If a child’s level of aggression poses a danger to themselves (headbanging) or others (biting, punching, throwing objects, etc.), I will often start the child on the protocol, including continuous rifaximin plus a vagus nerve stimulator. My goal is to get the child’s aggression to decrease as soon as possible.nnI will also start them on fluticasone if there are any sinus symptoms and refer them for a thorough dental exam.
Starting the protocol reduces the sedating effects of propionic acid and inflammation, which allow underlying negative behaviors (head banging, biting, scratching, yelling, hyperactivity) to become more intense. I advise parents that these behaviors often will improve within 4-8 weeks after starting the protocol.nnThe self-inflicted injuries will not, in my estimation, slow or stop the recovery. If the parents cannot protect the child, they should consider stopping the protocol and seek medical assistance about the behavioral problems.
As inulin or rifaximin begin to normalize bacterial overgrowth in kids who are on the spectrum you can expect initial signs of improvement to be in the areas of awareness and engagement. This is due to the reduction of propionic acid and other potential psychoactive compounds which have a sedative effect on kids much like a medical sedative. As the level of propionic acid drops, children begin to show more awareness, improved eye contact and increased engagement with those around them. You may also see improvements in digestive issues, reversal of food intolerance or improvement in skin inflammation. nnSigns of neurological recovery can take longer to appear and can be more subtle as it can take up to 4 weeks for the oils to penetrate the brain and contribute to the reduction of inflammation. n
I think occasional mild antacids such as Tums or Rolaids are fine. Just make sure your physician is aware of your symptoms and how long it has been going on. If the symptoms of reflux are not controlled still not controlled, the use of stronger anti-histamine or proton pump inhibiting antacids may be necessary to prevent permanent damage to the esophagus from the refluxing acid. Alternatively, if the reflux only occurs at when laying down to sleep, sleeping on a foam wedge can sometimes be very effective at controlling symptoms without the use of medications.
If the testing is done by a legitimate, large scale laboratory then I treat these results very seriously because heavy metal poisoning (e.g., lead or arsenic) is very dangerous. If you have a positive heavy metal result from any laboratory, take the results immediately to your pediatrician (MD or DO) and ask them for advice.
It is critical to provide an emotionally supportive and safe environment. Children with autism are more aware and experience events more emotionally than is commonly believed. Even the child’s disruptive behaviors are involuntary impulses that the child cannot control. It is common that if their disruptive behaviors injure someone, the child will display their sorrow after calming down. Therefore minimizing stress and maintaining a supportive environment is of great benefit to your child’s physical and emotional well being.
When asked this same question by parents, I always respond with, (If your prior therapies were really working, then you wouldn’t be considering starting The Nemechek Protocol.”
Inulin or Rifaximin are the only products I use to rebalance or re-arrange bacterial overgrowth. I do not use or recommend the use of any other fibers, probiotics, vitamins, minerals, herbs, or enzymes for bacterial overgrowth for my patients. I have noticed for several years in my adult brain recovery work that I could never get any significant response without using rifaximin. The herbal/natural supplements for overgrowth may help the intestinal symptoms but in adults they were never potent enough to allow for brain recovery. I believe the same holds true for children.
Cooking with spices is fine. Its just that we cannot always trust what is contained in the capsules and tablets sold as a nutritional supplement. In addition, the amount of herbs and spices given in the form of a supplement are much larger than what are commonly used for cooking. As an example, the spike in blood levels of vitamin C when taken as a supplement are much higher and may have different cellular effect than small amounts of vitamin C that trickles into our blood stream as it is absorbed from the foods we eat.
For every single known outbreak in adults, there are 2-3 others that are asymptomatic (no skin lesion is present). These outbreaks can stimulate enough inflammatory stress to limit recovery when taken collectively. I’ve seen this many times in adults and several times in children. As a rule, I will place my patients on suppressive herpes medication, and if recovery improves over the next 2-3 months, I will continue the suppressive medication until autonomic recovery is complete.