How to Handle an Autism Meltdown

Having an autistic child can be quite challenging sometimes. My child will sometimes have what we call "nuclear" meltdowns. Sometimes when he does this, he can scream non stop for hours at a time and it's so hard to figure out if he's screaming because he is in pain or he's just not happy. I have done a few things that seems to calm him when this happens, so it might help some of you.

1. The first thing I do when he's having a screaming fit is I will give him some pain reliever like Motrin to see if it's a pain thing, or him being frustrated. If he calms down after 20 or so minutes, I know he must be hurting, like an ear infection.

2. If he continues to scream, I get a blow dryer and put it on the cool setting and blow it on his back. For some reason, this calms him.

3. If you have them, blow bubbles

4. Give them a newspaper or magazine to shread

5. Give the child a warm bath.(this method usually doesn't work on my son when he is screaming, as he will not sit still)

6. Take them outside to swing on the swing set if you have one.

The most frustrating part is trying to figure out what makes him so upset. There have been many times when I've had to take him out at 2am to swing. Sometimes if none of the above help, try and find something to distract the child. Usually the blow dryer method works best for us. When he does have a meltdown, it usually only last about 40 min. Before, it would last at least 2 hours.

For more info on autism treatment, please visit [http://www.overcomingautisticchallenges.com]

Shelley Ryan

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What is Meant by a Meltdown in Autistic Children? Find Out

The word meltdown has been used numerous times and has expressed different meanings relating to children with autism. What is meant by a meltdown and what causes the more common attributes of meltdowns?

The most common cause of a meltdown is an emotional response to stress or over stimulation. Most autistic children have a challenging time to understand where their stress level is and how to handle it, in addition, to over stimulation. Some children will express their relief by throwing things, running away from a situation, such as out the door, in an area that is not safe, such as a street, with cars coming and the child is not aware of the danger.

Meltdowns are reactions to severe stress, when a child with autism, is not taught or is unable to redirect his or her stress in a positive way by understanding that the situation can be changed and managed.

Every individual is different in their own unique way. Many children come from families that react differently to their stress and in their culture, which may influence a child with the disorder of autism in a particular family.

The more common attributes of meltdowns in children with autism, are for example, too many people all at once, frequent changes, asking too many questions, change in topics too quickly, going to unfamiliar places and appointments, with no explanation and going from class to class, with new teachers.

Most of the of meltdowns are caused by the fact, that the individual is autistic and is taken by surprise, given too many choices, does not understand the reason for all of the sudden changes, emotion overload, sensory overload, given too many tasks to do and is unable to process all the information.

You can observe with meltdowns, that there are warning signs. These many include repeating words or phrases over and over again, having difficulty understanding and answering questions, not wanting to stop repetitive rituals or routines, pacing back and forth, and flapping hands.

The meaning of meltdowns are uncontrolled reactions to overwhelming stress. They are not temper tantrums, but they can lead to meltdowns. Furthermore, there may be a high risk of self-injury during meltdowns. For instance, banging their head, and some individuals with autism gravitate towards running water, near lakes, creeks or dams, which can be dangerous and cause drowning.

After defining and understanding what is meant by a meltdown, many individuals with autism will grow up in our environment and try to adapt to our society, that does not understand what a meltdown is, in the people with autism. The individuals with autism, will try to develop coping skills and redirect their struggles to manage their every day challenges.

Remember, people with autism will always have autism, so they too will experience their off-days of not always being able to cope with their struggles, which might catch them off- guard and cause a meltdown.

It is imperative to realize, individuals with the disorder of autism have meltdowns, due to the fact that they do not always know how to direct their emotions in the proper channels. Be patient with them and learn about their disorder and meltdowns, to gain a better understanding of what they are experiencing.

