| DAN (Defeat Autism Now) is a leading research group centered at the Autism Research Institute. It is the product of a 1995 meeting in a Dallas Airport hotel room. At this meeting, called by NOHA (Nutrition for Optimal Health Association) Honorary Member Bernard Rimland of the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, experts from around the world pooled their efforts in a "brainstorming" session. Some were practicing physicians; some were medical researchers. Many were (and are) parents with a personal interest in battling this disease. The focus of the meeting was: |
(1) What biochemical and immunologic causes of autism are probable?
(2) What strategies could be found that will at least mitigate autism?
| In 1995, the conventional assumption was very much that autism was incurable and that treatment consisted mainly of training and education. The Defeat Autism Now group was not willing to accept such a prognosis and worked to find alternative treatments for autism. |
| This initial session and subsequent sessions over the years brought about the DAN Protocol. Two members of the original DAN group, Dr. Sidney Baker and Dr. Jon Pangborn were selected to write the actual protocol, using the information that had been developed. Then the full group reviewed the protocol and suggested changes before it was finally published. |
| The DAN Protocol involves a combination of changes to the diet and implementation of vitamin supplements as a means of producing changes in autistic behaviors. |
According to published information, these changes include the following steps,
- Elimination of dairy products. The introduction of a casein free diet is primary in the treatment of autism by means of this protocol.
- Elimination of cereal grain products. Gluten has been shown to aggravate the digestive system and there is a correlation between children with autism and bowel problems.
- Elimination of foods that contain refined sugars.
- Supplementation of the diet with vitamin and mineral therapy. Below is a list of supplements and dosages that are recommended:
- Calcium: 300 mg twice a day. This can be done in two doses, or once at bedtime to facilitate sleep.
- Magnesium: 50 mg twice a day
- Vitamin C: 50 mg twice a day
- Vitamin B5: (Pantothenic Acid) 500 mg twice a day
- Vitamin B6: 100 mg twice a day1 multiple vitamin daily
- DMG: 125 mg twice a day
- Pycnogenol: 50 mg twice a day
- Gaba: 75 mg twice a day
| As with any treatment, the DAN Protocol should only be undertaken with medical supervision. The DAN Protocol suggests specific lab testing that should be done, and provides a list of recommended laboratories to do these tests. These labs have been found to provide the best quality information about the test results and help the treating physician determine the priorities that must be addressed in each individual case. The combination of all of the above dietary changes have been shown to have sometimes dramatic effects on children with autism, but the people at DAN are the first to admit that it is not a "cure all" and that all improvements may not be solely the result of the protocols. It is important to note that each child should be looked at on an individual basis, and there is no "one size fits all" approach that can be taken for everyone. Autism is a complicated disorder, and there are many things that may influence its course.
|
|
