Dr. Jodie A. Dashore OTD, MS (Neurology), OTR/L, SIC, NDTC, TLPC, BOMC
Board Certified Doctor of Occupational Therapy
Member International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society
Clinical Director
11 Burlington Drive, Marlboro, NJ 07746
Phone: 732 772 1989; Fax 732 333 4526
Autism and Stealth Infections: Emerging Concepts, Treatment Strategies and New Hope!
A change
An epic journey through the quagmire of spectrum issues and infections with my own son inspired me to change my practice, my outlook, and pretty much turned my entire personal and professional life in a new direction. Being a clinician and seeing my child ravaged by unknown infections was devastating, daunting, and emotionally challenging for the whole family. I have had blessed opportunities to train with and learn from world renowned physicians like Dietrich Klinghardt, Charles Ray Jones, Kendal Stewart, Sergej Dorochov, Thomas Rau, Donna Embree, Ritchie Shoemaker, Jeffrey Bradstreet , and Robert Bransfield. The information has been overwhelmingly complex and hard to grasp; however, once understood, it is truly empowering, enriching, and life-changing, not only my son but also for the many children and families I’ve been able to help in the last few years.
I learned how to blend the modern, cutting-edge, research-based treatments with age old wisdom of bio energetic and biomedical natural approaches to healthcare. The amazing concept of bio individuality- the physiological and biochemical uniqueness of each child treated – is the single most pivotal factor upon which treatment decisions are based. Being able to hand select a synergistic combination of treatment approaches for each patient and to witness the wondrous, often life-changing improvements seen in these children is a blessing and privilege to witness.
Today, bio energetic and functional medicine are the cornerstone of my practice. Homotoxicology, homeopathy, herbal therapies, autonomic response testing, neuro biofeedback, sensory Integration, methylation and nutrigenomics are modalities I employ every day to help children and their families negotiate through the complex world of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). These same modalities and treatments have simultaneously greatly improved many of the multiple underlying chronic infections – an extremely welcome additional benefit!
Success stories:
I would like to start off with a few case studies: stories of hope, recovery, and the blossoming of many little lives after the underlying infections lurking in their bodies and brains had been discovered and treated.
Aidan:
Aidan’s mom called me frantic with worry, looking for answers and for hope that her 6 year old son did not simply develop Asperger’s syndrome at this age, all of a sudden and out of the blue. Upon further inquiry, she informed me that Aidan was always smart, funny, sweet, kind, creative, and talented and had many friends. Then one day he woke up a completely different child: a new, unseen cough that happened every few seconds, a shoulder shrug that also happened every few seconds, and a little eye roll as well. Aidan went on to become mean, angry (complete with full blown rages), depressed, uncaring, deteriorating handwriting, steady loss of math skills, socially withdrawn (losing most all friends), and, in general, failing academically. She found him trying to kill his little brother with a hammer and to her horror she caught him trying to eat the cleaning chemicals under the sink, trying to kill himself as he thought nobody liked him and everybody hated him at home and at school.
The pediatrician suggested ADHD and referred them to a psychiatrist for appropriate medication. The neurologist diagnosed him with Asperger’s syndrome and suggested behavioral therapy. Aidan had developed severe OCD with rituals for many routine things like going to the bathroom or leaving the house. It would sometimes take two hours for him to go complete all his compulsive steps before they could leave for an appointment. School was next to impossible, and the school sent home a tutor to help Aidan. This went on for two years.
After a truly horrible day and at the end of her rope, she came across my information on Facebook and called me. I saw Aidan and his mother in my office, where she informed me he was a mere shadow of his former self. Aidan pleaded with me to help him. Upon further inquiry, I found out that Aidan had a tick attached to his scalp immediately behind his ear at around 3.5 years of age. The tick was engorged, and he was seen by his pediatrician for removal. The tick was duly identified as a “dog” tick and hence deemed “ok” and the matter was never mentioned again until the day I asked mom the question that she says no physician has ever asked her.
