17 yr old daughter, need I say more?

[katepoet]

Hi Cathy
I always have the odd-woman-out opinion on teens here on 4WT. So, here it goes again! lol

Teens who are capable and bright and struggling often have an allergy to the school and or home environment or to the foods they are eating. Standard allergy testing is full of false negatives but there is a better form of testing that can find out what's going on. It's called P/N or provocation/neutralization and has been around since the 1950's. It takes longer so it hasn't been as popular as standard testing but it is much better.

In addition, she may have nutritional deficiencies. Try a Buffered Vitamin C for stress for both of you - I like one of Nutricology's supplement that is derived from beets or cassava - low allergen foods. Make sure she is taking iron and folic acid with the C as an iron shortage due to menstruation can cause fatigue. Iron also absorbs better with C.

Sit down with her and explain that her body's hormones and immune system may be making her life harder - this kind of reaction I am talking about makes emotions feel stronger and at the same time, they seem rational. Give her the benefit of the doubt. I am sure she wants to be a good daughter and student, she is just over her head.

If any of this seems interesting to you, as a different approach to the problem, I would be glad to tell you more, pass on names of books and MDs.