Sheila

Claire--we sure hope you will be back sometime, but we understand. You are such a wonderful resource and support to everyone. Thank you for all that you contribute, and good luck with your work. Sheila

We apologize that the forum has been going on and off at intervals! We have been reporting it for the last 3 days. Just tonight, staff at our web hosting company, Verio, admitted that they were hit by a virus. The virus sends false connection messages that make our database and others like them shut down. They are working on it like crazy but haven't figured out a solution, and they have lots of unhappy customers. Again, we apologize and hope you will be patient. Let's hope they resolve it soon! Sheila

Shawn, these are the replies I heard from a couple of practioners: One suggested it could occur, especially if you eat a lot of meat. The other said: It makes sense because in order to rid the body of excess homocysteine, methylating factors like Vit B12, folic acid, and TMG are necessary. These function to remethylate homocysteine back into methionine. Also, someone who posts here suggested you go to this site to discuss lab results or aske related questions: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/labte...yguid=148333625 I hope that's some help. Sheila

Shawn, sorry for the delay, I was out of town. I have contacted some professionals and posed your question, and will get back to you with any responses I receive. I hope some answers will be forthcoming. By the way, if you write to me at Sheila@Latitudes.org I can arrange for you to receive Latitudes. (Please put Shawn in the subject line.) Best wishes, Sheila

Chris--I don't know an easy answer re: the meds because yes, there are concerns about their safety and you will probably keep running into those--they are especially in the news at present. At the same time they help some people a lot. Since you said you had stomach trouble, have you ever looked into avoiding milk totally for a couple of weeks? Is it after eating that your stomach bothers you, or some other kind of trouble--more like an ulcer? What are the symptoms? Would you be willing to experiment? What are your favorite or most common foods? I'm also wondering two things--what city or state you live in, and whether you would be interested in getting some other type of medical help since you aren't up for medication right now. Hey--I was right that you are very bright! You should be proud of yourself for what you have accomplished. And I'm glad the tutoring works out. I think zoning out is common--OCD and ADD type symptoms often overlap. Makes it really frustrating, I'm sure. I can only imagine what it's like. Please see this article about inositol. I don't know if you can take it with the 5HTP. (Maybe you could read up on that--I haven't looked into it). But you could give inositol a try--it is supposed to be very safe and effective: http://www.naturaladd.com/resources/articles/natural.html If you ever want to communicate by email instead of the forum, you can write to me at sheila@Latitudes.org and put something in the subject line so I know it's from you. Otherwise, the forum is fine. If you don't hear from me for a few days sometime it's becaue I'm not at the computer. Sheila

Chris, I think there is a range of experiences possible that would include the laughter. It's basically just different parts of the brain responding. Have you started on your medication yet? As for therapy, there is a good book by Tamar Chanksy http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812931173/qid=1103067778/sr=2-2/ref=pd_ka_b_2_2/002-1040200-7407238 The title says for children and adolescents, but the subject would be applicable for you also. There are helpful ideas for working with your thoughts (not therapy per se.) She has another book on anxiety that has similar ideas and could be good also. But until your mind settles down a little you might need someone to help you work through the ideas. Have you read any of the topics under Tourette Syndrome on this forum to see if any of them might help you? Someone once contacted us who had serious OCD and she found out that dairy (mostly) and other foods were causing it. She was so surprised and happy because when she eliminated them she was OK--she was almost 30 at the time when she discovered this, as I recall. Have you ever noticed if something makes things worse--something you ate or experienced (like a toxic exposure, bright lights, scented candle shop, fresh paint, etc?) There are also some nutrients that might help you. Are you interested in that type of approach? I think you must do something. . . you are having to cope with much more than you should have to. You must be very bright to be able to juggle all this and perform in class also. If you are trying medication, it should help fairly quickly if they can find the right one. What are you doing about the recommended meds? Sheila

I'm glad you saw a psychologist. That's good! Do you feel better with the diagnosis? Did he recommend any medications or behavioral therapies that he thought could help? Sheila

Someone--Hi. Listening to the same song everyday is not just musical infatuation, especially since you mentally replay the song for hours. You proabably sense this to be the case. What are your thoughts about looking for help for this--have you tried anything in the past? Sheila

Dear AZ, I think you will find that most people on this forum don't give much advice on drug therapies because it is not an area we are most familiar with. Are you taking it, and has it helped your anxiety or OCD type tendencies? Sheila

