Dr. Arturo M. Volpe

Chelation is a therapy aimed at removing toxic and neurotoxic metals from the body. It can be done by IV administration of various substances, or by giving the same products orally.

When I started to work with autistic children more than twelve years ago, oral chelation with a substance named DMSA was very common. At the time it was considered a potential cure for many children and, almost all the doctors and nutritionists who treated autistic children recommended it.

Then it became apparent that it could cause intestinal side effects, sometimes attributed to yeast overgrowth, and doctors switched to other forms of chelation, sometimes intravenous, or abandoned this treatment altogether.

I felt all along – and still feel today – that DMSA is very beneficial for children on the autistic spectrum. Side effects were often a result of doses that were excessive and therefore poorly tolerated, and more aggressive forms of chelation with stronger agents administered intravenously failed to show better results.

A new study published in “Maedica, A Journal of Clinical Medicine” Vol. 7, No.3 2012, p. 214-221 found that ongoing chelation therapy with low-dose DMSA produced significant benefits in the 44 children who participated in the study. Areas of greatest improvement included verbal and nonverbal communication; taste, smell and touch; and relating to people. This study confirms something I have been observing all along, that chelation works for these children. Read More »

Tags: Autism
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When it comes to cholesterol, even many alternative-minded people see it just as something bad, a killer to be avoided as much as possible in the diet. The story seems simple enough: too much cholesterol in the diet coming from egg yolks, butter, red meat, and so on, causes cholesterol in the blood to go up. That in turn causes clogging of the arteries and, given enough time, heart disease and even early death.

While it has been shown that high blood cholesterol in young to middle aged but otherwise healthy individuals often leads to heart disease, the link between blood cholesterol levels and cholesterol in the diet has never been conclusively established. For example, when studies of the Atkins diet were finally released, they showed that blood cholesterol levels went down – not up – in people following this notoriously high cholesterol diet.

At the same time, studies of people on vegan or other very low or no cholesterol diets failed to show dramatic drops in blood cholesterol levels. In my own professional experience I have known several people over the years who switched to a vegan diet containing no cholesterol only to see their blood cholesterol levels go up rather than down.

We also hear increasingly from mainstream medical sources that high cholesterol is a problem that originates in childhood and that, conceivably, is when the foundation for heart disease later in life is laid. Read More »

Tags: ADD/ADHD, Autism, Chemicals & Environmental Issues, Cholesterol, Heart Issues
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At one time cell membranes were believed to just be envelopes surrounding cells. However, it has been nearly forty years since the structure of the cell membrane was deciphered leading to the development of the Lipid Bi-Layer Fluid Mosaic Model. In this model cell membranes are no longer seen as merely envelopes, they become dynamic structures that play critical roles in the health and detoxification of cells, and the cells’ unique ability to work in concert – thus keeping us in good health.

Lipids – or fats – are the main component of cell membranes. Lipids in cell membranes are actually phospholipids – or a combination of fats and phosphorus – and not just fats. They don’t just sit idly by doing nothing; they contribute to every aspect of cellular energy, detoxification, and optimal function.

Healthy cell-membranes lead to healthy cells, a healthy body, plenty of energy, healthy aging, and so forth. Among other things, cell membranes incorporate hormone receptors that, if sound, will promote healthy hormone activity throughout the body.

Unfortunately the fats (or phospholipids) in cell membranes can be degraded leading to deterioration in cellular – and, overall – health and wellness.

A major reason why cell membranes become damaged is poor diet. When highly processed fats are a major component of an individual’s diet, they will be incorporated in cell membranes and cause their function to deteriorate. Excessive intake of sugars, refined carbohydrates and other processed foods will have the same negative effect.

The fats in cell membranes are very vulnerable to oxidation, so a lack of antioxidants in the diet is also a primary cause of damage to cell membranes.

Last but not least, environmental toxins like mercury and an almost endless list of chemicals present in our everyday lives can also harm cell membranes, and thus have far-reaching adverse effects on health.

The first symptom of cell membrane damage could be described as decreased energy levels or vitality, although other common symptoms include intestinal and digestive problems, chronic pain, and weakened immunity. Damaged cell membranes have also been linked with neurological disorders, autism, problems like depression or anxiety, ADHD and – ultimately – cancer, heart disease, mental decline, and more.

Forty years of research on cell membranes have significantly enhanced our understanding of their central role in health. Ultimately much of what is recommended today, like fish oil supplements, is aimed at improving cell membrane health whether we know it or not.

