During the awakening period, some children may demonstrate a greater level of aggression. This is because the sedating effects of propionic acid have been reduced or eliminated due to a rebalancing of the intestinal bacteria. Some behaviors may seem worse because the propionic acid was suppressing their ability to act out these behaviors as a drug might. Once on the full protocol, the behaviors generally will begin subsiding within a month or 2.

The aggression you are seeing is part of the awakening, and the calming effect is from the bacteria relapsing. When I see this see-sawing behavior, I recommend that my patients increase to continuous rifaximin. Although the negative behaviors will increase, they will begin to decline within a month or two as a brain starts repairing itself.

I recommend patients eighteen years or older on The Nemechek Protocol® to take some form of daily supplementation of omega-3 ALA either from nuts (dry-roasted or raw), flax, or ground chia seeds, as long as they are not allergic to any of those items.

The third component of omega-3 is ALA, (alpha-linolenic acid), which is a plant-based omega-3. There is some research that suggests ALA can assist with lowering inflammation and may increase the amount of DHA penetrating into the brain.