"Autism is caused by poor mothering."

That was the belief of the medical community until the late 1960s.

"Autism is a genetic brain disorder."

That is what most people -- and most of the medical community -- believe today.

I'm here to tell you that neither one of these statements is true.

Think about it.

Rates of autism have skyrocketed over the years, from an estimated 1 child in 3,000 to just 1 in 150 kids today.

Sure, wider criteria for diagnosis and better detection might explain some of it -- but not an increase of this magnitude.

So what's to blame?

Simply put, autism is a systemic body disorder that affects the brain. A toxic environment triggers certain genes in people susceptible to this condition.

And we've got proof.