Irena

Char, I believe it was a number of things. First of all I could see an immediate improvement after changing his diet, removing artificial colours, MSG, preservatives. I learned to read labels and I never stopped. We also withdrew foods he reacted to (we did Alcat test to find out what the offending foods were). After Organix (OAT) test we also started fighting candida using caprylic acid (Mycopryl by BioCare) and probiotics + other things like oregano oil, olive leaf, etc and healing his leaky gut (Permatrol by BioCare). And, of course, right from the beginning of our battle we started supplementation. Also, we changed all the screens into LCD ones. And I believe time helped, too. You can often read the tics are at their worse at the age of 9 to 12. It seems it was the case with my son, too. My son will be 14 in March. We are not so strict about the diet any more. As the tics are not real problem any more I don't insist on his keeping the diet all the time and he is only too happy to eat what others do. But I know it is not good form him. His skin starts itching and he scratches himself badly. I think it is worth reminding what his tics were when we started this natural path. He had eye rolling, blinking, head shaking, shoulder shrugging, arm twiches and some vocal tics (squeaks). When I look back I am more and more convinced that it all resulted from a damage of his immune system probably right after he was born. For some reason he was born aenemic. Despite this he was given all the due shots. I remember when he was 1 or 1,5 he started waking up in the middle of the night and cry and cry and nothing helped. It wasn't a normal cry. His doctor told us it could be that his nervous system was not mature enough and reacted to all what was happening during the day. Now I am absolutely sure it was the damage done to his nervous system by MMRII. But I didn't realised it then. Now I know this kind of cry is characteristic for a nervous system damage. I thank God with all my heart that the damage was not greater and he is not autistic. And I also thank God for Internet, this board and my, deficient as it is, knowledge of English which made it possible to find all the information about natural approach to tics still not appreciated in Poland. Irena

Hi, I haven't written here for quite a while although I still visit the site quite regularly. My son Stanisław, who's now almost 14, is doing great. He still has some very mild tics (like occasional eye blinking – very, very mild) but it is only me who sees them and I'm absolutely sure that all the others are convinced that his tics are the thing of the past. I do hope it will stay like this. We are still on supplements (multi, magnesium, taurine, Omega 3, P5P, follinic acid&MB12 and probiotics) but we skip them sometimes and it is not an issue. We also try to eat healthy. I owe you so, so much. Without this site and generosity and kindness of Chemar and Kim I would have not known where to start from and I wouldn't have even known that there were things I could do to help my son. Thank you again! I decided to write about my own recent experience with calcium and magnesium as these two minerals are so essential and almost all of us use them. I started having palpitations and anxiety. I thought it was stress and maybe late reaction to very stressful first six months of the previous year (Staś broke his arm while riding a snowboard, after several weeks he had an operation, the bones had to be put in place once again, because of that he could not write his exams with all the others, etc). I also thought these could be perimenopause symptoms (I turned 44 yesterday). Well, probably, it has been all of these. Anyway, I knew I needed magnesium. So I started supplementing it. I chose Solgar's combo of calcium and magnesium citrate as it had the recommended balance of 2:1. (plus Omega 3 and NOW Vit-Min +75 with high B vitamins) But it didin't help. I started showing another symptoms of very low magnesium. I developed arrhythmia (not only occasional palpitations but also those very annoying additional heart beats) and twitches of big muscles like thigh or stomach muscles. Apparently my body still lacked magnesium. Then I remembered that Peter Gillham (the one who developed Natural Calm) wrote something about relations between calcium and magnesium which differed from the 2:1 relation. Here is what he says: "Normal cells contain 10,000 times more magnesium than calcium. If the amount of cellular magnesium falls, however, calcium flows into the cell. With such an imbalance, calcium puts the cell into a hyperactive state. This can cause muscle contraction and lead to painful cramping. Muscles need magnesium in order to relax." And much, much more http://www.petergillham.com/product-line/p...atural-calm.php So I put aside the combo and started using only magnesium (Solgar's chelated magnesium 500mg) (plus Omega 3 and multi). Within a week things changed dramatically. I don't have palpitations or anxiety any more only a single additional heart beat from time to time (nothing comparing to what it used to be). My whole body and mind have calmed. I'm awaiting for the delivery of Natural Calm which I ordered a week ago. Sorry for such a long post but I though this may help someone who's been supplementing cal/mag and cannot see desirable results. As Peter Gillham says it is hard nowadays to lack calcium as very often it is added to foods like cereals or orange juice. I know it can be different with someone who does not eat dairy products but it is worth knowing that this 2:1 balance of calcium to magnesium may not work for everybody (Gillham recommends 3 parts of magnesium to 2 parts of calcium).

