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Any one heard of Dr. Sims


ccc

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The video that Char posted. Go to youtube...com and then type in Dr. Stacks. Then hit the first video, its labeled DDowney6.

 

It shows Dr. Stacks testing with the sticks. I am going to try this at home. His video seems more professional than the Dr. Sims and I can understand and see the whole process better.

 

No dis-respect about the Sims video....I just like this one better and it helped me understand better as well.

The patient also had vocals. You can also do the test at home and make your own temp appliance by placing rubberbands around the sticks. It shows you everything, even the device and how it fits in the mouth.

Also after the (I think) 3rd visit when he adjusted it, the tics didn't come back as fast as they did in the beginning when he first had the appliance in. He comments on this as well.

Its a very clear video...I like it. I believe I will look into info about this paticular dentist if I decide to take the plunge.

Let me know what you think about it. I will try and paste a link here to make it easier for you:

 

 

Everyone should watch this......it will answer alot of the questions surrounding this whole thing. Copy and paste the link.

 

If it does not work, just go to youtube...com and then type in Dr. Stacks Tourettes......then it will be the first video to come up.

Labeled a new treatment or something like that.

 

Let me know what you think. I am going to buy some sticks today. Just curious to see what happens with my daughter.

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hi all,

sorry to keep you all waiting. we got home very late last nite and I was too bushed to think straight. Once we checked out of the hotel I really did not have any access to internet, I tried at a rest stop, but couldn't get service. Okay, so I'm back, and I will tell you what I think and how I am handling our viist.

 

I think some of you know how I felt going in. I did get a little nervous in light of ccc reporting that she went ahead and did the x-rays and got the device for her child and thus far is feeling it is not helping. I think the past week put a few red herrings in front of me that just made me want to proceed with caution. not because I think that what Dr. Sims is proposing is false or that this is not a viable treatment option. I just have to decide if this is something that is right for my son. After doing much reading and having our visit with Dr. Sims, I think I am comfortable with what he proposes. I think enough of us here have done enough research to understand his explanation and I do think that he may be on to something. It is actually the best explanation I have heard thus far from any professional. The problem for me is just that this is one of those newer things out there and I am one of those who likes to have alot of information before I take the plunge, and I have told him this. We basically had our consult and I asked all the questions I needed. However, it did bother me that ccc has the device and it does not seem to be helping.

 

What I wound up doing was going for this consult and telling Dr. Sims that I was there for this consultation and wanted to understand it all better to see if it is for us. I needed to think about all this and see how my son feels about the whole thing before I take this chance and what if it doesn't help? Dr. Sims did say that this is not a 100% treatment option. He did tell me that if I am looking for 100%, then he is not my man, in his words. I asked if this works for everyone and he says he doesn't know. For some it may be 50%, for some 80%, for some 100%, and for some, yes, maybe not at all. He said that we would be able to know if this could help by doing the stick test (where he stacks up the wood tongue depressers to a certain height, which is different for everyone). We did do the test with putting the wood pieces in his mouth, and he put up to six of them, which is quite high, and as he sat there, my son DID still shake his head, I saw him do it several times. I felt at one point that we were running out of time because we talked alot before and the nurse came in to say that his next patient was here. but he kept with me and I asked if we could do it again and again to see. For me, I could not do a 4 minute test to see if my son would stop ticcing, I just don't think that is realistic, because he does hold back sometimes when a doctor or other professional is around. so I can see where it was hard for the other moms that went recently to see the real effect. In my opinion, a person should be observed for at least 30 minutes to see what is what. The wood was cut so that if fit accross the mouth, which is not the way it would be with the device, but it made it hard to keep in the mouth for very long because you build up saliva and he wanted to spit. As we sat there, I motioned to the doctor that my son was still moving his head at times, and he said he thought he needed more height, which means adding another stick or two. So now we'd be up to 7 or 8. Now another if my problems is that my son would walk around with a device in his mouth that is a spacer that is quite high. This will definitly be noticeable and that would make it harder to close the mouth without looking as someone put it, like a monkey. no big deal maybe, but I have to think about that, coupled with the fact that my son was still ticcing during this test, and that the doctor is saying that it may not be 100%, it could be 50 or 80. Personally, I have to think about that. Is this all worth it for 50% chance? At this point, I am thinking no. Now understand, coupled with ccc's report of this not working for her son as yet, and the opinion of the professional that Vanessa put out, and even CSP's ortho not feeling comfortable with working to change the growth pattern of her son's jaw, has made me want to cross at the green and not inbetween (if you know what I mean.) :unsure: EDIT: I also asked if I could have the x-rays done at home, and he seemed to discourage me. I mentioned that another mom (gemi) was doing that, and he said she couldn't get them. I don't know if he meant couldn't get it done, or couldn't get it covered.

