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Dr. Tiegs Asks...
A Link Between Mercury and Autism?
Remember the Mad Hatter from the childhood classic, Alice in Wonderland? Back then, the process of making hats involved using mercury compounds. Overexposure could produce symptoms referred to as being “mad.”
Could there be a link between mercury and today’s increase in the number of autistic children?
Autism is a developmental disability that affects, often severely, a person's ability to communicate and socially interact with others. Interestingly, it is four times more prevalent in males than females.
In the 1990’s, reported autism cases among children began spiking, from about 1 in 10,000 in 1987, to a shocking 1 in 166 today!
Some believe autism is merely a developmental disorder that some people are born with. Other researchers are exploring potential problems during pregnancy or delivery as well as environmental factors, such as viral infections, metabolic imbalances, and exposure to environmental chemicals, especially mercury. Other theories explore the potential relationship of testosterone and estrogen levels in the child’s mother. Others suggest that dietary factors are involved. Some even speculate that left-handedness could somehow be related.
Regardless of the cause (or causes) how might chiropractic care be helpful?
- By avoiding or reducing exposure to environmental toxins. Many parents choose to enhance their child’s (and their own!) immune system with natural, drug-free chiropractic care.
- By optimizing the nervous system. Reducing biomechanical stress to the nervous system gives autistic children a better chance of becoming all that they can be.
Intrigued? Know someone with an autistic child? Ask them to contact Northside Chiropractic to explore the possibilities of today’s safe and natural chiropractic care.