Last weekend I attended a GAPS Practitioner Certification workshop outside of New York City with 40 other health care providers. There were naturopaths, osteopaths, nutritionists, occupational therapists, homeopaths, a holistic nurse, a woman in preventative dentistry, chiropracters, acupuncturists, in short, alternative health care practitioners of every stripe. Only four of us were physicians, two neurologists, one pediatrician and me. It was the most exciting conference that I have been to in years. Maybe ever.
Since late September Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a Russian born neurologist and nutritionist, has been traveling around the United States with her fiercely protective English husband, Peter, who manages the business aspect of her work. She has been teaching workshops in Seattle, Chicago, and New York. The next one will be in Dallas following The Weston Price Wise Traditions Conference in November. The purpose of these workshops is to train people in her GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) Healing Nutritional Protocol, to carry her work out into the world.
Dr. Campbell-McBride has a clinic in Cambridge, England where she sees and helps thousands of patients who come to her from all over the globe. The demand for the treatment modality that she has developed is overwhelming and rising, and she now feels that she cannot do it alone. Early next year she plans to train practitioners in Australia. Though Dr. Campbell-McBride describes the GAPS nutritional protocol as essentially a self-help program, she believes that there are large numbers of GAPS people who need help and guidance from a qualified health care practitioner who is GAPS trained.
Dr. Campbell-McBride is a warm, down to earth open woman, with a charming accent, who has immense knowledge about the body, healing, food, conventional medicine, and folk medicine traditions. The breadth and depth of her wisdom, understanding and experience of illness and health throughout the life span is totally impressive and amazing. It is obvious that she is a consummate clinician.
With the method that she developed originally to help her autistic son, she has treated a vast range of conditions; psychiatric, neurological, and auto-immune. (She does not treat cancer.) Conditions as seemingly diverse as ulcerative colitis, autism, endocrine and rheumatological conditions, ADHD, bipolar disorder, epilepsy, eczema, eating disorders, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, PMS, infertility, to name just a few, respond to her method. Fundamentally all of these conditions link back to the same etiology, gut dysbiosis, which affects a patient’s nutritional status and immunity. She believes that many conditions that are designated “genetic” are not genetic at all, but rather a function of the imbalanced gut flora, which has been passed down from parents to baby. The baby has the same microflora and thus the same symptoms as his parents. She is working on a new book with the same GAPS acronym, which stands for The Gut and Physiology Syndrome, which addresses conditions with symptoms that are not primarily psychological, but equally due to dysbiosis.
So much of what she had to say flew in the face of conventionally accepted medical practice. Her recommendations are not based upon double blind placebo controlled studies, but rather upon her vast clinical experience. She knows what works and heals. Patients recognize that what she has to offer is effective, and she is simply inundated with referrals. GAPS patients are frequently people who have been told that there was nothing that could be done for them. All that could be offered were drugs that caused major adverse side effects to palliate their symptoms, or recommendations for drastic surgical interventions. They arrive at Dr. Campbell-McBride’s clinic as a last resort, and the relief is enormous when they finally get the help they desperately need for themselves and their children.
Dr. Campbell-McBride does not prescribe toxic pharmaceuticals or recommend invasive procedures. The approach is refreshingly low tech and natural. Her method does not aim to suppress and palliate symptoms, but rather goes to the common heart of myriad conditions. The goal is to restore health and balance to the body through intelligent nutrition with a whole foods diet high in healing animal fats. She recommends the avoidance of all grains and sugars, permitting only carbohydrates that are metabolized to monosacharrides and thus do not feed the harmful microflora, the avoidance of all processed and refined foods, and natural targeted supplementation and repopulation of the gut flora with therapeutic strength probiotics and fermented foods. Also key are a variety of natural detoxification measures such as juicing, baths, enemas and sunbathing, which are so necessary in our very toxic modern world. She recommends the avoidance of all conventional personal care and house cleaning products. For autistic children she considers it essential to initiate the ABA educational method as soon as possible. She recommends finding an ABA consultant through CARD (The Center for Autism and Related Disorders) an organization in San Diego.
I imagine that many of my future blog posts will be based upon the pearls of clinical wisdom that she imparted to us during the workshop. The material was fascinating and highly practical. Each of us was provided with a thick practitioners manual with additional information not found in her book, The Gut and Psychology Syndrome. By the end of the month there will be a forum on her website for practitioners to talk to one another, to ask questions and report experiences. Support and sharing with other practitioners employing the same healing protocol will be crucial. There will a list on her website of the 120 newly Certified GAPS Practitioners in the United States.
