Malt and chocolate

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Jennifer

 

valid point. But what about dairy in chocolates? Does your son tolerate dairy well ? How about eggs?

 

How are his tics and ocd symptoms now?

 

Chemar

 

You are right about dark chocolates. Probably will try it soon just to eliminate..Thanks.

 

Chemar, regarding your son's present MILD tics , does he still follow a waxing and waning cycle or are they pretty constant? If so, for how long does the waxing cycle last?

When they were pretty severe did he ever have a long waning cycle? I read somewhere in the internet that the normal waxing and waning cycles is for around 3 months. Does it sound true? I know it varies from kid to kid but was curious to know for your kids..

ALL,

How about your kids ? Any inputs on the pattern of waxing and waning cycles in terms of duration that you all have observed or is it pretty erratic all the time..

 

thanks in advance for your replies.

[Chemar]

efgh

I think if someone could put a finger on waxing and waning cycles they would be our hero forever.

I dont know where you read about "normal" 3 month cycles? but I have never heard anything like that.

 

In answer to your main question to me

YES my son still waxes and wanes and still has trigger reactions.....howver, the tics are now MILD (a few vocal sounds like "EH!" or "UH" and very slight simple motor tics...shoulder twitch, slight facial grimace )

Before , his tics were very complex and often painful, even the vocal ones, and he had coprolalia, palilalia,echolalia........you name it, if it was in the TS spectrum of symptoms, he had it.

 

If he eats MSG or coloring it gets more intense, and when he is ill or stressed it gets to be more frequent, and of longer duration too.

 

However, even in a mild and waning phase, he does have tics every day, sometimes not noticeable to anyone but himself....HE HAS TOURETTE SYNDROME remember...not just transient tics.

I asked my husband and he agrees that he has tics every day too, even if just a muscle tightening or somthing else that simple.

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Chemar

 

Thanks for your reply. Here is the link...

 

http://shpunter.tripod.com/tourettes/symptoms.html

 

the last line of the above article talks about a waxing cycle ranging for around 1 to 3 months. I know its a ballpark information but still was curious to know a random pattern for others...

 

thanks.

[Chemar]

Once a patient enters a phase of waxing symptomatology, a process seems to be triggered that will run its course, usually within 1-3 months.

 

if that is the line you are referring to, I just dont quite translate it the same way, efgh!

That does not say to me that waxing and waning cycles are "normally 3 months"...maybe I am missing something?

 

In all honesty, I just dont see how they can even make the statement they have...my son has had waxing for a day or two and then has sometimes had a tic last months!!!!!

 

To us, waxing and waning is far more synonymous with the coming and going of various tics, rather than the total stopping or starting of tics per se.

[Gina]

Hi Everyone,

 

about 1 1/2 years ago I got the Feast w/o Yeast book. After reading the book I decided to eliminate the following foods. Barly Malt and all malt products including Maltodextrin, Vinegar, Chocolate, Cottonseed Oil, Soy Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Sodium Nitrites/Nitrates, Aged cheese and Caffine.

 

I went full force and took all this out at once. Not one thing in that list was a benifit in our diet so I thought we would all do better w/o it. I did see results and his tics did mellow out quite a bit. We have continued to follow this diet with an exception every now and than (birthday/school parties etc.) I have also eliminated artificial falvor and color and try to keep as much as I can preservative free and organic. I have limited his yeast but not taken it out completley (bread is very hard for him to go w/o) I found alternatives to most things. I think the hardest for my son was Chocolate and Things with Vinegar (BBQ sauce, Marinades, Sauces etc.) I will try the Dark Chocolate this Easter since most of you seem to be OK with that. He will be so happy if he can get that back.

 

I Believe that elimination is the easiest and least advasive way to start and find out what works and dosent with your child.

[Claire]

Gina,

 

Is Sodium Nitrate what is in hot dogs? Turkey hot dogs is a major 'protein' in our house! I don't understand how that impacts yeast, but I llast night ordered the "Yeast Syndrome" that a few here mentioned (Chemar and Heather) and "The Yeast Connection Cookbook", so I guess I will find out.

 

Jennifer,

 

I also ordered the "Children With Starving Brains" book that you mentioned.

