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Chemar

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Posts posted by Chemar

  1. Hi KSandy

    It certainly sounds like you are following a good track! I don't have enough personal knowledge to comment on specifics for you, but I do know my son (dx TS with likely PANS component) showed tremendous improvement with cleaning out Candida albicans! We used capsules by NOW called Candida Support (used to be called Candida Clear) and had good results. As Candida is fungal (also sometimes called "Yeast overgrowth") I know some of the prescribed antifungal liquids have had mixed reviews.

    My son's OCD always ramped up when his GIT wasn't happy. He still uses plain natural organic kefir as his probiotic, as he did not respond well to those probiotic supplements. He was subsequently diagnoses with Crohn's disease, which explained some of the inflammatory gut issues. The Integrative doctor started him on NOW Boswellia + Curcumin which he still takes and finds beneficial to both GIT as well as neurological impacts.

    We know the brain-gut connection all too well, so always advocate for the treatments that aim toward healing both. We found regular medicine just doesn't address that, and frequently prescribed treatments just upset the balance and result in new issues - at least that was our experience.

    So kudos to you for following a holistic approach. I do hope your daughter will heal well.

     

  2. Hi Swetha,

    Our experience was that sometimes relaxation or concentration can also bring a tic release.

    Honestly, if your son is not bothered by the tics while he reads, I would not draw attention to them, and certainly would not stop him reading. I realized early on our journey that frequently I was way more aware of tics than my son was, and drawing attention or trying to get him to stop often just ramped them up!

    We found using "daylight" light bulbs very helpful indoors, if that may help? Also diffusing a calming essential oil like lavender or jasmine, if he tolerates those.

    Also, my son needed corrective eyeglasses, and getting those helped a lot with both eye tics and overall.

    Just some thoughts that may be helpful to you?

  3. My son's dx of MCS some years back (by a respected Allergy MD) certainly answered a lot of questions for us regarding his hypersensitivity!

    We had already gone all in on being as toxin free as we could, so the dx rather helped us understand more about past reactions, and also added an even greater level of awareness on things he may not have considered. Although no PANDAS dx, we know there was a PANS connection more than likely along with the TS.

    I do know of others with no clear infection connection whose tics do seem triggered by various chemicals so certainly an interesting area of research I would hope.  So many more people seem to be realizing how bad all the chemicals added to everything may be, whether or not one has underlying health issues.

  4. Atex, sadly conventional doctors just don't run the kinds of tests that would give so much more insight! We were so thankful to find an Integrative physician who had all the qualifications as an MD, but with the extra benefit of holistic certification too. Heavy metal testing was one of the first done-whereas the diagnosing neurologist we had initially seen only unleashed a nightmare of haldol on my son!

     

  5. Hi again @Swetha

    I just wanted to also comment on what you said re excitement being a tic trigger

    Quote

    I have been trying to figure out what seem to cause him to tic more, but I am unable to see a set pattern other than the "Over excitement".

    This is also something many people with TS seem to experience - whether it is great excitement or big stress - that seems to often cause tics to wax.

    Someone once suggested this could be linked to the adrenaline reaction in both, and how all that can impact dopamine levels (elevated dopamine may be a tic trigger?)

    Try keeping a journal of when you notice tics up or down and what you remember could be associated (food, environment, emotions etc) It is really amazing how one can begin to see patterns and then be able to implement whatever needed to help.

     

  6. Hi Swetha

    I just wanted to commend you for all you are doing to help your son. I know it seems daunting, but day at a time, step by step to improvement!

    You mentioned

    Quote

    What I see is, he tries to supress his Tics at School and outside, and as soon as he enters the Car or home, he lets go and we see the whole lot of Tics! 

    and I just wanted to reassure you that this is one of the most common things for people with TS. Tic suppression at school, work etc and then a massive tic release once in the safety of car, home etc

     

  7. Hi @Notokay29

    I so agree with Atex on noxious chemicals that can be tic triggers, plus that sometimes it takes a trigger combo, or perhaps just a subtle underlying change in a person's immune system, to see waxing tics.

    Once we knew my son had Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, we had more clarity on a lot of his reactivity to what he came in contact with, inhaled or ingested.

    Still sounds to me like your son may be reactive to possible chemical treatment of the field, or even the bright lighting there (if night games?) My son ticced more under fluorescent lighting.

     

  8. Hi @Christina2023

    Others may have different experience but

    for my son only the L-Carnitine worked to help his loud vocal tic. This was recommended by his Integrative physician. He recommended short term use, 500mg L-carnitine daily. However my son had a very negative reaction to acetyl-L- Carnitine when we tried it some years later, and so we went back to the L and again it worked quickly and well.

    Also my son never had any problem with an increase in OCD symptoms (what you refer to as stuckness) using L-Carnitine. If anything, his OCD diminished as the stress of the vocal yelling tic was removed!

    Some people with Tourette Syndrome, including my son, have a form of what is called Tourettic OCD, where obsessive-compulsive symptoms tend to morph with tics and so a tic can become obsessive or compulsive and also an OCD issue can become a tic. We always found that as there was relief for one, so the other waned as well.

