Tinsley House Support Thread Part 4!!!

[Mangomanila]

This thread is for anyone interested in the Tinsley House programme. All welcome!

A brief synopsis of stage 1 of the programme can be found in the books "is that my child?" Or "the brain food plan" by robin pauc;

Stage 1 of the TH therapy consists of:

1. Daily Multivitamins

• Omega
• Zinc & Magnesium

1. Healthy eating

• High protein, low sugar, no artificial sweeteners, additives etc.

1. Specific neuro development exercises done 3 times a day

• Takes about 4-5 mins

And that's it smile

Stage 2 involves computer programmes to sort out eye tracking and convergence which over 80% of children with reading/writing problems have.

• www.engagingeyes.co.uk

Beautiful - that is very interesting about the BioKult. It's been in my mind for a while to start the whole family on Probiotics and you've prompted me into action. Like you, I've toyed with going DF/GF but just couldn't face the idea - we already have to avoid quite a few foods because of allergies and it feels like 'too much'.

Ruggles- I was doing a complicated probiotic regime before biokult and DS made good steady progress. My AIT practioner suggested BioKult which is part of the GAPS protocol and I have been absolutely blown away by how good it is. My DS's appetite has increased dramatically and at last he is growing. He is no longer pale and NEVER has a tummy ache. You can get it online and even in Boots on 3 for 2.

Just to clarify- I now only give biokult- no other probiotics.

Thanks Beautiful - I've ordered up some and looking forward to getting started!

For anyone thinking of dabbling with gluten free,all I did (to start) was to buy some GF bread and switch it without DS noticing. Then stuck to spuds/rice for evening carbs. Within 2 days, DS declared his brain was working better. He could suddenly get all his spellings right and read with less errors.

I'll look into the biokult. We are currently on optibac. Can anyone compare the two?

Mango- that is great news about GF and your DS's declaration about brain. My DS has talked about the changes to his brain the whole way through TH which has been so exciting. He used to say his brain was upside down and silly. It then went to horizontal and he now says it is up the right way and is a fire ball ready to blast off!!!!

BTW my DS is 7.5!

Beautifulpossum - that is great.

Mango - you make GF sound very easy, maybe it is and its just in my head!! We've recently bought a bread machine, so I could do the GF flour thing in that.

I love hearing about DCs saying their brains are working properly or the right way up - it is fantastic!

I am going to whisper, but I am beginning to look forward to Parent's Evening tomorrow - I normally dread these. I know its silly, but I hope I'm not jinxing it by thinking that...

Ruggles - we are GF. It is not always easy out of the house, but at home it is easy.
we started when we were told that DD may be ASD. It seemed to make a difference with her being more 'present' and it means her constipation has stopped.

I make delicious GF in our bread maker (it has a GF setting and is done it two hours).
If you buy Doves Farm GF break flour it has a receipe on the back which we use. I do half and hald brown and white flour and add seseme, poppy and sunflower seeds. It is really lovely. I have found the flour at Waitrose.

It is really a lot easy to go GF than you would think.
Buy GF pasta and as long as you cook from scratch then it is OK.
You can use corn flour instead of normal flour for sauces.
And the supermarkets are really good at stocking things.

Oh my God so many typos. Sorry

A GF experiment for a few days is really easy. Just buy some GF bread and GF biscuits. All big supermarkets have a 'free from' section. Then stick to potatoes of rice at dinner for carbs with veg and non processed meat/fish. No breadcrumbs mind unless you make some with GF bread! If you need flour to thicken a sauce, use cornflour instead. You can get GF porridge oats/ cornflakes if you have a cereal addict. I reckon you could tell if DC sensitive to gluten within a few days, as we are not talking celiac (which would be more lik 6-8 months). Its often described as 'brain fog' lifting (for those who are sensitive to gluten of course).

Agree eating out tricky but large chains have GF food on the menu. I believe pizza express do a GF pizzas if you ask. Always a way!

Grr lost message.

My ds is coeliac so it's not a choice for us. Pizza Hut, dominos, ask all do gf pizza now so eating out isn't as bad.

Doves do a choc star gf cereal which we used to buy before. Fr breakfast we just have ham/cheese/cold sausage etc anyway.

M and s sausage are all gf now.

Thank you ladies, I am feeling really inspired with all your advice! We'll give it a go - we cook everything from scratch, so home won't be a problem. Are GF cakes easy to make? We already do egg free and mainly use vegan recipes as there are lots about I've found the best chocolate cake in the world (honestly). What about school lunches, or do you let that go?

I justs e gf flour and a Bero recipe and they always turn out ok. At my sons school they would not give him gf food till I sent a doctors letter in

Well done ruggles!

Check out the 'doves' website for recipes. Made some great choc and banana muffins from there (did have eggs in though).

DS has packed lunch so just use GF bread. He didn't notice! If you do sch dinners,jacket potatoes would be fine. Sure sch would be quite accommodating. I went in to ask about the Christmas lunch and they were really helpful. They are going to plate him up a meal minus the gravy and roast potatoes.

