deagar

I emailed GE to see if the Reveal light bulbs were full spectrum and they stated that they don't make full spectrum light bulbs. This is what they said, "It is unfortunate that we do not manufacture what is truly classified as a full spectrum lamp/bulb. We produce balance spectrum lamps in our fluorescent line. Since you are not interested in that style, you noted the Reveal lamp, and although it is not a full spectrum lamp, the color of light it produces can provide some of the same benefits." Is this what people are buying to help with photosensitive issues?

Claire: Does he need the hair metals test if he is doing the porphyrin test? Also, I thought I read on a different thread something about the same urine can be used to test plastic, arsenic etc. If that is the case, what test(s) do you recommend? Lastly, if there is heavy metal issues, we don't have to do chelation therapy do we? Is that the same as going on some antioxidants? Thanks - Deanna

Chemar: I went to Home Depot today and I'm not sure if I got the right thing. Is it a regular bulb with "Enhanced color Spectrum" (the little rainbow of color over the bulb on the package? They also had bulbs that said day light bulbs but the were flourescent. They also had some that stated full spectrum color but they were spotlights. The guy I spoke to directed me to these but I didn't know if it was something real special that I should be looking for. Thanks - Deanna

Claire: I am somewhat assuming that my son is photosentive. It is nearly impossible to go without screens for 10 days. His friends are all into the gameboy, my husband loves TV and the schools have flourescent lights and also show movies etc. on CRT TVs. So, if I am lucky enough to find someone to test for this with the Irlen method, will they be able to tell if he is photosensitive? Also, I haven't tried the heavy metals or antioxidant/vitamin tests yet. If I do, do you remember how long they need to be off supplements etc? Thanks - Deanna

Chemar: What is a daylight lamp? Anyone: Does anyone know of a way to help with theatre movies? Maybe just have the one eye covered? Anything else? Also, I am assuming that some kids tic more when viewing and it goes away once they stop and others have a prolonged effect of increased tics after they stop viewing? Thanks!

Claire: What kind of antioxidants did you use? What kind of doctor helped you through this process? I have talked to you about photosensitivity before and had had some of the things checked out. First off, my son tested negative to pyroluria and his blood test showed that his mercury level was <5 and the low value is <OR=10 so his pediatrician said he was fine. He isn't on B2 and I don't want to add another pill to his schedule if he doesn't need it. Should I have that checked out? Any insight is appreciated! Thanks - Deanna

Faith: I can't really say that the tics subsided once we got home. The tic that began was something he does with his mouth that somehow causes injurty to the inside of his mouth. We haven't figured out how he does it because where the sore is, is almost behind the molar in the joint area where the mouth opens and closes. Anyways, as soon as that tic starts up, I always increase his medicne to try to control it before it gets unbearable to him. This medicine in neurontin. It is an anti-seizure medication that is also used for a lot of other things. He doesn't have seizures but it was given for the pain. It just so happens that in the past it has always slowed down his tics. So I don't know if it was the medicine or the environment change that helped. He still tics a little (mouth, some neck snaps and occassional slight vocal tic) but he is handling things pretty well so we haven't had to go to stronger medicine...thank heaven! I also have him on zinc, B6, Inositol, Magnesium (Chelate), Taurine, Calcium and a multi-vitamin. I am trying so hard to find out why this is happening and I don't want to go to any anti-psychotic drug. Anyways, I also notice that when he plays basketball, his mouth tic is a little more severe. That is why I wonder if the flourescent lights effect him and therefore he is photosensitive. It could also be some anxiety and stress from playing ball even though he enjoys it. I just want him to be able to play like the other kids (with the unfortunate video stuff etc.) if there is something that would help so his tics don't increase because of it. I am also afraid to take him to a movie for fear things will increase. So it would be nice if there was some form of eye wear that would help but I don't think they exist. Deanna