 

I think what it boiled down to for me was that this "test" did not seem to work for my son, so going ahead and ordering and paying for this device and hoping for the best is just something I don't think I should do just yet. I know mylittleangel is going forward with this, and she has told me that she did not ask as many questions as I did, and during her test, it did seem that her son stopped ticcing, but remember that he did not tic for 2 hours during the consult and she does say she is not 100% sure that he stopped ticcing on his own or was just holding back. I understand, she has come all that way, and she has said she was intrigued enough to want to try this for if she didn't she would never know if this could have helped or not. I hope she does not mind my reporting her feelings, but I think she stated this on the board. I totally understand her point. For me, I am in NY, and a 4 hour drive is something I can do again if I decide to go forward with this. I just feel like I have some things to weigh. I am not dissappointed. I am comfortable with wanting to get more info and seeing how it goes with the other parents that we know from here. I have also been able to meet Michael from Tampa on his way out and I believe he will be going forward with this also, however, I don't think tics are his main symptom.

 

Please understand, that I have already gone forward with NAET and have spent about $1200 there, so I need to go slow on this. And I must tell you that with NAET, I went into it only after I did about 6 months research on it, making sure it was a safe modality that would not possibly make my son worse, and I talked to everyone that had tried it just to make sure, and those here that have tried it can attest that I spoke and consulted with them on many occasion. I am all for trying things outside the box, but I must make sure they are safe first and what the possiblity of making my son worse would be. I was even afraid to do chiropractic work for fear tht something could be "jarred" inside his spine and make it worse. For me, everything is a mountain. :(

 

So at this point, I am a little sketchy on all this. The post from Dalit is one that I agree with and she says it like it is. I do believe that Dr. Sims may be on the brink of something important, but I need to know some more outcome before I go forward. I have fears about the aligning of the jaw. Don't forget, and Dr. Sims does say tha after the jaw is guided into a more harmonious position so as to where it is not compromising the trigeminal nerve (#5) then the child will need "orthopedic" and "orthodontic" work to bring the teeth down to meet the bite. This is another concern of mine, for I don't think I fully understand that. Is this going to be extensive? Because once the bite is changed, then the teeth will not meet in the back, so I'm wondering, will the child be able to chew? What does bringing the teeth down entail? (maybe csp can explain this for that is what he said her son would need and she has consulted with her own ortho about it). Will this all open up a whole new can of worms? I just don't know. I need to find out more. I have been dealing with tics in my son for more than six years now. I don't like it, I pray every day that I find something that will stop or lessen all this, but I must be patient and not be so fearful that I will do anything and then regret. Dr. Sims will still be there, so I have not closed the door, but I just want to know a little more before I go forward.

 

He has also given me the sticks and taped them together to test this at home myself. I keep making my son put it in his mouth to see, and so far he still shakes his head while wearing it. This morning I added a stick, and got the same result. So how many sticks and how high is this thing going to be? I must know and I must know if it will definitly work before I do it and spend upwards of $5000, for if I wind up doing that and having to throw it in the fireplace, I will be heartbroken, angry, devestated. Yes, I am letting my head rule right now, not the heart. I have to.

 

