Saturday, December 26, 2009

Delayed reaction to egg?

So we were very hopeful after the first Bax3000 treatment and the first egg introduction went well, but don't forget that these foods can have delayed reactions in our kids too and for Grayson, most of them are delayed. We did a second day of eggs with Grayson on Christmas morning. His behavior was awful for the first half of the day, but we chalked it up to him going to bed too late the night before, waking too early and being overly excited about Christmas....ironically, he did great all evening at his grandparent's house. He played with his cousins well, he listened well, he shared and he was happy and silly. Even a late bedtime didn't rile him up, surprisingly!

So where did the problems start? We noticed on Christmas Day that he was starting to itch the sides of his face, under his chin and what looked like a little dance he does, when his ankles itch. He also rubs the backs of his hands across the front of his belly and sides. It wasn't too bad yesterday, but today (the day after Christmas) we are seeing it more. He can't seem to stand still and although it looks like he is just shifting his weight back and forth, he's actually using one foot to itch the other...and back and forth. When this is happening, people tend to ask him, if he needs to use the potty and he says, "No, I'm just itchy". The reason we are so familiar with this "symptom" is, because he had this same reaction (although MUCH more severely) to L-Carnitine. L-Carnitine is a protein and our doctor told us that he could be truly allergic to it, like IgE allergy....hence the severe itching. When we removed the L-Carnitine, the itching stopped almost immediately and a challenge confirmed our findings, Grayson is allergic to the protein in L-Carnitine. So why do I bring this up? Well, egg is a protein, as well, and when we had the NAET assessment for egg, I was told he reacted to egg on all levels, neurologically, immediate AND delayed. Now, I don't know if one egg interaction would have resulted in the same reaction, if having it two days in a row was the reason we are seeing a more severe reaction, but either way, I believe he is reacting still.

Before starting the study for the Bax3000, I spoke with another Chiropractor who has been using the Bax3000 for a year successfully with kids on the spectrum and he told me that it is necessary to clear "program 1" (chemicals, vaccines, etc) before doing anything else. I wonder, if this is why the egg hasn't cleared for Grayson? Only time will tell...stay tuned.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

NAET on steroids!!

A friend of ours has turned us onto a new path, which may potentially change our lives, forever! She told me she enrolled her son into a research study regarding something called BioVeda Bax 3000. We were lucky enough to also be accepted into this study and are so grateful to the generous Doctor doing this study!! With all of the costs associated with caring for our son, we never would have had the opportunity to try this treatment. We are also very thankful to be a part of something that could change the face of autism in the future!

We had already begun using NAET treatments, which is the process of eliminating allergies by retraining the body to recognize allergens as safe. This process is manual, however, allowing for human error. So how does the BioVeda Bax 3000 differ?

First, let me explain a little bit about how allergies work, VERY basically. When a person is sensitive to a substance, wheat for instance, there is an increase in stress of the central nervous system and, because of our body's innate way of drawing connections, even the word "wheat" or the mere thought of it, can cause the same anxiety, believe it or not. This anxiety produces an inappropriate response by the central nervous system which in some people, depending on the allergies, can result in more severe cases, such as autoimmunity.

So here is my layman's explanation of this new device. It takes the same basic premise that NAET is built on and uses a digitized library of substances such as: foods, metals, vaccines, fungi, chemicals, and many other environmental substances. The technology imitates the frequencies of these substances and instigates nervous system responses from the body to determine what the person is reacting to. The treatment retrains the body by causing it to release endorphins while encountering the substance in question....essentially saying, "this is safe". It erases the body's inappropriate desire to attack the substance. This process is a combination of positive conditioning and biofeedback. When the stressful event occurs in the real world, the relaxation training is remembered by the central nervous system and the result is the elimination of this inappropriate reaction to every day substances.....viola, allergy GONE! This whole thing is associated with stress and the Bax 3000 ultimately reduces stress through relaxation training.

Last night we had our first meeting with the Doctor conducting the study and he told us that our case is considered severe (big surprise) and, because of the sheer number of allergies we are dealing with, we are going to start by treating for ALL of the substances in the first phase protocol. That should take us through about 25 treatments, then we will test for the need of further treatments more specifically. So we jumped right in and treated for egg last night. Why egg, you ask? Well, because egg is one of the more common sensitivities and it happens to be a protein that most resembles human protein. Do you see what could happen to an individual with an egg allergy? Do you think the body could eventually have the ability to be allergic to itself...AKA - autoimmunity! Really makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Now where were we....oh yeah, A cold laser holds the frequency that our body would recognize as egg and it is run from the forehead over the head and down the spine repeatedly while encouraging various changes in brain waves (ie - holding breath, breathing out, closing eyes, etc), then pressure points on the hands and feet are held for a period of time. This is the process of inducing the release of endorphins while the body is in contact with "egg"...or so it thinks! It's important to note that even with decreased or the elimination of symptoms, a blood test will most likely continue to show antibodies to these substances, because the body tends to hold onto antibodies for a long time. It's the symptoms that are more telling of what is happening in the body, since this is our natural alarm system. No symptoms = no no need for alarm!