Does anyone know if there is any type of protective eye wear that a child can wear when watching a movie at theatre or when they go to a friends house and all the friend wants to do is play video games on their CRT screen? I don't know for sure if my son is photosensitive or not because we haven't been able to eliminate screens for a week (my husband isn't supportive and thinks I'm crazy). We have switched a lot of our screens to LCD and I limited TV, video etc. when he is in my care. I do know that over Christmas break my husband took my son up to our cabin while I stayed back a few days dealing with an unexpected death in the family and when I joined my husband and son, his tics had increased. I know the weather outside wasn't condusive to playing and therefore video games came into play a lot with rooms that weren't well lit. I don't know if this is what triggered it or if it was time to "wax". Either way I was wishing that there was some type of glasses that were available for photosensitive eyes. Thanks - Deanna

Is there a way to "cure" a person from being photosensitive? I know the LCD vs CRT, lots of light etc. can help but if someone is photosensitive, does that mean that they lack in a certain vitamin, have overload in another area and need some detox???? Or, if they are photosensitive, will they always be photosensitive? Deanna

Chemar: I totally understand being busy. I will paitently wait for a response. I do appreciate you getting back to me when you do though! Anyways, my son is taking 50mg of B6, along with 600 Cal(as calcium citrate and hydroxyapatite)/300 mag(as magnesium chelate and citrate), 500 Taruine, 20mg Zinc (as Monomethionine) and 500 Inositol. Each multi-vitamin has the following duplicate vitamins 2mg. B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrocloride), 33mg. Calcium (Calcium Citrate and Dicalcium Phosphate), 5mg. Zinc (as zinc oxide) and 17mg. of Magnesium Oxide . So how many multi-vitamins would you suggest giving along with the other vitamin/supplements? They suggest that teens take 3/day. Thanks - Deanna

Chemar: I wasn't giving my son a multi-vitamin in addition to the other supplements. I finally got a chance to pick one up. I really wanted one that was easy to swallow and found one that is made for teens. So first off, if he is 8 and 80+ lbs., do I give him the teenage dose of 3/day or reduce it. Also, do I reduce his other supplements since this multi has some of the same ingredients in it? I was giving him 600cal/300mag, 20 zinc, 500 inositol, B6 and taurine. I do know that the mag in the multi is oxide so it is basically worthless though. Thanks - Deanna

I think I read that mag/calcium and taurine are best given at night. Is there a better time of day to give B6, zinc and inositol? I currently give them all at night with a snack but kind of thought about breaking it up a little but didn't know what works best...do some supplements work better when given together with others and/or does the time of day make it better?

Does anyone know why "sticking out your tongue" would cause any pain? My son just started that tic and he said his tongue hurts in the middle when he does it. Deanna

What is "flushing"? I am unfamilar with this.

Is there a test to see if his serotonin level is low? How about a histamine test to see if he is high or low?

Currently, those are the only supplements that we are using. I had done some other testing like pyroluria (neg.), IgG delayed food sensitivity (on diet for 2 months with no tic decrease), checked for strep with culture and ASO & DNASE B (neg). So I have been checking other possible issues with no success. Our pediatrician has ran a number of blood tests, the ones the HMO would authorize, and found he doesn't have Celiac Disease, is low on zinc and a number of other things were normal. He does have a few allergies and is being treated with zyrtec and nasonex. I even tried a naturopath/homeopath regime for 3 months with no luck. I am trying to find an alternative doc that can actually help me work through this without me teaching them. Although I like our pediatric neurologist, he said at our last appt. that I know a lot more than a lot of the doctors themselves. A nice compliment but not to comforting. I will keep plugging away. Thanks! Deanna

