More Success Stories!

I just heard from another parent on the TLC parent support group that she is seeing success with her trichster after the second try for a remedy prescribed by Tanya Kell!! I am so excited for her daughter and so pleased that they are having success with Tanya!!
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My Little Trichster Update

My Little Trichster has been with his father for two weeks now out of a total of 4.5 for the summer. I saw him when I took him to a dental appointment last week and the good news? NO CAVITIES!! Oh wait...this is the trich blog ;) The other good news? NO NEW PULLING!!! That's right, he's been with his daddy for two weeks, and there hasn't been any new pulling! The homeopathic remedy appears to be doing it's just very well, and no symptoms have been reported to be creeping up! I am so happy, and thankful for Tanya Kell for helping my little man!!

I hope everyone else is having a fabulous summer!

Trichotillomania Linked to Immune Systems Gone Awry?

I am a midwife, and an attachment parent. I run in the natural parenting circles. I am a liberal and a Catholic. I am a leader and not a follower. I question. I tend to question authority especially. I do not do things just because the doctor says to.

We stopped vaccinating our children long ago, when my daughter was 6 months old and my oldest son was about 30 months old. My youngest son wasn't even a twinkle in my eye yet. We were already beginning to question vaccinations, and doing a lot of research. I told our pediatrician about our doubts about vaccinations, and, it being November, he talked us into agreeing to get our daughter at least the vaccine against pnummococus which tends to happen more often in the winter and can lead to RSV especially in LBW (Low Birth Weight) children of which my daughter was, weighing a mere 5lbs 4oz (anything under 5lbs 8oz is considered LBW). We agreed to the single shot and forwent all the rest that she was "due" to have. He also checked her ears, eyes, etc and gave her an official "clean" bill of health.

Within an hour our sweet little girl was screaming bloody murder. I will never forget her screams. She screamed for hours, and then started running a fever. I called the pediatrician's after hours number and he said he would see her first thing in the morning. When we got there in the morning the official diagnosis was the *worst* double ear infection the pediatrician had ever seen. Both ears were severely infected. My daughter was 100% breastfed, as was my oldest, and neither one had *ever* had an ear infection (nor have any of my children SINCE). I told him it was caused by the vaccine and he denied it adamently. I told him we were no longer going to vaccinate, and he dismissed us from his care. None of my children ever received another vaccination (my youngest has never received ANY injection).

Of course, my oldest was already after age 2 by then, and had received all of his vaccinations up until then, even the varicella vaccination (chicken pox) of which he GOT chicken pox less than a week later.

And now, here I am, reading this article which says that trichotillomania may be linked to an immune system gone awry. My oldest is my trichster. One of the reasons I stopped vaccinating was because of our insane auto-immune disorders in my family. We have everything from rhuematoid arthritis to juvenile diabetes in my family history. We have Asperger's syndrome, SID, and mental health disorders in my husband's family history, and in my OWN PERSONAL history I have Chronic Ulcerative Colitis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, a history of hypothyroidism, and hypoglycemia. Vaccinations have been linked to auto-immune disorders (because vaccines cause your immune system to act inappropriately). I didn't want my kids to be spared a few uncomfortable days itching or feverish as a child only to be wrought with auto-immune disorders that can be crippling as an adult.

Yet this article says that trich has been linked to an immune system gone awry. We already know that my son has been vaccinated more than any of my other children. That he probably has Asperger's Syndrome and definitely has Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Thank God for homeopathy (which, by the way, has also treated my auto-immune disorders with 100% success). I am happy to see that there is research going on about trichotillomania, now I just wish that the medical establishment would acknowledge that they just really don't know what damage is being done by all the vaccinations given to our children. To think if I am this over-run with autoimmune disorders and I was only given a few vaccines, what would happen to my children if they have these susceptible genes for auto-immune disorders if they received the 20+ vaccines in their first two years of life?

Another Huge Accomplishment!!

