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ADHD Is Not a Disease
“Hey, Phillip… do you mind if I sit here and eat with you?” I asked.
“Sure, whatever…”
“How’s school going? Are you doing well?”
“Not really. I just want it to be summer.”
“Yeah, I remember how that used to feel,” I told him.
Phillip is eleven years old. He’s the son of some family friends and I was at a small party when I saw him sitting by himself. I hadn’t seen him for a few years, so I wanted to remind him who I was and get to know him a little better.
As he became comfortable, he opened up a bit more. He told me his plans for the summer. He told me about his friends and the girl he likes at school. And he also told me that he didn’t care for school all that much.
“It’s hard,” he said. “Plus, I have ADHD, so I don’t pay attention very well.”
“Really? How do you know you have ADHD?” I asked.
“That’s what my doctor said. He said I’ve had it since I was born. That’s why I have to take medicine.”
“Well, I think you’re just fine. How does that medicine make you feel?”
“It used to make me kinda nervous,” he said. “And I couldn’t go to sleep when I took it. Now, it just makes me not want to eat.”
After complimenting Phillip on his manners and intelligence, I changed the subject back to his plans for the summer. But what he said bothered me. Here was a bright young boy who was bored and frustrated in school… who probably had a few behavioral problems… and who had now been labeled as having a “disease” and put on medication.
And, unfortunately, Phillip is just one of millions…
I was bothered by his story because I could only imagine what that would do to the psyche and development of a child to be handed a lifelong sentence like that from a doctor. You are broken. You are defective. Your brain doesn’t work right. You are not acceptable in your natural state, but taking these drugs every day can help you.
It might be one thing if ADHD was actually a “disease”… but it’s not.
In 1987, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was voted into existence by the American Psychiatric Association and inserted in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Yes, that’s right… the “disease” was “voted” into existence.
Can you imagine if we had to take a “vote” to determine whether cancer is a disease… or diabetes… or heart disease? That would be patently ludicrous. But every year, more and more disorders are voted into the DSM.
In the case of ADHD, psychiatrists made a list of the most common behaviors among children that parents and teachers object to — and then termed them a disease. Within one year, more than half a million children were “diagnosed.”
Since then, the number of behaviors that constitute the disorder has continued to grow. There are now 18 of them. That opens the door for even more children to be labeled and then put on drugs.
Today, most ADHD “testing” consists of parents, teachers, school administrators, or social workers checking off these behaviors as observed at home and in the classroom. A doctor reviews the checklist, and if six or more of these behaviors are exhibited, then the child is “diagnosed” with ADHD. In almost every case, the treatment is pharmaceutical.
Today, the “epidemic” of ADHD has grown to about seven million young people in the U.S. Most of these children are on medication. And if you add in the numbers that are on antidepressants and other psychotropic medications, the number is over 10 million. That is larger than the entire population of New York City!
You might ask, where were these kids when I was growing up?
Dr. Russell Barkley, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts, has the answer for that. They were there, he says. “They were the class clowns. […] Back then, we didn’t have a professional label for them.
“They were the lazy kids, the no-good kids, the dropouts, the delinquents, the lay-about ne’er-do-wells who were doing nothing with their lives. Now we know better. Now we know that it is a real disability, that it is a valid condition…”
They were the dropouts, huh? The kids who didn’t fit in? The kids who found traditional schooling to be hostile, boring, and unacceptable? I wonder if Barkley was referring to “dropouts” like:
- Bill Gates & Paul Allen (college dropouts, cofounders of Microsoft)
- Sir Richard Branson (high school dropout, founder of the Virgin Group)
- Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, and Steve Jobs (college dropouts, computer company founders)
- Kirk Kerkorian (eighth-grade dropout, billionaire)
- William Faulkner (high school and college dropout, Nobel Prize-winning novelist)
- Ray Kroc (high school dropout, founder of McDonald’s)
- Dave Thomas (high school dropout, founder of Wendy’s)
Almost certainly, if many of these men were in school today, they would be “labeled” with a mental disorder.
The pharmaceutical companies and modern psychiatry represent ADHD to be a biological abnormality of the brain. Along with many other “mental illnesses,” it is often said to be caused by that catch-all phrase — “a chemical imbalance.”
The problem is that psychiatry has never validated ADHD as a biological entity. They have never shown even the slightest bit of proof of a “chemical imbalance” or that this is an actual brain disease. And yet, millions of children and parents are told fraudulently that this is the case.
