Friday, April 19, 2024

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41 Responses to “Ask”
  1. nicwilcolorado says:

    Hey there! We worked with you so many years ago, back in Utah !! Cole was 4ish??? He is now 15, 6’2. I think Cole needs his gut cleared of yeast again. He is owning his diet, and has done lots of research. About 3 years ago, he put himself back on gluten. He is a teenager, I couldn’t fight or force him. But now he has had jock itch for 3+ months, script creams arent working, obviously. So I told him, it needs to be solved from the inside out.
    I remember you had Cole take something, in addition to probiotics. when we cleared his gut a long time ago. We need help again!!!!
    He knows what he should/should not be eating, but its a matter of him fully commiting

  2. kempkuties says:

    Dr. Joseph,
    Do you work with PANDAS patients?

  3. GQT says:

    Hi Dr Humphreys,

    We are currently looking for a nutritionist. I just finished the book “Cure your Child with Food” by Kelly Dorfman and found it fascinating! We do not have any major issues but some minor issues that could potentially grow into something more. I want to take a proactive and preventative approach and do something before anything becomes major. We have been in to see you in the past and we were very impressed. Do you have any recommendations for a thorough Nutritionist or do you recommend making an appointment with you to discuss nutritional steps to take for our whole family (specifically our kids).

    Thanks,
    Gunilla

  4. laura says:

    Hi Dr Joseph,
    I am on a waiting list to have you see my daughter she is 25months. We have been told she has PDD-NOS. Her only real developement problem is she doesnt talk and is selective when to listen. We have been instructed to do the Candida treatment with Nystatin,probiotic, GFCF diet. Cod liver oil, multivitamin and TMG daily. We have done this for 4 months and no big improvement.
    I am concerened about having her on Nystatin so long. what are your thoughts on nystatin?
    Reading some of your post, you suggest vitamin C and zinc….why? How much for a 25month old weighing 30pounds?
    I feel overwhelmed with amount of meds she takes both prescription and over the counter. Is this something you would instruct your patients to do also for PDD?
    What are your thoughts on TMG?
    Hoping you help some how…..thank you.

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Laura,
      I am sorry you are feeling overwhelmed. There is so much information to learn. What I suggest is really getting a full biomedical workup to determine what nutrients/vitamins she needs. But some basics. make sure the multivitamin doesnt have copper, the cod liver oil dosage should be at least 500mg of EPA. I do not like my patients on long term medications just as nystatin. I use them short term why I treat the cause. Vitamin C and Zinc play vital role in many issues for kids diagnosed PDD, however as I stated above I dont like to “guess” and like to supplement individually. TMG is great if indicated. There are many physicians in the SLC area that may have openings if you want to be seen right away. You can find a list on Defeat Autism Now website.

      • laura says:

        Thank you. There is only one listed in Provo. Your secretary gave me the name of another who is not on the list and we have an appointmnet soon. I wish we could see you. I guess we have to wait till you start seeing other patients…fingers crossed.
        Thank you again

  5. cmcdowell says:

    My son has had severe reactions to vaccinations, including the MMR. His doctor (a regular MD) has advised us to discontinue vaccinations for my son. With the recent outbreak of measles in CA and NY, I’m wondering what I can do to prevent my son from contracting this illness. I know it is highly contagious. Aside from regular hand washing, healthy eating, and good hygiene, what are your recommendations for building the immune system? (He is, also, Celiac, so we have to keep that in mind.)

    Thank you.

    PS- Are you still seeing patients in SLC? I can not find your contact information.

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Good questions! in reality mumps and rubella are not life threatening to your son (rare instances they can be). Mumps can cause sterility if acquired after puberty and rubella is more of an issue for child bearing women. measles is obviously the more concerning disease. In third world countries it is treated with high doses of vitamin A. So for parents who do not wish to administer MMR or the child reacts to MMR taking a good quality fish oil with vitamin A is a must. There are also some proponents of homeopathic vaccines, which the research is spotty but worth considering in your situation. My office number is the same 801-565-3755

  6. jenthatch says:

    Dr. Joseph,

    I’ve looked over your site for any information on helping a child with Sensory Processing Disorder. Have you worked much with patients who have this? I was hoping you’d have a protocol for this. We are interested to know what supplements you would advise (in general) for a 6-year-old with this. Thank you!