  9. Hi @Notokay29

    Yes, excitement, like stress, seems to sometimes trigger tics.

    I would also consider if he may be reacting to something on the field - some kids are very sensitive to the chemical fertilizers or pesticides that may be applied to sports fields.

    Similarly a trip to the fair may involve, in addition to the excitement, exposure to foods etc that may be triggering eg my son loved cotton candy but the artificial dyes are big tic triggers to him

    So in addition to the potential for the excitement trigger, which one can't really control much....I would also look at any other factors that may be adding triggers.

  10. @Notokay29 None of us can give specific advice on what you should do, and especially not re the specific supplements & doses.

    All we can suggest are the things that have helped our children

    As Sheila mentioned, allergies can be a major tic trigger and the best way to start treating that is with a good allergist who can do testing. We used someone here who has a more holistic view on allergies as well, rather than just prescribing meds to treat symptoms

  11. My son's tics manifest with eye blinking and then continuous throat clearing sounds.

    So @Notokay29 it seems you are saying your child doesn't have an actual asthma diagnosis, and the doctor was just giving those meds to see if they worked? I know there have been some posts here in the past of those kinds of meds triggering tics for some people.

    Many people with tics do have vocals that sound like throat clearing, coughing, sniffing etc

  12. Hi

    There seems a lot of extra "stuff" added in those mag gummies you mention?

    Our Integrative physician suggested 300mg daily supplemental magnesium for my son, but that may vary for others depending on unique needs

    We used different magnesiums over the years, with mag oxide avoidance as it is very poorly absorbed.

    As taurine is calming for tics in some people, a chelated magnesium taurate was preferred.

  13. Hi Notokay

    I just wanted to mention that both good and bad "excitement" seemed to be tic triggers for my son when he was in what we called "sensitive mode" - when his responses to triggers seemed heightened.

    It is possible that the medications may have been a trigger, and that your child is still somewhat sensitive as a result? Is the pediatrician recommending anything else for the asthmatic issues? Did you notice any tics prior to the medications?

    There are a number of natural ways to try to calm tics, but it really is dependent on what is causing them, along with other factors.

     

  14. @JulesLou if I recall there were assorted tics that some found helped with the specialized TMJ aligning mouthpieces but it was a while back. My son had developed a bruxism tic when younger, which thankfully waned after specific acupuncture & related therapy, and so I had noticed those posts with interest, but TMJ misalignment was not an issue for him.

    So often for my son, we noticed the tics and the triggers being relational (eg flashing lights=eye blinking, dietary=vocal tics, sensory=motor) Those are just primary examples I had listed - but sometimes we still had general tic waxing and no clear trigger that we could discern - even though I have no doubt there were underlying triggers! But even then we did find calming and waning when we just followed protocols we knew were beneficial. When his tics were at their worst, he would always say he needed his trusted acupuncture therapist, who also had qualifications in other holistic treatments. Even though that was no magic cure, the benefits were remarkable. But this practitioner had experience with both Tourettes & Crohn's patients, and qualifications we trusted.

    I will mention that with any supplement, I always try to go with something that isn't a combo when initially trying - eg if you were to try that GABA with skullcap and passiflora and  you got a negative effect - you would not know which one of those potent ingredients had the effect?

    We got a lot of unanswered mysteries with my son solved with a good allergist too- he has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and so his reactivity to most anything chemically artificially produced is very broad from what goes into him and what he comes in contact with via all his senses. It explained a lot of the triggers that appeared hidden before.

    Like Sheila, I apologize for not remembering all you have already tried, but I do encourage you not to lose hope, and also to try (hard I know!) to avoid that stress. Even when the tic is persistent, I had to learn that I only intensified it when my son was aware how was stressing me more than it was him, if that makes sense.

     

  15. Hi @JulesLou

    GABA proved too strong a supp for my son after we had tried it a few times short term for anxiety, so agreed you should be cautious. Our physician had us start very low, and also said it is a supp one should always titrate up and down. I know some people have benefited from it though, so, as with most things, it again depends on the individual's unique system and the underlying issues causing the tics.

    Some people reported mouth tics were helped by addressing transmandibular joint issues, and if you do a search, you will find those posts on this forum.

    I will say that to this day, the number one tic trigger for my son is stress, which as we know can come in many forms. It seems those are also the times when his sensitivity to triggers is also heightened.

    Hope you find answers

     

  16. @Atex I just wanted to mention my son always had waxing tics whenever anything impacted his immune system, including vaccines, or just being ill. He did not have criteria for PANDAS, but did have some PANS indicators.

    @Irene123 My son loved Ezekiel bread but due to his extra complications with Crohn's it just wasn't good for him for some reason, so he avoids it. He is not gluten intolerant. Interestingly the "bread" he finds most tolerable is simple organic plain bagels.

    Also craniosacral therapy has been discussed a bit here in the past - try using the search and threads should come up.

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