Over 2 million American school-aged boys are taking the prescription drug methylphenidate (Ritalin).
There appears to be 3 types of A D D:
a) A D D without hyperactivity — learning disability, poor concentration, brief attention span.
b) A D D with hyperactivity — signs of inattention, impulsiveness, hyperactivity inappropriate for the child’s age.
c) A D D – residual (18 years or older).
Food additives and food allergies appear to be major factors in A D D with hyperactivity.
The 3 main factors particularly relevant to A D D without hyperactivity (learning disabilities) are: Otitis media (middle ear inflammation or infection), Nutrient deficiency and possible Heavy metal toxicity.
Pre-Disposing Factors:
a. Birth trauma.
b. Heavy metal body burden (confirm with hair-mineral analysis).
c. Intestinal parasites (hard to confirm with stool analysis).
d. Malnutrition.
e. Iron, vitamin B1, vitamin B6 or magnesium deficiency.
f. Food/environmental sensitivities.
g. Carbohydrate sensitivity with resulting dysinsulinism or reactive hypoglycemia.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
ADD with Hyperactivity
Despite the controversy about the significance of food additives in hyperactivity, careful reading of the published studies yields some clear conclusions:
Virtually every study, both negative and positive, demonstrated that some hyperactive children consistently react with behavioral problems when challenged by specific food additives
Virtually every study, whether supportive or critical of the Feingold hypothesis, is marred by significant experimental design defects
Critics of the Feingold hypothesis are misusing the apparently inconsistent statistical group results to ignore the significance of the clear individual results, which are reproducible under double-blind conditions
Although the best approach would be to eliminate all food additives, practical realities make this difficult. Ultimately, the best results will depend upon accurate identification of the offending agents, preferably with behavioral, rather than laboratory, measurements.
Considering the importance of food allergy, recognition and control of the offending allergens is critical. The most sensible and economical approach is to follow a low-allergen diet for a period of four weeks, and then reintroduce suspected foods (full servings at least once a day, one food introduced per week). If symptoms recur or worsen upon reintroduction/challenge, the food should be withdrawn. If there is no improvement when on the low-allergen diet, it is possible that the child is reacting to something else in the diet or environment. Further testing may be indicated in these cases.
Also, the factors discussed in A D D without hyperactivity (learning disabilities) should be considered. For example, some hyperactive children have been shown to have increased lead levels in their blood.
ADD Without Hyperactivity
The treatment plan for ADD without hyperactivity involves the elimination of any underlying otitis media, detection and elimination of any heavy-metal toxicity and establishment of optimum nutrition for these children, including the use of a high potency multiple-vitamin and mineral formulas. Counseling is also indicated in most cases and, for the best results, should involve the whole family.
Dietary Suggestions:
Eliminate all refined carbohydrates and processed food containing dyes, additives, etc.
Use only pure distilled water for cooking and drinking. No well water or water containing fluoride or chlorine.
Increase vegetable and fish protein, raw vegetables and use only extra virgin olive oil, fish oils and coconut oil as your only sources of oils.
Eliminate or significantly reduce fast-acting complex carbohydrates such as fruit juices, fruits high in carbohydrate and high carbohydrate vegetables.
Carbohydrate sensitivity, resulting in dysinsulinism, is a common finding with ADD.
If food allergy/sensitivity is suspected, begin with the elimination of dairy products (except butter), gluten containing grains, citrus, shellfish and gelatin.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Primary Nutrients:
1. BIO-MULTI PLUS Iron Free – 1 tablet, 3 times daily after meals.
2. BIO-C PLUS 1000 – 1/2 tablet, 3 times daily after meals.
3. M S M POWDER – 1/2 teaspoonful 2 to 4 times daily depending on the severity of symptoms. NOTE: Always take MSM with your Vitamin C.
4. BIOMEGA-3 – 4 capsules, once daily after a meal.
5. CA/MG-ZYME – 1 capsule, 3 times daily after meals.
Specific Nutrients: When symptoms begin to subside, gradually, as needed, wean yourself from the Specific Nutrients & stay on the Primary Nutrients. If any symptoms re-occur resume taking Specific Nutrients.
6. PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE – 1 capsule, 3 times daily after meals.
7. MG-ZYME – 1 tablet, 2 times daily after meals and 1 tablet at bedtime.
If severely agitated;
8. V. H. P. – 1 to 2 tablets, twice daily.
ADDENDUM
Why Are Kids Killing Kids?
