sptcmom

Here you go again http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11460 Jodie

Hey Anne I was about tho reply in the PANDAS forum and then saw u posted here too. Here is a link to a post I had a couple days ago. Its very informative about the testing and labs that are ok etc: http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11460 I would be happy to answer any further questions. Jodie

Mom love Yes, we are being treated by an LLMD, actually two LLMDs and one Klinghardt trained Chiropracter. As Fixit says so accurately who the heck knows what is brewing as far as infections go.It could be viruses, bacteria, yeast, parasites blah blah...ad nauseum. The key is to spread the net wide, test for everything before any major procedures, steroids etc . Just my humble opinion. We did IVIG in a hurry and it was a mistake- too early in the game. I feel if I had waited and workd on the all the infections my 30 K would've been a better investment. oh well. I didn't know then what I know now. DH and I were just trying to help our DS aggressively. DS is mistakenly diagnosed with query/mystery type Asthma and treated for 2 plus years with nebulizer steroids and airway dilators while the whole time all he had was walking pneumonia- mycoplasma pneumoniae was the culprit which we found out in March 2010 and treated. Jodie

yes, Biaxin (clarithromycin) is a strong macrolide plus has a great antiinflammatory effect and crosses the blood brain barrier. It helped DS far more than Augmentin before and after IVIG with dr K.It definitely helps with mycoplasma and strep control. Dr K's prescribed prophylactic dose was extremely low for our DS I felt, and I switched to a much higher dose. I also did 30 days of Biaxin for eradication of mycoplasma. We were 95% BEFORE IVIG and slipped at 70% after IVIV (HD) with Dr K. I was suspicious and researched further. Tested to rule out Lyme, coinfections, viruses and yeast. Came back positive for Bartonella active, RMSF inactive but prsent, HHV6,and cytomegalovirus plus biofilms with intestinal parasites positive. We started treatment for these and I feel we're on our path to healing finally. Lots of ups and downs but its a long haul I know.We are currently battling a bad cold. Merry Christmas to you too! There is light at the end of the tunnel Im sure. We just need to figure out all the microbes hiding in these little bodies.

Augmentin liquid contains aspartame and clarithromycim (biaxin) liquid contains phenylalanine. So those can cause an adverse reaction in some kids. Also Biaxin is a strong macrolide plus antiinflammatory. It can cause a good strong Herx reaction. So I would check those out and yes the detox test is a very good idea. Strong herxs are considered good overall but need to be controlled with adequate detox and drainage. If inspite of detox the herx isn't controlled then a lower dose maybe indicated, something the little body can handle. Liver drainage support with Livertone is a good idea. Milk thistle can interact with Biaxin so stay away from that one for liver support. Vegatables like cauliflower, cabbage, brussells sprouts. broccoli etc also hlp with liver detox pathways.

thanks so much for posting. I took a print out for the parents at my work. Atleast some hope for them. Its a long way off but its a start. All pioneers have to face the wrath of the dinosaurs in the business. Good for the good old doc!

Philamom I wasn't the mom with VEGF testing. I remember reading too. I think maybe Suzan? here the link for this book http://www.lymebook.com/chronic-lyme-testing-and-diagnosis

Hi Im posting a copy/paste from the website. I found this very useful. Many parents at work also find this info useful. I thought I would post it. It helps put together a list of tests that can be done before an LLMD visit if you have a cooperative pediatrician or another doc. This helps parents maximize benefot from the long awaited LLMD visit.The explanations about regular labs v/s lyme labs are useful too. -Jodie http://www.lymebook.com/chronic-lyme-testing-and-diagnosis One of the most crucial elements in the successful treatment of Lyme disease is an accurate diagnosis of Lyme and of its potential co-infections. The sooner the diagnosis can be made from the time of the initial infection with Lyme or its co-infections the better. As we have discussed in previous chapters, treating Lyme disease when it is still in a localized condition offers the best hope of a long-term recovery. However, accurately diagnosing this disease is not always an easy task. Symptoms of Lyme disease manifest in a wide variety of ways, making its detection more challenging. In addition, the most commonly used diagnostic screening tests for Lyme can often yield unreliable results. They often fail to indicate Lyme when it is present in the body, with up to one third of cases of the infection being missed due to a high rate of “false negative” results. For these reasons, I recommend that all patients who suspect that they have Lyme disease seek out doctors who are most knowledgeable about Lyme disease and its co-infections for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Diagnosing Lyme Disease The most challenging problem with Lyme disease is that there is no universally accepted method for making its diagnosis. The only exception is the presence of the erythema migrans (EM) rash. This rash is considered prima facie evidence of the infection, and Lyme’s presence does not require further confirmation with diagnostic tests to undergo a full course of Lyme disease antibiotic therapy. Although there are a variety of diagnostic tests that are available to evaluate a possible case of Lyme disease, there is no single perfect test. Even the more accurate types of available tests can still fail to detect Lyme disease because of the manner in which the Bb bacteria can “hide” as its spreads throughout the body. I want to next discuss some of the key issues concerning Lyme testing. Pitfalls of Lyme Testing As we have previously discussed in this book, the standard Lyme screening tests have a major problem of “false negatives.” That is, they have a large potential to miss cases of true Lyme disease by calling the person “negative” when the person does in fact have active Lyme. However, not all positive test readings for the disease mean that Lyme is an active problem at this time. In some cases, positive readings are only an indication that at some point in a person’s past he or she was infected with the Bb bacteria, at which time the body developed antibodies to combat it. In other words, the antibodies may have been produced by the body during its successful past campaign to destroy and eliminate the Bb bacteria. However, the continued presence of these antibodies against Lyme may mistakenly be taken by a physician as a sign that the disease is still active. Also, there are times when viral illnesses (such as those of the herpes family) or other infections (such as syphilis, gingivitis, bacterial endocarditis) may trigger the body to make antibodies against Lyme, even though there is no active Lyme infection itself. Either of these scenarios, in turn, could lead to unnecessary treatment with antibiotics. Lyme-aware physicians rely not only on diagnostic tests, but also on their own clinical judgment and experience. Fundamentally, Lyme is a “clinical” diagnosis. This means that an accurate diagnosis depends on the astute physician’s wisdom as he/she puts together the whole clinical picture—symptom patterns, risk factors, exposure history, examination findings, test results, and other clinical indicators such as response (or lack of response) to treatment. One of the most useful tools for helping you to decide whether Lyme is a possibility for you is the Symptom Checklist that I shared with you in chapter 2. Diagnosing the Co-infections As discussed in chapter 2, many Lyme patients are also infected with co-infections. These microorganisms may be transmitted to a person at the same time that Lyme is transmitted, or they may enter the body at a different time than does Lyme. A high percentage of so-called “Post-Lyme Disease Syndrome” individuals that present to the offices of Lyme-aware doctors have undiagnosed co-infections. As with Lyme disease, the diagnosis of these organisms can be very challenging. Many times the diagnosis of a co-infection is made by an experienced physician based purely on clinical grounds. This frequently happens when laboratory testing does not confirm the diagnosis. Dr. Kenneth Liegner, co-author of Coping with Lyme Disease, clearly states the problem encountered by physicians who are attempting to sort out the confusing clinical picture of Lyme and the other tick-borne diseases (TBDs): With tests for several tick-borne illnesses not always reliable, and with overlapping non-specific symptoms, the treating doctor is often confronted with a dilemma. The problem faced by the doctor, responsible for improving the health of an often very seriously ill or debilitated patient, is that he or she must often resort to empiric treatment based on educated guesses, inferential reasoning, and observation of response (or lack of response) to trials of therapy. In other words, often the doctor must rely on “playing the percentages” in terms of what most likely is going on with the patient. While this approach may seem “unscientific,” this analytic approach is often necessary given the unsatisfactory diagnostic testing tools available today. I agree with Dr. Liegner that often in order to help severely ill patients with Lyme and other TBDs, doctors must rely on their clinical experience and judgment, rather than testing alone, in order to help patients recover their health. The following diagnostic tests are recommended when screening Lyme patients for the possible tick-borne co-infections. Let me reemphasize that it is very important for these infections to be considered because they are such important co-factors in a patient’s symptoms. I will discuss the diagnostic approach to the major co-infections. Babesia This is the parasitic organism that causes babesiosis. Babesia is rarely detected using one diagnostic test alone. To effectively screen for Babesia, Lyme-aware physicians generally screen for 2 strains—Babesia microti and WA-1 (Babesia duncani)—by testing for antibodies (by IFA or ELISA testing) made by the body against those organisms. Another very useful test for Babesia is known as the FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization) test. The FISH test is performed on thin blood smears (tests used to detect germs in white blood cells) and is able to detect the RNA (genetic material) of Babesia. If this test is positive, it is very strong evidence of the presence of active Babesia. The advantage of the FISH test is that it will detect other subspecies of Babesia in addition to B. microti and B. duncani. (A direct thick and thin blood smear using a staining technique called “Giemsa” can also be done by one’s local or commercial labs to look for Babesia organisms in red blood cells; however, it is an insensitive test except during acute Babesia, particularly when fever is present.) A final potentially useful test is the Babesia PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Unfortunately, in my experience it is also not a sensitive test and is the least useful of the three tests mentioned. All three of these tests—Babesia IFA, FISH, PCR—are available through IgeneX, a laboratory specializing in Lyme disease and other tick-borne organisms. Medical Diagnostics Laboratory (MDL) has two of the tests—Babesia ELISA and PCR. Both labs are excellent and I utilize both regularly. (See the resources section for more information.) However, as mentioned, Babesia can frequently escape detection by diagnostic tests. Therefore, many times babesiois must be a clinical diagnosis made by physicians who are experienced in its detection and treatment. Bartonella This bacterium is perhaps the most challenging of all the co-infections to identify. Common strains of Bartonella, such as B. quintana and B. henselae, can usually be detected using antibody tests that are available at most medical laboratories. The PCR test can also be used to screen for Bartonella. See the resources section to learn of labs that perform Bartonella PCR testing. Antibody tests may fail to detect Bartonella even when it is present by PCR testing. Many times the diagnosis of Bartonella (or BLO as we discussed in chapter 2) is a clinical diagnosis, in that it is based on a patient’s symptoms, the doctor’s examination, and the elimination of other possible diagnoses. There is one test that may be useful in screening patients suspected of being infected with Bartonella. This test may also be particularly useful in the follow-up of patients with Bartonella/ BLO. This blood test is called “vascular endothelial growth factor” (VEGF). This test measures a substance that is produced by the Bartonella microbe in order to facilitate its entry into the body tissues it likes to inhabit. Elevated levels of VEGF often (but not exclusively) mean that a patient is infected with Bartonella. By monitoring VEGF levels during the course of treatment, physicians can monitor the progress of treatment (antibiotics). When VEGF levels return to normal, it generally means that the antibiotics have been successful and can be discontinued. The VEGF test is available from standard commercial laboratories. Ehrlichia and Anaplasma These organisms are in the family of bacteria known as Rickettsia. Remember, as I discussed in chapter 2, the diagnosis and treatment of these microorganisms should be prompt and based on clinical grounds. Treatment should not be based on test results alone, which results may be negative early in the course of the infections. As far as lab reliability, standard commercial lab tests generally do a good job of detecting antibodies (IgM and IgG) for both human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) and human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), formerly known as human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. In some cases, however, blood smears or the PCR test may be considered, as well. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) This infection is caused by another organism in the family of bacteria known as Rickettsia. In general, it is believed that RMSF only rarely, if ever, becomes a chronic infection. Therefore, unless there is a clinical history that strongly suggests RMSF, most Lyme-aware doctors do not screen for RMSF. However, if it were going to be tested, standard commercial laboratories do an adequate job in detecting RMSF. Remember, as with HME and HGA, treatment must begin with suspicion of the infection and not upon confirmation with antibody testing. Mycoplasma Most people have been exposed to a small “atypical” bacterium called Mycoplasma. Interestingly, many of the symptoms of chronic Mycoplasma are similar to Lyme symptoms. From the standpoint of testing, serology for Mycoplasma has only limited usefulness; however, PCR is useful to detect active cases of Mycoplasma. Acute and Chronic Virus Infections Often patients who are chronically ill and who test negative for Lyme and other coinfections are suffering from chronic viral infection. There are well-documented times when viral infections have been known to cause “false positive” Lyme antibody tests. For this reason, I recommend that chronic viruses be considered as possible offenders when one is undergoing evaluation for tick-borne illnesses. There are several common culprits that may require testing, including the following: -West Nile virus -Cytomegalovirus (CMV) -Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) -Herpes zoster virus (HZV) -Herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) -Herpes simplex 2 (HSV-2) -Human herpes virus 6 (HHV6) -Parvovirus B19 -Colorado tick fever -Powassan encephalitis -Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and Western equine encephalitis (WEE)—these should be suspected in cases where meningitis is suspected. -HIV -Hepatitis viruses—B and C