At the end of the workshop, she gestured to us with a sunny smile on her face and lightheartedly said ” You are my army”.
I have never fancied myself a soldier. It does not fit my self concept at all, but it felt different coming from her. Probably part of my conviction has to do with the fact that I myself have suffered with digestive issues for all of my 55 years. I have sought many treatments, both conventional and alternative. None of them ever helped me, before I began the GAPS treatment protocol 6 months ago. Many psychiatric and medical illnesses plagued multiple members of my family, most of whom are now dead. The dysbiosis hypothesis is like a rosetta stone, which unlocks the mystery of how their diverse and myriad debilitating conditions all had a common etiology.
So far I have used the GAPS approach with only 5 or 6 patients in my practice, but all with good result. Several have been able to come off their psychotropic medications. These patients have all been adults with mood and anxiety disorders. Not many patients in my current practice have been willing to make the radical life style changes required by the GAPS protocol. I imagine that in time, patients will come to me specifically for my GAPS expertise.
When I was at Earlham College in the mid 70’s I studied the philosophy of science. I was very impressed with a book about the history of scientific revolutions. The author described scientific theory as a suitcase that was intended to be filled with data, and needed to be able to accommodate all of it. If information was discovered that did not fit the theory, data would be hanging out of it and eventually the suitcase would no longer close properly. A new more capacious theory would need to be invented. Dr. Campbell-McBride’s theory is a very big elegant suitcase, and I am repeatedly awed by how much it accommodates.
Dr. Campbell-McBride struck me as a modest woman. There was nothing in her demeanor that suggested grandiosity, that this was for the greater glory of Natasha. It was clear to me that her mission was about transmitting the remarkable gift of her methodology to those in need.
She belongs to that group of inspiring passionate people like Steve Jobs, Al Gore or Jimmy Moore. (Oprah would be on that list, but I am very disappointed in her destructive promotion of Mehmet Oz) Courageous mavericks who make their voices heard, and who use their gifts and abilities to make our troubled world a better place.
Here is something I love. Its the text and the video from the THINK DIFFERENT advertisement campaign for Apple Computers in 1997.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them, Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Here is the video.
Judy,
Just curious about your comment about Oprah and Dr. Oz — I don’t regularly follow her or him, but I know alot of people who do — is there something about his approach that is not so good?
And I have a question about dairy — I feel like I have an addiction of sorts to dairy — it is very difficult to digest for me, seems to aggravate my skin (psoriasis) and I get headaches/sinus infections if I regularly have dairy in my diet. Yet I seem to be very attracted to high fat, organic dairy (cream, ice cream) despite my best efforts. I’ve struggled with eating ‘disorders’ (dislike the word) in the past, most of which disappeared when I quit eating gluten over a decade ago, so just thought I would ask in case this is familiar to you or your readers. Thank you so much.
I love and admire Oprah but am not crazy about some of the people she promotes like Dr. Oz. He promotes a low fat diet which is heavy on carbs which I do not think is healthful for most people.
I don’t know what to say about the dairy. You seem to be pretty clear that it does not agree with you. Is that also true for fermented dairy. You might try and eliminate it entirely for a few months and then follow Dr. Natasha’s protocol for the reintroduction of dairy starting with ghee and very slowly introducing fermented dairy a tablespoon at a time.
Thanks so much for the response about Dr. Oz — I did not know that about him, but hear people talk about him alot and know that many people follow him.
And thanks for the response about dairy — makes total sense to me. I’ve done okay with ghee at times and don’t think I’ve ever tried fermented dairy, nor eliminated it like you suggest per Dr. Natasha’s protocol, so will look into that.
It’s great you have integrated the GAPS protocol into your work (and I love that you are aware of the histamine issues too, so important) — may I ask why that resonates so much over one like the paleo autoimmune approach? Or do you integrate both of them?
I think that GAPS and the Paleo autoimmune approach must be very similar. Paleo diets usually include starchy tubers like sweet potatoes which GAPS does not, but otherwise I am not really aware of differences. Perhaps with the inclusion/exclusion of dairy as well. Some Paleo folks exclude dairy. Dr Natasha sees fermented full fat dairy as very supportive of the immune system.
Thanks for the clarification on that, and I am glad to learn more about the GAPS diet, really appreciate the information and the response.
