Jeff

Hi tx, I would certainly recommend eliminating artificial colors, flavors, and the "BH" preservatives BHT, BHA, and TBHQ from her diet. The art colors, in particular, are notorious for causing tics. Read the ingredients on foods. If you see artificial colors, like Yellow #5, Red #40, etc., get rid of that food item, and find an all-natural substitute. Jeff

We had great success with the Feingold program, and continue to follow a very relaxed form of it. My oldest daughter had fairly severe tics at age 6-7. We started the FG program, and within 2-3 weeks, we saw a dramatic reduction in the tics. For some it takes longer, and for some the symptoms get even worse before they get better. At first we were very strict, including shampoos, toothpastes, etc, but eventually settled on eating all-natural in the house, and not worrying about occasional infractions. It's much easier now than at the beginning. We also discovered the Corn Syrup had a big impact on my youngest DD's temperament. It caused her to be very irritable and lose focus. That was the hardest thing to eliminate, as it is used in so many foods. As they have gotten older (13 and 16), they are able to tolerate more infractions. If they cheat too much, they tic mildly, but we know that, after a few days of clean eating again, the tics will subside. I highly recommend that people sign up for the program, at least for a few years, read the literature, buy the "approved" products, etc. It's a great education and can change your whole perspective with regard to what you put into your bodies!! You are what you eat!! Jeff

Yes, I'm probably the one who mentioned The Squirrel's Nest. I'm lucky - the store is only about 20 minutes from my house! Nancy was the person who told us about the Feingold Program, and gave us a lot of good advice when we first started down the all-natural road. In fact, I was looking for some all-natural Easter candy when I discovered her store. One thing I really like about The Squirrel's Nest is that she makes a lot of the candy that she sells. She's been making them for years, and they are delicious... chocolate butter creams, coconut creams, turtles, etc. She makes a lot of her own Easter candy too, and in various shapes, like rabbits, crosses, lambs, and in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate. Happy Easter!!

I tried taking fish oil, but my tics increased, so I had to stop. I know others have noticed the same thing. Jeff

For us it has been only the elimination of artificial colors, flavors, and certain preservatives. Eliminating those additives made a huge difference for us with the tics. Many people who have eliminated these items have seen an increase in problems before they see a decrease. So, if you've only been at it for a month, try to hang in there a couple more weeks at least to see if anything changes. Try keeping a daily food diary, including everything they eat and drink, and recording tic levels. Maybe you'll find something that they're eating that might be causing more tics.... Jeff

Ditto Kelly's comments on the salicylates. That was my thought, too, when I first read your post. One of my daughters showed sensitivity to sals... we ate a lot of pears, canteloupe, mango... cut back on tomatoes and oranges.

Mom2three, For what it's worth, the symptoms you described - hard to reason with, OCD, - sound similar to symptoms my daughter exhibits when she's had too much corn syrup. That stuff is evil. She gets very irritable, loses focus, and her OCD symptoms are stronger. As she's gotten older, she can tolerate more, but for a while there, we really had to be vigilant about the CS. And, unfortunately, it's in so many things. We buy Coke in bottles, from Mexico, 'cause they use cane sugar, not corn syrup. Stick to your guns. We've probably all been considered loony by others at times, but we know best what's happening with our children. Jeff

Mom2three, Sorry to hear about what you're all going through. We all know it can be heartbreaking. By any chance, has your daughter been eating something lately that might be causing these reactions? For example, anything with artificial colors? A new candy, a new "juice" drink, cereal...? Wishing you and her the best... Jeff

Bmom, No, we have never had any testing done. We had such dramatic results when we started eliminating the additives, that we've never had to do anything else... Jeff

Hi Peggy, My daughters and I are able to control our tics simply by eliminating artificial colors, flavors, and the preservatives BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. You might want to make any dietary changes gradually.... not too many at once. You might find that your son is fine with dairy, wheat, sugar, etc.... it could just be artificial colors. Read labels, and if you see anything like Red #40, Yellow #5, etc, then find an organic or all-natural substitute. You mentioned pickles... most pickles list Yellow #5 as an ingredient !! As Kim mentioned, we started by following the Feingold program. That was a great learning experience for us, but we have since gotten less strict, and just try to keep those additives out of our house. We find that if we deviate once in a while, our bodies can handle it. If tics do surface, they don't last long as long as we keep our diets clean. Keep a food diary... record everything he eats and his symptoms. That can be a good tool for identifying triggers, patterns, etc. Regards. Jeff

Hi Ann, With regard to your question about How long..., I would say it can take anywhere from 1 week to 4 weeks. In our case, we saw very rapid results... dramatic reduction in tics within 1-2 weeks. However, I've heard of several familes for whom it has taken several weeks..; in fact, for some, symptoms got worse before getting better! If you've only been at it for one week, and since you're still finding that he's been ingesting some colors, I would say keep trying for at least a couple more weeks. And keep a daily diary of things that he has eaten and his tic levels. That diary can be very helpful in identifying patterns / triggers. Jeff

Brink, Have you tried eliminating artificial colors and flavors... like colored "fruit" drinks, cereals, candies, etc? Or, as some of the problems appear to be behavioral, perhaps he's reacting to Corn Syrup (sodas, candies, ice creams, etc...)? Corn Syrup is one of the worst things for one of my daughters.... causes her to be irritable, lose focus, etc. Sugar has never been a problem for us... just the CS and the HFCS. Jeff

Hi, One of the Kims asked where she could get all-natural candy. My favorite is The Squirrel's Nest, in Middletown, DE. Nancy, the owner, is the "angel" who introduced us to the Feingold Program. She has been making her own all-natural candy for years. www.squirrels-nest.com Jeff

Corn Syrup is a big "mood" trigger for one of my daughters. It causes irritablilty and lack of focus. It's hard to eliminate it completely, but we try to limit the biggest sources, like pancake syrups, sodas, "fruit" drinks, etc. We've found non-CS substitutes for those items. Jeff

emma - You do need to read the labels (ingredients section) to know if there are colors in the foods. The colors are labeled with a number..., like Red #40, Yellow #6, etc. Yes, my kids do read the labels, but since my wife and I do the shopping, we still control what groceries come into the house. Preservatives are also listed on the label.