Fish Oil is a Miracle for Us

As I've mentioned before, Sydney has a genetic disorder called 16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome that typically causes developmental delays, autism, epilepsy, and other learning issues.  Back when we were still terrified that Sydney would end up with some degree of intellectual impairment, I began researching ways to encourage brain development, and one of the things that kept popping up over and over was fish oil.

Fish oil- which is exactly what is sounds like- is so incredibly beneficial because it contains high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, something in which most Western diets are lacking.  Ever heard of hydrogenation?  It's the process that gives foods a long shelf life.  It also removes the Omega-3s.  Also, many fresh foods that used to contain high levels of omega-3s no longer do because of things like genetic tampering and feeding farmed fish low-quality food.

Omega-3s have been shown to be beneficial in a stunning number of areas in the body.  They can improve brain function, cardiovascular health, mental health, immune function, and might even lower your risk of getting cancer.

We've seen it work here at our house, too.

When Sydney was eighteen months old, she could only say two words.  She'd actually started with four, but lost two.  The realization that she'd lost words, instead of gaining them, sent me into panic mode, and I began to do some reasearch into brain development.  It was right around this time that we learned of her genetic disorder, and that she had a one in three chance of developing autism over the next year.  After reading enough about fish oil to convince me it was worth a shot and couldn't hurt anything, I went to the grocery store and bought a bottle.  (Hyperventilated a little about the cost, too, to be honest.)

When I started giving her the fish oil, I was hopeful, but if I was being honest with myself, I didn't really expect to see a drastic improvement.  I'd tried various "natural" supplements for myself in the past, and none of them did a darn thing.

Boy was I surprised when Sydney began saying several more words a week after we began the fish oil. 

Within a month, she had thirty more.

Was it the fish oil?  I can't prove it, of course.  She may have learned those new words on her own, without any kind of supplementation.  She may have turned out exactly the same either way.

What I do know is that she has defied all the odds.  She doesn't have autism, and is almost four years old now, so we can safely say we've dodged that bullet.  She doesn't show any signs of epilepsy.  Her gross motor skills have improved dramatically, and her fine motor skills are far ahead of normal.  Her verbal and intellectual skills are not only where they're supposed to be, but she's actually ahead of her peers.  Her academic skills are fantastic.

I think her success so far can be attributed to many factors, but one of them was almost certainly the fish oil.

If you want to try it out, you'll probably want to discuss it with your doctor to find out the appropriate dosage.  We use Barleans Omega Swirl, and Sydney gets a half teaspoon a day, though we'll soon be upping that to a whole teaspoon.

Do your research first.  There's a wealth of information out there on the benefits of fish oil.