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Our GP recommended a saline nasal spray called Simply Saline for us wimps who can't figure out how to use a Neti pot properly...ahem, that would be me! I buy one for each member of the family and put our initials on the cap so we all have our own. My dh uses a neti pot daily, though, too!

I wanted to add that many of the articles that point out that you should not take the echinacea or elderberry do say to take skullcap and turmeric. I take a product called Zyflamend by New Chapter for joint inflammation that contains those ingredients along with rosemary, ginger, holy basil, green tea, hu zhang, barberry, oregano, and chinese goldthread. This may be a good supplement to research??? What do you think, Maryann? B

Funny, but I've read articles about the cytokine storm and read other natural doctors touting the elderberry and echinacea as good alternative preventives and treatments. Honestly, at this point maybe doing nothing is the right answer???? I just don't know! Here's one I read recently: http://fourfoldhealing.com/2006/12/01/flu-...tment-dec-2006/ And, here's another touting elderberry despite the cytokine store: http://www.naturalnews.com/026354_elderber...une_system.html and an interesting discussion after this article with a few links that you might find interesting where herbalists are discussing the balancing of immune suppressing vs immune stimulating herbs, etc. http://www.rutlandbio.com/2009/04/30/herba...ea-for-pig-flu/ I've also read some articles that say the same thing you found so who's right? Our own naturopath recommends the esberitox(echinacea) supplement and said he's not sold on elderberry, though. Hmmm, some things to think about, huh? Bonnie

We've been supplementing with Vitamin D for some time now and I have even been thinking of getting our levels tested. Right now we all take around 1000-2000 mg a day. I follow Dr Mercola's website and I love his information even though he sometimes hawks his own stuff! Bonnie

My ds has always had a smelling thing going on. I don't think I can classify it as a tic b/c he only does it in certain situations(can that still be a tic?). Anyway, he plays competitive tennis and was smelling the tennis balls and his racquet handle. I told him to stop smelling the balls b/c of the dust and germs on them, and he was able to stop. But, I think it caused him to smell his racquet handle even more. So, now he smells his racquet DURING points and I think it's throwing off his rhythm while playing. It's one thing to smell it before you serve or when you're getting ready to return the other player's serve, but during points I find it's messing him up! I told him to be more conscious of when he does it and to actually tell himself to stop doing it. Not sure if that was the right thing to do but I know it bugs him b/c the kids all make fun of him and imitate him, too. One of the parents asked me why he kisses his racquet and I had to explain the tics, etc to her and tell her that he was sniffing, not kissing, LOL! He also smells his forearms after he showers and smells his fingers after eating or after touching flowers or something that smells strong(again, just situational smelling, not like he has to smell everything all day long). Our doc said it was a sensory thing but didn't give me suggestions for how to handle it. So, if you all have any tried and true theories or solutions, I'd love to hear them! Thx! Bonnie

Glad to see this worked for you! I know my son would NEVER be able to do that diet, actually I don't think I'd be able to do that diet. No wheat, no milk, no sugar? Wow! I'm amazed that you guys are implementing it. I hope this information helps others on the board! Bonnie PS: I guess we'd be able to do the diet if our lives depended on it like: You're going to die if you don't do this diet, but I know we'd have a hard time with this in our house. We're milk and sugar junkies here!

Oh, that's good news to know about the elderberry as I just bought a huge bottle from Iherb. My naturopath also suggested we add in Esberitox(a super echinacea supplement) during this cold and flu season. We will not be getting the swine flu or any other flu vaccine this year. Also, just to add some tidbits I've tried over the years: For sore throat I make a tea out of steeping ginger root, lemon juice, and honey in hot water and sometimes add alcohol for dh to help him sleep if he's miserable. This really helps coat the throat. I buy bulk immunity herb blends from www.bulkherbstore.com and get the double E immunity booster and we drink the tea at the first sign of a cold or sore throat. It has the echinacea and elderberries and other immune enhancing herbs. We take the esberitox, always have oscillococcinum on hand, have our Olbas cough syrup, and our essential oil diffusers ready for the next round of colds, etc. I also take olive leaf extract, oil of oregano, and take garlic supplements as well. The natural websites are touting Vitamin D as a HUGE flu and cold fighter so we supplement with that, as well. Of course, we also take Vitamin C and cod liver oil(for dh and I). Another tip from our naturo's office for reducing fever as an alternative to fever reducing meds: do the wet sock therapy. Yes, she said wet socks! She takes a pair of soaked and wrung out medium weight cotton socks and puts them on her children's feet and then covers that with a dry wool sock that completely covers the wet sock. Leaving it on overnight or until the sock is dry. You can research this online but I know I'll try it if we ever get a low grade fever in our house! Not sure I'd do this for a fever of over 102, though??? Anyway, I hope this helps someone! Bonnie

