subject: Autism Treatment – Clostridia & Regression [print this page] The issue of regression comes up quite often in my practice. Specifically Id like to cover the issue of regression following antibiotic use or antifungal treatment. For example, your child has recently been on an antibiotic or antifungal prescriptions like Nystatin, Diflucan or Nizoral or herbal treatments like oregano oil or grapefruit seed extract and instead of improvement in behavior you see regression. And specifically you see a worsening of behavior in regards to greater irritability, aggression, self injury and withdrawal. The most common cause is some type of underlying bacterial issue.
Clostridia is a common bacteria present in many children on the spectrum. There are quite a few different forms of clostridia bacteria, one form called clostridia dificil can cause a form of inflammatory bowel disease, We are not talking about that form when we talk about the regression seen in these kids although its toxic byproducts could be responsible for some negative behaviors. But we are generally covering the broad family of clostridia, not just one strain.
There are tests that can look at the specific yeast and clostridia bacteria markers and they are called the Organic Acid Test and the Microbial Organic Acid Test, both from Great Plains Labs. The clostridia marker is a metabolic toxin called HPHPA and can be found on these tests. Some of those negative behaviors seen in children with Autism can be caused by those metabolic toxins interfering with brain chemicals.
The reason you see regression when using an antifungal is because yeast and clostridia live in a state of constant competition in the digestive tract. When one is being treated then many times the other one can get worse. When you have a yeast overgrowth and are treating it and also have clostridia overgrowth and dont treat that at the same time, the clostridia can get worse because it has less yeast to compete with. Antibiotic use can also encourage clostridia growth because antibiotics also kill the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract that help fight the clostridia as well. So, often times clostridia overgrowth can be the cause of regression following antibiotic or antifungal use.
Autism Treatment Clostridia & Regression
By: Dr. Kurt Woeller
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