GAPS: Gut and Psychology Syndrome

Shortly after attending the Weston A. Price Foundation Conference in November, many of our friends and family have asked us what stuck out the most. As my brain was on overload (still is to be honest) from everything we learned it was hard to give a pointed answer. Now that I’ve had a month to process things, do my own follow up research, read literature, and try things out personally I have a solid answer! 

GAPS, also known as the Gut and Psychology/Physiology Syndrome. In other words, the connection between our gut and the brain. Here are a few excerpts from the GAPS book to help explain this concept of gut and brain connection:

“Modern Medicine has divided us, human beings, into different systems and areas: cardio-vascular system, digestive system, nervous system, etc. According to this division medical specialties have been created…

A specialist in an area tends to pay attention to the organs he or she knows best, ignoring the rest of the body. The fact that every organ in the body exists and works in contact with the rest is forgotten.

Mental problems are examined from all sorts of angles: genetics, childhood experiences and psychological influences. The last thing that would be considered is looking at the patient’s digestive system. Modern psychiatry just does not do that. And yet medical history has plenty of examples, where severe psychiatric conditions were cured by simply “cleaning out” the patient’s gut.” 

Through both research and personal clinical studies, the author of GAPS found that a large majority of people with psychiatric and other physical conditions all suffer from digestive system problems.  Many have already tried the modern medicine route of balancing various prescriptions to find the perfect tonic. What they may or may not realize, is that those toxic substances are just leaking out of their gut lining, attacking various parts of the body, including the brain! In her words:

“An unknown number of various neurotoxins are produced by abnormal flora in the gut of these children and adults, these are absorbed through the damaged gut wall into the blood and taken to the brain. The mixture of toxins can be very individual, and this is one of the reasons why all GAPS patients are so different.” 

It’s been rather mind-blowing to see just how many thousands of things can be connected to our gut and its state of health. Before having our kids, I quite possibly would have chalked something like this up to another “fad diet” or odd Eastern Culture treatment. However, after seeing positive changes in our families (immediate and extended) by simply changing the foods we eat and/or type of supplements used, I cannot deny GAPS is a very real thing. 

The following is a bird’s eye view of who started GAPS, what it could help treat, and what the GAPS protocol looks like. 

Starting Point

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride is the author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome. Her clinic in Cambridge opened in 1998. She works with many patients suffering from behavioral and learning disabilities and adults struggling with digestive and immune system disorders. She holds a degree in Medicine and Postgraduate degrees in both Neurology and Human Nutrition.

Her work is very personal as her son was diagnosed with Autism at the tender age of three. By then, she had seven years practicing as a M.D. in neurology under her belt. However, none of her training helped and everything she did subsequently was a “mind-blowing educational journey”. You can learn more about their families experience here. 

Her GAPS book gives excellent detail about the nutritional protocol she developed based on steps she used to treat her own son. When I saw her speak last month, she relayed her son is now 25 years old, still as healthy as can be with no autistic symptoms/learning disabilities and is attending university. Powerful testimony! 

Treatment For

Dr. Campbell-McBride has worked with a huge variety of patients. All of them have been through her GAPS nutritional protocol in some fashion. Aside from her personal work, many families take it upon themselves to work through the program at home or with a Certified GAPS Practitioner.

Here is a list of things treated successfully following the GAPS protocol:

During the W.A.P.F. Conference I had the honor of meeting an eight-year-old girl and her parents, who have been through the GAPS program. She was diagnosed Autistic at age three. Being more natural-minded, her parents felt they wanted to try a wholistic approach to her treatment/therapies. After being on the Full GAPS protocol for a few months they started seeing improvements in her behavior. Continuing the protocol along with homeopathy increased the improvements. The parents said her therapists were astounded and couldn’t understand the quick improvements! 

As I was standing in front of her, watching her interact with adults, I NEVER would have guessed her diagnosis – which has since been removed! While her parents relayed the various things, they struggled with and her patterns of autistic behavior before starting these treatments, I kept starting at this bright eyed, beautiful girl (hopefully she didn’t think me rude)! 

For more inspirational stories, read the book GAPS Stories: a compilation of letters written to Dr. Campbell-McBride from various families who found healing using GAPS.  

I would also encourage people to try this even if they don’t have any “illnesses/disorders/etc.”. BECAUSE more than likely, everyone suffers from Leaky Gut to some extent! Our modern-day eating habits do not provide the same nutrition as those of our great ancestors. Unfortunately, I would venture to say today’s food does more harm than good. Thankfully, the GAPS protocol offers a way to heal and seal the gut lining and restore the beneficial flora. 

The GAPS Nutritional Protocol

In her book, Dr. Campbell-McBride states:

“The purpose of the treatment is to detoxify the person, to lift the toxic fog off the brain to allow it to develop and function properly. In order to achieve that we need:

First: To clean up and heal the digestive tract…Second: To remove toxicity…”

To accomplish this, she focuses on three main areas: 1. Diet, 2. Supplementation, and 3. Detoxification and Lifestyle Changes. 

There are three “nutritional parts” to work through when focusing on the diet. They are: Intro, Full, and Coming Off. The Intro and Full parts of the diet follow a specific list of foods Dr. Campbell-McBride clearly outlines in the GAPS book. Everything processed is off the list. This means any food eaten will be made from fresh ingredients, which allows the body to work on healing and sealing the gut lining.

Not a lot of supplementation is needed if you continue to follow the Full GAPS diet every day. An effective therapeutic strength probiotic, quality cod liver oil, proper balance of essential fatty acids (omega -3,6,9), digestive enzymes, and proper intake of vitamins and minerals through foods. No longer will you have medicine cabinets full of everything under the sun! 

Detoxing can be tricky for some people, especially those with a severely damaged gut. The reason why is because the body is already working hard to heal the gut lining and now a bunch of toxins are being released, which taxes the body further.  The good news is the nutrient dense diet you’ll be consuming will also help heal and provide much needed energy. Some of the suggested ways to help detox are fresh pressed juices, nightly baths using epsom salt, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and of course taking a close look at all personal care products used and any cleaners used throughout the house. Fewer toxins in and around you means fewer toxins to get out! 

Following this protocol for 2 years is recommended to achieve ultimate healing. It may seem long, but I’ve already found our family getting into a grove of knowing what to cook, how long it will take, how to introduce new foods, etc. And I must confess – it hasn’t been as hard as I expected!

Make sure to look for my next few posts, where I’ll go into greater detail on the three areas listed above.