Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 > It's almost as if he has a true addiction, and I just don't know how to help him. Processed food is so full of chemicals that I think it really IS a true addiction. Obviously something biochemical is going on to cause the explosion in obesity in this country -- it's not like suddenly half the population lost all self-control, it's the effect of the chemicals, IMO. I'm all for really good food and sweets too sometimes, but it's important for everyone's health, not just those on the spectrum, to keep the food whole and the sweets real. >Could metal overload cause this??? We are chelating him with ALA. The sugar craving is likely yeast. We call our son The Junkie when he gets a yeast flare, because he'd do *anything to get sugar. Anything. The only solution is to treat it hard, keep chelating when the yeast is somewhat less bad, and in the meantime keep the junk out of the house. With n, being sympathetic about how desperate he feels works better than being punitive about it. BTW my food rant isn't directed at you, just ranting in general Nell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Diane said: My oldest son, who is dxd ADHD/Anxiety & Bipolar Disorder does this ALL of the time. ------ Given the diagnoses you list and the possibility of allergies as well, I would first assume that the child is " self-medicating " his issues. For example, I know that I crave caffeine when my allergies bother me. And brain chemistry is certainly impacted by metal poisoning. So if I were the parent of this child, I would focus on doing what he needs to get physically well, doing as much positive nutritional intervention as possible, and trying to be patient with the process on the assumption that his behavior should improve some as his health improves. You might consider putting him on glyconutrients which have an anedcotal track record for healing nerve damage so I think they would likely help heal the brain too. And get sea salt from Celtic Sea Salt if you haven't done that already. I think natural sea salt does something really important to help put a body back in balance. It may be " just me " because my body purges salt at an abnormally high rate, but I am really impressed with the effects of taking sea salt in recent months. (You can put in the bath and get some into him transdermally if he won't consume it with his food or whatever.) For your concern about alcoholism, I highly recommend a book called " The Truth About Addiction and Recovery " . ------ Nell said: Processed food is so full of chemicals that I think it really IS a true addiction. Obviously something biochemical is going on to cause the explosion in obesity in this country -- it's not like suddenly half the population lost all self-control, it's the effect of the chemicals, IMO. --- I am not disputing your point, but would like to add my 2 cents worth: I have shrunk DRAMATICALLY in recent months (like 2 or 3 dress sizes) with getting rid of particle board furniture, throwing out anything which smelled musty, etc. I think SOME folks are not genuinely fat but are, instead, suffering a kind of edema due to severe, chronic allergic reactions. Most of my body looks almost " normal " for when I used to be thin but my gut is still swollen and it is not actual fat: I think my gut is still healing and I know that the lymphatic system dumps toxins first through the intestines. So I still am fairly pot-bellied even though I look lots " thinner " for most of the rest of my body. (and I know it was some kind of swelling rather than fat because when I would throw out contaminated furniture, my feet would suddenly swell, then I would have diarhea overnight and my feet would shrink again and then I looked thinner the next day!) Second, I would say that one reason for obesity is that a lot of people do not eat nutritious food. I think when the food is low in nutrients, you remain " hungry " because you crave actual nutrition. I think obese people are generally malnourished and some of them eat and eat and eat because they are still subconsciously trying to get enough nutrients but can't because they are consuming empty calories. -- Michele in Limbo (formerly in California) talithamichele@... Visit Michele's World! http://www.califmichele.com " Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. " -- Albert Einstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 So if I were the > parent of this child, I would focus on doing what he needs to get physically > well, doing as much positive nutritional intervention as possible, and > trying to be patient with the process on the assumption that his behavior > should improve some as his health improves. Yes, very well said. > I have shrunk DRAMATICALLY in recent months (like 2 or 3 dress sizes) with > getting