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ADHD

GABA helps 14-year-old with Tourette’s Syndrome (the tics and sleep), and tyrosine makes him happier and his mind sharper

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gaba tyrosine teenager

We typically associate low GABA, a calming neurotransmitter, with a physical-type of tension- anxiety that also often affects sleep. However there is evidence that low GABA is also a factor in other conditions. One of these conditions is Tourette’s Syndrome, which is characterized by the presence of chronic tics which can be motor/movement and vocal. In today’s blog I share some research that suggests a deficit in GABAergic transmission may contribute to symptoms in Tourette’s and a case study where a teenage boy found relief from his tics when using the amino acid GABA as a supplement. GABA also improved his sleep. He also made some dietary changes – no gluten, no sugar and no caffeine – and supplemented with magnesium and melatonin. The amino acid tyrosine, used as a supplement, also improved his low mood and focus, both of which can be issues with Tourette’s.

Kim, a mom in this community, shared this wonderful feedback about her son in response to a Facebook post a few years ago:

Because of your book, I started using GABA for my 14-year-old son with moderate to severe Tourette’s Syndrome, and the results have been significant. Highly recommended for tics, and sleep for these individuals. Thank you.

I asked her how much GABA he used and how often and she shared this:

He used 750mg GABA nightly before bed, and if tics are really active then additional 300mg. Lots of water and a balanced diet with no caffeine…. life-saver.

Keep in mind that 750mg is considered a high dose. We typically start with 125mg GABA and increase based on each person’s unique needs. There is the temptation to think “I have tics and this is a very severe condition so I need a high dose to start.” You don’t want to be thinking like this. Some people may not need this much and others may need this high dose. We always use the trial method to figure out the ideal dose.

She also shared that when he added tyrosine, he saw benefits from that amino acid supplement too:

He recently added 300mg of l-tyrosine, and it promotes happiness and a sharper mind, due to brain fog. He says he really notices a difference. He has read your book as well.

How wonderful is this? GABA helped reduce his tics and improved his sleep, and tyrosine improved his mood and focus.

I love that he’s read my book – good for him and this mom! It’s never too early to have you and your child read this information. It’s empowering for them so they understand the changes they need to make and why these amino acids, dietary changes and elimination of caffeine make such a difference.

I recently checked in to see how he is doing now and asked what other nutritional approaches helped/help other than GABA, a balanced diet and no caffeine. She shared this:

He’s gluten free, magnesium for sure for the muscle tics, and melatonin for good sleep (Touretters need a routine sleep schedule).

He’s 18 now and is doing way better as he matures, but GABA no doubt has improved his life. We promote GABA and educate others as much as possible.

All this is so great to hear and I love that they now help to educate others about GABA too.

I appreciate that she gave me permission to share, hence this post. (The image above is a stock image and not her son.)

Tourette’s Syndrome and reduced GABA function

This paper, Reduced GABAergic inhibition and abnormal sensory symptoms in children with Tourette syndrome, describes the condition and the role of reduced GABA function:

Tourette Syndrome is characterized by the presence of chronic tics. Individuals with Tourette Syndrome often report difficulty with ignoring (habituating to) tactile sensations, and some patients perceive that this contributes to a “premonitory urge” to tic. While common, the physiological basis of impaired tactile processing in Tourette Syndrome, and indeed tics themselves, remain poorly understood.

It has been well established that GABAergic processing plays an important role in shaping the neurophysiological response to tactile stimulation. Furthermore, there are multiple lines of evidence suggesting that a deficit in GABAergic transmission may contribute to symptoms found in Tourette Syndrome.

In this study, the authors used testing (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and tasks that were vibrotactile (the perception of vibration through touch) to investigate the role of GABA and atypical sensory processing in these 8-12-year old children with Tourette Syndrome.

