Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
(ADHD) affects millions of children and their families. Currently
accepted statistics say that as many as 10% of the school-aged population
have ADHD and perhaps another 20% have symptoms of the disorder
suggestive of ADHD. Boys are diagnosed three times more often than
girls and 30-50% of these children will continue to manifest these
symptoms and problems in adulthood. It's
no wonder that the pharmaceutical industry has made a huge effort
to market drugs for ADHD and that a large and intelligent backlash
has developed against the widespread use of these powerful chemicals.
I have been a pediatrician
for twenty years and for fifteen of those years I completely disdained
the use of Ritalin and the other psychopharmaceuticals for ADHD
kids. I was probably wrong to "throw out the baby with the
bath water." Denying that a small percentage of children
receiving Ritalin actually benefited from the drug was not fair
to them. We don't know enough about brain chemistry to completely
understand ADHD, but we do know the impact of untreated ADHD on
children: a much more difficult childhood and adolescence with
school and social problems which can be nonstop.
I now try "everything
else" before resorting to prescription medication, but I
no longer rule out that possibility.
Deficiency in central
nervous system dopamine probably causes many, if not most, of
the problems associated with ADHD. Nutritional problems can cause
or exacerbate this deficiency: supplemental tyrosine, B vitamins,
vitamin C and copper have all shown a positive influence on improving
the school performance of children with ADHD. These can all be
combined with conventional therapy with no adverse interactions.
Ritalin and similar drugs act by directly increasing brain dopamine
levels.
Before I consider
anything else, I try to persuade the family to put their child
and themselves on an excellent diet. The standard American diet
filled with sugar, artificial sweeteners, colors, preservatives,
saturated fats, low levels of vitamins and minerals, and too much
protein is not good for brain health or health in general. Mainstream
medical journals have debated this topic for decades and most
medical practitioners don't like to consider nutritional alternatives
in the treatment of any disease because it takes too long to discuss
it with their patients.
I recommend whole
foods as the backbone of the nutritional regimen. As obvious as
this sounds, most children get the bulk of their food in an over-processed
form. Whole grain cereals and breads and lots of fresh fruit and
vegetables and beans and pasta make for meals which interest children
and adults. Counsel your patients to avoid sugar!! Reading labels
closely will show parents just how many artificial additives have
worked their way into kids' daily diets. Many chemicals mimic
brain neurotransmitters and even conventionally published research
admits that sugar has a negative impact on the behavior of ADHD
children. Processed cereals and high-fructose corn syrup sweetened
drinks add huge amounts of sugar to a child's day. Even regular
unsweetened apple juice in the quantities some children like can
be a large source of extra sugar.
There are many
alternative remedies which can be used to treat children with
ADHD and learning disorders. We must help the families in our
practices find these and guide them in their usage.
Ginkgo Biloba dilates
blood vessels and improves circulation to the brain. Researchers
have shown it's utility in Alzheimer's Disease.
Variations
are to be expected, and are in no way to be considered a defect.
--
Hang tag from Madras shirt
Statistics
reflect this confusion. Depending on who you read, some experts
say we have about eight hundred-thousand learning disabled children
in the country. Others put the figure as high as eight million.
In
1963, when "learning disabilities" were first described,
we found very few students with the problem and thought the problem
was rare.
Some
take a very conservative view and say that 30 - 50% of us will
outgrow it, but a growing body of experts think we just learn
to cope with it. There's a certain brain development that takes
place at puberty that sometimes makes ADD much easier to live
with. I think the jury's still out but my guess that most of learn
to live with it, not outgrow it. |