Does anyone use one? The only one in our area is actually a DO, but I am considering checking her out. The next closest one I have heard of is in FL. What can I expect?
Thanks!

bump, in hopes of a reply. :confused:

bump, in hopes of a reply. :confused:

I have also been anxiously awaiting a reply to this post.
I have an appoinment for my son with a DAN doctor in 2 weeks. I will let you know how it goes and what I think.
I am very interested in hearing about other's experiences-good or bad. I'm a little nervous about the appointment. Seeing this type of doctor puts me a bit out of my comfort zone.

I have also been anxiously awaiting a reply to this post.
I have an appoinment for my son with a DAN doctor in 2 weeks. I will let you know how it goes and what I think.
I am very interested in hearing about other's experiences-good or bad. I'm a little nervous about the appointment. Seeing this type of doctor puts me a bit out of my comfort zone.
I feel the same way. It's pretty different for ol' conventional me. Please post when you've seen him/her.

BetsyAnn, please let us know how it goes. I don't have a DAN in this area, but would like to have Anna see a doctor, if it can be found to be beneficial to her.

What did the doctor do? What were the recommendations? Did you feel this was a step in the right direction?? Lots of questions.

Yvette

I will definetly let you know how it goes. Our appointment is on the 24th of March. I am taking a friend with me to help me be objective and discerning.
I hope it is helpful. I just feel I have to do something. I know that nutrition can make a big difference for anyone. There are just so many different special diets and supplements that people have used with there autistic children that I feel very overwhelmed. I feel I need to get some educated quidance about when to start- what to try first.

The 24th? That's coming up soon! Thanks for offering to share the experience. I look forward to seeing how it goes for ya'll.

We have been seeing a DAN doctor in NY - We have seen him a handful of times - to help with the little girl I work with who is 10 yrs old non verbal - metabolic disorders - Atypical Angelmans Syndrome with Renal tubular Acidosis - Autistic tendancies - on Depakote for seziures - behavior problems of self biting - self hitting and hitting others - on Risperdal 1 small tab twice a day -

The doctor didnt bieleve she was autistic but was willing to help with the protocal - he went through a thourough backround and when he heard she had bad reflux as an infant he put her on Prevacid for reflux - he felt that even though it stopped as an infant it never really goes away and thats why she eats and then stops for a few days - due to the reflux - we had no idea -
Then put her on the GFCF diet strict with no soy or eggs - we thought it was going to be a disaster bc she loves her Mac N Cheese and McDonald's - to our surprise she excepted it all and hasnt missed me a meal - dinner and lunch are a pleasure and she is eating more helathy than ever b4 - not sure if these foods agree with her better or the Prevacid is helping he digest the foods -

Then we went for lots of blood work - 18 vials worth!!! Which revealed difficiencies in many amino acids - and high Pyruvate -

He noticed a defficiancy in folic acid and recommended every other day injections - of folate and B12 - never thought we would have to give her injections -

Then he did air born allergy testing - was a long ordeal - by the time she was done she had 40 pin pricks on her arm - she was allergic molds - bed mites and grass - no food allergies were tested. A nasal spay was given to nuetralize the allergies.

He then prescribed a bunch of viatamins from Kirkman Labs -

Betanine
Liquid Zinc -
Pro-Bio
Enzyme aid
Cod liver oil - lemon lime
Kirkman's Magnesium Glycinate “Sweet” Powder
I bieleve Nuthera and something else that I forgot has come in yet.

He would also like to try intro vinous secretin - which is epxensive. I read articles that long term study hasnt found that it works - WE did topical with her a few years back with no luck -

Its a lot to digest - along with everything else she takes - the Depakote - Zyrtec, Risperdal, Polycitra! He wanted us to stop the Depaokte - and we did and she started to not be herslf - we arent sure if it was due to that or the Botox shots she had in her legs for her spaciticy heal cords from a tethered cords.

