Gut Balancing
Foreword
Since 2007, my life has been a relentless quest for answers, sparked by my son's autism diagnosis at just 2.5 years old. That moment changed everything. Mainstream medicine failed him—just as it fails millions of others. The numbers don’t lie, and they paint a bleak picture. Over the past 17 years, I’ve spoken at countless conferences, spent innumerable sleepless nights buried in research, and had conversations with over 1,000 families—families who have ventured to the farthest corners of the globe, exploring therapies and treatments most have never even imagined, all in the desperate hope of improving their child’s quality of life.
I have been in the trenches, witnessing the most heartrending struggles and unimaginable situations. I have shared the despair and the determination of parents who refuse to give up, just as I refused. Along the way, I’ve connected with many brilliant minds—experts equally driven to find answers, to innovate, to challenge the status quo. And yet, amidst all this, nothing has struck me with such clarity and transformative potential as the words and work of Alex Zaharakis.
Alex is not just a father; he is a visionary, a medical physicist, whose insights have revolutionized my understanding of autism and chronic disease. At first, I paid attention out of curiosity, but soon, everything clicked. His groundbreaking concepts forced me to unlearn and relearn, to question deeply held beliefs, and to confront truths that were both challenging and illuminating. This knowledge, this truth, has the power to reshape medicine as we know it—not just for autism, but for chronic disease as a whole.
This information is not optional; it is essential. It belongs in every medical school curriculum, in every doctor’s toolkit. Alex’s work has opened my eyes to a foundational understanding that medicine has been missing, and I cannot overstate its significance. I am profoundly grateful to Alex for his unwavering dedication, for the countless hours we’ve spent discussing these revolutionary ideas, and for his tireless drive to succeed, for our children, for all of us.
This is not just a thank you; it is a call to action. Let us embrace this truth with courage, passion, and a commitment to a future where no child is left behind. Together, we can change everything.
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-Christian Bogner, MD
Overview
Practical Considerations For Microbiome Intervention in ASD & Common Modes of Metabolic Dysfunction -
By Alex Zaharakis, DABR, MS, MA
with contributions By Christian Bogner, MD
I was recently asked to write a guide on how to approach dysbiosis in autism. You might get frustrated with the amount of prelude before I actually get to the part that most people will be interested in, nevertheless I feel it is entirely important. There have been over 160 ASD individuals that have directly participated in gut balancing with myself for which I have filled out surveys from the users, and likely three times that amount indirectly through other practitioners that I have trained or provide my software to or PDF reports. I possess my own analysis pipeline for examining fastQ 16s files and ITS fungal sequences; however, I seldom employ them due to the realization that ultimately they yield limited additional information that you can clinically act on or would change the clinical approach beyond the csv data provided by Biomesight used by my software. I strongly believe that the 16s technology available through Biomesight along with a sensible broad program is sufficient to change the narrative and intervene in some of the most stubborn and complex dysbiosis, I think it is currently the best, feasible and most affordable way to intervene.
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I would like to mention that as a conflict of interest I’m a founder of Researched Elements LLC and Thiogenics LLC along with Dr. Christian Bogner, who is an excellent physician that I collaborate extensively with. We have had countless late nights of collaboration where exchanging information has led to new discoveries and therapeutics. Our products from these parent companies are designed to provide both biome and metabolic solutions in a feasible, practical, and affordable way so that regaining health is something that is and doesn't require an understanding of quantum mechanics or the wealth of a nation to attain. I do believe tackling the issues from an external discipline is always invaluable and I’m blessed to have crossed different paths in my career, as a quantitative analyst, physics and engineering professor, radiation oncology physicist, and microbiome researcher, the last of which is driven by nothing stronger than the desire to help my own child and then others. Both Dr. Bogner and myself strongly believe that having skin in the game plays an integral part in finding solutions that are feasible and practical.
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Despite all that I have compiled here, there is actually quite a bit more but this at least is a good core that can hopefully lead you or your patients to some nice improvements. What I have attempted to put together is a primer on the components that I have found important and helpful for the individuals that have worked with me. Many of those parents have shared their messages, some in audio, and those that have filled out surveys on gut balancing.
Youtube Audio Messages from some Individuals Participating in Gut Balancing
Message Snippets from those participating in Gut Balancing
Survey responses anonymized from those completing a round of Gut Balancing in ASD
Survey responses anonymized from those completing a round of Gut Balancing in (non-ASD)
Please always take any suggestions with a grain of salt, do your research, ask questions, demand answers, and determine what is best for you or your family. At the very least I may have caused some controversy in the statements I have formed here, I beg you to reflect on them rather than write them off. It's through argument, discussion and exchange of ideas that we push the needle forward.
I want to thank my wife and two children James and Isabel, and specifically James for everything that I have learned from his life events and situation. James doesn’t realize it, but his healing has been paramount in the healing of hundreds of other children, I could not have learned these connections without him and he has given me a unique purpose, just like the hundreds of other parents before me that have led the way in the realm of biomedical intervention for ASD. I would like to thank the hundreds of parents that have participated and helped to further my understanding. I would also like to thank Dr. Christian Bogner for his dedication, help, and collaboration. He spends his evenings hunting for answers and is never prepared to stop making connections to help out his patients. We are all on the journey to find the way home!