Re: WAS: yet another MR NOW: Food and behavior story (sorry -- long!)

February 28, 2008

,

Thank you for your very detailed responce. I appreciate it! Just

curious, is your son on any other supplements, other then the

enzymes, specifically EFA's?

Dawn in NJ

>

> I have a recent personal experience to share regarding food and

> behavior. has been doing so well in kindergarten and with

> his NACD program, knows about 100 sight words, doesn't qualify for

> speech or OT, and has had excellent behavior reports from school --

> until this week. His teacher has said more than once that he is a

> typical (boy) student, and that she would never have known about

his

> previous issues if I had not brought them to her attention. He

even

> got a special certificate for excellence the first week back from

> Christmas break, because he transitioned back to school BETTER than

> most!

>

> Because we do not have lab tests confirming food allergies, my

> husband has often thought that an infraction here and there is

> harmless, especially since we use digestive enzymes. It is,

however,

> a slippery slope. First, it was dinner out for pizza once a month,

> this month we went out every weekend. I also let him eat whatever

he

> wanted at the class Valentine's Day party. At the same time, Girl

> Scout cookies and Valentine's Day candy entered the house in a big

> way. (I am a Brownie leader.) Some have dairy, some don't, but

all

> have ARTIFICIALS. At first, we both thought we might be getting

away

> with something, then we received a note from his teacher. Here is

an

> excerpt:

>

> " I am writing to let you know that over the past few weeks I have

> noticed a significant change in 's behavior. Normally, I

> would hardly ever need to speak to , but lately, I need to

> speak with him up to 10 times a day. Some of the behavior I am

> observing includes being very active, not sitting in his chair, and

a

> lack of following instructions. He truly seems unable to control

> himself at times. I have observed kicking and jumping on

> things (nap mats & backpacks.) "

>

> As described by his teacher in this note and the follow-up

> conversation, he has turned into ADHD kid practically overnight!

In

> addition to what she described, we have noticed the following at

home:

>

> --He is having increased difficulty paying attention during program

> work. (e.g. After doing his new set of sight words for a whole

> week, I checked to see how many he knew. Normally, he knows about

75%

> + after one week. He knew 0%!)

>

> --His handwriting has been inconsistently terrible. Occasionally,

he

> can write a single word neatly, but mostly it's sloppy. Drawing

> skills have been less detailed.

>

> --Lots of crying over nothing.

>

> --Uncooperative across the board.

>

> --Spitting at his sister.

>

> --Sour mood, even when he should be happy. (e.g. no veggies at

> dinner, playing with favorite toys, I said " yes " to something like

> watching TV)

>

> --Softer BM's and also touching his private areas occasionally.

(The

> latter is totally new.)

>

> During this time period, he has not been sick, changed sleep

habits,

> added or subtracted any supplements, or had any major life changes

of

> any kind.

>

> Unfortunately, because of the nature of the infractions, the

> detective work is a bit more complicated than normal. It could be

> the dairy infraction (always a favorite target here), but I have

two

> other possibilities as well. His enzymes work on dairy, but they

do

> not work on artificals, so given the sharp turn in his behavior

that

> could be the real culprit. Other than the cookies, eats a

> 100% artifical-free diet with almost no MSG or HFCS (except the

> occasional restaurant meal, which may be tainted with any of those

> things.)

>

> Another possibility is that it could be a yeast problem due to the

> sugar in the cookies. While dairy can feed yeast, none of the

> infractions were a full-blown milk item like straight milk or

yogurt.

>

> It could also be a little of all three.

>

> Either way, my husband is now on board with the no dairy, no

> artificials components, and we were already on a restaurant ban due

> to the naughtiness on our last visit. (Tyler in particular.)

>

> This is just one personal experience and not generally applicable.

> However, it does point to the effect diet can have on behavior and

> also to the difficult in nailing down the culprit, even when there

> haven't been other major changes going on.

>

> For anyone considering dietary changes to improve their children's

> skills or behavior, eliminating artifical colors, flavors,

sweetners,

> and preservatives should absolutely be the first step. It is by

far

> the easiest dietary intervention, and you may see complete success

> without eliminating any typically-allergenic foods. Check out the

> Feingold program website for a lot more informationon this topic.

> (We eliminated artificals back when he was in preschool, and it

took

> us far, but not the whole way. We still needed to get rid of the

> dairy.) Eliminating MSG and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) should

> also be strongly considered.

>

> in NJ

February 28, 2008

Re: touching his private areas occasionally

That sounds like yeast.

Re: writing difficulties. A friend of mine has an ASD son who really

can't handle sugar. When he gets it he loses his drawing ability

which is horrible considering he is particularly skilled at drawing.

The particular epsisode I am recalling involved red hots so perhaps a

dye is an issue for that boy as well.

One thing I will say about the dairy: for some reason, whene ver I

tested cheese, while it caused discomfort in me and mine, it did not

seem to stir up the issues outright milk and ice cream or even yogurt

did. Seems to me not all infractions carry equal weight if that helps

your detective work.

> > > >

> > > > Dawn,

> > > >

> > > > You have a very bright and wonderful child. I wish you great

> > > success in

> > > > finding whatever she needs to help the world see the smart

and

> > > ingenius

> > > > little girl you have always known her to be.

> > > >

> > > > For what it is worth, a lot of my reading seems to point to

> > > metabolic

> > > > and allergy as a factor in spotty and inconsistent

performance.

> > If

> > > you

> > > > need help looking or the list of docs I am considering

talking

> to

> > > in

> > > > this area to rule things in or out for my guy please feel

free

> to

> > > email

> > > > me on or offlist.

> > > >

> > > > Best Wishes!

