Tourette Syndrome Recovery

Comments on this case by the treating Homeopath: Kari J. Kindem, CFHom, Classical Homeopath

Ethan was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome at age 5 1/2 after a strep infection which resulted in PANDAS. He recovered using homeopathy in 6 months.

Tourette syndrome is a condition that causes people to make repeated, quick movements or sounds that they cannot control. These movements or sounds are called tics. Ethan had recurring episodes of strep infections treated with antibiotics prior to his condition. PANDAS is an acronym for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with streptococcal infections. This term describes a hypothesis that there are a subset of children with rapid onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or tic disorders and these symptoms are caused by group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) infections. With PANDAS, children can have dramatic and sudden OCD exacerbations and tic disorders following streptococcus infections. The abnormal behaviors come on suddenly and are overt and easily recognized. PANDAS has been associated with a wider range of related behaviors. Affected children can have any combination of the following symptoms:

Cognitive inflexibility, difficult to reason with, as if stuck on an idea
Obsessive, repetitive, compulsive, argumentative behaviors
TICS (repetitive vocalizations or body movements)
Tourette Syndrome
Attention deficits and oppositional /defiant behaviors

Case Intake: Ethan's chronic case was taken using classical homeopathy methods. I use miasmatic prescribing as a basis for choosing a remedy in my practice. I am professionally trained in and combine different methods that help to best identify a person's active miasm. A miasm is most simply defined as a person's inherited disease group that is passed on from their ancestors. With his mother's assistance, I took Ethan's full homeopathic case, which included doing his HFA analysis and taking his full life history, his medical history and the family medical history. I also obtained detailed data of Ethan's personality, his likes and dislikes, mental symptoms, body thermals, weather preferences, sleep patterns and his food desires and/or aversions. His social behaviors, any developmental delays and "quirks" were also identified. These "head-to-toe" symptoms were all gathered for a detailed chronic case intake, which is necessary in all good homeopathic prescribing. Then, the strongest symptoms were repertorized using professional homeopathic software. (I use Complete Dynamics software by Edwin van Grinsven utilizing the Complete Repertory by Roger Van Zandvoort. Having used other homeopathic software, I find it the most sophisticated repertorization tool on the market.) The intake process for Ethan's case is the same process, procedure and information that I carefully gather for each chronic case in my practice. I combine several methods of case analysis to determine the active miasm of each case.

Prescription and Dosing: Using this process, Ethan's constitutional remedy was identified. His simillimum (what I call the "bulls-eye remedy") was dosed in water, in very small amounts daily. For each dose, succussions to the remedy bottle were done prior to slightly increase the potency in order to obtain a more rapid cure. The same remedy was dosed daily in water or the entire 6 month period. I moved to a high potency of the same remedy as Ethan was able to accept them. Remedy preparation and dosing in water was done according to Hahnemann's water dosing methods of the 5th and 6th Organon.

Choice of Potency: I choose the best remedy potency for the case, either on the C scale or LM potency and always dose it in water. My remedy potency choice for every case always all depends on many factors. This includes the client's intake data, their miasm, my case analysis and the person's and sensitivity level. I always consider past suppression including allopathic medication, antibiotic use and vaccinations, as well as the remedy's action. The client's overall sensitivity level is a very important part of the potency selection as well. I will climb the C scale and the LM scale as a client's responses indicate that they are ready to do so. When a remedy is the simillimum and it is working well and gains are continuous and holding, I will stay with the simillimum and for many doses. I believe that the key to success in my practice is repeating the dose in water daily and long enough to continue the improvements and stabilize the Vital Force (immune system) with the remedy's energy.

Case Management: Working successfully with any child with Tourettes Syndrome (tics or PANDAS) requires very close and frequent follow-up contact between me and the parents on a regular basis. During the entire 6 months of Ethan's care, there were first weekly, then bi-weekly and always monthly follow-ups done by both email and skype consultation with the mother. This was necessary in order monitor the boy's reaction to the remedy and improvements that indicated the case was moving in "Direction of Cure." I required this contact and careful reporting to the questions I provided in order to make appropriate decisions as to any changes in the remedy, the dose amount, the remedy potency and other factors regarding Ethan's prescriptions over the 6 months. He was observed by me during our initial and during monthly consultations via skype. Ethan's mother also provided her detailed observations and documented Ethan's progress throughout the period.

Acute Care: A few occasional acutes arose for Ethan during his chronic care and these were also treated with homeopathy as well by me. All acute remedies were prescribed using classical homeopathy methods and were also dosed in water like the chronic remedy was. His mother began to observe over the months of chronic care that Ethan was actually less sick than in previous times, even compared to her 2 other younger siblings and the adults in the same household, who were not under chronic care.

