“There are two programs now available for meeting the dental caries problem. One is to know first in detail all the physical and chemical factors involved and then proceed. The other is to know how to prevent the disease as the primitives have shown and then proceed. The former is largely the practice of the moderns. The latter is the program suggested by these investigations.”

Weston Price, “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration”

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Have you ever changed your mind? I don't mean about what you want to eat for lunch: I mean Changing Your Mind about something that you've believed for an entire lifetime. Back in early April 2010, I unexpectedly embarked on a crazy journey that challenged me to do this. But before I tell you the whole story, I have to say a little bit about my old religion.

Three Generations of ASD/Gut Dysbiosis: Healing with Good Food

[I am most appreciative for the chance to post the following interview/essay. To protect their privacy, Polly and Connor are not their real names.]

Polly has credibility of the purest kind. She healed herself and her autistic son using fierce determination and her version of the GAPS protocol--which alone is an achievement. But that is just a piece of her story, which began well before her son was born, when she worked in as a 1:1 aide for a student with Aspergers, and in a classroom with students on the higher-functioning end of the spectrum. Polly knows autism intimately also because her youngest brother's Aspergers inspired her to become a special ed teacher in the first place.

[I am most appreciative for permission to post the following essay. To protect her privacy, Serephina is not the author's real name.]

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I first came to GAPS because of two particularly worrying problems, but in addition, I had various other things suggesting to me that my body was not really well as a whole.

For many years I had had, with increasing severity, a condition known as Depersonalisation Syndrome. This can be seen on PET scans, which show that one area of the brain is inactive. The experience of DP for me is that I do not feel awake, but as if I am dreaming, and I have the sense that my brain is not properly comprehending my surroundings, even though I am able to be factually accurate about everything, and to respond to my surroundings in ways that other people find appropriate. Relationships are difficult, since the emotional meaning of situations is difficult to interpret. People and places seem unfamiliar, and I cannot remember how things used to feel when I was well. I don't feel the normal range of emotions, and often feel emotions happening in my body without me connecting to them, as if I am a robot. This experience is frightening and bewildering.

Dear Family,

There's a church near us that just hosted a forum on Supporting Families Dealing With Mental Illness. The announcement read: "Clinical Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Anxiety Disorders ...one out of five families are affected by these illnesses, and family members need a great deal of support and education in order to help their loved ones. Here in Ithaca, NAMI-FL or the National Alliance on Mental Illness - Finger Lakes Affiliate sponsors a free 12 week Family to Family Course as well as bi-weekly support groups..."