I am extremely busy at this time and don't have time to search through threads for some answers so I hope you don't mind me bringing up some "old" questions that someone else has probably already discussed. My sons tics were almost non-existance last may and then they came back again and we are having a hard time getting them to a good level now. We just started him on the mag/cal/zinc and taurine supplements a couple weeks ago. At first there was no change and then after about a week or so, things got a lot better. Unfortunately, this only lasted a couple days. I thought the supplements did the trick to help my son but then when things got worse again, I tried to figure out why. One possibility is when my son was away with my husband for the weekend, I think he may have gotten double the taurine dose for 2-3 days. Instead of 500mg, he may have gotten 1000. Could this have caused an increase in his tics? Since I wasn't sure if this happened or not, I stopped the taurine for about a week and just began it again last night. We just got back from Florida after a 5 day trip and my sons neck strains were really bad and constant where he was really complaining....so I was wondering if it was the change in weather? They were slowly increasing before the trip and really hit a high level while on the trip. Anyways, we are back home in Wisconsin now and the temp is about 60 and I am curious to know how today will go. Can tics get worse with supplements before they get better? I thought that was the case with naturopath/homeopath routes but couldn't remember if it pertained to supplements also. If I don't see an improvement in a month, should these supplements be continued? The pills are so large and he is getting sick of me smashing them and mixing them with yogurt everynight and if things don't get better, I dont know if it is worth the hassle. Any advice? Thanks - Deanna

When he did hurt his cheek, what kind of supplement did you use that helped him stop that? Also, can you give me a dose/his weight at the time? I will not pursue this without a doctor's knowledge. My son is fine now but that is the tic or I guess OCD that has caused the worst problem in the past. I want to be prepared with another option if it comes back. Thanks!

Chemer: When you mentioned the "bruxism/jaw snap" tic, was that the one that cut the inside of his cheek? Deanna

We have tried eliminating the foods that my son was moderately sensitive to for about 7-8 weeks now with no improvements in tics. Since we haven't seen anything yet, is it worth continuing for the whole 3 months?

Chemer: Thanks for responding so quickly! I will give the cal/mag/zinc a good month. I think I will look back and see if I noticed any increase when I started the B complex. Also, I read on a thread that some people can't tolerate the taurate...does that mean their tics increased or it was a stomach issue or what?

We have tried eliminating the foods that my son was moderately sensitive to for about 7 weeks now with no improvements in tics. Since we haven't seen anything yet, is it worth continuing for the whole 3 months? The same goes for supplements. My son has been on a B complex for over a month now with no improvements. We just started mag/cal/zinc & taurine and was wondering how soon we would see any improvements with any of those. I know the recent supplements need to be given more time but I don't want to keep adding pills if after the a given amount of time we aren't seeing any improvement. So if someone has a guideline of some sort and would say if after this much time with no improvements, then it probably isn't helping and we could feel comfortable stopping, that would be helpful. Thanks - Deanna

I am going to start the mag/cal with taurine tonight. If the suggested dose was 600 cal and 300 mag, do I need to work up to that or start with that? Also, if I should start at that dose, should it be divided up into two dose, 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 before bed? The same questions go for the taurine...do I start with 500mg or start lower and work up? If I start with it do I divide the dose into am and pm? Thanks!

I have recently been dealing with a cane sugar sensitivity with my son. I found a great website that gives recipes using different sweetneners other than granulated sugar. It is sweetsavvy.com. (Sorry but I don't know how to type it so you can just click on it to get the the site). Anyways, I have used brown rice syrup and experimented with stevia a little. You can find some good information that hopefully will help you. I haven't found any alternative to brown sugar though. My son is only sensitive to cane sugar but beet sugar is fine. That makes it real easy for baking but I am trying to cut back on the refined sugar and this site has been helpful. Good luck! Deanna I also have another site that deals with stevia. It is called sweetleaf.com. It helps guide you through sugar vs. stevia equivalency. Stevia does take some trial and error though. I feel it has a little bit of an after taste. I think if you can find the stevia concentrate dark liquid, you may be able to somewhat make it work for brown sugar but I have never been able to find it and therefore haven't been able to experiment. Deanna

In a previous quote it said that Magnesium Taurate provides taurine. So...if I am supplementing taurine seperately, would I need Magnesium Taurate or just Magnesium? Thanks - Deanna