No Other Interventions Were Used: No other allopathic interventions of any type were used at all during the 6 month period. This included no over the counter medication, prescription drugs, no bio-medical interventions, etc. Only qprobiotics were added on a daily basis, to support digestive and over-all immune system health. Ethan's probiotics were selected and given based on the results of his stool test.

Ethan was on his constitutional remedy for 6 months to establish the level of gains reported below. He started chronic care on 10/26/11 and completed chronic care on 5/30/12. His improvements from Tourette Syndrome was constant and steady during these 6 months on his simillimum remedy. The testimonial letter below is written by his mother and documents the improvements she observed in her son during these six months. Ethan is now recovered fromTourettes Syndrome and PANDAS.....with homeopathy!

Tourettes Syndrome and PANDAS Recovery with Homeopathy: Ethan's Story, Age 7
written by the Ethan's mother, Louisiana, USA

First let me say one thing the treatment that you recommended was a grand success and it was so appreciated. It allowed our oldest son, Ethan, who is an active Caucasian boy, 7 years of age, to feel more positive in Ethan's self image because the process was so easy once implemented, to infiltrate into our lives.

Our family is very fun oriented, that we do several sports and other school activities. As a mother, I am involved with all aspects of Ethan's life, as is Ethan's dad and both grandparents. At the time Ethan's symptoms began, we were living with my parents and building our new home.

The entire family participated in the process allowing Ethan, who was 5 ½ years of age, at the time Ethan's symptoms were noticed, to know that he was loved. Living in the heart of Cajun country in southern Louisiana, we thought that some of the food may play a vital part in Ethan's onset, along with strep infections that were consistently reoccurring, and the stress level indicated in our lives. We noticed Ethan's head twitching from side to side, we thought it was a bad habit forming. We had gotten Ethan's hair cut to eliminate the hair in the eyes, corrected him about the habit and that was when he said he was not able to stop. My heart ached for for son because he didn't understand why he was not able to control it. My husband who has a family history of Tourette's mentioned that it could be a possibility. Not wanting to “label" my son, I started searching for ways to “make it stop”. We started a vitamin regimen with a healthier outlook on what the children were consuming, elimination of a lot of process foods and sugars with less stress and we noticed some minimal improvements. Being a mom, who was very skeptical of the current immunization process recommended by pediatricians, I thought I was doing everything right by spreading out the injections that my child was receiving. I was searching for answers and was at a loss as to why this was happening.

In January of 2010, after months of doing research, we took him to see a neurologist, in New Orleans. They did testing and determined that with the history of his dad's family and Ethan's current symptoms he had signs of Tourette's Syndrome and said basically “It is what it is”. She said that there are mood altering drugs that they have available to help control the tics. I did not want to put my child on a medication that would change his personality, I loved him just the way he was! Not being satisfied with that answer, we then took him to an Immunologist. She mentioned PANDAS and suggested we boost his immune system and said “It is a waiting game, wait and see”. So we did. Symptoms steadily worsened. Some days worse than others.

In September, with school and moving into a new home, it was remarkably noticed that Ethan's head twitching was more often, estimating once every twenty to thirty seconds. When Ethan came home from school one day saying that other children were asking him “why do you keep shaking your head no?” At that point I knew I had to do more, I just wasn't sure what. I realized it had to do with more of an imbalance than we had originally thought. We started to do more intense research and fortunately, my friend, who works with Autistic children mentioned, Kari J. Kindem's name and suggested we contact her for an evaluation and possible help. Being in the medical field I was kind of weary about this kind of healing. But out of desperation, I was willing to try anything.

Kari requested an in depth medical history, a facial analysis and a stool sample. From the stool sample they were able to determine the amount of good and bad bacteria that was in Ethan's gut. Once we started the initial treatment with Kari, I was hesitant because she mentioned that we may see old childhood symptoms return and I wasn't sure I wanted to take on anything else. None the less, I didn't want him to feel overwhelmed. Around two weeks after beginning treatment we did notice eczema, night terrors and bed wetting start to reoccur. These were all symptoms we had dealt with in the past. We did have some concern, but as Kari kept repeating "You continue giving the daily dose in order to keep feeding the vital force with the remedy energy.” We followed her directions and saw marked improvement over time, with all Ethan's symptoms diminishing slowly, but steadily.

As I write this letter of testimony, I am ever so thankful for the advice that was given throughout this life's journey. From my family's love and devotion to help us find a cure, to the friend who lead me to the discovery of an alternative cure or healing, I am forever blessed to have such positive forces around me. My husband though, wary at first, is now Ethan's best encouragement. Ethan is no longer having any of the symptoms from the past two years he struggled with daily, he is healthier than he has ever been. He participates in school and church activities and we are still exploring beaches and Disney world, without Ethan's self conscience limitations, he has a great self esteem."