I believe I noted that in my post that it took 4 days. It never actually takes away the tics completely, the supplements just make them less frequent and less intense. So, most people probably don't even notice the tics. I know that Carolyn sees results by day 3, though, so it will be different for everyone and may not work for everyone. We all know how 'what works for one person, may not work for another'. Bonnie

Carolyn and I take our boys to the same naturopath and I have done the glycine and B6 together to get the tics to settle down and have seen results, as well. My son is 10 and weighs around 80 pounds. He gets up to 200 mg of B6 for 3 days straight and then I start tapering down. I saw no hyper activity or jitteriness. It took about 4 days for the tics to settle down and I kept giving him around 7500 mg glycine and did that for 6 days. He usually gets between 2400 to 4800 mg of glycine a day. I had my doubts but it did work and I'm not sure if it was coincidence or not but I think it worked well. Hope this helps! Bonnie

Faith and CP, I do not have to give the glycine with the B6. Actually, I hadn't given him glycine for a few days after I started a high B6 regimen. I added that afterwards and then I saw the tics really slow down. As for the B6, our naturopath told us to do 200mg for 3 days, spreading it out throughout the day. Carolyn goes up to 150 mg for Daniel. I didn't see a change until day 4, though, so it was something that took time and was not an immediate band-aid. Faith, have you tried going up to 200 mg of the B6? I was leary of it, but Griffin seemed to have no ill effects from it. He weighs around 77 lbs and is around 4 ft 7 in height. To answer San's question on the B6: I just use whatever B6 is in capsule form so I can open the capsule and dissolve it in juice. Faith uses a liquid and I'm sure that's fine, as well. B

CP, I use the glycine, too, as Carolyn does and our naturopath told us it calms the pathways and the neurotransmitters helping things run more smoothly. I know there's more but I do give it to Griffin about every other day to every day depending on whether he's waxing or not. That combined with high B6 seems to take him from an 8 to a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10(10 being highest). We've had bad reactions from 5HTP and I do see waxing with fish oils. Haven't tried other aminos, though. San, we usually get major waxing when a tooth is coming in(or out) or when he's very stressed. Is there something going on at school with a classmate or was the classroom just painted or has new carpeting? I know my ds also increased tics when we pulled out our carpeting and put in tile last spring. B

Just wanted to add about the fish oil, it does make my son tic more. Eating fish or taking flaxseed oil doesn't seem to bother him, though. Also, on the B6 you can find small 25 mg tablets or 50 mg capsules that might work for you. I find B6 to be very effective at calming his sytem, even more so than magnesium. And, when you choose a multivitamin make sure you check for food colorings, etc. Try to find one that has no preservatives, etc. We don't give a multi. I give my son Vitamin D3, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and magnesium/calcium all as separate supplements. He also takes a few immune enhancing supplements for cold/flu prevention, etc. Welcome to the boards! Bonnie

He is so adorable! I have a pic of my son when he was that little sitting in one of those bouncy chairs and grabbing his toes! Your picture reminded me of how jovial he was as a baby. He still is today! One of the happiest kids you'll meet.....well, until his tics start bugging him, but that doesn't happen often! Bonnie

Well, I wonder if he can show Grif some moves when we get out there later this month? Just kidding! Griffin was getting teased lately b/c his tics were pretty bad but they've settled down now after I did a mega dose of B6 for a few days. Why was this boy bugging him anyway? Some kids are just looking for trouble, aren't they and I'm glad your son stood up for himself. My husband always tells G that he wouldn't get mad at him if he stood up for himself in self defense even if he got in trouble for it in other ways. I know that my dh thinks that Grif's tics are the best thing that have happened to him. I always look at him funny when he says this but he thinks that the tics give Grif something to overcome, something to fight for and defend himself, thereby making himself a stronger person to prepare him for the stresses of adulthood. He thinks kids these days aren't challenged enough and that kids are wimps for the most part b/c we live in such a privileged society(and that goes for our generation, as well). He thinks that any kid who has to overcome challenges will be a stronger adult and will be a more confidant, compassionate adult. Not saying I agree 100% with my husband all the time, but he has a point. Yet, I think life is tough enough for kids these days so that's why I try to control the tics. My dh is one of the most negative people I've ever met sometimes, but when it comes to our son.....he's so positive in his outlook and in how he handles the tics. It amazes me! I'm the one who gets all frazzled and frustrated, and he stays so calm. Anyway, I'm totally off topic here and I really have no advice but just wanted to say that I hope his tics do settle down soon for you! Bonnie

Ok, I'm jealous! You just said your house is soooooooo clean! I wish I could say that about my home. I know I need to do a better job of controlling the dust in ds's room, though, but I just never seem to get in there and he's got books, trophies, and stuff on all his shelves that I HATE dusting his room. Our naturopath just gave us a nasal spray that has quercetin in it b/c supplementing with quercetin wasn't doing much for him. I'm going to give it a try and see if it helps. He blows his nose every morning and is usually stuffy, but as the day wears on it clears up. This tells me the problem is in his room, could be all those stuffed animals and Webkinz he insists on collecting. When do boys outgrow this phase anyway?

