Are children today having a kid life crisis ?

Does ADHD really exist ?

ADHD - a disease that more and more children seen to have ...But does ADHD really exit ? It's estimated that around 8-10% children worldwide are identified as having this type of disorder. 

ADHD, is the official term for what used to be known as hyperactivity, with poor attention span, poor concentration, and hyperactive behavior. If a child is diagnosed as having ADHD (or similar problems like dyslexia/dyspraxia), the drug Ritalin will more likely be prescribed to him/her. Does ADHD really exit ?

A top group of child psychiatrist and psychologists, convened by the National Institutes of Health in the US in 1988, failed to find substantial evidence that there is a disease called ADHD. This is purely a descriptive label given to children with a variety of behavioral and learning difficulties, and the diagnostic tells us nothing about the cause or treatment. In other words, every child is different, showing their own unique pattern of difficulties in learning, coordination and behavior and, as you will see, with the optimum nutrition many of these difficulties often go away without recourse to drugs.

Sadly, millions of children are put on Ritalin every year (or similar drugs), same to amphetamine and with similar properties to cocaine ! Many hyperactive children are not evaluated for chemical, nutritional and allergenic factors, nor are they treated nutritionally. Instead, they are quickly put on these types of drugs. A wide range of harmful side effects can include things like: facial tics, paranoid delusions, heart arrhythmia, or even suicidal thoughts ! All these may initiate changes in brain structure and function that remain long after the therapeutic effects have dissipated. Plus, this in turn leads to greater susceptibility to drug dependence in later life.

Sometimes, the simple answers are too good to be believed in.

For example, magnesium deficiency (up to 95%) occurs much more frequently in children with ADHD than in healthy children. Studies show that magnesium supplementation successfully reduces ADHD symptoms. In one such study, a combination of magnesium and vitamin B6 was shown to reduce symptoms such as physical aggressiveness, instability, and poor attention at school in all study participants (52 children) after one to six months of treatment. Magnesium, together with vitamin B6, may also be beneficial for autistic patients.
Does it sound too good to be true ? Well, the simple reason is that Magnesium does the same job as Ritalin (not to mention Rotalin's side effects): they both correct a noradrenalin deficiency (the neurotransmitter in charge with motivation and behavior). Other nutrients also involved in the production of noradrenalin include: B6, vitamin C, Zinc, Iron, Manganese.
More than this, supplementing all those is far more efficient than Ritalin.

The culprits behind ADHD:
 
- Poor nutrition: essential vitamin/mineral deficiency, essential fatty acids deficiency (Omega3/6), too much refined carbohydrates (diets high in sugar and refined carbs lower the levels of nutrients). Sugar has been implicated in aggressive behavior, anxiety, eating disorders, fatigue, disrupted sleep paters, or learning difficulties. Carbs should be balanced with protein to improve glucose tolerance.

- Too many antibiotics: a significantly higher percentage of children with ADHD had taken several courses of antibiotics in early childhood. Further investigations revealed that children who had had three or more antibiotic courses before age of 3, tested significantly lower levels of zinc, calcium chromium and selenium.

- Toxic metal intoxication: excess anti-nutrients can also induce ADHD - lead, copper, aluminum 

- Allergies: stay away from artificial additives in foods; or if you know you might have a problem, avoid known food allergens like: gluten (wheat), casein (dairy products), peanuts, soy, eggs, etc. One other type of additive that can also cause problems is a naturally contained compound called salicylates. The list of foods containing salicylates is huge (many fruits, veggies, meat, etc) so instead of avoiding the inhibitor (salicylates) it may be sufficient to increase the supply of essential fatty acids as the salicylates inhibit their conversion and utilization.

If you're not sure which one is the culprit behind your child's problems, you can ask for a test at any time (blood tests, hair-mineral analysis for toxic minerals, a micronutrient test for vitamin/mineral deficiency, an IgG test for food allergies and so on)

One other great example:

Every child is unique - some are just more active than others, more creative, more passionate - this is where we need to step in and see the difference between the genetic traits or the momentarily problems the child is dealing with.

"The Element", one of the greatest books any parent should read (written by Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources), is telling us a story (among many other examples) about a famous prima ballerina, Gillian Lynne - born in 1926.

"Gillian as a child, in our days, would likely be diagnosed as having ADHD, as she didn’t concentrate in her classes at all. Taken to see an educational specialist, the psychologist was smart enough to leave the room, turn on the radio, and let the young girl dance. He told her parents, “Gillian isn’t sick – she’s a dancer”. She went on to a dance school, joined the Royal Ballet and has choreographed most of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musicals. Nowadays, we would give her medication and tell her to calm down".

So you as a parent, are left to think twice about all these...

Source: "New Optimum Nutrition for the Mind" by Patrick Holford