Unlocking Potential: Transforming Autism Through Inner Body Harmony

Introduction and autism prevalence 0:00

Welcome back to ADHD, Autism and Chronic Disease Parenting Summit. I'm here with an amazing practitioner. Luminara Dr. who is the founder of Autism Transformed. I've spoken to you multiple times in the past. I always love chatting with you. You are a wealth of knowledge on everything, autism and many other things. So thank you for being here today. Yeah, thanks for having me. I think this is such an important topic. I get a lot of questions about autism and I think you know that well, I know that's because the rates of autism are rising, very rapidly.

If you look back at the statistics, it might have been like 1 in 150 and a few decades ago. Then it was like one in, you know, 34 in California. There was a recent, study that came out that even show there might be like 1 in 22. So whatever the number is, it's going up rapidly. And with that, you know, there are a wide range of what autism is and what, what behaviors we do see. And so I think that when we're talking about autism, it's great to kind of chat about some of those things which we might be able to assist kids on.

So thank you for being here. Yeah. You have a good point. There is, a more prevalence and there is a wide spectrum of what we call autism. You know, the DSM change, how we, diagnose it changed. And so now I believe that's autism level one, two, three as the severity. So, yeah, the numbers range depending on which statistic you listen to. But the point is that rising in prevalence, to me, that's correlated with how toxic our environment has become. And when parents conceive and have a child growing in the womb, they're exposed to all kinds of things, including what the parents have been exposed to, what and what mom has been exposed to.

Because I feel like, you know, there's this baby growing in the womb, and the body's like through another there's another garbage can here. Let's put all this stuff in here. And so first of all, I think it's really important to for parents to be as clean and detox as possible before they conceive. I'm sure you guys did that. You just had a baby. So, yeah, you know, all that stuff.

Environmental toxins and autism causes 2:12

But for parents who don't know that and want to have more kids, you know, clean out your body first and there's that brings that prevalence down, I think. I agree and and I think that, you know, the counter argument that sometimes people want to make is that we're just getting better at diagnosing autism, which we certainly are. I think that's that's absolutely a great thing. And we are getting better at diagnosing all sorts of conditions. But I personally think and I think that, the majority of people in the field think that it's, it's a both I think it's a little bit of both.

And I think that just like you mentioned, that there are there is some things that we're doing environmentally that are triggering some or all of these symptoms in a certain subset of, of these children. And the number keeps rising. And I don't think it's just because we're better at identifying it. I agree 100%. Yes. I mean, we get toxins from food, water, air, you know, all the stuff that's been sprayed for decades on the land. It doesn't just go away. It goes into our water supply. It goes into the wells and the aquifers eventually.

Right. And so we're just constantly exposed. I, I really feel we have to live a detoxed lifestyle. And I feel like we just have to live as cleanly as possible, which is getting harder and harder to do. Right. Definitely. So with that in mind, then there are certainly some behaviors that are more troublesome when it comes to autism as others. And, there are certain things that that are thought to be correlated with driving, some of these behaviors. And so what would you, what have you found to be some of the main things that that are driving some of these behaviors are driving some of the autism epidemic and things that we should be mindful of as parents.

But what I first want to say is I talk to parents who their kids have such a wide range of different behaviors, and I think that's wherever the toxins sit or whatever's going on the malfunctioning in the body, the biochemistry, that doesn't work right. It's going to be kind of the weakest place for that child, just like us. When you know you have five family members who get sick, someone might have sinus issues, someone might have it in their lungs, and someone might have headaches. You know, we all respond a little differently.

So I see the range of, you know, sometimes anger or moodiness, crying for no, seemingly no reason. Anxiety, nonverbal kids or low verbal kids. So, I think that it's a load of toxins and we have a bucket that, you know, has a capacity and a lot of these kids, their capacity is reached and these toxins float around in the gut, in the brain because there's such a connection there. And they get in the way of proper biochemistry, proper communication. So it really depends on what the toxin is and where it's sitting in the body as to what behavior manifests.

But I know heavy metals are a big one. There's a lot of aluminum. Mercury. I'm seeing more and more uranium and radiation these days. And the test results. And of course, there's plastics and pesticides and hormonal in the cars. So there's there's a lot of stuff out there that upsets the delicate balance of all, you know, are millions of biochemical reactions going on all the time. And for your, your patients, what have you found to be the best tests that you're using? Are you doing like blood bloodwork, hair samples, urine?

