DR. ELISABETH BOUDERLIQUE and
DR. BIRGIT DÜRR have specialized in
behavioral disorders in children from a neurodevelopmental perspective. In
this 2-part series, they were interviewed by
PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNA for World Mental
Health Day, October 2020.
Q: Welcome Elisabeth and Birgit. Today, mental disorders are among the
most common of disabilities. We are seeing an epidemic rise in physical
and mental health issues in the last decades and it’s only getting
worse. Today we live in a society which impacts our brain’s development
negatively in so many ways.
You were both trained by Dr. Robert Melillo from the US. Dr. Melillo is
an American chiropractor and researcher who developed the concept of
“functional disconnection syndrome.” He has helped thousands of children
with various neurological dysfunctions for many years, and his method has
been the subject of an independent study done at the psychiatric
department of Harvard Medical School.
The study showed that three months of “brain balance” exercises and
interactive metronome on children with ADHD had beneficial effects on
attention and hyperactivity, and also showed physical effects in the MRT
on brain connectivity between the regions involved in the symptomatology
of ADHD.
Elisabeth, I would like to know why you ventured into this field of
developmental disorders.
EB: After I finished my medical
education as an occupational doctor, I gave birth to a daughter,
Charlotte, who was born a few days after term with a low birth weight of
2.2 kilos. She grew up following the lowest curve. She was late to sit and
she neither crawled nor crept. She walked around
eighteen and a half months and was falling a lot. Everyone around me was
saying “Don’t worry, every child is different. There is no problem,” but a
few months later, Charlotte was labeled with a developmental delay by a
neuro-pediatrician. At the age of two she had the development of a
nine-month-old child. No reason was given – maybe a lack of oxygen during
the last trimester of pregnancy – and nobody had an answer for the delay.
Charlotte went through many therapies, such as speech and language, and
physiotherapy, but I never saw an impact on her. As a mother and a medical
doctor, I was looking for methods that could help her. At some point I had
the opportunity to train as a Montessori teacher and I thought it would
give her a good educational environment. Charlotte went to different
Montessori schools, with the help of an assistant, and later she went to a
special needs school. She was very well taken care of, but I was still
looking for a way to address the problem at the core, and not just
compensate for her difficulties.
When she was thirteen years old, I discovered an institute in
Philadelphia and I learned to work with their method with my daughter. It
was the first method that addressed the brain, and dealt with lifestyle
issues and diet as well. It was an intensive program – I was working six
to seven hours a day with her for one and a half years. Then we continued
with a home program of three hours a day for another year. Charlotte was
making enormous progress in all domains – physical health, speech, sensory
– but after some time things stagnated again.
At that point, I met someone who recommended Dr. Melillo’s
Disconnected Kids, and that book was a revelation for me.
Everything was so logical and I was surprised that such a method was not
known in Europe. Dr. Melillo had more than 100 brain balance centers in
the US, working with children with learning and behavioral issues. I had
the opportunity to take Dr. Melillo’s course in Italy, and was becoming
more and more enthusiastic about the concept of brain imbalance and how to
correct it. Being a teacher, I was also in contact with many children
needing extra help for issues that were not addressed but just
compensated. So, two years ago I decided to open a clinic in order to use
my knowledge and experience to help other children and their parents. Of
course, I continued to help my daughter also.
Q: Thank you so much for sharing your journey, Elisabeth. I hope your
daughter is doing much better these days.
EB: Absolutely! But there is still
some way to go.
Q: Birgit, what is your interest in this field?
BD: Elisabeth and I have known each
other since we were medical students, and we have often spoken about
different approaches in medicine. I followed Charlotte’s development over
the years and was also confronted with both milder and more severe cases
of developmental deficits in my immediate environment. I think we all know
families where children have behavioral or learning issues.
After Elisabeth met Dr. Melillo, she called me and said “Birgit, you have
to read Dr. Melillo’s book.” What I read made a lot of sense. I was right
away able to recognize people around me with brain imbalances, I had
always been looking for a simple and effective method, and I saw and still
see the huge need, especially for the youth of today. So, after training
with Dr. Melillo, I am using his method in my own clinic in Munich.
Q: Could you tell us what is happening in the brain of a child or adult
who has difficulties in learning or controlling their behavior?
BD: If I had to answer this question
in one sentence I would say that it is a brain imbalance. Dr. Melillo
writes, “All of the conditions that adversely affect behavior and learning
are related to one problem, an imbalance of electrical activity between
areas of the brain, especially between the right and left hemispheres.
There is even a name for it: Functional Disconnection.”
Essentially it is a lack of connection, communication and integration
between the networks on both sides of the brain. The most common “brain
imbalance” occurs between the right and left hemispheres. This lack of
integration is usually a result of a developmental imbalance or
developmental asynchrony.
When we say developmental, it means that something happened during a
baby’s or child’s development which affected the timing of the growth of
the right and left hemispheres. The development did not follow its
intended timeline. Usually, this starts in the womb. So, when we speak of
functional disconnection syndrome, we are not talking about physical
damage that affects the brain.
Q: So what is the normal schedule of brain development?
