Autism, Yeast Candida Infections and Associated Illnesses

Mental illnesses constitute a large and growing portion of the world's health problems. According to the World Health Organization, depression is one of the most debilitating of diseases, on a par with paraplegia. Psychiatric illnesses make up more than 10 percent of the world's "disease burden" (a measure of how debilitating a disease is) In fact The World Health Organization predicts that within 20 years more people will be affected by depression than any other health problem
. Much of this may be the work of viruses, bacteria and parasites. "Mental disorders are the major chronic recurrent disorders of youth in all developed countries," says Harvard policy expert Ronald Kessler, who directs the WHO's mental-health surveys.

Scientists have long known that some diseases can cause behavioural problems. When penicillin was first used to treat syphilis, thousands of cured schizophrenics were released from mental asylums. Now, however, scientists have evidence that infections may play a far bigger role in mental illness than previously thought. They've linked cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and of course autism to a variety of infectious agents

Depression may double dementia risk, say researchers

Chronic Infection May Spawn Depression

Note the reference to chronic inflammation ..be sure to read Gary Smith in the “Inflammation” section ,,this site

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/04/01/chronic-infection-may-spawn-depr...

Autism A Stealth Disease

Dr Lawrence Broxmeyer is of world renown, he wrote to me recently [April 2011.] saying that

In my site I made the connection between autism and BSE. He wrote “So I'd like to present two additional papers, just done, which basically say that your stipulations were probably correct.” Read below an extract from the superbly written informative papers..

Although the papers ,and not so incidentally Dr Broxmeyers other papers spell out an infectious cause for many of our modern day plagues , the lack a complete explanation of why we are succumbing to “stealth” infections ,I believe the information I provide within this site answers that question.

Extract

Incredibly Greding [9], found pulmonary tuberculosis during autopsy in 70% of mental defectives and in 50% of the mentally affected with seizure disorders. Seizures, not uncommon in autism, occur in 20-30% of its patients based on the majority of studies.[10]
Barr would talk about the relationship between tuberculosis and mental defectiveness at the 6th International Tuberculosis Congress held in Washington in 1908. There Jacques Moreau expressed his belief that epilepsy and the convulsive disorders were derived from tuberculosis. A year previously, Anglade spoke not only on how tuberculosis caused epilepsy in infants and the young, but how such epileptics eventually became mentally defective through sclerotic brain changes caused by the disease.[13]Subsequently Baruk discovered that when either proteins extracted from tuberculosis, or the spinal fluid taken from schizophrenics were introduced into healthy animals, a condition occurred where the body and its functions seemed frozen in time, called catalepsy. Catalepsy is not only associated with one form of schizophrenia but with epilepsy itself.[14]Patients with catatonia, an extreme form of withdrawal in which the individual retreats into a completely immobile state, can also exhibit catalepsy. Wing[15] related in 2000 that the incidence of catatonia could be as high as 17% in adolescent autistics. Historically prominent Viennese pathologist Ernst Löwenstein decided to take things a step beyond. Having developed a potato flour and egg based tuberculosis growth media, still very much with us, he set about to prove that TB could be cultured from the blood of patients with³schizophrenia´.[16] Yet despite 9 independent confirmatory studies finding either the tuberculosis bacillus itself or its much harder to stain yet commoner viral forms, other studies appeared which couldn’t confirm these results . Whether this was from defective laboratory procedure, especially when dealing with difficult to stain and culture viral (or cell-wall-deficient forms) of tuberculosis, to this day remains a possibility. Undeterred and In answer to these negative studies, Weeber[17], Melgar[18], and Lowenstein himself [19] again found tuberculosis in the blood of schizophrenic patients in studies, which to this day, remain unaddressed..[page 27]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/53617534/Autism-a-Stealth-Disease

ADHD[a condition that is part of the autism spectrum disorder] May Be Linked to Depression, Suicide

“Studies have shown that when major depression occurs with ADHD, it starts earlier, lasts longer, and is often more severe than when it occurs on its own.”

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/news/20101004/adhd-may-be-linked-to-depres...

