Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Part I

It seems to me that the vast majority of American society is quick to use genetics as a crutch in providing an explanation for many of the conditions prevalent today. Take for instance the increasing number of people with brain disorders such as autism, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, Tourette’s Syndrome, and so on. People, especially children, are suffering from these afflictions, more so today than ever before. So what is inherently wrong with our genetics now, that was fine just a couple decades ago?

This is a topic of great interest to me. I have been asked many questions about natural treatment options, usually from befuddled mothers, just trying to understand what their child is going through and struggling to cope themselves. I do not know how many of you are familiar with GAPS, or the Gut and Psychology Syndrome. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD, wrote a book, detailing findings from her research in this area, called Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Depression, and Schizophrenia. I truly think she is on to something momentous. To give a recap of key points of this book, I found a review on the Weston A. Price website, done by Kathryne Pirtle and Dr. John Turner, DC, CCSP, DIBCN:

Just as Dr. Weston Price sought to identify the parameters that fostered poor health in his patients, so too does Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride advance our understanding of the underlying factors present in a growing percentage of people suffering from brain disorders and mental illness. Genetics cannot explain the exponential increase in these health and developmental problems, says Dr. Campbell-McBride, because genetic changes work much more slowly. Through studying the health of hundreds of patients with autism, learning disabilities, psychiatric illness and other problems, Campbell-McBride discovered that in virtually all cases these children and adults suffer from digestive problems, often of a severe nature. Through her research, she has determined a distinct correlation between unhealthy intestinal flora, poor digestion and toxicity from chemicals created by undigested foods, which can severely affect brain chemistry. She coins this relationship the Gut and Psychology Syndrome, or GAPS.

But if a child manifests problems such as autism or ADD/ADHD at an early age, how can that child have already developed poor digestion? The causes are familial and generational, explains Campbell-McBride. Just as Dr. Price ascertained that without adequate nutrition, each generation would produce less healthy children- so Campbell-McBride postulates that poor intestinal flora and digestion are passed down from one generation to the next.

When a baby is born, it acquires the flora of the mother during its passage through the birth canal. If the mother has a history of antibiotic or contraceptive use and poor digestive health, her flora will likely be unhealthy. If she does not breast feed her baby, the gut flora of the child will be further compromised. The infant will often develop digestive problems such as colic, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, feeding difficulties, and so on. The child usually has frequent ear infections treated with many rounds of antibiotics, which only make the situation worse.

Poor bacterial flora and digestion are at the heart of serious health problems. When children are born with intestinal bacterial imbalances or gut dysbiosis, they tend to have a compromised immune system and are prone to illness. Hippocrates stated that “All diseases begin in the gut;” and the father of modern psychiatry, Phillipe Pinel, said, “The primary seat of insanity is the region of the stomach and intestines.”