Abba’s Place is a novel specialty consultation practice located in Cedar in northwestern Michigan. The primary purpose of Abba’s Place is to provide excellent, continuing, and compassionate care to patients with autism spectrum diseases (ASD’s). Time in the schedule allowing, patients of all ages with difficult health-related problems and who have failed to respond to traditional medical care can be seen at Abba’s Place. Dr. Anderson is not trained in addiction medicine nor in the management of cancer or chronic pain.


At Abba’s Place, attention is primarily directed to the gastrointestinal tract and on the now-demonstrated connection in experimental animals between damaging inflammation in the intestinal tract and inflammation in the brain. Oftentimes, this inflammation is caused by food intolerances (especially disaccharide carbohydrates and gluten-containing foods such as wheat, rye, barley , and some oats) in concert with intestinal overgrowth of harmful bacteria, yeast (as Candida), viruses, and parasites which thrive on a damaged intestinal lining (mucosa).


Impairments in the body’s detoxification pathways are also identified and a repair plan facilitating removal of poisons such as heavy metals is formulated. Occult infections elsewhere in the body, including in the brain, or harmful effects of these infections, are also addressed. Measures are taken to quantify and minimize free radical damage to organs and tissues (including the brain) from oxidative stress.


Treatment is also uniquely enhanced by allowing the children and their caregivers to mingle with gentle, especially bred smaller farm animals in order to introduce treatments intended to increase their oxytocin levels (oxytocin and secretin) share this metabolic pathway. Such limited contact is in itself insufficient to achieve this result, but opens the door to more extensive and very beneficial programs including equestrian riding therapy. Other physical and occupational therapies are also prescribed or reviewed.


Dr. Anderson’s training included graduation with honors from the University of Notre Dame. He is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons (Harlem Hospital Center), and is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition. He was appointed a Research Associate in the Department of Microbiology at Columbia University and also in the Carcinogenesis Branch of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Anderson is a retired Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School (Henry Ford Hospital campus).


In 2009, Dr. Anderson decided to leave his position in a group practicing complementary and alternative medicine to establish a consultation practice to help children with ASD’s To his knowledge this is the first such specialty practice in northern Michigan, although patients attend here from many different locations.


To keep updated and current, Dr. Anderson studies publications and symposia on disc about autism and related topics. Each year he attends local and national meetings and physician education courses, such as those sponsored by the Autism Research Institute. His practice is guided by his own fund of knowledge and experience as well as by colleagues who have treated thousands of autistic patients of all ages. Dr. Anderson regularly communicates with autism practitioners throughout the United States and abroad. He is willing to collaborate with and advise referring physicians who wish to develop expertise in treating autism.


Initial visits last about two hours and follow up appointments are usually of similar duration. Most patients are seen several times a year, and the rest of the management is accomplished through telephone consultations


Dr. Anderson recently wrote a book on the causes and treatment of autism called, "Autism Prevention Care and Management".    More information is available here.