As per Gary Smith, pathogens promote inflammation as one strategy to evade the immune system.. Angiotensin receptor blockers are being used to stop this action.. read .. Blood pressure drug offers fresh hope for dementia

Read.. “Antibiotic impact on animals and insects ,Bees
“sect for specific evidence on antibiotics causing the obesity crisis

This latest news [Oct2009] links obesity and mental health, the article concludes that People with mental health problems are likely to avoid gyms and physical exercise due to embarrassment and fear of being judged.. it helps explain why people with issues like depression are more likely to become obese…Not a very plausible explanation, It’s proven that a gut dysbiosis is the cause of the obesity epidemic… It’s the cause of all so called auto immune disease also. The article also points out that
people with mental health problems are four times more likely to have diabetes.

Which puts neatly into context this article that cites an escaped stomach virus as the cause of diabetes.

.New data tells us that autism can be linked to parents' mental illness Having a schizophrenic parent roughly doubles risk of the disorder [autism]

The evidence is clear, inappropriate gut flora is the cause of both autism and Schizophrenia, the following study is almost there. If the medical profession only recognised yeast infections they could put 2+ 2 together

Autism And Schizophrenia Share Common Origin

Schizophrenics more likely to suffer from ruptured appendix: Tsay and his colleagues observed that a ruptured appendix occurred in 46.7 percent of the schizophrenic patients, in 43.4 percent of the patients with other major mental disorders, and in 25.1 percent of the patients with no major mental diseases

Scientists discover true function of appendix organ

The researchers say it acts as a safe house for good bacteria, which can be used to effectively reboot the gut following a bout of dysentery or cholera. Scientists from the Duke University Medical Centre in North Carolina say following a severe bout of cholera or dysentery, which can purge the gut of bacteria essential for digestion, the reserve good bacteria emerge from the appendix to take up the role.

Of course the appendix in the case of a gut dysbiosis could harbour a pathogenic bacterium which puts the link between mental illness, gut dysbiosis and appendicitis into perspective .

Bartonella [cat scratch disease] is becoming a very common infection and is proving to be a co-infection with Lyme victims and subsequently is being found in increasing numbers of autistic children .It supports the theory that would be pathogens we host but are rendered benign by our immune systems are now becoming pathogenic as our immune systems become downgraded [care of the use of antibiotics] .

Do Bartonella Infections Cause Agitation, Panic Disorder, and Treatment-Resistant Depression?

It's clear that much mental illness has an infectious cause. It’s also clear that the politics of medicine inhibit progress in particular with infectious diseases. The situation has been described as the dark ages of medicine , who could argue with that

Personality disorders raise risk of ulcers

Those with a personality disorder are up to five times more likely to develop a peptic ulcer.

There are plenty of speculative explanations as to why ..not one considers the role of inappropriate gut flora on personality.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1317171/Personality-disorders-...

The following information further explains the close relationship between the gut and brain ..So why isn’t inappropriate gut flora looked for as a factor in mental illness .

.

Psychiatrist to gastroenterologist: "Isn't it surprising how many brain neurotransmitters are also in the gut?" Gastroenterologist to psychiatrist: "Not at all, but it sure is interesting how many gut neurotransmitters are in the brain."

The brain and gut are not only parallel pharmacologic systems, they are also interlinked pharmacologic systems. This link is not surprising given that the enteric nervous system, which innervates the gut, is embryologically derived from the same part of the neural crest that evolves into the brain.1-4Thus, the brain and gut go in separate directions during early development but preserve links that exert mutual and reciprocal regulatory influences on one another. Hence, the enteric [the gut] nervous system is sometimes called the "little brain."3

Interplay between brain and gut may account for the significant association of anxiety and affective disorders with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

http://www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/brainstorm/br6208.htm

Of Bugs and Brains: Gut Bacteria Affect Multiple Sclerosis

This research informs us very well how health is dependent on the symbiotic relationship with our microbes. The article concludes that probiotic bacteria restores normal immune function , it doesn't, today’s probiotic bacteria neither stay or multiply in the gut .Tomorrows probiotic bacteria will /should be very different, that's if the world listens to this author.

