Autism Spectrum Disorder is a generally poorly understood condition.
No "cure" exists for it, but there's a number of techniques such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) available that help patients cope with the cognitive load and lessen the symptoms.
A "clean" diet avoiding gluten, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, colourings and additives is also beneficial.
Watch this video for a detailed discussion of Vasopressin.
Please note: this is not a health advice recommendation - dosage and treatment protocols should be prepared by a qualified doctor / therapist. This is for your information and as a starting point for further research only.
In terms of supplementation, there's a number of product worth testing the products below. See the source page for more information:
- Fish oils
- B-Complex vitamins
- Multi mineral supplement
- Probiotics
- GABA (unavailable in the UK)
- Melatonin (unavailable in the UK / prescription only)
- Vitamin D
- Lion's Mane Mushroom
- Cordyceps and Reishi
- Lemon Balm
- NAC (See here for dosage)
- Bacopa
- Rhodiola
Vasopressin boosters - see here for the source information:
- Restricting water
- Dietary Sodium
- Standing
- Exercise
- Sauna
- Forskolin
- Glycine
- Rhodiola – Lowers endopeptidase activity, leading to higher vasopressin.
- Ginkgo – Lowers endopeptidase activity, leading to higher vasopressin
- Baicalein – Inhibits endopeptidase, raising vasopressin
- Berberine – Inhibits endopeptidase, raising vasopressin
Vagus nerve stimulation
When we have low vagal tone our vagus nerve struggles to flexibility adapt between these two systems. This results in more strain and stress on the nervous system. Several studies have found that Autistic and ADHD children and adults have low vagal tone, meaning our nervous systems struggle to adapt to changes.
One key factor in measuring vagal tone and the window of tolerance is tracking heart-rate variability (HRV). HRV measures how much variation there is in your heart rate over time and in changing situations. Someone with a high vagal tone—or a large window of tolerance—has more variation in heart rate and increased HRV. Likewise, someone with a low vagal tone has low HRV.
If you’d like to track your HRV, using an Apple Watch or a FitBit is the best way. By writing down your HRV each week, both before and after beginning to introduce vagal tone exercises, you get to witness your nervous system building more capacity.
Please see this website for more details and the theory behind these recommendations.
Some techniques with the potential to improve vagal tone are:
- Breathwork
- Cold exposure
- Exercise and movement
- Laughter, Signing, Humming, Chanting
- Mindfulness
- Probiotics and Omega 3
- Massage
Sources:
Stanford Medicine: Hormone (Vasopressin) reduces social impairment in kids with autism https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2019/05/hormone-reduces-social-impairment-in-kids-with-autism.html
Herbal Remedies: Autism and ADHD: How to Manage Symptoms Naturally by Nicole Apelian https://nicoleapelian.com/blog/autism-and-adhd-how-to-manage-symptoms-naturally/
Supporting Vasopressin - What is Vasopressin (ADH)? Functions & Health Implications by Joe Cohen, BS https://selfhacked.com/blog/need-know-vasopressin-role-chronic-health-issues/
Autistic and ADHD nervous system: https://neurodivergentinsights.com/blog/autistic-adhd-nervous-system
Natural Medicine Journal: N-Acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Childhood Autism