Watch us on I-Witness, May 5

I have recently been busy coordinating with I-Witness regarding their documentary episode on Tourette Syndrome. Being the co-founder of the only TS organization in the Philippines, they chose us to appear on this documentary. This has been a major endeavor again for the organization since we are actively advocating for TS in the Philippines. Please support us so that the awareness on TS will be heightened and more people will be able to understand what Tourette Syndrome is all about including the struggles that people with TS experience hence we will be more compassionate for these people.

PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR US ON MAY 5. CHANNEL 7, IWITNESS AFTER SAKI: DOCUMENTARY EPISODE ON TOURETTE SYNDROME 

Neurofeedback Therapy and Tourete Syndrome

Understanding Brainwaves: The origin of all our emotions, thoughts and behaviors are the complex networks of communication among billions of neurons in our brains. The communication brought up by the patterns produced by these neurons, manifested by rhythm or pulse, is measured by what we call BRAINWAVES. Brainwaves are tiny pulses of electricity produced whenever one neuron communicates with the other. It actually results from what you are doing from moment to moment. The slowest brain waves are the delta waves, we experience this during sleep. Beta3, on the hand, is for our highest levels of concentration. Neurofeedback’s goal is to teach you to recognize and use your calm (SMR) waves and your thinker (BETA) waves. By using the computer monitor to watch your brain wave activity you can train yourself to stay out of the Theta and Alpha levels. This means that a single defect in the patterns of communication within the brain causes problems considerably. This happens when, say for example, you feel very anxious and you feel that their are reactions which occurs in your body such as stomach ache, nausea, headache and others, your brain has elicit within itself a pattern resulting in these symptoms. And these patterns can result from very diverse possible stressors. In an individual with Tourette syndrome, it has been reiterated in the other articles on this site that the brain electrical activity is defective; Dr. Mink even described it to be somewhat “buggy”.

BAND HERTZ MS
Delta 0.0-4.0 1000
Theta 4.0-8.0 1000
Alpha 8.0-13.0 500
SMR 13.0-15.0 500
Beta 15.0-18.0 250
Beta2 18.0-24.0 125
Beta3 24.0-32.0 125

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My Organization is Starting to be Recognized

I am very excited to recieve an email from my colleague saying that the Philippine Tourette Syndrome Association, the organization I co-founded last year, has been included in the Tourette Syndrome Association of USA’s international contacts. This is an excellent way for us to be exposed to people all over the world. And it’s really great to know that even if we’ve been only here for a year, international organizations and people all over the world have already noticed the work that I’m putting in this organization thus contacting us through Marlon, the other co- founder, to have us be a part of their list of contacts internationally. Hmmmm, I guess my interest is slowly paying off.

The Philippine Tourette Syndrome Association has no official website yet but you can visit the organization thru my advocacy website for TS in the Philippines. Just go to the Neurology Department of the Nursing Lane’s Department on the right side.  

Your Diet and Tourette Syndrome

Many of us have been wondering what could possibly be the correct diet regimen for people who have Tourette Syndrome. For people who are very meticulous with what they eat, they also sometimes wonder whether certain ingredients affect the production of tics in individuals with Tourette Syndrome. Unfortunately, this is where all the complications come in.

It is universally accepted that if we eat healthy then good health will follow.
Same concept lies in consuming foods containing too much fat which can lead to high levels of cholesterol in the body which can eventually lead to heart disease. But then again the question still remains whether there are some foods that lead to the symptoms present in an individual with Tourette Syndrome.

One needs to understand that the symptoms of Tourette Syndrome wax and wane during the course of the illness. This means that there are times when the symptoms are less and there are also times when the symptoms are at their peak. In connecting these to the diet of the person, you will really come to terms when you might be questioning your own nutrition that may lead to the changes in symptoms. Another thing is whether there are certain cyclical events that can also lead to having the symptoms of the disorder. One example is a woman’s menstrual cycle. According to Dr. Gerald Erenberg, the medical advisory board of the Tourette Syndrome Clinic at Cleveland, there are actually two theories that explains the relation of nutrition with the symptoms of Tourette syndrome.

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