Re: question on fish oil

[Guest guest]

Tricia,

Sorry, I don't have any advice on the fish oils. We're in the

process of going GFCF in our house. We have all been dairy-free for

about 3 weeks now. It was difficult at first, but we are pros now,

and really it's not that bad. Everyone in the house has noticed

slight improvement - my asthma, husband's rash on cheeks, Meg's (3,

apraxic) potty training and dark circles, and Kate's (19 months, NT

so far) eczema. Nothing too drastic, but then again we have had

some slip-ups too. I do think it's probably easier that we all do

it together. Since Kate is younger, she doesn't even notice

anything missing from her diet (really, neither does Meg), but I'm

sure if your other kids are older that would be hard.

I'm hoping to get us totally gluten free by Monday. Wish me luck!

A good book to help, if you decide to do it, is " Special Diets for

Special Kids " by .

Kerri

>

> I have been giving my Daughter Jackie (33 months old) Omega 3,6, 9

> junior 2 capsules per day for about 2 weeks. I was just wondering

when

> I might infact see a change. Jackie has not been diagnosed, but I

and

> her therapists feel that she is apraxic. No diagonosis due to her

> limited vocabulary. Anyway, I am sure, all kids respond

differently,

> at different times, but I am just looking for some input. Also,

can I

> give her more if I dont see a change. I am considerining the

CF/GF

> diet, but it seem a little intimidating. I have 2 other children

and I

> think it will be very difficult. Any input on this? Thanks all!

I am

> looking forward to hearing input.

>

> Trisha

>

[Guest guest]

Whats GFCF mean? We all need to look at our kids diet with Appraxia, mine

has SENSORY problems and has trouble eating.

[Guest guest]

Hi Kerri,

funnily enough I think my eldest child has embraced the diet the best

and ( weirdly) it has also given him a good healthy interest in

cooking. He made a valentine cake today with his sibs - bought a

heart shaped mould, made my basic sponge mix ( which he managed to do

better than me...grrr) then made up an icing. He squished

strawberries and raspberries then put them through a sieve. He then

mixed in icing sugar until it was the right consistency and spread it

on the cake. So we had a lovely heart shaped pink cake for tea, and

the icing tasted delicious. Kids adapt. I never would have come up

withthat idea. (Hoping to resign as cheif cook here in about a

years !)

Regards

Deborah

> >

> > I have been giving my Daughter Jackie (33 months old) Omega 3,6,

9

> > junior 2 capsules per day for about 2 weeks. I was just

wondering

> when

> > I might infact see a change. Jackie has not been diagnosed, but

I

> and

> > her therapists feel that she is apraxic. No diagonosis due to

her

> > limited vocabulary. Anyway, I am sure, all kids respond

> differently,

> > at different times, but I am just looking for some input. Also,

> can I

> > give her more if I dont see a change. I am considerining the

> CF/GF

> > diet, but it seem a little intimidating. I have 2 other children

> and I

> > think it will be very difficult. Any input on this? Thanks

all!

> I am

> > looking forward to hearing input.

> >

> > Trisha

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Tricia just a word of advice on the Jr. Unless your child is able

to swallow the smaller capsules which is why you are using the Jr -

....by giving your child 2 capsules of the Jr. you are essentially

giving her one capsule of the ProEFA. If you are like most

squeezing the oils out of the capsules however you may want to look

at the regular and not the Jr. Look at the price of the 90 count

bottle of the ProEFA and the price of the 90 count bottle of the

ProEFA Jr. and you'll find they are about the same cost (thus since

2 jr.s = 1 regular and both bottles having 90 capsules the

ProEFA Jr. is about twice as expensive as the ProEFA. The one you are

using 369 is the same example -just in the commercial vs. the

professional line of Nordic Naturals)

Below are some archives on more!

The confusion is more the brand names than the formulas. In

actuality there really is no such thing as a " children's EFA "

perfect for all children yet. However fish oils can be marketed to

children by making fun flavorings and smaller capsules. Most of

the parents I know squeeze the oil out of the capsule anyway -so

that's besides the point for most of our group.