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Dr. Fred Baughman is a respected pediatric neurologist who has been in practice for 35 years. He knows what a real disease is. So, from 1993 to 1997, he doggedly pursued correspondence with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Ciba-Geigy (the original manufacturers of Ritalin), and top ADHD researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health. He asked them to show him ANY peer-reviewed scientific literature proving a physical or chemical aberration that would qualify ADHD as a disease or a medical syndrome.
After years of persistence, Dr. Baughman finally got these groups to admit that there is NO objective validation for ADHD. Today, the National Institutes of Health state that, “We do not have an independent, valid test for ADHD, and there is no data to indicate that ADHD is due to a brain malfunction.”
And yet, hundreds of thousands of doctors still “label” children as diseased and prescribe powerful and dangerous drugs for something that they have admitted they can’t prove. That is not medicine. It is fraud.
And many doctors and social workers push these drugs forcefully and manipulatively. I heard of one doctor who asked a parent, “If your child had diabetes, you would give him insulin, wouldn’t you?”
Unfortunately, that parent probably didn’t know enough to tell the doctor that diabetes can be measured — either by blood sugar abnormalities or pancreatic malfunction — while ADHD cannot.
When you go to a doctor, they take blood, they do X-rays. They don’t ask how you behave. And yet, that is how the “disease” of ADHD (along with depression and many other “mental illnesses”) is diagnosed.
Thomas Szasz, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York, says, “No behavior or misbehavior can be a disease. That is not what diseases are.”
Diseases are malfunctions of the human body. For example, typhoid fever is a disease. Spring fever? Not so much. Spring fever is a metaphor. It is a figure of speech… just like most mental illnesses. And yet, the treatment for this figure of speech is now worth billions of dollars a year.
Though there are now many drugs used to treat ADHD, Ritalin (methylphenidate) is one of the most common. In 1970, there were an estimated 150,000 U.S. children taking Ritalin. Today, the number is estimated to be higher than five million. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, the production of methylphenidate increased 700% between 1990 and 1997!
And the trend is to “diagnose” children at younger and younger ages. According a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, prescriptions for two- to four-year-olds increased by almost 300% between 1991 and 1995. I didn’t search for more recent statistics, but you can be sure the trend has continued.
And despite what those who promote them might say… these are NOT safe and harmless medications.
Ritalin, for example, is classified by the FDA and the DEA as a Schedule II Controlled Substance. It is listed in the same category as methamphetamines, cocaine, morphine, and Dilaudid (among other powerful illegal and prescription drugs). These drugs are powerful. They can cause harm. And they carry a significant risk of abuse.
Most ADHD drugs are a class of amphetamine. On the street, these stimulants are commonly known as “speed.” And while “speed” can increase alertness and productivity, the trajectory is crash and burn.
But what are the risks of long-term use of these drugs, especially by developing children?
These drugs have been known to cause depression and psychotic states. And they can be the cause of real neurological disorders like epilepsy and seizures. They can also lead to physical dependence and have been shown to precipitate illegal drug abuse.
Studies have also shown that ADHD drugs stunt the physical growth of children and cause the brain to atrophy and shrink.
But of course, the biggest risk is death. In fact, research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health showed that children and teens on drugs such as Ritalin have a 500% higher risk of sudden death than would be typical for children of a similar age and health status.
Not surprisingly, long-term use can increase the risk of heart attack.
And cancer is a known risk, too. In one study, researchers identified twelve children who met the criteria for ADHD in the DSM-IV and were to begin taking methylphenidate in daily doses between 20 and 54 mg. Because the test group was small, each child was used as his or her own control.
Chromosomal abnormalities in blood cells were measured before starting the treatment. Then these same tests were performed after three months of taking the medication. Three separate chromosomal abnormalities were evaluated. In every single child, significant increases in chromosomal aberrations were measured. On average, the aberrations increased by 323% following treatment. Researchers believe that greater frequencies of these aberrations equate to an increased risk of cancer.
And to balance out these significant risks… there are absolutely NO long-term studies that show positive effects from these drugs on learning, academic standards, or social behavior.
Certainly there are children who are misbehaving at school and at home. There are kids who are unable to achieve self-control. There are those who are unusually hyperactive.
