GAPS

Thinking About GAPS, Resistant Starch, and Beyond

Jun 11, 2014

Dear Family,

"No Disease That Can Be Treated By diet Should Be Treated With any Other Means.”

  • Maimonides

I've been thinking recently that there are two sorts of people in the world: those who are dealing with significant health concerns, to the point where these concerns pretty much take over their lives...and those who aren't.

Then I thought, there is actually a third group: those whose lives are ruled by their health problems, but they (the people) don't realize it.

Anyway, if you happen to be a member of either of the latter two groups, the following letter may be q

Thinking About Me, and OCD

Jun 08, 2014

Dear Family,

"Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring."

--Desmond Tutu

"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving."

-- Terry Pratchett, "A Hat Full of Sky"

It's hard to discuss my own mental health with both humor and compassion.

"What's Eating My Child?" - notes from a talk by Kelly Dorfman

May 04, 2014

The notes that follow are my (Sarabeth's) summary of a talk given by Kelly Dorfman.

Introducing Robbie: A Family Turning the Tide

Jun 08, 2013

Robbie was sick and compromised from birth. He lacked oxygen during many hours of labor, and was born barely alive. Afterward, he was limp and listless and would only sleep. For a couple days he was like that, no nursing at all for many hours. There was every indication that he had irreparable brain damage.

He always had issues that were obvious to me, a mother of 5, because my older children didn't have any of them. He was not vaccinated, never had antibiotics, and was breastfed until age 5 or 6...and still he was never, ever well.

What We Eat - With Recipes!

Mar 07, 2013

When we first started the Specific Carbohydrate/Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet in 2010, I had a bookcase full of vegetarian recipes, a burgeoning career as a vegetarian chef…and not a clue how to cook (let alone eat) a chicken. The only thing I knew how to ferment was sourdough bread. And for many more reasons than the sheer cooking workload, I was completely overwhelmed.

Three years later, I have amassed a small collection of dietarily compatible recipes, while the old ones sit nostalgically and uselessly on top shelves.

All The Gory Details I can Think Of, and Then Some

Feb 28, 2013

Dear Family,

"I don't know whether I believe in God or not. I think, really, I'm some sort of Buddhist. But the essential thing is to put oneself in a frame of mind which is close to that of prayer."

--Matisse

----

Jemmerisms:

"[I made] a teeny candle, in case you want a teeny bit of light…an' this one is even _tinier_, for those times when you need an even tinier light."

"[The snow] is so pretty, 'cause it's not falling super fast or super slow."

"How does a so-tiny baby neck hold up a so-big baby head?"

"…ARGUING! That's what we're doing over here."

The Micro Is Macro - or, When Tiny Things Are Devastating

Sep 04, 2012

Dear Family,

"There is only one thing people like that is good for them: a good night's sleep."
--E. W. Howe

----

Jemmerisms:

“I broke my rubber band...an' now I can do so much cool stuff with it.”

“When you say, 'Do you want your hat, Jem?', you're REALLY saying, 'You should wear your hat.'”

“It's nice, looking at a baby and watching it seeing you and smiling.”

Discussing preferences with our neighbor, after listening to all the other kids describe the activities they did and didn't enjoy: “...I like _whatever_ happens.”

----

Bennerisms:

Some Fascinating Facts about Thyroids

Mar 05, 2012

I just listened to a fascinating podcast about (come on, what did you think?) thyroids. And I took notes, which you will find below.

Healing ADHD

Jul 22, 2011

Toni began using the GAPS protocol in 2009, when her son Ethan was 11. "He had been diagnosed with ADHD, with emphasis on the Hyperactivity, and had sensory symptoms as well, including 'Auditory Processing Disorder' and 'Sensory Integration Disorder.'"

The family had already spent many years and too much money on lots of failed therapies for Ethan. As Toni puts it, "I had never felt comfortable with medication for ADHD, but by the time Ethan was ten, I was desperate. Either I was going to need medication, or he was."

In this essay, Toni and Ethan share their perspectives on some of the amazing healing that has taken place after 2.5 years on GAPS.

Introducing...Toraji

Jul 15, 2011

"I came into veganism believing all the propaganda saying that animal products were unhealthy, unnecessary and environmentally unfriendly. And for about five years, it seemed to be true...until we were faced with undeniable proof that something was wrong. My oldest daughter's teeth began decaying rapidly at age 17 months, and she presented with a classic case of 'baby bottle mouth' even though she'd never had a bottle in her life..."

Toraji writes about her subsequent and successful approach to halting and healing her daughter's tooth decay using a nutrient-dense, traditional foods' diet.

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