Supporting Wellness in Autism with Bioregulator Peptides
It has been about a year since I started peptides for my son. Even at small doses, there have been notable changes.
When most people hear "peptides," they think of injections and weight loss. But this isn't what I'm talking about. Rather, the peptides I use are bioregulators: very short (a few amino acids), orally bioavailable peptides that are naturally occurring in tissues and can help to gently modulate gene expression and support organ function. Effects are described as normalizing rather than forcing a pathway (they do not simply flood a receptor).
One of the main brands I use is Vita Peptides. Of these, I use Vita Detox (a 5-in-1 for liver, kidneys, stomach, gastric mucin, and bile), Thyrix for thyroid, Adrenact for adrenals, and Thymusol for the thymus gland. Before Vita Detox became available, I was using Gastrogen, Renolux, and the liver bioregulator individually.
Now, it needs to be said: none of these are a "treatment for autism." But they have, in our experience, led to meaningful improvements in wellness and quality of life; each thing that improves health matters, and that's what biomedical interventions for autism are really about. Our kids often have so many non-neurological symptoms and comorbidities that, especially in those who cannot communicate, lead to more suffering and difficult behaviors such as self-injury, aggression, or being quick to overwhelm.
One example is that my son often used to wake up in the morning in a terrible mood. Screaming, crying for seemingly no reason. Once he ate, the meltdown ended. I realized this was a sign of low blood sugar. Many people can become "hangry," children with autism included--when blood sugar drops, irritability rises. If this happens overnight, it can also lead to waking up in the middle of the night, which is another problem common for children with autism. Blood sugar is in part regulated by the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, from the adrenal glands. Since we have been using Adrenact, these low blood sugar meltdowns/night wakings have all but disappeared.
Also regulated by the adrenals is the dilation of the pupils. In a fight-or-flight response, when stress hormones are high, the pupils dilate. This can lead to sensitivity to light, since more light is let into the eyes than should be. Prior to starting Adrenact my son was showing signs of being sensitive to light, having a hard time transitioning into rooms with certain lighting and hiding his head in blankets. After starting Adrenact this gradually went away.
The adrenals are also relevant in mineral balancing. When we analyze hair mineral ratios, one of the key ratios is Na/Mg, indicating whether adrenal activity at the cellular level is high or low. When it is low, it's a sign that part of the body's metabolism is sluggish and therefore heavy metal detoxification may not be prioritized. Often we see very low toxic metals on these hair tests, when adrenal or thyroid function is reduced. Thyrix, the thyroid bioregulator, is also relevant here. When mineral levels improve, and adrenal and thyroid function improve, we tend to see a temporary increase in toxic metals, because they are being mobilized for excretion.
Having high stress hormones will put anyone on edge, and in autism a need for adrenal support can even contribute to sensory meltdowns. Adrenal bioregulators act as a gentle nudge into more optimal function.
My son also used to randomly vomit in his sleep, which can be due t reflux. I had heard from Rebecca Ferguson that Gastrogen helped her daughter's reflux. Gastrogen is the gastric mucin bioregulator, helping the stomach and GI tract lining. Once I added Gastrogen, this night vomiting gradually disappeared as well.
Now he takes Vita Detox, which contains Gastrogen, Liverra, Renolux, Biltorin, and Stomek. Together, these bioregulators help the digestive system as well as our primary means of detoxification, the liver and kidneys. When the liver processes toxins, they are put into the bile and exit through the digestive tract. It's one of the reasons it is so important to address constipation before beginning any biomedical intervention, especially ones that enhance detoxification. If the toxins can't leave, they may be reabsorbed. And it goes without saying that improving the health of the digestive system is one of, if not the main mode of biomedical intervention for autism, through the gut-brain axis. It's why I'm such a big advocate for gut balancing, and use it in my practice. Vita Detox or any of the digestive bioregulators are great complements to any work with the gut.
The other bioregulator he takes is Thymusol, which contains peptides from the thymus, the main gland regulating the immune system. Immune dysfunction is present in a significant subset of people with autism. The thymus trains T cells, immune cells which help to fight infections, as well as the subset of regulatory T cells (Tregs) which suppress excessive inflammation, maintain tolerance to self, and help keep other immune cells in check.
A study found that "maternal immune activation imprints a regulatory T cell deficiency in offspring that drives an autism-like phenotype." Whether or not thymus bioregulators would be able to act on this precise pathway, it does show that thymic function affects inflammation and brain development/function, so helping it in whatever ways possible is an area of interest. Inflammation is a major driver of behavior, so addressing it from multiple angles is important, whether that's through the gut-brain axis, by reducing toxic load, or modulating the immune system.
My son used to frequently take ibuprofen for PANS. The problem was that it would only last for 2 hours, when it can only be taken every 6 hours. I am not sure what exactly did it, but soon after I introduced bioregulators, his ibuprofen started lasting 5-6 hours like it was supposed to. Ibuprofen is also damaging to the gut lining and kidneys, so perhaps the peptides helped heal those side effects as well.
One of the great things about using bioregulators for kids with autism is that there is less taste and bulk to them than most other types of supplements, so it's more sensory-friendly. While my son takes most of his supplements (gut balancing and mineral balancing) in a hefty 60 ml syringe, the peptides I put in a small separate syringe with some water, which he takes easily. They're the perfect addition to a gut or mineral balancing protocol, or even just on their own.
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