Many people who have been on the quest for biomedical options for Autism have come to realize that early ear infections led to overuse of antibiotics for their child which damaged their intestines, which in turn led to a number of troubling conditions which may cause or at the very least contribute to their child’s Autism. Now it looks like their is another reason to steer clear of antibiotics: they can damage your child’s permanent teeth.

I am not a doctor, and this is only my opinion, but it seems to me that a lot of the medical treatments in use now use systemic drugs, which more and more frequently have subtle long term side effects. I think it is time to move away from systemic drugs which cause more harm in the long run. With the powerful technology we have available, more research could be done to come up with more targeted medications, for example maybe we could treat ear infections at the source, instead of systemically. I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but it seems to me the pharmeceutical companies do not want to cure people. More natural methods could be researched instead of labeled as “fringe” and discounted. It is also a fact that breast fed children have fewer ear infections than bottle-fed children. It seems the formula companies have a stake in this as well.
As a culture we have moved away from the real uses of powerful medications and baby formula- to save life. Originally, formula was developed to help save a baby’s life if there was no one to nurse him. Now it is common to formula feed your child. I weaned my oldest (and Autistic) at five months because we had to take a trip out of the country, and being young and not as informed , I thought it would not be harmful to her. Shortly after, her ear infections started, her doctors put her on increasingly higher doses of antibiotics, and in retrospect, unbelievable painkillers, like codiene. How much agony could have been avoided if I had been taught that formula was not a good alternative, that it was only to be used as a last resort. Instead, new mothers are bombarded at the hospital with coupons, samples, and ads on free merchandise for brands of formula. Often there is a lame disclaimer that breast milk is best, but often it is presented as a viable choice, even by doctors, who as my husband likes to point out, are often career women who wouldn’t dream of staying home to breast feed. Of course I take the blame for weaning her so early, (don’t all parents of autistic children blame themselves?) but all the sources of information I trusted were leading me wrong.
Between the formula companies and the pharmacuetical companies, a handful of people are making millions on the ill health of young children. People with integrity need to fight to change this and educate others about the dangers to their children.