> > > > Liz

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

February 29, 2008

Right now in the AM:

--1 EPA and 1 EFA

--children's probiotic

--2 carnitine*

--gummy multivitamin

In the PM:

--1 EPA and 1 EFA

--1 carnitine*

--1 CoQ10

Additionally:

--2 TriEnza enzymes with every meal and snack.

--epsom salts baths 2-3x/week

--used to take a calcium supplement, now drinks fortified hemp milk

and fortified orange juice every day

*I'm stopping the carnitine for now for two reasons. One, I saw no

obvious benefit over the last two months. Two, it might possibly

feed yeast, which might possibly be a problem right now. I will

continue the CoQ10, which I introduced at the same time because it

works synergistically with carnitine, because it seems like a good

idea based on my research, and I haven't found anything that suggests

it feeds yeast.

I was also planning on re-starting vitamin E, but I'm going to lay

off any further changes until the behavior settles back down. Also

considering additional vitamin C and am wondering if I can talk his

regular pediatrician into prescribed the mB12 shots.

At one point, we went quite high with the fish oil and vitamin E. We

saw benefits at slightly higher doses, but at the highest dose he was

hyper and repeated everything three times before you even had a

chance to hear him. At highest levels of vitamin E, he got weird

bruising. We added K to counteract that, but ultimately I felt the

dose was too high. Vitamin E was the one vitamin that took some

getting used to. My memory is vague, but I think it made him hyper

and uncooperative when he first started. Fish oils were a breeze to

introduce and increase. It was all good 'til we went too high.

> >

> > I have a recent personal experience to share regarding food and

> > behavior. has been doing so well in kindergarten and

with

> > his NACD program, knows about 100 sight words, doesn't qualify

for

> > speech or OT, and has had excellent behavior reports from school -

-

> > until this week. His teacher has said more than once that he is

a

> > typical (boy) student, and that she would never have known about

> his

> > previous issues if I had not brought them to her attention. He

> even

> > got a special certificate for excellence the first week back from

> > Christmas break, because he transitioned back to school BETTER

than

> > most!

> >

> > Because we do not have lab tests confirming food allergies, my

> > husband has often thought that an infraction here and there is

> > harmless, especially since we use digestive enzymes. It is,

> however,

> > a slippery slope. First, it was dinner out for pizza once a

month,

> > this month we went out every weekend. I also let him eat

whatever

> he

> > wanted at the class Valentine's Day party. At the same time,

Girl

> > Scout cookies and Valentine's Day candy entered the house in a

big

> > way. (I am a Brownie leader.) Some have dairy, some don't, but

> all

> > have ARTIFICIALS. At first, we both thought we might be getting

> away

> > with something, then we received a note from his teacher. Here

is

> an

> > excerpt:

> >

> > " I am writing to let you know that over the past few weeks I have

> > noticed a significant change in 's behavior. Normally, I

> > would hardly ever need to speak to , but lately, I need to

> > speak with him up to 10 times a day. Some of the behavior I am

> > observing includes being very active, not sitting in his chair,

and

> a

> > lack of following instructions. He truly seems unable to control

> > himself at times. I have observed kicking and jumping on

> > things (nap mats & backpacks.) "

> >

> > As described by his teacher in this note and the follow-up

> > conversation, he has turned into ADHD kid practically overnight!

> In

> > addition to what she described, we have noticed the following at

> home:

> >

> > --He is having increased difficulty paying attention during

program

> > work. (e.g. After doing his new set of sight words for a whole

> > week, I checked to see how many he knew. Normally, he knows

about

> 75%

> > + after one week. He knew 0%!)

> >

> > --His handwriting has been inconsistently terrible.

Occasionally,

> he

> > can write a single word neatly, but mostly it's sloppy. Drawing

> > skills have been less detailed.

> >

> > --Lots of crying over nothing.

> >

> > --Uncooperative across the board.

> >

> > --Spitting at his sister.

> >

> > --Sour mood, even when he should be happy. (e.g. no veggies at

> > dinner, playing with favorite toys, I said " yes " to something

like

> > watching TV)

> >

> > --Softer BM's and also touching his private areas occasionally.

> (The

> > latter is totally new.)

> >

> > During this time period, he has not been sick, changed sleep

> habits,

> > added or subtracted any supplements, or had any major life

changes

> of

> > any kind.

> >

> > Unfortunately, because of the nature of the infractions, the

> > detective work is a bit more complicated than normal. It could

be

> > the dairy infraction (always a favorite target here), but I have

> two

> > other possibilities as well. His enzymes work on dairy, but they

> do

> > not work on artificals, so given the sharp turn in his behavior

> that

> > could be the real culprit. Other than the cookies, eats a

> > 100% artifical-free diet with almost no MSG or HFCS (except the

> > occasional restaurant meal, which may be tainted with any of

those

> > things.)

> >

> > Another possibility is that it could be a yeast problem due to

the

> > sugar in the cookies. While dairy can feed yeast, none of the

> > infractions were a full-blown milk item like straight milk or

> yogurt.

> >

> > It could also be a little of all three.

> >

> > Either way, my husband is now on board with the no dairy, no

> > artificials components, and we were already on a restaurant ban

due

> > to the naughtiness on our last visit. (Tyler in particular.)

> >

> > This is just one personal experience and not generally

applicable.

> > However, it does point to the effect diet can have on behavior

and

> > also to the difficult in nailing down the culprit, even when

there

> > haven't been other major changes going on.

> >

> > For anyone considering dietary changes to improve their

children's

> > skills or behavior, eliminating artifical colors, flavors,

> sweetners,

> > and preservatives should absolutely be the first step. It is by

> far

> > the easiest dietary intervention, and you may see complete

success

> > without eliminating any typically-allergenic foods. Check out

the

> > Feingold program website for a lot more informationon this

topic.

> > (We eliminated artificals back when he was in preschool, and it

> took

> > us far, but not the whole way. We still needed to get rid of the

> > dairy.) Eliminating MSG and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)

should

> > also be strongly considered.