The Nutrition-Mind Connection
from The Townsend Letter for Physicians and Patients
Editor:
“”The fact that Johnnie can’t read and that we have a $200 billion annual national medical bill both stem from the same cause – a poor delivery of elements from the soil in, both quality and balance.
The above statement was made in 1979 by John Hamacker. It remains true today, except that our national medical bill is now closer to one trillion dollars per year. Despite the vast resources of our nation, our health status is deplorable. We rank on a par with third world nations in this regard due to a virtual plague of degenerative disease. The situation today is that every third person is allergic to something; every 5th person is mentally ill; every 30 seconds someone dies of a heart attack and every 55 seconds someone dies of cancer, which has now become our #1 childhoodkiller, barring accidents.
Academic Decline
In 1981 Hamaker wrote, “”Along with the rest of the country, Michigan’s scholastic achievement scores have been dropping steadily for two decades.”” The downward spiral continues – and it is linked to nutrient deficiency. It is an established and accepted fact that impaired mental function results from nutrient deficiency. The brain requires a vast array of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and amino acids to produce neurotransmitters (brain chemicals that pass messages from cell to cell) and other important brain compounds. Altered brain chemistry can result from deficiency of just a single nutrient, giving rise not only to diminished mental capacity, but also to mental/emotional disturbances and behavioral disorders such as hyperactivity, Attention Deficit Disorder, anxiety, depression, inpatient eating disorder treatment (anorexia and bulimia) , drug and alcohol addiction, autism and violence.
If impaired mental function results from nutrient deficiency, then improving nutritional intake ought to result in improved mental function. The fact that it does indeed do so was demonstrated in a study described in a reprint entitled: “”The Impact of a Low Food Additive and Sucrose Diet on Academic Performance in 803 New York City Schools.”” In 1980, ’81 and ’83 major “”dietary policy revisions”” were made with regard to the use of sucrose, fats and food additives. During the 4 year period in which these food factors were reduced in the diet of the school children, the mean national academic performance of the 803 schools rose from 41 to 51 percentile. This resulted in NYC schools moving from 11% below the national average to 5% above it. A “”reduction in malnutrition”” was cited by the researchers as the cause of the rise.
A War Zone
Several years ago I did a lot of substitute teaching. Entering an elementary school classroom was like going into a war zone. At break time in the lounge I’d hear teachers complaining about the behavior and academic performance of their students. They’d discuss the possible causes and invariably conclude that it must be the influence of TV – the violence. “”TV indeed,”” I thought to myself, “”but surely it has as much to do with the radiation from the set as the programming (x-ray emissions from color TVs can result in fatigue, headache, loss of sleep and hyperactivity in children who view it excessively). And, how about other major variables: like food, lighting, color?””
The Light Link
Most classrooms, like other institutions, are typically outfitted with fluorescent lights. Photobiologist John Ott has clearly demonstrated the adverse effect of such light on behavior and academic performance in the classroom. The wavelength pattern of fluorescents is vastly different than that of full spectrum (sun) light. This imbalance of frequencies has the same adverse effect as an imbalance of nutrients. Researchers working with laboratory rats have long known that it is necessary to remove the male rat from the cage before his pregnant mate gives birth, else he will cannibalize the newborn rats. This occurs in fluorescently lit environment; however, where full-spectrum bulbs (which duplicate the wavelength pattern of sunlight) are used, this will not occur. In fact, Papa Rat will then actually nurture his young! Can we generalize from such rodent behavior? I think so. Where full-spectrum lights have been used in the classroom there has been improved general attendance and behavior, as well as enhanced and academic concentration performance.
Color Me Hyper
And then, there’s the color angle: In my day, the classrooms and corridors were painted a pale “”institutional green.”” The last time I substituted, the halls were decked out in bright oranges, pinks and reds. Now, it doesn’t take an in-depth knowledge of color therapy to appreciate the fact that cool colors (blues and greens) are calming, while warm ones are stimulating. Not only do red hues stimulate, they can also engender aggressive behavior and agitation – they do, in fact, over stimulate. The traditional light green, on thsicaher hand, has not only a calming, but also a healing effect (that, no doubt, is why it is used in hospitals). Color therapy, used intelligently in the classroom would allow the use of some yellow to stimulate intellectual activity, but the dominant hues would be cool ones, especially where behavior problems predominate.
