Mood Swings/Behavior

[amy1]

Can anyone out there shed light on what i can do about our daughter's extreme mood swings and tantrums? She's 8 years old, recent diagnosis of TS....she was on prozac for anxiety and mood swings and it helped a lot...but then i tapered her off and we decided to push the supplements. her tics are much improved but the attitude problems, extreme frustration, and mood swings are back and in full force. she does well in school with her teachers so it's more of an issue with us at home. She also has ADHD so it all contributes---any books out there to help me or advice? Weekends can be so long and frustrating for all of us! Ideas??

[samsmom]

Just wanted to say that we had a lot of difficulty with Sam with tantrums and huge overreactions to the slightest thing for the first year or so after his symptoms started (he was 4 1/2). We found that switching to the Feingold diet really helped him with this. It was not an immediate change but after 2 or 3 months it was clear that he was much more even-tempered and did not flare up every time we said no. I think that cleaning out his diet of everything artificial really helped .

 

Sams mom

[Chemar]

Hi

 

if she was on Prozac it would have helped to elevate serotonin which has a lot to do with mood etc

 

supplements that can help here are Inositol (a B vitamin) and sameE or methionine

 

5HTP in low doses can also be helpful but needs to be taken cautiously as it can make some edgy and it should NEVER be taken with SSRI meds like prozac, luvox, paxil etc

 

adding extra Vit B6 is also very beneficial, as is eliminating those offensive artificial colors, flavors etc

[Jeff]

Corn Syrup is a big "mood" trigger for one of my daughters. It causes irritablilty and lack of focus. It's hard to eliminate it completely, but we try to limit the biggest sources, like pancake syrups, sodas, "fruit" drinks, etc. We've found non-CS substitutes for those items.

Jeff

[QsMom]

When we removed casein from my son's diet, I (and others) noticed a definite improvement in his behavior. Overall, he seems much happier - belly laughing much more. Getting ready in the morning is just so much easier - not the struggle that it was.

 

We also found removing casein relieved his tics. So, his improvement in mood, behavior, and listening was probably too because the tics were not bothersome. I think they all go hand in hand.

 

Good luck to you ...

[amy1]

Can anyone go through a sample of what they feed their kids in one day? just examples..like what you put in his/her lunches, what is best for breakfast, etc...i need ideas for this casein free, low corn syrup thing! it's so overwhelming and i understand it but would love to hear actual examples of what you feed them in a lunch, etc. thanks!

[Caryn]

Amy,

I know how you feel. I started on this road six months ago feeling completely overwhelmed and alone. My husband is supportive but I do the shopping.

After my son made such terrific progress, my friends decided to give me a blog for my birthday-- LOL. Well, they wanted me to start posting the stuff I learned. I have created a modest amount of recipes; I like to post one a week. (Trust me there are a lot of bad ones that never see cyberspace!!!)

I do gluten-free and corn-free meals. Some are also casein-free (but not always, as my son did not test allergic). I also follow feingold diet (we do include some foods with salicylates). I have a whole recipe section on my blog and also posts describing some of the commercial snack foods we eat. I would love comments and input from anyone else doing similar stuff. My eyes and ears are always open to new ideas and suggestions.

If you'd like to check it out see: http://healthy-family.org and look on the right column for the links to recipes.

BTW, anyone with good recipes, please send them to me!

Caryn

[QsMom]

Amy- We are on CF and reduced GF. Also on Feingold and use organic wherever possible.

 

Here are some ideas:

 

Breakfast- EnviroKids Gluten free cereals with Almond Milk, Pancakes (made GFCF) substitute almond or rice milk for the milk with 100% maple syrup, scrambled eggs with a side of assorted fruit

 

Lunch- My son takes his lunch to school every day. I prepare: homemade GFCF muffins (I add a variety of things to them - bananas, almond flavor, sunflower seeds, lemon & poppyseed), hardboiled eggs, fresh mixed fruit is a staple, edemames, baby carrots, GFCF cookies, Terra chips

 

Dinner- GFCF meatloaf, fish, usually serve 2 veges at dinner, rice pasta, GFCF chicken breaded in almond meal, chicken roaster with veges, make your own taco night (black beans, rice, meat, tomatoes, corn, but no cheese), shrimp with garlic over pasta, quiche

 

Snacks- Rice Dream IceCream, MiDells Ginger snaps GFCF, fruit, soy yougart, popcorn (butter free), approved Feingold corn chips

 

Investing in GFCF cookbooks have helped me greatly to make new and interesting dishes.

[amy1]

Caryn & Q's mom:

Thanks so much for the link---i will check it out for sure. and thanks for the practical tips and actual examples. It is all overwhelming and seems to require a lot of cooking which i'm not always making time for! i appreciate any recipes, examples, etc----i struggle with the lunch box each morning!!!