They found the following:

  • lower concentration of GABA in the sensorimotor cortex and “impaired performance on tactile detection and adaptation tasks, consistent with altered GABAergic function”
  • the altered/reduced GABAergic function correlated with the severity of motor tics and sensory impairments, “linking the core feature of Tourette Syndrome directly to … brain neurochemistry.”

The authors conclude that this provides a foundation for novel interventions (i.e. medications) but unfortunately do not offer the use of the amino acid GABA as one of these solutions. This is very unfortunate but not unexpected. I plan to reach out to the authors and share this case study and blog.

This research supports why GABA works so well for Kim’s son and why he needed higher amounts of GABA when his tics were more active/severe. And now I’m curious to find out if her son has/had sensory issues and how they improve/improved with GABA. I’ll report back if I hear from her about this.

It’s no surprise that GABA helps his sleep too. There is much evidence supporting this – like the the sleep promoting effects of combined GABA and 5-HTP (or GABA alone or 5-HTP alone).  I’ve also shared many GABA-sleep success stories on the blog. Here is one: Since starting GABA my child sleeps for the first time in years and really notices a difference in his carb cravings. (Use the search feature and “GABA sleep” to find additional blog posts)

Interestingly only 8% of the children in the study had generalized anxiety disorder. Given how common low GABA is in anxiety, and that low serotonin can also be a factor with tics, I would have expected anxiety to be higher.

Evidence supporting the other nutritional changes he made

There is evidence to support the other nutritional changes that Kim’s son made:

  • There are reports that “an increase in tics has been related to the consumption of caffeine and refined sugar.” The authors acknowledge that there is no one diet for Tourette’s, so as always, it’s a matter of figuring out the ideal diet for each child (or adult) with tics. Oligoantigenic diets have been identified as significantly reducing tics. This involves removing foods that can potentially cause a food sensitivity leading to tics and/or behavioral impacts and/or insomnia.
  • A gluten-free diet maintained for one year in patients with Tourette’s Syndrome was shown to markedly reduce tics and OCD in children and adults
  • Magnesium is one of the most used supplements in children with Tourette’s Syndrome. When used with probiotics, omega-3 and multivitamins “Seventy-five per cent of supplement users in the Tourette syndrome group noted improvement, mainly in motor and vocal tics, sleep quality and anxiety reduction.”
  • Melatonin is listed with a number of medications commonly prescribed for tic disorders where sleep issues are also a factor

Keep in mind that the above is not a protocol for relief from tics for everyone with Tourette’s Syndrome. It’s what worked for the unique biochemical needs of Kim’s son.

That said, this could be a framework to start with and build upon.

Tyrosine improves his mood and focus

Tyrosine helps with low catecholamines, improving the curl-up-in-bed low-energy kind of low mood and poor focus. (You can see all the symptoms here.) The typical dose is 500mg tyrosine a few times a day. Kim’s son found just 300mg to be beneficial.

Interestingly, 48% of the children in this study had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with about half of those on stimulant medication. I wonder how many would have also benefited from tyrosine for improving their focus, as it did for Kim’s son.

You can read more about tyrosine for focus and mood, and motivation and energy here.

Resources if you are new to using GABA or tyrosine as a supplement

If you are new to using the the amino acid GABA or tyrosine as supplements, here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution (you can see the low serotonin and other low neurotransmitter symptoms) and a brief overview here: Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary.

If you suspect low levels of GABA or catecholamines and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids so you are knowledgeable.

And be sure to share it with the team you or your loved one is working with. As I mentioned above, it’s empowering for your teen and also relatively easy reading too.

The book doesn’t include product names (per the publisher’s request) so this blog, The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements, lists the GABA and tyrosine products that I use with my individual clients and those in my group programs.

Have you seen results with GABA or any of the above approaches? Or has another approach helped you or your child?

If you’re a practitioner have you seen GABA and any of the above to help? What else has helped your clients/patients?

If you suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome, do you also experience ADHD, insomnia, low mood and/or anxiety?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.