Finally, there’s the matter of food. School lunches, like hospital meals, are notoriously inadequate. Yes, a dietitian plans them. Realize, however, that it is the job of the dietitian to know how many cans of #2 beans it will take to feed 382 mouths: It is not her job to assure that nutrient-dense foods go into those mouths. Most institutions (and households) today make widespread use of processed foods. Food processing procedures like refining, pasteurizing and irradiating seriously deplete foods of their nutrient content. What’s worse is that the foods are already seriously depleted before they ever get into the hands of the food processors, and that’s why is way healthier to grow your own food, many people decide to have their own gardens and grow organical food, some of them even decorated with flowers so the garden is useful and beautiful.
The Bottom Line
This brings us back to John Hamacker’s point: Poor soil quality is the bottom-line common variable responsible for widespread physical and mental deterioration. Poor soil quality makes for nutrient deficient crops, which in turn create weak bodies and minds. Diets lacking in nutrients especially trace minerals – lead not only to physical maladies and impaired learning, but also to antisocial behavior and even violence. It’s no coincidence that both degenerative disease and crime are escalating, as IQ and nutritional status decline. These things are connected. And at the bottom of the chain is the connecting link of impoverished soil. A Global Problem
From the global village perspective, if the earth’s population was an even 100, then the percentage suffering from malnutrition would be 50 and the number unable to read would be 70. In this context, “”malnutrition”” is defined simply as inadequate food intake. If we revise that definition to encompass a state brought on by nutritionally depleted foods, then the percentage of people affected would approach 100. The citizens of our nation do indeed suffer from malnutrition – high calorie malnutrition. Nutrient depletion of soils is not just a domestic problem, however; it is a global one. We’re all affected. And each succeeding generation is more deeply affected, resulting in their increased vulnerability to illness, both physical and mental. In this country, these results are reflected in an escalating rate of violent crimes committed by juveniles. It is now estimated by researchers that juvenile crime will probably double by the year two thousand!
The Juvenile Crime Scene
Over the last 10 years, the number of kids under 18 arrested for homicides has more than doubled. According to FBI statistics, about 300 parricide (the killing of both parents) incidents occur annually. Children under 18 represent 17% of all reported arrests, 33.3% of arrests for “”serious”” crimes (crimes to property) and 16-17% of arrests for “”major”” crimes (crimes to persons). James Fox, dean of the Criminology Dept. of Northeastern University, predicts that by the year 2005 there will be 5000 murders per year committed by teens.
This escalating violent crime rate among teenagers is not due primarily to drugs, broken homes or poverty, but rather to malnutrition. These kids typically exhibit pronounced deficiencies of such trace minerals as lithium, chromium and vanadium and are prone to develop a powerful salt or sugar craving. This craving, accompanied by licking and chewing behaviors is known as “”pica”” and it is brought on by mineral deficiency and corrected only by supplying the deficient minerals: No other class of nutrients can induce or resolve the condition. Satisfying the craving by eating commercial sugar or salt only worsens the situation, for refined sugar and salt leach from the body the minerals necessary to metabolize them and therefore deepen the deficiency. The cravings stem from a mineral deficiency that can only be rectified by providing the needed minerals.
Minerals rule over all other nutrients. Vitamins, proteins, enzymes and amino acids, as well as fats and carbohydrates require them for activity. Trace minerals (such as zinc, copper, and chromium) are those needed in small or trace amounts by the body. They are no less important to the functioning of the body than are macro minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulphur and chlorine), needed in larger amounts.
There are 84 known minerals, 17 of which are considered to be essential in human nutrition. If there is a shortage of just one of these, the balance of activity in the entire system can be thrown off. A deficiency of a single mineral can negatively impact the entire chain of life, rendering other nutrients ineffective and useless.
According to Senate Document #264, 99% of Americans are mineral deficient. This document was published in 1936! The situation is even worse today, as minerals continue to disappear from our soils.
Where Have All the Minerals Gone?
Modern agribusiness farming methods, including the widespread use of N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorous potassium) fertilizer, over farming, loss of protective ground cover and trees, lack of humus – these are some factors that have made soils vulnerable to erosion (through drought, wind and flooding). The result is reduced nutrient content of crops.