So that is what has been done so far with the DAn Doctor.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the DAN doctor. It was very interesting. I was very happy to hear that the diet changes went so smoothly. I am so nerveous about diet restrictions. You success has made me hopeful that we can do it without too much stress.
Thanks again for the post it was very helpful.

My son sees a DAN doctor. The gf/cf diet has worked great so far. The DAN doctor prescribed Super Nu-Thera, a potent multivitamin, and I noticed a difference in his level of alertness almost immediately. Although it no longer seems that my son is reacting obviously to infractions (after one full year of the diet), the DAN doctor advises not reintroducing any of the offending foods until after he turns 5 (at least).

I highly recommend seeing a DAN doctor if you're thinking about any dietary endeavors in regards to your child's autism. I started my son on the diet before we actually went to the DAN doctor, and I really struggled to learn and understand everything myself. It was incredibly overwhelming and stressful. Not everything works for every child, so it's also a bit of trial and error, and the doctor can help you with that.

We had our appointment with the DAN doctor on Wednesday. I think it went very well. I felt very comfortable with the doctor and the vist.
Before our visit the center sent us a packet of information that explained all of the DAN protocal. It included various aspects of treatment and why each is benefical. I filled out a medical and behavioral history on my son. Also an "Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist" which I took to the appointment. During the 1 1/2 hour appointment the doctor went over my son's history. He also went over the different steps in the treatment program.

Our first step is nutritional supplementation:
Nu-Thera (Wisegirl, it was promising to hear your son reacted son well to this. I just started giving Caden this today. I hope we have good results.)
Nu-thera/EveryDay Compainion
Zinc
Cod Liver Oil
Omega-3 Fish Oil

After he has been on the supplements for several weeks we move on to step 2: Casien free diet trial for 3 weeks. Then step 3: gluten free trial for 3 months.

We took in a urine sample so they could have a urine organic acid test run. This will be sent out of state (he only uses a couple of different labs for this test.) The test cost $249. It is doubtful that the insurance will pay (out of network doctor and out of network lab.)
The doctor said "This test will give me information about his nutritional/vitamin status, his detoxification system, the possibility of heavy metal exposure and will diagnose intestinal dysbiosis (the overgrowth of abnormal bacteria and fungi.)"

The doctor also gave us an order for some screening blood tests that we could do at our local (in network) hospital. I will take them to our pediatrician (in network) and ask him to rewrite them so that the insurance will pay. As long as autism is never mentioned our insurance is pretty good about lab work.

The doctor did not feel that testing to see if our son was sensitive to casien or gluten was necessary. He said that the tests where expensive. He also said because of the different problems that the casein and guten cause the tests are not always reliable. He recommended give the diets a trial to see if they make a difference. In his experience the casein free diet makes the most difference of all the treatments for a high percentage of the kids.

He also told us to increase his protein- to use more eggs and beans and meat.
Currently his main source of protein are from milk product.

We will go back in a couple of months and work from there.

I wanted to add that he was not at all pushy about any of the lab tests. He was very sensitive to the fact that they might not be immediately affordable. He said different families choose to have diffent test done based on their personal concerns. He also said that all of the testing can be staggered so that it is not such a financial blow all at once.

I will post later and let you know if there is any improvement and what it is.

BetsyAnn, I'm glad to hear your experience with the DAN doctor was a good one! :) I just wanted to point out, in case the doctor didn't, that it's extremely important to keep a diary of anything new you are introducing to your child. If you introduce more than one supplement at a time, you will never know what's helping and what's not. Our DAN doctor recommended at least two weeks in between introducing each new supplement. In the diary, you can keep track of how your child appeared after each new supplement, including any bowel differences.

It's the same way when you eliminate foods. First eliminate casein for 2-4 weeks, then gluten, then soy (soy is very much like casein for a lot of kids), and then maybe corn (another biggie for some). And keep a food diary that lists everything your child eats each day, including how they seemed to react/not react. It's impossible to see what's causing what without doing this.

