Tourette's Tics Continue

Well, my son's tics have returned. I should have known there would be no quickie magic cure. I've culled out lots of food coloring, banned hot dogs from his diet, and bought him a pet hamster. I know, the last one has nothing to do with eliminating tics, but a little pet hamster can go a long way towards making an 8 year old happy. The little critter is running like mad on its exercise wheel. It stays up all night and sleeps all day. Good thing we didn't put its cage in Matthew's bedroom, or his tics might have gotten worse with all that noisy activity all night!

Pet hamster aside, I'm trying some supplements on my son. I am giving him B complex and magnesium. I've noticed a reduction in the head shaking tic during the day. He still exhibits a throat clearing and quick inhale/exhale tic. I'll continue to monitor him and make adjustments to the vitamins. From what I understand, his nervous system is changing, or maturing. He is now in a stage where there is some kind of imbalance which causes the involuntary muscle movements. Research shows that the tics lessen and diminish as those with Tourette's mature into adults.

I'm hoping to keep the tics from getting disruptive. I'm worried about the throat clearing tic which seems like it can morph into a vocal tic. This would be bad, especially in the classroom! Hopefully, we'll discover a middle ground here.