Ok, so I'll try not to write a novel, but I know I will
So the ND today has an expertise in this sort of thing. It was like a breath of fresh air talking to him!! (Thanks to Eloise and Megan for giving me the links to finding him!!!
) Like NCM, his specialty is Autistic children and other neurological disorders. (of course linked to the condition in the gut and food intolerances as we've all learned about...)
He could tell just by touching Arthur's tummy where some internal imbalances were. He said the right side of Arthur's digestive tract is a bit under developed from what he could tell. It could possibly be from how he was positioned in the womb, but it's hard to say. He said he could feel a lower blockage near the base of his tummy too, which is possibly where he's having the most trouble with his poops.
To start us off we are doing an OAT and a stool test. I have the kits here. The OAT test needs to be sent out between mon-wed and a fresh urine sample is best, so it looks like we will have to wait until Monday or Tuesday to send it out. We are also doing a stool test to test the bacteria levels. Both tests have to be shipped to the States so we probably won't have results for 4-5 weeks
In the meantime we're to continue with the high dose probiotics that we're already using AND also use these probiotics too:
http://www.amazon.com/Global-Health-Trax-Fivelac-60-Count/dp/B000OOLYO8 Like NCM, our ND said that the probiotics are crutial in healing, and these kiddos need SUPER high doses (even more then I thought!) So I am to continue dosing Arthur 1/4 tsp of the Klaire Labs 2x/day and do 1/2 pack of the FiveLac 2x/day as well. What's special about the FiveLac are the probiotic strains themselves. He said that these are the ones he finds he has the highest success rate with and they also have a higher chance of implanting their colonies in the gut (instead of just passig through, iyswim?)
Here's the probiotic strains in the fivelac:
•Bacillus coagulans: A probiotic organism that may help control occasional digestion and stomach problems.
•Bacillus subtilis:A probiotic organism that may help crowd out "bad" flora in the intestines.
•Enterococcus faecalis: Enterococci constitute a major genus within the lactic acid bacteria group that exists naturally in the human digestive tract. This effective probiotic bacteria is the result of formulation under strict laboratory conditions.
•Lactobacillus acidophilus: These friendly bacteria inhabit the intestinal tract. The breakdown of nutrients by L. acidophilus produces lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and other by-products to enhance optimal intestinal flora.
•Bifidobacterium longum: B. longum may help keep the digestive system running smoothly
My only beef with this supplement is the FOS
I know FOS is a no-no on GAPS, and I'm not a huge fan of the stuff in general, but this ND swears by this probiotic and does say that the FOS can help the strains survive while passing through the digestive tract to give them more of a chance to "fight" the bad bacteria. So I guess we'll give it a go.
We also have to start digestive enzymes. These are the ones he recommends.
http://www.amazon.com/Integrative-Therapeutics-Similase-Junior-V-Caps/dp/B0031R8MWWI have to open and mix one capsule with either water or BM and give it to Arthur 3x/day. He says usually enzymes don't have to be taken long term, it just depends on the case. He says typically it takes about 3 months on enzymes for digestion to be in a more stable place.
We also discussed an IgG test for both Arthur & Charles to see if we can pinpoint specific food sensitivity triggers, but we probably won't do that until next visit (good thing too - cause this was all starting to get pretty expensive
)
He's also a very experienced NAET practitioner
http://www.naet.com/ He mentioned perhaps doing some NAET treatments in the future for both boys if needed, but again, we can cross that bridge later as it comes.
He feels both boys cases are probably very similar, of course Arthur having the most severe case and Charles much more minor. I'm going to dose Charles the same with the probiotics/enzymes to see where it gets us with him.
He believes very strongly in postponing vaccines until after the age of 2 yrs for all children, but for these kiddos in particular. Since their immune system is already compromised and can't process/handle the toxins associated with vaccines its one of the best ways to avoid neurotoxicity and stress on their already very sensitive immune system. Makes sense to me, especially since the immune system isn't fully developed until after 2 yrs. I guess he sees very bad cases of Autism as well, and in some cases the vaccinations are what tipped the scale to causing the worst damage. We had already made the decision to postpone immunization for Arthur indefinitely until his tummy healed, but I was glad he was more then supportive of the decision.
He also said that Arthur could perhaps have an "energy blockage" that's causing him to vomit. The way he explained it is that Arthur could have an internal trigger that says "solids are bad for you right now, we can only digest liquids" and it's making him reflux the solids. Again, makes sense considering he just can't keep any solids down. This is what the NAET website says about blockages: "The brain provides warnings to the body whenever blockages occur within the energy pathways. These warnings include illness, pain, inflammation, fever, heart attacks, strokes, abnormal growths, tumors, and various physical, physiological and psychological discomforts. If the symptoms are minor, blockages are minor. If the symptoms are major, blockages are major. Minor blockages can be unblocked easily, whereas major blockages take a long time to unblock. "
He said some kids digestive systems start to get lazy when they are already in this state, so the extra probiotics and digestive enzymes will help to revv up his system again so hopefully after a month or so on those supplements we'll be able to try solids again as per the GAPS protocol. I mean, Arthur was able to keep down the liquid bone broth fine, and also kept down carrot juice I gave him - but both resulted in really nasty mucuous poops. So maybe those made it past his vomit trigger, but his body still couldn't break them down properly, kwim?
ANYWAYS, lots to work with, which is great. I'm sure I forgot something, but that's all that's popping in my head for now. What do you ladies think? He seemed pretty on the ball to me.
Jutka, bone broth and meat stock are a little different. Bone broth is when you cover the bones with filtered water and boil, boil, boil ... usually a min of 3 hrs. Boiling just the bones helps to extract all of their healing properties, gelatenous tissues ect. You could mix meat stock and bone broth together for sure. I know both meat stock and bone broth are very high on the gaps list.
Megan, wish I knew what else to suggest. Hummmm... tricky little Milo
At least he's loving liver!
ETA - I knew I forgot something.. the other thing I'm not 100% on with the Fivelac is that it does contain trace amounts of casein/lactose. I know it would be fermented of course since it's in probiotic form, but I'm not sure if it will bug the boys
He said that he almost never gets a food sensitivity reaction from these, so they should be fine... I think i will have to introduce them very slowly to avoid adverse reaction. If it's a strong probiotic like he says it is, I anticipate it causing a lot of die off anyways, so I may have to work up to giving the boys the 1/2 pack 2x/day as he suggested. Either way, they are on order so we'll see how they work out.
