Eye Blinking and Food Allergies

[bowman]

Hello,

 

I am new to this forum, but not that new, in that I purchased Sheila Rogers book: Tics and Tourettes just before Christmas. I wanted to see firstly if the forum thinks I am being overly worried about a throat clearing tic that has become an eye-blinking tic in my 6 year old son.

 

He is a very sensitive boy and has had a bad year. His grandmother, to whom he was very close, died in May and over the summer, his best friend, our neighbor, moved because she was beaten on her porch by her ex-husband. Not only that, two people have been shot (but survived) opposite us. He saw the aftermath of the shooting, the victim collapsing on to his porch after "a firework went off". He didn't see the domestic violence issue per se, but heard it and then saw the woman injured before she moved away to Arizona.

 

Last year around Christmas, he had a brief throat clearing episode (1 month), we took him to our pediatrician, who said "Allergies," prescribed an allergy medication, which we did not use and left it at that. The tic went away. It reappeared this Christmas and still has not abated. Could all this be stress/excitement related?

 

We went out of town after Christmas this year to North Carolina, where we went to an Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist. She did the treatment and gave him some powder to mix up into tea. "Bupleurum and Peony Formula. Jia Wei Xiao Yao San.". We had given her a thorough explanation and she also suggested "play therapy".

 

Also we saw an Environmental Doctor, who took blood and we recently sent urine and saliva off to be tested for various food allergies: We, at her advice, have gone gluten-free and believe her quote: "The child is the best lab." Also we upped Omega 3s, Acidophilous and avoid processed/ non-organic at home always but eat out occasionally. We have not found out the results yet.

 

The tics seem to have improved except in

1. Times of excitement/stress (school play: bright lights, possible stage fright)

2. Candy

3. Television (we have an LCD monitor and he only watches maybe 1 hour or less per day) where there will be an occasional blink or wink.

4. Confusion

 

Don't get me wrong, these are not serious tics. The eye blinking is less worrying to me than the throat clearing was but I have several questions still:

 

High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Photosensitivity? (He has always sneezed when he first goes out into the sun and seems to blink more at twilight or in low light when outside.)

Corn in general? Is that common?

 

A lot of popcorn tonight preceded by Polenta and Marinara sauce with water started a minor episode but I wonder whether the M&Ms that he was given at school for being a good learner could have caused it? Minor throat clearing but also seems to be catching a cold.

 

How quickly do tics generally start after consumption of an offending food?

 

How long do they last after ingestion? I would assume 4 days since a food item would have passed through but....

 

Sorry to ramble, but my detective work is failing me.

 

Thanks for any ideas.

 

Bowman

[Chemar]

Hi Bowman amd welcome

 

my son doesnt have any food allergies per se but does react very much to certain food additives. For him it is an almost instantaneous reaction with tics and OCD and a general agitated state occuring soon after the offending substance is ingested and it can last for days, depending on what it is. MSG, high fructose corn syrup and food dyes and aspartame are worst for him

 

 

I am seeing more and more on reactivity to corn and even a suggestion that this may not be a corn allergy as such but rather a sensitivity to it caused by the extreme over exposure that most have to it as corn additives in some form or another seem to be in everything prepackages, canned or bottled these days

 

stress is a very commonly reported tic trigger and we do have wealth of info compiled here by Claire (sure miss ya Claire ) on photosensitivity and tics

[Caryn]

Welcom Bowman,

 

"Also we saw an Environmental Doctor, who took blood and we recently sent urine and saliva off to be tested for various food allergies: We, at her advice, have gone gluten-free and believe her quote: "The child is the best lab." Also we upped Omega 3s, Acidophilous and avoid processed/ non-organic at home always but eat out occasionally. We have not found out the results yet."

It is possible that your child is getting gluten outside the home, especially at restaurants and with school snacks. Most people find that casein (milk proteins) also cause reactions in some children and so they choose to go both gluten and casein free. Studies have shown that those with disorders due to gluten intolerance have developed milk intolerances/allergies that may or may not correct themselves after a period of time being gluten free. It can take a long time to rid the body of gluten protein toxicity. It is not uncommon to have to wait nearly a month, and often times you will see the symptoms worsen in the beginning.

"Corn in general? Is that common?"

We are gluten free and corn free for my son and this has greatly diminished his symptoms. Corn, IMHO, is an insidious food for those that are intolerant to it. You will find corn and corn derivatives in everything. We will see a reaction within 10-15 minutes of corn exposure and it will last 3-4 days. To be truly corn free you have to research all the corn derivatives out there and find corn-free brands to replace your current staples. For us a corn reduced diet is no good. We are 100% corn-free. Visit cornallergens.com for more info. I also have a blog with recipes on it and product listings for gluten and corn free stuff (also some casein free as well). It is not complete, but I add to it regularly.

 

Food coloring is also a major trigger. And, IMO, acidophilous is not as good as Threelac, especially if you are giving a chewable and you think that your child may be reactive to corn. Just a thought based on my experience. I have recently read that kids who suffer from autism and do not find success with a GFCF diet are unsuccessful because they have candida problems and need a diet void of corn, chocolate, peanuts, vinegar, pickles, and reduced chicken. My son's IgG test revealed a gluten intolerance, wheat allergy, corn allergy, peanut allergy, chocolate allergy, and problems with brewer's yeast. Hm! Sounds like a candida problem for sure!!!! He has been on threelac for some time now and I will see a small increase in symptoms when he eats any of the above foods (as happened over the holidays). It is hard to keep them away from sweets over the holidays!

Hope this helps!

Caryn

[CSP]

Hi Bowman,

 

Welcome, I only had one other thing to add about the corn issue. I have read that corn is a highly moldy food. I would think that would be the corn used as an added ingredent, not fresh.

 

I also wanted to say I'm so sorry for the bad year, what your child has witnessed that would stress most adults out too.

 

Good luck,

C.P.