N-P-K fertilizer is highly acidic. It disrupts the pH (acid/alkaline) balance of the soil, as does acid rain. Acid conditions destroy soil microorganisms. It is the job of these microorganisms to transmute soil minerals into a form that is usable by plants. In the absence of these microbes, these minerals become locked up, unavailable to the plant. Stimulated by the N-P-K fertilizer the plant grows, but it is deficient in vital trace minerals. In the absence of trace minerals, plants take up heavy metals (such as aluminum, mercury and lead) from the soil. These toxic metals are then passed on to us through the food chain – and they are readily assimilated in the body deficient in protective nutrient minerals.
When trace minerals are scarce in plant bodies, they’re scarce in human bodies and we then hold onto toxic minerals and traces of agricultural chemicals. Also, plants deficient in trace minerals tend to be deficient in vitamins and in protein, as well. It is primarily the amino acid component of protein from which neurotransmitters are made. These neurotransmitters have a huge amount to do with our mental functioning, as well as our physical health. Mineral-deficient plants are also protein-deficient plants. Between 1950 and 1975, the calcium content in one cup of rice dropped 21% and iron fell by 28.6% and protein content dropped nearly 11%. In 1945, wheat was 17% protein. By 1985, its protein content dropped to 9%.
Tables showing nutrient content of foods can no longer be relied upon, for minerals are disappearing faster than updated charts can be published. And, there is great variation in mineral content of foods grown in different locations and under different conditions.
Trace minerals, rapidly disappearing from our soils, play a major role in electrolyte formation in the body.
Electrolyte Loss
Electrolytes are mineral salts, which conduct electricity when dissolved in solution. In the body, the bloodstream provides the fluid medium for electrolyte formation. Electrolyte deficiency or imbalance results in energy loss and fatigue. The disruption of balance or homeostasis results leads invariably to disease.
Nature forms electrolytes through a transmutation process wherein inorganic colloidal minerals are changed into a more usable crystalloid form. This occurs when water cascades over rocks, picking up minerals from the soil, tumbles over the terrain and forms vortexes. Most of us today, however, cannot look to our drinking water as a source of electrolytes. We drink, by and large, from stagnant, polluted sources.
Such water is not only mineral deficient, but the minerals it does contain remain in the difficult-to-use colloidal form. Therefore, our best bet for obtaining unpolluted water that contains usable (crystalloid) electrolyte minerals is to purify our water mechanically (preferably through reverse osmosis) and add back the electrolytes. Be sure to select a true electrolyte formula, one that contains trace minerals in crystalloid form.
Replacement of electrolytes will balance pH and stabilize osmotic pressure (the force on the inside and outside of cell walls). This will result in significantly lowering the risk of infection, increasing digestive efficiency, restoring peristaltic action, increasing oxygen to the cells, reducing water retention, correcting neuromuscular imbalances, improving enzyme production, regulating blood sugar levels and hormonal production, “”chelating”” (removing) heavy metals from the body and increasing energy levels.
The Ultimate Solution
The ultimate solution to the demineralization problem does not, however, lie in supplementation. It lies in soil re-mineralization. We must abandon the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that lock up soil minerals and poison both the soils and our bodies. According to a 1993 study conducted by the Environmental Working Group, by age 5, children in this country consume more pesticides than is considered safe for a lifetime. While we’re harming ourselves gravely with the use of pesticides, we don’t seem to be making much of a dent in the insect population: Over 500 species have now become pesticide-resistant. The answer to the pest problem is to change the terrain of the soil, from one that produces sick, nutrient-deficient plants to one that produces healthy, nutrient-dense ones, for insects only feed off sick plants.
Changing the Terrain
The desired change in terrain is accomplished by restoring minerals to the soil. This can easily and inexpensively be done through the use of rock dust (ground up rock). When chemicals are withheld and rock dust is applied, food is provided for the microorganisms who will resume their job of supplying usable minerals to the plants, who in turn will nourish us?
The use of rock dust to enliven soils was first proposed in 1840 by Julius Hensel, author of Bread from Stones. His message was suppressed by the chemical trust that was profiting handsomely from the sale of N-P-K fertilizers. Rock dust was not heard of again for more than a century when the late John Hamacker made repeated efforts to warn the people and governments of the planet of imminent disaster (glaciation, the net result of the “”Greenhouse effect””) if soil re-mineralization were not speedily accomplished.
