On Tue, 9 Dec 1997, Mary wrote:

It's great to hear that your son is improving.  I think you need
to realize that you are a pioneer in this.  No one knows what the
link between your son's autistic issues and diet are.  As you
know, there are a lot of theories out there.  I hope you keep a
good journal, for the benefit of others who may want to consider
this intervention.

> l. How long does it take to be on a paleo (mostly pemmican) diet to clear
> out candida?

I would think it would be pretty much gone by now, given the
absence of foods for the critters to eat.

> 2. Would these symptoms (OCD)  be from candida or bad bacteria like Clostridia?

I don't think anyone knows the answer to that one.

> 3. Do I need to get his blood checked to see if the candida invaded other
> organ systems (such as the brain)  besides the intestinal tract, and
> possibly put him on Diflucan, which is a systemic antifungal? I would prefer
> not to do that, will the diet clear out even systemic candida with time?

I think that to check for the presence of candida in the brain
you would need to do a spinal tap to get a sample of
cerebro-spinal fluid.  This is not an entirely benign procedure.
While I have read about kids improving somewhat with the use of
Diflucan and Nystatin, the improvements seem to me to be of the
same order of magnitude as what you are seeing already.

> 4. Or, do I just need more patience? We have been paleo for a couple of
> weeks now, mostly pemmican with small amounts of lettuce, steamed
> cauliflower, and some pork rinds with almond butter.

Stay optimistic and remember that lots of kids on the autistic
spectrum do get much better, despite what your pediatric
neurologist or whatever might have told you.

> 5. Could it be the almond butter that is still feeding the dysbiotic organisms?

Doesn't seem very likely.  That stuff is still mostly
polyunsaturated fat.

> 6. Should I go pure pemmican as suggested by Voegtlin (sp) in the Stone Age
> Diet? at least for a while.

Why?  If you can get your son to eat small amounts of
low-glycemic vegetables, what would be the advantage of taking
these away?

> 7. Should I make him eat more fish, he really does not like it at all.

My advice: Choose your battles carefully.  This one doesn't seem
worth it.

> 8. Is he getting enough calcium and other minerals from pemmican?

Probably.  And the vegetables help too.

> So far, all the therapists that work with him are commenting on the changes.
> Not only that, he finally has some energy and some color in his cheeks,
> above all is in a much better mood, and remarkably, the abdominal swelling
> and bloating is  GONE for the first time since antibiotics.

Sounds like you should continue doing what you are doing for a
while.

Todd Moody
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