I just read my blog and realized a few posts back I said my little trichster was pull free five months, and it has really been about 4 months. Sorry about that

But the accomplishment is that we realized he was pulling in October, and he went on the homeopathy in January. That is 3 months of pulling. We are now in "recovery mode" pull free for more months than he was actually pulling to begin with!!! (by our best estimation of when he started) GO MY LITTLE TRICHSTER!!! YAY!!

"Recovered" Trichster!!

I am happy to say we have had no return of pulling behavior since the homeopathy!!! I am now considering my son a recovered trichster! What a short but *very* stressful time in our lives, not knowing what was happening, where to go or who to turn to. Ultimately the best thing I ever could have done for him was seek the help of a homeopath, tanya kell www.tanyakell.com who very patiently helped us with phone consults to take care of my precious little boy. I am forever thankful for her!

My son's hair has grown completely in!!!As you can tell in the picture, it still looks "thinner" in the picture in the spot where he pulled most, but it's not, it's just that some of it is growing in blonde! Don't know why...he's never had blonde hair (even though both his siblings do) even as a baby. He is so happy again, and so am I!! It is amazing how such a harmless seeming behavior can make one mommy fret and be so upset at herself so much!!

The icing on the birthday cake (his 9 birthday is coming up LOL)? The nail biting recently *also* stopped!!! He still touches his lips with his finger tips, but no more biting! We are so blessed!!!
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Yay!

We are now nearing five months of pull free if I am counting correctly!! Here is the latest pic of my sons favorite pull spot!!

Tanya Kell has been a blessing to this family. I am so glad that I found her! www.tanyakell.com

as you can tell you can barely see that he was pulling!! I did notice that some of his hairs grew back blonde :( I am assuming it means he permanently damaged the follicle.
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Saving Sammy

I cut and paste this from the TLC group. I thought it was important enough to pass on.

A book called Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD was released this past fall. In a nutshell: The book tells of a mother's journey to save her son, whose behavior suddenly and dramatically changed. Doctors recommended that he be institutionalized, but Sammy's mother was certain there was a medical illness that caused the change in her child. It turns out that she was right. After a year of upheaval, he was diagnosed with PANDA (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep). Once the strep was treated, his symptoms were gone! (Children with PANDA may not even have the typical sore throat associated with strep.) Patients with PANDA may exhibit:

OCD behaviors (which can include repetitive behaviors, excess fear of germs, hair pulling, eating disorders, motor and verbal tics, etc.)
ADHD symptoms
Separation anxiety
Mood changes
Sleep disturbance
Night-time bed wetting and/or daytime urinary frequency
Fine/gross motor changes
Joint pains

On the link below you will find an amazing video of an interview with the mother and son on the Today show:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32987757/ns/today-today_books/page/2/#33000818

A Post-Spring-Break Update

Well, here we are at the end of March, and my little trichster is still pull free!! I am so proud of him! After the children went to see their dad for spring break I noticed when my little trichster returned that he had started biting his nails a bit more than he was when he left, and he was playing with his hair, twirling it (and it is SHORT) as much as he could, or just gently running the shaft of the hair between his finger and thumb over and over. Not hard enough to pull it out, but enough attention to his hair that I got nervous.

So I emailed Tanya about it. She gave me instructions to give him two more doses of specially prepared remedy (the same constitutional) and the behavior has again retreated!! It shows me that in fact we have won the battle, but have not yet won the war against trichotillomania. I don't know if the "war" will ever really be over or not, but what I do know is that I have my son back. My lovable, friendly, happy son. With a full head of hair, no holes in his clothes, and the beginnings of normal finger nails. And we are blessed to have found Tanya.

This summer will be the hardest for me to deal with I think, as their father has them for 6 weeks over the summer. I am sure I will be a nervous wreck, wondering if he is pulling again or not. My exhusband has strict instructions to contact Tanya if the behavior starts again, but lets just say he isn't the most observant person in the world. And my trichster is good at being discreet in his pulling when he does pull.

Anyway there is hope, for anyone reading this blog who is fighting the battle against trichotillomania, there is hope, and I hope that my blog helps you find hope in your own situations.