The world was deaf to Hamacker’s warnings – or so it seemed. But out of the darkness comes a ray of light. Last summer in Beltsville, MD the USDA sponsored a conference that brought together representatives from government, industry, and the private sector to explore the potential of using rock dust to re-mineralize the earth. Attending this conference was one of John Hamacker’s final activities before leaving the earth plane last year at age 80. It is imperative that we follow his lead, understand and apply his teachings and renew the soils of Mother Earth before she does so herself through the violent natural process of glaciation which will effectively grind up rock to re-mineralize the soils.
After the Dark
Once soil re-mineralization is accomplished, we can begin to reverse a downward spiral in our civilization. As Hamacker understood, health, behavior, intelligence, even weather patterns and survival – are ultimately determined by the health of our soil, which in turn is dependent upon microorganisms. Health and survival are therefore not about conquering microbes, but nourishing them. What we do to them, we do, in a very real sense, to ourselves.
An escalating crime rate, social unrest, falling IQs – They all relate to the disappearance of soil microorganisms, which in turn results from man’s attempts to conquer and control Mother Nature, rather than to honor her and work in harmony with her laws.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders
– 1996, Donald J. Brown
(excerpted from Herbal Prescriptions for Better Health: Your Everyday Guide to Prevention, Treatment, and Care
Prima Publishing)
One need venture no further than the last few volumes of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to realize the uncertainty surrounding the diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The last two to three decades have seen this condition labeled minimal brain damage, minimal brain dysfunction, behavior and learning disorder, hyperkinetic-impulsive disorder, hyperkinetic syndrome, developmental hyperactivity, and finally attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. What is apparent is that ADHD is a collection of symptoms or criteria. The decision to label a child with the diagnosis of ADHD is fraught with potential for error.
Nowhere is this more evident than in attempts to estimate the number of children with ADHD. Recent estimates place the numbers at 10 percent of boys and 3 percent of girls ranging in age from 4 to 11 years old. The central feature of ADHD is trouble getting things done, both at home and at school, and trouble getting along with adults and other children. The increased activity and short attention span of the child with ADHD have led to the use of stimulant drugs such as Ritalin to control behavior. Paradoxically, these medications work to “”slow down”” the ADHD child. Unfortunately, these medications are potentially harmful and act merely to mask symptoms without getting to the core of the problem.
Early intervention and successful treatment of ADHD have become even more important in light of recent studies that predict these children face greater problems as adults. Evidence is mounting that children with ADHD are at higher risk for depression, restlessness, alcoholism, and antisocial behavior as adults.”
Dietary Recommendations
A whole foods diet, high in protein and low in complex carbohydrates. Cut down on sugar and simple carbohydrates. Cut back on processed junk foods high in additives and food colorings. The Hyperactive Children’s Support Group of Great Britain recommends that the following food additives be avoided:
Tartrazine
Sunset Yellow
Benzoic acid
Amaranth
Red 2G
Brilliant Blue FCF
Carmine
Quinoline Yellow
FCFV
Carmoiic acid
Sulfur dioxide
Potassium nitrate
BHT
Caramel
Cochineal
Sodium benzoate
Sodium nitrate
BHA
Indigo
Try to avoid foods, such as the following, with high salicylate content:
Plums (canned)
Raspberries (fresh)
Peppers
Almonds
Peppermint tea
Prunes (canned)
Strawberries (fresh)
Tomatoes
Peanuts
Honey
Many spices: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, curry, oregano, paprika, pepper, rosemary, sage, turmeric
Lowering the intake of cow’s milk, soy, eggs, wheat, citrus, and other potential allergenic foods may be helpful until your child’s behavior improves. Identification and elimination of food allergens should be done under the supervision of a trained health care practitioner.
Lifestyle Considerations
Limit TV watching and video games.
Work with a counselor to discover if there is any family relationship problems that may be triggering ADHD behaviors.
Children with ADHD living in urban areas should be tested for possible heavy metal poisoning.
Attention Deficit Disorder and Ritalin have become almost synonymous. Up to 90% of children who are first diagnosed with ADD receive a prescription for Ritalin. At least a dozen other drugs are prescribed for these symptoms as well. There has been a 500% increase in the use of Ritalin alone since 1991. Short- term use of these medications is associated with a 70 to 80% improvement in symptoms. So naturally, it appears that the drugs have solved the problem. However, tinki studies don’t show the entire picture. Very few long-term studies have been done evaluating the success of amphetamine-type medication such as Ritalin, for ADD symptoms, and the few studies that do exist do not present a very encouraging picture. For years, it was thought that children outgrew symptoms of ADD so they were treated with drugs, until they “”outgrew”” the condition.