Kimmie, I am the last person who would recommend smoking as I hate it (my mother died of lung cancer) but your boyfriend's attepmts to quit smoking combined with the excitement of dating you and meeting your family may have resulted in increased tics. Read this: http://www.tourette-syndrome.com/tsarticles.htm Maybe nicotine patches would help... Irena

The first two things I can think of are strep and candida. One of the indications that throat infection is of bacterial nature (strep) and not viral one is bad smell (very characteristic). With my three sons it has always been for me an indication whether I should see a pediatrician (in case of a bacterial infection antibiotics are usually needed) or just wait till the body overcome the virus itself. The difference is usually also in the look of the throat. If it's bacterial infection there is usually some whitish coating or spots. If it's viral the throat is usually very red, even purple. With candida being the problem, one of the symptoms is also bad breath. If it really is candida it would be probably accompanied by white coating on the tongue. I don't know whether this will be of any help as this is only my common, unprofessional knowledge.

Hi Marianne! Big hug from yet another part of the world - Poland. I'm glad you have found this place. Finding it made all the difference for us. My son is 12. He had some occasional tics (blinking) in his preschool years but it was only two years ago that I noticed that he had tics. Now he's pretty well and I am learnig not to allow tics dominate our life and my relationshiop with my wonderful son. C.P. I also used to tell my son to hold his breath when he was getting his guitar out of the car boot when I was dropping him for an electric guitar lesson. I don't do it any more because.... I told my older son (tic free) to do it Irena

Thank you, Kim! You're great! I'll try to do some reasearch on my own. Now at least I know WHAT to research. Thank you again! Tomorrow Staś is coming back from a 5-day school trip. Do you remember how last year you advised me to let him go (you even consulted your son)?. I'm a bit anxious about what state he will be in after 5 days of eating wrong foods. But he was so excited about it. He loves being with his friends and they like him very much, too. So this year I didn't even consider him not going.

Kim, In Staś' amino acid test they also tested ammonia. It was within range although close to the lower borderline. He never had his ammonia tested from blood. Well, to be honest I never paid any attention to it. My biochemical knowledge is very limited. And my dr never really discussed the amino acid test results with me. She just assumed I needed to order SOMEWHERE the recommended amino acids. Kim, maybe I should open a new thread for this question but since you're reading this... I know you use enzymes on regular bases in order not to worry too much on "forbidden" food. Which Houston's enzymes do you use? Is it Peptizide? It breaks only proteins (and they say it can be even regarded as an alternative to GF/CF diet). Is that enough? I use Superenzymes by NOWFOODS. Mostly because...they are available in Poland. Please, have a loook at them http://thecatalog.com/2964.html I value your knowledge and I would appreciate your saying what your opinion is. Maybe I'm crazy but I worry about betaine HCL being obtained from molasses. With his yeast overgrtowth (hopefully under control) I don't like things like molasses. But it is just betaine HCL, not molasses itself, isn't it? Thank you for your help. Irena

Hi Itsme, My son's amino acid test results were almost identical with yours: deficiency in all the essential amino acids which come from food and our body does not produce itself and a very high level of taurine. As for taurine I switched from magnesium taurate (about 5000mg of taurate to get 500 mg of magnesium from magnesium taurate) to other form of magnesium (citrate) + one 500mg capsule daily of taurate. I didn't give up taurate. I decided that it was too important. As for the amino acids he tested low I practically don't give them to my son (except for 250 mg tryptophan each morning). Why? Like your son, my son is doing pretty well, too. I don't have money to have the amino acids custom made (I would have to order them from the US - I'm in Poland). And they would mean so many more pills and he already takes loads of them. As all the deficient amino acids are the ones you need to obtain from food I decided I needed to focus on improving his absorption. I give him enzymes before almost each meal. And we treat his gut and fight candida to improve uptake of nutrients from food. (His beta-alanine level was very high and they suggested it was due to yeast overgrowth).

