Re: secretin advice - Tricia

[Guest guest]

Tricia,

I'm going to try to make our long Secretin story short, as I think it

may shed some light on your question, " what kind of child will

benefit from Secretin? "

My son Henry was GFCFSF, etc. for about 4 years,and over time seemed

to react (GI wise and behaviorally)to starches of any kind, and fats.

He was on SCD for a year, and did well for a while, then needed more

calories, but starches were a problem, etc., etc. So we finally

decided to have him scoped by Dr. Buie last June. Part of that

procedure involves the use of Secretin to stimulate the pancreas to

secrete digestive enzymes. Measuring the pre- and post-Secretin

levels of enzymes helps determine the level of enzyme activity the

patient has.

Results showed he had very low levels of pretty much every enzyme

there is. No wonder the poor guy had GI issues! Anyway, for about 3

weeks after the scope Henry had the best gut functioning he had ever

had, perfect BMs every single morning, flat tummy, no bloating, etc.

We also saw wonderful changes in Henry's behavior (much more verbal

expression, more socially connected). During those three weeks he

finally had an abundance of those enzymes he so desperately needed!

But he had only secreted a finite amount of enzymes – his body would

not be producing any more without help. So gradually we saw a decline

in social relatedness and increase in scripting, such that he was

back to baseline behaviorally after five weeks.

Well, of course my reaction was " keep the Secretin coming!! "

However, Dr. Buie suggested first trying enzymes. Theoretically, the

enzymes should have a similar effect as the Secretin did.

Unfortunately, Henry did not have the same improvements on the

enzyme. I found this interesting and potentially instructive, so I

discussed this with our nutritionist, who said that it makes sense,

because the Secretin, being a hormone, does not only act in the gut,

as is the case with the enzymes, but also acts in the brain. Also, as

Dr. Buie mentioned at DAN! in April, scientists have not been able to

reproduce in supplement form all the enzymes the body produces

naturally. So we have been doing IVs for several months now, about

every four weeks, as the effect seems to last about that long (not

with Dr. Buie, but with our DAN doc).

This experience has been very enlightening for me. But all kids with

autism are not the same, and I am certainly not suggesting that

everyone should get their child scoped or use Secretin. But, if your

child is like Henry, and reacts both behaviorally and physically to

many foods, enzyme deficiency could be worth looking into.

Well, it wasn't so short, was it? I hope it helps though!

Best of luck,

Mae Lynn