Look at this growth!!

This is the last place (and was the worst place) that has not quite finished growing all the way back in yet. We have been blessed! Tanya Kell's expertise seems to have nipped it in the butt and Tommy has been pull free now ever since about a week after his single dose of the constitutional!

On top of this wonderful news, he has stopped chewing on his clothes, and his temperament and behavior are much improved! I keep wondering if the trich will start to inch its way back into our life, but thus far it has not!! I would absolutely recommend Tanya Kell to *anyone* dealing with this issue! www.tanyakell.com

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Sorry I Haven't....

Updated in awhile. My little trichster seems to have completely stopped pulling since taking his single dose of the homeopathic prescribed for him by Tanya Kell!! I am so happy! He has been completely pull free now for at *least* two full weeks and his hair has started to grow in well!! I absolutely recommend her to anyone dealing with these issues! I believe her website is www.tanyakell.com !

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UGH My Hair Is So *ITCHY* Mommy!!

My poor little trichster is trying so hard not to pull his hair. It is even starting to grow back some in his favorite pull spot and I am so proud of him. But he complains so often that his hair is itchy. I wish I knew how to help him with it.

I remembered a few other things about him and emailed Tanya about them last night. She got back with me pretty quickly and prescribed a second remedy as well. I called the local health food store this morning and added it to my special order. They said I should get it Monday or Tuesday. In the mean time I am thrilled to share a picture of some regrowth in his current pull spot!
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The Appointment With the Homeopath

Today I had the phone consultation with the homeopath. Though I felt a bit like a pain because we had some scheduling issues and she was really working hard to help us, even taking a little less money up front, I was a bit irritated with myself that I couldn't just take the first appointment time she offered. Either way, we found a time which worked for both of us, and I did the consult while at work at the clinic today. I decided, for those of you curious, to use Tanya Kell (http://www.tanyakell.com) (sorry I can't make a hyperlink when doing this by email). Immediately while on the phone with her I started with the typical junk the therapists tell me, but she quickly reminded me I was talking to a homeopath, and what the therapists say and diagnose are not her main interest! After about a 25 minute talk about everything related to my little trichster, everything from my pregnancy with him to his life now 8.5 years later, she asked a few questions for clarification or just because she needed more information from me on it, and then said she would call me back. A few minutes later she called me back with a few specific questions about my little trichster, and then called me back again to give me the remedy she determined, and instructions on how to give it. I do not have (nor do I keep at the clinic) the specific remedy that she prescribed him..but for those of you who have never seen homeopathics I have taken some pics of the ones I *do* have.

These vials are almost 2/3 full! And are the *original* ones bought when I *first* discovered homeopathy. The little white ball is one *dose* of a remedy. Many times one dose is all it takes. I called one of my clients whose mother-in-law owns a local health food store called Creative Healing and asked them to special order the remedy for my little trichster. I should have the remedy Monday, and I am very excited to try it! Though Tanya said that he may not stop the trich symptoms right away, his temperment should improve pretty quickly and I should definitely see noticeable improvement within a few weeks. She also said I could call back with any questions or concerns. Though I cannot say on the remedy yet, I can say thus far I really like Tanya and feel very positive about the decision to use her.

I told the therapist yesterday that I was going to use a homeopath, and I was surprised that he neither asked for clarification on what that was, nor thought I was wacko for trying it. Many people aren't very open to the idea that homeopathics can work (including some of my own family who have witnessed it first hand!). I'll update again once I get the remedy.
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Two steps forward!!

