Clinic Notes: Toxins In Pregnant Women

A question I am asked every day in my clinic is what causes autism. Well the short answer is we don't know. Most clinicians and scientists working in the autism field suspect something in the environment that is somehow affecting brain development of the infant either pre or post natal or both. Studies have shown that autism rates go up the closer children live to a freeway or agriculture field. But there may be much more to the story. A recent study in the journal Environmental Health found 43 chemicals in 268 pregnant women, many banned since the seventies. Some have been shown to affect brain development and hormone regulation. Well that is certainly going to be a challenge for researchers.