If you think your child might be sick
Core problem could be in their stomach
We always knew Naida was sick, she had a fever for four years. In the rare times she felt good she talked to us. We kept trying to figure out what was wrong. Eventually we found a research group in Maryland who had figured some things out. In 2016 they autopsied twenty people (mostly children) who had been diagnosed with Autism. They found that 75% of the study had a stressed intestinal barrier and/or blood brain barrier. These conditions are reversible.
Doctors wanted to diagnose Naida with nonverbal Autism
Here’s what we did instead.
Naida's Plan
Step 1
Gluten free
No Casein
(cured her fever)
Step 2 (1 month later)
No seed oils
No processed foods
No gums
No free radicals
Step 3 (1 month later)
Fragance Free
MCAS protocols for towels, sheets and laundry
Histamine Food Management
Lifecycle
Sensory Development
Microbiome & DAO support
Sensory Development
Learn about sensory development
Having a strong understanding of sensory development should make this process go a lot smoother. The diet and lifestyle changes could have the stomach functioning more normal within a few months. Then the nervous system needs to self correct and sensory activities can be an important part of that. Here are some basics.
Categories of sensory
There are 8 different sensory categories but the two most important to this process are vestibular and proprioception. Optimizing these sensory activities can help make the process go faster.
Vestibular
Spinning, swinging, jumping, bouncing, rocking, sliding, rolling, climbing, hanging upside down, balancing, tilting head, sudden stops, directional changes.
Proprioception
Pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, squeezing, hugging, crashing, jumping with impact, climbing, crawling, chewing, resistance activities, deep pressure, gripping, throwing, weight-bearing.
Rapid Sensory Development
There may be a phase when all your child wants to do is sensory activities. Accommodating them is the most productive thing for this healing process.
Sensory Access Problem
If your child has an extreme reaction it could be a sensory access problem. Their nervous system may be driving their behavior because of an unmet need. Managing this will be an important part of keeping your child regulated.
Replace Sensory with Sensory
When you’re trying to move your child away from one sensory activity it can be helpful to offer another sensory option.
Keep it safe
This healing process is not linear. There will be good days, bad days, progress days, set back days. At times things might seem messy and your child could be more extreme than ever before. Create a safe environment for everyone, remove anything dangerous they can throw. Try to provide them with easy access to sensory activities.
Follow Your Child's Lead
Some of the above ideas were important in helping Naida heal her nervous system. What your child needs may be different, try to follow their lead and let them find things that help them heal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mast cell activation is the excessive activation of mast cells, causing them to release inflammatory chemicals such as histamine, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, and cytokines, possibly contributing to widespread inflammation. Since leaky gut may be causing mast cell activation it's important to remove other things in the environment that could also be activating mast cells.
When mast cells are actively releasing histamine, limiting dietary histamine may help reduce the total histamine load on the body. Things like leftover meats, counter thawed meats, some fruits and vegetables like strawberries and tomatoes are high in histamine. Learn about low and high histamine foods, specifically meat thawing.
Free radicals are highly reactive atoms that can increase damage to cells. Sometimes we create free radicals during cooking, like deep-fried foods, burnt or charred meats or reused cooking oils. They can also be found in processed snacks like chips and other packaged foods. Free radicals can irritate the gut lining and may contribute to inflammation.
Microbiome is a living control system in your gut that helps decide what gets absorbed, what gets blocked, and how your immune system reacts. Improve microbiome health with foods like cooked and cooled potatoes, green bananas, cooked apples, cooked blueberries, carrots, zucchini, asparagus, garlic and onions.
DAO (Diamine Oxidase) is an enzyme in your body that breaks down histamine, especially the histamine that comes from food. Support DAO health with foods like fresh chicken, fresh turkey, cooked apples, cooked blueberries, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus and garlic.
Yes, we noticed that Naida felt better when the humidity was low so we moved to Colorado. She felt incredibly better when we got here but she was still sick. High humidity and big changes in absolute humidity can activate mast cells.
Important Things to Understand
This healing process may include dump drinking. Dump drinking is a pattern where the body suddenly seeks a large amount of fluid during or after periods of high activation, stress, sensory load, or recovery. Learn about the differences between mass, micro and precise dump drinking. Dump drinking is not a formal medical term.
Overdoing sensory activities can cause mast cell activation. Try to redirect your child when you see increasingly hard impacts, crashing repeatedly, sloppy or asymmetrical landings, compulsive repetition, escalating intensity, seeking “bigger and bigger” and difficulty stopping. Too much sensory can turn into short sleep and rough mornings.
One of the most important things you can do is give your child a stable environment. Treat their nervous system as ‘very fragile’, avoid startling or yelling. Patience and understanding will work in your favor.
Support Naida’s Healing Journey
It’s been a long road for our family navigating all of this on a single income, and we’re now working to rebuild financially after years of challenges and trial-and-error. Any help would truly mean a great deal to us. Thank you so much for your kindness and support.
We’re Not Doctors
We are not doctors, we’re parents who question everything. We knew Naida could feel better and we weren’t going to stop until she did. We understand the challenges you’re facing and hope this information helps you and your child. We couldn’t have done this without ChatGPT, special thanks to an amazing tool. If you have any concerns about this plan plesae consult with your doctor before starting.
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