However, This has been found NOT to be the case. Children do NOT outgrow ADD symptoms. In 1990, an eight-year prospective study of hyperactive children was instituted. More than 80% of the children studied had been treated with medications. Sixty- three percent of the group had received the benefit of psychological services and 35% had special educational accommodations.
At the end of the eight years, 80% continued to have the ADD symptoms, while 60% had advanced to Opposition Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD) diagnoses. (Barkley R., Fischer M, et al: The adolescent outcome of hyperactive children diagnosed by research criteria: J Am Acad Child Adoles Psychiatry 29 (4):546-556 July 1990.) These two diagnoses are considered to be much worse than the ADD diagnosis. A literature review dating back to 1971 showed little to be encouraged about. Children with ADD were more likely to fail subjects in school and dropped out of school more frequently. Fewer attended college. And there were NO statistical differences between the long-term results of children treated with medications and those who did not use medications. These studies indicate that there is little evidence of long-term success with the use of medications for hyperactivity.
The adverse reactions (side effects) for Ritalin include nervousness, insomnia, joint pains, fever, anorexia, nausea, dizziness, palpitations, headache, dyskinesia, drowsiness, increased blood pressure and pulse, rapid heart rate, angina, cardiac arrhythmias, abdominal pain, actual psychosis. And there is a major warning in the Physician’s Desk Reference regarding drug dependency.
The Physicians Desk Reference of Drug Side Effects notes that, regarding the pharmacology of Ritalin: “”The mode of action in man is not completely understood.”” And this is what you’re giving your child! The pharmaceutical manufacturers admit that they don’t even know how it works. They’re just experimenting — on your child!
Ritalin has effects similar to other stimulants including amphetamine, methamphetamine and cocaine. There are 6 million prescriptions for Ritalin filled annually. The U.S. pharmacists distribute five times more Ritalin than the rest of the world combined. No other nation prescribes stimulants for its children in such volume. In fact, the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board has on two recent occasions written to U.S. officials expressing concern about the six-fold increase in Ritalin usage since 1990.
Does Ritalin Cause Cancer? Scientific studies on carcinogenicity were finally released in June 1993 revealing that feeding mice Ritalin, induced liver tumors including very rare and highly malignant cancers. These results were found at dosage levels close to those routinely prescribed for children. Animal tests are very good predictors of human health effects. In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer suggests that if a chemical is proven to cause cancer in animals, it should be treated as if it were cancer-causing in humans as well.
But the response by the FDA and the pharmaceutical company that makes Ritalin was predictable. The drug company wrote to 100,000 physicians informing them of the study showing that the drug caused cancer but said “”It’s not enough of a signal that we think kids should be taken off the drug.”” They reassured the doctors that Ritalin is believed to be “”safe and effective”” by the FDA.
Does the public school system have the right to force parents to accept the drugging of their child? They do in America. But the drug’s side effects, according to vocal opponents of Ritalin, include: zombie-like behavior, growth suppression, behavior or thought disorders (exactly what it is supposed to treat) seizures; headaches, blurred vision, scalp hair loss, barking like a dog and babbling profanities. It can also result in mood swings, depression, drug dependence and inclination for criminal activity.
Why would anyone give such a drug to any child?
The American Psychiatric Association describes a hyperactive child – the target child for this drug–as follows:
“”One who exhibits behavior such as fidgeting, squirming, answering questions before being called on, difficulty playing quietly, engaging in physically dangerous activities such as running into the street without looking, or one who has difficulty following instructions.”” That sounds like a normal kid to me!
I hope it’s clear that drugs do NOT cure anxiety, depression nor supposed hyperactivity. In fact the English word pharmacy comes from the Greek word pharmakeia. Pharmakeia means sorceries and witchcraft. That’s what drugs are – sorceries and witchcraft because they only treat symptoms while the underlying disease or condition continues to get worse.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
The following steps are ways to help prevent ADD and ADHD and to reverse the factors that cause them:
1) Change the child’s diet to all natural whole foods. This means fruit, grains and vegetables full of natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes.
2) Eliminate dairy products and other animal products because these contain hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and the diseases of the animal itself.
3) Eliminate caffeine, sugar and other sweets, processed food, MSG, aspartame (Nutrasweet) and other sugar substitutes and any foods that contain preservatives, food dyes or other chemicals.
