Chemar

hi CP just got back from our annual Thanksgiving celebration at church and have family here, so will go through this tomorrow and try to answer as much as I am able

I am bumping this up as I feel it is very important !

I do just want to provide a word of caution to our membership about contacting anyone who posts their email or website here for medical advice or treatments or products I have noticed an increase in these kinds of posts and, where some of the individuals may be well meaning and qualified, yet anyone can call themself anything without having proper credentials or qualifications and it is very risky to pay people for treatment or purchase their products without having at least some knowledge as to who they are and what their product is or the validity of their treatment or service I emphasize that this is not intended to single out anyone, but to just provide a warning to all. Sometimes when we are flustered and feeling desperate, we are so eager to find answers and can be easily duped. There are numerous highly qualified and reputable sources on the internet, but there are also sadly others who take advantage of people with dubious techniques and products. PLEASE use caution and good judgement before contacting anyone by email who is not represented by a reputable website with credentials, and preferably ALWAYS consult with your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional before using treatments or products, especially for a child.

Hi Julie I cant add much to what Carolyn has so accurately explained there, except to emphasize that: Insurances usally do NOT cover mercury filling removal and you do need to VERY CAREFULLY pick the dentist who does this as it is a very specialised procedure, and needs someone who has good experience and technique in performing it. As it is an expensive procedure, there are some who have jumped on the bandwagon who truly do not have the skills to do it! Nomatter how careful the dentist, you will have mercury entering your system when it is done and you do need to take immune boosting supps before and after, as well as to do detoxing All this needs to be carefully planned and co-ordinated with your dentist It would also be a good idea to wait some time before getting pregnant again if you are contemplating this now otherwise, wait until after. Yes, mercury fillings can leech into the system, and it is very possible that my youngest son's high mercury testing could have been from my fillings My oldest son tho did NOT have elevated mercury ( there is a 3 year age gap between them) so we are also left to wonder if my youngest got more of the mercury from vaccines?? or if more leeched from me during the pregnancy/nursing with him than the first???.........

thanks Kim I will need to spend some time on this to fully understand.... I really appreciate your posting these real busy with work at present but am going to go over it all tomorrow thanks again!

Hi Ryan and a big welcome to you how very special that you care so deeply as to want to understand and help your boyfrined this way re the genetic factor in TS here is some info from an excellent website on TS...Tourette Syndrome Plus that website http://www.tourettesyndrome.net is one of the most comprehensive on TS, tho somewhat lacking in up to date info on alternative methods...which we have here on Latitudes/ACN at http://www.latitudes.org There is an excellent article on Tic Triggers here too http://www.latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm I am so glad that you have Sheila's book as it is by far the most comprehensive work to date on alternative treatments for tics and tourette's and soooo needed, as sadly the side effects that come with the medications frequently make them intolerable all the best to you and your boyfriend, and do keep reading through the threads here and asking questions as you go along....we are here to offer support and to share our experience and knowledge wherever possible

I agree with Kim, Giselle! If he has the voice for the part, not giving it to him because he "might" tic is actually discrimination against someone with a disability (which TS is now officially classified as by the dept of education) i realise it is a private school.........but discrimination is just that....nomatter how sweetly it is cloaked my son has done public speaking, debating and had parts in plays etc if anyone had tried to deny him the things he is capable of "because he has TS" I can assure you my mommy lioness side would have come out big time I do hope she reconsiders and does the right thing and yes.....Kim is so right about the irony of it being a Christmas play and him being left out for not being "perfect"

Deanna it may be that he is tensing it when he sticks it out and so causing a tension pain.........if you try sticking yours out and stiffen it...you will feel that tinge of pain...so if he is doing it continuously, this may be causing the pain

Hi I cant answer re the antibodies as that really is a bit alarming and needs qualified medical knowledge to fully interpret............clearly something in his immune system is not right tho, and yes, any form of microbial infection, including candida can totally unbalance the immune system re the l-tyrosine........yes, that is one of the amino acids that are contraindicated in tourette syndrome sorry I cant be of more help but this is way out of the realm of my knowledge and experience hope you get answers and an effective treatment

