Customer Reviews

Gut and Psychology Syndrome

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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symptoms: vertigo, nausea, dizziness; she began seeing tiny pink and magenta dots and swirls; she became increasingly withdrawn and began wearing reading glasses at school, though she had perfect eyesight; then she began hearing sounds, like bells, multiple voices at the same time, some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 dysbiosis, but mothers will always feel the burden. These moms are falling into a gap where parenting books, physicians, therapists, pastors, teachers, friends all fail them by giving them counterproductive information. They keep trying this and that, and they feel like failures at the most important thing, mothering, and even worse, when no one seems to see what's special or wonderful about their kids, they are made to feel like their kids, who they love more than anything in the world--even their own genetic material--are flawed and unworthy. Or, there are moms who just close themselves off emotionally and farm out the care of their kids.

So, I hope others will build on Natasha Campbell-McBride's excellent foundation by mainstreaming this work; I think of all the fussy-baby, difficult child type books I've read (I have a library of them) and how partial and incomplete they all are.

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.

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!

My daughter's MD recommended I read this book to help my daughter's eczema. I resisted. I didn't want another restrictive diet for her. We'd already tried a restrictive allergy diet and if anything it made her condition worse, plus was so hard to administer. But eventually daughter number two also started getting eczema, which scared the heck out of me. It had been so many years since I was allowed to sleep through the night... having the situation get worse was not acceptable. So after a few more months of procrastinating I got the book and read it, hoping it would be utter nonsense that I could then disregard. It wasn't nonsense. Even my mother--who loves whole grains and is just as skeptical a reader as I am--agreed that it made sense. So we tried the diet in the book for both kids and for myself too, so I could see what it was like. In one month daughter number two's eczema went away. My first daughter is still on the diet and is getting better skin and is sleeping much better than she has in years (yay!!). For myself, I didn't notice any difference at all in the way I felt on the diet. But I'm healthy, so the diet's not really made for me I guess.

The diet in this book is difficult to administer. You should know that from the beginning. It means completely changing the way you look at meals. And you need to put some effort into home food preparation because nothing commercially prepared will suit the diet. I wish that there were an easier way to help sick kids whose whole body and mind are not functioning correctly. But there isn't. This was the right thing to do for my kids. I would highly recommend it for other tricky cases that haven't resolved easily with all the simple, common treatments out there.

If you do try this diet, I also recommend getting an SCD cookbook. The recipes in the GAPS book are just so-so. But there are a few SCD cookbooks out there with really stellar recipes. I actually made an almond flour birthday cake for my daughter from one (by Raman Prasad, or something like that? I forget the name.) and everyone at the party was shocked at how immensely tasty it was. It was by far the most popular cake I'd ever baked, and I'm a pretty popular baker.

Gut and Psychology Syndrome. This is the science behind Dr. Mark Hyman MD'S The Ultra Mind Solution. Following these principles, under my medical doctor's supervision, I have weened off all psychiatric medications for nearly the past 10 months. I had been under a psychiatrist's care since 1982 and have been on most of the meds used for Bipolar 11 Disorder. Now, I have no depression, no foggy brain, no side effects, a great sex life, no anxiety, and hope to get off disability sometime soon. People need to take control of their own health and use their own will power. After electric shock treatments and acupuncture and years of nonfunctioning it was surprizing to me that our gut actually produces most of the Seretonin used by the brain. I wish I would have found this earlier. My wife and kids are amazed to "have me back." 58 year old professional male.

This is a major indictment against the entire psychiatric community and welcome relief to millions of fellow sufferers who are tired of being guinea pigs under the supervision of their psychiatrists who just prescribe more and more combinations of mind numbing drugs with little hope of ever overcoming their "mental illnesses." This Gut stuff is real. It works. Finally hope for the rest of us.

