Enteric Nervous System (ENS)

The Enteric Nervous System (ENS) is the system of the Gut that medication, GMO's, and bad nutrition in general play havoc with. The ENS is sometimes referred to as the Second Brain. It gets this Second Brain moniker due to the fact that a properly functioning ENS makes 80% of the bodies Serotonin and other brain related chemicals. Medications et.al. particularly antibiotics at a very young age (typically for an ear infection that is in actuality a food allergy/sensitivity in most cases) can disrupt balance of Gut bacteria (90% of the trillions of cells that make up the human body are bacteria) this leading to things like depression and “Chemo Brain”, that get blamed on the Brain.

The doctors not educated in nutrition give more brain drugs, that further damage the ENS, causing a vicious cycle.

Drugs et.al. and bad diets can kill off the “good bugs” (Physiological) of the Gut allowing the overgrowth of “bad bugs” (Pathological) whose excretions are toxic. Drugs et.al. can also cause over growth of fungi and yeast, which also have toxic outputs, leading to such things as Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), a chronic cough from fungal infection of the esophagus, or chronic sinusitis (Which in some cases are unrecognized CSF Leaks) to name just a few problems.

One simple thing that can be done is to take high quality (Big Box Stores/National Chains in malls don't fit my “Quality” criteria) Pre and Pro biotic to attempt to restore some balance. They need to be taken two hours before or four hours after any medication especially antibiotics, or the medication will kill the good bugs. Aggressive and persistent problems need the support of a Doctor of Integrative Medicine.

In many cases Autism and Migraines, not all, are common things linked to food allergies/sensitives that are often directly related to the health of the good bugs of the Gut. What few realize is that what you ate up to four days ago could be causing your migraine or other health problem now. A detailed food journal is the only way to correlate such issues. Also a large part of the world is Magnesium deficient which can also cause migraines.

The book: Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia by Natasha Campbell-McBride goes into far more details that my simplistic overview here. The book explains the GAPS Diet.

What the GAPS Diet does is eliminate all carbohydrates (Sugars in all forms), the stuff that feeds the bad bugs so that they die off (that can cause their own short term health problems), and replace the carbs with high protein diet.

Once the bad bugs (Pathological) are starved off the good bugs (Physiological) flourish and start producing the needed brain chemicals. The bad bugs are always present with us, they are normally overwhelmed by the good bugs so they cause us no problems. It is only when the bad bugs over take our system and its defenses that we end up with diseases that many doctors do not recognize as being caused by Gut imbalances, Eczema for example.

The GAPS book also addresses that many Autistic children will only eat specific things and how to deal with that.

Make no mistake that switching from the typical American Diet to a healthy one is hard. Many of today's foods and drinks, soda for example, are designed to make us crave more of it in ways that are addicting, to some debilitating so.

A often heard complaint is that healthy food cost more. One many want to ask why unhealthy food is so cheap? Karen realized that health food, while costing more, was more filling so we ate less of it. So in the end it was cheaper to buy the higher quality food and eat less of it.

We are what we absorb from what we put in and on, our bodies. It takes work in our society today to have proper nutrition, as MegaCorp is interested in selling a product not our health. Once you've made the switch to a healthy diet you'll wonder why you did not do it a long time ago. MegaCorp has gone so far as to label those of us whom are eating healthy to say we have a mental disorder: Orthorexia Nervosa - New mental disorder aimed at people who insist on eating a clean diet.

Further Reading:

• The Harmful Effects of Antibiotics on the Human Microbiome by Lisa Bloomquist.
• Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, MD.
• The Microcosm Within by William B. Miller Jr.
• Intestinal Microbiota of Infants With Colic: Development and Specific Signatures by Carolina de Weerth, PhD, Susana Fuentes, PhD, Philippe Puylaert, MS, and Willem M. de Vos, PhD.