Still Talking....

We recently received this wonderful testimonial from a family with a little girl that won over all of our hearts. She came through our doors every day with a huge smile on her face, and a boisterous hello! She loved to share her toys with us, she brought a different one every day, and no matter what she worked her hardest. We are so proud of her and her family. They dedicated themselves to seeing this program through, and we are so thankful for the feed back they they were able to provide us with. We miss you guys! Hope to see you soon!

To the entire Brain Balance Team,

It’s been a few months now since we left Brain Balance after Maegan’s program and we are still talking about the great things Brain Balance has done to improve our lives.   I say our lives because what Maegan goes through we all go through.  Maegan has always been a happy-go-lucky girl.  She developed normally from infancy through early learning years, but we knew she was developing differently than her twin sister.  She was physically more active and less afraid of doing things that seemed risky or dangerous.  When we enrolled the girls in a preschool run by Franciscan nuns, the nuns would always tell us that they used every trick possible to keep Maegan from getting up throughout the day or during circle time. 

When she started kindergarten, she showed the same behaviors of fidgeting and disrupting the class with her constant need to keep moving, touching things or not following instruction and at times throwing fits during class.  She had to be removed from her classroom several times during the year and placed in the pre-school classes on those days.  Maegan would come home crying saying she was placed in the baby classes because she was behaving like a baby.   We would discipline her at home only to see her do the same thing over and over again with some good weeks and some very bad weeks. 

First grade was a lot like Kindergarten, but fewer bad weeks as she started to make friends and socialize more.  Challenges at home were similar to challenges in school.  She would often get frustrated when she could not figure out the answers to homework on her own.  She would throw fits and toss her books and pencil across the table and refuse to complete the homework.  Maegan would cry hysterically and it would take her hours to finish her homework assignments when her sister would do it on her own and in a fraction of the time.  This would frustrate Maegan even more.  Before 1^st grade was over we received Maegan’s Tera Nova test scores (these are the state-wide academic tests) and we were disappointed to see Maegan score in the 15^th to 25^th percentile of the average scores of a 1^st grader.  The teacher told us she never finished the exam because she got frustrated and simply stopped trying.  We were all worried about Maegan at that point and realized this was not a maturity problem, but that this was a much bigger problem so we took her to the pediatrician for an evaluation.  That’s when she was diagnosed her with ADHD.  Now we knew what the issue was and we went looking for help.  That’s when I found Brain Balance.   

When we started Brain Balance Maegan was often too afraid to try new things and was too afraid to read out loud.  She would read very slowly and often lose her place on the page.  She was easily distracted and was difficult for us to bring her back to continue the task of reading.   Maegan was skeptical at first, and honestly so were we, but we had to try something to help her.  We started her sessions during the summer break and she enjoyed going to each session.  Some days she would say she was working really hard and other days she would say she had a lot of fun.  Her twin sister Lauren would wait outside and play with the toys and she also enjoyed going to BB each day with her sister.  Mid-way through the sessions I could already see a change in Maegan.  She was eager to read and she was reading much better.  She was attempting to sound-out words when before she would wait for me to sound them out for her.   Maegan was also not afraid to do new things anymore.  I was amazed with her new found confidence in herself.   

Maegan continued BB into the early part of her 2^nd grade and she started the year with a better view of herself.  At this point she was assigned a school aide to her class as part of the school program.  Her aide happened to be the aide that was with her during Kindergarten.  After the first week in school, the aide pulled my husband aside and mentioned that she had seen a tremendous change in Maegan.  She said she did not fidget during class, she didn’t disrupt the class and that she was indeed a better reader.  She asked us what we had done to achieve such changes and we said Brain Balance.  We are now mid-way through 2^nd grade and Maegan still has her days but she and her teachers tell us she’s able to manage herself out of those situations better.  What would take her hours to get through an emotional breakdown now only takes 10 minutes at most.  She knows and is aware of those situations and tries her best to avoid them.  It’s a work in progress but we know this is now easier for her and us to deal with thanks to Brain Balance.  As she grows older and deals with different situations, I will always think back at what Brain Balance has taught us about ADHD and I would not think twice about putting her through another session with BB if we think it will help her again.  We enjoyed the teaching sessions with Dr. Milello and Dr. Scire – they both offered great learning and tips on how to deal with Maegan’s issues.

