lurker

Bonnie, I don't have anything to add, but thank you. I'll be stealing some of your ideas! Where do you get Congesteeze? Tami

Caryn, Have you ever researched local honey? It's supposed to be like nature's version of an allergy shot. I only mention it because you live close to corn fields.

Char, I forgot to mention, be very careful of vaccines. The flu shot in particular is contraindicated for egg allergy. I think they cultivate the virus in egg. I don't think egg has any aliases. It's one of the "big 8" allergens, so it should be clearly labeled.

F-guy, Have you heard of "latex allergy?" Apparently many people who are allergic to latex are also allergic to bananas, avocado, papaya, chestnut, and grass and olive pollens. There are about five others if I recall, and most people aren't allergic to all, but several or more within the group. Have you reacted this way to avocado? I think kiwi and melon are in the group as well. It's Googlable. I don't know why they would manifest exclusively as vocal though. I think dairy products have a reputation for that. They are notorious for causing excess mucous and throat clearing in the general population. I think people with latex and banana allergy are most likely to respond with anaphalaxys. What kind of vocal are we talking? Throat clearing?

Hi Char, Don't know how long until you see a decrease, but EnerG egg replacer is great. It is available at Whole Foods. Caryn gave me a great tip that really helped: When using egg replacer, add one extra egg. If the recipe called for one, use 2 replacers. If it called for 3, use 4 replacers.

Vanessa, I don't have much to contribute, but maybe test for food allergies. I see you eliminated the most likely culprits, but maybe your kid has an undetected citrus or banana allergy? Maybe something you are feeding him more of now that you have removed all those other foods. The eating/bedtime story/car seat has come up here several times. That seems common to me; that's when I saw them the most. My thought on that is that all three activities require our hyperkinetic kids to come to a near stop and settle down, usually after a period of high activity. This certainly isn't a cure, only an observation, but giving my son gum in the car stopped it, and giving him crushed ice during story time stopped it. It gave him something to do to keep busy during the transition.

Colleen, "When my boys had pertussis" really caught my eye. Did your boys have the DTaP? boosters? Mostly curious because that was the vaccine that set off my son's tic disorder, and it would just be ridiculously ironic if the vaccine doesn't even confer adequate immunity! Thanks, Tami

Just a thought, but it looks like you were using the baths for two different purposes -- absorbing magnesium (leave on) and removing toxins (rinse off).

Myrose, I was in Whole Foods yesterday, and I looked for that oil for you. I couldn't remember if it was sunflower or safflower, but they sell both. Both are expeller-pressed, refined oils. Tami

Cheri, My kids go to the local public school. In my son's kindergarden class of 19, there are three asthmatics; 8 with dietary restrictions (three of which are kosher), leaving one vegan and four with food allergies, one of which carries an Epi-pen; three are on the "spectrum;" several more have obvious attention issues; and my son has occassional tics. Was this always the case? You know, before we labeled everything. Were they just sniffly, odd, busy kids -- some with "little habits" or is it escalating? Sorry to rant, but I honestly can't decide if kids are getting more pathologic, or we are just more judgemental and willing to label? Any thoughts?

Guy, My kid's tic disorder is in remission; so I am not even considering the use of drugs, and I do prefer the idea of natural remedies, but your contributions help me sleep at night. They are my safety net. It is good to know all of one's options, and your research is well-presented -- just facts, no salesmanship. I lurk all your posts, and I'm glad you're here.

Karma . It reminds me, I am NOT looking forward to Halloween. We relax the diet for Halloween (at least it's not a school night this year), Valentine's Day, and Easter. Even back in the old days when we were a "McFamily" with bad eating habits, I could see the difference in their behavior after the big candy-eating holidays. It will probably be even more evident now.

Myrose, I am so impressed with your pediatrician. The dinosaur that gave my son the vaccine that heralded his tic disorder (three days later!) said no way, no how, pure coincedence. Is your ped a traditional MD?

Mine is low in iron, too. Is that gluten related? He's gluten-free and still low. Do you supplement outside of a multi and green leafy veggies?

Michele, I think the concept is "premonitory urge." I think it relates to all tics. It is the "itch/scratch" aspect of it. I am surprised he is not aware of it. If you are otherwise happy with his services and he has a good relationship with your son, maybe you could Google "premonitory urge, tics" and have him read it. Since he is a psychologist, I would try to give him a source from a psych publication, not M.D.

