Posted by Noah's Dove

Attention Deficit Disorder http://www.drday.com/attentiondeficit.htm

by Lorraine Day, M.D.

A child is given the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), also
called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when he is
considered overactive, cannot pay attention and cannot sit still, ALL
VERY subjective symptoms. ADD is diagnosed four times more frequently in
boys because boys mature more slowly than girls and because boys are put
in classes at school with girls of the same age, so the boys, being less
mature, appear to be hyperactive. Irritability anger and mental
confusion may also be present so these children are then labeled as
having a "Learning Disability." However, these symptoms are virtually
identical to the symptoms of hypoglycemia, low blood sugar which is
caused by the up and down swings of insulin resulting from eating too
much refined sugar.
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, these 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 sixfold 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 diseasesof 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 Drean (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 moral 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. Study the Bible
and pray with your child every day. Read Bible stories to your child.
Children (and adults) become like those they admire. If they learn about
Jesus, they will admire Him and want to be like Him. This has the most
calming influence of all.
For more information on the harmful effects to the brain and nervous
system from the problems of modern life, watch my video "Turn on the
Light."

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