How to help this condition

Notes from Kelly the Kitchen Cop

“It isn’t hopeless, we’ve treated these children for years with good results.”

1. Diet (specific carb diet) can greatly help these conditions (often misdiagnosed as gluten issues/celiac disease – only about 5% of these conditions qualify as true celiac disease – 17% of true celiacs don’t do well on gluten-free diet.)
2. Effective probiotics are crucial. Regular fermented foods or probiotics are good, but a stronger probiotic with more organisms may be more helpful for more serious issues.  Be sure to use with care and read up on the right amounts.  (A “die-off” reaction is common.)  Later probiotic supplements can be gradually reduced and replaced by fermented foods.
3. Address nutritional deficiencies – Dr. Campbell-McBride is not in favor of a lot of supplements – nutrition is always best from healthy food. The diet is so nutrient dense that it removes most nutritional deficiencies quickly. She doesn’t recommend a multi-vitamin, in late stages maybe, but not in initial stages. Fish oils are essential from the beginning – for fat soluble vitamins & omega 3′s – more here on why cod liver oil is so beneficial.
4. Detoxification is an important part of the treatment process – “I believe innatural detoxification, in using our own digestive system. More than 80% of anything harmful in your blood is from your own digestive system. That’s why keeping it healthy is so vital to us.  In GAPS patients, nutrients don’t get absorbed. We all have our own detox system responsible for removing toxins that come from the outside or from the gut. The system can get overloaded, like a traffic jam. TWO METHODS: A. The liver gets clogged, so it is recommended that parents introduce juicing – a time proven method of removing all sorts of toxins from the body. Start gradually, 1/3 c. (kids 1 t.) a day to start, in case of a severe die off. This is very effective – juicing provides substances to pull toxins out of storage, but will also provide live enzymes and fatty acids. B. Baths with Epsom or Sea salt, and raw cider vinegar – alternate those two. This pulls toxins from the skin while the child is happily playing in the tub.”
5. “Your toxic load needs to be reduced – your exposure to man-made chemicals. Re-think everything used in the home, or for personal care. All can be toxic and are absorbed through the skin and end up at the liver.”
6. Supplementation – probiotics (see above for more info) & cod liver oil (for vitamin A, D, & fatty acids), digestive enzymes (not for everyone, these are not needed for children – they can restore them on their own easier.)

• Kelly the Kitchen Cop's My 2nd post about GAPS with more details on the diet
• My 3rd GAPS post – 6 Questions & Answers about GAPS
• My 4th GAPS post – Apprehension over the GAPS Diet
• GAPS Website: http://www.medinform.co.uk/
• GAPS resources – cod liver oil, probiotics, digestive enzymes, GAPS book
• GAPS site
• School lunches – healthy alternatives
• More information and resources that may be helpful to you