Chemar

Claire, I have given some of my thoughts on vaccines and my son's health on the Flu Shots thread http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=1903 as I said there..........if I knew then what I know now...........

hi Kim no his MMR "booster" was a few years before..........but likely contributed to the explosion of his TS/OCD symptoms just before his 10th birthday

Julie we have some med experience but clonidine was not one of them however, if I recall correctly, carolyn did have clonidine when she was younger and feels pretty negative about it.........hopefully she will check in to give her personal opinion soon

Carolyn I think if one can safely get it from a source that is reputable and clearly organic etc then it is better Honestly, the best food is the food that is least tampered with by modern tech stuff however, we also do have to just ensure that the "whole" food we are consuming isnt filled with whole natural yuck either

hi Julie my son cannot tolerate B complex either, tho he does ok with his multivit having them all in, and also has a few added separately (B6, B5, Inositol, and B1) Other Bs given even separately are no-nos as he reacts to them too I think maybe the over-under-methylation issue could have a lot to do with how people tolerate their Bs but this isnt an area I know much about. Claire has a lot of info on that I believe

hi Julie yes, Jordan Rubin explains in The Maker's Diet just why pork is unhealthy ...in fact if one looks at all the Old Testament "unclean" foods....they are usually carrion feeders ie scavengers and basically not healthy for human consumption! Their function is to get rid of rotting flesh. Apart from the fact that pigs do eat carrion and swill and enjoy rotten stuff, pigs excrete a lot of their toxins INTO their flesh and skin and so when one is eating pork, one is eating IMHO toxic flesh I have nothing against pigs.........except having them as food! strong opinion I know, but that is how I feel about it and by now everyone knows I am honest in my opinions, even if they are unpopular

Hi we only use organic milk but not raw milk I know raw milk is healthy IF one knows what the cows are being fed, their health, living conditions etc.........but, because those factors are unknown in most cases, I would be somewhat cautious about it..it is the same reason I shy away from animal organs in supplements........this is my persoanl opinion and I realise that others may disagree.

THAT is in fact one of my biggest concerns about them!! The mercury etc issues are bad enough, but when you start messing with the immune system................ Since having to start researching a whole new area of autoimmunity with my son's recent dx of Crohn's disease, I have come to realise how many people with compromised neurological systems also seem to suffer from the autoimmune diseases Lupus and Crohn's are at alarming levels amongst young people, and just look at all the MS, MG, etcetcetcetc Altho research is still ongoing, certainly with Crohn's there is a belief that "something" triggers the autoimmunity, and as I mentioned before, my son started having digestive woes shortly after having all the "middle school mandatory" shots of Heb B, tetanus booster. It was also the time when he went on that youth missions trip to Nicaragua, and had to have travel vaccines for that hindsight eh! But I sure know the kind of grandma I will be on this issue!!

my personal feelings about the animal parts in supps is twofold one, we dont eat any pork for health reasons two, we eat limited beef, and then always organically fed, non hormone/antibiotic treated etc In those supps, I have no idea where the animal parts come from and what condition the animal was in the whole concept of animal organs as a supplement is just personally distasteful to me as we have never used those kinds of supplements, i have no idea of their impact on tics

hmmmmmmmmmm just read this article on a study to be published this week in J.A.M.A>............ grrrrrrrrrrrrrr to the bottom line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061024/ap_on_..._vaccine_safety

Hi Claire as I have mentioned before my son says that acupuncture is by far the most helpful treatment for his tics Our therapist also performs reflexology, resonance biofeedback (NOT neurofeedback)detox cupping and massage simultaneously Chiropracty is also an essential part of our son's treatment therapy Although we have much respect for homeopathy and also traditional Chinese medicine, neither were a good fit for my son with respect to the TS BTW Claire, I noticed you said "neurotherapy" in your negatives....I am assuming you mean neurofeedback? Neurotherapy is a much broader term and even here at Latitudes, it is commended, hence the name Association for Comprehensive NEUROTHERAPY I just wanted to mention that as I would hate for folks to be confused. Neurotherapy basically refers to all forms of treatments for neurological issues whereas neuroFEEDBACK is the specific treatment whereby electrodes are placed on the scalp and brainwaves measured to attempt to produce more alpha etc rythms by a reward method etc etc etc etc I also am no fan of neurofeedback!

Hi Evie magnesium oxide is very poorly absorbed in the GIT and so most of what we take in in that form passes out!

Amy we use the combos by NOW or by Jarrow (both available thru http://www.iherb.com) additional zinc is really dependent on whether there is a zinc deficiency....my son needs more zinc and so we use the one that has zinc and extra vitD too

Hi Daniel i had to edit your post and leave just the link because it is copyrighted material and also the way you had the tables posted was causing page scrolling. All the info is there in that link you gave tho....thanks for posting it! MrsD has also just started an excellent informative zinc thread on the NeuroTalk vitamins/supplements board here is the link http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=4410

Carolyn mrsD just posted an excellent zinc info thread at NeuroTalk and one of the things she mentioned caught my eye re your bumps http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=4410 have you tried zinc oxide (aka diaper rash) ointment for the "acne"? I like the Aveeno one as it also has colloidal oatmeal in it Whether what you have is acne or allergy/detox bumps, perghaps the zinc oxide cream can help

Carolyn I once had a tooth abcess that i wasnt even aware of, but I broke out in acne type bumps (no white head) on my face....itchy till scratched and then painful Once the infection was healed, the bumps left i have also had similar bumps (tho a bit smaller and a lot more itchy) from a face cream that didnt agree with me when I was going thru my first ever candida detox, I also got a skin breakout on my face

Hi Melanie and welcome so sorry to hear of this difficult time for you. nearly all of us here have been thru this roller coaster of emotions and so you are in the company of many who understand I cant post long right now but I do want to caution you to hold off with the strattera until you have read up more on its potential side effects, especially its reaction in kids with tics! yes, there are many things you can do to improve things for your child and this site as well as this forum are filled with good info i am sure our other members will begin posting useful info for you and I will be back on tomorrow to add some more for now, please dont be afraid...I am the mother of a nearly 17yo who has overcome tremendous challenges since he was dx with Tourettes at age 10 and I can encourage you that there is much reason for hope.

