FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK FACTSHEET
Tics, Tic disorder, Tourette symptoms
•
Tics can be motor or vocal, that is, involuntary, rapid, sudden
movements, often involving eyes, face or neck or sounds or words that occur
repeatedly in the same way. What some parents call 'silly noises' can be
classified as vocal tics.
•
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterised by tics.
Improvements
in motor and vocal tics related to an additive-free low salicylate diet were
described by Dr Feingold nearly 30 years ago. The diet recommended on this
website is the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH) elimination diet which is
free of colours, preservatives, antioxidants, flavour enhancers, salicylates,
amines, natural glutamates and perfumes.
Tics are most often reported as due to MSG, salicylates, aerosol
deodorants and other aerosols (which usually contain inhaled salicylates),
artificial colours, benzoate and sulphite preservatives, synthetic antioxidants
and undefined 'junk food' or 'treats', but any of the usual culprits can be
involved.
Reader stories
[580] Tics disappeared on day 10 (September 2007)
Our son was diagnosed with
Tourette's at the age of six. He had substantial tics, but no behavioural
problems. I decided to apply the complete elimination diet (not an easy
process.) By day 7, I was quite despondent with no obvious improvements and
then miraculously, by day 10, his tics had disappeared. He had been
experiencing severe eye, mouth and head jerking tics for over 2 years. I
haven't yet narrowed the tics to any specific reaction. Thanks for your amazing
website - it definitely saved our boy from a very troubling syndrome. - by
email
[579] 319,320: Tic disorder related to antioxidants 319-320
(TBHQ and BHA) (September 2007)
My three boys have been
avoiding a number of additives for many years now because of obvious affects on
their behaviour and health. Last year my oldest son (then 8 years old) was
diagnosed with Chronic Tic Disorder (one step before Tourettes Syndrome) – he
could not sit still, having tics in his face, neck, shoulders and arms. After a
period of time, I realised that this behaviour coincided with an increase in
eating hot chips. I stopped my son eating hot chips and THE TICS WENT AWAY. I
have since tried him on hot chips and the same thing happens. The culprit ingredient/s
here is the synthetic antioxidant 320 (and/or 319) that appears in most chips
and oil used for deep frying, however manufacturers of frozen chips, and other
products such as packet chips/crisps and dry biscuits do not need to list the
additive on the label if the oil is less than 5% of the product. NOT GOOD
ENOUGH! How can I help my son be “tic free” if we don’t know when these nasty
additives are in certain foods? - by email,
[578] Tics related to salicylates in summer fruits
(September 2007)
My son very suddenly
developed mild facial (rapid blinking eye and lip biting) and vocal tics
(sounds like a quiet grunt or throat clearing sound) at a time when I think his
hyper/silly behaviour and other food intolerance symptoms escalated, probably
in response to his increased consumption of summer fruits, salads and juices.
Other symptoms included: loud voice, bed wetting, sinusitis, teeth
grinding. All of his favourite foods
were high in salicylates: strawberries, apricots, rockmelon, tomato, cucumber,
capsicum, broccoli, vegemite, spag bol, apple juice etc. His diet contained few foods with colourings,
flavourings and preservatives as I've always tried to encourage
"healthy" foods which he has been very willing to eat.
We noticed some improvement
(in behaviour, bed wetting, teeth grinding but not tics) over a week just by
changing fruits to pears and bananas, stopping vegemite and tomatoes and
switching to low sal veges and Bakers Delight bread. We visited a dietitian and Joe (not his real
name) started on the elimination diet. He had a very obvious reaction to sals -
hyper like I've never seen him within about 4 hours of starting the
challenge. I wouldn't have believed it
but my parents witnessed the reaction too!
When they visited, he was his usual self, undertaking some quiet
activities requiring concentration (jigsaw puzzles, colouring etc), chatting
and on his (usual) best behaviour.
Within about an hour and half of their arrival he changed into this
wild, racing, hyper thing heart racing, unable to stand still, almost a
"mad" look in his eyes, silly silly silly etc...the worst of it
finished within about two hours and he basically collapsed exhausted and
couldn't even stay up to wait for dinner guests that he had been looking
forward to seeing. Very strange but so
similar to the stories I've read on your web site.