EFAs are now in baby formula and food, and EFAs come and are used in

a variety of formulas for children for various reasons. Mainly we

hear about the use of them for healthy brain development in regards

to children -but they are even proven to help prevent asthma

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/20/1077072840758.html

And they may be coming to a school lunch near you -if you live in an

area of savvy parents

http://www.valleystar.com/localnews_more.php?id=51945_0_19_0_C

Regarding your specific question: (and to answer your question Chris)

ProEFA is an Omega 3 (DHA and higher EPA) formula with a small

amount of Omega 6 (GLA) The Omega 3 in the ProEFA is from fish oil -

not from the liver of the fish -so no vitamin A. Only fish oil made

from the

liver of the fish contain vitamin A.

Children's DHA is cod liver oil which since it's from the liver of

the cod fish, it naturally contains Vitamin A. Cod liver oil only

contains Omega 3 (DHA and EPA) about that point:

" Most of our experience is with one, 1.0 gram capsule of ProEFA

(Complete Omega) that contains 144 mg EPA, 99 mg DHA and 40 mg of

GLA. We know that this combination appeared to work well. There

were some other supplements used but we could not conclude anything

about them. I can only say that both EPA and DHA are important and

GLA appears to have an additional positive effect on speech.

ALA, linoleic and oleic acids in " The Total Omega " contribute very

little to the EPA, DHA, and GLA effect.

I see at least 2 possibilities that you could use if you decide to

make the transition from short-chain omega-3s in plants (flax seed

oil containing alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, C18:2n-3) to the long-

chain mixture of EPA (C20:5n-3) and DHA (C22:6n-3). These are DHA

Jr. (30 mg DHA and 20 mg EPA in a serving unit) and Coromega (350 mg

EPA and 230 mg DHA). Both of these have been anecdotally successful

in the past.

Coromega can be divided in two and taken one half in the morning the

other in the evening. If you choose this mode you will provide your

son with the equivalent EPA+DHA of 2 ProEFA capsules per day without

the GLA.

Flax seed oil or freshly ground flax seeds are an excellent source

of the essential omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA or LNA) which is

the quintessential parent member of the omega-3 family of essential

fatty acids (EFAs). The body transforms it into EPA and the EPA

into DHA. This transformation is very inefficient (the yield is

about 10%) and is further inhibited by over consumption of omega-6

fatty acids from most vegetable oils or certain disease states.

Therefore, it is advisable to independently consume also ready made

EPA and DHA from good quality fish of from high quality fish oil

supplements. Some recommended intakes are listed on the

Introductory lecture on EFAs that I gave at the First Conference on

Therapy of Verbal Apraxia, July 23-24, 2001, town, NJ. (

http://www.cherab.org/news/scientific.html )

The CHERAB Foundation's positive research results on potential

improvement in speech following EFA supplementation are based

on the use of ProEFA (Complete Omega) and that contains also

another essential fatty acid, GLA which is an omega-6 fatty acid.

The latter appears to be beneficial to children with apraxia. It is

not present in flax seed/flaxseed oil.

None of these materials present with any known side effects or

known toxicity in an otherwise healthy person. Nevertheless, we

advise every user of supplements to use them under medical

supervision. We don't know your child and we cannot provide you

with medical advice.

Sincerely,

Katz, Ph.D. "

About mercury and fish oil (vs. eating fish)

" Fish oils have been tested for various heavy metals like mercury

and there has been enough preliminary proof through studies, as well

as theory from reputable sources, that as I've posted many times

I've heard that the oils from fish may be the safest way to get the

benefits of the EFAs without the toxins due to the fact that mercury

etc. binds to the proteins/muscles of the fish.

" Measurement of mercury levels in concentrated over-the-counter fish

oil preparations: is fish oil healthier than fish? "

" CONCLUSIONS: Fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and their

consumption is recommended to decrease the risk of coronary artery

disease. However, fish such as swordfish and shark are also a source

of exposure to the heavy metal toxin, mercury. The fish oil brands

examined in this manuscript have negligible amounts of mercury and

may provide a safer alternative to fish consumption. "

Division of Laboratory Medicine, Department of Pathology,

Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston,

Mass 02114, USA.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=1\

4632570 & dopt=Abstract

And one other thing to keep in mind for those like me who do eat

both fish and take fish oil, there are toxins in the fish you eat

that won't be in the oil For example while mercury etc. binds to

the protein (muscle of the fish) so it's not in the oil of the

fish. From what I've read -the largest problem with fish oil itself

is rancidity. Oxygen and fish oil doesn't mix well.