This is definitely one of my favorite books. I read it all in one day... I couldn't put it down! All I did that day was feed my 3 children meals and read. It was so worth it. I have had eczema all my life, as my mother and grandmother had, and my daughter also got about 6 weeks after she was born. I tried a number of natural remedies to help my daughter's eczema (which covered her legs and itched), including a gluten-free diet, oils, creams, and digestive enzymes, but at 18 months her eczema had still not cleared. This book explained why. It's an inability to digest, caused by a lack of good bacteria, which babies are supposed to get from their mothers while going through the birth canal and through breast milk in the first 2 months of life. Though I had given birth vaginally and breastfed, I didn't have enough good bacteria to pass along to her sterile newborn body (since my mother didn't have enough to pass along to me) and so the good bacteria didn't cultivate and left her vulnerable to bad bacteria and yeast, causing her eczema to appear at 6 weeks. Eventually she developed other symptoms like poor sleep and constipation, also signs of an inability to digest and an overload of toxins from the bad bacteria and a plugged-up colon. For quite a while I have been feeding her a similar diet to the one recommended in the book, but when I added the probiotics that Dr. Campbell-Mcbride helped to develop my daughter's constipation disappeared within a few days and her skin cleared up within a week. I'm amazed! Her skin hasn't looked this good since she was a newborn! She is also much happier and sleeping better. She is finally digesting her food! I have also begun taking the probiotics for my similar problems. I can tell I'm finally digesting my food also. What a relief! I am passing the book around to about 10 people that I know it would help. It's not just for parents of autistic children. It's for all the people (which is half of the population) who are constipated and irritable. It's definitely worth the read! I should add that I am not new to nutrition. I have been studying nutrition for 12 years (it was part of my major in college) but until this book I never really understood the digestive system. It is well-explained and thorough, but easy enough for someone who doesn't have much nutritional knowledge to understand.

Another thing that I love about this book is that it gives me hope of eating gluten again. I have been gluten-free for several years because my skin was clearer and I felt better, and I assumed that I would have to be gluten-free for life. However, according to the book, after the diet is maintained for 6 months-2 years (depending on the severity of your condition) the microvilli in the intestine heal and the intestines are able to digest gluten again. That's so exciting!

UPDATE: After writing the above review I put my two sons on the diet also, and my children and I have since completed the GAPS diet. We stayed on it for 8 months. My daughter no longer has eczema and has regular, easy bowel movements (before GAPS she only eliminated about every 4 days, and it was extremely difficult and painful). My oldest son (8) was lactose intollerant before the diet and is now able to digest milk. My middle son wet the bed until he was almost 5. He had no other signs of digestive distress or gut dysbiosis. I figured out the bacterial connection, which Dr. Campbell-Mcbride doesn't specifically address in the book. After putting him on the diet and giving him a probiotic dose of 130 billion/day, he was dry within a month and hasn't wet the bed since (a year later). The behavior of all three children has markedly improved, and they are much happier overall. And why wouldn't they be? I'm cranky myself if I don't feel well! I continue to take probiotics and give them to my children to maintain the gut health we have achieved. I also continue to feed them a healthy diet from scratch, free of as much junk food as possible (although we certainly aren't perfect). Other than that the children have returned to a normal diet. I continue to be careful, as I have been dealing with this a lot longer than they have and adults don't recover as quickly as children do.

If you are hesitating to take the plunge because the diet is completely overwhelming, take heart. Once you get started it isn't so bad. And the benefits FAR outweigh the temporary inconvenience. You can do it!

