Sodium Concern: to Jaquelyn McCandless

[Guest guest]

Dr Jaquelyn McCandless. Please read the following extract from:

http://www.autisme.net/Autism%20and%20Nutrition.htm

as my question to you is in reference to this comment.

" The path of autism is different for each child. Some are prone to

seizures, some are not; some behave aggressively while others are

overly passive. However, children with autism and with ADHD share

several factors. There is a deep disturbance in their fatty acid

metabolism that impairs their utilization of amino acids, and often

there is an imbalance in their electrolytes. Electrolytes control

what's called membrane traffic—what goes in and out of cells. This

means that providing other nutritional supplements is relatively

ineffective until the electrolyte (sodium-potassium-magnesium-calcium)

imbalance is corrected. The delicate balance of electrolytes also

controls the electrical activity within the brain. "

I have always suspected that Lucas may be suffering from an imbalance

of electrolytes. His first pre TD-DMPS urine test demonstrated an

extreme excess of calcium, potassium, magnesium but extremely low

amounts of sodium. This may support my theory that his electrolyte

balance could be way out of whack, causing brain synaptic function

impairment. Can you put some thought into this and comment. I think

that we should be considering addition of sodium to his diet to

balance the electrolytes, but I due put all my trust in DAN doctors,

and do not want to stray from the path the DAN protocol has set out

our kids. Can we just add salt to his food to correct this, and if

so, how much, or what else can we use to safely add sodium to his diet

if this is a concern.

his electrolyte levels were (DoctorData):

electrolyte:lucas's level:normal range:comment

sodium:520:900-5000:very low

potassium:5200:750-3000:very high

calcium:280:45-300:high

magnesium:380:35-230:very high

Neal Vadekar