Chemar

that is wonderful news Carolyn

Hi Carolyn it all depends on the quality of the water of the farm where the fish were raised. As long as it is pure, without industrial run off and other pollutants, then the mercury content of the fish should be null to negligible Perhaps the Nebraska farm has reports of their water quality that they can provide you with. I believe that farm fisheries need to regularly monitor the water and the fish themselves for pollutants

Deanna only your homeopath can answer this as different remdies take different lengths of time to work with the supplement program, it is more finite and one usually expects to see results within 2-3 weeks or sooner with homeopathy it can take a lot longer because it works on a totally different principle of healing than supplemting nutritional deficiencies and eliminating irritants to the system

Hi Anthony and welcome as we didnt have to deal with pyroluria, I would normally refer you to an excellent thread by FJ* on BrainTalk where all these questions are clearly answered, but unfortunately BT had a major system crash last month and is not yet back online.......... hopefully someone else who has the info will be along soon to help

hi Deanna yes, things can sometimes get worse before they start to get better with any kind of treatment when you refer to drops..........are these homeopathic remedies?? If so, it may be indicative of a wrong constitutional remedy OR it could be that the remedy is "bringing out" the tics in order to begin the healing process.......... either way, you should notify the homeopath. Homeopathy works in a very distinctive way and is unique. Not all naturopaths are homeopaths........so it is real important to distinguish whether this is naturopathy or homeopathy

Hi CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) is very helpful for OCD

5HTP also elevates serotonin like the antidepressant meds do, except it does so in a more natural way. However combining them will cause a serotonin spike which is VERY VERY DANGEROUS it is best to start with 50mg 5HTP a day and then work up to 100mg if needed. Best taken in the evening. PLEASE do heed the warning tho not to take it with meds!

Dear mom welcome to Latitudes. The side effects you describe from the medications are similar to what my son also experienced when on prescription drugs for his Tourette Syndrome and OCD so it is good that your child is no longer on the drugs however there are natural supplements that can help both with tics and with the OCD for my son,the OCD was always the issue that bnothered him more than the tics! Inositol - 500mg/each morning and 5HTP -50mg each evening before bed- are 2 supplements that helped my son. They should NOT be taken with SSRI medications as they boost serotonin levels, but do it naturally, so without those awful side effects. I would like to invite you to come over to the Tourette/tics forum where there is a wealth of information and success stories about natural ways to treat tics and OCD etc there you will also find important info on things that can make tics and OCD worse, like artificial food colouring, candida yeast infection, PANDAS (related to strep infections) etc etc here is a thread that I have re what helped my son go from very severe OCD and TS to a very very mild condition which is barely noticeable http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=687 here is the direct link to the TS forum here at Latitudes http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showforum=1 look forward to seeing you there

Hi Giselle I looooooooooooooooooove London. Lived there for many years Here is an organic food directory that can maybe help you... http://www.infolondon.ukf.net/organic/ we used to also buy a LOT of our whole food stuff from Neals Yard in Covent Garden ( I studied/worked at Kings College London on the Strand, WC2) They may have branches in other parts now. If you are on the King's Road in Chelsea and see a charming side street called Glebe Place, say "Hi" from me....that is where I lived for some time! oh you are making me so nostalgic! London is quite one of my favourite places in all the world Anyway, although I am sure the airports are no fun at present with all the extra security...yet I hope it all goes smoothly for you and that you have a wonderful visit.

hi Shelli I just wanted to welcome you to the Forum and hope that someone with more knowledge re aspergers/autism will be along soon to chat with you

hi and welcome the Tourette/tics forum has a lot of info on this generally, depression is marked by low serotonin levels. 5HTP is one of the most used supplements to boost serotonin. PLEASE NOTE tho that it should NEVER be taken with antidepressant prescription medications! other supplements found helpful are Inositol and St John's Wort, and some people find Phenylalanine very good for depression too HTH

interesting about the amount of cal:mag being equal in BonTech supps as I believe it was Bonnie who years ago on BrainTalk posted about the necessity to have the 2:1 ratio!!!!

