Story of Autistic parent ...

(I wrote this email to the principal of the school where my son goes and to his chief therapist, Dr. Chaudhary. This write up thus reads more like a letter than an article.)

I wanted to share an important experience from today (11/12/2019).

I was at Crawford market today at a fabric store, Mustafa Fabrics and was talking to the owner Yusuf. Turns out his younger brother works the store with him, and the brother's 25 yr old son is Autistic. Being less aware; only thing they did was send the kid to an Islamic charitable school wherein there was a doctor and he was prescribed meds to control his hyper behavior, - instead of therapy to correct said hyper behavior.

I have this image etched on my mind, of this man (whose son is autistic) as he talked to me... brown skinned, lanky, bearded, wearing a Bohri (Gujrati Moslem) cap, big eyes... they got red as he was holding back tears. He held his 2 hands to his neck... and simply said "My son beats me!"

I am not sure if either of you have seen Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. But in that movie the protagonist meets a refugee from another tribe escaping the genocide perpetrated by the Colombian Mayan empire. Eventually this refugee gets killed and his facial expression is etched in the mind of the protagonist, and that face is truly haunting, and any one who has seen that movie will probably remember it.

This store worker's face with the brown skin and the big red eyes has had a similar effect on me. It is etched indelibly in my memory... One more nightmare of a parent with a disabled kid, and trust me, we have many!

He went on to say how he believes that the doctor abused the meds as quick fix solutions. How the meds - which were initially administered as sweet flavored chews - appealing to a child, were in a jar. And the autistic kid would bring the jar to his illiterate mom who would them provide them on demand.

The stimulant class of medication for hyper behavior includes widely used drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine. Stimulants are believed to work by increasing dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with motivation, pleasure, attention, and movement.

(Source: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/add-adhd/medication-for-attention-deficit-disorder-adhd.htm)

And we know dopamine is addictive. And not taking increasingly higher dosages of it will result in loss of functionality. Sorta like crack cocaine... You keep needing more and more to get that high. And that's addiction!

Another source of dopamine is by cutting yourself, wherein the brain creates it to soothe you.

Med talk to prove my point: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/794743

Dopamine = DA.

Long-term drug use seems to be associated with decreased DA function, as evidenced by reductions in D2 DA receptors and DA release in the striatum in addicted subjects. Moreover, the reductions in D2 DA receptors in the striatum are associated with reduced activity of the orbitofrontal cortex (region involved with salience attribution and motivation and with compulsive behaviors) and of the cingulate gyrus (region involved with inhibitory control and impulsivity), which implicates deregulation of frontal regions by DA in the loss of control and compulsive drug intake that characterizes addiction. Because DA cells fire in response to salient stimuli and facilitate conditioned learning, their activation by drugs will be experienced as highly salient, driving the motivation to take the drug and further strengthening conditioned learning and producing automatic behaviors (compulsions and habits).

The man went on to say that he believes his son is even more erratic due to the meds and they have done more harm than help.

And I am beginning to believe that is true!

My Thor is going to Dr. P.V. the famous homeopath from Vile Parle in Mumbai. I have seen some positive effects on Thor... I can't be sure what is the chief cause, because the meds are one out of many procedures (therapy, school, socialization, etc) Thor is undergoing. but as a medical device specialist, and a man of science, I believe in Homeopathy as much as I believe in sacrificing a goat to make it rain.

However I believe there was a story recently in the Times wherein a homeopath caused a fatality by administering an allopathy medicine to a patient. The courts held him responsible since he was not qualified to prescribe allopathic meds, and he was given jail time.

With India having poor laws and a medical system which is reminiscent of a slaughter house rather than one for healing, I would not be too surprised if the homeopath is including dopamine dosages in those sugar balls he peddles.

We recently met with Thor's behavior therapist who is ramping things up in conjunction with the Occupational therapist. Unfortunately, of all the stupid things in the world, Thor's speech therapist broke her wrists during Dandiya - Navratri, so for at least 2 more weeks he is missing speech therapy.

Also I am getting more do-it-at-home type stuff that Thor's behavior therapist has promised me this week. I am at present creating a Toilet training schedule for him as advised at his therapy center. I have already talked to his class teacher to have it implemented to help thor. So we are already pushing on all cylinders on all fronts.

I am kinda torn about the homeopath meds. The next consultation is scheduled for early December, and I will confirm the nature of meds with Dr. V's office. Unfortunately Indian law is weak, and ingredients in meds are not often disclosed by doctors in order to preserve their custom. However I will pressure them for information, since we have some leverage, and have it cross checked with Thor's primary care physician in the US.

In the mean time, I want you both influencers to read this email with attention and use it to guide other parents about the risks associated with early hard medical intervention.

Therapy is the best solution and indeed as Dr. Chaudhary (Thor's head therapist) said once, unless the patient is older and has uncontrollable violent behavior - like seriously violent, meds are not even an option.

So this is in effect agreeing with Dr. Chaudhary's assessment.

Disclaimer : I am not a doctor. I am creating this write up based on my limited knowledge. This email is not intended to create a treatment paradigm. Ultimately a parent in conjunction with a licensed medical practitioner is the ultimate source of correct therapeutic procedures, including counseling and/or med prescription. All privacy is protected. No rights are implied.