Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is more commonly called
ADHD, and in the space of a couple of decades, has gone from
a relatively
uncommon syndrome to a household word. Overall, 6 to 8% of
the children
in the United States are being diagnosed with this disease,
and 2.5 million are
being treated with long-term medication. This is a 1,600%
increase since
the 1970s! Almost one in every 10 boys is currently diagnosed
with this disease,
and the medical establishment is constantly pushing for more
diagnoses
and treatment. It sometimes seems that every time we turn
around, another
child has been diagnosed with this disorder and placed on
pharmaceutical
medication, which the child is expected to take throughout
childhood and
even for life. Worse yet, there is very little solid research
concerning the
long-term benefits or side-effects of these medicines. [All
ADHD statistics
are from the Center for Disease Control web site, cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/
data.html.]
Many of us are skeptical, alarmed, or uncertain about all of this. It
just
doesn’t seem right that millions of our children have suddenly
developed a
need to take chronic medication in order to succeed in life.
Some suspect
that the medical establishment is creating a disease where
there is none; many
people believe parental discipline has become too lax or
that schools are asking
too much of children; others worry that we are just not “letting
kids be
kids.” The enormous increase in the number of children being treated
for
ADHD is often seen as a combination of parental failure,
incompetent
schools and teachers, overzealous doctors, and avaricious
drug companies.
Critics see a society trying to solve common childhood difficulties
by handing
out a pill and medicating millions of children rather than
taking the time
to implement effective parenting and teaching approaches.
On the other side of the issue are parents whose children are having
real
problems. They may be falling behind and behaving poorly
at school, having
a hard time making or keeping friends, and being extremely
difficult to
manage at home. These problems persist despite the fact that
these parents
are providing the best care and discipline they can manage.
Often, they have
other children with no such difficulties and are raising
all their children with
the same love and caring discipline. They simply do not know
what to do
when their child cannot learn at school or is completely
unmanageable at
home or in public.
Teachers are also in a bind. How can they teach children who won’t
sit in
their seats, who cannot seem to focus for more than two minutes
at a time
on their work, who distract other kids, and who fall further
and further behind
academically?
The pediatrician or family practice physician is asked to evaluate and
fix
these problems as quickly as possible so everyone can get
back to their busy
and overstressed lives. Often, the physician is supposed
to do this in a 10- or
15-minute visit, in the quickest and easiest way possible
for everyone involved.
Is it any wonder that the prescription pad is pulled out
so often?
Where is the truth in all this? Is ADHD just a diagnosis made up for
convenience
to medicate our kids instead of parenting, teaching, and
doctoring
them well? Or is ADHD a real and disabling condition, requiring
timely intervention
to prevent serious educational, social, and family problems?
I believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I am convinced that
the
condition is significantly over-diagnosed and that too many
children are medicated.
However, I also believe that there are children out there
who need
help—who have real and serious problems with their ability to regulate
their
own behavior and concentrate well enough to succeed academically.
Children today are exposed to a vast array of chemical toxins from the
time they are conceived and throughout childhood. They are
often raised
with food that is not only nutritionally inadequate but actually
harmful to
their developing brains. They are then subjected to several
hours per day of
electronic media that conditions their attention span to
bursts of a few seconds.
In addition, the economic realities of modern life force
many parents
to spend less time helping their children cope within our
very stressful society.
Is it any wonder that our children are having more problems?
Fortunately, medications are not the only way
to help these children.
In my years of practice as an integrative pediatrician, many
families
have come to me for help to avoid placing their son or daughter
on long-term
medication, despite significant pressure from schools, teachers,
and the
medical establishment to do so.We have been able to work
together to help
their children succeed and indeed flourish, supporting them
in their areas of
difficulty and encouraging the great skills and talents that
most of them have.
An integrative approach means looking at the child in his or her entirety,
as a whole person, not just at a collection of symptoms that
need to be fixed.
It is a path that is much more complex than a simple pill,
but whose rewards
are so much greater.
In this book we will begin with the basics, making sure that the diagnosis
of ADHD has been made correctly and not substituted for another
underlying
problem. We will explore the complex neurobiology of ADHD,
explaining what we actually know about how the brain operates in the
ADHD child.
We will show you how to evaluate for nutritional deficiencies, making
sure that the nutrients vital for normal functioning are
present in adequate
amounts. We will look closely at dietary intake and discuss
how to determine
if food allergies or sensitivities are adversely affecting
your child’s body and
nervous system. Next we will explore some important nutritional
supplements,
foremost among them the omega-3 fatty acids, and some common
and safe herbs that may be helpful.
In addition to nutritional issues, we will present proven and effective
methods to manage your child’s behavior at home and to work with
teachers
and schools to provide a superior learning environment.
And based on my belief that there are indeed some children who need
ADHD medication, I devote a chapter to discussing how to
use these medications
optimally and combine them with an integrative treatment
program
for maximum effectiveness.
Finally, we will explore some exciting alternative therapies for treating
ADHD, ranging from the newer techniques of EEG neurofeedback
to the
ancient wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine.
If you are reading this book, you are obviously deeply committed to
the
well-being of children, whether as a parent, teacher, counselor,
or concerned
friend, and are reluctant to “solve” the complex problem
of ADHD via medication
only. I have written this book to help give you the tools
to develop a
truly integrative approach to ADHD, thereby helping your
child achieve his
or her maximum potential. I wish you great blessings and
success on your
journey.
