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Claire: I called and was treated like the village idiot...but I did call and expressed my opinion, idiot or not Mercury within all vaccines should be eliminated. Marie

Thanks Cheri for the update. It is amazing what we feel is so safe and use freely is harming us in the end. I cannot believe that the anti-bacterial stuff is so toxic and it is used in most handsoaps as well as dish washing soaps. It just makes me sick. Thanks again for the 411, I'll be sure to pass this onto my friends, they all use this stuff freely. Marie

Hi Claire: Somewhere within the site it stated anti-bacterial soaps contained mercury. It did not state Purell, but that is the brand that I use. Since I am not a chemist and the labels' text is more than just alcohol, I figure why chance it. Handywipes are tried and true...right? As for the juicer....hooray for you and use it in good health. I know that you know I am a juicer freak and believe in it through and through...so I am really excited for you:) Good luck and try to get that book from Norman Walker "Fresh Vegetables and Fruit Juices" it is worth the read. Marie

Hi All! I read the last thread about mercury in vacines and from the website posted I also read that we get mercury from so many other places like anti-bacterial soaps, which I found very disturbing. I for one just chucked out the last of the purell. But I was wondering if mercury was ever in allergy vaccines? Marie

Hi Carolyn: Welcome and be welcomed to this forum of caring and loving people. My hat is off to you for livng and understanding TS for 14 years and you sound like you have embraced your challenges. Your question about metal detectors is one of merit. My dad who has a pacemaker cannot go through one. People are cautioned not to live by high tension wires. Dr. Weil, the guy with the long white beard says appliances like blow dryers cause harm to the human body. We are made of energy and water...these modern day advances are not without a price. And to question if it increases tics is not out of the loop of questioning if video games cause tics or just seizures. I for one do not have any hard evidence that it can trigger tics, but again I don't have any hard evidence that it does not. I am not as knowledgable as many here are..but my common sense answers are from the heart. We all find our triggers with trial and error, so I guess if you notice any increase of tics by a metal detector or after exposure to one you will find your answer that is tailor made to you. Many did just that with the screen exposure. As for the previous reply that has upset all who read it, I will tell you what would tell my own children: Knowing fear is to never have ask the question. Knowing courage is to embrace your challenges, and live a happy life. I hope you learn as much as I learned on this forum and with the knowledge may you have success with it. A healthier lifesytle is a life style change that will not improve your life in one instant. It is a gradual process with many baby steps and then one day you will realize that you feel better, look better or with Gods Blessing even tic less. May your mind heal, your body rebuild and your spirit soar to higher heights! Oh and Claire....You go girl!!! Marie

Hi Allison: Congrats on the good things that have come your way...you sooo deserve them! Things here are calming down quite a bit and tics remain, noticable to me than to anyone else. To everyone else he is just a normal 6 year old. He is happy as a clam and so much a different child from December. I often think that if there were no tics involved, I probaly would have never altered anything and he would have been on a much differnt journey...you know moody, scared, distant. The outward sign changed so much. Today we are a family. Our prioities have changed and I am no longer Super Mom...I'm Goofy Mom who has a loving relationship with her kids inspite of the no-junkfood- rule. We limit TV and altered our diet that benefits us all (I do sneak out for a cheese burger now and again...but keep that between us and the rest of who reads us on the net). So for now things are calm and I hope we keep this pace for I don't think I have it in me to do another winter like the one past. You, Claire and Chemar have been a constant shoulder for me and for that I thank all of you...big hugs and know that you have done well for your children and for the children you will never meet that belong to the parents who read this forum. God Bless all of you! Marie

Hi Chemar; It was Chronic Motor Tics for my son, but the nuero told me that chronic tics/TS is one in the same.

