JOHNSTON, Iowa, USA: The mother of an autistic boy believes that his symptoms may have been alleviated thanks to unusual treatment involving enzyme supplements.

Matthew DeFelice remembers the headaches in vivid, fifth-grader terms. "Pretend my brain is Tokyo," he says. "And then imagine Godzilla coming in and smashing all the buildings."

The "monster" was autism, and it appears to have been tamed. Matthew's mother, Karen DeFelice, believes that the enzyme treatment deserves part of the credit, and she is spreading the word.

DeFelice believes that tiny leaks in her son's stomach contributed to causing the trouble in his brain. She believes she suffered similar problems and passed them on to Matthew, 10, and his brother, Jordan, 9. All three found remarkable relief from enzyme supplements which help them digest food.

DeFelice wrote about her experiences in a book that sold out its first, 1,000-copy printing in a few months in 2002. Despite scepticism from some mainstream doctors and alternative-medicine purists, several thousand more books are headed for bookstores and nutrition shops.

DeFelice is part of a growing movement of frustrated parents who want help for children with brain disorders that physicians admit they do not fully understand.

Her book is based on a theory that digestive problems can poison the brain. Proponents believe that some people have problems breaking down certain foods - including a common grain component called gluten and a dairy protein called casein. That damages the intestines, they say, allowing toxins to escape into the bloodstream and eventually attack the brain.