Heather

Jennifer, It was great to hear your positive experience with the DAN doctor. I understand your feeling of calmness knowing the direction you are taking is with someone experienced with the disorder. What did he say about your use of the PCA-RX? Did he not think that it removed enough of the metals? Does he use DMPS to remove metals? Also, what is captomer? And one more.....what are the thyroid symptoms that your son is experiencing? Thanks for taking the time to share your valuable information. Heather

Claire, Glad to hear your son is doing ok. It was interesting what you said about the applesauce. I always have given my son organic applesauce but I couldn't get to the city on Sunday so I just bought Motts at the local grocer. His tics did increase today a little and the only thing I had given him different was the brand of applesauce. The ingredient list said fructose, but I didn't realize it was corn syrup. He does have the allergy to corn. Do all Mott's applesauce jars have corn syrup? Would it not say corn syrup? Jean, Glad to hear your son is doing better as well. Heather

Also, Jean, I never mind answering questions so never worry about repeats. I only wish more people with children sufferring from this would ask questions. It frustrates me that there are so many children with worsening symptoms that are taking more and more medically prescribed drugs.

Hi Jean, My naturopath tested for yeast first and initially did not even talk about heavy metals. Her method is to first get rid of yeast and then if the problems are still there to test for the metals. Anyway, we detoxed for yeast first for a couple of months. Once his body showed no yeast, we started the NDF for metals since by that time we had the hair analysis done as well. My naturopath told me that while we are detoxing the metals his yeast may get out of balance again and that we will have to go back to that. Since starting the NDF every once in awhile he has had a very loose bowel movement so I then stop the NDF for a couple of days and give him Threelac for the yeast. Not sure if it is the yeast coming back or what but the reintroduction of the Threelac seems to improve the bowel movement. Hope your son is feeling better!!!! Heather

Claire, So glad your son is doing a little better today. I am sure even this slight improvement will help you relax a little. Funny enough, when my son had a mouth biting thing in November and chewed the inside of his mouth, it was so sore he barely ate or drank for 3 days because it was so sore. During and after those 3 days of minimal eating, his ticcing almost stopped. Once he started eating again the tics came back in full force. Very odd, this guessing game!!! Anyway, hope to keep hearing about his improvements. Heather

Claire, I have read many stories of adults improving with supplements for various ailments. There is one man who writes a testimonial on Bonnie Grimaldi's website that claims he is 40's or 50's (I forget) and has sufferred from TS since he was a child. After taking Bonnie's supplements he is completely free of tics. There is a picture of him too. It is an interesting story. He is an extremely successful professional since, because of his tics, he had a very strong ambition to succeed and threw himself into his studies. I have also read stories of others (older) who have completely reversed symptoms. Heather

Just read your reply Jean. That is informative to know about the seafood allergic reaction and shortness of breath Also Jean, I hope that your son is feeling better soon. It sounds like you are going through quite a time with his infection. Your son is very lucky as well to have such a caring mom. Hopefully, you can clear up the pneumonia soon so he can get off the antibiotics. That could be the cause of more yeast growth, worsening the tics. Heather

Hi Claire, I am sorry to hear that your son is still so sick. I know you are keeping in touch with the hospital and that is a good thing. It does sound like a bad case of food poisoning. However, the shortness of breath sounds like a flu thing. My daughter had the flu at Xmas and experienced shortness of breath (that scared me too) for a few days. My son also used to get bad viruses and he seemed to get it worse than anyone else. We (the rest of the family) would get a mild stomach flu and he would be throwing up to the point it would scare me. I now feel that was because of his yeast since after using the Threelac before Xmas and getting rid of the yeast, he has been exceptionally healthy. When my daughter got the flu after Xmas, my son got such a mild case of it, we hardly noticed he had it. I was amazed by this and as I said, I believe the yeast caused his weakened immune systems. Also, I can totally relate to your experience with your husband. The only reason that my husband allowed me to use the supplements was because my son was suffering soo much with his tics. We had many fights because of it and I am sure my husband would react exactly as yours has with what your son is experiencing. When my son's tics were worsening with the die-off it was a constant battle with my husband. Hang in there and once your son gets well, you can perhaps try discussing it with him again at that time. My thoughts are with you. Your son is so lucky to have you!!! Heather

