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New member - facial tics in my 6.5 year old daughter


Nan

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Hi all,

 

I am a new member to this forum. I am sorry to be jumping in with questions ; I found this forum at one of my most desperate moments dealing with this new development in my child. I hope to learn from you all and hopefully contribute later as I get more knowledgable . First, a brief history if you all don't mind.

 

My daughter , currently 6.5 years old started stuttering when she was 3 . We were told to not bring attention to it and it would get better. When things did not improve , we started getting speech therapy for her when she was 4. We saw a lot of changes in her in a very short time and she was dismissed from the program a few months later; her stuttering was under control; she had learnt the tools on what to do if she was having difficulty with fluency. Now, she is very fluent in her speech with no stutter.

 

This good period lasted for a few more months . Soon after she turned 5, she started clearing her throat all of a sudden. This went on for about 10 months during which period we tested her for allergies based on what her ped. said. She did turn out to be allergic to grass pollen, trees, ragweeds etc. With Enzymes , we got the throat clearing pretty much under control. It is not 100 % gone, but it is much, much better than what it used to be.

 

Now, since 2 months , she has been blinking her eyes a lot which recently developed into eye twitching. She would do good for some time during the day and then blinking would start. It is more blinking than eye twitching now. I have got the tics/tourettes book by Sheila Rogers in the hope of finding the triggers for her tics.

 

Seems to me that when something gets better, yet another thing comes to haunt us. I have made an appt with the neurologist to get a formal diagnosis of her condition.

 

I see some threads about natural calm. She is 45 pounds in weight. Is natural calm a good supplement for us to begin with ? How much should I be giving her ? How do I make sure that I don't exceed the maximum limit of magnesium that she can take. I mean, some foods contain magnesium too and how do I make sure that these foods combined with the supplement do not exceed her magnesium limit for her weight ?

 

Should I be taking the magnesium with calcium ?

 

Any success stories with this particular supplement or anything else that has worked for you would be greatly appreciated. I would really like to start off small giving one supplement at a time and then move up if things don't get better.

 

Thanks,

Nan

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Hi Nan

there is also a Kids Calm product in the Natural Calm range which may be helpful

 

we absorb only a small amount of supplemental magnesium and so I personally wouldnt worry about too much magnesium, at least not from regular supplements or Natural calm products

 

you are very wise to start one thing at a time and gradually add others. that way you can keep a clear record of what helps

 

there are so many things that can cause childhood tics that I do feel starting at the root of what is causing the tics is the most important before following any treatment plan. yet, there seem to be unifying factors for all of us, nomatter the casue of the tics, and those are things you can begin to implement.

 

The primary common theme here seems to be diet. Just about all here, including those of us dealing with genetic Tourette Syndrome, have found that by eliminating things from the diet that the child is sensitive/intolerant or allergic to is already a big step in improving things. Then adding supplements specific to the individual needs and deficiencies

 

Just keep reading here and in Sheila's book, asking questions and maintaining the one day/ one step at a time and you will hopefully begin to find ways to help your child

 

all the best.

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I don't think the kids calm comes unflavored. It has a "natural flavor". I stopped using it b/c my daughter started getting very itchy after she would have it. Don't know if it was a reaction to the flavoring or what. Especially her thumbs would get very itch...?

 

Bcase

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Hi Nan,

We are new to this journey as well. I haven't seen this suggested yet but I'd start by keeping a food/activity journal. And, then start cleaning up the diet by removing MSG, additives, preservatives, colors, etc. Noting behaviors, sleep patterns, and activity levels also will help you see patterns. I also note my own stress levels since my stress can affect my son's tics, as well.

