julia24

Thanks, Chemar! I'll call the health food store in the morning. -Julie

I just read yesterday about iron that is easily absorbed the body & iron that isn't, but now I can't find that thread. Can anyone help? I am anemic right now, due to the blood loss during m/c, & I need to build iron back up. I bought a supp at the grocery store. It says Ferrous Sulfate. Is that good or bad? Thanks, -Julie P.S. Sorry this post isn't directly TS related. I just knew I saw the exact info I needed here yesterday & now I can't find it.

I am. My daughter was Rh+. Standard practice for an Rh- mother, as you may know, is to give at least one Rhogam shot during pregnancy & one right after. Did you know that the majority of Rhogam shots in the US have thimerosal (mercury) that is directly channeled to the DEVELOPING fetus? We are told to eat fish once a week, at most, & yet hit the fetus with enough mercury we could have eaten tons of fish with the same effect. Not only that, my poor dd got hit with another vaccine, a day after birth, that is packed with thimerosal--the Hep vaccine. Never again. I am so fortunate that she has developed normally so far, though I know a TS and/or OCD diagnosis is probably in our future. I just feel so lucky that it wasn't severe disabilities. I just wanted to give any other Rh- women a heads-up to do your research on this before conceding to the vaccine they want to give during the pregnancy. -Julie

Thanks for all the feedback. It sounds to me like the meds don't work any better or much differently than the natural choices. And I, like many others, don't trust pharmaceutical companies in general, so I think I'll just skip the blood test & the meds, since I know I obviously already have it. I'll probably use the NOW brand Candida Clear. Thanks, -Julie

My family doctor also does yeast testing via a blood test. If you have excess yeast, she prescribes something (I haven't asked her specifically what med). I'm curious if there's a driving reason not to take the yeast meds & if they even work. I know that I have a lot of yeast overgrowth based on the saliva test. I also have a loooooong history with antibiotics throughout my childhood & 20s. (Lots of UTIs & kidney infections.) I would like to rid myself of the yeast ASAP. I'm actually pretty angry at the yeast because I think it played a part in my recent miscarriage, so I feel driven to kill it & I definitely want to be as yeast-free as possible before TTC again. I also do really poorly on the yeast elimination diet, especially with the fruit. Oh, and the carbs. Really all of it. I naturally eat the perfect diet to support all this yeast--imagine that! LOL So any experience with this? Any reasons not to take the meds?

Just wanted to add my experience. The Dr. had me try Clonodine once. I hated it. It did nothing for the tics, in fact, it made them slightly worse. And "dry mouth" was an understatement! It was like I had absolutely no saliva & a swollen, hurting tongue all the time. It was awful. I gave it 2 wks & weaned off in 3 days. Like others said, it is a blood pressure med.--that's its primary function. Tic control also happens in some percentage of people. Blood pressure meds can cause heart attacks if stopped suddenly. -Julie

What test did you do for metals? Is there one that is non-intrusive? As far as biological clock goes, I'm 34 now--that probably gives you an idea.

I don't know what state you're in, but, here, you can get raw milk without owning a cow, but it's very hush-hush. What you do is somehow find someone who is currently buying raw milk & prove yourself to them first. I can give you typical avenues for finding raw milk buyers if you pm me off-list. OK, so after they know that you're not a legal officer, they will often share with you the farmer that they are buying raw milk from. Then, you buy a "share of the cow," meaning you own a little part of that cow. This way, they can sort-of legally sell you the raw milk. The thing is, these farmers take this VERY seriously. They are absolutely 100% confident in the value of the raw milk vs. grocery store milk (and I tend to believe it, too). But, the Dairy Association takes it VERY seriously, too, and they are the most aggressive lobbyist group I have ever seen when it comes to seeking out & eliminating these independent farmers. Kinda scary, IMO. That's why it's so hush-hush. It's not illegal, per se, when you own a "share of a cow," but just recently an Ohio raw-milk farmer got completely shut down because the Dairy Association claimed that he had caused one person to get sick from the milk. One person?!?! When everyone else who drank the milk was fine?!?! And they looked nowhere else in the person's diet except the raw milk?!?! It's crazy to me. Here's a link from the Weston A. Price website that explains the benefits of raw milk: http://www.realmilk.com/ I don't drink it, because I don't like milk. The little I use milk is usually in my morning coffee. So it's not worth the hassle to me. I just wanted to let you know what to expect. I was uninformed when I started researching it, and I posted on a couple local boards asking about it. Well, the raw milk buyers won't touch those types of posts with a 10-foot pole. Good luck!

I don't know what state you live in, but there are three main exemptions you can take, and which ones are offered vary from state to state. There's religious, medical, & philosophical. If you're fortunate enough to have the most rare, philosophical exemption, in your state, all you have to do is sign the form yourself. Some states, I believe, let you sign the religious form yourself, too. Here's a link that lists the exemptions by state: http://www.vaclib.org/exemption.htm -Julie

I did do the B Vitamin NAET treatment, but I still can't tolerate it in concentrated, supplement form. The way I view my NAET treatments is that they seemed to have helped with normal exposure to the substances, but nothing beyond that. Does that make sense? For example, I can have a little more food additives, like what happens when you accidentally eat something or you give yourself a handful of M & Ms, but I could never eat the whole package of M & Ms. And I actually saw the biggest difference for me during the NAET treatment when I did the mold treatment. That was when my TS turned around from being dependent on meds, to being OK enough without meds to try different, more natural approaches.

OK, Chemar, so your reasons weren't TS-related but philosophically-related instead. I can completely understand that. I don't eat pork either mostly because of the fact that--OK, don't laugh here--the Bible calls them an "unclean" animal in the Old Testament. I might have gotten this from the Maker's Diet book? I'm not sure.... Also, I read an article a long time ago about how intelligent pigs were & how they could be trained much like dogs and how they're usually treated on most pig farms, and I been off pork since the day after I read the article. I only very occasionally eat beef, and I try to only eat the organic, free-range beef, but to be honest, I don't much care to cook it, so I usually just eat it when my body says I need it from a restaurant. I guess I never really thought about the ingredients in the supplements in that way. I don't know why. But it doesn't answer the question of why the Standard Process supplements affect me so much. Cum Passus, Actually, the only Standard Process supplements I've taken were, first, the ones she sold me for detox purposes, and I can't say what the trigger was there. Yes, my TS got much, much worse on the detox, but was it the detox process itself? The SP supplements? Something else? I have no idea. After that period was over, about two months later, I then started taking the Adrenals & I noticed it right away. So I tested it a few times just to be sure, and each time I reintroduced, I'd have a horrible day. I would tell your doctor--I told mine about the Adrenal supp. & she didn't really believe me. She said there was nothing in there that could cause that. I plan to stay away from SP supp.'s from now on, so I guess I'll have to stick to my guns with her. I'll tell her about your experience, too. I hope your doctor is more understanding!

OK, Kim, I think I get it. So, low interest in protein could mean that your body has a hard time digesting the protein (although, I would think that your body would then crave it *more*, but according to what I read...) and that the primary reason behind the poor protein digestion is heavy metal toxicity. And so when essential amino acids are used, they can help rid the body of the extra heavy metals & also, get your body to digest protein more the way it should. Is this the gist of it? I wonder if taking essential amino acids would also count as "detox." I have about a 6 week-3 month period of time starting next week or so when I can freely detox as much as I want. (I lost this pregnancy, so I have to take at *least* six weeks up to 3 months before TTC again.) I plan to do YEAST, that's the biggie, and since I've been battling it since the day I got pregnant 12 wks ago, I'm concerned that it was a player in the m/c. I could also throw this in if it's counted as "detox" (because you can't do a detox when you're pregnant or nursing, or the toxins go straight to the baby). I still don't get the food cravings part. Maybe the OP was thinking yeast with the food cravings? And I do *sometimes* crave protein, just not very often. Hmmm....much to think about, and it's all inter-related. See, I had pre-eclampsia with my first pregnancy and the culprit that most nutritionists & alternative doctors are pointing to now is **severe protein deficiency**. There's a man, Dr. Brewer, at the Blue Ribbon Baby site, that outlines a diet for all pregnant women to avoid preeclampsia where he advises at least 80-90 grams of protein every day. I was hoping that diet would help me avoid it in the future, but if my body isn't properly digesting what it receives, then I could eat nothing but protein and I'd still have a problem. This is good info to have right now--I'm going to bring it up to my ND.

Does anybody else here find that Vitamin B increases tics? I have tried all kinds of different brands, I have split them up (i.e...just one like B6 or whatever instead of a combo), and the fact is, I can't tolerate it. (Interestingly enough, my muscle testing when I had my NAET appt. showed a sensitivity to B Vitamins.) I would really like to take a multi-vitamin, but I don't know if it's even possible to get one without B vitamins. Anybody know? -Julie

I didn't want to hijack another thread, so I'm just starting a new one. Cum Passus mentioned that the Standard Process supplements exacerbated TS symptoms in that case, and Chemar had replied that : >>personally, I am anti animal organ supplements and so I would not go near the bovine porcine stuff as supplemental!!>> I am wondering what the reasoning is behind not using animal organ supplements? I have also found that most Standard Process supplements exacerbate my TS symptoms as well, *especially* the adrenal supplements (Drenamin) that my ND recently put me on. The adrenal supplements are chock-full of bovine adrenals & liver, stomach, bone. Could this be why I couldn't take them? I know this is probably a long shot, but does anyone know if there is any other choice for adrenal supplements or a natural way to do it?

