Chemar

Hello Debbie and welcome to Latitudes/ACN I am so sorry to hear of the dramatic onset of your child's tics I cant post very long right now but I want to highly recommend that you start researching PANDAS - Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. and PITANDS-Pediatric Infection-Triggered Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders there are a number of threads here on the forum about this Some children, when exposed to streptococcal and other bacterial, viral or other microbial infection, can react with a characteristic sudden onset of tics, OCD or other problems This does not just refer to strep throat, although that is always a good point to start checking There is a special blood test done for PANDAS...again the info is in other threads here I will be back later but hope that others who have PANDAS/PITANDS info can offer you more advice Cheri

hi Patty Flower ESSENCE and Flower REMEDY are different things. In her post, Cum Passus had asked about homeopathic Flower REMEDY (although I do see the word essence in the title, so can understand the confusion) Cum Passus, you are referring to a homeopathic flower remedy right? as opposed to an aromatherapy type essence or liquid tincture

as far as i know, flower remedies ARE considered homeopathic

Hi the principle in classic homeopathy would say that miniscule amounts of the substance that causes the problem are required to strengthen the system as i am not a homeopath, I honestly dont know if the flower remedy will be ok for your child, but if the homepath treating him says ok then it should be ok just do remember that with homeopathy, things often get worse before they get better, which is part of the healing process in homeopathy

Claire my son cant go anywhere near xylitol....upsets his system big time for some reason!

Lisa I have corrected the link this should now get you there http://www.orahealth.com

Lisa http://www.orahealth.com is the company that makes them

Hi I see so many posters joining here and I look forward to seeing this forum become a lot more interactive I would like to point you all to some useful websites for OCD and also for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is so very helpful for OCD Please feel free to add any that you may feel will be helpful here Natural OCD Treatment Options Obsessive Compulsive Foundation Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Info at NIMH Dr Grohol's OCD Screening Quiz at PsychCentral National Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Latitudes Articles & Info on OCD OCD info at PsychCentral Support Forums at PsychCentral NeuroTalk hope that is helpful info all the best Chemar

there is a ton of really useful info and knowledgable people at the Gluten Board on Neurotalk http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13

Hi Patty stress, whether internal tension or external pressure or whatever.....stress is probably the biggest tic trigger. something I do want to try to encourage you and other parents whose children do in fact have TS about.......where we can do an enormous amount to help to reduce their tics and improve things for them....people who have Tourette Syndrome tic. That is a fact. And the tics come and go and change in the characteristic waxing and waning that defines TS motor and vocal tics. Now, that doesnt mean that we stop trying to identify triggers and doing what we can to avoid them and to optimize our children's health and diet and environment etcetc..........but for me it means I dont get mega stressed out myself when a tic appears and I cant pinpoint a finite trigger. Things clearly happen internally for people with TS and their are underlying bichemical issues at play and we dont understand nearly enough about it to always be able to identify the trigger My advice is to keep pursuing what works, get that diet cleared out of artificial junk because that most definitely IS a tic trigger and help your son focus on things that make him happy and relaxed. If he has TS, yes, there will be times when he tics and yes, the tics will come and go. And yes, your hard work in optimizing things will help them go quicker and also hopefully keep them mild and non-debilitating But you are not necessarily always going to find the answer to what is causing each tic........and it will stress you out big time sometimes to be frustrated in trying. At those times just step back and look at things in a different perspective. Often it is that release that helps us to see clearly and we get our answers. Sometimes the trigger remains that elusive internal mechanism. Sometimes in our obsession to find triggers for each tic, we unwittingly become the source of stress for our children. They dont want to feel that they are continuously under a microscope. They just want to be themselves, tics or no tics. It is a lesson I learned the hard way. Do what I can to make things better, but dont fret when I cant. Because that had a more negative effect on my son than the tics! I stress again, I am not suggesting that you stop the search for triggers and the good work of improving things.....just that, if you are parenting a child with true Tourette Syndrome, there is also going to have to be a level of acceptance that people with TS tic.

