“Now I’m all better.”

When I was really little I wanted to be a doctor. I thought helping people get better would be the most noble and rewarding profession. In time, I realized that a doctor’s hours were just not going to work for me. What I wanted to be even more than a doctor, was a mom (and yes, many women do both- they are superheroes!). So my career took a different, yet wonderful turn. I became a teacher, quite by accident, but it suited me perfectly. I found that I am an educator at heart, and taught Spanish and French for 13 years at the secondary level. I loved every minute of working with students and families, teaching them and learning from them.

Life did what it does, bringing new opportunities and choices to be made. It’s funny how things come full circle. Now, here I am, a few babies and a global pandemic later, working for Dr. Gibson, helping people get better! I guess, the little girl version of me got her wish after all. I now get to combine my years of experience in education and advocacy as well as my knowledge of health and wellness, to teach others AND help them get better.

I specialize in family health and I am the go-to-gal for your dietary and lifestyle changes as you work through your protocol with Dr. Gibson. I help with recipe revamps, brand recommendations, pantry clean outs, grocery lists, label reading, and more. I also write blogs for Dr. Gibson based on topics that are generated within our Facebook group (Tic Disorder Secrets: A Natural Approach) or through client surveys.

Another part of my job that I am very committed to is taking initial consult calls. I love getting to know people, I am a great listener, and I take notes at the speed of light (#teacherskills). I am so grateful for technology and our ability to connect with people in different states, countries, time zones, and on different continents. I meet with families whose children are going through what my daughter went through. I hear their struggles, their sadness, and their despair. I can empathize with what they are experiencing because I have been in their shoes. As moms and dads ask me through tears, “does this really get better?” I can confidently say “Yes, it absolutely does,” because I have lived through it. It gets better. There is hope.

Let me tell you our story.

My daughter was diagnosed with OCD, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, mood swings, and ADHD between the ages of 2 and 6. She received the diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome at the age of 7. I was prepared for it; I already knew what the doctor would say from my google searches. Of course, I came armed with my questions about medications and natural approaches, dietary adjustments and more. In the end, the doctor could only prescribe medication and did not give much merit to parent reports about holistic ways to manage symptoms.

At first we tried to change her diet by eliminating food dyes, and it did help a little, but not enough. We tried many medications and saw countless doctors including neurologists, ENTs, ophthalmologists, ophthalmology specialists, occupational therapists, psychologists, dermatologists, and attended a CBIT clinic 4-5 times a week for months on end. We exercised, tried yoga, belly breathing, ignored tics, talked about tics, tried vitamins and supplements. Nothing was working and she was only getting worse.

People always ask if I can share my daughter’s symptoms. It’s hard to write about what she went through even now that she is tic free and these symptoms are gone. She went through hell. Looking back, I don’t even know how she still managed to enjoy life. It was heartbreaking.

Her symptoms included: severe vocal and motor tics, stomach pain, nausea, nightmares, separation anxiety (particularly at bedtime or when going to school), outbursts, impulsive behavior, frustration and fits, anger, intrusive thoughts, compulsions, fear of death, social skill deficits, falling behind in school, lack of concentration, inability to complete multi step tasks without frequent redirection and/ or direct supervision, getting “stuck” in a sequence, needing everything to be “just so,” rituals (before bed, before leaving a room, etc.), repetition of words and phrases, unexplained body pains (bones, skin, eyelashes), constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, cramps, heavy menstrual cycles, extreme fatigue, dizziness, weakness, brain fog, depression, suicidal ideations, rashes, itching, flushing, sweating, feeling hot and cold chills, inability to tolerate loud noises, bright lights, jeans, or certain textures, and I’m sure as soon as I publish this I will think of a list of things I forgot to add.

Can I take a moment to remind you that my daughter was 7-13 years old experiencing all of these symptoms? She would say, “Mama, I feel like my body is so old.”

The breaking point was the night that she came into my room and laid down on my bed and said words that shook me to my core. “I don’t want to live like this anymore.” Sheer terror raced through me. As a teacher I have lost students to suicide. I’m trained to know what to look and listen for. I told my daughter that we would find a solution and she would get better. I made her sleep in my room that night for fear that she might hurt herself. And I lay awake, scouring the internet, resolved to find someone who could help us. (My daughter is under the care of a psychologist who we contacted immediately. If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time (National Suicide Prevention Lifeline). If you are located outside the United States, call your local emergency line immediately.)

I was referred to Dr. Gibson by another mom in a Facebook group. After our initial consult call I was optimistically skeptical if that’s a thing. This lady was telling me that my child could get better. I wanted to believe her, I NEEDED to believe her because I was desperate and we had tried everything. I was out of options, out of ideas, and I needed a new approach. If anyone was going to be able to help my daughter, it was Dr. Gibson. So we took a leap of faith and committed whole heartedly to the process.