> >

> > in NJ

>

February 29, 2008

Why would carnitine feed yeast?

February 29, 2008

Honestly, I have no idea. My sister reads the " Enzymes and Autism "

board every day, where yeast is always a big deal, and Dana (of

www.danasview.net) recently posted about that. Her posts are concise,

so there was no detail given. I plan to try to research this more, but

that Dana KNOWS yeast. (I used to read that board, too.) That said,

if it was doing anything for us I would continue and just fight yeast

more. Since it's neutral, I dumped it for now. In general, carnitine

doesn't seem to have the big " wow " effect that fish oil, vitamin E,

etc. have, but that doesn't mean its not useful for some.

>

> Why would carnitine feed yeast?

>

February 29, 2008

L-carnitine helped my son's nasal congestion - I swithced to n-acetyl-

carnitine and we some improvements in his language.

> >

> > Why would carnitine feed yeast?

> >

>

February 29, 2008

For those that didn't do the blood testing yet through their child's

pediatrician -please do not supplement with carnotine at all until

you do. If your child tests low in carnitine (not carnosine) then he

or she will have to be on a prescription dosage the rest of his or

her life. This is not to scare anyone but important information.

The following email will explain more.

(And note to Liz -again please post credible links when you make what

called little comments like " carnotine feeds yeast " -if you can

find any.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~important info on carnotine archive

Re: Carnitine???

Hi Trish, I hope I can help!

Many people in this group (including me) supplemented their speech

impaired child with either or both carn-aware ( http://www.carn-aware.com )

and/or carnosine. Carn-aware is a product name for a

supplement that contains mainly carnosine with other ingredients -

zinc and ('s gonna love this) " vitamin E " . Carn-aware did

work for many of the children as far as us seeing some type of

surge -and it was found successful in some clinical trials -here's

is some history on it

http://www.cherab.org/information/dietaryeffects/carnosine.html

http://www.speechville.com/alternative-therapy/carnosine.html

Some of us (including me) also used the carnosine because it's less

expensive then the carn-aware because you can purchase it in pure

powder form. I used to mix the carn-aware powder (from capsules) and

carnosine

powder together too. Tanner's no longer on either carnaware or

carnosine -but it did appear to be one of the things that helped

along the way as you can read in the links above.

For carnotine you 'do' want to get the testing done first to see if

there is a deficiency because:

From a direct quote from pediatrician/parent member here Dr.

from an email to me (not to scare anyone...but)

" No harm in supplements (ie very safe - if you give to much one

starts to smell fishy - ironically) and yes you could just start

supplementing without any health concerns. But honestly - a

carnitine deficiency is something you would want to identify first -

before supplementing. The results from bloodwork will not be

helpful otherwise once supplementing - since it could be normal.

One doesn't just have a carnitine deficiency for no reason. This is

something that should be worked up - aggressively, medically. So I

would seriously consider getting him checked prior to supplements "

and from the same email another clip:

" The benefits of carnitine (like those on the heart) - may not be

obvious (in

speech and muscle tone -the sort of thing we are looking for) and you

wouldn't

know you were making a difference. The carnitine deficiency that

ph had

could have led to serious cardiac complications over the next few

years if not

picked up. "

To repeat the points raised -a carnitine deficiency is

something you want to know about because it could be serious...and

once you start supplementing it may be hard to know if there was a

carnitine deficiency prior. And...for a less serious

reason -too much carnitine causes one to smell " fishy " So I'd say

no to just supplementing this one prior to blood work!

The name may sound almost the

same as carnosine -but they are different.

" L-Carnitine

L-Carnitine is an amino acid manufactured in your liver from the

amino acids

lysine & methionine. It is found in muscle & organ meats in the human

diet.

Vegetarians are susceptible to deficiencies of all 3 of the above

amino acids.

L-Carnitine plays an important role in converting fat into energy. It

transfers

fatty acids in the cell to the mitochondria (the energy engine) which

uses the

fatty acids as fuel to generate energy. It assists in regulating fat

metabolism

in your heart & skeletal muscles.

A lack of carnitine can result in buildup of fat & add to problems of

obesity.

The first sign of carnitine deficiency is hypoglycemia, which, if

unchecked can

lead to progressive muscular weakness, muscle disorders, heart tissue

damage,

increased triglycerides, a breakdown of muscle tissue & irregular

muscle

function.

L-Carnitine can be helpful for:

Ischemic heart disease.

Congestive heart failure.

Increased triglycerides.

Liver disease.

Those on dialysis.

Blood sugar stabilization.

Increasing energy.

Muscle weakness & disorders.

Endurance training.

Body fat reduction.

Vegetarianism.

L-Carnosine

is a product of the amino acid histidine & has free radical scavenging

properties.

L-Histidine

L-histidine is an essential amino acid. Most of our histidine must

come from our

diets, but small amounts can be synthesized from glutamic acid &

carnosine.

Histidine has anti-inflammatory properties. It is the only amino acid

found to

be consistently low in the blood of those with rheumatoid arthritis.

It is also

low in the lubricating fluid in the joints. Whiskey significantly

decreases

histidine levels. Rheumatoid arthritis patients should avoid alcohol.

Histidine can convert to histamine, which is a major neurotransmitter

in your

brain & throughout parts of your nervous system. However, histidine

intake does

not always increase brain histamine, Low brain histamine levels are

associated

with hyperactivity, mania, paranoia, hallucinations, & abnormal

thoughts. Many

brain functions of histamine are poorly understood but it is thought

to

participate in the secretion of 2 hormones, (prolactin &

antidiuretic). It is

thought to aid temperature regulation & be involved in the control of

automatic

nerve response in the central nervous system.

Vitamin E deficiency will cause the depletion of histidine from

muscles.

