kim

I think we all probably have different experiences with the schools. Some, good/great, some not so great. I have had it both ways. I do want to mention something that worries me quite a bit. I really feel that our power to make medical choices for our children (and quite possibly for oureselves) is eroding in leaps and bounds. Last nite my husband and I were listening to the national news as they were talking about mandating the flu vaccine for ALL children btwn the ages of 6 mos and 18 years old. Currently it's on the schedule for 6 mos. thru 5 years, I believe. I was telling my husband, it wouldn't surprise me, if employers were able to mandate certain annual medical tests, vaccines, etc. for employees in the near future too. Could end up, where if you don't do what you're told, you will lose coverage for assoc. conditions or sick days with pay. Everyone knows that health care in the US is in a bad place with costs. Wouldn't surprise me, if this situation is used to further profits, while we lose rights. I think it's a good idea to keep in mind, that there are people who it might be better not to discuss your choices for your child's treatment with. Is there a point where you could be forced to place your child on medications? If you run into the wrong person, could a situation similar to this take place? I certainly don't want to alarm anyone or discourage them from getting things in place that have clearly been of great benefit to many children (IEP or other services), but when you get a "bad vibe" I just think this is something to keep in mind. http://www.ocregister.com/column/nate-pare...overnment-court Child abuse by the government Government rips an autistic boy from his home because it prefers a different treatment than the one offered by the parents.

Jasminky, In regards to starting the 2nd round of azith, I wanted you to keep in mind that it's an antibiotic with a long 1/2 life. It stores in the tissue and is released for a longer period of time than some other anitbiotis. I think the first dose is double that of the 2nd and 3rd dose? I guess i'm not clear on how many dose she actually took at this point. If she took an adequate amt. the effects should last beyond the day of the last dose. If you understand this, it may help you to determine if the antibiotic is helping reduce the tics or not. Here are some links to artlcles. If you have a specific question, we have a few people here with more knowledge than I have about this, that may reply. This 1/2 life business, is something I hope parents who are using drugs to treat tic disorders are aware of. I really feel that when drugs are added, Dr.s don't take the combos into consideration nearly enough, i.e. they tell you to discontinue one drug and start another before the last one if really out of the system. Now you have two drugs at work, and it can get ugly. I think I have mentioned that I have a friend (young man) who I have become very fond of on another forum. He has taken every drug in the book for his TS which is mostly vocal with a few inconsistant motor tics. Just thought I would throw that in, since it is a grave concern of mine. Wanted to mention too, if you decided to start a magnesium suppplement, give away from azith. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azithromycin Following a single 500 mg dose, plasma concentrations of azithromycin declined in a polyphasic pattern with a mean apparent plasma clearance of 630 mL/min and a terminal elimination half-life of 68 hours. The prolonged terminal half-life is thought to be due to extensive uptake and subsequent release of drug from tissues. Biliary excretion of azithromycin, predominantly unchanged, is a major route of elimination. Over the course of a week, approximately 6% of the administered dose appears as unchanged drug in urine. http://www.medicinenet.com/azithromycin/article.htm DRUG INTERACTIONS: Unlike erythromycin and clarithromycin, azithromycin is generally considered free of interactions with most other medicines. It is recommended that azithromycin not be taken at the same time as aluminum- or magnesium- based antacids, such as Mylanta or Maalox because antacids will bind the azithromycin and prevent it from being absorbed from the intestine. http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharmaceuti.../ZITHROMAX.html Pharmacokinetics: Adults: Plasma concentrations of azithromycin decline in a polyphasic pattern, resulting in an average terminal half-life of 68 hours. The prolonged half-life is likely due to extensive uptake and subsequent release of drug from tissues. Over the dose range of 250 to 1 000 mg orally, the serum concentrations are related to dose. The long tissue half-life and large volume of distribution result from intracytoplasmic uptake and storage in lysosomal phospholipid complexes. article on 1/2 life http://bipolar.about.com/od/glossary/g/gl_medhalflife.htm

