3. Gut-Brain Axis

The gut, brain and immune system develop in tandem during early life, a period where parents have to make a lot of choices – or may not have a choice. Working with the gut microbiome allows us to tackle and reverse the gut effects of factors such as C-section, antibiotics, or formula. This ensures optimal development of all three critical systems.

Can nutrition cure my child’s mental health or neurological condition?

No, as of today, we do not have enough evidence to suggest that nutrition (or anything, for that matter) can offer a cure for mental illness or brain diseases.

The research looking at neuro-nutrition, and the fields of nutritional psychiatry and neurology based on them, are still in their infancy. And the science is even more sparse with paediatrics! But the body of literature is growing - and we’re intently watching it (plus, we’ve been working based on it for over 10 years).

Based on work with hundreds of clients we do know that the NeuroTrition approach, which is rooted in the current state of the science, can help manage these conditions by offering symptom support, improving quality of life and, if our clients are on medication, optimizing medication efficacy.

Can I replace my child’s medications with neuro-nutrition?

No. We do NOT take clients off their medications.

What we DO is optimize your child’s medications. This means we work with nutrition to make medications work better for them by reducing their side-effects and/or associated liver-effects, as well as mitigating any nutritional depletions they may be causing. If your child’s doctor approves, we can work alongside him or her to balance your child’s blood sugar, reduce oxidative stress and curb inflammation to facilitate a smoother weaning process. In the long term, it is possible that with improvements from our programs, your child’s doctor may be able to reduce the dose, or wean your child off, of medications. But this is not our ultimate goal.

What does your typical client look like?

Our typical NeuroTrition KIDS client is an exceptionally amazing, capable child or adolescent anywhere between the age of 0 and 18 who is either currently experiencing, has experienced in the past, or is at risk of experiencing a brain or mental health issue. These issues can range from symptoms (eg. stress and anxiety) and our client’s family wants to use NeuroTrition to help manage their child’s symptoms and support their overall brain and gut microbiome health. Or the issue can be a diagnosed anxiety disorder (or paediatric epilepsy, bipolar disorder, or autism spectrum disorder) for which our client’s family is seeking NeuroTritional support as an adjunct to their child’s allopathic medical care.

Why do you only work with paediatric epilepsy, stress and anxiety, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder?

We are first and foremost, before nutritional consultants, neuroscientists. So we care about the science. A lot. And to date, we feel that the strongest science supports NeuroTrition being the most beneficial for these conditions. As the scientific literature in the field of paediatric nutritional neuroscience grows, we will be sure to add more programs. If you have questions about whether NeuroTrition could help your child’s brain or mental health condition that is not amongst our current program offerings, please reach out - we may be able to help point you in the right direction.

My child doesn’t have a brain or mental health condition. Can we still work with NeuroTrition?

We do regularly work with littles who have hormonal imbalances that impact their brain and mental health, such as hypothyroidism and diabetes. We also see little clients who have gastrointestinal diseases that also affect their nervous system, including irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, colitis, and Crohn’s disease. If you are wondering whether a NeuroTritional approach might be a good fit for your child and family, please connect!

Does my child have to be at the appointments?

No, they don’t have to attend appointments. Given that we work with ages 0 - 18 in our paediatric programs, it may not be ideal for babies, toddlers and preschoolers to attend (however, if they do attend, we have crafts for them and even their own little craft table!). However, we absolutely encourage all school age kids, pre-teens and teens to attend, as our team has a really magical way of explaining concepts to them at an age appropriate level. As our clients in NeuroTrition KIDS are legal minors, we do require that an adult parent or guardian is present at all appointments.

What is your success rate?

We take great pride in getting results. That’s why we are strong believers in working hand-in-hand with our clients’ entire family, and staying closely connected with them for the duration of their 3-month program. After the initial appointment, where we devise a plan as a team, we conduct three follow-up appointments and three catch-up calls. This makes sure our families are staying on track and getting results, while also addressing any potential setbacks or challenges. We are accountable to our clients, and they are accountable not only to themselves but to us for the entire three months. And it is due to this strong connection that we believe we achieve an almost 90% success rate, where our littles report feeling significantly better after their program - and mom, dad, and school concur!

Can we just book an individual session to get started?

No, you cannot book single appointments until after your family has completed your 3 month program. We've been doing this for a long time (over 10 years!) and, in our opinion, single appointments just don’t work. We need to see your child for three follow-ups, and check-in with your family three more times, to ensure success by being able to address any challenges you may be experiencing or new issues that might pop up. Plus, seeing you regularly over the course of three months sure helps accountability (which we have seen time and time again is KEY to success).

Can my child work with other practitioners while they work with NeuroTrition?

Absolutely! In fact, we encourage it. Brain and mental health is incredibly multi-faceted, with so many underlying factors and co-morbid issues.

We truly believe it takes a village and a healthcare team, so we whole-heartedly want you to seek the advice and care of other professionals, too. If we feel someone else may be able to help your child more than we can, we will refer your child to them. But we will absolutely welcome your family with open arms once this other practitioner is also on your child’s healthcare team.

Asking for a friend … “they” can’t cook (or hate to cook). Would NeuroTrition still be able to help “their” family?

Of course! (And if this is YOU, please don’t feel embarrassed or shy to admit it. Because we get it!).

We offer a FULLY customized approach. That means we will work our hardest to address your child’s main health concerns in a way that YOU want and need. We will take into consideration all of your child’s dietary restrictions (eg. gluten-free, or dairy-free) and preferences (eg. vegetarian or plant-based). We will also consider all their likes and dislikes (we’ve heard it all, so just let us know the foods they absolutely can’t/won’t eat), as well as spice-level preferences. And we will always ask YOU (mom, dad, grandparent, aunt, uncle, foster parent, etc.) if you love/like/hate to cook, as well as your cooking abilities and budget.