Photosensitivity and Tics, biofeedback?

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Nancy, sorry one more question. Do you give magnesium taurate? What form of Calcium do you give (phosphate??)

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Nancy, how long it took for your supplement program to help your son's tics? what were the motor and vocal tics that he had? Did he have comorbid conditions like ocd too?

tks again

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Nancy, u r right. yes, there is corn syrup in ketchup. i too realised it just now. thanks for the info. Does ketchup contain red dye too????

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Nancy, if you don't mind can you please give the dosages of your supplements? tks.

[Guest Nancy]

efgh,

 

I will try to answer all your questions. I remember very well how confused I was when all this started for us, and just didn't know where to start. There's so much you CAN try, it's hard to know where to begin. I know you know this, but just a gentle reminder that what works for one person may not work as well for another, so the best thing to do is read everthing you can, and try to decide what may fit your son's situation the best. Don't try everything at once or you'll never know what's helping. Improving the diet and removing all the junk can never hurt, so that's a great place to start. I'll give you more specifics on our situation, but please remember that supplement dosages are tied into age and weight as well.

 

My son is now 8 and started ticcing when he was 5 1/2. He's had many motor tics (head nodding, shoulder shrugging, lip pursing, other facial grimaces, some leg movements, etc.) and vocal tics (humming, grunting noises, etc., and a very loud "SQUEAK" much of this past summer, which was probably the hardest to get used to - especially when I was driving with him! ). They have waxed and waned, sometimes very constant and sometimes just an underlying thing.

 

Since he doesn't usually have dairy we supplement with calcium citrate and yes, the OJ and rice milk do have calcium in them as well.

 

We use Carlson super Omega-3 fish oil because I have read it's very pure.

 

We use Magnesium taurate and I buy it at VitaminShoppe.

 

In the morning he takes: 1200 mg lecithin, 250 mg mag taurate, 150 mg calcium (plus what he gets in OJ), a multivitamin (has vitamins A, C, D, E & 50 mg of all the B vitamins, 400 mcg of folic acid, 50 mg inositol, 21 mg choline), 1 carlson fish oil, 50 mg. B1, 125 mg inositol, 15 mg zinc

 

Afternoon: 125 mg mag taurate, 150 mg calcium, 50 mg B1, 125 mg inositol

 

Evening: 125 mg mag taurate, 150 mg calcium, 1 fish oil, 50 mg B1, 125 mg inositol. (actually, I'm starting to cut back on the B1 slowly to see if he still needs as much)

 

We used Bonnie's vitamins for about 7 or 8 months and I do think it helped him overall. When I increased the magnesium it really seemed to help, but he did have that squeaking tic over the summer. By the end of summer we had treated his allergies and increased the B1 and decreased the mag a little, and he's doing well. I won't say totally tic-free, but pretty close, and that's fine. I realize that many things can cause things to escalate again, but I feel making him healthier overall helps keep things much less severe when they do crop up. And it's taken me awhile, but I don't panic like I used to, because I know things always get better, and fixating on the tics only makes things worse.

 

He doesn't have OCD, but I do recognize now that his anxiousness about certain things and his perfectionism and outbursts when he can't do things well immediately are possibly OCD tendencies that sometimes go along with TS? I'm questioning because I know these things are often inter-related, but I'm no expert on the actual diagnoses. He doesn't have any learning disabilities, and is an excellent student. Most things academic come so easily to him that he hasn't learned to fail very well, so he tends to shy away from things like organized sports that he thinks he's not "great" at, rather than risk not doing well. He is getting better at trying things as he gets older, but my mantra is still "It's ok to make mistakes. It's ok to not be perfect."

 

I hope I covered everything. Good luck as you search for answers. It does take some time, though, so please try to relax and remember to focus on all the good things in your life as well. Things will get better. Don't I sound well adjusted? (Not!)

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Nancy, really kind of you. Thanks a lot for your nice, patient, useful reply. You are right and as you rightly said, I should start focussing on certain good things in life as well. Since things started out of the blue, its taking a while for me to absorb and understand.

