Customer Reviews

Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Depression, Schizophrenia

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Hello,
I'm not a parent and I've no experience of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Schizophrenia, BAD, Eating Disorders or Depression in either myself or my family, but I read this book because I want to find out more about the impact gut dysbiosis has on the brain, and this was explained succinctly and physiologically. I read this after Barry Groves' Trick and Treat, which I thought was excellent and I found a lot of what Campbell-McBride had to say on the dietry regimes applied to those suffering from Candida, of which I am one. Many of the reviews for the unrevised edition are from parents or relations of Autistic children, and if you are in similar circumstances you should read what they say instead of I say. I am interested in becoming a nutritionist and this information is absolutely essential. I work in mental health and as the author rightly states, psychiatry steadfastly refuses to look at gut dysbiosis as the cause of mental health problems. It's funny, as prescription drugs are meant to affect behaviour, but mental health workers don't seem to understand they have to be processed by the gut and liver first. Does it not follow what they have eaten might adversely affect their behaviour? Most everyone knows a child's behaviour changes when they get a sugar rush. In this book you will read why.

Gut and Psychology Syndrome represents an examination of the relationship between what we eat, our gut flora and fauna and our mental state, with particular emphasis on how the first two can lead to learning problems ranging from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to autism and even schizophrenia. Written by a medical doctor with an autistic child, the book maps out clearly how modern food production practices, medicines and lifestyles have left many children and adults with a potentially devastating imbalance between the intestinal microbes that promote good health and those know to cause illness. The book is written for parents/ carers and sufferers of learning disorders, depression and schizophrenia, which makes it very accessible to the lay reader.

Those involved in infant and child massage will find it useful in two ways. Firstly, from a professional standpoint, it will help teachers understand some of the mechanisms that underpin these disorders and opens up a rich vein of potential research into how massage may enhance results - after all, we know that massage can aid in the digestive process. Secondly, being written by a doctor, it is a useful resource to suggest to parents who find themselves tackling these problems, especially where they are resisting the introduction of drugs to 'modify' their child/children's behaviour.

As I turned the pages, I kept having those 'well, I never' moments. Campbell-McBride links anaemia to poor gut flora and fauna and explains why genetics is not a rational explanation for the explosion of cases of learning disorders currently being seen. She clarifies why wheat and dairy can cause digestive/mental problems BUT also why their removal from the diet is often not sufficient to remedy the situation. In addition, she tackles the fraught issue of the MMR/autism link in a thoroughly professional and scientific way. I could go on and on.....

The above by itself would have made a good read but it does not stop there. Campbell-McBride goes on to elucidate what dietary changes are needed, including a comprehensive good and bad foods list, and gives recipes to help get one started. She also tells us how to select good probiotics and gives appropriate dosages based on age, as well as fronting up to the issue of supplementation generally. The section on good versus bad fats is one of the best expositions of this topic that I have read in a long time, based on research rather than faddy diets.

If I have one criticism of this book, it is that there is no list of suppliers at the end. However, that is also refreshing, as one is left with the feeling that there is no 'hidden agenda' in terms of the probiotics, essential fatty acids etc.

All in all, a riveting read for anyone interested in working with children experiencing learning disorders and an invaluable tool to the parents/carers of those children.

I have ulcerative colitis and no experience of autism but find this book is wonderful and everything in it makes so much sense. It explains how the body works and how problems manifest themselves in easy to understand language. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to improve their health and especially those with autistic children, immune problems, IBS etc. A revelation!

I have been finding this book extremely informative about the imppotance of good bacteria in the gut for general good health and the negative, knock on effect of how processed foods, antibiotics among other things,can seriously damage it and effect the next generations as well as leading to extreme cases such as Autism etc. and mental wellbeing. Well worth reading just to help one look at how best to maintain and improve one's own health and family and friends.

