Supplementation Update

I've gotten requests for what supplements we are now using, and I'm eager to give an answer.  I realized it's been a while since I last posted about all the supplements we were using.  After a lot of experimentation, we have settled on a few that I feel helps Kiddo and Little Brother, and the rest of the supplements that were recommended to us we no longer use.

Before I begin, let me note I am not a medical doctor.  I'm only reporting what has worked for us, and I've only tried these things after lots of research and by starting each of these supplements on a lowered dose and gradually increasing to the recommended dose to watch for side effects and if it is in fact, helping Kiddo.  Also, I reference autism a few times in this post.  Kiddo does not have autism, but as I've researched these supplements, I've learned it's common for kids with autism and apraxia to have the same deficiencies and so I will mention when that is the case.

And now, without further ado, the supplements we are still using and seeing results from can be found in this post on my other blog.

Happy Supplementing!

Progress with Probiotics

Our next step on our biomed journey was introducing probiotics (good bacteria, like what you find in yogurt) to the kiddo.  One of the websites I've been reading, biomedheals.com said this:

"There is a theory out there now that is applying to conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, verbal apraxia, really a huge umbrella of conditions that are becoming way more common in our society. The theory is these children have lots of bad bacteria and yeast in their intestines. We are not suppose to have yeast in our intestines. Only in our stomachs. When yeast leaks out into our intestines it lines them and makes a coating. And why this is an issue, is because our stomachs only digest proteins. Everything else is digested in the intestines. And when there is yeast in there it blocks the intestines from absorbing all the wonderful vitamins our food contains. Which in turn, almost starves our bodies and brains from the fuel it needs. And when that happens, a lot of issues can arise."

So, realizing this made total and complete sense, and after researching more about probiotics I decided to try it.  Since the kiddo seems to be very sensitive to a lot of supplements I give him (sometimes he experiences rare side effects such as hyperactivity with fish oil, and teeth grinding with magnesium) I always introduce a supplement at a very low dose and if all goes well I increase slowly.  So I started at 1/8 of the recommended dose of probiotics for children, every other day.  The third day (his second low dose) he had massive diarrhea.  (Yep, bet you weren't expecting to read that.)  Hubster, kiddo, little brother and I were at a restaurant with my sister and totally not expecting to experience that.  Nothing quite like telling your waiter your son got poop all over the floor and also using up every last diaper wipe to clean the kid up.  I carried kiddo out minus his shorts (for obvious reasons) and he signed over and over again "silly" as we fled the scene.  About twenty minutes later, we had another case of diarrhea.  Fun times.

I did lots more research after the restaurant fiasco and read that high doses of probiotic can cause something called die-off, or basically when all the bad bacteria and yeast are killed simultaneously and therefore have to leave the body, and that there can be up to three pounds of yeast to be evacuated.  Yeah, disgusting and horrifying.

Needless to say, we took a break from the probiotic for a few days, fed the kiddo quite a few Pedialyte popsicles, and prayed that we had seen the end of the diarrhea.  We had.  

And we noticed two positive things immediately.