 

I have not tried the Kid's Calm so I can't comment on that for you. Right now I have ds on liquid cal/mag from Country Life. It's their Target-Mins calcium magnesium with Vitamin D. I give ds a 1/2 serving which is 250 mg of magnesium(citrate, aspartate, taurinate,etc) and 500 mg calcium(in various ...ates). It's blueberry flavored. The only thing I wasn't sure about with it is that it has sodium benzoate in it. I haven't researched this additive yet. My ds has trouble swallowing pills so I try to find chewable or liquid supplements for him first. I have also tried an expensive calcium magnesium supplement from Floradix but it wasn't as high in the cal/mag as the Country Life. My ds really liked the taste, though.

 

Also, I have found this advice to be extremely helpful here: Do one thing at a time. Don't change too much or do too many supplements at a time b/c then you won't know exactly what the positive/negative change can be attributed to! I have learned that I need to take my time and be patient. Even though I want to fix it NOW, I know that this is a process and that it will take time. There are a lot of us here in this boat, you are not alone. It seems we have new posts almost daily of moms/dads who are looking for answers to our childrens tics. Hang in there, we will all find the answers some day! :(

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With Enzymes , we got the throat clearing pretty much under control. It is not 100 % gone, but it is much, much better than what it used to be.

I have been studying enzymes lately, thinking to give them to all my family and hoping it'll improve my son's tics. What type of enzymes did you use and how did you figure out what type he needed?

 

The only thing I wasn't sure about with it is that it has sodium benzoate in it.

Sodium benzoate is something to avoid, as I'm sure other parents will tell you. My son used to love his Sprite, but now I buy Hansons soda for him at Kroger or HEB. Also had to stop because of the high fructose corn syrup in it!

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kallik,

 

I would suggest, if you have not gotten it already, getting the book "Enzymes for Autism and other Neurological Disorders" by Karen DeFlice. It really does a good job explaining the different type of enzymes.

 

I have my son on two enzymes. One is a more general enzyme for protein and carbs called AFP-Peptizyde developed by Dr. Houston (it comes in a capsules but for those that cannot swallow capsules it comes in a good tasting chewable. The chewable has Xylitol though. One of my children breaks out with red marks on the face with xylitol and cannot take it because of this). The other enzyme also by Dr. Houston is for helping him process fruits/vegetable (salicylates that so many have trouble) and it also helps to some extent with artificial food dyes. It is called No-Fenol.

 

My suggestion is taking enzymes slow and easy. You certainly could see an increase in tics at first use of enzymes. Enzymes not only help process food but they also help "clean out" your gut. When this process initially starts you have a lot of junk that needs to be removed (including candida). This junk, aka toxins, can cause an increase in tics as it is removed from the body. But this is a VERY GOOD thing. Get it out of the body! Here is the website for Dr. Houston's enzymes http://www.houstonni.com/ . I also have to say their customer service is really good and they were GREAT at answering my questions and concerns through e-mail.

 

Here is a website that goes into some great detail about enzymes and also references the book I mentioned http://www.enzymestuff.com/ .

 

One other product I am very impressed with is a product called Mindlinx. Here is a website that explains it http://www.rockwellnutrition.com/product.a...CFRkGagodIDwqeQ . It is a very powerful probiotic. I would venture to guess it would be hard to find a probiotic that would do a much better job for the need of people with gut issues. Although it is about the most $$$$$ one I have ever bought. It truly seems to be worth the money though. Also this website I referenced does not show it comes in capsules but it does on other websites.

 

Probiotics have completely different function then enzymes. Probiotics are feeding in the healthy bacteria your intestines need to keep balanced correctly. Enzymes help with the break down of food so your body can process it correctly. In my opinion you really need both when dealing with gut issues which I think a vast majority of people with tics are dealing with on some level.

 

The last thing to mention about probiotics is they mix in very easily into yogurt or applesauce. You can EASILY disguise it unlike many other supplements.

 

 

 

Have a blessed day!

 

Carolyn N.

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Hi kallik,

 

I used BIOSET enzymes for my daughter. BIOSET is a allergy elimination treatment like NAET; it is an offshoot of NAET and involves some enzyme therapy along with allergy elimination techniques.

 

Hope this helps.

 

-Nan

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