Hi efgh the most frequent cause of green stools is lotsa green food and as ortho has said, bile can green the stool I honestly havent ever heard of zinc causing green stools, tho I do know that iron can as long as there is no diarrhea or stomach discomfort it is likely just related to bile, or something he ate that had either green or purple in it, and shouldnt be cause for alarm........however if it continues past a few days, it may be a good idea just to check with the doc re excessive bile maybe??

provided you are getting the RDA of the minerals and supplementing the extra needed either because of deficiencies or health then food is always the best source of any nutrient

Hi patty we eat only organic and have for some years now It is a lifestyle choice for us as we totally avoid pesticides and chemicals wherever possible not only do I think it helps with general health, but the organic stuff just tastes better IMHO

Hi Julie the fundamental basis for TS is that it seems to be a malfunction of the dopaminergic system You therefore want to avoid anything that increases dopamine Many people with TS seem to be deficient in serotonin, and so boosting serotonin is sometimes helpful. This is especially so for those who have co-morbid OCD, depression etc However, it is really a good idea to try to get a neurotransmittor test done to establish you baseline levels and then supplement accordingly Here is a recent thread here based on an article on The Chemistry of Tourette Syndrome HTH

CP yes, I agree to avoid pesticide chemicals under ALL circumstances (home, yard, pets etc) there are many natural ways to control fleas and pests and some health stores even sell ready made products (we used to use penny royal as a rub, but there are now health warnings about it being toxic to the pets liver if they injest it, and so i make a cinnamon oil spray instead....fleas hate it as do ants, roaches etc)

the strep in kefir is the healthy strain Julie

Hi jacobsmom By it's very name PANDAS is an autoimmune illness.........an autoimmune response to streptococcus PANDAS stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated With Streptococcal Infection I dont know about the protocol in PANDAS treatment, but I do know that with all other autoimmune illnesses one tried to calm the immune system, not boost it. I dont like the way the std medications for most autoimmune illnesses focus on totally suppressing the immune system as I just know instinctively that is wrong.........and so many people who are treated with the corticosteroids etc for autoimmunity end up getting other illnesses because of the immuno-suppression Instead, I feel one should just try not to provide foods or supplements that are potent immuno-boosters, while still recognising that the immune system IS the bodies first line of defense My advice to you would be to do some research re the specific type of automimmunity issues associated with PANDAS and then look into the supps that way My son still gets his daily multivitamin/mineral (in liquid form for easier absorption) plus his probiotic and enzymes, along with most of the supps we found beneficial for his tics (magnesium/calcium/zinc/taurine/inositol/extraVit B6/flaxseed oil) and, when needed, 5HTP for his OCD (hardly ever a problem anymore) Essentially the only supps we have discontinued are the omega 6&9 essential fatty acids (omega 3 reduces inflammation while the 6&9 promote it) as well as the super potent immuno boosters like grapeseed extract/pycnogenol, bilberry, and the extra vit E,C, beta carotene etc I must emphatically stress that immune boosters are GOOD for people with TS/tics and that the ONLY reason we have discontinued them is because of my son having autoimmune issues with the Crohn's so, jacobsmom, looking at what your son is getting.............. firstly, I need to stress that I really dont know enough about the underlying biochemistry of people with PANDAS to comment other than from my personal opinion here. I dont know what is in your vitamin shake, but is it is just the RDA of vitamins and minerals that should be fine Although some of the vitamins (especially C & E) are immune supportive, still you should not totally stop them because their other functions are too important The L-glutamine is such a good supp, but, yes, it is known to support the sells of the immune system and so perhaps that one should be discontinued until your son is in remission (but do first discuss this with your doctor) The probiotics are essential always and especially so when a person is or has been on antibitoics The EFAs are also good for overall health and, provided that inflammation isnt a problem, 3,6&9 in a good balance with the 3 predominating is fine...if there is inflammation, only Omega 3 should be supplemented As to amino acids per se, there one does have to be careful. With tic disorders, including TS, some amino acids stimulate dopamine and that increases tics. We were advised years ago not to give my son a general amino acid supp, but only the ones specifically required for tic reduction(eg taurine) and even then, with caution as some people react to amino acids differently than others (eg L-carnitine helps many with tics, my son gets edgy and disorientated from it) I honestly dont know which amino acids are contraindicated in PANDAS sorry I cant be more helpful than this, but, never having personally dealt with PANDAS, my knowledge is scanty there, and the whole research into autoimmunity is still fairly new to me as my son was only dx with Crohn's this past summer ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BTW for anyone interested, to treat the Crohn's Disease, my son takes, in addition to careful diet, boswellin/curcumin(turmeric), ginger, garlic and white willow bark as anti-inflammatory supplements as well as slippery elm, L-Glutamine & Marshmallow root which are excellent for the mucosal lining of the gut, and DGL Licorice root which promotes healing of inflamed and ulcerated tissue, and he also has cramp bark on hand in case of spasms, plus chamomille supps for generally calming the system and monolaurin to keep microbes under control. Extra Vit D has also been added Although L-glutamine helps the cells of the immune system, yet its function in digestive healing far outweighs this and our physicians agree that it is important for my son to take it