Caryn, That's too funny. I was just pulling up this thead to post this http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles...ter-age-50.aspx It's the same one. I think this article makes some terribly important points. I have a few things I have read lately that I will add here. This is one http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/25/business/24drug.php This is another, cross post...thanks Teresa B. "February 25, 2008: Newly published data in the Open Pediatric Medicine Journal , 2008, 2, 7-10, reveal siblings of diabetics have an extremely high risk of developing vaccine induced type 1, insulin dependent diabetes. The hemophilus vaccine for example may cause over 2% of these children to develop type 1, insulin dependent, diabetes. Other vaccines have an effect of similar magnitude." Study available free online Risk of Vaccine Induced Diabetes in Children with a Family History of Type 1 Diabetes http://www.vaccines.net/7TOPEDJ.pdf excerpts: INTRODUCTION Data exist that supports a causal relationship between the hemophilus immunization and type 1 diabetes [1, 2]. Causation is supported by a large prospective randomized clinical trial, which demonstrated statistically significant clusters of extra cases of diabetes occurring between 36 to 48 months after immunization. Four smaller epidemiology studies as well as animal toxicity data support the findings of the clinical trial [1]. The mechanisms by which vaccines can induce IDDM have been extensively reviewed [3]. These mechanisms are not specific to the hemophilus vaccine and all vaccines have the potential to induce diabetes. REFERENCES [1] Classen JB, Classen DC. Clustering of cases of insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM) occurring three years after Hemophilus influenza B (HiB) immunization support causal relationship between immunization and IDDM. Autoimmunity 2002; 35: 247-53. [2] Classen JB, Classen DC. Clustering of cases of IDDM occurring 2- 4 years after vaccination is consistent with clustering after infections and progression to IDDM in autoantibody positive individuals. JPEM 2003; 16: 495-508. [3] Classen JB, Classen DC. Vaccines and the risk of insulin dependent diabetes (IDDM), potential mechanism of action. Med Hypotheses 2001; 57: 532-8. [4] Wahlberg J, Fredriksson J, Vaarala O, Ludvigsson J. Vaccinations may induce diabetes related autoantibodies in one year old children. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2003; 1005: 404-8.

Tracey, Just a quick overview, we use Houston enzymes too. If my oldest son is eating something like spaghetti, garlic toast and broccoli, I'll give him one capsule of zyme prime, 1/2 Peptazide. How you use the enzymes really depends on what problems, or foods that you suspect your son is having a problem with. We have found zyme prime to be the easiest to use, meaning it doesn't cause any discomfort, or bathroom urgency. I would recommend that you start with that one in small amts (maybe 1/8 of the capsule) first meal, another 1/8 the 2nd meal and leave it at that for the first day. If all is well, you might increase to 1/4 capsule for one meal the next day and leave it at 1/8 for the other two. Then move up to 1/2 a capsule the 3rd day with a full meal. Keep upping slowly, until you get to 1/2 capsule for all 3 meals. You can decide after reading the sites that Carolyn linked, how much you think your son needs per meal. Just work up slowly on all 3, if you think you need all of them. That's how I did it, anyway. Here are a few notes from the Houston site, to help you identify which product might help your son the most. The company is really good about mailing sample packs, so you can try them without commiting to another expense. I got sample packs of all 3 enzymes for both sons with no charge. zyme prime enhancing the breakdown of complex carbohydrates, triglyceride fats, starches, and proteins. While not as potent in protein hydrolysis as Peptizyde, HN-Zyme and Zyme Prime excel at carbohydrate hydrolysis. Peptazyde The enzymes in Peptizyde™ work only on food proteins, not carbohydrates, fats, or other compounds, No fenol ....for Phenolic Foods Its on the site somewhere about No fenol being helpful in assisting an anti yeast protocol too

Caryn, Not sure if this has been posted, but I thought I would put it on one of your threads to try to keep info in one place. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=...92424476C121112 "I could tell something was wrong with him as soon as he began eating solids as a baby. It was if the food was draining him," says Rita, 50, describing how her son Christoffer had yoyoed between passive and hyperactive behaviour until she had removed several staples from his diet including milk and grains.

