My daughter Emily was diagnosed with autism when she was just around 3 years old. To say that her diagnosis was anything short of devastating, to my wife, and me would be an understatement. In fact, for many months, I simply refused to believe my beautiful baby girl was anything but perfect -- and normal.
But the fact remained -- Emily was autistic and we needed to get help for her right away -- before she reached the age of 4 and all hope of any improvement would be lost.
Then one day, unbelievably, my father was asked to play in a golf tournament for -- of all things -- autism. That’s where he met a fellow golfer who told him of a doctor out in Chicago who'd had success treating children with autism. That doctor was Dr. Joseph Mercola and he literally changed the lives of my whole family -- especially Emily.
When we first met Dr. Mercola, my wife and I felt we were out of options to help Emily. The medications being used to treat her were not making a bit of difference -- we didn't know what else to do. Dr. Mercola took great care in educating both my wife and me about autism and the treatments he had to offer.
He immediately took Emily off her medications and changed her diet, while at the same time starting her on secretin injections. Within one month, our sweet daughter, who up until then only had 15 words in her vocabulary, started talking for the first time. And hasn't really stopped since.
Emily is 13 years old now and if you were to meet her, you'd never know she was autistic. She's an A to B student in the 7th grade getting ready to go on to 8th -- in regular classes mind you. She's a phenomenal reader and taught herself to play piano and flute -- playing music by ear.
I don't know where Emily would be today had it not been for Dr. Mercola. If I had to describe how our lives have changed over the last ten years -- it's as if we've lived two different lives. Almost as if that family from 10 years ago wasn't us at all -- we don't know them.
Whether it was serendipity, divine intervention, or coincidence that day my father was on the golf course – a miracle took place for Emily. Sometimes it’s the thinnest threads that make the strongest connections. Thank you Dr. Mercola.
Dr. Michael Vaughan, DC
Iowa