Hi, I just want to say that my son's stool test didn't show any candida, either. It was only an organic acid test that showed a very high level of d-arabiniol, yeast metabolite. Even if your son does not have a yeast issue (although it is true that stool analysis results cannot be trusted in this matter) anti-candida treatment will not make any harm if you use natural remedies like caprylic acid and probiotics or even nystatine as well as anti-candida diet.

Thank you, Yesterday I stoppped giving acetyl-L-carnitine (after two days) as he had noticeable increase in tics (today they got back to normal, rather minimal, hardly noticeable level). I can't think of any other tic trigger so most probably it was it. Maybe I will try L-carnitine (not ALC). His vocal tics aren't big problems, practically not noticeable to others. They are sporadical, quit sounds and probably it is only me who takes any notice of them. I really need to change this attitude, this urge to "fix" things. Although I've been much better recently in this regard than before (or is it just that his tics are so much better again?)

Is it important what form of L-carnitine is used? I thought acety-L-carnitine is better as usually it is this form that is said to improve functioning of the nervous system. But I read that ACL increases dopamine release http://www.smart-drugs.com/info-alc.htm . What is your experience?

Hi, Kitty I live in Poland. I also wanted to find Natural Calm somewhere in Europe but they don't have it here. Well, actualy I found an Internet shop in Russia which had it but as Russia is not in the EU I would have to pay duty charges anyway, just the same as if I ordered from the US. The problems I had with customs office when I ordered Bonnie's supps discouraged me from ordering anything from the US although everything is so much cheaper there! I don't know what makes Natural Calm so effective (many people report it is effective). It is powdered form of magesium citrate (and gluconate?) soluble in hot water. Or mybe some special technology is used. Anybody knows? As I cannot order Natural Calm in Europe I decided to order Kirkman's Magnesium Citrate (also powder form) and I hope it will be equally effective. I also wanted to reduce the number of pills Staś needs to take now, that's why I decided for a liquid form. Kitty, these are the sources of supplements in Europe I use: www.cenaverde.com (Holland-based, they store many American brands: Kirkman's, New Beginnings, Douglas Laboratories, Klaire Labs and others) British www.nutricentre.com has many brands. I recently disovered British BioCare. www.biocare.co.uk I use their Bioacidophillus (probiotics), SpectrumZyme (enzymes) and some other products specifically designed for fighting candida and gut healing. I buy them at eBay's Vitamins for Life shop. I also buy American NOW FOOD products in Poland. I'm sure they are available also in the UK. If your duty charges are not very high and not too complicated it may be a good idea, as kkver said, to order things from the US they are usually 50% cheaper. Irena

I know that vit. D is one of those which can be harmful if overdosed. That is why I always buy calcium without vit. D. Staś gets vit. D in his multi. But that is probabaly the amount needed to absorb calcium in the multi. Shall I be afraid of calcium supplements containing vit. D? Again I am trying to find replacement for the supps that I order abroad. There are loads of calcium supplements in Poland but they all have vit. D. Maybe I shall assume that the amount of vit. D is balanced with the amount of calcium if they come together in one supplement and there is no risk of overdosing it? Does calcium need to be chelated as well? We've been using New Beginnings' Chelated Calcium so far. But most supps here seem to have carbonate (or lactogluconate - this is chelate, isn't it?). Thank you, Irena

As I understand magnesium malate is a compound where magnesium is attached to a malic acid molecule. I have three questions: Is magnesium malate a good form of magnesium? It is available in Poland (Now brand) but I haven't heard any of you use it. Does malic acid in magnesium malate have the same properties as malic acid alone, i.e. aluminium detoxification? Is malic acid a safe aluminium detoxificator? I remember some time ago I read something that stopped me from ordering it but I can't remember what it was! Any input?