in addition to last post, I wanted to add that I think it's horrifying that the current schedule is allowed to stay in place while these cases are hanging out there. Government Concedes Vaccine-Autism Case in Federal Court - Now What? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/...ci_b_88323.html

lurker, Our Ped ordered IGG testing for us too. It tested 20 foods. Draw was done at local hospital, sent to Mayo Medical Labs who ships it out to a lab called IBT Reference Lab. bcase I worry about that too. My boys also each had the first shot. I know of a 33 year old gentleman who's TS started around age 12 after a case of the natural chicken pox. Also, I was reading through an older thread here and noticed that Ronnas (mom of a PANDAS child who has posted a lot of really useful info on this forum) mentioned that her son had a bad flair of his symptoms after chicken pox, again natural, not the immunization. It appears that we have members with kids that have onset of symptoms after viral infections too, so, you have to ask yourself what would be worse...the immunization or the actual infection. I'm not worried about skipping some immunizations AT ALL, but chicken pox at an older age, I just don't know The bad news about this whole mess, is that now the trust is just gone. I can no longer leave these decisions in someone else's hands. I have no idea if my boys have mercury or aluminum hanging around their bodies, if their immune function was altered by those things, or if getting chicken pox now, when older could cause worse problems, than the vaccine. I feel totally duped by that whole program, but I literally pray for enough objectivity to make the right decision here. PARENTS should have never been placed in this position. Gee, if they could just forget to add up how much mercury was being injected into my babies, what else might be unknown or overlooked? Maybe we could start a new thread asking for "no increase in symptoms" after immunizations comments. Remarks about reactions to illness that are supposed to be vax preventable, would be nice too. I doubt many kids have had measles, mumps, diagnosed pertussus, etc. though.

Betty, Another thing to consider is yeast causing the itching. My oldest son used to itch his ears so hard it was awful. He even did it in his sleep. Your son may have sore ears simply from the itching. You may want to try a little warm olive oil with fresh garlic. Peel some fresh garlic cloves, crush them with a broad blade knife and warm the crushed cloves in a small sauce pan with the olive oil for a few minutes to steep them a bit. You can use a dropper or a cotton ball to saturate and sqeeze a few drops into the ears when it has cooled to warm only again. As far as the head tilt, I just posted this for someone else who said their child had his head tilted to one side. I'm sure if you google toticollis, you can find better info but it might be something you want to investigate a further. Torticollis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torticollis Infections in the posterior pharynx can irritate the nerves supplying the neck muscles and cause torticollis, and these infections may be treated with antibiotics if they are not too severe, but could require surgical debridement in intractable cases.

bcase, This is just info for your consideration, some things to weigh in your decision I agree that it's a personal decision that should be made based on your own reseach. Has it even been 10 years since your daughters last dose of DtaP? They are probably going to give her the newer Adacel shot. This has replaced the TD booster. The TD booster still contain 25 mcgs of thimerosal. If the Dr. tells you that that isn't true, ask to see the insert. Many Drs. think thimerosal is out of all vaccines. It's not. Adacel includes a dose of Pertussis too. There are no singular tetanus and diptheria immunizations available. Adacel is supposed to be able to be given every 5 years, instead of the 10 year recommendation for TD. It doesn't contain thimerosal but does contain .....bolding mine http://www.vaccineplace.com/index.cfm?FA=p...mp;P=HowS_pread What ingredients are present in ADACEL vaccine? ADACEL vaccine contains noninfectious tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis proteins. Small amounts of aluminum phosphate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and 2-phenoxyethanol are also present in each dose. You should tell your health-care professional if you or your child: • Has experienced after a previous pertussis vaccination any of the following: – Temperature of 105°F (40.5°C) or higher within 48 hours of vaccination – Collapse in shock-like state within 48 hours – Persistent and inconsolable crying lasting 3 hours or more, occurring within 48 hours – Seizures with or without fever occurring within 3 days • Has experienced Arthus-type hypersensitivity reactions following a prior tetanus vaccine. • Developed Guillain-Barré syndrome within 6 weeks following a prior tetanus vaccination. • Has a central nervous system disorder, whether it is stable or not. • Is a pregnant or nursing mother. Will help with exemption info http://www.nvic.org/ CDC Pink book tetanus.....look at the incidence and how it fell prior to routine immunization for tetanus http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Lx7-v...;cd=1&gl=us http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art...rticlekey=85107 Study: Immune System Has Long Memory Immunity Conferred From infections, Vaccinations May Last Decades Longer Than Thought

