John Rodakis is not interested in probing into an investigation if there is really a relationship between antibiotics and autism. However, when he became witness to the possibility that antiobiotics may help in autism treatment following the improvement of his son's condition, he knew he was on to something.
His son was prescribed a 10-day course of amoxicillin and in just 4 days of taking the medicine, there are many changes that were observed in his son's autism symptoms.
"He began making eye contact, which he had previously avoided; his speech, which was severely delayed, began to improve markedly; he became less 'rigid' in his insistence for sameness and routine; and he also displayed an uncharacteristic level of energy, which he had historically lacked," Rodakis explained.
Rodakis is in the medical field himself. He is a medical venture capitalist as he had taken his postgraduate degree in Harvard for his MBA and he also has a molecular biology background. Additionally, he then conducted an investigation through looking into past studies that may support his claim.
His article was published in Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease and it is where he described the journey he embarked to find answers to his query as reported by Medical News Today.
In a 1999 study conducted at the Chicago Rush Children's Hospital, he conducted interviews with doctors and parents about similar results on autistic children. He found out that there are many cases linking the effects of antibiotics to autism but only a few studies were conducted to prove their relationship.
He probed further and discovered another hospital, Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute where he met Dr. Richard Frye and his Autism Research Program team.
The two collaborated and they were joined by other researchers from a wide array of medical disciplines from all over the world.
They found out that many parents also experienced improvements in their child's autistic symptoms that made them give antibiotics routinely. On the other hand, some parents also found that their children's autistic symptoms worsened by using antibiotics.
He then theorized, "In my view, these stories are not contradictory but rather reinforce the notion that an antibiotic can create an effect in autism."
Meanwhile, Dr. Frye said, "Careful parental observations can be crucial. In science we take these observations, put them through the scientific method, and see what we find. This is what can lead to ground-breaking scientific discoveries and breakthroughs in the field."
Rodakis is certain that if many studies would deal with this topic, it might show promise to develop a new method to treat autism or at least reduce its symptoms.