Consumer Reports had this to say (most likely because toxins in

many cases bind to the protein and most oils are not tested for

rancidity)

" Consumer Reports tested 16 top-selling fish-oil pills which, like

other supplements, aren't closely regulated by the FDA.

Consumer Reports' Metcalf says the test results are

reassuring, " We found that all 16 brands that we tested had the

amount of Omega-3s that they said they did, which is good news. And,

we don't always find that with supplements. "

Since fish can contain toxins, Metcalf says Consumer Reports also

checked the supplements for purity, " We tested for three kinds of

toxins that often appear in fish — mercury, dioxin, and PCBs. "

Testers didn't find significant levels of toxins in any of the pills

tested, so you don't have to worry about contaminants. "

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/features/consumerwatch/consumer_070303_om

ega3.html

" The omega-3 fatty acids offer some unique benefits, should they

prove to be truly effective mood stabilizers. The advantages of the

omega-3 fatty acids as mood stabilizers include the apparent acute

efficacy in both the manic and depressive phases of bipolar

disorder, their lack of toxicity, as well as high patient

acceptance. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids confer some health

benefits during chronic use, such as possible reduction in the risk

of a fatal myocardial infarction. In addition, the omega-3 fatty

acids have no documented adverse drug interactions, and appear to be

safe (and possibly beneficial) in pregnancy and in children. "

http://ods.od.nih.gov/news/conferences/w6w3_abstracts.html

" I had the wonderful opportunity to hear ph Hibbeln, M.D., Chief,

Outpatient Clinic National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol

Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, land at the First Apraxia Conference

http://www.cherab.org/news/scientific.htm lecture about the

importance of PUFA -especially during pregnancy when you are growing

a brain inside you. If you don't consume enough PUFAs while

pregnant -the babies body will pull it from the mother's body. It's

his theory and research as to why so many mom's experience post

partum depression. http://www.beachpsych.com/pages/cc46.html In

additionit is proven that the PUFAs are important for cognitive

ability.

http://neuroscience.nih.gov/Lab.asp?Org_ID=352

Here is a quote from the US Department of Agriculture,

Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service,

20705, Beltsville, MD, USA

Brain-specific lipids from marine, lacustrine, or terrestrial food

resources: potential impact on early African Homo sapiens. The

polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of the mammalian

central nervous system is almost wholly composed of two long-chain

polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

and arachidonic acid (AA). PUFA are dietarily essential, thus normal

infant/neonatal brain, intellectual growth and development cannot be

accomplished if they are deficient during pregnancy and lactation.

Uniquely in the human species, the fetal brain consumes 70% of the

energy delivered to it by mother. DHA and AA are needed to construct

placental and fetal tissues for cell membrane growth, structure and

function. Contemporary evidence shows that the maternal circulation

is depleted of AA and DHA during fetal growth. Sustaining normal

adult human brain function also requires LC-PUFA.Homo sapiens is

unlikely to have evolved a large, complex, metabolically expensive

brain in an environment which did not provide abundant dietary LC-

PUFA.

http://www.unl.ac.uk/ibchn/e_Link/cbpbbmb2002.htm

" The omega-3 fatty acids offer some unique benefits, should they

prove to be truly effective mood stabilizers. The advantages of the

omega-3 fatty acids as mood stabilizers include the apparent acute

efficacy in both the manic and depressive phases of bipolar

disorder, their lack of toxicity, as well as high patient

acceptance. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids confer some health

benefits during chronic use, such as possible reduction in the risk

of a fatal myocardial infarction. In addition, the omega-3 fatty

acids have no documented adverse drug interactions, and appear to be

safe (and possibly beneficial) in pregnancy and in children. "

http://ods.od.nih.gov/news/conferences/w6w3_abstracts.html

Here is an archive answer to answer more on EFAs:

" I will use the following examples with the brand name ProEFA since

that's the formula/dosage that seems to work the best for most of us

(Efalex and EyeQ are similar Omega 3/6 formulas that also have good

reports) For any brand name of Omega 3/6 formula -you could make

the same formula by mixing together fish oil and either primrose or

borage seed oil if you prefer -or as found -another brand

name with a similar formula (and I hope also a good quality)

If you mix two fish oils together which is fine if you know why you

are doing that: Look at the amount of DHA, EPA (Omega 3) and the

amount of GLA (Omega 6) and then add them all together to see what

formula and dosage you now have is. So for those of you that ask -

you can mix any brand names together you would like -however what

you could change is the three things above (dosage, formula and

*quality (*if one of the companies you start using has rancid oils

which is not uncommon when it comes to fish oils -so make sure all

brands you use are pure) Keep in mind in anecdotal feedback done by

parents from all over through CHERAB -that pure Omega 3 or pure

Omega 6 either showed no results -or very little results in almost

all cases. Pure Omega 3 would include pure cod liver oil, fish oil,

flax seed oil without any Omega 6. So even though there is only a

small amount of GLA (Omega 6) in the formulas we found to be

successful -GLA appears to be important to be there for some

reason. GLA has anti-inflammatory properties which perhaps enable

to DHA and EPA to get to where it's needed in the brain?

Dosage of one capsule a day ProEFA that at the lowest dosage appears

to be the best -

148 mg EPA

99 mg DHA

40 mg GLA

Here is what many of us have found to be the best plan

anecdotally:

....start with the basic formula, one ProEFA a day, we

saw surges in a few days to three weeks which continued for months -

we then reached a plateau after around 6 months.

At this point we raised the dosage to two capsules of ProEFA a day

and once again had those surges which lasted again for months.

When we reached the next plateau after around a year, instead of

going to three a day - we squeezed 1/2 to one capsule of ProEPA into

the 2 capsules of ProEFA and for almost all of us that try -that

created another surge.

Over time -you may raise the dosage up higher -and you may slightly

change the formula to raise the Omega 3 over the Omega 6 ratio.

Most found raising the EPA vs. the DHA or GLA to be best -but

you need to know your own child, keep track of his progress through

both your own observations and that of the professionals -with the

advice of your child's doctor -to know what is best for him/her.

There is much more in the archives both here -as well as more

information at

http://www.cherab.org/information/indexinformation.html#diet

http://www.speechville.com

Since I receive lots of calls about this -I wanted to list the most

common changes in an apraxic or other speech disordered child on

EFAs from what I've read and heard and seen.

1. Increase in babbling or attempts at sounds.

2. Increase in imitation.

Changes also can be looked for in (what you see as positive or

negative)

sleep

attention

appetite

focus

behavior

stools

Next will come a breakthrough of something you were probably working

on for a bit -so you will be excited but will think " Well -I don't

want to get my hopes up we were working on that for awhile now -

maybe it's just a coincidence " However after the second or third

surge in a short period of time -and then another - you are pretty

sure things are different and it's at this point the professionals

and the rest of the family and your friends are noticing it too -

maybe about two to three weeks now.

OK -the next stage is pure elation and hope -you see the light and

no longer feel as desperate and want to share this new information

with everyone and anyone. As the months go by and your child

continues to progress at a much more rapid rate -you may even start

to doubt the original diagnosis -especially if you started EFA

supplementation at two -and perhaps the SLP that diagnosed the

apraxia who also was at first excited is starting to second guess if

the original diagnosis was correct as well.

Unless you have to stop the ProEFA (or other Essential Fatty Acids)

and literally have the chance to see the regression of acquired

speech and language skills, attempts, and changes in behavior like

we did with Tanner (and/or have a chance to again witness the second

surge when your child is put back on the EFAs) -that doubt will

probably remain somewhere in your mind and in others around your

child. So the " I told you that he would start talking when he was

ready " comments should be expected of course.

Up to this point is understandable to me -it's the point after this

that is confusing to me, and perhaps not the best stage for our

children and for raising awareness or having research done to find

out what is happening to our children and why. Perhaps because we

have truly hit a paradigm shift...

As Dr. Agin states the EFAs actually appear to be in some

ways " curing " the apraxic child -even those diagnosed with severe

oral and verbal apraxia, hypotonia, sensory and behavioral issues.

Especially those started at younger ages.

The child on ProEFA or some other EFA formula's like it no longer

fits the criteria of the classic definition of apraxia -and yet

doesn't fit the classic perception of what a late talker is either...

Some of the parents become more focused on other everyday activities

with their child and start to drift away from the support sources.

Problem with this attitude is that unless your child is really up to

speed on all aspects of speech and language, the support sources

that helped in the beginning will still benefit your child today.

ProEFA alone is not the only answer and until we know how and why it

works (or why in a handful of children it doesn't) we can't improve

on it "

Know there is lots of information here -but if you have to learn

just one thing from all of this it's right up on top -there is

always hope!

=====

[Guest guest]

Hi!

My son is 30 months and I began giving him fish oil supplement a month ago. I

give 1tsp of the oil a day. I don't do the diet as there would be nothing he

would eat if I took out wheat and dairy.

He was diagnosed with mild apraxia at 27 months (we started speech at 25

months and he had 50 words--many just animal sounds) and probably had about 100+

words by that point and rarely spoke in sentences though he would combine 2

words. His greatest difficulty was with imitation and articulation. You could

see him trying to imitate but he couldn't do it. Often he wouldn't even try

because he knew he couldn't make the word but sometimes it would be a word that

he could say just not correctly.

I noticed an improvement within a few days of him taking the fish oil. He

began adding 3+ new words a day and began attempting to imitate more and speak

in more complex sentences. He also started saying words with the c sound--he

previoulsy avoided using those words or used his own--like meow for cat. He can

make the c sound about half the time now.

His therapist was shocked when she came over after a week's hiatus and he

greeted her at the door with " Ook, my ew shoes! Lights! Nice! " (they lit up).

Then at another session when I was trying to get him to apologize for throwing a

toy and he said " No Mommy! I don't ant to ay borry! "

Now after a month on it I would say he is pretty much on target with other 30

month olds for vocabulary but his articulation is still lagging. He is now in

that stage where he asks " What's this? " for everything and then repeats it and

adds it to his newly expanding vocabulary. To say the least, I am thrilled.

To be honest I am shocked at how the oil has worked for us and I wonder if

perhaps he is not apraxic at all but rather just a late bloomer and things just

finally started to click. I guess only time will tell. Prior to giving it to him

he had been making progress but it just exploded after the fish oil.

mstrish5 <mstrish5@...> wrote:

I have been giving my Daughter Jackie (33 months old) Omega 3,6, 9

junior 2 capsules per day for about 2 weeks. I was just wondering when

I might infact see a change. Jackie has not been diagnosed, but I and

her therapists feel that she is apraxic. No diagonosis due to her

limited vocabulary. Anyway, I am sure, all kids respond differently,

at different times, but I am just looking for some input. Also, can I

give her more if I dont see a change. I am considerining the CF/GF

diet, but it seem a little intimidating. I have 2 other children and I

think it will be very difficult. Any input on this? Thanks all! I am

looking forward to hearing input.

Trisha

[Guest guest]

Thanks ,

I am so happy to hear that your son is doing so well. Jackie has

been on the Omega 3, 6, 9 for about 2 weeks now, and I definately

think I see an improvement. She too cannot say many of the sounds

like the " c " . But she is trying now which is more than she was doing

previously. She is definately more verbal in the past two weeks but

alot of the time I dont understand what she is trying to say. But

the biggest change that I have seen so far, is that when I dont

undersatand what she is saying she will keep trying, take me by the

hand to show me something, etc. She never did this before. I am

praying for the 'EXPLOSION' or 'SURGE' that I hear many people

talking about. Keep your fingers crossed for us, I am very hopeful.

Thanks for your reply.

Trish

[Guest guest]

I thought the same thing for my son...until we stopped the oil for a few

weeks and saw scary heart-breaking regression of all gains. You many want

to try giving the oil twice a day, or adding EPA - I too am really blown

away by every surge associated with increasing his dose. -claudia