cleansing, both of us got our symptoms back and had to do another cleanse because we were eating too much sugar and breads. I did a short 2-week cleanse and then probiotics. I figured the mercury might have contributed to this and while researching about mercury detoxing, I discovered iodine therapy and infrared sauna (google them for details). Needless to say, we both did iodine therapy with lugol's iodine. It was easy and so far no recurrences. I just ordered an infrared portable sauna and I'm going to see if detoxing helps me loose weight. All of my other symptoms went away (including low thyroid) but I can't loose an extra 40 pounds. With all of the junk leaking out of my intestines for so long, I'm sure there is alot of it still being stored that might be interfering with metabolic processes.

I would also like to mention that the first book on yeast overgrowth (The Yeast Connection) was published in 1982 and the concept has been rejected by the American Medical Association. It historically takes 40 years before a new concept is accepted. If the public were well aware of the magnitude of yeast overgrowth and its results so that we could treat the cause and not have to medicate the symptoms of all of these diseases, it might instigate change a little faster. But, in a conflict of interest, they would lose billions of dollars in revenue! Many think they know this and they are attempting to eliminate their competition. Lobbyists have attempted, through the FDA, to make manufacturing requirements so strict for nutritional supplements that it would put alot of companies out of business. Canada and Australia politians are trying to copy a Europe law change which allows the government to control the dosage of naturals, take some off the shelf or put them behind the counter so that you have to explain to a pharmacist why you want to buy it. They say it is to protect people from self diagnosing and prolonging effective treatment, but the truth is that national health care systems really need people to spend their money on pharmaceuticals so they can make co-payment money. Most politicians aren't aware of this. We have to be watchdogs about this, especially with so many of our leaders on the side of government-controlled medicine.

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating journey and learning experience in one book January 13, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book was written with an intelligence, wit, and clarity that is very rare for such a technical subject. Don't be fooled by the title. The book covers autism, PDD, ADHD, Sensory integration disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, and many other neurological and gastrointestinal conditions. The author teaches rather than preaches on the science, experiences, and the how-to of using long overlooked digestive enzymes to help with many related health conditions. I went away with the knowledge I needed to understand the options and make my own informed decisions. Read it before you start any biomedical or behaviorial program. And if you have already started a program, read it so you can finally understand what is really going on, and how it can be improved with enzymes.