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Post by AnneM on Nov 29, 2003 13:08:52 GMT -5
I am fully open to and genuinely interested in Natural Alternatives .... I have tried many and have not yet found one that has worked ... but I am absolutely sure (particularly having read so much here) that there really ARE alternatives that DO work - extremely well in a lot of cases.
However, the one thing that I have noticed with my son is that there is absolutely NO difference in him(that I have ever seen) in what he has to eat (but I might well be missing the point here!).... If he eats something full of colourings etc for breakfast he is EXACTLY the same as he is if he eats nothing at all or an omelette or a glass of milk or anything else !! ... It honestly seems to have no effect either way.
A glass of coca cola makes him no different than a glass of water.
Is this because SOME children are more sensitive to what they eat ... and can this make the difference in dietary changes?? Does this in turn mean that radically changing the diet will help SOME - but not all kids??
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Post by foley on Nov 29, 2003 15:54:41 GMT -5
Anne,
I didn't notice a difference at all before I did the 1st 6 week elimination of the Feingold program. Even after the initial six weeks was over, I still didn't notice a big difference. It wasn't until I tested back an apple into his diet that I realized we were onto something.
The Feingold Program is an elimination of salicylates. They are found in synthetic colors, flavors, a few perservatives and in several other non-food items. The behavior reactions are a build-up of salicylates. Once a child's body has gone through a period of time without adding more salicylates and getting his body totally rid of them, then you can experiment and actually 'see' a reaction.
In fact the changes in my son were subtle at first, and it took about a year for my ExH to actually try the program when DS was visiting him. It was like two steps forward two steps back for a long time. Once ExH got on board, the change in DS's behavior was tremendous. Thankfully ExH is now convinced.
The other thing is that unlike a true allergic reaction where you'll see something physical like, let say, hives, it sometimes takes up to 72 hours to see a behavioral reaction. It's not an instant thing. Which is why it's so hard to convince others like teachers, and relatives, that the program works. Since they see a child eat a non-approved item and don't see an instant reaction.
I also found that after a year of truly being on the program, now that DS isn't inundated with salicylates on a daily basis, his reactions (when he cheats) are much more manageable, and nothing at all like they used to be.
It's a great elimination program, and the best part about it is that it's non-invasive, and really doesn't hurt.
Hope this Helps,
Suzanne
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Post by AnneM on Nov 29, 2003 16:18:44 GMT -5
Hi Suzanne and THANKYOU ... this really, really helps .... and definitely makes sense to me now .... I had been struggling trying to make sense of it before but the fact that the "bad diet" is a build-up rather than an instant reaction definitely makes things clearer. Unfortunately I really feel I have left it 'too late' to help my 15 year old in this way  His 'diet' (and his loves of certain things) is so well ingrained in him now and at his age I have little/no control over what he eats during the school day etc. I am really wishing I had been aware of and tackled this years ago. HOWEVER I am going to read what I can about the Feingold Diet and see whether there is a chance we might incorporate it into his daily life .... So... my other question has to be does it require 100% following to work ... OR are there perhaps certain things/foods which can really make a difference by elimination/addition possibly regardless of the rest of the diet? Also - have you any suggestions on a book to really help educate me on this? |
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Post by foley on Nov 30, 2003 6:51:31 GMT -5