Hi Irena yes, the yeast die off can spark an increase in tics. Good to drink lots of pure water and up the immune boosting antioxidants at this time. Also, Epsom Salts tubs are helpful with detox Candida Clear is best used until the candida is under control ( spit test is a good indicator) The substance we use for one week each month is CAPRYLATE (caprylic acid, which is a magnesium compound that creates an unfavourable environment for yeast to grow in the gut) I would think that Stas is fine on the adult RDA for Candida Clear

Kim sugar craving is a MAJOR indicator of Candida albicans! similarly the white, furry tongue have you done the morning spit test? http://www.adhdrelief.com/CandidaTest.html If you do decide to introduce a yeast killer I would highly recommend the new Candida Clear by NOW

Hi Eren PANDAS, is an abbreviation for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. research has shown that some kids either develop or have intensified tics, OCD etc after strep infection. This is not just related to strep throat, but also to what is known as stealth strep, where levels of strep in the blood are high, even tho strep throat swabs and symptoms may show negative. The only way to get a PANDAS dx is to have specialised blood tests run which show the levels of antibodies to the strep (Anti-DNAse B and Antistreptolysin titers (ASO)). The throat cultures run also need to be of group A B-hemolytic strep. Ask that the specimen be cultured, not just the rapid test. One of the distinguishing things with PANDAS induced tics and OCD is their sudden appearance.....a dramatic flareup Prophylactic antibiotic treatment is the only way to control PANDAS My son showed many of the symptoms for PANDAS, especially the overnight development of OCD and rapid onset of tics, however his titres were indicative of no strep. He has hereditary Tourette Syndrome and the rapid onset was likely the switch on of the gene when he was 10yo HTH

hi and welcome so glad you are following the natural approaches and seeing results! as you are dealing with genetic TS, it would be likely that there are factors other than just diet that impact tics.........yet, you are certainly doing one of the most important things by eliminating the food additive triggers! My husband also has TS and has less of a dramatic improvement with natural stuff, although it is still remarkable. I do feel that this is likely a cumulative thing...whereby they have a lot more gunk in them from years of bad diet still, it is never too early or too late to start being healthier! I hope you will spend some time reading thru the many informative threads here and also the articles in the main TS section of the website

Hi Kenton and welcome to Latitudes an excellent supplement to help with tooth grinding is vitamin B5, aka Pantothenic acid without a doubt, food additives have proven to be the biggest tic triggers for my son

finally........................ Major Victory for Children with Tourette Syndrome Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to Classify Tourette Syndrome as Other Health Impaired read about it here http://www.tsa-usa.org this is a major breakthrough for people with TS...especially in the realm of accomodations at school/college

you can find info on this research at the TSA website http://www.tsa-usa.org click on research&science in the left menu this research is still in its infancy and so there are not yet any finite genetic TS tests available as far as I am aware

Hi and welcome:) yes, in general the pubertal years are the worst for those with TS my son is now 161/2 and his tics are barely noticeable. However, in addition to him being over the worst of the hormonal years I also attribute the decrease in his tics to the natural treatments that we have followed since he was 11. The one year that he was on medications (age 10-11) was the very worst!! if you spend some time reading here and on the main Latitudes website, you will find much reason to be hopeful:)

bumping up for Jen Padgett

bumping up for Jen Padgett

bumping up for Jen Padgett

Hi Jen As your child is on prescription medications, I would strongly advise that you should attempt to find an Integrative or DAN doctor, or even an osteopath, to guide you re natural/alternative treatments. Because even simple supplements can interact with medications, it really would be wise to have professional guidance on this. Also, as the medications alter so many things in the body, the tests etc that we have used can be "skewed" I would suggest that you can safely start with careful diet control by avoiding all artificial additives, and supplement with a good multivitamin/mineral (no artificial colours,or flavours!!) Then get a physician knowledgable on alternative medicine to guide you re further supplements I am going to bump up a couple of threads here that can help you get info IMHO acupuncture is ALWAYS beneficial!

Hi Deanna my son has no food allergies but did have some sensitivities which have varied with age etc...ie they have changed over time he also registered sensitivities to some foods that he doesnt eat. I understood that these were related to food families, where a sensitivity covers the whole spectrum within that food family, or, interestingly, a sensitivity can occur with one food in the family but not to others