Where are you finding these? These are there's no perfect test right. So, I do a combination where I really focus is, you know, my premise is that our kids are loaded with toxins. That affects their genetics, that affects their brain function, that affects their gut, that affects a lot of body systems. So where I want to look is I want to look at gut tests.

Testing for gut issues and toxins 5:54

So I want to see what's in there, what's not in there. That should be what what kind of sensitivities or allergies kids might have, what they're reacting to. Many react to gluten. You know what? What's the leaky gut situation? So gut is really important. And then the other things I looked at like to look at, I like to look at heavy metal. So these are all urine tests. I like to look at heavy metals, mold toxins. That's such a huge thing these days. And and then environmental or industrial toxins.

Those are my main ones I look at. Awesome. And then if you are finding some of these things, or even if you're not, what what have you found to be successful in terms of shifting some of those behaviors? I know you have your your Fords, so maybe we can talk about some of that. Yeah. Well, I'll just say what the Fords are. First one is diet. It's so important to feed our kids clean food. You know, when I talk to a parent who says my kid eats five things, you know, chicken nuggets, French fries, Cheetos, Skittles, and, I don't know, rice or something.

Those aren't feeding the child the nutrition they need. And so that's a huge thing for parents to know. A lot of people these days, they weren't even raised with home cooking. And so they just think to put something in plastic packaging in the microwave. No, I'm not saying that's all parents. I know there's a lot of parents out there who do make things from scratch, but the ones who I think have the hardest time are the ones who aren't used to doing that. So that diet is key. What goes in is huge.

And then we have to work on digestion. That's the second team. And and that means fixing the gut basically, and making sure digestion is happening, that kids take in the nutrients that we work so hard to, you know, put on their plate and then the fourth one is drainage. And I think this is one that a lot of people skip because it's not sexy, right? It's not a sexy thing to do. Drainage. And what does that mean? Well, if you have pipes in your house, your water and toilet waste is going to drain out and into the sewer system or, you know, the septic or whatever.

In our body, we have that too. So if we want to get toxins out of the brain, we have to have the pipes open all the way down. And so drainage is key and you have to work from the bottom up. And then the last one is detox. So once you have the pathways open or the freeways are open, right. You need to then start gently, methodically and in the right way, like pulling out toxins.

The FORDS approach to treatment 8:18

So they just don't change around in the body. And that's one of the key things I find, is if people try to detox too early and let's say the lymphatic isn't open in the neck or the liver is overwhelmed, those are just going to move around and create more problems. And people call these detox reactions right. And they're afraid to detox for good reason. Yeah. No, I, I agree and and it can be confusing too because, you know, every kid's different. That's where it's there's no one size fits all. And that's where it's really great to work with with the practitioner.

But I want to linger on a couple of things because there's so much great stuff there. Let's go back to to diet and digestion for a second. I guess diet for a second is where I want to start. One of the big things that I have found to be an issue and lots of practitioners mentioned as an issue is, you know, for any let's say it's a toddler child. It's it's already tough enough to get good foods in them as it is. And then with a child who has autism, that could be even higher. They might be more picky, they might have sensory, issues.

They might not be eating very much in the first place. So that can make it really hard, to get in the nutrition that you're hoping to get in and then as well, even getting supplements or herbs or anything else like that, that can be pretty difficult as well. So I wonder if you can talk about that a little bit, because we know that you need to have proper nutrition for everything to work. You need to have the nutrients. So what are some of your tips or what do you how do you discuss that with families in terms of, okay, we know we need to get a little more in, but like, oh, it's really tough.

They're not going to do it. They're not going to eat it. I know, I know, it is a tough one. And and kids can have sensory issues or taste issues. So one of the first things with taste you've probably found is kids have their zinc levels really low. And if you have the proper amount of zinc and it's used properly in the body, then that changes the way the taste buds actually taste the food. Foods taste better. So that's one thing. And you know, I think that's hand-in-hand with the toxicity, right?

The when I see the toxins getting pulled out and the gut environment changing. So that's the bad microbes in the gut versus the good microbes, the bad ones coming down, the good ones going up, then those tastes change. But you're a little bit on a seesaw in the beginning. So sometimes, one of the things I'll recommend is obviously zinc, but other minerals and vitamins that are easily accessible and sometimes parents have to syringe these into the back of the throat because kids just won't take it.

Depends on their taste sensitivity. That you can also hide things in smoothies. You can hide lettuce, which is fiber in smoothies. You know, you can hide different things that have more nutritional value in smoothies. And I know many kids on the spectrum love crunchy, so I always recommend crunchy vegetables. Hickam as a good one. That is kind of tasteless, but it's really juicy, has fiber, and it's crunchy I think. So I think they might want the the sound of that or the texture. I'm not quite sure.