4) Eliminate eating at fast food restaurants as most of these apparently use MSG and preservatives, plus the food in many restaurants often contains less nutrition, but many harmful chemicals.
5) Encourage the child to eat a lot of raw fruit and vegetables because they are full of health-producing enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
6. Drink water, and fresh home made vegetable and home-made fruit juice. Eliminate soda pop, caffeinated beverages or milk from cows or any other animal. Rice Dream (rice milk) from your health food store is a reasonable substitute.
7. No white bread. Only whole grain bread, either home baked or from a health food store.
8. No white rice. Only whole grain brown rice and other whole grains.
9. No peanut butter: It contains aflatoxin, a fungus that causes cancer. Instead use Almond butter (It spreads like peanut butter and tastes just as good) from your health food store or other store. Also you can make home made cashew nut butter.
10. Get proper rest. Children need a lot of rest and should go to be early.
11. Get proper exercise daily, outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.
12. Eliminate TV watching. It is reported that children watch an average of 43 hours of TV per week, that’s longer than the average adult work week. While watching, they rapidly become almost hypnotized. It has been shown scientifically that within minutes of beginning to watch TV, the brain changes from the alert brain waves (beta waves) to the hypnotic waves (alpha waves) where the judgment center of the brain is bypassed. So the violence and decadence that the child sees, bypasses the judgment center in the brain and is implanted in the child’s brain without any ability on the child’s part to decide whether what they are seeing is right or wrong. The violence and decadence are accepted by the brain without any m dia judgment being applied to it. It then becomes part of the child’s permanent subconscious. What goes into a child’s mind is just as important as what goes into his or her mouth!
13. Trust in God and teach your child to trust in God.
Common Childhood Ailments and Their Treatments
?The first thing I look at,? says Dr. Jones, ?is if the child has actually been diagnosed as having ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER.? According to Jones, at least 50 percent of ADD children have been misdiagnosed.?
Hyperactivity is a complicated and often misunderstood condition. It has been categorized with conditions such as hyperkinetic syndrome, minimal brain dysfunction, and ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER (ADD). A child who is inattentive, overly talkative, impulsive, excessively irritable, and is hyperactive for his or her age is labeled as ADD. Natural health practitioners recommend several alternative treatments for this complicated condition.
‘The first thing I look at,’ says Dr. Jones, ‘is if the child has actually been diagnosed as having ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER.? According to Jones, at least 50 percent of ADD children have been misdiagnosed. In his practice, he estimates this number to be between 80 and 85 percent. ?It is essential to have an accurate diagnosis made through cognitive function testing and other developmental testing. Ask a physician where to have this done.?
Hyperactivity may be caused by a learning disability, an unstable home life, food allergies, food additives, excessive sugar ingestion, heavy metal toxicity, or even the need for glasses. Dr. Jones remarks that at least half of his ADD patients improved when taken off sweeteners such as sugar and corn syrup. A recent study performed at Yale University School of Medicine provided a possible reason as to why sugar induces hyperactive reactions in some children. The investigation revealed that, when ingested by children, sugar releases twice the amount of the stimulant hormone adrenalin into the bloodstream as it does in adults.
Eliminating sugar from the diet does not by itself usually solve the problem. Often, environmental factors can exaggerate a condition such as hyperactivity. Dr. Moskowitz saw a young girl, termed a hyperactive child, who was so sensitive to fragrances that if she smelled a bottle of perfume in the store she would be, in his words, ?bouncing off the walls for the rest of the day.? Through Dr. Moskowitz’s long-term treatment, which included trying various homeopathic remedies, the child’s condition improved greatly and she was able to better tolerate these kinds of aggravating stimulants.
See Diet.Caffeine is found in several brands of soda pop. In a survey involving eight hundred school children, those consuming sodas containing caffeine were more likely to be labeled as hyperactive by their teachers than those who drank caffeine-free soda.
Approximately five thousand food additives are used in food products in the United States. Benjamin Feingold, M.D., conducted extensive research on the possible link between ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER, food additives, and naturally occurring salicylates and phenolic compounds. Studies have both supported and dismissed this theory. However, the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Defined Diets and Childhood Hyperactivity had decided that further investigation into the role food additives may play in ADD is warranted. Most recently, a joint project between German and British researchers has suggested that food intolerance or allergies may contribute to hyperactivity.
LINKS:
A D D
A D D – Holistic Resource Center
A D D & Environmental Medicine
Recent Comments