I started Aidan on comprehensive biomedical protocols and also referred Aidan to a pediatric Lyme disease specialist. Just as I suspected Aidan tested positive for tick borne infections- namely Borrelia Burgdorferi, Bartonella Henselae, and Babesia Microti. Aidan’s labwork also came back positive for streptococcus antibodies being very high. The diagnosis of PANDAS was added on to his medical concerns.
Treatment Strategies: Aidan’s mom chose to go the antibiotic route along with Klinghardt Neurotoxin elimination protocol, Klinghardt KPU (KryptoPyrole Urea) protocol, Neuro biofeedback, Homoeopathic Pleomorphic organ support and Detox.
Today Aidan, after 22 months of treatment is back to being his old self. He is getting straight A’s in school again, has many friends, feels strong and calm overall. 14 months in Aidan came up to me and said “Thank you Dr. Jodie. I am able to make friends again!”
Olivia and her brothers:
Olivia was diagnosed with mild Autism Spectrum Disorder at age 3 and ADHD at age 6. A bright and happy child, Olivia did well in school with her special education. She loved to play basketball and soccer with her brothers, and the athletic little girl would give her two older brothers a run for their money any day! Olivia had been a little sickly that year and as flu season approached her mom decided to vaccinate her. Olivia received the flu mist along with her neuro-typical brothers James and Logan.
About a week later, Olivia started gagging at meal times and developed several sensory issues around food. Soon after, 8 year old James started bedwetting and would awaken with night terrors. Around the same time 11 year old Logan developed coordination challenges with basketball and his writing skills in school. Their symptoms continued to get worse as days turned to weeks of Olivia barely able to eat, having sleep difficulties, rapid eye blinking motor tics, and development of OCD around personal hygiene routines. James had started having bladder and bowel accidents during the day along with having difficulty remembering things and poor grades in school. Logan, on the other hand, had started limping with severe leg muscle cramps, episodes of dizziness when standing up, back pain, tingling and numbness in his hands and doing poorly in school.
The entire family was devastated at this sudden and rapidly deteriorating change of events. Their mother called me a month into her ordeal with her three children having seen four different doctors – without any definitive answers. The potential vaccine connection was very obvious, and upon further investigation in the right direction, all three were diagnosed with PANDAS. Additionally, based on the fact that the family had multiple pets for many years, lived in a rural setting, and loved to hike through the woods, camp etc., I had them tested for Lyme disease. The entire family- the parents, children, and even the two family dogs – tested positive for Lyme disease and other-tick borne infections!
Treatment areas: The parents chose to pursue a combination protocol of antibiotics for the various infections and biomedical holistic protocol for detox, drainage support, herbals for hypercoagulability, homotoxicology for leaky gut and food allergies, and neurobiofeedback for help with brain fog/executive function challenges and Zyto EVOX for perceptual and emotional reframing. Today, the children are off all antibiotics, on an herbal maintenance protocol, and are doing very well academically and socially. The parents now have the time to work on their infections and healing.
Jake:
Jake was only 16 months old when I first saw him. His parents reported a sudden change in his behavior, eating difficulties, and regression in language and social skills. They were terrified he might be turning Autistic. They were determined to avoid labelling their child until after a thorough biomedical assessment and intervention. Jake had experienced chronic sinusitis since eighteen months of age and multiple ear infections. He also had a history of being colicky as an infant. When I saw Jake he was hyperactive, with low muscle tone, poor focus, was only able to say “no”, poor eye contact, visual stimming, making continuous moaning sounds and hand flapping. His mom informed me he also banged his head at home for no apparent reason.
Jake was started on a comprehensive biomedical protocol almost right away. He truly surprised everybody and almost immediately he started making fantastic progress. His digestion, bowel habits, sleep, and appetite all improved within four weeks. His eye contact, focus, and activity level made small but significant gains in a month, and in two months he had gained 65 new words according to his month’s observations! Upon further testing, lab work showed underlying infections with Streptococcus, Epstein Barr Virus, and Lyme disease. Intestinal parasites tested positive with stool tests, as did Candida.