just got this abstract in my JournalWatch newsletter The same Newsletter also has a section on the newly released warnings about TamiFlu and children, and the high incidence of "bizzarre" and self injurious behaviour being noticed in kids who take TamiFlu

ok, I am kinda rushed so just skimmed thru your post Claire.... Sunshine mentioned reading that "zinc impairs calcium absorption", but from what I am gathering from your info it is HIGH LEVELS of Calcium that impairs zinc absorption IN ANIMALS, but that there is no evidence as to whether this would be the case in humans???

hi Kim thanks for a good article yes, we have removed all extra supplemental forms of omega 6 & 9 from my son's regimin now, so that we only supplement omega 3 in the form of flaxseed. He still obviously gets some of the 6 &9 from flax and from his foods, but we do our best to keep it low and Omega 3 sources high such a pity because a good balance of the omega 3, 6 & 9 is so important for general health but....right now the diet and supp plan is keeping the crohn's symptoms down and that is our primary focus at this stage

Hi Sunshine the calcium/magnesium/zinc combos are the way most people take these supps I am not aware of info stating that zinc depletes calcium, unless of course the ratio of zinc to calcium is too high, in which case their would be a mineral imbalance could you post the cource of your info so we can check it out?

Hi brie Two reasons come to mind as to why there would be prescription EFAs 1. Insurance companies pay for prescriptions but not for over the counter supps 2. Many people seem to trust prescriptions above OTC.

mrsD has started her EFA thread on the Vitamin etc Forum at NeuroTalk http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=6092

thanks for posting those, Art another excellent source for information on supplements, conditions, foods, interactions etc is iHerb's Health Encyclopedia

Hi Mike the candida fungus lives naturally in the moist parts of our bodies. When it overgrows it becomes a problem (it is called thrush when it occus orally or genitally) And yes, the medical profession is sadly ignorant as a whole about Candida and the havoc it can cause with our health Our physician is not a fan of Nystatin...not because it doesnt necessarily work, but because it is a pharmaceutical, and we tend to always prefer the more natural treatments Also, as Carolyn mentioned, the high sugar content of the oral suspension is disturbing when one is treating a fungus that thrives on sugar Still I know many people (including some of our members here) have had success using Nystatin Do be aware that, as with most pharmaceutical chemicals, it can cause side effects ....mainly nausea, upset stomach If, after completing your course of nystatin, you still dont feel improved, I would really suggest looking in to other ways Threelac has a lot of popularity because it seems to be very fast acting and I have mentioned Candida Clear by NOW, which contains a really superb mix of yeast busters, including magnesium caprylate, Pau D' Arco, Black Walnut, Oregano oil, Uno de Gato, Wormwood, Garlic, Olive leaf etc Also, some people have reported success using the candida remedy from NativeRemedies.com

Claire places like White Egret farm, which is one of the poultry suppliers listed in the book, allow consumers to come to the farm to buy direct, and see for themselves how wholesome the conditions are under which the animals are farmed I think that buying food in supermarkets that is touted as "natural" or "free range" or even "organic" is very different than ordering direct from some of these suppliers Also, many of the suppliers recommended in the Maker's Diet are smaller farms and companies and therefore hopefully are genuine in their claims to be desirous to supply truly wholesome food