increase in tics

[dee45]

Hi,

me again--I feel like I am not doing anything right! my sons head tics seem worse and more frequent--I have tweaked his diet and he is eating the best he has ever eaten. He gets a multi vitamin which is full of b vitamins, I stopped the super b complex per some one's suggestion, he ist taking mg-zinc-calcium and last night I added Kids calm at bedtime --I am really puzzled!! he is taking 1.0 mg Clonidine at bedtime and half this dose in am--I don't know what else to do--amino acids but I am not sure--I am so upset tonight--someone today on his field trip made fun of him and I just want to help him I wish it was me going through this and not him. Please send suggestions--God bless.

 

Deanna

[Caryn]

Deanna,

 

What are the allergies? How did you find out about them? What have you done so far in regards to 'tweaking' the diet?

 

Caryn

[dee45]

Hi,

I had him allergy tested--food alleriges were corn--other alleriges included all kinds of trees, cats,

ragweed--i have cut out food with corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch--put him on alot of organic foods and foods free of all dyes. I also took him off dairy and started soy over the last 2 days the diet I have been implementing for about 2 weeks

 

Deanna

[dee45]

Hi,

I had him allergy tested--food alleriges were corn--other alleriges included all kinds of trees, cats,

ragweed--i have cut out food with corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch--put him on alot of organic foods and foods free of all dyes. I also took him off dairy and started soy over the last 2 days the diet I have been implementing for about 2 weeks

 

Deanna

[Caryn]

My son has a corn allergy.

It is pretty hard to eliminate. It is hidden in many things like table salt and vinegar. He was diagnosed with a chronic multifocal tic disorder in Dec. 2006. Onset of symptoms was in September 2006. He started an all natural diet in Feb. 2007 and Candida in March 2007, and finally gluten and corn free in April 2007 after allergy testing (we originally avoided 17 allergies but are down to gluten, wheat, and corn free).

Here are a few websites that can help you with eliminating corn:

 

http://www.cornallergens.com/

http://corn-freefoods.blogspot.com/

http://healthy-family.org/category/nutriti...on-a-gf-mf-diet (this is my own creation)

 

Many supplements have corn derivatives. Many ingredients have hidden corn. Many personal products (especially lotions and toothpaste) are loaded with corn byproducts. We use Toms of Main silly strawberry.

 

My son had a problem with vit C and multivitamins due to corn. He can't handle citric acid, dextrin, maltodextrin.

 

I have successfully used benadryl dye free capsules when he's had an exposure. It contains sorbitol (a corn derivative) but he tolerates it. Vanilla flavoring is also made in either corn processed glycerin or corn based alcohol. Many corn allergic folks can't tolerate vanilla extract. My son doesn't tolerate it. We only buy unsalted butter (if you are dairy free that doesn't matter. Most dairy products have hidden corn starch, and unless it is organic, are feed corn feed 90%. Even organic can be fed corn. Most chicken is injected with corn-based solution. It can be in the wax on shiny apples. The degree to which your child is sensitive varies. We were very strict and eliminated down to the bare bones. Now almost two years later I have seen a major improvement in him. He was given gluten free cookies made with corn starch about two weeks ago by a care giver and never had an increase in tics. A year-and-a-half ago that would have caused a wax on that would have lasted 4-7 days.

[dee45]

Do you suggest then just focusing on diet?? or do you think I need to change any of his vitamins.

Thanks for the info and links--I have visited those links as well over the last 2 weeks.

 

Thanks for your response.

 

Deanna

[Tracey111]

Head tics for us started when we went all natural.....turns out we had too many high salycilate foods.....he was eating such good food, but he had a huge reaction.....we also added amino acids NAC, Aceytl-L Carnatine, and GABA to our recipe.....I think removing the artificials was key for us, but that ended up in lots of fruits/veggies and we realized it was high in salycilates.........just a thought....I think that Faith saw this same reaction????

