Here are a few questions that I am frequently asked or that are discussed within the FB group.

  • What have your top, most rewarding interventions been? Absolutely diet and homeopathy but I also consider MNRI and a Speech & Sensory preschool as some of our top interventions.
  • What does a glutamate reaction look like for me?  While my reactions are not as severe as my sons, they definitely have a negative impact on my life.  I will suffer from a range of symptoms, including migraines, dull headaches, rashes, extreme fatigue, impatience, irritability, poor sleep, brain fog, and anxiety, and I am pretty much an emotional hot mess.  I seem to react worse on day two following exposure and will taper off by day three.
  • What does a glutamate reaction look like for my son? Symptoms for my son include everything from shaking/convulsing, rigidity, slurred speech/trouble word-finding, headbanging, neurological loop, irritability, tantrums, impulsive, sensory seeking, aggression, hyperactivity, stimming, head-banging (assuming from a headache), self-injurious behavior, night waking (one of our biggest indicators), accidents and overall symptoms that he is almost in pain.  While we may notice some symptoms immediately, but it seems like 24 hours after exposure the negative symptoms/behaviors peak and will last anywhere from 3-5 days-ish.
  • Diet changes seem really overwhelming. Do you have to be strict?  Please remember this is not medical advice, but I believe the answer depends on the severity of the health issues you’re dealing with.  While I feel as though everyone can benefit from removing processed foods, I understand that things become quite a bit more complicated when children are involved. Suppose you’re dealing with a mild case of ADD or ADHD. In that case, you may see substantial enough improvements from just strictly* going gluten and dairy-free (corn and soy-free would also help) and choose not to continue eliminating other inflammatory sources.  For us, we absolutely had to be strict and I accredit this to the substantial amount of progress we’ve seen in the last few years.  One extremely small dietary infraction would once take us a week or so to recover from.
  • How long does it take to see a difference in diet changes?  We polled the FB group and most people saw changes within the first two weeks to a month.  However, in some cases, it took up to 6 months.  I think this will largely depend on how quickly you implement diet changes, how much processed food you remove, the severity of the health issues, and how strict you are.
  • We are witnessing negative behaviors after removing sources of glutamate. What is going on?  There is often a period of withdrawal (remember the opiate connection), and some may use this as an indication to slow down their diet transition. Still, it is most essential to help the body shift as gently as possible.
  • We just started diet changes, and things are worse; what is going on?  It is my understanding, that depending on where the diet starts from, the transition can cause quite a change in cellular metabolism. Withdrawal symptoms may result in increased irritability, anger, and aggressiveness.  Detox from some microbial populations shifting can result in the release of toxins that result in short-term increased inflammation (aching of joints).  Motility function may also change as the body responds to new foods.
  • How do I know if we are getting enough nutrients?  We use a program like the Cronometer App, but those struggling with malabsorption or undigested food in stool may really need to work with a practitioner to help absorption with the incorporation of digestive bitters and lemon water (pineapple, papaya, or any food with natural digestive enzymes) before meals. Work with your practitioner on this.
  • In which areas do people see the most dramatic changes with diet? When polling the group, members ranked improvements in the following order (although many were closely tied and some did not apply to those taking the poll):
    1. Tantrums, Emotional Behavior
    2. Attention, Focus, Calmer
    3. Stimmng, Movements, Tics
    4. Social Skills, Pretend Play
    5. GI or Skin Issues
    6. Sleep
    7. Speech and Language Development (expressive/receptive/more complex language, etc.)
    8. OCD, Rigidity
    9. Gross and Fine Motor Skills, Muscle Tone
  • Do you still use homeopathy today? Absolutely. There are different types of homeopathy, and we chose a more gentle approach that allowed for slow, continual progress. We have found it beneficial in acute issues (bug bites, colds, etc.) and more chronic ongoing problems (back pain, emotions, etc.)
  • What has been the most beneficial homeopathic remedy you’ve used? Homeopathy is highly highly highly individualized. What may work for one, will not work for others. Factors like emotional health, physical health, traumatic events, toxin exposures, individual symptoms, etc. will all be considered before choosing a homeopathic remedy.

 

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