Thank you to the team that was so patient and kind with Maegan.  Maegan continues to ask me to bring her back to say hi to her teachers.  She has her star posted to her wall to remind her of all the great things she’s achieved!   See you all soon…

Yours truly,

Sharon B.

Open House Invitation

I don't know if you know this, but Brain Balance of Summit, has been committed to having two [THAT'S RIGHT TWO] Open Houses a month. One in the morning, and one in the evening.
We realized that a lot of interested families want a little bit more than just a phone call or an email about our program. They want to come in and meet the staff, see our center, participate in an awesome presentation, and ask their questions. So we decided to make regular open houses a must for our families. You are not required to attend one, but so many of our families benefit from getting a first hand experience from seeing where their child has the potential to be for the next 12, amazing, life changing weeks!

If you are one of those families, teachers, or professionals who wants to see our center and learn about the Brain Balance approach, then come visit us on Wednesday 2/20 at 6:30 PM. We will have a presentation, followed by Q&A, and then a tour of our center.

Interested? RSVP to (908) 517 - 1101.
We are located at 33 Union Place, Summit NJ 07901
Hope to see you there!! If you cannot make it, then "like" us on Facebook (Brain Balance of Summit), we post regularly about our open houses, and other interesting facts!

Ooohhh, We're Half Way There!

The Brain Balance staff embarked on a 30 day (4 week), elimination diet. Just like our kids do! I know the title is corny  but we have just hit the half way mark of our diets. We are starting to really understand what families have to go through. The ease of just running out to grab lunch is gone. We all have to watch ourselves as we are preparing food for others, no more snacking! Our comfort foods are gone - We miss coffee and ice cream most :(. Granted, we are adults, and we understand what we are doing, and why it has to be done, so making dinner and trying new things is exciting. We know this is not always the case for our kids, and we hope that our journey allows us to motivate them more, and bring in some better recommendations - I've tried three different breads already! Some of us are already seeing some positive changes and have found substitutes that we love! For our kids it generally takes them about 2 weeks to get adjusted to their new lifestyle, have a few mess ups, and then we start to see the change.

Now, we are by no means experts, and we have all spent our fair share of time in a supermarket combing the shelves for a certain food item that we can have, and yes some of us have even made mistakes so far. But that is why we are on this adventure, to better ourselves, to better our understanding of the program that we fully believe in, and to better help the families that we work with.

We are now going to share some of our favorite new finds, some recipes, and of course our mistakes!

•  Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose baking flour! Good for bread, cookies, and thickening up soups!
•  Arrowhead Mills gluten free Quiona Rice and Shine - a great breakfast option and a great substitute for oatmeal!
• Bob's Red Mill gluten free pizza crust
• Bob's Red Mill Almond meal/flour - great for adding a little protein to your baking

• Pacific Almond milk - yummm
• Once Again almond butter 
• Suzie's rice cakes - great crunch 
• King Soba black rice noodles
• And my favorite, not pictured, Goldbaum rice noodles. They are a fabulous substitution for this pasta lover!

• Old Wesse Ltd, Cream Oat Bran - a little different than plain old oatmeal
• Sprouted Chia Powder - Superfood!
• Ginger and Cinnamon - a sweet treat for a anti-candida diet!
• Hemp Seeds
• Ground Premium Flaxseed - more omega 3 please! 

More pictures to come! We are so excited to be on this journey with our kids. The King Soba was actually a recommendation from one of our families - I had it last night, it was delicious!!

Our favorite recipe so far:

Almond milk ice cream

• 2 cups almond milk of choice (or any other dairy alternative)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave - I haven't tried brown sugar or regular sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• I made mine with enjoy life chocolate chips and a little mint extract - yummm
• Combine all ingredients and then put in ice cream maker
• let it churn for about 15 mins (watch it though for the consistency you like)
• put in chocolate chips and enjoy!
• I recommend eating it all at once, letting it freeze in freezer wasn't as appealing 

Butternut Squash Soup

• 1 Butternut squash - roasted (really roasted)
• leaks 
• olive oil 
• 6 cups chicken broth
• Roast your butternut squash - 350 for about an hour or so 
• Cook leeks in the olive oil until soft
• Scrape out the really roasted butternut squash into your pan 
• Add chicken broth and let simmer for an hour
• Use a hand mixer and puree in pan to desired consistency  

Now on to try Cherrybrook kitchen chocolate cake and so delicious mint chocolate chip (coconut milk of course!)

