Chemar

Hi Ausclare and WELCOME! You sure have stumbled on a good place. The latitudes Forum is not only a great place to get info and shared experiences....it also has some of the nicest cyber-friends you could ever hope to make. As Claire has mentioned, we have all found natural ways to help our kids. My son, now 14, was diagnosed with TS when 10 and also has OCD,ADD and SID We tried meds for a year with rather disastrous results. Now, after elimination of nasty stuff from his system and diet, as well as some alternative treatments like accupuncture & biofeedback, he is on a specialised supplement program and the difference is remarkable. Even with the tic increase recently, compared with where he was...this is a very mild. Hope you will stay in touch and join the sharing, caring community here at Latitudes. Cheri

Thanks for the input Claire. The really weird thing tho is the uniformity in time period for TSers all over the country, and some in Canada. It would just be too far a stretch to attribute this to something they had injested, or to TV/Computer. I tend to agree that it is "something in the air"........but my son is emphatic that this last lunar cycle was different. He says the moon remained full for a longer period (he is a sky watcher) and that he KNOWS his tics started to wax as the moon became full. I know it sounds like something sci-fi but I have heard a lot of theories on the moon affecting body fluids etc just like it does tides, crops and stuff. I dont really know, but I am fascinated as people contact me to confirm that they have also noted this waxing over the last two+ weeks. I am VERY pleased to say that the tics are diminishing every day tho, and have not at all become problematic. it was just so strange to hear and see them so noticeable after so long! as Alice would say......"Curiouser and curiouser!"

Just in case it needs clarification......although my son is in a waxing phase.....still, I would classify these tics as mild compared with the kinds we saw during waxing periods before he started the alternative treatment. Back then, waxing was a VERY scary phenomenon....now, it is just taking us by surprise but is in no way alarming or debilitating. Phew! And it also does seem to be diminishing again....double phew!!

well.....maybe it is the pollen, but we have had a lot of pollen before and havent seen this intense of a waxing phase since he started on supps almost three years ago. It has been rather dry and windy here, so i guess the pollen is a-floatin....but still...why not other years?? efgh.....I am closely following the input of others to see why this waxing is happening to so many TSers in so many different parts of the USA & Canada....will be interested to hear what reports come in from our friends down under in Australia....different seasonal change there as they are in Autumn now. My son says he KNOWS it started with the last full moon We have certainly noticed lunar phasing with his tics and OCD in the past...but again, the last time they were this intense was nearly three years ago when he was still on the meds. He is having mainly strong vocal tics like "eh!" and "ah!" as well as a lot of shoulder shrugs and head jerks.

Hi efgh a placebo is a similar looking tablet, capsule etc...but instead of having the active drug ingredient in them, they have just the inactive ingredients....that way they function as a control....ie one group gets the actual drug and the other doesnt, but neither knows by looking at the pill which one they have. hope that makes sense

Hi everyone! An interesting observation has emerged from discussions on BrainTalk and what I and my friends with TS family have noted....... Tourette Tics have been waxing over the last approx two weeks. It is quite amazing to hear this coming in from all over ....so i know it isnt just our area, and with such uniformity. I initially thought that my son's waxing of especially vocal tics was purely related to my changing his EFA supp to one containing more fishoil. However, although his tics reduced dramatically as soon as I removed the new supp and returned to his old one.....still, he is ticcing more than he has in ages....and now, hearing that others have found the same in the same time period......well, it is quite uncanny!! Anyone else with TS here noticing this?

I just read this in the New York Times

Yes, I stopped that new combo that had increased fishoil in it and went back to the Natrol combo with lower fishoil. The tic reduction was immediate the first day he stopped taking the other capsule! tho it is taking a while to come back to the low levels he was at before I foolishly decided to mess with his mix The old saying fits here: "If it aint broke, dont fix it!" I know many people, including some of our therapists, who ar vegetarian and so dont go near fish oil and they are in excellent health.....they use flaxseed only, or combined with the other non-marine oils that are high in good fatty acids.(Borage, evening primrose etc)

I am not too sure what to say efgh .....I have a lot of respect for Dr Mercola, but he is writing to THE GENERAL POPULATION there, and not specifically to those with neurological issues. If my son takes fishoil alone, he tics, gets restless and irritable etc. When i use the Natrol combo,(Flaxseed, Borage and fish oil)plus Evening Primrose Oil, he is fine. I recently tried a new combo that still has all the flax,borage and primrose, PLUS EXTRA FISHOIL and his tics went higher than they have been in years. He has only just started to stabilise again.