rid of particle board furniture, throwing out anything which smelled > musty, etc. Interesting! Do you have any idea which made the bigger difference, the particle board or the mold? > I think SOME folks are not genuinely fat but are, instead, > suffering a kind of edema due to severe, chronic allergic reactions. Sounds reasonable. I had shrinkage like you describe when my Armour thyroid kicked in -- suddenly all that edema in my hands and face, and most of what was on my belly, just melted away. > Second, I would say that one reason for obesity is that a lot of people do > not eat nutritious food. Yes. I know obesity is complicated and has many causes, probably cable TV is high up there too. I should have been born in 1800. Nell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 >>> I have shrunk DRAMATICALLY in recent months (like 2 or 3 dress sizes) with >>> getting rid of particle board furniture, throwing out anything which smelled >>> musty, etc. >Interesting! Do you have any idea which made the bigger difference, >the particle board or the mold? --- I don't think I can directly answer that question: I probably should have called the department of health concerning a previous apartment. The tenants prior to me had 6 kids (8 tenants) in a 2 bedroom apartment and I think OSHA was called in when they evicted the family because the place was such a disaster. That apartment is where we developed the horrendous mold and mildew problem and I was very sick there. Over the course of last summer, I moved to a new apartment and threw away pretty much everything I had from that previous apartment. I still have a few important papers from there (which smell just vile) but I still plan on replacing them as I have the time and money to get to it all (everything takes so much time!). So I feel that whatever ...concoction of god-knows-what contaminants got into my furnishings at that apartment (which should be condemend, IMO) was a big culprit. But now that I have a diagnosis for my respiratory problems and I understand how badly I react to so many things, I plan on not buying more particle board or MDF (much to my surprise, most of the lovely and expensive furniture from Bombay is MDF and I threw away tons of stuff from them). -- Michele in Limbo (formerly in California) talithamichele@... Visit Michele's World! http://www.califmichele.com " Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding. " -- Albert Einstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 I think its the high fructose corn syrup that they lace just everything with that is responsible for a lot of overeating. Spikes your blood sugar and then when it drops, you get hungry again. And try finding things without it. I was at Burger King with my gd the other day (I know blasphemy) and she always gets the alternative to french fries option, which was applesauce. But it was full of high fructose corn syrup. So, we will be going back to the playland at Mcs where they serve apples coated with....don't tell me :-( Lots of somebodies need to take these people on who are ruining the health of our children. You can NOT buy things, but it is pervasive anymore. A person ought to be able to take their kid out and purchase decent food products. [ ] Re: I am so mad at my son!!! HELP! So if I were the > parent of this child, I would focus on doing what he needs to get physically > well, doing as much positive nutritional intervention as possible, and > trying to be patient with the process on the assumption that his behavior > should improve some as his health improves. Yes, very well said. > I have shrunk DRAMATICALLY in recent months (like 2 or 3 dress sizes) with > getting rid of particle board furniture, throwing out anything which smelled > musty, etc. Interesting! Do you have any idea which made the bigger difference, the particle board or the mold? > I think SOME folks are not genuinely fat but are, instead, > suffering a kind of edema due to severe, chronic allergic reactions. Sounds reasonable. I had shrinkage like you describe when my Armour thyroid kicked in -- suddenly all that edema in my hands and face, and most of what was on my belly, just melted away. > Second, I would say that one reason for obesity is that a lot of people do > not eat nutritious food. Yes. I know obesity is complicated and has many causes, probably cable TV is high up there too. I should have been born in 1800. Nell ======================================================= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 >A person ought to be able to take their kid out and purchase decent food products. It's really hard in the US. I haven't been in Italy since '88 but then anyway you could get incredible unprocessed fresh deliciousness anywhere. Here, the only place we go out is for pizza at the non-chain pizza