home remedies


home remedies
Bookmark and Share











Tourette's Syndrome Natural Remedies, Cures & Treatments

 

 

Supplements Natural Remedy for Tourette’s Syndrome

Here is a description of what we did for my son to get profound relief from his debilitating and severe Tourette Syndrome and OCD symptoms.  His tics and other behavioral symptoms are now so mild that they are hardly noticeable. The improvement has been dramatic and the effects of the treatment were visible after only a few days on the program.  However, for many it can take several weeks of the regimen for the full benefits of the supplements to be manifest.

He was first diagnosed with Tourette’s at the age of 10 although, in retrospect, he was exhibiting tics much earlier.  It is our opinion that the Tourette’s has a genetic cause.  My husband now recalls numerous habits in his childhood that were tics and OCD and that his father, who was thought of as an eccentric person, also had OCD and Tourette’s.

It should be underscored that this treatment has not brought about a cure of my sons disorders but it has, in fact, greatly improved his (and our) life because it is now so much less debilitating and invasive.  It has gone from very severe to mild although it still takes ups and downs.  The intensity that previously manifested is now much much less.

My son took prescription medications for about a year after being diagnosed.  His reactions to these meds was bad and the side effects were very alarming and severe.  We finally decided to carefully take him of the medications with the help of a very special psychiatrist who was willing to assist us in experimenting with an alternative treatment.  So we started him on this program which was designed after a considerable amount of research on the web and ongoing consultation with various health care professionals.

I would like to say t it's when the Wendy's here hat while I have a background as a Medical Research professional, with a post-graduate degree in physiology, I am not a medical doctor.  What I am describing here is a program that worked for my son and so I can’t say that it will work for everyone else.  At all times we were under the guidance of medical doctors and I urge everyone else to do the same.

The Treatment

The method of treatment utililzes various supplements which include herbs, minerals, vitamins and specific amino acids.  The effectiveness of this program was, in part, due to detoxification from heavy metals (mercury in my son’s case) and controlling an overgrowth of Candida in his gut.  We also discovered that among the biggest triggers for tics were artificial foods such as sweeteners, food dyes, preservatives, MSG and high fructose corn syrup (found in just about everything these days).

We tested for allergies and did the food elimination diet.  He does not have any food allergies that we could detect.  However, it is my belief that everyone should check this out.  Food allergies will exacerbate any problem including Tourette’s. The most common allergen of all foods is dairy.  Wheat gluten and citrus are also in the top 5. 

My son was able to catalogue specific tic triggers such as chlorine (he stays out of swimming pools), dustmite, molds, strong smelling perfumes, some household cleaners, and air fresheners.  One thing that has made a big improvement is occupational therapy regarding his sensory problems.  However, he still wears his sox inside out and removes the labels from his clothes because he has such low tolerance for seams and bumps in his clothes. There is a really good article at Latitudes on Tic Triggers. Also you can order a good book from them called Natural Treatments for Tics and Tourette’s

He has gotten a lot of benefit from acupuncture and also we do biofeedback (we do NOT do neurofeedback).  In addition, he goes to a chiropractor trained in NUCCA (National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association).  This helps him to stay in alignment as tics often create misalignment in the spine and neuromuscular issues which create pain and can even cause more tics. He has also had very effective Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for his OCD. We also tested him for PANDAS Syndrome, which can look like Tourette’s, and Pyroluria.  He did not have either of these.

In addition to the psychiatrist who helped us off the medications, we went to a natural and holistically oriented medical doctor.  He was trained to be an MD but specializes in natural treatments.  He also sent us to other specialists and they all gave us direction in the process of testing and formulating the treatment.

The mood problems, such as anxiety, depression and OCD that often go with Tourette Syndrome, were always the most difficult aspect for him.  The improvement in these with supplements – primarily Vitamin B6, Inositol and 5HTP – has been profound!  It is not advisable to take some of these along with serotonin elevating medications (SSRI) so make a note of this.

Bonnie Grimaldi’s Research

A lot of what we came up with base based on the research done by Bonnie Grimaldi. She has developed her own products out of this called BonTech.  I understand and have read that many people use her products with tremendous success for controlling and removing tics.  However, we stuck with the formula that we put together in the beginning for my son because it worked and is still working and so we are hesitant to make any changes. I do know that Bonnie’s array of supplements has been most effective for a lot of people.