One more thing. My son has always been into licking us. Even before the tics were present, as a toddler when we would cuddle him, he always would want to lick our faces. We used to even get mad at him (before we realized that this was a compulsion) for licking. Smelling us was another compulsion that he experienced, always wanting to sniff our bodies. Anyway, my husband and I were just commenting tonight that we have not seen either of these behaviours in a couple of weeks and they have been present for years.

Chemar, Thanks for the connection to the thread on Braintalk and sharing. I am still trying to get my message posted on there. Had some trouble with email (hotmail) and passwords and stuff trying to get registered. Will keep trying.

Hi, I just had to add this evening that this past weekend my son had one of the best in months. His tics were barely noticeable and if you didn't know he had this disorder you could've spent all weekend with us and probably not have noticed anything. His face touching is minimal and he went for hours without doing it. The vocal tic that was once a very loud and frequent snort is down to a small barely noticeable sniff that is very infrequent. His tics have not been reduced this much since last summer. He is happier at school and playing so well with a nice group of boys. He seems more confident, is less demanding about food, and even fell asleep within 15 minutes tonight. The settling down at night seems to be coming easier for him in general. I am praying that this will keep improving but as it is right now, with it being so minimal, we could live with this even if it doesn't go away completely. After you talked about the antioxidants Claire, I started to read a lot about this and felt that it could be my son's problem. Anyway, we don't go back to the naturopath until March 12 so I just decided to buy a vitamin supplement called Greens+ for Kids on my own, full of antioxidants. I am also now using Nordic Naturals Peachy Keen Omega 3 which is a very pure fish oil. I am not sure if it is these two new supplements that are making the difference or if it just that the NDF is at the point that it is getting the metals out to reduce the tics. If you research NDF or NDF Plus made by Bioray you will see that it is the most potent, natural substance that you can take orally to get rid of metals. The alternative is IV chelation and this is proven to work better than the IV chelation. The IV thing just seems too scary for me. I am much more comfortable with the oral supplement. The PCA-RX (that Jennifer used) seems to be the only thing that is comparable to the NDF. It is quite expensive but worth every penny. I feel so good and I almost hated to write how well we are doing when I know a few of you are going through bad times right now. But I hope this will make you feel better in knowing that the supplements really do work and you are all on the right track by taking this route. Being patient is really the hardest part as you want everything to happen right away. I am praying for each and every one of you. Heather

Claire, I am also so sorry to hear about your sorry to hear about your son. It must be very stressful trying to guess what caused it. I remember once my daughter getting food poisoning from chicken and none of the rest of us had it. The doctor said at the time it could be because she was a child and the chicken was only mildy tainted that it didn't effect anyone else or perhaps it was just her piece that didn't get thoroughly cooked. I wasn't sure at the time if that were true but the symptoms were classic food poisoning symptoms and it was chicken that had sat on the counter at room temp. for a few hours before cooking (which I found out later from my mother-in-law). Anyway, I also have never heard of supplements making someone that ill. There are two people that I know of though who started the coral calcium water sufferring from fibromyalga and another with back pain and they were on the couch for 2 days unable to move because of yeast die off. Where did you hear of the person who died from probiotics? I hope he is feeling better. Keep us informed. Heather

Lil, In your post you asked if you could get rid of it on your own and I assume you mean without seeing a naturopath or environmental doctor. As a lay person, I would highly recommend for anyone to see some sort of doctor for treatment, however, I am using the Threelac without actually being a patient myself. I have never had any testing done or consultation with my naturopath regarding my own issues, only my children. I am convinced I have yeast however and because of different symptoms throughout my life, it is something I believe I have had since I was a child. I have seen many improvements in my own well being after taking the Threelac. How did you come to the diagnosis of systemic yeast? Were you tested at one point? Just curious. Heather