place, owned by an Italian, where they use no treated flour, no additives, no junk. But it's the only place in town I trust. Hmm, maybe I could work this into a reason for moving to Italy. Nell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 > A person ought to be able to take their kid out and purchase decent food products. This thought makes me smile, because it reminds me of something... A few days ago, me and my son were reading a book about a kid that was sick with the flu. After we finished the book, I asked him what was the book about. So he tells me that the book is about this sick kid. " And do you know why he was so sick? " My son answers: " Because he ate too many chemicals " ) LOL!! Poor kid, everywhere we go, he sees things and he wants them. And I always tell him " Denis, you can't have that.... too many chemicals, you'll get sick " . He knows his lesson already because he noticed a few times that I was right and he did get sick. At school, his teachers told me that quite a few times he refused the snack at snack-time. Why? He came, he took a look, and he said " It's red. I don't want it. It will make me sick " ) He is only 7 yo, but I trained him well Valentina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Sue and Diane, My guess is that if you did a 4x in one day saliva cortisol test on your night owls, you would find a big night-time spike, indicating the huge adrenal stress these young people are under. Mercury damages the endocrine system so much. They sound like they are dealing with low T3, even low T4... It's possible to order your own labs from www.CanaryClub.org in the event you don't have access to helpful, open-minded docs. My night owl is 2e/Aspie and is on Armour thyroid and Isocort for adrenal support. So am I. There are other parents who are looking into this and treating and finding it very helpful to their children as well as themselves. Happy to help- if I can, let me know... .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 Hello Sue, I am going to be a little unkind here, so please forgive me. Considering the diagnosis that you describe at the bottom of your post, I am surprised you have all that garbage in your house. I can't help but wonder if all of your kids wouldn't benefit from a more sensible diet. My recommendation would be to get rid of all that stuff for everyone and spend LESS money on more traditional and healthy foods like unprocessed meats, vegetables, etc. Just my opinion, and you can feel free to dislike me for saying it, but maybe it needed to be said. Good luck with your struggle. Neil _____ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of lyle and diane vrana Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 1:04 PM Group Subject: [ ] I am so mad at my son!!! HELP! BlankSue: I can totally relate to the binging/sneaking of food. My oldest son, who is dxd ADHD/Anxiety & Bipolar Disorder does this ALL of the time. I was so surprised to read your post, as JUST LAST NIGHT, my husband and I found 5 POP CANS UNDER OUR COUCH (empty, of course)!!! Along with that, there were chip crumbs, some candy wrappers, an empty can of frosting, and other such things. GRRRR!!!!! I don't know HOW he got a hold of these things, because we started locking up ALL of our " snack foods " in our laundry room. It just didn't seem fair that my other kids (and US) should have to go without snacks (we all like them, but do eat in moderation!!) just because my son has a control problem. Only my husband and I have the key to the room, and we keep the key with/on us at all times, so there is no chance of my son FINDING the key when we aren't home. I think there was one time last week, though, when we were not home and we forgot to lock the door to the laundry room. We were only out for an hour or so (my son is almost 14, so he can stay home by himself). He did a LOT of damage in that hour!!!!!!!!! I just don't understand it. We give him a snack daily, so that he doesn't feel completely deprived, but it just isn't enough. He seems to gravitate towards sugar and caffeine, although he likes pop even if it doesn't have caffeine in it. This scares me, because his biological dad (my husband is his step-dad) was/is an alcoholic, his dad's dad was/is an alcoholic, and it goes right up the family tree. I'm so afraid my son will have the same trouble, and I'm thinking he is craving the carbs from the sugar, just as alcoholics crave the carbs from the alcohol. I've even found juice boxes hidden in the towels in the linen closet. HUH???? I felt like I was finding an alcoholic's bottle of whiskey or something!!!! Any advice on how I can help my son would be GREATLY appreciated-----sorry I can't offer much advice (other than locking up your food as someone else stated, too). I'm in the same boat in some ways! We DO have consequences