So, what kinds of tests are done? Urine or blood tests or both? We live in AZ, how do we get the tests done here? Not sure my ds would stand for a blood test anyway, but this is something I'm interested in.

I know that my ds is ticcing more and we're both having more allergy symptoms. I've tried giving him allergy meds but I don't see them helping nor do I see them helping with the tics. I already know that my ds wouldn't be able to handle the needle pricking from the allergist tests so I have yet to take him in. We've done NEAT and I do think it lowered his allergic environmental reactions but it didn't help with the tics. Truly, I think there are more than 1 factor in regards to his tics. Environmental allergies, stress, teeth coming in or out, etc all contribute to his tics. I still don't think he reacts to any foods b/c he never just explodes with tics, just environmental stuff has made him explode. There's usually just a gradual increase in the case of allergies and stress. It's funny that they said your son really doesn't have any allergies based on the testing and yet he's always stuffy. Ds is always stuffy and so am I. Every single morning, all year long. That makes me think mold or dust mite allergies. Of course, I live in the desert and it hardly ever rains here and I don't have any leaks in the plumbing(as I've had that checked) so I wonder if dust mites are a factor?

I have a friend who is an internal medicine doctor who says that she will not be getting the swine flu vaccine nor will she give it to her kids. She believes that they are rushing on it and that it may not be safe. She is intending to get the seasonal flu vaccine as the hospital is requiring that of her. Also, my naturopath doc is friends with the head of our local county hospital and said that he asked this doctor what he thought about the swine flu vaccine. The doc said, "It won't work". We've never gotten a flu vaccine and don't intend to for this new strain of flu. Hey, if you get the flu then you'll have the antibodies the next time it rolls around, right? Just my 2 cents! Bonnie

I always think that the 'flu' means cough, body aches, and fever. Stomach symptoms I associate with gastroenteritis or what most people call the 'stomach flu'. One of my son's friends just had H1N1 and he started with a cough, the fever came the next day, and he was pretty miserable for about 4 days. He's totally on the mend now and back to his exercising and tennis playing, etc. We also know a few other kids who have had it and most recovered in 3-5 days with no secondary infections.

Well, this is a bit OT for the fish oil talk here but I know that our naturopath has Grif on PS 100(phosphatidylserene) to improve brain function. Apparently, the PS100 helps to minimize the effects that cortisol have on the brain and on the stress reaction created in our bodies by the cortisol release. We have him on 200 mg of PS 100 right now and I know that Carolyn has her son on this supplement, as well. I wonder if this supplement does something similar to the cortisol as the Omega 3s? Any thoughts?

So, if fish and flax increase tics for you...where would you go about getting more Omega 3's? I'm assuming that eating salmon would be helpful. Would primrose oil do the job, as well? Now, I have to start reading labels for something new. I never considered the fat balances but I can see how this would be beneficial to overall health regardless of whether he had tics or not. I have my husband on fish oil pills and he swears that they make him calm and help with his joint pain!

So, what we're saying here is that Omega 3's are good, but Omega 6's may create an inflammatory response in the body? That is interesting. The one time I tried to get Grififn on omegas, it was with a fish oil supplement and he ticced more so I took him off of it. I have yet to put him on a flaxseed oil supplement but was wondering where that falls in the Omega categories? So, what is high in Omega 6? I noticed safflower and sunflower noted. What about olive oil, almond oil, flaxseed, etc?

Yes, thanks! I've increased his magnesium this week as well. The poor kid keeps looking at me like: Hey, why do I have to keep taking all this extra stuff? It honestly doesn't bother him until later in the evening when his get tired and he gets a headache from moving and pulling those facial muscles so much. I've never really seen a benefit from magnesium before but it couldn't hurt since I'm sure most of America is lacking in this vital mineral. We all take a cal/mag supplement in this house! Bonnie

I took him for an eye exam about 6 months after the tics started, so that would have been about 16 months ago and they didn't see any problems with his eyes. Should I consider getting him tested again? Vision problems are not a hereditary issue on either side of our families so after I got him tested I figured we were in the clear for eye problems. Bonnie

Yes, I think we can all relate! At least I can right now b/c we're waning over here and I'm trying to figure out what is going on. Sometimes it's not something YOU did or didn't do. I know that ds has a tooth pushing through and I have determined that toothy things make him tic more! I also know that environmental stuff will set him off but I just don't know the exact trigger but my guess is mold and/or dust mites. I'm relatively certain that allergies play a part here but I, of course, cannot control pollen the trees myself so I get frustrated trying to figure it all out! (((Deanna))) just know you're not alone! Bonnie