Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

cydwatts — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:43:55 GMT

My 13-year-old, ADD/ADHD/dyslexic son is in 8th grade, middle school. One of the assignments he has every week is Current Events. The week this article came out in Dr. Mercola's newsletter, he used it.

To sum up a long story, he was failed on the article because the teacher believes in drugs for kids with my son's problem, and she is his Special Education teacher.

I am, of course, talking to the school administration about this. But I feel it demonstrates the thoroughness of brainwashing the drug companies and the FDA have accomplished.

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

3emme — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:27:32 GMT

I continue reading the various comments and awful time parents are having. I know that it's a very difficult situation, and there really doesn't seem to be a solution, and of course, out of desperation parents start psychiatric drug treatment. I certainly can understand the feeling of no matter how hard

you try to help your child, you only feel as if your banging your head against a wall. Yet, I still believe the beginning to discovering a solution begins with having a change of point of view. Now, please don't misunderstand what I'm about to say, because I would never permit myself to demean or belittle someone's hardship and attempts to rise above it. Let's not look at our behavior or our children's behavior from this point of view. Remember, and I don't have to claim it, for psychiatry itself has claimed it often enough, that they don't know how to cure any of these so called "diseases" that they name in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. One of these happens to be ADHD. Therefore, if they know that they can't cure anything, it means that they don't have an answer. Then, why permit them to put drugs that have terrible consequences in our children? Why trust someone who doesn't really know if the treatment resolves anything? Why trust anyone who doesn't give scientific proof and facts to back up their claims? This means we have to look somewhere else. We can begin by looking exactly what psychiatry claims ADHD is, how they come to call it a disease, and exactly what their diagnosis process is. Once this is discovered, I'm sure each parent will begin to rethink their children's behavior in a different way.

Also, after reading some of the comments my first question is have these children had extensive medical testing to see if there is a medical reason for their condition? Parents will discover that there is really nothing scientific in the behavior patterns that psychiatry claim as "diseases".

I salute parents facing this problem!

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

LoriSm — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:49:28 GMT

I believe there are many factors contributing to the rise in kids being labeld ADD or ADHD. Has anyone considered the fact that most kids over the past 25 years or so were exposed to ultra-sound in the womb? No one has ever looked into how ultrasound may cause the neurons in the brain to react, especially in tiny babies who weigh about 1 pound or less (5 months gestation, which is average age when ultrasounds are performed). Many women have several ultrasounds for each pregnancy.

Many parents in the homeschool world have said that when they brought little Johhny or Janey home that the symptoms of ADD or ADHD disappeared over the course of a few months. Could this be because the anxiety of leaving parents and home have been taken away? Kids today in Kindergarten are being expected to do work that was meant for 2nd and 3rd graders 40 years ago. Many kids do not have the mental capacity at age 5,6,7, 8, or even 9 to work at the levels expected. Most kids do well by age 13 when their cognitive abilities have all turned on, but all kids do not grow cognitively at the same level or age, though they are expected to "keep up" with all of their peers in school (one size fits all mentality).

I also believe that diets low in nutritional content is contributing to the rise in people being diagnosed ADD & ADHD. I have also noticed the rise over recent years in these labels as a direct result of kids being raised in overly lenient households where the kids rule the roost. I have noticed parents who are not consistent in their parenting skills have kids labeled as ADD or ADHD. Even kids who have ODD often come from these inconsistent households.

Spare the rod, spoil the child seems to often predict which kids are ADD, ADHD, and ODD. I have seen it over and over again. I am not advocating child abuse, just old fashined discipline. Even the kids in school today do not have the awe, the fear (a healthy kind of fear) of teachers. And then there is the issue of immunizations...Lori

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

Yod — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:33:40 GMT

What is it about Ritalin or Concerta that seems to 'work'? Some of the active ingredients in natural foods and remedies are usually isolated and sythesized using chemicals. How about analyzing this the other way around?

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

Rose My Rose — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:18:12 GMT

I have to think that school is a huge problem with the over diagonisis of ADD/ADHD. Many teachers want the students attention at all times, then they "flip" from subject to subject at a moments notice and still expect kids to be at 100% attention. The brain doesn't work that way. John Taylor Gatto's book on compulsary education, "Dumbing Us Down" addresses this in depth. I think that I could have been a much better student if I wasn't expected to switch subjects every 45 minutes, but I was lucky to be able to have held my own academically. Other kids are not so flexible so they get the label.