I found this very interestingly explained article. It answers a lot of my neurotoxin effects plus detox etc questions I've had. Very useful also to understand Dr Klinghardt's logic and approach. Its hardcore but for those into the facts this will be a good read I think. http://www.ei-resource.org/articles/general-environmental-health-articles/the-detoxx-system:-detoxification-of-biotoxins-in-chronic-neurotoxic-syndromes/ Jodie

Sorry guys- yes, it was Specialty Lab. Jodie

Hey Mary I thought the same initially but he was on 2200mgs of combined abx a day just until recently so going down all the way to just 250 of zith just once a day was VERY scary to me. His school has so much strep and viruses and he still reacts. Don't know any more.

Does anybody do microsilica and bentonite/charcoal/chlorella together? How do you dose it? Can someone please share any info they might have. Im trying to do my own thing yet again and help DS with his heavy herx he's had since we switched over to Zith. Am wondering if I can do microsilica and bentonite together? Wouldn't too much detox cause a herx too? I am dizzy with all this. Poor DS had strep exposure so he was ramped up. In order to help him we changed over to Zith 250 mgs BID. That is now causing herxing so he's ramped up! Oh boy! I wish this herxing business wouldn't happen. yesterday along with his arms, legs, head and torso all spasming and shaking, he started teeth grinding and his TMJ was hurting. He's asking me mom how the heck is zith helping? I explained herxing and he seemend satisfied that there was a logical explanation and it was temporary. Poor guy. Meanwhile Im herxing too and DS and I both keep forgetting his school stuff, keep blaming each other, theres yelling and frustration and then I realize whoa- Im the adult here! thats how bad my mental fog is! I actually regress chronologically when under stress!LOL. Have to up my yoga today! LOL. Not really LOL you guys, just a bitter sweet laugh as we try to stay on this long Lyme journey...... Jodie

Hi Susie I STRONGLY second SF-mom here. Im shocked too that an LLMD would rule 1:20 as "not worrisome". 1:20 could just be that its how far Igenex can go. They are not equipped to go deeper with their titers. This is exactly what we had but with Bartonella with Igenex. Our LLMD (in CT) immediately zeroed in on that and after confirming with a clinical eval he sent DS's blood to another lab that goes in deeper with both the IgG and IgM. This lab does further dilution of titers and so DS actually had 1:246 IgG for Bartonella!! Remember now that Igenex had him at =1:20. A good LLMD knows labs and knows results. Our both LLMDs feel DS needs to be treated further to provoke anything else that might be lurking in the shadows since his Bartonella was hiding so well. We will test for evrything again after 4-6 months of treatment for Bartonella.Like SFmom said, with my DS he just was so sick and just wasn't capable to mounting or showing a good antibody response with the first go so his initial result of Bartonella =1:20 was a HUGE clue as to that fact. Jodie

Thanks for your kind words. Listen, we had the same immune system issue/question for our PANDAS doc #1 (in NJ). namely at what point does one stop improving the immune system so much. Most PANDAS/lyme parents are boosting the immune system, modifying it with steroids etc. Most of the results are temporary. Many are trying herbs, vitamins, dietary modifications and healing the gut in an attempt to "improve" the immune system. Our PANDAs doc says there needs to be a balance and observed thru bloodwork. He wants us to monitor the IgG subclasses, the IgA and IgA levels as well. An overactive/superefficient immune system can create its own set of problems. DS for example has had a primary immune deficiecy since 2 yrs of age. I used to hyper manage that with very regular green smoothies, organic juicing, 100% organic diet, raw foods, echinaecea, astragalus, goldenseal etc you name it. The immune system went whacko on us and at 3 yrs of age DS ended up with severe Vitiligo. Further research into the causes etc made me understand what had happened. Our PANDAS doc agreed with that scenario having triggered the Vitiligo. I am now trying to seriously understand how the heck am I supposed to balance things out. Everything in moderation is my motto right now. Fingers crossed, tons of prayers and heres hoping...... Jodie

