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Etiology of autism and camel milk as therapy

The etiology of many autistic cases is based on a primary autoimmune disease, affecting an intestinal enzyme responsible for the formation of amino acids from the milk protein casein. Instead, the breakdown of the caseins, primarily beta-casein and beta-lactoglobulin, is to a powerful opioid, casomorphin. The opioid leads to typical cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Eventually the casomorphin causes brain damage. Animal experimentation has shown that casomorphin causes autistic-like symptoms. It is therefore, advisable to restrict milk and milk products that can lead to the formation of casomorphin. As camel milk does not contain beta-casein and beta-lactoglobulin, camel milk does not lead to autism symptoms. In addition, camel milk contains protective proteins, including the immunoglobulins necessary for maintaining the immune system and nutritional advantages for brain development. A few observations of the effect of drinking camel milk are presented and a discussion on the effect that camel milk had on various age groups. Keywords·, autoimmune, opioids, casomorphin, dromedary, Israel Correspondence: Professor (Emeritus) Reuven Yagil, Rehov Bar-Kochba 14, IL-84231 Beer-Sheva, Israel. Tel: 972-8-6273155; Fax: 972-86230674; E-mail: sdp_reuven@walla.com Submitted: December 30, 2004. Revised: February 01, 2005. Accepted: February 03, 2005. INTRODUCTION Reports from parents of autistic children that camel milk had helped their children led to the present study in an attempt to explore whether a possible cause of autism was related to cow's milk causing an autoimmune disease and whether the special properties of camel milk could be of benefit. In 1943, Leo Kanner introduced the name "early infantile autism" into the English language. At the same time, Hans Asperger described a milder form of the disorder that became known as the "Asperger syndrome". If a child has symptoms of either of these disorders but does not meet the specific criteria for either, the diagnosis is classified as "pervasive developmental disorder" (PDD), childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD) or "not otherwise specified" (NOS). Although once assumed a rare disease, autism has reached the stage of an epidemic in industrialized countries (I). Before 1960, most investigators did not consider childhood autism a distinct illness but rather considered it a childhood form of schizophrenia. Nowadays, it is accepted that schizophrenia and childhood autism are different entities. Typically, autism appears during the first 3 years of life, characterized by behavioral and cognitive symptoms. Many children exhibit repeated body movements such as hand-flapping or rocking. In some cases, they may display aggressive or self-injurious behavior and have difficulty in accepting changes in routine. The primary damage in autism is assumed to occur in the brain. This view has been confirmed by postmortem and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies, which have shown that many major brain structures are implicated in autism. Other research focuses on the role of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and epinephrine. AUTISM AS AN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE Possibly immune factors initiate the neurological disorders of autism (2), but the mechanisms are not clearly understood. The potential of interaction between vaccination and autoimmune diseases (3,4) is still hotly debated, whereas viral and bacterial infections can cause autoimmune reactions. Another finding was that children with autism had significantly higher levels of antibodies against both gluten and cerebellar peptide (4), together with a formation of immunoglobulin antibodies, mainly anti-IgA, IgM and IgG. Reports from many parents suggest a direct connection between the onset of autism and the time of inoculations (personal communications in practice). One should remember that as many anecdotal observations have led to great medical discoveries, such observations should not be readily discarded. One theory is that one cause of autoimmune-activated autism is 'toxic' substances in vaccines. The MMR (mumps, measles, rubella) vaccine has been the main focus of such studies, and there appears to be a direct link between MMR and inflammatory bowel syndrome (5), suggesting a link with autistic enterocolitis. This theory gains credence because poly-vaccinations in dogs also give rise to autoimmune diseases (6). DIET AND AUTISM Enterocolitis, a symptom in many autistic children (7), is often accompanied by Helicobacter pylori infection, lactase deficiency, and pancreas insufficiency. It has been suggested