Treatment Strategies: Heavy metals, Methylation- CBS and SHMT homozygous mutations, COMT and MTHFR A1298 heterozygous mutations, homeopathic and German Biological remedies for organ support, PANDAS, and Lymphatic drainage. Herbal remedies for candida, Lyme and parasites.
Latest update: Jake’s mom wrote:
“Speech has been the biggest change during this past month with the Lyme and parasite herbs. He started them on March 19th and I am amazed on how much it has helped him in such a short time. Because of the increase in speech, the temper tantrums have decreased drastically. Jake is able to focus more and when he needs or wants something, he no longer screams. His new phrase is “Nope. No Thanks!” and “I need a help”. He can count backwards from 10, and has started to arrange letters in alphabetical order. He has started to follow along with the characters on his favorite TV shows instead of just “zoning out” watching TV.”
Understanding about underlying infections in children with ASD
Chronic underlying infections (Viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic) could be the cause of the illness, or could be a cofactor with other factors (Methylation, heavy metals, leaky gut) as the cause of the illness. Many of these infections are immune suppressing. ASD is now being studies as a possible neuro immune syndrome and not just a neuropsychiatric illness. Genetic predisposition, environmental exposure to epigenetic triggers (vaccines, food allergens, pesticides), and immune suppression often go hand in hand in most children diagnosed with ASD.
Symptoms associated with neuro-immune syndromes are severe food allergies and chemical sensitivity, low muscle tone, and poor healing from physical and emotional events. Testing will frequently reveal heavy metal toxicity, neurochemical deficiency, hormone deficiency, immune dysfunction, aggressive inflammation, infectious overgrowth, poor toxic clearance, and mitochondrial weakness.
Infections seen and Mechanism of Action
Some of the co-infections seen are Lyme Borrelioisis and Neuro-Borreliosis, Bartonella Henselae, Babesia Microti, Babesia Duncani, Streptococcus, mold exposure and biotoxin illness, Mycoplasma Pneumonias and more. Streptococcus infections with Group A Beta Hemolytic streptococcus have been studied to sometimes trigger an autoimmune illness called PANDAS – Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders associated with strep. Subsequently it was observed that other infections like tick borne diseases can induce molecular mimicry in the brain and cause neuro psych symptoms too and PANDAS was then renamed as PANS – Pediatric Autoimmune Neurological Syndromes.
Research reveals that tick borne infections like Lyme disease can contribute to ASD directly by their immune suppressing characteristics, and also by promoting other infections and immune dysfunction during fetal development and infancy. Shockingly, supporting data includes multiple cases of mothers with Lyme disease and children with ASD!
The Diagnosis of Lyme Disease
The good News: There are various tests that can detect Lyme disease antibodies in blood samples
The bad news: The Lyme bacteria can seriously disable the immune system, and hence many tests that do rely on an immune response can show up false negative.
The bottom line:
· Diagnosis should not be made on lab results alone
· Testing MUST be interpreted by trained clinicians and in conjunction with clinical picture
· False negative doesn’t necessarily rule out Lyme Disease
· A positive Diagnosis can often be: Just 1 or more Borrelia specific bands positive plus clinical symptoms.
Remember
Lyme Disease is called “The Great Imitator”. It’s a MULTI system illness and based on which system if affects first in the body it can mimic
· MS
· ALS
· Autism
· Fibromyalgia
· Chronic Fatigue syndrome
Co-infections to look for
· Bartonella
· Babesia
· Mycoplasmas
· Parasites
· Viruses
· Protozoa
· Strep
Some symptoms of Lyme disease in ASD
· Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
· Fatigue
· Rash
· Achy Joints and muscles
· Sleep issues
· Delayed development, even physical growth sometimes
· Poor balance
· Frequent ear or sinus infections
· Brain fog
· Irritability
· Aggression and rage
· Extreme “growing pains”
· Extreme sensory issues
· Anxiety or Depression
Additional considerations in treatment
· Heavy metals
· Intracellular infections
· Immune dysfunction
· Disruption of the Blood-Brain barrier
· Chronic inflammation –often in the gut and the brain
· Environmental Toxins and allergens
· Dietary allergies
· Biofilm
· Electro Magnetic Radiation (EMR) and Frequencies (EMF)
· Emotional and physical stress
· Mold exposure
A mom’s advice
· DON”T leave any stone unturned when you hear the Diagnosis of ASD for your child.
