Leslie Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 My 9 yr old has been diagnosed with Tourettes since age 5. He has mild symptoms and no vocal tics, so I have not treated him. Recently. we have had a major life changing event and, although he denies stress, I have noticed an increase in tics and emotional issues. I recently ordered a product for kids that contains St. Johns wort and passiflora. Has anyone ever had ANY experience with this sort of thing? I am trying to avoid the medications recommended by the neurologist if there is any chance of a homeopathic remedy or even relief. Thanks for your imput. ANY help would be greatly appreciated and considered. Leslie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemar Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Hi Leslie the upheavals of change really do seem to be one of the biggest triggers for tics etc. Tho your son may not even realise it, this life changing event probably has impacted him pretty deeply. St John's Wort (aka hypericin) is a natural antidepressant and works to elevate serotonin levels in the brain. Passiflora has more of a relaxant and sedative effect and is used by many as a sleep aid. Where the product you have ordered has the potential to be a calming and emotionally soothing remedy, I am not sure that it would address increased tics per se...other than by reducing them indirectly as a result of the mood/emotion stabilitiy. There are a number of threads here that discuss the supplements best for tic reduction....especially MAGNESIUM( preferable with taurine, calcium and zinc) etc Do be very cautious tho that you dont mix other sedative or serotonin elevating substances with these as both SJW and passiflora, although natural, are nonetheless pretty potent! As always, I would really recommend working with a physician who is knowledgable in these things...an Integrative docotr or DAN doctor or someone who practices complementary medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leslie Posted July 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Hi Leslie the upheavals of change really do seem to be one of the biggest triggers for tics etc. Tho your son may not even realise it, this life changing event probably has impacted him pretty deeply. St John's Wort (aka hypericin) is a natural antidepressant and works to elevate serotonin levels in the brain. Passiflora has more of a relaxant and sedative effect and is used by many as a sleep aid. Where the product you have ordered has the potential to be a calming and emotionally soothing remedy, I am not sure that it would address increased tics per se...other than by reducing them indirectly as a result of the mood/emotion stabilitiy. There are a number of threads here that discuss the supplements best for tic reduction....especially MAGNESIUM( preferable with taurine, calcium and zinc) etc Do be very cautious tho that you dont mix other sedative or serotonin elevating substances with these as both SJW and passiflora, although natural, are nonetheless pretty potent! As always, I would really recommend working with a physician who is knowledgable in these things...an Integrative docotr or DAN doctor or someone who practices complementary medicine. 9028[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leslie Posted July 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Thanks for your input. I am not so much concerned with the tics since nobody seems to notice them unless we point them out. He is aware of them, but has come to terms with his inability to stop them. I was most bothered by his negative thinking and emotional instability. I will give this the recommended 3-5 weeks before I decide if there is a change. What's this you say about magnesium? I also read that excessive yeast in the gut could be a cause for tics. Has anyone else heard that? What info about Magnesium can you give me? I am currently putting the drops in his drinks daily unbeknownst to him. I don't want him to think I think something is wrong with him. Could I buy liqid Mag? Leslie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Leslie, http://www.bonniegr.com/Interview%20with%20Bonnie.htm This is a link to Bonnie Grimaldi's site. She developed a vitamin specifically to help her son who had tics, OCD, etc. I'm sure you will find her site to be very informative. I am giving both of my sons these vitamins, plus we order our fish oil from Bonnie also, and I do have a bottle of the mag taurate, which some use during flair ups. Yes, yeast/ bad bacteria treatment is something many on this board have experience with. If you start reading some of the threads (It took me about 4 months to get through the majority of them) you will be amazed at the wide range of options you have for managing and sometimes eliminating tics and some of the behaviors that can accompany them. Look for Claires posts. She had/has been working with a DAN Dr. and also with the Pfeiffer Institute. Her posts contain a wealth of information, as well as Chemar's. There are many posters who have seen really wonderful success with alternative treatments.. Andy is a father who is going through some pretty intense heavy metal removal with his son, and his story is really inspiring too. My sons were both taking a prescription medication, clonidine, which really had very little impact on tics, mood etc. It did seem to promote sleep in the beginning, which my oldest son used to have difficulty with. I have to say I am 100% happier with the results I have seen using Bonnies vits. digestive enzymes, fish oil, healthier diet-reducted artificial colors, preservatives, less processed and more whole foods. Allergy control and food sensitivities seem to play a big role here too. I was very grateful for having been led to this site. I hope you find it as beneficial as I have. Be prepared for some late nites with your computer dates, if you're anything like me. This is one of the first things I read that really helped me when I was brand new to all of this. http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/walsh.htm Be sure to click on all of the pages A-E, F-L etc. Kim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemar Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Hi again Leslie Bonnie Grimaldi's website ( http://www.bonniegr.com ) will give you very helpful input on the use of supplements to help with TS tics, and speciifically her ongoing research into the importance of magnesium is very valuable. when I needed to help my son, Bonnie's BonTech range of vitamins for TS were not yet available, although her research and the combinations that she had used for her son were on her old website, and so I designed (with the help of our Integrative team of physicians) a plan based on hers, but with specific additions too to meet my sons needs as his OCD was worse than his tics here is a thread in which I describe our protocol http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=687 Claire has put together some excellent composite threads dealing with a lot of other alternative topics so I would echo Kim's suggestion that you do some back searching here for them...they shouldnt be too far down as I know Jean bumped them all up for someone recently Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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