ADD/ADHD goes beyond the school building and into the home (or lack thereof!) Kids get out of school then rushed (while watching a DVD or listening to an iPod) to music lessons, sports, birthday parties, tutoring, never a moment for solitary thought or introspection. We all need to let kids slow down and discover their own thoughts and pace. Mental clarity does wonders, remove the clutter and white noise!

I do believe that ADD/ADHD is a real disease, but I also believe that it is over diagnosed and exacerbated by frenzied environments.

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

Sean Uisce — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:20:24 GMT

Quite heartening to read of people's efforts to find non-drug ways of addressing ADHD and other symptom-observed-diagnoses (as distinct from biologically-observed-diagnoses).

Would encourage people to take a look at www.handle.org

Holistic

Approach to

Neuro

Development and

Learning

Efficiency

Holistic means they leave nothing out: chemicals, EMFs, water, diet, light, sound in classrooms, teacher's perfumes, birth or pregnancy difficulties etc.

Approach means it is gentle, non-invasive and person-specific.

NeuroDevelopment might have been hindered (or may continue to be hindered) for any number of reasons during pregnancy, early childhood or adulthood. Vaccines, pollution, lack of movement / exercise / breast-feeding during early years, illness, head or other body trauma are just some examples of potential triggers. This is assessed via a series of person-specific activities after which other activities and compensatory measures can be given to help boost / repair identified neurological functions in need of support. These can be either self-performed or performed by a carer.

Learning Efficiency is their preferred language. All learning and day to day tasks challenge the brain and body in some way or other. Responding to those challenges is easier for some of us than others because our neurology (mind-body connection) functions more efficiently.

For those who find learning and day to day living easier than others, to label their struggling fellows as having a "disorder" not only demeans the recipient of the label... but also misses out on a great Truth: there are no disorders - only differences.

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

Ting — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 02:47:11 GMT

Glyconutritionals can also be helpful in cases of ADD and ADHD

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

Islander — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 01:19:11 GMT

I'm glad to see people posting here who have experienced positive results with some ADHD meds. The fact that many pharmaceuticals are useless has clouded our judgment about the effectiveness of others. Dr. Mercola frequently points out that as individuals we react differently to foods, and the same is true of meds. What turns one child into a zombie may help another child to focus and attend. It's one thing to make these sweeping pronouncements from an ivory tower and another thing to be on the front lines, both as an educator and as the [foster]parent of an ADHD child. I have seen sugar or artificial ingredients turn an otherwise normal kid into a Tasmanian Devil. Same with a medicated kid who missed the afternoon dose or whose script didn't get refilled for a few days. In one case, the insurance provider switched the child from a brand name to a generic. Supposedly there's only a 10% allowable difference, but it was enough to put this kid off the hook. Do poor diets cause/exacerbate ADHD? Very likely. Do some meds stifle kids' behavior? Absolutely. Trial and error are often necessary to find the best solution. My point is, please do not condemn all drugs that treat ADHD, because some make a lifesaving difference between academic and social success - and dismal failure.

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

yj4 — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:05:34 GMT

When all the natural things in the world still don't work, then it still might be a health issue. Fluoride is known to cause ADHD symptoms. Also, the health of the mother counts in the health of the baby, too. Whatever the mother was eating has been passed to the child's developing brain. Sometimes, I'm not sure about this, but these things can cause permanent damage and cause ADHD symptoms in a person, even after health diet/exercise/elimination of toxins ect. There are many causes of ADHD symptoms, maybe in some cases, the only thing that might work is drugs.

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

Dr Rik — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:39:13 GMT

As a Chiropractor, I have the opportunity to question many of my patients on health issues. I asked one schoolteacher about Ritalin and she just raved about it. She teaches in a school where dropout and violence are high and if you touch or discipline the children, the parents just go ballistic "don't touch my kid". She says it calms the troublemakers right down, and it's the only way she can teach class.

Pretty sad, don't you think? Maybe ADD/ADHD isn't the issue?

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

Ravenhawk — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:43:39 GMT

I often wonder why the medical community is focusing on serotonin

so much. There are other neurotransmitters that also serve to modulate

and regulate our mental and emotional state.

