Many children I work with go through a phase of short (5-15 min.) bouts of laughter without any provocation. Sometimes they will also have brief episodes of being sad and/or crying for a few minutes as well. Both of these will vanish as quickly as they appear. I had some parents refer to this as the “Drunken Sailor.” I name they conjured up since the behavior reminded them of a seafaring caricature from old movies.nThis generally resolves within a few months without any additional specific actions. Why this happens is unknown.

Yes. The Nemechek Protocol for Autonomic Recovery is designed to reduce elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and the presence of abnormally primed M1- microglia. These 2 pathological processes prevent recovery from brain injury, interfere with neuronal/synaptic pruning, interfere with brain development in utero, and are a key feature of the neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS). It is capable of reversing a wide range of chronic neurological conditions (migraine and cluster headaches, chronic fatigue, generalized anxiety, depression/PTSD, ADD/ADHD) as well as intestinal disorders (heartburn, reflux, IBS, constipation, diarrhea, etc.), and it’s potent anti-inflammatory effect substantially reduces symptoms associated with autoimmune disorders (Crohn’s, psoriasis, MS, rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s, etc.)

Occasionally some children will have a very intense reaction to inulin even at extremely low doses. In some children, the increase in anxiety, aggression, and hyperactivity is so extreme that inulin needs to be discontinued. I refer to this situation as “inulin intolerance.” Some children will have these reactions even at doses a low as 1/32 tsp or 1/64 tsp of inulin per day. The best option is to discontinue inulin entirely and treat the patient with a ten-day course of rifaximin. Rebalancing the intestinal bacteria with rifaximin does not result in the same type of adverse response. When starting rifaximin after inulin intolerance, I often recommend starting the children on repeated ten-day cyclic rifaximin each month for a minimum of twelve months.

Extreme and intense hyperactivity, anxiety, and/or aggression are the key features of inulin intolerance. But bear in mind that many children will increase these behaviors early in recovery during the Awakening, and these are two very different situations. nnChildren with increased anxiety and aggression due to inulin intolerance often had little to none of these behaviors before starting inulin. Children with increased aggression and anxiety due to the Awakening often had significant pre-existing negative behaviors that have just escalated. nnIf there is any confusion over whether you are dealing with inulin intolerance, I recommend my patients stop the inulin and switch to rifaximin.

Inulin Failure (also referred to as the Plateau) is the least common response to The Nemechek Protocol®. If no significant improvement in autistic or developmental issues is observed after the first three to six months on the protocol, I consider the inulin to be ineffective and refer to this as “inulin failure.” At this point, I will suggest shifting from inulin to monthly rifaximin.