Down Syndrome is caused by an imbalance of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and catalase; enzymes made by the human body. SOD is an antioxidant that works with catalase. When SOD encounters a free radical, it converts the free radical into hydrogen peroxide, another free radical. Catalase then converts hydrogen peroxide into water and energy.
This process takes place naturally in most of us and the balance is maintained. Down Syndrome people do not have this balance. Instead, they have three copies of chromosome 21, instead of the two copies the rest of us have. This extra copy of chromosome 21 is what causes Down Syndrome, by causing those afflicted to produce 50% more SOD. But the catalase, which is not located in chromosome 21, is produced at its normal rate, causing a dangerous imbalance. Hydrogen Peroxide buildup causes the mental and physical problems of Down Syndrome.
COMBATING THIS DEVIL
To combat the imbalance between SOD and catalase, Down's sufferers sorely need the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, and Beta Carotene, along with selenium, CoQ10, and alpha lipoic acid.
The gene for collagen production is also on chromosome 21. Down's people need amino acids such as proline, added to their nutritionalk formula, partially due to methylation defects. Nutrivene-D® contains high doses folic acid and other components of vitamin B complex to improve methylation of meat, dairy, and other animal proteins.
Down Syndrome people need the essential fatty acids for neurodevelopment. These include the Omea-3/DHA Esters. Piracetam improves speech and cognition.
Women pregnant with a Down Syndrome baby should not wait for birth to begin the nutritional regimen. Mothers of all unborn infants, healthy or otherwise, need to remain aware of the fact that what they themselves consume during pregnancy contributes mightily to the ultimate health of the growing fetus and good nutrition can avert a multitude of problems after birth.
FACTS TO CONSIDER
Down Syndrome occurs one in eight hundred births in the U.S. with about 5,000 children with Down Syndrome being born in this country each year. The incidence of Down Syndrome increases with the mother's age with a less than one in a thousand risk of a woman under thirty having a Down Syndrome child. For a 45 year old mother, the risk increases to one in twenty five.
Forty to fifty percent of children with Down Syndrome have congenital heart defects. The risk of Leukemia increases 15 to 20 times and 100% of those afflicted with this disorder will develop some physiologic signs of Alzheimers when they are over 35 years old.
PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION TO THE SHRINER'S CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS.
Shriners Hospitals for Children® is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay. It's how Shriners Hospitals for Children® has been Changing the World through Caring for Kids since 1922.
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