Welcome to Gluten Free for Tics

[Lynn777]

Interesting.  I'll try the extra detox.  Thanks Caryn!

[BikeWP]

Hi
I am new to the site and would like to share my experience with my son having tics.
It all started when he was five.  It started with eye blinking.  Gradually went to eye rolling then to his neck, etc...
I took him to an allergy specialist and they gave him the prick test.  The only thing that he is allergic to is grasses.  I finally took him into a Neurologist and the doctor told me "yes, he does have tics and to put him on more mag".  I did this and things didn't change,  I finally took him into a homeopathic doc and he ran some blood work along with a stool teat and urine sample.  His blood work said that he had intolerance to Gluten, MSG, Yellow #6 and Cane Sugar.  His stool test for Gluten came back 9 units.  Also, he is borderline Pyroluria. My son is now 9 and  I am very frustrated and would love some advice on what works...
Any advice would greatly be appreciated.  Thanks!

[Caryn]

Hi Bike WP,

Over the years I have found that most folks who go the natural route for their child's tics also find that they cannot tolerate processed foods well. The biggest culprit seems to be high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup. If your son has leaky gut issues (can be caused by intestinal damage from gluten intolerance) then you will want to use a low sugar diet and good strong probiotics to help his system balance out. Some families also see an increase in tics with milk consumption because it is inflammatory. Our son did not test positive for a milk allergy but we did take it out of his diet while his gut healed. After about 1 year we reintroduced it in small doses. He has been on his special diet for almost 4 years now and has been tic free for about two years. We avoid all artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives too. We do not exclude sugars but do use them in moderation (and compared to the average family we eat very little). Our son eats mostly organic whole foods. We also took measures to limit his exposure to molds in the house (at onset we had a flooding issue in our basement). Some of your son's issues could be environmental too. Finding out what the triggers are is the hardest part. The ticcing indicates there is something wrong with the immune system but each child's cause is different. Some of these kids overlap causes but others do not. All benefit from natural foods that are anti-inflammatory and generally healthy. I hope this helps. Halloween through March usually see increases in symptoms due to holiday sugary processed junk foods and less time in the warm sun. Seems like viruses and bacteria run rampant during this time of year too. Vitamins and minerals are helpful but are only part of the solution. Sometimes it just takes time for the body to balance out and heal, too.