Microbiome Affects the Brain and Behavior
Posted: March 6, 2013 Filed under: GAPS, VIdeo | Tags: autism, GAPS, gut-brain connection, microbiome Leave a comment »Microbe-based therapeutics?
- sounds familiar to those who have read about the GAPS Protocol.
(Gut & Psychology Syndrome written by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride)
Alter your gut biome and alter your health.
The below TedX talk gives a nice visual explanation of the gut-brain connection.
It shows how microbes in our gut can be a factor in our brain health and issues such as:
- anxiety
- Alzheimer’s
- autism
- depression
- multiple sclerosis
Elaine Hsiao makes the statement
“What if we could without a single invasive procedure treat disorders like autism, depression and multiple sclerosis. Microbe-based therapeutics might offer us a way to build a stable community structure that can impart long-lasting effects without the need for continuous treatment. “
We can!
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has proven this in treating thousands of individuals with the GAPS healing protocol. Using diet, supplementation and detoxification one can heal from within from a countless list of ailments, disorders and illnesses. True healing results in long-lasting effects without the need for continuous treatment or dangerous side effects.
Interested in learning more? Contact me or your local Certified GAPS Practitioner
Eating Away Autism
Posted: December 20, 2012 Filed under: GAPS | Tags: autism, Diet, GAPS Leave a comment »Enjoy this wonderful newscast from ABC30.com:
Eating away autism? The GAPS diet
Validation that diet does make a difference for your brain as well as your body.
Could you or your family member or friend benefit from the GAPS diet? Support for this healing protocol available here.
Why Ferment?
Posted: April 3, 2012 Filed under: GAPS, VIdeo | Tags: Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, ferment, fermentation, food allergies, GAPS, gut bacteria, gut biome, Healing, Mercola, wellness nutrition, Weston A. Price Leave a comment »Dr. Mercola interviews Caroline Barringer, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), who is an expert in the preparation of the foods prescribed in Dr. McBride’s GAPS program. Specifically fermented foods. Fermenting both a science and an art form which create traditional foods which support the health of the inner flora, thus overall health.
Fermented foods supply your gut with good flora to help build and maintain a healthy gut biome. Fermentation actually increases the nutrients as well as makes the food easier to digest. If you would like further instruction and demonstration on created fermented foods please contact me, Renee Renz 224-244-7369 (Renz).
Why this Single Organ Powerfully Dictates Whether You’re Healthy or Sick
Posted: April 2, 2012 Filed under: GAPS, VIdeo | Tags: Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, GAPS, GUt and Psychology Syndrome, gut bacteria, heal & seal, Mercola Leave a comment »Listen to Dr. Mercola interview Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on the healing power of the GAPS nutritional therapy. This is over 2 hours in length providing a great base for understanding the GAPS protocol.
The GAPS protocol is designed to restore the integrity of your gut lining.
“Our digestive system is lined by very specialized cells, which are called enterocytes. These little cells only live for a few days,” Dr. McBride explains. “They live for two or three days. Then… they die, get shed off, and get replaced by new, healthy enterocytes. The cell regeneration process in your gut lining is a very active process.
… We have a real chance to heal and seal our damaged gut lining thanks to this wonderful process of cell regeneration. But here’s the catch: in order for your body to give birth to healthy functioning baby enterocytes, it needs two factors. It needs building blocks for them, because they’re made out of certain nutrients (proteins, certain fats, vitamins, enzymes, and other active molecules)… Second, it needs the whole process to be orchestrated by the beneficial microbes in your digestive system; by the beneficial healthy gut flora.”
People with GAPS have neither of those factors. They run out of building blocks due to improper nutrition, which prevents the proliferation of new, healthy enterocytes, and their gut lining is overpopulated with pathogenic bacteria, virus, fungi, worms, protozoa, and other pathogenic microbes. As a result, the beneficial microbes are virtually nonexistent, and the balance of good and bad bacteria is dramatically skewed.
“In animal experiments… when they sterilized the digestive tract of the animals, they found that the whole cell regeneration process in the gut lining goes completely wrong,” she says. “The travel time of the baby enterocytes doubles… Enterocytes are born already mutated, and some of them turn cancerous. They are unable to fulfill their functions: breaking down the food and absorbing the food appropriately.
We have to provide those two factors for the gut lining to heal and seal. We need to drive out pathogens and replace them with beneficial flora. And we need to provide all the building blocks for the gut lining to give birth to baby enterocytes. That’s what GAPS Nutritional Protocol does.”
After listening to this, any questions for implementation in your own life may be addressed by your local GAPS Practitioner. Call today to schedule your consultation. 224-244-7369 (Renz)
GAPS Connections – New Classes Starting
Posted: March 5, 2012 Filed under: GAPS Connections | Tags: GAPS, GAPS Practitioner, meetings, online Leave a comment »GAPS Connections
GAPS Practitioner Purposes
We will now have multiple locations/times!
By request, we are starting a new daytime session in the Western Suburbs.
GAPS Connections WEST will begin meeting this week: Tuesday, March 6th, from at 9:30am in Glendale Heights. Childcare can be made available for you with an advance request; please RSVP with a minimum notice of 24 hours, or contact me with any questions.
