Chemar

Hi tater good for you for being willing to try to eliminate screen flicker to see if that is what is causing your eye blinking. There are also supplements that many people have found very helpful for tics inn general and eye blinking tics in particular try to take a good multivitamin plus minerals supplement every day as a start . There is very convincing documentation that suggests that eye blinking tics can be caused by a deficiency in what is known as the Essential Fatty Acids..... The best sources of these are fish oil, flaxseed oil, Borage oil and Evening Primrose Oil. My son takes all of them and, where he used to blink and roll his eyes continuously, he doesnt have any eye tics anymore. he also takes a bunch of other vitamins etc to help with his tics...the most important other ones that may also help you are magnesium, zinc and vitamin B6 We are on a pretty tight budget, but you can get most of these fairly inexpensively (even walMart sells some good brands) I look forward to hearing how your week without TV/computers has gone...for some people that is a BIG tic trigger...for others, like my son, it is only if there is flashing on the screen that it increases his tics (like with explosive games, or those websites that have stuff flashing or twirling etc) stay in touch with us !

Hi Jennifer we did accupuncture weekly when he was in major need (during his detox/withdrawal from the medications we went twice a week!) Once things started to level out we went every 2 weeks, and then once a month. Now, he goes for a "tune up" only when he feels it is necessary. Our current budget restraints are factored in, but I know my son would very happily still go once a week....he honestly feels that it is by far the most beneficial treatment of all!!! When he does go, he always requests both accupuncture and reflexology as he clearly feels the benefit of both. Our therapist still does biofeedback after discussing my son's general health with him, so that he can keep the organ systems functioning optimally.

Hi Renee and welcome to Latitudes Forums. I took a look at the ingredient list for the product you posted the link for and, although I see many good ingredients there, I also see some that I would personally not want to use in a child that has tics as well as ADD......I realise that some of them are in homeopathic form, but I would still approach that particular blend with great caution. You will find an enormous volume of information here on natural ways to help TS/tics and there is also an ADD/ADHD forum here. There is also a very good thread on the NEW BrainTalk forum started by Ronna on supplements that work... http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showth...read.php?t=2327 and on the OLD (now read only) BrainTalk http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Fo...TML/005871.html and also there a thread on good websites re TS http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Fo...TML/005888.html both the OLD and NEW BrainTalk forums also have excellent info re ADD hope this helps you Please feel free to contact me if you need any more info and do stay in touch here. This is a great group of caring people who share their ups and downs and oh so valuable experiences and knowledge and info..... best support group you could ever hope to find

Hi Claire only certain substances are able to cross over from the bloodstream into the brain....this is known as the blood brain barrier and is a natural protection for our brains. (I have put that VERY simplistically for the sake of explanation) Alpha Lipoic Acid or ALA is a phenomenal supplement and has numerous benefits! However, by virtue of the fact that it DOES cross the blood brain barrier and DOES mop up heavy metals, GL&L mom is, IMO, correctly cautious in not giving it to her son UNTIL she has first successfully cleared the other parts of his body of the heavy metals. The theory behind this caution is that, because the heavy metals bind to the ALA, it could carry those that have bound to it from the other parts of the body (IE peripherally) and then take those INTO THE BRAIN when it crosses the blood brain barrier. What one ideally wants is to FIRST mop up the metals with chlorella and whatever other treatments are recommended (that is, of course, after eliminating the Candida, and boosting with other antioxidants).....then, once the peripheral system is cleansed, using ALA to go into the brain and mop up the mercury etc there! I havent read Children with Starving Brains, but i gather this info is mentioned there.

Can you please let me know if Mrs Doubtfyre just used only the fish oil for her child ? Did she see immediate improvement? I dont want to speak for MRS D........ so perhaps this question should be addressed to her specifically, but I have been at brainTalk for quite some time and I have never heard her claim that only essential fatty acids are necessary to stop tics!!!!!!! If anything she posts frequently about a number of beneficial supplements, including L-carnitine and others. I know that she strongly believes in the vital importance of EFAs, especially with regard to ADHD....but I dont feel that it is accurate to say that this is her sole supplemental recommendation! Also, Bonnie's research has CLEARLY shown that people with tics related to Tourette Syndrome are primarily deficient in MAGNESIUM http://neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum_2/T...eficiencyD.html and FJs research and experience have shown that tics caused by pyroluria are relieved by zinc/B6 treatment while PANDAs related tics diminish after the strep is brought under control with antibiotics and other folks swear by Feingold or detox or environmental changes......... etc etc etc etc etc etc so...as I think we have all discovered in our own situations.....the treatments are as varied as the triggers ! and it is by research, testing and often trial and error that we find what works best for our specific need.

Hi GL&Lmom I posted above for Jennifer re the liver, kidney etc detox and the benefits of biofeedback and accupuncture in this As far as i know Chlorella and Caprylate dont cross the blood brain barrier. Alpha Lipoic Acid can and I would agree that it should be the last step in detoxing. My son did not use it but was instead given the antitox homepathic formula called Cerebretek.