EB: Normally the right hemisphere
develops first in utero and during the first three years of life. Then the
left hemisphere takes over for the next period of two to three years. Of
course, both hemispheres are growing all the time, but during the first
three years the right hemisphere is around 20% more active, and responds a
little faster to the surrounding stimuli. Then, between three and six
years, the left hemisphere is a little more active. At the end of the
first six years, both hemispheres will have developed equally in terms of
maturity, but differently regarding their functions. As the right and left
hemispheres continue to develop in alternating periods of two to three
years until young adulthood, that slight difference in functioning will
increase, so that each hemisphere becomes more and more specialized.
Now, if something happens to interfere with the development of the brain
during these first six years, one side of the brain will be delayed or
slowed in its development, which often causes the other side to mature and
grow faster. This causes a brain imbalance. As the hemispheres develop,
this imbalance becomes
more and more pronounced, with one hemisphere behind and the other ahead.
This imbalance in growth and maturity then prevents the two sides of the
brain from properly integrating.
This result is what we call “unevenness of skills” or “unevenness of
functional abilities,” where one side of the brain is advanced, even too
strong, relative to the other side, which has skills and functions that
are underdeveloped and weaker.
There may be several years of difference between certain functions.
In some cases both sides are delayed, but usually we find one side even
more delayed than the other. You have to remember that what we need for
optimal functioning is the healthy development of both the right and left
hemisphere, with their specialized functions, and that both sides need
functional connectivity to be able to communicate with one another
properly. Whatever we do, we get optimal results when we use both sides
of the brain together. Anything that prevents the brain from integrating
will cause problems. This is what is at the root of almost all
developmental problems, and almost all mental health issues.
What we need for optimal functioning
is the healthy development of both the right and left hemisphere,
with their specialized functions,
and that both sides need functional connectivity
to be able to communicate with one another properly.
Q: What are some of the issues associated with a brain imbalance?
BD: As the brain is involved in
almost all functions of the body, an imbalance in the brain can result in
imbalances in every system of the body and in every combination. Each
person is different, and each person can have a specific combination of
strengths and weaknesses, but there are common features depending on which
areas of the brain and which hemisphere are affected, and in what
way.
Some diagnoses associated with a brain imbalance are ADHD, autism,
dyslexia, OCD, memory and concentration issues, depression, and anxiety.
But we also find muscle and sensory imbalances that can cause back pain,
headaches or dizziness; hormone imbalances that can affect blood sugar and
fat metabolism; and often we find immune imbalances that cause allergies,
food sensitivities, and autoimmune issues, as well as chronic
infections.
All of these issues have been increasing dramatically, and all can be
directly associated with a developmental brain imbalance.
Q: Elisabeth, what are the causes of a brain imbalance?
EB: We now know that the environment
plays a greater role than genes in creating a brain imbalance. That is
what we call Epigenetics, meaning the influence of the environment on the
expression of our genes. Around 85% of our genes are there to build the
brain. These genes are normally switched on in the womb, and especially
from birth, but if something prevents them from turning on, or if they are
delayed in turning on, there will be a delay in growth and development of
the brain.
Lack of physical activity, poor diet, stress
and inflammation are the primary factors
that affect brain development and
can lead to imbalances in the brain.
One key process in gene expression is called DNA methylation. When
exposed to stress, toxins or negativity, our body produces what we call
“methyl molecules.” These molecules can attach themselves to DNA segments
and prevent their transcription and translation. They don’t alter the
structure of DNA but cover parts of it, so that the protein created will
be different at the end. This methylation can turn a gene off at any time
during life. So, if environmental exposure methylates a gene in an adult
prior to conception, it can be passed on to the child and will interfere
with their normal
brain development. These epimutations can be passed on through several
generations. The good news is that genes in the off-position can be
switched on again with intensive training and enrichment of the
environment.
The cause of brain imbalances is mainly environmental and lifestyle
changes that have arisen during the past decades with advancements in
computer technology. Lack of physical activity, poor diet, stress and
inflammation are the primary factors that affect brain development and can
lead to imbalances in the brain. For example, video games can induce a
brain imbalance. The left side of the brain is over activated,
automatically shutting down the right side.
here are other risk factors as well, such as an undetected brain
imbalance in one or both parents (which is quite common), pollution and
chemicals, but it is mostly lifestyle factors that are the root of a brain
imbalance. It is the accumulation of risk factors that cause an imbalance
in the brain. Physical trauma, head injury or psychological traumas can
also cause some disconnection syndrome later on in life, but they are not
as common as the
imbalance occurring from the beginning of the development of the
child.
Q: Is it possible to correct such a brain imbalance?
EB: Because each person has a
unique combination of strengths and weaknesses, to correct the problem we
have to identify the nature of the imbalances, meaning we find the weaker
areas of the brain and then we target them with a specific program of
mental and physical exercises, sensory stimulation, lifestyle and behavior
modifications, along with a healthy diet.
Adopting simple lifestyle changes, activities and exercises will start
changing the brain right away.
To be continued.
Watch the whole interview at
https://youtu.be/AvEB65sAHiU
Interviewed by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNA
