Hi All,
I thought that I would share my experience on this forum since like most of us here, I have gone through all the anxiety of seeing my kid with TS. I use to visit this site pretty regularly quite some time ago searching for answers. I must admit that I used to try all sorts of vitamins for my son after reading some of the postings. I would try a bunch of them after convincing myself and then start switching to another if things does not work out. I had my fair share of running to doctors and asking for quick remedies. I have not subjected my kid to any anti-psychotic pills but have been recommended a slew of vitamins and supplements. My son's tics used to be quite bad at times. Started at 3.5 years old. Had motor and vocal ones. The worst ones were his stomach muscles moving in a wave like fashion and leg spasms. Vocal ones were mild I think. Sounds were more like clearing of throat and would last for e.g. 4 weeks.
Anyway, to cut the story short, I must say that my son have been doing well for quite a while now without any supplement. At least about 2 years now with very slight and mild outbreaks especially when we do not follow the rules correctly. Thanks to one of the web site that I visited and this helped me alot. Here’s the link .. http://www.touretteswithoutdrugs.com
I even emailed to this person to ask him for some advice. I think he has been “God sent” for me. I just thought that I should share my experience. I just hope and pray that the method that this person has shared works for my son throughout
I have not gone to this site recently but I follow the simple rules that is prescribed..
1. Avoid wheat
2. Avoid milk
3. Avoid any sugar but take fruits with proper backing of carbo (read the site to know what I mean)
A typical day’s food for my son is as follows: My son is 6+ old now..
7AM - A bottle (about 80ml) of soy based formula milk (from Abbott).
9.30AM - Breakfast. A combination of 3 to 4 items from the carb,
protein, veg group of food. E.g. (potatoes, tuna in brine/olive oil,
tomatoes, mushroom for one breakfast). The items that I use in the
combinations are (tuna in brine/oil, eggs, scallops, potatoes, brown rice vermicelli, fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots). All preparations are based on boiling or steaming the items.
12.30PM - Lunch. Brown rice with 2 dishes. One is normally a leafy
green vegetable dish and the second is either Chicken or Fish. The
preparation is Chinese style where the food is stir fried with some
gravy.
1.30PM - Fruits (e.g. banana, apple, orange, papayas, etc) about 10-30 mins after his lunch. (I used to make the mistake of giving him the fruit as late as 4PM. I have even given him a bit too much fresh water melon juice and that was also a problem). In short, not too much fruit that causes the sugar levels to shoot up.
3.00PM - Soy based formula milk (about 70ml)
7.00PM - dinner. Brown rice with 2 dishes. Similar to Lunch, one is
normally a leafy green vegetable dish and the second is either
chicken or fish. The preparation is Chinese style, stir fried with some gravy.
8.00PM - Fruits about 10-30 mins after his dinner.
10PM - Soy based formula milk (about 120ml)
Try to use as much fresh food as possible. I totally avoid giving him any deep fried stuff. No cane sugar is added into our cooking. However, due to the cooking style, we do use a wheat free soy sauce. I also avoid giving him wheat (no bread), dairy and artificial flavoring/colours. I do not let him take fruits at odd hours. It is difficult in between meals when he gets hungry so his regular lunch and dinner are normally full meals to keep him going. I do sometimes give him some potato chips or fried papadams in between meals. I also try to avoid refined flour even if its rice based since I think this might elevate the sugar levels faster.
The only times I break the rules is during his birthday where he gets to eat his cake and things like fast food & pizza. After that I revert back to this food regime and it has been okay so far..
I am not saying this will certainly work for everyone……but I think it is worth the try. Try to follow the rules.. and I think regulating the blood sugar level as mentioned in the site has some part to play in taming the tics.
cheers and good luck.