But in the vast majority of cases, these kids do not need medication. They certainly do not need to be exposed to the dangers of these drugs. But do their doctors ever ask what kind of foods, preservatives, and additives these children are exposed to? Do they inquire about nutrition or give advice about the many ways that the foods children eat, the toxins they are exposed to, and the nutrients they are missing can affect mood and behavior? Of course, most doctors do not. That would require too much effort and follow-up. It is much easier (and more profitable) to write a quick prescription and usher in a new patient.
Today, we are constantly told to protect our children from drug abuse. And yet, there are some disturbing exceptions to that rule. Thomas Szasz put it well when he said, “Labeling a child as mentally ill is stigmatization, not diagnosis. Giving a child a psychiatric drug is poisoning, not treatment.”
To Your Health,
Jon Herring
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Jon: You and I both know we are living i an overmedicated society. I don’t know of any one that is not on the pill for one reason or an other. Why? Because we are led to believe that we have this or that from the bought med profession. They all work for the Big Pharma conglomerate. Big business. All drugs are poisons. They interfere with the bod’s natural healing process. Anyone can invent a bunch of systems and give it a stupid name that no one can pronounce. What a bunchj of shit. Gil
Very thought-provoking.
ADD/ADHD does exist and with the right professionals, examination of behaviors, patterns, challenges, etc…. can be properly diagnosed. Is it over-diagnosed? Undoubtedly.
Pharmaceutical intervention is sometimes helpful, but I cringe thinking of a lifetime of it without knowledge of longterm effects. There are many non-medicating approaches that have proven helpful: fish oil, exercise, Vitamin D, gluten-free diets, adherence to a sleep schedule, and more.
There are oodles of online resources, some expert, others skewed to frustrated families and partners. I put a lot of faith in the work of Dr. Ned Hallowell and Dr. John Ratey.
Those contending with ADD/ADHA can also look into cognitive brain training. Learning RX is one nation-wide pioneer that offers guaranteed-results training addressing attention, memory, executive functions and more. They literally re-train the way the brain functions. Their programs are for struggling students, struggling anyone — with or without ADD or other so-called learning disabilities, and including stroke victims and traumatic-brain-injury victims.
ADD/ADHD is a complicated behavioral issue that I wouldn’t be too quick to diagnose or judge. If a diagnosis is accurate and makes sense, treat it— responsibly, healthfully.
MY APOLOGIES! I meant to give this a 5-star rating, but I errantly assumed I would have to click all five stars individually. At any rate, Jon, you have excellently articulated the subjective, speculative nature of this psuedo-disease which is really nothing more than a psychological analgesic to assuage the consciences of dysfunctional parents. It is worse than unconscionable to substitute witch-doctor-like “quick-fixes” (i.e. psycho-somatic drugs) for the far more difficult and at times unpleasant solution of teaching one’s child self-discipline (as well as being positively involved in his/her life and development).
Signed: Dad of Many Active Children
Yes, I agree. The schools are not equipped to have special and creative programs for these kids. Why should they, if the solution is a drug. In addition, parents have to work and can’t spend the time and energy to work with and to work out the challenges and learning differences of their children. It’s nobody’s fault and everybody’s fault, but pharmaceuticals are not the answer.
More and more ‘Big Pharma’ and ‘Big Gov’ want to take control of our lives. I hope and pray that many parents will read this article and do their own research. Mom..dad…they are your children…your responsibility!
I will forward this to every parent on my mailing list.
Thank you for the sharing the info.
I think you are doing a great many kids a dis-service by making ADHD out to sound like a choice that kids, teachers and parents participate in. It is very real and many kids suffer tremendously with it.
I was diagnosed with Restless Legs Syndrome in December. In my case, it is caused by low normal ferritin (iron storage) levels. As I began to research the disease, I was surprised to find that it is often misdiagnosed in children as either growing pains or ADHD.
I had my kids tested - all three have a very hard time concentrating and sitting or even standing still. Sure enough, all three had low normal levels. We are now working hard to raise their iron levels.
It is interesting to me that one of the drugs used to treat RLS is ritalin. So, even if the kid has RLS, and not ADHD, it will work - for a while. Over time, people with RLS who are treated with ritalin find that they need more and more, and their symptoms come back stronger and earlier in the day (augmentation). http://www.rls.org for information.
I am so happy that I didn’t keep up the regimen of pills for very long. I couldn’t really see any difference in his behavior with or without the pills. His doctor put him on them in Kindergarten and I took him off in first grade. The teachers wanted him on the pills, but I resisted after a very short while.
