Not many doctors, especially pediatricians, will recognize this disorder. In fact, most will think you are a crackpot for asking about it or asking to test your child for it. They don’t recognize Pyroluria because its the disorder that PROVED that certain mental disorders are caused by a biochemical imbalance and therefore can only be cured with bio-chemicals, also known as vitamins and minerals.
Pyroluria is a genetic condition that results in an abnormality in hemoglobin synthesis. Huh?
Pyroluria was initially described by Abram Hoffer, a pioneer in orthomolecular medicine and psychiatry. He found that kryptopyrroles, a by-product of hemoglobin, bind …read more

Pyroluria has been linked to people diagnosed with ADHD, schizophrenia, autism, alcoholism, manic depression, and depression.
However, medical experts are still wary about diagnosing pyroluria or even recognizing that patients have pyroluria because it is still considered a biomedical disorder.
Why?
Because of its transparent symptoms and its vitamin and mineral therapy.
With all of AJ’s medical issues this was one of the ones we were quite concerned about. Fortunately, he tested negative despite all of his symptoms. But, if you remember from my last post, pyroluria can also be connected to high copper levels.
Common emotional and physical characteristics of pyroluria.
Little or no dream …read more

I am not a doctor, nor am I any sort of medical professional, but it is my personal opinion that many children are mislabeled as ADD, ADHD, and even Autism. Yes, Autism.
I have always very clearly stated that AJ has never had a diagnosis of Autism but that we believe that he may be on the spectrum because of his symptoms. However, he may very well simply be a sensory seeking/avoidant child or a child affected by Institutional Autism. Or, he may be a child affected by heavy metals and environmental toxins.

For a long time we tried to figure out why our son would wake in the middle of the night ravishingly hungry. Every doctor we visited told us to make him grow out of this “baby” issue and not feed him.
The problem with this was that if we did not feed him he would be up for hours, screaming and crying.
It wasn’t until we visited the Pfeiffer Treatment Center that we figured out the problem. AJ has hypoglycemia, a metabolic disorder associated with low glucose levels. Although he does not have diabetes, he does get nighttime induced hypoglycemia as well …read more

A friend who works at a pediatric cancer ward told me it’s one of the most difficult places to be in. To see children suffering from cancer breaks the heart of anyone who works and visits there. And yet it is also a place where courage runs high.
Childhood cancers are the number 1 disease killer of children. One in every 300 children will develop cancer before the age of 19. Now while the death rate from cancer has dropped significantly, about 2,300 children still die each year from cancer. Although 75% of children are cured, some forms of cancer …read more

Stumbling upon the post at Womb Within had me reading about Sarah Palin, Down Syndrome and the rumor that the baby is not hers. But this post is not about the Alaskan governor or her family, it’s about Down Syndrome and maternal age.
It is true that a high percentage of children with Down syndrome are born to women younger than 35 years old (80%, says NDSS) fueling the connection that Palin’s 17-year old could likely be the mother to a baby with downs.

Some children who are exposed to cats in their first year of life may have an increased risk for eczema, a new study reveals.
What’s responsible for the increased risk?
Mutation in the gene for filaggrin, a protein on the skin that helps reduce water loss and protects against harsh environment.
As reported in Medpage Today, scientists from the Copenhagen Study on Asthma in Childhood found that eczema was likely to develop among children who have the mutation and who have a cat in their home at birth. Only those children with the mutation have the increased risk. Likewise, …read more

Maybe I should read this book “My Sister’s Keeper” first before I say something about it. But it intrigued me when I read that Dakota Fanning and her little sister Elle are pulling out of the movie adaptation of the book.
           
And I thought, Dakota? The little miss who has taken on more challenging roles? Well, she didn’t like to shave her head for the movie so she pulled out of it, along with her little sis. And that’s where Abigail Breslin comes in to take over her role, along with Cameron Diaz and Sofia Vassilieva, who had …read more

“I had an emotional breakdown since I really had no idea what diabetes was all about.”
         
That’s what Nick Jonas, the youngest member of the famous Jonas Brothers, felt when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2005. His symptoms were classic- he was thirsty all the time, lost a lot of weight and was uncharacteristically moody. On diagnosis, his sugar level was at a skyrocketing 700. Nick had to spend days in the hospital learning how to manage his diabetes, including giving himself insulin injections.
Adds Nick, “I wondered, ‘why me?’” He was worried that …read more

Here are summaries of some medical news coming out this week that pertain to children’s health:
Mutations in a gene were found to be common in infants and children with cardiac hypertrophy (a thickening of heart muscles), even in those without an apparent family history. Researchers recommend that parents and siblings of children with cardiac hypertrophy should consider being seen by a cardiologist for possible undiagnosed cardiomyopathy (inflammation of the heart).
Some patients who would have been diagnosed with a developmental language disorder a few years ago, now meet the newer criteria for autism and autism spectrum disorders. Hence, the rise …read more