 

Claire

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Which food items in general has sodium nitrite/nitrate?

 

What exactly is aged cheese?

 

Gina, good to know that this eliminated has helped your son.

 

thanks

[Chemar]

sodium nitrate/nitrite is a food preservative. We avoid anything that has it or other preservatives in.

 

 

 

Aged cheese is cheese that is "mature"......so gorgonzola and roquefort (blue cheese) would be ...err....very mature

 

My family dont like "smelly" cheese, except for Parmesan grated on pasta.

 

I believe mozzarrella is mildest, followed by Gouda and mild cheddar.

 

In general the smellier the more aged!!

[Gina]

Claire,

 

Sodium Nitrite/Nitrate are in hot dogs, Bacon and most deli meats (turkey, ham etc) any type of cured meats. I don't know the exact connection if any between that and yeast. I figured this our when my family and I went to COSTCO and had one of there hot dogs for dinner. Within an hour my son was ticing away. I have found Hot Dogs, Bacon and Sandwich Meats w/o the Nitrites/Nitrates but I can only get them at Whole Foods Market. The only one I can get in a regular grocery store sometimes is sliced turkey.

 

Gina

[Gina]

One more thing:

 

Aged cheese - cheddar, swiss, parmasan, romano,blue, rogeofort and yes the rest of the smelly cheeses

 

Good Substitutes are - Mozzarella and Jack. Also goat or sheeps milk Feta cheese packed in water.

 

Gina

[Claire]

Thanks Gina and Chemar.

 

Big time bummer re nitrates and hot dogs. I tried Whole Food hotdogs (forgot the brank) YUCK. Is there a better brand? How is their bacon? Their pepperoni was okay.

 

But hotdogs, that is a mainstay for my son. I will have to watch this--maybe, just maybe, he isn't sensitive???

 

Claire

[Chemar]

Hi Claire

 

it was hard at first but we simply dont use any preserved food anymore....

 

also, after our naturopath gave us a lesson on the toxins carried in pork flesh....it was easy to say bye bye to bacon.... which we all really used to love! Pigs dont eliminate the same way other animals do. Nuff said.

[Guest Jeff]

Hi all, In response to the questions about Malt... I have learned that anything with "malt" could come form Corn Syrup. So, if you're having reactions to "malt", it could be a sensitivity to certain corn products. For example, malt, maltose, maltodextrin, etc, are all forms of CS. Here is a web page that I've consulted in the past. One of my daughters definitely reacts to corn syrup so we have to watch for all the disguises.

http://www.theconnorswebsite.com/cornaller...ergens/list.htm

Not sure what to tell you about "barley malt". The list implies that sometimes even that can come from corn; although, if it's definitely from barley it should be okay (how does one know??).

 

With regard to chocolates, my oldest daughter gets migraine headaches from Dark chocolate, but not from milk chocolate. We definitely avoid "vanillin" because it is artificial and aggravates our tics, and if we overdo any chocolate - even all natural - both of our girls bounce off the walls. But I just attribute that to the caffeine / cocoa - a very "normal" reaction that happens to anyone.

 

Watch out for that corn syrup, though! That stuff is EVIL !! It totally changes my younger daughter's personality. She gets out of focus and very irritable, and, interestingly, her voice gets LOUDER !! I can always tell when she's had CS 'cause I have to ask her to keep her voice down!

 

Jeff

[Chemar]

Hi Jeff

 

isnt it amazing tho as to just how much foodstuff has the dreaded corn syrup...especially the high frustose variety...added!

 

After we discovered our son's reactivity to it, and started checking labels for it, we realised that it is used almost universally!

 

Now there is something for the FDA to start researching maybe....documented and anecdotal evidence of the vast numbers of people, especially children, who are having adverse health reactions to one of the most common food additives

[Guest Jeff]

I'm with you, Chemar!! It IS incredible how many of our foods have that miserable substance. Bottom line: it's cheaper than sugar.

I would love to see studies done on CS, and of course, all the artificial colors and flavors. Taking on the food industry would be too difficult. That's why you and I and everyone who knows about these effects must continue the battle - one family at a time!!

Best regards. Jeff