Bartonella infection in mom and both sons: anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, inconsolable crying, irritability, ADHD, rage and pain

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bartonella infection

A mom and both her sons experienced a variety of emotional/mood and pain symptoms between them as a result of a Bartonella infection: anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, inconsolable crying, ADHD, rage, eye pain, joint pain and pain in the legs. This family case study was published in Parasites and Vectors in 2013. I would love to see individual amino acids being used to ease some of these symptoms while the infection is being treated (more on this below).

Here are some of the emotional and mood-related symptoms they experienced:

  • the mother and both sons developed recurrent rash-like skin lesions, disruptive sleep patterns and both boys developed anxiety accompanied by episodes of inconsolable crying, irritability, and panic attacks
  • subsequent to the spider infestation of the apartment, [the mother] developed fatigue, memory difficulties, headaches, irritability, eye pain, insomnia, chest pain, blurred vision, shortness of breath, rash and skin lesions and anxiety attacks.
  • The youngest son… awakened at night crying and complaining of pain in his legs
  • The older son experienced increased irritability and rage episodes. In addition, the boy’s teacher indicated a lack of attention during class, and suggested that the child might have an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The youngest son also developed severe neurological symptoms and was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy.

You can read the full investigation, timing, sequence of events and all the symptoms in the paper: Bartonella henselae infection in a family experiencing neurological and neurocognitive abnormalities after woodlouse hunter spider bites

Creating awareness, motivating, inspiring and educating

I’d like to highlight some of the reasons for sharing this paper:

  • creating more awareness about the emotional/mood symptoms that can occur with a Bartonella henselae infection
  • educating about this infection in general so other families can find solutions quicker than this family did
  • motivating and inspiring you to not give up looking for answers for you and your family – this mom suspected Bartonella infection after doing internet searches (almost 3 years after all this started)
  • creating more awareness about possible hosts other than ticks (in this case woodlice and woodlice hunter spiders)
  • highlighting how family members exposed to the same infection can have different symptoms and how some family members may not be infected at all (in this case the father was not affected)
  • highlighting that some individuals (the mom in this case) do not recall being bitten and yet still get sick
  • educating on how amino acids can offer much symptom relief during the investigation and treatment of the infection (more on this below)

Treatment with antibiotics and Chinese herbs

This family was successfully treated with antibiotics and other medications once it was determined Bartonella was the cause of their symptoms:

The parents report that the [youngest] child is actively socializing with other children and now runs and plays like he had never done before.

Following this antibiotic course, the mother reported substantial overall improvement and was almost symptom free. However, she continues to experience occasional irritability, confusion, dizziness, nausea, and pain involving the shoulder, hip and the bottoms of her feet.

One of the common symptoms of Bartonella is burning feet and this article, How to Put Out the Fire in Your Burning Bartonella Feet, mentions a herb from the Zhang protocol:

In Chinese herbal medicine, an herb called “houttuynia” is classified as “Clearing Heat and Relieving Toxicity.” This herb has been successfully used to treat Bartonella by a Chinese physician in New York named Dr. Q. Zhang. This herb has antibacterial and antiviral properties in addition to clearing heat and toxins. Fortunately this herb can be combined with other herbs to help relieve Bartonella symptoms.

I mention this because I am personally familiar with the Zhang protocol, having used it when working with Dr. Darin Ingels to address my Lyme disease (Borrelia). Dr. Ingels is the author of  The Lyme Solution and writes about the Zhang protocol in this excellent book.

Using amino acids to address anxiety, panic attacks, sleep problems, crying and pain

Individual amino acids, used as supplements, can offer much symptom relief during the investigation and treatment of the Bartonella infection, however they are seldom recommended. I would love to see this change and become the norm.

