Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia

WOW. This book is outstanding. Others have reviewed the book's content, and they do it far better than I could. So, instead, I'll attest to the healing power of this diet. Over a year and a half ago, I became sick. Super sick. So sick I was unable to get out of bed. I eventually realized my adrenal glands were shot. So I quit my job and school and took time off, expecting to recuperate within a few months. Ha. I researched and researched, pouring over everything I could read online. I had a Candida infection (resulting from allopathic drugs) that never went away. I'd literally feel poisoned, especially after eating. My immune system was a mess. I had zero energy. I suffered severe chemical and mold sensitivities and began to develop hives. I started developing arthritis in my knees and fingers. Some days it was so bad it prevented me from knitting/crocheting, two of my favorite pasttimes. I experienced constant congestion and back-to-back sinus infections. My body was in terrible shape. I'm not a dramatic person by nature, but I assure you, some days I wasn't sure how much sicker one could get before the body just gave up altogether. I kept getting weaker and more exhausted by the day. For months, I didn't leave the house. For the record, I'm 32 years old. (Mind-blowing, isn't it?) After several months of research and trial and error, I discovered the adrenal issues were a symptom of a much larger problem - severe leaky gut and gut dysbiosis. If the preceding paragraph sounds like hyperbole to you, I can't say I blame you. Before my experience, I'd have been skeptical too. I had been preparing to study biochemistry in grad school. Before I became ill, I thought chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases could merely be 'managed.' In blind faith, I had accepted what the medical establishment tells us. That was fine, until the medical establishment failed me...repeatedly. I gave up on allopathic medicine and knew it would be my responsibility to heal myself. As much as this illness has consumed me, it really was a true wake-up call. A blessing in disguise. So I researched. Boy, did I research. I took vitamin/mineral supplements. I got my detox pathways up and running again, as per Dr. Myhill's methylation protocol. I followed her advice for supporting mitochondrial health. I started eating meat. I had been a vegetarian for 16 years, but I was so sick I had no difficulty adjusting to eating meat again. In fact, I craved it. Things improved slightly, but my quality of life was still abysmal. Finally, a few months ago I happened upon some website extolling the GAPS diet. I looked into it but figured I was already eating a clean (mostly) paleo diet, so I didn't need to buy this book. I didn't think it was that different from what I was already doing. When I had to stay home on Christmas day because I felt so toxic and crummy, I decided to purchase the book. So, sure I had already eliminated processed foods and gluten. But I still ate cheese everyday. I still ate sweet potatoes and oats. I still ate a lot of fiber. This book showed me the error of my ways. These things are fine for a healthy gut. But my gut was a complete wreck and needed special help. More importantly, this book showed me what I WASN'T eating that I needed to be eating: lots of bone broth and marrow, organ meats, and lots of ferments, amongst other things. I started following the GAPS diet intro on January 1st of this year. The first two weeks were brutal. I had been toxic for so long that I was used to feeling lousy, but the die-off this diet produced was intense. In the book, she stresses the importance of managing die-off; but, because I was so toxic, there was really little I could do. The diet alone, even without the introduction of probiotics, sauerkraut, and kefir was enough to produce rapid die-off. Then early last week, it was like the fog broke. Gradually, I started having more energy. I announced to my shocked boyfriend that I wanted to go for a walk in the park like we used to do. We did. I suffered no repercussions from it, whereas before GAPS it would have taken me days to recover. I now go for a 30-45 minute walk nearly every day. I can't stress how utterly amazing this is. I prayed that GAPS would help me. It was my last resort. However, I never expected it to work this quickly. Truth be told, I'm still stunned. I'm nowhere near fully recovered. I've still got toxins circulating. I still feel die-off, but it is nowhere near what it once was. True, I take other supplements. However, since starting GAPS I have stopped taking the majority of my supplements, simply because I no longer need them. At long last, my diet is providing the nutrients my body has been needing all along for repair (particularly cholesterol and saturated fats, which are sadly demonized in our culture). I probably sound like a crazy person because I'm so, so excited about this book and this diet; but if you're sick like I was, you know all too well what it's like to live in a chronically ill body. I don't know what percentage of CFS is caused by gut dysbiosis, but I know that mine was. If yours is, this is, without a doubt, the diet to follow. Because I'm having such rapid success on the intro phase, I intend to stick with it for a few months. Some people fly through it in a matter of days before starting full GAPS. That's the nice thing about this diet; you move at your own pace and let your body be the guide. I'm also curious to see how this diet helps me with the mental health issues I've contended with since childhood (namely fits of debilitating anxiety, ocd, and depression that have become increasingly severe in the last few years). I had tried several SSRI's over the last ten years until a new doctor put me on Adderall (which is nothing more than a mixture of amphetamine salts and is very, very hard on the adrenals) after diagnosing me with ADHD. The SSRI's never worked. I'd be happy if GAPS prevents my anxiety from getting worse, but truly I'd love to see the anxiety eliminated permanently. At this point I have no expectations. After all, I've lived with the anxiety for 30 years. But if anything can help, I firmly believe it'll be this diet. This book saved me. Reading success stories of people recovering from CFS is what got me through the worst moments. I hope my story does the same, and I will update again in a few months as I progress along my GAPS journey. I wish you all the best of health. UPDATE 4/10/12: Spring has sprung here. I no longer seem to be affected by pollen, which in previous years gave me terrible allergies and sinus infections. In fact, I have not had a sinus infection in months. The arthritis symptoms are completely gone. I've lost 15 pounds and walk an hour or more just about daily in addition to my chores around the house. Also, for the last 3 months my monthly cycle has been just that (cyclical). In the 20 years I've been menstruating, I've NEVER once had a regular cycle. Now it's literally every 28-29 days. There has been no improvement on the mental stuff yet; in fact, the die-off seems to be temporarily making it much worse. UPDATE 3/1/13: I've been on GAPS for over a year now, with no deviation. No cheating whatsoever. I can honestly say I don't miss any of the "normal" food that I used to eat. This stuff is just so nutrient-dense that I don't ever think of eating anything else. And I used to literally be addicted to sugar. So, that's pretty cool. As to my progress - physically, I'm not much stronger than I was six months ago. But I'm still light-years ahead of where I was two years ago. Still taking walks, doing chores, knitting, able to function like a human being. I'm experiencing new die-off symptoms (caused by breaking up biofilm in my gut with probiotics and systemic enzymes, I believe) like visual disturbances, rosacea and other rashes, adrenaline rushes, numbness/tingling/burning in my extremities. Apparently, these things are all typical for Candida overgrowth. I'm not surprised that I haven't experienced more physical improvement. My Candida infection was/is quite severe, and I've always anticipated that it would take several years to recover. Happily, though I am able to report a significant improvement in my mental well-being. My depressive episodes started to lift just a few months into GAPS, and now they are all but gone. My favorite improvement by far, however, has been with my anxiety and panic attacks. It took about a year, but they are about 85% gone, at this point. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to have some relief from this torment for the first time in over ten years (most of my adult life). It should be obvious, but in case it's not, this protocol is not (nor does it claim to be) a quick-fix. I've had gut dysbiosis (and many, many rounds of antibiotics) since birth. It takes a long time to undo decades' worth of damage. The diet is only the base, although Dr. Natasha says that for many GAPS folks, the diet alone is enough. In my case, after the infection is gone, I will still need to detox, fix my adrenals completely, get my metabolic hormones back in order, and perhaps chelate. I have no delusions about how long this is going to take. Thanks to all of you who have commented or contacted me over the past year; it's been wonderful swapping stories and information. I'm very grateful to you all. Here's to continued healing! :) UPDATE 12/23/25: Wow, I can't believe it's been over a decade since I wrote this review. I don't know if anyone ever reads this anymore, and I haven't thought about it in many years. However, over the years, I have had people asking me how I'm faring, so I thought I'd provide an update. I'm doing very well actually. I still (mostly) follow the GAPS principles and regularly pull my GAPS book off the bookshelf to reference something or locate a recipe. In the 20+ years that have transpired since Dr. Natasha wrote this book, I'm now finally beginning to see other doctors on YouTube, like Dr. Berg, Dr. Davis, and all the carnivore doctors like Dr. Chaffee, popularizing this knowledge for the public. I'm thrilled it's getting out there and helping people, but Dr. Natasha really deserves most of the credit for publishing this before it was trendy. I now eat a "ketovore" diet - consisting mainly of lots of grass-fed beef, steak, butter, and eggs with some cooked vegetables and occasional berries. After all these years, I still make the meat stock/bone broth in my Crockpot and consume it a couple times a week. I consume Dr. Davis' homemade SIBO yogurt daily and drink 1-2 cups of raw milk kefir per day. Additionally, I've expanded into fermenting vegetables. I've never managed to regain 100% of my health. As of now, I'd say I'm at 85%, which is remarkable, considering from where I started. I suspect after years of research that the key to achieving a complete healing lay in restoring my mitochondrial health, which I am currently working on. But overall, life is so much more normal now. It's so cool to me after all these years to see the carnivore, keto, and GAPS movements still growing and curing people. I continue to learn so much and will tweak things here and there, but the core principles of my life and diet continue to come from the GAPS diet. I will never deviate from it. My husband (yup, the guy who was my boyfriend back in 2012 who stayed by my side through all of this) has been so impressed by my recovery that he decided to follow suit. He now also follows the lifestyle and is focusing on his own healing. Merry Christmas, Everybody, and God bless all of you.

