Chemar

GABA & PABA are VERY different substances........ PABA (Para-Aminobenzoic Acid) is the active ingredient in most sunblocks, and as far as I know is not used internally......here is more info on it http://community.healthgate.com/GetContent...d=/tnp/pg000877 GABA, or Gamma-Aminobutryic Acid, is a powerful amino acid that was first discovered in 1883 in Berlin. It is actually classified as a neurotransmitter, which means it helps nerve impulses cross the synapses (gaps) and communicate better. GABA has a great number of positive effects on the nervous system.

Fructose is fruit sugar and in itself is not a bad thing...... It is what they do with the chemical changes when they turn corn syrup into the "high fructose corn syrup" that seems to be problematic

Hi efgh Corn Starch is basically just cornflour......it is a matter of opinion on this as some people are fine with corn products and others not. HOWEVER high fructose corn syrup is a general baddie......it is not so much the corn part but the "high fructose" part that is apparantly what seems to be the tic trigger..... so, if your child has been ok with eating corn products, then I personally wouldnt think there is any problem with corn starch... BUT always try to avoid high fructose corn syrup. HTH

I use the Sundown(Rexall) brand of L-Carnitine at 500mg per day. My son is 14 and tall and weighs 150lb

Claire The B vitamin, Pantothenic Acid, is excellent in helping with bruxism(tooth grinding) It TOTALLY stopped when my son started taking it. TwinLab make a good one, and it is also found in Royal Jelly, which is IMHO a true "wonder supp" Chlorella is very good re mercury detox, but we found that it made us a bit nauseous when we first started taking it. We used the SolaRay capsules. My son doesnt have any mercury fillings, but I have a whole mouth full,as does my husband) When a dentist once suggested braces for my son , our alternative MD strongly advised me to rather go with crooked teeth than braces or spacers. Thankfully my sons teeth actually have grown out really well without intervention...he hates metal so much (OCD thing) that he wont use any utensils that arent plastic! If metal touches his mouth, he goes into a real spasm like tooth grind

Hi Brian How encouraging to hear that you are coping so well! My son is 14 and has TS/OCD/ADD and a couple more.....he has shown an amazing reduction in tic severity and ESPECIALLY in his OCD symptoms(which were his most troublesome) in the last 2 years since going onto a supplement system and trying to avoid food additives. Even just a good, pure multivitamin every day makes a difference. And my son takes mainly 5HTP & Inositol to help the OCD(available at most health stores) It REALLY helps! The OCD used to have a very negative effect on his normal functioning, but now is barely noticeable, tho he still like to "organize" things I am so pleased when I read posts like yours! Stay in touch.

I am bumping this up in case anyone has some more input

hello bygrace nice to see you here I am hoping someone here, maybe even Dr Rogers, is able to comment on your multi. As I mentioned to you on the other forum, the vitamins and minerals certainly look good to me, and I have heard of some of the herbal additives and know them to be beneficial, but there are some things like the horsetail herb and the elecuthero root that i dont know about. Also, I seem to recall that glutamine is not a good idea for tics. Hopefully you will get some more qualified input on this

Hi Jean Although my son takes showers for his regular cleaning routine, we use the epsom salts tub as a relaxant. We usually put about 2 cups into a large tub of water. It is wonderfully relaxing and also works as a detoxifier. Even 1 cup will be helpful in a smaller tub of water, but I would think you are fine with 2 cups...it is very safe! I use it as a footbath too....I put a cup in hot water in basin and then soak my feet in it.......wonderfully soothing when you have been on the go all day!