In this blog post, GABA helps with Lyme anxiety (while addressing the underlying disease), Tricia shares that “Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia are all known to cause anxiety and other psychological disorders ranging from mild to very severe.” She also shares that her daughter used GABA:

We’ve used Source Naturals GABA Calm sublinguals with good results. I learned about GABA helping anxiety and because I was treating my young daughter I purchased this because it was easy for her to take.

Looking at some of the emotional symptoms this family experienced, and how the amino acids could have helped:

I feel for this poor family. It certainly was a very complex family case and reflects the need to dig deep to find the root cause. And I appreciate the case being written up so more awareness can be created.

Have you or your family experienced something like this? And has your practitioner introduced you to the amino acids for some symptom relief while they are addressing the infection/s?

If you’re a practitioner working with Lyme disease and coinfections such as Bartonella, have you seen cases similar to this one? Do you use amino acids for some symptom relief while addressing the infection/s?

Feel free to post your questions and feedback in the comments below.

5-HTP benefits both adopted daughters who had prenatal exposure to alcohol: they are happier, more focused and can stay on task

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5-htp and prenatal exposure to alcohol

A grateful mom, Besty, posted wonderful feedback on the 5-HTP and ADHD blog.  She shared how 5-HTP benefits both her adopted daughters who had prenatal exposure to alcohol i.e. exposure to alcohol while in the womb. When using the supplement 5-HTP, an amino acid precursor to serotonin, both girls are happier, more focused and can now stay on task. Here is the feedback Besty shared on the blog:

After listening to Dr. Michael Murry’s interview on your Anxiety Summit, I decided to try 5-HTP on my 18-year-old daughter (a senior in high school) who was adopted at 5 years of age. She has always had some issues with focus, but she has never been medicated for this. She has had some learning struggles. She was exposed to alcohol in the womb, so some of her learning difficulty has been attributed to this.

She started 5-HTP in December and doesn’t ever want to miss a day on it. She says that she can better complete her assignments because it helps her to “stay on task”.

Even on days that she is not in school, she wants to take it, because it makes her feel happier.

Because she has done so well on it, her 23-year-old biological sister (also adopted) started on it. She was also exposed to alcohol while in the womb and has some learning struggles. She is in college. She also doesn’t want to miss a day, because she says that “it keeps her on her toes,” which she says means that it “keeps me focused,” when she is working on her school work.

I am so thankful that I learned about this therapy through your summit!

I thanked Besty for her kind words and for sharing this wonderful outcome both her daughters experienced.  I love hearing stories like this and I am sharing this as a blog post so more folks are inspired and have hope.

Prenatal exposure to alcohol: the adverse effects, and impacts on serotonin and dopamine

This 2012 paper, Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and serotonin genotype interact to alter CNS serotonin function in Rhesus monkey offspring, describes fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD):

  • Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is associated with a range of adverse effects that can be observed in children prenatally exposed to alcohol.
  • Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which includes growth retardation, craniofacial anomalies, CNS dysfunction, and cognitive and behavioral impairments, is the most serious of the FASD outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure.
  • Alcohol-related neuro-developmental disorder (ARND) is the term used to describe prenatally alcohol-exposed children with problems that are primarily neurobehavioral, including cognitive effects, hyperactivity, impulsivity, reduced attention span, and lack of inhibition.

It appears these young girls may fall into the ARND category with their reduced attention span and cognitive issues, and some possible neurobehavioral issues. I’m not, however, aware if a diagnosis was made. I’m also not aware if hyperactivity, impulsivity and lack of inhibition have been issues too.

This paper also discusses the research on prenatal alcohol exposure and deficiencies in the serotonergic neurotransmitter system, and the possibility that genetic factors might predispose someone to fetal alcohol effects during a sensitive period. These are primarily genes affecting serotonin production. The authors also report that prenatal exposure to alcohol also affects dopamine levels.

Addressing neurotransmitter imbalances with tryptophan, 5-HTP and tyrosine

We don’t often associate low serotonin with ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder) and poor focus but the research and clinical outcomes like this one (and the other success story below with 5-HTP melts) is very promising.