Today, I came accross this article. It is so shocking it is hard to belive it can be true. Have you ever heard about fetal cell cultures being used in vaccines? Have you ever come accross some medical or scientific sources of such info? http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/...ics/me0044.html

Thank you Cheri, I ordered Monolaurin two times and was using it to control candida but only for short period. It is not available here. But olive leaf extract and garlic oil of course are and so we are using it. Our main antifungal agent now is caprylic acid. Additionally aloe vera/citrosept, goldenseal root, pau d'arco. And, of course, probiotics, vits and mins to boost his immunity. I only worry that I rather didn't see any die-off reaction. Or maybe those infections are part of it? I don't know... Speaking of the Vitamin Shoppe, I asked my friend who was going to New York to buy me tryptophan, sublingual MB12 and P-5-P (I wish I asked for Monolaurin, too). To make it easier for him I sent him a list of all the New York branches. He bought the supplements and also sent me a picture of the entrance of the hotel where he stayed. Right next to the entrance was....The Vitamin Shoppe. Maybe NY is not that big after all....

I need to vent... Yesterday, we went to see a pediatrician. We don't see a pediatrician too often bacause having three kids I am more confident now that I used to be and know in absolutely most cases ordinary flu infections or colds would go away and there is no need for chemical drugs, just some immunity boosting and time. But this time I felt I needed to consult a doctor because it seemed to me that the last week's viral infection (cough, mild fever and runny nose - Staś' older brother and father had it too at the same time) transformed into a bacterial one. Fever back after several days, yellow mucus in the nose and white spots or patches on the tonsils. A year ago it would have been obvious that antibiotics are needed. That is rutine in such cases. But now, knowing about his candida problem and with a candida treatment started two weeks ago, antibiotic was the last thing I would like to give to Staś. So I went to a doctor (I even chose one for adults hoping she would know more about candida implications). She said it was strep and prescribed augmentin (penicillin). But she also told me to consult with a pediatrician and recommended a very good one (in her opinion) with clinical experience. We went to see this other woman who, at first, made a very good impression on me as she listened carefully and asked questions about testings. But at the end, she not only questioned any link between candida and tics but also questioned that he had any candida problem at all. Why? Fecal culturing did not show candida. I showed her OAT test results and told her about amino acid panel results with a very high beta-alanine level and that it indicates canidida overgrowth (that what the test results said). And only because those tests are not normally available in Poland and she does know them she questioned them. What's more, she said she depends on what she learnt in a medical college. If she's going to base only on what she learnt several years ago that in fact means staying behind. And you know what? She said tics should not be treated at neurologists'. I was just about to agree with her thinking that she meant that neurologists did not know how to treat tics properly but she said (in front of Staś!!!) we needed to see a psychiatrist and that is where tics should be treated. I strongly disagreed and told her that any kind of stress can be a powerfull tic trigger but very rarely it is the reason kids tic. On our way home (I tried to stay calm) Staś told me: "Mum, I don't think I am under stress". I told him how many factors can cause tics and that so many, many kids have it. And that it is not just my opinion but solid knowledge and experience of hundreds families and - yes - physicians. I tried to to tell her about implications of candida overgrowth and that it does not have to show in fecal culturing (leaky gut > poor absorption > not digested properly food and toxins getting an easy access > etc.) but she knew for herself. But I am glad I saw her because she told us that antibiotic was not needed and although it looked bacterial it was still virus infection. Well, so we wait for the body to overcome this itself.... Kim, Cheri - for your survey purposes - this time Staś does not tic more, I would even say that this time visibly less. Sorry for such a long post.

My youngest son was due for a diphteria and tetanus shot over six months ago. I'm so scared of shots that I didn't go. The nurse called me and I said I would have to consult with a physician. I didn't. They seem to forget about us. I assumed the shots were bad especially if we knew there were some issues with body's detoxification (isnt't that why you needed chelation). My three sons (14, 12 and 5) had had all the due shots up to a year and a half ago when Staś' tics started (at least when we noticed them). This whole vaccination issue is something I don't have a clear opinion on, yet. The only thing that I can say is that I am afraid to have them have any more shots, although fear is not a very reasonable advise. We've had comparatively many cases of sepsis recently. It's a kind of histeria here. And again new shots are strongly recommended and advertised (against pneumococs?). I'm sorry Caroline that I am using your thread although I have no answer to your question but I was intrigued by it because I can see I wrongly assumed that you all don't vaccinate any more.

