Attention Deficit Disorder… Is It Really A Ritalin Deficiency?

Attention deficit disorder is the complex neurological disorder in which a patient has a very limited ability to concentrate and most times does not perform well in social settings. Disruptive behavior, outbursts, depression and withdrawal are some other common signs of this condition. There are no definitive tests to determine it the condition exists and it is often a diagnosis by exclusion. This means if it is not anything else, then it must be this.

Let’s first look at the facts, then decide what we need to do to correct this out of control epidemic. It would appear that the condition known as attention deficit disorder (ADD) and it’s partner, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is out of control due to the number of children and adults who suffer from the symptoms on a daily basis. The number of effected people continues to rise and many of the treatments currently being used have far- reaching and devastating side effects, which in many case are worse than the condition itself. There has been a 600% increase in child suicide since 1960. There has been a 400% increase in psychiatric ward admissions. 2 million children take Ritalin every day and its use has increased 770% in the past five years. Ritalin is a "schedule 2" drug which is in the same class as cocaine, but is 5 times more addictive. In one study, 43% of kids treated with drugs (vs. multi-therapy, non-drug treatment) were arrested on felony charges before the age of 18. Our youth, and many of our adult population, are desperately looking for a way out of this social nightmare. The good news is that there is help, and fixing the cause is the answer.

There are four primary causes of ADD/ADHD. The first is an emotional imbalance. There may have been a family or social issue that triggered the child into a less-than -rational response and the condition is now effecting how the child interacts with others. The first thing I tell parents to look at is how are they raising the child. If mom and dad are unable to spend time with the child, he or she may be causing trouble just to get attention. Bad attention is better than no attention in a child’s mind. Perhaps there are relationship problems in the family. Mom and dad may not be best of friends, or there may be an in-law situation that the child is concerned about. Talk to the child to see if you can figure out what the problem may be. Think about the family situation and see if you can find the problem. Financial concerns in the family can also lead to the child not performing at their best. If the child hears arguments or fears expressed about money, he or she may somehow feel responsible for the problem. If drug abuse or alcoholism is in the family and the child is aware of it, this could be the cause of emotional conditions.

If problems occur that may not be appropriate for a child to be exposed to, it may be prudent to not let the child know about them. A death, a move, or any dramatic change in lifestyle can also be the source of the problem. Remember that children have a different viewpoint of life than most adults and many times do not know how to handle situations.

Learning style may also be an issue. Different people learn differently. Some are visual and learn best by seeing things. Others are auditory, they learn best by hearing things. Still others are tactile, they learn best by touching things. If you try to force a tactile or visual learner into an auditory environment, he or she will probably not do well and may be falsely labeled ADD. Discover what environment works best for your child and try to provide them with plenty of that type of stimulation. It does not have to be exclusively that style of learning, but the more you give, the better they will do. I find that most ADD labeled kids are close to or above genius level, they just need to be taught how to bring out their best.

Nutrition plays a key role in this elusive disorder. Sensitivities to things such as dairy, wheat, eggs, corn, chocolate, aspartame, additives and dyes, yeast, coffee and sugar can cause ADD symptoms and lead the patient to be subjected to drugs and other unnecessary therapies. The one of the easiest and least invasive way to deal with ADD patients is to take out all of the above foods from their diet for 10 days. Then re-introduce the suspect foods one at a time. See how the patient responds after being exposed to each one for 3 days. If no adverse response is noted, take that food out again and re-introduce another food. Go through the entire list this way and you will most likely find one or more offending foods. By taking that food out of the diet, you should see some amazing results and help prevent drug intervention, which oftentimes has extreme adverse side effects. If we drug the next generation of leaders and prevent them from performing at their best, the future will not be what it can be.

Nerve malfunction almost always plays a role in ADD. It is the easiest cause to detect and also the easiest to correct. If a bone in the spine moves out of normal alignment, it will pinch nerves and blood vessels. If the nerve to a certain area of the body is pinched, it will cause that part of the body to malfunction. In ADD patients, it is inevitable that there will be a bone in the upper part of the neck that has become misaligned and will be interfering with the nerve supply to the brain, eyes, ears and sinuses. This will either be the cause of the condition or certainly be a major contributing factor. These misalignments can be caused by falls, playing sports; even the birthing process can put tremendous strain on the neck of a child. It is important to be sure the spine is free of nerve interference for this condition as well as for just about all health conditions.

There are 120,000 good, non-toxic foods on this earth. It is easy to replace, what I call, the 7 Deadly Sins of eating with these 120,000 other choices. Give up the alcohol, meat, sugar, dairy, coffee, soda and artificial sweeteners and replace them with fruits, veggies, grains and nuts. Try it for a few weeks and see how quickly your health improves. There are only 26,960 days in the average life, let’s live them to their fullest, drug free and healthy. ADD is not caused by a lack of Ritalin in a child’s diet.

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Last Update: 03/10/08 10:42:25 AM
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