Upon examining my sons mouth (we did not do the x-rays) he said that his bottom teeth were starting to crowd and that the his top teeth were coming over the bottom a little too much. i could see that. what he says is that the top jaw and bottom jaw are not growing in harmony. In other words, one is undergrown and not in sync with the other, so it causes the bottom to move back and press on the trigeminal nerve, which in turn crosses paths with other nerves and that he believes is where the tics come it. makes sense. He cannot tell without x-rays which is the problem. Is it the top jaw growing too much out, or the bottom not enough? I'm not even sure he will know with the x-rays, but the bottom line is that they are not in sync. and this is not just for us, it is probably the problem with all, he believes it is a growth problem. I asked if it is possible for it to grow out and correct itself naturally as he grows and says, yes it is, but he just doesn't know, no one knows what will happen. he believes he can with the device guide the jaw to where it should be. Right now my son is 10 and so he is probably almost at the 90% completion of growth. again, who knows what will happen with the rest of the 10%? will it come into its own naturally, will it not, will it get worse, who knows? I don't like the not knowing. I asked if he had a device to show me and he said no. I thought that was wierd. no device to show what it may possibly look like or a model of one? I think he should have several to show people and possible even to fit in the mouth, even tho it may not be custom or accurate, at least it will give an idea of what the child or person has to have. For the ones who need a smaller height, I am assuming those will not be that noticeable, but if your child or an adult will need a larger amount of spacers, then that will probably be more noticeable, I would think. he did agree with that, again everyone is different.

 

I also want to put out that I do not think that what the doctor is saying is that our kids have "TMJ", but that ths is just one aspect of TMJ or problems that stem from Tempormandibular joint. so just in case anyone is under that impression, it is not TMJ disorder, but rather a symptom or complication of the temporomandibular joint not being properly alligned in our kids. something like that.

 

I do believe that this has helped others and probably can help more. The problem I am having in my head tho, is this....even if what Dr. Sims proposes is just, how do we know that manipulating the growth pattern of the jaw is safe? I know there are kids who are wearing this device, but I have a fear that guiding the growth of the jaw and changing the bite is new territory here, and how do we know if it is something that will all turn out well in the end? I have read some things that talk about TMJ and how some have had surgery for that and they regret it for it caused more pain and problems.

 

He did mention the "15 year old boy" who we know is csp"s son, he mentioned that he had the mouth of a 7 year old and that his tics were screaming. I asked what happend with him and think he said he was going to come back next week.(?) Again, I did ask if it helps everyone, and he said everyone is different. He kept asking what my expectations were, and I think that is a very good and fair question, for if someone is looking for a cure, he does not state that this is. He is looking to help as many people as he can and improve their quality of life. He does say that if something is working for you, such as diet, nutrition, then you should stick with it, if chiro works, than stick with it, if medication works, than stick with it, ...what he is saying is that this is what he has discovered and this is just another type of treatment and option. Bear in mind he is saying this to me, because I probably had picked his brain a little too much and he was trying to be as straighforwrd as he could with me. I think I understand. So one has to take it all into consideration and decide if this is the option one wants to take. I can totally see the adults who have severe tics as in the video going this route, for at that point it is obvious that their symptoms are probably here to stay, and thier problems are more embedded and so other modalities may not be of help. Also some of them have endured medications that were just not worht the side effects. If I had SEVERE tics at my age, I think I might feel I'd want to go ahead and do it for myself in order to improve one's quality of life (that is if I did not have a beautiful child to worry about first) but for my level of very minor ones, no, for fear of opening up a can of worms. Altho for a child, however, who may grow out of certain tics, or wane on certain tics, or better, who only have mild tics, I just don't know. that is a personal decision. Do I stand at the roulette table and put in all on red, let it ride on black, or do I walk away from the table?

 

I could go on and don't mind answering any other questions if I did not cover what anyone wants to know. sorry its so long, but my mind is racing, and I want to get it all in. Hopefully we can get more feedback from mylittleangel and Micheal.

 

:wub:

Faith

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Faith

i think you are awsome for considering all those questions. I have to agree that they are questions that are important and most certainly the answers are unknown, most likely because there is no research. What would happen if we "messed" around with the jaw?

I also wanted to let those interested know that the pilot study article is going to be reviewed by an anatomy and neuroanatomy prof at the chiropractic college in my city. He is a chiropractor,BSc, Msc and a Phd. He taught me and he is outstanding in his fields. He said he would get back some time next week. As well the paper is in the hands of one of my collegues and also a neuroscientist Phd.

hang in there and i will try to do the same!

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Faith it is great to hear how detailed you got with your visit. You gave so much valuable information...thank you so much. It is a scary thing not knowing and hoping not to so more damage. I just pray each day that my son is able to grow out of most of his tics. A few is not bad....makes them who they are....but quietness would be lovely...waiting for that to happen again.

 

vanessa thank you also for all you have done with asking the medical field about these pilot studies.... we try to understand as best we can but hearing from a medical person and their opinion is so helpful.

