When I started this blog 85 posts ago, I could not even spell endocrinology, let alone know how important it might be in my quest to figure out autism and how best to manage it. Endocrinology is all about the biosynthesis, storage, chemistry, biochemical and physiological function of hormones and with the cells of the endocrine glands and tissues that secrete them.
What does that have to do with autism?
Well, 85 posts later, I think I can safely tell you that while oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the damaged autistic brain are the two drivers of autism, most of the behavioural consequences are likely mediated by you child's endocrine system.
Like me, you can try as hard as you like to minimize oxidative stress and neuroinflammation and this will take you a long way; but the ultimate goal would be to give the endocrine system a little help to switch from autistic homeostasis towards neurotypical homeostasis. Is this really possible? A year ago I would have said this was pure fantasy; now I am not so sure.
There are numerous well documented hormonal imbalances in autism, only some of which have been investigated and none very thoroughly.
Medicine is full of "-ologies" and you would have thought autism had most to do with Neurology, but I have a feeling that Endocrinology will give me the final piece of the puzzle that I am looking for.
For this next stage in my investigation I will be taking advice from an Endocrinologist.