Judy, So happy to hear things are settling down. WHEN is mainstream medical going to seriously look at the immune system in relationship to these disoders?! You might find this of some interest too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torticollis and

Caryn I'm really glad that you posted that remark. It kind of gives me the chance to explain that I have gotten in the habit of looking at drugs and studies to see what i can take from them and apply to supplement use or even diet changes. I am not advocating the use of an SSRI. That's why I mentioned tryptophan or 5HTP as they can boost serotonin levels. I don't think anyone is sick of you. Your celiac/gluten expertise are wonderful! Jasminky, You might want to get familiar with Nasonex too. Look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucocorticoid Immunosuppressive mechanism Glucocorticoids suppress the cell-mediated immunity. They act by inhibiting genes that code for the cytokines IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8 and IFN-γ, the most important of which is the IL-2. Smaller cytokine production reduces the T cell proliferation. Glucocorticoids also suppress the humoral immunity, causing B cells to express smaller amounts of IL-2 and of IL-2 receptors. This diminishes both B cell clone expansion and antibody synthesis. The diminished amounts of IL-2 also causes fewer T lymphocyte cells to be activated. Since glucocorticoid is a steroid, it regulates transcription factors; another factor it down-regulates is the expression of Fc receptors on macrophages, so there is a decreased phagocytosis of opsonised cells. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mometasone_furoate Schering-Plough markets the medication under the following brand names; Elocon (Elocom) as a cream or ointment for skin conditions, Nasonex as a nasal spray for upper respiratory conditions, Asmanex Twisthaler as a dry powder inhaler (DPI) for lower respiratory conditions. Edit I'm wondering if you look at the quote from the above post, in a PANDAS situation, if the nasonex could be having an effect on the B cells? Could be something to run by a Dr. who understands all of this. I think others have mentioned steroid use for PANDAS symptoms. I think it's a really good thing for you to keep an eye on. If you saw improvements with Nasonex, but not amoxycillan, you may need a different antibiotic?

Jasminky This article might be something you want to read thru. I just googled the 4 words... skin picking ocd autism. I almost always attach the word autism to a search because it usually helps turn up more of the type of info that I'm looking for, not because we are dealing with autism. I didn't read the whole thing throughly, but it looks like SSRI's were most effective for that type of problem. You might want to consider tryptopan or 5htp if it gets to be a real problem? As always, have to say that a physicians guidance is always preferrable. Wanted to mention I thought this paragraph was interesting. The marker that they mention (D8/17) is not only associtated with rheumatic fever, I'm almost certain this is overexpressed in some PANDAS patiens as well. http://www.neuropsychiatryreviews.com/oct0..._oct00_ocd.html

Tracey, I think it was this lab that gave me the name of the Dr (DO) that we took the boys to. http://www.chemicalinjury.net/html/testing...e_chemical.html If you contact the labs, they can give you names of Dr.s in your area, that order their testing. When you made the appt. did you ask if he/she was open to ordering IgG testing or if they have a lab that they use for a urine candida test? We had to pay out of pocket for the DO that we saw. He was pricey. I did end up getting partial reimbursement for the appts, which really surprised me, since he was clearly out of area. I was told by Peds office, that I didn't have a prayer of getting it covered. Anyway, I would just hate to see you get to your appt. and find out they don't believe in this type of testing. If they do, just remember not to let them code any billing with a diagnosis of tourette syndrom. Most, if not all insurance companies will deny coverage of the testing if TS is the diagnosis, as there is not any medically accepted connection (don'tcha know). You might want to look at the SpectraCell site too. They have some very comprehensive tests for intracellular nutrients. I think that is another test that has been very useful to some here. I know there is another test, that parents have posted about recently. I think "itsme" (poster here) had a comprehensive test, I can't think of the name of it right now. Maybe someone else will give you the name of one that will combine some of the things that your looking for like nutrient status and digestive health. Tracy did your son have the flu or the varicella shot that you think may have triggered things? I'm thinking it was varicella. I wonder if you might want to talk to the Dr about that. I have wondered if kids with viral issues would show super high titers to something like measles, varicella etc. if the body over reacts in a similar manner as it appears to with strep. You may think about a viral panel or at least discuss it with the Dr.