For their part, Th17 cells are needed for the immune system to properly combat infection. Problems only arise when the cells are activated in the absence of infection -- just as disease can arise, Mazmanian and others suspect, when the species composition of gut bacteria become imbalanced, say, by changes in diet, because of improved hygiene (which kills off the beneficial bacteria as well as the dangerous ones), or because of stress or antibiotic use. One impact of the dysregulation of normal gut bacterial populations -- a phenomenon dubbed "dysbiosis" -- may be the rising rate of multiple sclerosis seen in recent years in more hygienic societies.
"As we live cleaner, we're not just changing our exposure to infectious agents, but we're changing our relationship with the entire microbial world, both around and inside us, and we may be altering the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory bacteria," leading to diseases like MS, Mazmanian says. "Perhaps treatments for diseases such as multiple sclerosis may someday include probiotic bacteria that can restore normal immune function in the gut… and the brain."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100719162643.htm

The Emerging Role Of Infection In Alzheimer's Disease

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522155752.htm

More on the infection link with Alzheimer’s [March 2010]

Fact…Studies have shown that those caring for people with dementia are at greater risk of illness, stress and depression.It is also well documented that family caregivers of persons with dementia have significantly more depressive symptoms than age and gender-matched non caregivers(Gallagher,et al,1990)

http://priory.com/psych/carerdep.htm

Bacteria being attacked by beta amyloid, in this image enlarged 18,500 times.

With Alzheimer’s a protein called beta amyloid, or A-beta, piles up into tough plaques
that destroy signals between nerves. When that happens, people lose their
memory, their personality changes and they stop recognizing friends and
family.

..

But now researchers at Harvard suggest that the protein has a real and
unexpected function ‹ it may be part of the brain¹s normal defences against
invading bacteria and other microbes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/health/09alzh.html?hp

Alzheimer's Disease Risk Increases If Both Parents Have Disease

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/101097.php

Alzheimer’s patients with common bacterial [additional?] infections had twice the rate of cognitive decline as those who were otherwise healthy.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/mental_health/art...

People taking angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were up to 50% less likely to develop dementia

Very dramatic headlines ..But why should they be so effective? The information in Gary Smith’s two papers provides us with an answer .. pathogens promote inflammation to evade the immune system and angiotensin receptor blockers mediate that inflammation.. very convincing evidence to support an infectious cause for Alzheimer’s

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8453885.stm

Molecular Switch Linking Infectious Disease And Depression Identified

Doctors have known for decades that patients with chronic inflammation, such as that linked to coronary heart disease or rheumatoid arthritis, are more likely than others to become depressed. As per Gary Smith .pathogens [in particular with so called auto immune disease's] promote inflammation as a strategy to avoid the immune system.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090331183755.htm

The chemistry of mental illness

At the very basic level, our body is all about chemistry. Digestion, respiration, central and peripheral nervous system and the endocrine system all function based on chemistry. In order to function properly, the body requires a huge variety of molecules and trace elements. With the exception of Oxygen, all other chemicals are provided by the food that we eat. Our digestive system is responsible for converting that food into forms the body can utilize, while ridding the body of metabolic waste products and harmful toxins.

The digestive system is based on a series of chemical compounds and enzymes (proteins) that break down the chemical bonds in food so that the more basic building blocks of carbohydrates, fats, amino acids, vitamins and minerals can be absorbed and utilized by our metabolism to provide energy, build new proteins, repair cells etc. Certain vitamins and trace elements present in food cannot be absorbed directly and need to be converted into other forms before they can pass through the intestinal walls. This conversion is most commonly carried out by bacteria in the gut. The various bacteria’s' own metabolism acts on the vitamins and minerals, appending organic molecules which changes the solubility of the compounds and allows them to pass through the intestine and into the blood stream. These symbiotic bacteria have a further function of protecting the intestine from pathogenic bacteria and yeast

When a pathological state exists, this finely balanced symbiosis may be damaged and cease to function normally. Several different states in the gut may exist. Symbiotic bacteria may be damaged, causing the malabsorbtion of critical vitamins and minerals. If the damage is extensive and/or long lasting, pathogenic yeast and gram-negative bacilli will begin to fill the vacuum left by the healthy bacteria.