Hi Jake I have a 14 year old son who has TS He was diagnosed at 10, which is when his tics first became noticeable as such. Yes, it was very hard to deal with at first....because the change was so very dramatic. i am not exagerating when I say that my son woke up one morning just after his 10th birthday and was "different" from the day before. But, as we learned about TS, we understood more and so learned how to cope. First off, TS is NOT a disease....it is a neurological disorder. BIG difference! Also, my son and our family have found it best to be very upfront about TS...that way people understand and are more tolerant. The acceptance of TS and all that goes with it is also very beneficial in preventing those "other" psycological issues that can occur when people are misunderstood and picked on for the tics that they cannot help. That is why my family tries to educate people about it, so that they will be more understanding. My son's friend's hardly notice his tics anymore...they are just part of him. And our older son tells his friends upfront, and they too understand and are really very nice to his brother. They most certainly dont "ignore" the one with TS....Many people with TS are VERY talented, especially in music and acting and humor....my son is all of these, and so my older son's friends really like him, and "jam" with him (my kids play a lot of musical instruments) and everyone is amazed at the son with TS having master-gamer abilities...he is also a computer whiz. For me as a mom....yes, it is sometimes hard to see or hear him tic and notice ignorant people snigger or make fun of him. But I have learned to try to ignore that. A parent never wants to see their child go thru hard stuff and so , yes, I wish he did not have to deal with TS, but, I also know that learning to live with it has made him strong and very compassionate toward anyone who is "different" Ever since we learned about the effect of healthy diet and special vitamins etc to help with tics (instead of the medicines that have pretty nasty side effects) my son's ability to live a very happy life even with TS has grown. There is also the very hopeful statistic that most people's tics get less and less as they grow. I hope that your own research into TS will help you in understanding more about it, and that you will also help to educate others thru what you write in your paper. Bye now and i hope you get a good grade for it

here is info on L-carnitine. http://community.healthgate.com/GetContent...d=/tnp/pg000204 because it is an amino acid, it should be used with caution, and preferably with guidance from a qualified physician. It has been very beneficial to my son and many others for vocal tics, but there are mixed views on whether it should be used with other supplements. It is known to cause weight loss because it aids in fat metabolism. It does seem ok tho to use with multivit and Omega fatty acids. As to doseage...my son takes 500mg perday but he is 14 and weighs 150+lbs. He takes adult dose on most things. It really is wise to consult with an alternative physician before using amino acids.

Chamomille tea is available in Teabags or loose and is TOTALLY free of caffeine. it is made from chamomille flowers. When you have made the tea, the teabags make a wonderfully soothing skin rub, and clear pimples, excema etc.

My son responds well to Chamomille tea as a calming ingredient. Likes it sweetened with a bit of honey efgh, BeCalmd has good reports for ADHD, BUT may not be good for tics because it contains glutamine and phenylalanine. Excercise is one of the best remedies for restlessness as it not only gives an energetic outlet, but also stimulates endorphins which brings about a sense of wellbeing, calm and relaxation.

I buy the Epsom salts in large tubs at the supermarket. It has long been known to help muscular aches and strains etc. perhaps it is that relaxant effect that helps soothe a person with tics before bed.

My son has ADD without the H It was diagnosed when he was 4yo, while the TS was dx at 10yo The OCD also showed before the tics

Hi Everyone I have copied and pasted some very useful info on strep infections from Ronna, who has had a lot of experience with this, and has done tons of research on PANDAS etc. So maybe we can use this thread to discuss these issues, which do seem to impact a lot of people Here is what Ronna wrote

Hi Ronna I do hope that you are taking care of yourself! So often when the whole family is ill, mom cares for everyone else tirelessly, but neglects herself...!! Hopefully the nasty bug will depart from your home soon and you will all be immune to any more onslaughts. I am copying and pasting your comments above to a new thread as I feel many people looking for the info wouldnt necessarily find it here. Hope you dont mind. Love and prayers for a speecy return to health Cheri

Thankfully my son's OCD is so reduced as to be hardly noticeable. When it was bad it included phobias, perfectionism, irrational thoughts and actions, injurious skin picking/poking/biting and a host of stuff. Also saying words and phrases etc etc. Often difficult to distinguish where the tics end and the OCD begins!! The words he most frequently used to explain what was happening were "I HAVE to do it, or else....."...... "It HAS to be JUST RIGHT"......"I cant stop" ...."I cant help it"...etc etc etc He still likes to order things and have them "Just Right" but it is no longer life consuming. He is more prone to fears and phobias than my non-OCD son, but, again, it is no longer irrational or all-important. My son did not have the neatnik type OCD like hand washing etc. As a matter of fact, he is just the opposite and is pretty untidy

Jennifer, My son has to walk such a fine line with this......I try to let him be "normal" in that he is 14 and i dont want to police his every move. But thankfully he is beginning to realise for himself that consuming just about ANYTHING like candy, sodas, Slurpees, cakes with that brightly colored icing etc etc means BIG TIME tic/OCD increases. It IS hard, especially around holidays and when they go to parties or have them at school. Thankfully, once they start to realise how much better they feel without the junk, and learn to substitute good stuff, they seem to limit themselves...especially as they get older.