So yeah, those are a couple tips. I, I actually have a, ten strategies to end Picky eating document if you want to give that to your folks. That would be. Happy to do that.

Picky eating, zinc, and binders 11:24

But yeah, that's a that's a tricky one. I use a lot of binders and if people don't know what a binder is, it's like activated charcoal, right? If someone has poison, and you go to the hospital, pump their stomach, you also give them activated charcoal because that's going to absorb the poisons. So there's different kinds of binders for different kinds of things. And what I find is many kids are constipated, so this all goes hand in hand. It's hard to talk about just one thing, but many kids are constipated.

And if their stool sits in the colon for a really long time, those toxins get reabsorbed. So you've worked really hard to detoxify and then they just get reabsorbed. But if you have binders in the gut, that's going to hold on to them until the poop actually gets out. So that's a key. You know, using binders, using minerals, using easily absorbed and type of foods. And that'll start getting the nutrition in there. And then you know, that goes hand in hand with the whole gut thing. Because we want to work with either probiotics or fermented foods or, you know, and and again, every child is different and independent and unique.

And you have to customize for every person. I know that was a lot, but it's hard to just isolate one and talk about one thing. Yeah. And I think that's just so important. This is kind of what I wanted to bring out. Even in this conversation is there's a lot. Right. And it's not easy. There's no one one size fits all solution. You're not going to to read a book or something and be like, oh, this is like the one pathway that's going to work for every single kid. You know, no matter what practitioner you work with.

I think the goal of a discussion like this, or even a book or a program, is to kind of open your mind to all the different things that we need to be thinking about, and then create a tailored program for that child watching them and kind of making changes as you go. And especially with autism. And for families that really do want to work on some of those behaviors and do want to try to detoxify and do a little bit more than you would do in the standard, you know, medical practice, then I think that finding a practitioner that is very, that that really just works on autism or mostly works on autism, does this every day and can spend a lot more time with you, and you can have close follow up for, you know, as long as you feel like you need.

And yes, that's probably not going to be covered by insurance. And yes, it might be a little bit more money if you can afford it. But that to me, is realistically the only way that you're going to be able to work through this in the long term. It's not something that I would recommend people doing on their own little things here you can do. I mean, obviously can change up the diet and try to do those kinds of things, but if we're working on a, a program for a year or a couple of years, then having somebody that really knows the ups and downs of the different things to look for, because just like you said, with with food, right.

It's like it's so complicated just to get them to eat. So like it's really simple to read a book and say, oh, you know, get them to eat more nutritious vegetables and whatever. But that's not the real world. And that's why I think a big problem with autism is these days is people are not living in the real world. Practitioners are not talking in the real world. People that get angry about it are not living in the real world with parents. And it's like, it's not that easy to do some of these things.

So that's where that connection with a practitioner can be really helpful to tailor something to your child. Because telling, you know, Johnny's mom to give your kid more apples if he has the sensory issues and doesn't like apples, well, that's useless information for them. Yeah, well, so many thoughts were running through my head as sure as you were talking about that. You're right. Like you, you almost. You need a cheerleader in your court or a guide. And if you look at if a parent looks at this whole thing and, you know, let's say their their child is having self-injurious behaviors hitting their head and tantrum being all, you know, crying for three hours at a time, up for three hours in the night, like to look at this whole thing is overwhelming.

So you just need to take the first baby step. And I would say to anyone out there who has any of the autism behaviors child with any of them, eliminating eliminating gluten and dairy is the first step. It it may not be the only foods you need to eliminate, but there's been one

Individualized care and practical support 15:18

small study that shows 80% of kids get better within a couple of days. Some kids start speaking. Kids stop being angry. This, you know, gluten and dairy in our society and the way it's made these days and how it's put in things and all the glyphosate they spray on it, it's just really not helpful for us. So if, if you're looking to take that first step and I know even that can be overwhelming, right, to go gluten and dairy free. So but that I would say that would be the first thing. And I want to finish up just by talking, you know, stepping back a little bit, looking a little bit big picture of what you see.

Because when individuals take the the mindset that there's nothing that we can do and that these behaviors are just these behaviors, then, you know, it can be very difficult to do anything about that if that's just kind of your mentality. Whereas a lot of the practitioner, all the practitioners that I know that work with autism, they will tell you that they have work with, you know, hundreds, thousands of children and they have seen drastic changes when lifestyle is change. So not it's not always as simple as taking out gluten and dairy, but it could be just as simple as that.