Sugar, Sugar, Sugar!

One of our main concerns at Brain Balance is getting the amount of processed junk out of our kids food systems. The main culprit being sugar. Sugar not only has an addictive quality, but it has also become a comfort food for so many of our children.
The main reason that sugar has become such a problem is because of the way that it reacts in the gut. The stomach has a delicate balance of both good and bad bacteria. That balance has to be maintained in order to keep digestion consistent as well as to maintain a normal pH. The balance can be disturbed though, and when it does sugar consumption blows this situation out of the water. Bad bacteria feed on sugar, and when the bad bacteria gains the upper hand that's when we see gut issues, especially when it comes to constipation and diarrhea.

So how can we avoid mass consumption of sugar? It seems to be in almost everything today, and unfortunately that is a very VERY true statement.

Our First step is to first learn some of the clever alias of sugar:
Sucrose
Fruit Juice Concentrate
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Brown Rice Syrup
And so much more! Check out this awesome article to better understand all of the hidden sugar in your life!

Our Second step to avoiding the consumption of bad sugar is to find good sugars!
Honey, stevia, and maple syrup are all great ways to go, but check out some of these "crazy" ways to sweeten up our life

I hope these sweet tips help everyone eliminate a little more sugar from their child's day to day life. It will allow them to eat healthier foods and you won't have to deal with the sugar crash. If you are interested in a little bit of light reading, check out what this recent Yale University study just concluded!

A Side by Side Comparison

Here at Brain Balance of Summit, we take the nutrition component of the program very seriously. All of our children have to take a comprehensive blood test to determine their food sensitivities. Food sensitivities are a product of the functional disconnection that we are addressing here at the center. Since the children coming to us have a functional disconnection between the hemispheres in their brain, they consequently have a deficit in their stomach. This deficit allows for food particles to leak out of the stomach and cause negative reactions, ranging from the inability to focus, skin conditions, digestive issues, and so much more. We address this deficit by creating a specific diet for each one of our children based on the results of their food sensitivities test. 

Even though the diets can sometimes be daunting we always find fun ways to motivate our children. We have a fun food chart, that helps the children visualize the goal that they have to keep in order to maintain the elimination diet, and we even have a one year old hamburger that teaches the kids that real food rots (pictures below)! 

The diet is important to the overall success of the program, and even though it can be tough at times, families are so happy to see the fabulous results that their child is able to achieve! 

The pictures below are of our one year old hamburgers! The picture on the left is one that our center director made out of all natural ingredients. The picture on the right is of a hamburger that we picked up from a fast food restaurant. You can see how the real hamburger, that our center director made, has been disintegrating for the past year. While our friend on the right, from the fast food place, has kept its good looks. Lesson learned? Real food rots. And to quote from one of my favorite books Food Rules written by Michael Pollan "Eat only foods that will eventually rot," "It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car," and "It's not food if it's called by the same name in every language (Think Big Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles)."  

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A Happy Family!

Today at Brain Balance of Summit we received a heartwarming testimonial, from a very happy family. Their son, was one of the first kids through the door when we opened last summer, and since then he has only flourished! This young man and his family took what Brain Balance gave them and really emulated a star student! They rarely missed a session, they were diligent with doing their home exercises, and they were all troopers when it came to the specialized elimination diet. We could not be PROUDER of this graduate! Please read along to see what this mom has to say about her son's sessions with us.

"Nicholas was a healthy 9 year-old boy the March he was injured. That night he began making noises that I assumed were a soothing mechanism. Within a few days he sounded like a car horn. It was at that point that Tourette’s Syndrome became all too familiar to me. In June of 2011, he was officially diagnosed. Within a week, I saw an ad for Brain Balance Centers in a magazine. I mentioned it to him, and he was all for trying it. In August 2011, he began his first program term. By the time the 12 weeks were up in November, Nicholas had made great improvements in regards to the exhibiting of tics, as well as improved confidence and socialization.

