Yesterday, April 15th was a big day for us. Most of you are probably thinking income tax day, but for us it will be known as the day Owen finally cleared the Basic 15 allergens of his NAET treatments. HOORAY!!!!!
It was then time for our experiment. Depending upon the intolerances or allergies your child has, NAET has developed allergen kits to address the specific needs of that person. So yesterday it was time for us to test the allergens in the Autism kit on Owen.
The autism allergen kit has 78 allergens in it, with things like: vaccinnes, parts of the brain that control specific functions, food coloring, heavy metals, milk proteins, neurotransmitters, etc...
The process worked in the following way: I would randomly select one of the allergen vials for Owen to hold and then Dr. Boggess would perform the muscle response test to see if it was a positive or negative reaction to Owen's system.
It was extremely interesting!!! One allergen had such a strong reaction that Dr. Boggess let me do the muscle response test on Owen, just so I could see it. That was really neat.
Anyways, out of the 78 allergens Owen had reactions to 26 of them. Some were minor and some were very strong.
I will try to break them down, so that they are easier to understand.
Many of them were brain related. The names are not in my every day vocabulary so I had to look them up in the internet. When I discovered what the particular function of each part was, it made alot of sense, because these are areas that Owen has difficulty with.
1. ) Basal Ganglia
2.) Hippocampus
3.) Corpus Callosum
4.) Transverse Cerebral Fissure
5.) Calcarine Sulcus
6.) Pons
7.) Dopamine
8.) Substatia Nigra
9.) Brain 1
10.) Brain 6
These parts control the functions of emotions, spatial orientation, navigation, movement coordination, sensory information and communication between the right and left side of the brain.
The next big group for Owen was vaccinations. DPT, Rubella - German and Tetanus were huge reactors with Owen's system. The complete list is as follows:
1.) DPT
2.) Diptheria
3.) Hepatitis B
4.) Hepatitis C
5.) Hepatitis D
6.) Influenza
7.) Measles
8.) Purtussis
9.) Rubella - German
10.) Tetanus toxoid
11.) Thymerosal
The remaining allergens that Owen had issues with were: Asbestos, Orange and Yellow food coloring, Heavy metal mix and Candidiasis (yeast)
Several of the allergens can be treated in groups. Based on all of this information, Owen will have approximately 8-9 more treatments to clear these new allergens, provided that they clear the 1st time.
In order to allow Owen's gut to completely heal and maintain consistent bowel function, we will remain status quo for now with a plan to begin reintroduction of previously avoided food in about 60 days.
We are so thankful for the progress Owen has made with the NAET treatments and he has been such a trooper throughout!
For those of you that haven't seen him in awhile, you truly would not recognize the boy he has become. We are so proud of him!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Treating Again.....
On April 1st, Owen received his treatment for the 15th allergen in the Basic 15.
The past couple of months have been up and down, but it's nice to know the end is near.
Owen cleared the hormone allergen (#15) with no problem, so it was time to retest each allergen to make sure they were still clear in his system.
This is done simply by having Owen hold each of the allergen vials while Dr. Boggess does an MRT (muscle response test).
Upon doing this, we discovered that Owen was still having a slight reaction to yeast and a significant reaction to sugar. Just when we thought we were done with the Basic 15 and could move onto aditional allergen testing, we had to take another step back and retreat for yeast and sugar.
Apparently this is a common occurance, since the allergens build on each other. As you complete each one, they have the potential to stir up residuals in your system from a prior treated allergen which needs to be resolved at the end of the Basic 15.
Unfortunately, treating Owen for both yeast and sugar at the same time was a doozy! The poor kid could only eat nuts, plain grilled chicken and water. He wasn't very thrilled with those choices.
It was a rough night and Owen ended up getting sick at about 5:00 a.m.
From our past experience, I guess that means the treatment worked, but we'll know for sure next week.
The past couple of months have been up and down, but it's nice to know the end is near.
Owen cleared the hormone allergen (#15) with no problem, so it was time to retest each allergen to make sure they were still clear in his system.
This is done simply by having Owen hold each of the allergen vials while Dr. Boggess does an MRT (muscle response test).