Very Informative Article….Keep up the good work…Thank you.
Who will investigate the interests of the pharmaceutical companies? It seems that those with the power to do so have a vested interest in keeping us all heavily doped up!
Great writting if only we could convince doctors to stop drugging up civilization i,m sure it would be a better world thanks Jon keep up the great work
Absolutely filled with misinformation. It is not a called a disease- because doesn’t meet the criteria of a disease. It is not contagious, it is not developed, it does not progress-
and it has been PROVEN to have a neurobiological etiology,
I don’t know where you are getting your information
but this installment if FULL of info that are misleading and untrue. Dr. Barkley is no longer at UMass- so it shows you are using OLD info. Please look into all his research- and talk to him directly.
Makes me want to cancel out your newsletter!!
The chemicals in the foods and drinks - water, soda, pasteurized milk - and air these children eat and breathe, are the real culprits. I personally know a couple whose two young sons were diagnosed with autism. They fed them organic, gluten free foods and raw certified milk. Today you would never know they were autistic. The food is the problem, not the children. And to feed them poisons in the form of ‘legal’ drugs is criminal.
I’d love to be able to share this story with my facebook friends.
I have heard similar stories for many years. “My children are “special needs”". All children have special needs.
My children are on multiple chemicals thanks to Dr Joseph Biederman and his Nazi cronies. My children are on habit forming drugs that could kill them.
It’s very sad.
Thanks for puting into writing what I’ve been telling people for years! I purposely homeschooled my daughter because I knew schools would have required her to be on ADHD drugs. School would have just been a nightmare for her.
Great, well writen and thought provocking article! It should
be required reading before any teacher submits a child
in his/her care to chemical poisoning, just to make their job easier. Kudos to you!!
Capt. Roy
I am a 64-year old teacher of high school Driver Education, having started as a high school math teacher upon college graduation. I have extensively studied ADHD/ADD, both as a means to work with my students and to understand my own ADHD situation. There are a number of ADHD/ADD behavioral characteristics which have been identified as causing very dangerous driving situations for untreated teens. I have found so many undiagnosed ADHD/ADD teens (nearly 10% of most of my classes) that I include a unit discussing it in all my classes. I firmly believe that rather than having an overmedicated population, ADHD/ADD is typically underdiagnosed and/or improperly identified as an individual’s condition as mentioned above. It affects about 8% of the population, is basically a different “wiring” of the brain and hence permanent, although the “hyper” component often diminishes with age.
As to whether or not it is a disease, the semantics could be debated. It is most certainly a definite group of behavioral characteristics held by an identifiable group of people, and can be identified by brain imaging (more later). While was not designated as a disease prior to 1987 it certainly existed—-alcoholics, dropouts, and prison inmates are in large part ADHD/ADD. I could go into extensive details about the condition, but will leave that to the massive amount of literature devoted to the subject.
The only facts I will offer are from the web pages of Dr. Daniel Amen of California, a Psychiatrist and a pioneer of brain imaging with SPECT technique, who has identified specific brain blood-flow patterns for 6 distinct types of ADHD/ADD (see http://www.amenclinics.com/brain-science/spect-image-gallery/spect-atlas/images-of-attention-deficit-disorder-addadhd/). Dr. Amen is not the first to show physical indicators of ADHD/ADD; In 1990, published PET data showed ADHD/ADD brain underactivity which is characteristic of the condition.
It is unfortunate that ADHD/ADD is so misunderstood and hence dismissed. I was diagnosed in my 50’s—if I were aware of the specifics early in life I would have had a far easier time. Stimulant drug treatment is not always necessary to overcome the most debilitating characteristic of low concentration ability, but fortunately most with ADHD/ADD exhibit above average intelligence (hence the nickname “the Edison gene”) and are able to cope. And there are many techniques that can be of help in daily living. Most of us with ADHD/ADD have, among other traits, poor handwriting, disorganized work and/or living areas, are usually late, and are ticklish.
If you wish, you may forward to me the names of folks who would like more information.
Dave King
You are partially correct–ADHD is not a DISEASE–it is a disorder. Perhaps you should study Dr Ameen’s work with the brain PET scans if you don’t think there is a biological basis for this disorder. My mother had ADHD and of course if was not diagnosed, I have it, and my 2 children have
“it” –being the brain disorganization. Go to the BrainPlace.com and you will see that you are truly misinformed. I am not saying you need to be drugged up–but there is a place for interventions that are helpful. I won’t waste your time with some of that research bc it is obvious that you are anti-drugs/chemical intervention.