Meanwhile, forward thinking researchers and physicians developed the concept of Lipid Replacement Therapy (LRT) – a way to actually “change the oil” in the body. Damaged fats in cell membranes are replaced with healthy ones, gradually restoring health. Read More »

Tags: ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Autoimmune disease, Cancer, Depression, Detoxification, Diet, Gastrointestinal Issues, Heart Issues
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Vaccines are rightfully credited for bringing about major advances in public health. People of my age still remember growing up with stories of children who suffered horribly because they had polio. I grew up in Italy, and these stories were common. When the vaccine finally arrived and became available to all, parents were elated.

Is it possible that a good thing – if overdone – could lead to adverse results? Is it possible that lifesaving vaccines are now causing more harm than good?

For many parents of children with autism or ADHD who read this newsletter, there is no denying that too many vaccines can cause harm. So many of these parents witnessed a severe deterioration in their children’s ability to communicate or even function normally after they received a battery of vaccines, often to face denial or even ridicule from the medical establishment. Read More »

Tags: ADD/ADHD, Allergies & Asthma, Autism, Autoimmune disease, Vaccines
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I have been associated with the Defeat Autism Now! group for many years now. I attended my first conference with them in 2000 when a desperate mother almost begged me to go because she felt that no one knew how to treat children with autism in Houston, and there was a dire need for this type of expertise. Since then I attended many more conferences with them and plan to go to more in the future.

I have the greatest respect for this organization, but often wondered over the years why so little time was devoted at their meetings and conferences to discussing the topic of autism prevention, rather than just treatment. This has changed completely with an outstanding article on this very topic authored by David Berger, MD.

Dr. Berger is a board certified pediatrician who has been a long-standing member of Defeat Autism Now! and a regular speaker at their conferences. His article was accepted for publication and will appear in issue 4 (2012) of Autism Science Digest.

In it, Dr. Berger describes strategies he has been implementing for more than 10 years to prevent the birth of a second child with autism, in families who already have one. Statistically, parents with an autistic child are at much greater risk than the general population of having a second child with this same condition. Although more than 500 couples implemented Dr. Berger’s protocol, to the best of his knowledge, none had a second child with autism. Read More »

Tags: Autism, Detoxification, Pregnancy
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I am now offering a new therapy called Auditory Integration Training or AIT. I first heard about this therapy from parents who raved about it and also told me that it was hard to find in the Houston area.

AIT was developed by French physician Dr. Guy Berard. Although it was originally developed to treat hearing disorders, over his 30 years of practice Dr. Berard discovered that it was beneficial also for children with the disorders listed below. While these children do not have hearing loss, they suffer from distortions in the way their brains process different sounds and these distortions contribute to their symptoms.

This therapy has proven benefits for:

• Sensory Integration issues
• Autism
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)
• Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia
• Depression
• Other communication disorders or developmental delays
• Non-verbal disorders

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Tags: ADD/ADHD, Autism, Depression
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A few months ago as I was researching something online I came across a product called Enterosgel that is associated with intestinal health and recovery from leaky gut. Leaky gut is a condition where the lining of the intestine is damaged and becomes excessively porous, allowing partly digested protein and bacterial toxins to seep into general circulation. Almost every aspect of health can be adversely affected by leaky gut including, as we are learning more and more, mental health.

I’m happy to say that we now offer Enterosgel through our Supplements Store.

Enterosgel was originally made in Russia and was the result of the old Soviet system of medical research. It is now also made in other European countries with very high standards of purity set by the European Union. The fact that it originally came from the Soviet Union interested me because Soviet medical research was known to develop low-cost natural treatments, because of their constant lack of funding.

Enterosgel is a completely natural product made from organic silica. It has a chemical structure that resembles that of a sponge and, when taken by mouth, is not absorbed but travels down the intestinal tract and removes a wide range of toxins from the body. It comes in a gel that is pressed out of a tube resembling a large toothpaste tube. Once in water or other liquid, it readily dissolves and has little or no taste.

I originally recommended it for an autistic child who was completely out of control, could not tolerate supplements, and had not improved with diet change. Within a matter of days of starting the Enterosgel his mother was reporting improvements. A few weeks later we noticed that he was able to tolerate supplements he had not been able to tolerate previously and seemed to benefit from them. Read More »

Tags: Allergies & Asthma, Autism, Detoxification, Gastrointestinal Issues
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The debate on whether autism is caused by genes or the environment has raged ever since I became involved in this field more than ten years ago. Medicine has always favored the genetic theory and hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into identifying the gene or genes that cause it, with few if any conclusive results to date.

