The Loehle Family
We brought our little guy, Jacob to Dr. Hicks when he was 3 ½ years old for his high anxiety, lack of speech and sensory issues. Sleeping was also a big issue before the GFCFSF diet. It turns out Jacob had several metabolic imbalances that contributed to his anxiety. He was tested and treated for immune dysfunction, food sensitivities, heavy metal toxicity, gut pathogens and neurotransmitter disorder.
It didn’t happen overnight, but today Jacob is now 6 ½ years old and calm, follows directions and no longer falls apart! This “unfigured out” kid is now our amazing little boy! For us RDI, Dr. Hicks and his amazing team, plus the Handle program for the sensory issues have been what helped my son get on his way to recovery.
Thank you Dr. Hicks
Carol and Bill Lyshak - Southfield, MI
"We have always sought traditional medical treatment for ourselves, as we needed it. When our son was diagnosed with autism, we again sought traditional medical treatment. However, over the years, we have found that doctors trained in traditional medicine are unable to treat autism; that was until we found and our son began treatment under the care of Dr. Hicks.
In the course of our son’s treatment, we took an interest in improving our own health. Dr. Hicks ran tests that alerted us that we were both headed towards chronic illnesses if we hadn't’t caught the symptoms early. We quickly commenced our own treatment programs under Dr. Hicks’ care.
Thanks to Dr. Hicks, our son’s health and our health is improving. It seems hard to believe, but it is true, that one person has made a truly dramatic difference in our health."
Dayna Hebermehl
In the worst is truly the best…It was the worst news I could have gotten…appraxia, not only of speech but throughout her body. After spending 9 months of pregnancy being so very careful to do all the right things, and then following the doctor’s orders specifically for the first 16 months of her life, how could something go wrong? What did I do to my child? Why did this happen to her? What am I going to do now?
We've all been there, and still have our moments. Every day is a struggle, to communicate, to behave, to eat, and in our case to have a bowel movement. From the time my precious little girl was 4 months old and fed exclusively breast milk, she was constipated. Intermittently she would break out in horrible rashes that no one could identify. And then the inevitable, she missed the speech milestone – she had only 5 words at 12 months, and then lost them by the time she was 15 months old.
What happened, what is happening? I kept thinking what did I do wrong? I was pregnant with a second child, we moved to another state (where we knew absolutely no one) – that must be it. Little Bobbi has anxiety and so she can’t talk. That seemed logical to me at the time. By now Bobbi was 18 months old, I contacted a reputable speech therapist in Atlanta and she assured me that Bobbi would be fine and we would schedule an evaluation after my baby was born. At that time I was 9 months pregnant.
Well, you know the story. Not only did she need speech but also physical and occupational therapy… So, for 2 years we had intensive therapy and even located a developmental pediatrician. Little Bobbi continued to be constipated and non verbal. Some sounds were coming out of her mouth, very unintelligible and mostly one syllable approximated-words. What is wrong? I went everywhere for help, every specialist recommended by a previous specialist. Brain scans, x-rays, blood work… no answers. We also consulted psychologists. By this time Bobbi was 3 and the overwhelming diagnosis had become appraxia. I had to come to terms with it. It was like she died… a developmental, neurological problem in spite of my discipline, sacrifice, and persistence.
Sometime during Bobbi’s three-year old stage, I met a lady at therapy who told me about Dr. Hicks and how she was going to him for help because she had been everywhere else, like me. We actually had most of the same specialists names in our day timers! She told me how her son was GFCF, was on several supplements and was “chelating,” a very foreign term to me. I thought to myself, “thank God that isn't me.”
…A year after meeting this lady, I consulted with Dr. Hicks. In only three months of following his protocol, Bobbi began to break out of her shyness and speak to me, to others. She began to overcome her physical weaknesses and could draw wonderfully descriptive pictures. She could maneuver her body on any piece of playground equipment, without a visual cue. She could write her name, the alphabet. So, we continued to see Dr. Hicks and soon consulted with Betsy. For the next few months we couldn't believe what was happening. Little Bobbi was discharged from OT – she was within age-appropriate levels. Our OT didn't feel that she could do any more for our little girl.
Those mysterious rashes, disappeared; speech exploded. Not only speech, incredible reasoning, complex sentence structure with proper tense usage, singing, sequencing, word retrieval, just amazing things. She began to gain weight, and lose the redness in her face and ears. The occasional shakiness went away. We were so thrilled we couldn't’t believe it. Then it was time for “chelating.” By this point I had so much faith in Dr. Hicks, I blindly followed his instructions. After only 4 treatments, Bobbi’s constipation disappeared. Even she was amazed at herself and said “Mommy, I pooped like 15 times today.” This from a child who was given rectal suppositories every other night for 1 year; it was incredible. As the days turn into weeks, Bobbi is becoming more and more like the kids in the regular kindergarten class, with the only exception being the articulation of her speech.
The worst of my life turned into the biggest blessing that God has ever given me; a little girl who is blossoming and enjoying her life to the fullest. She is growing neurologically and physically, she is happier everyday because with every day comes new things.
There isn't enough money or sentiment that I can give back to Pathways and Dr. Hicks. All I can do is continue following his advice, and be happy. I have a wonderful little girl who is making our family so very special.
Thank you Pathways, for coming into our lives and changing it.
Sincerely,
Dayna Hebermehl
PS:Bobbi now 5 in SNK, speaking clearer at school, making friends, writing, and starting to read, and on a “maintenance” supplement plan
Mary Kay Betz - Montgomery, IL
"When you are told that your child has Autism, your life as you know it is no longer the same. You look and search for answers and cures to bring your child back to you. Dr. Hicks and the staff at Pathways Medical Advocates has helped me and my family find the answers. Because of their vision, my son will have chances that he would never had before. Thank you for helping put the magic back in my child’s eyes."