You probably already know this, but I just wanted to point it out for others who are following along with this thread.

Thank you so much for posting about your DAN experience. I have been watching to see how it went and it sounds like it was a positive experience for y'all. I am so glad about that!
I am more inclined to look into this now. I had reservations; it is just so different than anything I have ever encountered in a medical approach. I think I am going to give ABA a little time and see where we get with that and keep an eye out for your reports. I hope that y'all have real success. Thank you again for sharing your experience.

Wisegirl, thanks for the post. Knowing and doing are two different things. I definetly needed the reminder to keep a journal. I had not been doing it. I did get out a notebook today and will make it a priority. There really is no other way to know what type of changes are taking place.

Shue, if you are still interested in learning more about the DAN protocal, I would read Children with Starving Brains:A Medical Treatment Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorder 2nd edition. It pretty much covers all of the different treatments and the reasons for each.
Good luck with the ABA proram. I would love to hear more details about that.

Cool! Thank you!:)

I thought I would post an update on our experience with the Dan doctor. Last week he sent us the results of Caden's Urine Organic Acids test. He sent a report from the lab along with his typed summary of the results. The summary was 1 ½ pages and included the following topics:

-fatty acid metabolism
-specific nutritional deficiencies
-neurotransmitter abnormalities
-oxidation damage
-detoxification abnormalities
-intestinal dsybiosis

Caden showed several nutritional deficiencies. The supplements that he has been on cover some of these. The additional supplements that the doctor recommended are Idebenone for coenzyme Q10 and folinic acid.

Caden's test showed excessive gut bacteria so the doctor sent us a prescription for Metronidazole. Caden will take it for 14 days. When he finishes the prescription he will need to take probiotics to replenish the good bacteria. The doctor recommended ProBioGold.

This test did not show evidence of yeast. The doctor recommends we test his stool for yeast stating that it sometimes shows up on one test but not the other.

The doctor said that we should either see him or have a phone consultation with him when Caden has finished the Metronidazole.

We have been giving Caden the supplements since our first visit with the doctor. Of all of the supplements the omega-3-fish oil has made the most notable difference in him. After starting the fish oil he was more social, better eye contact, and more verbal.

He has been on the casein free diet for a week. It has helped his sleep dramatically. I will post more about this later, on another thread.

Interesting. Thanks for the update!

What is a DAN doctor?

It stands for Defeat Autism Now. THey are docotors who espouse a biomedical approach to beating autism. At least that is my understanding.

We had our second visit with the DAN doctor?

We discussed the progress that my son has made so far with the GF/CF diet and the supplements.

My son was not willing to take Kirkman's Everyday Companion. We had already switched from it to seperate products for calcium, vitaman C, and a multiple mineral. He has been taking them all well except the multimineral so the doctor made a switch on that. I am now able to get all of the supplements down fairly easily each day. At times this has been very stressful.

We are now on "phase II" which is detoxification. The following treatments were prescribed to help Caden's body start to detoxify itself. We are to introduce one a week in order to check for tolerance.
methylcobamin (B-12) injections twice a week
allithianmine cream (TTFD) 1/2 ml twice a day rubbed on chest and back
glutathione lotion 1 gram a day
TMG supplements start at 200 mg and work up to 1000 mg a day
magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salts) 1 cup in each bath


We also brought home a Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis kit. After I collect the sample I will send it to Great Smokies Diagnostic Labratory. This will test for many things including yeast.

We are supposed to see the doctor in about six weeks. If all is well he will start Caden on a prescription medicine that will pull out the heavy metals.
However, if he does have a yeast problem, we will need to take care of that first.

Wow BetsyAnn. Sounds tough. What has his progress been?

Wow BetsyAnn. Sounds tough. What has his progress been?

Honestly, it has been tough, however well worth it. We are finally getting to the point "the diet" and the supplementation are becomming just another part of our daily routine and consequently much easier.