As a first step , I have stopped artificial stuff and started on a general multivit for my son. the dosages may be very mild but better than nothing.. the dosages are as follows

Vitamin A 2500 I.E. Biotin 0.1 mg Iron 5 mg

Vitamin D3 133 I.E. PABA 10 mg Zinc 5 mg

Vitamin E 13.4 I.E. Cholin 83.4 mg Mangan 1.67 mg

Vitamin B1 0.67 mg Inositol 83.4 mg Copper 0.67 mg

Vitamin B2 0.67 mg Vitamin C 83.4 mg Chrom 67 µg

Vitamin B6 1 mg Rutin 66.7 mg Iod 50 µg

Vitamin B12 3 µg Calcium 83.4 mg Molybdan 34 µg

Niacinamid 6.67 mg Magnesium 66.7 mg Selen 6.7 µg

Folic acid 0.134 mg Phosphor 83.4 mg Calciumpantothenat 5 mg

What is lecithin and how does it help tics?

Does your son tic in the school too? Are the school authorities aware of his tics? Its amazing to see so many kids tic so much at home but seem to control a lot in school.

Thanks again and lets hope things get better

[Claire]

IRLEN feedback

 

My son took the Irlen test this week. The women said he had a little light sensitivity but not much.

 

Most of the test was focused on whether the black and white images he saw were distorted (presumably due to the light issue) and they weren't (which I knew already). He did like the blue and green overlays, so I am having my mom send me the ones I ordered for her (she saw no difference), in case he likes them for reading.

 

But again, his issue is with the CRT computer--he really is fine with the LCDs.

 

Even so, I am glad we ruled this out.

 

Next I am going to have an opthamologist do a full eye exam, PLUS some visual tracking checks. I don't know, he is reading books multiple grades above grade level and acing tests without complaint, so I still don't see how he could have visual tracking issues and us not know it from his academic performance. But this is a harmless, non-invasive test.

 

Claire

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Nancy

 

do you give your son calcium citrate in tablet form or liquid form?

 

Similarly fish oil in capsule form or oil form? How about others with regard to fish oil (capsule or "oil" form).

 

Thanks

[Guest nancy]

efgh,

 

He takes calcium in a capsule form and Carlson fish oil in a gel cap.

 

Nancy

[Claire]

For anyone with a child with focus issues, I highly recommend Dance Dance Revolution--the dance pad game played on a playstation--where you dance to the arrows. It definitely makes a positive impact on my son's focus, plus it is great physical exercise for rainy days--I play it with him. Unfortunately, the new versions require the more expensive playstation 2. Otherwise, you can get set up for less than $100. We of course use an LCD monitor. If you get one, just remember to use the training mode (not game mode) and start very very easy--you can slow the song speed. Otherwise it would be very discouraging.

 

Claire

[Claire]

http://12.31.13.115/HealthNews/reuters/New...y0123200322.htm

 

"Television and computer screens update images many times a second. While we may not be conscious of this "screen flicker," new research suggests that certain regions of our brains register these tiny image alterations.

 

...And even people without epilepsy may experience problems as a result of screen flicker, Krolak-Salmon and Henaff continued.

 

"Computer screen flicker, when its frequency is low, may induce headache, eyestrain and glare," they explained, especially in people who are prone to headaches.

 

Previous research has suggested that people have less discomfort with higher frequencies--such as 100Hz--but most televisions in France flicker at around 50Hz, and computer screens at 60Hz to 85Hz, the authors explained.

...

"We do not think that people watching a computer screen all day long have a real health risk," they said. "However, photosensitive epileptic patients and people subject to migraines must be careful."

 

The authors found that patients showed increased brain activity when exposed to screen flicker in regions of the brain involved in processing visual information, indicating that portions of their brains were "seeing" screen flicker.

 

 

-----

So, people with migraines, eh? Not just epilepsy...It also says that Plasma screens have no flicker, I was happy to hear it!

