Friends (With Overlapping Conditions Lumped as "Autism Spectrum Disorder") Who Like Dr. John Catanzaro (& His Education on FB)

I was one of the first people Dr. John Cantanzaro added to his new group, which appears to have been created on May 3, 2016.  As of my creating this topic on Memorial Day 2016, the end of May, there are 2,849 other people, or profiles I should say, in the group.  I'm going to take this topic in a direction of revealing how I go about 'looking into someone'.  

Naturally, there's their website.  This is what is said at his: 

Where we started

Our company was founded by Dr. John Catanzaro and Kris Fobes in 2012, two innovators that saw a need for a proactive health system using the blueprint of our bodies; genetics. Dr. John Catanzaro, a graduate of Bastyr, author, speaker, educator, and leader in the genetic community  has been using genetics heavily in his naturopathic practice since 1996 with emphasis in immunogenetics and oncology. Kris Fobes, armed with certificates in genetics, computer science and business from MIT, Harvard, and UBC brings the technology development and business side into the picture. Together, Dr. John Catanzaro and Kris Fobes bring a very powerful force to the table in developing cutting edge strategies for leading the genetic industry in functional genetic use.   (Link: https://www.healthcoach7.com/about-us/)

               

When it comes to what I can see on Facebook, I look to see who else is in the membership -- he's connected well on Facebook, and has some incredible providers and consumers who are as good at giving their peers advise as anyone I've ever seen!  I might add that I'll only check into someone when they're posting information that I think is really wonderful and a 'fit' for what I think Lumigrate could use here in the forums.  

I'm pleased to see the people I think maybe got there because of my having shared many of the things he'd shared since starting this group, where I encourage people to find there sources.  That's a benefit of being my FB friend or following me on Facebook. And then the other side of that is that sometimes someone can be a wonderful educator, enthusiastic about trying new things, learning new things BUT you'll want to know about the overall with them before you take steps to have them become one of your personal providers.  

So then by searching the Internet by his name and state license, or licensing board, you can find the things from mainstream media about things which appear to me commonsplace among 'outside the box', creative providers that I've known.  

I've given this a lot of thought the last ten years, as I felt after a while in my own health care that sometimes there was a mix of medicines and supplements suggested to me without an emphasis on other lifestyle things which did NOT bring them revenue directly or indirectly such as prescribing or selling supplements.  A nonchalance that started seeming kind of familiar to me --- oh yes, my teaching assistant for human sexuality class at University in the late 1970s, where we had small group discussions at his and his girlfriend's apartment once a week and where it was very easy to then be considering purchasing some illegal pharmaceuticals to stay awake and study for finals.  This is what my generation is about, we were in college and having these experiences a generation after the 60s pushed a lot of barriers down for us.  And now there's a complacency perhaps in providers until they learn their lessons perhaps.  

Here are some links: 

From CaseWatch: http://www.casewatch.org/board/nat/catanzaro/agreed_order_2014.shtml

From The Seattle Times: 

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/suspended-by-state-... [1]

There are others, I'll let you do more on your own if you wish to pursue more.  

What I wanted to say overall is that I found John very likeable in private message conversations.  His personal page shows he's involved with aircraft restoration, I believe he had been in the military and worked on aircraft if I'm not mistaken.  On the discussion about the topic, below about autism spectrum and the surrounding overlapping conditions you see, someone had said 'could you have dysautonomia on that' and he'd said absolutely.  So I'd inquired if that could be changed and he said what kind of software was needed.  I asked if he had the image file and could do that and didn't get a response.  

In combining what I knew about him from my personal experiences so far with what I learned so far researching a bit, I get the sense he likes to go fast, get things done, is brilliant and doesn't see the need for the mundane paperwork involved in making things 'correct to make the system happy'.  So he might not have gotten permission to use all the graphics he's using, but is that the biggest crime in the world?  If it's going to help many people to be inspired, if he tries to give credit to whomever's image it is (which I've passed along here), we're both cutting corners in order to produce information for YOU (in my case), his followers in the case of what I've drawn from in his Facebook group (with his permission and knowledge by the way).  

So, I'd say enjoy the information.  Another thread in this forum is about another Facebook phenom who has been popular but then controversial; the more people would be in the group and see things, the more suspicions and questions were raised and those who turn to me for advise were not immune.  Oddly, it's so far been the highest single read topic on Lumigrate in the seven years we've been on the Internet.  