Upon doing this, we discovered that Owen was still having a slight reaction to yeast and a significant reaction to sugar. Just when we thought we were done with the Basic 15 and could move onto aditional allergen testing, we had to take another step back and retreat for yeast and sugar.
Apparently this is a common occurance, since the allergens build on each other. As you complete each one, they have the potential to stir up residuals in your system from a prior treated allergen which needs to be resolved at the end of the Basic 15.
Unfortunately, treating Owen for both yeast and sugar at the same time was a doozy! The poor kid could only eat nuts, plain grilled chicken and water. He wasn't very thrilled with those choices.
It was a rough night and Owen ended up getting sick at about 5:00 a.m.
From our past experience, I guess that means the treatment worked, but we'll know for sure next week.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The 3rd time is the charm!
After treating Owen for base (digestive juices and enzymes from the intestinal tract), we discovered he did not clear it. The theory is that once you treat the allergen a first time, if it does not clear you can retreat multiple allergens at once.
So, since he did not completely clear base or grains, Dr. Boggess suggested we retreat both of these allergens instead of moving onto #15.
The following week on March 25, 2009, Owen cleared the base but still not the grains. So he was treated again for grains.
On April 1, 2009, Owen finally cleared grains and that's no fooling!
So, since he did not completely clear base or grains, Dr. Boggess suggested we retreat both of these allergens instead of moving onto #15.
The following week on March 25, 2009, Owen cleared the base but still not the grains. So he was treated again for grains.
On April 1, 2009, Owen finally cleared grains and that's no fooling!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Critical Treatments
Owen has completed and passed both the 12th and 13th treatment in the NAET Basic 15.
We weren't sure what to expect from these two treatments, other than we knew that they would be huge for Owen, since they are both linked to his digestive difficulties. (Yeast and Stomach Acids)
The morning after the yeast treatment, Owen was not feeling well and had some minor vomitting. We actually thought it was the flu, but then when the same thing happened after the stomach acid treatment, we knew it must be from the treatment itself.
After discussing this with Owen's doctor, we were reassured that this is actually a good thing. It simply means that Owen's system is detoxifying by getting rid of the things that are problematic for his system.
We are hopeful with this news that Owen's body is actually responding positively to the treatments he has been receiving. We will know more definitively after the Basic 15 are complete.
We weren't sure what to expect from these two treatments, other than we knew that they would be huge for Owen, since they are both linked to his digestive difficulties. (Yeast and Stomach Acids)
The morning after the yeast treatment, Owen was not feeling well and had some minor vomitting. We actually thought it was the flu, but then when the same thing happened after the stomach acid treatment, we knew it must be from the treatment itself.
After discussing this with Owen's doctor, we were reassured that this is actually a good thing. It simply means that Owen's system is detoxifying by getting rid of the things that are problematic for his system.
We are hopeful with this news that Owen's body is actually responding positively to the treatments he has been receiving. We will know more definitively after the Basic 15 are complete.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Underpants Here We Come!
(WARNING: Explicit information)
It is said that potty training a child with autism is one of the most challenging things you will ever face. We can testify first hand that that is definitely the case.
Adam and I were desperate for answers after so many failed attempts in the potty training arena. So, in mid-January, we attended a potty training seminar for kids with Autism. The woman who taught the class is Judith Coucouvanis and she is excellent. She also wrote a book called "The Potty Journey" which I highly recommend.
Our official "potty journey" with Owen began on January 17th and we were armed and ready for battle.
The training is very structured and based on visual prompts and rewards. It actually went better than we expected initially. After about two weeks into the process however, the novelty with Owen wore off and we started to encounter resistance. Adam and I were determined to stay the course though and we perservered.
On February 24th we decided to switch Owen from wearing a pull-up to wearing "big boy" underpants. We felt that he was using the pull-up as a crutch and his teacher at school agreed.
We had many discussions with Owen about keeping Thomas, Mater or Scooby-Doo (whatever character was on his underwear that day) dry. We had two minor mishaps within the first two days and then something must have clicked. From that point forward, not only was Owen keeping his pants dry, but he was going potty totally independent of any help from us. We were amazed, thrilled and thinking it was too good to be true. One battle down, but the war is not over.
