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another piece of the puzzle

by everydayMOM | Jun 7, 2009 | Uncategorized

Don’t you just love it when you have been searching and searching for information and then suddenly, out of nowhere, the thing you need pops up in the most unexpected place?

You probably know by now that I’m not a big believer in luck or coincidence. I mean it when I say that I believe God will put us in the right place at the right time. Or cause someone to bring up something in a casual conversation. Or plop an expert right in front of your face, right when you needed it.

So, you already know that our family has been in a serious struggle the past couple of years to figure out WHY things are so difficult for one of our children. WHY do his brother and sister seem to learn so easily? But concepts that seem simple can be so difficult for HIM?

At the same time, we have wondered WHY is he the only one in the family with severe allergies. Why do his brother and sister love eating fruits and veggies, but he can barely tolerate corn and carrots?

And then a couple of weeks ago, while I was working a Discovery Toys booth at an autism conference, of all places, I stumbled upon a book, which for the first time made a connection in my mind between these two issues.

I had already been on a mission for several years to figure out how to help my child learn. Now, I was on a mission to figure out how his allergies and diet might be a piece of the puzzle.

Little did I know that when my friends convinced me to attend a homeschooling conference I would find more clues in my search.

I really didn’t want to go. I still don’t really see myself as a homeschool mom. And I was worried about being surrounded by homeschooling cheerleaders all dressed in matching denim jumpers.

But my group of friends are all nice, normal women, who I really like to be around, so I figured worst-case scenario it would give me a chance to wear cute clothes and eat food someone else had cooked. And those two possibilities will get me to go almost anywhere.

I certainly didn’t expect that I would be immersed in six hours of in-depth seminars on how to identify my child’s learning struggle, how to help him without spending $15,000 on therapy (our current best option) and how allergies, diet and nutrition could be at the root of the whole issue. And yet, that is exactly where I have been for the past two days.

I was searching for someone who would just tell me WHAT. TO. DO. And that is exactly what this woman did over the weekend.

I don’t now if she’s right. I don’t know if her plan will work. And I know many of y’all probably aren’t real interested in this topic.

But I just feel like I want to document this journey here on my blog. Because if the things we are going to try DO work, I would love to make some other mom’s journey easier and shorter than mine has been. So, in a nutshell (not really, since my son is allergic to nuts), here’s what I learned this weekend.

1. Kids who have a learning glitch, or a blocked learning gate, or a dysfunction, dyslexia or dsygraphia… whatever you want to call it, often have an overgrowth of yeast in their system. This comes from taking too many antibiotics when they were little. The yeast is constantly fed and grows through a diet of sugar and bread.

Um, did I mention my child pretty much lives on starchy food? And that he is the only one in the family who gets severe stomach aches when he takes an antibiotic? Yeast overgrowth also exhibits itself in anxiety and eczema. Both of these have always been a struggle for one child only.

2. Next, I learned that the brain is 60 percent fat, and the fat it needs is found in Essential Fatty Acids. Because so many of our fats now are broken down and hydrogenated, the only place to get Essential Fatty Acids is through mother’s milk and fish oil. Well, unfortunately, this mom hates seafood. So, I don’t ever serve my family fish. Ever.

When she said these kids crave butter, have dry skin and eczema, plus sensory issues, I was suspicious. Then, she mentioned that their hair is so dry that it sticks up in back. How many times have we teased our son because his hair sticks straight up after he washes it?

This speaker said that giving Omega-3 supplements to increase Essential Fatty Acids will give the brain more of the fat it needs to focus and learn, plus it creates serotonin, which helps with moodiness and depression.

3. Finally, the allergies. If a kid’s system is full of histamines, it blocks his ability to learn. I know how bad I feel in the spring when my outdoor allergies kick in. But my child exhibits these symptoms almost every day of his life. So, we need to make some diet changes to eliminate more offending agents than just nuts and peanuts.

I hope to fill you in as we proceed on this journey. I’m just excited to have some new avenues to try, and I don’t have to spend thousands more in doctor bills and therapy to get started.

If you have any experience with any of the things I have mentioned, I would love to hear your stories!