Yes...the biofeedback and bioresonance seem to be the same. Our accupuncturist does it while simultaneously doing accupuncture and reflexology in the same approx 80min session and charges $95 Only good side effects...relaxation and sound sleep. Homeopathy is a good thing but we could not find a homeopath who would acknowledge TS per se....instead they treat the constitution...and we actually found the remedy suggested exascerbated the tics. Those who have GLUTEN allergies react to whole grain products with increased tics. My son is not Gluten intolerant and so responds well to whole grains.

in a word YES

My son has been having accupuncture for four years now. When things were severe, he went once a week. The sessions included reflexology and biofeedback with the accupuncture and lasted about 80 min. for $95 The accupuncturist is a very nice person who made my son feel totally at ease (he was nervous at first) and a good accupuncture therapist is able to insert the needles quickly, correctly and with no pain or side effects. I would choose a therapist who operates thru a clinic, or physicians office etc rather than just out of the phone book......there are a lot of people who practice more as a philosophy rather than a therapeutic treatment, and some of those may not be properly trained and certified. Coprolalia, when one has it, comes and goes just like any tic....sometimes they leave, and never return...... sometimes the same tic characteristically waxws and wanes. Best off she should try to help him cope by ignoring it at home so he can "let it out" and that way he will hopefully be able to substitute when in public. Please note I said substitute...ie find a more exceptible word or phrase that sounds similar to the bad one and say it or say parts of the bad one under his breath etc when in company. I am not recommending trying to suppress the tics....that really can be a tic trigger in itself. If you try to keep them in too long, they need to explode after a while, and sometimes, OCD intensifies when tics are suppressed. Have you ever been to dr Duncan mcKinley's website? It is especially helpful re kids. Dr Dunc is a psychologist who also has TS and he does lectures and seminars, where he talks about how hard it is to suppress tics and the worse effects it can have here is his website again http://www.lifesatwitch.com

It depends on what they mean by natural flavors...if they identify them ok... but I have seen labels claiming to be "all natural" or "natural flavors" and they are manufacturing their flavor...or some other ingredient ....eg strawberry natural flavor is misleading......is it flavored with real strawberry or is it an inert ingredient made to taste like real strawberry? I tend to go by the motto of: The shorter the list of ingredients on the label, the more likely (tho not certainly) that it is a healthier product. I know one can go overboard with this, but I have just learned to be an additive watchdog. It is one of the fastest ways to set off tics when some nasty substance creeps in unidentified. I guess the answer is to vigilent but not fanatic

You are a wealth of such good information Jennifer! Thanks There is so much to learn and to blend into our children's individual make-up and needs.....it is just so great to all be able to share and grow as we seek to help those we love to live well with TS+ I SO agree with the excellent website of Dr Mercola http://www.mercola.com Also, a great resource for anyone wanting to look up general supplement and lots of natural info is at iHERB iHerb http://www.iherb.com/ especially their HEALTH ENCYCLOPEDIA http://www.iherb.com/health.html

Hi My son was just ten and coprolalia was one of his earliest TS symptoms. He has learned to use substitute words to cover the bad ones, but still satisfy the need to express the tic. Tics need to be let out otherwise worse things can result It is hard to deal with especially in a home like ours where we dont use bad language..... HOWEVER and PLEASE tell your friend this.......coprolalia is a recognised symptomatic tic in TS...nomatter how she may be distressed, she should understand that HER CHILD CANT HELP THIS AND SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED OR MADE TO BE EMBARRASSED ABOUT IT!! It is so very hard on the child already having these uncontrollable things happen so suddenly...so it is VERY important for the family especially to be understanding and show love and sympathy...NOT anxiety, disappointment or anger. efgh, there is no magic formula for tics...yes, the supplements help and other treatments help...but you cant find a quick fix for a particular tic.... You can supplement and try the accupuncture etc and do the allergy tsts and try to make things as good as possible and yes, then you do see positive results...but if it is TS, there WILL still be tics, just not so severe. As to Risperdal.....I personally would not go near it!!! It does not have a good reputation, and brings a ton of side effects. From all the reports that I have heard, the only med that seems to have reasonably few (not none) side effects is Clonodine.......but even there, as with all drugs, should be approached with caution. As to your son saying a particular word or sound, yes, that is normal in TS and, for my son, he has also explained a sense of "comfort" from some words and sounds...once again bringing in the OCD side.