5. How to Quick Start the GI Support Protocol
If you feel you don’t have a moment to waste, if you have decided you want to try the protocols in the book no matter what, here’s how to get a jumpstart on the process, even if your copy of the book hasn’t arrived yet:
1.Order your book TODAY. It is available in paperback, on Kindle, as an audiobook, or on audio CD.
It’s on Amazon here, Barnes and Nobel here, Books-a-Million here or online at Target here. The French version can be ordered from Dunod or Amazon.fr.
If you would like a copy signed by me ($14.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling), email me at unprescription@gmail.com
You can also check your library for a copy or enter our monthly Book Giveaway by sending us an email at unprescription@gmail.com with “Book Giveaway” in the Subject line.
Author’s note: I have many readers who purchase and love the audiobook or audio CD, but personally, I can’t stand the audio version of my book. The main reason is that I designed the book to be very visual, with lots of illustrations, charts and figures. I usually explain a concept, then sum it up in a table, chart or humorous illustration. This makes it an easy, quick read with lots of humor.
In the audio versions, the narrator reads what I have written in the paragraph, then without explanation, reads the information from the chart or illustration. She never says, “Figure 1.3 says….” For an audio listener, it sounds like I am a moron who is just mindlessly repeating myself. So, order the audio versions if you must, but please know that she is often reading information from an illustration without telling you that. She also mispronounces my name, lol.
2. Order your Digestive Enzymes TODAY.
I use brands that are free of almost every unwanted ingredient you can think of, from companies that understand the digestive needs of those on the spectrum. You should still read the ingredients on the label to make sure.
See the brands I use at my office and where to order them here. International readers can find the Houston and Kirkman Labs enzymes on iHerb.com. They ship to 150 different countries, and you can see if your country is on the list here.
- DON’T stop taking any prescription or over-the-counter supplements that you are already on.
- DON’T start anything else during this time either (avoid Shiny Object Syndrome and give this a good go!)
3. START THE ENZYMES
WEEK 1
Start the enzymes as soon as they arrive. For the next 7 days, give the enzymes with ONLY ONE MEAL A DAY. Try to do the same meal, for example dinner, every day this week.
See dosing suggestions here
See how to mix with food and drink here.
You will likely not see any changes in your child yet (or yourself if you are an ASD adult trying this), so don’t expect much. We are introducing the enzymes in a slow, step-wise fashion for a very good reason, which is explained in Chapters 3 and 6. Trust me and do not rush this step.
If you have a “grazer”, who never really eats a solid meal, but prefers to snack all day long (especially common in very young children), then go to the ZONE method to introduce the enzymes:
THE ZONE METHOD:
If your child doesn’t really eat 3 solid meals a day, divide the day into time periods or “zones” for each meal. For example, a breakfast zone could be 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. The lunch zone could be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner could be 5-8 p.m. Anything outside of those times are the snack zones.
Mix up an enzyme drink (2-3 capsules or a heaping ¼ teaspoon of the powder in a tart drink) and keep it icy cold. Pack it with ice cubes, or even better, make ice cubes out of the drink itself (like lemonade or juice) so that it won’t get watery. Liquids activate the enzymes, and if kept really, really cold the drink will be good for about 3 hours.
Awesome tip: If mixed into a drink, use a straw to avoid most of the taste buds
Give the enzyme drink with only ONE zone the first week. On Days 1 through 7, each time your little grazer wants a few bites of food during the dinner zone for example (between 5 and 8 p.m.) shake up the drink and give a few sips of it with the snack.
WEEK 2
Give the enzymes with two meals a day during Week 2, for example, with both lunch and dinner.
If you are doing the Zone method, give a few sips of the enzyme drink with all food during two of the time zones for the day, for example, for both the lunch and the dinner time zones.
You may notice some irritability or fussiness this week. A few kids may get pretty aggressive this week. This is fully explained in Chapters 3 and 6, and although it is no fun, it is actually a good sign that the protocol is working.
If your child is too upset, irritable or aggressive this week switch over to the SLOW SCHEDULE, on page 153 in the book (page 185 in the French version)
WEEK 3
By this point, I hope you have gotten your book and are up to speed on how to start the GI Support Protocol as laid out in Chapter 6.
If not, give the enzymes with three meals a day, or with 3 meal zones for grazers.
Week 3 is a doozy for irritability and aggression. As I explain in the book, you are coming off of a major opioid addiction to certain foods by using these enzymes, and by WEEK 3 you are using them with most of your meals or meal zones. Even with introducing the enzymes gradually over 4 weeks, I see explosive behaviors during WEEK 3, and this is where you might be tempted to quit altogether.
DON’T QUIT, you’re nearly there! If the irritability is too much, just hang out at WEEK 2 for another week or two, and then try going up to 3 meals or zones per day.
WEEK 4
By this time your book has come in, so see Chapter 6 for the rest of the protocol.
In Chapter 6, I give several speeds to choose from. Use your parent radar (because you know your child better than anyone else) and just increase as you feel you or your child are able.
FAQs
Q: Do I need to stop any prescriptions?
A: No, medications are made to go through our digestive systems where digestive enzymes are present anyway. If you want to stop a prescription, that is a conversation between you and the prescribing doctor, or at the very least with your pharmacist.
Q: Do I need a diagnosis to do the protocols?
A: No, anyone can try these protocols. Digestive enzymes may be used with infants who are NOT breastfeeding.
Q: You or your child don’t have any sleep, mood or GI issues – should you still start here?
A: YES! Read the book to see why.
Q: Are there any contraindications to taking enzymes?
A: According to Houston Enzymes:
“Contraindications for Enzyme Supplementation: These enzymes should be used with care in cases of active stomach or duodenal ulcers, severe bowel inflammation (characterized by blood in stools), hemophilia and other bleeding disorders, or within a week of scheduled surgery. This product may not be appropriate for those with known allergies to Aspergillus enzyme proteins, though non-specific mold allergies do not necessarily preclude use of fungal enzymes. Consult your medical doctor for further advice, and err on the side of caution. Those with known anaphylactic allergic reactions to fungal proteins should NOT ingest fungal-derived enzymes.”
