The most important aspect of omega-6 toxicity seems to be the relative imbalance between omega-3:omega-6 and not whether any particular food source contains any omega-6. We are trying to balance the 3 and 6 omega fatty acids because the average American is already consuming 20x’s the amount of omega-6 fatty acids they need. We restore this balance with the daily dose of fish oil which contains omega-3 fatty acids, as well as daily doses of olive oil which help burn off excessive omega-6 fatty acids in the body.

There are a number of issues that can trigger a worsening of focus and attention. Some are obvious such as a concussion or an emotionally stressful event. The child will heal from these spontaneously. Other causes may go undetected by parents simply because the child is not able to communicate that they may be experiencing pain or discomfort. The physical stress from problems such as dental pain, sinus or ear infections, or severe seasonal allergies lead to a drop in brain blood pressure and worsen focus similar to ADD or ADHD. A visit to the dentist of pediatrician will often lead to resolution of the pain or infection and the focus problems will resolve.

I do not recommend FMT (fecal microbiota therapy) in general. FMT has no direct effect on bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine nor on the primed M1-microglia within the brain. As such, FMT will predictably have minimal effect on the restoration of neuronal pruning, neuronal migration, and cellular repair. I do not recommend FMT to my pediatric patients. Many children under my care have received FMT and it did not seem to improve their pace of neurological recovery.

It is important to mention that FMT (fecal microbiota therapy) has no direct effect on bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine nor on the primed M1-microglia within the brain. As such, FMT will predictably have minimal effect on the restoration of neuronal pruning, neuronal migration, and cellular repair. I do not recommend FMT to my pediatric patients. Many children under my care have received FMT and it did not seem to improve their pace of neurological recovery.

Adverse reactions such as worsening behaviors, new rash, or intestinal symptoms after taking fish oil are signs that the child may still have bacterial overgrowth. I generally stop the fish oil if this occurs and increase the potency of treatment for bacteria overgrowth (inulin-> monthly rifaximin or monthly rifaximin -> continuous rifaximin) and then reintroduce the fish oil a week or so later.