Histidine is involved with the regulation of zinc levels in your

body. If zinc

is excessive it will lower histidine; if histidine is excessive it

will decrease

zinc levels. But appropriate levels of histidine enhance zinc levels.

Histidine:

Enhances wound healing,

Is essential for tissue growth & repair.

Is helpful with rheumatoid arthritis.

Is important for red blood cell health. Deficiency will cause

decreased

hemoglobin & hematocrit, ultimately leading to anemia.

Helps store glucose in your liver. "

http://www.findhealer.com/glossary/L.php3

As far as who does the testing....I have a " normal " ped for my kids

from Florida and all I did was supply him with documentation from

Dr. and also shared her background.

Some of you may not be aware that is a respected researcher:

R. , MD

Attending Physician

Director of Fellowship Research

Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Department of Emergency Medicine

Children's Hospital & Research Center at Oakland

747 52nd Street

Oakland, CA 94609

" R. , MD, is a board certified pediatric emergency

medicine physician and the director of fellowship research for the

pediatric emergency medicine fellowship. Her research interests

focus translational research in sickle cell disease, pulmonary

hypertension and asthma. Dr. published the first

investigation to evaluate a potential new therapy for the treatment

of secondary pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell disease, a study

that made the " Top ten publications list in pulmonary vascular

disease " in Chest this year.

Dr. has been a guest speaker nationally and internationally,

with most recent presentations given at the European Respiratory

Society Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark in September 2005 ( " Pulmonary

complications of hemoglobinopathies with a focus on sickle cell

disease " ), and at the Nitric Oxide Gordon Research Conference in II

Ciocco, Italy in May 2005 ( " Role of arginine depletion in asthma and

pulmonary hypertension " ). Dr. is particularly interested in

the role of low arginine and nitric oxide bioavailability in sickle

cell disease as well as asthma, and novel treatments for pulmonary

hypertension that target this mechanism. "

http://www.chori.org/Principal_Investigators/_/morris_overview.html

Tanner's pediatrician found it all very interesting and was open to

writing the prescription for the blood testing even without knowing

anything about what we are seeing. It would be the most cost

effective, easy way to get the process started. For me, if my ped

did " laugh " at me or found this whole thing to be just nuts after

reading 's suggestions, results with her own child, and

background...I'd switch pediatricians. Who needs an MD that's so

in the box they may miss any other new information as well. And as

far as other professionals doing the testing -if you have the money

to go the DAN route to start and make sure it's someone with a

medical background in pediatric neurodevelopmental medicine or at

least pediatric medicine (you can be a Dan " doc " and not even be an

MD FYI) that's always an option.

As it's been posted prior we are charting unknown territory and as

far as I'm concerned the main people that know the most about any of

this are already part of this group...and leading the way on how

vitamin E may contribute to the fish oil with knowledge about

carnitine and more... is one member here we are all fortunate to

have -Dr. !

also suggested here and in an email to me that if a child

does need to supplement with carnitine -that you don't just buy a

health food brand because " Carnitine. You don't want to just buy it

at the health food store. The forms they sell over the counter can

actually be harmful due to additives and the way it is made. L-

Carnitine that is definitely safe is only available in prescription

form "

and from an archive message from :

" Its really because you never know what you are getting...while

carnitor is regulated. Plus it gets covered by insurance...an added

benefit, as all these supplements start to add up and are fairly

costly.

My research background is in arginine metabolism, and I am involved

in several arginine clinical trials for diseases like sickle cell

disease and thalassemia. I never tell people to buy off the shelf

because you REALLY don't know what you are buying. None of the over

the counter supplements are regulated. There are fillers etc that

may have ingredients that are not necessily OK. So I buy my

arginine supplements for trials through distributers that can

demonstrated purity to > 99.99%.

But it is really important to get a carnitine level prior to

supplementing. Not that carnitine is harmful, even if you have

normal levels...but if your child has a carnitine deficiency...it

should be worked up further. - "

You still may be confused -but you have to feel a bit more

informed...right?

=====

March 1, 2008

I was asking a question as I found no links stating that.

>

> For those that didn't do the blood testing yet through their child's

> pediatrician -please do not supplement with carnotine at all until

> you do. If your child tests low in carnitine (not carnosine) then

he

> or she will have to be on a prescription dosage the rest of his or

> her life. This is not to scare anyone but important information.

> The following email will explain more.

>

> (And note to Liz -again please post credible links when you make

what

> called little comments like " carnotine feeds yeast " -if you

can

> find any.)

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~important info on carnotine archive

>

> Re: Carnitine???

>

> Hi Trish, I hope I can help!

>

> Many people in this group (including me) supplemented their speech

> impaired child with either or both carn-aware ( http://www.carn-

aware.com )

> and/or carnosine. Carn-aware is a product name for a

> supplement that contains mainly carnosine with other ingredients -

> zinc and ('s gonna love this) " vitamin E " . Carn-aware did

> work for many of the children as far as us seeing some type of

> surge -and it was found successful in some clinical trials -here's

> is some history on it

> http://www.cherab.org/information/dietaryeffects/carnosine.html

> http://www.speechville.com/alternative-therapy/carnosine.html

>

> Some of us (including me) also used the carnosine because it's less

> expensive then the carn-aware because you can purchase it in pure

> powder form. I used to mix the carn-aware powder (from capsules) and

> carnosine

> powder together too. Tanner's no longer on either carnaware or

> carnosine -but it did appear to be one of the things that helped

> along the way as you can read in the links above.

>

> For carnotine you 'do' want to get the testing done first to see if

> there is a deficiency because:

> From a direct quote from pediatrician/parent member here Dr.

