Elaine answers EVEN MORE of your questions:
When I first use Respen-A™, is there a formula that can help me determine what the problem is if I am having issues ?
IF your son is hyper and happy = the dose of Respen-A™ is too high. Cut the disc in half and use as normal for 1 - 1 1/2 weeks while excess serotonin depletes, then go back to a full disc. You can return to full disc sooner if you see signs of depression.
IF your son is irritable and hyper with other autism symptoms (stimming) = the dose of Respen-A™ is too low OR your son needs more serotonin = give 100 mg of 5HTP 3 - 4 times per day- every 4 hours- or inositol (GLUTEN is preferable to inositol).
IF your son is irritable and aggressive but does not show other symptoms of autism = low calcium levels. He is either not absorbing calcium properly or, when using calcium lotion, user error has occurred...in which case he has not received enough calcium.
Does Elaine have anything for COMT? It's a neurotransmitter like MAO-A.
First, COMT is not a neurotransmitter, but an enzyme, and it is typically not the problem. It is a different mechanism entirely and it usually is working when the MAO-A isn't. It runs counter to MAO-A. That is, it does and it doesn't. Part of COMT goes down a pathway to the norepinephrine molecule. The other part goes down a pathway to the dopamine molecule. COMT methylates the ring on the molecules. That's about as far as I am going to take you with the science as it is kind of like trying to explain trigonometry to a 3 year-old. Could you have a problem with both COMT and MAO-A? Yes, it's possible, but you would be really, really sick!
Can we try the PST disc before the Respen-A™? Our son has toxins that need to be cleared, like mold, and he might have better focus if we try PST.
As for detoxification, the MAO-A detoxes everything while PST is just one pathway. As for PST vs. Respen-A™, some people respond better to the PST disc and you are welcome to try it.
Why have we seen such a drastic spike in Autism since 1996?
Why the rapid increase in ASD? I hypothesize that it is multi-factorial, but what sets up the “perfect storm” for the development of autism is the use of epidurals during childbirth coupled with inheriting the low activity MAO-A allele. Let me explain the basis of my hypothesis.
MAO-A metabolizes serotonin into its active aldehyde, 5-HIAL. If MAO-A activity is decreased, the serotonin in the nerve synapses will build up, and increased serotonin concentrations in the nerve synapses inhibit oxytocin neuron growth.
Note that studies have shown an increase risk of autism in the offspring of mothers who used antidepressants during their pregnancy.
In utero, as the neurohypophyseal system grows it produces vasopressin which is converted to oxytocin as it travels down the neurohypophyseal plexus. The longer the neurohypophyseal system grows, the more oxytocin is produced. When the oxytocin reaches a specific concentration, it tells the neurohypophyseal plexus to stop growing. This is not supposed to happen until about 7-10 days postpartum.
Note that research has shown that ASD patients have an immature neurohypophyseal plexus.
When a mother receives an epidural during childbirth, almost always they are administered Pitocin (synthetic oxytocin) and this is usually continued through the delivery stage. The anesthetics used in the epidurals, Bupivacaine and more recently Ropivacaine, compete with Pitocin for breakdown by the Cytochrome p450 3A4 enzyme in the liver.
Note that boys genetically have less of the Cyp450 3A4 enzyme than girls.
This competition for the Cyp450 enzyme results in Pitocin remaining at higher levels longer, which could become high enough to trigger the neurohypophyseal system to stop growing, resulting in decreased oxytocin neuron growth and production.
The use of epidurals and rate of autism mirrored each other until 1996 when autism spiked drastically. Interestingly, 1996 is when Ropivacaine came on the market and became the most used anesthetic in the epidurals. Ropivacaine requires twice as much Cyp450 3A4 enzyme activity to metabolize it as does Bupivacaine.
Research shows that MAO-A is integral in the neurochemical architecture of the neurohypophyseal system. The hypothalamus-neurohypophyseal system is involved with releasing oxytocin during stress and to maintain homeostasis.