And to be honest with you–If left up to you –we would go back 50 years in psychiatry and keep people locked up. Brain chemistry is complex and there are proven imbalances.
I hope you will consider getting on the Brain Place website.
I have a Master’s Degree and done alternative research as well. It is a BIG world out there.
Keep your mind open . Nancy
this is one of the excellent articles i have read i rate it 1st class
Dear Jon,
what a great article to show one of the very sad stories of todays pharma crimes. Thanks for collecting those data and the compassionate revelation to help protect our children - as they definitely are not (yet) able to help themselves from all this kind of violence against their rebellion.
This is how I see most children’s behaviour brought to my practice (natural self healing): They simply try to restist the stupidity and mental violence in the established school system and it’s stressful strategies of data processing.
If You allow I will translate Your article into German to make it available for more parents in my environment.
Thanks again for Your clarity and compassion
Andreas
Germany
Hi - I am ADHA or Hyperactive as it was called in 1974. I am incredibly Intelligent. As far as I understand it (and I have 42 years experience in this as well as 3 ADD/ADHD children) my brain waves work on a different level to “other” people. Most people’s brain waves work int he Beta brain wave level and mine and other people with this so called disorder, well our brains tend to be in the Alpha level. The Alpha level is also called the super learning state but you also have a tendency to get distracted by things that other people dont even notice. Sitting still is a problem and and impulse control can sometimes be irrelevant to me but other than that I am perfectly NORMAL.
I was diagnosed in 1974 when I started school. They put me on Rittalin for 6 months at a time in those days as they knew then that it was habit forming. Ritalin did nothing for me… it did not teach me how to focus, it did not teach me how to settle down or to think about what I was about to do. In fact I dont remember much about taking it. Luckily my parents did not leave me on it for very long. I was still however left with the belief that I was broken. I cannot begin to tell you how this affected my entire life and self esteem. Every one was more important than I was because they were “normal”, I could not believe that any one could possibly love me because, well, what do you do with something that is broken and you cant fix? I started over compensating.
A few years ago I started researching ADD/ADHD and found out that that I am part of a select group of people who are intelligent, creative and pretty much the type you want in a crisis. I decided I would rather be ADD/ADHD and have my colourful life than anything else. How could this be a disorder? It is a way of being and does not need to be fixed.”Normal” people should just accept this. We work differently, that is all.
Our Son had been accidently exposed to insecticide (Black Flag Ant & Roach Killer)at approx. two yrs.of age. ADHD symptums followed. I expressed my heart felt experiences with my Chinese Dr.Ong a Family Physician and Acupunctureist.He recommended a Book by Dr. Benjamin Feingold - Why Your Child is Hyperactive. In two weeks - Our Son normalized- was loveable,slept better,good appetite,became teachable and slef controled,dark circles under eyes disappeared- plus leg cramping gone. Symptoms would happen if food on the NO List was consumed.The No List = No preservatives-artificial flavorings & colorings - Salycitics-( aspirin-& fruits i.e.oranges-tomatoes-apples, but lemons are allowed. We avoided medication because the diet worked - I made my own bread and ice cream - Read every label - Used Pure Cod Liver Oil and if an attack came had available a solution of Vit.C -B6 Honey- Pantothenic acid (B Vitamin)+ boiled water. Followed by Calcium Gluconate. Children’s Vitamin supplements are flavored & coloured You must only use pure natural vitamins. Read every label
A study was done in Houston Tx. and it was found that pesticides were to blame in the child’s body and when the wrong foods were eaten symptoms manifested themselves. I feel sure this info. could help many children and adults.
Be Ever Watchful, Encouraging and Loving with those who are challenged.
Great article with lots of information.
I would love to see what kind of response you suggest for a hyperactive child. What should their parents do?
Best wishes.
Excellent article. Nothing really new to me as I have been in agreement for years. It’s astonishing to me that so many parents will blindly put their kids on these mind altering drugs just because a doctor or teacher tells them to.
Back in the early 80’s when I was a kid in school I probably exihibited the classic signs of ADHD but there was no talk about that sort of thing back then. I doubt any teacher had even heard of it. I hated school, was extremely bored, rarely paid attention, my mind always wandered, I had trouble sitting still, etc. Well guess what? I grew up just fine without drugs. I even went on to graduate college and I have a good job and a great family.
