Looking for advice

[ilovedogs]

Hi everyone, I am looking for advice. I have been on the TS side of this board for 4 years now and my son's tics are pretty much not an issue for him. They increase in stressful situations but for the most part, are not a problem for him. His big issues are his ADD, his anxiety, and stomach problems. One of the reasons that I have held off on exploring the PANDAs issues for him is because his GI issues are so bad that even 1 day of antibiotics can send him to the toilet with painful diarrhea. He's only been on ABX twice in his life and then we tried a 3rd time a few months ago for a possible sinus infection but he was more miserable from the 1 pill than he was from the cold he had that we just stopped the ABX and the sinus stuff cleared up on it's own anyway. How do they treat PANDAs in kids with major GI issues? I already give digestive enzymes and probiotics.

 

Also,does anyone know of good doctors in the Phoenix area? I have a few naturopaths that we've seen but they are not very versed in PANDAs. I know we have a few good DAN doctors but I don't know of any good integrative MDs.

 

Thanks,

 

Bonnie

[LNN]

Not sure how far Tuscon is, but you can try the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine or contact them to see if any of their graduates are practicing closer to Phoenix. http://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/

 

You don't mention in your post what makes you think Pandas or an infection might be behind the ADD and anxiety. There are herbals and homeopathic remedies that can address various issues, but it's hard to offer advice without more information.

 

The other thing you might consider, with the help of an integrative or D.O., is methylation. This is the chemical process the body uses to convert (methylate) various vitamins, minerals and amino acids into other essential elements needed by the body. If you have a deficiency somewhere in the cycle - either from a genetic problem with a particular conversion process or a nutritional deficiency or a toxin that's fouling things up - you can get the behaviors we're all familiar with - tics, OCD, ADHD, etc. An integrative doctor can help you explore what sort of issues may be contributing to your son's remaining issues, if you think it could be something other than an infection. You can google "undermethylation and overmethylation" or "pfeiffer" for some more background.

 

In the interim, we've found multi-tasking to be very helpful for an ADD/ADHD brain. Chewing gum, standing, using a squeeze ball - all help with homework. Pencil tapping, sitting on an exercise ball, listening to music - sometimes help with reading. Drives a parent nuts, but helps the kid.

 

CBT is very very helpful for anxiety. It's essentially a way to do a reality check on your fears and talk yourself off a cliff. It was very empowering for my son and he uses his skills all the time, even tho the anxiety is gone. "What to Do When You Worry Too Much" is a good place to start. Good for kids 12 and under. Freeing your Child from Anxiety is a good one for the parent.

[peglem]

Hi everyone, I am looking for advice. I have been on the TS side of this board for 4 years now and my son's tics are pretty much not an issue for him. They increase in stressful situations but for the most part, are not a problem for him. His big issues are his ADD, his anxiety, and stomach problems. One of the reasons that I have held off on exploring the PANDAs issues for him is because his GI issues are so bad that even 1 day of antibiotics can send him to the toilet with painful diarrhea. He's only been on ABX twice in his life and then we tried a 3rd time a few months ago for a possible sinus infection but he was more miserable from the 1 pill than he was from the cold he had that we just stopped the ABX and the sinus stuff cleared up on it's own anyway. How do they treat PANDAs in kids with major GI issues? I already give digestive enzymes and probiotics.

 

Also,does anyone know of good doctors in the Phoenix area? I have a few naturopaths that we've seen but they are not very versed in PANDAs. I know we have a few good DAN doctors but I don't know of any good integrative MDs.

 

Thanks,

 

Bonnie

I PM'd you.

[ilovedogs]

Not sure how far Tuscon is, but you can try the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine or contact them to see if any of their graduates are practicing closer to Phoenix. http://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/

 

You don't mention in your post what makes you think Pandas or an infection might be behind the ADD and anxiety. There are herbals and homeopathic remedies that can address various issues, but it's hard to offer advice without more information.

 

The other thing you might consider, with the help of an integrative or D.O., is methylation. This is the chemical process the body uses to convert (methylate) various vitamins, minerals and amino acids into other essential elements needed by the body. If you have a deficiency somewhere in the cycle - either from a genetic problem with a particular conversion process or a nutritional deficiency or a toxin that's fouling things up - you can get the behaviors we're all familiar with - tics, OCD, ADHD, etc. An integrative doctor can help you explore what sort of issues may be contributing to your son's remaining issues, if you think it could be something other than an infection. You can google "undermethylation and overmethylation" or "pfeiffer" for some more background.

 

In the interim, we've found multi-tasking to be very helpful for an ADD/ADHD brain. Chewing gum, standing, using a squeeze ball - all help with homework. Pencil tapping, sitting on an exercise ball, listening to music - sometimes help with reading. Drives a parent nuts, but helps the kid.

 

CBT is very very helpful for anxiety. It's essentially a way to do a reality check on your fears and talk yourself off a cliff. It was very empowering for my son and he uses his skills all the time, even tho the anxiety is gone. "What to Do When You Worry Too Much" is a good place to start. Good for kids 12 and under. Freeing your Child from Anxiety is a good one for the parent.

Thank you for the information. I have both those books but haven't read them all the way through. Oh, and he has made mention that he likes to listen to music while doing math so I think you're on to something there. Well, I am not sure we're dealing with PANDAs or an infection. He may have food allergies or some other nutritional issue or, like you said, a deficiency in how he processes amino acids, etc. I've heaard of the AZ center for integrative medicine and I visit Tucson often but it's about 2.5 hours from me. I'm sure they have practitioners in Phoenix, I just haven't taken the time to research it yet.