Hi Walklite and welcome the best way to get a clear TS diagnosis is thru a neurologist. If you have no insurance, I would recommend seeing a neurologist associated with any teaching hospital near you...the cost is usually lower that way, especially if you are need based. If no such hospital is available, your general hospital or county health is the least expensive route to follow. Do be advised tho that many neurologists do try to prescribe drugs for TS and this is often not the best treatment as these drugs carry many side effects. Best to just get your diagnosis and then start exploring the many alternative treatments that are available. Your husband may also be eligible for disability insurance etc. In the meantime you could try to encourage him to adopt as healthy a diet as possible, and especially eliminate as much junk food and artificial food stuff. Also taking a good balanced multivitamin/mineral supplement is very useful. If you search the threads here, you will find a ton of info to show you the kinds of supplements, and eliminations that have helped many of us. I dont want to overwhelm you with too much info here right now Please feel free to contact me if you want more details. all the best

Oh! Dont lose hope...for many kids without fullblown TS, eye blinking is often the only tic they ever have!!

Hope you are all having a great Easter Sunday.... I am taking a quick break from kitchen duty before my guests arrive. we are definitely low carbing for our meal today......lots of seafood and salads... we have temps in the high 80's here in sunny Florida so we are eating "summery" Claire, I think the reports related to seratonin and carbs are referring to people who are cutting carbs drastically. rather than just sensibly reducing them like you are. Also, Ronna, eliminating the carbs from "refined" foods (ie the white, bleached flours etc) can ONLY be good when we went "whole food" a few years ago. we noticed an immediate improvement in all our family's health, especially in digestion and vitality......so those kind of carbs are sure worth going low on ok.....back to the kitchen..........

Easter Blessings to All Claire, I was so happy to read your post and to share the joy you are feeling at seeing those improvements. I personally think you are seeing a combined effect.....his system is less irritated by the removal of allergens PLUS the yeast is lower, and also unable to reproduce as virulently in a less inflamed environment. With diminished irritation from both allergens and yeast toxins, his immune system etc is strengthening and so promoting better health and wellbeing. I am just so delighted for both of you that you are seeing the rewards! and kudos to your son for being such a brave young man and accepting these changes efgh, capryllic acid is one of the very best supplements available to use in conjunction with a yeast elimination diet. It contains capryllate blended with a high dose combo of magnesium, calcium and zinc... the very best test for Candida/yeast is a blood test as that picks it up everywhere...stool tests only detect the yeast in the GIT.

Hi Tanya this is something that many of us have encountered. If you search the threads here, you will find numerous discussions on especially high mercury, and also lead.....and the steps taken to "detox" from these. HTH

This is a quote from a post written by Lara at BrainTalk..... I hope it will bring lots of encouragement and peace to many here at Latitudes too.

I am not sure if any of you have been following the news stories on the new "Great Depression" in America......... it seems that Depression, OCD and many other mood disorders are on the increase and it is being linked by some to the "Low Carb" trend in diets. Apparantly carbohydrates help to keep seratonin levels elevated, and when there is insufficient carbohydrate in the system, seratonin levels are reduced and the moody stuff increases!! Interesting huh!!