I just want to congratulate you on your article and the common sense approach you have adopted to ADD / ADHD. I have two children both of whom were ‘diagnosed’ as ADD (without the hyperactivity) and yes they both struggle to concentrate sometimes. I would never contemplate giving my children a drug to ‘fix’ this problem, but that hasn’t made me very popular with schools or the medical profession. Perhaps we should take a closer look at teaching methods and as you quite rightly pointed out look at toxins, diet etc. I was put under a huge amount of pressure to medicate my children and this quite shocked me.
Regarding the ADHD medication article …
This article was good at defining the problem of labeling and medicating “ADHD”. HOWEVER, I didn’t read any solutions in terms of testing or prescribing food, nutrients, exercises (Super Brain Yoga kind of stuff), integrated medicine options (Accupuncture, Chiropractics, etc.) - I really didn’t see any of that in the article.
Getting to optimum function requires BOTH Problem Definition and Solution Options - I got the Problem Definition from the article, but from what I read, it stopped there.
As the parent of a 19 year daughter who has had extreme behaviors since early childhood, thousands of dollars in seeking help for her, HomeSchooling to enable a rich, non-medicated spectrum of life and learning opportunities, I have found this to be a consistent and prolific attribute in researching solutions: the primary focus virtually everywhere is on Problem Definition, with minimal (or no) focus on Solution Options.
I would encourage a follow-up article on Solution Options & Resources. In our daughter’s case, we even took her to Dr. Amen’s “Amen Clinic” for SPEC Scans where it was confirmed she has a low functioning back right lobe in the brain, possibly from oxygen being cut off during gestation, as her biological mother drank to some unknown degree (our daughter does not have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, but there seems to have been a degreed affect). The Amen Clinic, and everywhere else we’ve gone for help (MANY, many places)have basically all settled in on pharmeceutical solutions which, frankly, did not work. I would LOVE to see what Solution Options are available for testing and treating with natural options, and I know there are thousands (millions?) of people in the same situation.
Thank You,
Nancy Schmidt
First of all, I join with you in deploring that every school kid in the US who ever fidgeted is being diagnosed as having ADD and encouraged, even forced, to develop a dependence on certain drugs. I also know adults whose therapists are now being encouraged to think of themselves as suddenly suffering from “adult ADD,” which is quite impossible. If they didn’t have anything resembling ADD when I knew them in school, they don’t have it now.
ADD nevertheless is a real syndrome, and a life-destroying one. I now realize it ran roughshod through my entire family; and this was years before we realized it had a name. (By the way, there is nothing sinister is something’s being given a name; everything begins without a name. It is a little easier to deal with something when you can call it something.)
Whatever you call it, REAL ADD is no laughing matter, and I am sick of its being the subject of either jokes or denial.
Sorry about the error in my previous posting. I meant to say “adults whose therapists are now encouraging them to think of themselves as suddenly suffering from “adult ADD…”
I should add that I found something that helped me. That help has not been a “cure,” but an ability to wrestle much, much longer with difficult challenges. A friend who observed the changeover tells me it has lasted for decades. The fact remains that even now I remain a pretty good mind, floating nervously on a sea of learning disabilities.
Still, I would recommend what I have been using, if only because it leads to a somewhat calmer, even somewhat happier life.
That something is grapeseed extract. Before that I briefly used Pycnogenol (c)?, which had the same effect but at much greater cost.
The other thing that helps, and you can teach yourself by getting a book from the library, is meditation. There are many kinds of meditation–and what many people do not know is that there is a long CHRISTIAN tradition of meditation.
Taken together, meditation and grapeseed extract have not come close to curing my ADD and healing my life. They have, however, eased the pain somewhat.
This article is fine as far as it goes. So if drugs are not the answer, what is? There are, in fact, behavioral problems that can be observed when a child who has been “diagnosed” with ADHD is taken OFF the medication prescribed. So, what can they do instead of taking the drugs? You can’t just go “cold turkey” without endangering their chances of graduating from school! So, what’s next?
Yeah…what Nancy said. I probably wouldn’t have commented if I’d read her comments first. But that’s what I MEANT to say.
You know what my Schoolteacher mother did 35 years ago to the fat, fidgety, ADHD kid in her 4th grade class? Made him run laps around the school building! Every time he started to disturb the class, she told him to start a lap around the building. She would call ahead to other teachers around the building so they would watch for him. By the end of the school year, he was very fit (he started running at home too), more focused, and passing all of his classes. He also learned to recognize when his brain would start to wander and would ask to go for a run in order to focus himself.