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Choosing an Autism Diet For Recovery

The road to autism recovery begins with diet. That is, making calculated omissions and additions to food choices is the first step to improving children's health and well being. Certain food substances (most notably gluten and casein) are known to be problematic, and should be avoided - and other foods rich in healing nutrients are beneficial when added to children's diets. Attention to these factors is intended to balance biochemistry, affect systemic healing, and provide relief of autism symptoms. In simple terms, these are the underlying tenets of diets for autism.
There are many "autism diets" to choose from and deciding how to begin nutritional intervention can seem overwhelming. Ten years ago, it was a simpler choice-do diet! And, "do diet" meant do the Gluten-free Casein-free Diet (GFCF). Eliminating gluten (the protein in wheat) and casein (the protein in dairy) was the primary focus of diet for autism for many years, and provides many positive benefits. Since then, significant advances in biomedical nutrition research and mom-centric anecdotal data have resulted in broader dietary strategies for autism.
Now, one has to decide which diet to do. This can inhibit even the most recovery focused parent from getting started. Parents hear "You need to do this diet," or "my son improved on that diet." Because each diet has its group of supporters, parents whose children did well with a particular diet aptly tout it. How can there be so many varied opinions? It's because every person is different-each has unique biochemistry, genes, environment assaults, and eating preferences. A diet that helps one child, may not be the best for the other.
My clients are relieved to learn that I do not spout the dogma of any one diet. As a Nutrition Consultant, I practice nutrition intervention focused on improved systemic health and relief of physiological and neurological symptoms. Autism diets are food-based strategies employed toward this objective. I help parents choose the best initial diet for their child and then work to customize that diet to further to meet their specific needs.
In my book, Nourishing Hope for Autism, I discuss thirteen different diets that are recommended for autism. While each diet has merit, some include advanced components that are best supported by an experienced practitioner and not necessarily required to get started. In this article, I will explain the top three diets for autism - they include the most immediately helpful dietary principles and practices and there is much literature and community support to help aid successful implementation. In addition to these diets, I'll discuss the most common food allergies and substances, as addressing these comes hand in hand with diet.
The most popular autism diets are:
o Gluten-free and casein-free diet (GFCF)
o Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD
o Body Ecology Diet (BED)
Gluten-Free Casein-free Diet (GFCF)
Does your child crave milk?
Does your child only eat wheat and dairy foods?
Does your child seem spacey after consuming gluten or casein, and agitated before?
Are you just beginning to look at diet for the first time?
When parents decide to "do diet," they typically begin with GFCF. There are many good books about it, and the food marketplace is increasingly GFCF friendly. This diet entails the removal of all gluten and/or casein containing foods. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, and commercial oats, and casein, the protein found in dairy.
When ingested by children with a compromised digestive tract and weakened immune system, these proteins can cause gut inflammation, pain, and digestive problems. If the protein is not properly broken down during digestion, it can form opioids (opiate or morphine-like compounds). The properties of gluten and casein can lead to digestive problems such as diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, as well as foggy thinking and inattentiveness for many children with autism.
According to parents (Autism Research Institute survey), a gluten- and casein-free diet is helpful for 65% of children with ASD, even though a food sensitivity panel may or may not have shown a reaction to these foods. Therefore, I typically recommend a gluten- and casein-free trial period-often beginning the diet by removing first one, then the other.
Most of the foods containing these offending proteins are easy to identify. While following the GFCF Diet, you'll need to avoid any breads, crackers, pasta, or bakery items made with wheat and other gluten grains, and all dairy foods such as milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and cream. Some sources are not that apparent:
o Soy sauce (except gluten-free soy sauce)
o Potato chips and fries (often dusted with gluten during processing and not listed on label, ensure they are gluten-free by checking with the company in the ingredient list)
o Malt (derived from barley)
When beginning the GFCF diet, be careful not to introduce a bunch of GFCF junk foods such as cookies, candy, and chips. Even though they don't include gluten or casein, the sugar can feed yeast, imbalance blood sugar, and disregulate energy. Remember, diet is more than just the removal of offending foods - attention must be placed on ensuring healthy and nutritious food intake.
GFCF is a great diet to follow when beginning nutritional intervention for autism.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)
Does your child have chronic diarrhea?
Does your child have an inflamed gut, maybe even been on steroids?
Have you tried GFCF to no avail?
Does your child have trouble digesting grains?
Does your child have dysbiosis (pathogenic yeast or bacteria)?