We are also pleased to be able to offer GAPS Online, starting Thursday March 15th, at 9:30 am. While we encourage everyone who can to come to live meetings, not only to share and sample the great foods (we had some really awesome GAPS garlic bread last week!) but to connect and socialize with others, we are hopeful that this meeting will be of great benefit in educating and supporting those who are too far away or unable to travel to our other meetings.
Upon RSVP you will be given instructions for payment and how to sign on. RSVP
Last but not least, we will add a new class, C.H.E.E.R.S. in April.
We will meet to learn about and practice a variety of topics in health, healing, and nutrition for those who are new to the journey and to seasoned veterans as well. This is a hands-on class, we will be doing a variety of food preparation and cooking demos, taste testing, and other practical applications of skills and topics.
Topics will vary; more information to come.
Cooking
Healing
Enjoying
Eating
Real
Simple
C.H.E.E.R.S.!
Please see GAPSConnections for more details on dates and locations for the above classes! Pass it on, and we hope to see you soon!
Edie and Renee
Real Food Fun
Posted: February 16, 2012 Filed under: GAPS | Tags: GAPS, Home made baby food, mainstream, raw, raw milk, Real food, Real food fun, Ryan Gosling Leave a comment »The following link Real Food Ryan Gosling has many great lines of love in a real food world. I look forward to the day that these become mainsteam!
They are all great but 
I love the last one related to GAPS
Thanks Ryan! I’ll keep watching for more! I hope you don’t mind me sharing this!
GAPS in the Media
Posted: February 8, 2012 Filed under: GAPS | Tags: Diet, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, education, enteric nervous system, food allergies, GAPS, GAPS Practitioner, Gut and Physiology Syndrome, individuality, intestinal health, nutrition, wellness nutrition Leave a comment »Hi Everyone!
How exciting–there has been a lot of recent media exposure and coverage of the gut brain connection and the GAPS diet! 
Many bloggers have been discussing the GAPS diet and other topics of interest to those seeking health and healing (such as grains, supplements, and various differences in philosophies or approaches). We wanted to address a few common questions/concerns we have been getting lately.
1. The GAPS Protocol has been developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and is taken to mean the 3 part program: Diet, Supplementation, and Detoxification. The Diet follows the science behind the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and is virtually the same as far as lists of foods to allow/avoid. Dr. Natasha has fine tuned the progression of the diet based on her extensive clinical experience to focus on healing and sealing the gut lining as quickly and effectively as possible.
2. It is very important that any healing protocol is adapted and followed based on each person’s bio-individual needs; we are all unique and have very different health histories, microbial make up, and nutritional needs. No matter what “program” you are following, there is no one set of rules that everyone has to follow. The ultimate guide to health is your own body; Dr. Natasha is very direct in teaching that the GAPS diet must be implemented for each person as an individual. The stages of the diet are there as guidelines.
3. The GAPS diet is not meant to be followed to the extreme for life by the vast majority of people. For many, it can take a couple of years for total healing to take place. Once a person is free of symptoms and is very stable/healthy, foods not allowed previously are re-introduced. There are a few individuals who will do best on the program for life.
4. Grains are not “bad” in and of themselves. They are only removed from the diet temporarily because they are difficult for an inflamed GI system to digest. If not properly broken down, they feed pathogens and can cause other symptoms. However, once the gut lining is healed and sealed, gradual introduction of properly prepared grains is recommended for most people. Industrial processed grains are never a healthy addition to any diet.
We are glad to see that the GAPS diet and nutritional treatments in general are getting more attention by “mainstream” media and medical professionals and hope this trend continues.
We know it can be really confusing to decide the right course of treatment. Working with a specialist, such as a Certified GAPS Practitioner (CGP) or Nutritional Therapist (NTP), is often the best investment in order to save time, money, and stress in finding the best course of action for you as an individual. If you are struggling and need support, please do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation, come to GAPS Connections meetings, and get support from other members of GAPS Connections. Stay Connected!
Health, healing, and happiness to you and yours,
Edie and Renee
Human Intestines function like a second brain
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: GAPS | Tags: auto immune disease, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, enteric nervous system, GAPS, GAPS Practitioner, Gut and Physiology Syndrome, GUt and Psychology Syndrome, gut bacteria, Healing, inner environment, intestinal health, leaky gut, lifestyle choices, nutrition, types of microbes, university medical center 2 Comments »The gut is finally getting some of the credit it deserves. A recent Clever Apes segment on WBEZ shares some of the important functions nervous system in your gut - the enteric nervous system. This system runs independent of the brain in your head. The health and well-being of your enteric nervous system plays a major role in your overall health. Something Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has been showing clinically since her first edition of Gut and Psychology Syndrome(GAPS) came out in 2004. Heal and seal the intestinal lining through diet and lifestyle changes and your health can make a change for the better.
Now scientists at Rush University Medical Center are investigating a hypothesis that diseases in the brain are coming from issues in the gut, not the other way around. In fact the types of microbes within the gut could potentially determine the type of diseases exhibited such as Parkinson’s.