I know what you mean. My DS is almost 13 now and cheats practically everytime he's out of the house. But, big But, you can make a huge difference by buying only acceptable products for your home, and another big-little thing that many people forget to mention about the Feingold Program is that it's not just about food. It's about laundry detergent, and toothpaste, and bath soap, and cleaning products. You can change all of that in your home as well. For us the major culprit is the natural salicylates which include--all berries, oranges, apples, almonds--there's a list you can access on the FG website: www.feingold.org T he other major thing that we removed which goes above and beyond the typical elimination in FG is corn syrup. Paticularly the corn syrup found in drinks. It made my DS very aggressive. But, these days it doesn't have the same effect--initially it made him truly impulsive, and nasty though. I believe there's a book called "Why Can't My Child Behave?" by Jane Hearsy, or Hearshy, not quite sure of the spelling. I haven't read it, but have seen it recommended quite a bit. I have a great website with very comphrehensive info gathered in one place. It's www.borntoexplore.org If you go to the list of articles and click on nutrional deficeincies (sp?) you'll find excellent information on FG, Low Carb diets, and Omega Fatty Acid. It's truly a wonderful resource. FG allowed me to get DS's hyperactivity, and impusiveness under control, but the Omega Fatty Acid supplement really helped his ability to communicate and articulate his thoughts, which in turn helped him with socialization, and also helped him lose the defiant and oppositional characterstics of his ADHD. He also does much better academically as far as effort, and attention to detail go when he's getting the Omega supplement. My DS is one of the ADHD people who also need GLA -- a refined omega 6 fatty acid--to process his Omega 3's. Boy we learned that the *hard* way. More info on that at the Born to Explore website. Other than FG, Omega Supplementation, and a multivitamin mineral supplement--that's about all we do. When he was younger, before the Omega supplementation--I did some heavy duty social skills work with him too. Anyway I hope this helps. And I don't think it's too late, I truly believe that if you set the example regarding what you eat, and the other products in your home, it will sink in for your DS. Also the key is to make sure everyone in your home avoids the unapproved stuff--at least while they're in your home. It's not good for anyone anyway. Best, Foley |
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Post by AnneM on Nov 30, 2003 8:12:39 GMT -5
Foley - THANKYOU! .... This information is just amazing ... I really am grateful ... and am going to follow it up and look at the links and books you suggested. Just to show my ignorance I had NO idea that the Feingold diet also included such things as washing powders, soaps etc. I have a huge amount to learn on this... I also didn't know about the berries !! I knew about oranges but not about berries. For that reason (and in my state of ignorance on these things!) I have often bought my son drinks based on berries (thinking I was doing the right thing avoiding the citrus fruits!!) but will stop doing that !! Thank you for taking the time to give me this information and also pointing me in the right direction to learn more.... I do find (within reason!) that if I point out to my son WHY something is bad for him (he always needs a pretty good "reason"!!) he will actually try his best to avoid it so there is some hope that he will not cheat TOOOOO much  .... BUT to point these things out to him I need to know what I am talking about ... and right now I don't!! Thanks again ... Anne |
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Post by foley on Nov 30, 2003 8:57:44 GMT -5
Anne, You're so welcome  ! I'm so glad I was helpful~* Foley |
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Post by JohnBark on Nov 30, 2003 20:04:30 GMT -5
AnneM,
we are just finishing our 2nd week of the FG lifestyle in Stage 1 of the program. we are hopefully that this will help us help our DS get under better control. we haven't seen much improvement yet. but, the experts say to be on the FG lifestyle in Stage 1 for 4 to 6 weeks. so, we hope by Christmas, which will be the end of 6 weeks on Stage 1 that we will see improvements. the program is realitively easy and DO NOT CHEAT at all!!!! this is probably the most important thing to do. DO NOT CHEAT!!!! we home-school, so my kids can't cheat. but it's so important that the DO NOT CHEAT!!!! good luck with it and join FG if you can. the bullention board there is an excellent source for folks like my family just starting out on the FG Lifestyle!!!!