Hi Lil, I will answer your post on here since you didn't leave an email address. My son, daughter and myself are all using the Threelac. My son's naturopath ok'd it for us and it is claimed by the distributor to be safe for babies. She said to work out the dose that we could handle. We started with very small amount (a pinch) but that was for my son because he is only 7. I take about 1/2 a pouch a day and my daughter takes about 1/4 pouch. It is important to drink lots of water to help with die off and flush out toxins. I experienced a bit of diarrhea and stomach upset but nothing significant. I do not have any diagnosed ailments so the reaction is really different for everyone depending on what you might be sufferring from. My daughter also had some stomach upset and leg cramps and after we backed off on the amount, she was fine. I think her reaction was more because I hadn't pushed the water enough. She is doing great and is much better emotionally these days. She is only 9 and had bad mood swings and defiant behaviour. Her bowel habits are now normal after years of constipation. She was also experiencing some early acne on her forehead which has cleared up entirely. After a few months of using acne cream for it, her forehead is now as smooth as baby's skin. My son who suffers from tics experieinced some worsening of the tics initially but then gradual improvement. He had minor diarrhea as well. His bowel movements have improved as well after years of loose stools. The company that distributes it recommends using Oxygen Elements Plus with it to avoid the die off, however we never used that since we drink a lot of Coral Calcium water with mineral drops so I didn't want to add another supplement. We just went at it real easy to avoid die off. You will know what your body can handle. I have mercury in my teeth as well and am going to deal with that later once I get my son treated. He is my main concern right now. The Threelac is just for yeast. As you probably read somewhere, I believe that the yeast was caused by the mercury. The theory is that if you have mercury, the yeast will keep coming back until you get rid of the mercury. Your symptoms sound like the classic ones caused by yeast and metals. keep us posted on your treatment. Any other questions, just ask. heather

Claire, Thanks for the idea of the 1/2 substitution of the peanut butter and doing the transition gradually. He is now acquiring the taste to the Organic but it has taken some mixing to do so. Chemar, I am still looking for the sesame tahini. Sounds interesting!!!! Heather

Also, referring to the above, I may be unrealistic but I do feel that even though my son may be given a diagnosis of Tourettes, I believe that supplements may at one point eliminate the tics once we find the right imbalance. If the supplements are working as well as they have to this point, then it is obviously related to some nutrient imbalance in the body. I am not ready to believe we have to wait until the age at which they sometimes diminish in adolescence. Only time will tell I guess and I am sure many would say I have false hopes. Autism is being reversed in many children with the right supplements. Why not Tourettes???? Heather

Just want to clarify my point earlier. I do believe it is important to bring it out in the open and tell others around you what is going on. As soon as this started with my son I was into the teacher explaining the situation and encouraging her to educate the others in the classroom of what Will was experiencing. I explained to him right from the first that he had a disorder and that we were working to help him but that it was ok to tic and he should never feel ashamed of it. My problem with labels with this disorder is that there is so much unknown about identifying what aspect of the disorder they have. I don't have a problem labelling that fact that they have a disorder and I will be the first to educate everyone around us what is going on. However, even on here with people who have studied it extensivetly, when we were talking about the causes there was confusion over what was actually tourettes, how it could be tested, etc. etc. Even when someone is diagnosed with Tourettes, there is different outcomes as they grow older. Sometimes it goes away in adolescence, sometimes it doesn't. My son was found with high strep antibodies and diagnosed with PANDAS and then my naturopath found no sign of this so does he have PANDAS or doesn't he. Unknown again. It was a psychaiatrist who said to me he had a problem with labels when there really was so much unknown. Then I was on the phone with someone about a supplement and he asked, does he have tourettes or does he have mercury induced tics? Well at this point we don't really know. I'm not sure if we will ever really know. My problem is not that I want to hide it and pretend it doesn't exist. I just don't want to put a label on something at this point with so many unkowns. Unlike your husband as a child Chemar, my son does have a clear answer that it is ok to tic and you should not try to hide it. It is something he can't control and he should never be ashamed. Even though we want it to stop and and working to make it stop, we NEVER make a big deal of it and never make him feel like he should stress about it. He is encouraged to tell others that he has a disorder and we are working to treat it but we don't actually have a label for it.