> from an email to me (not to scare anyone...but)

>

> " No harm in supplements (ie very safe - if you give to much one

> starts to smell fishy - ironically) and yes you could just start

> supplementing without any health concerns. But honestly - a

> carnitine deficiency is something you would want to identify first -

> before supplementing. The results from bloodwork will not be

> helpful otherwise once supplementing - since it could be normal.

> One doesn't just have a carnitine deficiency for no reason. This is

> something that should be worked up - aggressively, medically. So I

> would seriously consider getting him checked prior to supplements "

> and from the same email another clip:

> " The benefits of carnitine (like those on the heart) - may not be

> obvious (in

> speech and muscle tone -the sort of thing we are looking for) and

you

> wouldn't

> know you were making a difference. The carnitine deficiency that

> ph had

> could have led to serious cardiac complications over the next few

> years if not

> picked up. "

>

> To repeat the points raised -a carnitine deficiency is

> something you want to know about because it could be serious...and

> once you start supplementing it may be hard to know if there was a

> carnitine deficiency prior. And...for a less serious

> reason -too much carnitine causes one to smell " fishy " So I'd say

> no to just supplementing this one prior to blood work!

> The name may sound almost the

> same as carnosine -but they are different.

> " L-Carnitine

> L-Carnitine is an amino acid manufactured in your liver from the

> amino acids

> lysine & methionine. It is found in muscle & organ meats in the

human

> diet.

> Vegetarians are susceptible to deficiencies of all 3 of the above

> amino acids.

> L-Carnitine plays an important role in converting fat into energy.

It

> transfers

> fatty acids in the cell to the mitochondria (the energy engine)

which

> uses the

> fatty acids as fuel to generate energy. It assists in regulating fat

> metabolism

> in your heart & skeletal muscles.

> A lack of carnitine can result in buildup of fat & add to problems

of

> obesity.

>

> The first sign of carnitine deficiency is hypoglycemia, which, if

> unchecked can

> lead to progressive muscular weakness, muscle disorders, heart

tissue

> damage,

> increased triglycerides, a breakdown of muscle tissue & irregular

> muscle

> function.

>

> L-Carnitine can be helpful for:

>

> Ischemic heart disease.

> Congestive heart failure.

> Increased triglycerides.

> Liver disease.

> Those on dialysis.

> Blood sugar stabilization.

> Increasing energy.

> Muscle weakness & disorders.

> Endurance training.

> Body fat reduction.

> Vegetarianism.

>

> L-Carnosine

> is a product of the amino acid histidine & has free radical

scavenging

> properties.

>

> L-Histidine

> L-histidine is an essential amino acid. Most of our histidine must

> come from our

> diets, but small amounts can be synthesized from glutamic acid &

> carnosine.

> Histidine has anti-inflammatory properties. It is the only amino

acid

> found to

> be consistently low in the blood of those with rheumatoid arthritis.

> It is also

> low in the lubricating fluid in the joints. Whiskey significantly

> decreases

> histidine levels. Rheumatoid arthritis patients should avoid

alcohol.

>

> Histidine can convert to histamine, which is a major

neurotransmitter

> in your

> brain & throughout parts of your nervous system. However, histidine

> intake does

> not always increase brain histamine, Low brain histamine levels are

> associated

> with hyperactivity, mania, paranoia, hallucinations, & abnormal

> thoughts. Many

> brain functions of histamine are poorly understood but it is thought

> to

> participate in the secretion of 2 hormones, (prolactin &

> antidiuretic). It is

> thought to aid temperature regulation & be involved in the control

of

> automatic

> nerve response in the central nervous system.

>

> Vitamin E deficiency will cause the depletion of histidine from

> muscles.

> Histidine is involved with the regulation of zinc levels in your

> body. If zinc

> is excessive it will lower histidine; if histidine is excessive it

> will decrease

> zinc levels. But appropriate levels of histidine enhance zinc

levels.

>

> Histidine:

>

> Enhances wound healing,

> Is essential for tissue growth & repair.

> Is helpful with rheumatoid arthritis.

> Is important for red blood cell health. Deficiency will cause

> decreased

> hemoglobin & hematocrit, ultimately leading to anemia.

> Helps store glucose in your liver. "

> http://www.findhealer.com/glossary/L.php3

>

> As far as who does the testing....I have a " normal " ped for my kids

> from Florida and all I did was supply him with documentation from

> Dr. and also shared her background.

>

> Some of you may not be aware that is a respected researcher:

>

> R. , MD

> Attending Physician

> Director of Fellowship Research

> Pediatric Emergency Medicine

> Department of Emergency Medicine

> Children's Hospital & Research Center at Oakland

> 747 52nd Street

> Oakland, CA 94609

>

> " R. , MD, is a board certified pediatric emergency

> medicine physician and the director of fellowship research for the

> pediatric emergency medicine fellowship. Her research interests

> focus translational research in sickle cell disease, pulmonary

> hypertension and asthma. Dr. published the first

> investigation to evaluate a potential new therapy for the treatment

> of secondary pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell disease, a study

> that made the " Top ten publications list in pulmonary vascular

> disease " in Chest this year.

>

> Dr. has been a guest speaker nationally and internationally,

> with most recent presentations given at the European Respiratory

> Society Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark in September 2005 ( " Pulmonary

> complications of hemoglobinopathies with a focus on sickle cell

> disease " ), and at the Nitric Oxide Gordon Research Conference in II

> Ciocco, Italy in May 2005 ( " Role of arginine depletion in asthma and

> pulmonary hypertension " ). Dr. is particularly interested in

> the role of low arginine and nitric oxide bioavailability in sickle

> cell disease as well as asthma, and novel treatments for pulmonary

> hypertension that target this mechanism. "

>

http://www.chori.org/Principal_Investigators/_/morris_ove

rview.html

>

> Tanner's pediatrician found it all very interesting and was open to

> writing the prescription for the blood testing even without knowing

> anything about what we are seeing. It would be the most cost

> effective, easy way to get the process started. For me, if my ped

> did " laugh " at me or found this whole thing to be just nuts after

> reading 's suggestions, results with her own child, and

> background...I'd switch pediatricians. Who needs an MD that's so

> in the box they may miss any other new information as well. And as

> far as other professionals doing the testing -if you have the money

> to go the DAN route to start and make sure it's someone with a

> medical background in pediatric neurodevelopmental medicine or at

> least pediatric medicine (you can be a Dan " doc " and not even be an

> MD FYI) that's always an option.

