Home > Media > Books > Karyn Seroussi - Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research and Recovery
Karyn Seroussi - Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research and Recovery
sarahbaker's Full Review: Karyn Seroussi - Unraveling the Mystery of Autism ...
This book was written by Karyn Seroussi, who believes that her son, Miles, recovered from his autism due to her use of a special diet, the casein-free, gluten-free diet, which means Miles eats no milk or wheat. His diet is further restricted by food allergies to corn, soy, and other foods. This book tells the story of what Seroussi believes caused Miles to become autistic, his diagnosis, treatment, and subsequent recovery. It includes information on how to implement the diet, including recipes, suggestions for how to test for allergies to different foods, and a sample week's schedule for Miles.
This book tells the story of Karyn Seroussi's journey with her son Miles, and tells it very effectively. Her emotions come across very honestly and the story in interesting and encouraging. According to Seroussi, Miles became autistic after his MMR vaccine at 15 months, and went downhill until his diagnosis at 19 months. Then Seroussi and her husband, Alan, decided to try taking milk out of Miles' diet, a hard decision considering milk and wheat products were about the only things he ate. They saw instant improvement. Miles started receiving services; speech therapy and an ABA program at home. He improved further, and Seroussi began researching autism and a possible link to diet. She later decided to remove all gluten from his diet. (Wheat is the main food product with gluten, though it is found in other foods. Milk contains the protein casein, thus the name of the diet.) At the same time she started treating Miles with nystatin, to combat a possible ongoing yeast infection. He improved again, and a couple years later was declared to no longer be autistic.
This book includes an explanation of why the diet may work. Seroussi says that autistics cannot break down the proteins casein and consequently these proteins are used as opiates, some of them reaching the brain. So the symptoms of autism are really symptoms a child constantly high on opiates. There is a lot of information about yeast infections, which can contribute to "leaky gut" which helps these opiates reach the bloodstream. Seroussi, and some researchers she mentions, think that these problems may all begin with vaccinations. If a person has a susceptible immune system, she says, the vaccination is too much for them; their bodies just can't handle it. The explanation in the book is much more detailed and complete, but too long to post here.
So what did I like about this book? Well, the story was interesting, and encouraging. Seroussi's enthusiasm was obvious, as was her devotion to her son. Some of her theories are convincing, some definitely need more research, but cannot be dismissed without further evidence. There is a lot worth thinking about in this book. For anyone interested in the GFCF diet, this is a wonderful find, with a detailed explanation of how and why it may work, suggestions for recipes, places to look for more information, and its own success story.
So why the low rating if there is all this great stuff in the book? Well, it's balanced by a lot that I didn't like. The book has a great explanation of the diet, but it doesn't really mention any alternatives, effective or not. Seroussi's son was in an ABA program, and this does receive a little attention, but that's it. There are suggestions of where to look for further diet information, but no mention at all of what to do if the diet doesn't work. That is not the biggest problem though, considering that most books like this deal with one method of treatment to the exclusion of all others. I would like it if they didn't, but for now I have to live with it.
So why loose two stars for a problem shared by many similar books? Because that's not the only problem. Seroussi is obsessed with the diet, and generalizes its use far too much. Every parent of every autistic child should try it. Every parent should avoid giving their children cow's milk, even children who are not autistic. Practically all disorders are diet-based. She wants similar diets used to treat varying disorders, which she claims are, at their source, all the same. These include Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia, autism, AD(H)D, and schizophrenia and arthritis, and night terrors. She even says that the diet should be used for Down's syndrome children. Evidently, everyone everywhere should use this diet. Everyone who is sick has to be treated this way and no other. Seroussi admits that she did give in and use Ritalin to treat a child who stayed with them temporarily (the child's mother was ill) but declares that with more time, the dietary solution would have been found. A little girl who showed little/no improvement on the diet continued on it for years, and eventually was helped by a Native American homeopathic tea.
Along with the absolute devotion to the GFCF diet comes condemnation of everyone who is against it. One memorable scene involves a meeting with an acquaintance in a grocery store, who has tried removing some milk products, and decided not to continue with the diet. Seroussi is livid, and explodes at the woman. Throughout the book, the clear message is that all parents who are not at least trying the diet are not doing their duties as parents. And, even if you try the diet, you have to try it for a very long time, and if you don't, you are once again shirking your responsibilities. This is unfair and untrue. It is up to each parent to decide what is best for their child, not Karyn Seroussi.
My last problem with this book is the vaccine theory. OK, I know a lot of parents believe the MMR caused their kids to become autistic. And a lot of kids regress right after they have their MMR. You know what? That's the time when many kids regress anyway, and always have, even before vaccinations became routine. Wakefield's study, which found a relation between MMR and autism, is relied on heavily in this book. That particular study was small, and has been proven to have methodological errors. Other studies have shown no link between MMR and autism. There are many of these studies, including a recent Danish study, the largest yet. There is no link, there has been proven to be no link. You will not make your kid autistic by vaccinating them. And if many parents decide to delay the shots, or just avoid them altogether, the diseases they prevent will come back. It's happened in the UK, where vaccination rates have dropped. When you don't vaccinate, kids get sick.
My last issue with this book is not really a problem, but a point to remember when reading it. It does have its own success story, Seroussi's son, and mentions other kids who have improved on the diet. This is not proof of a cure. Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues (http://www.epinions.com/content_91760004740) also has success stories; that doesn't mean everyone accepts the Son-Rise method. Almost every story of some treatment or other has a success story, that does NOT mean the treatment will cure autism. If it did, there would be no autism. So, this is not a problem with this book, but a caution to keep in mind when reading.
Overall, this book was all right. It never rose above the level of the average, but it wasn't the worst book on the subject either. It is a good resource for parents or those interested in learning about or implementing the GFCF diet, but it is very one sided, and condemns all who do not agree with it. The theories Seroussi claims as fact need more research to be proven (except the MMR which has been disproved many times) and the diet needs to be studied to determine if it does work. So read this book if you want to, but read it with caution.
A mother writes of her discovery of the true causes of her son s autism, leading to a cure his doctors had said was impossible. Marking a watershed in...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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