Patty our acupuncture therapist varies the needle placement according to the kind of tics........he also always does simultaneous reflexology. I would think the reasoning is that as the tics vary, so the meridiens that need to be worked varies

Deanna I think Giselle has info on neurotransmitter tests for serotonin Amy have you tried letting him drink water/juice etc liquid through a straw while swallowing the pills? many people find that helps them to get them in

Deanna that much taurine could well have thrown things out of whack I must say I wouldnt just have stopped it total like that but would rather have continued with the regular dose are you doing any other supplements? or just the mag/cal/zinc/taurine? I strongly believe that the combination of all the needed supps is what helps them to work optimally, and that issues like candida & other parasites, metals,pyroluria, allergies etc etc can damp down the benefits and yes, a trip to a different climate/food etc and just the excitement of the trip alone could elevate tics as Daniel says....all the supps arent going to benefit fully if diet and underlying issues arent addressed too

Hi firm believer, and thank you so much for giving your update on your daughter's progress! I know this will be a tremendous encouragement to others out there who are seeking answers, and also to those who face criticism from physicians, family and friends when they venture into alternative areas. Good for you that you studied, persevered and prevailed in the fact of opposition! I am so glad that your husband has also seen the results and can now work with you to make things better for your daughter! thanks again for your encouraging post! all the best Cheri

Hi Michael and welcome I can understand your feelings, and I know our other members do too We do also have other parents here who have TS themselves and are now working to help their children so you are not alone in that aspect either. My husband and youngest son have genetically inherited Tourette Syndrome Although there are additional challenges when dealing with inherited TS as opposed to acquired tic disorders, yet there are also many many things that you can do to help to improve your daughter's prospects in living with the tics and other issues that TS brings I can offer you much encouragement! Even tho my son's TS manifest very dramatically and severely around his 10th birthday (likely had tics earlier, we just didnt realise it and my husband didnt realise he had TS till our son was diagnosed).........anyway, my son is now nearly 17 and TS is no longer the debilitating disorder it once was for him We did try meds for a year, but that was a big mistake as my son had very severe side effects from them thankfully, my online research led me to find hope and help in the form of alternative treatments and that is primarily why I am here, to offer encouragement to others. I have documented our treatment protocol here http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=687 and I recently did an update on it at NeuroTalk http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1144 and there are also many other threads here on the forum of what other members have found helpful I would also recommend that you also spend time reading the excellent articles on TS on the main Latitudes/ACN website here http://www.latitudes.org and I cannot speak highly enough about the excellent book written by our administrator, Sheila Rogers, on Tic & Tourettes:Breakthrough Discoveries on Natural Treatments, in which she carefully documents available treatments and logs personal stories of what people have found beneficial http://www.latitudes.org/book.html Michael, from the words in your post I get the feeling that maybe having TS has not been an easy road for you My husband had a really hard time as a child, being ridiculed and punished for his "bad habits" which he now understands were tics and OCD However, the wealth of information and knowledge about TS and what can help is so much greater now and so I do want to encourage you again not to feel too despondent at the realisation that your daughter has likely inherited the TS gene Here are some good website links to also help you gain general info on TS Tourette Syndrome Plus Life's A Twitch and The Tourette Syndrome Association also, I would like to point you to something written by a friend of mine, that really gives a good perspective parenting a child with Tourette Syndrome. Although we can and should do whatever we can to improve their quality of life and introduce treatments and adaptations that can aid in helping their tics not debilitate them or "take over" their lives, yet, understanding that, for people with TS, It's OK To Tic, also brings with it a whole new way of looking at things Here is my friend Lara's post http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1486 I hope you will start reading around our forum here, Michael, and also ask questions every time you find anything you need more info on Plus, always know, that we are here for you. It is so important to have a support group that understands and where you can learn, share, vent or just get a (((Hug))) when you are feeling low again.........welcome!

Hi sure sounds like a great idea but I havent yet heard of such a site A friend of mine keeps her own medical calendar in one of those day planners that has 2 pages per day and she has just changed the titles of the various columns to suit her illness

hi Julie i am not sure which thread you are referring to, but my son has been given Solgar brand Gentle Iron for his anaemia and it is the most effective, least digestively disruptive available we have tried others, even others called gentle iron, but none is as good as the Solgar.

yes, daniel I have had to stop all Omega 6 and Omega 9 supplements for my son and only give Omega 3 6 and 9 are very important to health and under normal circumstances, very important to the natural inflammatory response. But in people with autoimmune disease, which is what Crohn's is, one wants to reduce inflammation and Omega 3 does that while Omega 6 promotes it, via the prostaglandin system So for people with autoimmunity, supplementing with omega 3 is best while the 6 is best avoided obviously my son gets some 6 and 9 in from the flaxseed as well as his food, but it is the additional Omega 6 that we have to avoid. I am sorry about that, as the borage was really beneficial for his ADD, but we have to walk this fine line now where keeping the Crohn's at bay is more important than anything else