There were lessons in that, and it was someone without any formal health education, little formal science education, a criminal history that was findable on the Internet and was not slight but it was cannabis-related and showed his ability to work in a big group and likely make a good amount of money.  It appeared to me there were solicitations for money and GoFundMe types of things, occasional pushes for something new they'd beat the bushes about for donations, and I don't see Dr John doing those types of things with this group.  When he says to the desperate parent, below, to contact him and he'll help, I presume we know he's a professional and a fee will be involved.  Often people who use Facebook for PR and awareness raising will get people angry at them when they want to be compensated for their time talking about individual treatment.  Perhaps Dr John C has been able to find the 'delicate balance' and a new niche after his troubles with the state board.  

HIS FACEBOOK GROUP THAT BEGAN THIS MONTH

This is what he, or whomever is doing his Facebook,  has pinned to be seen by those coming into the group:

"Thank you for being a member of "Friends Who Like Dr. John Catanzaro". This page is developed for providing information and education in functional genetics and health. I will be posting periodically on key health topics as they relate to functional genetics. Thank you for being part of this public group!

Disclaimer: This content is not for the purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment of disease. It is for informational and educational content only. 

From May 12, 2016

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a difficult disorder to diagnose. Often, there are other underlying disturbances associated with it.

It rarely is diagnosed by lab testing and imaging and often some wrong conclusions result and when some underlying disturbance is revealed and remedied the entire picture changes. Testing is needed!

Some of these foundational disturbance can be:

1. Thyroid resistance, which is often overlooked in children, as the medical community believes that children do not generally have thyroid problems. Genes implicated here include, DIO1, DIO2, DIO3, SELENBP1, CTLA4 and others.

2. Adrenal insufficiency where feedback control of cortisol, the main hormone that regulates stress reaction is disturbed. Adrenal regulating genes like ADRB3, CRY1 and 2, ARNTL,TIMELESS, PER1 and others.

3. Neurotransmitter trafficking, certain neurotransmitters jam the communication signals, resulting in imbalances of Dopamine, GABA, Serotonin and other essential regulators to keep the signaling balanced. Genes implicated here can include DRD1, DRD2, CBD genes (CNR1, CNR2, etc) HTR2A, HTR2C, MAOA, GAD1, GABA related genes, Histamine related genes and others.

4. Blood sugar and insulin control are also crucial as restrictive / repetitive and communication interaction behaviors can be exaggerated due to extreme fluctuations of blood sugar between low and high levels of glucose circulating in the blood. Usually, hypoglycemia is common where fasting avoidance is advised because most kids demonstrate low fluctuations in blood sugar, resulting from many hours passing between meals maybe unrealized. There is a gene known as ACAD (fasting avoidance gene) that tests positive in these cases.

5. Inflammation and autoimmunity are also partners in creating functional disturbances in hormonal, neurotransmitter (brain, CNS and target gland interface) and protection against oxidative stress. Genes that can be implicated here include CHDH, PEMT, TACR1, FCGR2A, FCER1A, ATG16L1, TGFB1, TGFB3, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQA2 and others.

6. Mitochondrial Disturbance and Calcium Trafficking, predisposing to disturbances in the development of ATP and reliable electrical activity required to keep cellular energy consistent. This predisposes the mitochondria to oxidative damage. Genes that can be indicated here include CACNA1A, CACNA1S, CACNA1D, ATP7B, ATP5C, APOA, APOC, TRAP1, LRRK, COX, NOS and others.

7. Hydration and electrolyte imbalances also contribute disturbances in magnesium, sodium, potassium, calcium and trace minerals can be present.

Some criteria according to NIH to look for:

1. Restrictive / Repetitive behaviors may include:

- Repeating certain behaviors or having unusual behaviors
- Having overly focused interests, such as with moving objects or parts of objects
- Having a lasting, intense interest in certain topics, such as numbers, details, or facts.

