Well, I'm intrigued. Perhaps you can give me the benefit of your years of experience and let me know what finally did work for the anger and impulsivity. Sulphur you say? And what homeopathic mixes are you currently using? Seeing any great results? I haven't done allergy testing. Do you recommend it and if so, what type of testing? Was your child bothered by it? I'd appreciate a response. Thanks. PAULA
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To Waldorf Mom about sulphur
- Thread starter DeirdreS
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Hi Paula. Ok... you asked.... but this is long! Our psychiatrist is a homeopathic MD, so we've been using homeopathy with them since they were born. When my difficult child was 20 months old, we were strongly advised to see a therapist to help advise us and our very supportive daycare teachers as to what else we could do to help him. (He was sooooo aggressive... biting....several "incident" reports a day...and yet was such a peanut - not even 18 lbs!). We saw the therapist who was very helpful in making sure that we were setting limits properly...but she was most helpful to me...reasurring me that I was a good mom, etc.
Several years went by, and some behavior improved (he didn't usually bite anymore...but still hit)...but he was having violent rages every day and he rarely smiled or laughed. By this time I had read so many parenting books, taken pareting seminars... desperate to find out what we could do differently to help him.
When he was 4-1/4 we changed daycares for my difficult child to a nature-based program where they were outside and hiked nature trails a few times a day. There the teachers recommended some different foods (though we were already eating mostly organic, no artificial dyes/flavors, etc.) and dressing him Fall through Spring with 2 layers on the bottom (thermals and pants) and 3 layers on top (t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweater/vest) - preferably clothes with some soft wool. We even went so far as to change the colors of his clothes to more "grounding" colors (no reds) and painting many of the rooms in our house a soft green.
Throughout the years, we tried different homeopathic remedies to help with the aggression. We also tried various diets (avoiding wheat, dairy, etc.). I can't tell you the number of times I called the psychiatrist in tears because we were at risk once-again for losing daycare & my difficult child was so unhappy. I tell you the above only so you understand the extent of the things we had tried.
At our annual check-ups the psychiatrist would see that my difficult child was out of control...and that I couldn't help control or discipline him at all...(I looked like a horrible parent I'm sure!) so he recommended we see the therapist again. FINALLY (geesh, hindsight is 20/20) as the therapist and I were discussing the strong probability of ODD, I found this website and Moonglow (Julie) and some others described rages just like my difficult child was having and mentioned that their difficult child had food allergies. Well, we had tried avoiding certain foods and had never seen any improvement...but another kind friend had gently mentioned to me that my difficult child seemed to have more difficulty every time he ate a meal - no matter what we fed him. That was a good point - he *was* always worse after eating.
I begged, cried and pleaded to have my difficult child's food allergies tested, though the psychiatrist had never seen allergies cause the issues my difficult child was having...and we had already tried allergy diets.... but he agreed anyway. Because my difficult child didn't have any of the usual outward signs of environmental allergies (sneezing, runny/stuffy nose etc), the psychiatrist decided not to have those tested.
We had the testing done via Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab. (Your doctor orders the kit, you have the blood drawn at lab of your choice and the lab sends the bloodwork to Great Smokies and your doctor receives the report in typically under 2 weeks). It's important that whatever allergy testing you choose checks both immediate and delayed allergies (IgE and IgG).
Well, no wonder diets hadn't worked. My difficult child had delayed reactions to 60 of the 100 foods they tested him for! Every veggie except asparagus...numerous fruits, grains - wheat, soy, corn. Even when I had tried switching food for him, I had unknowingly substituted it for another allergen. We later learned he has something called leaky gut. For him, the leaky gut means that his allergies change all the time - even between breakfast and dinner! We removed every single food on that list from his diet and on the first day his rages stopped. As a side note... he was born with blue eyes that turned brown around 18 months...but by his 5th birthday (just a few months into this very restricted diet) they were green...and now they're back to mostly blue!
We also later learned that my difficult child had tons of environmental allergies - everything from pollen, mold, dustmites - even the chemicals/minerals in the water he washed his hands in caused behavioral issues!
My difficult child takes supplements to heal the leaky gut and we're using some alternative therapies to reduce sensitivity to allergens and boost the immune system. Last December we started NAET (an acupressure treatment specifically for allergies) which desensitized him (though only temporarily due to the leaky gut) to one food at a time so that his diet selection was broadened.
Without his body reacting to all these allergens, my difficult child is really just a normal spirited boy. I really *like* him now! He's sweet, patient, loving, helpful, and happy. But as soon as he has something he wasn't supposed to... within 30 mintues-to several hours his behavior becomes mean, nasty, no impulse control and aggressive. Within 3 days, as it gets out of his system, he goes back to being happy again. The change is miraculous. Parents of children in his class and his teachers are amazed at the difference.