Because tics have been known to peek during the middle school years, we decided to enroll him in a second session to try to “get ahead of the game.” At that time, Nicholas was only exhibiting some mild grunting, unnoticeable to others around him. In March 2012, he began his second program term at Brain Balance. Throughout this session he continued to improve functionally, as well as socially. He also continued to perform well in school.
During a class game on his second day of school this year – new school, new classmates, new teachers – Nicholas told his class something unique about himself: he has Tourette’s Syndrome. He did this on his own, his decision, his way. It was a huge difference from me having to be in the room the prior year and explaining it to his classmates while he sat quietly next to me, looking down. His confidence had grown over the year in that he wasn’t ashamed of having Tourette’s and wasn’t letting it get in his way. I had tears in my eyes when he told me after school. Tears, because this disorder is not my friend, but also because my little boy has accepted this disorder into his life and he is giving it his all to overcome it. That has been our philosophy since day one – this is not going to stop him from doing anything that he wants to do.
For any parent who sees the ad for Brain Balance and thinks it’s going to be a quick & easy fix: I’m telling you that you’re wrong. It is not going to be easy. What it is going to be is an intense 12 weeks for you & your child. The home exercises need to be done to enhance the program; the music needs to be listened to; the elimination diet needs to be followed without cheating; the positive reinforcement needs to be there; the patience needs to be there; your child needs to see that you believe in this program. The progress may be slow in the beginning but then all of a sudden you will blink and see that positive changes have been made right before your eyes. Your child will balk at the idea of the elimination diet (you may, too – you need to get creative!), but the differences you may see as a result of it all will be your reward. Quick, easy – not at all – but so worth it.
We enrolled my son in two 12 week sessions because we saw such a positive change and knew that there was room for more growth & development. We took the challenge full force both times, had the blood work done again as our choice and followed through with the elimination diet again as our choice. Yes, it was tough. Yes, he fought going to the sessions at times because he wanted free time. Yes, he cried at times during the elimination diets. Yes, it was worth it. Yes, I would do it again.
Looking back at our time with our Brain Balance family, I am so happy that we gave the program a chance. It has made such a positive impact on Nicholas. As of today, he is ‘tic free’ with the exception of the pencil twirling that is just sticking with him and some very seldom, random noises – but I’ll take it! He is still the same happy child that walked into the program making noises, but he walked out with the confidence to speak about Tourette Syndrome for himself and continue his journey to overcome it.
The staff in the Summit Center has been so amazing from that first day we walked into their office. The support from each and every one of them as Nicholas gained success was genuine and unconditional. Once he was there, he enjoyed his sessions and built a relationship with each one of them throughout our 24 weeks with them. Nicholas finished the program months ago, yet their support is still there if I need it. It’s a great feeling to know they are vested in each and every child who walks through their door."

Friendly Reminder

Today, is the day before Dr. Melillo comes! The Brain Balance of Summit staff is all busy finishing up last minuet details. We all know how busy we have been over the past few days and weeks, so we just wanted to remind you about the three amazing opportunities that you have this week to meet and greet with Dr. Melillo: 

Dr. Melillo has been working with children with neurodevelopmental disorders for the last 20 years.  His long-held belief that such disorders are the result of uneven brain connectivity (known as a functional disconnection in the brain) has been borne out in extensive independent research, and thousands of children have been helped by his methods of using natural means of exercise, sensory stimulation, cognitive stimulation and dietary change to strengthen neural pathways and improve behavior, socialization, and academic skills.  Dr. Melillo has lectured extensively around the world on neurology and neurodevelopmental disorders, has authored multiple books on neurodevelopmental disorders in children (including Disconnected Kids, Reconnected Kids and his new book, Autism: The Scientific Truth About Preventing, Diagnosing and Treating Autism Spectrum Disorders And What Parents Can Do Now, which is being published by Penguin Books and due out at the beginning of 2013), and is shortly to start co-sponsored research with Harvard University neurologists.   