You sound like you're on the right track. Thats pretty heavyduty aggressive approach. DS had 2200mgs of ABX -augmentin, biaxin and zithro= really BAD herx so our LLMD #1 switched from zith to Bactrim. Pretty bad herx for about 6 weeks- head tics, OCD etc. Week 8 we decided got called for an appt to see LLMD#2 and decided to go. We were hoping to reduce the abx and add herbs and homeopathic. Found out that DS has sulphites in his urine and stopped Bactrim and added anti microbial herbs. We have about 30- 32 meds, herbs, vits and supplements to balance out each day. I will followup with LLMD#1 simply because Im curious about cyst busters and for continued second opinion. I found a good LLMD for myself and have started Zith with good results. The herxing has been secere flu like symptoms, exhaustion, mental confusion, being unable to express emotions, depression etc. That lasted 4 weeks with a couple good days thrown in. Now its slowly getting better with my mental clarity. Im still not getting enough rest/sleep since DS has so many sleep issues but on the days I do get enough rest (DH on DS sleep duty),I feel great and can think, find words, express myself. I have many neurological symptoms, radiculopathies, disk herniations, sciatica- bilateral, degenerative arthritis and the bitter cold of the northeast only makes the pain and dysfunction ten times worse. So, like the rest of us, Im dealing, stretching, pain meds etc so I can be there for my son. Im very hopeful that in a couple of years the end will be in sight. I wish the best of luck in all your endeavors. You have us for support/venting anytime you need. Jodie

I think its probably both. Adding the Zith yes, and also immediately after being exposed to a gym full of students and a few of them have strep as per the school nurse. The ramp up has been resolving but the exhaustion is pretty bad so I know he's herxing. Which herbs are you using for Bartonella? Resveratrol has been one I've been looking at. My llmd started me on zith but haven't done any testing yet due to financial reasons. January I'll be ready for Igenex etc and thats when my next appt is anyways. So looking forward to herxing and healing!Been reading the Lyme Herbs book by Stephen Buhner. Also wanted to wait till after my ART trainig so I can better tailor the protocol to my body. You guys are going thru some intense stuff. If you ever want to get away from it all bring the family over to NJ and enjoy the snow! Dr K told us not to do T&A too but that was way back. jodie

Ok, our LLMD wants monthly followups for DS so we paid her a revisit a week or so ago. Following are important points to look at: 1 Strep exposure twice with ramp up of motor tics and ocd around Thanksgiving. Was still going on on Dec 9th when we saw our LLMD. 2 Test results back- ESR down, Liver enzymes normal,ferritin normal (yay!). Fry labs found several kinds of biofilms with organisms but the photo shows some natural killer cells, very few, below normal but atleast they're there, a second photo shows Bartonella organisms attached to DS's cells- GROSS! but sadly true. ASO was up to 161 which is pretty high for DS because his basic capacity for making antibodies to strep is poor. 3 Another test was the Detoxigenomic profile. Well, DS is doing ok with phase -1 detox but has two genetic mutations in his liver detox phase-2 pathway. 4 We added Glutathione cream, Parsley, Burbur, Zith 250 QD (which I later increased to 250 BID at my discretion and our PANDAS doc agreed). Eat more vegetables like cauliflower, brussells sprouts, cabbage etc for helping the liver detox pathway) 5 Discontinued Augmentin and Biaxin for now. Rest all unchanged. No further testing except the monthly metabolic panel bloodwork. I added ASO to that just to check thruout the winter. So Ds was doing better on the Zith and two days ago had yet another Strep exposure at school (assembly in school with 3rd, 4th and 5th graders all present). I kept him at home yesterday and he's ramped up once again.The change over to Zith was very timely thank God. Pandas doc wants to do T&A for DS. Not in any hurry but wants us to consider strongly. I am researching at present. Will ask our LLMD at next month's visit. Jodie

Great news! Its wonderful to hear of little children doing well after so much suffering. God Bless!You must be so relieved and so proud of the little one coming thru so bravely. Jodie