Hi, I have another guess, but I need some help. In just the last several days someone, maybe Lindsey, mentioned that amino acids aggravated a child's tics. I looked at Intramax months ago, and I remember a ton of aminos. Amino acids, anyone?

Mary, My son has NO nasal symptoms except inflammation, and that I wouldn't have known about except for the pediatrician mentioning it. (BTW, you can see it with a flashlight.) He has never had stuffy/runny noses/coughing except as part of a cold, no sinus infections or issues. She suggested we do the hepa in his room/vaccuum his room daily/encase mattress and pillows. She thought it was most likely dustmites or trees. Tami

Kim, Fruit roll ups! That is my pet peeve. If I had free time, which I don't, because I too suffer from "Munchausen by Internet," I would make it my life's mission to lobby to get the name changed to "frute roll ups." Like "krab," the required moniker for fake crab. In a regular grocery store it is conceivable that NONE of the fruit roll ups contain fruit. Some of the higher quality ones can contain up to a whopping 10%. Oh, and you did see the right commercial -- the couple in the park. She was holding a red big pop. She was just holding it; she never actually went to town on it, so to speak. (Hope that didn't offend anyone ) And you're right. I'll bet that ad does backfire by reaching an uninformed demographic. We can only hope. Tami

I've been seeing commercials lately for a product that is an allergen block. It uses computer graphics to show a shield protecting a nose from airborne allergens. Chloraceptic makes it for adults; Little Noses markets the pediatric version. I looked at it briefly on the net. NO DRUGS involved. The premise is that the gel is negatively charged; allergens are positively charged. So it "traps" them before they enter the nasal passages. (Think invisable flypaper for pollen!) My son gets nasal inflammation this time of year. I'm going to give it a try. I'll report back later, but I thought you might like to try too. Tami

Have you seen these commercials? I have seen two of them. In the first, a woman who is concerned about HFCS in the fruit punch at a kiddie party is belittled by the host for believing the rumors and questioning the integrity of the product. In the second, there is a couple in the park. She is enjoying a nice phallic-shaped popsicle (still can't believe they went there), but the plot is the same as she belittles the other character for again questioning the integrity of the product. The first time I saw the commercial all I could think is, "Oh, Caryn's not going to like this!" BTW, she has a great expose about the corn industry on her blog. Tami

Bonnie, I'm voting for the "guy thing." I would rather deal with sick kids than a sick man. My husband is a nightmare. Just readjusting his position on the sofa requires a loud groan; anything requiring more effort than that sounds like natural childbirth! Oh, and he "needs" something about every 10 minutes -- water, tylenol, the phone, a DVD, soup, a phone number, a golf magazine, . . . Remember that yours is a guy and a kid and then there is the anxiety; so he's a tripple threat. It has to be even worse when you're sick. I hope it runs its course soon.

Interesting citation, Caryn. Dr. Murphy's estimation of 11% to 30% actually surprised me a little though. Susan Swedo, herself, has conceded that she believes only 2% to 5% of OCD and tic disorders to meet PANDAS criteria -- that leaves a lot of other possibilities.

I really don't know what to say. I sincerely appreciate your last post, and I don't want to antagonize you, but I really did extrapolate from your post (two "bravo's," one "that is what I have felt for a while now," and an "I do feel in my heart that TS and PANDAS are the same thing") that you thoroughly endorsed Dr. K's opinion. Which leaves no logical conclusion except that all cases are PANDAS. Which is fine, I suppose. You are entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to take exception/offense to it. Ironically, we really aren't that far off. If I had to state my personal belief, I would say it is all immunomodulated. My son had a tic explosion three days after a DTaP shot. Clearly it involved his immune system. I found this site, and within seven days I had the pediatrician run a rapid strep test, a culture, and the ASO and anti-Dnase titers. All were negative. I cannot accept that strep A had any part in triggering that episode. Having said that, now that my son's tic explosion has waned and his symptoms are only rarely and slightly present, I think it is time for me to leave the nest. I really appreciate all the wonderful advice and support I got here. I wish nothing but the best for all of you and your children. Thank you

Kelly, The neurologists that tell you that PANDAS does not exist are entitled to their personal/professional opinions too, but you find those offensive; don't you? No one here disputes that your child/children have PANDAS. Please respect the rest of us by not diagnosing our children with it.