The SCD diet involves the removal of all complex sugars: everything except honey and fruit sugar, including the removal of maple syrup, cane sugar, agave nectar, brown rice syrup and more. SCD also removes all starches and all grains, including potatoes and sweet potatoes. This diet allows: meat, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, certain beans, all non-starchy vegetables, and fruit. This is not a low carbohydrate diet but a specific carbohydrate diet that focuses on non-starchy vegetables, fruit, honey, and certain beans for carbohydrates and avoids other sugars and starches.
SCD is the second most commonly applied autism diet, and 66% of parents say it is beneficial for their child (ARI ratings). It is very helpful for those who have inflammatory bowel conditions and chronic diarrhea, although it can help constipation too.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet aims to reduce gut inflammation and aid healing by "starving out" the bad gut bugs and avoiding foods that require carbohydrate digesting enzyme that are often in short supply. By eliminating problematic foods, the bugs can't feed. Because it is more restrictive than GFCF, parents don't usually begin dietary intervention with SCD. However, if there is a significant inflammatory gut condition, some will go straight to SCD.
SCD is often applied when doing GFCF is not enough and digestive problems still remain, or if someone needs to further evolve the diet to see any additional benefits. A variation of SCD is the GAPS (Gut And Psychology Syndrome) diet, created by Natasha Campbell-McBride, M.D. It includes the essentials of SCD, plus the addition of wonderful principles such as fermented foods and homemade broths.
While SCD diet is not inherently casein-free, I recommend that SCD be done casein-free until someone is certain that casein is not a problem.
The Body Ecology Diet (BED)
Does you child have persistent candida?
Does your child have harmful bacteria in the gut?
Does your child have bad smelling stool or gas?
Does your child sometimes act drunk, spacey or have maniacal laughter?
Does your child seem itchy or yeasty in any "moist" areas of the body like elbows, knees, or crotch?
The Body Ecology Diet is an anti-candida diet focused on clearing up yeast and dysbiosis (imbalance of bad bugs in the gut). BED is often called BEDROK (Body Ecology Diet Recovering Our Kids) in the autism community. BED incorporates the principles of proper food combining, acid/alkaline balance with low acid-forming foods, low/no sugars and limited starches, easily digestible foods, fermented foods, and other solid nutrition recommendations to clear up candida overgrowth and support health beginning in the gut.
BED allows only a few grains such as quinoa, millet buckwheat, and amaranth (when properly soaked)-restricting more starches and grains than GFCF. In addition to being gluten-free, BED is rice-free, corn-free, and soy-free. Foods such as rice bread, gluten-free pretzels, and rice pasta are not allowed on this diet. BED allows casein, but can be done casein-free. I always recommend going casein-free (on any healing diet) until you are certain that dairy is not an issue.
If you child has candida, BED may be for you. Though it requires that the child eat vegetables as the food combining aspect allows meat with vegetables and starches with vegetables but not meat and starch together. BED may be challenging if a child is picky and does not have a varied diet.
Like SCD, this diet is beneficial for helping reduce dysbiosis and restoring good flora balance in the gut. However, these two diets conflict with each other as they rely on very different underlying principles. SCD removes certain sugars and all starches, while BED removes all sugars and certain starches. Even if someone chooses a different diet, many of the Body Ecology principles can be also be applied, such as the inclusion of fermented foods, soaking grains, and consuming more non-starchy vegetables full of minerals and alkalizing to the body.
Getting Started
Now that we have discussed three effective autism diets and problematic food substances, where does someone start? Typically I recommend GFCF or SCD. Sometimes, based on the diet of the individual, I may suggest BED instead-for example if a child has significant yeast over growth and is currently on GFCF (which may filled with too many sugars and starches), but the child will eat vegetables, I may suggest BED. Additionally, I may suggest just adding fermented foods, soaked grains and nuts, and more vegetables-several BED principles, but not the full Body Ecology Diet.
The most important dietary principle is to start. It sounds simple, but start somewhere - even with the most simple thing - such as getting rid of all artificial ingredients - and then progress.
You Can Do Diet.
I know what you are thinking, "My child is picky and very inflexible with eating new foods. I'm never going to be able to get him to eat anything other than wheat and dairy, and never mind anything "healthy."
I appreciate this concern. I have had some very picky eaters in my nutrition practice-many children ate only bread and dairy, others subsisted on just pancakes and fries. However, there are solid reasons why these children are so one-sided in their food choices, primarily craving. When the body creates opiates from foods, one can become addicted to them and thus crave nothing but those foods. Children eventually narrow their food choices to include only those that make them "feel better." It's worth trying diet because once the child gets passed the cravings (a few days to a few weeks), they often expands food choices dramatically and it becomes much easier to do.
I know that any child's diet can change. It may take time and require great patience, but you can succeed. I've never seen a child's diet that did not improve eventually-increasingly so as the body heals. It's crucial that parents believe that it's possible for their child to change and improve. By envisioning the changes, you project a positive image that is important for your child and the success of your overall efforts.