>

> As it's been posted prior we are charting unknown territory and as

> far as I'm concerned the main people that know the most about any of

> this are already part of this group...and leading the way on how

> vitamin E may contribute to the fish oil with knowledge about

> carnitine and more... is one member here we are all fortunate to

> have -Dr. !

>

> also suggested here and in an email to me that if a child

> does need to supplement with carnitine -that you don't just buy a

> health food brand because " Carnitine. You don't want to just buy it

> at the health food store. The forms they sell over the counter can

> actually be harmful due to additives and the way it is made. L-

> Carnitine that is definitely safe is only available in prescription

> form "

>

> and from an archive message from :

>

> " Its really because you never know what you are getting...while

> carnitor is regulated. Plus it gets covered by insurance...an added

> benefit, as all these supplements start to add up and are fairly

> costly.

>

> My research background is in arginine metabolism, and I am involved

> in several arginine clinical trials for diseases like sickle cell

> disease and thalassemia. I never tell people to buy off the shelf

> because you REALLY don't know what you are buying. None of the over

> the counter supplements are regulated. There are fillers etc that

> may have ingredients that are not necessily OK. So I buy my

> arginine supplements for trials through distributers that can

> demonstrated purity to > 99.99%.

>

> But it is really important to get a carnitine level prior to

> supplementing. Not that carnitine is harmful, even if you have

> normal levels...but if your child has a carnitine deficiency...it

> should be worked up further. - "

>

> You still may be confused -but you have to feel a bit more

> informed...right?

>

> =====

>

March 1, 2008

We also feed Charlie 2.5 years, a diet much like yours. We do give him pizza

occassionally, about 2x per month. On valentines day, he had school food and

treats and pizza. Told me 1/2 hour after eating, that his tummy hurt. It is

nice that he can tell me these things. It is amazing to see the difference

in our kids with diet. I do the best I can, which is significantly better

than most people could or would. I am proud of that. Thanks for sharing.

Colleen

Mother of Charlie 2.5 years

[ ] WAS: yet another MR NOW: Food and behavior

story (sorry -- long!)

I have a recent personal experience to share regarding food and

behavior. has been doing so well in kindergarten and with

his NACD program, knows about 100 sight words, doesn't qualify for

speech or OT, and has had excellent behavior reports from school --

until this week. His teacher has said more than once that he is a

typical (boy) student, and that she would never have known about his

previous issues if I had not brought them to her attention. He even

got a special certificate for excellence the first week back from

Christmas break, because he transitioned back to school BETTER than

most!

Because we do not have lab tests confirming food allergies, my

husband has often thought that an infraction here and there is

harmless, especially since we use digestive enzymes. It is, however,

a slippery slope. First, it was dinner out for pizza once a month,

this month we went out every weekend. I also let him eat whatever he

wanted at the class Valentine's Day party. At the same time, Girl

Scout cookies and Valentine's Day candy entered the house in a big

way. (I am a Brownie leader.) Some have dairy, some don't, but all

have ARTIFICIALS. At first, we both thought we might be getting away

with something, then we received a note from his teacher. Here is an

excerpt:

" I am writing to let you know that over the past few weeks I have

noticed a significant change in 's behavior. Normally, I

would hardly ever need to speak to , but lately, I need to

speak with him up to 10 times a day. Some of the behavior I am

observing includes being very active, not sitting in his chair, and a

lack of following instructions. He truly seems unable to control

himself at times. I have observed kicking and jumping on

things (nap mats & backpacks.) "

As described by his teacher in this note and the follow-up

conversation, he has turned into ADHD kid practically overnight! In

addition to what she described, we have noticed the following at home:

--He is having increased difficulty paying attention during program

work. (e.g. After doing his new set of sight words for a whole

week, I checked to see how many he knew. Normally, he knows about 75%

+ after one week. He knew 0%!)

--His handwriting has been inconsistently terrible. Occasionally, he

can write a single word neatly, but mostly it's sloppy. Drawing

skills have been less detailed.

--Lots of crying over nothing.

--Uncooperative across the board.

--Spitting at his sister.

--Sour mood, even when he should be happy. (e.g. no veggies at

dinner, playing with favorite toys, I said " yes " to something like

watching TV)

--Softer BM's and also touching his private areas occasionally. (The

latter is totally new.)

During this time period, he has not been sick, changed sleep habits,

added or subtracted any supplements, or had any major life changes of

any kind.

Unfortunately, because of the nature of the infractions, the

detective work is a bit more complicated than normal. It could be

the dairy infraction (always a favorite target here), but I have two

other possibilities as well. His enzymes work on dairy, but they do

not work on artificals, so given the sharp turn in his behavior that

could be the real culprit. Other than the cookies, eats a

100% artifical-free diet with almost no MSG or HFCS (except the

occasional restaurant meal, which may be tainted with any of those

things.)

Another possibility is that it could be a yeast problem due to the

sugar in the cookies. While dairy can feed yeast, none of the

infractions were a full-blown milk item like straight milk or yogurt.

It could also be a little of all three.

Either way, my husband is now on board with the no dairy, no

artificials components, and we were already on a restaurant ban due

to the naughtiness on our last visit. (Tyler in particular.)

This is just one personal experience and not generally applicable.