[kim]

Dee,

 

I wouldn't give any supplement (especially mag/calcium or zinc) at the same time that you give your son the clonidine. Some minerals can attach to meds and block their action or cause them to be excreted unmetabolized. This can happen with certain antibiotics too, so always be careful there. It's not always easy to find that info when you search drugs. It has taken 6 or 8 site for me to find it at times. Some sites will say to leave a 2 hour window btwn different things. I always try to give any prescription med, 4 hours away from any supplement if possible. I don't know if the supplements are interfering with the clon. or not, but i would try to find out. You can always call a pharmacist or your Dr. Personally wouldn't rely on Dr. as they have given me wrong info on med/supp in the past, as they just aren't aware. The mom of a friend of mine was taking a blood pressure med. They kept upping the dose as it didn't appear to be working. Come to find out, she was taking a calcium supp at the same time.

[Caryn]

I want to say that mega doses of B6 can cause a salicylate sensitivity. I read about that a while back and we personally saw it happen with our son after the effects of the diet began to heal his gut and improve his absorption.

 

Kids with dysbiosis (leaky gut) will have absorption problems but once the healing takes place the need for mega doses will lessen over time. We stopped the mega doses of B6 and in a short time noticed that the salicylate sensitivity was diminishing. He now eats apples, oranges, grapes, has ketchup (corn free) with no problems.

 

For us the healing process took 9 months from the time we started the new diet until he had what I consider his 'full recovery' from leaky gut symptoms. Since that time he has had a few isolated incidents where he was exposed to allergens (in the fall he had a mega dose of high fructose corn syrup that caused him to develop excessive blinking for two weeks). About three weeks ago he was exposed to 23 mini cookies with corn starch and surprisingly, he did not have any ticcing afterwards. Last week a substitute teacher at the school gave him a Dunkin Donut and to our surprise he had no ticcing again. So dh and I entertained the thought that maybe he really isn't celiac (as we never had a biopsy done), and maybe he could go back to eating occasional gluten with enzymes. I inquired with the doctor about doing a gluten challenge this summer and then getting testing. I was told that this wasn't necessary to do.....

 

Now from what I understand the donut situation can be common for Celiacs (he is dxd with celiac) to have no apparent symptoms after being on a gluten free diet for years. This is because the gut has healed. I was told to keep him off of gluten indefinitely as a return to a normal diet would start the slow process of leaky gut all over again. I was told that for some recovered celiacs the process of destruction could take up to 5 years before noticeable symptoms creep up again. I even asked if I could feed a gluten intolerant child w/o celiac gluten with enzymes and was told that that was not foolproof either and that there is no protection other than a 100% gluten free diet. I was given an analogy to consider: a celiac's relationship with gluten needs to be the same as a recovered alcoholic's to drink.

 

I realize that for many the problem may not be gluten specifically. But I really believe that for those of us with severe intolerances to corn the principle is the same. I can't find any studies that have been looking into the damaging effects of corn gluten for those with corn intolerance. It has been proven safe for celiacs, but so has oatmeal. Having said that, there are numerous celiacs that can't tolerate corn or oatmeal either. Because of the corn refiner's association the science on corn allergies/intolerances is gravely lacking. I just don't think corn is a sustainable food. If you consider the disease pellegra (niacin deficiency-- B3) and the fact that there was an epidemic for native Mexicans historically due to their high intake of corn in diet--- it begs the question. It really does. I don't think most folks in this country (the states) realize that with the corn subsidies, this grain has made its way into 80% of all processed food and personal products. We are ingesting it at toxic doses just by living normal lives eating normal diets--- without even trying.

 

Geeze, anyone that watches "King Corn" will be alarmed to find out that cows on a corn diet are taken off it after 120 days because IT WILL KILL THEM by eating a HOLE in their stomach.

 

When you go to McDonald's there is nare an item that you can buy that is free from corn. It is in the hamburger bun, in the burger itself, in the fries, in your salad dressing, in the salt, probably in the packaging too. Even the yogurt has corn.

 

So I have learned a lot this week.

[Chemar]

Deanna

some kids are also allergic to soy

 

it could be the addition of the soy you mentioned above