So before I tell you how this treatment effected Grayson, let me give you an idea of what is involved in preparing for the treatment. There are a lot of guidelines to follow, which for an adult might seem easy, but for our kids....some could be more complicated.

- don't wear dark clothing (not sure why)
- don't take ANY supplements or medications for FOUR hours before the appointment. This is VERY hard for us considering Grayson requires treatment with anti-microbials every three hours in order to avoid symptoms and we give high dose probiotics at bedtime.
- drink lots of water for 24 hours before the visit
- don't wear anything tight
- don't wear jewelry
- no pain medication for 12 hours before (hard to abide by with a teething child!)
- don't consume alcohol (need to keep the kids away from the booze!!)
- no perfumes, strong smelling deodorant, essential oils, hand lotions, colognes, etc.

Then there is the list of things to avoid AFTER the appointment
- they must fast for 6 hours after the treatment (which is why we schedule our appts. for RIGHT before bedtime)
- you may not, shop for 8 hours, go to a restaurant, visit hair salons, barber shops, etc.
- avoid all chemicals for 12 hours, like gasoline, so refuel before the appointment
- do not bathe or shower for 8 hours
- do not chew gum, use breath mints, drink anything except water after arriving for the visit
- avoid massage, acupuncture, vigorous exercise, hot tub, sauna, steam room, swimming...all for 12 hours after treatment
- again, we have to keep the kids from hitting up the bottle for 12 more hours....darn! It helps them sleep at least, ha ha ha....just kidding, OF COURSE!
- and then there may be an additional list of things to avoid, depending on what you are being treated for. For example, the egg mixture includes poultry, feathers, and tetracycline (an antibiotic)

So now for the before and after effects we witnessed. I have to add that I could be over analyzing, but for at least a week before treatment, we were seeing a lot of old behaviors cropping back up, like sleeplessness including hyperactivity right before bed making the bedtime routine challenging, trouble relaxing and falling asleep, and multiple nightmares after midnight. He was beginning to sleep in very late (9:30am) because of the many nightly disturbances he was experiencing. His daily behaviors were increasingly getting worse too. There was an increase in frustration and defiance, he was becoming very negative, everything he said came with an err of irritation rather than just being able to speak to us, even simply talking to us was becoming a challenge. He would actually stomp, grunt and cry throughout it all. His tolerance threshold was nil and sensory seeking was back big-time! His interactions with his brother were becoming mean and vindictive, something I have no patience for, I might add. He was also showing signs of increased hyperactivity, verging on the edge of manic. He was throwing himself all over furniture, into people, onto the floor, he started rubbing things with the backs of his hands a lot, swatting at his head and ears, which we haven't seen in ages....the list goes on and on.

SO....we went into the appointment with him acting VERY hyper, attention-seeking and he was severely bloated and I mean like pregnant looking (even the Dr. commented on it and we took pictures). While we were trying to talk to the Dr. he was tossing books on the floor, instigating his brother, saying "no" to us when we discretely asked him to stop some of these things. He sat through the treatment VERY well though, probably because he was on daddy's lap and he saw his younger brother go through treatment before him. When we left the office, he still seemed a bit hyper and testy, but by the time we got home, he was mellow and happy. For the first time in probably a week or more, he was CALM and happy and not challenging his father every step of the way through his bedtime routine. He wasn't running everywhere, he walked!! He came and hugged Gavin and I without a battle. After he was put to bed, he only came out of his room once to tell me that he "heard bells" thinking Santa was already in the sky, ha ha ha! Then he stayed in bed, fell asleep easily and STAYED asleep all night! He woke fairly early, but was happy...maybe too happy! He was still showing some signs of being extremely hyper, but I thought it was interesting that he was controlled in the process of being bouncy and happy. He played well with his brother, teaching him and actually interacting with him, responding to his needs. They went to the playroom on their own (he's been SO clingy lately, this was amazing) where he found a building kit that he hasn't played with in ages and he built a colorful and very accurate caterpillar from it, all the while, allowing his brother to play WITH him! For the first time in a LONG time, I didn't hear Gavin crying from the other room.

Enter eggs (dun, du du dunnnnn) - After his NAET treatment for egg, I tried eggs twice and both times, he immediately became even MORE uncontrollably hyper and irritable, as hard as that is to imagine, it's even harder to live with. I had told a few other people that I didn't think it worked. My husband thought maybe we would see less and less of a reaction over time...? I didn't feel willing to go through those after-effects again and again. Well, this morning we tried eggs and let me tell you, he ate a LOT, probably 2-3 eggs, easily. He kept asking for more. His behaviors remained consistent with his waking behaviors. So while he didn't get less hyper (he is still fidgety), he is still playing nicely and being patient and affectionate with his brother, he is talking nicely, he is independent, he is even more flexible with changes in his expectations, in the past he would have major outbursts and end up crying.

So could this be a coincidence? Sure it can. The only way to know for sure is to watch the way things progress with additional treatments. I have to say though, I am already impressed. Here's to hoping (cheers).

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!