Just catching up with all this gluten free chat, and you're all inspiring me to maybe have a go! I have read up on it before but thought it sounded too complicated to try. Though, DS's eating is much less fussy than it was so maybe it'd be easier than I think. We already cook from scratch and don't eat out that much so no issues there. DH went low carb recently, so as a family, we're already much lower carb/gluten than we were.

Some questions, if you don't mind?...

• Would it be as quick as just a couple of days to start seeing changes (if there will be any)?
• is eating just a little gluten enough to bring the fog back? Just thinking what the result would be if he accidentally ate some?
• have any of you asked Robin about going GF?

Hi looks like rain

I asked Robin about GF. He didn't feel it was necessary and 'too much hard work'

Myself and a few other GF folks on here saw results within a couple of days. Which I wasn't expecting! Depends on whether gluten is causing DC a major problem I guess.

Not sure about what happens if a little bit creeps in. I guess it depends on sensitivity levels? Not risked it yet. I suppose if the fog returns, it proves gluten is an issue!!

Let us know how you get on. I read that 'genius' bread is the best GF brand

I asked Robin about GF for my children too and he said they didn't need it. He said he does recommend for some children. He believes that if you follow the TH programme and correct the brain then the gut will be fixed. I think it's a case of the gut people saying you need to fix the gut to fix the brain and the brain people saying if you fix the brain you fix the gut. I think it amounts to the same thing.

We have got a very long way without being GF but I often wonder if we would have made better and/or faster progress with it. I certainly would recommend it to anyone who has the stomach for it ( excuse the pun!!) Please post with updates Ruggles as may just join you GF lot in 2014!

Mango and BP thanks for replying. I think I'll mull it over for a few days and do some investigation when I do my next online shop.

I've said it before on here, but I'm still surprised how much DS's tastes have changed, and he often isn't bothered by the carby/gluten bit on the plate. He picks round the pasta to get the sauce these days! I couldn't get him to touch the sauce before! It makes me think maybe his body knows what is good for him. I would need to find gluten free oats and flour for homemade pizzas. He makes a mean pizza!

Hi all - been away as in hospital having an op....just wanted to chime in that we did GF over the summer holidays for both DCs - as Mango says super easy at home. challenging with playdates etc. Going back to school both have school dinners and I decided to let it go and keep GF at home. I think DS1 did become slightly calmer on it, but it certainly wasn't overwhelming but we haven't regressed by being non-gf at lunch or friends' houses. Way I see it now is too much wheat's no good for anybody so GF bread and a focus on rice/potatoes rather than just pasta is no problem. Slightly more expensive I suppose.

Also Sunshine - I wanted to let you know we had really bad reaction when DS first started TH. I'd say for us it was weeks 3-6 ish, really bad behaviour, hitting, screaming, tantrums. But we rode it through and came out the other side. We so so so rarely have tantrums now. So the 'can get worse before it gets better' was definitely true for us. hang in there!

Beautifulpossom I have pm'd you.

harriet thanks for words of support.

We are indeed having a horrific week. DS screamed for one hour yesterday after School. I said some crappy things and handled it terribly. School is so stressful for him, but he is doing so well there. It's probably why its taken us so long to get help. I just thought hitting, screaming and biting was normal!

I have also decided to take him to GP. I don't know why. Things were so desperate yesterday I just had to do something.

I just hate hate hate pick up. I literally cannot get him out of playground. I have made credit card sized pictures of the snacks that we will bring, as so many meltdowns are over which snack.

He is also teasing, lying, bullying. But he is doing TH quite well. I think I was really getting used to a calmer DS, which we had for 6 weeks (we had been doing RRT for 8 weeks).

xxx

Sunshine- Hang in there. My DS was so bad in year 1 that I took him to A&E. I thought he had a brain tumour or some sort of degenerative brain condition because his beahaviour was so bad. He didn't, he was just overwhelmed by his DDS and could not cope at all. You are on the right path, you have been to Robin. Robin helped us and he will help you. I have PM'd you too!

Sunshine - your post could have been me a year ago. I remember crying my eyes out as we left the school car park. Getting mine in the car was the problem and on one glorious afternoon, I screamed 'Get the f**k in the car' so loud I think the whole car park heard me... Then I let him out at the shops (not sure why..) and had the whole thing again. Our trigger wasn't snacks but just getting into the car. That was the day I phoned Robin and I can not tell you how far we have come. You are def on the right track and things will get better. I really feel for you hun, as this is the worst. Big hugs. Happy to chat on the phone if that helps?

Thanks everyone. Bit Calmer today. Although we are always only one moment away from catastrophe! I said to him yesterday that if I had anywhere else to go I would because I cannot handle it. I have a mantra Be Strong. I have cried so many times.

I look back and cannot believe this has gone on. When he was in reception he flew out the classroom door like he was on speed, he was literally manic. I just thought it was normal .

I've just got to keep the faith. Have any of you gone down the conventional route (GP, pead) Is it pointless?

Ruggles have pm'd.