For those of you that know Owen's history, you are aware that he has issues with his bowels, which is a common thing with autistic kids. He quite often would have more than one bowel movement per day and they were extremely loose. Since we have started his NAET treatments, the bowel issues have definitely improved. In fact now we are facing a different issue. Since Owen has been wearing underpants, he has been holding his bowel movements and then having traumatic meltdowns when he has a bowel accident in his pants.
We are convinced that once Owen has a bowel movement in the toilet, he will feel relieved and realize that it is not that scary. We just have to remain calm, give positive reinforcement and provide the proper incentive as bribery.
Stay tuned!
It is said that potty training a child with autism is one of the most challenging things you will ever face. We can testify first hand that that is definitely the case.
Adam and I were desperate for answers after so many failed attempts in the potty training arena. So, in mid-January, we attended a potty training seminar for kids with Autism. The woman who taught the class is Judith Coucouvanis and she is excellent. She also wrote a book called "The Potty Journey" which I highly recommend.
Our official "potty journey" with Owen began on January 17th and we were armed and ready for battle.
The training is very structured and based on visual prompts and rewards. It actually went better than we expected initially. After about two weeks into the process however, the novelty with Owen wore off and we started to encounter resistance. Adam and I were determined to stay the course though and we perservered.
On February 24th we decided to switch Owen from wearing a pull-up to wearing "big boy" underpants. We felt that he was using the pull-up as a crutch and his teacher at school agreed.
We had many discussions with Owen about keeping Thomas, Mater or Scooby-Doo (whatever character was on his underwear that day) dry. We had two minor mishaps within the first two days and then something must have clicked. From that point forward, not only was Owen keeping his pants dry, but he was going potty totally independent of any help from us. We were amazed, thrilled and thinking it was too good to be true. One battle down, but the war is not over.
For those of you that know Owen's history, you are aware that he has issues with his bowels, which is a common thing with autistic kids. He quite often would have more than one bowel movement per day and they were extremely loose. Since we have started his NAET treatments, the bowel issues have definitely improved. In fact now we are facing a different issue. Since Owen has been wearing underpants, he has been holding his bowel movements and then having traumatic meltdowns when he has a bowel accident in his pants.
We are convinced that once Owen has a bowel movement in the toilet, he will feel relieved and realize that it is not that scary. We just have to remain calm, give positive reinforcement and provide the proper incentive as bribery.
Stay tuned!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
In the Home Stretch
It's hard to believe that we just completed the 12th NAET treatment (yeast) out of 15.
Unfortunately, Owen did not pass the 11th allergen which was grains. However, there has been new NAET protocol established stating that instead of retreating for that same allergen right away, you wait until the Basic 15 is completed and then retreat. The theory behind this is that each allergen builds off of the previous one, and so even if you don't clear it when first treated it may still clear as you move on to additional treatments.
Many of Owen's issues are digestive related which causes him to have frequent and loose bowel movements. In NAET the 11th allergen through the 15th allergen are all related to the digestion process, so these are huge treatments for him. We are anxious to get through the Basic 15 allergens, but we still have work ahead of us. Depending on what doesn't clear at the end of the Basic 15, we will then have to retreat for those allergens in addition to breaking down each individual allergen that may be a problem for him and test those individually.
An example of this is the grain allergen. Included in this allergen is wheat, corn, ice, oats, rye millet and barley. So we can test each of those individually to see which Owen has problems with. If it happens to be rice, then it needs to broken down even further into brown rice, white rice and wild rice.
I never knew how complex this process would be, but it will be so worth it, if Owen can be reintroduced to regular food again.
Unfortunately, Owen did not pass the 11th allergen which was grains. However, there has been new NAET protocol established stating that instead of retreating for that same allergen right away, you wait until the Basic 15 is completed and then retreat. The theory behind this is that each allergen builds off of the previous one, and so even if you don't clear it when first treated it may still clear as you move on to additional treatments.
Many of Owen's issues are digestive related which causes him to have frequent and loose bowel movements. In NAET the 11th allergen through the 15th allergen are all related to the digestion process, so these are huge treatments for him. We are anxious to get through the Basic 15 allergens, but we still have work ahead of us. Depending on what doesn't clear at the end of the Basic 15, we will then have to retreat for those allergens in addition to breaking down each individual allergen that may be a problem for him and test those individually.