Hi Carolyn before we realised my son had fishoil sensitivity re increased tics, we used the NATROL brand combo of omega3/6/9 which has fishoil/flaxseed oil/borage oil/evening primrose oil after we stopped all fishoil we started using the ProHealth brand of flaxseed/borage Borage has also been touted as excellent for memory/alertness/concentrative issues and is very good for people with ADD ps now that we have to control inflammatory issues re my son's Crohn's disease we give a high potency flaxseed oil only as omega 3 reduces inflammation most effectively

Hi here are some useful websites to help you learn more about OCD and especially Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which is the most effective treatment for it http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1395 it can be very hard both for you and your partner, and so I urge you to encourage him to seek help. My personal opinion (based on our son's experience and reports from others) is that the prescription meds (usually SSRIs=antidepressants) are not always the best choice of treatment as they dont always bring much help and do tend to bring a heap of side effects There are a number of effective over the counter supplements that can help OCD but I do recommend that they be used under doctor supervision and not together They are in order of least possible side effects: Inositol, samE/methionine and 5HTP you can read up on them by clicking on this link to iHerb.com Health Encyclopedia hope that helps a bit...

Dan i really know so little about ODD that I dont feel qualified to comment other than to say I do feel for you and your son and familyu thru this. Sudden waxings of anything are so alarming, I know I will try to find out about possible VitD effect for you, tho that would surprise me, yet, knowing how fine tuned our kids with neuro issues are, even something that innocuous could be to blame also re the allergies, that could be a major factor! Have you checked out the allergy help remedies at http://www.nativeremedies.com I have heard from many people who are extremely pleased with these traditional herbal remedies

Evie I dont know about Diflucan for candida, but my MIL was given it for a fungal throat infection she got in hospital and it caused a nasty bunch of side effects for her!

Hi Claire yes, the crohn's dx only came this past summer after a while of digestive distress and misdiagnosis. A colonoscopy finally revealed the Crohn's altho the docs again wanted meds (the side effects of which made me absolutely infuriated...I mean, you wont have inflammation but you may get lymphoma! ) primarily corticosteroids are used and as we all know, tics and steroids are a bad mix, never mind all the other side effects too. As with TS, stress causes major flare ups as does poor diet, which thankfully we dont have anyway, my research took me into an excellent plan which we have him on and it is keeping the inflammation and the pain at bay! the biggest challenge now is the anaemia, frequently associated with Crohn's........even the Gentle Iron seems to much for him to tolerate so we give one every other day instead of twice daily and are trying to just boost his diet with iron rich foods. We are using Boswellin/curcumin(turmeric) as an anti-inflammatory with Slippery Elm, L-glutamine and DGL liquorice as healing agents for the ulceration. That along with a bunch of other supps that promote healing and reduce inflammation. Of course, with Crohn's being an auto-immune disease, he cant take immune boosting supps anymore. We are also following the excellent dietary guidelines in The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin, and our acupuncture therapist has added FSM to the biofeedback program he uses with Aaron, which is remarkable ( http://www.frequencyspecific.com/ ) We also see a chiro who, in addition to the NUCCA therapy, does very special manipulation to calm and heal the smooth muscle of his digestive system So far, the docs are very pleased with the results, and his blood tests show the inflammation is way down As there is no "cure" for Crohn's, remission is the aim as i mentioned on that other thread, the vaccines he had for middle school and international travel may well have contributed to this as it all started not long after that, tho we were led thru a drawn out maze of parasites, mono, appendicits, and peptic ulcers before the definitive dx I have also been told by the specialist who did the colonoscopy that the adverse effects my son suffered during that year on meds for the TS/OCD may well have played a role in precipitating this too oh well, forgive my rambling but again I say all this to reinforce my postition that the side effects from meds and vaccines can have far reaching and longterm impact on health in ways we may not even be aware of!

Hi Julie Nystatin is commonly prescribed for yeast although there are others too As with all prescription meds , there are potential allergic responses, digestive distress/pain etc reported for nystatin personally, i would always try a natural alternative first before using a pharmaceutical compound Doctors prescribe pharmaceuticals because that is how they operate. Most of them are not even aware of the excellent natural products that freqently do a far better job and usually without the side effects NOW brand "Candida Clear" is our choice, and THREELAC is also highly effective. Simultaneous use of MonoLaurin(lauric acid from coconuts) is even more beneficial

thanks Kim....i edited!