· Get support from positive people and filter out energy-draining, negative people
· Be aggressive with your child’s treatment
· Don’t leave yourself behind. Get treatment. Many mothers are infected too and don’t know it. Borrelia bacteria can stay dormant in a cyst form for many years.
· There is a large body of epidemiological data linking maternal infections before and during pregnancy to neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring including Autism, and schizophrenia
· Your child’s Autism may be treatable. Never lose HOPE!
· New research is emerging rapidly. Stay current!
All the very best!
Dr. Dashore
2014
BIO
Dr. Jodie A. Dashore OTD, MS(Pediatric Neurology),HHP.
Clinical Director
Integrative Neuro-Sensory Associates, LLC
Marlboro, New Jersey. USA.
Member International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS)
Member North American Association of Homeopaths
Member American Association of Drugless Physicians
Office 732 772-1989
Dr. Dashore completed her specialization in Neurology in 1991 from King Edward Memorial Hospital and Medical school in Bombay, India. In 1992, she went on to complete research collaboration on Stroke and Cognitive deficits and working as a consultant for the NHS in London. Subsequently she immigrated to the United States to earn her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy- Evidence Based Medicine and Neurology from Rocky Mountain University in 2004. She went on to complete her Post- Doctoral dissertation in Sensory Integration from University of Southern California.
Dr. Dashore is currently a Board Certified Doctor of Occupational Therapy, specializing in Neurology. Dr. Dashore is also Board Certified in Sensory Integration, Holistic and Energy Medicine and Homotoxicology. She has obtained additional training in the areas of Tick Borne Diseases, Nutrigenomics, Herbalism, and Neuro -Immune Syndromes. She is currently training to be a Board Certified Herbalist.
She is an esteemed member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), and The North American Association of Homeopaths (NASH). She has trained intensively and continues to stay current and mentored by Dr. Charles Ray Jones, MD, and Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD. Dr. Dashore is the founder and Medical Director of Integrative Neuro-Sensory Associates, LLC , a functional medicine and Sensory Integration practice in Marlboro, NJ. She works with children and adults from across the country with Autism, Lyme Disease, PANDAS, Methylation Dysfunction, Mitochondrial Disorders, IBS, chronic fatigue, Neuro- Degenerative Diseases, Allergies, Autoimmune Disease, and more.
Recently Published:
http://www.pageturnpro.com/Autism-Media-Channel/56399-AF54_AutismFile_FebMar2014/index.html#2
Upcoming:
- June 4th: Interview at Functional Forums Media, New York City. To be broadcast live.
- June 7th:Invited to Lecture At Harvard “Hidden Causes to consider with delayed recovery in Tick Borne Diseases”
- Autism File International Magazine June/July Issue: “Autonomic Dysfunction: Behavioral Implications and Treatment Strategies in Children with ASD”.
Dr. Dashore, thank you for taking the time to share these success stories with us. It is an honor to feature you on the blog. Thank you for your example of open-mindedness, and taking the time to get to the root cause of the illness. You are making a considerable difference in the health, and well-being among youth, and their families the world over. Enough cannot be said of the work you are doing. I look forward to watching your interview on the Functional Forums in New York this week.
Dr. Dashore will be a panelist at the Functional Forum this Wednesday at 8pm EST, and anyone can watch, and ask questions for free using #functionalforum on Twitter.