However, it does point to the effect diet can have on behavior and

also to the difficult in nailing down the culprit, even when there

haven't been other major changes going on.

For anyone considering dietary changes to improve their children's

skills or behavior, eliminating artifical colors, flavors, sweetners,

and preservatives should absolutely be the first step. It is by far

the easiest dietary intervention, and you may see complete success

without eliminating any typically-allergenic foods. Check out the

Feingold program website for a lot more informationon this topic.

(We eliminated artificals back when he was in preschool, and it took

us far, but not the whole way. We still needed to get rid of the

dairy.) Eliminating MSG and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) should

also be strongly considered.

in NJ

> > >

> > > Dawn,

> > >

> > > You have a very bright and wonderful child. I wish you great

> > success in

> > > finding whatever she needs to help the world see the smart and

> > ingenius

> > > little girl you have always known her to be.

> > >

> > > For what it is worth, a lot of my reading seems to point to

> > metabolic

> > > and allergy as a factor in spotty and inconsistent performance.

> If

> > you

> > > need help looking or the list of docs I am considering talking

to

> > in

> > > this area to rule things in or out for my guy please feel free

to

> > email

> > > me on or offlist.

> > >

> > > Best Wishes!

> > > Liz

> > >

> >

>

March 1, 2008

Liz did not make that comment, and already provided sources

for it.

>

> For those that didn't do the blood testing yet through their

child's

> pediatrician -please do not supplement with carnotine at all until

> you do. If your child tests low in carnitine (not carnosine) then

he

> or she will have to be on a prescription dosage the rest of his or

> her life. This is not to scare anyone but important information.

> The following email will explain more.

>

> (And note to Liz -again please post credible links when you make

what

> called little comments like " carnotine feeds yeast " -if you

can

> find any.)

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~important info on carnotine archive

>

> Re: Carnitine???

>

> Hi Trish, I hope I can help!

>

> Many people in this group (including me) supplemented their speech

> impaired child with either or both carn-aware ( http://www.carn-

aware.com )

> and/or carnosine. Carn-aware is a product name for a

> supplement that contains mainly carnosine with other ingredients -

> zinc and ('s gonna love this) " vitamin E " . Carn-aware did

> work for many of the children as far as us seeing some type of

> surge -and it was found successful in some clinical trials -here's

> is some history on it

> http://www.cherab.org/information/dietaryeffects/carnosine.html

> http://www.speechville.com/alternative-therapy/carnosine.html

>

> Some of us (including me) also used the carnosine because it's less

> expensive then the carn-aware because you can purchase it in pure

> powder form. I used to mix the carn-aware powder (from capsules)

and

> carnosine

> powder together too. Tanner's no longer on either carnaware or

> carnosine -but it did appear to be one of the things that helped

> along the way as you can read in the links above.

>

> For carnotine you 'do' want to get the testing done first to see if

> there is a deficiency because:

> From a direct quote from pediatrician/parent member here Dr.

> from an email to me (not to scare anyone...but)

>

> " No harm in supplements (ie very safe - if you give to much one

> starts to smell fishy - ironically) and yes you could just start

> supplementing without any health concerns. But honestly - a

> carnitine deficiency is something you would want to identify

first -

> before supplementing. The results from bloodwork will not be

> helpful otherwise once supplementing - since it could be normal.

> One doesn't just have a carnitine deficiency for no reason. This is

> something that should be worked up - aggressively, medically. So I

> would seriously consider getting him checked prior to supplements "

> and from the same email another clip:

> " The benefits of carnitine (like those on the heart) - may not be

> obvious (in

> speech and muscle tone -the sort of thing we are looking for) and

you

> wouldn't

> know you were making a difference. The carnitine deficiency that

> ph had

> could have led to serious cardiac complications over the next few

> years if not

> picked up. "

>

> To repeat the points raised -a carnitine deficiency is

> something you want to know about because it could be serious...and

> once you start supplementing it may be hard to know if there was a

> carnitine deficiency prior. And...for a less serious

> reason -too much carnitine causes one to smell " fishy " So I'd say

> no to just supplementing this one prior to blood work!

> The name may sound almost the

> same as carnosine -but they are different.

> " L-Carnitine

> L-Carnitine is an amino acid manufactured in your liver from the

> amino acids

> lysine & methionine. It is found in muscle & organ meats in the

human

> diet.

> Vegetarians are susceptible to deficiencies of all 3 of the above

> amino acids.

> L-Carnitine plays an important role in converting fat into energy.

It

> transfers

> fatty acids in the cell to the mitochondria (the energy engine)

which

> uses the

> fatty acids as fuel to generate energy. It assists in regulating

fat

> metabolism

> in your heart & skeletal muscles.

> A lack of carnitine can result in buildup of fat & add to problems

of

> obesity.

>

> The first sign of carnitine deficiency is hypoglycemia, which, if

> unchecked can

> lead to progressive muscular weakness, muscle disorders, heart

tissue

> damage,

> increased triglycerides, a breakdown of muscle tissue & irregular

> muscle

> function.

>

> L-Carnitine can be helpful for:

>

> Ischemic heart disease.

> Congestive heart failure.

> Increased triglycerides.

> Liver disease.

> Those on dialysis.

> Blood sugar stabilization.

> Increasing energy.

> Muscle weakness & disorders.

> Endurance training.

> Body fat reduction.

> Vegetarianism.

>

> L-Carnosine

> is a product of the amino acid histidine & has free radical

scavenging

> properties.

>

> L-Histidine

> L-histidine is an essential amino acid. Most of our histidine must

> come from our

> diets, but small amounts can be synthesized from glutamic acid &

> carnosine.

> Histidine has anti-inflammatory properties. It is the only amino

acid

> found to

> be consistently low in the blood of those with rheumatoid

arthritis.

