Brain Power with Dr. Eko

Ep. 08 | Unlocking the Mysteries of the Brain-Gut Connection: A Beacon of Hope for ADHD and Autism

• Dr. Hokehe Eko • Season 1 • Episode 8

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Discover the hidden power of your body's "second brain" as Dr. Eko guides us through the enigmatic brain-gut connection, revealing its profound influence on mental and physical health. Venture into the intricate workings of the enteric nervous system and grasp how it communicates with our central nervous system, shaping not only digestion but our overall well-being. If your child is grappling with ADHD or autism, this episode sheds light on the transformative impact of dietary adjustments, offering hope and understanding for a brighter, symptom-reduced future.

This conversation is more than just enlightening—it's an invitation to join hands with fellow parents on a path of growth and compassionate support. Dr. Eko extends a heartfelt call to action, urging you to share your journey and become an integral part of our community. By connecting with our YouTube channel or podcast, you're not just tuning in; you're enriching a collective endeavor to foster the best in ourselves and our little ones. So, let's link arms and step forward together, drawing strength from our shared experiences and insights as we navigate the ever-evolving adventure of parenthood and personal evolution.

Find the full episode on your favorite podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel!

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Dr. Hokehe Eko:

Hello everyone, welcome to this episode of Brain Power with Dr Eko, so excited to talk with you today. And today we're going to be talking about two of the pillars of health that I love to talk about, which are your brain and your guts, and I know you've heard this being floated around the brain guts connection. Well, it is real, and I'm here to tell you how it affects you and how it's definitely affects your little ones as well. So what's the brain guts connection really? So we'll start with the guts. So have you ever heard this phrase like go with your guts, or you felt butterflies in your tummy when you felt nervous? That's because you're getting signals from what scientists now call the second brain right, which is hidden in the walls of your digestive system, and so they call this brain the enteric nervous system, or ENS for shorts, right. It consists of lines of the lining of your GI tract, which stands for gastrointestinal tract, which goes all the way from your esophagus, which is your food pipe, all the way to your rectum. So it lines that entire area, which is the length of your body, right, if you think about it. So, unlike the way the brain works right, the main role of the enteric nervous system is to control digestion, all the way from releasing of the enzymes that help to break down food Once you swallow the food, to control of blood flow that helps with neutral absorption, to eliminating the waste products from your tummy after your food has been digestion. That's what it controls. And so you see how important it is that we recognize and we approach and we appreciate the role of the enteric nervous system, because when we do that, then we're more likely to fall in love with the health of our brain, which I'm sure you've heard me say before. But now we're falling in love with the health of our of the brain in our tummy Right, if we want to look at it that way.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

But you know, something that's really important is that lots of research has shown that there is definitely a direct connection between what happens in your tummy and what's happened in your brain. Like I tell the parents of the children I care for at Glow Pediatrics children especially with ADHD, autism or children on diagnosed I tell them it's so important that we fall in love with the health of our brain, and now I want to expand that to not just the brain in our heads but the brain in our tummy, because the two of them are connected, and whatever you put in your mouth definitely ends up here in one way shape or form, because they are directly connected, right? So lots of research has shown that when the enteric nervous system or your tummy is inflamed, eventually your brain will get inflamed, and that's the premise for how I treat children, meaning I look at the root cause of what's going on, of the symptoms that we see. So, for example, a lot of children I would say 90% or higher of children with ADHD, autism also are constipated and or have diarrhea. So, go figure, there's this brain-based disorder, but there's also this strong tummy connection as well, with the constipation, the picky eating and the diarrhea. So is it any wonder that there is a direct connection? There is, and so, even in the adult population, there's lots of research that shows that people with diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome also have a higher rate of depression and anxiety. Because, again, the two brains are talking to each other. So that makes sense. So now we have an understanding of what the enteric nervous system is.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

Then that brings me to. So let's talk a little bit about brain health, right? Brain health to be simply means falling in love with the way your brain functions. Because if you do that, then you're more aware of the kinds of activities you're engaging, the kinds of foods you eat. Now you know that what you put in your mouth directly affects what's the output on your brain, right. So it makes you more conscious. It makes you question is this good for my brain before I put it in my mouth? Because I know that whatever I put in my mouth will end up in the brain.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