Tracey, Is the allergist that you're seeing a conventional Dr? We saw one which we liked. He came in with this giant hypodermic needle and cracked us all up. He said one Mom was furious for pulling that, but said we looked like the type that could handle it. He tested for grass, weeds, animals etc. and quite a few foods. It was helpful, especially since my oldest son was so itchy, he was really really miserable. He didn't have watery itchy eyes or any of the symptoms that you would ordinarily assoc. with obvious allergy. It was all IgE testing, and like most conventional Drs. he didn't feel IgG testing was valid. he was very pharma minded, and we left with 6 prescription meds btwn the two boys. We then found an alternative/conventional pediatric allergist DO. He was really helpful in getting our Ped to order testing like zinc levels, food sensitivity testing, thyroid, candida, celiac etc. which was insurance covered. Once he wrote out the order for our Ped to submit (as a primary care physician) it seemed all was well. It's like the pressure is off the Ped, if another Dr. is involved. They are way more willing to work with you, if they see another licensed practioner involved. Must have something to do with liability? The test that was insurance covered, was the blood test. It's called a Candida AB. This blood test, however is not the one that is commonly used by DAN Drs. I believe the reason being that many do not show IgE antibodies in blood, but still have gastro overgrowth. The Great Plain OAT which is a urine test is highly regarded. I ordered one through direct labs, which was a metametrix test. Metametrix and Great Plains are rivals and have each spoken out against the validity of the others testing. This is an unfortunate thing about candida testing. No one can seem to agree about exactly which metabolite, is best measured for the greatest accuracy regarding overgrowth. Great Plains OAT, so far, seems to be the one parents and Dr.s prefer, but this new DNA test from Metametrix, is just starting to get reviews on the message bds. May turn out, to be a good one too. Hope something in all of that helps! All three of these labs do candida testing. http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/Organic-Acid-Test.html http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/yeast.asp Metametrix GI FX newest DNA sequenece http://gifx.metametrix.com/ http://www.directlabs.com/ The last one doesn't require a Dr. to order their tests

Tami, Welcome. You don't sound like a total stranger at all Can I ask, if you and your pediatrician discussed the tic occurance in relationship to the vaccine? I'm just going to venture a guess, that he didn't suggest reporting it as an adverse event did he? Errrrrrrr I hope you will be sure to get a copy of your sons OAT. Its always nice to be able to sort of compare notes. I remember bits and pieces from what others have posted here, but don't have the Great Plains (is that where yours was ordered thru?) for either of my boys. Glad to hear that your sons symptoms don't seem to be escalating. Did you fire the Ped that said "start drinking?" Sad to say, but I would almost have to rank his advice, a little higher than what we normally hear!

Caryn, that really confuses me. My oldest son tested IgG positive to wheat, barley and rye. He uses Houston enzymes. I have not found that to be the case. Many parents seem to report positive results when eliminating the diet, with the use of enzymes. Not all, by any means, so maybe it depends on the degree of damage. I have avoided doing GF/CF for only one reason. My youngest son (extremely self limited diet) lost too much weight when I tried, and I didn't have the guts to continue. I want to be really clear about that. I do believe it's beneficial to many children. However, if you are relating strictly to tics (not other symptoms like inattention, etc. that I can't comment on, as we don't deal with that). I can't say that even with leaving gluten and caisen in the diet (youngest son tested positive with high number to cow's milk) that tics are worse. I feel like they are a really helpful supplement for my boys. Just been our experience.

Ok, just got back from the Dr. (just kidding) Quick strep was negative. Was given a script for Pen VK and said to get it filled if fever went up, or throat got worse. He has had those spots on and off, with and without strep, forever. He really felt bad though. I think it's the thing that has been going around. Everyone seems to have had the sore throat, bronchial, head cold virus. He's feeling a lot better today, thankfully. Anyway, about the dopamine. When a drug blocks that pump or partially blocks it, it leaves more dopamine in the synapsis, for the post synaptic neuron to use. I never had a clue what an SSRI was. I knew it stood for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, but that phrase never made sense. I though "uptake" would be a good thing. Now I get it. That presynaptic neuron will release a neurotransmitter, then suck some of it back out of the synopsis (using the reuptake pump), to be reused later. When that pump is blocked, it can't "reuptake." That is the same thing some of the drugs do with dopamine. Now, if it's thought that dopamine needs to be increased in an ADHD situation, but is thought to be at least partially responsible for tics, how does that work? This was an interesting (and scary) article, again regarding Ritalin. I wonder if similar studies have been done with other drugs commonly prescribed for these disorders. This study seems to suggest that D2 receptors decrease with age naturally, but may be permanently altered with ritalin use? Maybe that's why some kids with tics actually do better when they are first placed on ritalin, but end up with tics, if used longer term? Either way, it seems as though attention problems would either get better, and tics worse, or vise versa, if you are looking at only dopamine and D2 receptors, which would make your statement basically right Faith. Study on ritalin http://newideas.net/adhd/medication/stimulant-use-drug-use

