Where do I start with helping my son?

[eyesonGod]

I appreciate all the wonderful advice, but it is a bit overwhelming..... what is step #1? Do I need to do a de-tox of sorts, or should I just start giving the magnesium, etc... When is it necessary to involve the doctor in this, and should I be talking to the Neurologist, or the Gen. Prac. Doc? Also, how long should I be waiting for results. I see most of the kids on here are still rather young... my son is 18 and about 180 lbs, ..... any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Nancy12]

I recommend getting a solid, scientific diagnosis first, rather than relying on the paper quizzes that psychologists and doctors use. Most kids end up with a stack of "diagnoses" all of them different!

 

Find an EEG neurofeedback practitioner who is qualified to work with children (you can find a list at the www.bcia.org website). The clinic will place electrodes on the kid's head (doesn't hurt, but some kids don't like it). The electrodes will pick up the electrical wave patterns in the brain and quantify and graph them on a computer screen.

 

There are well known patterns for ADHD, Asperger syndrome, Tourette's, mild brain trauma, etc.

 

The clinic can identify which wave patterns are causing the difficulties and prescribe a neurofeedback treatment program that will teach the brain to pull those wave patterns back into a normal pattern. Again, harmless, but it takes a long time.

 

We did it last year. My son, who had tics so bad he couldn't go to school, was so agitated he spent most of his days in fear, was obsessive-compulsive and hypersensitive, now is completely symptom-free. He is no longer on any medications. He is happy, calm, and steadily learning every day all the things he missed while he was in the fog of brainwave soup for so many years.

[Chemar]

Hi

 

my son is almost 20yo now and doing really well. has been on diet/supplements and acupuncture etc for 8+ years now

 

It is a good idea IMHO to start magnesium and see if it benefits. all the rest can follow but research does suggest magnesium helps calm tics

 

adding a good pure multivitamin and cleaning up diet of artificial additives, while trying to eliminate known tic triggers is also worth starting asap.

 

re neurofeedback...do approach this with great caution as we do also have reports of it having very negative effects on some people with Tourette Syndrome!!

 

finding a naturopathic or integrative doctor to work with is a real help. even if they dont know of the nbenefits of supps and diet etc, some are dedicated enough to educate themselves and then combine that with their medical expertise to guide you

 

but be aware that most conventional docs will likely suggest that alternative treatments are "quackery" and want to push medications. my personal advice is also be wary of alternative docs that charge very high fees. Expensive doesnt necessarily mean better kwim

 

a good way to get started IMHO is to get Sheila's book

http://www.latitudes.org/book.html

[eyesonGod]

Hi

 

my son is almost 20yo now and doing really well. has been on diet/supplements and acupuncture etc for 8+ years now

 

It is a good idea IMHO to start magnesium and see if it benefits. all the rest can follow but research does suggest magnesium helps calm tics

 

adding a good pure multivitamin and cleaning up diet of artificial additives, while trying to eliminate known tic triggers is also worth starting asap.

 

re neurofeedback...do approach this with great caution as we do also have reports of it having very negative effects on some people with Tourette Syndrome!!

 

finding a naturopathic or integrative doctor to work with is a real help. even if they dont know of the nbenefits of supps and diet etc, some are dedicated enough to educate themselves and then combine that with their medical expertise to guide you

 

but be aware that most conventional docs will likely suggest that alternative treatments are "quackery" and want to push medications. my personal advice is also be wary of alternative docs that charge very high fees. Expensive doesnt necessarily mean better kwim

 

 

a good way to get started IMHO is to get Sheila's book

http://www.latitudes.org/book.html

 

 

thank you Cheri, I have a few questions.... what does IMHO mean? also.. When you say "pure" vitamin, what is it that I am looking to avoid? I have already tried keeping him from dyes, and am becoming more and more aware of strange places where they are snuck in to the food we eat... I look for Red 40 and Yellow 5, and if it says "artificial colors." Are there any other que words for dyes? ~~ I'm sorry about all the questions... I guess I am just anxious to do this correctly. thanks again..

[CarolynN]

Hello,

 

I just wanted to add, and I know there are so many directions to go, but vitamin b6 along with the magnesium taurate has been very, very helpful to my son. I give my son, who is 60 pounds now, 50 mg's a day of B6. It is in the TS-Plus that Bonnie Grimaldi sells and so is the magnesium taurate. When his tics are really going I give him an additional 50 mg's of B6 for two or three days in a row. Then I go back to the 50 mg's a day.

 

I would say you might want to check out Bonnie Grimaldi's website, here is her testominal page, http://www.bonniegr.com/testimonials.htm . She developed these vitamins specifically for people with Tics/Tourettes/OCD. I have realized how benefical these vitamins have been although it is not an overnight fix. But people with tics are typically very depleted of the nutrients in these vitamins. So it takes a while for it to build back up in the body. But I can tell you I have been very, very pleased with them. The draw back is it is a lot of vitamins. My son takes 12 of just these a day along with other supplements. A grown person is suppose to take, I believe, 20 a day. It also runs about $70 a bottle and a bottle last a month or two depending on how many you are taking a day.

 

Carolyn

[CarolynN]

Sorry I somehow double posted!

[Chemar]

thank you Cheri, I have a few questions.... what does IMHO mean? also.. When you say "pure" vitamin, what is it that I am looking to avoid? I have already tried keeping him from dyes, and am becoming more and more aware of strange places where they are snuck in to the food we eat... I look for Red 40 and Yellow 5, and if it says "artificial colors." Are there any other que words for dyes? ~~ I'm sorry about all the questions... I guess I am just anxious to do this correctly. thanks again..

 

IMHO= In My Humble Opinion

 

by pure vitamin I mean one without artificial color, flavor and other kinds of chemical additives....its ridiculous but most of the supps and multis, especially those marketed for kids, have garbage added

and sadly yes, there are decptive labels that rename or cover up the artificial stuff....if in doubt, call the company and ask exactly what those "natural flavors" or xyz are!!

 

we are very pleased with the Jarrow MultiFood powder that we use to make multi smoothies or shakes to start each day with.