ADHD

When it comes to ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) there seems to be three distinct camps.

Camp 1 claims that it is a valid disorder, if not a full fledged disease. These people feel that the best way to deal with it is with medication. Some even go so far as to say that the earlier that medication is started the better. The problem with these medications is that their long term effect has not been studied in depth. There are indications that these drugs can cause some serious problems such as
•    Permanent brain damage
•    Liver damage
•    Heart and blood vessel damage7
•    Heart attack,
•    stroke,
•    sudden death
•    Changes in personality, depression and/or hallucinations,
•    suicide
•    Increased cancer risk

Camp 2 feels that there is a problem, but that drugs are not the answer. They point to the skyrocketing rate of increase in diagnosis in the last few years. They see a correlation between the increases of chemicals in our water, food and personal care products and the increase in attention problems. If this group is correct the best way of dealing with this epidemic is to take us back to a simpler way of life with fresh foods from the garden and farm.

Camp 3 believes that ADHD doesn't exist, it is a figment of imagination of those in the medical, especially psychological, industry. These folks look at the changes in our education systems and see an impact from that on the behavior of our children. They point to the fact that teachers are changing their teaching methods in such a way that there are two groups of children that feel left out and bored.

These two groups are the ones that are ahead of what the teacher is teaching, and those that are behind and are struggling to catch up. There are less physical activities in the classroom as well.  A bored child has a harder time focusing on the subject matter. They also have a harder time sitting still.

This combination causes more children to be disruptive.

In this viewpoint parents are also partially to blame. They sit their small child down in front of the television for hours. Then they think there is something wrong when the child begins running around the room, jumping on the furniture and acting out what they have been watching. These parents need to understand that wiggles and short attention spans are normal in young children. They really are not tiny adults.

So, as a parent or grandparent of a young child what are you supposed to do?

1.  Make sure your expectations are realistic
2.  Look at the physical activity provided for the child, make sure there is enough
3.  Look at the food the child is eating and eliminate the following;

•  sugar and artificial sweeteners
•  grains
•  processed foods
•  artificial colors and flavors
•  exposure to electro-magnetic fields (EMF)
•  exposure to household chemicals
•  Glyphosate-contaminated food
•  Fluoridated water and/or fluoride
  supplements

4.  Increase your childs exposure to;

•  Physical activity breaks
•  Fermented foods without added sugar
•  Omega 3 fatty acids
•  Vitamin D
•  Increase time outdoors, especially in nature
•  Positive reinforcement of positive behaviors

If there truly is an underlying physical problem these things will still help. If it is simply emotional acting out based on environmental stimulants these changes should have a profound effect. Either way your child will be better off, and you may possibly avoid some very dangerous drugs.

Since Adderall abuse has grown to epidemic levels you can find more information about the best all-natural alternatives to Adderall. https://www.cognitune.com/best-natural-adderall-alternatives/ 


Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/043139_ADHD_psychiatric_insanity_overdiagnosis.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/05/adhd-glyphosate.aspx?e_cid=20131205Z1A_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20131205Z1A&et_cid=DM36054&et_rid=358086679
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/01/16/adhd-drugs-side-effects.aspx?e_cid=20140116Z1_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20140116Z1&et_cid=DM37747&et_rid=400020922
http://www.naturalnews.com/044057_fluoridated_water_ADHD_mental_disorders.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/044134_ADHD_false_paradigm_children.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/044825_artificial_colors_hyperactivity_food_regulations.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/05/01/antidepressants-adhd-drugs.aspx?e_cid=20140501Z1-US-HH-low_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20140501Z1-US-HH-low&et_cid=DM45338&et_rid=505609756
http://www.naturalnews.com/045399_ADHD_toddlers_psychiatric_medication.html

Are Your Kids Being Diagnosed With ADHD?

More and more kids each year are being diagnosed with learning disabilities. There are some that think that the screening for these is too tight. Others believe that the parents and teachers have lost their tolerance for healthy and active children. Still others believe that there truly is an increase due to the increase in sugar, food additives, antibiotics and hormones in our foods. Along this same line there are those that would say the lack of nutrition in the standard American diet plays a huge role. 

What if they are all right? 

What if there is a combination of all of these factors?  Getting to the cause of these issues is the best way to deal with any problem. It gets harder when there are multiple factors in play.  

If you are a normal parent and you are concerned about your child your first impulse is to find out if there is something really wrong with them. What happens if your doctor can’t find anything wrong, but puts them on a medication ‘just in case’? This seems to be happening a lot in our world today. 

The problem is that those medications have not been proven effective, and come with a host of huge side effects. Typically when side effects occur doctors are reluctant to remove medications, they just add more to cover the side effects.

Those side effects include things like strokes and heart attacks, high blood pressure, slower growth rate, seizures, increased heart rate and eyesight changes or blurred vision. The most disturbing side effects are worsening of behavior and thought processes, new or worsening of bipolar symptoms, new or wore aggressive behavior or hostility, hearing voices and/or acting on those voices, mania, and suicidal tendencies. If the side effects are the same (or worse) than the original problem how can we be sure they are ‘helping’ the child? Parents are being asked to risk the lives and futures of their children with drugs that are inconclusive as to if they work.

What if parents worked on the children’s diets before they opted for drugs? 

What if they took a few classes in behavioral management to teach themselves and their kids how to cope with the behaviors that were being considered unacceptable in the home and classroom?

Nutritionally we always seem to focus on what needs to be taken away. 

In this case it may be a really good place to start. The first thing would be sugar, in all its forms. This includes both foods and beverages, including those so called healthy fruit drinks. Secondly would be all processed foods. Yes, I know that parents have very little time to actually cook, but it doesn’t take that much more time to hand your kid an apple than it does a cookie.  These two things alone would make a huge impact on most kids.

Then we need to look at what might be missing.   

If they have been eating mostly processed foods they are probably missing nutrients, enzymes and fiber. These are actually pretty easy to supplement. Fish oil supplements containing DHA have been shown to have an impact on behavior. So have probiotics and fiber supplements. Eating organically and taking a plant based vitamin and mineral supplements have been shown to help as well. If digestion is suffering a plant based enzyme supplement may also be called for. Probiotics are also a must.

What else could be missing? 

If they are the typical modern child then fresh air and exercise are definitely missing. It is understandable that people in dangerous neighborhoods don’t want their children to be running around outside without supervision. Recess and PE in our schools used to help, but budget cuts have eliminated a lot of them. Parents may have to get creative in order to combat the television and video game culture our children are being indoctrinated with. This may even be the hardest part of the formula for healthier kids, both physically and emotionally.

Sources:

http://www.naturalnews.com/040160_DHA_fish_oil_impulsivity.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/040355_ADHD_scam_psychiatry.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/20/drugging-children.aspx?e_cid=20130720_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130720

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/29/adhd-drug-emergencies.aspx?e_cid=20130829Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130829Z1

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/03/antidepressant-side-effects.aspx?e_cid=20131003Z1_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20131003Z1

http://www.naturalnews.com/042555_ADHD_learning_disabilities_myths.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/042948_amphetamines_children_schedule_II_drugs.html