please help - anyone else in UK?

[elizabeth]

Hello. I am looking for help on which direction to take. We live in the UK.

 

I posted here about 6 months ago about my 9 year old son who had squeaking tics and other motor tics. In the last six months we have been through several types of vocal tcis and motor tics, changing every week. We tried dairy free for about two weeks with no effect. We started on fish oil in March, a multivatin tablet, and trying for a healthier diet (less sugar, less artifical foods etc). The fish oil seemed to help. Have been doing epsom salt foot baths, but they don't seem to make any difference and gave him atheletes foot. I felt the we were containing the tics because they stayed at a relatively less noticable/low level from April through to recently. However going back to school this September we are experienceing an explosion of tics. He is now doing a very loud shouting tic. It was every second last night, and I am feeling desparate about doing something to help him.

 

I would be very interested to hear from others in the UK on who they see for treatment. I would like to find a doctor who will explore the link between diet to tics with me, but have not found anyone yet. I feel very confused about all the informaiton on the internet and I have done a lot of reading. Have read sheila's book, but wonder where the best place is to start again. What tests should I look at getting done. The list of possibilities seems overwhelming - dairy, gluten, corn, NAET?, Kinesology, yeast?, Salicyates, chemicals, mineral deficiencies, acupunture, special supplements? Who should I see to identify which areas to look at first. My son is reluctant when it comes to diet changes since he is a very picky eater so I want to avoid making unnecessary stress for him. I want to avoid medication if at all possible. What is an environmental doctor? Do we have the equivalent in the UK?

 

Many thanks for any help.

[Chemar]

Hi

 

there are naturopathic & environmental doctors in the UK, but I dont know if any are covered by NHS? so it is hard to advise on that

If you are able to go private, you may have a better chance of finding a physician who can guide you through all this

 

we have had people from the UK posting in the past so you may find info doing searches here

 

I am not sure what gave your child athletes foot but I highly doubt it came from epsom salts bath itself!

It may have been from not drying feet properly afterward, or putting on socks over moist feet, or not cleaning out the footbath, towel, area around it etc etc..... but we have been doing epsom foot baths for years now and never had any such problem!

 

have you checked for strep or other infections?

do you have any family history of tics and/or Tourette Syndrome?

[Wombat140]

I'd love to help, but I'm in the same boat at present! I have OCD myself, of a kind that's a bit like Tourette's syndrome and refuses to respond to the usual treatments. I've tried a lot of things on spec. without consulting any professionals. Supplements mainly, and a gluten and casein-free diet, and HEG neurofeedback. (None of them helped very much, except possibly SAMe supplements which I now can't get). Now thinking of trying homoeopathy. If you're interested in that, try one of the professional organisations like the Society of Homeopaths.

I don't imagine you'd be likely to get most of these treatments on the NHS, not that I've tried. There are definitely some exceptions, though. I know of one lady who managed to convince her GP that a gluten and casein-free diet was really helping her children's autism, and the GP agreed to give them prescriptions for free gluten-free bread. I think a lot depends on your GP.

I wouldn't know where to find an environmental doctor even privately!

 

All the best,

Wombat140