Quick Read: Exploring the Fever Effect in Autism

• 🧪 Brain Chemistry Changes: When children with autism have a fever, their bodies release glutamine and taurine, which are crucial for brain function and may lead to temporary improvement in autism symptoms.
• 🔬 Immune Balance: The balance between TH1 and TH2 immune responses is critical. Nutrients like skullcap can elevate TH1, potentially alleviating symptoms by improving immune response.
• ⚙️ Fever’s Benefits: Beyond making your child feel hot, a fever can act like a superhero for the brain, temporarily enhancing functions that affect areas impacted by autism.
• 💡 Mechanisms at Work: Fever stimulates the release of cytokines and heat shock proteins, boosting brain functions and potentially leading to improved behaviour and cognitive functions in autistic children.
• 🌿 Brainstorm Health’s Holistic Approach: We focus on immune balance, inflammation management, and tailored dietary plans to support overall health and address the root causes of health issues in autism.

Discover more about our innovative strategies and book a free chat with us to see how we can help.

Today, I want to discuss a fascinating phenomenon that you might have observed with your child: the improvement of autism symptoms during a fever. 🌡 This intriguing occurrence, often referred to as the "fever effect," has some compelling science behind it that I'd love to explain.

🧪 Brain Boosters at Work

When your child has a fever, their body undergoes a series of physiological changes, including the release of compounds such as glutamine and taurine. These compounds play crucial roles in brain function. Glutamine serves as a key neurotransmitter precursor and an essential component for maintaining neurotransmitter balance, while taurine supports neurodevelopment and cell stabilization . Interestingly, autistic children often exhibit altered levels of these compounds, which may contribute to differences in brain development and function.

🔬 Balancing the Immune Response

A crucial aspect of this phenomenon involves the balance between TH1 and TH2 immune responses. TH1 responses are associated with cellular immunity, while TH2 responses are linked to humoral immunity and allergic reactions. Specific nutrients, like skullcap, can help elevate TH1 levels, moving children away from a TH2-dominant, allergic state . This rebalancing is essential as it supports the immune system in fighting infections more effectively and may alleviate some symptoms associated with autism.

🌊 The Role of Salt and Brain Swelling

During fever, you might notice your child craving salt. Salt is vital for maintaining the balance of water in the body and brain. Low levels of salt can lead to brain swelling, increasing intracranial pressure, which can be particularly challenging for children with rapidly developing brains . The compounds released during a fever help reduce this pressure, potentially explaining the improvement in symptoms.

⚙️ Fever's Superpowers

Fever does more than just make your child feel hot; it acts as a superhero for the brain. By boosting brain function and addressing biochemical imbalances, fever can temporarily improve certain behaviours in autistic children. This effect, though temporary, provides valuable insights into potential therapeutic approaches.

💡 How It Works

Before a fever fully develops, the body’s initial immune response kicks in, releasing a surge of various compounds, including cytokines and heat shock proteins. Cytokines are signalling molecules that help mediate and regulate immunity, inflammation, and haematopoiesis. Heat shock proteins assist in protecting cells from stress. These compounds play crucial roles in the body's defence mechanisms and also have significant effects on brain function.

As the fever peaks, this heightened immune activity can act like a turbo boost for the brain. This boost can be particularly beneficial in areas affected by autism. Here's how it might work:

1. Neurotransmitter Regulation: During a fever, the increased production of certain cytokines can enhance the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters are critical for regulating mood, behaviour, and cognitive functions. In autistic individuals, neurotransmitter imbalances are common, so the fever-induced surge can help modulate these levels temporarily, leading to improved behaviours and cognitive functions.

2. Reduction in Neuroinflammation: Autism is often associated with chronic neuroinflammation. Fever triggers the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines that can help reduce inflammation in the brain. This reduction in neuroinflammation can alleviate some of the neurological symptoms associated with autism, such as irritability and repetitive behaviours.

4. Improved Blood-Brain Barrier Function: Fever-induced cytokines can temporarily improve the function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a selective barrier that protects the brain from harmful substances in the bloodstream. An improved BBB function can help reduce the entry of potentially neurotoxic substances, thereby protecting brain health.

5. Activation of Heat Shock Proteins: Heat shock proteins produced during fever help protect neurons from stress and damage. These proteins assist in protein folding and repair, preventing the accumulation of damaged proteins that can impair neuronal function. This protective mechanism can contribute to better brain function during fever episodes.

6. Modulation of the Immune System: Fever shifts the immune response towards a more TH1-dominant state, which is associated with enhanced cellular immunity. This shift can help in correcting the TH1/TH2 imbalance often seen in autistic individuals, potentially reducing allergic and inflammatory responses that can exacerbate autism symptoms.

🌿 Our Approach at Brainstorm Health

At Brainstorm Health, our mission is to understand and address the root causes of health issues. We believe that managing inflammation and maintaining immune balance are vital, particularly when considering phenomena like the fever effect in autism.

Holistic Management Strategies:

• Balance TH1/TH2: We recommend nutraceuticals like skullcap or Perilla as well as specialist blends of herbs and nutraceuticals, to help balance immune response and support proper brain function.

• Manage inflammation: We use the likes of PEA (Palmitoyelethanolamide), curcumin, Omega 3 fatty acids, berberine, resveratrol, magnesium threonate, specific micro-immunotherapy formulations and special anti-inflammatory blends.

• Stabilise mast cells: We use the high dose quercetin, luteolin, as well as specific herbal and nutritional blends and homeopathic support.

• Micro-Immunotherapy: This cutting edge and highly effective therapy can help modulate the immune system, reducing inflammation, supporting mitochondrial health and supporting natural healing processes, further aiding in restraining an overactive immune system.

• Diet and Lifestyle Changes: We work closely with you to create tailored dietary plans and lifestyle modifications that can significantly impact inflammation and overall health.

• Root cause: While making all these changes, we always keep our eye on addressing the root cause of these symptoms. We look at genetics, nutrient deficiencies, pathogenic load, gut dysbiois, toxic burden, environmental triggers such as mould and anything else that may be relevant. We generally don't leave any stone unturned. 

If you are not yet working with our clinic please book a free chat with us. We would love to hear from you. 

Meet our practitioners
We are a unique clinic in that each of our practitioners is a parent. Many of us have a child with special needs, and we all have different passions and expertise. Please head to our website to meet Coriander, Jo, Sarah, Haley, Mémé, and Aira and get in touch if you'd like to know how to work with us.

Stella Chadwick, BSc (Hons) mBANT CNHC

Founder, Functional Medicine Practitioner & Registered Nutritional Therapist