Case Study
George was a sullen looking nine year old. He argued the toss about everything. He was struggling in the school playground because of his temper, and consequently found it very hard to make friends. ‘They just try to wind me up mum.’ In the classroom he was not reaching his true potential because of his inability to concentrate. In a telephone call before bringing him for testing his mother said that she was at her wits end, because none of the strategies to encourage good behaviour that had worked well with her other children proved any use at all with George. Ritalin medication was being considered for George, and his mum brought him to be tested as a last ditch act of desperation before starting the medication.
George was minimally moving all the time that I was testing him… drumming his fingers, swinging on the chair, saying that his school trousers were uncomfortable round his middle, and wriggling his torso to try to get more comfortable. His speech came in bursts, like mini explosions, and despite being constantly reminded, George kept on interrupting while his mother was talking. When answering my questions George used a ‘baby’ voice, suitable for someone much younger than his years.
On testing, I found George reacted to:
- cow’s milk products;
- aspartame;
- blackcurrant; and
- sweet artificial
George loved milk, cheese and yogurt. These foods had been actively encouraged, as he was a really ‘picky’ eater’. Aspartame was in every sugar free squash George had…five or more daily. Blackcurrant was his favourite flavour. Sweet artificial flavours were in every yogurt that he ate [three a day] his blackcurrant squash [up to three a day], and in the lemonade or coca cola that he was allowed as a treat at the weekends.
| Why those foods? | Cause |
| Cow’s milk products | Frequency of use |
| Sweet artificial flavours | Frequency of use |
| Blackcurrant | Frequency of use |
| Aspartame | Frequency of use |
It proved impossible to discuss with George a change of diet, as he became a ball of anger, shouting and screaming. So his mum and I had a telephone conversation that evening. George was extremely angry about his change of diet, but his parents held firm, and within 48 hours he was a different boy. His parents estimate of the improvement at both home and school was 85%. Once he had been on supplements of vitamin B6, zinc and EyeQ essential fatty acid supplement, things improved still further. He could concentrate, he stopped fiddling. He never needed the Ritalin.
He did manage to reintroduce all foods apart from the sweet artificial flavours after three months exclusion, without any behavioural disturbance. They followed my advice to keep using alternative milks and squashes, and he did not redevelop any new intolerances, but every time the supplements were stopped, within less than a week George’s behaviour went downhill.