Hello Dr.Tsarfrir,
What an interesting post. I was wondering too what you meant about Dr.Oz. I do think he is changing though, or open to change. He has had Dr. Perlmutter (Grain Brain) on recently and endorsed his book, he’s also had Dr. William Davis of Wheat Belly on. Both of these are not about lowfat anything. He’s also had shows about the Paleo diet. I think Dr. Oz often gives general info and little blurbs of various advice that sometimes falls in the ‘lowfat’ mindset, but I’ve seen him talk about healthy fats too, and he seems to say that there is always something new he’s learning regarding health and nutrition. I have to say I’m not a fan of Dr. Phil whom Oprah has promoted for years.
On another note, I have an interest in the the GAPS ideas and I have so enjoyed watching a few interviews and lectures from Dr. Natasha. I feel just like you described about her knowledge and demeanor. Though I have some concern about bone broth after recently reading a comment on another blog from a mother had two children develop severe lead toxicity from (apparently) bone broth – from pastured chickens. I’m not sure what to make of that, it just makes me pause about bone broth.
Thank you for writing and I am so glad you enjoyed the post and resonated with my description of Dr. Natasha. I wrote that post just after I took the training with Dr. Natasha in October 2011 and felt very inspired by my experience. I think at that time Dr. Oz was really into the low fat healthy whole grain thing. Of course he can change and be open to new information and his promoting of concepts from Wheat Belly and Grain Brain is certainly a step in the right direction. I am with you on Dr. Phil. He often strikes me as very judgmental. I deeply admire Oprah, but sometimes my enthusiasms/perspectives are really different that hers.
In terms of the bone broth. I had not heard that about the lead poisoning. It’s frightening. Our environment is so toxic that it is impossible to know to what you are being exposed. Bone broth can be a challenging food for some people and is not recommended on the GAPS into diet. The gut needs to be somewhat healed to tolerate it. But the lead toxicity is another layer of complexity and danger. Yikes. I need to investigate this further. But thanks for sharing so we can all try and sort out what makes sense.
Hi again Dr. Tsafrir, thanks for your reply! Yes, I agree about Dr. Phil – there’s just something about him I dislike; just doesn’t seem to be too spiritually aware (which is a big thing for Oprah). But Oprah make up for that with all her Super Soul Sunday interviews. LOVE those!
I read that comment on a post on Chris Kresser’s blog. It was a somewhat recent post about bone broth: http://chriskresser.com/?s=bone+broth
It is scary, and I’m not sure what what to make of all of it. Would be interested to hear what you learn about all of this.
I just found your blog and have been enjoying it. It’s so great to find MDs taking the path you are.
Thank you again,
Jen
I’m so confused. In my understanding of GAPS phase 1, bone broth is the base of all food eaten.
You can have meat stock instead of bone broth on the Introductory phase if bone broth does not agree with you.
Yes, yes, yes! If you are not on Twitter, you need to get on asap. Every time you write a new post, post the link to Twitter. You will be amazed at how many you reach this way!
I am very new to Twitter myself and am quite amazed at what a resource it has become.
Mary, so nice to hear from you! Thanks for the advice. I am going to do it.
Hello Dr. Tsafrir,
This blog post is very enlightening reading — thank you! I am very fascinated by this protocol, and started myself and my husband on the Intro diet Oct. 1st. We’re doing great, but of course, now am a little confused after reading your interview at gapsdietjourney.com about whether Intro is necessary, since Dr. NCM’s website clearly stresses the importance of it. Regardless, I feel that I’m doing the best possible to ensure healing and sealing the gut and did not want to take short cuts. 🙂
I was hoping to find a listing of the health professionals who are now newly trained in the protocol, as I believe it is desirable to network with those who are passionate about this and can help spread the word. I’ve been a natural health researcher and educator for decades, but not professionally trained until enrolling with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in their Health Coach training program — will finish in December! I plan to implement into my coaching services a support group for GAPS clients.
I looked for you on Facebook and Twitter — hope to see you there soon! I’ll be subscribing to your blog once I sent this. I’m also collecting websites and blogs to reference as GAPS resources on my blog and other websites (health coach and natural health website) and will definitely link to yours!
Warm regards,
Beth
Hi Beth,
Thanks for your message. I went to your site and was very interested in all you had to share.
I know what you mean about feeling confused about the necessity of starting with Intro. But at the practitioner training, Dr. Natasha recommended starting with Full GAPS for many conditions. It was definitely in contrast to what was written on her website, where it seemed like Intro should never be skipped entirely, or healing would be compromised in some way. Hopefully she will clarify this point soon. I feel very well on Full GAPS, better actually than I ever have.
There will be a page on the GAPS.me site where Dr. Natasha will list all the practitioners who have completed the training and are ready to take on new patients.
I have not wrapped my mind around Facebook and Twitter yet. I saw that you referenced my post at GAPS Journey and I appreciate your help in spreading the word.