Hi, Guy. I think you have done a very good job of describing some of the challenges you're facing. I would suggest you think of your problems in terms of OCD along with anxiety. I'm not sure the distinction is as important as the level of the problems you are experiencing. Have you seen a professional about them? I think they are constant enough to warrant trying to figure out what you should do to get help in relieving yourself of them. It must take a lot of energy to cope. What else can you tell us about yourself -- any health issues? Have you had these intrusive thoughts since you were much younger? I hope you will write back, Sheila

Hi--I just saw the note about the man who took the vitamins and did well. I remember him --and he requested that his name not be used in the testimonial for personal reasons; he wanted to remain anonymous. So we are unable to share his name, sorry! Sheila

Kim--sorry for the delay in a response. Perhaps you have found your answer by now. A DAN doctor can be found on the www.autism.com/ari site. Go to the homepage and look on the left side for a DAN link. You need to look for someone experienced; give the office a call to talk about what kind of work they do. I would also read entries on the Tourette section of this forum. I hope that helps. Best wishes, Sheila

Nassim, I recommend books by Tamar Chanksy, search on www.Amazon.com They are very practical and helpful. Best wishes, Sheila

Dear Zarathustra, I'm so sorry to read all that you have gone through and are still experiencing. Where do you live? Sheila

Dear Chemar--I saw your first post on this just before ACN had its second computer crash in a few weeks, and I've been dealing with that since then. So, sorry not to have sent a note! As soon as we heard Charley was headed for Orlando I was thinking of you and other friends there. Good luck catching up on everything there, and I'm so glad you weren't impacted more than you were. Sheila

Dear Claire, You will be greatly missed by so many who have come to this site and benefitted from your helpful advice. I think many of us felt as though we knew you, and we followed along as you continued to improve your son's health, somehow knowing that if anyone would keep finding answers, it would be you. Thank you so much for taking time from your busy life to share with and support others in such a professional and caring manner. Your input was always very much appreciated. All best wishes, Sheila

Hi, Chad. It seems like you have made the right diagnosis in thinking you have signs of OCD, based on what you described. Symptoms of pulling out hair also happens sometimes. Have you told someone, like a parent, that you have this problem? It can be treated and you could get some help. I know it's hard to deal with. Please let me know if you have been diagnosed by a doctor or have figured this out by yourself. Best wishes, Sheila

Hi. It sounds like you really have your hands full. It must be difficult for the whole family, and your son is suffering too. If you like, you can give me a call and we can talk. I have some ideas to discuss with you and would like to get more information from you. Wishing you the best, Sheila ACN phone number: (561) 798-0472, in Florida.

Hi, Malcolm. Thank you for writing and pointing out these different approaches. I'm going to send you an email. I am more familiar with EFT than the others you mention. We are interested in successes you have had with OCD and appreciate the input. So-- you are in Marin County in CA? Sheila

qhound--You might want to see an interview that we did in Latitudes with Dr. James Greenblatt, a psychiatrist who talked some about OCD. He posted it on his site: http://www.naturaladd.com/resources/articles/interview.html I am not sure where you could get specific amounts, except the Mood Cure by Julia Ross discusses some details on switching to natural antidepressants. Others may have different suggestions! Best wishes, Sheila

Hi, John. It looks like we don't have people answering on the forum in the area you mentioned. Would you be interested in telling us a little more about yourself? Sheila

Hi, Gareth. Thank you for those interesting links. I agree there is now a tendency to label a lot of people with Aspergers who do not "have a disease," as you say. For cases with the label autism, it seems there should be a breakdown into sub categories that provide useful information we can work with. Some with the regressive autism seem to have biological problems that can be treated (as a disease) in addition to benefits from working on language, behavior, etc. Do you agree? Sheila

To Dr. Chansky, Thank you very much for taking the time to post on our Forum. Your suggestions are helpful and new to most of our readers. Perhaps you saw the article on PANDAS on our site (under Tics and Tourettes), in which Dr. Vojdani frequently refers to your work. I plan to follow up with you off the Forum as I would like to feature your books and your insights in our quarterly publication, Latitudes. Thanks again, and best wishes, Sheila Sheila Rogers Editor, Latitudes

Thanks for getting back to us, Heather. We all learned something! I hope the effort is useful for you. Sheila

Thank you for giving us this information on your lab testing, Ellen.