Need more info on Efalax

Guest
I need to know if anyone can give me a web site that can give me more info on Efalax. I have heard a lot of good things, but I want more concrete material to read.

If not can someone explain what it is, what is in it etc?
 

Guest
On the Natural Treatments board, we have quite a few posts about Efalex. COME ON DOWN...

D'Leah
 

laura mz

New Member
jukebox, as i've suggested before....the best place for your questions on diet & other natural treatments, such as effalex, is on the natural treatments forum. as d'leah said they already have some posts on effalex there.....and you can ask any other questions you want.

kris
 

EastCoastChris

New Member
I know you have asked this question a couple of times. I am going to move this thread to the natural treatment forum so you can get the appropriate response. Look for this thread in the N/T forum.
 

Guest
Here is one informative link that was posted earlier:
Originally posted by Twiz:
A friend has passed this info onto me, and as there has been a few discussions lately about efalex, thought i'd share.

I've been able to give difficult child 4 Efalex per day and 4 regular fish oil per day (just make sure it has the Omega 3's). You can buy a large bottle of fish oil capsules from Walmart, Sam's or Costco and I believe it is much less expensive. The regular fish oil doesn't have the AA, but it should be ok. (You can get regular fish oil from Walmart or Costco for like, several hundred capsules for $8.00 or so)

It helps you to understand why Efalex may be helping their children and why other fish oil may be okay for some of them. ( if the regular fish oil doesn't help as much as Efalex, to keep trying the dosages of both to get the maximum help with the least money ... i.e. six Efalex & two fish oil, or vice versa) ...

Hazel
 

Gabriela

New Member
The best info on essential fatty acids - including Efalex - is in "The LCP Solution" by Jacqueline Stordy Phd and Malcolm Nicholl. You will get info on why EFAs work, the EFAs needed for improved behavior, etc. The book goes into great detail about why ADHD boys are deficient in EFAs. You can get it at Amazon.

The ingredients in Efalex are evening primrose oil, tuna oil, Vitamin E, thyme oil, Linoleic Acid, Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), gamma-Linolenic Acid(GLA) and Arachidonic Acid (AA). Some parents worry about the fats in Efalex and other EFA products, but the problem is that the child is not geting (or not processing correctly) enough Omega-3 fatty acids.

Kyle is one of the kids that needs AA, and Efalex is one of the few products on the market that has AA. Other EFA products don't work for Kyle; his out of control tantrums return. Different products work for different kids, and there are cheaper products on the market. The key seems to be getting 480 mg DHA per day, but you can't simply give DHA by itself. That is why reading "The LCP Solution" is important and getting the right product for your child is important. If one formula doesn't work that does not mean that an essential fatty acid deficiency is not the problems.

The 1996 Purdue study that showed that a large percentage of the ADHD boys in the study were deficient in EFAs and supplementing with Efalex showed improved behavior and a decrease in ADHD symptoms really shows me that an EFA deficiency could be the cause of ADHD symptoms instead of ADHD being the problem. EFAs also decrease the frequency and duration of manic episodes in bipolar patients, so an EFA deficiency could also be at the root of the problem in a large percentage of bipolar patients also.
 

Guest
Thank you for everyones help, and sorry to those who had to steer me to the right area more than once.

I found my way to the NT side last eve and read alot of info that has been helpful.

I have tried to locate Efalex in Wichita, Kansas and cannot find anyone who carries it. The GNC here said they did not have it.

Search Vitnet as suggested and learned even more and might possible order to try.

Thanks for everyones help

Justins Mom
 

Gabriela

New Member
If you give Efalex a try - and try it at least for the whole twelve weeks - you will find you probably can ditch the allergy medicine. One of the benefits of adding essential fatty acids is an improved immune system. None of us has had colds or the flu for over two years, and I used to have nearly constant sinus infections which of course meant constant antibiotics.

Most ADHD kids are deficient in certain vitamins. You may want to try adding 400 mg magnesium, 25 mg zinc, 25 mg B-complex, and calcium + D. There is an excellent book out "Diet, Crime, & Delinquency" by Alexander Schauss that shows that most criminals in jail have vitamin deficiencies, and if I remember correctly the deficiencies are magnesium and zinc.