The way it was explained to me by my medical doctor was that to be diagnosed as Tourettes (as you said EFGH) both vocal and motor tics have to be present for one year. Otherwise, they are labelled as transient tics. I hate the label thing as well and don't like to use the term tourettes syndrome. My son's tics started last summer so he doesn't have an official diagnosis but when they found the strep antibodies, then he was sort of labelled with PANDAS I guess. I don't really agree with that label either as my Naturopath said many cases have high strep antibodies. It is all part of the leaky gut affect causing autoimmune disorders where your body's immune system goes out of control and starts attacking its own tissues. Anyway, the C-section comment was interesting. My son was born C-section, however, he was breast fed for a few months. Thanks for the comments on this. Heather

Also, thank you so much for all of your input and ideas. It helps me greatly to hear of your experiences. As I have mentioned before, we have moved to a new town and I haven't pursued looking for a job right now with my son's TS. Since I am not getting out of the house as much as I would like during these cold winter days, I look forward to coming on here and communicating with all of you. It definitely lifts my spirits to hear from others who believe in this treatment and are having success with it. Also, thanks to Sheila for initiating this whole forum.

Thanks Jennifer, Your ideas are appreciated. I will have to experiement with everyone's ideas.

Chemar, I am glad that you and your family have come to this peaceful acceptance. It does make me feel less stressed about the minor tics my son experiences now. Thanks.

Thanks for your comments. Chemar, Just out of curiousity, it is maybe on here somewhere, but have you ever had tests for heavy metals done? Hope you don't mind my inquisitiveness. I'm just trying to learn more about all of this. I also believe that my son's disorder has a genetic origin, along with the environmental causes. Although no one (that I know of) in the family had tics, my nephew had some mild signs around the age of 10-11 and I, myself had some anxiety/panic attack issues as a child. There is also some mild depression in the family although not significant and could be ignored but I think it is all related (spectrum disorder). Anyway, from what I read, people are genetically predisposed to certain ailments and when your body becomes out of balance, you develop whatever you might be genetically predisposed to. That is why many people might live the same unhealthy lifestyle and not suffer the same ailments. Jennifer, How was the body bio work done? With your old doctor? Thanks Heather

Hi all, I read somewhere that Jennifer's goal (I think it was her) was to have her son supplement free one day which is shared by all of us I am sure. I believe my son's disorder was caused by several factors as follows: 1) Poor diet (very little fruits and veggies, overuse of package foods and additives, high sugar) 2) Stress (move to new town) 3) Fully vaccinated 4) Antibiotic use for ear infections as a toddler I feel that it has taken years to develop this disorder and that once we have fully detoxed, as long as we change this unhealthy lifestyle we should be able to live supplement free. My questions to anyone reading this is, "Is there anyone who has a child with this disorder that seemed to develop for no apparent reason?" In other words, I am curious if anyone had the tics just start with none of the above factors being present. It makes me feel better when I do hear from others that there is definitely a causal factor in most cases, in which case we are all on the right track in treating it to be supplement free. What do you believe were some of the things regarding lifestyle that you feel led to this disorder? Also, do you know of others who are now completely free of supplements who treated it this way? I know that tics can be present and sometimes go away without using supplements but I think as parents watching our children's reactions to these supplements we know this treatment works. Just curious. Heather

Claire & Chemar, Thanks so much for the sleep aid info. I will look into your recommendations. Heather

Thanks again Sheila for your comments. I love this forum and have learned soo much from other's experiences and from your expertise in this area. It makes me feel much better to connect with others going through the same thing who are trying the same methods of treatment. Sometimes when discussing these things with people around me, it is hard not to feel like they think I am quacky.