Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional A must read for any parent dealing with 2E issues

"Gut and Psychology Syndrome" by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride MD

http://www.amazon.com/Gut-Psycholog...8-1&keywords=gut+and+psychology+syndrome

Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and READ THIS BOOK!!!!

I have done a lot of research in the course of trying to find answers for my youngest daughter for whom I joined this forum a few years ago (diagnosed at 17 with ADD inattentive, Aspergers and situational depression but also suffering from insomnia and severe anxiety). While Neurofeedback resolved most of her issues, I believe this book explains much of the why and how my DD came to have these issues that got progressively worse over the years. I just wish this book had been available when my DD was little so I could have spared her the suffering.

My eldest DD (also HG) never had 2E issues but suffered chronic headaches since she was a baby and chews her fingers till they bleed apparently due to stress (she is a super high achiever with an amazing work ethic and does not recognize what stress is so it has been really tricky to address). It is because of her that I found this book. At 22 she was hospitalized in severe abdominal pain and diagnosed with Lupus and Ulcerative Colitis. Given that modern medicine offers no cure for Lupus, only health destroying steroids for symptom relief, we went on a hunt for answers and we found this book. Everything in it makes so much sense, I think everyone knows someone who can benefit from the information provided in this book.

Basically it has to do with antibiotics and probiotics and how our fear of germs and use of antibiotics has led to imbalances in the gut-germs that are necessary to properly break down and absorb food. The imbalance in the gut causes the gut lining to malfunction, allowing things into the bloodstream that are not broken down sufficiently, this creates havoc in the whole body system. The imbalance caused by antibiotics favors certain strains of gut bacteria so they grow disproportionately and steal the nutrients before they can be absorbed. This is why iron pills may do nothing to help anemia. Additionally, candida is favored by these conditions and it grows out of control (everyone has some candida and it is necessary in the right balance, it is what breaks down the body when we die). When Candida gets out of control, it causes cravings for sweet starchy foods and vinegary pickled foods which exacerbate the whole situation. so what you have is a slow poisoning of the body and brain and simultaneous nutrient deficiency. No supplements can help once the situation gets to a certain point because they never make it into the blood. its explained much better in the book and the path to correcting the problem is clearly outlined with recipes to help. I hope this helps many of you.

Nik

Thanks Nik. Makes total sense to me. Western diet wrecks havoc with out brains and bodies. I do think diet makes a difference with ADHD or symptoms of it, though others may disagree.

When we went to neurofeedback provider #1 last August for ds7, she put us on a grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, processed/refined-free, etc. diet. She advised us to eat healthy brain food like walnuts, avocados, fish/chicken, nuts, seeds, and other foods that are nutrient-dense and rich in omega 3s. I thought it was a bit drastic and draconian, but I figured I'd give it a crack and treated it as an exciting experiment and learning experience. So I tried out true superfoods like spirulina and hemp and began a real discovery process.

Well, Ds7 and I have definitely been better on the diet. My hormonal/ menopausal symptoms have subsided, which they were eliminated but I'll take subsided. Ds7's ADHD-like symptoms have improved. More significantly, however, dh's Crohn's has virtually disappeared due to the diet; stress can, unfortunately, still affect him occasionally.

FYI - ds7 finished another 20 sessions of NFT about two weeks ago now. He's now had a total of 60 NFT sessions. He's been doing very well - less angry or explosive, more cooperative. Success, I'd say.

I'm still very grateful that you mentioned about NFT here on the forum. Otherwise, I don't know if we would have considered it when we did.

Our 2E sons have been on gluten free / casein free diet since November and we've seen great improvements! And they do get extra Omega3 and love some of the healthier foods. So we are big believers in diet affecting behavior and health overall.

Same thing here happened with ds7. Forgot about mentioning the gluten/casein. Yes, I totally agree .

Diet has been life changing for us. Not a cure, but an important factor in reducing symptoms (different symptoms for different family members).

DS6 presented with "leaky gut" and had horrible gut pain/constipation issues as toddler...diet seemed to really affect him. and still does. after ingesting casein he can become very "spaced out" etc, seems like a different boy. main help for DS has been to remove all dairy from his diet.

we are not strict gluten/casein free, but try to mostly avoid and I try not to let DS6 have ANY casein ever after gluten... I still let DS have occasional ice cream, but mostly late afternoon/eve so it effects if any are while sleeping. he wakes up fine but sluggish. DS also is able to eat cheese w/o apparent gut difficulties and a nutritionist explained different proteins? whatever, whichever, DS tolerates it.

but I just wanted to add DS6 has NEVER had ANY ANTIBIOTICS. so far. he hasn't had an infection/illness requiring them. he has been sick of course, but overcame without antibiotic use, just symptom mgmt.

So while overuse of Antibiotics is a huge factor in many cases, it is not always the reason...

forgot, DS Candida got out of control, but better with diet changes as well. he does take vitamins incl "fish"

I'm just reading the book now. The diet is not too dissimilar to the one neurofeedback provider #1 put us on. It's similar to paleo.

I still find breakfast tricky. Ds7 wants those carbs and sugars, particularly for breakfast. I did let ds7 have oatmeal after about 6 months, but I think I'm going to pull it. What have others done about breakfast and what do you find works or found useful? I've tried making things with homemade almond flour, but ds7 is so picky some days.

cc6: As I understand it, it isn't just the antibiotics taken by the child, it goes back generations because mothers milk is how the gut is populated with the good and necessary flora. If mom or grandma had antibiotics, they would be lacking in the proper balance and unable to pass on some necessary strains through the milk. Then things like pasteurization and processing/ microwaving etc of food eliminates the flora the food would have otherwise provided. The objective of the GAPS diet is to consume a large variety of probiotics in an attempt to fix the imbalance and get the gut working as nature intended.


As for breakfast, I'm happy with fruit or protein shakes or eggs. If you are looking for substitutes for typical kids fare, check out "Edible Harmony" on Facebook, it's a SAHM who posts recipes that her kids love, I saw one recently for almond flour pancakes with cacao chocolate sauce that looked good, also some kind of porridge made with dried coconut flakes. I haven't tried the recipes but apparently her kids love them.