I am looking forward to working with more patients using the GAPS protocol, so that I can gather experience. Right now for me my conviction about the method is primarily borne out of my own personal experience, a few patients in my practice who are benefitting. Also important is that my intuition is telling me that this is a powerful healing methodology, and my intellect says that this is a theory about health and disease that makes sense. I think the future of medicine will be all about understanding the role of microorganisms in maintaining health and creating illness. I am reading a lot about parasites these days. Just fascinating.
I look forward to gaining lots of experiences with patients to draw upon. So far, many patients are not up for making the radical commitment required and we are beginning with a more Paleo type approach and in my mind working towards GAPS. The Paleo approach can make a very big difference.
Thanks again for writing and contacting me.
Hi Judy,
The Weston A. Price way of eating seems great to me for those with healthy digestion. (Which seems rare to find nowadays!) After the GAPS diet, I think that our family will eat basically a Hunter-gatherer type diet. We feel so much better not eating grains or sugar. We are not eating any legumes or dairy either. After GAPS, we would love to eat the occasional sweet potato. 🙂
Bracken is napping so I’m going to take the opportunity to check out your blog.
Love, Taryn
Hi Taryn.
Dr. Natasha is a big proponent of fermented dairy as part of the GAPS protocol. She has a whole methodology of how to introduce dairy very gradually. Here is what she writes: (It does not apply to patients with constipation for whom she recommends including high fat dairy like fermented sour cream from the beginning.)
INTRODUCING DAIRY
Avoid all dairy products for a minimum of 4 weeks.
Step 1 – Introduce organic unsalted ghee (recipe available in Gut and Psychology Syndrome)
Step 2 – Introduce organic unsalted butter
Step 3 – Introduce homemade kefir, yogurt and fermented cream
Step 4 – Introduce homemade cheese
Step 5 – Introduce mature traditional cheese
Step 6 – Introduce double cream and clotted cream
Avoid all milk and milk substitutes.
I totally agree. It will be nice to include starchy root vegetables for variety when one is healed.
Are you familiar with primaldocs.com? I am not affiliated with it, but I’ve been telling so many people about it looking for a great doctor/practitioner!
Love your blog – I just subscribed 🙂
Marissa
Hi Marissa.
I just took a look at Primaldocs. I had never heard of it, but it looks right up my alley. Thanks for telling me about it. I am going to contact them. I am so glad that you like my blog and that you subscribed. Its a new endeavor so your encouragement is really meaningful to me. I appreciate it.
Hello Judy!
Thanks so much for the link to this post. I heard that Natasha had a practitioner training and was very curious about it. I’m so glad to connect with you. It’s wonderful to find others who are passionate about the GAPS diet. We started on a Nourishing Traditions- style diet first. Then when our son was born, we decided to start the GAPS diet. It just makes so much sense to me!
I will check out your site more soon when I get the opportunity. Right now that son is needing my attention. 🙂
I am going to create a place on my blog with GAPS links and I would love to link to your site.
Talk more soon.
Love, Taryn
Hi Taryn,
I had an e-mail exchange with your husband around an order that I placed at your Etsy site. He mentioned to me that you began with a Weston A Price approach, and then when your son was born you moved to a Paleo style of eating and it has now evolved to GAPS. I thought that was fascinating. I think that in order to treat many different chronic conditions, a GAPs approach is absolutely necessary to heal. When one’s gut is healed and immunity restored, it may be possible to transition back to the Weston A Price approach. For GAPS patients the soaked grains and unfermented dairy that would be a healthful part of the Weston A Price way of eating, is not tolerated. At this point it seems to me that GAPS is for healing and the Weston A Price approach is for people who want to maintain their good health.
Hi Dr. Tsafrir,
This was a beautifully written piece. I am glad that you have entered the blogging world. Now, how about Twitter/Facebook! More people need to be able to benefit from your wisdom.
Erin
Thanks, Erin, for your kind words. Wow, Facebook, Twitter, I have to wrap my mind around that. I do want as many people as possible who need GAPS to know about it, so I will have to give that some thought.
Hello! I was wondering how I may attend on of Dr. Campbell-McBride’s workshops. Please send me an e-mail or post in comments for me.
Here is her e-mail.
[email protected]
You could write to her and ask her when there will be another workshop. As I mentioned in my post there is one planned in Dallas in November. It may already be full. I know that she is planning to speak at the Weston Price Wise Traditions Conference. That is sure to be very worthwhile. I think apart from that up coming workshops are planned in countries other than the USA.