Chemar

hi help4matt and welcome there is no one diet per se that helps with tics as it is very much dependent on the individual my son has NO whole food allergies and so can eat pretty much anything but he does have extreme sensitivity to ARTIFICIAL food additives, which does seem to be a common theme in kids with neuro issues (and I personally believe for all of us in some way or another) My son has chemical sensitivity, and so these artifical additives trigger his tics and OCD big time Many people with neuro issues do seem to have food allergies, especially to gluten and casein, altho corn seems to frequently be on the list as well, and they seem to benefit from eliminating these from diet. So the diet as such involves eliminating artificial additives, especially all artificial coloring, artificial flavoring, artificial sweeteners (nutrasweet/aspartame AND splenda/sucralose etc) as well as high frustose corn syrup, MSG (with many hidden names in food ) chemical preservatives etc etc and theneliminating specific foods that the individual may be allergic or sensitive to. Optimum diet is whole food prepared without artificial additives and complimented by nutritional supplements specific again to individual needs most people with tics benefit from a good pure multivitamin/multimineral, extra magnesium , omega3, and addoitional B vitamins, tho caution needed as some cannot tolerate B complex pills and should take liquid Bs or individual B supps the "yeast" we refer to often here is an infection of the gut with candida albicans, a yeast like parasite Certain foods (sugars, alcohol and refined carbs) 'feed" the candida and so eradicating it involves using a diet that has less of those foods in, while using a good "yeast" ie candida eliminating supplement ( I like Candida Clear by NOW best)

kallik clonidine has to be titrated down, even a small dose It should not just be stopped cold turkey, as with any medicine that affects the CNS what is the thyroid medicine for? does your child have a thyroid illness? if so again, just stopping a med for this without a functional alternative is something i would be cautious of too chlorella is a very good mercury mop up, but it can cause nausea at first and usually has to be introduced very gradually I dont know anything about burbur chelation I am always very cautious too about "amino acids" per se for kids with tics, especially TS tics, as some amino acids are very helpful re tics but others can trigger them, and so a "general" amino acid is not always a good idea This doctor may be spot on but I really feel that he should explain his protocol to you fully so that you can make an educated decision on whether it is right for your son The "ART" sounds a bit like radiogenics or transdermal testing which, for some things and when done by a highly experienced person, can be a valuable diagnostic tool, but I also know first hand that it can be a very misleading issue when incorrectly used before we got my son's official Crohn's dx via colonoscopy 2 years ago, a physician that we once had much respect for dx him with "parasites" via transdermal testing done by her technician, and suggested remedies that were not only useless, but actually irritant to what turned out to be Crohn's. And yes, it was very expensive, unlike when we had radiogenics years ago elsewhere which had given remarkably accurate results backed up by subsequent bloodwork That experience made me realize that sadly, many have jumped on the "alternative" bandwagon and are charging outrageous amounts for testing and therapies that may have merit in some instances, but are not a "be all and end all" in treatment and IMHO are being used indiscriminately because they have a captive market of parents desperate to help their children re neuro issues I am NOT saying your new doc is one of these kallik, nor am I suggesting that the many many excellent and careful alternative/integrative/DAN docs/naturopaths etc out there are all doing this..........but I am sounding a note of caution, based on my own disillusionment with that other doc misdx my son's Crohn's so dangerously so my advice to you would be to ask many questions first with this protocol and do your own research to determine whether it is potentially helpful for your child. It may be exactly what he needs to help his situation and that would be wonderful....but it also may be an expensive and complex route when a simpler and less expensive way may be offered by a different doctor

http://psychiatry.jwatch.org/cgi/content/f...?q=etoc_jwpsych

honestly I would also be cautious and ask a lot of questions before continuing with this what are the doctors qualifications?

hi this forum really isnt very active so posts here dont get replies as much as in the Tourette/tics forum... my son has ADD (no H) and we found that omega3 (fishoil for those who tolerate is or flaxseed oil) plus borage oil and gingko biloba were helpful for his focus some have reported that the ADHD remedies at nativeremedies.com work very well and I know the Bach's rescue Remedy helps with calming here are some other recomendations from The Health Encyclopedia

not sure if this has already been posted here but I was delighted to see this news article posted on NeuroTalk by a mom who's child has shown a dramatic improvement since they went gluten and casein free (gfcf diet) again reinforces what so many of us here have seen for ourselves...that what we eat has dramatic effect on the neurological system and especially so in kids http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/09/27/autism-study.htm and here is the mom's post http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=29165

Hi Emma (and hi Ronna always so good to see you here) altho we havent dealt with PANDAS for my son yet he does have autoimmune problems re his Crohn's Disease our physician explained the difference to me between giving good helpful supplements and maintaining optimum nutritional health as opposed to BOOSTING the immune system, which is not what one wants to do in autoimmune illness. as Ronna has explained above, good multivits and the correct balance of other supps or diet is essential, while avoiding things that are known to heighten immune response

welcome Heidi my son has TS and we see an almost instantaneous increase in tics and OCD if he eats anything with artificial food colouring, especially the red40