If you are new to addressing neurotransmitter imbalances with targeted amino acids you may find these blogs helpful:

Questions I still have about the 5-HTP trials

I have these questions I posed to Betsy and hope to hear back as I feel these answers may be helpful as you navigate your trials with 5-HTP (for yourself or your loved ones):

  • Which product are they using and how much is helping?
  • Did your daughters make any other changes (diet or other supplements) at the same time?
  • What have they tried over the years to help with focus and learning issues?
  • Why did you initially decide to trial 5-HTP with your younger daughter?
  • Did your younger daughter encourage her older sister to trial 5-HTP too?
  • Did either daughter have any of the classic low serotonin symptoms too: worry-type of anxiety, ruminations, OCD, fears, PMS, irritability, insomnia, afternoon/evening cravings, anger issues, lack of confidence? And did the 5-HTP help with any of these symptoms too?
  • Were some of the classic low serotonin symptoms a factor when it came to lack of focus? For example, did the worrying or feelings of fear or insomnia contribute to the inability to stay on task and keep focused?

I’ll report back once I get Besty’s feedback. But keep in mind that dosing/timing doesn’t really matter as the doses that work for her daughters are unique to their own biochemistry and needs.

Have you found that 5-HTP (or tryptophan) helps your child (who was exposed to alcohol in the womb) with focus and ADHD symptoms? Are they happier when using one of these serotonin precursors?

If you’re a practitioner working with children or adults who have had prenatal exposure to alcohol, have you had good results with 5-HTP or tryptophan?

Feel free to post your questions and feedback in the comments below.

ADHD: 5-HTP melts have been a miracle for one of my adopted kids

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ADHD and 5-HTP

A mom in my community responded to an ADHD blog sharing how 5-HTP melts have been a miracle for one of her adopted children – after one week! 5-HTP is not where I typically start with ADHD so I quizzed her to get more details and then went looking for the research to understand the mechanisms. This blog shares her rationale for using 5-HTP, the truly wonderful results her son experienced, some of the research and some possible serotonin/dopamine mechanisms. This is what she posted:

5-HTP melts have been a miracle for one of my adopted kids. He had lots of trauma and off the charts ADHD. 5-HTP is better than methylphenidate (Ritalin) and we are now weaning off the non-stimulants.

Just 80mg 5-HTP in the morning is all he needs. He was super ADHD, he had a para (teacher’s aide) in public school for years to keep him on track and this year at a school for ADHD the teachers were complaining that he was never on task.

Now after a week it has changed his life. I am so thankful for the anxiety summit. Thank you Trudy

This is truly wonderful to hear! I responded saying how thrilled I was to hear the impact it was having and asked why this mom decided to try 5-HTP? This amino acid, which is a serotonin precursor, is not typically my first choice for alleviating ADHD symptoms. I consider low GABA (and using GABA) or low catecholamines (and using tyrosine), together with dietary changes, blood sugar control, and assessing for low zinc, low iron and low omega-3s – as a starting point.

I wanted to know if he had low serotonin symptoms such as the worry, ruminating, and obsessive type of anxiety which could have possibly been driving the ADHD symptoms? Were there any other symptoms that were a clue that low serotonin may be a factor: insomnia (with fatigue the next day impacting focus) or sugar cravings in the afternoon/evening (causing blood sugar swings affecting focus and mood)?

Why she used 5-HTP and which low serotonin symptoms he had

This was her response about why she used 5-HTP and which low serotonin symptoms he had:

We have tried all the amino acids over the years. I tried 5-HTP this time because SSRIs were the only class of medication he has not tried. I thought maybe it was worth a try and I also found this study: Comparative study of efficacy of 1-5-hydroxytryptophan and fluoxetine in patients presenting with first depressive episode (where the therapeutic efficacy of 5-HTP was considered as equal to that of the SSRI fluoxetine).