Anyone heard of this? http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlere...i?artid=1853370 Identification of Pyruvate Kinase as an Antigen Associated with Tourette Syndrome Immune responses to β-hemolytic streptococcal infections are hypothesized to trigger tic disorders and early-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in some pediatric populations. Here we identify the M1 isoform of the glycolytic enzyme, pyruvate kinase (PK) as an autoimmune target in Tourette syndrome and associated disorders. Antibodies to PK reacted strongly with surface antigens of infectious strains of streptococcus, and antibodies to streptococcal M proteins reacted with PK. Moreover, immunoreactivity to PK in patients with exacerbated symptoms who had recently acquired a streptococcal infection was 7-fold higher compared to patients with exacerbated symptoms and no evidence of a streptococcal infection. These data suggest that PK can function as an autoimmune target and that this immunoreactivity may be associated with Tourette syndrome, OCD, and associated disorders. These are just some excerpts that I copied trying to figure out what role Pyruvate kinase plays. Enzyme involved in glucose and cellular energy is about all I've gotten out of it so far. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/23445.php The key to neuron survival is the amount of the dose: 100 times the normal blood level. Pyruvate usually circulates throughout the brain and body at low concentrations, but ordinarily cannot penetrate the blood-brain barrier. However, "when we increase the levels to 100-fold normal, it gets into the brain well enough to preserve the neurons," says Swanson. The paper concludes that "pyruvate may be an effective intervention for patients with severe hypoglycemia." Followup necropsy of brain tissue evaluated four areas of the hippocampus most vulnerable to damage from hypoglycemia: CA1, dentate granule cell, subiculum, and perirhinal cortex. The rats receiving glucose plus pyruvate had 70 to 90 percent less neuronal death than the rats given glucose only, indicating that pyruvate prevented neuronal death. Olanzapine (Zyprexa) http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v31/n9/full/1301002a.html Olanzapine Effects on Glucose Production Olanzapine affects glucose production via participation of several gene families involved in various metabolic pathways (Table 2). Olanzapine upregulates pyruvate kinase, an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of pyruvate and ATP from phosphoenolpyruvate and ADP. Pyruvate kinase polymorphisms have been discovered in subjects with schizophrenia (Stone et al, 2004) and Type II diabetes (Wang et al, 2002), and olanzapine increases the risk for diabetes in subjects with schizophrenia (Meyer and Nasrallah, 2003). Olanzapine also upregulates glycogen phosphorylase, a key enzyme in glycogen degradation, leading to removal of a terminal glucose residue from the nonreducing end of a glycogen chain providing more glucose for local brain energy expenditure. Indeed, glycogen phosphorylation is localized primarily to astrocytes in the brain alluding to a direct effect by olanzapine on glial cells (Pfeiffer-Guglielmi et al, 2003). Antipsychotics can affect brain concentrations of glycogen phosphorylases (Ktenas et al, 1978; Iriye and Simmonds, 1971a, 1971b); however, the majority of typical antipsychotics reduce the levels of glycogen phosphorylase while antidepressants and olanzapine increase the activity of this enzyme (Iriye and Simmonds, 1971a). Olanzapine also increases insulin 2 expression, which may be in response to increased glucose production or potentially due to other triggers. By the same token, olanzapine can also reduce the concentration of sucrase-isomaltase to conserve glucose in disaccharide forms. http://www.revolutionhealth.com/articles/p...iciency/nord465 General Discussion Red cell pyruvate kinase deficiency is a hereditary blood disorder characterized by a deficiency of the enzyme pyruvate kinase. Physical findings associated with the disorder may include reduced levels of oxygen-carrying hemoglobulin in the blood due to premature destruction of red blood cells (hemolytic anemia); abnormally increased levels of bilirubin in the blood I just posted this link on another thread, but it has a big section on pyruvate kinase, so I'm going to include it here too http://overcomingcandida.com/candida_and_autism.htm

