Depending on the severity of a child’s underlying developmental delay, children may start making eye contact, becoming more aware of their surroundings, allowing more physical contact, or otherwise communicating and speaking more within a few days to weeks of starting the protocol.

I don’t think so. As I described in my book, the awakening refers to the drop in propionic acid that occurs after reversing bacterial overgrowth. This typically occurs within the first 1-2 weeks. There is no evidence that fish oil and olive oil can do that specifically. Improvements from inflammation reduction by fish oil and olive oil might be noted 4-8 weeks later, and I can see someone referring to this as an awakening. However, this would be just from improvements in brain function and not the elimination of the sedating effects of propionic acid.

The Awakening can be a very confusing time for many parents, but it is normal to see more confusing behaviors in early recovery than actual gains. That is because the ultimate goal of The Nemechek Protocol is to lower excessive inflammation. Only once inflammation is reduced and maintained can the brain shift into repair mode, and recovery starts. Reduction of bacterial overgrowth with Inulin or Rifaximin is just one way that we lower inflammation. The fish oil and olive oil each provide further reduction via different mechanisms. The oils, however, can take up to 6 weeks to fully start working, so in many cases, you need to wait 6-8 weeks to get to the point where gains start happening. Just hang in there, and things will begin to improve.

No, not at all. Not every child will experience noticeable awakening symptoms. Particularly older children and those who are not on the spectrum and are therefore not under the influence of excessive levels of propionic acid. As long as a child is showing signs of neurological recovery within the first 3 months, you can be assured that the protocol is working.