Hey Dawn- its rough Im sure but Im also glad you have answers and can start healing the family. I started Zith and its been amazing once the herx settled down. Its a new more calm me emerging with minimal raging, anger, confusion, fog, you name it. Hugs and lots of luck- Jodie

Hi DS had a classic PANDAS onset. Hyper, dilated pupils, motor tics, OCD, manic, frequency of urination etc. textbook PANDAS. A year before he did have leg muscle aches and pains deemed growing pains, NO joint issues, all ortho tests negative and massive iron deficiency. All of the above didn't go anywhere after PANDAs Rx and even IVIG. His symptoms are just beginning to fade bit by bit after we started on our Bartonella journey. Jodie

Our recent visit with our PANDAS doc- he recommended T&A for DS. He mentioned to be sure the ENT followed the pre surgery sterilizing protocol with Clindamycin and Rifampin to destroy intracellular organisms to minimize post surgical compications, ramp ups etc. Did you guys have to go thru the same procedure if you had T&As on your children? Any other info on post surgical complications to expect would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much Jodie

Had a wonderful session/visit with Dr T last weekend precisely for the explanation reason. He explains so well to DH and that really helps to keep DH on board. He had very similar interesting points on autoimmunity as well. Overall we are so focused on boosting up the immune system we forget we need to keep a very close eye on things so as not to over boost it. Overboosted or over efficient immune system as we know can come with its own set of problems. I know from bitter experience.We were very immune conscious with Ds at 3 yrs of age due to his delays and the immune system went turbo and caused his Vitiligo. DS already had the vitiligo polymorphisms and this just helped trigger it and PANDAS too. Anyways very nice article- thanks Elizabeth. Jodie

Eljomom Its a hard decision and tons of info to digest. We were on the PANDAS path too as were many moms here and my DS still reacts to strep. It took 3 months for me to accept and pursue the possibility of lyme.Thanks to the persistence and suppport of so many wonderful moms here. I did heavy duty Igenex testing for my DS- complete coinfection panel and complete lyme panel and over a thousand dollars later Igenex ruled everything negative. We had many IND band and Bartonella was equivocal meaning = 1:20. I was overjoyed, relieved, our local DAN doc also an ILADS member (NOT LLMD)said it was all negative and done. But DH and I decided to keep our appointment with Dr Jones and it was the BEST thing we could've done for our DS at this point. See, the equivocal for Bartonella was because Igenex testing doesn't go further than that. Dr J sent blood to another lab that goes further and DS's Bartonella titers were actually 1:245 which is pretty high. We started treatment and for the 1st time in 6 years I've seen my DS emerge and begin his journey towards healing. Please, review all the info, read "Cure Unknown". Lyme is sickeningly political. NJ has lost several good LLMDs to insurance bullying or their affiliated hosp bullying to follow CDC stds and pretend chronic Lyme or coinfections don't exist. Some very good LLMDs have gone over to the "dark side" to maintain their affiliations with insurance carriers and hosp. Its worth checking out. Lyme is a clinical diagnosis ater all. Not trying to push towards Lyme at all. I don't think anyone would but its worth checking as a rule out and checking how its supposed to be checked out not just lab work, a good LLMD. Jodie

EMF - YES!! we are skeptics turned firm believers in low low tech homes. We got rid of all wireless- routers, remotes, RC toys, Wii, etc, cordless phones gone, cell phones off when DS is home, all not in use stuff plugged out, all plugs out/breaker out in bedrooms, battery operated night light,got EarthCalm for whole house grounding, installed a second ground rod outside for whole house electric panel, got Earthcalm pendant for DS for the school is high tech with a huge wireless lab etc. WHEW!! It was HARD to do, the grounding causes herxing at 1st and then the body adjusts (DS and I both have bartonella). DH was a hard sell but he's an IT guy and has been using the pendant at work and the effect he feels is miraculous amongst the constant electronic hum/smog he works in. We blew our Christmas budget but our family understands, so this Christmas I'll be cooking for all instead of gifting and keep it non commercial and low tech. Oh, also we have DS sit as far away from TV as possible when he's watching and not more than 20 mins on computer at a time. Good book is "Earthing" by Clinton Ober. He also has some good products as does barefoot creations (on Amazon). We keep tripping over wires 9DH has yet to organize them!) but it helps so MUCH overall with symptoms, inner calm etc. Jodie