Tic disorder/Tourette's?

You must try this! It worked for my son....

This very thing happened to my son when he was 7. I did some research online and was saddened to read to think he had Tourettes. He had the throat clearing, a pronounced head bob and an arm flap. He was also blinky.

I learned that magnesium will solve this problem. I went to the health food store and purchased liquid magnesium. I began giving my son 1 tablespoon a day and his symptoms disapeared within 1 week. He still takes magnesium about three to four times a week now and he is fine. If he goes off the magnesium he gets blinky and develops tics again.

You really should try this. It works. Be sure to get liquid chelated magnesium as it it is more readliy absorbed. The liquid mag can be chalky. I mix mine in a little bit of orange juice and its easy to drink.

If you want to email me privatly I would be happy to share more of my experience about this. Magnesium is great for kids with ADHD, restless leg syndrome, anxiety and so much more. Everyone should be getting this vital mineral.

Hi H.,

To the best of my knowledge, true tourette's includes some vocalization. However, tics, even pronounced tics, are very common and usually attributed to an anxiety disorder. The more attention you bring to them, the more pronounced they become. Often, children will switch from one tic to another. It sounds as if this tic causes real concern due to possible injury to the neck. You could request a referral to a child psychologist. It seems, at this point, it might be nice to encourage a substitute tic which might satisfy your daughter's need to release tension. If the tic is really worrisome and refractory, I know medications are available.

Best Wishes,

J. L.

My nephew (who is now 19) developed a tic when he was about that age. His tic was about three or four, and he would blink very hard and rapidly, and rolled his eyes. He has very mild Tourette's, and the doctor told my sister that less fuss that you made about it, the less it would affect his life. They haven't done any treatment for it, and he's not bothered by it (though his ticing is work when he's tired) I hope you can get some better answers!

Hi H.,
I was so surprised to read your request as we we have dealt with similar issues with our 2nd daughter who will be 6 in early June. She went through maybe 2 years or longer with a constant heading jerking movement which she would quickly tilt her head (ear towards the shoulder).. she'd seem to favor one side, but would tilt on both sides.. Her neck muscles seemed to feel tight as a rope.. massaging would help.. we also brought her to a pediatric chiropratcer which seemed to help. She later developed a strangge vocal noise.. and we thought that may be a tick.. Everything has seemed to come and go.. and now she is not doing any of these anymore... The Ped. doc said these behaviors can appear to be tics, but can come and go.. I wouldn't panic yet,, be patient.. and seek some alternative help.. we were about to go a cranio-sacral therapist, when all seemed to be getting better. good luck.. I hope you get some helpful info.. if you'd like to talk further or have any other questions, feel free to email me.. ____@____.com
best to you and your daughters! L.

I have successful treated mild cases of this disorder with a specifically vegan diet and vitamin and mineral supplements. I have to admit, I am not aware of great science behind the treatment, and perhaps it is purely coincidental. The first and most pronounced case was an overweight 11 year old girl who came to me for a different reason, and among other things I recommended strict diet changes in addition to exercise and complete 100% elimination of video games and television. I was astonished to find that within one week she had no symptoms of tourette's and I can only attribute this to the diet. I am aware of several theories but I am not sure why she responded so well. There is a theory about Candida that I am not too sure of, but I think it had to do with avoiding foods that aggravate the symptoms of Tourette's, such as meat protein, sugar, caffeine (soda) etc. I'm sorry I wish I could be of more help.

My answer is similar to others you have received. Our son - now 10 - started with some behaviors that I would consider "tics" when he was in kindergarten. Now that I look back I cannot remember them all, but he would do one for a few weeks or months and then another one would come along. I also had the same worries but was basically told it would go away with age - which it has. He is mildly adhd, but he has not been put on any meds. He gets good grades and seems to be well adjusted in all other areas of his life so at this point, I am not worried. The only issue he still has - is he is a tip toe walker. That is the one habit that he has carried on since he started walking. Supposedly my husband was also a tip toe walker so I am hoping that will decrease with age as well.

My son has been diagnosed with tics. He started about 2-3ish. He would punch the air repeatedly with one or both arms. Yes, I found it very annoying and would tell him to knock it off. We started to assume it was growing pains. Then he would blink all the time to where we nicknamed him "blinky" when we caught him doing it. He has ADHD and wasn't able to get diagnosed for a while because they like to wait until afte a certain age. Then he was in a private Christian school and it was a much better enviorment. Once we moved him into public school when we couldn't afford private any longer, they showed concerns. We took him to the DR because now it was hand movements. Almost like you would do if you were writing for a long period of time and our wrist started to hurt. This one is still 4 years later his tic. Clearing the throat is also one. We took him to a ADHD specialist who just spoke with us ad had letters or forms from the teachers to diagnose him. He didn't have to go through any tests. A previous DR did hook his brain up to a machine and flashed a light. Not sure what it was called. But they just put these little monitors in different areas of his head. It didn't hurt or bother him at all. I think he needed to wash his hair afterwards but that was the extent of it.
My son is on ADHD meds which some can make the tics worse and some can help. Trying to go as much organic with the foods we eat has helped a LOT of people. But we can't afford complete organic.
It's not the end of the world for us. Just a new door opened that needed to be dealt with. The tics aren't completely gone but help a bit.
Hope I answered all the questions.

The Dr. is definitely the first step - and best of luck today - hopefully all will be alright.
My boy developed nervous tics when he started kindergarten (age 5; he is now 7). The Dr. didn't think it was allergies or Tourettes or anything serious. He seemed to think it was a fairly typical nervous habit among that age group and most kids outgrow it within a few years. Dr. told us to just ignore it (that it would worsen the more we drew attention to it). Interestingly, the tics (also throat clearing, blinking eyes, hyperventilating) seem to calm down after mid-year. They disappeared completely last summer and then resumed worse at the beginning of first grade (where he is now). They have again lessened as we've gotten past mid-year and it will be interesting to see if they go away again this summer. My little guy has an intense, "pleaser"-type of personality and I think the extra pressures of school just brought all this out. (He was in daycare/preschool before that and didn't exhibit any problems. I was surprised how much the pressure escalates in public school - both social and academic - so he is still struggling with that a bit).

Tourette's is usually diagnosed after a period of observing these types of movements. There are neurological tests you can have done but they aren't conclusive without anecdotal evidence. You can get a lot of info from TSA (Tourette Society of America) but it can be overwhelming. A friend of mine has worked with them for 15 years and they do great work. However, she has taken a strictly medical approach with her son, and his Tourette is so severe that now, in his late 20s, he has broken bones in his neck and has severe, disabling back pain. Despite many years of medications (which cause problems in other areas especially because Tourette often combines with other things like obsessive compulsive disorder and depression), he still has miserable tics and has had huge fluctuations in his weight and personality. There is a $95,000 operation he can have but insurance won't cover it. He cannot work full time in his chosen field, and is totally depressed as well as still economically dependent on his parents.

Other friends have had great results through a food product, and their son has had beautiful results. They would be happy to talk to you if you want to try this route. I know they have other friends who have done the same thing.

Hi H.
I can connect u with other people w Tourettes who have had results by supplementing
Happy to connect u
J. H