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Yes I see sensory processing disorders all the time. There are about 5 different causes of sensory processing that I have identified. The most common is mineral deficiencies (particularly zinc). I have also seen food allergies and abnormalities in the methionine synthase pathway cause sensory problems. My basic supplementation protocol consists of maximum minerals, magnesium citrate by thorne, super efa by seroyal and running a food allegy panel. However if the child also has some developmental delays or struggles then the most likely cause is methionine synthase issues so I would go another route to identify the pathway and recommend treatment based off that testing.

    • cmcdowell says:

      Dr. Joseph’s approach to treating my son, with SPD, worked miracles. 🙂 My son, now age 7 still says he wants to “grow up and be a special doctor like Dr. Humphries.”
      I hope you don’t mind me chiming in, I just wanted to add how great this approach is for SPD.
      We, also, utilized occupational therapy and found it to be very helpful.

  7. joshuahersh says:

    Hi Dr. Joseph.

    Wondering what you thought of this new CDC study linking using tylenol and the MMR vaccine to autism?

    “Evidence that Increased Acetaminophen use in Genetically Vulnerable Children Appears to be a Major Cause of the Epidemics of Autism, Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity, and Asthma,” Journal of Restorative Medicine, 2013.

    Also our daughter has a difficult time paying attention and focusing in school. She is in special education and we have been giving her omega oils, and a lot of herbal formulas to help (Valerian Root, Skullcap Herb, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf, Oregon Grape Root, St. John’s Wort Herb, Mullein Leaf, Gotu Kola Herb, Sarsaparilla Root, Dandelion Root, Lobelia Herb Certified Organic & flash dried juices of Alfalfa, Barley & Wheat grass).

    Anything else we should be doing?

    Thanks again – your’re the best!

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Josh,
      great article. You will see in my next newsletter coming out on Monday that a new study also links acetaminophen use during pregnancy to ADHD and behavior disorders. The cause is that it depletes glutathione – which is used to help the body get rid of acetaminophen. Glutathione is a major antioxidant that has been shown low in many behavior and learning disorders. It appears she is on a great regime for detoxification and liver health. My basic attention protocol consists of pycnogenol 100mg (shown to beat ritalin in the conners adhd scale over 6 weeks), fish oil 1000mg of EPA (see my recent newsletter on the studies on this) and NAC 1500mg. however as will all my patients you want to get to the core cause of her symptoms. Things I consider in attention difficulties are food allergies, candidal overgrowth, methylation disorders and detoxification disorders (to name a few)

  8. Michael W says:

    When do your patience you recommend to administer vaccination on a newborn. Day 1 or after a few months?

    What vaccination schedule do you like best?

    What levels of Vitamin C and Vitamin A are typically suggested for new borns? Is there a chart some where of recommended levels based on weight?

  9. Michael W says:

    Son doing super after MMR… thanx for the advice. So now we have DTAP scheduled in 30 days.

    Online it says DTAP is not viral, so you would suggest for your clients to do Vitamin C three days before and after, right?

  10. Michael W says:

    So I have been giving the vitamin A to prepare for the MMR (today is the shot). But I noticed that he has a loss of appetite and is irritable. I have been very careful to only place one drop in his milk. Do you think that combined with his normal food + multivitman (1,500 UI of A) + 5,000 vitamin A could be to much for 25lbs toddler? Should I split the drops in half so the formula would be multivitman (1,500 UI of A) + normal food + 2,500 vitamin A?

    Or is this a bad sign and should stop altogether all Vitamin A? He still needs three more day after the MMR the Vitamin A.

    If I split the drop… how would I go about doing this? Thoughts???

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Michael,
      Please contact your local physician concerning your childs new symptoms as this forum is not for diagnosing or treating. My guidelines are no more than 5000 IU daily for that short period.

  11. Michael W says:

    No fever means not being sick, right? So if I see 1 mucas after a bath or 1 mucas in the AM… this could be allergies or anything…. Just trying to define what is sick…Is there a ‘fore sure’ way I can determine of complete well health?

