Within the first few weeks of starting, many children may demonstrate much greater eye contact, increased connectedness with family, and an increased sense of awareness of their environment. This is because the sedating effects of propionic acid have been reduced or eliminated due to a rebalancing of the intestinal bacteria. See Chapter Sixteen of our updated book for a more in-depth explanation of bacterial overgrowth and propionic acid. Eliminating the sedative effect will also give a child’s parent a sense of potentially how neurologically imbalanced their child actually is. Some behaviors may seem worse because the propionic acid was suppressing their ability to act out these behaviors as a drug might. Such behaviors might be stimming, anxiety, aggression, hyperactivity, or sleeplessness. Parents are now seeing their child for the first time without the child being sedated.

Older children and adults with autism, as well as children with developmental delay but without an autism diagnosis, tend to have little to no awakening period. I believe this is because the bacteria overgrowing in their intestines are probably not capable of producing propionic acid or the propionic acid has less of a negative effect on their nervous system. If a patient does not experience an awakening, it does not mean the protocol is not working. It simply means they have bacterial overgrowth with bacteria that do not produce propionic acid.

The positive aspects of the awakening (improved eye contact and awareness) should last as long as excessive propionic acid is no longer being released into the bloodstream. The occasional negative effects of the awakening (insomnia, hyperactive, aggression) generally only last for a few days to a few weeks and then begin to resolve. If the negative effects of the awakening do not dissipate, and there is evidence of chronic pain or infection, especially from the teeth, then I assume the overgrowth of intestinal bacteria is not fully effective, and the balancing regimen needs to be increased.

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.

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.