> It is also

> low in the lubricating fluid in the joints. Whiskey significantly

> decreases

> histidine levels. Rheumatoid arthritis patients should avoid

alcohol.

>

> Histidine can convert to histamine, which is a major

neurotransmitter

> in your

> brain & throughout parts of your nervous system. However, histidine

> intake does

> not always increase brain histamine, Low brain histamine levels are

> associated

> with hyperactivity, mania, paranoia, hallucinations, & abnormal

> thoughts. Many

> brain functions of histamine are poorly understood but it is

thought

> to

> participate in the secretion of 2 hormones, (prolactin &

> antidiuretic). It is

> thought to aid temperature regulation & be involved in the control

of

> automatic

> nerve response in the central nervous system.

>

> Vitamin E deficiency will cause the depletion of histidine from

> muscles.

> Histidine is involved with the regulation of zinc levels in your

> body. If zinc

> is excessive it will lower histidine; if histidine is excessive it

> will decrease

> zinc levels. But appropriate levels of histidine enhance zinc

levels.

>

> Histidine:

>

> Enhances wound healing,

> Is essential for tissue growth & repair.

> Is helpful with rheumatoid arthritis.

> Is important for red blood cell health. Deficiency will cause

> decreased

> hemoglobin & hematocrit, ultimately leading to anemia.

> Helps store glucose in your liver. "

> http://www.findhealer.com/glossary/L.php3

>

> As far as who does the testing....I have a " normal " ped for my kids

> from Florida and all I did was supply him with documentation from

> Dr. and also shared her background.

>

> Some of you may not be aware that is a respected

researcher:

>

> R. , MD

> Attending Physician

> Director of Fellowship Research

> Pediatric Emergency Medicine

> Department of Emergency Medicine

> Children's Hospital & Research Center at Oakland

> 747 52nd Street

> Oakland, CA 94609

>

> " R. , MD, is a board certified pediatric emergency

> medicine physician and the director of fellowship research for the

> pediatric emergency medicine fellowship. Her research interests

> focus translational research in sickle cell disease, pulmonary

> hypertension and asthma. Dr. published the first

> investigation to evaluate a potential new therapy for the treatment

> of secondary pulmonary hypertension in sickle cell disease, a study

> that made the " Top ten publications list in pulmonary vascular

> disease " in Chest this year.

>

> Dr. has been a guest speaker nationally and internationally,

> with most recent presentations given at the European Respiratory

> Society Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark in September 2005

( " Pulmonary

> complications of hemoglobinopathies with a focus on sickle cell

> disease " ), and at the Nitric Oxide Gordon Research Conference in II

> Ciocco, Italy in May 2005 ( " Role of arginine depletion in asthma

and

> pulmonary hypertension " ). Dr. is particularly interested in

> the role of low arginine and nitric oxide bioavailability in sickle

> cell disease as well as asthma, and novel treatments for pulmonary

> hypertension that target this mechanism. "

>

http://www.chori.org/Principal_Investigators/_/morris_ov

erview.html

>

> Tanner's pediatrician found it all very interesting and was open to

> writing the prescription for the blood testing even without knowing

> anything about what we are seeing. It would be the most cost

> effective, easy way to get the process started. For me, if my ped

> did " laugh " at me or found this whole thing to be just nuts after

> reading 's suggestions, results with her own child, and

> background...I'd switch pediatricians. Who needs an MD that's so

> in the box they may miss any other new information as well. And as

> far as other professionals doing the testing -if you have the money

> to go the DAN route to start and make sure it's someone with a

> medical background in pediatric neurodevelopmental medicine or at

> least pediatric medicine (you can be a Dan " doc " and not even be an

> MD FYI) that's always an option.

>

> As it's been posted prior we are charting unknown territory and as

> far as I'm concerned the main people that know the most about any

of

> this are already part of this group...and leading the way on how

> vitamin E may contribute to the fish oil with knowledge about

> carnitine and more... is one member here we are all fortunate to

> have -Dr. !

>

> also suggested here and in an email to me that if a child

> does need to supplement with carnitine -that you don't just buy a

> health food brand because " Carnitine. You don't want to just buy it

> at the health food store. The forms they sell over the counter can

> actually be harmful due to additives and the way it is made. L-

> Carnitine that is definitely safe is only available in prescription

> form "

>

> and from an archive message from :

>

> " Its really because you never know what you are getting...while

> carnitor is regulated. Plus it gets covered by insurance...an added

> benefit, as all these supplements start to add up and are fairly

> costly.

>

> My research background is in arginine metabolism, and I am involved

> in several arginine clinical trials for diseases like sickle cell

> disease and thalassemia. I never tell people to buy off the shelf

> because you REALLY don't know what you are buying. None of the over

> the counter supplements are regulated. There are fillers etc that

> may have ingredients that are not necessily OK. So I buy my

> arginine supplements for trials through distributers that can

> demonstrated purity to > 99.99%.

>

> But it is really important to get a carnitine level prior to

> supplementing. Not that carnitine is harmful, even if you have

> normal levels...but if your child has a carnitine deficiency...it

> should be worked up further. - "

>

> You still may be confused -but you have to feel a bit more

> informed...right?

>

> =====

>

March 1, 2008

The Bock book recommends the one you are using now. Is it still over-

the-counter or does it require a prescription? What dose do you

use? And L-carnitine helped nasal congestion? That certainly can't

be related to tone -- unless he has a very muscular nose. Any theory

as to why?

in NJ

>

> L-carnitine helped my son's nasal congestion - I swithced to n-

acetyl-

> carnitine and we some improvements in his language.

March 1, 2008

Give Liz a break -- she didn't post that, I did. Dana of

www.danasview.net recently mentioned this on the Enzymes and Autism

board. She did not cite a study, as she is usually speaking

from her vast personal experience, but when I find an additional,

more scientific source, I will post. That is the first and only time

I have heard that.