for my son when he does this, because he doesn't have other delays, etc. and fully understands what he is doing. It just doesn't seem to matter. No consequence is harsh enough, because he will continue to do the same behavior over and over. It's almost as if he has a true addiction, and I just don't know how to help him. Could metal overload cause this??? We are chelating him with ALA. Thanks . . . ~Diane Mom to Branden (14) ADHD/Anxiety, and Bipolar Disorder, Austen (7) " typical " with some autistic type issues, and Aaren (4) ASD--but recovering! <<As most of you may know, My 17 year old son, has severe nonverbal autism and adhd. Every night this child gets up and binges on everything he can find and open to eat...The more I look at what he eats the more I see the cravings for Gluten and Casein. Last night he woke up and drank 4 Milk Chocolate Milk Shakes, a 1 liter bottle of Coke and 1/2 bag of frozen M & M's. And then he gets up and goes thru the garbage to take out the previous days newspaper so he can stim on them! HELP!!~ I can't punish him because I don't know if he would realize what he was being punished for. I am so tired of this behavior....I can't afford to try the gfcf diet, it's too huge for me to do right now. I can't afford a lockable cabinet. I am just depressed and distraught over this behavior. Every morning we wake up to wonder what he took and ate. One morning it's a loaf of bread and another it's a 4 pack of chocolate pudding. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hope everyone has a wonderful day! Hugs and Blessings, Sue 'Wife to: Jim Mom to: 17 (severe nonverbal autism, developmental delays and adhd ) 12 (early onset bipolar disorder, adhd, and possible ODD) 5 (developmental delay and adhd) na 3 (totally average girl with no disabilities, delays or disorders so far Thank God!!) --- http://USFamily.Net/dialup.html - $8.25/mo! -- http://www.usfamily.net/dsl.html - $19.99/mo! --- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Report Share Posted January 19, 2006 I have two children not on the spectrum (well not enough to be diagnosed but they have " issues " ) and I've gone through this, I've yelled, I've cried, I've locked cabinets, I've tried to ignore it, I've tried to punish....nothing works. What does work....Keeping the crud food out of the house. Period. I simply cannot have it in my home or they eat it. I had my middle child on Feingold, which would benefit him if he wouldn't sneak foods at school (I think we're homeschooling next year now) and my high school age child did Feingold with me and the middle child last year, so she KNOWS it makes her feel like crap and she isn't allowed to come home and act up because of it, I gently remind her that she most likely ate something she shouldn't and send her to bed to sleep it off. But, my point is, keep it out of the house. Find treats that are legal for whatever diet your child is on, buy them, and everything else is out of the house. For the cost of a bottle of soda, bags of candy and pudding snacks you can buy premade GFCF cookies. I thought GFCF was going to be difficult too, but there are so many premade foods to purchase if you don't have the time (or like me too afraid) to cook. Even if you decide not to go GFCF right now, I'd just not buy the snack and junk foods, buy fruit and veggies, maybe even plain lays chips for snacks, they aren't the best in the world, but they are snacky and GFCF. I don't know if you are on the GFCF Kids list, but there or I'm sure some of us here would even be able to help you put together a list of " snack " foods that are GFCF, premade and readily available at the grocery store. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 > I had my middle child on Feingold, which would benefit him if he > wouldn't sneak foods at school (I think we're homeschooling next year > now) Don't get me started on school! My kids have been to ow different schools and it's the same story -- *everything is about food. Parents bring in crap not just for birthdays but All The Time. I gave n's teacher a bag of those individually wrapped shortbreads (can't think of the brand name?) as a substitute. and my high school age child did Feingold with me and the middle > child last year, so she KNOWS it makes her feel like crap and she > isn't allowed to come home and act up because of it, I gently remind > her that she most likely ate something she shouldn't and send her to > bed to sleep it off. That's what I do too. n is starting to eat more crap at birthday parties than he used to because now he cares about being part of the group. Afer a year of being more or less on Feingold along with him, and having no junk food at all, I was out shopping alone and got a bag of my old fave, spicy Chex Mix. I was amazed at how chemicall-y it tasted, and I got a