  12. Michael W says:

    For example if my son was to get the MMR on Aug 22nd the rule of thumb would to give him Vitamin A three days prior and three days after. So using the time line would Vitamin A start on the 19th and continue till the 25th? Being a total of 7 seven days including the day the vaccine is given? Or three days before and after, but not on the day of the vaccination making it six?

    • Dr Joseph says:

      My guidelines for vitamin A before MMR are starting 3 days before the shot lasting until three days after – so yes a total of seven days. shooting for 2500-5000 IUs. I give it a range because most people use the vitamin A from fish oil and there is always a range. Just make sure it is no more than 5000 IUs

  13. Arlyn Lyle says:

    Hi Dr.Humpherys,
    I was just watching the news and wondering what your thought’s are on the measles outbreak that just occured in a high school here in Utah.Is it really a concern? I know the media tends to really make things like this look serious when they sometimes aren’t.Just wanna know from a better source =) Thanks!

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Arlyn,
      Yes I have read the reports. Measles is definitely one vaccine I recommend to get. It is highly contagious and has a high rate of side effects in those who catch it. I used to give out individual measles shots but Merck no longer produces them so the only choice right now is the MMR. I recommend 5000IU of vitamin A 3 days before and 3 days after as this is a live viral vaccine. Make sure that he hasnt been sick for at least 2 weeks before as well. The story is being blown out of porportion about vaccination status (although this is a serious concern due to the outbreak). So far the children who have been sent home were those who did not have complete vaccination history- which it makes it sound like that is what caused the outbreak. HOWEVER the point case (the first child), the Health Department has not released their vaccine status – which usually means they were vaccinated – it was also contracted while traveling abroad. I have done many vaccine titers and there are a large majority of children who HAVE BEEN VACCINATED but are not immune. The epidemiology of this is very shady right now and until new information comes out we will not know how the outbreak started. They just also released that two other children have received a presumptive diagnosis of measles but their vaccine status was not released also. Again – in all other vaccine outbreaks I have also seen the vaccine status released – and it usually is that they were not fully vaccinated. With the lack of information, I am assuming they were fully vaccinated. If the Health Department released the information that they were fully vaccinated and got the measles anyways, there would be a lot of chaos, in my opinion. So it is unlikely we will hear about their vaccine status.

  14. Michael W says:

    Today my son had a rectal temperature of 100.5. Because of his febrile seizures i took him a bath only. Then after the bath it came in at rectal 97.7. Is that typical after a bath? Or this may be an indication of simply to bundled up with a a lot of exercise. I think the the “fever” temperature would be considered rectal 100.4. So could be bundled to much cause the temperature to go up that high alone?

    He is acting fine, just very nervous of the MMR and want to be very conservative.

  15. Michael W says:

    Well understood.

    My son woke up Monday (21st) and Tuesday (22nd) with green mucus. Then then today nothing. His MMR is Monday (28th). I read online green means bacterial infection. So should I wait X days for this to finish before the MMR?

  16. Michael W says:

    Just spoke with Megan and ordered Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

    I give him poly drops for his multi vitamin. The daily multi vitamin has 1,500 UI of A. I was thinking for the three days before and after to give him both so he would be consuming 6500 UI for 6 days only.

    Thoughts on this?

    I was thinking just for 6 days and going back to the normal multi would not hurt.

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Although I cant give specific advice for your child because they are not my patient, I can give my guidelines I use with my patients. 6000Iu for a couple of days is safe in my book. Good luck.

  17. Michael W says:

    I could not find in your store vitamin A. Where can I get it in a liquid form?

    My son was diagnosed with speech and development delay, so the Tylenol was not helping. Anything I should do to reverse it?

  18. Michael W says:

    Thanx for the detailed responses. Love your site…

    a. What about DTAP, the manufacture suggest to give before and after Tylenol. What are your thoughts on it?

    b. Could you also clarify for MMR should be with Vitamin C+A or only Vitamin A?

    c. for general vaccines should I be giving the 1000mg of vitamin C before and after for three days?

    d. My son get’s Feberal seizures so I am quick with the Tylenol (suppository) and being proactive. If his body hits 101 thats it.. his body will begin to have a seizure. But you are suggesting I may want focus on ibuprofen instead of Tylenol? I stick with Tylenol because it has a suppository.