Some – like me – were skeptics all along and argued that you can’t have an epidemic of a genetic disease. Parents have been divided, some hoping that finding a genetic cause could lead to a cure, while others who had seen their children deteriorate after a battery of vaccines or some other event argued that the cause was man-made or environmental.

In reality, the genetic theory of autism was poorly supported from the outset. There were just two very small studies on twins from Europe backing it, but both studies involved too few children to reach conclusive evidence.

In fact, if a study is based on a sample that is too small, almost anything can happen and it generally does not correlate with the population at large. An example of this is tossing a coin only three times. It would not be so unusual for heads to come up every time but we would be hard-pressed to conclude that heads will always come up regardless of how many times a coin is tossed.

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Tags: Autism
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About this time a year ago I decided to buy a new soft-shelled hyperbaric oxygen chamber. I had had one like it years before and knew its benefits, and also wanted to make it available at more affordable prices than those charged elsewhere.

Since that time a number of families with autistic children have taken advantage of it. In almost every case the effects were beneficial to the child, and speech, eye contact, as well as behavior improved to varying degrees.

Interest in hyperbaric is high among families with autistic children because there have been studies showing benefits, and these have been discussed at many parent conferences. However, benefits are equally significant for children with cerebral palsy, as well as for anyone who suffered a closed head injury or stroke. Benefits have also been reported in people struggling with fatigue and/or muscle pain, and of course the chamber greatly speeds up recovery from athletic events.

There has been some discussion of whether the benefits of the chamber are just temporary. Without a doubt there is a component of the benefits that is temporary and if anyone uses the chamber at any given time they are likely to feel great energy, which of course only lasts for a while. On the other hand, when hyperbaric oxygen is combined with physical, speech, or other form of therapy, gains are achieved at an accelerated pace and these are permanent.

Even at my low prices the chamber remains beyond the reach of many families battling health challenges. As a result, I decided to offer a 20% discount to anyone buying a package during May. For more information on how the chamber can help you or your child and to learn about available packages please read Hyperbaric Therapy on my website or call my office.

Tags: Autism, Hyperbaric Oxygen
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Neurofeedback is a brain-training therapy backed by dozens of studies proving its effectiveness. It uses computerized EEG technology to identify areas of dysfunction in the brain and then trains the brain to correct them. As a training tool, neurofeedback has been compared to teaching a child to ride a bicycle. Difficult at first, but once the skill is acquired it is never lost.

Neurofeedback has been proven to have beneficial effects for ADD and ADHD, high-functioning autism, depression, anxiety, insomnia, addictions, gait and balance problems, headaches, behavioral problems, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and more. It helps balance the brain and the brain is truly the central computer that regulates every function of the body. When it is in balance many seemingly unrelated problems simply vanish.

Neurofeedback is nothing new for my practice as I have been offering it to my patients since the late 90’s. The equipment I used to have was the best available when I purchased it, but over time it had become outdated. Its main drawbacks were that it was not user-friendly, especially not child-friendly, results were slower to achieve than with newer equipment, and it did not offer the full range of diagnostic and treatment options now available. Read More »

Tags: ADD/ADHD, Autism, Depression, Fibromyalgia
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As I mentioned a few months ago in this newsletter, researchers are now looking at Alzheimer’s disease as a new form of diabetes and the expressions “Type 3 Diabetes” and “Diabetes of the Brain” have been coined. More specifically, in Alzheimer’s disease the brain loses its ability to burn glucose or blood sugar for energy.

As we are all taught in school, the brain – unlike other tissues – cannot burn fat for energy, so as it loses the ability to burn sugar it rapidly becomes starved for energy and begins to die. One thing that is always omitted in physiology classes is that while there is no doubt that brain cells cannot burn fat, they do have an alternative energy source, aside from sugar: ketones.

Not only can the brain use ketones for energy, it will use them preferentially over glucose when they are available, and it appears to function optimally when using ketones as its main source of energy.
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Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Autism
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Whatever challenges we face, or whatever our personal goals, as we enter a new decade it is important to do so with the awareness that our mindset is often our biggest obstacle to success.
 
Established medicine has a tendency to issue verdicts:  autism is incurable; this individual has six months to live; and so on. While statistically these statements may have some validity, in individual cases they have none because miracles happen all the time.
 
Throughout my years of practice it has been my observation that “miracles” happen most often among those who believe they are possible, and who are prepared to pay the price. Drastic changes in diet and lifestyle are often needed, and still the outcome is rarely guaranteed.
 