-Claire

[Claire]

I just read in "Is this your child's world" by D. Rapp that switching to full spectrum bulbs in the classroom reduced ADHD by 33%!!! She is not big on fluorescent lights.

 

Here is the cheapest source of these I found--I finally ordered them for the entire house today. It was not cheap.

 

http://www.topbulb.com/find/prod_list.asp_...bCategory_E_445

 

Claire

[Claire]

Irlen, visual tracking, neuro/biofeedback

 

Visual Tracking

We got back from my son's visual tracking test today. I mentioned that I was doing this in case his issues with rapid action were vision related. She said he uses his eye muscles improperly, where he doesn't move from short range focus to long range focus well. Also he "overcrosses" and focuses too closely. It is unclear to her whether this would impact his tracking of rapid movement, but it could cause stress and discomfort. He never complains though, and as I mentioned, he is performing multiple grades above grade level. He also can see just fine eyesight-wise.

 

She said that reading glasses or vision exercises--computer-based and done at home, should help alot with'comfort' and prevent nearsightedness. I will need to pay him for it as a 'job'--she says they are very boring. I do want to test one first, it is

 

Neuro/biofeedback.

We stopped this 3 weeks ago. It is tough to explain, but I think that the protocols for kids with chronic tics (which I believed the doctor used) were not right for him--perhaps because I think his nervous system is relatively normal EXCEPT when he has computer exposure (and strep throat)?? Anyway, for whatever reason, it made him quite sleepy and he had a hard time concentrating--he, his teacher and I all noticed. I waited it out, but after 4 weeks, the issues with inattention (never a problem for him) were causing too much stress for him. I can't know anything for sure, but his attention started to improve again significantly after a week without it--during which time we did Dance Dance Revolution to encourage focus. I feel obliged to report on our experience, but I don't want to discourage others whose children may have a more chronic and daily issue, for whom neurofeedback could be very appropriate--as Dr. Othmer says: with a physician experienced with tics.

 

Irlen

He started using the blue Irlen overlay sheet today. He says it really reduces the 'glare' for him. For a kid who resists everything so much that I suggest lately (either part of his issue, or because this is normal for a healthy kid to hate so much fussing?), he really liked it. So thanks Sheila for encouraging this! I will keep you posted over time. His opthamologist knew a lot about Irlen and was pretty positive, though it was clear that her methods are really an alternative approach in some ways. She said there are even studies contrasting vision therapy with Irlen. Some similarities...certainly if eye exercises can create permanent change I am all for it.

 

Claire

[Claire]

Full spectrum light bulbs. At long last, I ordered these, got them in the mail and am putting them in every room. We have a ton of lights!

 

So we will see how it goes. I wish I could get these lamps for his classroom and do our own mini-experiment...

 

I have heard that they sell long full spectrum fluorescent tubes. We have a tall garage that our son plays basketball in with fluorescent lights (which always seem to flicker, because they aren't well protected yet and get hit by stray rubber balls).

 

Anyway, does anyone think that fluorescent full spectrum bulbs have value over normal fluorescent bulbs? Alternatively, are their other suitable fixtures we could replace them with for the garage using full spectrum bulbs that still give off enough light? I hate to even have him play there at night due to the flicker, and we just cleared the area again, so this is now an option. During the day we open the garage door.

 

Claire

 

ps He doesn't use the Irlen that often at home--almost never. But he just asked me today about trying them out at school. A girl he knows is doing this too, so I think it will make it a non-issue. I gave them out during a math test, and all the kids wanted one. I think his school has more glare--with the fluorescent lights.

 

pps He came home wired a few days ago (3 hours to get to sleep--long even for him, though no tics), and later I found out that his teacher gave him the 'job' of turning off all 6 computers, bummer.

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Claire

 

goodluck with the full spectrum lamps. please give us the feedback.

 

In one of the posts in braintalk, I read that flouroscent lamps are good for tics ..

 

http://neuro-mancer.mgh.harvard.edu/ubb/Fo...TML/001930.html

 

All along I thought, it was the otherway round. Can you please clarify to me on this?

 

thanks.