Autism Enigma, The 1x52

Autism is the fastest rising developmental disorder in the industrialized world. With an astounding 600% increase in diagnoses in the last 20 years, scientists are still grappling with its cause. Research has been frustratingly inconclusive, but one emerging theme is that autism is triggered by environment — not heredity — and that our toxic lifestyle is now proving too much for children to bear. Now, with a new understanding of how gut bacteria can affect the brain, researchers have begun to focus their attention on an unexpected place. The Autism Enigma looks at the progress of an international group of scientists examining the gut’s amazingly diverse and powerful microbial ecosystem for clues to the baffling disorder, and at the extraordinary efforts of parents who have been relentlessly pushing science forward in hopes of finding answers for their children’s condition.

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