An Ad that ran in USA today, yesterday http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/080212.pdf Quite an article http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0802/S00128.htm This ia a huge paper. It is written largely regarding Autism, but has a lot of info on much of what we discuss here... sulfur, artficial colors, vaccines, viruses, etc. http://overcomingcandida.com/candida_and_autism.htm

Michelle, Those amts of b 6 are not anything to really be concerned about, IMO. I am wondering though, if you are also supplementing P5P per your DAN? If you are, you may want to avoid addition B6 when possible. The 3 mgs. contained in the gummies, I personally wouldn't be concerned about in addition to P5P, if you are giving that. B6 is a water soluable vit. Unused amts. will be excreted in the urine ( I do want to add though, that i don't believe any of us want to give more of anything than is really necessary, and keeping a good balance on B vits is important. Supplementing high amts of one, can lead to deficiency in others if unbalanced). In Bontech vits, the recommended daily for 35 to 66 lbs is 10 to 14 capsules. Assuming you gave 10, you would be dosing 50 mgs of B6. The daily recommended allowance is easy to find, but that isn't going to help in amts. that are recommended for theraputic values. Again, since you have had testing and a really good DAN guiding you, I would stick as close to possible on what he's recommending. The thing about the sodium benzoate that concerned me the most, was just the intergrity of the whole product. I don't believe the truly reputable manufactureres of supplements are using that type of preservative. I found it, in almost every type of syrup on the store shelves, many other products too. Here is some reading that may help. On P5P....the first one discusses the benefits of using P5P over plain B6. I was hoping it would give the conversion rate, but it doesn't. I hope someone else knows and will post. I know you need to use less P5P as opposed to B6 http://www.thehealthierlife.co.uk/article/...vitamin-b6.html http://www.raysahelian.com/pyridoxal5phophatep5p.html On sodium benzoate http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/he...lth-450593.html

Faith, I thought I would do this on a new thread so Michelle's didn't get cluttered up. I think this stuff is interesting because once you know at least a little about it, you can get more out of current reseach. Don't count on anything that I say as being completely accurate, and anyone feel free to join the discussion, or correct me. These thoughts are just to the best of my ability. Not high or low Faith. We need Goldilocks neurotransmitters. "Just right." That's why identifying what is causing them to go wrong in the first place is so important. Take a look at this page. You are looking at two neuron cells, or rather a part of them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SynapseIllustration2.svg The axon terminal in the top part The synaptic cleft (the space between the neurons) and part of the post synaptic neuron..the dendritic spine. See that reuptake pump? Now look at this page on Methylphenidate contained in Ritalin, commonly used to treat ADHD. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate and and *Gotta go get a throat culture. Little one is sick with a big old white spot.

removed. Starting new thread

Michelle in addition to above post .... The Added Attention also has GABA and sodium benzoate yuck! Have you been giving (2) 100 mgs. of 5HTP a day? If so, that sure seems like it could be high. You might want to look at total amt of vit B btwn his multi and the ADDED Attention too.