As of the other day, I feel like we've come full circle. We started seeing a doctor in Connecticut who treats allergies with a modified NAET technique called NEAT (natural elimination of allergy treatment), where he can desensitize you to whatever foods you're allergic to in one visit (NAET does one food or environmental allergen at a time -- very time consuming and expensive)! Plus, he added some new homeopathic treatments that we've never tried before ("New England Mix" for tree, pollen, etc. and "North Atlantic Mold Mix" by Dolisos. He also gave us the "Isopathic Phenolic Rings" remedy by Energetix which "assists in the homeopathic support of food, environmental, and neurotransmitter and hormonal sensitivities").
The doctor is Dr. Gary Hartell in Danielson, CT 860/774-8398. We drove 1-1/2 hours to see him from MA & he was really worth it. Also, because he's a doctor, our insurance will reimburse at least partially for the treatment. He tests you right there with electro-dermal (sp?) testing - it's simple, easy and doesn't hurt (no blood taken!). I think they have a database of over 1400 items! Then he immediately desensitizes you to the things you're allergic to. It's amazing! The blood allergy testing (through great smokies or similar lab) is over $500.... and then you're still allergic to everything. This other route still tells you what you're allergic to...but you hopefully won't be 24 hours later...and it's about $65/visit (and you just need a few visits)!
Bottom line? I recommend Dr. Hartell (who's the closest one to you too who is trained in this technique developed by Dr. Kail in Arizona) because you get instant testing and results (he'll also do a test for leaky gut) for a fraction of the cost of other tests and treatments. And depending on your insurance, your visits may be covered (though you have to pay up front). He's also a chiropractor and very knowledgable of homeopathy (though I'm not sure if actually certified).
I often recommend people read "Is This Your Child? Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in Children and Adults" by Doris Rapp. You'll be amazed as you recognize similarities to your own children in the case studies, pictures, and illustrations she includes.
This worked for us. It doesn't work for everyone, but you might want to look into it. If so, there are a couple of labs to have testing done (and there's lots of great info on their websites)...
This may have been more than you needed/wanted to know... but if I can save you (or a lurker) from making the mistakes we did or taking longer to make it down the right path... I hope it's ok.
p.s. Hope to see you at the picnic tomorrow!
Several years went by, and some behavior improved (he didn't usually bite anymore...but still hit)...but he was having violent rages every day and he rarely smiled or laughed. By this time I had read so many parenting books, taken pareting seminars... desperate to find out what we could do differently to help him.
When he was 4-1/4 we changed daycares for my difficult child to a nature-based program where they were outside and hiked nature trails a few times a day. There the teachers recommended some different foods (though we were already eating mostly organic, no artificial dyes/flavors, etc.) and dressing him Fall through Spring with 2 layers on the bottom (thermals and pants) and 3 layers on top (t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweater/vest) - preferably clothes with some soft wool. We even went so far as to change the colors of his clothes to more "grounding" colors (no reds) and painting many of the rooms in our house a soft green.
Throughout the years, we tried different homeopathic remedies to help with the aggression. We also tried various diets (avoiding wheat, dairy, etc.). I can't tell you the number of times I called the psychiatrist in tears because we were at risk once-again for losing daycare & my difficult child was so unhappy. I tell you the above only so you understand the extent of the things we had tried.
At our annual check-ups the psychiatrist would see that my difficult child was out of control...and that I couldn't help control or discipline him at all...(I looked like a horrible parent I'm sure!) so he recommended we see the therapist again. FINALLY (geesh, hindsight is 20/20) as the therapist and I were discussing the strong probability of ODD, I found this website and Moonglow (Julie) and some others described rages just like my difficult child was having and mentioned that their difficult child had food allergies. Well, we had tried avoiding certain foods and had never seen any improvement...but another kind friend had gently mentioned to me that my difficult child seemed to have more difficulty every time he ate a meal - no matter what we fed him. That was a good point - he *was* always worse after eating.
I begged, cried and pleaded to have my difficult child's food allergies tested, though the psychiatrist had never seen allergies cause the issues my difficult child was having...and we had already tried allergy diets.... but he agreed anyway. Because my difficult child didn't have any of the usual outward signs of environmental allergies (sneezing, runny/stuffy nose etc), the psychiatrist decided not to have those tested.
We had the testing done via Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab. (Your doctor orders the kit, you have the blood drawn at lab of your choice and the lab sends the bloodwork to Great Smokies and your doctor receives the report in typically under 2 weeks). It's important that whatever allergy testing you choose checks both immediate and delayed allergies (IgE and IgG).
Well, no wonder diets hadn't worked. My difficult child had delayed reactions to 60 of the 100 foods they tested him for! Every veggie except asparagus...numerous fruits, grains - wheat, soy, corn. Even when I had tried switching food for him, I had unknowingly substituted it for another allergen. We later learned he has something called leaky gut. For him, the leaky gut means that his allergies change all the time - even between breakfast and dinner! We removed every single food on that list from his diet and on the first day his rages stopped. As a side note... he was born with blue eyes that turned brown around 18 months...but by his 5th birthday (just a few months into this very restricted diet) they were green...and now they're back to mostly blue!
We also later learned that my difficult child had tons of environmental allergies - everything from pollen, mold, dustmites - even the chemicals/minerals in the water he washed his hands in caused behavioral issues!
