Chemar

Dear Daniel I am just checking in here briefly as I have guests today. I really feel for you. One thing that Claire and I ALWAYS try to stress here is the need to work WITH a qualified physician in these things, obviously, because of our preference for natural treatments, we suggest doctors who are specialised in these areas, and that is also why Sheila has that excellent thread at the top of the forum for finding medical help. It really is very frustrating for you and your child when you are trying things randomly and dont have a clear plan of action, and trying to guess your way thru the maze. so, my advice to you is to stop and regroup. First, if your child does have Tourette Syndrome, as hard as it may be to accept it, your child will tic. The only thing that treatment, whether with prescription meds or supplements or whatever does is to help to reduce the intensity and frequency of the tics. Sometimes TS tics go into remission, either with time or treatment, but people with TS tic and that is a reality that a parent simply has to face. For my son, his tics and OCD were so intense that we simply had to do something, because his quality of life was severely impaired and he was suffering physical injury and psycological trauma from it all. Thanks to our physicians and my research combined, we were also able to find out about the mercury and yeast in his system which, whether or not he ticced, it was necessary to eliminate. The dietary changes were also a general health thing, eating natural food as opposed to all the artifical garbage just makes sense, and the fact that it also helped with the tics and OCD was a bonus. I always saw my son's treatment as a holisitc thing....overall improvement of his health and wellbeing...not just to help his tics and OCD and I always kept the realistic approach that, with the clear genetic link for his TS, I was not trying to "cure" his tics....only to decrease their intensity so that they did not cause him injury and also to help him cope socially. If your child's tics are mild, and not bothering him or your wife, then honestly, perhaps you do just need to relax about it and adopt a wait & see approach. Hopefully it wont get worse, and no further action will be needed. By stressing yourself and them out, you may well be making things worse. I fully understand your desire to make everything "perfect" Daniel....you are a loving father and as parents we hate it if something is "wrong" with our children. But we also have to be realistic and especially when whatever is "wrong" is not life threatening or debilitating or seriously affecting the quality of the child's life....well then we sometimes just have to accept what we cant change and just focus our energy on loving our kids with everything we have in us and doing what we can to improve their lives, without driving them and ourselves nuts! So, honestly Daniel, just try to relax and decide, hopefully with your wife's agreement to find a good integrative doctor who can work with you to improve things for your son's overall health, while accepting that he may have TS and that you will just have to adopt the best attitude that a TS parent can....and that is that it IS OK TO TIC. If the doctor finds that your son's tics are NOT TS but being caused by an underlying problem that is treatable, then the doctor will have the best knowledge on which tests to run, and based on results, which treatments to follow. If you want to private message me so we can talk further and so you can vent, just click the little PM box at the bottom left of my post. I am praying for you and your son and your wife daniel, that you will have clear guidance on how to proceed. God Bless you

Happy Mothers day the link I am posting does have music, but it is the gentle kind http://www.angelrays.com/fla/bouquet.html

Daniel, if you would like to send me a private message with the area that you are in I will try to help you find a good integrative doctor that knows about alternative treatments. We did not use Pfeiffer or a DAN doctor, but rather a team of physicians who are very knowldegable about alternative therapies, nutrition, toxicity etc, yet are also qualified in conventional medicine, and work in conjunction with a group of alternative therapists eg the accupuncture/biofeedback, a homeopath, a NUCCA chiro etc etc That combined with my own research really was what helped my son. As I learned about things online, I was able to consult with these folks and get expert input and guidance. If I had tried to go it alone I would have been a basket case! If I can help you, I will be more than willing to ps Also remember, just because you have a TS diagnosis doesnt mean you cant make things better naturally.........and it also may not be an accurate diagnosis. So take a deep breath and dont lose hope!

interesting research study just posted on BrainTalk's TS forum http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showth...ead.php?t=80400

first thing that came to mind apart from the fluorescent light s was when you said soccer.......could the soccer field have been recently treated with pesticides or chemical fertilizers etc???

Aha, yes you are right Kim...the DTP is diptheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) which was given together, and the polio vaccine was given separately. see how rusty my memory has become with having kids who are now 18 & 15 yo

Hi efgh cant help you on brands here......that really would be something your doctor should have info on. what I am puzzled by is......when my son had these vaccines years ago....the Diptheria, and tetanus were given with the polio vaccine as DTP. How come your son is only scheduled for DT and not DTP?? especially as you mention that the DTP is thimerisol free. Has he already had the full course of polio boosters?

Magnesium Taurate is a compound supplement containing magnesium and taurine. It is available at The Vitamin Shoppe stores or from their website. The brand most of us have used is by a company called Cardiovascular Research. Bonnie Grimaldi also has a mag taurate in her Bontech supplement range.

I found this website to be excellent! http://www.generationrescue.org/ The more I read about this the more amazed I am that anyone in authority would still hesitate to err on the side of caution when it comes to mercury in vaccines!! I recognise the dangers of these diseases and the need to vaccinate against them.....but if only attention had been paid to the first red flags linking mercury to some neuro problems...then by now the illustreous pharmaceutical companies could surely have come up with an alternative preservative to thimerisol!

my son nearly died because his Tourette Syndrome was so severe that he had tics that caused him VERY serious injuries. After trying pharmaceuticals to help him, which only made things worse as they induced psychosis, i was BLESSED to discover the many alternative treatments that I now share here. Within a few short months my son went from someone who was totally miserable and unable to function normally to a happy and successful kid. Yes, he still has Tourette Syndrome and he still tics. But the tics are no longer preventing him from living a normal life, in fact they are so mild that many people dont even notice them. And we find them quite endearing. But I can assure you, watching him bleed and scream in agony when he had tics that were severely hurting him forced this parent that you are scorning to take action to help my son!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Caren and Henry eye blinking can have many root causes, from TS tics thru to allergies(diet or environmental) or the psychosomatic issues that Henry has mentioned. One person I know of was actually reacting to ingrowing eyelashes that were irritating her eyes. You may want to check with your doctor on whether you could benefit from L-carnitine, which is an amino acid that many people have found very helpful for eye blinking.

