ADHD Explained

Guest · Guest

My son's teacher thinks he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is hinting at possible Ritalin use. Can you tell us more about this condition?

Ogi Ressel · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 8

There is much controversy surrounding this so-called condition. ADHD is characterized by certain observed behaviours: fidgeting, blurting out answers, lack of focus, loss of concentration, interrupting others, distractibility and difficulty with instructions. (I'll bet these probably applied to you when you were in school. I know they applied to me!)

These characteristics sound like those of a normal, healthy, spirited, bored child. Most children I have seen diagnosed with ADHD are very bright, gifted and right-brained. In other words, they learn in a non-traditional manner.

The other aspect of this "condition" I take issue with is that there are no tests for it. The diagnosis is based on observation. In other words: on someone else's view of how your child should behave. Taking into account that approximately 20 percent of people have antisocial tendencies, such criteria used to establish a diagnosis of ADHD sit on perilous ground.

Dr. Peter Breggin, director of the International Centre for the Study of Psychiatry, feels that ADHD should be renamed to DADD: dad attention deficit disorder. I tend to agree.

I had the pleasure of speaking to Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, the famous "medical heretic," before his death, and he told me that it could be our perception that is at fault. "Is it the child who is hyperactive, or is it that the average earthling is no longer excited about life?" he asked.

To "treat" this condition, children are then placed on Ritalin, a class II narcotic. It is estimated that 80 percent of children on Ritalin will be on it for life. ADHD is being sold to parents under the suggestion that these children have a chemical imbalance in the brain and need Ritalin to balance their brain chemistry. A number of researchers are outraged over this so-called treatment. One of the most outspoken is pediatric neurologist Fred Baughman, who feels that the psychiatry profession works for the drugs industry to promote legal drug trafficking. I could go on...

As a result, Ciba-Novartis, the manufacturer of Ritalin, is facing three major lawsuits in the United States for manufacturing, colluding and inventing a disease that requires narcotic therapy for the sake of profit.

Definitely consider all of your options before making any kind of decision about this drug.

Guest · Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 4:14 am Post subject:

Have you thought about changing your son's diet? feingold.org has a wonderful website full of articles talking about the effects of certain foods and non-foods (artificial dyes) on the behaviour of kids who have been labelled adhd or asd.

Cilia · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 3

What does Ressel know about the subject? He's an ex-chiropractor who was sued for malpractice after complaints regarding his lack of professionalism.

Where does he get off talking about ADHD. That has nothing to do with what he was supposedly trained to do, and even that was doubtful. I've heard nothing but negative things about him.

He has no training in psychology or psychiatry. If I were you, I would look elsewhere for info on ADHD.

fionngealach · Joined: 16 Aug 2006 Posts: 2

Personally from what I have read I would be cautious with giving medication for a condition that a teacher believes your child has, a lot of teachers jump the gun on that one.

Also if Add or Adhd is the case I agree on looking into the diet for the cause, milk is highly suspected in the cause as is wheat. So I would definatly go for that root. If you can afford to see a Naturopath I would go see one or an Orthomolecular Dr. These two practiioners can probably find out the cause and or the solution.

cathyB · Guest

I'm no expert, but I have done a lot of reading. I have a child with ADHD, ODD, &LDs. There is a lot you can do for your ADHD as long as the child is willing to drink/swallow supplements. ADHD is a blanket diagnosis which has various causes. You need to find out who your child is biochemically. E.g. does your child have heavy metals, allergies, mineral/vitamin deficiencies? You need to find a good natural therapist who specializes in mental disorders. Also, read all you can about the work of Dr. A. Hoffer, Dr. C. Pfeiffer, Dr. W. Walsh, Dr. P. Holford. This will take you a few weeks, after that, you will be in a better position to know more about what to do for your child.Oh, I almost forgot, please do a search on the net about "ADHD and mangosteen" (also noni juice", you will be amazed at the success stories). cathy

Guest · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 9:13 am Post subject:

If this was my child we were talking about, I would definitely be considering all other options available other than drugs, and diet is definitely where I was start, in addition to asking a lot of questions from people who are & are not specialists (no doubt there can be value in even an ex-chiropractor's opinion).

To me drugs have side effects & can lead to other problems. Drugs should be a last resort & finding the root of the problem should be the priority. Too many people "pop" drugs as a quick fix.

teacher10258 · Guest

ADHD is probably the most overdiagnosed and least understood condition in American schools today. I have no medical background or training nor do many teachers. However, when a student doen't fit into the mold of model student and they are less than attentive many teachers jump to the conclusion that the child has ADHD or some other "D" disease. They want classes that run smoothly and with no disruptions. They are armed with a few articles from teaching journals and faculty breakroom gossip that tout the improvements of "ADHD" children behavior in classrooms. We are too ready to jump into the medicine cabinet in this country for solutions and turn our children into perfect little learning zombies that fit into our structured automoton enabled classrooms. Do not put your child on Ritalin. Look to diet, excercise, and learning modalities. Your right brained child is probably very intelligent and bored. He/she is being undertaught in our dumbed down classrooms. I would also read up on "Indigo Children." It may seem a bit far fetched if your mind isn't open to a new generation of children. But, it explains a lot about the changes in our children and Doreen Virtue wrote, [i]The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children, which includes interviews with children that have been subjected to the chemical control of Ritilan. Check it out. Good luck and Light.[/i]