Improving communication skills in children With allergy-related autism Using nambudripad’s allergy elimination Techniques: a Pilot study
Subjects and Intervention: Sixty children (2.5-10 years old) with autism were randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. The treatment group (26 boys and four girls) received NAET treatments (combining acupressure and kinesiology) for 50 key allergens for 1 year. The nonblinded control group (25 boys and five girls) did not receive any NAET treatments. Each group was allowed to continue with any other therapies they had been receiving. Neuromuscular Sensitivity Testing (NST, kinesiology and muscle testing) was used to determine which substances triggered sensitivity reactions in each child, and NAET acupressure treatments were then used to elimi- nate the sensitivities.
Outcome Measures: Status for each participant was deter- mined at the beginning and end of the 1-year study using the following tools: Autism Research Institute Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ARI-ATEC), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), NST, and Allergy Symptom Rating Scale (ASRS).
Results: A total of 56 children (NAET, 26 children; control, 30 children) completed the study. After 1 year, the children receiving NAET treatments demonstrated significant improve- ments in performance compared with the control group, determined with the ARI-ATEC score (mean decrease: NAET, 68%; control, 0.8%; P < .0001), CARS (mean improvement: NAET, 47%; control, 0.4%; P < .0001), NST (mean improve- ment: NAET, 66%; control, 0%; P < .0001), and ASRS (total decrease: NAET, 85%; control, 2%; P < .0001). The NAET treatment resulted in statistically significant improvements in 30 of the 35 symptoms assessed using the ASRS. In the NAET group, 23 of the 30 children returned to regular school classes with healthy, nonautistic peers after treatment, but all of the children in the control group continued to require special education.
Conclusions: The NAET treatment is effective and well tolerated for children with allergy-related autism.
Trial registration
This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: Registration # NCT00247156.
Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, is the director of the Kona Research Center, Kona, Hawaii. Devi S. Nambudripad, MD, PhD, DC, LAc, is director for research, Nambudripad’s Allergy Research Foundation (NARF) Research Center, Buena Park, California. Yvonne Tyson, MD, is assistant director for research, NARF. Ming Chen, MD, is a pediatric physician, Synergy Integrated Healing Arts, San Gabriel, California. Robert Prince, MD, is an NAET practitioner at the NAET of Carolina clinic, Charlotte, North Caro- lina. Mala M. Moosad, RN, LAc, PhD, is clinical director, NARF Research Center. Laurie Teitelbaum, MS, is codirector, Kona Research Center.
Disclosure: No competing financial interests exist. Some authors are NAET practitioners, and Devi Nambudripad developed the technique.
Autism is an early childhood developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interactions and communication and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Autism was present in less than 1% (1/110) of Amer- ican 8-year-old children in 2006, having increased in preva- lence by more than 50% between 2002 to 2006.1 With phar- maceutical treatment options producing only limited success, there is an urgent need for effective therapies for this debilitating disorder. Decreased severity of autism may be noted after treating nutritional, toxin-related, and infectious problems that may be associated with autism, and further research in these areas is needed.
Most children with autism exhibit symptoms of food and other sensitivities. In a previous study of 153 autistic children treated over 5 years, 101 (66%) had clinical symptoms and findings on Neuromuscular Sensitivity Testing (NST)2 that were consistent with the presence of food allergies or sensitivities. NST has been described in detail elsewhere2 and looks for a drop in muscle strength when the person is holding a substance he or she is allergic or sensitive to. Muscle weakness is looked for by having the patient resist when applying downward pressure to an outstretched arm while the patient is holding an allergen.3,4
With the Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET), it has been hypothesized that a food sensitivity may result from an imbalance or reactivity between the energy fields of an individual (as described by traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture) and of a particular substance or group of substances. Such imbalances can be identified with the application of Neuromuscular Sensitivity Testing (NST).2-4 We hypothesized that eliminating detectable sensitivities in autistic children would improve their ability to function.
NAET is a noninvasive therapy that combines aspects of Oriental medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, nutritional therapy, and applied kinesiology2-6 NAET may cause improved function by desensitizing the individual to foods and environ- mental toxins such as heavy metals. In affected children, this may improve neurologic function.2-6 The NAET hypothesis2 is supported by unpublished clinical data collected over the past 24 years that suggest the NAET approach can substantially reduce many of the physiological and physical symptoms asso- ciated with childhood autism.6 This study was undertaken to evaluate the use of NAET treatments in children with autism.
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Article Written by Jacob Teitelbaum, MD; Devi S. Nambudripad, MD, PhD, DC, LAc; Yvonne Tyson, MD; Ming Chen, MD; Robert Prince, MD; Mala M. Moosad, RN, LAc, PhD; Laurie Teitelbaum, MS Integrative Medicine; vol 10, No. 5; October 1, 2011
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