Homeschool Horizons
“Homeschool Horizons” is a podcast dedicated to sharing insights, tips, and stories from my seven years of homeschooling experience. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for new ideas, this podcast offers practical advice, encouragement, and strategies to help families thrive! Tune in for a down-to-earth, supportive space to grow along your homeschooling journey.
Homeschool Horizons
An Interview With An Actual Amen Clinic Client!
My friend Jamie is here to tell us all about her experience with the Amen Clinic!
amenclinics.com
You can send me a message or comment at homeschoolhorizons@yahoo.com
Welcome
SPEAKER_01:to Homeschool Horizons. I'm Yvette, your host. Today is a little bit different because My friend Jamie and I came out to dinner. We were celebrating her birthday that was earlier this month. And we came to one of her favorite restaurants. And we're still at the restaurant. And the reason we're actually doing the podcast here is because she has children at home. And we much rather the noises here at the restaurant than the children at the house.
UNKNOWN:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So here we are. So, Jamie, go ahead and introduce yourself and tell us how many kids you have and how long you've been
SPEAKER_00:homeschooling. Hi, Yvette. So this is Jamie, and I have three kids. I have an 11-year-old, a 9-year-old, and a 3-year-old. And I've been homeschooling them for eight years.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you've been homeschooling the same amount of time as I have, eight years. Yep. So today we're talking because when I met you... A little bit after I met you, we clicked right away and we just started sharing different things about our kids and stuff. And you shared with me just a lot of challenging behaviors that one of your sons was displaying. And I felt really bad for you because you just seem really tired and at your wit's end. And I had heard about the Amen Clinic years ago when I worked at a foster care agency. decided to just tell you about it. I told you about the Amen Clinic. I'd like to be helpful, and I was just hoping it would help in some way, but I really didn't know what was going to happen. Next thing I know, you actually contacted the clinic. Yeah. Can you tell everybody what were some of the behaviors that your son was displaying that was of major concern to you?
SPEAKER_00:Yes. So... For a few years, he was having a lot of anxiety. He was having a very hard time with self-regulation. So he would get upset and it would just really turn into more than a tantrum. It would grow to where he would get, you know, visible and destructive sometimes of property around him. And as he was getting older, It was just becoming more concerning. And we knew that we needed to get some help. We needed to help him. So that's pretty much the most concerning. There were some other behaviors as well. But the biggest thing was him being able to deal with his anger.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, his anger. How old was he at the time?
SPEAKER_00:So like at the height of it, he was about eight. So that was a little scary because he was so young and you just saw so much going on inside this little guy. And we just, you know, we wanted to do what we could to help him.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. How long had you been dealing with that, with his like outbursts and his dysregulation and physical outbursts and all that?
SPEAKER_00:So honestly, he has always had issues with regulating his mood and outbursts, even, you know, when he was little. It's something that we have seeked help for, like, from day one. We've gone to countless doctors, even, you know, child development, psychiatrists, things like that. And they just weren't really helping him in the need. It just kept getting worse and worse.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. When you first decided to contact the clinic, what was that process like?
SPEAKER_00:So after you told me about it, I went ahead and we looked up the website, which has a lot of great information. And we felt really comfortable, like, OK, you know what? Let's call. Let's get more info. So we called them. They were extremely helpful. They asked us a lot of questions about what we were looking for, you know, what kind of symptoms my son was having. They walked us through the whole process of what they would do and how the appointments would look, which I don't know if you want me to go into it now. Yeah, go ahead. So they walked me through and they let me know, okay, well, if you decide to go with us, there's going to be three main appointments and then there'll be a few phone calls in between with the doctors. And then by the end of that time, you will have a diagnosis and they will create a treatment plan for us. So after we had that information, they, you know, they did try to push it on us. They said, you know, go ahead, think about it, talk about it and, you know, let us know. And so my husband and I did that and we 100% were like, let's, let's do this. Let's try it. And so that's kind of how it got started.
SPEAKER_01:That's how it got started. How long did it take to get that first appointment? Like when you first saw them?
SPEAKER_00:So at the time for us, it was pretty quick. We were pretty lucky. I don't know if it's always like that, but it went smooth. We were seen in about a month. Okay. So we called. They gave us the first appointment. And then the appointments do run about every two weeks. They like to do it that way. So we have one appointment, and then there's about two weeks, another two weeks, and then... at that time, was the final appointment.
SPEAKER_01:Oh. What was the first visit like?