GABA is the inhibitory system, Anandamides are what creates bliss.

Ok Serotonin interacts with all of them, but the others interact with serotonin.

It seems to me the medical community is a bit fixated on serotonin when enhancement,

or corrective balancing of other neurotransmitters can be at least, if not more effective

than manipulating the serotonin levels.

There's must be a reason why serotonin is taken up, and preventing its reuptake is doing what?

I'm not sure. But so many don't do well long term on SSRI's. They're an absolute blessing to many,

but not for everyone.

For me augmenting my GABA supply does wonders and SSRI's prevent normal functioning.

Is it possible a wider view is needed and not such a tunnel vision, serotonin focused, approach

appropriate?

I'm working on a certificate in Addictions Studies, so I think about these things quite a bit.

Can we post links here? I've been reading this site a bit to gain a broader understanding.

www.neurorelief.com/newsletterarchive.php

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

susan_3 — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 16:43:28 GMT

Another consideration for ADD/ADHD is brain chemistry. As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner working in a drug and alcohol rehab facility, I have been looking at amino acid therapy in correcting brain chemistry and preventing many of the depression, anxiety, sleep and ATTENTION, BEHAVIOR AND LEARNING PROBLEMS SUCH AS ADD/ADHD... as well as cravings for alcohol and drugs. Without adequate neurotransmitters in the brain these symptoms can develop... and without adequate amino acids these neurotransmitters cannot be formed. This takes us back to nutrition... are these children getting enough protein in their diets to provide the amino acids necessary for the formation of the neurotransmitters that would help to calm the brain and help with focus? And digestion is critical as well, because if they can't digest the good proteins eaten, they can't be broken down and the amino acids still won't be available.

The same goes for depression. When we don't have enough of the neurotransmitter serotonin we can develop depression. For many, using specific amino acid supplements will eliminate the depression by providing what the brain needs to form the serotonin, whereas using an SSRI will prevent the serotonin from continuing to the re-uptake part of its cycle thus making it available for a longer time... but eventually will cause a greater lack of serotonin.

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

sharkloon — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 14:36:47 GMT

You (and everyone) have repeatedly missed the cause of ADHD.

We intend to announce it as one of many new research initiatives.

For this and many health insights and joint venture proposals,

I have had no success in getting through to Dr. M. in confidence.

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

pshayes1 — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:05:26 GMT

This is a great article! What is the sad truth is Mothers trust the doctors. There is an incredible product called Monavie that is changing health in both children and adults! If you want to know more go to mymonavie.com/pshayes and look at the product and the company. Our food supply is so poor and we are not eating the nutrition our body needs to stay healthy.

re: Drugs Are Not the Answer for ADHD

schmonko — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:53:47 GMT

Just wanted to share my experience with an ADHD child ON and OFF meds. Our son was diagnosed with ADHD /ODD in 1st grade. Diet was never a concern because we ate very naturally then, not all organic, but natural. We hesitantly began medication for the next 3 years. His grades and focusing did improve. That would be the ONLY benefit. What side effects did the meds have? No appetite. He would often come home from school with a full lunchbox, ate a small dinner, but at 8pm when the meds wore off, he would want to eat everything in sight....of course that was bedtime. He couldn't sleep at night. He would lay in bed from 8:00pm to 11:00pm wide awake. He would average 7 hours of sleep a night. (Of course the Pediatricians solution was to give him another prescription to sleep!! We didn't agree!) He was impossible to wake up in the mornings & was exhausted. I could watch the meds "kick in" once he took them. He did become zombie like. There also was emotional instability on occasion. He was always the smallest and thinnest kid in class. 3 years later.....After much reading and research, we decided to take him off the meds because they were no longer helping with grades and focus. We weened him off of them over 3 months and began a regement of supplements and strict organic eating. In his first 2 months off meds, my son gained 10 pounds, went up 2" in shoe size & grew 2 inches in height. He slept for 11-12 hours a night every night. He ate like a growing teenager, even though he is 10. This is not a kid who has growth spurts! I sat in amazement watching my son grow. He is a happier kid. I won't say being off meds has been the easiest thing for us. He can be very difficult, argumentative and defiant. I am homeschooling him this year. But for us, the side effects of meds were worse than the benefits. I regret using them and wish I would have known then what I know now!! Hope this helps someone!