The greatest area of progress is sleep. The improvement was so dramatic. It went from one extreme to the other within a matter of three days. This change without a doubt resulted from the removal of all milk.

Other areas of improvement include speech, social interaction, attention, and eye contact. His balance and coodination have improved.

He has completely stopped his compulsive opening and closing of doors and drawers. (He has not had any behavioral intervention in this area.)

He has had no asthma symptoms and we have been able to stop all of his asthma medications.

The change in my son has been significant enough that even the people that thought I was becomming a wacko extremist are convinced that he needs the biomedical interventions that we are doing.

The CF diet and the Omega-3-fish oil are the only two interventions that independently resulted in significant changes. However, all of the interventions working together have made a big difference.

A while back, someone posted that their child began sleeping well as soon as they introduced the mega-dose vitamins. They stated that they had already been on the GF/CF diet when they introduced the vitamins. My son began taking all of the supplements before starting the diet. I wonder if we would have seen more selective reactions to the individual supplements if my son would have been GF/CF first. I believe that the diet helps with the absorbson the the other nutrients. If anyone else has done the GF/CF diet for a while and then added supplements, please share your experience.

Wow again BetsyAnn. I go see the allergist/MD the end of July and if we decide to go for it, she'll go a week later. My main reason for pursuing this is for sleep issues. Something has gotta give on that front or I am going to be in the rubber room chewing on my tongue before to much longer. :dizzy: So, I am really encouraged by y'all's experience. Abby doesn't do milk, but she digs cheese and yoghurt and it will be pretty miserable if that has to go. What do these kids do for calcium? Can they have soy, tofu? Anyway, thank you so much for sharing your progress. I hope that you'll keep us updated and God bless you!

I do not believe that people should choose NOT TO do the diet due to what the allergist says. My son had extensive tests for allergy's and the only things he was allergic to were cat fur and dust mites. I know many children with autism who are on special diets and only ONE BOY I know has to be on the GF diet. He tested positive for Celiac Disease. When I took my son off all milk at 29 months he went from 25 words to over 200 in one month, started pointing to everything, and lost the constant staring into space look. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway the point I wanted to make is if the allergy tests come back negative I still think parents should try it for a month. If you don't notice a difference then go back to milk. My son drinks Vanilla Rice milk. It has calcium.

Abby doesn't do milk, but she digs cheese and yoghurt and it will be pretty miserable if that has to go. What do these kids do for calcium? Can they have soy, tofu?

We have to supplement the calcium. My son will not drink rice milk-he will have it on cereal. I do buy calcium fortified orange juice but he is young enough I don't like him to have too much of it (acidity). My son did drink rice milk freely when I had eliminated milk but not other sources of dairy. Once he was casien free he has not been willing to drink it.

I bought a quart of chocolate almond milk, that had calcium, that I thought was wonderful. My son however, was not interested in it.

I discovered that my son has the same reaction to soy as he does to milk, but not to the same degree. If he has one sip of milk he will not sleep well for three days. If he has a serving of soy yogurt he has more restless sleep for a couple of days.

Do you every just feel overwhelmed by all of the decisions that you have to make in regards to your childs health? I do. It sometimes seems that educating yourself about different options that are available just introduces more questions and more decisions.

Do you every just feel overwhelmed by all of the decisions that you have to make in regards to your childs health? I do. It sometimes seems that educating yourself about different options that are available just introduces more questions and more decisions.


Hear, Hear! :confused:

We use a Dan Doctor in yhe Phoenix Area. We fly out to visit his office about 5 times each year. They have really done a nice job with our son who was diagnosed severe but now is very high functioning. They believe that most of the autism today is caused by the mercury in the vaccinations and also the vaccinations themselves. They also beleive that the environmental polution has played a factor.

Go to the Autism Research Institute web site: www.autismresearchinstitute.com look closely at the research done there and notice their commitment to the DAN program.

wmlere

thousands of autistic children in america have been helped tremendously by dan doctors. some have even been fully recovered. ( - removed - )