Hi Allison; Just some facts..food for thought. I just read that high mercury levels is a cause of yeast. Flor. lights are made from mercury. I've been thinking about my son last weekend eating so much pizza and pancakes that I forgot he ate cod and clams on Saturday night. My thoughts just might be that there might have been high mercury in the fish that trigered his yeast (which turned his tongue white) and that trigered his eye roll/blinks. I am unfamilar with flor. lights and if they do emit any mercury into the environment, but it just might be worth the question asked to someone who knows. Can anyone advise if flor. light emit mercury into the environment from just being on? Marie

Hi Allison, Great to hear from you. It certainly has been a rough winter. Thanks for the kind words above. Yes, I am settling down and accepting the journey. This acceptance has made it easier for my family and my son seems to be the better for it. Since yesterday we seem to be in the waining stage. Strange enough last Friday he had a lot of pizza and pancakes and by Sunday he was eye blink/rolling. By Wednesay his tongue was WHITE..yuk. So, I am guessing that the processed flour and/or wheat triggered his yeast. I increased his calcium and pushed more carrot juice to detox and by Friday he was okay. But I was wondering about the unseen triggers. Since your son started eye blink/rolling again at the same time mine has, can you tell me if the weather by you has begun to thaw? We here are about 45-50 degrees and all the snow has melted. Allergies sufferers are starting to complain, so I guess "spring is in the air". I wonder if there might be a seasonal issue. My girlfriend swears her child only tics from fall until mid winter, the rest of the year she is fine. My neurologist told me that her daughter tics about the same time frame each year. When I asked her about allergy related issues, she stated there is no medical data on that. I know many people on the site talk about difinative food allergies and dust mites, but I have not read about seasonal stuff. Have you? Well I got to run, I hope all continues to go well for you and your family. Have a great spring break and I will look forward to your posts. Marie

Great for you and your boys with the juicing!!! 6 oz carrot mixed with 2 oz. spinach is great to detox and eliminate. 6 oz. carrot and 2 oz. celery is great to detox and add much need sodium required for the cells rejuvination. 6 oz. carrot and 2 oz. cucumber is great for detox and healthy cells. I do not juice fruit and veggies because mixed it can cause gas. But I push eating fruit for the fiber ... at least three different fruits daily. Get the book entitled Fresh Juice and Vegitables by Norman Walker...its like $7 and it is easy reading less than 100 pages. It has formulas for whatever your issue is- none for tics but after you read it, you'll know that carrot is the base. Oh, and if your kids start looking like they are getting tan..that is just the beta carotene and that is perfectly safe and is a sign that you are on your way to health. We call it the "glow". What kind of juicer did you get? How often do you juice? My kids are 8 oz. daily for about 10 weeks and I am at the 4 week mark. For me my stress level, which is lnormally 10 on the rector scale, is now more like about 3. I do carrot, spinach and cucumber 16 oz daily. My weight is slowly going up, and thank God for that! You will be happy with the results you get from juicing and know that the knowledge you give your children about nutrition will not only help them now, but will help them when they are old. Oh, and organic is the key and carrot prep is important. Do not peel, wash with plenty of cold water with a veggie brush and cut about 1" from the top of the carrot off (where the green is) and snip the end about 1/2" just prior to juicing. I'm so glad you are using the technique of speaking with Karl at his eye level. Isn't is awesome just how it changes the perspective of everything? I like you would have not made it this far without the people on this site. I draw much needed strength from all of you...a big hug to all! Marie

Cheri and Ronna, You gave me chills. Thanks! Marie

Dara; Bigs hugs to you as I cried when I read your post. I too know the heart break but talking to people who can relate to children is a great idea. We all forget what it is like to think with clarity of a child. For the past couple of months, when I speak to my son I get on my knees or sit down with him so I am eye to eye and on his level. I offer him words to explain his feelings to me and I have become the blame of all of his anger until he is able to better handle these emotions. The things that I have tried came from everyone I spoke to and it seems that all help in some very little way to make the big picture easy for us as a family to handle. It is not going to take away tics, but it does help you heal the broken heart of what you think is a less perfect picture. When the reality is you have a real person in front of you who needs something extra and that does not make him less than perfect...just unique. We have no other choice but to handle this the best way we can. But we can not blame ourselves, just like we can't blame our parents for whatever is wrong with us. Nothing heals like a mother hug and kiss, the warmth of sharing stories, excitments and joys and the feeling that no matter what mom has your back. The trinity of the mind, spirit and body must work in perfect harmony...Mom heal yourself and the rest will provide clarity to deal with life has to offer. God Bless and I'll be posting. Marie