An example of this is the grain allergen. Included in this allergen is wheat, corn, ice, oats, rye millet and barley. So we can test each of those individually to see which Owen has problems with. If it happens to be rice, then it needs to broken down even further into brown rice, white rice and wild rice.
I never knew how complex this process would be, but it will be so worth it, if Owen can be reintroduced to regular food again.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
NAET Treatment #9
Well here it is one week after Owen's 9th NAET treatment, and I am amazed we both survived.
I knew this one was going to be tough because this allergen was the mineral/metal mix. You probably don't realize, but metal is EVERYWHERE. Owen had to wear gloves for the 25 hour elimination period and so the fun began.
I loaded the kids in the car and we were on our way home from the doctor's office. We weren't even out of the parking lot when Owen says "I'll just take my gloves off" I screamed "NO!" and immediately pulled the car over, panicking that he's going to touch his zipper or the seatbelt. Keep in mind that putting gloves on a five year old is challenging enough, getting every finger in its proper slot, try doing it when your stressed and that makes for a bad scene. Success at last and we were off again towards home.
We pull up to the house and I let Owen out of the car. Not thinking I go around the other side to get Aubrey out, while Owen is well on his way into the house. Once again I panic, because by the time I get in there Owen will have his coat, boot and GLOVES off not realizing that he has to leave the gloves on. Minutes seemed like an eternity as Aubrey takes her sweet 2 year old time getting out of the car. I can only imagine what things Owen is touching in the house without his gloves on. I race in there, once again put his gloves back on and reinforce his pressure points in case he touched things he wasn't supposed to.
Now it's time for Owen to eat. I remember to have paper plates and plastic utensils for him to use, but I didn't realize what a chore it would be for him to eat with gloves on. I serve Owen his pancake and his favorite thing to do is take a lick of the honey before his first bite. He sticks his gloved finger into the honey and proceeds to lick it as I shout "No" from across the room. He didn't seem to mind the fuzz in his mouth and proceeded to lick honey despite my attempts to discourage it. Time for a new pair of gloves and to wash Owen's hands in distilled water of course.
I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown because every hour or so Owen was asking to take his gloves off. I knew with patience and persistence we would both make it through the day.
We must have gone through about 5 pairs of gloves that day, but all of our efforts were rewarded because Owen successfully cleared the mineral/metal allergen.
HOORAY!!!!
I knew this one was going to be tough because this allergen was the mineral/metal mix. You probably don't realize, but metal is EVERYWHERE. Owen had to wear gloves for the 25 hour elimination period and so the fun began.
I loaded the kids in the car and we were on our way home from the doctor's office. We weren't even out of the parking lot when Owen says "I'll just take my gloves off" I screamed "NO!" and immediately pulled the car over, panicking that he's going to touch his zipper or the seatbelt. Keep in mind that putting gloves on a five year old is challenging enough, getting every finger in its proper slot, try doing it when your stressed and that makes for a bad scene. Success at last and we were off again towards home.
We pull up to the house and I let Owen out of the car. Not thinking I go around the other side to get Aubrey out, while Owen is well on his way into the house. Once again I panic, because by the time I get in there Owen will have his coat, boot and GLOVES off not realizing that he has to leave the gloves on. Minutes seemed like an eternity as Aubrey takes her sweet 2 year old time getting out of the car. I can only imagine what things Owen is touching in the house without his gloves on. I race in there, once again put his gloves back on and reinforce his pressure points in case he touched things he wasn't supposed to.
Now it's time for Owen to eat. I remember to have paper plates and plastic utensils for him to use, but I didn't realize what a chore it would be for him to eat with gloves on. I serve Owen his pancake and his favorite thing to do is take a lick of the honey before his first bite. He sticks his gloved finger into the honey and proceeds to lick it as I shout "No" from across the room. He didn't seem to mind the fuzz in his mouth and proceeded to lick honey despite my attempts to discourage it. Time for a new pair of gloves and to wash Owen's hands in distilled water of course.
I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown because every hour or so Owen was asking to take his gloves off. I knew with patience and persistence we would both make it through the day.
We must have gone through about 5 pairs of gloves that day, but all of our efforts were rewarded because Owen successfully cleared the mineral/metal allergen.
HOORAY!!!!
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