Julie Matthews, a top US biomedical autism diet/nutrition specialist and Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) Practitioner, helps parents recover children from autism. She is a parent/physician educator and creator of "Nourishing Hope for Autism: Nutrition Intervention for Healing Our Children" (Book) and "Cooking to Heal Autism Nutrition and Cooking Classes" (DVD). Visit http://www.NourishingHope.com to study autism diets and view video presentations.

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Selecting an Autism Diet A Review of Popular Approaches

Art therapy may be an ideal way to develop social skills, but an autism diet may also be another form of effective treatment. Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy, and like expressive therapy, when it comes to food control, there is more than one type of diet that can be used to treat autism.

Many health practitioners believe that an autism diet may be beneficial treatment. The reason is because most autistics have distorted immune response which causes their body to respond abnormally to certain types of food, viruses and toxins. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for many autistics to suffer from gastrointestinal inflammation and other intestinal disorders. It is thought that these intestinal problems might decrease the body's ability to absorb specific essential nutrients. Thus, by following a diet and other alternative treatment methods, certain abilities and overall health may be improved in an autistic individual.

The following are 4 autism diets you may want to consider -

Gluten and Casein Free Diet

Gluten and Casein are both proteins found in many foods which some autistics have a hard time digesting. Gluten occurs in wheat, oat and rye products, while casein is found in human milk, cow milk and many other dairy products. Both of these proteins are also in the ingredients of many medications.

Research has discovered that abnormally high level of specific peptides related to gluten and casein have been found in the urine of autistic children. This could mean that these proteins are not being effectively broken down into amino acids, and this over-absorption of peptide can actually affect brain function. Thus, by removing gluten and casein from the autism diet, this will prevent further gastrointestinal and neurological damage from occurring.

Yeast- Free Diet

Some research is based on the belief that some autistics have high levels of candida albicans (a type of yeast that occurs naturally in the body) in their intestinal tract. A candida overgrowth in the intestines can cause "leaky gut" syndrome, a condition that causes tiny holes in the intestinal tract. The yeast grows fast and releases toxins in the bloodstream which has the potential to affect brain functioning.

In fact, aside from causing stomach distress, it is thought by some that a candida overgrowth can cause a number of behavioural difficulties such as fatigue, confusion and hyperactivity.

Candida can be controlled naturally through an anti-candida (yeast) diet or with essential oils. In short, an anti-yeast diet involves cutting out all natural and artificial sugars, caffeine, most diary products, preservatives and, of course, yeast products (I.E. bread).

Specific Carbohydrate Diet

This is a science based autism diet, and it involves the cessation of ingesting specific carbohydrates (sugars and starches) that have been found to cause problems within the digestive tract. In addition, carbohydrates are small enough that they can slip by the surface of the small intestine into the blood stream, and can cause abnormal brain function.

This diet limits the amount of carbohydrates ingested and slowly adds them back once the intestinal tract has had time to heal.

Body Ecology Diet (BED)

This particular diet used to treat autism was originally created to treat systemic fungal infections typically caused by Candida overgrowth. It has been used to treat the inflammatory bowel diseases ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, as well as a number of autoimmune diseases and AIDS. Like the other autism diets, the BED works to heal the gastrointestinal system and prevent future infections.

The BED diet involves eliminating gluten and casein from the diet as well as drastically limiting bad fats, carbohydrates and sugars.

It is best to talk to your child's health care provider to find out which autism diet would be the best course of treatment. It is also important to have your doctor monitor your child's condition while on a diet treatment. This way you can ask any questions or concerns you may have about the autism diets, and to ensure your child is receiving the sufficient nutrients his/her body requires.

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans' brand new Autism Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family find out about autism strategies and for information on autism diet please visit The Essential Guide To Autism.