Hi Jennifer this is where the BIOFEEDBACK and accupuncture are so very helpful as they minmise the detoxification side effects and help to strengthen the organs under stress from the detox. The ANTITOX drops that my son was given were also very organ specific...so he had the one for kidneys, and one for liver, and one for brain and one for skin etc etc.....

Hi GL&Lmom sure wish I could get everything from one source! but, because of my budget and my son's spectrum of supplement needs, i tend to get a hodgepodge of stuff and just try to check labels and hope it is as pure as they promise! Of course, Bonnie's specific supps for TS are truly the purest around IMO, and also so perfectly formulated to treat the specific deficiencies associated with TS,. The disadvantage is in the no of capsules of her formulae that an adult sized kid like my son needs to take, plus the fact that some kids with OCD do seem to just have some kind of reaction to those supps....not all, but some. I also like the METAGENICS company for its purity, but it is pricey and doesnt make all the things we need. So far I am really pleased with NOW, NATROL and TWINLAB.... The iHerb site does have a supplement store and offer good brands at pretty reasonable prices. http://www.iherb.com/store.html

My computer came back to life this morning....what a relief! Sure has made me determined to back up every day's work....I do so much research on a daily basis...both re health and also for my business.... amazing how dependent we have become on these machines huh

Hi all my computer crashed today and, although i thankfully backed everything up two weeks ago,(phew!) I have lost my latest email address additions.... to those of you that i have been corresponding with by email....could you send me your email addies again please. I am currently sharing a 'puter with my husband til we can figure out if mine is recoverable or has gone for good!

Hi Claire i hear you on the kid-resistance factor. thankfully mine is now of an age where he researches himself and, based on the positive results that he KNOWS come from adhering to the treatments and avoidances best for him...he is now very compliant and even an advocate when communicating with other kids. If your son wont hear of accupuncture...would he maybe consider the biofeedback? I always forget to mention that the practitioner that we go to usually also does reflexology at the same time....that is a GREAT antitox aid. Basically, during an 90 min session (cost $85) he starts by asking about symptoms, problems etc, and then places the appropriate accupuncture needles.... and begins the biofeedback by placing the electrodes where required. While all that is working he begins the foot reflexology and replaces the biofeedback electrodes durin the procedure as required. When he is done, he removes the accupuncture needles and usually does an application of an aromatherapy oil to end the session. He is a highly trained therapist who also lectures at our local naturopathic school of medicine and travels nationally and abroad to lecture and attend seminars on accupuncture, biofeedback etc. I say all this to stress again to anyone considering these alternative treatments that you should ask your naturopath or doctor to REFER YOU to a qualified therapist who uses clinical methods. There are practitioners around who perform accupuncture in less than sterile environs and who perform it as part of a ritual (for want of a better word) rather than as a therapeutic clinical treatment. Also need to stress again.....the BIOFEEDBACK that we used is NOT NEUROFEEDBACK...I am somewhat leery of that after investigating the way it is done...at least here in my area. Biofeedback works on the principle of resonance therapy, whereby a reading is taken of the "unwell" area or organ or system etc and this is then inverted and the "good" resonance is applied to that part of the body to reverse the negative.... it is based on energy fields and is something I probably would have pooh poohed had I not seen for myself how amazingly it works!!! I actually had it work for me as well as my son....I was a victim of malathion poisening when taking a walk on the beach and without warning being caught in the spray of a pesticide spewing plane that was spraying malathion to combat mosqitoes. needless to say, this caused me a lot of health problems....but the biofeedback/accupuncture and homeopathic detoxification worked wonders to eliminate the poisons and restore my health. To cut a long story short....

guess we were posting there at the same time yes, vitamin C is a good antioxidant Garlic is IMO more of a natural antibiotic...but may well have antioxidant properties too.

efgh with reference to your question re fishoil........ it is almost impossible to know for sure whether anything fish related these days is free of mercury or other pollutants in the oceans....even farm raised fish have been found to have pollutants in them! I do know that our naturopath warned us to avoid COD LIVER OIL because of high imputity levels. The Natrol combo I use is mainly flax & Borage oil with blended omega 3 from marine lipids. It is a fine line to walk and I would go totally with Flax borage and evening primrose were it not for the fact that the fish oil does have specific health benefits. I did contact Natrol and received a reply that they test their ingredients frequently and do their best to provide the purest products possible.

hi efgh in order to keep this thread on topic I am going to answer this in the chlorella thread

hi efgh we had both hair and blood analysis done. Our treatments for heavy metal reduction followed the Candida elimination and we were also advised to FIRST boost his immune system with antioxidants (beta carotene, bilberry and grapeseed extract/pycnogenol) We are also firm advocates of combination accupuncture and biofeedback(resonance) treatment after it had such positive effects during the elimination period. It complimented the supplements and homeopathy by speeding the results up and lessening the detox/die-off side effects. We had previously seen it's benefits in nhelping my son withdraw from the meds My son was given chlorella and caprylic acid to "mop up" the metals and toxins...we were advised to start off at half dose and build to full as some people do experience nausea from chlorella initially. In addition, we used excellent products called Antitox...homeopathic drops.... my son was given specific individual ones that cleanse the various organs of toxins. We also used Colloidal Silver, and I still give that to our whole family.....I have seen very positive effects in all of us from it. We use it for 3 weeks and then 1 week off...suggested by the naturopath to do it that way. of course, in addition to all this, my son was also given his other supps for tics, OCD and general health.

