Jamaican mom turns to herbal remedies for autistic child, launches book on nutritional therapy
Raising an autistic child and another on the spectrum has not been easy for Sushana Guthrie who spent years navigating therapies and medications which brought a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows with painfully slow progress. Then, in a moment of reflection, she turned to a source she had once taken for granted: her Jamaican roots.
She introduced her children to natural herbs and fresh natural pressed juices daily, including a serving of green juice religiously. She cut processed foods from their diet and instead put them on whole foods, removing all hidden toxins from her home. And the results were remarkable.
Today, her journey has evolved into a mission, culminating in a new book on nutritional therapy for autism that blends cultural wisdom with lived experience, offering hope to families searching for alternatives where conventional paths have fallen short.
“I’ve gone through my struggles. I’ve gone through my pain. I’ve gone through my heartache and I’ve done a lot of research. Whenever I did all of those stuff that I did, I found out that my daughter or children’s behavior started improving. So that’s how I got involved with the book,” Guthrie told Observer Online.
Her self-help book for parents facing similar challenges, Holistic Nutritional Therapy for Autism ADHD, Epilepsy & Seizures: 20 Helpful Tips That May Improve Or Reverse Autism, was released on April 1 in commemoration of Autism Awareness Month.
According to Guthrie, among the successes she has witnessed with her autistic daughter, from implementing strategies in her book, are:
– She now can read and function well in a classroom setting;
– Now responds to her name, makes eye contact and make attempts to socialize;
– Follows instructions with just one prompt compared to to 20 prompts prior;
– She no longer elopes and now has a sense of safety;
– She no longer screams and makes loud noises;
– No longer self-inflicts wounds or hurt others; and
– Her speech has become functional and she has started to express herself; and
– She Is now neurologically balanced and aligned.
According to Guthrie, the most helpful benefit for her from implementing the strategies of this book is that she now has peace in her home and externally in public settings. She no longer gets the rude stare downs and discrimination from others that don’t understand the complexity of Autism and ADHD.
Life has become significantly better for her and she refuses to keep these life enhancing tips and recommendations to herself.
“So I am happy that I wrote the book because it brought me a lot of peace and I’m excited to share it with the world because I know that it’s going to be a very helpful source to a lot of parents who are going through so much,” Guthrie said.
‘Holistic Nutritional Therapy For Autism’ is now available on Amazon in three versions – ebook, hardcover and paperback; and it will soon be available in an audio form.
Guthrie is elated over the success of the book, which she highlighed earned her a Top New Release title on Amazon.
“As a Jamaican author, I feel good. I consider this to be a great accomplishment to be a number one new release book author in my category.
“So it’s a big deal. I’m very, very excited about the prospect and how it’s going to impact others positively,” she said.