Thank you, Ortho!

I have another question. If I decide, as Ortho, suggests, to give Staś SamE (Doctor's Data test results show he needs to take methionine - 1060mg), how much should it be? I can see it comes in 100, 200 or 400 mg. The recommended amount of methionine is pretty high but I decided to be carefull and give him rather less than the recommended amount. Especially that he is also getting less of other recommended amino acids. This is also because I don't have chance to have it custom made here and I can't afford to order it abroad. Especially that I'm not sure how he will react to it. So I'm starting with lower amounts basing on seperate OTC amino acids that I can buy here (I am so glad NOW and Solgar are available here but, unfortunately, in very limited choice). Anyway, if I decided to give him L-methionine (which maybe, acording to Ortho's suggetsions I will switch to later on, as it is much cheaper) it would be rather 1 capsule of 500 mg than this recommended 1060mg. What is the corresponding amont of SamE? And another question. Maybe it is again out of blue, like my previous question about grapefruit seed extract inhibiting nutrient uptake, but again it is something that my doctor said and I keep thinking about it although I can't find any info that it may be true. It is about calcium. She says calcium inhibits absorption of other nutrient and should be taken separately (in fact she does not care much about calcium at all; she suggested I don't givi it to Staś, but he does not have any diary, tested low in calcium and calcium is vital for brain - so I am not going to stop it). Well, to have peace of mind I could give it separately but now, with the anti-candida treatment and so much stuff I have to give Staś between meals (probiotics +biotin, aloe vera juice, amino acids preferably on an empty stomach) I have no room for calcium left. So I give it at night together with Mg and Zn. Please, tell me it is all right

THANK YOU SO MUCH, ORTHO! One more question about tryptophan. I read that it turns to serotonine if taken in the morning or to melatonine if taken at night. Don't we want rather this serotonine effect? Or maybe what we really need with tics is niacin which, as I read, tryptophan takes part in producing, too. So maybe time of the day is not that important. What do you think?

Thank you, Ortho. Once again I am impressed by your knowledge. The amino acid supplementation I listed above was included in Staś' amino acid test results by Doctor's Data. My doctor doesn't go into details and wants us simply to follow their recommendation. I have no chance for good supervision of his amino acid needs. What you just wrote ensured me that it had been a good decision not to give up taurine. And I understand that I should not worry so much about other amino acids, except for phenyloalanine (I am sorry I'm simplifying things). Would you, please, help me with those questions: - Is it OK to open a capsule of tryptophan? It comes usually in 500mg capsules. They say I should give him 230 mg and I don't want to give him more that is needed. - Shall I continue giving him Amino 75 (it includes phenyloalanine)? One capsule has 75 mg of each exogenous amino acid (except tryptophan)? I'm giving him 3-4 capsules a day. Is that amount of phenyloalanine OK or, just to be on the safe side, I should give it up alltogether? - He needs methionine and you all say it is important. Which form shall I use: L-methionine or SamE (no OCD or other behaviour isues, but very probable methylation problems - although I still don't understand the process) - Shall I give him BCAA (NOW: valine 400mg, isoleucine 400mg and leucine 800mg)? I am sorry I'm asking such specific questions but, honestly, I have no-one to ask. And I don't want to go a wrong way. Thank you.

