New Member from Atlanta

[cara615]

Hi I'm cara, mom of 5 year old twin boys. My son Cole is showing lots of sensory issues and has been having motor and vocal tics for over a year. I could take him to a neuro an get a diagnosis for TS if I wanted to but I am choosing to hold off. His tics are not affecting his daily life. Whats affecting him is his anxiety level and sensory issues.

 

I am embarking (thanks in part to reading tons of stuff on this forum) on a holistic approach to heal Cole. I don't want to label him just yet. I want to treat his symptoms by getting to the root of the issue and hopefully healing him through diet/supplements and neuro exercises.

 

I know this is a journey and will take time but I must say that I have already had some success with GABA.

He has taken it for 4 days and the number and frequency of his tics has gone way down. Even his teacher said that she has seen a "different" child in class because his frustration levels have dimished markedly.

 

Has anyone else seen this or used GABA?

 

We have done a Bioscan on Cole which tests hi hair and skin for a host of things such as heavy metals, candida,toxins, nutrient deficiencies, etc. We will know results in a week. I will keep you posted on what comes back as we will be treating each issue through diet and supplements.

 

We are also starting OT and possibly HANDLE therapy as well. With sensory issues, these exercises can be amazing at regulating a childs nervous system.

 

I don't know the exact cause of Cole's tics. If its TS then I am sure its genetics but i turly believe that we can minimize the effects of this disorder by healing the nervous system. i am committed to creating this for my son.

 

i have seen with my own eyes, children that have ben healed holistically and I have read testimonies from people that have done this. I think its possible.

 

You all may think I am nuts for holding off on the diagnosis. I would just rather wait and see how Kindergarten goes this September before I rush to get an IEP. If he needs one, I will be the first to get one (our school will give him one of he has TS) but if I can heal his nervous system first then we are ahead of the game.

 

So, I'm just saying hi and I am praying that there are lots of you that have seen success with holistic healing.

 

All the best

Cara

[Chemar]

Hi Cara and welcome

 

My son is now an adult, but has genetic TS, diagnosed at 10 though he manifest tics a lot younger. His tics and OCD were pretty severe, so we tried meds but the side effects were not worth it. Once we started a more holistic approach, with dietary & environemtal modifications, as well as correct supplements, acupuncture etc we saw dramatic results. I have documented what we did in the link in my signature below, and there is also a bit about him in Sheila Roger's (our admin) book http://www.latitudes.org/book.html

 

His sensory issues were much helped through OT as per the book "The Out Of Sync Child" by Carol Kranowitz

 

See you on the TS forum .... http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?showforum=1

[cara615]

Chemar, thanks for posting. I am so glad that you found success with holistic therapies. How well were you able to manage his symptoms througout his childhood? Did he have adverse social affects or was he able to manage his symptoms to a point where others did not take notice? How is he doing now?

 

They say that in many cases TS tends to subside as one psses through adolescense, was this true for your son?

[cara615]

Chemar - I also read your protocol and see you did use GABA!! But only for anxiety and for a short while. my son has tons of anxiety and he picks his cuticles constantly. I don't necessarily link picking cuticles with tics but i do know it falls into the self injurious behavior bucket. Cole does not exhibit any other OCD like behaviors so I am not quick to call this OCD either. I think its due to his anxiety level.

 

With all that said, is there a health risk with using the GABA for long periods of time? I am seeing positive results so I hope I don't have to stop. Our magnesium supplement is coming in the mail today so I am very exited to try it. I hope we see increased progress.

 

i may sound positive in my posts but I am extremely worried about Cole and am finding myself in a bit of a depression ever since I have gained clarity about his sensory issues and tics. I have been taking GABA too and I find its very relaxing for me as well.

 

Also, how can you determine if tics are severe moderate or mild? And if Cole's tics are mild now does that mean they will get more severe? I have read that they will but was wondering if there were other situations where they remained the same...

 

thanks for your insight

 

Cara

[Chemar]

Hi Cara

there is no way to really predict if tics will go from mild to severe or vv.

If it is TS, then waxing and waning is generally expected, when there are periods more intense than others, but as we found, doing good things to help can reduce the frequency and intensity of the waxing phases.

 

We were told to use GABA only when needed, and not longterm. Also told to titrate down and never just abruptly stop taking it.

[Dedee]

So by saying you don't want a diagnosis yet are you saying you do not want to know if there is an infectious trigger causing these problems? Just curious if you have noticed a difference in when your child is ill and when the symptoms increase or not? It is possible that he may get better with natural antimicrobials or antibiotics which ever route you choose. Just a suggestion.

 

Dedee