Dara; I too was scared to be around my son but these little ones are so in tuned with our thoughts and feelings that they pick up on the stress. I know it is easier said than done but you have to let go of the fear/stress and once that level is brought down maybe Karl will be less stressed. Also if you know that TV is not an issue reintroduce it to him slowly with calm shows. This will give you some time to let him enjoy and relax and you can walk out of the room and get some time to yourself. Anxiety seems to be a big trigger with all on this site, so perhaps if you lessen the level (and believe me no matter how hard you try to hide it they know) he might feel less anxiety. Remember that all they know is that Mommy and Daddy are unhappy and they took all of my yummy food away and they took TV away. It is not a far leap to think of it as a punishment. I remember that my son took me to the frig and told me to eat. He noticed that I was so stressed that I was not eating. We did not leave the house for quite some time because of fear. Fear is wasteful. Take a few deep breaths, try to relax and enjoy him. Children come in all flavors, savor the taste of yours. And remember that the people on this site have shown improvement but it took determination and time. Just give yourself a chance...and remember to breath. Marie

First things first, you need to know that you are not to blame for any of this. I too wrote in a posting that I was such a failure, etc. We give our children what we think is best at the time we do it. Good, bad or indifferent we do our best. It is impossible to keep a clean diet for ourselves let alone our children. We are a society that are spoon fed what the government wants us to do, like vaccines. We are also spoon fed that processed, packaged foods are better for you because they boast low carbs, low fat, sugar free. Our news papers are now advertisements for the highest bidder and the media also spins its web for who pays the big bucks. It is sites like this one that give information to people like us and it is us that now have to make the big decisions like whether to supplement or medicate or what tests are available. To blame ourselves is useless energy. Energy better served loving our children. My son is an average 6 year old well beyond his years on a maturity level. I swear he's been around a couple of times. I worry about his future but I will share what I have shared on another post. I have a 12 year old with asthma (diagnosed at age 4). It was pretty nasty, he was sick all of the time and on meds in multiple levels which included many trips to the ER and steriods, etc. I joined support groups and read, read and read. I was convinced that he would be a weak person who would have to live in a bubble his entire life. Today he is very athletic, Capt. of his hockey team and has been an All Star Player for many years running. Looking back in time I would have never thought this was possible. A tic is not life threatenting, life altering perhaps but not life threatening. When I left the neurologist office last month I was delighted that she said he was normal and healthy. He just tics. She told me that 85% of people out grow chronic tics. I am hopeful that he is in the 85% and that is what I am hanging on to. In the meantime we have to focus on the positive with good diets, happy families and building a great relationship with them so that if it does get tough when they are older they are comfortable in coming to us with their troubles and fears. Just like what all parents are supposed to do with their children. You are a good and caring mother!!! We have a journey ahead of us and we all know about the path less traveled. Marie

Oddly enough my son started ticcing in Dec with eye rolling/blinking. This went on until the end of Jan. Feb was great practically tic free. Yesterday he started the eye rolling/blink thing again. I contribute it to the weekend diet. I allowed him to eat pizza w/o cheese and he ate four slices on Friday, he ate pancakes but this time I used a wheat batter instead of the corn batter I normally used. He ate two adult sized pancakes Sat and Sun. His energy level was off the wall starting from Friday, so I suspect a wheat allergy. Also the weather has changed and this to could set something off. We are virtually off TV accept for about 1-2 hours weekly and I use an LCD screen. He watches TV in school sometimes and when tic free he is fine, when tics are present he will do the eye rolling/blink thing with or without LCD screens. As for the yeast...it is ever present and diet changes, even a little, can tip the scale. I think it weird that your child and mine are experiencing the same symptoms schedule. I too, like you, are feeling overwhelmed and confused and afraid. These feeling we have are normal because we love our children so much. But stressing over it will only make our children stress more which promotes these tics. The children are so sensitive they pick up on all of our feelings even though we try so hard to hide it. Time will teach us and as the children grow perhaps they can help us better understand what they feel and when they feel it so we can help them better. Good Luck. Marie

Dara, Just wondering how things are going? Marie

Yes, it is true. My son wax and waines. The eye rolling that was ever present throughout 1/2 of Dec and all of Jan disappeared in Feb through yesterday. In fact he was tic free for about 4 weeks. Today was the return of the eye rolling/blink. He had some stuff added back into his diet like pizza and pancakes and boy these were in abundant amounts (4 reg slices of pizza at on sitting on Friday night and 2 huge pancakes on Sat and on Sunday as well). I suspect for him that these large amounts of suspected food allergens just might be the cause or maybe not. But I can tell you I folded in fear when I saw this tic back. But now we have to work back to our baseline. If it is these items...white flour/processed wheat than we will see a drop off in a few days with a clean diet. So with all of my rambling...your answer is yes they do come and go and there is a reason for it, but you will have to be a detective to see what brings in on. Marie

