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Healing the New Childhood Epidemics


kthomas

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I just finished reading Dr. Kenneth Bock, MD's book called, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics, Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies. Along with the 4 A's he mentions PANDAS patients and what his treatment plans were for them. Has anyone tried an integrative doctor and have you had success with the treatments? I am curious because my DS7 is really struggling with his co-conditions of tics and ADHD. We have tried medications for the ADHD Clonidine and Intuniv. Neither worked well - he was a zombie on Clonidine and Intuniv has brought on more tics, continued aggressiveness with peers and lots of impulsivity. Now the neurologist wants him to start with Risperdal. I tried to discuss finding the root cause of his ADHD and TS, but she is convinced he has TS and not PANDAS. We have never had a conclusive PANDAS dx because of lack of concrete strep dx, but he has had many of the symptoms; urinary frequency, sudden onset of tic, OCD behaviors, and escalating ADHD. I am frustrated because I feel like the doctors are so quick to rx the antipsychotics, but won't try the antibiotics.

 

Back to the book: It has great sections on supplements, their uses, descriptions, and a range of dosing amounts. It also went over all of the medications that are being used for the 4A Epidemics and the success rates for the patients. It is a great reference book and brings up a whole new way of think about finding help for our children.

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi,

I'm a fan of Biomed/DAN! drs and I don't like to think where we would be without ours. (My personal hero!) I've read the book and heard Dr Bock speak recently and thought very highly of him and I recommend his book. He said he hopes to update it soon.

 

My Aspie/PANDAS ds17 has done very well on Biomed protocols. I was shocked by the initial results of blood and stool testing indicating vitamin and mineral deficiencies, a dairy sensitivity, gut dysbiosis and leaky gut. We adopted a gut healing diet (GF/CF/etc) and he committed to the biomed protocols. Twelve months later and recent testing has confirmed the progress we've seen. He's healthier, happier, much more focussed and most of the comorbid symptoms have gone or are fading. (Whoohoo!) Strep still does a number on him but we have Biomed drs who know what to do, so we've been able to manage it. Our family dr has also done DAN! training and he backs up our Biomed/DAN! dr. I feel blessed!

 

A friend who has a young son with a diagnosis of ADHD has recently discovered he has serious food sensitivities...seems right in line with what Dr Bock says. Another friend reports her ADHD kids do much better on the diet and supps than off.

 

So yes, I'm a believer!

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He has been treating my DD15 for over 8 years and she was one of the case studies in his book (pseudo name Alyssa). She is no longer on the autism spectrum and her PANDAS has been in remission for over a year. BUT, we are still treating the underlying infections (chronic Lyme and Bartonella.) I believe I gave it to her congenitally...and if it weren't for some of the other moms on this forum who encouraged IGeneX testing I might have never known. I encourage ANYONE who is having trouble keeping PANDAS in remission to PLEASE test for Lyme and co-infections through IGeneX. So many of the DAN doctors are great, though not all understand PANDAS, Lyme, and co-infections.

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KThomas,

 

I second Nancy's recommendation to keep looking for the source of the problem and not just apply psychotropics, especially if they're not helping. Psychotropics are not without risks and can introduce new problems. I have had a wonderful experience since switching to an integrative doctor. He looks not just at lyme, but at a host of other possible insults (vitamin/mineral deficiencies, environmentals like mold and allergens, parasites, diet, etc). Our solution has not been "one" smoking gun but a combination of issues. By methodically treating each issue, the body has gotten stronger and the next hurdle hasn't been so daunting. My DH has been feeling poorly and our PCP blew him off. He'll be seeing an integrative doc next week. The way they approach illness has really hit home in my family.

 

Of course, not all doctors are great just because they subscribe to a similar approach. There are good and bad integratives just like in any field. One place to look is here http://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/alumni.html You certainly don't have to be an alum of Andrew Weil's to be a good integrative, but he's highly regarded and someone who's studied under him probably has an approach you may be looking for. You can also search on "complimentary and alternative medicine" or "intergrative medicine" or look for a doctor of osteopath in your area. As a broad generalization, DOs are trained to look at the whole body rather than one system at a time and tend to be more integrative. They have the same training as any MD plus an additional year.

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I want you to know my DS has never had a documented case of strep and he has been diagnosed w/ PANDAS by two the "big" PANDAS docs. You do not need documentation for a PANDAS dx. My DS was on high dose abx for 6 months and then we did IVIG. Abx really brought things under control and made life easier. IVIG got rid of stuff we didn't even recognize in day to day life.

 

I would be very cautious about starting pysch meds. Risperdol is very powerful. It has the reputation for causing a tremendous amount of weight gain. My own opinion is it only masks symptoms in a PANDAS child. My DS was put on lamictal before we knew he had PANDAS. It was helpful for anxiety, anger, aggression. However, we are now weaning him from it and its not all that easy, even though lamictal(an antiepileptic) has a reputation as an 'easier' drug, as compared to the antipsychotics.

 

I'd recommend finding a doc that will treat the actual infection/underlying condition rather than bandaiding everything w/ psych drugs.

 

Thanks for the book rec. I've heard several recommending this lately and I'm going to get it.

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Thank you for your reply and so glad to hear that your son is doing well.

 

 

 

Hi,

I'm a fan of Biomed/DAN! drs and I don't like to think where we would be without ours. (My personal hero!) I've read the book and heard Dr Bock speak recently and thought very highly of him and I recommend his book. He said he hopes to update it soon.

 

My Aspie/PANDAS ds17 has done very well on Biomed protocols. I was shocked by the initial results of blood and stool testing indicating vitamin and mineral deficiencies, a dairy sensitivity, gut dysbiosis and leaky gut. We adopted a gut healing diet (GF/CF/etc) and he committed to the biomed protocols. Twelve months later and recent testing has confirmed the progress we've seen. He's healthier, happier, much more focussed and most of the comorbid symptoms have gone or are fading. (Whoohoo!) Strep still does a number on him but we have Biomed drs who know what to do, so we've been able to manage it. Our family dr has also done DAN! training and he backs up our Biomed/DAN! dr. I feel blessed!

 

A friend who has a young son with a diagnosis of ADHD has recently discovered he has serious food sensitivities...seems right in line with what Dr Bock says. Another friend reports her ADHD kids do much better on the diet and supps than off.

 

So yes, I'm a believer!

 

 

 

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