Legal Recourse

[Concerned Dad]

My ex-wife and I had experienced tremendous success for seven years treating my son's Tourette's through allergy testing and abstention, supplements, and most recently NAET. During this time my wife was a strong advocate of alternative treatments for Tourettes. However, we have separated over the past year and are in the process of a divorce. I do not want to point fingers, so I will just say that the divorce is very bloody. In the process I was accused of being abusive and controlling and as a result my wife was left with the marital residence where my son lives, and I was left seeing my son three days a week. Neither of us has custody as the issue is still before the court.

 

In the summer my wife had her boyfriend move into the house and they are now planning a family together. Since that time my wife and her boyfriend have gone on a crusade to put my son on conventional treatment for his Tourettes. They have not maintained his diet and are refusing to allow him to continue NAET (even though I have agreed to pay). As a result all his tics have returned so they can parade him in front of the court and child guardian with the statement that I refused to have him treated. My wife is now also recanting all her prior statements of success stating that alternative treatment is nothing but "hocus pocus." This is obviously a ploy to win custody and to be able to start her new family without the usual sacrifices that go along with alternative treatments (time, dietary restrictions, non-reimbursed medical expenses, etc). Thus far the court is agreeing with my wife against my strong objections. Luckily, the court has still allowed me to have some input as they ruled that my wife and I must agree on a neurologist with which to proceed. I keep choosing neurologists that have a philosophy of resorting to drugs only when necessary and my wife keeps turning them down. My wife chooses neurologists that strongly endorse various cocktails of medications, which I keep turning down. I am worried that eventually the court will make a decision and out of ignorance will rule in favor of traditional treatment without even giving the alternative any consideration. I am further worried that my son will be condemned to a world of drugs and side effects. I know first hand what medications can do because I grew up with a brother that had full-blown Tourettes and he luckily was smart enough to take himself off the drugs at 18, because he would rather live with the tics than the side effects. Sometimes when my brother was on his medication I didn't even recognize him, as he was a totally different person (it would kill me to see my son change like that).

 

Can anyone advise me as far as father’s rights, or at least know of respected resources or journals that I can offer up to the judge to keep this from happening.

[Sheila]

Hi--sorry none of us got back to you on this earlier. Usually alternatives, especially ones without research to back them up-- such as NAET--don't stand up in court against mainstream medicine.

 

Those who have tried it know how difficult it is to pursue natural approaches versus taking standard medications, and your ex-wife has, for whatever reasons, chosen this road. Your son needs to know that you will support him no matter how this ends up. I can imagine your frustration, given the family history and your success with alternatives, but hopefully you can shield your son from this frustration.

 

Hopefully as he gets older he will remember the positive experiences he had with non-drug treatment and pursue it once again if he still needs it. And we also hope that if he did end up on medications, that they were helpful for him. We wish you all the best. Sheila

[Ben]

Just want to say I'd like to hear how this turns out. This has crossed my mind. Good luck, Concerned Dad