Ts

[Guest kim]

Hello anyone out there. I have a ten year old son with TS and mild ADD. He developed tics at 5 when he started school.Later on i put the tics down to the fact that he wasn't emotionally ready to separate from all that was familar.At school he seemed detatched and insecure.Although the tics would come and go,Homeopathy helped a great deal in calming Aidan down. I have always seen Aidan as a senstive being,and the more I read about enviromental triggers the more I see the sensitivity on many different levels. I am a beliver in mind body emotional connections,and to me there has been alot of stress in Aidan's life. I had a very serious car crash whilst aidan was in my tummy at 5 months pregnant. And then he was arround a difuntional atmossphere with his father and i before separating.Although his father had tics, I only see this as part of a whole picture in Aidan's evolution.I guess what I'm ultimultly saying is I wonder if Aidan's tics and noises are a measure or release for anxiety that has built up in his body.Has anyone got any experience or opinion they would like to share?I also would like to add, since he has started a new school change has greatly effected the TS.

[Ziam]

Kim,

 

I can only say that I know emotion can play a big role in TS and I found things got worse with a divorce. But there was more to it at the biological level. Also, if we had tried counseling etc. only for it we would really have missed the boat. Plus once we figured out there were environmental things going on, it seemed to make him feel better about himself--like it wasn't all in his mind. What have you tried so far for him, if you do believe it is trauma? Maybe someone trained in emotional release tecniques could help?

 

Since you say his dad had tics, that would point to a biological connection wouldn't it? If I were you I would look at it from all angles so not to miss anything! when we tell a child it is emotional/anxiety they may read this as its something they should be albe to control? What do you know about the school, is it old and moldy or new and toxic? any idea?

 

theres so much to explore it can make you dizzy. don't close any doors, that's all i would suggest. If he's ten, maybe he can start telling you what things besides social stuff makes him tic more. like foods etc. Worth a try! Ziam

[Guest Jeff]

Hi Kim, My daughters and I have tics related to TS. A couple of years ago we discovered the Feingold Diet (Feingold.org). We have learned through this diet that the foods we eat can directly affect our behavior and our tics. If we eliminate the "bad" things, we are able to control both the behavior and the tics. Some of the worst additives are artificial colors and artificial flavors. For example, check the list of ingredients on a package. If you see any color and number (like Red#40, or Yellow #5), that is an artificial color which can cause adverse effects for many people. Others that we eliminate are certain preservatives, such as BHT and TBHQ. Many people are even sensitive to salicylates, which occur naturally in foods such as apples, berries, grapes, etc.

Many families follow this diet with Great success. It's not always easy, but it really does work when you stick to it. I'm happy that I've found this board so that I can spread the word to other families with TS.

The Feingold association is a non-profit organization. They collect a small annual fee, but in exchange we receive a food guide which lists thousands of products which have been researched and approved by FG. Members also have access to a very active message board for exchanging ideas and supporting one another.

I could go on and on, but if you are interested, check out the web page, or reply to my note and ask whatever questions you want.

Best of luck. Jeff

[Chemar]

Hi Kim

I am not sure how much you know about supplements as an alternative to meds for tic relief.

My son was on meds for a year with HORRIBLE side effects........for the last almost 2 years he has been med-free and on supplements and the results are remarkable. We also discovered that hehad some food reactivities, especially pnuts,artificial adds&colors etc) and eliminating these from his diet really helps.

 

He also finds acupuncture & reflexology very helpful when tics are on the wax.....

There is also great benefit in a new technology known as biofeedback.

 

The supplement program we follow is based on that recommended by Bonnie Grimaldi. She has now formulated her own products BonTech (http://www.BonnieGr.com) but her original recommendations are at this link

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/5207/ts_ma...bonnie_sup.html

 

Although this list may seem intimidating at first, you can simply use it as a guideline.......we find that a good multivite, combined with some combination formulas that provide the extra stuff works just fine.

 

As my son is often bothered more by his OCD than the tics, we have added some additional herbs and supplements specifically to help with this.

 

Hope this info is helpful to you