My Experience with Neuralli - A Neurodivergent Nurse Weighs In
Being formally diagnosed as Neurodivergent (Autistic and ADHD) in November 2021 drastically changed my perspective and goals for my mental and physical health. My priority became making things more easeful and incorporating more support in my life.
Along that journey I have been grateful for my background as a nurse and my baseline knowledge about Autism and holistic healthcare. Yet, even with that knowledge my journey has not been easy. I have tried many different things that did not help me at all. Living a simple and supported life isn’t as easy as it sounds.
The online Autistic community on the various social media platforms has been so instrumental to my journey. Social media and a well-placed advertisement are actually what led me to Neuralli. As a nurse I was definitely skeptical about the product at first, but then I read the comments on the ad, which had me intrigued to say the least.
This led me on a deep dive into the research that has been done on Neuralli and probiotics and Autism in general. My deep dive included several beautiful hours of hyperfocus, and fact-finding sessions that my Autistic brain loved. It also made me love the idea of a psychobiotic (I like to call Neuralli a “neurobiotic”) and a safe way to support my unique brain.
Fast forward 2 months, and I now have been steadily taking this amazing supplement (or as steadily as my ADHD allows me to) and am writing a blog about it. Spoiler alert: I am no longer a skeptic. I am already noticing improvements in my gut, brain health and focus along with a decrease in my body-focused repetitive behaviors, anxiety and irritability.
How Neuralli has helped me
Yes, a probiotic improved my quality of life by decreasing certain symptoms and improving some of the challenging aspects of my experience as an Autistic person. I am not here to convince you of anything. My only goal here is to share how this probiotic is supporting me in creating an easeful life as an Autistic adult.
My improved gut health and better GI motility were the first things I noticed about a week after starting to take Neuralli daily. I did have one or two days of some minor increased gastric discomfort as my gut acclimated, but it was tolerable and did not affect my ability to function.
My stomach is less bloated now, and I feel a little less sensitive to trigger foods like those containing gluten. Without oversharing, my overall bathroom experience is now more pleasant as well. These are improvements I expected to see pretty quickly, as my body is sensitive to supplements and medications in general.
What I did not expect to be so amazing were the mental health benefits.
Mental health benefits of Neuralli
After a full month of taking this probiotic I had decreased anxiety. I felt more calm in my body, and I was able to more easily identify and support my emotions. Then I traveled, and really put Neuralli to the test.
Typically airports are torture for me – all the noise, florescent lighting, people, and just the anxiety about flying are all overwhelming. I had an extensive plan to help keep me calm and my anxiety as minimal as possible. I was flying with a family member, so I felt even more stressed about this trip than normal.
I was able to get through security and to my gate without my ear plugs and without my heart rate elevating. I did still have my emotional support Squishmellow, and it was not easy, but I got through the 6,000 mile journey independently.
I was anxious in the airport but I was able to avoid any shutdowns or meltdowns. It was such a win I didn’t end up crying in the bathroom stall! The only thing I have changed in my supplements or medications is Neuralli. I directly relate my increased tolerance of environmental and sensory triggers to consistently taking this product.
My most prominent stim is hair twirling, but it easily crosses over a line and becomes a self-harming concern when I knot and pull out my hair. This is a long standing “behavior” in my life that can be problematic. I have tried dozens of ways and some medicines to help improve this issue and none of them have helped as much as Neuralli.
Over the past two months my hair pulling has decreased approximately 60% on most days and on good days up to 80%. For every 6 out of 10 times I go to pull my hair, I now realize I am going to do it, and can stop. Some of my hair is now starting to grow back. This is priceless, and (I feel) a direct result of nurturing my gut-brain axis and enteric nervous system with a potent probiotic.
Life, Less Overstimulating
I still have my fidget toys, and there is plenty of stimming (music, happy hand flaps, T-rex arms and repeating words) that I still do. My goal is not to be any less Autistic but to be authentically me and support my brain to the best of my ability. Being Neurodivergent is both awesome and hard, and I am so glad I found this product to support me.
I plan to continue taking Neuralli for the foreseeable future. I already notice if I forget to take it one day. I can feel the difference in my body, my sensory sensitivities, stims and ability to function in a Neurotypical world. I greatly prefer how I feel on the days I remember to take it consistently. The environment around me is more digestible and less overstimulating.
I know this glimpse of improved ease in my life is just the beginning. I look forward to seeing how Neuralli continues to decrease my anxiety, improves my resilience, eases my gut, and decreases my hair pulling and other body-focused repetitive behaviors in the future.
I will always be Autistic, and some days I will be disabled by my environment, but that doesn’t mean supporting my body and brain is pointless.
*Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Bened Life.
About the author:
Casey-Lee Flood, R.N., HWNC-BC blends her experiences as a registered nurse and a late diagnosed neurodivergent human into her life and work as an author, board certified Health and Wellness Nurse Coach, and artist. Casey-Lee founded the Art-Full Apothecary and its mission to increase accessibility of holistic health care to all who need it. Her formal writing career began in 2020 with her self-publishing debut, The Cursed Fae, under her pen name Faye Heart. To learn more about Casey-Lee and her offerings follow her @Nourishthenurturer.
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