Hi Kim, For us my sons tics started the same time he had croup. So I used his virus as the excuse not to have junk food. So that gave me a couple/few days to wein him off. I started the supplements a few days after. The B complex increased his appetite and since he was still under the impression that he could not have junk, he filled his belly with other things..I guess out of starvation. I remember talking with the Healthfood Storekeep who actually yelled at me when I told her of my sons diet. Her words still ring in my ears..."Your the mother and you are the one buying this stuff. Of course that is what he will eat..he can't drive to the store. Stop buying that junk and start leaving good food on plates in the frig or on the table. When he is hungry he'll start picking" So that is what I did. Remarkably, it was his brothers hamburger left on the table for a couple of minutes that seemed to wind up in his hands when nobody was looking. That was the first time in 6 years he ate a hamburger, no less because he wanted to. It truley was an amazing day..tics and all. I think that day will be remembered with the likes of holidays or wedding days. So my advise is no food is better than junk food. Nuts, rice crackers with soy cheese or rice cheese, organic apples, fresh squeezed lemon with raw honey. Green tea with raw honey over ice. Soy milk blended with ice and fruit makes a great milkshake. The sky is the limit. Oh...one more thing. Bring him into the kitchen and have him cook, bake, whatever. Let him make a mess and get his hands into the food. We all have a tendancy to lick our fingers or pick at what we are cooking. He might try something new without even thinking and like it. The messier the better! As for the yeast, no doctors believe the havoc that these buggers can cause. I know for a fact that the bacteria feeds on sugar and when there is no sugar present they attack our body, so the body starts to crave sugar to feed the bateria and the vicious cycle starts all over. It is important that your son eliminate waste from his body daily. Do not use laxatives but rather high fiber raw foods like apples, oranges, carrots, nuts ...whatever. Once he becomes regular and his diet is cleaned up, he will crave other things than sugarry treats. But he can't have what is not in the house! Marie

Hi Kim, I have learned that the body will crave things that it is harmful to it, especially if you have yeast. Yeast will make you crave sugar. Refined sugars, sugars that the body transforms from pasta, starches, and milk, etc. These foods are inorganic thus the body cannot digest and it will cause problems with your digestive tract and makes it impossible for your body to excrete daily waste. This causes reabsorbtion of toxic matter into the body which wrecks havoc on the entire body. Organic foods -raw foods provide what the body needs to heal itself. I tossed everything in my home that was inorganic- oreos, chocolate, chips, and oh yes pasta of every kind. I used a B complex and a multi viatmin with a cal/mag liquid and of course acidolphilus(spelling). Remember that it got so bad here that in the early morning prior to school we had to dress and eat breakfast in the dark because of light sensitivity. It was not until I started preparing fresh vegitable juices of carrot and spinach that I started to see a difference in eating habits, personality changes, decreases in tics ...everything. We ditched the B complex and the cal/mag because he was getting ample amounts in his juice daily. The absorbtion of these vit/min and enzemes were immediate...because of no fiber to digest, it only takes about 15 minutes to enter into the system. He drinks an 8 oz. glass daily of 1 lb of carrots and 2 oz of spinach. His energy level is up and is able to start the day refreshed and charged and last all day long. He now craves things like oranges, apples, watermelon, clams, burgers, and chicken. These things were never in his diet! His appetite increased dramatically and has gained about 5 lbs and grew 1 1/2" over the last two and 1/2 months. I must admit that we did this as a family so he did not feel like he was the only one. We don't dine out anymore (and boy do I miss that) but the bigger picture is just how healthy he looks. I give him snacks like organic cream cookies made from maple syrups and unprocessed wheat, lemon drop cookies which look like vanilla wafers but are made with pure cane sugars and unprocessed wheat. Potatoe chips which are made from organic potatoes and fried in canola oil and lightly salted with sea salt (which by the way is the only salt I will use from now on). The healthfood store shelves are packed with some really great stuff..and some not so great stuff. You will have to start to read every package and know that everything you buy won't be as yummy tasting as the crap that Nabisco puts out. I cannot stress the importance of eating raw foods daily. The old 5 a day is really what it is all about. Every dinner must have salad, a source of protein, and a fruit. Every breakfast and lunch contain a piece of fruit and vegitable juice is one of the most beneficial thing that we can do for our bodies. Please know that freshly juiced from organic vegitables is key and not store bought processed and pasturized stuff that is void of nutrients. A great book to read is Fresh Juice and Vegitable Juices by Norman Walker. It is informative and will bring to light the importance of what we put in our mouths. It also talks about the best juicer to use. A point to remember is that our cells are living and require nutrients from raw sources..cooking vegitables kills the nutrients, eating them slows down the absorbtion because of the fiber and the body eliminates fiber which contains the vit/min from that vegitable. Juicing is the only way to assure 100% absorbtion. Well that's about the extent of my knowledge thus far but I am still learning from books and all of you good people. Good luck in what you try and keep me posted on how your doing. Good Luck. Marie