    Thanx for your posts, helps bring clarity to all information I have been reading.

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Do a search on our site on acetominophen, you will find a lot of research showing an increaes in developmental delays, allergies, asthma and learning disorders associated with tylenol use and vaccines. So I do not like tylenol at all- I only use it in extreme cases (I had a patient in the hospital that needed a pain reliever and that was our only choice due to a risk of bleeding).

      However in your situation you may just need to use it. In that case you will need to give n-acetyl cysteine (1000mg) which will help replenish the gluathione that is depleted by tylenol and hopefully avoid the associated sequelae.

      MMR is a viral vaccine so vitamin A

  19. Michael W says:

    – how much Vitamin C for 24 month old?
    – all in one dose or split?
    – for MMR should be with Vitamin C+A or only Vitamin A
    – how much for Vitamin A?
    – where can I buy?
    – ibuprofen, son will not take it orally, suggestions?
    – will not take it with mixed drink, pacifier, etc..
    – should ibuprofen be given before after MMR? If so times?
    – on all vaccination should Ibuprofen be given?

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Great questions.
      For a 24 month old I recommend 1000mg of vitamin C. I use a liquid made from agave nector that tastes fabulous. My kids would drink it like a juice if they could. but I also like a good a chewable form (no maltodextrin please). You can look at previous posts as to my general recommendations for vaccines – but in a nutshell. Split up vaccines as much as possible, the MMR currently is not available to split up (however there are rumors Merck, the manufacturer, will be releasing them in the fall). Using 5000IU of Vitamin A three days before and three days after for all viral vaccines (MMR, chickenpox, hep A — hep B is not a true viral vaccine as it is only a protein portion).

      I do not recommend giving anti-pyretics before vaccines – the reason kids usually get bad fevers is due to multiple vaccines adminsitered. I have yet to have one child in my office develop a fever after a single dose vaccine. Giving post vaccine is fine if they develop a fever and you want to reduce it, but usually the fever is low 99 or 100 and usually kids operate just fine. Remember, a fever is the immune response and it is vital for the antibody production. If they are irritable and not sleeping or the fever spikes over 101 then I say ibuprofen (children’s motrin) is indicated.

      As to getting ibuprofen in – that is definitely tough at times – if it was my child and I had tried everything (mixing with food, juice, etc) AND I felt it was absolutely necessary I would load it in a syringe, slide it into the side of the mouth (between teeth and cheek, ) to the back of the teeth and slowly inject it.

      You can get any of the supplements at our store – rest assured these are the brands I recommend and feel are extremely effective, safe, orally pleasant and as cheap as we can get them. https://healing.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp

  20. Dr Joseph says:

    My vaccination reccomendations are very individualized for each child, depending on their own individual predispositions and risk of developing an adverse side effects. It also depends on his vaccine status already.

    Bottom line – indivudualization is the key

    General guidelines
    Vaccinate one at a time and dont use acetomeniphen pre or post
    Vitamin C 1000mg daily for 3 days before and 3 days after.
    if a viral vaccine vitamin A 2000 IU 3 days before and 3 days after.

  21. Brian Culley says:

    Dr. Humphries,

    With my Son’s third Birthday and three year old vaccinations quickly approaching, is there a vaccination schedule and/or vaccines that you would recommend, or advise me to stay away from? My son has been vaccinated since birth. But, we’re reconsidering what to do in the upcoming years.

  22. Arlyn Lyle says:

    Hi Dr.Humpherys,
    I came across this site that sells homeopathic vaccine kits.
    http://www.asacredchild.com/page1.php
    What do you think of it?Is it safe and could we use them here in the US?
    Arlyn Lyle

    • Dr Joseph says:

      I have done a lot of research on homeopathic vaccines. The idea seems very logical and homeopathics are much safer than vaccines. However the research is very poor and immunity has not been consistently shown when treated with the homeopathic vaccines. So I do not believe they are good at preventing the illnesses they state they can.