My difficult child takes supplements to heal the leaky gut and we're using some alternative therapies to reduce sensitivity to allergens and boost the immune system. Last December we started NAET (an acupressure treatment specifically for allergies) which desensitized him (though only temporarily due to the leaky gut) to one food at a time so that his diet selection was broadened.
Without his body reacting to all these allergens, my difficult child is really just a normal spirited boy. I really *like* him now! He's sweet, patient, loving, helpful, and happy. But as soon as he has something he wasn't supposed to... within 30 mintues-to several hours his behavior becomes mean, nasty, no impulse control and aggressive. Within 3 days, as it gets out of his system, he goes back to being happy again. The change is miraculous. Parents of children in his class and his teachers are amazed at the difference.
As of the other day, I feel like we've come full circle. We started seeing a doctor in Connecticut who treats allergies with a modified NAET technique called NEAT (natural elimination of allergy treatment), where he can desensitize you to whatever foods you're allergic to in one visit (NAET does one food or environmental allergen at a time -- very time consuming and expensive)! Plus, he added some new homeopathic treatments that we've never tried before ("New England Mix" for tree, pollen, etc. and "North Atlantic Mold Mix" by Dolisos. He also gave us the "Isopathic Phenolic Rings" remedy by Energetix which "assists in the homeopathic support of food, environmental, and neurotransmitter and hormonal sensitivities").
The doctor is Dr. Gary Hartell in Danielson, CT 860/774-8398. We drove 1-1/2 hours to see him from MA & he was really worth it. Also, because he's a doctor, our insurance will reimburse at least partially for the treatment. He tests you right there with electro-dermal (sp?) testing - it's simple, easy and doesn't hurt (no blood taken!). I think they have a database of over 1400 items! Then he immediately desensitizes you to the things you're allergic to. It's amazing! The blood allergy testing (through great smokies or similar lab) is over $500.... and then you're still allergic to everything. This other route still tells you what you're allergic to...but you hopefully won't be 24 hours later...and it's about $65/visit (and you just need a few visits)!
Bottom line? I recommend Dr. Hartell (who's the closest one to you too who is trained in this technique developed by Dr. Kail in Arizona) because you get instant testing and results (he'll also do a test for leaky gut) for a fraction of the cost of other tests and treatments. And depending on your insurance, your visits may be covered (though you have to pay up front). He's also a chiropractor and very knowledgable of homeopathy (though I'm not sure if actually certified).
I often recommend people read "Is This Your Child? Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in Children and Adults" by Doris Rapp. You'll be amazed as you recognize similarities to your own children in the case studies, pictures, and illustrations she includes.
This worked for us. It doesn't work for everyone, but you might want to look into it. If so, there are a couple of labs to have testing done (and there's lots of great info on their websites)...
This may have been more than you needed/wanted to know... but if I can save you (or a lurker) from making the mistakes we did or taking longer to make it down the right path... I hope it's ok.
p.s. Hope to see you at the picnic tomorrow!
EastCoastChris
New Member
Waldorf mom,what a good explaination of a treatment that has worked for your son.
Keep up the good work of finding ways to help him.
Has your difficult child ever had any diagnosis but ODD?
How does he do academically? I know he is just going into first grade but is there any obvious differences in his learning?
Keep up the good work of finding ways to help him.
Has your difficult child ever had any diagnosis but ODD?
How does he do academically? I know he is just going into first grade but is there any obvious differences in his learning?
Thanks Fran. His only diagnosis was ODD when he was 4, though he saw an Occupational Therapist (OT) specialist at the school 3 times this year to help him with mild Sensory Integration issues. As his allergies got better this year, the Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) issue nearly disappeared for him. The Occupational Therapist (OT) said this is common among her patients with allergies.
My difficult child is in a Waldorf school where typical math/reading type of academics don't start until 1st grade. Waldorf curriculum and teaching methods are very different than traditional classrooms and we believe it will suit his learning style well. Weâll see! We're anxiously waiting to see how well he does and if any learning disorders appear. Until now, we've mostly been focusing on behavior disorders, now comes the real test - the most classroom structure he's seen (though it's not nearly like our local public school)... and it's his first year with a desk. Fortunately, he has the best teacher I could have hoped for this year... and they already know and like each other (she taught my daughter for a few months this year). She came to the house recently to spend some one-on-one time with him and now he just can't wait for 1st grade to begin.
Weâre keeping our fingers crossed... and our eyes and ears wide open! :wink:
My difficult child is in a Waldorf school where typical math/reading type of academics don't start until 1st grade. Waldorf curriculum and teaching methods are very different than traditional classrooms and we believe it will suit his learning style well. Weâll see! We're anxiously waiting to see how well he does and if any learning disorders appear. Until now, we've mostly been focusing on behavior disorders, now comes the real test - the most classroom structure he's seen (though it's not nearly like our local public school)... and it's his first year with a desk. Fortunately, he has the best teacher I could have hoped for this year... and they already know and like each other (she taught my daughter for a few months this year). She came to the house recently to spend some one-on-one time with him and now he just can't wait for 1st grade to begin.
Weâre keeping our fingers crossed... and our eyes and ears wide open! :wink:
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