Everyone is invited to attend Dr. Melillo's speaking events:

An Invitation to Meet 

Dr. Robert Melillo
 

Ground-breaking Neurologist

Pioneer in Childhood Neurodevelopmental Disorders

NY Times Best-Selling Author

Founder of Brain Balance Achievement Centers

  

 Tuesday, November 13

10:30am: Book Signing Event

 Barnes & Noble Bookstore – Livingston Mall, 112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston, NJ 07039

7:00pm: Free Lecture for Parents & Professionals

Summit High School Auditorium, 125 Kent Place Boulevard, Summit, NJ 07901    

Wednesday, November 14

10:30am: Book Signing Event

[words] Bookstore, 179 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040

www.wordsbookstore.com

We hope to see you there! RSVP to (908) 517-1101

First Snow of the Season

On the heels of Hurricane Sandy, I am sure that many of you are just as shocked as Brain Balance of Summit is to have received all of this snow yesterday! In Summit we got anywhere from 4-6 inches! All of this weather has caused a lot of our families to be stuck at home and unable to come to sessions! In light of that we just wanted to reiterate that even though we are encouraging all of our families to be diligent with their home exercises that there is always time for fun!
Winter time is tough for a lot of our kids because it is hard to get outside - it's either too cold, or too dark. But Brain Balance of Summit is here to tell you that we should capitalize on those impromptu snow storms and to work and play outside!

Building snow men requires following direction, planning, core strength, and fires those mirror neurons!

A snow ball fight causes little ones to use their fine motor skills, eye muscle coordination and upper body strength!
Snow angels are not just for decoration any more! They actually stimulate a primitive reflex that a lot of our children still display, and by strengthen it, it helps our children sit still! So bring on the snow angels!
Ice skating builds balance and synchronization as well as coordination and core strength.
Shoveling and cleaning off the car works both the core and upper body. So don't be afraid to put those kids to work!

There are so many fun things to do outside in the snow and who would have thought that it could actually be benefiting our children other than getting them outside and away from the video games!

Sandy Can't Stop Us

The Brain Balance Center is alive and well. We did not sustain any damage and maintained power throughout the storm. Our beautiful City of Summit was not as fortunate. Most of our surrounding neighbors are still without power, and the line is out the door for our building mate Dunkin' Donuts. We are keeping all of our families and friends in our thoughts, and we hope that everyone has a warm, safe place to be.

In the mean time! Here are some fun games/things that can be played while the power is out. These games will work on your child's fine motor skills, strategy, turn taking, multi-step rule following, and more. As a plus these games are fun! The whole family can enjoy them, and your child won't even know that they are doing more than having fun!

Here are some ideas:

·        Playing with LEGOs (the small ones)

·        Chinese Checkers (using marbles)

·        Kerplunk

·        Traffic Jam

·        Jenga

·        Operation

·        Molding and rolling play dough into balls

·        Bed Bugs the game (using tweezers to pick up tiny plastic bugs)

·        Playing with finger puppets

·        Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads, Cheerios, macaroni, etc.

·        Turning over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons, without bringing them to the edge of the table.

An Invitation: Come Meet our Founder Dr. Robert Melillo

Our founder, Dr. Robert Melillo, will be visiting Brain Balance of Summit to celebrate our one year anniversary!

Dr. Melillo is recognized as a ground-breaking neurologist, a pioneer in childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, and a NY Times best-selling author. He will be visiting Brain Balance of Summit November 13th and 14th. During that time we would like to invite anyone who is interested to hear Dr. Melillo speak at a free lecture as well as get a chance to meet him briefly and get your copy of Disconnected Kids or Reconnected Kids signed! Details about all the events that Dr. Melillo and Brain Balance of Summit will be hosting will be below.

Events Schedule:

Tuesday, November 13th

• Book Signing Event - Barnes & Noble
• When: November 13th, 2012 @ 10:30am
• Where: Livingston Mall - 112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston, NJ 07039
• Please RSVP: (908) 517-1101 or bbacsummit@brainbalancecenters.com
• Free Lecture for Parents and Professionals
• When: November 13th, 2012 @ 7:00pm
• Where: Summit High School Auditorium - 125 Kent Place Boulevard, Summit, NJ 07901
• Please RSVP: (908) 517-1101 or bbacsummit@brainbalancecenters.com

Wednesday, November 14th

• Book Signing Event - [words] Bookstore
• When: November 14th, 2012 @ 10:30am
• Where: 179 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040 
• Please RSVP: (908) 517-1101 or bbacsummit@brainbalancecenters.com

Still more events to come so keep checking back!
If you are interested in joining our mailing list and being notified immediately when specials and events are going on, please click subscribe in the upper left hand corner.

If you have any questions or concerns about the events please do not hesitate to contact us at (908) 517-1101 or bbacsummit@brainbalancecenters.com