Chemar

keep on keeping on Andy sounds like you are on a definite path to progress!

Dear Helen where your doctor has a point about always praising and providing positive reinforcement, and that kids should be well rested and not too stressed or over excited all the time....... yet the rest of it, ESPECIALLY the bit about boys ticcing more to get attention is quite the most innacurate thing that I think I have ever heard about TS or tics. I am sure your doctor has knowledge in certain areas, but clearly tics are not one of them. Forgive me for sounding harsh, but I have just about had enough of doctors who make those kind of statements! I think you are doing a great job with your daughter and fully agree about massage and other positive things to help her. You are on the right track, but sadly that doctor isnt! As many of us here know full well, there is more often a physiological cause for tics, whether tic disorders or TS, and there is enough crystal clear evidence for this just on this forum alone, never mind a wealth of research evidence I am just astounded that a doctor would try to suggest that tics are psycological! and to suggest that your daughter "try to control" them is just BAD medical advice. research and anecdotal evidence shows that when one tries to control the tics, they can frequently become far worse and sometimes result in OCD etc. Dr McKinley at Life's a Twitch has done many seminars on the dangers of tic suppression. Sorry to vent off like this, but I have seen first hand the problems caused for kids when ignorant doctors or psychologists try to get them to "stop those habits"....it is a serious thing! Again, I fully commend you (and the doctor) for promoting positive reinforcement and moderation in stress, excitement etc...these are good things. I am so glad you saw the positive effect on your daughter.

Yes, it is believed that there well may be a link between testosterone and TS. It is well known that the onset of puberty seems to coincide with the periods of most intense ticcing and that the TS often becomes milder once the "hormonal" years are past. Also, the incidence of TS is MUCH higher in males than females. no clear answers....but lots of interesting theories

Hi Lulu we feel that regularly seeing a chiropracter is an essential for anyone who has tics as the tics frequently cause a misalignment of the spine which can in turn aggravate the tics. We personally prefer the NUCCA chiropracters http://www.nucca.org I agree with Ronna on the reflexology too. My son has always found it to have a wonderfully calming effect and a general boost to his health.

Hi Andy I strongly support your view that environmental factors and things like mercury in vaccines etc are very likely responsible for many of the neurological conditions in the world today. As far as the genetic link with Tourette Syndrome tho....it IS a real thing, not necessarily in every case, but certainly in a large majority. We have it manifesting so far thru four generations ...great grandpa--grandpa----father--- son. Interesting tho that my eldest has no tics at all....same genetic line. Guess he just didnt get the gene as dominant, but he way well carry it as a recessive.

hi efgh I recently answered this for someone else on this thread http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...?showtopic=1120 LMK if you need more details blessings to you and your family

Sherry supplements are basically vitamins and minerals and so are generally very safe for children, provided they are given at the appropriate dose for age and weight. Many have found it beneficial to check for vitamin /mineral deficiencies first and then supplement accordingly. A good naturopath can give you much guidance in this.

Hi hmmmmmm strange cos it was working the other day here it is again the thread on Braintalk is authored by FJ* and is titled "Vitamin Success and Urine testing" I just bumped it up at BrainTalk too here is the link and an alternative route as well in case you ever struggle to click thru http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showth...ead.php?t=10944 or http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showth...86040#post86040 I just tested it and both are working now

Hi Sherry and welcome I am very surprised that the neurologist suggested that it would only be PANDAS if there was OCD. Many here can attest to PANDAS being the cause of their child's tics, even with no OCD or other behavioural issues. However, what you said about your son suddenly being afraid of the escalator set off a flag for me. OCD is a very broad set of behaviours and can encompass fears and phobias. One of my son's earliest OCD symptoms was a fear of going down the drain in the bathtub..he was around 2-3 at the time and we had no idea then that he had OCD, but later when other fears and phobias surfaced, and then additional symptoms of OCD, it all became clear. So, I certainly would suggest that with a strep infection, manifested tics and now a sudden fear.........hmmmmm sounds like PANDAS to me. We have never personally dealt withg PANDAS and so I hesitate to offer any more input, but I know that others here have much knowledge and experience on the subject and will certainly offer you all the info and support they have. Ronna has a wealth of info on this and also important info re the best antibiotics for PANDAS You are on the right path to be checking into this further and are sure to find many answers here. edited to add Do be very cautious of medications for the tic......there are many other alternatives and if this is PANDAS, the antibiotics should help enormously all round. But the generally prescribed tic and OCD meds really are very strong for kids and bring a bunch of nasty side effects that are often far worse than the tics!

