I am pleased to report that I was VERY impressed with the doctor today. He was very easy to talk to and took the time to go over her medical history and the problems she has. He explained the way Osteopathic Manipulation Therapy can help her and what he was going to do before he actually treated her. Basically there are areas of the body where the nerves and tissues, etc. have an impact on the rest of the body. Specifically for the GI tract, the lower and mid back and spinal area and the base of the skull. He said that he has had a lot of success getting kids off of medication. He explained that he tries to make it fun for the kids and put them at ease. The pressure he uses is gentle and not painful, but some kids get scared so he would back off some if she were to get upset or if her reaction upset us. He said sometimes you can see a change in her when he hits a sensitive spot or fixes something even though it most likely will not cause her pain. He told us that when he does the head, he grips her head and works on the base of her skull at the back of her neck. He said kids her age usually resist this because, well, it's their head. He planned on playing this part by ear based on her reaction to his touch. None of these warnings were even needed because Alysa was a model patient. He told her to get on the bed, and she immediately laid down for him. He gripped her back and stomach with his hands and used his fingers to massage and feel around her stomach. He did this for about 10 minutes or so and she just laid perfectly still and calm. The most she did was move her feet around a little. She really looked so at peace.

It was so interesting to watch, because I know he had purpose with his touch, but it just looked like he was massaging her. Even though he was probing pretty deep, it didn't phase her. At one point he asked us if she had ever had an asthmatic symptoms. She has actually had some history of an asthmatic cough - but so far we are not sure if it is early signs of asthma or an asthmatic-like cough from her reflux. The two aggravate each other (asthma and reflux). A few times, when she was sick, she needed some albuterol liquid to ease her coughing fits. He said he noticed a problem with her diaphragm which is indicative of asthma symptoms. He corrected this but also pointed out that the esophagus goes through the diaphragm and the stomach sits underneath the diaphragm so it's all inter-related.

When he got to her head, she was again so still and calm. He worked on her head for probably another 10 minutes. About half way though it, she actually got really upset and started crying. She never seemed to be in pain, because she never pulled away from him - she was just upset. J and I sat beside her and tickled her arms (Kayla tickled her legs) and she calmed down. Even through her crying, she just laid still - truly amazing. Afterwards he said that he felt her crying was more of an emotional release - he was actually working to stretch out the opening at the base of her skull (where the bones are not fused together yet) to help release the nerves that go directly to the stomach and intestines.

He was amazed at how cooperative she was (that's my girl - too used to seeing doctors). He also said that kids tend to sleep better after a treatment (let's hope - she's a night owl). I know it's just coincidence, but immediately after before he even left the room, she said she was hungry. We had packed sandwiches because we knew we'd be there through dinner time which she at half of on the way home (usually we're lucky to get her to eat more than a few bites of anything for dinner) and before bed she actually ate quite a bit of J's sweet potato.

He wants to see her in 1-4 weeks (depending on schedules). Of course, what fit into his schedule was 4 weeks, so I also made her another appointment after that. He commented that although he saw no indication of anything effecting her sinuses (he knows she suffers from environmental allergies), OMT boosts the immune system so he said it's possible to see an improvement in her allergies.

I was able to ask him if he had any thoughts on OMT with relation to food allergies. I know there are no cures, but you never know what can help. He of course said the only sure way to avoid a reaction is avoidance of the food, but he did say that since OMT boosts the immune system, you never know what kind of an impact it can have. He had asked about Kayla so I told him she was also on Prevacid (which he also pointed out that long term use can have an impact on calcium absorption - I did already know this). Since Kayla has started to show some signs of outgrowing her dairy allergy, J and I have decided not to wait to take Kayla to see him. With our high copays, the plan was to wait until Alysa was done, but if this can help her immune system, maybe, just maybe it can give her an added boost for her next skin test in November. It certainly can't hurt - plus we hope it will help get her off Prevacid.

So tomorrow I will call and see if they will put her in when Alysa goes back to see him in August. One can hope. He said he's interested in treating Kayla too. He also said that at Alysa's age, they usually don't take long to be successful. But even after getting her on Prevacid, we have to then get her eating well enough to get her off the supplements (at least down the road).

Thanks for all the good luck wishes. I have high hopes for Alysa and this new treatment.