Gut Bacteria Know Secrets About Your Future
What do you know about your world within? What are bacteria, viruses, protozoa and other microbes doing in you? Are they for you? Against you? Taking antibiotics will kill them all off for the short-term, but what type of microbes does your inner environment support to thrive and return after the massacre? Your dietary and lifestyle choices play a major role in creating and maintaining the creatures within. To learn more about how to create a world within which benefits your well-being contact Renee Renz for your GAPS consultation.
The Gut – Brain Connection
Posted: January 24, 2012 Filed under: GAPS | Tags: backup brain, brain neurons, enteric nervous system, GAPS, good bacteria Leave a comment »
A recent article in Psychology Today Your Backup Brain details the “second brain” in your stomach and how it influences your mood, what you eat, the kinds of diseases you get, as well as the decisions you make. This article shares great details of how the nervous system actually started in the gut, the connection between emotions and the gut. They make a clever analogy that we are like a donut. Our outer skin, eyes, ears and other senses our in contact with the outside world, toxins, bacteria, stimulus etc, but like a donut the digestive system is just as much in contact with the outside world through what we swallow and breath.
The importance of the digestive system is making headway. General Science recognizes that the gut or digestive system has its own independent neural activity via the enteric nervous system or ENS. This organ works independent of the brain in the head. A mind-body connection which not only processes what we eat, but also sends signals to the brain effecting moods, memory, learning and more.
Highlighted in this article is the importance of the 100 trillion bacteria within the digestive tract. This “gut biome” produces their own enzymes, DNA, and is the interface between your diet and your genetics. Talk between bacteria and brain begins in infancy and is continual. The makeup of this gut biome is critical to managing good communication. There is even reference to the importance of replenishing “good bacteria” with fermented foods and how they affect key neurotransmitters effecting behavior.
The Standard American diet (SAD) has affected our gut flora in a negative way rendering us susceptible to diseases such as diabetes, IBS, immune disorders, mental issues and more. There is even reference to the autism connection. The digestive system is at last getting some respect, but there is a missing link.
The missing link
The authors of the referenced articles are obviously unaware of the work of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride who has been working clinically since 2000 using a nutritional approach as a treatment, and has become recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in treating children and adults with learning disabilities and other mental disorders, as well as children and adults with digestive and immune disorders. In 2004 she has published her first book Gut And Psychology Syndrome. Natural Treatment Of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Depression And Schizophrenia (GAPS) where she explores the connection between the patient’s physical state and brain function. The book gives full details of the GAPS Nutritional Protocol, highly successful in treating patients with learning disabilities and other mental problems.
As a Certified GAPS Practitioner and a follower of the GAPS protocol, I can guide you and help you take control of your health through understanding and managing your gut biome for your greatest well-being. Schedule your personal consultation and join our GAPS Connections group.
GAPS Connections Group Lesson 4
Posted: December 15, 2011 Filed under: Event, GAPS | Tags: ADHD, autism, auto immune disease, Crohn's, Diet, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, food allergies, GAPS, GAPS Practitioner, Gut and Physiology Syndrome, GUt and Psychology Syndrome, Heart Disease, intestinal health, leaky gut, organic, WAPF, wellness nutrition, Weston A. Price Leave a comment »GAPS Practitioner Purposes
Lesson 4 will cover the GAPS Nutritional Protocol
GAPS Connections is a group of individuals who meet in person and online to learn about Gut and Psychology Syndrome, how it develops and how to treat it effectively with a sound nutritional protocol.
Please Join Renee Renz and Edie Brennan, Certified GAPS Practitioners, and other GAPS community members for our bi-weekly educational, inspiring, and supportive meetings.
Each GAPS Connections session will include a lesson/presentation, community based support, an opportunity to sample and learn new recipes, and time to have questions answered by GAPS Practitioners as a group and individually.
All GAPS clients, and anybody who is interested in learning about GAPS, may attend. Let’s work together to “fill in the GAPS”!
Date/Time: Thursday 7:00 -9:00 pm January 12th
(Meetings will be held every other week)
Location: Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Center
109 W. Slade St. #200, Palatine IL 60067
Investment: $15 per person/Additional family members only $10 per person
RSVP: GAPSConnections@gmail.com or 224-244-7369
As a way to have interaction between group members, we ask that you please join our Yahoo Group
ClickheretojoinGAPSConnections
Looking ahead, below are the dates for upcoming meetings.
GAPS Connections dates and topics
January 26 – The Full GAPS Diet
February 9 – Stages of the GAPS Diet
February 23 – Nutritional Supplements for GAPS
March 8 – GAPS Detoxification
March 22 – GAPS Practical issues
April 5 – GAPS Pregnancy
GAP Syndrome or GAPS™ is a condition which establishes a connection between the functions of the digestive system and the brain. This term was created by Dr Natasha Campbell–McBride, MD, MMedSci (neurology), MMedSci (human nutrition) in 2004 after working with hundreds of children and adults with neurological and psychiatric conditions, such as autistic spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression, obsessive –compulsive disorder, bi-polar disorder and other neuropsychological and psychiatric problems.
“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.”