I am attaching a link to a touching picture story about a mother who did not accept the idea that autism could not be cured, embarked on a mission to change the entire family’s lifestyle, and is now reaping the benefits.  Her way is not the only way, but it is her drive, belief and single-mindedness that are most inspiring about the story.  Here it is:
http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d5451794d4459324d44553d0d0a&blogview=true
 
Personal goals are a similar story.  It was believed that no human could run a mile in under 4 minutes until someone did so in the 1960’s, and then a number of athletes who had previously been unable to achieve it did so as well.
 
Early last year I decided to pursue an old dream of mine to run a marathon, though I had never been a runner. At first I injured myself repeatedly and several people told me that I was too old and this was a bad idea.  Then, I successfully ran the Houston Half Marathon this January and remained injury-free and ready to continue my marathon training. I was feeling proud of myself for achieving this at age 57 until I read the story of Fauja Singh, an Indian man living in England who started to run in his eighties. At 89 Mr. Singh ran his first marathon and at 92 he ran again, shaving more than an hour off his time. Today at 98 he continues to train. Everything is possible!

Tags: Autism, Health
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If you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, prostate cancer, or a child with autism, don’t miss this interview on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzIdpMUunHE

In summary, researchers from the University of Utah and Columbia University recently discovered a new human retrovirus they named XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus). This virus was originally discovered in cancerous prostate tissue.

Later it was found that more than 95% of people suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME (CFS/ME) had it, and more recently it has been identified in children with autism although the extent of spread in this population remains to be determined.
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Tags: Autism, Cancer, Chronic Fatigue
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About a year ago I attended a conference on autism at which a key speaker opened his remarks by asking what did breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, obesity and autism all have in common. Most of the audience, made up entirely of doctors and nutritionists, looked puzzled and there were quite a few blank stares as people struggled to find an answer. When the answer was finally given it came as quite a surprise to many: a faulty liver!

How can this possibly be? It is because the liver is the most metabolically active organ in the body. It is where fat and calories are burned. It is also where toxins from the environment and those the body itself produces are processed so that they can be excreted from the body. If the liver doesn’t do this job well toxins will be retained and, over time, cause damage to the brain, heart, breasts or any other organ or part of the body.
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Tags: Alzheimer's Disease, Autism, Cancer, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Detoxification, Liver Issues, Weight Loss
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This is not the type of email I receive every day, but when one arrives it is always touching and it gives me a very good feeling about what I do. When I received this one I immediately thought I would like to share it with my readers. I emailed the author asking if I could do so, after changing her daughter’s name. She answered that I could share it with anyone I wanted, and there was no need to change any names, anyway she already tells everyone she meets. For privacy concerns I still changed the name. Here is her email:

”I’ve been meaning to write you for a while, but never seem to find the time to sit down and write when it is on my mind. If you remember we started the gluten-free casein-free soy-free diet in October. If I remember correctly we were probably on the diet for 2-3 weeks when she came down with a terrible sinus infection. We had a follow-up with you in early November, and she had just gotten over her sinus infection. I had taken her to our regular pediatrician, who is quite open-minded, but basically painted the picture that he has seen her situation (gigantic tonsils) many times over the years, and that he bet he would be seeing a lot of us that winter. He explained how the crowding doesn’t allow the ears to drain, etc. and that while she would eventually outgrow it, how much intervention would we have to do in the meantime? It was clear to me (without him saying it) that he thought tonsillectomy was the right path. That until we did the surgery, we’d be in and out of his office with illness like a revolving door, especially during the winter. I left feeling discouraged, but we stuck with the diet and supplements.
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Tags: Allergies & Asthma, Antibiotics, Autism, Diet, Food Allergies
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I grew up by the sea and often tell people that the ocean is in my blood. Recently I came across some fascinating old research that made me think that this is true in a far more literal sense than I had ever thought possible.

The research dates back to the early 1900s and was conducted by French biologist and self-taught physician Rene Quinton. In analyzing the composition of human plasma and that of ocean water, and superimposing the two, Quinton observed that they are virtually identical – the only real difference between the two being that ocean water is three times more concentrated than plasma.

Quinton attributed this difference to the fact that, since life originated in the ocean millions of years ago, seawater has become more concentrated. His conclusion was that we all still carry original ocean water in our blood. Human (and animal) plasma, in his view, is a “marine environment.”