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Teaching Children With Autism Better Verbal Communication Skills

Children with autism commonly face problems with verbal communication. This is usually due to the frequent speech and language problems associated with the disorder. Though the actual reason that these problems are faced by autistic children is unknown, many experts believe that they are the result of several conditions occurring before, during, or after the child's birth that have had an impact on the development of the brain. The inability to properly communicate verbally can make interpretation and interaction with the child's world much more difficult.

The communication problems experienced vary from child to child, depending on the individual's social and intellectual development. While some may not be able to speak at all, others may maintain extensive vocabularies and can express themselves regarding complex topics. However, most children with autism experience some form of communication difficulty usually with the appropriate use of the language, for example difficulty with intonation, rhythm, and word and sentence meaning.

Autistic children who are able to speak may say things without true information, expression, or content. They are only words with no meaning to the situation. Others will use echolalia, where they simply repeat what they have heard, even if they have been asked a question. And yet other autistic children will use delayed echolalia, using the question previously posed in order to ask for what they want. For example, a child who had earlier been asked "are you hungry?" may say "are you hungry" at a later time to express his or her hunger.

Many autistic children will have a stock of phrases that they use in specific conditions. For example, a child may introduce him or herself at the beginning of every conversation. Some autistic children learn scripts from television shows, commercials, books, or other recorded dialogs.

Autistic children able to speak can frequently speak extensively about a topic without the ability to actually converse with others. They may also make up a voice to use other than their own such as a robot voice, a deep voice, a squeaky voice or another similar type of alteration.

It is possible to help an autistic child to better his or her verbal communication skills with improvements made through the use of appropriate treatments.

The first step is to consult a speech and language pathologist in order to have your child's communication skills evaluated. Specific treatments suitable for your child may be recommended during this evaluation.

No single method of communication treatment has been universally found to improve all autistic children, but starting early increases the chances of significant improvements. Try to target your child's specific communication strengths and weaknesses. Different forms of goal orientated therapy for useful communications are the most successful techniques, though not guaranteed to work for all children. Periodic in-depth evaluations from a specialist are recommended for perfecting and altering the therapy to best work for your child's unique needs.

Many parents find that consulting physical and occupational therapists can also be very helpful for helping to reduce unwanted behaviors during communication, which are common hindrances to the development of skills.

Find out what your child best responds to: a structured behavior modification program, an in-home therapy program, or another type of therapy that utilizes reality-based situations as a foundation for the therapy.

It may surprise you to discover that music therapy and sensory integration therapies may have a large impact on your child's ability to use verbal communication. This is because stimulation of the senses often helps to improve the child's ability to respond to sensory information, and therefore helps him or her recognize what he or she is hearing through verbal communication and seeing through non-verbal communication. The goal is to help improve the effectiveness of sensory understanding.

Medications may also improve an autistic child's attention span, which in turn can help to improve verbal communication in your child. However, with long-term medication use there is the possibility of undesirable side effects.

To be certain that your child is at his or her fullest potential, mineral and vitamin supplements, as well as a tailored diet, psychotherapy, and overcoming sleep challenges may greatly assist in focus and attention, which should help improve verbal communication.

Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans' brand new Autism Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family find out about autism treatment options plus information on improving autism verbal skills

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Autism Symptoms in Infants and Toddlers

Autism is a multifaceted brain disorder that influences a lot of aspects in a child's progress, which includes his social, motor and communication skills. The good news is, there are many ongoing studies which seek to understand autism. Experts say that early detection and treatment of autism is vital. There is increasing evidence that it's possible to detect autism in infants because early intervention can make a big difference in minimizing the symptoms and any other negative impact of the disorder, it is imperative for parents to understand autism's signs and symptoms.

The symptoms of autism are normally noticeable by 18 to 36 months, and other mild symptoms may be apparent earlier than that; even during infancy. Therefore, parents should closely monitor or track their child's progress. If the symptoms are identified by 12 months of age or earlier, rigorous treatment may reverse the signs.

Symptoms at the onset are easier to overlook primarily because it entails the lack of normal behaviors; and not the existence of abnormal ones. For instance, most babies with autism normally don't reach out to get toys, or make signals to get your attention. Most parents misinterpret autism symptoms as signs of being a "good baby," because the baby is withdrawn and is not demanding. True, a baby with those characteristics are easy to take care of, but these signs are some of the warnings that parents should be vigilant of.

What exactly are symptoms that parents should look out for?

