By Victoria LaFont
Guest Writer for Wake Up World
I
am a digestion junkie. Most of my research and education focuses on
how to improve digestive function and correct the many ways that our
digestive processes can go awry. For children with special needs, we
must focus on creating the most optimal digestive system possible.
Why am I so focused on digestion?
Digestion
is how we obtain nutrients from our food. When even one step in the
digestive process is compromised, nutrients are not correctly
assimilated into the body, and other parts of our physiology such as our
nervous and immune systems suffer. We are losing out on valuable
building blocks that are especially needed by children with autism,
aspergers, schizophrenia, ADD, ADHD, and bipolar disorder. Dr. Natasha
Campbell-McBride, MD states in her book “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” that she
has “yet to meet a child with autism, ADHD/ADD, asthma, eczema,
allergies, dyspraxia or dyslexia, who has not got digestive
abnormalities. In many cases, they are severe enough for the parents to start talking about them first.” She renames all of the above conditions “Gut And Psychology Syndrome,” or “GAP Syndrome.”
Dr.
Campbell-McBride finds that children suffering from GAP Syndrome tend
to have a very limited diet, craving only starchy or sweet foods.
Through
testing she finds compromised gut flora (a lack or imbalance of
beneficial intestinal bacteria), damage to the small and large
intestine, and compromised immunity. Ultimately, she creates the most
telling link between developmental issues and digestion by explaining
the ‘gut-brain connection.’ She states:
“…a
GAPS person’s digestive system becomes a major source of toxicity in
the body. An unknown number of various neurotoxins are produced by
abnormal flora in the gut of these children and adults, these are
absorbed through the damaged gut wall into the blood and taken to the
brain.”
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