Dr.
Natasha Campbell-McBride is to be congratulated on putting together such a
well-researched and provocative book. From the over-use of antibiotics to the
promotion of breast-feeding and healthier diets, Dr. Campbell-McBride writes
with the authority of a practising doctor and with the warmth and feeling of a
mother of a child with autism. Every parent with a child who has autism,
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia or dyspraxia will find much
to value in this book, which in turn delights and shocks the reader. I warmly
recommend it.
Dr Basant K Puri, MA, PhD, MB, BChir, BSc MathSci,
MRCPsych, DipStat, MMath
Head of the Lipid Neuroscience Group, MRI Unit, Hammersmith Hospital,
Imperial College, London; and author of the books 'The Natural Way to Beat
Depression'; 'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome'; and 'Natural Energy'.
Dr.
Natasha Campbell-McBride has done an excellent job of summarising the
nutritional biochemical connections with psychiatric and neurological
disorders and gastrointestinal function. She has done an admirable job in
relating specific digestive disorders in conditions such as schizophrenia,
autism, attention deficit disorder and other problems of child development.
The book is full of valuable and interesting facts that can be used by people
to optimise the health of themselves and their children.
Dr. William Shaw, Ph.D.
Great Plains Laboratories, Kansas, USA
Dr.
Campbell-McBride’s book provides important information and great insight into
the understanding and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in those with
developmental disabilities and other disorders. The book contains basic
information for the beginner as well as in-depth information for those at an
advance level. Thank you Dr. Campbell-McBride for writing this book.
Dr. Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.
Center for the Study of Autism, Oregon, USA
This
book is fantastic and will become a classic. Every medic should have one… No,
every household should have one!
An invaluable resource for patients with ‘syndrome diseases’ and so-called
‘mental health problems’. The medicine of the future already in practice.
Martina Watts BA(Hons) DipION
MBANT,
Practising nutritionist and journalist
This
book presents the case for investigating the nutritional aspects, how the gut
works and how poor gut function seriously impacts not only physical health but
also brain function, for all children with learning and behaviour
difficulties.
Countless parents seeking help from The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group
find their children benefit greatly from dietary and nutritional
interventions. Vitamin, mineral and essential fatty acid deficiencies are all
too frequently discovered.
This book offers an insight to how the digestive system affects the brain.
Sally Bunday,
The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group
Outline of
the book
'Gut and Psychology
Syndrome' (GAP syndrome or GAPS).
Natural treatment of autism, ADD, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, schizophrenia and
more.
We live in the midst of
an epidemic of learning disabilities and mental illness in children and young
adults in the western world. For example, let us have a look at one of the
most devastating learning disabilities in children – autism. In the last 10
years in the UK there has been 40-fold increase in newly diagnosed cases of
autism. Ten years ago one in 10,000 children were diagnosed autistic. Today
one in 250 of all children born in this country will become autistic. In
California in the same 10 years there has been 10-fold increase in newly
diagnosed cases and the trend is still up: it is estimated that today in
California rates of autism are increasing by 1 child every 3 hours. The rest
of the States in the USA report similar numbers.
About 10% of school children in the UK and USA are diagnosed with ADHD/ADD
(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). ADHD/ADD is a serious condition,
which impairs the child’s ability to learn and function in society. Dyslexia
affects the lives of every tenth child in this country and the same number
suffers from dyspraxia. As these children move from childhood to adulthood
they are more prone to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD), depression or other mental illness.
The book largely concentrates on treating autism in children. However, there
is an overlap in symptoms of autism, ADHD/ADD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and many
other seemingly unrelated conditions in clinical practice. That is why the
information in this book is not only relevant to autism, but to ADHD/ADD,
dyslexia, dyspraxia, schizophrenia, OCD, depression and other learning and
mental problems.
The book is aimed at both parents of affected children and professionals. It
is written in a way that the most complex medical issues are explained with a
simple language, understandable by non-medical people. However, the book is
fully referenced by published peer reviewed scientific studies for the
professionals.
Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, schizophrenia and many other learning and
mental problems are not incurable. For example, there are hundreds of
documented cases of recovery from autism, ADHD/ADD and schizophrenia when the
child was given the right treatment. However, clinical practice shows that the
earlier the treatment is started, the better the outcome we can expect. As
soon as the diagnosis is established, there is a tremendous sense of urgency
to start the treatment immediately. The older the child is, the more difficult
it becomes to pull him/her out of autism or other mental disability. That is
why there is a great need for a book, which will explain to the parents of a
newly diagnosed child, what exactly is happening in their child’s body on a
medical level and how to treat it. This book does just that. It provides the
parents with a full understanding of their child’s condition and, based on
that, a treatment protocol.
The treatment described in this book is not drug based. It is a natural
nutritional protocol, which involves changing the child’s diet,
supplementation and life style. It is a protocol, which the author has
developed based on clinical experience in treating hundreds of children with
learning disabilities in the last 6 years. A major part of it is appropriate
diet. There is a lot of conflicting and confusing information on this subject:
gluten and casein free diet, phenol and salycilates free diet, yeast free
diet, anti-Candida diet and others. The most commonly promoted diet in
connection with autism and schizophrenia is the gluten and casein free diet,
which is unsuccessful in helping the majority of patients. This book explains
why a gluten and casein free diet and other diets on their own are inadequate
for treating mental disabilities and what diet in particular is appropriate.
This book is the first to explain the pathophysiology behind development of
many learning disabilities and how the appropriate diet would remedy the
condition. The appropriate diet is explained in great detail including a full
array of recipes and daily menus, which will allow the parent to implement it
themselves without any help.
A great barrier for introducing any diet into a child’s life is the fact that
the majority of children with learning disabilities are extremely “picky”
eaters. It is a part of their problem to limit their diet to a handful of
foods, which only perpetuate their biochemical and physiological
abnormalities. For the majority of parents feeding time is a nightmare and
introducing any new food is out of the question, because their child would
simply refuse it. This book provides a clinically proven step by step
structured approach to introducing new foods into the child’s menu, which
allows the parents to change their child’s diet.
The nutritional programme described in this book includes detailed explanation
of what supplementation is most appropriate for treating mental problems.
There is a wealth of scientific and clinical knowledge accumulated in this
area and it is very important for the parents to understand it. Unfortunately,
many parents finish up giving their children too many supplement in wrong
proportions and combinations, based on what they learned on the Internet or
heard from other parents. This book aims to clarify this issue and to help the
parent to establish an appropriate supplementation protocol for their child.
A matter of appropriate education for autistic children is discussed in this
book as well. There is a sea of information on this subject and it can be very
difficult for a new parent to decide on what is right for their child.
Autistic children, due to their condition fall far behind in their development
from their normal peers. In order to have any chance to catch up these
children have to have a very targeted and intensive approach to education.
This book describes what particular education would give an autistic child the
best chance to develop as normally as possible. Practical advice and a list of
professional organisations and their contact numbers are provided for the
parents in order to establish the right education for their child. Elements of
this educational approach can also be used for helping hyperactive, dyslexic,
dyspraxic children and children with other learning problems.
This book presents much-needed information for parents of affected children
and for professionals in a very understandable and practical way. The writing
of this book was prompted by the author’s patients. Many health practitioners
and parents in Europe and the USA have been waiting for this book as a
practical guide for treating children and young adults with learning and
mental problems.
Dr.
Natasha Campbell-McBride set up The Cambridge Nutrition Clinic in 1998. As a
parent of a child diagnosed with learning disabilities, she was acutely aware
of the difficulties facing other parents like her, and she has devoted much of
her time to helping these families. She realised that nutrition played a
critical role in helping children and adults to overcome their disabilities,
and has pioneered the use of probiotics in this field.
Her
willingness to share her knowledge has resulted in her contributing to many
publications, as well as presenting at numerous seminars and conferences on
the subjects of learning disabilities and digestive disorders. This book
captures her experience and knowledge, incorporating her most recent work.
She
believes that the link between learning disabilities, the food and drink that
we take, and the condition of our digestive system is absolute, and the
results of her work have supported her position on this subject. In her
clinic, parents discuss all aspects of their child's condition, confident in
the knowledge that they are not only talking to a professional but to a parent
who has lived their experience. Her deep understanding of the challenges they
face, puts her advice in a class of it's own.
Natasha Campbell-McBride holds a Degree in Medicine and Postgraduate Degrees
in both Neurology and Human Nutrition. In her clinic in Cambridge she
specialises in Nutrition for Children and Adults with Behavioural and Learning
Disabilities, and Adults with Digestive and Immune System Disorders
