by Dr. Jeremy Fritz
Is your child tired, inattentive, overemotional, and unable to concentrate? Does your child have respiratory, skin, sinus, and/or immune related problems? Maybe it’s not just in their head. These concerns could be stemming from the gut. That’s right; the gut is intricately connected with the entire body and is often referred to as the 2nd brain. Many children that are suffering with any of the above complaints may actually be experiencing the side effects of leaky gut syndrome.
If your child is also diagnosed with a developmental or learning disability, it is more likely that the gut is also involved.
Leaky gut syndrome, also called increased intestinal permeability, occurs when the endothelial cells lining the bowel become damaged and inflamed, leading to gaps between the cells. The damaged cell lining permits unwanted particles, like undigested proteins, free passage into the bloodstream. Once these undigested proteins, termed di/tri-peptides, enter the bloodstream the immune system targets them as invaders and responds with an inflammatory attack. The inflammatory response is often times subtle and can be delayed for 24-96 hours after ingestion of the food. Since many of the symptoms come on randomly like; headaches, skin rashes, brain fog, poor concentration, and emotional outbursts, a correlation is never made with the food ingestion.
It is important to note that the reaction against these undigested proteins is termed a food sensitivity reaction and differs from that of a food allergy. The classic food allergy response is where the ingestion of a food causes an immediate response that can sometimes be life threatening. Most parents are well aware of whether or not their child has a food allergy, because the response makes it quite apparent. This is not the case in food sensitivity. To make things even more interesting, some children actually crave the very foods that they are sensitive to. This is very common in children that are sensitive to wheat and dairy. The protein molecules within wheat and dairy are gluten and casein, respectively. An addictive response can occur within these children that are termed a gluteomorphin and caseomorphin response. As the name implies, a morphine-like drug effect occurs within the brain of children suffering with these food sensitivities. Because children crave these foods, it is even more unlikely that a parent would make a correlation with negative behaviors or symptoms.
So, why would a child with a behavioral or learning disability be at a greater risk of leaky gut syndrome? Well, I’m glad that you asked. As many of my readers know from past articles, the main problem with these children is a brain imbalance termed Functional Disconnection Syndrome (FDS). FDS describes a condition where the two sides of the brain are not developing at the same rate leading to an inability to communicate and work together as a team. This imbalance can lead to a multitude of problems including, behavioral, social, emotional, and academic concerns. FDS has also been noted to impact the digestive and immune systems within children affected. As explained in the literature, the sympathetic nervous system becomes dysregulated; leading to a decrease in digestive enzyme production, decreased blood flow to the intestinal lining, and a decrease in motility of the gut. All of these components together increase the stress on the small intestinal lining and promote a higher likelihood of leaky gut syndrome.
So, where do we go from here? For starters, I would encourage all of you parents to pay attention to the foods that your children are eating. Begin by writing down all of the food that enters your child’s mouth. Document the time, intensity, and duration of behaviors and symptoms that occur with your child. Search for any correlation, by noting any patterns between the food journal and negative responses. Remember that food sensitivities may occur from 24-96 hours after digestion, so patterns may be difficult to determine. Stay tuned for next month as we continue on the journey of food sensitivities and explore the process of elimination diet.
Dr. Jeremy Fritz is a board eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, certified as a Clinical Nutritionist by the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutrition, and functional medicine practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Fritz is also the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers of Vernon Hills, IL & Mequon WI.
The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neuro-behavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. We work with children who suffer with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For more information, please visit www.BrainBalanceCenters.com.
Is your child tired, inattentive, overemotional, and unable to concentrate? Does your child have respiratory, skin, sinus, and/or immune related problems? Maybe it’s not just in their head. These concerns could be stemming from the gut. That’s right; the gut is intricately connected with the entire body and is often referred to as the 2nd brain. Many children that are suffering with any of the above complaints may actually be experiencing the side effects of leaky gut syndrome.
If your child is also diagnosed with a developmental or learning disability, it is more likely that the gut is also involved.
Leaky gut syndrome, also called increased intestinal permeability, occurs when the endothelial cells lining the bowel become damaged and inflamed, leading to gaps between the cells. The damaged cell lining permits unwanted particles, like undigested proteins, free passage into the bloodstream. Once these undigested proteins, termed di/tri-peptides, enter the bloodstream the immune system targets them as invaders and responds with an inflammatory attack. The inflammatory response is often times subtle and can be delayed for 24-96 hours after ingestion of the food. Since many of the symptoms come on randomly like; headaches, skin rashes, brain fog, poor concentration, and emotional outbursts, a correlation is never made with the food ingestion.
It is important to note that the reaction against these undigested proteins is termed a food sensitivity reaction and differs from that of a food allergy. The classic food allergy response is where the ingestion of a food causes an immediate response that can sometimes be life threatening. Most parents are well aware of whether or not their child has a food allergy, because the response makes it quite apparent. This is not the case in food sensitivity. To make things even more interesting, some children actually crave the very foods that they are sensitive to. This is very common in children that are sensitive to wheat and dairy. The protein molecules within wheat and dairy are gluten and casein, respectively. An addictive response can occur within these children that are termed a gluteomorphin and caseomorphin response. As the name implies, a morphine-like drug effect occurs within the brain of children suffering with these food sensitivities. Because children crave these foods, it is even more unlikely that a parent would make a correlation with negative behaviors or symptoms.
So, why would a child with a behavioral or learning disability be at a greater risk of leaky gut syndrome? Well, I’m glad that you asked. As many of my readers know from past articles, the main problem with these children is a brain imbalance termed Functional Disconnection Syndrome (FDS). FDS describes a condition where the two sides of the brain are not developing at the same rate leading to an inability to communicate and work together as a team. This imbalance can lead to a multitude of problems including, behavioral, social, emotional, and academic concerns. FDS has also been noted to impact the digestive and immune systems within children affected. As explained in the literature, the sympathetic nervous system becomes dysregulated; leading to a decrease in digestive enzyme production, decreased blood flow to the intestinal lining, and a decrease in motility of the gut. All of these components together increase the stress on the small intestinal lining and promote a higher likelihood of leaky gut syndrome.
So, where do we go from here? For starters, I would encourage all of you parents to pay attention to the foods that your children are eating. Begin by writing down all of the food that enters your child’s mouth. Document the time, intensity, and duration of behaviors and symptoms that occur with your child. Search for any correlation, by noting any patterns between the food journal and negative responses. Remember that food sensitivities may occur from 24-96 hours after digestion, so patterns may be difficult to determine. Stay tuned for next month as we continue on the journey of food sensitivities and explore the process of elimination diet.
Dr. Jeremy Fritz is a board eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, certified as a Clinical Nutritionist by the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutrition, and functional medicine practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Fritz is also the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers of Vernon Hills, IL & Mequon WI.
The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neuro-behavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. We work with children who suffer with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For more information, please visit www.BrainBalanceCenters.com.
