32 Diet Wise
When he started school we became very worried about
his attitude to everything and everybody; his moods seemed
to swing from being loving and caring to becoming an
uncooperative and introverted little “monkey” [sic].
Over the next couple of years things got worse and worse.
Although we knew for certain that he was bright, he was
consistently underachieving in his studies and we were told he
was a disruptive influence on the rest of the class. He was always
in trouble, he would “forget” to bring home his homework,
and we would get frequent disturbing phone calls from the
headmistress telling us what a problem he was. She had tried
many times to admonish or discipline him, but nothing she- or we – said seemed to have any effect.
It wasn’t only school that was affected: it began to be
noticeable he was being invited out less and less and his friends
became fewer. One day we were told by a helpful parent that it
was because his moods swung so violently from happy to surly,
aggressive and back. It was so unpredictable that it was most
disconcerting for others.
Then he began to complain of tummy ache in the mornings.
At first we thought this was just a ruse to get out of going to
school, but he had it during the holidays also. Headaches began
to follow, and we finally started to take him seriously when
he told us he was getting pains in his joints, mainly the legs.
The doctor said it was nothing to worry about, just “growing
pains,” but that didn’t seem right to us.
Meanwhile his behavior was worse than ever. We tried
coaxing, smacking, cuddling and penalties over the years, but
nothing had any effect. He would do all sorts of strange,
destructive things, such as ripping pajamas, tearing books,
smashing up, etc., and when we asked him why he did it he
would break down and cry. He had no idea why he was doing
it – he certainly didn’t want to behave like that and it was pitiful
to watch the conflict going on inside him. We felt so helpless.
Then one day we heard of you and your clinic. We thought
anything was worth a try. Since then we have never looked
back. He has reverted to being a normal, sociable young boy,
we are free of the tension and worry, and he is so happy and
calm it is a pleasure to watch him.
We are not pretending that sticking to the diet has been
easy. It is very restrictive for someone his age. But we have