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My son's tics


troylarson

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Greetings all. I just found this forum and some of the threads have been invaluable.

 

My son has some type of tic disorder, although he has never been diagnosed. He is 6 years old and has been exhibiting tics for about two years. His tics are almost entirely vocal. He does have some physical tics, but they are so subtle they're not really a problem.

 

I have seen the threads and comments on monitor/screen sensitivity, and they caught my attention right away, because my son's tics have always been worst when he's playing video games or watching TV. We do not own any CRT monitors. All of our TVs and computers are LCD. I was also intrigued by the diet threads and comments, especially considering dairy. My son has an exceptional preference for milk, to the point he does not like to drink anything else. As a busy family, we also tend to eat poorly, probably relying on convenience foods more than we should.

 

In the past, we have restricted the TV/Game time with a noticeable improvement/diminishment of tics.

 

In searching through the threads, I really found more information than I could use, and it turned into a self-defeating endeavor... I was finding too much information and having a hard time weeding out what was relevant to my son's case versus what wasn't, so I'll just start this thread and ask straight away.

 

Right now, we intend to get to work on a more scientific method of treating our son's tics, including keeping a food log, and my questions primarily deal with that subject.

 

What foods have you noticed making a difference in your child's tics? Was there anything that stuck out? I've heard dairy, tomato products, and anything with artificial flavors/colors. I am all ears. Please help me out with some recommendations. Thanks!

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Keeping a clean diet is always a good start. Personally, I don't see food as a trigger for my son. I've tried elimination diets and found that I can give him all kinds of junk(or non-junk, LOL) over a series of weeks and still not see a change in the tics. I guess I tried my own modified scientific experiments. What we did find is that stress(both good or bad) and allergies(mostly environmental from what we can tell) seem to trigger him the most. Other than that, we just have typical waxing and waning that goes along with all tic disorders.

 

If you want to clean up the diet you'll want to eliminate all food colorings and preservatives including nitrates and nitrites which are mostly found in deli meats, bacon, etc. Also, you'll want to steer clear of HFCS(high fructose corn syrup). You may also want to avoid MSG(this could be big for some folks), caffeine, and even chlorine. Cutting down on screen time could also help. If you want to start with supplements without getting overwhelmed, you may want to start with just adding magnesium in the evenings. It's a great supplement and we all take it as a family as it helps relax the body and replenish minerals to sore muscles, etc. We are a very active family(our son plays competitive tennis, he's almost 12 now) so he knows when he's over done it one day and will specifically ask for an epsom salts bath and to take his magnesium supplement. Please keep posting, I know this can all be very overwhelming but just remember that lots of kids get tics and that this may very well go away on it's own in a few months or so. We know lots of kids who have had tics but they have totally disappeared. Unfortunately, for us, we've been dealing with tics and other co-morbid conditions for 3 years now. Good luck and please keep asking questions.

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Welcome troy,

 

Bonnie gave you some good advice. I too did not see any foods help with my son's vocals. He was vocal and loud all the time for about 2 years. I did notice the clean, all whole foods diet help with the motor tics he had at the time of his explosion of tics.

 

You could do the elimitation diet of wheat, eggs, and dairy for 3 weeks, then add them back one week at a time, making sure wheat was the last introduction. Could your son drink soy milk or some other alt. to milk that looks like milk?

 

If you just can't start with the other two and see if that helps at all. You may see some results and will be excited with your discovery.

 

Good luck,

CP

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Greetings,

 

We started looking at diet and supplements around five or six weeks ago, starting with eliminating all dairy, hfcs, preservatives, artificials, and as many additives as possible. That coincided with our supplementation of magnesium (1 tsp. Kids Calm in the morning), an additive-free, sugar-free kids strength multi vitamin (a.m.), and an omega supplement ("Flaxseed Fusion") (1 tbsp. a.m.). I believe the effect has been positive; while tics are still present, they do not interfere with his school or other activities, as it seemed they would do if we had chosen to do nothing. We're vigilant, though; he tics most while reading (a neck jerk), and I'd like to improve upon that somehow.

 

We have since started a nightly tea with inositol and a B6 supplement for the calming of potential comorbid symptoms. They seem to have a positive effect also. And the epsom bath in the evening a few times a week, usually when we notice neck discomfort. It definitely helps.