I agree with all who responded, your girlfriend is very lucky to have you to care so much for her. My heart broke reading your post. So young but well beyond your years. Many here supplement with vitamins, herbs and minerals with much success but from what I read supplements cannot make great strides when diet and environment are not altered. Boosting the immune system is key and without knowing if you have issues like yeast that can stop vitamin assemilation, supplementation will not work and with every attempt that does not work you feel even worse. I believe mind, body and spirit are truly important. Your girlfriend needs counseling now!! She needs family and friends to support her. Mind and spiritual uplifting will bring about the want to change ones body. Many have posted that once their diet/environmental triggers were cleaned up the mood/personality changed- I think that is the first sign of healing. Lowering the anxiety/stress will help greatly. Good luck to you and your girlfriend...you are an extrodinary person and your girlfriend is lucky to have you in her corner.

Dara, I have only seen his regular ped, which was of no help at all. I went to a nutritionist who taught me that anyone can hang a shingle. Lastly, I went to see Dr. Lazar a ped neurologist (Robert Wood University Hospital). She was comforting but her advise was not to change anything...the old wait and see approach. I did not want my little one to think there was somehting wong with him so I layed off the doctors for a while. I called that doctor you have an appointment with in Edison but the process of website application and voice mail kind have left a bad taste in my mouth. I truly had enough of take a number and ....NEXT. I would appreciate it if you can keep me posted with your experiences with theses docs and I will keep you posted with any new info that comes my way. Marie

Dara; I too have trouble with the dose for a child. I have been on every web site to get a clue as to what is a good dose. I tried a multi and a childrens B complex and found, through trial and error, that after a month on the B Complex that it just gave my son such energy that it increase his anxiety thus causing more tics. So, I eliminated the B's. I have read many books lately, the best I found was oddly enough a juicing book. I have made the effort into hydraulic press juicing with fresh carrots to detox the liver and spinach which aids in cleansing the body. The way I look at the body is as a whole...mind, body and spirit. Nutrition is key to help the keep the cells from starvation. When are cells are starving it creates an evironment for disease. The disease can be anywhere within the body. In our case it is neurological. As the cells die off new cells are created. If our body cannot pass the old cells and waste off efficiently they can and most likely will get reabsorbed within the body causing more damage. Nutrition in an organic manner will provide new cell growth, but only if we can eliminate the waste daily so reabsorbtion is not an issue. So my thought and advise is supplements are great but assemilation and dosing is better by jucing fresh veggies. In using carrots and spinach you will have proper dosing of all benefical vitamins from A through K and will receive an ample supply of minerals cal/mag in particular. Spinach is a natural laxative which will aid in the elimination of the body waste and is a great source of vitamins and minerals. Beta Carotene is a great antioxidant and although it will turn your skin a glowing orange, it will serve your body well! My family has been juicing for about 6 weeks and I have seen many great results, from the clearing of acne, the stopping of snoring and the lessening of anxiety which resulted in the lessening of tics. Remember your car can't run on water it needs gas and some cars need high test. Our children are no longer being strolled in strollers, carried on our hips. They are in school full time, playing sports or with friends, staying up later and waking up early. Their brains are kicking into action and this all requires nutritients. Some may require more than others. Immunizations and environmental issues and allergies just make things worse. So much turns on at this age and we are left to guess what is happening and to try to make it better. This site provides such great insight and I feel blessed that I have learned so much here that did, can and will help in areas from colds to tics. As for the emotional part, I can tell you this...my son tics more when I am stressed then when he is stressed. I've seen this with my own eyes. I have cried, starved myself, placed much blame on myself, my husband and our genes. I have placed stress on my marriage that I know that we will never be the same and the worry did nothing but made a bad situation much worse. Our children need us!!! I have learned this in the much recent past. Take time for yourself, it is time to place that rearview mirror back in its place, it is time to stop looking at every move and wondering is that a tic? Teaching ourselves to let go of the anxiety that this causes teaches our kids a far greater lesson on how they should react to stress. They learn from what we do. I still cry but it is in the closet (the one where I keep the tissues). Good luck and keep trying cause we just may be one try away from success. Marie