SPEAKER_00:So the first visit was my husband and myself and my son. And they were amazing with him because they see everybody. They see, like, adults, children. But my son's a child. He was nine at the time. And they walked him through what they were going to do, let him know. So he... You know, wasn't scared. He knew what to expect. When we went in the first time, that's where they do scans. They do scans of your brain.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:And so for him, they did some tests where they would ask him questions. And then after that, they scanned his brain to see how it looked. And then they would ask him some more questions. And then they gave him some dye and scanned him again. So that kind of was the first appointment. And then a few weeks later, we came back for a second appointment. And that's where it was a lot of pivot heater work he did where he answered questions. And some of them, like they set it up a way to where you can't answer all the questions and it's like a timer. So it's going to frustrate you. It's going to do different things. So that way, it's just amazing how they do it. Yes, it's amazing. It's not, you know, they set it up so you can see everything. And then by the third appointment, that's when they had everything ready for us. Oh, so
SPEAKER_01:by that third appointment is when you got the results? Yes. Okay. And what were the results of his testing?
SPEAKER_00:So it was amazing. So when they give us the results, it's, it's a packet of information and it explains everything. It explains, they show you what like a typical brain looks like. And then it goes on to show the patient's brain. So in our case, our son's brain and how it looked and the difference, how, you know, it looks compared to the average brain kind of shows what was triggering him at certain times. And then, also in that packet was how to help them. So, you know, it was really amazing. And by getting that information, they were able to see like, she needs maybe some supplements of this or like that. It's just fascinating.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. It sounds like it was just like they gave you a lot. So they gave you the treatment. And was that like a one-time thing or has it been like ongoing?
SPEAKER_00:For us, it's been ongoing. So they gave us like a plan and we started that plan. And then after you do it for a few weeks, they contact you again, kind of see how it's working. You have an appointment with the doctor. And if you need, you know, to make any tweaks, you know, adjustments, we do that. But for us, we had our appointment with the doctor about four to five weeks after the initial appointment.
SPEAKER_01:The initial visit.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry. And it was amazing. It was like a game changer for us. Like we saw such a difference with just a few different supplements for him.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. It really helped
SPEAKER_00:him. It did. It was night and day. Wow. It was like a new little kid.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I mean, I've seen, like I said, I've shared, you know, privately with you that I mean, I didn't know him that well, but I definitely saw like his, like as time went on that I had gotten to know him more, his personality was shining more.
SPEAKER_00:He did. He just, he bloomed. And it was just so nice to see that after so many years of trying different things and going to different doctors and really not getting anywhere.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And, um, For me personally, I just didn't want to throw drugs at him and different things. And that's something that I think is amazing about the Amen Clinic is that they do prescribe things like that if it is needed. But there's so many different supplements that can be used that have changed his life, changed our whole family's life, honestly.
SPEAKER_01:That is amazing. Yes. Wow. I know that people that are going to listen to this are going to want to know the thing that everybody wants to know about things like this is how much did it cost?
SPEAKER_00:So for this unfortunately insurance doesn't cover it but the cost was$5,000. Okay. And that That pretty much is from start to finish. They give you all the testing, the diagnosis. The
SPEAKER_01:scans.
SPEAKER_00:The scans. And you get to meet with the doctor. And you get to meet with the doctor after the diagnosis. And then you get the plan. And then you get to follow up with the doctor to see how everything is going. So you actually get quite a lot for that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, for that amount. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's really, really good. I mean, I feel like it goes without saying, but do you recommend... Oh, I know something. Did we talk about the fact, really quick, that obviously the Amen Clinic is here. We're here in California. But that there are other offices throughout the country,
SPEAKER_00:right? I don't think we did, but yes, they are. Yeah, we... When I got in contact with them, there's a few here in Southern California. And then we actually, like, we work with a nutritionalist with them as well. And they're all the way in New York. So they have them all over the United States. They have opened. And so anybody can really get to them if they
SPEAKER_01:want
SPEAKER_00:to.
SPEAKER_01:That's really good to hear and good to know.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:So do you recommend this for another, for anybody who's listening, who's really struggling with a child that's showing all kinds of difficult behaviors, you know, hitting and tantruming and, you know.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. Absolutely. Like I, I cannot tell you guys enough of how much this honestly changed our life. I know you think, oh, okay, a little kid having some tantrums, but It's more than that. It was disrupting the whole house. He would have fits daily going places and being upset over things. And not only has it changed our life, but it's changed his life. He can be like a kid again. And like I said, we had tried so many other things before. So many doctors, and they just couldn't get it right. And it's just amazing. Once they looked at my son, my son's brain specifically, They could see exactly what he needed.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah,
SPEAKER_00:it was specific to him. Yes, specific to him. Not just a
SPEAKER_01:cookie cutter for
SPEAKER_00:everybody. Exactly. All the difference in the world. We went through all the cookie cutter stuff.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, it helps a little bit this and not that. And this just, I recommend it more than anything.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Wow. Well, I want to thank you so much. It took us a while, but we finally, I think we got it right. We made even a lot of recordings that we've had to rerecord, but I think we finally got it this time. Thank you, Jamie, so much for doing this. Thank you for having me. Yeah, and it's going to help a lot of people. I know it is. Today, you know, I didn't talk anything about AB84 because I wanted to make it all about the Amen Clinic, but I will talk to you guys about that next week. Thank you so much for listening today. Have yourselves a wonderful week, and I'll talk to you soon.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you.