Keep us informed and let us know how he is doing. Hope the Efalex helps with the behavior; it certainly has been a godsend for Kyle. We would have no semblance of a normal life without it.
 

kris

New Member
this deficiency in EFA? What does that stand for, and is it a blood test that you have done to determine if your child is low in it?
My 17 yo has been diagnosis over the yrs as ADD, ODD, and mood disorders. The medications he has been treted with are Adderall, then to Metadate, along with risperdal, and in the past Depakote. The medications work, but not significantly. He was tested for allergies in the past, and found to be allergic to alot, but not significantly. Changed his diet, adn threw him into hypoglycemia.
I thought as a last ditch effort to find out more aoubt his Efflaax?
Jennifer
 

Katie8

New Member
Jennifer -
We had food allergy and EFA testing done via Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab. My difficult child - who is not ADD/ADHD - had just a mild deficiency of a couple of different EFAs. He takes one Efalex a day and one "The Total EFA" (by Health from the Sun). Many people on this board have not had testing done and just tried EFA supplements on their own with great success.

I totally understand the diet issue. The first round of testing my difficult child was allergic to most fruits, all veggies except asparagus, most nuts, wheat, soy, milk, eggs, yeast, sugar, corn and other grains! Even though the test results came back with a list of foods he "could" have, I had no idea what to make him except for plain hamburgers with no condiments and no bun.

I found a book called "Allergy Cooking with Ease" by Nicolette Dunke which featured tons of easy, great tasting recipes that excluded ingredients my child was allergic to. (If you're only allergic to a few foods, you can find other, more basic allergy cookbooks that offer easier to find ingredients.) It helps that I have a huge health food grocery store in my town that carries all those weird ingredients, but more and more mainstream stores offer the ingredients.

The diet route is a ton of work... for you and the one who has to stick to it. For us, the improvement in behavior (very ODD to easy child!) was worth it. Not everyone has those dramatic results or has a child willing to stick with it. My son started on the diet when he was only 4-1/2. It's now 2 years later and we're tired of the diet... so we're trying alternative therapies like acupressure and homeopathy to boost the immune system so that someday soon (hopefully), the diet will no longer be necessary.

Jukebox -- If the allergy test in October is a blood test by either Great Smokies or Immuno Labs, you may want to ask your doctor to consider checking for environmental allergens. My difficult child had violent rages for several years that went away the day we eliminated all his food allergies. But some ODD still remained and we later discovered he had terrible environmental allergies -- pollens, molds, dust mites,etc -- even though he was never congested -- so we had no clue! (which is also why our doctor didn't think we needed to have him tested for those allergens). The allergies had also seriously affected his fine motor skills and the issue completely went away with the holistic allergy treatments.

Anyway, I hope you find a treatment that works well for your difficult child and brings some peace to your family.

[ 08-14-2002: Message edited by: Waldorf Mom ]
 

Guest
Blood tests with a complete blood chemistry profile can be very helpful. I also found this info on line:
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
We need more Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) in our diet daily than any other nutrient. Our bodies cannot manufacture EFA's -- they must be replenished from our food and/or dietary supplements. EFA's occur naturally in small amounts in foods such as nuts, grains, soybeans and some vegetable oils. However, most of it is lost in refining and cooking. Some of the best sources of the two critically important EFA's, omega 3 and omega 6, are cold water fish, flax oil and supplemental oils from plants such as black currant, borage, hemp and primrose.
The brain cannot function normally without a good supply of EFA's. Essential fatty acids promote the healthy growth of nerves and muscles, and keep our cell membranes strong. EFA's can reduce inflammation in the body, and so are helpful to persons suffering from allergies, asthma, arthritis and skin conditions. Since EFA's have been shown to lower blood fat levels (especially cholesterol), and keep blood from becoming too thick, they are potentially helpful in the prevention of heart disease and PMS.
 

Guest
Boy I had not ck'd the board for a couple of days and was amazed at all the good info I received today.

To answer the ??? about allergy testing, my doctor starts with the scratch test first and then If anything comes back + she then will do the individual blood tests, for foods, and airborne.

I ordered the Efalex and should receive it either today or tomorrow.

I also have given Justin some buffered Vit C this week when he seemed to have a reaction to his antibiotic, (Zithromax).

Saw a notable change within about 15 minutes of giving it to him.

Will keep everyone posted on the Starting of Efalex.

Justin's Mom Sherry
 

Katie8

New Member
Sherry - just a quick note about the allergy testing. Had my difficult child (and actually my easy child too) had the scratch test done, the test results would have been negative. The scratch tests aren't able to test for delayed allergies.

Good luck with the other things (like Efalex and buffered Vitamin C) that you're trying.
 

Guest
Waldorf Mom,

I understand that the sratch test are not 100%, but the doctors here where I live, that is how they start.

Fortunatly I have worked in the Medical Field for about 12 yrs now, and I know how to be pushy if I need to.

I will push as hard as needed to get Justin the help he needs. Got the Efalex today and will keep everyone posted. Might try the Gaba Calm as well

Justin's Mom Shery
 
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