So take, for example, with children with ADG and autism, one of the first things I would usually recommend is a trial of gluten and dairy. And why is that? I explain so with dairy, dairy gets broken down and there's a molecule called casein, right, which, for the breakdown of that, creates a molecule called casomorphine. Did you hear the end of it? Morphine, right? And casomorphine acts on receptors in the brain similar to what morphine does, right. The same thing with gluten Gluten breaks down into glaremorphine, right, which again acts on receptors in your brain that mimic the morphine effect.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

So have you noticed, moms, that when your children eat certain foods, they act like they're spaced out, like they're unresponsive, they're like in a world of their own, or you call to them, they don't answer and they're non-interactive. Those are morphine-like effects that the food they're eating has on their behavior. Remember, the brain controls everything that we do, and so I have seen it over and over and over again when the parents are able to do a trial of dairy and gluten free for at least three months, I've even seen kids get better after a few weeks. It's amazing. That effect, that morphine-like effect, clears up and guess what? I have seen children that were non-verbals that have some words. They are no longer acting like they're in the brain, like they fog over their brain. They are able to interact better, they are more responsive when you call them, it seems like it's a new child. They sleep better because, again, what the foods that our bodies don't digest well, yeah, that's the big thing is that these foods are undigested, right Partially digested, so they create inflammation in your tummy and, for sure, if anything inflames your tummy, it's going to inflame your brain, and so that's what I want you to remember and you may say.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

I hear parents often say what, that's all they want to eat, and I hear you, and that's why you're going to do it as a slow approach, right, slowly. For example, if you're going to decrease the amount of dairy they are drinking. You can start mixing half and half with coconut milk or almond milk or oat milk, but slowly but surely decrease the amount of dairy, increase the amount of the substitute milk, and thankfully now there's so many substitutions that we have and that we can use, right. And so as you do that, over time then the child gets used to the substitute milk and then you can start to see the difference that being off of dairy has. And the same thing with gluten. Thankfully, rice is gluten free, potatoes are gluten free, so it's not a huge change in the diet, right? So if your child loves spaghetti, there's rice pasta now that you can substitute, and it tastes the same.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

And I know that for sure because I've had to institute this in my own home, because my daughter had really severe allergies and I couldn't find out why. We did all the conventional testing and it didn't show anything. It showed she was not allergic, but I knew, as a mom, that something was wrong and so I kept searching until I found a blood test that I could do an IgG blood test, and it showed she was sensitive to gluten dairy eggs. So I decided, as a mom, I wasn't going to give her one set of foods and give everybody else another set, and so I went back to the entire home. We all became gluten free, egg free, dairy free. Was it an adjustment? Yes, but I did it slowly over time, so it's like they don't. They can't even tell the difference anymore. And, yes, her allergies cleared up. Her lips had turned black like my jacket and it went back to being pink in a few weeks from taking all those foods out of her system.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

So it definitely plays a part, and when I'm saying this, I'm saying it as a mommy, from one parent to another, was had to experience the substituting of food, and it certainly can be done and there is hope and that's the biggest message I have is there is hope. We can definitely boost the health of our children's brain and the health of our children's God, and that's why it's so critical for us as parents, and for anyone listening, is that we are mindful of what goes in our mouths, because it definitely affects the way our brain functions and we know our brains run us, and so, therefore, I want all of you this is my parting message to you fall in love, fall deeply in love with the health of your brain, because when we start, as adults, to take care of ourselves, then we can help our children. Right? We can't help our children if we haven't helped ourselves as well. And I'd like to hear from you, parents, if you've tried this and it's made a difference in your life and in your child's life.

Dr. Hokehe Eko:

Please leave me a message. I'm always happy to hear from parents. Leave me a message and please share this with other parents you know may have similar struggles to you. Share this, because that's the reason I'm here is to share as much knowledge as I can and to help as many children as I can be the very, very, very best version of themselves, and for parents as well, because we're all in this together. It takes all of us to raise our families. So, have an amazing day. I hope this was helpful. Again, please subscribe to the YouTube channel. If you're on the podcast, please subscribe to the podcast and, more importantly, I'd love to hear your feedback. Okay, have an amazing day.