Hello from New Zealand

[Guest guest]

welcome Vicky

My name is Ellen and I am from Pennsylvania.

I have a 10 yr old son with OCD,ADHD.

"Listening in" and talking to others on this list has really helped me feel not so alone in our struggle. Friends and even some family members sometimes don't understand or even acknowledge our struggles with our son. Again....welcome

Ellen

PS BTW I have a good friend in Christ-Church and will be visiting NZ in Feb 2002.

I can't wait to see your beautiful country!

[Guest guest]

....but the problem is that, because of our own past experiences, we

are very reluctant to use any drugs. Has anyone else tried to treat

ocd without drugs?

Hi Vicky!

I treated my 17 y.o. son's ADHD without any drugs when he was 9 years

old (back in the late 80's). I changed his diet, increased his

protein, took him off all sugars, lowered the carbs and fruits (he

was a fruit-junkie) and many of his symptoms disappeared. However,

once he hit his teens, how do you control the diet of a teenager?

You can't. They eat on the run, don't listen to parent's advise,

etc. His ADHD came back with a vengence when he was 15 or 16 and

made up for lost time!! Some of this was due to raging hormones, but

it was no picnic for anyone. Maybe maturity has finally kicked in

because has settled down now and is finding ways to cope with

his ADHD. Having a car (and losing the keys to it if he gets out of

line) is another great motivator!

But, just as luck would have it, once I finally got settled

down, here comes ie (10) with OCD! I never even got the chance

to catch my breath! Being the anti-medication person I used to be, I

too looked for ways to treat OCD without meds. However, I

instinctively knew that this was not something that could be treated

with a change of diet, stronger disciplinary actions or homeopathic

remedies. 's problems were much BIGGER than his brother's ADHD

(which now, in hindsight, was a piece of cake compared to OCD).

Plus, my son was in so much turmoil, he needed results immediately.

Maybe I'll try some homeopathic remedies when he's a bit older, but

for now, Luvox is keeping him happy and in control. I knew I made

the right decision when ASKED me for medication. He wanted it

all to go away. After that, I actually felt BAD that I had kept him

off meds for as long as I did! I was projecting MY fear of drugs

onto him-- and that was unfair. He actually reminds *me* to give him

his medication each day because without it, life is miserable for him

and everyone around him.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Joni

[Guest guest]

Hi Vicky!

My now 12-year-old son was diagnosed with OCD last October;

he first began exhibiting severe OCD signs the first part of

September. The first OCD clue for me was where he had begun erasing

so much on his schoolwork, drawing lines on the pages, plus a

handwriting change. He finally admitted the erasing was

because " something bad would happen " if he didn't erase.

I'm getting ready to try meds on him. I decided we weren't getting

much worse, but we're not doing a lot better either. Anyway, I

haven't tried changing his diet or anything as he's such a picky

eater and doesn't like too many things now.

What we HAVE tried is Inositol. It's one of the B-vitamins. You may

already know of this from your research, but just in case, briefly -

it's supposed to help the serotonin levels, boost it or help regulate

it.... Anyway, it's available in pill or powder form (powder is

expensive). You can base the dosage on the age/weight of your

child. In research, adults took 18 grams a day. And don't take

Lithium with it, as I read somewhere it will block the inositol.

From a lot of posts I've read on other OCD sites, this has really

helped some children a lot or a little, some it hasn't. Some moms

have added a little St. 's Wort too and said this helped, though

SJW has too many cautions with it for me to try with . I've

recently just started giving him a little Kava herb to see if it

helps.

I think inositol HAS helped him some, as I ran out after Christmas

and he was off it for, maybe, 2-3 weeks and I could see more OCD

things beginning to happen the last week. So, now we are back on it

and he's no worse, no better. We aren't " strict " about taking it; I

try to give him 12 gms a day, though some days he only gets 9 gms due

to getting busy and forgetting. He's about 81 lbs.

Good luck with any treatment you decide to try. And if any allergies

seem to attribute to 's OCD, please post it. That would be

interesting to know as I've thought of testing for that too.

Again, good luck!

-- in North Carolina

> Hi

>

> My name is Vicky, but I notice there is already a Vicki on the list

so to avoid confusion I will try and remember to sign myself " Vicky-

" (is my middle name). If I forget, hopefully you will

notice the email address or the different spelling.

> My husband is Merv and we have one child, nine year old, . We

discovered that has OCD, by going to the library to find more

info on her behaviour. Merv found some books on ocd and we both

went " Oh look, here's all her 'stuff' listed in here " Three weeks

ago we went to our GP and he confirmed our diagnosis. He has written

referrals for to see a pediatrician and a pediatric

psychiatrist. We haven't received the appointments yet, but we

expect to have to wait a few months for our first visit. A " free "

health system does have it's drawbacks.