Dr. Gibson’s approach was the complete opposite of everything I had ever heard of before. She was looking for the root cause and scientific proof about what was going on under the surface for my daughter. She was the first person to look at my daughter as a whole rather than a list of individual symptoms.

Dr. Gibson will probably laugh at what I’m about to say next. Do you know the character Grandmother Willow in the Disney movie Pocahontas? Remember how she was all, “listen to the earth” and, “Sometimes the right way is not the easiest one?” Well, folks, that’s Dr. Gibson. She listens to the body and does not guarantee that the path is an easy one. BUT SHE GETS YOU ON THE RIGHT PATH FOR YOU.

People always ask me how long it took to start seeing changes for my daughter. The answer is after a while and all at once. Within two weeks certain symptoms started to subside and disappear. I didn’t even realize that certain things were getting better until I spoke to Dr. Gibson about 8 weeks into our protocol and I was worrying because my daughter was still ticking. Dr. Gibson assured me that things would improve and reminded me that her body had a lot of healing to do, from the inside out.

And then we hit 90 days in. AND. THE. TICS. WERE. GONE. I came downstairs and surprisingly found my child “chilling” on the sofa watching tv before school. She never had extra time. This is a kid who was usually still pulling her socks and shoes on while hopping on one foot at a time on the way to the car. This is not an “extra time before school” child that I have. I tried to play it cool. “Hey, hunny, you’re done early…” awkward pause as her eyes finally fluttered away from the tv. “Oh yea I had SO much extra time cause I wasn’t ticking.” JUST. LIKE. THAT. I think I managed to say, “Oh that’s awesome!” but my mind was like “Don’t jinx it, don’t talk about it.” Can I just say the lack of noise from my child was eerie? It was utterly unnerving taking her to school with no sounds coming from the back seat. I didn’t even tell Dr. Gibson right away. It was like in grade school when you don’t say “snow” because superstitiously it might scare the snow away? I was afraid that this was a fluke. Surely, when I picked her up from school that day the tics would be back.

Guess what?

The tics are still gone. And every other symptom is gone, too. Readers, my child- for the first time in her life- wore jeans two weeks ago. This is something I didn’t even list on my wish list of symptoms to magically get rid of.

After seeing the drastic changes in my daughter, a new passion is ignited in me. I feel absolutely compelled to share my experience with other families who feel that there is no hope, no answer, or no way out of the storm of symptoms they are plagued with.

Not everyone I talk to believes me. Some people have actually questioned my motives for promoting Dr. Gibson so wholeheartedly. Yes, I work for her now, but that is not the reason I want to bring every child with tics or a laundry list of symptoms into her program.

It’s because I witnessed a miracle. And I have to tell everyone. I can’t keep this to myself.

My daughter, who has attended a special private school for children with learning disabilities since she was diagnosed with TS, had lofty hopes of attending a local high school with a theatre program.

Guess what?

She got in! And she was awarded a Presidential Scholarship for Voice!

She was invited to try out for our local rock climbing team.

Guess what?

She made it! She even set a record climbing a wall 6 times in 5 minutes. Being timed used to be such a source of anxiety and always used to cause more tics. Not now!

With Dr. Gibson’s help, I have given my daughter the tools she needs to make educated and responsible choices for her health as she grows into an adult. Yes, it is a daily choice for her to stay on track with her protocol. Every once in a while my daughter chooses to veer off the path. She is learning how foods and stress affect her body, how much of something is too much and what she can tolerate.

There are points in your life where, in hindsight, you realize you were at a fork in your path. The direction you chose to go at that time altered everything that came after.

I chose Dr. Gibson, against the advice of some people I hold near and dear to my heart. Not everyone had the faith that I had. Not everyone understood why I was trusting a lady who lived across the country from me and who I’d never met in person. People I love fought with me and tried to change my mind! I stuck to my guns.

Times have changed. Technology allows us access to experts that don’t live nearby. I vetted Dr. Gibson with another mom who had an amazing story and that was that. I chose the path of an unfamiliar approach and it was a bit intimidating, but I knew it was the right choice for us.

I am so glad I took the risk.

I have my girl back. She is happy, a total chatterbox, more tolerant, more balanced, tic free, has manageable menstrual cycles, has regular BMs, and she is just enjoying being a kid. She loves singing, theatre, and doing makeup. She is an even bigger Dr. Gibson promoter than I am! She has actually gotten on a few initial consult calls to tell people first hand that THIS PROCESS WORKS. Her life has changed.

Recently, I asked her to describe to me a little bit about her process with Dr. Gibson and I asked if there was anything she wanted other kids who might be considering working with Dr. Gibson to know.

I’ll end with my daughter’s testimony.

“Dr. Gibson is really nice. She helps you know what you can eat. The biggest help for me was the food part of it. I didn’t know certain things were making me worse. Now I can move my body because I WANT to not because I HAVE to. I used to tic all the time.”

“And how about now?”

“Now I’m all better.”

-Danielle M. Goetzinger