At age 5, Kyle had numerous debilitating diagnoses including: ADHD, asthma, Sensory Processing Disorder and life-threatening food allergies. Through integrative medicine and a holistic lifestyle, Kyle has shed all of his labels. Instead of a life filled with medicines and doctor visits, Kyle is a thriving 12-year old with a fully functioning mind. He makes straight A’s, has lots of friends, and creates amazing art. Kyle is healed!
It began with life-threatening allergies
The first time Kyle had a taste of peanut butter, his whole face started to break out with hives. Then his lips swelled. Off to the ER he went. He was fine, but the allergist diagnosed him with life-threatening allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and eggs. They were told that Kyle would have these for the rest of his life.
Kyle was always restless, and never at peace when you held him, and he would scream and cry when putting him to sleep. His parents tried the Ferber method, a “sleep consultant” and nothing worked. Finally, he was diagnosed with sleep apnea for which he had his adenoids and tonsils removed.
Asthma developed
Not surprisingly by age 5, Kyle was getting sick with bad coughs, losing his breath and going into coughing fits whenever he would exert himself. He was seen by a pulmonologist where he was diagnosed with asthma.
Kyle’s mother was soon armed with Benadryl, Claritin, Nasonex, an epi-pen and an inhaler for all of Kyle’s allergy and asthma symptoms. Dropping Kyle off for a play date was daunting.
Acting a bit “off”
Soon, Kyle’s parents began to notice subtle things about their son that seemed a bit off. He had a tic and spoke in a high-pitched voice whenever anyone else spoke to him.
A teacher at Kyle’s preschool noticed that his body awareness was off and that he had low muscle tone. He was awkward in play situations, not knowing how or when to join in. It took him a very long time to answer simple questions. The teacher lovingly told Kyle’s parents that her son was autistic so she knew what signs to look for and that he should be evaluated for developmental issues. And so he was.
Evaluation by an occupational therapist
Kyle was evaluated by an occupational therapist who found that he couldn’t follow any directions if it was more than one command at a time. He would throw himself on the floor or into a ball pit to avoid completing a task or answering a question.
Prognosis: He had sensory processing disorder and auditory processing disorder that both significantly impacted his ability to engage in age-appropriate social, academic and play skills. He also exhibited deficiencies in praxis, posture, vision, fine motor and bilateral motor control.
A psychiatrist found that Kyle had a very high IQ but also had ADHD. Her strong recommendation was to put him on medication or else he would just lose time and be behind for the rest of his life.
“Just take the medication”
His parents consulted their pediatrician who told them to put him on the medication. He said the medications are totally fine and safe to take. “Just take the medication, it’s easy and harmless.” His mother recalls thinking (sarcastically): “Great, we’ll just add some Ritalin to his overloaded medicine pack and be on our way.”
His mother recalls thinking (sarcastically): “Great, we’ll just add some Ritalin to his overloaded medicine pack and be on our way.”
Kyle’s mother remembers, “I would look at him, and he just looked so unhealthy to me. Our neighbor once asked one of my friends if he was OK because she said he looked like a corpse. Harsh but true. . . ”
The ultimate cleanse begins . . .
Kyle’s family started to learn about some of the environmental factors that might be impacting his health. They began with getting rid of any harsh chemicals in their home and food per the instructions of the Feingold handbook. This included unhealthy cleaners, toothpaste, food dyes, artificial flavors and preservatives, etc.
The doctor
Then they went to see an integrative physician who changed their lives forever and continues to support their son’s health. This was a type of doctor that didn’t reach first for prescriptions. This was a holistic medical doctor who really wanted to know “why isn’t his body functioning?”
At the time of his first appointment with the integrative physician, Kyle was struggling with the following: Mood swings, reflux, irritability, anxiety, hyperactivity, auditory and sensory processing problems, ADHD, cough, stomach aches, weakness, low muscle tone, hives, sensitivity to sounds, smell, lights and clothing textures, poor focus, subtle stimming, breath holding, poor coordination, low self esteem, fatigue, difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, (up every two hours at age 5) tics and rashes.
And then the healing began
After cleaning up his home environment, Kyle’s parents worked on healing his gut that had been ravaged by toxicity, too many antibiotics, and chronic inflammation. Kyle had a gluten issue and so removed all wheat products from his diet. They also began feeding him a nourishing diet rich with fruits, vegetables, good fats all of which gave his body what it needed to heal.
Other healing modalities that helped Kyle included: craniosacral therapy, behavioral optometry, homeopathy and allergy elimination techniques. He went from being anaphylactic when eating a trace of baked egg to eating whole meals cooked with egg in a very short time!
Within a year and a half of healing work, Kyle shed all of the labels he was given at 5 years old. He is now a thriving 12 year old boy who plays sports, has lots of friends and gets straight A’s in school.