Michelle I think Carole might be right on the restrictions on prescriptions from one state to another but not sure on that also could you confirm what you mentioned earlier re that Dr Murphy told you she has TS? I do want to get that clarified as in our many visits there when my son was under the care of one of her associates for his TS, it was not once mentioned to us that Dr Murphy has TS, although she was frequently in the room during his visits. I just want to be sure we get that info right here

apart from his TS and Crohn's my son is hardly ever sick, and rarely gets colds or other infections. He is almost 18 now, but has had very few colds thruout his life and has never had strep etc

Hi Moneta does your child already have a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome? If he has been getting recurrent strep infections then it is very possible that he does have PANDAS and that this is either making his TS worse or, that he may not even have TS but instead have tics associated with the strep Here is the NIMH info on PANDAS when you have strep titres done, it measures the strep antibodies in the blood The reports we have been getting here is that prophylactic use of azithromycin (zithromax) antibiotic seems to be most effective in controlling this strep and helping to reduce the tics and OCD etc associated I see you have been given the link to that excellent Australian site with lots of good info Just keep reading the PANDAS posts here and asking questions. We have a wonderful group of very knowledgable and supportive members here who will do all they can to help you find the answers you need to help your child

trubiano the magnesium sulfate cream is made by Kirkman Labs and does have a beneficial effect tho, just from my view, nowhere near the effect of the epsom salts baths. but it is a useful aid for those times when a tub is not possible. It also really soothes aches and pains, and does have that good magnesium calming effect

Hi Michele glad you had a good appointment and especially glad she warned you about the ACTOS I tried to do that here when you first mentioned it. I have deep concerns about it, especially for children I am surprised that you said that she told you she has TS?? Are you sure of that?? Anyway, good that you got your dx correctly. They would likely have given you the prescriptions had you insisted....probably just thought you were going to first run everything by your docs first. I would highly recommend you listening to those Swedo lectures too...very informative!

brushing is a standard part of the OT for SID, and is one of the first techniques taught for at home use Patty, i dont know if I would use the word "resolved" as SID is neurological.......however, after the OT course and with applying the techniques recommended, my son isnt driven batty by the sensory stuff anymore like he used to be...so instead of "resolved" I would rather say his SID is "under control"

what wonderful news Giselle! may it keep getting better and better

Hi Frazer yes the Pyroluria tests are ones that can be shipped direct to you and then you ship them back. Some dont even require a doctor's signature. we should have a list of some of the places that offer the test somewhere here in the archives...maybe a search on pyroluria will bring up more info for you

good to see you posting Q's Mom and thank you so much for sharing your success story with us.

hi Flower yes, candida infection and food allergies/sensitivities can trigger OCD if my son goes near red40 or other artificial food dyes, or MSG, his OCD flares here is a simple home candida test that you can do and then follow up with clinical testing http://www.adhdrelief.com/CandidaTest.html CANDIDA CLEAR by NOW is IMO one of the best yeast busters available (helps acne too!)

Hi Emma we stay away from all artificial additives, which includes not just the colors but also the sweeteners like aspartame/nutrasweet and splenda/sucralose as well as high fructose corn syrup, MSG (under all its secret hidden names) preservatives like BHT etc basically if something has a loooong list of ingredients IMO it is not good. pure foods are just that, they dont need multiple chemical additives I make most of our food from scratch to be safe, and carefully read every label of anything else

jkc some people (like my son) toc more with fish oil and cannot tolerate B complex tablets my son gets his omega3 from flaxseed oil and from his diet (eats a lot of Alaskan salmon) and he takes a sublingual liquid B this "may" be what is affecting your child. but if your child has a dx of Tourette then it would be unrealistic IMHO to expect tics to totally disappear...only that they should show decreased frequency and intensity with correct supps and diet. also, have you ruled out other potential tic triggers? Here is Sheila's article on this for a check: http://www.latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm

doseage is usually dependent on weight and age here is the info on Bonnie's mag taurate http://www.bonniegr.com/ts-PLUS%20Mag%20Taurate.htm

all cleaned up for you welcome

almost seven years successfully on our supplement/nutritional protocol, with only very slight variations in the supps and doses. my son has TS, so waxing and waning happens, but minor compared with what used to happen in the pre supplement days. maintaining the program and being rigid when it comes to artificial food additives seems very important for my son

hi as far as I know, there does not HAVE to be OCD for PANDAS dx.......or even tics for that matter......... it is the elevated strep antibody titres plus a range of other markers I think, with OCD and tics being amongst the most common

sorry I am unfamiliar with amox so dont know about it being dye free. re reaction to coloring, yes, my son has very rapid and marked increase in tics after anything with artificial color in it, especially red 40