Hi everyone I know many here have read Sheila's excellent article on finding triggers for tics and a number of us also participated in the survey. But I thought to post the link here too for those members and visitors who may not have seen the Article yet, so here is the link to FINDING TRIGGERS FOR TICS http://latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm

Hi simonzl only if you are allergic to dairy products would you see that allergic tic trigger reduced. you can try eliminating ALL dairy products for a few days and see what happens. if one is allergic to dairy products it is usually to all...ie milk, butter, cheese you can also have testing done thru your doctor or health dept to see if you are dairy sensitive HTH

Here is a direct link to the abstract for anyone interested...I have condensed the URL as it was very long.......... http://tinyurl.com/5lze9

thank you for this valuable information Sheila I have just accessed the abstract and am going to post it in a few other relevant boards as well as email it to some folks who will be very interested in this.

Kim's son, what very good advice dear Dara I know how you feel but I really want to encourage you to try to not become too distressed over the tics. it is not going to help you or your son. Chrildren have an amazing ability to pick up on their parents emotions, and knowing that his tics are distressing you so will only put more pressure on him and that in turn makes the tics worse. It is heartbreaking for any parent to realise that their is something different happening with their child, but believe me Dara, you can be very very thankful that the tics you are seeing are really very mild and not causing injury or debilitation. There does seem to be a correlation between what others have found with humming and milk/dairy so dont know if that is relevant to your situation. If you need to vent or cry......come here and let it out. We are all here for you and, because we have all had those feelings at one time or another, we really do understand ((((DARA)))))

Hi Dara yes, our physician recommended the Capryllate (we used the one by Solaray) it worked very well, inconjunction with the diet which we followed strictly for a month. The recipes in that book are really good as you dont feel "deprived" because you are eating all this healthy yet tasty stuff We drank LOTS of pure water (reverse osmosis from our unit or Aquafina bottled) and we also had accupuncture/reflexology/aromatherapy/biofeedback to help with the initial "die off" yucky reaction Antioxidants are a good way to also boost the system and probiotics restore the natural flora. since then, we still take capryllate once a week, and really have found that our sugar and carb cravings have gone away. We seem to have the Candida well under control

I know a couple of people have asked about pyroluria and so I am directing you to a thread on the BrainTalk Tourette Forum by FJ* who is a medical research professional and also has a wealth of personal and research info on pyroluria. Pyroluria was not an issue for my son and so I am not up to date on the latest info on labs doing the tests, so perhaps someone with current info on this can add it here.....I seem to recall that Claire had posted recently on the testing... anyway, here is FJ*s very informative thread http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showth...ead.php?t=10944 and if that link doeasnt work try this one http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showth...86040#post86040

I saw a few folks asking about the Spit test to see if Candida may be a problem Although this is just a very basic and unscientific test, it does appear to be a good indicator of whether or not Candida overgrowth is present here is a simple explanation of it (good website to browse too) http://www.stopyeast.com/saliva.html There is also an excellent book called "THE YEAST SYNDROME" by Morton Walker and John Trowbridge which, in addition to giving much detail on candida, also provides excellent advice for eliminating it, including really yummy recipes to help with a Candida elimination diet. We found that the diet, along with the supplement Caprylic Acid (Caprylate) was most effective I know others have used additional methods and so will leave them to elaborate on it.

Hi Dara best way to tell you about pyroluria is to let you hear it from the "expert" on it....FJ* on BrainTalk here is her thread there explaining much about it http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showth...ead.php?t=10944

Hello Ann and welcome my son's OCD has become negligible since he started a specifically designed supplement program. The most beneficial supp for his OCD/depression/anxiety was 5HTP (5Hydroxytryptophan) which elevates seratonin naturally. not everyone reacts the same wat to it, as some people find it makes them edgy, so if you decide to try it, take minimum dose of 50mg per evening for a week and see. You can go up if you need to as per directions on the label, but if you feel "spaced out" or edgy from it then it probably isnt the right supp for you INOSITOL (aka Vitamin B8) is receiving a lot of attention because it seems to help with OCD and Depression without any bad side effects. The usual dose is around 500mg/day but some physicians recommend more. METHIONINE (or its pricier and more cncentrated form of samE) is another supp that is very beneficial in treating OCD Phenylalanine (recommended in DL- form) is also suggested by some for depression St John's Wort( aka HYPERICIN) has long been used as a natural booster for seratonin levels At one point my son was on minimal doses of all of the above, along with GABA (gamma amino butyric acid) for anxiety. However, we were working with an Integrative physician who was monitoring his seratonin and reactions and so I really would not recommend combining these without guidance from a health professional, as you dont want to spike the seratonin too high as that is also not good for many reasons, including that too high seratonin can trigger migraines There is also growing evidence that artificial ingredients in the diet (colouring, sweeteners like aspartame-Nutrasweet and sucralose-Splenda etc) as well as toxins (candida yeast infections, heavy metals, pesticides etc) and things like strep (PANDAS) can increase OCD. Hope this helps a bit. i have a LOT more info but dont want to overwhelm you and so will rather just answer any specific questions you may have OH YES! EDITED TO ADD ; DO NOT MIX THESE SUPPS WITH YOUR SSRI MEDICATIONS!!!! YOU NEED TO FIRST START WITHDRAWING SLOWLY FROM THE MEDS AND GRADUALLY ADD THE SUPPS. THE 2 TOGETHER CAN ALSO SPIKE SERATONIN TOO HIGH