pounding headache -- when I checked the ingredients there was MSG, food dye, pretty much the whole list of Feingold targets. A very instructive experience -- and interesting that when I was eating occasional junk food I had not been able to tell how bad it was making me feel, it was only after being " clean " for a long time that the effect was obvious. Nell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Oh yeah, metals can do this. My NT son is also a junk food fiend right now, even though his health suffers from it. I tell him and tell him . . . Barb [ ] I am so mad at my son!!! HELP! > BlankSue: > > I can totally relate to the binging/sneaking of food. My oldest son, who > is dxd ADHD/Anxiety & Bipolar Disorder does this ALL of the time. I was > so surprised to read your post, as JUST LAST NIGHT, my husband and I found > 5 POP CANS UNDER OUR COUCH (empty, of course)!!! Along with that, there > were chip crumbs, some candy wrappers, an empty can of frosting, and other > such things. GRRRR!!!!! > > I don't know HOW he got a hold of these things, because we started locking > up ALL of our " snack foods " in our laundry room. It just didn't seem fair > that my other kids (and US) should have to go without snacks (we all like > them, but do eat in moderation!!) just because my son has a control > problem. Only my husband and I have the key to the room, and we keep the > key with/on us at all times, so there is no chance of my son FINDING the > key when we aren't home. I think there was one time last week, though, > when we were not home and we forgot to lock the door to the laundry room. > We were only out for an hour or so (my son is almost 14, so he can stay > home by himself). He did a LOT of damage in that hour!!!!!!!!! I just > don't understand it. We give him a snack daily, so that he doesn't feel > completely deprived, but it just isn't enough. > > He seems to gravitate towards sugar and caffeine, although he likes pop > even if it doesn't have caffeine in it. This scares me, because his > biological dad (my husband is his step-dad) was/is an alcoholic, his dad's > dad was/is an alcoholic, and it goes right up the family tree. I'm so > afraid my son will have the same trouble, and I'm thinking he is craving > the carbs from the sugar, just as alcoholics crave the carbs from the > alcohol. I've even found juice boxes hidden in the towels in the linen > closet. HUH???? I felt like I was finding an alcoholic's bottle of > whiskey or something!!!! Any advice on how I can help my son would be > GREATLY appreciated-----sorry I can't offer much advice (other than > locking up your food as someone else stated, too). I'm in the same boat > in some ways! We DO have consequences for my son when he does this, > because he doesn't have other delays, etc. and fully understands what he > is doing. It just doesn't seem to matter. No consequence is harsh > enough, because he will continue to do the same behavior over and over. > It's almost as if he has a true addiction, and I just don't know how to > help him. Could metal overload cause this??? We are chelating him with > ALA. Thanks . . . > > ~Diane > Mom to Branden (14) ADHD/Anxiety, and Bipolar Disorder, Austen (7) > " typical " with some autistic type issues, and Aaren (4) ASD--but > recovering! > > <<As most of you may know, My 17 year old son, has severe > nonverbal > autism and adhd. Every night this child gets up and binges on everything > he can > find and open to eat...The more I look at what he eats the more I see the > cravings for Gluten and Casein. Last night he woke up and drank 4 Milk > Chocolate > Milk Shakes, a 1 liter bottle of Coke and 1/2 bag of frozen M & M's. And > then > he gets up and goes thru the garbage to take out the previous days > newspaper > so he can stim on them! HELP!!~ I can't punish him because I don't know > if he > would realize what he was being punished for. I am so tired of this > behavior....I can't afford to try the gfcf diet, it's too huge for me to > do right > now. I can't afford a lockable cabinet. I am just depressed and > distraught over > this behavior. Every morning we wake up to wonder what he took and ate. > One > morning it's a loaf of bread and another it's a 4 pack of chocolate > pudding. > Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. > Hope everyone has a wonderful day! > > Hugs and Blessings, > Sue > 'Wife to: Jim > Mom to: > 17 (severe nonverbal autism, developmental delays and adhd ) > 12 (early onset bipolar disorder, adhd, and possible ODD) > 5 (developmental delay and adhd) > na 3 (totally average girl with no disabilities, delays or > disorders so > far Thank God!!) > > > > > > > > --- http://USFamily.Net/dialup.html - $8.25/mo! -- > http://www.usfamily.net/dsl.html - $19.99/mo! --- > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.