Families, support starts here.
Learn about our support and treatment options.
Financial Support.
Salud Santa Barbara can provide financial support to Santa Barbara families receiving Medi-Cal coverage with children under the age of 12. Salud Santa Barbara will work with your physician and the vitamin B-9 antibody testing company to ensure the antibody test cost is covered for you.
What do we do?
Salud Santa Barbara works to support families with autistic children and expecting parents who are concerned about autism. Our mission is to promote the importance of nutrition in mental health and improve health outcomes with proven strategies for those on the autism spectrum.
Vitamin B9 and its connection to autism.
Clinical trials have shown that 70% of autistic children have insufficient vitamin B9 in their brains due to a blockage preventing this vitamin from entering the brain. The same clinical trials have shown that this blockage can be circumvented with medical levels of natural forms of vitamin B9. These natural forms are called methyl folate or folinic acid (also known as leucovorin). Synthetically produced folate called folic acid, is not sufficient to resolve the vitamin B9 needs of the child.
Detecting a vitamin B9 deficiency.
The blocking of vitamin B9 CAN be detected with a blood test, which measures the presence of an antibody (a protein made by our body to inactivate unwanted substances that get into the body). This antibody is called the folate receptor alpha antibody. Children who have this antibody in their blood have a vitamin B9 deficiency (also known as folate anemia) in their brain and this deficiency can usually be resolved by giving the child medical levels of folate in the form of leucovorin (see section above). The amount provided to the child is called “medical levels” of the vitamin because it is greater than the amount a person typically gets from a vitamin supplement, and so is in the form of a prescription vitamin.
Expecting parents-
Additionally, for families at risk of autism, expecting parents can be tested for the antibody, as trials have shown when parents have the antibody, the child is more likely to as well. In such a situation, prospective parents may wish to take a parental vitamin that includes the methyl folate version of vitamin B9, rather than folic acid.
Why take a blood test?
An advantage to being able to detect the presence of the antibody in someone’s blood is that, in clinical trials, it was found that medical levels of folate improved communication in two-thirds of autistic children. While most autistic children have the antibody (~70%) children who did not have the antibody had no benefit from extra folate.
Vitamin treatment impact
Studies have indicated that the treatment of young children has the strongest impact, while school-age children see a smaller improvement in communication. It is known that the folate receptor alpha antibody is produced in response to certain foods, including all forms of dairy, especially dairy products from cows. Once a child’s communication has improved from the vitamin treatment, families are encouraged to work with the child to gradually modify their diets to reduce dairy products and increase natural sources of vitamin B9, which is present in many foods, including beans, leafy green vegetables, nuts, broccoli, avocado, and oranges.
Please discuss treatment with your physician.
Salud Santa Barbara can provide financial support to Santa Barbara families receiving Medi-Cal coverage with children under the age of 12. Salud Santa Barbara will work with your physician and the vitamin B-9 antibody testing company to ensure the antibody test cost is covered for you.