i am so glad to hear that your son is benefitting from the accupuncture therapy Susan

Hi Lisa I would add the calcium and mag taurate together, but start at a low dose and then gradually build up. Calcium and magnesium really do need each other to work optimally. I dont use any over the counter or prescription cough or cold medicines but instead use only natural remedies, so I really dont know how long the cough med stays in the system or has its negative impact on tics

hello Mari I think you are very wise to be cautious! when we started my son on his supplement program our very wise physicians recommended starting at the minimum dose and gradually working up as needed, because the dose that works for some is often much lower than that which others need. also, a word of caution about fishoil. Omega 3 fatty acids are a very important part of the diet, but some people, especially those with Tourette Syndrome seem to be very sensitive to the fishoil supplements, and can actually tic more when taking them. My son is one such and so we give him omega 3 & 6(flaxseed and borage oil) and omega9(evening primrose oil) as supplements, and get his extra marine origin omega3 by eating a lot of salmon.

Good to hear from you Dara and so glad things are going well. Hope you will have a very successful experience when you visit the Pfeiffer clinic Andy, I feel for you and your dear son with the gasping tic! Accupuncture and reflexology were REALLY helpful when my son had that one. It really seemed to have a very calming effect on what I call the "intensive" tics

ah yes re the Epsom Salts baths.......not only will they help with relaxation but they also help in detox and if you child likes chamomille tea...very beneficial all round. Jasmine is a very calming essential oil. Our accupuncture therapist made up an aromatherapy mix for my son that has jasmine in but is also blended with other oils so as to make it a bit more "masculine" my son dabs some on his wrist and sniffs at it and it is very relaxing. I have a pure jasmine one and I use it before bed and sleep wonderfully

Hi Heather good deduction re the die off being a cause for the fidgitiness! I really am a big fan of Capryllic Acid (Capryl) for help in yeast elimination, and the fact that it is high in magnesium is an added benefit for tics/ relaxation too. We have never had recurrent yeast problems and I attribute it to the initial dietary changes plus the Capryl.

Hi again Karen when my son was having a lot of tics in the head /neck area, we found regular visits to our NUCCA chiropracter so helpful. NUCCA is a very different form of chiro and is really beneficial ( http://www.nucca.org ) also, accupuncture is a #1 treatment for pain....now even recognised by many in conventional medicine In addition to agreeing with Carolyn on the warm baths, I would recommend dissolving 1-2 cups of Epsom Salts into the water. it is a wonderful muscle relaxant and soothes away pain, as well as a very good detoxifier too. A supplement that is very beneficial for pain relief is DL Phenylalanine. it also helps with depression/anxiety etc. However, because it is an amino acid, good to check with your doc first Also, Metagenics makes a natural Inflavinoid pain reliever http://www.metagenics.com/products/catalog...ail.asp?pid=162 I will be in touch soon to chat about SA and stuff........very busy workload at present

Ok I just searched Mercola for info on Purell and he doesnt seem to object to it while he certainly does warn against the use of antibacterial products with triclosan in. here is the article

our naturopath considers "hand sanitizers" to be highly toxic for many reasons! (edited to avoid brand discrimination) antibacterial soaps too because of triclosan (sp?) He says best is still a pure soap, hot water and length of washing hands.

ah! it was you!! I actually got the email via this forum but there was no return email included for you and so I couldnt reply to you!! as they say in Afrikaans "aangename kennis" You had asked about acupuncture and biofeedback......the best way to select a therapist for these is to find someone who is a fully licenced and certified accupunturist. I have been told that it is good if they are a member of either The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/ or The American Association of Oriental Medicine http://www.aaom.org/ when you call the accupuncturist, you can also ask if they do biofeedback/reflexology etc as part of their practice, and if they have any experience treating the areas that you require. Hope you will either PM or email me again with a contact email address as I would love to chat more about South Africa.

Here is a piece from the latest Mercola newsletter on research studies indicating the clear link between mercury laden thimerisol in vaccines, and the "epidemic" of autism spectrum disorders in the US http://www.mercola.com/2005/apr/23/mercury_poison.htm This comment is one that I really applaud

Hello Karen no I havent contacted him about tics. did you do it on the "Ask Dr Weil" section? I would post it again as he is usually very prompt in responding I know he did once do a brief section on Tourettes but it wasnt very detailed. I will try to find the reference

Hi Lisa someone with expert knowledge would be best at responding to your question re the copper and silver, especially as they could be entering your son's system from such a wide variety of sources. I have 2 things for you to think about re uranium and lithium I have recently discovered that some red pottery, china etc has high uranium levels. For example red Fiesta by Homer Laughlin is very high in uranium. It is also possible that imported pottery and china may have higher radioactivity content. Also some glassware (especially Vaseline glass and other pale green glassware, particularly from the pre 1940s but also being imported today) has very high uranium levels. Uranium levels may also be high for other reasons and you would need to try to find the source in order to understand why it is high in your son Lithium is frequently deficient in BiPolar/manic depressive disorders. this doesnt mean that your child has these disorders so please dont panic, but it could in some way be causing the depression and OCD symptoms.

Hi fish oil also increases my son's tics. he does ok with a blend of flaxseed oil. borage oil and evening primrose oil, plus oleic acid, which give him the good balanced blend of omega 6 & 9s I get the marine omega 3 into him by serving salmon and other "oily" fish as often as possible and in a variety of ways. thankfully he likes it