It May Sound Crazy, But It's True!

So after weeks and weeks of being on this program, we are finally seeing consistent improvement and are ready to move on to the next stage of gradually adding in foods with naturally occuring salicylates...things likes apples, oranges, strawberries, and grapes. It has been a long process and frustrating one as I felt I was seeing inconsistent results up until a huge revelation last week. Now, a good researcher will only have one variable at a time. While I knew this, there were a few other things I tried along with the food plan thinking that it couldn't hurt. One of those was suggested on the Feingold forums...giving epsom salt baths can be calming and soothing for children. Without going into a whole chemistry lesson, I did some reading and it sounded like a good idea. I like to soak in epsom salt when I have muscle aches so I started putting a cup of epsom salt (magneisum sulfate) into Elijah's bath, too. He seemed to love it, but the night after his first bath, he woke up with nightmares, which is very unsual for him. I took a mental note and thought maybe it was just a fluke. Later that week, he had a bathroom accident which he hadn't had in years. Again, I thought maybe it was just coincidence or due to "detox" from the diet.  I would see a good pattern of behavior and then it seemed like something would change out of the blue without having any "infractions" on the diet. It is important to realize that in the winter the boys maybe get two baths a week because they are not as dirty. Finally, last week, he was doing really well for several days and then it seemed like someone flipped a switch and he was back to undesirable behaviors. My husband jokingly asked me, "What did you feed that kid?" My answer was, "Nothing different!" The day was not unsual. He seemed to be feeling fine. He had plenty of rest. Plenty of time to play with dad. Then, I was in bed thinking (dangerous I know). The only thing that was a little different was that I remembered that I gave him an epsom salt bath the night before. I pulled out the food/ behavior diary I have been keeping. In the diary, I also noted each time I gave him an epsom salt bath and it was so clear that the days after an epsom salt bath, his behavior was in some cases even worse than before! "Holy Cow," I exclaimed! I posted something on the Feingold forums to see if anyone else had found epsom salt baths having an opposite effect and found that this is not uncommon. It has been suggested that children who are extremely low in magnesium can react poorly to having such intense exposure to magnesium (remember that epsom salt is magnesium sulfate). Often, the salt will remain on the skin after the bath and continue to be asborbed by the skin.  In doing some research, I then learned many children with ADD/ ADHD are low in magnesium. Most natural supplements for hyperactivity (such as "Natural Calm") are strickly magnesium supplements! I think it is very possible that what was suggested on the forums is exactly what was happening. So, I stopped the epsom salt baths immediately and since then, we have had two consistently great weeks. I am also trying to up his magnesium by giving him "brownies" with hidden spinach, pumpkin seed granola bars and whole grains. I am going to discuss  magnesium supplements with our pediatrician, but for now, we are doing well and I don't want to add another variable....I learned that lesson the hard way!