I wish they would change FG Diet to FG Lifestyle. DIEt is just way too negative and this is a positive change for everyone involved!! See the first 3 letters in DIEt!!!! ;-)
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Post by catatonic on Dec 1, 2003 8:49:12 GMT -5
The Feingold diet seems as individual as the families who are on it. Although the basic program remains the same, each child's sensitivities are unique and a family's program evolves around those sensitivities. There are some children who can eat oranges and grapes all day long. Others cannot tolerate even a small glass of orange juice. My son can't handle either oranges or grapes, but does fine with tomatoes and cucumbers. Go figure. He is also unable to tolerate ANY corn syrup, and regular corn only in small amounts. Despite these individual adjustments, the core of the Feingold program remains constant. And it's very successful. Once you have gotten through a period of cleansing where your child is not in a constant state of reaction to one thing or another, you'll find that there is a "new baseline" for behavior and that you are able to spot reactions because the old behavior is no longer normal. There are a number of good resources on Feingold and other alternative treatments. The Feingold website at www.feingold.org has links to research and other materials that are helpful and interesting. Also, Jane Hersey's book "Why Can't My Child Behave?" - as mentioned above - is good. So is Dr. Doris Rapp's "Is This Your Child?"...as long as you have the patience for a very long book full of lots of allergy examples that seem WAY CLEARER when Dr. Rapp talks about them than they ever possibly could have in real life. Still, it's interesting and will help you learn how to go about tracking down mystery reactions. My favorite book is "12 Effective Ways to Help Your ADD/ADHD Child" by Laura Stevens. It's pretty widely available in libraries or through her website at users.nlci.com/nutrition/Tons more info, but #1 son needs to get to band practice! More later... |
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Post by DenverSarah on Dec 1, 2003 12:44:40 GMT -5
Anne,
is your son on medication? If so, does it have side effects that he could live without? Is he active or passive in his role as a party to controllong his symptoms? At his age, FG may work wonders for him if he would be willing to "own" it and take an active part in learning what it involves and following it. I know many ADD and ADHD adults use it and found it on their own after being diagnosed. If you don't think he is ready for taking on such a big experiment on his own, you can always just make your home a "safe zone" where everything is Feingold approved and hope that he begins to see and feel the difference when he eats stuff not from home. Good luck and hang in there!
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Post by AnneM on Dec 3, 2003 13:40:32 GMT -5
Wow! THanks everyone!!
JohnBark: Please keep us posted with the Feingold diet and your son .... I am wishing you lots of luck and will really be interested to know how things "kick in" when he has been on it for a bit ....
Catatonic - good advice from you as usual... Lots of thanks... the thing that really scares me (this might sound silly) is that my son actually DOES behave at this point in his life .... at 13 however he was very difficult ...At 15 though on Concerta and St Johns Wort he is pretty easy going and behaving at school and a "nice, happy kid" at home .... so I admit that I am actually FRIGHTENED of bringing him off his meds ... BUT at the same time would love to find an alternative (am I making sense??)
DenverSarah.... Yes he is on meds but the REAL difference came when we added an antidepressant (St Johns Wort - I am in Europe and St Johns Wort has been particularly big news here) ... but I really think (on reflection) Depression was hurting him quite badly at around age 13 ... but your question about him "buying into it" is interesting ... and I am finding it difficult to answer!! .... in fact my answer is very "wishy washy" ... YES and NO ... He is always highly interested in things he hears are "good" for him .... whether they be good for his heart, his energy, his circulation, his brain etc.etc. However, when it comes to Concerta he tends to find it an "inconvenience" .... he says it doesn't make him FEEL any different - his friends don't have to take it .... and he would rather not have to/doesn't need to depend on pills etc.etc. I would be soooo happy if I could find an alternative that would work for him!!
BUT the main problem I can see is that he LOVES some of the foods that would be eliminated with the Feingold Diet .... and although he begrudges concerta from time to time I do worry that he would begrudge even more the foods he was prevented from having!!
My real "ideal" would be to introduce the Feingold Diet and then let the Concerta disappear (what about the St. Johns Wort though? Does the Feingold DIet help with depression as well as adhd?) .... As I said previously the introduction of St. Johns Wort was (for my son) MUCH more dramatic and positive than the introduction of Concerta ....
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Post by DenverSarah on Dec 3, 2003 15:59:56 GMT -5
Feingold has been known to be effective for depression as well as ADD/ADHD and many other things. I think if you were to present it to him and see if he would be willing to try it, then he has a good chance...however if he is prone to dislike being " Different", it will be unlikely that he will stick to all the requirements of the program. Even so, it doesn't hurt to try and cut out as much of the junk as possible at home. Personally I believe the additives are bad for everyone and that our kids are just super-sensitive...that's just me though. As far as begrudging foods that have to be sacrificed...this can be helped immensely at first by buying lots and lots of Feingold approved JUNK FOOD when you start off. The first month we were on it my guy got approved chocolate every day and that made him very receptive to it. Good luck!
Oh one more thing...I don't know a lot about St. John's Wort, but I would recommend doing the program for the recommended 6 weeks at least before changing anything med-wise...and then slowly and under a doc's supervision. Depression is scary and I wouldn't want to mess around with that one!
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