Alternative Approaches for Down Syndrome
There are a number of revolutionary treatments to maximize the learning potential and physical
capabilities of those with Down syndrome that have shown significant success and have been gaining
increasing scientific attention in recent years.
NUTRITIONAL APPROACH
The use of nutritional supplementation to help boost the metabolism of those with Down syndrome
began with North American physician Dr. Henry Turkel in the 1950s. To address the unique
biochemistry of those with Down syndrome, he began treating affected children with a combination
of vitamins, minerals, and hormones. Although his program achieved some success, his work was
generally rejected or ignored by mainstream scientists.
However, a growing population of parents of children with Down syndrome continued to use Dr.
Turkel's nutritional program. Eventually, Kent MacLeod, a pharmaceutical biochemist and owner
of Nutri-Chem Labs in Ottawa, Canada, learned of Dr. Turkel's formula after a number of parents
asked him to evaluate the protocol. MacLeod and the biochemical team at Nutri-Chem joined with
Dr. Turkel and other researchers in further developing and refining the original supplemental. A
nutritional formula known as MSBPlus was the eventual result.
MSBPlus is a formula of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, and enzymes that targets
essential nutrients missing from the biochemical makeup of the person with Down syndrome. This
supplement, which can be custom-formulated to meet individual age and metabolic needs, has met
with marked success. Research is ongoing. The University of Miami School of Medicine is now
collaborating with Nutri-Chem clinical trials and studies on Down syndrome. One long-term,
double-blind study will examine the cognitive development and language skills of children with
Down syndrome who are taking MSBPlus.
Nutri-Chem is also working with Dr. Marie Peeters, a pediatrician and former member of the
Institute de Progenese in Paris. Dr. Peeters was an associate of Dr. Jerome LaJaune, the
scientist who discovered the cause of Down syndrome. In an effort to further study the effects
of nutritional supplements (particularly amino acids) on those with this disorder, Dr. Peeters
is involved in clinical trials.
For additional information on MSBPlus formula, or to receive information on the connection
between nutrition and Down syndrome, you can contact:
Nutri-Chem Labs
1303 Richmond Rd
Ottawa, ON Canada K2B 7Y4
1-888-384-7855
1-613-820-9065
1-613-829-2226
Website: www.nutrichem.org
The work of Dr. Turkel also influenced Jack Warner, M.D., F.A.A.P., founder of Warner House, Inc.,
a not-for-profit center for the clinical study and treatment of Down syndrome. Together with
medical colleagues, biochemists, and other medical professionals, Dr. Warner developed a metabolic
treatment called HAP CAPS for children with Down syndrome. This formula is a supplemental yet
integral part of a multidisciplinary treatment approach that includes examination and
evaluation by a physical therapist, a developmental optometrist, a clinical psychologist, a
speech advisor, and a nutritionist, under the recommendation of a primary care pediatrician,
plus a system of periodic reports, tests, and doctor's observations. In addition to seeing
patients regularly at the clinic in Fullerton, California, the Warner House staff also travels
across the United States to meet with patients in many cities.
Dr. Warner reports that data from over twelve years of research and treatment show the Warner
House treatment protocol has resulted in changes in the physical features of children with
Down syndrome, a reduction in the frequency of infections that typically affect these children,
and an improvement in their cognitive ability.
More information about Warner House can be obtained by contacting:
Dr. Forrest "Jack" Warner
1023 E. Chapman Ave
Fullerton, CA 92831
1-714-441-2600
Website: www.warnerhouse.com
DEVELOPMENTAL STIMULATION APPROACH
The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offers
parents of children with Down syndrome a specialized program for helping their children
develop and maximize their potential. In this program, parents are the key players in a home
therapeutic approach that involves providing simple yet intensive neurological stimulation for
their children. A carefully designed nutritional regimen is also an integral part of the
program.
Before beginning the program, parents attend a five-day course of lectures and demonstrations at
The Institutes. They learn about the Developmental Profile, a measuring instrument that clearly
shows visual, auditory, tactile, mobility, language, and manual abilities a child should attain
by certain ages, and they learn specific techniques to use in working on different skill
areas with their children. Once home, the parents carry out an individualized brain-development
program tailored to the needs of their child. Carried out properly, these techniques have
produced most encouraging results, often leading children with Down syndrome to perform even
above levels exhibited by most average children.
For more information on this program, contact:
The Registrar
The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP)
8801 Stenton Avenue
Wyndmoor, PA 19038
1-800-736-4663
1-215-233-2050
1-215-233-9312 (fax)
Website: www.iahp.org
|
Down syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a congenital disorder - that is, it occurs during fetal development, but is not inherited. It is named for British physician John Langdon Haydon Down, who first described the condition in 1866. In 1959, Dr. Jerome LeJeune of France, discovered that Down Syndrome was caused by a chromosomal anomaly, specifically the transmission of an extra 21st chromosome. The overall incidence of Down syndrome is about 1 in 700 live births. Almost half of the children with Down syndrome are born to mothers over the age of 35 years.
MoonDragon's Obgyn Information - Amniocentesis Information