The metabolism of these pathogens is different and foods are no longer broken down in the same way. Proteins that previously would be broken down to their constituent amino acids are only partially digested, leaving long chains of amino acids called peptides. Our entire body is built from proteins, which are themselves built from chains of peptides. Certain peptides are extremely bioactive i.e they interact strongly with other proteins in the body. Another side effects of dysbiosis (inappropriate gut micro-organisms) is that the gut becomes leaky i.e it passes larger molecules than would normally be the case. Thus peptides, which should normally be broken down to amino acids, leave the gut and enter the blood stream intact, where they are delivered to other organs. Casein and Gluten, a protein and mixture of proteins common in many foods break down to form very potent opio-peptides when acted on by certain pathogenic bacteria. As the name suggests, these peptides have a narcotic action and act on opiate receptors in the brain, triggering major changes in brain function.

These are only 2 examples and very little work has been done on identifying the structure and function of peptides created by dysbiosis.
The above example is a nice illustration of how the presence of gut dysbiosis can directly effect brain function. Given that depression has its roots in biochemistry, its not too wildly imaginative to suppose that mental heath problems and depression in particular are indeed related to gut dysbiosis.

Detoxification is hugely impacted by dysbiosis.

In simple terms metabolic pathways are decommissioned by pathogenic flora ..The long held belief that spillage if you like, from mercury in amalgam teeth fillings is the cause of accumulated mercury in the body is completely wrong. It's the bodies inability to metabolise and excrete mercury

Detoxification is, to a large extent carried out by the Liver. Toxic compounds are first oxidized or hydroxylated (Stage I), while Stage II reactions prepare the Stage I metabolites for biliary excretion by covalently conjugating them with highly polar ligands like glucuronic acid or glutathione. These detoxification reactions require vitamin and trace elemental co-factors to provide electrons for chemical bonding. In cases of Dysbiosis, these co-factors may be missing, due to malabsorbtion in the intestine. In addition, the pathogenic bacteria in the gut may metabolize the conjugated toxins, changing their form and allowing them to be reabsorbed into the blood stream.

Mercury is usually excreted via the gut in its divalent elemental form. In Dysbiosis it is thought that certain pathogenic bacteria have the ability to methylate [see below] the metallic Mercury to its organic form, which would be reabsorbed into the blood stream and carried to target organs like the kidneys and brain.

With antibiotic altered gut flora our ability to absorb minerals and make [synthesize] vitamins is impaired . This leads to oxidative stress which impacts on our ability to heal.

Maximum Health Through Methylation

Interlinked with Oxidative stress is a process called methylation which is involved in regulating many cellular processes and gene switching. [under-methylators are about 45% of the "autism" population] and is also a major factor in mental illness. Poor histamine clearance is a direct consequence of impaired Methylation.
Histamine blockers [ H2 antagonists] have proved to be effective in treating cancer . Cimetidine/Ranitidine are common drugs used as an antacid they work by blocking H2 receptors .
It’s easy to see that by the altered balance of gut flora leads to an increased chance of contracting infections and cancer. It makes sense of the argument for infections as the cause of much mental illness, H2 antagonists could be effective with many types of mental illness.
Search for more information Is Cimetidine (Tagamet) a Better Cure for Cancer?”also search “Ranitidine cancer treatment”

Commentary on Nutritional Treatment
of Mental Disorders

http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/walshMP.htm

Major Mental Illness Biochemical Subtypes

http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/articles-content.php?headi...

More support to the theory of declining quality of gut flora [and subsequent poor synthesizing of vitamins] can be found in this study that cites Antisocial behaviour in prisons, including violence, are reduced by vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids

Influence of supplementary vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids on the antisocial behaviour of young adult prisoners