 

Thanks to everyonw for their updates... I am following this along to see where we would like to go next.

Mary

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Faith,

thanks so much for your detailed visit with Dr. Sims you have put so much thought into your posts and such great info. Iknow you have answered alot of questions I was thinking and so many more. thanks for taking the time to educate us even more. hope you have a pleasant day!!

 

God Bless you and your family.

 

Deanna

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Hi everyone--I have been following this topic and want to congratulate and thank all of you who are looking into this and sharing your thoughts on it.

 

The reason we call our group Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy is because a comprehensive approach is often the most successful, and we are very broadminded in what those efforts might be.

 

I wanted you to know that I am in the process of exploring this with specialists, and am glad that others are doing the same. Let's continue this forum "study group" together and see what we can learn. You are all pioneers, and will be helping many others by sharing both the negative and positive results you have personally, and by sharing your findings through readings. Of course we are always so saddened for the whole family when someone does not find success.

 

TMJ and other dental/jaw related disorders are clearly involved with the cranial nerves, and we've had reports of people experiencing tic increases with certain dental issues like spacers and braces. Even the types of metals in the mouth, and electromagnetic influences, can affect the nerves in that area. One person wrote to tell me that if he presses his tongue firmly against the roof of his mouth it helps his tics.

 

There are a number of ways to go about adjusting jaw bite issues, and not all experts agree. I saw this firsthand when I developed trigeminal neuralgia last year--(extremely painful! Yikes!). I was convinced it was triggered by an uneven jaw bite and teeth grinding I'd developed, and had an appliance made, similar in concept to what Dr Stack does in the video that Char shared, but looking a little different. I wore it at night and sometimes during the day. At the same time I faithfully followed alternative recommendations for nutritional support and diet to calm the nerve and aim to build the myelin sheath around the nerve. For me, the combination did the trick and gratefully I am fine now. (The appliance did not offer instant relief they way Dr Stack's patient had instant tic relief; the benefit was over time). I also had my bite balanced by the dentist--grinding teeth that "hit." My neurologist did not accept my theory and was not interested in what I had done to recover. While looking into TMJ type issues for myself, I saw how they can be treated by appliance, craniosacral therapy, upper cervical chiropractic, osteopathic manipulation, exercise, etc. depending on the exact problem --which can vary widely -- and the extent of dysfunction.

 

I find the video by Dr Stacks quite impressive.

 

As Chemar pointed out, there is not going to be one answer for everyone. As an example I am remembering a 4 year old boy who had such severe tics he often had to be carried when he couldn't even walk, and the mother traced it to an exposure to arsenic in a toxin in the wrap-around porch of their new home. Once he was detoxified (and the porch issue removed) he was OK. He didn't need an appliance.

 

I would suggest that the challenge is going to be finding the key factors involved in an individual's case while making other common sense approaches that will strengthen and calm the central nervous system.

 

Thankfully, this appliance approach opens the door to wonderful new opportunities of healing for TS and is a new avenue to explore.

 

Again, thank you all and please keep up the really great work. I have faith that you are the group that will make a significant contribution to the field by moving this concept forward for meaningful discussion and better understanding.

 

And as always, I wish each of you the very best in finding the healing you need.

 

Sheila

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Just thinking that those who are helped by this may have some form of TMJ???

Maybe not.....just thinking aloud and wondering why it helps some and not others??

Another mystery as always!

 

Is anything truly clear cut and dry with this thing! :unsure:

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Not great news.......was back at Dr. Sims this afternoon to have the appliance put in my sons mouth and I definitely did not have the results I had hoped for. First of all, the device is awkward no matter what size it is. It is impossible for him to keep it in his mouth because he keeps playing with it. We decided, like Ryans mom, that we would bond it to his teeth because this will be the only way he won't lose it. Dr. Sims said the problem my son has is that when he bites his teeth together, his jaw pulls to the left. In order for the device to work, he said, I have to get my ds to make sure he bites down straight so his upper teeth allign into the grooves of the device on the bottom teeth. Impossible for a 5 year old. I do think he was ticcing less often when I got him to keep it alligned in his mouth but I cannot possibly be with him 24/7. We are going back to Dr. Sims in the morning to decide if I want to bond it or not and to make any necessary adjustment. I do believe in what dr. sims is saying and that is why I am so frustrated. He showed me my son's x-rays and I could clearly see that on his left side he has zero space between the upper and lower jaw and on the right side he has very little space. I always notice that he is much worse when he eats (doesn't matter what he is eating) and Dr. Sims said that would make sense as it is irritating the nerve more. Anyway, I think at this point, seeing as it was not successful for anyone on this forum, I would highly suggest that you all save your money and not waste your time with this. I will write more tomorrow after my final appointment. Dr. Sims did set me up with an Ortho who lives near me that could follow up with my sons progress. I do not think he is trying to scam anyone. I truly think he wants to help. I just don't think he has this thing quite figured out yet.

