Mainstream medicine says tics are purely neurological, but tics can be related to chronic inflammation, usually in the gut. -Dr. Piper Gibson

I realized during this interview (and never before) that my own husband had a tic off and on for years in our early marriage and before.

Seriously!

He was always told it was either neurological/anxiety or that he should see an eye doctor (who didn’t know what to do). For years we tried to figure out environmental patterns like what season or climate/city/state it might happen in or stop happening after being present for a few weeks.

But what if…it was all in his GUT???

We’ve done a lot of gut healing for him over the years, including reversing a chronic autoimmune disease, and he hasn’t experienced the blinking for a really long time.

If you’re interested at all in the gut-brain connection and how to help kids on the spectrum and/or with tics resolve them, OR how to help your own kids understand how to talk about and interact lovingly and respectfully with kids struggling with something like a tic, this is a must-listen.

Dr. Piper Gibson needed answers so badly for her own son that she left the SAHM mom life and went back to school to find a solution that no one else could give her. (Spoiler: There’s a reason she’s known as a tic expert, and wait until you hear how it all went with her son!)

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Can’t see the video? Learn what causes tics on YouTube here!

No time for the video? Here are the notes!

These timestamps align with the video, not the audio podcast (although they’ll be fairly close).

Do Tics Start in the Gut?

  • 0:00: Today I’m talking to Dr. Piper Gibson about tics. Interestingly, this topic came up recently in our house when my son was asking some questions about a boy in his class with autism. 
  • 2:30: Dr. Piper shares her story with us and how she got into the medical field. 

Piper Gibson quote about brain-gut connection

  • 4:35: What do you tell your kids when they ask why an autistic kid is different? We don’t really know what causes autism, and there are such a wide variety of ways it presents so it can be tricky to explain. I think Dr. Piper has a great answer. 

What Causes Tics?

  • 6:10: Dr. Piper’s son started with a diagnosis of a transient tic. She shares what a tic is and how they can express differently in different people. A tic diagnosis is the first step in a diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome, but it doesn’t always indicate Tourette’s. 
  • 8:37: Through working with clients, Dr. Piper sees tics related to chronic inflammation, mostly in the gut. It could be linked to food sensitivities or an underlying infection. More on chronic inflammation in kids.
  • 10:02: Dr. Piper looks at several types of tests including food sensitivities and other nutrition information when making a plan with her clients. Here’s the book by Dr. Michelle Perro Dr. Piper mentioned.
  • 11:50: We hear the phrase “all health begins in the gut” but gut health is very individual, so how do we know what we specifically need to have a healthy gut?
  • 12:48: Dr. Piper has mentioned several functional tests. She gives some advice if you’re looking for a functional doctor to work with a child experiencing tics. Applying functional medicine to autism.
  • 13:50: Dr. Piper’s son is now 16 and she shares how he is doing now. 

The goal is not "how do we get rid of this tic?" it's "what is this tic telling us about what's happening underneath?" - Katie Kimball

  • 15:14: Some signs and symptoms that you need to work on your child’s gut health are mood swings, major meltdowns, constipation, poor sleep, bedwetting, and eye blinking or throat clearing are often the first tics to show. 

Kids don’t need plastic knives. They need real skills.

Teach safe technique, focus, and confidence in the all-time fav lesson from our kids cooking class! (ages 2-12)






Or find out more about the free knife class here.

How Does Autism Affect Diet?

  • 16:53: Of course, I’m all about kids eating healthy food and getting in the kitchen here at Kids Cook Real Food™. When you’re teaching a child with autism to cook you may have more challenges, but it’s a beneficial skill that they need to learn and may help when making diet changes. 
  • 18:55: Autism spectrum disorders tend to make kids more picky eaters. Gluten and dairy tend to be the big favorites that kids will eat, but they also tend to feed inflammation and need to be removed. Dr. Piper has some great tips for transitioning kids to a gluten/dairy-free diet. Here are some more strategies.
  • 21:46: Throughout this interview, we’ve been talking as though autism and tics go hand in hand. Is it true that all kids with tics have autism? Sensory Processing Disorder is also on the autism spectrum. More on getting kids with SPD to eat here.
  • 23:21: I always like to leave you with a message of hope. Dr. Piper shares an inspiring story about a teenage girl she’s been working with. 
  • 25:57: Dr. Piper gives some advice if you’re starting out on a gut healing journey with your kids. 

Get rid of sugar, boxed, and processed foods and start eating real food. -Dr. Piper Gibson

Resources We Mention for Gut Health

Are tics neurological or do they start in the gut?

Dr. Piper Gibson

Piper Gibson is a Doctor of Advanced Holistic Nutrition, Traditional Naturopathic Doctor, and is a Board Certified Doctor of Natural Medicine. Piper helps scared, frustrated, and overwhelmed parents get access to the tools and testing they need so they can get to the bottom of their child’s neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, Tics/Tourette’s, Anxiety, SPD, and ASD.

She is the founder of Regenerating Health and the creator of the Foundations to Flourish sixteen-week program that teaches parents holistic methods to restore their child’s health in the face of potentially confusing and worrying diagnoses.

After going from stay-at-home mom to children’s holistic health expert, Piper has been able to help many families just like hers to gain control of their child’s neurodevelopmental issues using food, functional lab testing, and natural approaches.