Tag Archives: Autism

A few weeks ago, The US government came out with guidance suggesting that pregnant women or young children not take Tylenol (acetaminophen) because of evidence that it may promote autism. This caused a bit of a stir in the media well, because including medical opinions today, everything becomes intertwined with politics.

Regardless of that, it’s worth looking at evidence to see if there really is a connection or not.

In a functional medicine approach to health and here at Functional Health & Acupuncture Institute, we are always looking for root causes of chronic health conditions.  Over the last 7-10 years I have taken a number of certification courses in different functional medicine specialties, including an Autism Mastery course and Childhood Development Disorders. The idea that there is a connection between Tylenol use and autism is nothing new.

William Shaw, Director of Great Plains Laboratory (now Mosaic) wrote a paper in 2013 Journal of Restorative Medicine discussing the increased use of Tylenol starting in the 80s and the correlation with the rise in autism and asthma. Tylenol use increased when aspirin stopped being recommended for children due to a concern of another condition, Reye’s Syndrome. Doctors also would sometimes recommend giving children Tylenol before vaccines to mitigate any fever reactions after receiving the vaccines.

Correlation does not equal causation, but when there is a correlation, good science demands that this be considered by looking at available evidence. At that time, conclusions were that there is definitely a connection between increased use of Tylenol and the rise in both autism and asthma in children, but more research was needed to further understand this issue.  While the rates of autism do appear to rise and fall with acetaminophen use, and some countries that do not have OTC availability of acetaminophen have very low rates of autism, this alone does not confirm causation.

Basically, the scientific findings about the metabolic effect of Tylenol indicate that vulnerable populations have defective detox pathways (called sulfation pathways). This defect causes the overproduction of toxic metabolites when there is overconsumption of acetaminophen that further impairs the body’s ability to clear toxic chemicals.  So there may be a genetic predisposition to not handling acetaminophen and we know that some genetic tests can show an individual does not process this well. Acetaminophen also is known to deplete glutathione, our most important antioxidant and detoxifier.  By depleting glutathione, acetaminophen weakens our ability to combat oxidative stress and free radicals which promote inflammation, including neuroinflammation.  Together, this causes a negative impact on certain brain neurons that are associated with balance, autism, MS and other neurological disorders.

My conclusion is that in a vulnerable population, acetaminophen may be a problem. But without universal genetic testing, it can be challenging to know who is vulnerable. There is also a more well accepted connection between Tylenol use and rates of childhood asthma, but the mechanisms of impact are similar to those believed to be in play with autism.

For children, consider NOT giving Tylenol (or NSAIDS) prophylactically before vaccines.  Children may be able to use ibuprofen safely, but for pregnant women this is more of a conundrum, as ibuprofen, and perhaps even aspirin, are not recommended during pregnancy. In these cases, consider acupuncture and relaxation techniques as good alternatives for pain management.

Is it possible to test for the root causes of chronic disease conditions? At Functional Health and Acupuncture Institute in Cherry Hill, NJ, understanding the root cause of a person’s chronic condition is critical to helping people get better.

One thing that all brain based conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism have in common is that inflammation has a negative impact on brain functioning.  Inflammation may be due to gut infections like candida, hormone imbalance, blood sugar imbalance, poor liver detoxification (and buildup of toxins), nutrient depletions and food sensitivities. If we can assess these things, we can make dietary and lifestyle changes that give us a better chance of having improved brain functioning and overall improved health.

One test that is simple yet very useful in this regard is the Organic Acids Test.  Watch here to understand how it may help you: