Phyl

We use a 1st morning urine test to check for yeast/fungal metabolites. As I understand it the metabolites are products of the yeast/fungus. This test also shows metabolites of bad bacteria (clostridia, for example) when they are present. Our doctor relies on this test, though I haven't asked why. It is the Microbial Organic Acid Test panel from Great Plains Lab. http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/ We have been working for a while to get rid of these metabolites in my son. So far, the clostridia metabolites have been reduced to a normal level (they had been extremely high), while the yeast/fungal metabolite levels have dropped substantially but are still somewhat elevated. As these metabolite levels dropped, his level of tics also dropped. Now, I rarely see any tics, and the difference is amazing. Good luck!

This is from the Occupational Therapists in Watertown, Ma: Individuals with sensory integration dysfunction are not able to effectively process information from their senses and, therefore, have difficulties with tasks such as putting on their coat. Imagine yourself in a world where something as basic as the pull of gravity or the touch of other people is perceived as unreliable, inconsistent, or threatening. You would not feel secure and safe, you might not be able to have fun, and your self-esteem might be compromised as you realized that you were not able to do things as well as your peers. Sensory integration dysfunction can result in delays in motor skills and problems with self-regulation, attention, and behavior that can affect performance in school, at home, with peers, and during leisure and work activities. How Do I Know if an Individual Has Sensory Integration Dysfunction? An individual may need to be referred for an occupational therapy evaluation if difficulties are seen in several of these areas or if one area causes major functional problems. Was unusually fussy, difficult to console, or easily startled as an infant Has difficulty regulating sleep/wake cycle--settling for sleep, staying asleep, and waking without irritability Is over-sensitive to stimulation--over-reacts to touch, taste, sounds, or odors Strongly dislikes baths, haircuts, or nail cutting Uses an inappropriate amount of force when handling objects, coloring, writing, or interacting with siblings or pets Has poor muscle tone, fatigues easily, leans on people, or slumps in a chair Was slow to roll over, creep, sit, stand, or walk, or to achieve other motor milestones Is clumsy, falls frequently, bumps into furniture or people, and has trouble judging position of body in relation to surrounding space Has difficulty learning new motor tasks; experiences frustration when attempting to follow instructions or sequence steps for an activity Avoids playground activities, physical education class, and/or sports Does not enjoy age-appropriate motor activities such as jumping, swinging, climbing, drawing, cutting, assembling puzzles, or writing Finds it difficult to make friends with peers; prefers to play with adults or younger children

One more thing about sleep problems. This discussion about food sensitivities sometimes causing sleep problems is interesting: http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Fo...TML/004380.html

_efgh, If your friend's son suddenly began having explosive vocal tics, has she explored PANDAS? Has her son recently had a strep or any other infection? There is a lot of information about sudden onset of tic attacks and their relation to strep or other infections on the tourettes forum at MGH braintalk. Also, I think there is a separate PANDAS forum there.

Hi -efgh, The doctor we used is not a naturopath, but an MD with training in holistic medicine. She belongs to an organization called the American College for Advancement in Medicine. Here's their website: http://www.acam.org/ On it is a doctor search locator that includes doctors in many other countries besides the US. The tests our doctor recommended included a urine test from the Great Plains Lab called Microbial Organic Acid Panel. This measured lots of things, but for my son they kept showing high levels of metabolites from yeast/fungal overgrowth or from clostridia infections in the gut. We used a probiotic called Culturelle, as recommended by the lab, and also nystatin to try to lessen these infections - but neither had an effect. We were finally successful using homeopathic medicines over many 2 month periods. Slowly we watched as both his tic level and the level of infection (as measured by subsequent lab tests) came down. The motor tics he used to have were mostly symetrical and included blinking, grimacing, mouth opening and finger/wrist wiggling. His vocal tics included humming, throat clearing, say uh, uh, uh or p,p,p! Some of the vocal tics disappeared when we tried eliminating dairy, because we noticed a connection. Hope this helps and good luck!

Hi_efgh, My son is 11 1/2. His tics and sleep problems have mostly abated now, though he still has a little of each. I think the supplements really helped with his ability to fall asleep more easily. Now though, I give him a lower dosage of the supplements than I used to because I found for him, it doesn't seem to make much difference any more. What really helped lessen his tics was finding a way to eliminate a yeast/fungal overgrowth in his intestines as well as other infections (by parasites) he had. (We had lots of help from an alternative medical doctor with this). He also needs to be careful to avoid food coloring and other junk. Good luck to you. Everyone is so different and it's so hard to figure it all out. I recommend finding a good alternative doctor to guide you, if possible!

My son also used to take forever to fall asleep at night. He was very restless in bed too. This improved when he started to take vitamin supplements, flax and fish oil. I have read that a magnesium deficiency can be partly the cause for this inability to fall asleep easily. However, magnesium needs to be given along with a proper balance of other vitamins for absorbtion and to work well. Here's one source http://health.discovery.com/encyclopedias/1920.html Also, have you seen Bonnie Grimaldi's web site http://bonniegr.com/news.htm ? Magnesium deficiency constitutes the basis of her hypothesis for ts.

Chemar, That's great! Was the homeopathic eval for your son that detected parasites based on a lab report? I really feel that because we can keep repeating the same lab test to see how the metabolic markers from the infections go down we can see how well the homeopathic remedy is working. We also have evidence by the reduction in tics. Last March I wrote to Dr. McCandless here on this forum about getting rid of Clostridia and yeast infections. She recommended yet a different homeopathic remedy: Aqua-Flora, along with grapeseed extract. But our doctor hadn't heard of that and wanted us to use the Pleomorphic products, Pleo Forte, Pleo Alb and Pleo Pef. It's good to know that there are a number of alternatives out there. (BTW Chemar, I write on the MGH Braintalk tourettes forum as P & A, so I frequently see you there).

Jennifer, We have been using a homeopathic treatment, set up for us by our environmental doctor, to treat my 11 year old son. He had both vocal and motor tics also, since about age 7, but now after many months of this treatment, I see no more tics! We have also been giving him supplements (Bonnie's), but a smaller amount of these than suggested for his weight. He also stays away from any artificial food coloring, as dyes seemed to make him tic badly. For my son, a major key to the puzzle was getting tests through our environmental doctor. We found he had several parasites in his gut. Through several "microbial organic acid tests", we found that he kept scoring very high for metabolic markers for an anaerobic bacterial infection of clostridia and also for a yeast/fungal infection. From what I understand, these parasites can create chemicals which can affect the brain and the nervous system. Nothing we did seemed to reduce these markers for the infections (or the tics) until we tried the homeopathic treatments. Now, I have watched his tics slowly go away at the same time that the metabolic markers for these infections have slowly been reduced. He also looks much healthier than he has in many years. The name of the company that makes these homeopathic remedies is Pleomorphic. I agree with Jennifer, that the homeopathy takes time. My son is now in the middle of his 3rd 2-month course of the treatment with homeopathy, but we've been working on these issues for 2 1/2 years (using supplements, checking for allergies and sensitivities, getting rid of other parasites...) Though at first I felt very skeptical about the homeopathy, I really feel it's helped him tremendously!

Dear lherbert, We found out about the yeast and clostridia through elevated markers for these that kept showing up on Microbial OATs urine tests (microbial organic acid test) done through The Great Plains Lab with Dr. Shaw. Clostridia is an anaerobic bacteria that inhabits the GI tract. We also used an environmental doctor. Good luck! Phyl

My son has also had this gasping/breathing tic. He is now 11, and suffered from it on and off for a few years. It really scared him, which of course, made things worse. Our doctor suggested that he breathe into a paper bag in case he was hyperventilating. This seemed to help. I know his whole diaphram would appear like it was spasming when it was strong. It seemed to come on often at bedtime when he was winding down, or when we were riding in the car. He may also be sensitive to orange juice, though I'm not positive. Recently, though, this breathing problem as well as most of his other tics, seem to have largely gone away. He had tested before with elevated levels of clostridia and of yeast, which I think are finally going away with treatment. I'm wondering if perhaps you know whether yeast and or clostridia may be a problem in your cases as well.