Gut and Psychology Syndrome [Paperback]

Natasha Campbell-McBride (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2004

266 pages.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Medinform Publishing; 1st edition (September 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0954852001
• ISBN-13: 978-0954852009
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Idiopathy & The Cure for Colic, February 17, 2011

By 

Glacier Mom - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

I want to tell you my story. There are moments that stand out in one's life, and I will never forget taking my 7-year-old to a pediatric neurologist. My daughter had experienced a sudden onset of symptoms: vertigo, nausea, dizziness; she began seeing tiny pink and magenta dots and swirls; she became increasingly withdrawn and began wearing reading glasses at school, though she had perfect eyesight; then she began hearing sounds, like bells, multiple voices at the same time, some adults, some children, talking, counting in Spanish. The young neurology fellow, who had all the empathy of someone on the spectrum, made a brusque pronouncement in front of my daughter: she's obviously mentally ill and hallucinating, I'm very sorry. I tried in vain to argue--could it be high EMFs in my daughter's classroom? Food allergies? What about high-sensitivity in the gifted population, as I understood that my daughter was likely profoundly gifted, yet her giftedness had sometimes seemed connected to pathology, as if a heightened cognitive awareness made her more susceptible to anxiety--otherwise known as Dabrowski's theory of positive disintegration. No, no, no, and we were brushed off like damaged goods. And I will never forget how it took all the courage and stamina I possess not to break down; instead I took my daughter to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, quickly drank off two large Chardonnays, and tried to engage her in conversation--but she was very far off--in a different world.

That was a year ago, and today my daughter is free from hallucinations; she is her vibrant and funny self again, and she is quite happy in a new private school setting, something that amazes me, as she used to be so resistant to trying anything new; in a million years, no one would guess what we have been through as a family. So, what did I do? What worked? It quickly became apparent to me that the allopathic pediatrician-neurologist-psychiatrist trifecta was incompetent to help, and they admitted to being baffled. I consulted with a homeopath, who prescibed the remedy anacardium for hallucinations, summer break came, and my daughter was no longer in the classroom with the high level of EMFs. A lovely woman suggested this book, which I'd heard about but never read. But I was still deadened in spirit; ironically, I despaired because, before my daughter's symptoms ever appeared, I had done so many things over-and-above the call of duty, cooking nutrient-dense meals from "Nourishing Traditions," only partially immunizing, breastfeeding until my kids were toddlers, filtering bath water, using non-toxic cleaning products, drinking raw milk and kombucha--and where had it gotten me? It took me a while to get the heart to read "GAPS," and when I did, I gradually began introducing Bio-Kult probiotic into my daughter's diet, along with the fermented cod-liver oil I already gave her. I have yet to fully implement the healing, specific carb diet, and quite frankly, I don't think I'll be able to do it until my younger child starts kindergarten and frees up the needed time--sometimes the best one can do is to muddle along. My point is: these small steps were enough to end the symptoms, and I remember the day when my daughter told me they were completely gone.

What blows my mind is how "GAPS" explains clearly, dispassionately and brilliantly WHAT WAS GOING ON when no one else, allopathic or alternative, could and EVERYONE (with the exception of a wacky New Age energy healer, who thought my daughter was a "child of light" experiencing multi-dimensional bleedthroughs) said we were just screwed. Perhaps because I discovered Weston A. Price Foundation when my daughter was still a toddler, perhaps because I did so many healing and life-affirmative things, you'd never guess that my kids were inheriting gut dysbiosis. They were always known to their pediatrician as "the kids who never get sick, the kids who never have antibiotics." They have broad palates and round faces, unlike my husband and me, bottle-fed typical kids of the 1960's, and my kids have always been off-the-chart in terms of growth and development. And yet...both of my kids were profoundly colicky and woke every hour for the first few years of their lives, an important clue, and my older daughter had cavities, which meant a problem with her biochemistry.

Like so many women, I was on oral contraceptives for over a decade, and I took antibiotics every 6 months when I got my teeth cleaned, like a good patient, because of mild mitral valve prolapse. When I was pregnant with my first child and tested positive for GBS (Group B Strep), no one could tell me what that meant, only that I'd need antibiotic drip during labor and delivery. Clearly, what it meant was that I had gut dysbiosis, or unbalanced and pathogenic gut flora, because of the oral contraceptives and antibiotics, and my infant would, too; a protocol should have existed for giving her probiotics immediately upon birth and for holding off on immunization. When she developed colic, my pediatrician gave me the typical brush off: we don't know what causes it, blah-blah, try infant massage or lavender bubble bath. A protocol should have been in place to cure colic with probiotics. Again, it has taken all the heart and guts I have to read this book and understand how my choices have caused deep suffering to precious lives.

And yet I am happy, because the truth always sets one free. What I find amazing is how many people would prefer ignorance, along with a belief that the world is evil, bad things happen because of "genes" and at least we're better off now than in past generations. (I'm thinking here of grandparents who could have helped us but who wanted to ignore anything messy or difficult, who felt entitled to enjoy their pleasures and didn't want to think about multi-generational bad choices.) This is a brave, brilliant and life-affirmative book. Recently, I read an article in "The New Yorker" about the "fermentation revolution," which cheered me, and I hope that this vital information catches hold.

