GAPS Nutritional Protocol
“All disease begins in the gut.”
—Hippocrates
What is the GAPS Nutritional Protocol?
GAPS (which stands for Gut and Psychology/Physiology Syndrome) is a life-changing healing modality that benefits a wide range of chronic health conditions. Using a combination of diet, lifestyle, and detox strategies, GAPS has been used by countless people worldwide to recover from autoimmune, neurological, and digestive conditions. It is an incredible complement to homeopathy.
The goal of the GAPS Program is to heal the gut and rebalance the microbiome. This benefits not only those with digestive symptoms, but a wide range of conditions, from autism to autoimmunity. The gut microbiome impacts so many areas of our body and mind. Hippocrates is quoted as saying, “all disease begins in the gut,” and wisdom-based healing systems like Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine emphasized the importance of digestion and gut health. GAPS carries this forward, holding that many conditions can be healed by addressing gut health at the most fundamental level.
GAPS is about slowing down and getting back to basics.
Developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, GAPS is an international phenomenon. Many people around the world have chosen to embrace this food-as-medicine approach to healing, with excellent results, including recovery from serious chronic health disorders.
GAPS is completely customizable for your individual needs, and is incredibly compatible with a homeopathic treatment plan. From a homeopathy standpoint, GAPS removes several obstacles to healing with its approach: it cuts out foods that feed pathogenic gut microbes, as well as foods that are difficult for your body to digest. It removes the obstacle of leaky gut by healing and sealing the gut lining. It optimizes for digestibility, so your body spends less of its precious energy digesting your food, and can devote more resources to healing. It’s deeply nourishing, providing your body with complete nutrition. Being on GAPS can feel like an act of profound self-love and nurturance.
What type of conditions can benefit from the GAPS approach?
The GAPS approach can benefit a wide range of conditions. That said, it’s not for every condition. The conditions that have a proven track record for improving or reversing on GAPS include most digestive, neurological, and autoimmune issues.
The Gut And Psychology Syndrome version of GAPS includes conditions such as learning disabilities and mental disorders, such as autism, ADHD/ADD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, addictions, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, epilepsy, eating disorders and many other conditions, which affect the function of the brain. Many of these conditions have no established diagnostic labels and present themselves as a mixture of various so-called mental symptoms: mood alterations, memory and cognitive problems, behavioral and social problems, panic attacks, anxiety, involuntary movements, various tics and fits, sensory problems, etc.
Gut And Physiology Syndrome or GAPS includes various chronic physical conditions, which stem from an unhealthy gut, such as autoimmune conditions (celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes type one, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, osteoarthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, autoimmune skin problems, etc.), atopic conditions (asthma, eczema, various allergies), food allergy/intolerance (not accepted as an atopic condition by the mainstream), chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, ME, multiple chemical sensitivity, arthritis, PMS and other menstrual problems, many endocrine disorders (thyroid, adrenal and other) and all digestive disorders (such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis and various colitis). Many conditions do not fit into any diagnostic box and can present as a mixture of symptoms: digestive problems, fatigue, muscular weakness, cramps and abnormal muscle tone, pain and ache in joints and muscles, skin problems, hormonal abnormalities.
Homeopathy & GAPS: A Synergistic Approach
In my practice, I don’t see the GAPS nutritional protocol and homeopathy as separate approaches; rather, I see them as two streams flowing toward the same goal: regeneration of the internal terrain. When combined, they offer a synergistic framework that accelerates healing, especially for those clients who aren’t fully responding to diet alone.
GAPS Is a Powerful Foundation—But Sometimes It’s Not Enough
The GAPS diet is one of the most profound nutritional therapies available for restoring gut integrity, rebalancing the microbiome, and calming neuroinflammation. But for some clients, even a perfectly implemented protocol stalls. Symptoms linger. Emotional dysregulation spikes. Detox reactions become overwhelming, or never seem to fully resolve.
This is where I bring in my sensibility as a homeopath—and the terrain medicine tools that many GAPS practitioners simply don’t have access to.
The Missing Piece: Emunctory Support
One of the key concepts in homeopathic and terrain-based medicine is the role of the emunctories—the body’s elimination organs (liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines, skin, and lymphatics). When these are sluggish or congested, toxins that are mobilized by dietary changes can’t be fully cleared from the body. Instead of healing, the body gets stuck in a loop of partial detox, inflammation, and compensation.
Most GAPS protocols don’t include support for these emunctory pathways. That’s not a flaw—it simply reflects the nutritional lens the protocol was built through. But when that support is added—through drainage remedies, gemmotherapy, cell salts, and gentle bioregulatory tools—the results can be dramatic.
I’ve worked with children whose chronic rashes, constipation, or sleep disturbances resolved not by changing their diet again, but by supporting their liver or lymphatic system with terrain-based tools. I’ve seen adults with chronic fatigue finally regain energy when we unblocked their emunctories and activated their deeper elimination pathways.
Homeopathy + GAPS = Acceleration + Personalization
Homeopathy brings in a level of personalization that even the most tailored GAPS plan can’t achieve on its own. Where GAPS addresses the microbial and mucosal terrain, homeopathy supports the energetic terrain: the constitutional susceptibilities, miasmatic imprints, and systemic patterns that underlie chronic dysfunction.
This dual approach means we can:
Move faster, with less friction. Detox reactions and healing crises are often signs that the body needs help regulating—not punishment for "doing it wrong." With homeopathic drainage and emunctory support, the process becomes smoother and more efficient.
Support the emotional and nervous system layers. GAPS can calm neuroinflammation, but homeopathy helps release stored emotional patterns, nervous system rigidity, and trauma responses that hold the body in a chronic stress state.
Get results in tough cases. I specialize in working with people who are doing everything "right"—stock, ferments, low-tox lifestyle—but still feel stuck. Often, these are the clients with underlying miasmatic burdens, inherited toxicities, or suppressed emotional traumas. They need more than diet. They need individualized energetic support.
A Unique Clinical Edge
Because I work through both the homeopathic and GAPS frameworks, I’m not just addressing symptoms—I’m helping to re-regulate the system. I meet each client with the depth and discernment of a homeopath, and the practical structure of a gut-healing protocol. Whether someone is brand new to GAPS or has been on the protocol for years with limited results, I bring tools that can unlock the next layer.
This is terrain medicine in action: food as medicine, yes—but also medicine that helps the body use that food, clear the burden, and restore its capacity to heal.
When Diet Isn’t Enough, the Terrain Needs Listening
Healing doesn’t always happen in a straight line. But with the right tools, we can gently support the body’s intelligence, open blocked pathways, and help even the most complex cases find momentum again.
That’s the power of bringing a homeopath’s eye—and heart—to the GAPS journey.