FEW BOOKS CAN BE CONSULTED CONTINUOUSLY AND BE SO IMPORTANT IN A MEDICAL LIBRARY. PERHAPS, MAYBE ONE MAY THINK THAT THE TOPICS COVERED IN THIS BOOK CAN ONLY BE APPLIED TO PATHOLOGIES OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL-DEVELOPMENT AREA, BUT THE SENSE OF THIS BOOK IS BROADER. I HAVE READ MANY TEXTS RELATED TO CHRONIC DISEASES, NUTRITION AND LIFESTYLE, BUT GUT AND PSYCHOLOGY SYNDROME (GAPS) IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT; SIMPLE BUT AT THE SAME TIME DEEPER. WHAT I HIGHLIGHT FROM THIS BOOK IS THAT, WE HAVE THE HONOR OF RECEIVING THE KNOW-HOW OF A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL WITH A LOT CLINICAL EXPERIENCE. I'VE READ BOOKS RELATED TO AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS AND NUTRITION, PROBABLY ALL OF THEM EXPLAIN THINGS IN A REALLY NOT EFFECTIVE WAY. THOSE BOOKS GIVE US THE SAME EXPLANATION ABOUT LEAKY GUT, FOR EXAMPLE, AND HOW TO TREAT IT, BUT GAPS EXPLORES THE SUBJECT IN A TOTALLY DISTINGUISHING WAY. AS A DOCTOR, I ENJOY CLINICAL EXPERIENCE AND NOT EXPLANATIONS FROM DIETICIANS OR SPECIALIZED IN FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE WITH NOT TRAINED EXPERTISE IN MEDICINE; ALLWAYS TRYING TO SELL INFINITY OF DIAGNOSTICS TECHNIQUES AND TREATMENTS WITH ALL TYPES OF SUPPLEMENTS. OTHER TEXTS ARE BASED ON THE ELIMINATION DIET BUT ONCE WE'VE CAUGHT THE INFORMATION IN GAPS, WE UNDERSTAND THAT ALL OF THEM ARE A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. I DON''T WANT TO DETAIL THE TOPICS COVERED IN GAPS BECAUSE IT WOULD BE GORGEOUS IF NEW READERS WILL EXPERIENCE FOR THEIR OWN THE JOY OF LEARN AND DISCOVERY THAT BRING US THIS WONDERFUL BOOK. Perhaps the most grateful message I EARNED IN GAPS is the profound love and respect the author has for human beings and THE MEDICAL profession. THANK YOU DOCTOR NATASHA, THE WAY YOU SENSE THIS PROFESSION AND HOW HUMBLY YOU SHARE WITH US YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPEREINCE. A BIG HUG FROM BUENOS AIRES GABRIEL

I grew up very healthy, moved to the United States when I was 16, then I had a deadly allergy attack (acute anaphylaxis) while playing tennis at the age of 23. Immediately following that incident I started experiencing many symptoms from chronic fatigue, bloating, depression, anxiety, joint pain, constipation, diarrhea, acne, asthma, ear infections, sinus infections. After going to an allergist, rheumatologist, gastroenterologist, and 4 other general physicians, all my doctors were clueless as to what why these symptoms were persisting. I eventually discovered that the root cause to all of my "constellation" (as one of my doctors put it) symptoms was the fact that I had a Saccharomyces (beer/bread yeast) infection in my gut along with a sensitivity to dairy (IgG and IgA mediated immune responses). The cure for my maladies: paleo-like or low FODMAP--extremely low carbohydrate and sugar diet--with no dairy along with a mild anti-fungal medication. This was the solution after spending $20,000 on an elimination based diagnostic method. After all this, one day by chance I went to the restroom after my brother and saw his stools were not of a healthy digestive system, looked very similar to how my stools turned after my accident. My brother was going through is first two years after a diagnosis for Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder. I had to go online trying to put together the very disorganized data about the gut to schizophrenia relationship. And sure enough, after my brother had a similar test like mine, we saw his gut had a few pathogenic parasites, an overgrowth of Candida Albicans, and very high IgG and IgA responses to dairy. After I put him on a paleo like diet the results were amazing. It was an instant improvement, the changes in his mood and cognitive capabilities were more than we could have ever expected. This well-written book has a wealth of information about the importance of gut health from a very credible and passionate medical professional. The 25 page bibliography is a testament to the quality and validity of the book. I love this book, and I just wish everyone were aware about the information inside.

Love the book. Packed with dense info. I read bits of it every day or other day. We have been on the Gaps diet for three months. My 5 years old son has made great improvements. He has easier time dressing up by himself (before it was a daily morning frustration), much more eye contact when talking, decreases a lot of quirky behaviors and has diminished fidgety movements and annoying repetitive words/sounds. He also has increased his sleep hours by 2 extra every day. He takes his detox Edson Salt bath daily which relaxes him at night. For anyone starting I would suggest getting a Gaps cookbook ( the one with the highest rating in amazon) which makes it a fast and easy initial transition into the Intro Gaps while you are still reading and Learning the information given on Dr. Campbell’s Gap book. Also, listen to all of her YouTube videos to reinforce what you are reading. Also google the five most common mistakes on Gaps intro. And the 10 most common mistakes in the Intro Gaps diet. They show the Difference between doing stocks and broths. If you have children with autism, add, adhd, they should be eating stocks/soups (2-4 hour cooking time) and not broths since broths release histamine and can Affect highly toxic children or adults. This is a phenomenal book and Diet.

I like this book a lot. I have suffered my entire life with eczema, allergies and asthma and have been tested over and over again to determine my triggers. each time, there are always new triggers or old ones that crop back up. I do have some consistent allergies that have persisted my whole life (animal dander, pollen, dust, mold, etc) but i have never found relief for eczema. I was told I "grew out of" my food allergies so it was impossible to still connect those foods to my eczema problems. I have been told by countless doctors to move to Arizona (why?) rip out the carpets in my home and install wood floors (again why?) and avoid my triggers by keeping covers on pillows and bed, vacuuming every single thing in my house daily and washing cothing every night. (gee, that's reasonable AND realistic!) I tried to eliminate foods anyhow to see how my skin would react or not - I tried eliminating wheat for approximiately 4 months and saw little to no effect on my eczema. I slowly got off of the topical steroids I was using to manage my condition and started reading around blogs from people that struggle with eczema and avoiding steroid creams/ointments. I found this book through a blog from a mother that began the diet for her child and found that her son's eczema had cleared up by about 90%. The difference with this diet and others are that this isnt just an elimination diet. it is a healing diet, meant not only to restrict foods that cause inflammation but to heal the digestive system naturally and then reintroduce some foods to determine if intolerances still exist. I have only begun this journey a month ago and it has been difficult. The elimination of some of my favorite foods is the hardest. the prep of the food is not, my only recommendation is to BE ORGANIZED. This book helps to teach you about how your system works and get your started, but is not meant to be your food bible. you have to learn what your body can handle and what it cannot. I found the sauerkraut was easy to make and i have found recipes online to keep things interesting when it comes to probiotic foods. All in all I like the book beause it's easy to read, there is a lot of good information about how your digestive system should work and what it looks like when it is deficient.

Very informative

As a person with MS I can't remember how I stumbled on this book but it is helping me tremendously in regaining my health and helping my daughter as well. Dr. McBride has offered a plausible theory into the exponential rise of not only autism but allergies, autoimmune, asthma and mental health issues as well. We are facing an epidemic of illness in this country and any Dr. that tells you it is not so is crazy or lying. I have researched as much as possible regarding every claim she makes as to proof of her theory and have found credible research to back up her claims as not only have I researched regarding ASD but autoimmune as well. In doing so I am realizing there is very little difference between autism, MS, Alzheimer's, Lyme, Fibro etc. We all have the same symptoms of varying degrees, if you suffer from any autoimmune talk to others and then talk to the mothers of kids with autism and you will agree, probably most of your symptoms match theirs. Pain, gut issues, toxicity, chronic fatigue, inability to absorb vitamins, neurological symptoms, stiffness, joint aches, paralysis, yeast or other fungal or bacterial infections, inflammation, all found in most with today's chronic conditions. The diet itself is hard but the progress is worth it as for the first time in over 10 years I am pain free and was the first week or two. I have also watched the weight fall off making me realize I was storing fat to save my life from either inflammation or excess sugar or toxins. No diet has worked recently to help shed pounds but this diet gets to the root of problems and helps to reset your health by correcting them, once that begins it is as though your body remembers how to work, metabolize, detox, create energy etc. again. With my daughter I realized she is exactly as the Dr. described, one of those kids that doesn't fit in any box but is having some very real problems. Unfortunately the Dr. seems unwilling or unable to point the finger at vaccines but from studying the effect of vaccines on those with MS I know there is a connection to IBD and vaccines. I am sure she is probably afraid of the backlash and I don't blame her but I know what I know and my daughter was perfectly healthy until vaccines and antibiotics within weeks of each other led to a cascade of problems that seemed to crash her immune system and in turn affect her brain and development. I am so grateful she is responding well to the diet and the improvements in both of us have been tremendous. All of the answers aren't there yet but the science is beginning to explain just how important a healthy gut is not only for immune but for the brain as well. I just wish the medical and mental health establishment would open their eyes as to the importance of such connections and realize that there is really no such thing as mental health and it is ludicrous to act as though the brain is somehow disconnected to the body, especially the gut.