>

> 's ocd has been around for a long time, but it first surfaced

in a big way about two years ago. became extremely fearful of

what the " baddies " would do if she stood on a mat or didn't touch

something an even number of times, that our whole life became bizarre

and became seriously depressed.

>

> Merv and I were both struggling with chronic fatigue at that time

and the only progress we had made had come from non-traditional

approaches. We used to scorn the non-traditional stuff, but

experience led us to the point where we decided that 's problem

must be some chemical imbalance, we didn't know anything about ocd

then. So we had a hair mineral analysis done and discovered that she

had mercury and lead poisoning. We had her amalgam fillings removed

and gave her oral chelation and the whole problem almost faded away.

She still had a fairly elaborate night-time ritual and she tended to

avoid mats, but we could all live with that.

>

> Recently her behaviour got out of control again and now she even

freezes and pants when someone else stands on a mat. She won't come

into the lounge at all, because of the lines on the ceiling and when

she 'loses it' she becomes verbally abusive and violent.

> As I have said, we now know that this is ocd stuff, but the problem

is that, because of our own past experiences, we are very reluctant

to use any drugs. Has anyone else tried to treat ocd without drugs?

> We have just received the results of another hair test and

again shows high levels of mercury and lead. We are seeing a doctor

next week to get some more chelation for her. We are also about to

start on a homeopathic remedy and we have ordered a natural

supplement called Seretonic which is supposed to help the seretonin

levels. I'll let you know if we achieve any positive results,

although we are so desperate at the moment, that we shall probably do

all three things at once and then we won't know which was the key.

Mind you, if we can achieve a lessening of her symptoms, without

drugs, I won't care if it wasn't done scientifically.

>

> Once we get her every day behaviour back to a manageable level, we

intend to start an elimination diet to discover if there are any food

allergies, which may be making her condition worse.

>

> Vicky-Jean

[Guest guest]

Hello, I read your post and would like to respond.

I'm new to this group. I was first diagnosed with

Rheumatoid and now Psoriatic along with the

Rheumatoid. In other words I got a double dose. I've

been reading some of the posts in regards to taking

Enbrel. I almost died in July because of this drug.

I took it for 1.5 years until it caused be to have a

urinary infection, stomach infection, put me in renal

failure, caused me to develop pheumonia and my right

lung collapse. I also developed urosepsis. Never been

so sick in my life. Spent 29 days in the hospital

whole month of July. I guess I need to get the word

out tere to be very careful taking this drug. Jean

[Guest guest]

Aye,

Check out www.immunocal.com. This is a very powerful supplement that busts your

natural antioxidant " glutathione " . This helped me tremendously recover from MTX

toxicity because it is so powerful at " de-toxing " the body. I recommend it as a

regular supplement to help your body get the residual toxins out and therefore

reduce the risks of long term use and give you more energy (it takes a lot of

energy to handle all those free-radicals bombarding your body). Check it out.

in VA

[Guest guest]

Hello ,

Comments below...

>

> Hello, I've just joined this list and thought I'd introduce myself. My

> name is and I'm an ex-Californian (from Sonoma County) who's

> immigrated to New Zealand. I make sprouted grain breads, Kombucha,

> Rejuvelac, and have just started to make krauts, kefir, and activated

> EM. My husband, children and I are vegetarian and eat a ton of fresh

> raw fruits and veggies as well as fermented seeds and nuts.

>

> I have some questions. I just made my first batch of fermented veggies

> (mostly grated carrots and ginger with some salt, Kombucha & a few

> drops of EM). I covered with a cloth for 3 days, then we started

> eating it. After day 6 I read something about how the krauts should be

> sealed after making. So, I closed it up last night. This morning I

> opened it up and it smells like alcohol and has a coating of white on

> top. Should I throw it all out now? What's the story with covering

> krauts? Is there any reason why I can't just leave it covered with a

> cloth?

Proper lacto-fermentation is anaerobic. If you let oxygen in, kahm

yeast will form. That's the whitish off-smelling layer you found.

Usually this can be skimmed off, and the vegetables eaten with no

problem other than perhaps a slightly off taste. You must maintain

anaerobic conditions until the lactobacilli have propagated. They

produce carbon dioxide filling the fermentation chamber and kahm yeast

doesn't thrive in this. Once you start eating a batch, always close

the container to keep yeasts from forming, and better yet keep

refrigerated. Kombucha, notably, is different and needs aerobic

fermentation.

To get a good ferment, the following must be minded:

1) anaerobic conditions!

2) salt to keep the bad bacteria at bay while the lactobacilli propagate

3) temperature - it differs, but generally in the 68F-80F range. Kraut

seems to do well at even lower temps.

4) time - allow enough time for pH to drop below 4

Some resources:

bunch of interesting lacto-fermentation projects:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg101712096948.html

>

> Also, regarding the making of kefir. Is there any problem using metal

> spoons to stir it or a metal strainer? Should I bring the milk up to

> room temperature before I add the grains? How do I determine how long

> I can leave it to culture?

Some people aver that metal touching kefir and other probiotics is in

some way detrimental or unhealthy. I am not one of those people. So

it's your choice. I make my kefir in glass jars half the time, and in

plastic containers the other half. I strain with a wire sieve.

Most folks I know do not make kefir with preheated milk, but there are

a lot of folks I don't know who might. I make mine in what I think of

as the typical way, using raw milk, and not preheated as in yoghurt

making. In any case if you are heating the milk, you most definitely

should not put the kefir grains in until it's under 110F, or lower to

be on the safe side.

Kefir is generally done after a day on the countertop, at about 75F.

The warmer, the less time. You determine how long to leave it by

tasting, and developing your own knack for how long to leave it. Learn

by doing. Generally, I strain kefir when I see separation of the

whey and other milk solids, about a day or so. I let the strained

kefir age another day or two on the counter top, shaking each day.

Then I consume, and keep in the fridge to slow down the fermentation.

IF it starts getting too tart for me, I hustle it into the fridge. It

all depends on your own taste.

Some resources:

Dom's Kefir In Site (use to find)

Kefir_making Group

Hope this helps

>

> Thanks for the advice. I hope to learn lots from this group (but

> unfortunately have very little computer access).

>

> Cheers from Down Under,

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi

> What relief to find the website and then the group!

> I am saved.

>

> My name is Karolyn and I live on a beutiful island called - Waiheke

> which is about a 40 minute ferry ride from Auckland City, New Zealand.

---snip---

> Nice to meet you all - I definitely won't be feeling quite so lonely

> down here anymore.

>

Hi Karolyn,

A warm welcome to the group! I felt exactly the same way as you when I

found it, and I don't know what I would have done without this crew.

The world of natural perfumery opened up for me, I had found a new

love and then all these people to share it with. I don't know if we

have any other folks from New Zealand here but this place feels like

home where ever you're from.

I have a dream to go to New Zealand sometime and if there was any

other place in the world I would choose to live except Ireland then NZ

would be it!

Ruth

http://www.whitewitch.ie

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi

> What relief to find the website and then the group!

> I am saved.

>

> My name is Karolyn and I live on a beutiful island called - Waiheke

> which is about a 40 minute ferry ride from Auckland City, New Zealand.

>

> welcome Karolyn.

I would write something clever herer but I'm out the door for a carpet cleaning

job.

I wish to visit your country someday.

blessings

frankie chocolate

[Guest guest]

I have been to Zew Zealand! What a beautiful and lovely place with so

much nature!!!

Great place for people who love nature.

Angi

[Guest guest]

Hello all beautiful souls.Your group (now our group) is attracting many at the moment.My name is Jeffree, I live in New Zealand in the South Pacific. I create music for Meditation and Healing, I have been doing this since 1986.I also teach a technique of meditating to music. My crusade is to get everybody meditating :)I have included a link to my website on the Humanity Healing home page.I look forward to sharing in the creation of Humanity Healing.The world is such a wonderful place . . .The glass is always full.Blessings and love from down under on top :)Jeffree

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeff,

Its nice to have so many b'ful souls together at one place. I would like to know more about your music and how I can get access to it.

love n light

Deepti<a href="http://www.jaxtr.com/mailroja3k?wtype=btn1 & sc=Mail" target="_blank"><img border = "0" src="http://www.jaxtr.com/user/img/icons/callmebutton.gif" alt="Call mailroja3k from your phone!" /></a>

From: Jeff <jeff@...>Subject: [] Hello from New Zealand Date: Thursday, July 23, 2009, 4:39 AM

Hello all beautiful souls.

Your group (now our group) is attracting many at the moment.

My name is Jeffree, I live in New Zealand in the South Pacific.

I create music for Meditation and Healing, I have been doing this since 1986.

I also teach a technique of meditating to music.

My crusade is to get everybody meditating

I have included a link to my website on the Humanity Healing home page.

I look forward to sharing in the creation of Humanity Healing.

The world is such a wonderful place . . .

The glass is always full.

Blessings and love from down under on top

Jeffree