But I would love for you just to talk big picture about what you've seen in your practice as a whole, in terms of you getting patients in and families in who are very, you know, skeptical of, of, you know, doing some of these things and seeing a change and then what kinds of changes that you will see. And of course, every kid's different. Not everything's going to be the same. But I want to leave. Parents encouraged that if there are some behaviors that are very discouraging or very difficult for you, then there are things that you can do and you know, might not change within three days.

But if you work on changing the lifestyle over a year, a couple of years, then practitioners like yourself see wild differences, because I know I do. So I'm curious what you see. Absolutely. So I'm just going to use two people in my program right now, or two of my clients who are examples. One is, there's a 21 year old, girl who is severely autistic, and within two days of just helping our poop, better, her dad's starting to see difference. He's the one who's kind of guiding through this. And every time we get on a call, which is every week or two, there's a new a new thing she's done, whether it's stacking blocks or pulling, a plug out of the wall, which she had never things she had never, ever done before and never paid attention to.

So, and this is someone who eats super clean, never gluten and dairy, not many grains. So that's someone who started seeing progress within a couple days and about maybe I think there are 3 or 4 months into it and she is functioning like a five year old, which is increased function for her and just has new curiosity and just making a lot of connections in the brain. And then I have another person in my program who's done, like so many things over the years, you know, the diet and the parasite cleanse and the food sensitivities and so many things and this is a little guy, I think he's around nine, and he just has so much mold and metal and toxins in his body, and he's making very baby steps.

Hope, progress, and finding Autism Transformed 18:30

Like one of the things that he started doing was brushing his teeth independently and, and then finally not wanting mom to even be near him or help him starting to string more words together, a bit more calm that are eye contact. So sometimes people take tiny baby steps and she's done a lot. And then sometimes, you know, on a very clean diet, we see these other progressions and it takes time because we love to. Our bodies are really good at sucking toxins away. And so when we take the surface level toxins out, the deeper ones are going to come out.

So, I would encourage people to say this is a process. And, it's going to take time because that's just the way the body works. But those are a couple of examples of and and people who are not seeing speech can see speech. It's absolutely possible. Like I know that's a big one parents want. Yeah. And I I just want to leave, you know, parents that are watching this with with just some hope and just so understanding that both of us I know we, we believe in loving all children for whoever they are.

But regardless of whether you call it autism or whether a child has speech delay or whether a child has, you know, any sort of diagnosis, what we want to do as practitioners is help those children be the best that they can be, be the most highly functional as they can be. And if if there's some behaviors or things that we can help you with, there are some things that we can make their life a little better. We can make your life a little bit better in terms of being more highly functional or more independent or whatever that is, then that's the goal here and that's it.

If they're, you know, perfectly unbelievable children have some kids with autism have, you know, higher functioning. They're like super geniuses. So there are many. There's a wide range of what what we're looking at. And it's not to discourage anybody. It's really to be a part of your team and especially for the kids who, have very high, high difficulties with, with autism. Then then when you talk about like speech delays or no speech or hurting themselves, and these are things that, you know, hopefully with some, some work together, we can figure out some of the things that might be triggering that inflammation and help improve that, and that's going to be beneficial to everybody.

So that's kind of my spiel. Can I add a couple more things? So one, this isn't about judging our kids. It's about accepting them as they are, knowing they have this brilliant, these brilliant capabilities inside. And we want to bring those out. So it's about helping them function better. Number two, I think they don't feel great in their bodies. So when we help with all this detox stuff, you know, the diet and the detox and all that, we're actually helping them feel better so they can have a better life and what I see is they're really, some kids are very internal, and they become more external when they don't have all that stuff to deal with.

So it's very important to realize, like, I love you as you are and you can be more functional and let's see what we can do. So it is all about hope and and bringing out the best. And I always say, I want to help your child shine to be who they're meant to be in the world. Definitely. And I love that. I think that's a great way to end. And so before we do, could you maybe tell people again a little bit more about where to find you if they wanted to work with you, find you on social media, all that kind of good stuff? Sure. Yeah.

I'm on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, other YouTube channel, do a lot of videos and my handle is Autism Transformed with an ed.com. And you're welcome to go check out. I have tons of free resources there. And so yeah go check that out. Thank you for everything that you do. Thank you for all of the children and the families that you've helped. It's so important. And you know, we need about thousand of you. So I do thank you so much. Thank you. Bye everyone.