Brain Health · Children’s Health

🎙 Guest: Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN  ·  📅 Aired July 10, 2026  ·  ⏱ 55 min episode

Introduction

In California, the most current statistics from the CDC tell us that 1 boy in 12.5 is on the autism spectrum by the age of 4. One in 12.5! The national average is 1 child in 32. Why is California leading the nation in this horrible statistic and what can be done?

The most biologically decisive period of human life unfolds silently in the womb. Emerging research reveals how maternal immune activation, microbiome disruption, and environmental toxicants can alter implantation, fetal brain development and lifelong neurological resilience. What are the hidden drivers linking preconception health to autism, cognitive decline and autoimmunity? How do we identify the risk, intervene upstream and protect brain development before symptoms ever appear?

Our society has become increasingly ill. Tom O’Bryan discusses how children and even babies have brains that are severely damaged. Some have Alzheimer’s and frontal dementia signs that are comparable to those found in seniors in their mid-eighties.

Summary Transcript

Autism

• Fifty years ago, autism occurred in one out of 10,000 children
• Most practitioners never saw an child with autism
• Now nationwide, the statistics are 1 boy in 32 in the US and one boy in 12.5 boys   in California
• The majority of these autistic people don’t function well because the brain wiring never developed properly

Impact of Mother’s GI health on offspring’s health

• Three years ago in the Journal, Microorganisms there was an article “The Impact of maternal gut microbiota during pregnancy on fetalgut- brain axis development andlife long health problems”
  • the child can have lifelong health problems if the mother’s   microbiota during pregnancy microbiome is not normal during pregnancy.
  • The status of the mother’s microbiome contributes to development of the baby’s brain
  • If the mother has dysbiosis (occasional symptoms of bloating, gas),the myelin coating protecting neurons in the offspring is much thinner.  Also, the number of connecting neurons is decreased.

Professor Lilian Calderon -Garciduenas’studies

• She studied the impact of air pollution on peoples’ brains(University of Montana in Missoula
• Mexico City measures air quality in the areas throughoutthe city
• Autopsies of dogs’ brains showed most dogs had Alzheimer’s Disease pathology – the level of pathology correlated with the level of air pollution in the dogs’ neighbourhoods
• Professor Calderon then studied the impact of pollution on children’s brains
• Biopsies of 370 elders’ brains performed at the University of Kentucky
  • 35 % of them had evidence of Alzheimer’s pathology
  • 30 % had evidence of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease
  • 35 % had evidence of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Frontal Temporal Dementia
  • Looking at scans of deceased 40 year oldsin MexicoCity,their percentages in the above categories   were almost identical to the deceased 80 + year olds  
  • Then she looked at the brains of 55 children (average age 14.8) who died in Mexico City.  The percentages in each category were the same
    • All of these children had evidence of Alzheimer’s pathology
    • Over 35 % had evidence of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease
    • Approximately 23 % had evidence of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Frontal Temporal Dementia (Published in Frontiers of Neuroscience in 2024)
    • She published a paper last year showing that 99 % of children(age 21 years or younger) that she studied hadfrontal temporal atrophy.  Which can lead to poor executive function, poor self control and planning abilities
      • She showed for thirty year olds, the percentage was 70 % had frontal temporal atrophy.So this is getting worse as time goes on.
    • Then she published a paper that brain autopsies of decease children, 100 % had evidence of Alzheimer’s Disease
      • Dr. O’Bryan postulates that this is due to air pollution andlipo poly saccharide (LPS – the results of bad bacteria) that piggy backs on the air pollution that goes to the brain creating neuroinflammation killing brain cells
    • Then she did an MRI of an 11 month old baby who already had evidence of beta amyloid and tau protein in her brain
    • She pointed out in decease children with asthma were exposed to increased air pollution days before their deaths
  • See the graphs of her results in the picture at the end of this summary

Effects of Mother’s Diet on Pregnancy

• The Journal of the American Medical Association study compared the number of fruits and vegetables a woman was eating at fertility centers
• The women eating the highest amount of fruits and vegetables had a 18 % less probability of a successful implantation and for those who became pregnant, a 26 % less chance of having a live birth.
  • However women who ate organic produce (three servings per week);  the more organic produce they ate, the better the outcome.
  • These women were likely to be making other healthy life style choices

Men’s contribution to infertility

• 46 % of miscarriages attributed to DNA damage of male sperm
• If men have a leaky gut, leaky brain they are likely to have leaky balls (the blood testes barrier). Tis results in oxidative damage changing the DNA in the sperm
• A French study showed that 74 % of men had high glyphosate levels.  These men had 4 times that level in their semen
• These men accumulate glyphosate in their testicles because glyphosate is a hormone loving herbicide

The Disease Process

• The immune system tries to protect us from glyphosate and other toxins by creating inflammation to try to get rid of the toxins.  This creates oxidative damage. This damages organs as well as sperm.
• People don’t realized how many toxins they have
• Fourteen of the top 15 causes of death are due to chronic inflammation
• Disease will show up at the weakest link determined by genetics and how one lives one’s life
• If a mother has antibodies against her own brain proteins, and the baby inherited the same brain protein structures  from the mother, then the mother will have antibodies against the proteins in the developing fetus’   brain as well.  This means the mother’s antibodies will attack her fetus’ brain as well
  • 86 % of these babies will be on the autism spectrum

Recommendations

• Identify how many toxins are in the body
• Can measure 18 measures of oxidative stress total toxin burden with

Vibrantwellness

• Don’t suppress the immune system;  decrease the need for the activation of the immune system
• Allocate one hour per week to understand the effects of life style choices on our health
• His book You Can Fix your Brain has specific suggestions as does his website, Thedr.com
• Examples of what the weekly one hour can focus on
  • Finding alternativesto placing food in contact with plastics
  • Finding alternatives to the toxic phthalates in nail polish that enters the body
  • Obtain plants that can absorb 70 % of toxins from the air
  • Test for gluten sensitivity
• He suggests everyone watch the inflammationequation
  • At the inflammationequation.com and on his website thedr.com
  • He went to seven countries and visited famous scientists
  • This will help to empower the listener

Calderon’s Chart on Brain Damage by Age

The chart below illustrates the progression of brain damage markers across age groups. Key abbreviations:

• AD — Alzheimer’s Disease
• PD — Parkinson’s Disease
• TDP — Signs of frontal temporal atrophy

Note: This summary reflects the views and research presented in the interview. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personal medical advice.