WHAT ARE PHENOLS? Phenols are chemicals found in most of the foods we eat in varying amounts. They are natural and can even be beneficial to the body, as is the case with antioxidants in fruit. The "phenol" category contains quite a few subgroups that are both food and non-food. For example, salicylate is a subgroup of phenol. Salicylates are a group of chemicals (and are a type of phenol) that are found naturally in certain foods, such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices and nuts. In their...

Oxa l ates (or oxalic acid) are a naturally occurring compound found in foods like spinach, legumes and grains. The role of oxalates in plants is to provide protection against predators, such as harmful bacteria, insects, and animals. Oxalates are also anti-nutrients. Which means that they inhibit the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals in the body. They do this by binding to them and passing them through the digestive tract and out through the stool. In addition to...

Epigenetics is what controls how your genes are turned on or off... The way to think of autism being 'inherited' is to think of family history of illness and inflammation. The fact that inflammation and autoimmunity in parents are correlated with autism in their offspring is unsurprising. Impaired sulphation can run in families. Impaired sulphation impairs detoxification pathways, and behaviours and lifestyles are known to run in families. As I said above, the genetic predisposition might...