The Treatment Program

The dosage of the supplements might vary depending on body weight and age so I have not included that here.

Multivitamin with minerals – No fillers or coloring or flavoring.  It should have 100% RDA of biotin (this is one way to know if you have a quality product as biotin is the most expensive of all vitamins to manufacture).  One of the best I have found, especially the minerals – very  comprehensive, is All Your Vitamins at www dot youngagain dot com.  In addition to this we add in more B1 and B12.

Essential fatty acids – combination of borage, evening primrose and flaxseed oils.

Lecithin

Royal Jelly

Ginko biloba (for ADD)

Combination of inositol and vitamin B6 (for tics and OCD)

St. John’s Wort (OCD)

Each evening he takes

5HTP and vitamin B6 (OCD)

Methionine or sam-E (OCD)

Calcium, magnesium and zinc combo (main tic reducer)

Taurine (main tic reducer)

GrapeSeed PLUS extract to boost the immune system and promote good sleep.

When he is fatigued he takes co-ensyme Q10 and if anxiety is present we add in GABA.

At one time my son took L-carnitine because many others reported that it helped with relaxing and reducing tics but we stopped it recently because he seemed to get edgy with it.

Some of my son’s tics were obviously tied in with his OCD, and this was particularly true with the severe ones.  Our psychiatrist taught us about the interaction between Tourette’s and OCD as well as about endorphins which are the “feel good” chemicals our brains naturally produce when we have pain.  Often, the injurious, repetitive tics can be causing the brain to secrete endorphins so the Tourette’s sufferer continues doing the tics because of wanting to continue experiencing the natural high.  There is an amino acid called phenylalanine (in its D form) that stimulates endorphin activity and my son took this for some time.  It absolutely stopped all the injurious tics. It can be hard to find D-phenylalamine, but the DL-phenylalanine is more plentiful. The “L” form of this helps with depression but it is the “D” form that is required to release endorphins.  Another great way to stimulate the release of endorphins is by excercising.  It should be noted that some persons may have more tics with phenylalanine but this was not the case with my son.

As the cherry-on-top we were all very happy when my son’s ADD also became nearly non-existent after going on the treatment with supplements!

Here is a great site to get info and various supplements and drug interactions: Health Library

* * *

Freezer as Natural Treatment for Tourette’s

For all of my life I have been living with Tourette syndrome. The symptoms didn't really show up until I was about 12 years old. One of my more obvious tics was uncontrollable, rapid blinking of the is. Now I am 23 and have only recently figured out this treatment for the blinking is symptom. Whenever it begins, put your head in a freezer that is running. I realize this sounds bizarre, but it definitely works. It has some relation with the cold frosty air that comes pouring out when you open the door. You should get relief a few seconds after doing this. For the best effect, be sure the door is not opened completely. Rest the door lightly on your head so more of the cold air floods your eyes. I really hope this helps someone else as it has certainly helped me.

* * *

Chewing Gum Natural Remedy for Tourette's

Tourette's syndrome first showed up in my son when he was at the age of five and he is now 12. He takes Keppra, which helps to some degree, but the tics still show up. So he stays away from certain triggers and also chews gum when the tics start up. This helps right away. From all that I have read, chewing gum causes something to trigger in the brain. Perhaps it provides a distraction from the tics, I really have no idea but I do know it works! As an aside, the things that trigger him are excessive sugar, bright lights and video games.

 * * *

Share your home remedy - click here

Back to Home Remedies home page

WARNING!  This information is provided for academic purposes only.  Always consult a physician before using any home remedy or any other information on this web site.

Read Terms and Conditions before using this web site.  Love is the greatest healing power.

At the end of our lives, after all our successes and failures, the value of our lives is determined by how much we have loved.  - Amma

(C) Copyright by Great Natural Home Remedies.  All rights reserved.

Home Remedy Categories:

Men     ~     Women     ~     Seniors     ~     Infants     ~     Children
 Youths     ~     Pets     ~     Household   ~  Links    ~    Sitemap
About Us     Contact us   ~   Privacy Policy