Michelle, Edit...think I responded on wrong thread Andrew is taking phenylalanine in his amino's right? Phenylalanine is converted into tyrosine. Tyrosine is a precursor to Dopamine. Added tyrosine in his GABA supplement might not be a good idea. Dopamine is important in attention and focus. Too much dopamine may exacerbate tics. These are very simplistic statements and certainly not the whole picture, but, balancing the neurotransmitters is what appears to be the essential thing. You just have to be careful, since he is on a protocol that is based on testing, that you don't add something inadvertantly to upset the balance that the Dr. is trying to achieve. As his body adjusts to the substances that may have been in short supply before, I would think it would be reasonable to see some differences in behavior. It may take a while for him to level out? Do you see a difference in his actions at home? Here are a couple of sites you might want to look at to get familiar with some of the neurotransmitters involved in both conditions. I'm trying to stick to easy reading sites Cheri pointed out to someone, that Mrs D on Neurotalk has loads of info on ADHD. I believe she would be a great resource, for specific questions that you might have http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum49.html http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/adhd.html The cause of ADHD is not clear-cut. It appears that certain receptors in the brain which normally respond to the neurotransmitter called dopamine are not working properly. Most likely, dopamine is not being produced at normal levels in the brain. Recent work in adults points to a defect in an enzyme called dopa decarboxylase which helps make dopamine. This defect in dopamine production occurs in the anterior frontal cortex, an area associated with cognitive processes such as focusing and attention. Dopamine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine http://www.raysahelian.com/phenylalanine.html Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid. Inside the body, phenylalanine is converted into tyrosine, another amino acid. Tyrosine is then used to produce dopamine and norepinephrine, both neurotransmitters. All of these elements are important because of their relationship to the central nervous system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrosine Tyrosine (abbreviated as Tyr or Y)[1] or 4-hydroxyphenylalanine, is one of the 20 amino acids that are used by cells to synthesize proteins. This is a non-essential amino acid and it is found in large quantities in casein. In fact, the word "tyrosine" is from the Greek tyros, meaning cheese, as it was first discovered in 1846 by German chemist Justus von Liebig in the protein casein from cheese Precursor to hormones In the adrenal gland, tyrosine is converted to levodopa by the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). TH is also the rate-limiting enzyme involved in the synthesis of the catecholamine hormones dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and epinephrine. The thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in the colloid of the thyroid also are derived from tyrosine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norepinephrine Norepinephrine (INN) (abbr. norepi or NE) or noradrenaline (BAN) is a catecholamine and a phenethylamine. The natural stereoisomer is L-(−)-®-norepinephrine. The prefix nor-, is derived from the German abbreviation for "N ohne Radikal" (N, the symbol for nitrogen, without radical),[2] referring to the absence of the methyl functional group at the nitrogen atom of epinephrine. Norepinephrine is synthesized from dopamine by dopamine β-hydroxylase.[3] It is released from the adrenal medulla into the blood as a hormone, and is also a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and sympathetic nervous system where it is released from noradrenergic neurons. The actions of norepinephrine are carried out via the binding to adrenergic receptors. As a stress hormone, norepinephrine affects parts of the brain where attention and responding actions are controlled. Along with epinephrine, norepinephrine also underlies the fight-or-flight response, directly increasing heart rate, triggering the release of glucose from energy stores, and increasing blood flow to skeletal muscle. However, when norepinephrine acts as a drug it will increase blood pressure, triggering a compensatory reflex that overcomes its direct stimulatory effects on the heart. The reflex, called the baroreceptor reflex, results in a drop in heart rate called reflex bradycardia

Lenny, My oldest son wasn't taking the vitamins, or very infrequently, during his last headshaking bout. Everything prior to that episode had been very minor. There was a time when he was battling staph, that i got a little nervous, as he was having outbreaks of a teeth tongue tic, and a bit of head shaking. My youngest son, who takes them regularly, but not a high enough dosage for his weight, has not had any severe flair's since starting them. Although probiotics and digestive enzymes, raising zinc levels, beyond what's in Bonnie's vits. fish oil, etc., I suspect has played a big part too. He will get little movements like a sniffing tic, or an eye thing, or even an occasional head shake, here or there. Not one episode that has been of any real concern though. He is 11. I would agree, in that all tics are a form of a movement disorder, which is basically the most notable symptom of TS (in many cases, probably not all) but I think Cheri made an excellent point on another thread. I feel they hand out a diagnosis of TS far too readily once the one year criteria is met. After reading her opinions on it, I think that they have really blurred the lines. I would not have thought that there was any benefit to separating out the "family history," vs none, severity of symptoms, etc. but these diagnosis's are really used to help researchers. It also helped Cheri's son and family. What is causing tics in later generations with no family history, may not be caused by the same thing as some of the newer tic generation. That could be very important ultimatley. My biggest hope is that reasearch will yeild answers that will help both groups. When something is learned about cancer, in some cases it will help with more than one kind, sometimes not. I guess that's the best analogy I can think of.