Hi there KIM here is your post which I am sure will be of interest to many here A few things that I wanted to comment on first...we sure know how you feel Kim. I think all of us have been in that place of going between despair and frustration and anger over trying to help our kids and dealing with the majority of the conventional medical community. They are so quick to put down alternative treatments when most of the time they actrually know NOTHING about them, or the success rate. It is quite alarmning as to how very ignorant they are over things that are so important in many illnesses and disorders. Yet, they will prescribe drug after drug after drug without hesitation, and when one has side effects to the drug, they will prescribe another to cover the side effects of the first and on and on and on! masking symptoms instead of getting to the ROOT of the problem. anyway..... the really good thing is that many doctors are realising that there IS more to treatment than a prescription and for that we are thankful! Now with your child: sugar cravings are freqently a sign of Candida overgrowth. I know Bonnie doesnt seem to agree about the problems with yeast infections or pyroluria etc making tic conditions worse, but there really is enough anecdotal evidence just on this board to show differently. So I really would suggest that, if you havent already checked for these, that you do. As you have already noted, the latest evidence on mercury has spurred Andy into action. again, something that many here have found to be very beneficial in their treatment protocol Also, you mention the headaches......I honestly believe that everyone who has tics should see a NUCCA chiropracter periodically as the tics really do cause a lot of vertebral problems and that is what causes the headaches. The NUCCA chiros have a very specialised technique and the relief of pain is phenomenal. http://www.nucca.org and then, re your question on modifying Bonnie's program. For some people it is a remarkable treatment and they respond quickly and see lasting improvement. Some find their tics increase when they first start the program, but then begin to reduce and stay reduced while on the program. Some do ok on most of the products, but find that the fishoil capsules make them tic more, and so they do better with a EFA made with flaxseed, borage and evening primrose oil and then other people just dont seem to respond well to the program for whatever the reasons may be, yet, by putting together their own supplement program, they see a great improvement in their tics. When I started my son on the supps, the Bontech products were not yet on the market, but Bonnie had posted her treatment program for her son on her old website and so I used that info to formulate my son's program. His tics have become so mild that he no longer takes anything other than a multivit/mineral supp with EFA I dont know if you read the thread I have to detail our program but here it is again http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...p?showtopic=687 I also bumped it up I do hope this helps some, and I know that many of the others will also have lots of info for you. Dont worry Kim. In most cases, tics just do resolve as kids get older. And you are doing the right thing by educating yourself and doing what you can to help your children be healthy and happy.

and another bumpity bump for KIM

Hello Dara and welcome back I am just popping in while cooking dinner so cant post long, but I did want to draw your attention to the fact that chlorinated pools can be tic triggers. Chlorine is such a major trigger for my son that he gave up swimming in chlorinated pools and only swims in the ocean or in brominated water now. we even have filters for our showers etc to prevent any chlorinated water other than that, it sure sounds like you are doing all the right things. have you done a pyroluria test yet? so many people have been helped by the simple supplementation that is needed when tics are a result of pyroluria. ok gotta run Just do take care of yourself too! It is VERY stressful to deal with all this, and you need to keep up your own health and strength

Hello Kim I got your email but there was no return addy so I am just checking to see if you would like for me to post your message here for the other members to be able to give you their input too. so glad you are learning so much here......the shared knowledge and experience is so very valuable!

Good for you Andy!! I hope you will get many clear answers. please keep us posted on the results and recommended treatments.

thanks for the feedback I have sent a report in. seems a little speedier today but still pretty slow compared with my other travels around the 'net. hope all are doing well and enjoying the weekend.