A couple of thoughts, as an addendum: 1)to buy this book, search for the GAPS website. 2) I now wonder if my daughter's extreme symptoms (hallucinations) could have been a detox reaction to some of the drainage remedies that naturopaths had given her for her asthma, which has now abated. This is kind of an important point, and it irritates me that I was not able to find more consistent naturopathic care. One gifted naturopath, an hour's drive away, insisted that I'd need a babysitter for my toddler if she was to treat my daughter, and she wanted to treat my husband and me first, all of which was an impossibility to an already strained family, and I wondered at her lack of empathy in not helping a child who needed help. A second naturopath, nearby, was just out of medical training, and kept trying to fit my daughter into an autism mold, giving her homeopathic treatment that didn't work. But both docs also gave her drainage/herbal remedies that could have brought on an intense reaction, ie. hallucinations. 3) I agree with others that there is great potential, just in renaming the book and redesigning the front cover, in order to reach all the families of kids who fall into a gap because they do not have diagnoses; that is, kids with gut dysbiosis and some mild to moderate health and behavioral problems; these kids are functional enough that they don't have diagnoses like autism, so they are not receiving special funding or education; often, their family dynamics suffer, and mothers, in particular, are blamed for faulty parenting, when more likely, these moms are giving everything they have. Sometimes these kids are especially bright and thus able to compensate for health problems, which brings up an interesting point about whether some gifted people adapt to pathogenic bacteria in interesting ways; just think of Emily Dickinson and her seizures.

I thought about moms the other day, when I ran into an acquaintance at the store, and when I saw that her cart was loaded with Cheerios, Graham Crackers, sweet yogurt and cookies (all my kids will eat, she said, and I know that she's a gourmet cook), plus gin and vodka, I wanted to say, "You are feeding your bacteria, I see." She confided that her son is having terrible tantrums weekends, yelling and screaming at her and saying he hates her, most likely because school, during the week, is a sensory-overloading experience for him. I wanted so much to tell her about GAPS, because I believe it could help her, but I also knew that in the past, she hadn't been receptive when I'd brought up issues of diet. How offended would she be if I gave her a copy of the book with its grim title? There is room for some enterprising soul to write a GAPS type book that focuses on kids who do not have diagnoses, perhaps co-written with a good family therapist, and with a recipe section that mimics foods kids actually want to eat like chicken nuggets, etc.

I think of my poor friend, and how her husband blames her for having weird anti-social kids, how school officials blame her for having an anxious child, how increasingly isolated she is as others don't really want to socialize with her kids, and how meanwhile she's giving a hundred percent while taking abuse and drinking gin in the evenings. Parenting is hard enough without old-fashioned support systems, but my generation is also dealing with the effects of antibiotic overuse and its neurological impact. Grandparents also wash their hands of the whole thing and say, "Well, I don't know what you're doing wrong, I never had these problems." Or else they insist that there are no problems. Women are pushed to the breaking point with no help or solace, and often times it is the husband and his side of the family who contributed the bacterial imbalance leading to gut... Read more ›

129 of 132 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, April 30, 2008

By 

Barbara Geatches (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

When I first saw this book, I had no interest in reading it. After all, I wasn't dealing with any of the conditions listed in the subtitle and neither was anyone in my immediate family. However, I briefly heard Dr. Campbell-McBride speak at a Weston Price Conference and realized that it might be more applicable (and interesting) than I thought. I'm so glad I ordered it. This has to be one of the best books I've read on health and nutrition.

I think the author has done a disservice in choosing the subtitle as she did. The reality is if you are concerned about your health and how to stay healthy, this book is relevant. And for those that eat a western diet and are exposed to environment toxins, this book may very well be an answer to prayer.

She does an incredible job explaining how the digestive system works and how it can become damaged by the foods we eat and the environment we are exposed to (and it's passed on to future generations). She also explains how different illnesses and conditions occur and why, as well as what can be done to help repair the digestive system and improve overall health.

This is a must read book for ANYONE concerned with their health and how to stay healthy. It's also an important book for all parents, regardless of the health of their children, especially given the diet that is acceptable in today's world.

75 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Choice for Understanding How to Heal Autoimmunes and Food Allergies!, May 27, 2008

By 

N. Orlovsky (WI, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

If I had to chose 1 book for understanding my body better and how to heal my autoimmune diseases (of which I have MANY) and gluten issues, this would be it! Although it is not yet easily available in the US, I would recommend hunting it down. It would be really nice if Amazon started carrying it, as I know numerous people who are trying to get copies of this book (published in the UK). HINT HINT HINT

I would have to agree with the previous review that the author does do a disservice to the book by listing only a few of the major diseases or problems that this book can help. Autoimmune issues are huge and becoming more and more common and so are food allergies. They should most definitely be listed on the front cover as well, as they are explained in the book too!

The book explains how to determine if your body is digesting fats appropriately and what to do if it isn't. It explains about good fats and bad fats, how your digestive system works, why we need probiotics (what kind and when to take them), digestive enzymes and who needs them and why, why some people get brain fog, or can't digest glutens and foods with casein, lists of good foods and bad foods for changing your diet, and so much more.

It is written so that anyone can easily understand it and the diagrams/sketchs are most helpful in getting the visual of the processes! As I read it, I just couldn't believe how often she was describing me and all of my health issues. Excellent Book!