 

What I can say for certain with our son (8), in the little time that we have been monitoring these things, is that preservatives and unnecessary ingredients in any food (i.e., anything with those long lists of ingredients) exacerbated his tics, such that now we simply do not give them to him.

 

Chris

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  • 4 weeks later...

What type of lighting is your son reading under or with? Some types of lighting seem to exacerbate my sons tics. I'm sure you've had his eye's checked for any type of vision problem which would strain his eyes?

 

Trish

 

Greetings,

 

We started looking at diet and supplements around five or six weeks ago, starting with eliminating all dairy, hfcs, preservatives, artificials, and as many additives as possible. That coincided with our supplementation of magnesium (1 tsp. Kids Calm in the morning), an additive-free, sugar-free kids strength multi vitamin (a.m.), and an omega supplement ("Flaxseed Fusion") (1 tbsp. a.m.). I believe the effect has been positive; while tics are still present, they do not interfere with his school or other activities, as it seemed they would do if we had chosen to do nothing. We're vigilant, though; he tics most while reading (a neck jerk), and I'd like to improve upon that somehow.

 

We have since started a nightly tea with inositol and a B6 supplement for the calming of potential comorbid symptoms. They seem to have a positive effect also. And the epsom bath in the evening a few times a week, usually when we notice neck discomfort. It definitely helps.

 

What I can say for certain with our son (8), in the little time that we have been monitoring these things, is that preservatives and unnecessary ingredients in any food (i.e., anything with those long lists of ingredients) exacerbated his tics, such that now we simply do not give them to him.

 

Chris

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I'll go with giving the advice of eliminating milk, since you say he drinks alot of this and has a vocal. My son also has a vocal tic that waxes and wanes, but is always present in some for, but I beleive I see that milk seems to contribute to it. I haven't been vigilant about other forms of dairy for a while because he is a little too skinny. but its a good start for you, i'd be interested to see what happens when eliminating dairy. you could always add back in individual dairy like hidden dairy first, cheese, etc. but I would eliminate the actual milk first and foremost and see what happens.

 

good luck, let us know!

 

Faith

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**I copied this reply from another forum so excuse the repetition**

 

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum but have visited several times. Today I had a breakdown and I feel the need to write to someone. My son is 7 years old. He's had a tic since he was about 3 years of age. They began with shrugs and excessive eye blinking. Currently, he is experiencing some very intense humming and quick breathing tics. I can take the throat clearing, eye blinking, and neck rolls, but this one really worries me. He has yet to be diagnosed with anything. We are in the "wait and see" mode. We have, however, tried a few things. Currently, we are trying homeopathy. It's only been 2 months but his tics seem to be worsening and I feel rather helpless. I think I might try to change his diet. I've read that Gluten and Wheat products could worsen his tics. Should I get him tested? Also, I've noticed that he has a very white tongue. When we saw the dentist, we were told that it was excessive plaque. Could it be a yeast infection? I may be reaching but I think that they occur at the same time his tics show up. I'm afraid that this might be Tourettes. Is he too young for this diagnoses? The pediatrician is hoping that it is an adolescent tic and will decrease as he gets older. I don't know what to do and I feel overwhelmed with my research. Should I start with the yeast infection? Is there a link between yeast infections and vocal/motor tics? I would appreciate any help. Thank you.

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The white tongue can definitely be a sign of a yeast infection, and I'm surprised that your dentist didn't mention it as a possibility. There are tests that his doctor can order (e.g the Organic Acid Test [OAT] by Great Plains Lab), but personally I would just ask for a prescription of Diflucan. If your doctor wants to run tests first before prescribing an anti-fungal medication, I would start on other over-the-counter yeast rememdies while you are waiting for the results.

 

I give my son Candex and it does seem to help. (My son is on long-term antiobiotics, so yeast is a constant struggle for us.) I also ordered Candidate by Native Remedies, but haven't used it yet. I have also heard of natural rememdies such as Grape Seed Extract, Oil of Oregeno, Olive Leaf Extract, Pau d'arco, and several others, but haven't tried any of them yet.

 

Hopefully others with more experience using the herbal remedies will give you some feedback.