2. Social communication / interaction behaviors may include:

- Getting upset by a slight change in a routine or being placed in a new or overly stimulating setting
- Making little or inconsistent eye contact
- Having a tendency to look at and listen to other people less often
- Rarely sharing enjoyment of objects or activities by pointing or showing things to others
- Responding in an unusual way when others show anger, distress, or affection
- Failing to, or being slow to, respond to someone calling their name or other verbal attempts to gain attention
- Having difficulties with the back and forth of conversations
- Often talking at length about a favorite subject without noticing that others are not interested or without giving others a chance to respond
- Repeating words or phrases that they hear, a behavior called echolalia
- Using words that seem odd, out of place, or have a special meaning known only to those familiar with that person’s way of communicating
- Having facial expressions, movements, and gestures that do not match what is being said
- Having an unusual tone of voice that may sound sing-song or flat and robot-like
- Having trouble understanding another person’s point of view or being unable to predict or understand other people’s actions.

Individuals with ASD may have other difficulties as mentioned above manifesting such as sensitivity to light, noise, clothing, or temperature. Sleep disturbances, digestion difficulty, and irritability are often experienced and tie into some of the above listed system concerns with their associated gene implications.

It is essential not to run to a hasty diagnosis and it is important to understand underlying implications as noted above to be sure that it is not the underlying imbalances causing the changes. It may not be ASD.

Pertinent lab testing is advised that involve the systems I described above including testing the gene pathway interface.

There are postive characteristics of ASD:

Strengths and abilities may include:

1. Having above-average intelligence – the CDC reports 46% of ASD children have above average intelligence
2. Being able to learn things in detail and remember information for long periods of time
3. Being strong visual and auditory learners
4. Exceling in math, science, music, or art.

To be better equipped in evaluating ASD, in a hopeful manner is essential. Just be sure that ASD is not the diagnosis of convenience or laxity, as it could be missing some crucial roots in functional disturbances that may not be ASD at all!

Resources:
www.healthcoach7.com [2] 
www.courtagen.com [3] 
www.medicinalgenomics.com [4]

With the powerhouse of people in the group, I thought I'd take the liberties of, without revealing names of anyone in the group, naturally, bring some of the better comments and conversation highlights here.  

One of his followers in the group posted that Dr JC (as I abbreviate it that way) had said this: 

Woman J says: "I've read the article a couple times .... and am interested to know exactly what tests are involved in determining whether ASD is implicated. Is it just through the DNA identifications noted by each numbered item listed..??.. along with the noted behaviors ..??.."

Dr J.C. replied: "J___, you should have your complete genotyping analysis. www.courtagen.com [5] and www.healthcoach7.com  [6]"

Woman J responded: "Are the tests offered different than 23&me...??... or are they just interpreting or zeroing in on the 23&me raw data..??.."

Dr J: "23andMe can be analyzed through HealthCoach7 and Courtagen does the phenotyping so that would be an additional analysis. You can begin with using your 23andMe data."

Woman J: "Is 'phenotying' a determination based on your genes and your lifestyle?"

Dr. J: "Based on your genes and plots actual expression of functional disease risk."

Woman P then stepped in: "To complement J___'s question, isn't it most efficient to utilize an individual's DNA profile to determine the sequence and identify a specific therapy approach, coupled with behavioral observations?"

Dr. J: "Absolutely!"

Woman P again: "Dr J has written this: "Oxidative burden / stress on the mitochondria / endoplasmic reticulum resulting in a few crucial effects on overall health including the inability to generate enough energy (ATP generation). This can cause prolonged fatigue, brain fog, decrease in metabolism, immune fatigue and overall decrease in functional efficiency of many body systems.

It is essential to protect the individuals cells from oxidative burden / inflammation in order to protect DNA, proteins and other cell structures from damage increasing aging risk and damage! Some things to consider are adequate replacement of riboflavin-5-phosphate, acetyl-carnitine, CoQ10, NADH, Vitamin C (fat soluble preferable), s-acetyl-glutathione.

Diets that are rich in antioxidants, wholesome organic foods, rich in essential fatty acids, fresh vegetables, fiber, low in provocative antigens (grains / gluten / dairy / others) low in inflammation provoking foods, low histamine provoking foods and low glycemic index foods are recommended.

Just for your information!! I do not recommend dosing or brands as remember I am not giving treatment recommendations here and you will need to find that information for yourself!!" 

May 6, 2016

Continuing our discussion on inflammation you might find this webinar helpful!

https://www.healthcoach7.com/2015/07/23/methylation-and-inflammation/ [8]                                      [8]