Environmental Allergies - Looking Into Them 06/13/2010
 WARNING: This post is ridiculously long and words might repeat themselves after I've already spoken them. Don't be judgmental. Maybe it can't help it. Maybe it has Tourettes. Be tolerant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I'm going to start by saying my kid has Tourette Syndrome. No doubt about it - he's genetically wired to tic. That said, I am a firm believer in triggers. I can see major differences in his tics when he eats poorly or when he doesn't get enough sleep or the right supplements. (Hello magnesium! Love you!) After the crazy mango incident (see below) he was doing really well tic wise. (I'd say 3 out of 10. Totally manageable!) But then he started in with a pretty incessant "Uh-huh" and "mmmmm" in a recording like fashion. On and on, round and round. (Granted, they were soft, but non-stop and, truthfully, drove me batty. Not proud of that, but I'm human.) I finally broke down and bought some Bonnie Grimaldi supplements. Let's just say that his tics went from bad to worse. He was a hyper insane jack rabbit who not only "hmmmed" and "mmm'd" but gulped and couldn't sit still. All those b-energy releasers (plus the fact that he doesn't handle soy well which is in their base) transformed him into a live wire. (Another post on these vits later.) With him back on his regular supplements and a good diet, I finally started looking very seriously into Sheila Rogers Natural Approach to Tics and Tourettes. Unless her testimonials are total bs - which I don't believe at all - I decided to really buckle down and approach the tics from an environmental stand point. This means looking at everything in his environment and starting to eliminate possible triggers one by one. Is it mold? Dust? Perfumes? Chemicals in the cleaning? I know it seems like a needle in a haystack, but I'm willing to do it step by step. With some major emotion out of the way (Let's say "alone time and exercisefor 500!") I am willing to look at them from a more clinical stand point. Yes, I know my son is beyond happy. Sure, some of the tic patrol is all about me and calming my own nerves that are tired of hearing sounds. But a lot of it is my mama gut in overdrive: What is deficient in this child's body (nutrients, sleep, etc.) and what is too much for him (certain chemcials in the air, mercury, strep titers elevated, too much stimulation via tv or excitement?) Taking it step by step, I'm starting with this: What has changed in the past month in his environment? 1. Fertilizer at school. Many many kids had eye irritation and the smell was god awful. While they only rubbed their eyes, Stink's rolled from side to side, got puffy and red. Hellooo... a trigger! 2. The rabbit we inherited. I am betting diamonds to doughnuts the rabbit is the culprit here. He is no longer in school and his eyes have mellowed out 80%. (The rabbit, not my son.) My son even stayed at someone else's house this weekend who had dogs. When we picked him up, no tics. The minute he came back to our place, tic tic tic. The rabbit is now in the garage (with a light and lots of love from us who are back and forth constantly. Relax - no animal abuse here.) Unless I'm wishful thinking here, I can swear he is ticking 50% less. When we go past the garage to eat outside, he starts in again. We go back in the house... much much less. Unless Sheila Roger's book is totally bunk, which I don't believe, I am completely committed this summer to keeping with a good diet and keeping a log of Stink's tics, as well as eliminating potential triggers one by one. It's a lot of work. Many of you have written to me asking for "quick fixes". I don't have them. Each of us have different kids. But I encourage all of you to try this book out before going right to meds. I'll keep you posted. If I am successful at finding a few more triggers, I'll be darn happy and we'll celebrate with some fine rabbit stew. (Kidding! Stink is totally allergic to hare meat. I mean... we wouldn't do that!) CommentsLynn777 06/20/2010 14:10
Is Stink allergic to cats? I only ask because I am highly allergic to cats and we got a rabbit when I was younger and my ped told my mom that rabbit hair is similar to cat hair (dander) and that I should get tested for rabbit allergies too. The rabbit was gone in a week (long story), so I was never tested, but thought I'd mention it. JT's Mom 07/09/2010 13:01
I just want to make everyone aware that tics can sometimes be caused by infections and some kids see improvement with antibiotic and other types of immune system treatment. I don't want to give anyone false hope because tics can certainly be genetic also (with environmental triggers affecting the frequency/intensity), but I do think that everyone should explore infections as a possible factor also, specifically PANDAS, Lyme Disease, and Mycoplasma Pneumonia. I have also read that Epstein Barr virus and yeast overgrowoth have been a factor as well. 07/09/2010 15:42
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