Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Attended my 1st DAN conference & loved it!

I was in Atlanta from Thursday til Sunday at the Autism Research Institute's (ARI) Defeat Autism Now (DAN) conference. I am not crazy about that title..I think Heal would be a better word than defeat...but that's another post!

I learned so much about neurotoxins, detoxification methods, diets, our kids' GI tracts and immune systems. I met some of my on-line friends (fellow warrior moms) and saw some of my scientific/medical idols like Dr. Bock, Kartzinel, Jepson, and Wakefield (who is HOT! :)

I want to list the lectures I attended to give you an idea of what ARI/DAN is about and what treatments I am researching/implementing for Matthew. [For those that don't know: we have been doing "bio-med" with the help of our DAN Dr. Megson for 1.5 years and have seen steady improvements. I am a firm believer in the protocol and while it may not recover/"cure" every child, it will certainly heal the yeast/bacteria in their guts (allowing them to focus/learn during school/therapy) and rid their bodies of the harmful neurotoxins they received from their environment (including mercury & aluminum from vaccines). We've been chelating Matthew (with transdermal DMSA) since last summer and the toxic heavy metals continue to excrete...it takes 2-3 years.]
  • Defending your child from a toxic world (Dr. Freedenfeld)

  • Intro to the DAN treatment approach (Dr. Mumper)

  • The child as a whole: why biomedical & behavioral interventions [ABA] are both critical to growth & recovery (Dr. Granpeesheh)

  • Nourishing our children, Evolving diets for autism (Julie Matthews)

  • Achieving a quality elimination diet & beneficial nutritional supplementation (Dana Laake)

  • The autism-digestion-brain connection (Dr. Lipski)

  • Tools & strategies to survive the diagnosis, & thrive through the recovery of an affected child (Dr. Levinson)

  • Biomedical interventions from A to Zinc (Dr. O'Hara)

  • Mind & Gut: the GI tract & autism (Dr. Hanaway)

  • The ABCs of immunology in ASDs: improving immunity & understanding inflammation (Dr. El-Dahr)

  • Metabolic system in autism (Dr. Jepson)

  • The brain concerns in ASD involve more than the gut-brain connection: neurotransmitters & neuroimmune issues in autism spectrum disorders (Dr. Bradstreet)

  • Chronic fatigue syndrome, autism, and introducing autism360.org (Dr. Baker)

  • Clinical approaches to detoxification in autism spectrum disorders (Dr. Bock)

  • The road to recovery: walking with patience, peace, & perseverance (Dr. Levinson)

  • T cell regulation, inflammation, & autoimmunity: resolving a chaotic paradox in autistic enterocolitis (Dr. Wakefield)

On Saturday night, I hit the town with Janine & Rebekah...2 moms that I met on-line shortly after Matthew's diagnosis and have kept in touch with on Facebook. It was great to finally meet them in person! :)


2 comments:

Dr.Rutledge said...

Hi Cyndi and Matthew,

Sounds like it was a very informative and productive conference.

I'm a physician and former faculty member at Harvard and Stanford Medical Schools. I discovered your blog while looking for the best health writers on the web. I reviewed your posts, and think your writing would be a great addition to the Autism & Autism Spectrum Community on Wellsphere, a top 5 health website that has nearly 5 million visitors monthly. If you would like to learn more about how you can join our Health Blogger Network, republish your blog posts and be featured on the Wellsphere platform, just drop me an email at dr.rutledge@wellsphere.com.

Cheers,
Geoff

Unknown said...

I'm dying to go to one of these conferences! Glad it went well. :)