I can assure you ADHD is a disease. I was undiagnosed and untreated for years resulting in a large degree of damage to my development and mental makeup. One could argue that the brain of one labeled ADHD simply functions differently, and needs to be allowed to follow their own path. This is a nice thought, but completely insane if such a person is to truly function in present society, the very society so many unimpaired individuals have difficulty integrating into.
Continuing to deny ADHD’s existence simply encourages those who discriminate against the condition and lends doubt to those who suffer from it. Being ADHD for me means a constant attack on my self worth, which has on more than one occasion been life threatening. I’d say it’s a disease
ADHD is real, and can be diagnosed with specific behavioral screening by a competent professional. As one who has a son who was diagnosed early, it became apparent that I also fit “the profile” and I was subsequently diagnosed as well. We both responded well to ritalin therapy, and we both have since learned coping mechanisms that help to overcome poor focus and followthrough. Johns Hopkins had done extensive research into thermal imaging of brains of those with ADHD and has identified impaired functioning in those areas of the brain dealing with focus and concentration, as well as short-term memory. Ritalin class drugs increase physiological factors that increase brain processing and allow the normal functioning of areas that had been underperforming. This allows for the normal self-regulatory functions of the brain to effect concentration and ignore distractions. Sure worked for us! While the label is somewhat stigmatizing, having an explanation for poor academic performance and failure is liberating, and self validating. As we often say, it’s an explanation, not an excuse! The real work is learning what helps manage the tendencies, and then following through.
I agree that schools are too quick to label “disabilities” in students, as there is an economic incentive to receive additional funding for such students. Also can’t dismiss the element of “control” over those students who might be somewhat disruptive. Good luck on addressing those issues.
I’ve always maintained that the term ADD is a misnomer. The problem isn’t attention deficit, rather it is attention overload. The ADHD/ADD’ers can be so overwhelmed they have difficulty determining what to concentrate on.
Many people, including medical professionals, often misread certain afflictions such as learning disorders as ADHD/ADD. While a lot of ADHD/ADD’ers have learning disorders, the opposite isn’t necessarily true.
While I had earlier mentioned there are ADHD/ADD characteristics that put untreated teens in danger when driving (such as being easily distracted), may I also bring to your attention that those with the condition are frequently challenged with other psychiatric conditions, and everyone should be made aware of it. For instance, about 40% of ADHD/ADD’ers suffer from clinical depression.
I had a child who was labeled as severely ADHD at the age of 3! Refusing to allow the Doctors to put him on Ritalin at the ripe old age of 3, I turned to changing his diet. I found the Feingold Diet, a diet that eliminates artificial colors, artificial flavors and 3 preservatives: BHA, BHT and TBHQ. The results were nothing short of miraculous. He began to sleep through the night, have the ability to actually sit through a meal, a television show, a story. He stopped crying all the time, stopped having tantrums, was able to play with other children, and just became the sweet little boy that I knew was hiding in that little body!
He stayed on that diet his whole life, and graduated cum laude from college. These ADHD kids are smart kids! They are just sensitive to all the chemicals we feed them. Take away the chemicals and the sky is the limit for these bright, wonderful children!
Deb Schmidt
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Nutrition is an important factor . Also kids need attention so they try to gain the others ( parents , teachers, siblings , friends or other caregivers)attention by inappropriate behavior. It can be result of both .
I work at an elementary school in a traditionally poor area; we have a HUGE proportion of students ‘diagnosed’ with ADD/ADHD, many of whom are medicated for their whole school kindergarten-up school experience… these kids also have hideous nutrition (sugar/fat/salt/processed foods almost exclusively; domestic instability (many have attended more than 3 differnt schools before 2nd grade); domestic violence; etc. etc. etc.
OF COURSE it’s hard to concentrate on word problems and spelling lists! That is the reasonable and predictable response, for a (normal) stressed-out human brain… We have just gotta let go of the idea that there’s a pill for every problem. No wonder teens abuse prescription drugs at the highest rate in US history: we’ve taught them how, at every turn.