      To address your second question – Are they safe? Yes – homeopathics are so diluted that they do not actually contain the constituents in any measurable amount. Homeopathics are energentic treatments, working with the bodies “energetic” signatures to create a response. So far the only research that I have felt is consistent is their use with acute conditions (ear infections, diarrhea, etc).

  23. Arlyn Lyle says:

    Hello Dr.Humpherys,
    I just read this link on yahoo news and would like to know the REAL truth to this outbreak in California.Should we really be concerned ? And if it is an outbreak,what can I do to keep my unvaccinated son and partially vaccinated daughters safe? I’d greatly appreciate to hear an anwer from a reliable source(not the media).
    Here is the link
    http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/whooping-cough-is-declared-an-epidemic-in-california-1828859/

    Thanks,
    Arlyn

    • Dr Joseph says:

      Yes, there is an “outbreak” of pertussis cases in the state of California. Pertussis is a cyclic disease meaning we have an outbreak of the disease every 3-5 years. California’s last outbreak was reported in 2005 so it appears this is part of the cyclic nature of the disease.

      The article states that this is due to parents not vaccinating their children – of course they are going to say this every time there is an outbreak. If you search some of the previous articles on this site you’ll see that the last chickenpox outbreak was those that were vaccinated. But in reality we will never know if it truly was caused by an unvaccinated or vaccinated child. Another aspect is that being vaccinated does not mean you are immune. I have many children in my office who have been fully vaccinated and when I check their immune status they are not immune to many of the diseases they have been vaccinated against. This is the biggest flaw of the vaccine proponents – VACCINATION DOES NOT MEAN IMMUNITY.

      I ask the question -how severe is pertussis and does the safety of the vaccine outweigh the risk of the disease? For young infants I believe the answer is yes – the most severe forms of pertussis that can lead to mortality most often occurs in children under the age of 6 months. This is one vaccine I do recommend. However, for older children pertussis is usually undiagnosed because it presents just as a persistent cough. A cough that lasts for more than 3-4 weeks needs to be worked up for pertussis. I’ve had pertussis twice in my office in children not vaccinated.

      The DTaP is a vaccine that does have a high percentage of reported side effects: inconsolable crying, high fever, unusually behavior and others. The DTP was a very bad vaccine – it was eventually changed to “DTaP (notice the ‘a’) due to its side effects – but the DTaP still carries some risk. There are a few anecdotal reports suggesting that the DTaP vaccine is responsible for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). I don’t believe the research sides with this but it is something to be aware. When I have had patients (including my own children) get this vaccine, I have had no reported side effects and I believe this is due to the fact that they only get one and we boost their immune systems before and after.

      So another question to ask – is the vaccine effective. Pertussis is extremely contagious and I do believe it has lowered the incidence of this disease – HOWEVER, not to the extent that the CDC believes. Below you will see an image of the actually disease rate of pertussis.

      pertussis rates

  24. Susan Motola says:

    See article “Autism: Oxytocin Improves Social Behavior of Patients, Study Finds” at website:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100216221350.htm#

    Any comments, experience with, concerns about oxytocin nasal spray? Does Oxytocin level get measured in any of the lab tests you use?

    I read that Vitamin C can help balance hormone levels including oxytocin, so I suppose this is one of the first approaches. I also read that oxytocin, administered as a nasal spray, “appears to be of special value to children who suffer from anxiety, presumably because it dampens the activity of the brain’s fear center, the amygdala…” (Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Kenneth Bock, M.D. and Cameron Stauth, p. 258, 348)

    • Dr Joseph says:

      I’ve never measured oxytocin before and have only recommended the spray twice – both for children with real high anxiety levels. Some of my fellow docs use it much more commonly than I do. I did not find it beneficial in the two patients that used it. The studies are great though and its has recently been in the back of my mind. So has using nicotine. The nicotine patch has been used successfully with children on the specturm, particularly those with inflammatory bowl disease.

      The relationship between vitamin C and oxytocin can be read about here – http://www.the-scientist.com/community/posts/list/208.page
      I have never found anything though that specifically shows vitamin C “balances” the hormone levels. About 90% of the kids I see I do put on vitamin C so that would be great if it did.

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