Why Tics Happen (and How to Stop Tics Naturally)
Tics are on the rise. They come in many different forms -- small, involuntary movements are common, although tics can also be vocal -- and while they aren’t dangerous, they can be devastating for a child’s (or adult’s) mental health. Tics may cause social isolation, shame, embarrassment, and other psychological challenges.
Tics may also be a sign of an underlying problem. They can be neurological indicators of heavy metal toxicity or viral load. Many friends, including my daughter, develop a tic associated with a vaccine schedule. For example, after a 7th grade immunization booster (about age 13) she developed a severe facial/mouth tic that was strong and scary. We were able to use silica found naturally in Fiji water to detox the metals from the immunization over the weekend, and her tics completely resolved.
If you or a loved one is struggling with a tic, a functional medicine approach with detoxing protocols could help.
Another rapid way to treat tics is through brain-based therapy, and that’s where we excel at Brain Harmony. Over the years, we’ve used neurological reorganization training to help patients stop tics naturally in a matter of weeks (sometimes only days).
Here’s a closer look at why tics happen and what you can do to resolve them.
What Are Tics?
Tics are repetitive, involuntary movements or sounds that are difficult to control. They happen for a variety of reasons, including:
Stress
Anxiety
Heavy metal toxicity
Genetic factors (if your parents have/had tics, you’re more likely to develop them)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Tourette syndrome
Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Doctors and psychiatrists often don’t know what to do about tics. In many cases, children who develop tics are diagnosed with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS), a sort of catch-all bucket for tics and OCD behavior with no clear cause.
It can be very frustrating to try to treat tics, especially when traditional approaches don’t work. If you or a loved one is struggling with tics, we may be able to help. Here are a couple lesser-known ways to address tics.
Toxins Can Cause Tics (and Detoxing Can Fix them)
Toxic load is one possible cause of tics. Heavy metals, pesticides, and other toxins can contribute to tics and make existing ones worse[*].
Toxins can be a particular problem if you have certain genetics. For example, the MTHFR gene controls many of your body’s detox pathways, and if you have certain fairly common genetic variants, you may be hypersensitive to mercury and other heavy metals[*]. My daughter was in that boat, which likely explains why she developed a tic in response to her standard immunization booster.
We’re exposed to heavy metals in small amounts every day. Most of us can detox them with no issue, but if you’re hypersensitive, they can cause neurological problems, immune issues, and other challenges.
If you have a tic and think it may be caused by heavy metal build-up, consider talking to a functional medicine doctor. He or she can help you flush heavy metals from your system effectively and safely.
How Brain Harmony Can Help Improve Tics
Tics are often stress-related. Stress or anxiety can cause tics outright or make existing tics worse[*], and chronic stress can cause dysfunction in your nervous system, making it difficult to correct tics even when stress stops.
If you or a loved one is struggling with a tic, we may be able to help. We have two special protocols that can help address underlying stress and nervous system dysfunction that causes tics.
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is a 5-day intervention that teaches you to relax at a physiological level, reducing stress and taking your brain out of fight-or-flight mode. SSP teaches you to rewire your brain for calm and become more resilient to stress. For many of our patients, this protocol alone improves or gets rid of tics -- and it only takes five days.
We also use Alpha Stim -- a therapeutic tool that sends electrical signals through your brain, activating regions that regulate stress, anxiety, sleep, and more.
Alpha Stim helps balance your brain activity and improves neurological connections, which leads to sustainable, long-term improvements in your brain function.
Using neuroplastic tools to better organize and strengthen the weaker areas of the system help the body to function optimally and also often reduce tics.
Tics can be scary and distressing. If you’re struggling with a tic, we can help. Schedule a free consultation to talk to one of our licensed therapists; together, we can create a custom plan of care based on your needs and help you get better.