Here are some warning signs that you should watch for to ensure that your child is developing at a normal rate:

• One of the first signs of autism is if the baby does not look, make eye contact, or turn after hearing their name.
• If the baby doesn't smile in response.
• If the baby doesn't mimic what you're doing.
• If the baby doesn't make attempts to talk (gibberish, babbling)
• If the baby is not visually attracted to things.

Here are signs to watch out for toddlers:

• If the child is having difficulty communicating his needs.
• If the child suddenly stops to make attempts to talk.
• If the child has trouble developing his language skills.

It's normal for a parent to become worried once they see their child manifest these symptoms. If you have observed these signs from your infant or toddler, it's prudent for you to make an appointment with your health provider. Actually, it's best if you'll have your child undergo screening even though he seems to develop normally.

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For a very helpful resource see autism symptoms.

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Does Wheat And Gluten Cause Autism?

Most of us already understand that gluten can have damaging consequences for people with celiac disease and other kinds of autoimmune disorders (ASD's). But the question that keeps coming up over and over is whether gluten can interfere with the development of people who are non-celiac's.

Recently there have been a number of researchers who have started examining the link between autism spectrum disorders and diet-which seem to have risen significantly over the last 20 years.

The centers for disease control and prevention say that ASP's-which is the name given to a number of neurological and developmental disorders, which include Aspergers Syndrome, by this fact is many as one in 100 children born in North America. These are significant numbers and experts are still looking for answers as to why they are on the rise.

Everybody knows that nutrition has a direct impact on the development of children. What I am seeing and what the experts are seeing is a growing body of proof which suggests that removing gluten and casein [which is the protein in dairy products] from the diet of children with ASD's can have a beneficial effect.

In fact there is a well known and diet specifically recommended for children with ASD's, it is called the autism diet and it is a diet that is devoid of any gluten or casein. Also known as the GF CF diet.

Kids on this diet cannot eat any dairy products in addition to any wheat or gluten containing foods, as well as all of the other dairy foods such as milk, yogurt, ice cream, and cheese.

I have not been able to find any direct medical evidence which links celiac disease to autism. In fact all of the evidence that I have gathered is entirely anecdotal and is from speaking with other people, a handful of publications and with parents of children with autism. The only clear overlap that I've found as of this recording in the literature existed in two publications.

The first was the Journal of behavioral pediatrics which interviewed 50 children in New York that were autistic and found that 70% of them with ASD's that gastrointestinal issues compared with 28% of the children with normal development. The other place I've found evidence to support the link between autism and gluten consumption is with Dr. Kenneth Bock, who is an internationally renowned expert on autism and author of the book Healing The New Childhood Epidemics.

According to his book he sees over 2000 children per year with ASD's at his office in the Rhinebeck health Center in New York, and he believes that even though further investigation is still required, that children with ASD's clearly have significant reactions to the consumption of gluten.

In addition many parents swear by the GF CF diet all citing tremendous improvements in their children's development, behavior, and communication skills.

Dr. Bock points to a survey of over 25,000 parents of autistic children, and found that over 60% of them interviewed reported that gluten free, or casein free diet resulted in improvements in their children.

Dr. Bock also points to the response in the bloodstream of children with ASD's who eat gluten to be kind of like morphine. Which means that the kids can act almost stoned-producing the usual stoner behaviors such as erratic behavior, poor language and social skills, and impulse control issues. He warns that parents need to be aware of the impact of removing gluten from the diet of a child with an ASD can create something of a withdrawal affect.

And he warns parents that this is a very real possibility to keep an eye out for during the first few days-not much different than when addicts detox. However he sees consistent evidence that after a few days of the detoxing, children with ASD's start to make improvements-some of them quite dramatic. Many parents that I have spoken to said that children with autism are much calmer and had fewer behavior problems without gluten in their diets.

So if you have a child with autism I would recommend that you talk to your doctor about the GF CF diet.

Brooks Van Norman is a veteran of living the wheat and gluten freelifestyle. An accidental expert on the subjects of wheat intolerance and living without wheat intolerance symptoms, he struggled for years with chronic fatigue and depression before self diagnosing that he could not eat wheat or gluten. Brooks now teaches people how to inexpensively and quickly restore their health with a simple plan and whole foods at wheatfreenow.com.

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