No. Once the child has been started on inulin or rifaximin, continued restriction of foods is no longer necessary. Exceptions to this recommendation are severe food allergies such as peanuts, tree nuts or shellfish.
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 three tiers of testing for food allergies. The most common but least accurate is blood testing. There is also skin prick testing, but this is uncomfortable but much more accurate than blood testing. And finally is a direct food challenge when the patient is given a particular food to eat to see how they respond.nnThe major problem with blood testing is that if leaky gut is present from bacterial overgrowth, the testing will often show an abnormal (often referred to as allergic) reaction to almost all the foods present in the diet. nnFortunately, the protocol helps the gut to heal, and leaky gut stops. Other than severe allergic reactions that trigger severe asthma or shock, food testing is not necessary.
By intolerance, I will assume you mean visible changes in a child when they consume certain foods and not intolerance determined by blood testing, which is highly inaccurate.nnBacterial overgrowth of the small intestine (SIBO) triggers intolerance symptoms (heartburn, indigestion, cramping, or diarrhea) when particular foods are ingested. Rebalancing intestinal bacteria with inulin or rifaximin will cause the reaction to these foods to improve (lessen) significantly. If the symptoms persist, despite rifaximin or inulin, I will either switch inulin to monthly rifaximin or increase the dosing of rifaximin from monthly to continuous.nnAn exception to this rule of thumb is intolerance that results in a dangerous allergic reaction (tree nuts, shrimp, peanuts, etc.). Patients should always carry their EpiPen if they have such allergies, even if they are successfully recovering on the protocol.
If a child has been on a restrictive diet prior to starting The Nemechek Protocol, I recommend reintroducing the restricted foods a few weeks after starting the inulin or rifaximin. By then the bacterial overgrowth will have resolved and any symptoms the foods will not occur. An important exception to this are the foods that previously caused a severe allergic reaction. These foods should never be re-introduced. If there are any questions about the severity of past food reactions, I recommend the parent discuss this with the child’s pediatrician or allergist.
Most of the intolerance parents see in their children is a consequence of the overgrowth of bacteria within the small intestine. After reversing bacterial overgrowth with either inulin or rifaximin, the gut heals within 2-3 weeks, the leaky gut heals and the foods no longer cause food intolerance. I’ve had many, many patients be able to tolerate foods again previously caused symptoms when eaten. Exceptions are severe allergic reactions to peanuts, or shellfish or milk sugar (lactose) intolerance.
Blood-based food intolerance tests are very inaccurate and often will reflect many of the foods presently within the diet. I recommend to my patients to just add the olive oil a few weeks after starting the inulin or rifaximin and they tend to do just fine.
Frequent illnesses, if severe enough can definitely slow recovery.
While the improvements seen in a child on the protocol are steady and consistent, they are often interrupted by stressful events, occasional injuries, or illnesses that can give the recovery an appearance of “3 steps forward and 1 step backward”. This recovery pattern is the normal consequence of the unpredictable but common events affecting our lives.nnBecause of this, it is important not to over focus and react to negative changes in behavior that occur in the short term (a few days or weeks). Maintaining a broader perspective over a 1-2 month time frame allows parents to accurately assess their child’s recovery.
Generally, when inflammation is reduced enough to allow the brain’s natural repair and rejuvenation mechanisms to reactivate, it often takes 2-3 months before enough repair takes place that it is observable by others.