Hi All, I just got back from the neurologist and she stated that he has tics and nothing more. She did not order any tests and stated the same retoric that it may go away on its own or might not. Although open to new ideas and she has an 8 year old daughter who tics, she told me that the progress I have made would have occured even if I did not supplement. I do not believe that for one moment. So I now know that his symptoms and motor skills do not lead to any terminal ugly stuff and that I can think clearly on the matter at hand....tics. Interesting enough a casual friend told me of her daughter who has had tics for 4 years and 2 weeks ago her son started. Another person I know told me of her nephew who has/had tics for a couple years and they are no big deal. So I guess when you start speaking about what lies behind your door, many other people start to confide in whats happening behind their doors. Marie

Claire: As with all, I thank you as well. The information and support is invaluable. As an update Luke is moving right along. We had an amzaing couple of weeks where his teacher commented on how "healthy" he looks and that she notices that she is noticing nothing. He is continuing to gain weight, his color is so healthy that I started on the life sytle change I placed him on. His appetite is wondeful too! It is a pleasure to feed him. Symptons and changes Sensitive to sound gone Sentive to light gone eye rolling gone blinking/hard blinking once in a blue moon watch regular TV in school yesterday no reaction grew over an inch in 4 weeks gained a few pounds in 4-5 weeks dark circles under eyes gone mood swings gone Personality: well lets say that he volunteered to stand before his class and all of the parents a week and a half ago and said a welcoming speech. Although he forgot some lines...he did it comfortable, with a smile, proudly and without a tic! He started basketball which is something I thought would never happen. He enjoys it and wakes at the crack of dawn, showers, eats and waits for the clock to hit 9 to go. He always feared organized sports and would even get so nervous when going to birthday parties that he would vomit. No longer the case now. Stuff we still need work on.... mouth stretching is a biggy. Back stretching is not really noticable but needs work. I am continuing the supp/vitamins and added spinach to his carrot juice pressed fresh daily for best vit/min assemilation. TV is a treat and will continue to be treated as such. I kind of like my home without it, it makes us more of a family. We played hide and seek for an hour last Sunday, and I must admit I enjoyed myself! Still a long road, but at least I am on it! Thanks Claire, Chemar, Allison and Marina and to all who continue to post! Marie

Thanks for the information. I will try to digest it and see. What I noticed so far is that I changed multivitamins 2 weeks ago that include choline and inostal (?spelling) and added zinc because I saw some things on the forum about pyluria. Luke has not had any dreams or dream recall, he was sensitive to light and sound, and did not have an appetite until 2 weeks after we started him on the B complex, so I guess you can say that he did not have any sense of taste. As of today he has told me about three dreams he had over the past week, his tics have slowed, his appetite increase (gained 1 pound and grew about an inch or so in three weeks) and we are now able to have all of the lights on in the morning hours (prior to natrual light). The b complex and multi are low dosages. I would assume a more aggressive approach would yield maybe something better. The Travacor that I ordered is very high in B-6 , B-12, Magnesium, Taurine, 5HTP, N-Acetycysteine, Zinc picolinate and Selenomethionine. I have read so much on this site about this supps and the more I read the more confused I become. If it were me deciding for me I would just take it. But I will discuss this further with my Nutritionist and see. If anyone has anymore comments, I would appreciate it. Thanks, Marie