Thank you all! Staś tested low in many amino acid levels. You are right that it is all much more sophisticated that just supplementing what shows low in tests. The amino acids which were low are: methionine, cysteine, aspartate, cystine, whereas recommended supplementation include: tryptophan - 230mg arginine-720mg histidine 565mg izoleucitine 1190mg leucine 1615mg lysine 720mg methionine 1060mg phenyalanine 1185 mg threonine 620mg valine 1420 mg P-5-P 30mg alphaketoglutarate - 650mg and taurine - 0 mg As you can see what they recommend is not what he tested low in. But all the amino acid Doctor's Data recommend are exogenous amino acids, i.e. those which our body cannot produce but needs to get from food. Evidently, Staś does not absorb them properly from food. He tested high in creatinine (they say it can just be poor hydration), beta-alanine - very high (most probably - candida; they say beta-alanine is neurotoxic) and taurine (I I already said Staś was taking magnesium taurate, now I switched to other forms of chelated magnesiu + 500mg of taurine; I didn't follow their suggestion to give it up). You say amino acid supplementation needs to be monitored by a physician. Well, our doctor simply said we needed to order what they said. When she finds time she will give me an address of a compunding pharmacy in the US and I am to order the amino acids. This is not that simple to me. Thanks to you I am aware that it is not a good idea to give them all together. That is one thing. Then I read that tryptophan has to be taken on an empty stomach otherwise it does not work. Then I hear that giving some of them may not be such a good idea at all. I'm lost. All of those amino acids that they recommend for Staś are in Solgar's Amino 75 formula (except tryptophan). But just 75 mg in one capsule. I give 3-4 capsules a day, i.e. 225-300mg. I can't afford to give more and I am not sure I want to. I know I need to be cautious. And our priority now is to heal his gut and get rid of candida thus improving absorption of nutrients. We started today. Our treatment is based on Mycopryl (very strong caprylic acid - more than 2000mg three times a day), very potent probiotic (BioCare's Bioacidophilus), Biotin ( 3 x 500 mg to prevent candida turning to fungi), anti-candida herbs (aloe, tannates, garlic, grapefruit seed extract, goldenseal, pau d'arco, uva ursi, olive oil - not all together but I will rotate some of them), vitamins and minerals to boost immunity (I will not specify them as they are those we usually take with high B vitamin content and a lot of vit C). Of course - diet (no sugars, even no fruit for the first three weeks, not yeasty and fermented foods) And another very important element - supplements specifically meant to heal the gut: L-glutamine, N-Acetylo-Glucozamine (NAG), Rice bran oil (gamma-oryzenol), Butyric acid, Fructooligosacharides). They are all included in Permatrol, special formula for healing the gut. I wanted to post it under a separate topic but I may as well do it here. I decided not to use Nystatine as I don't belive that it is effective if candida grew into a mucus membrane of the gut. I made the decision and was very happy to hear from our doctor that while comprehensive stool anlaysis of her Polish patients very often show that candida does not react to Nystatine or even more often to Fluconazole (we were using it, eveidently with no effect), ALL of them show reaction to caprylic acid. Going back to amino acids, I know that they may not be linked directly to tics but right now I worry about his overall health. He's pale and sometimes so tired after school that he sleeps even three hours in the afternoon/evening. Honestly, I don't know what to do with those amino acids. Maybe I will stay with those low doses of Solgar's Amino 75 and introduce tryptophan if my friend buys it in NY (not available in Poland). I could also introduce methionine (or SamE) and BCAA (lysine, isoleucine and valine) as they are also available here but I am not sure if picking just some of them and not excatly in recommended doses would do more harm than good. So still ??????????

Thank you, Chemar for the info. I am a bit lost in all this. I better leave phenyloalanine aside. I can buy methionine in a form of SamE as NOW's SamE is available in Poland. NOW's Lysine, isoleucine and valine is also available as BCAA. One by one I will try to get them all somehow. Today we are starting strong anti-candida treatment. Wish us luck! Irena

I was happy to find NOW's L-methionine and L-phenyloalanine in Poland. I am still not sure whether I will have it custom made (I would have to order it somewhere abroad). But... I read that methionine is a sulphur amino acid. How can this affect candida? In Docotr's Data test results it said that one should not take NAC if there is a candida problem They didn't mention methionine. I knew about NAC (and ALA - controversial also for other reasons) but never heard that methionine can be a problem in candidiasis. Another question is about L-phenyloalanine. I read it is a precursor to dopamine "LPA can be converted to L-tyrosine (another amino acid) and subsequently to L-dopa, norepinephrine, and epinephrine" (from Solgar Healthnotes). I've always heard warnings about tyrosine. Is phenyloalanine OK? Could anyone give me an address of a compunding pharmacy in US (or Europe if possible) that prepares amino acids custom made. And the last question. My friend is flying to New York in a few days. I would like to ask him to buy me some supplements. I've been trying to find a chain supplement store that has many branches so he didn't spend much time looking for it. The only one I found which seems to have many branches in NY is the Vitamin Shoppe. Is this one all right? Any brand they store that you would recommend? Any other ideas? Thank you.