>>Does he crave anything in particuliar like sugar, carbs, fruit? Does he avoid protein, or does he seem to have a well rounded diet?>> This question was asked in another post (started by Cum Passus) to help figure out the causes of that particular case of TS. I'm wondering what the relationship is between TS & food cravings & especially, low interest in protein. -Julie

Carolyn, I have gone through this for the past three years, and it can be very frustrating. My dad is very mainstream mentality & it's been extremely hard to get him to realize why my dd can or can't have certain foods. Eventually, though, it subsided. Now, he just (mostly) accepts my diet restrictions for her. For myself, I don't really try to justify. It's my body, and I have a weird diet, and I had the attitude he'd just have to accept it. It helps that I was vegetarian for 5 years before starting on an exclusive whole foods diet, so he has had a long time to accept my "weird" diets. So, in my experience time has led to acceptance. Also, I have said that "The doctor said I should do xyz." It seems that my dad accepts "the doctor's" word as golden. I'm not exactly lying because I'm using a naturopathic doctor, and she is considered a doctor, it's just not the type of doctor he thinks I mean. -Julie

fitforit: I am 34 & I have had TS since I was 8. I understood a lot of what you were saying in your post. When my TS first appeared, it started as a throat-clearing. I remember being at the kitchen table, in my mom's house (she had just died of cancer), and my grandparents who ended up raising me were living there with me. I remember my grandpa telling me to stop. And of course, I couldn't. So, he told me if I didn't stop, I couldn't eat dinner & would have to go to my room. I never ate dinner that night. Luckily, my grandma quickly took me to the doctor, got an official diagnosis, and became very educated about it. She became my biggest advocate. My dd is only 3, so I don't know if she will develop TS or not. My guess is yes, in some form. My biggest hope is that it is mild. I just wanted to encourage you to stick around here, because there is a wealth of information here. While you & your son may never be completely tic-free, I have been able to achieve tic-free periods using info I found here & from my naturopathic doctor. Like Jeff said, I really think you both would see a difference if you cut out artificial flavors, artificial colors, all preservatives, & especially MSG (monosodium glutamate). I have noticed from a very young age that these are triggers for me. You asked about talking to your son about it openly, and while I haven't had to have this discussion with my dd yet, I definitely will talk about it openly with her when/if the time comes. It seems it is much easier for her to accept diet restrictions/TV restrictions/etc.. if she knows the reason behind it. My guess would be that your son would also want to relieve his tics so it might be easier for him to accept the restrictions. Since you said your son was pretty advanced, I'd probably just say something along the lines of, "Sometimes people's brains accidentally send out little messages to our body that causes us to move when we don't want to. That's what's happening to you now. It has been the same for Daddy almost all my life. It's the same for lots of other people, too. We're going to try some things that might help our brains not to do that so much." I also just wanted to add quickly that I completely understand why you did not explain your own TS to your close friend. I wouldn't have either. I am very guarded as to who I tell about my TS, because people who are negative about it are constantly looking for it, and it just annoys the living heck out of me. Not to mention, when I feel like people are looking for it, it makes me extremely uncomfortable & causes me to want to tic more (because their focus on it causes me to focus on it, which makes it worse, like Chemar said). My husband (dd's father) has never had TS but has always had OCD. His OCD was very severe when he was little, but he was able to will himself to stop it. He has made comments about being able to "will yourself" to stop the TS. He hasn't said anything about it in a long time, and I'm hoping he finally understands it from living with me for so long. But, at first, he had planned to teach our dd to will herself to stop. I was mentally preparing myself for divorce at that time, because I would not have our dd live like that. At best, it would teach her to suppress around Daddy. At worst, it would make her feel helpless that she couldn't do what he asked & send her into emotional upheaval. Anyway, like I said, I hope he's learned what it's really like by now, because I'd like for us to have a long & happy relationship. OK, long post over. Please keep us updated! -Julie

I would definitely remove the olive oil & see what happens. You know, it doesn't really sound like acne to me. I've never heard of acne itching. In fact, my first thought was poison ivy, since I had it several times right around my mouth & sides of my face (probably due to my dog). But it has seemed to stick around a long time to be poison ivy. So, I would consider other rashes, including allergic ones. Do the bumps seem to have a little white head in the center (like acne)? Does it hurt as well as itch? I usually try to match up rashes with pictures on the internet by doing Google Images searches on whatever different things I think it could be. -Julie

9. Yes-yes. Tics are immediately worse after consuming artificial colors, artificial flavors, any preservatives, MSG (in any form), caffeine & some of the highest salicylate foods. "Natural" foods from the health food store are NOT usually safe. (I just cook from scratch.)

Thanks for that link, Chemar. I've had rage episodes ever since I was a little kid. I can't count the number of times I have broken things or gone straight through the drywall with chairs or other objects. I never considered a TS connection, though. I've found over the years that the rage is somewhat controllable. I can feel it escalating & I am learning new ways to bring it down quickly before I erupt with it. In addition, the times where it escalates to rage rather than just anger is much less now than when I was little. The thing is, I have a 3 y.o., and I am a SAHM, and it's very important to me that I learn how to deal with rage & anger in relation to her. I've blown up in front of her a handful of times in my life & I wish I could take every single one back. I plan to research the TS/diet connection more now, as I am also currently studying ways to control anger in general through other avenues. OT, Patty: How old is your son? Is he your only child? I've talked to you quite a bit here, but I must have missed your intro. -Julie

I've seen this mentioned a few times here. I'm wondering exactly what the connection is. Are people with TS more likely to experience frequent rage? I'd love to read some articles on this aspect, but I poked around the homepage a little & didn't come up with anything. Any links you can share?

Well, I now have another piece of my TS puzzle. I've always been so confused as to why very particular foods would affect me so poorly. The biggest is watermelon (which I LOVE). Also tomato sauces & green tea are big ones. These were surprising since tomatoes are fine & coffee was even more tolerable than tea--big surprise considering the caffeine content of coffee is much higher. I found a salicylates list today & sure enough, all of those are on the "Very High" list. I think I can tolerate some salicylates, but I can't overdo it. Like, when we eat a watermelon, I will split a half a watermelon with my 3 y.o. daughter. We love it! But, obviously, that's overdoing it. I'm thrilled that I have found new triggers (though disappointed about the watermelon). I have a couple questions for anyone who has dealt with salicylate sensitiviy. Is there a genetic component? I.e... should I be watching for salicylate sensitivity in my children? Have you found that multi-vitamins aggravate you? (I know there can be many reasons for multi-vites aggravating tics, but I'm considering this option right now) If so, have you found one that doesn't aggravate? I really should be on prenatals, but they make tics too bad. Thanks!

I posted before about painting our house about a week and a half ago, and how tics had increased at that time (and stayed increased). Claire said that the effects of the paint could last for several weeks & that maybe an air filter would help? Well, I priced air filters online & they were way out of our budget, but my husband had found a discounted small room air filter a couple weeks ago at WalMart for $45. I thought, since it was already here, I'd put in the bedroom last night & see if that helped anything. It did! I woke up this morning with about 50% reduction in tics, and have maintained it all day. It probably helped for maintenance that I spent a lot of the day out, rather than at home. It is some kind of HEPA filter, but it also has this ionic option. What do you all think of the ionic part? I don't understand what it's supposed to do at all. Do you think it would help or hurt? I kinda don't want to mess with sucess, YK? -Julie

This is my best guess: I would think that "abnormal hemoglobin" could possibly cover several different abnormalities. I would think (and of course, I'm no Dr.) that it wouldn't necessarily mean an abnormality in hemoglobin synthesis, where Vitamin B6 & zinc aren't being properly absorbed by the body. However, it's definitely possible. Have you ever had the pyroluria test done? That's what I would do....have the test done on myself & if it came back positive, then I'd be much more concerned about the original "abnormal hemoglobin" result on your son's test. But, if it came back negative, since it's a genetic disorder, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I completely understand your concern, though. I have had TS since I was 8, and my daughter is 3, and we're expecting again. I am very concerned that I will pass this on, and I'm constantly on the lookout for things that might be tics or OCD. The benefit to us having it, though, is that it might be easier in some respects because we can use ourselves as the "guinea pigs" first with figuring out root causes & triggers, etc. I have found with my sister & me, we have very similar triggers. So, rather than put our kids through the initial tests, we can test ourselves, and try that first. Also, I know more what to avoid with her so that maybe, even if she's genetically predisposed, she might never develop it. Like, I'm not giving her her preschool booster vaccinations. I insist she eats a primarily whole-foods diet. If I even *suspect* a strep infection, I'll be rushing to the doctor. Stuff like that. -Julie

>>Will you talk to your NAET dr. anytime soon? I would love to know the 7 underlying trigger for TS or tics. Or can I have your NAET dr.'s name and phone number. I would love to consult her on a few things before going forward with our NAET treatments. It is so hard to find a dr. who has direct experience in this area.>> I actually have two doctors: the ND, or naturopathic doctor, and the NAET doctor. The ND is the one who recommended the NAET treatment (after we tried cranio-sacral & some supplements). She is also the one who has direct experience with treating TS in one of her own children. Oh, and she (the ND) is the one who was telling me about the 7 underlying reasons for developing TS & their associated treatment plans. The NAET doctor is part of a chiropractic office, and she just does NAET testing & treatments. I'd be happy to give you my naturopathic doctor's name & number, but I don't think I should post it here on the board without her permission. I'm not sure how to email specific members. If you know how to email me, please do, and I'll send along her name & number.