I wonder why 24 hours obviously made such a big difference to FDA reviewer Dr. Robert Levin, who was complaining about the patch's side effects the day before he said the drug was safe enough to approve. In fact, the shift by the FDA researcher even surprised one of the drugmakers that developed the patch.

While I know of no particular evidence for malfeasance in this instance, it's wise to be distrustful of FDA advisory panels, which are often riddled with conflicts of interest and financial ties to the very industries they are called upon to regulate.

With all the problems associated with taking ADHD drugs -- among them liver damage and cancer -- why would anyone ever consider exposing their child to all those side effects and risks for the sake of convenience, especially when there are better, safer options that radically improve the problem in most children that adopt these simple changes:

• Replace sugary soft drinks, milk and fruit drinks with clean water.
• Rebalance their intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fats by giving them a high-quality fish or cod liver oil daily.
• Limit, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars in their daily diet.

For a more comprehensive review of ADHD options please review the interview I conducted with Dr. Lendon Smith on this topic.