My only concern about this book is that the information here should be required reading for all medical personnel, all parents, and anyone wanting to live a healthful life. So the title, which focuses on particularly brain-related dysfunctions, may cause the average unhealthy person to ignore this as a reference for them! I am absolutely sold on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, the GAPS Diet and the Paleo Diet. Although each has its individual "rules", they are all very close cousins and are setup according to good science. If you read this book, it will give you a good clue why there are so many children now being diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, autism, bi-polar, obesity, etc. The Standard American Diet is slowly poisoning us and our children. Sadly, the three diets I mentioned, above, are not easy, pre-prepared foods. I am lucky: I grew up on a farm. My mother froze home-grown veggies, we made homemade jams and canned tomatoes. Cooking healthful food is my hobby, so although it is a challenge, I basically know how to get myself organized and make it happen. But when I read these books and I think about the single working mother who is struggling to make ends meet, struggling to get her child to school, herself to work, and keep up with a limited budget and limited time. I wonder how she would implement any of these dietary protocols. I think about someone who is literally dying from years of drug treatments for this and that illness, is now so weak and exhausted they can hardly do anything, and my heart aches. How the heck can these folks make these changes? How does someone who is alone and very sick and weak do all that needs to be done? Shear grit, I guess. Anyway, thank you everyone who has written reviews on this book. Because of your feedback I have finally found the way to eat that not only has cured my chronic lifelong constipation, but will also afford me overall good health.

I have been studying my own progressive health challenges for 27 years, and after seeing dozens of Specialists (Conventional and Alternative) - I still have not acquired a conclusive diagnosis or effective treatment. The GAPS book provided me with the missing pieces of the puzzle that tied together numerous hormonal, immune, neurological deregulations and impairments (and a myriad of symptoms) - to an underlying problem of impaired digestion, imbalanced and toxic gut flora, and impaired detoxification. The book does not just suggest or speculate what may be the problem, but quite adeptly explains the how and why these digestion problems occur - up to the limitations of recent science (but in layman's terms). The book also provides a solution, by explaining how to heal and restore the digestive system, to improve or resolve the innumerable secondary symptoms it can cause. However, this requires a significant change in diet and routine for most people, so I suspect that only those sick enough to take the trouble and endure the stress of change will properly implement the program, and recover. I also suspect that those with GAPS challenges whose perceptions and mental function are already significantly impaired by the GAPS syndrome, may not be able to understand, follow and benefit from the book, without help and support. But if you are in search of core, underlying problems and solutions to many chronic health problems - you will likely find this book very enlightening. The book is well written, and rare in that it is both scientifically based and supported, but still easy reading. I recommend it highly.

Excellent knowledge for any health problems. Highly recommended

Informazione scentifica molto interessante. Ammetto che il metodo non è ben sopportato da tutti, però nelle persone adatte, fa dei miracoli.

once again I'm no expert... however my guts are constantly irritated and have been since my first weeks of birth. I've tried various cleanses as an adult and asked many a doctor. every doctor says I am in perfect health and yet the irritation never goes away. It's only been about a month so of course it's too soon to tell.. but if nothing else it's an interesting and enlightening read :)

A teoria GAPS ja tem cerca de 30 anos e até hoje grande parte da comunidade médica a ignora tratando com alopatia prejudicial o que pode ser revertido ou severamente melhorado com a limpeza, restabelecimento, cicatrização e reconstrução do epitélio do trato gastrointestinal.