Hi Carol I posted this for you on the other thread that you wrote it on (Obsessions & compulsions) but just in case you didnt see it there, i am copying it here too

searching, I just wanted to add to Claire's very informative post that MOLD and DUSTMITE and CHEMICALS eg pesticides, perfumes, chlorine etc seem to trigger my son's OCD too. Also MSG, food color(especially red and blue) seem to set it off.

Hi I am just popping in quickly to say how good it is to see that you have the results back....although some may have alarmed you...at least now you know and can proceed. Congrats too on educating your doctor I will be in touch and back here too to chat more about this..... it is one of those mega busy days again!!

Hello and welcome Also, congratulations on your baby! There could be so many things going on for you that the very best advice i feel i can give is to chat with your doctor about it too. Firstly, re the moodiness....it is VERY normal to experience moodiness and even depression after having a baby.....and in your case, with the added stress of moving house. The "post partum" moods could be hormonal or simply a lack of sleep and taking proper care of yourself. As to the carpet sniffing....there are strong chemicals in new carpeting and you may well have developed a slight addiction to something there....i have heard of this happening before. ALSO what you describe may well be a form of Obsessive Compulsive behaviour.... it really doesnt sound like a tic to me. Especially as you mention maybe having experienced similar feelings about "having" to do things in the past I really would chat with the doctor about this....see what they say. Just a word of caution, many doctors are a little too quick to prescribe things for symptoms like you are describing, and those meds can sometimes bring a bunch of unwanted side effects, and instead of helping...they sometimes make things worse. Once you hear what the doctor says about this....and what they suggest you should do....please check in here with all of us first....there may just be suggestions and experiences that we can share with you to help you find more natural ways to deal with these things. all the best to you...stay in touch...and big {{{{hugs}}}} for your precious baby

Hi searching I have heard others also find that they get a "wired" reaction from GABA, usually because they are taking too much......my son takes it with his MINIMAL dose of 5HTP and SJW and Inositol.(he takes the GABA and the 5HTP at night) Here is info on GABA http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/subs...5,10027,00.html

Hi Claire I have 'The Body Ecology Diet' but found 'The yeast Syndrome' method, diet and recipes to be far better suited to my family.

Ronna both my children had high mercury levels when tested.......however, only one of my sons (the younger) has TS and therefore the effects were more pronounced in him. As mentioned before, in some individuals the effects of the mercury (if left untreated) are not seen until they get older. We would not have thought to test for it in either child had the younger not started ticcing! And certainly, none of the conventional docors ever even mentioned it!!

Jean some people tolerate B-complex well and others dont.... my family doesnt...it makes us nauseaous and "spacy" plus upsets digestion. We can handle B in our multi and as individual supps so that is how I give it. If yoyr child tolerates the B-co...great, but dont give it on an empty stomach! All the best to you.....hope things start to get better real fast as you follow this treatment

Hi Claire sorry you got a scary result...but better to know and deal with it than flounder in the dark! When my son's mercury came back high (hair and blood tests) I was astonished ...as he had no mercury or any metal fillings and i have always been careful about the source of seafood,(no regular canned tuna either!) never used tap water etc etc.... when I asked the naturopath, he suggested that it was probably primarily from "in Utero" as i had a mouth full of mercury fillings while carrying him!! As to elimination.... the specific biofeedback coupled with the antitox homeopathic drops plus chlorella treatment did reduce his levels to what the lab called "negligible" Just a point of warning here.......I truly do have a concern about metal braces .....for many reasons. This is a personal dislike for metal orthodontics as I honestly dont feel they are healthy! However Specifically relevant here....have you asked for a full analysis of just what they are made of? Our "natural" dentist told us that some of the metal combos used in conventional dentistry and orthodontics are...errr....not nice! I am not saying that there is any mercury in them, but I would still check to be sure that there isnt, and also as to what else could be leeching out from them into his system...especially as you have mentioned that he has had injury from them...so opening up the blood to infection? Dont want to be an alarmist....but I mention this because of known problems that friends of mine had with this. Much prayer being lifted for you to have great success in eliminating the mercury levels.

Hi Jeff isnt it amazing tho as to just how much foodstuff has the dreaded corn syrup...especially the high frustose variety...added! After we discovered our son's reactivity to it, and started checking labels for it, we realised that it is used almost universally! Now there is something for the FDA to start researching maybe....documented and anecdotal evidence of the vast numbers of people, especially children, who are having adverse health reactions to one of the most common food additives