I realized today that despite being back at school my little trichster didn't pull today! His latest patch of missing hair is starting to grow back, and his mommy is feeling hopeful. He proudly said "I am trying to let *all* of my hair grow back!". However...he has been biting his nails worse. He has even taken to biting the tips of his fingers as well. He had a therapy appointment today, which again seemed like a waste of time. I am hopeful though with his new found determination not to pull, and the consult with the homeopath tomorrow, maybe we are starting to get somewhere!
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Answered Prayers

So yesterday was Sunday, and like almost every other Sunday (sometimes I go alone when the kids are with their father) I woke the kids up early, fed them and got them ready for Church. It was a gloomy, drizzly morning yesterday, but warm enough for me to wear a skirt yay! My daughter always wears a dress (she loves having an excuse to dress pretty!), even in the coldest of cold, she just wears thick cotton tights to go with it. So we make the approximately half an hour drive to Queen, not the closest parish, but the one I fell in love with. We get there and I take my daughter to her religious ed class, then take the boys into the worship area for Mass. While there, as is my habit, I prayed very hard for direction and strength and wisdom. I have learned to pray for *specific* things so I went down my short list..and included in it the ability to somehow see the homeopath for my little trichster. I had gone through my finances and realized that there was no way that I could pay the full fee right now, when my budget is pulled so tight. I figured it would have to wait awhile until I could scrape and save to be able to do it.

And then last night I got an email from the homeopath. She said she enjoyed the links to my blogs, and would love to work with my son. We are working out an an arrangement that works for both of us. God is so good! Yet another answered prayer.
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Homeopathy

Anyone who knows me knows that I have been a firm believer in homeopathy and natural and alternative medicine since 2005. In 2005 several major things (health wise) happened in our house. First, they told me I may have to have 1/3 of my colon removed. I was so sick with ulcerative colitis (diagnosed in 1998) that I was in constant pain, and losing weight and blood. Then, "miraculously" my symptoms disappeared, no thanks to the expensive and awful drugs they were trying to give me (which failed to help for over six months). Nope. I owe the thanks to a little vial of $3 homeopathic remedy. Originally bought for my daughter when she had listeria poisoning due to some contaminated sto bought mozerrella (which, by the way, it resolved her illness as well) at the urgings of my homeopathy student friend, and one of the few people I ever trusted enough to babysit my kids when they were wee. I happened to pop one of the little pellets when my stomach cramps started one night, and I have been symptom free since! Around the same time my little trichster (not yet a trichster at the time) was suffering from what the doctors called "cyclic vomiting syndrome". He had already been hospitalized once for severe dehydration (which came on fast, less than 8 hours after the vomiting started). Again, at the urgings of my friend, when he once again showed symptoms, I sent my husband after the remedy she suggested. We popped one under his tongue, and you could see the color come into his face, his eyes lost their dark circles and sunken look and within 15 minutes he was running around healthy. He has never had a problem with the cyclic vomiting syndrome again (and never been given another pellet, not a single one. I still have the original vial! $3 for a life long cure, vs thousands of $$ in hospital expense and pain and misery? Ha!). I was sold. I have used homeopathic remedies since to treat everything from the flu, to chronic illness, to morning sickness in my pregnant clients. I use it to help breech babies turn, to help teething babies, and to reverse dental caries (really, I mean *reverse*. Who said once you have a hole in your tooth it will always be there?!?). I have used it for post partum bleeding. I have used it to help broken bones heal with astounding speed. And now, after all of this, here I am with my son, suffering from this psychological condition, and I know it can be treated with homeopathy. I *know* it in my inner most being, but I feel like I am outside of my realm of knowledge with it. So, having been unable to contact my friend who originally helped me with remedies, I have reached out, and found a homeopath 2 hours away. Though I will most likely not make the trek to her (yet) with my little trichster (it isn't out of the question if over the phone seems unsuccessful to stop the trich and other issues..) She will thankfully do phone consults! Yay! And so, within a few weeks, maybe we will finally find something to help my little trichster.
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Back to school, back to pulling

Sigh. It is so discouraging. My little trichster is back to pulling now that he is back in school.

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Pulling Once Again

Though his pulling seemed to have ceased, or at least lessened, during the holiday break while he was with his father, my little trichster appears to be pulling once again, and quite a bit. The therapist doesn't really seem to be helping any, and I am becoming frustrated. I am considering finding a local homeopathic doctor who might be able to help us out. I have a firm belief in homeopathics, as they have worked for other issues in my family. We shall see.