We didn't manage any other
challenges before Christmas - felt it too unfair to restrict his diet so
severely during the holidays, although I did continue to restrict sals and he
doesn't eat many processed, flavoured or coloured foods anyway. We continued along on this basis, watching
his sals intake over a day and over a week, and the tic went completely. His
behaviour was much more predictable and stable and very much like the boy I
know. He is still bed wetting although I
am convinced it is worse when he has had sals (e.g. salad) in his dinner and
this seems to be improving, particularly since we have been focussing
consistently on his sals intake. Teeth grinding and sinusitis very improved. So
I am absolutely committed to continuing our new approach to Joe's diet as we
really have seen some big improvements. - by emails over a period of 3 months
[577] Motor tics related to amines (chocolate) and additives
(lollies) (September 2007)
We have been following the
diet for several years and we have seen the positive effects a failsafe diet
has on our hyperactive 6 year old daughter. She does have trouble with
expressive language and has been having therapy for a year. If she eats something eg a chocolate or
lollies for several days, she starts to stutter really badly and she also makes
"jerking" movements with her body. - by email
[576] Vocal tics related to non-failsafe 'treats' (September
2007)
My husband said he was
supportive of our boys' [RPAH elimination] diet though I suspected secretly
skeptical. Last weekend he indulged the boys in various 'treats' including
non-failsafe lemonades, popcorn, etc. This morning I had the first meltdown in
a couple of months from our son who has Asperger's. He was back to headbanging,
crying, not wanting to eat, refusing to go to school, hand flapping, vocal
tics, etc. It was full on. I talked to him about it (after he'd had a calcium
tablet and calmed a little) and he said he would give up all those foods he
loves if it meant he was able to be calm again. - by email,
[575] Vocal tics, word and phrase repetition due to
salicylates and additives (September 2007)
When Chris was born he was
a big, boofy boy. For the first six month of his life he was a placid, calm,
happy child. At six months, he changed to being very, very active, fidgety and
demanding. Looking back at that time, three things changed – he started long
daycare, solids and formula. I also remember very clearly that his face changed
as big dark circles and creases formed under his eyes. He was labelled
‘naughty, disruptive, hyperactive and violent’ by daycare when he was only 10
months old. He was walking at that stage and continued to escape from the
childproof room, or to snatch toys from non-mobile babies.
Since that time he has been
variously diagnosed by health professionals as having Tourette’s Syndrome, the
hyperactive type of ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and others. Whatever
the term, the symptoms are the same, including unmanageable behaviour, poor
impulse control, loud voice, vocal tics, word and phrase repetition and lack of
empathy.
Coupled with the behaviour
has also been a range of other medical problems including croup, asthma,
headaches and stomach aches, unexplained temperatures and eczema. Chris also
suffers from glue ear and for the last four years has had grommets inserted
every winter to enable him to hear clearly. (As I know now, these are all
indicative of food intolerance.)
Last year I took Chris to a
paediatrician, looking for a solution to his constant illness rather than his
behaviour. The doctor took one look at him – he was making duck noises and
running in circles around the waiting room – and diagnosed food intolerances.
We went home with a complex
list of foods to avoid. Although his health improved, his behaviour seemed to
become worse, as it always has in summer. Just before Christmas, I found the
I switched the family to
the RPAH elimination diet during the holidays. Gradually, as we removed foods
from the diet and found acceptable replacements, Chris’ behaviour improved.
Living with him became easier, there were less sibling fights, and when he did
misbehave it was easy to use normal parenting techniques to modify behaviour –
something that had never worked before.
By the end of the summer
holidays, I finally had a calm, reasonable, sensitive child, who was able to
play at other children’s places without causing mayhem, would look at people
when talking, and would allow other people to talk without interrupting.
Amazingly, Chris was keen to stick to the diet, having realised how good he
felt.
First day back at school
and I had lots of positive comments about how calm or grown-up Christopher
seemed. A good start to the year. However, as I write this, I am back to having
a child who runs around making chicken noises, uses a loud voice, is prone to
crying and is violent and aggressive. What happened? He got to school and
started to cheat. He ate chocolate cake, m&m’s, muesli bars and lollies.
For him, even the smallest amount results in a reaction. It is like being on a
trip – he can’t control his behaviour, and trying to discipline him has no
effect.
So what do I need, or more
importantly, what does Chris need? He needs the support of the school community
to assist him to stay on his diet – he needs recognition for the fact that he
does suffer from food intolerances – he desperately wants to feel in control of
his life, and he likes feeling calm and relaxed, so please, please, please
don’t feed my child, or encourage him to cheat. - by email,
What the medical journals say
Feingold
BF. Dietary management of nystagmus. J Neural Transm. 1979;45(2):107-15.
ABSTRACT Two case
reports illustrate the therapeutic response of congenital nystagmus to a diet
eliminating synthetic food colors, synthetic food flavors, the antioxidant
preservatives butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole
(BHA), and a small group of foods thought to contain a natural salicylate
radical. A brief discussion of the hyperkinetic syndrome is offered with the
proposal that a variety of neurologic and neuromuscular disturbances (grand
mal, petit mal, psychomotor seizures; La Tourette syndrome; autism;
retardation; the behavioral component of Down's syndrome; and oculomotor
disturbances) may be induced by identical chemicals, depending upon the
individual's genetic profile and the interaction with other environmental
factors. It is perhaps the failure to integrate all the signs presented by the
various clinical patterns with hyperkinesis or Minimal Brain Dysfunction (MBD)
under a single heading that eye muscle involvement manifested as either nystagmus
or strabismus has not been emphasized as part of the hyperkinetic syndrome.
See also
•
Stuttering Factsheet
•
Hyperacusis Symptom Discussion
•
Salicylate Factsheet
•
Failsafe Eating for an example of foods that are
additive free, low in salicylates, amines and flavour enhancers
The information given is not intended as
medical advice. Always consult with your doctor for underlying illness. Before
beginning dietary investigation, consult a dietician with an interest in food
intolerance. You can find a supportive dietitian through the Dietitians
Association of
© Sue Dengate
update September 2007
