supplements for a 4 year old?

[906bell]

Hi everyone, my 4 year old son was dx with Tourettes, OCD, anxiety this past fall. He also has selective mutism (just at school) and the neuro. could not yet r/o aspergers. We are going back to the neurologist for our follow-up visit next week and I am trying to gather info to be prepared with my questions for him (the neuro.)

 

Upon my requests his neuro and pediatrician just agreed to anti DNAse B and aso test for pandas. I am looking for a good integrative md or holistic md since I am concerned his 'condition' started after a dx of a rare parasite but have not found a good referral yet. In the meantime I am trying to find out more info. and supplements to see if this could help his tics. It looks like Bonnies vitamins and other sites I find are for older children. Has anyone tried supplements on such a young child? If so, what brand and amount, etc?

 

Thank you!

[Ozimum]

Hi,

Have you considered going to a Biomed/DAN! doctor? The Autism Research Institute website used to list practitioners who asked to be listed (- just read the waiver there.) Otherwise I suggest you get in touch with the Autism community nearest you and ask around for Biomed or alternative practitioners. I have a preference for a doctor who can order the blood and stool tests to find out exactly what is going on and can prescribe appropriate supplements and dosage (and antibiotics if your child has PANDAS.) Don't be surprised if you get a diagnosis of 'leaky gut' which could very well be caused by parasites or dysbiosis. (It is my experience that the conventional medical fraternity does not 'get' the importance of good intestinal health. I understand that 70% of the body's immune sytem and neurotransmitters are located in and around the gut. I changed doctors over exactly this issue...so glad I did!) The Biomeds are finding that kids on the spectrum tend to have intestinal problems.

 

The first thing people doing biomed do is to eliminate dairy and gluten from their diets in order to help the gut heal. It's easier to do than you think and you can do it straight away. The theory is that gluten and casein aren't digested well and break down to opioid peptides which effectively 'drug' our kids so they space out/can't concentrate etc. (They also tend to crave those foods!) Meanwhile the fragile gut wall 'leaks' undigested product into places it shouldn't be! Not good! Hence the need to heal the gut. Eliminating sugar, colours, preservatives etc in food may also help.

 

Best to think about the things they can eat rather than the things they shouldn't eg meat and veggies, fruit, nuts, honey, maple syrup, xylitol, stevia (sweeteners), coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, cook with coconut oil. Just do the best you can to eliminate wheat and dairy. (You will find dairy products in odd places eg in margarine, so just replace these items as you find them at the supermarket.) Dairy stays in the gut for 3 days to a week, while gluten stays in the gut for about 2-3 months. Improvements can show up quite quickly if there's a reaction to dairy, but may take a while. In our case we saw slow but steady, quite subtle improvements over months. As his gut heals, ds is better able to absorb the nutrients in his diet (and supplements) so the gut healing diet was essential. And he is so-ooo much better, healthier, happier, less anxious, far less OCD, lots of eye contact...

 

The Gut and Psychology diet is a good place to start. We're approaching a paleo diet which eliminates grains, dairy, soy, legumes, potatoes, sugar - we haven't gone as far as eliminating grains completely but we have reduced them. Whatever, make the diet you choose work for you. Once you have an idea of what food sensitivities your ds may have, you can then modify the diet appropiately. (For instance my ds can tolerate soy so we allow some soy cheese, and gluten free pastas made from rice and maize/potato.) You are lucky to be working with a 4 year old because you can control what he's eating...it's harder as they get older! Good luck! and big hugs!