The Nutrition Component

The Nutrition Component has come up a few times in the past, but now we are really going to go into detail about this integral part of the program! Mostly because it is the least understood part of the program, but even more so because the staff here at Brain Balance has recently gotten their ALCAT test results back, and each of us will be starting our own elimination diet! If the kids can do it - we can do it!

Dr. Robert Melillo, our co-founder, realized that while we might be stimulating your child to improve the functional disconnection, there is more then just a weak hemisphere that is contributing to the negative behaviors that you observe. To quote Dr. Melillo's book Disconnected Kids (p 213) "The brain's primary fuels are oxygen and glucose, which are manufactured from nutrients in our food supply. A brain that has plenty of stimulation but too little fuel will not be able to take advantage of that stimulation."

That being said the brain and the stomach are directly connected by a single nerve called the vagus nerve.   

Have you ever been nervous and you get that feeling we call "butterflies in your stomach"? Well your stomach isn't nervous! Your brain is! That feeling of nervousness is being perceived in your stomach. If you know what I am talking about then you have experienced the direct correlation of the brain and the stomach at work.  

Now, when a child has a deficit in one of their hemispheres, that lack of strength is consequently emulated in the gut. 

A weak brain = a weak gut

A weak gut leaves the child susceptible to:

• Less stomach acid, which breaks down food
• Weaker stomach muscles - less peristalsis to churn the food
• Nutrients from food cannot be absorbed
• Decreased circulation to the stomach and its large/small intestines

We call having a weak gut, leaky gut. The gut is actually so weak that the walls of the organ become permeable, and food that the child is eating leaks out of the gut. This leakage causes a continuous response from the body's defense system - the white blood cells - and results in inflammation that is wide spread throughout the body (the same way a cut gets inflamed when a white blood cell response to the breaking of skin). Inflammation generally means that a cut is healing, and in a sense the white blood cells are trying to heal the gut, but they cannot keep up with the constant bombardment from eating some of these foods every day.

As a result we see such negative responses like:

• Eczema 
• Inability to focus
• Diarrhea
• Constipation 
• Picky eaters
• So much more! 

BUT! If given the chance to heal, the body will heal itself! The body can only begin to heal itself if we know exactly what is causing the damage. That is where the ALCAT test comes in. All of our children are required by the Brain Balance Program,to have a routine blood draw. That blood is then sent to our lab, ALCAT, where the blood is tested for the individual antigen response (White Blood Cell response) to the introduction of an individual food to the blood stream. If the white blood cells respond to the food being introduced to the blood stream, then the lab knows that this food is a sensitivity for the child. The reason being, that the white blood cells are only supposed to respond to foreign invaders in the body (like when we are sick, or have a cut). Food should not be considered a foreign invader, but in this case, when it is, that is where we get a food sensitivity, and hence all of the negative reactions that accompany it.

That being said, all of the results that we receive are discussed thoroughly with the families, and the child in our program is put on a strict elimination diet. This elimination diet removes all of the foods that are manifesting themselves as a negative reaction, and allows the body to do what it does best - heal itself. The combination of our program, which is strengthening the brain, and the elimination diet, which allows the stomach to strengthen, allows the child to not only see an overall improvement in their functional development, but they are allowed to have all of their foods back!

The goal of the nutrition component of the program is not only to eliminate the food sensitivities, but also to heal the gut through the stimulation of the program combined with the elimination diet. This healing process reversese the permibility of the gut, and the food sensitivites can slowly be reintroduced into the child's life - with no negative reactions!

Knowing all this, the staff at Brain Balance of Summit, has decided to embark on the same journey as so many of our kids have before and many will after. We all got our blood drawn, and we are all doing our own individualized elimination diet. This will be our story. We will be posting about how we feel, what challenges we have, and will even be sharing some of our food choices. We realize that it is a little easier to reason with us when we can't have our favorite food because of a sensitivity, but we hope that our experiences will help anyone who is doing their own elimination diet, or any of the families that are in our program who need a little bit more motivation with their child!

Miss Betsy, Miss Casey, Miss Nicole, and Miss Sarah Anne are doing it too!

The Ten Principles of Brain Balance, By: Dr. Robert Melillo

Buy Disconnected Kids Today! The Brain Balance Program is the most comprehensive approach to the treatment of autism, ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, dyslexia, and the host of other neurobehavioral and neuroacademic disorders. It is a totally holistic program that has proven to achieve measurable changes in behavior and academic performance. At best, it can permanently correct these disorders -- meaning symptoms totally disappear. At least, symptoms will markedly diminish so that a child can resume or begin to function in the real world, both socially and academically. The success of Brain Balance Program is based upon ten unique principles that we simply call The Ten Principles of Brain Balance.

1. Childhood neurobehavioral and neuroacademic disorders are actually one condition with different sets of symptoms. Brain Balance recognizes the majority of childhood neurological conditions as one disorder, Functional Disconnection Syndrome[FDS]. Children display different symptoms depending on the part or parts of the brain affected. 2. The underlying problem is a dysfunction in either the left or the right hemisphere that puts the brain out of sync. All human functions are distributed in either the left or the right side of the brain, not both. To function properly, however, the brain must work as a whole. Symptoms of FDS differ depending on whether the dysfunction is caused by a reduction of function on one side or an exaggeration of function on the other. 3. The problem and the dysfunctions must be accurately identified. Brain Balance is specialized to assess, document and objectively quantify FDS though the use of state-of-the-art testing in specific areas of function. 4. The only way to correct the problem is to fix the imbalance, not treat the symptoms. Fix the functional imbalance and the symptoms go away. Treat the symptoms with medication -- the current and most popular approach -- and brain function will never improve. Symptoms will return as soon as the medication wears off. 5. All functional problems in the brain must be addressed individually. If all the dysfunctions in the brain are not corrected, the symptoms will return and the problem will continue. Each function must be addressed one at a time.

6. Success is achievable through a hemispheric-based program. The only way to correct the imbalance is to stimulate the side of the brain that is out of balance without directly affecting the other side. Brain Balance uses a three-pronged program that includes sensory motor, academic exercises [with behavioral techniques] and a nutrition program. 7. Same Time Integration gets the brain back in sync. The Brain Balance Program addresses each impaired function individually at first and gradually integrates exercises to achieve balance in the timing and rhythm between the left and the right sides of the brain. Same Time Integration incorporates all modalities simultaneously within the same time frame to get the left and the right brains working in synchronization. 8. The brain and body must grow together. Brain Balance is based on new science that shows that if the body is out of balance, the brain is out of balance, and vice versa to an equal degree. 9. The problems are not primarily genetic and are therefore permanently correctable. Brain Balance is based on the scientifically backed belief that the various symptoms of FDS are primarily the result of environmental factors. Genetic predisposition is the result of environmental factors that only alter the way a gene or genes are expressed. In other words, genes are not destiny.

10. Parents play a crucial role in a child's individual success. Parents have the power to achieve success using the Melillo At-Home Brain Balance Program. To this end, they must be motivated and fully involved in the motivation of their child to complete the required tasks. Correcting a behavior and/or learning disability through professional guidance and school involvement alone is not enough. However, using them in conjunction with the program can be a great help to parents and can even help enhance results.

Change Your Child's Developmental Trajectory -- call your nearest Brain Balance Center today to schedule an Assessment for your child.

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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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