I’m new to Adult ADHD and found this a very interesting article with a lot of interesting comments. The whole question of disease is a tough one. I don’t know if ADHD is a disease or not. Calling it a disease does allow certain things to happen in a medical context. As a diagnosis, docs can write prescriptions for it and bill for procedures related to it. Psychologically, some individuals will feel relieved by a diagnosis and others will feel stigmatized. That’s life. Everyone’s different.
My “quirky” pal, Teddy, is an awesome cook. I’ve known him for a couple years, figured out he had ADHD 2 months ago and told him. He was recently evaluated but isn’t being treated beyond that, yet. He’s 64 and has 5 grand children. He’s a happy, intelligent guy who figured out on his own how to live with ADHD. But, it isn’t easy for him. However, I think his ADHD does give him an amazing ability to blend flavors and textures when he cooks. It’s a two edged sword, from what I can tell. Is it a disease? I’m not sure.
great article,gives a different perspective to the disease that cannot be measured biochemically but that can be treated with biochemical substance !! Stats are very frightening. this infomation needs to be in the public domain we need to really look at alternatives to medication for adhd. what about coping skills ?
Tried to place an order but it was not eccepted,
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I have to agree with Deb Schmidt, above, in what she says about diet issues. In fact, Total Health Breakthroughs even had an article not long ago regarding a school (in Wisconsin, as I recall) where changes in the menu to natural - home-style - foods solved many if not most of the behavioral and learning problems of the students. Almost overnight.
THB has also had numerous articles about food additives and how unhealthy they are for us. Think about it: Our bodies were not created to be ingesting all the man-made chemicals that are in our foods today, they were created when there WERE no man-made chemicals at all.
When I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s no one heard of ADD or ADHD, nor did we hear about MSG, aspartame, or preservatives of any kind. Obesity wasn’t a major issue, nor was teenage drug use. Depression was rare and the modern over-prescribed anti-depressants didn’t exist. In short, it’s a strong possibility that chemicals are causing our problems and doctors are simply prescribing more chemicals to treat them. NONE of them are healthy.
This article succinctly reproduces every canard put forth by those, like yourself, who should know better. I thank you for giving voice to Dr. Baughman and others who occupy the lunatic fringe. Most importantly, thank you for offering no real alternate explanation or treatment for this constellation of behaviors which, it would seem based on your explanation, is caused by nothing.
I’m appalled by the level of excuses given by people who profess that “ADD and ADHD” are real disorders or diseases. They site incomplete sources as proof to their claim, but they prove their own bias by not delving into how the studies were conducted. Indeed, they are only deluding themselves. The truth is there is such a thing as children who have no-self control (that’s not a disease). There are ways to learn self-control and also to reduce things that would distract a child to cause them to become unmanageable.
Good thought provoking article. I do know that there are those who abnormal brain function has been discovered through testing however, most children are not tested enough to prove that they are suffering from something actually physiologically abnormal and should not be labled with any disorder.
In my husband’s clinical nutrition practice we have found children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, Autism and other diseases to be suffering in fact from anything from sleep deprivation, low body water levels, low protein levels, imbalances between carbohydrates and protein, sugar imbalances effected by lifestyle choices. His testing proves chemical imbalances and determines the treatment. Almost 100% of the time lifestyle changes or/and some natural/herbal solutions 100% “fix” the child’s challenges.
We all need take more responsibility ofr our own health and medical treatments and look at alternatives to chemical solutions whatever the diagnoises is - a pill is the lazy and most ineffective way of treating today’s greatest medical conditions whether it be high bloodpressure, high cholestorol, diabetese, heart disease, athritis, and the list goes on.
Whenever I read about ADD/ADHD and pharmaceutical “treatment” I want to cry. This is just another example of assembly line medicine. Physicians don’t want to or can’t spend the time to explore their patients’ individual biochemical states to determine why their brains aren’t functioning efficiently. It suits their busy schedules better to just whip out the old prescription pad and throw a pill or potion at the symptoms.
My children and I are all gluten intolerant and suffer from endocrine and neurological damage including hypothyroidism, hypoadrenalism, multiple nutrient deficiencies due to malabsorbtion, cerebellar ataxia, and a host of other problems including poor concentration and memory and inordinate distractability. A gluten free diet started early in life and strictly adhered to would have prevented these conditions but not one of our many doctors tried to find the underlying cause of our symptoms.
We simply aren’t doing enough to screen children for the underlying physical conditions that can cause ADD/ADHD. Much more research needs to be done with the aim of anticipating and preventing these conditions before they become a life altering reality.