As for cravings or insomnia: he is a kid who loves sugar so I’m not sure if it’s a craving or typical. He takes 0.3mg of melatonin each night because guanfacine, the non-stimulant, prevents the production of melatonin.

She also mentioned that she has followed me for years and that DPA, an endorphin-boosting amino acid, works for her. She is a dietitian and shares my handouts and blog posts with her clients, so she clearly felt comfortable experimenting with the amino acids with her son.

5-HTP products and dosing

I also asked which product they were using and how she landed at 80mg. She wanted a fast-acting supplement that would dissolve in his mouth and purchased Natrol 5-HTP:

They are 100mg but we are breaking off a little because he was falling asleep in class.

I reminded her that 5-HTP (or tryptophan) is typically best used late afternoon and evening so if someone is falling asleep in the day I’d switch to bedtime dosing.  If he needs it during the day for the ADHD symptoms then reducing the dose is the smart thing to do.

I love the sublingual/melt aspect of this product for quick results and because children do so well with a product that tastes pleasant.

However, I do not recommend this particular product because of very mixed ingredients information online. I have not seen the bottle of the actual product used but some of the online information states the product is gluten-free and soy-free and yet other information states it does contains gluten and soy. In some places they state it contains sucralose and an artificial flavor and in other places you see xylitol and natural flavor. This is all rather concerning. I’ll update this section as soon as I can confirm.

What does this mean for this mom? Now that she has figured out that 5-HTP helps her son, it’s best to find a better quality product so as not to cause other problems.

There are two chewable products in my online supplement store that come close to this product:

  • Serotrex Chewable: Two chewables contain 200mg theanine and 60mg 5-HTP. This could be used in the day or at night.
  • Designs for Health Insomnitol Chewables: Two chewables contain 10mg vitamin B6, 500mg inositol, 200mg theanine, 100mg 5-HTP and 3mg melatonin. This would need to be used at night instead.

Both of these contain theanine. Research shows that theanine reduces anxiety and improves cognition via “improvements in verbal fluency (especially letter fluency) and improvements in executive function (planning, multi-tasking etc).”

The research on 5-HTP and tryptophan for ADHD

This paper, The effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan on attention and central serotonin neurochemistry in the rhesus macaque, shares that

Individuals with depression and anxiety typically experience impaired executive function and emotional cognition, symptoms that are generally studied by examining disruptions in attention.

This study used 5-HTP as an intramuscular injection, rather than using it orally but the authors did report the following:

Our findings provide unique causal and mechanistic evidence suggesting that enhancing central serotonergic function results in categorically distinct changes in fundamental cognitive operations such as attention.

This paper, Does serotonin deficit mediate susceptibility to ADHD? summarizes the role of serotonin in ADHD, the interplay with dopamine and the use of oral tryptophan (a serotonin precursor similar to 5-HTP):

  • A chronic deficit of serotonin at the synapse may trigger symptoms of childhood ADHD (developmentally inappropriate levels of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention).
  • Studies from animal models of ADHD indicate intimate interplay between serotonin and dopaminergic neurotransmission.
  • Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs)…as non-stimulant drugs acting on the serotonin system are … clinically effective.
  • Oral administration of l-tryptophan, the amino acid precursor of serotonin, significantly alleviates ADHD symptoms.
  • Serotoninergic gene variants are associated with increased risk of ADHD.

I appreciate this mom for giving me permission to share here on the blog so we can inspire hope (and I wish for more and more improvements for this young boy):

My son is a 10-year old RAD (reactive attachment disorder) kid that was meth exposed and adopted at 3 years old. 5-HTP has worked so well. He has not thrown a fit in a month. Before fits were a daily occurrence. This might give hope to other parents.