[Laurie in Az]

Cooking from scratch does get tiring. I try to stick to a few favorites for lunch so that I can be on automatic pilot. Homemade hummus is very easy in a food processor. It can be dressed up with different herbs or red bell peppers. I often do 3 hummus lunches in a week. Veggie sticks work well for dipping or I use brown rice bread. If you are near a Trader Joe's-they have lots of gluten free products. I also buy a family pack of deboned chicken thighs(we're dark meat lovers) and cook them all ahead of time. Then I can grab one for a sandwich or slice it up for a chicken salad or a salad plate. I always include fruit and nuts for snacks. I have made homemade granola as a snack however it is labor intensive and disappears very quickly. Another great gluten free lunch is homemade sushi rolls- I use nori,cooked salmon,brown rice, pickled ginger(be careful- most brands are full of junk!), cucumber, carrot etc. I've also done rice paper rolls-like Vietnamese spring rolls. I find that the Asian cuisines are full of ideas for gluten free dining. Of course, be careful with the soy sauce. Happy dining. I keep daydreaming that someday I will be disgustingly rich and can have my own personal chef. It hasn't happened yet.

 

Laurie

[patty]

Amy1,

 

If you are just avoiding casein & HFCS, then it is not too bad. There are many things to eat w/o dairy. And most things with HFCS are not good for you anyways and there are many substitutes. But if you are avoiding gluten too, then it becomes more challenging.

 

Some of my favorites that are casein-free & gluten-free are Namaste waffle mix & brownie mix, Neiman Ranch hot dogs, Ian's & Amy's Kitchen (at Wholefood) also has a variety of products. Also, there is this very yummy apple chicken sausage that you can buy anywhere, but i forgot the name. I will post it when i remember it.

 

A few things i like to make:

 

Nacho (corn chip with refried pinto bean, avacado & lettuce)

Beef/chicken/fish taco with salsa & corn tortilla

Bake potatoe with Earth Balance ( it taste just like butter - yum )

Brown fried rice with you topping

Oatmeal (it may have gluten - or if your child can tolerate it )

scramble egg

frittata (egg/onion/potatoe/sun-dried tomatoe)

Rice pasta with meatball

Vegetable soup (may add rice)

Rice porridge

Salad with vinegarette dressing

Baked yam w/ b sugar & cinnamon

Various beans: pinto, northern....

Popcorn (safeway organic popcorn w/o butter)

 

 

My son's IGg test revealed that he is sensitive to quite a few things, wheat/gluten & dairy are the big ones. We did the diet avoidance initially. Now he eats everything in moderation, with the exception of MSG, articifical anything, nitrate, sulfate and preservatives after the NAET treatments. I do believe it helped my son indirectly because my son has always had allergies. My son's asthma is gone & his nasal allergy is 80% improved since he was treated with NAET, along with other alternative treatments.

 

Pat

[kim]

Amy1,

 

In addition to diet, you may want to look in this direction too.

 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/79071.php

 

Study Suggests High-Dose Fish Oil May Significantly Improve Behavior In Children With ADHD

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet News

Article Date: 08 Aug 2007 - 0:00 PDT

 

 

The results of a pilot study published in the Nutrition Journal (http://www.nutritionj.com) suggest that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can benefit from daily supplementation of high levels of purified fish oils. The eight-week study demonstrated that children who consumed between 8 and 16 grams per day of EPA and DHA (the long chain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil) showed significant improvements in their behavior rated by both their parents and the psychiatrist working with them.

 

By getting rid of junk in the diet, you may be already lowereing levels of Arachidonic acid (AA). So many snack foods contain vegetable oils, and this is a main source of AA (aniimal fats also). If you reduce the amt. of AA with diet, maybe it wouldn't need to to take as much EPA/DHA to see an effect.

 

Note for PANDAS parents....by lowering the ratio of AA to EPA, you are trying to reduce inflammation

[amy1]

Thank you so much Laurie and Patty---those are great ideas. And thanks, Kim. My child does have ADHD and that is helpful to know. What is SO funny is that i found the brand Namaste yesterday and we made the pancakes this morning---they were delicious. I also made the brownies as i wasn't convinced they would even taste like a brownie, but they were delicious! I appreciate the ideas and the brands --- it makes it easier for me. we don't have a whole foods here unfortunately but our native sun store has some nice selection. I don't have ANY idea what my child is allergic to---we got back to dr. murphy on November 2nd for all of our blood test results....alot of you say "if your child is allergic to"---should i also be going to an environmental doctor in addition? i don't know if dr murphy's blood test looks for that stuff---i'm so new at this i am in the weeds!

[Caryn]

Amy,

The most common cerebral allergies, according to Sheila Rogers book are:

1. wheat
   
2. corn
   
3. eggs
   
4. milk
   

Our son tested positive to three out of four!!!! You could start there, eliminating one at a time to see what gives relief. Keep a journal of symptoms. We took the Alcat test and found it to be quite accurate.

Caryn