Hi Ned My son is only 14 but has been thru a nightmare time on these nasty brain drugs Thankfully he has been off them now for 3 years and doing great since he started taking special supplements and eliminating junk food..yes, he still tics, but it is so mild now. The drugs actually made things worse, and Haldol caused him to have drug induced psychosis too. For all of you coming off drugs (or even those having probs on them) I would HIGHLY recommend a book by Dr Peter Breggin called "Your Drug may be Your Problem" where he not only details the problems caused by each brain drug, but also gives careful information on tapering them off and coping with the withdrawal. I got a copy at Borders, but you can also order it online from his website http://www.breggin.com/yourdrug.html His website has some amazing stuff on the dangers of psychiatric drugs..... http://www.breggin.com He used to be scorned for his stand (he is a Harvard alumnus and lecturer etc) but now even the FDA is looking into the problems with SSRIs etc....something Dr Breggin has been warning on for years! All the best to you search this forum for really great info on natural ways to deal with TS/OCD etc

lets try that link again http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=f...dspice&dbid=131

Ronna i have no idea what all is in Kraft Dinner as they dont even list the ingredients on their site and I have never purchased it BUT a search on Google told me it is VERY unhealthy and LOADED with ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS including the major tic and hyperactivity etc trigger TARTRAZINE

Ronna it is people who are LACTOSE INTOLERANT who have to avoid all animal milk, as there is lactose in all of them goat's milk, like cow's milk, does contain the milk sugar, lactose, and may produce adverse reactions in lactose-intolerant individuals. (Goat's milk is only slightly lower in lactose than cow's milk, with 4.1% milk solids as lactose versus 4.7% in cow's milk.) However, people who are ALLERGIC to dairy, benefit from goat's milk as it does not seem to have as many allergen's as cow's milk That link I posted before is VERY informative so here it is again http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=f...dspice&dbid=131 HTH

I have double checked my references and I would have to disagree that tics ARE seizures, or even a form of them! This is how I understand it: Yes, they look like seizures sometimes......but seizures are known to be "driven" by the cortex of the brain, whereas tics are strongly believed to be driven from the basal ganglia..... also, the neuorochemistry underlying them is VERY different. Plus, in seizures, it is mostly accompanied by a loss of consciousness, either briefly or for longer periods. This does NOT happen with tics. An EEG can usually very clearly distinguish between seizure activity and that of tics....whether TS or "transient".......there is a rythmic and repetitive sequence in the readings during seizures and also rythm in myclonic seizures and tremors. Tics, especially Tourette tics, show no such rythm and are indiscriminate, rather than repetitive in their EEG readings.

hi efgh we NEVER used biofeedback to DETECT allergies.......only to help alleviate them. We had allergy testing done by blood tests and radiogenics. this was what i posted re the biofeedback when you asked about the pendulum: edited to add: our therapist uses accupuncture, reflexology, biofeedback and aromatherapy in combination during each session, and he recommends homeopathic os supplemental remedies based on his, and his partners evaluations. They ALL work in conjunction with the INTEGRATIVE MD physician....so it truly is a great Teamwork of WHOLISTIC treatment HTH

BeataJ my son was the champion junk food lover.....however, once he actually realised how much better he felt and how reduced his tics were when NOT consuming it....he willingly cut it out. Now, if he (rarely) indulges at a party or when at the movies or even at the school cafetaria.......he usually tics up a storm and then sheepishly admits to the yuck stuff, and is more convinced as to just how much of a tic trigger it is for him!

hi getting a consensus, even an informal one, will be tough I think .... still...here is our experience...... My son started blinking and rolling his eyes when he was 4yo, at the time that he started preK We took him to a pediatric opthalmologist who dx that he had amblymyopa and astygmatism and prescribed glasses. The eye rolling did abate for a while, although some of his teachers commented on it over the next few years. We didnt notice any excessive eye blinking after he got his glasses. His clearly defined Tourette tics (motor and vocal) were dx shortly after his 10th birthday. We now realise that he probably did have tics before that....occasional noises and jerking with his feet, lots of fidgeting and always tapping things (we even got him some drums as he was always drumming on stuff.....real good drummer too ).......but we just thought this was restless "habits" .

thanks efgh..... quickest way to test for a bee product allergy is with HONEY! Royal Jelly is freely available over the counter at most health stores. Generally, it is sold as the freeze dried product (NOW has a good one...in variable doses) However, although the freeze dried versions are good...... here is, IMHO, the best Royal Jelly source.....(and a VERY informative website too) http://www.beealive.com/ The lady who formulated this product has her own "miracle" story related to it