Throughout the last six years of my personal research and the hard work it entailed trying to find the cause of my son's challenges,rather than just dealing with his symptoms.I now hold the key to the reason that no matter what he learned through the many therapies that i have implemented. This could not guarantee that he would be able to retain the information and be able to retrieve it when he needed to. This book has given both my son and i the gift of the future as unknown as it should be, instead of how we were told it would be. Dr Natasha Campbell Mcbride has at last written the bible for all parents who choose to believe that their child is not a lost cause. Together my son and I now both know that the connection between his challenges and his bowel disorder coincide with each other Even though many other professionals have said otherwise. Before embarking on any other therapy for your Child who displays any form of Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Dyspraxia or Dyslexia and all related disorders. Purchsing this book will help you to decrease any further damage to your child before you begin your journey with him/her to catch up on all the milestones that they have not yet mastered.Through the diet and supplementation that Dr Natasha Campbell Mcbride explains in such an amazing way, your child's processing abilities shold be able to work efficiently enough to enable him/her to push past their diagnosis into their future and give a prognosis that is as positive and encouraging as any other typical Child. After years of searching and implementing every diet that relates to Autism my son is living proof that this book holds all the information that you need.I will be forever gratefull to both Natasha and Peter Campbell Mcbride for not only the knowledge i now possess but for their wisdom encourage and support along the way.

This book, and also "Put Your Heart in Your Mouth", deserves to be read by everyone. Were we all to implement the guidelines, the great majority (if not all) of us would then, undoubtedly, be significantly happier and healthier than we are currently. As I read the GAPS book I had to laugh and cry as "I and people close to me" leapt from the pages in the descriptions used by the author, as if she had examined us and been writing about us, which was not the case. Finally, I thought, someone who takes pieces of a puzzle and puts them all together to create an accurate picture of what is going on in terms of nutrition, toxins, etc. Health is available to us and there are many practical things which we can do to help our bodies - and minds - regain and keep a healthy state. If you only buy one book in the coming months - make it the GAPS book. If you can afford more - buy the 'heart' book too. Even if you think, from the titles, that these books are not for you because your 'condition' is not specifically listed, get them anyway, as you may well be surprised once you start reading. If, per chance, the contents still do not resonate, explore the detoxification issues in greater detail ... in my case mercury from dental amalgam ... and then the picture will become clearer. Please, go ahead - buy, read, share and prosper!

This book really is the best on the subject. She writes clearly about the science behind the role of nutritional intervention and her suggestions even though seen as barmy by some (no to rice, potatoes, and yes to meats with fat) makes a lot of sense when she explains the reasons. There are loads of magic remedies being peddled by snake oil merchants (just have a look at the American yahoo websites for GF/CF) enough to make any parent of an autistic child feel hopelessly inadequate. Ms. McBride, a doctor herself argues that the SCD diet combined with ABA intensive early intervention is probably the most sensible option. The most lucidly argued book on autism treatments (and I have read quite a few!!)

A must read book! The link between the gut and autism is too strong to ignore. We bought this book 5 weeks ago and followed the diet advice for our ASD son who is 4 years old. He has always got by with requesting things with 1-4 words "more orange juice"
He is now starting to speak in whole sentences "mummy can I have more orange juice please" and for the first time ever got on his bike and rode it steering and braking (with stabilizers of course!) which made both myself and my wife cry as before he couldnt even figure out what to do with the pedals!!
We are very pleased with the progress we have made in such a short space of time but obviously still a long way to go. Its hard stopping the naughty foods ie chocolate, cakes etc especially when other children in the family ask for them...luckily their starting to eat fruit and veg instead of craving sweet things now.
This book has made me realise what junk we pile into our kids and ourselves and yet we expect to remain healthy. The chemicals in cleaning solutions and every day products are staggering. With autism cases rising fast, along with mental health problems not all these can be genetic.

This is a well written and helpful book that includes most of the things I would expect on the subject. Whether this syndrome actually exists is to some extent unproven but that many parents have experience of children that appear to have been 'tipped over the edge' by any number of childhood medical protocols (most notably and perhaps controversially, vaccines) is well known.

The link with Autism is believed in some quarters and contested in others, the link with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Depression and Schizophrenia is even less established in mainstream medicine. However, the likely side effects of employing any of the ideas in this book are more or less zero with the potential benefit being quite large, so in that respect, it's a low risk read.

We have had some success applying the ideas to our infant children that were indeed knocked sideways by vaccine protocols in the UK.

The author, though, omits reference to things like mercury in Fish Oil and Cod Liver Oil and although there is passing reference to imbalances in vitamin A and D in Cod Liver Oil caused by processing and vitamin harvesting by manufacturers, it isn't really addressed in any detail. Given that these oils are within the foundations of the programme, these omissions seem significant and they leave the interested reader without anywhere to go. And that is unfortunate, given that some of us do indeed accept that there is at least some smoke behind the fire lit behind the whole gut/brain link, especially in the early years of development.

For once we have found a book by an author who does not use hype, only honest and easy-to-read information which has been well researched. This author knows what she is talking about. What a refreshing change!