Sound Medicine -- January 4, 2003

Hosts Barbara Lewis & Dr. Ora Pescovitz talk to experts about:

Autism, the condition & possible causes

Exercise programs for the new year

Autism, the condition & possible causes

With over one million Americans estimated to have autism and with new cases being diagnosed at an alarming rate, it's no surprise that families and researchers alike want to identify the causes of this complex brain disorder that affects social abilities, communication and behavior. To discuss autism and its possible causes we meet expert Dr. Chris McDougle, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Children and adults with autism have difficulty with social relatedness and communication, both verbal and nonverbal. They also have restricted areas of interest. Dr. McDougle differentiates mental retardation from autism, and he explains how autism is diagnosed, usually before three years of age, when children fail to develop, or regress, in language skills. He also provides history and background on pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) associated with autism.

Dr. McDougle says the increase in incidence is real, but the cause is unclear. He talks about theories that autism is triggered by childhood immunizations and recent research dispelling those ideas. He discusses studies at Indiana University confirming that autistic children often have family histories of autoimmune disorders. Citing a rubella pandemic in the 1960s which led to a spike in autism, he posits that autism could stem from viral infection, which is known to trigger autoimmune reactions. He adds that there is probably a genetic component to the condition, perhaps causing susceptibility, but thus far no genes have been identified.

Resources

Nonprofit organizations providing online information on autism include the Autism Society and the Cure Autism Now Foundation.

The National Institute of Mental Health provides an excellent electronic booklet on the condition.

A list of of clinical trials studying autism. Read about current and future research from the National Alliance for Autism Research and the National Institutes of Health.

Future Horizons is a publishing house specializing in books about autism.

Read an autobiographic essay by Temple Grandin, a high-achieving autistic adult and advocate for the condition. At the autism.org Web site.

For parents and relatives, we recommend Autism Resources, a collection of information and links compiled by a parent of an autistic child.

Exercise programs for the new year

You've made the resolution to get fit in 2003. So, what kind of exercises should you do? To learn more about trendy and traditional exercise options we meet fitness guru Jim Karas. He's a regular on Good Morning America, writes several magazine columns, and he has authored the books, The Business Plan for the Body and Flip the Switch.

Karas says walking doesn't burn enough calories for weight loss. Instead he suggests lifting weights to build lean muscle (and bone) and to boost metabolism. He explains the physiology behind the idea and cites studies showing how weight training improves health in older adults. Karas gives pointers for weight lifters. He recommends we spend 60 percent of our exercise time weight-training and divide the remaining time between cardiovascular exercise and regimens to increase flexibility. He discusses the pros and cons of yoga, power yoga, and Pilates.

He provides tips for sticking to an exercise plan. Ideally, he says, we should exercise three times per week for 30 to 40 minutes.

Resources:

Jim Karas's Web site includes a calculator to determine your optimum caloric intake for weight loss.

Read about the Yale study on strength training and the elderly at the Science Daily Web.

Overweight? Diabetic? Find authoritative info on weight management at the Web site for the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases.

For more diet and nutrition help, Jim Karas also recommends Weight Watchers.

 

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In the vast sea of unknowns surrounding autism, add one more: is there a link to gastrointestinal problems? Anecdotal evidence, primarily reported by parents of autistic children, says yes, but medical literature on the topic is limited and characterized as "soft" by some physicians.

Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald, director of pediatric gastroenterology at the IU School of Medicine, says more research is definitely needed to understand a possible relationship. Awareness of gastrointestinal problems in autistic patients has grown in recent years, he says, but there haven't been definitive studies linking the two.

Read more ...