To prove his point Quinton carried out a series of experiments that later came to be known as the “dog studies.” Though we are no longer accustomed to studies being performed on dogs, in his day dogs and cats were often used for medical research.
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Tags: ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Eczema, Fibromyalgia, High Blood Pressure, Osteoporosis, Skin Conditions
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Yes, concludes a study recently reported by New Scientist magazine. The study was carried out at City University in New York where researchers used pulsed electromagnetic fields directed at the brains of mice for a period of five days.

At the end of the experiment, the mice were sacrificed and their brains analyzed under a microscope. What the researchers found was remarkable: compared to controls, the brains of treated mice had developed stronger connections between neurons, indicating better function.

This by itself would have been significant enough, but researchers found more: in treated mice the brains showed proliferation of stem cells in areas associated with learning, memory, and moods. It is now known that stem cells are present and divide throughout life in the brain, where scientists believe they play a determining role in preserving health and repairing damage. Therefore any therapy found to activate stem cells could also stimulate healing of the brain and, conceivably, recovery from conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and possibly even autism.

You can read about the study at http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19426053.300-magnets-may-make-the-brain-grow-stronger.html.
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Tags: ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer's Disease, Autism, Electromagnetic Fields
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Aunque tal vez podamos vivir más años en estos tiempos modernos, también estamos enfrentando una epidemia sin precedentes de enfermedades crónicas que pueden ser manejadas, en el mejor de los casos, pero no corregidas, con el uso de medicina convencional. Tales enfermedades abarcan todos los grupos

de edad y se extienden desde alergias, trastornos digestivos y condiciones como ADHD y autismo hasta el síndrome de cansancio crónico, dolor crónico, alta presión arterial, diabetes y cáncer, tanto como una variedad de condiciones neurológicas, incluyendo las enfermedades de Parkinson y Alzheimer.

Hoy en día la toxicidad es un factor mayor con respecto a la salud, y se necesitan otras herramientas, ademas de la dieta y los suplementos, para lograr los mejores resultados posibles con la desintoxicación.

A menudo he escrito sobre el impacto que las toxinas tienen sobre la salud, y planeo continuar haciéndolo. Los lectores interesados pueden encontrar artículos anteriores sobre este tema en mis archivos de boletines informativos en mi sitio Web. Un buen ejemplo sobre ésto es un estudio que recientemente se hizo público, en el cual los investigadores identificaron un conjunto de lupus (SLE) y otras enfermedades reumáticas entre personas que vivían en una subdivisión construída cerca de un sitio de desechos de un campo petrolífero, donde los niveles del mercurio y otros contaminantes en el aire estaban mucho más altos que los niveles en los vecindarios de alrededor. (http://www.ehjournal.net/content/6/1/8).
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Tags: Autism, Autoimmune disease, Cancer, Chemicals & Environmental Issues, Detoxification
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Although we may live longer in these modern times, we are also facing an unprecedented epidemic of chronic illnesses that can be managed, at best, but not corrected using conventional medicine. Such illnesses span all age groups and range from allergies, digestive disorders, and conditions like ADHD and autism to chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer, as well as a variety of neurological conditions including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.

Toxicity is a major factor in health today and other tools, aside from diet and supplements, are needed to achieve the best possible results with detoxification.

I have often written about the impact of toxins on health and plan to continue doing so. Interested readers can find past articles on this topic in my newsletter archives on my website. A good example of this topic comes from a just-released study in which researchers identified a cluster of lupus (SLE) and other rheumatic diseases among people living in subdivisions built near an oil field waste site, where levels of air mercury and other pollutants were well higher that those in surrounding neighborhoods (http://www.ehjournal.net/content/6/1/8).

If, as I believe, cases like these are becoming the norm rather than the exception, then detoxification is clearly a key to maintaining or regaining health. This observation, combined with years of experience overseeing various forms of detoxification, led me to develop an in-office detox program.
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Tags: Autism, Chemicals & Environmental Issues, Detoxification
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For years I have been recommending a form of vitamin B12 called methyl-B12 for children with autism and ADHD, and more recently also for people suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFIDS), Fibromyalgia (FM), and other conditions.

Although many of us have observed the positive effects of this vitamin on speech, focus and more, there has been relatively little discussion about why it helps, and particularly why this form of B12 and not others can make such a remarkable difference.

Recently I found an informative summary of the benefits of methyl-B12 on a website dedicated to providing help and resources for people with CFIDS and FM. According to this article, other conditions that benefit from this vitamin include Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathies, Alzheimer’s, MS, and more. Neither autism nor ADHD were listed, although we know only too well the benefits of methyl-B12 for children suffering from these conditions.
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Tags: ADD/ADHD, Autism, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, Methyl B-12
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