YES! YES! YES! This book saved my life and my sanity. GAPS explains my life, my parents, my extended family. Within 36 hours of implementing the diet, my mind cleared and I have not experienced depression since then, not one moment depressed. That was 1 and 1/2 years ago. I'm 37 now. I had been a depressive since age four or so. I was diagnosed celiac in 2008, but the standard medical advice was going to kill me, just like it had killed my mother years prior, also diagnosed celiac. I implore you to read this book if you or anyone you love suffers from mental problems, gut problems, auto-immune problems, ear aches, chemical addictions, obesity, diabetes, high metabolism, joint pain, night sweats, night terrors, hot flashes, migraines, sinusitis, dry skin, oily skin, constipation, bad breath, bad b.o., sore muscles, etc., etc., etc., practically everything. It was the carbs all along, the carbs, the carbs. I take no meds now, no vitamins. I see no doctors, no nutritionists. I am freeeeeee !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although these books deal with GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome), what that encompasses is so huge that I think everyone should read the books--either you know someone who is dealing with this or you are yourself.

Mood swings and allergies? Read the books. Kid with autism and gut problems? Read the books. Someone in your family is bipolar? Is a picky eater? Has MS? Fibromyalgia? Hypoglycemia? Depression? I could go on, but basically, just about every chronic health problem you could name has its roots in gut dysbiosis. And these books tell you how to address that condition. Is the solution easy? No, not really. It takes time and attention. But Dr. Natasha and Baden understand and with compassion will lead you through the process.

As the parent of a child with UC, and an allergy sufferer myself, I can tell you that the process here helps, is based on science and on real people's experiences, that it is the first thing to make total sense in a world of confusing information. The diet is based on the SCD, but the healing program goes much farther than Elaine Gottschall's wonderful work did.

Don't be tempted to skip one book or the other. Dr. Natasha's book explains the problem and outlines the approach to healing. Baden's book gives you details to really get the whole program working for you.

Good luck! You are in good hands with these guides.

My 2.5 year old was recently diagnosed "Pre-Autistic" and our entire lives have been turned completely upside down. I read a handful of books before my entire understanding on Autism was changed when I read "Gut and Psychology Sydrome" by neurologist Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride.

I strongly encourage you to read this book as it addresses the root of all these epidemics our children are facing and how to heal these very sick kids. It's not about accepting or not accepting who they are, it's about healing what is hurting them. These children are suffering and the book goes way beyond the accusations that mercury or vaccines have alone caused / triggered this epidemic.

It's hard when every other source is telling you to try this diet, or read this book, or do this therapy, but this book is not about a quick fix, GF/CF diet or any of the supplements that claim to cure Autism.

I cannot even begin to explain how this book explains why our children are suffering from Autism, ADD, ADHD, and a wide range of other mental disorders. As a society we have drastically changed not only the food and environment of our ancestors, but on top of that we have modern medicines (drugs, antibiotics and vaccines) as well as all the toxins in our environment that are affecting these kids.

In just a couple weeks after reading this book and implementing what I've learned my son's stimming has stopped. He would throw up anywhere from 1-5 times per day from age 6 months to almost 2.5 years old and has not thrown up ONCE in the past two months since we started changing his diet / environment. Please, Please read this book. It's a MUST READ for any pregnant woman, parent with young children, parents / relatives of an Autistic / ADD / OCD / Depressed / chronic digestive / stool problems to at least be open minded enough to read a book. Hear what a doctor who healed her own son of Autism, and has healed thousands of patients in her clinic in Cambridge, has to say.

I have been hurting so badly for my son, and now for every child who is suffering from the effects of Autism. The book will change the way you see not just Autism, but our entire world. Good luck and God Bless!

My anxiety together with my tactile and sound sensitivity were creating a lot of emotional pain in my life. After many months and years of searching for a solution to my conditions, and trying many supplements, techniques, and reading tons of books without finding a real solution to my problems, i found Gut and Psychology Symdrom. This book saved my life. The info i found in this book about how diet, coupled with an imbalance of bacteria in the gut, can affect your psychological health, was eye opennig. today my inxiety is under control, my tactile and sound sensitivity is very minimal. I recommend this book to anyone who is experiencing any of the condictions i mentioned before, or if u just want to be healthy. Thanks God and Dr. Natasha Campbel for such a wounderful and helpful book!