 

 

**I copied this reply from another forum so excuse the repetition**

 

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum but have visited several times. Today I had a breakdown and I feel the need to write to someone. My son is 7 years old. He's had a tic since he was about 3 years of age. They began with shrugs and excessive eye blinking. Currently, he is experiencing some very intense humming and quick breathing tics. I can take the throat clearing, eye blinking, and neck rolls, but this one really worries me. He has yet to be diagnosed with anything. We are in the "wait and see" mode. We have, however, tried a few things. Currently, we are trying homeopathy. It's only been 2 months but his tics seem to be worsening and I feel rather helpless. I think I might try to change his diet. I've read that Gluten and Wheat products could worsen his tics. Should I get him tested? Also, I've noticed that he has a very white tongue. When we saw the dentist, we were told that it was excessive plaque. Could it be a yeast infection? I may be reaching but I think that they occur at the same time his tics show up. I'm afraid that this might be Tourettes. Is he too young for this diagnoses? The pediatrician is hoping that it is an adolescent tic and will decrease as he gets older. I don't know what to do and I feel overwhelmed with my research. Should I start with the yeast infection? Is there a link between yeast infections and vocal/motor tics? I would appreciate any help. Thank you.

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Hi,

Thanks so much for the response. Today was a hard day. I took my son to the doctor to check out his white tongue and to observe his tics. The doctor thinks he has Tourettes. I'm a mess. I don't know what to do next. The doc swabbed his tongue to check for a yeast infection. He doesn't think it's the case, though. He also mentioned that he doesn't feel that there is a correlation between a yeast infection and tics. I also persuaded him to give my son the Strep Titer test. Doc also doesn't believe in PANDAS.

Is this really Tourettes? His past tics weren't so intense. Of course, he had really excessive blinking and throat clearing but compared to what he's doing now, it was nothing. My son is now constantly (every second) making breathing noises. It almost sounds like he's having an asthma attack.

How do I help him at school so he doesn't feel self conscious or embarrassed? Is that even possible? I feel lost and would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.

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(((((nola))))

 

I first wanted to give you support and let you know you are not alone and your feelings have been felt by all of us. You are grieving and that is the first step to healing your son.

 

No disrespect to your Dr. but he is wrong about the yeast, it can effect tics. It may not have been the underlining cause, but needs to be taken care of or your child will be waxing.

 

One of the things I did was chart my son's growth and during the months he waxed he also shot up in height. It at least made me feel better that I felt I knew the cause during that time.

 

I feel for my son when he was 12/13yo triggers were many and it was very hard to help him. I would say at 16yo I do not see the triggers as that many anymore. When he first wanted to join the fire dept. I was fighting him and my husband not to let him join because I was afraid he would be exposed to toxens. I had that same feeling when he got a job at the country club. I felt that would be a place huge on pest control. He has been exposed to toxic fumes from a helicopter during rescues, toxic smoke from burning buildings, and gas leaks. All of which did not increase his tics. But a stressful football, baseball, or hockey game can send him ticcing every second. So for my son stress and age have a lot to do with how bad he has or can be.

 

Try not to get overwhelmed and remember this will pass and some day.

 

 

As far as school goes if he likes sports have him join a team, this was a huge help for my son. His teammates were always there to support him, and even stick up for him. He also took a martial arts class that really helped his self esteem.

 

God bless,

cp

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Thanks so much for your replies. I've been having such a hard time. This evening his tics were so bad. He was clearing his throat, sniffing, and humming so much that he started coughing and said he couldn't breath. He looked terrified. I had to hold him and we sang together until he calmed down. I was so scared. Is it supposed to be this bad. It's never been this bad before. As mentioned, I am trying out homeopathy. This is our 3rd month. I would appreciate any other suggestions. This is so new to me and I have so many questions. What is NAET? Bonnie's Sup? Kid's Calm? Can I give those things with homeopathy? The homeopath said to try 1000 units of no-flush niacin. Has anyone tried that? Chemar mentioned that a tongue swab isn't sufficient to test for a yeast infection. What should he have done? Are these tics hurting him? They hurt me. Sorry for all the questions. It helps to get this all out. It's hard to talk to other people including my husband because it seems to real when I do.

To answer Chemar's questions...I don't think anyone in our family has had tics. There is a history of depression and one family member committed suicide. We noticed his tics around 2 1/2 years of age. Not sure if there's a correlation with vaccinations but he always had side effects, fevers, rashes when he got them. What's the opinion of vaccinations on this forum?

One last question...Does anyone have any recommendations for knowledgeable doctors in the Bay Area/Oakland/Berkeley? Thank you for your help.

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