Have you found that 5-HTP (or tryptophan) helps/helped you or your child with ADHD symptoms? If yes, do you feel the ADHD was caused in part because of anxiety and/or fear and/or feeling inadequate and/or perfectionism and/or poor sleep (all signs of low serotonin)? Or were the main symptoms poor focus, low energy, low motivation and depression caused by low catecholamines/low dopamine? Or a mixture of both?

If you’re a practitioner working with children or adults with ADHD, have you had good results with 5-HTP or tryptophan?

Please do share in the comments below.

Christmas tree phenols as a trigger for anger, meltdowns, anxiety, hyperactivity, insomnia, aggression, self-injury and autistic symptoms?

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christmastree phenols and anxiety

Are you aware that the aromatic oils that give pine trees their wonderful smell are phenols and that these phenols may be a trigger for anger and meltdowns, anxiety, hyperactivity, irritability insomnia, self-injurious behavior, digestive issues and autistic symptoms (such as stimming, swinging and hand-flapping)? All this can be caused by an indoor Christmas tree in susceptible individuals.

My colleague Julie Matthews writes about this here: Avoiding Holiday Havoc: Healthy solutions to avoid meltdowns and keep the holidays happy

“When phenols are not able to be broken-down and detoxified by a process called sulfation, which is low in many children with autism and ADHD”, they can cause these symptoms and also red cheeks and ears. She shares that “phenolic compounds come in many forms including artificial petroleum-based food additives, and salicylates (a type of phenol) found in plants and foods like strawberries and spices, as well as pine trees.”

In the above blog, Julie shares this story about a client with a 10-year old son with autism. He severely regressed during the holidays and it was because of the Christmas tree. This is what the mom shared:

During the Holidays our son regressed severely.  He became anxious, aggressive, and self-abusive. He cried and had tantrums regularly throughout the day. He couldn’t sleep anymore and was up for hours at a time, night after night. He was hand-flapping like crazy.  We have a swing in the house for him and he now wanted to swing all day long, constantly, and do nothing else. He lost eye contact and he stopped responding to his name.

Once the Christmas tree was removed the improvements were dramatic:

The next day, he was much calmer. He seemed to have “exhaled.” Within 48 hours, our son was completely back to normal.

I shared Julie’s blog on my Facebook page and a father in my community shared a similar experience about his autistic son’s severe reactions to phenols:

Yes! My autistic son who is sensitive to phenols, would completely meltdown during the holidays. We thought it was just the change in routine and his environment, but quite by accident we discovered fragrances seemed to make him worse. We got rid of the fragrances and holiday tree/decor and the improvement in our son was dramatic! We now realize it was the phenols.

My son’s reaction to phenols/fragrances are bright red cheeks/ears, dark under eye circles, headaches, inappropriate manic laughter, aggression/self injurious behavior, marathon meltdowns/screaming, incontinence, insomnia/less than 3 hrs sleep a night, bumpy rashes, GI issues/diarrhea, excessive sensory stimming (hand flapping, lip licking, running around and body slamming into things.) During the holidays, the intensity of these reactions shot through the roof.

They found out by chance that it was the Christmas tree that was causing his son’s issues each year. It started when he was a toddler and they figured it was the stress and changes of the holidays that was the issue. One year they didn’t put up a tree and they could not believe the difference. It was then they made the connection and learned more about phenols and made the necessary changes.

By reducing phenols in his diet and environment, and giving him Epsom Salt baths and enzymes (No-Fenol), most of the above symptoms were significantly reduced.

I suspect there are many families who are seeing similar meltdowns and have no idea it could be the Christmas tree. Keep in mind that the reactions may not be as severe as these two cases I’ve shared here. If you are seeing any increase in anxiety, irritability, sleep problems, digestive issues or other unusual behavior changes in your child, keep an open mind that it may be more than just the holiday changes.