Hi yes, it seems clear to me that there is genetic TS however, that doesnt mean that you cant help things improve for him personally, I am anti animal organ supplements and so I would not go near the bovine porcine stuff as supplemental!! also, there is quite a lot of info here re fish oil intensifying tics for many people with TS ditto to B complex...many find it better to supp individual B's rather than to take it as one complex Has this Integrative MD ever treated anyone with TS/tics before? also, have you tried using the essential supplements like mag/cal/zinc etc without them being Bonnie's supps? I have the greatest respect for her and I know her products have helped so many, but there are some people who do react to them, as your son seems to have. I also believe it is of value to gradually build a supplement regimin by introducing them at low dose and individually until the optimum is reached also so important to determine baseline levels because the last thing one wants to do is give extra of what there is already too much of and vv dont give up! and most importantly, just keep loving your precious child and try not to become obsessed about the tics (yes, I know those loud vocal ones are oh so hard to not notice!!) but you know the more you focus on it the more he will do it...that is just a given! Have you ever read my friend Lara's comments on tics........it really does help one to get a good perspective on things http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1486 we are here for you...........

That is one of the reasons that I urge people to work with a knowledgable physician to get guidance on all these things. I know it isnt always easy to find doctors who are clued up about supplements etc, but it is soooo worthwhile as it really does take the guesswork out and can avoid a lot of the trial and error stuff It doesnt have to be an MD (tho my preference is Integrative doctors, those with either and MD or DO who have then gone on to specialise in alternative medicine ie with a PA) A good nutritionist can sometimes help and also some more clued up pharmacists (like mrsD ) can frequently advise on supplement use

Deana with minerals the key is BALANCE! that way they do not antagonise but instead work synergistically

Hi Deana are you balancing the magnesium with calcium? that is VERY important It should be 2:1 so if you are giving 100mg magnesium you need to give 200 mg calcium

Hi and welcome honestly, altho SSRI meds (antidepressants) are prescribed for OCD, many people find the side effects verybothersome there are natural supplements that can help OCD by naturally boosting serotonin levels. Inositol (a B vitamin) is a very safe and effective way to help Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is by far the most beneficial non medical therapy for OCD here are some useful websites about OCD and CBT 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

much needed continuous discussion Kim and MrsD! so please dont think you are being doomsayers....quite the opposite, you are being TRUTH sayers! I often wonder if the HepB vaccine mandated for Florida middle schools could in some way have contributed to my son's Chrohn's Disease as it was just after he had that final shot that his digestive woes began and although we have a clear genetic history for the TS on my husband's side, yet I will always be left to wonder just what the childhood vaccines may have contributed to the manifestation in my son My oldest is in his jnr year at college and we declined the meningitis vaccine, and, knowing what we now do about the risk factors, would be opposed to any vaccinations, period. hindsight is sometimes oh so painful, but at least by speaking out, we can hopefully spare even one child from the fallout of this flawed system that needs to be seriously revised.

bumping up for Cum Passus

Dear Cum Passus I am so glad that you have found us here as I can offer you hope and encouragement Reading your story could mirror our own.......but I have good news in a truly positive outcome for my son! He is now almost 17, and, although yes, he still has Tourette Syndrome, yet, seven years ago I was in despair and today I rejoice!! He has not only overcome, with much prayer and a healthy diet, supplements etc, the severity of the TS, but has developed into a compassionate and mature young man who openly acknowledges that the hard road he has travelled with this disorder has actually made him a better, not bitter person. We too realised that both dad and grandpa had TS after my son's dx, and yes, like your husband, mine finally had understanding of the "bad habits" for which he was ridiculed and punished as a child My son's TS had such a tramatic onset just before his 10th birthday that we had him tested at a leading research university hospital here in Florida, for possible PANDAS, but the results were negative Much to my sorrow, we did try medications for a year, but honestly, not only did they not make things better, they actually made things worse as my son exhibited just about every side effect imaginable, and also experienced drug induced psychosis I remember clearly the day when I collapsed on my knees by my bed and cried out to the Lord to please help me to help my son and by an extrordinary sequence of events, I found out about Bonnie Grimaldi's supplement treatment success with her own child, and we began, with our docotr's help, to withdraw the meds and start the alternative treatments! The improvement was so dramatic that to me it is nothing short of miraculous A while later, a friend gave me a copy of Latitudes magazine and I also then came to this website and learned so much more about optimizing my son's health and so helping his TS go from so severe and debilitating to now so very mild. So do be encouraged! Mine is not the only success story here.........we have many members who, by many methods, have seen dramatic improvement for their children. Be sure to ask specific questions here and also tell us what you have tried so far, so that others can give their imput based on their experience I am going to bump up a thread from 2004 in which I document the treatments that helped my son and I also have an updated version of it at NeuroTalk http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=1144 I sure do understand how you are feeling Cum Passus, but I also know that you finding this forum is not just by chance....do you see that light at the end of the tunnel? God Bless you from a mom who sure can share your name!