The process through which the brain develops new neuronal pathways to perform certain tasks.

Inulin can be safely used in infants for digestive issues. If beneficial, improvement would typically be noted within 1-2 weeks.

Most gains in a child do not begin until they have been on the protocol for 6-8 weeks. Additionally, if bacterial overgrowth in a child produces propionic acid, then there is often an awakening of behaviors within the first few days to weeks. If the bacteria do not produce propionic acid, there will be no awakening early on, and you’ll need to wait 6-8 weeks to see changes.

There are a number of ways to “bump it up” if what you are currently doing is not getting recovery. Some strategies are moving on from inulin to monthly Rifaximin, increasing from monthly to continuous Rifaximin, and/or adding vagus nerve stimulation. These concepts are all covered in depth in the updated version of book, as well as in some of the videos here in the Navigator, which should give you a sense of what the next steps are based on whatever your current situation is. n

Some parents will over-focus on a minor issue (constipation, bowel movement characteristics, giggling more, waking up earlier, holding hands over ears, moodiness, etc.) and interpret such an event as bad or negative instead of a phase in healing. Parents want their children to talk, but the lack of rapid speech improvement is also not an indication that balancing of the intestinal tract failed. Over-focusing in this manner may cause a parent to miss the bigger picture: this is just one step in the child’s gradual improvement.