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mylittleangel

before considering having the device permantely inserted. Your son is still young in terms of his jaw growth according to this theory. Maybe you could ask Dr. Sims at your next visit what he thinks about giving your son time to mature a bit so he is more aware and can consciously bite down correctly.

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mylittleangel,

this all does sound complicated, I'm sorry. Are you saying that the child is supposed to keep biting down all day? once the device is clicked in, does it not stay in place until you "pop it out" as demonstrated on the video? If you bond it in, is it possible to "unbond" it when desired? If it is bonded in, then how will he "adjust" it when needed, as he said would be done from time to time as the bite changes?

Also, how long has your son had tics now? more than one year? both motor and vocal?

 

What would you say Dr. Sims demeanor and attitude was concerning your frustrations and the difficulty of your child being able to keep this in his mouth? Does he offer proper support and suggestion?

 

Do you clearly see a dramatic decrease in his tics when he had it in at the office or this evening? Perhaps afer a couple of days with some practice, he will get the hang of it. maybe you could let him wear it for a few hours a day at first. truly I don't know what to say, but maybe with some luck it will all work out.

 

Faith

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mylittleangel,

 

I'm sorry this is not what you hoped for. I do wish you all well for your trip home, and hope you see some help at home you will be able to share with us.

 

I hope Michael from Tampa will share with us his visit.

 

CP

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I was really hoping and praying that there would be better results for all of you. I am so sorry but at the same time thankful to be a part of this board and for all of you to share. I was surely throwing this whole thing around in my mind and trying to decide what to do. All of you sharing has helped me decide that maybe this is not for us. Well...at least right now.

So Thank You so much to all of you who have been sharing. I pray everyday that soon something will be discovered and help everyone.

Goodluck to those of you that may still be waiting on an appointment. If it worked for just one person on here than maybe we can all figure out why.

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Sorry you did not have a more positvie visit. I was really hoping for the best. As far as the device being bonded I am not sure how that works. My son can not eat with his in. Dr. Sims told him he would have to take it out to eat. Something you may want to ask him is to make the groves deeper. He did that for my son because he had a hard time keeping his bite in the right place. It helped him to find the groves better. I don't know if that would help but I would be leary to have it bonded this early. My son had alot of pain for the first few days and had to take it out often to get a break. I agree with you on your opinion of Dr. Sims. I feel like we are all test studies and he may be onto something but it is no where close to being perfected. Best of luck to those that are going. I will keep ya'll up to date with my son. Still no change he is ticcing away with the device but have an appointment on Wed. with an Ortho.

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regarding "making the grooves deeper"

see, now I would say, why didn't he do that in the first place or suggest that to mylittleangel? if that part is already a dilemna and that's how it was handled, then why didn't he say, well "we could do this", before talking about bonding it in the mouth? I think he should talk about some of the problems that a child might encounter before the device is gotten. I feel like there is a lack of consistency here. Like during my visit, he did not put any pressure on various points as another mom said (forget who offhand) to see if my son had any pain where he pressed. Another thing that bothers me is that he has another video up of an adult with ts, and it seems to me that on my screen, the mouth area is blurred out, so I cannot see exactly what this gentlemen's mouth looks like with the device in.

 

Faith

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I think Faith has a good point, and I also feel the Dr. either does not want to know, or does not believe there is other triggers to the TS. This is another reason I really question "newtotics" motives, so far the folks here are not having a good batting average with this Dr's retainer. Any mom or dad who has been through the nightmare some of us have been through would not hold back the good results with this device. I think we all could have asked some good questions like, "Does your child still have triggers to food, swimming, excitment ect..." I think this is the unknown we all are having a problem with.

 

At this point I have no good results to make me want to maybe in 10/12 months put my then almost 17yo through this.

 

CP

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