tstryker

Hi, there is a great Naturopath in Costa Mesa named Koran Barrett. She is also a DAN doctor and has helped our son.

Hi, my ds has struggled with Tourettes, OCD and ADHD for four years (he is now 12). It took us about 2 years to finally find something that helped him, which was the dental appliances that Dr. Stack uses ( our doctor is an associate/friend of his in Southern California). When my son was fitted for his mouth piece, we saw a decrease in tics by about 60 percent. No improvement with his OCD and very mild improvement with his ADHD. About 6 months after we started with his retainer we found an amazing Naturopath. She started running several tests on my son and all came back normal (no major food allergies, no enviromental allergies). Finally, we got a test result back that was extremely abnormal and that was that my sons amino acid count on every one was extremely low. She started my son on an amino acid supplement and over the next few months my son became tic free. We also noticed that my son could follow direction at home much better, that he was maturing rapidly and that he was able to really process information and retain it much easier. We were thrilled!!! I felt that we had found the combo that worked for my son. Clearly part of his issue was structural/TMJ and part was the amino acids. We continued with the retainers, the amino acids, other supplements that were recommended by the Naturopath and also food restrictions that I noticed made his ADHD flare (corn, soy, food dye, nitrates). Usually my sons tics get worse in the spring and the fall. I could never figure that out since he had tested negative for all environmental allergies. Last year (2013) our spring and fall were great (because of the retainer and the supplements I assume)t!!!! But then this last February (2014), my son caught this horrible cough that was going around. We took him to two different doctors and both said that it was nothing to worry about and it was probably going to last six weeks (no strep). They were right. Although since then in the morning when he wakes up he seems to have to cough often before breakfast. During that time, we allowed my son to sleep without his retainers (in hopes of helping him breather easier). When he was feeling better, the retainers no longer had fit him as his teeth had moved and we went back to the TMJ specialist. He ended up making a different type of retainer for my son, because he needed to start allowing my sons teeth to come in quicker to get him ready for braces. During the weeks that my son had the cough and the time it took to have the new retainer made, my sons tics did not come back. He now has the new retainer but unfortunately, his tics have gone from nothing to moderate in the last month. The timing is exactly the same time in the two springs (2011 and 2012) that he got really bad. I am frustrated and trying to figure out what is happening. Is it because he has several teeth growing in and its a structural thing, or is it because it is spring and something is triggering it? I contacted my TMJ specialist and made him aware of this. He says that he has to let these teeth come in and fall into place and that the current retainer that my ds is wearing is holding his lower jaw in the correct position. Does anybody have any suggestions of what could possibly be triggering my son? I go see our Naturopath next week and want to have maybe more of an understanding before I see her. Thank you, Tina

Hi Mar, thanks so much for the advice. I did have my son food allergy tested, but it was about 4 years ago and maybe I need to retest. I did however take my son off all dairy about two months ago, and also at the same time started the Feingold diet. It helped alot with his ADHD like symptoms.

Hi Mar, thanks for the input. I am waiting on test results that will hopefully point me in the right direction. I am nervous though, because when I had my ds blood tested for environmental allergies, they ALL came back negative. But like clockwork, he always triggers in fall and spring. Maybe he is allergic to something in particular thats locally in my area that he wasn't tested for??? It just has to be realted to something seasonal because I can always count on his best months being Jan-Mar, when everything is dormant (I live in Southern California).

Hi, I use to think that it might be growth spurts too, but since my son seems to trigger in spring and fall, I believe it has to do with a reaction to something he is inhaling. Although my sons tics are minimal now that he has the oral appliances (thank God), they seem to act up in spring and fall along with his OCD and ADHD. I am hoping you get responses because it might help me figure out what to start looking for. I had the allergy blood tests ran and he came up negative for everything airborne. I am wondering if it is a histamine issue?????

Hi, just wanted to comment about the Dr. Demerjian....oddly enough I just got off the phone with him about 5 minutes prior to seeing the video that was posted here. He has been seeing my son for 9 months and has completely changed our lives!!! My son is doing so great, that I struggle with him to wear his retainers (he has two- one for the top and one for the bottom) because he says Dr. Demerjian has "cured him". My son is 11 and was diagnosed at 7 1/2. He was at a moderate level most of the time, and also has OCD and ADHD. After my son got his retainers, his tics immediately becam minimal and have remianed that way since. I feel so blessed to have my son helped, and am so grateful for doctors like Dr. Demerjian who have a true passion to help those struggling with TS.

Hi Chris, thanks for the reply. My son takes all the typical ts & OCD supplements (zinc, taurine, inositol, B vitamins, multi, calcium, magnesium, 5HTP), and I basically started them all within a month or so of each other. We saw some results, but he still ended up waxing in the fall as usual. I often wonder that maybe he would do better if I removed one for a period to see if it is possibly triggering him. I started off with the Bontech, but that seemed to make his tics much worse. So that's when I started to put my own "recipe" together, basing it on all the information I received from this website ( and mainly Chemar...thank you!!!). Shortly after that, I found a Naturopath who since then has been helping me. Just a side note...I had a friend of ours who is a Neuromuscular Dentist and Orthodontist make my son a retainer to see if that might help, and it completely eliminated his Copralalia and Copraprexia within a day or two. It didn't seem to help with the rest of my son's tics (mostly vocal). but at least it seemed to work for the two most troublesome ones. It's been 7 months now, and he's down to just wearing the retainer at night, and those two particular tics have never came back....time will only tell. Tina

Hi Chemar, thank you very much for the information...I will look into it today. Tina

Hi guy123, thanks for replying. My Naturopath wants my son to have 400mg of Magnesium Taurate a day (200 in the a.m. and 200 in the p.m.), plus he does a magnesium abdomen rub (from Kirkman) and he does the Natural Calm at night (not to mention epsom salt in his bath ). For Calcium, she wants my ds to have 600 mg in the a.m. and 600 mg in the p.m. I don't mind continuing the magnesium rub, Natural Calm and epsom salt baths, but am hoping to find a way to reduce the amount of capsules he needs to take to get the rest of Magnesium and Calcium he needs (at this point it is 16 a day just for these two supplements). Any advice???

Hi, I would like to see if anyone has suggestions for a clean calcium and magnesium supplement. My 9 year old ds takes several supplements a day, and in order to get the amounts my Naturopath wants him to take of Calcium and Magnesium, it ends up being 16 supplements a day just for those two!! He take Pure Encapsulatiions Calcium, totaling 1000 mg a day and BonTech Magnesium (600 mg a day). Any recommentdations for any other brands where he can take less?? Thanks, Tina