Question for Catatonic

[gabrielsmom]

Hi Cat:

As you know things are going quite well with my son.... THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I do have a question though. I have done that test you talked about to see if gabriel has a magnesium deficiency and either i'm doing it wrong or he doesn't have a deficiency. Anyway, my question is: Is it okay to still give him 400 mgs of magnesium? or should I give him less? or, should I give him more?...his target does according to the 6 mgs per pound is 558 mgs...What are your thoughts on this? also, i'm not giving him any vitamin e supplements, his multi-vitamin has 50 iu (i think, have to double check)of vitamin E included, is this enough? or does he need more?

Thanks again for all your help

[catatonic]

Joshua -
I use 100 IU Vitamin E, mainly because that's how much I was told to use by Laura Stevens (the gal who wrote the book I love so much, "12 Effective Ways to Help Your ADD/ADHD Child".) Others recommend 200 IU. Omega-3 can deplete your Vitamin E pretty fast. If you don't want to switch multis to one that contains more vitamin E, I'd just add a Vitamin E capsule. They're tiny and cheap.

On magnesium...are you tapping in the hollow of the cheek kind of at the corner of the jaw where you don't tap on teeth, halfway between the earlobe and the corner of the mouth? It's perfectly possible your son doesn't have a magnesium deficiency. I wouldn't stop the magnesium, though. It's too important. If what you've got is a 400mg supplement, go ahead and use it. If it's 500mg, that's fine too. If he's not deficient, exact dose isn't critical, just as long as you're making sure to get some into him.

I'm really glad to hear your boy is doing so well!
Cat

[catatonic]

Madison - on the vitamin E, you can give it every day safely. The upper intake (number which you may risk side effects if you go over) for vitamin E for a child in the 9-13 age range is approximately 400IU. For a 4-8 year old, it's 200IU. Depending on the type of Vitamin E you're using, the upper intakes are quite a bit higher, but at the most conservative recommendation available, you are still perfectly safe within the limits above.

Substitutes for evening primrose oil...about the best and most readily available would be borage oil. It costs a little more than evening primrose, but not a whole lot.

Blackcurrant and hemp oil are also good options, but they are not as common and will cost you more. If you buy any of these oils in liquid form (as opposed to squishy capsules) squeeze the contents of a vitamin E capsule into the jar, shake it well, and store it in the fridge. This will prevent the oil from getting rancid.

[lofo]

Gabrielsmom or Catatonic:
Will you please give the magnesium defeciency test instructions? The post question made me very curious about such an easy sounding test. I would like to check my son too.
Thanks,
Lori

[catatonic]

Lori,
The test is really easy to do. You tap with one finger in the hollow of the cheek, halfway between the earlobe and the corner of the mouth. If the upper lip twitches or jumps in the center, beneath the nose, then a magnesium deficiency is likely present. This is called the Cvostek test and is used by physicians as well as moms. It is best to do the test when your subject is in a sitting or standing position (not lying down).

That's all there is to it.

[lofo]

Thanks! I will try it out.
Lori

[lofo]

Thanks! I will try it out.
Lori