Julie’s advice is this:

  • Since so many children with autism and ADHD react to salicylates/phenols – in her nutrition practice she finds an overwhelming majority react negatively – she suggests a cautious approach to holiday decorating for all families of a child with autism or ADHD. Simply avoid the pine Christmas tree.
  • If you are unsure about their sensitivity to salicylates/phenols you might ask yourself if your child is often hyper, irritable, or has red cheeks, and other common salicylate symptoms, or whether they crave salicylate-rich foods such as berries, grapes, apples, and ketchup. If so, explore salicylates further.

I encourage you to read Julie’s blog to gain a better understanding of salicylates and phenols. If you are a practitioner and want to learn more about low salicylates/phenols and other special diets her practitioner training is excellent.

I appreciate this mom and dad for sharing their experiences with their sons so we can all learn and help other families. I also so appreciate Julie’s expertise in this area and really look forward to digging further into the research and picking her brain so I can share more.

Could your holiday anxiety and/or insomnia be phenol issues too?

Julie works with children with autism and ADHD but as someone who works primarily with adults with anxiety, I’m going to be exploring sensitivity to salicylates/phenols further. Julie recently shared this with me: “if you start looking you’ll probably see a lot of your clients with anxiety have phenol issues.”

If you also notice any increase in anxiety, anger, irritability, sleep problems, digestive issues or other unusual behavior changes, keep an open mind that it may be more than just the holiday stress or winter blues/winter anxiety. It may well be phenol issues too.

Serotonin connection to phenol issues

I’ll be blogging more about this and the fascinating serotonin connection to phenol issues. You may have noticed that many of the symptoms these 2 boys experienced sound a lot like either low serotonin or high serotonin (both of which can occur in autism).  Serotonin is an endogenous phenol compound and this phenol issue is likely causing high serotonin.

When I asked Julie about this she shared this with me: “Yes, serotonin and dopamine are phenolic. And sulfation is important for the inactivation of dopamine and serotonin. So poor sulfation can lead to neurotransmitter imbalances.”

Using collagen to lower high serotonin?

I’ve blogged about how collagen can lower serotonin in susceptible folks and increase anxiety. It is also used by some folks to lower their high serotonin and make them calm. Misty reports using collagen ‘therapeutically’:

I use it to reduce tryptophan because I have a tendency toward high serotonin. I have suffered my entire life with ADD, tics as a child, grinding teeth, general anxiety, lack of motivation and later, IBS. In my 53 years I’ve never been as calm as I am now.

I don’t know if Misty has a phenol issue but I’m going to be exploring if collagen or gelatin could possibly be used to help lower the high serotonin and ease some of these severe phenol reactions quickly, in conjunction with other approaches like avoiding the foods and environmental exposures, enzymes and other nutrients, and Epsom salt baths.

Christmas tree syndrome, mold issues and toxic plastic trees

I hate to spoil the Christmas fun but here are a few other things to consider:

  • Christmas tree syndrome is also a real issue for many individuals
  • My friend and Enviornmental Toxins expert Lara Adler shares how mold from a real tree made her and her cat really sick “Within a few days of getting the tree, I broke out in a full-body rash that required a 10-day run of prednisone. I didn’t think it was the tree at first (it could have been something else), but then my cat, who was already dealing with GI inflammation and a gut issue developed asthma! Out of nowhere! She also ended up on prednisone. I got rid of the tree and both our symptoms never came back.”
  • She also shares some issues with plastic trees: they are often made from toxic PVC (polyvinyl chloride) with “softeners like lead and/or phthalates”, and often treated with endocrine-disrupting flame retardant chemicals. More about this on Lara’s blog here.

Have you observed a salicylate/phenol reaction with your child or client/patient? What about a less severe reaction with your child or with you personally?

Have the following helped you: avoiding the foods and environmental exposures like a Christmas tree, using enzymes like No-Fenol and other nutrients, and Epsom salt baths? In the midst of a very severe reaction has collagen or gelatin helped reduce symptoms quickly?

What about mold issues or allergies with a Christmas tree?

Feel free to post your questions here on the blog too.