ADD / ADHD – What Every Parent Should Know

Did you know that one of the greatest minds of our time could not talk before the age of four and could not read before the age of seven? I am referring to Albert Einstein. It is also known that his teacher said he was mentally slow, unsociable, adrift in his foolish dreams and had severe temper tantrums. He was expelled and refused admittance to the Polytech Institute. In today’s world, he would be on Ritalin.

Ritalin is a very dangerous and highly addictive drug. Under Federal Law, Ritalin is classified as a schedule II controlled substance, the same rating given to cocaine, opium and morphine. Withdrawal symptoms can be severe and include depression, fatigue, paranoia, increased dreaming, irritability, bedwetting, and even suicide.

The United States has the highest use of Ritalin consuming 95% of the total amount of Ritalin used in the world. This is in a country where only five percent of the total population is living Ritalin free. If ADD is so prevalent, then how and why are we taking all of it? In some elementary and middle schools, as many as six percent of all students take Ritalin or other psychiatric drugs, according to the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

The side effects of Ritalin are numerous and severe. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the side effects include stunting of growth, depression, insomnia, nervousness, skin rash, anorexia, nausea, psychosis, dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, blood pressure and pulse changes, and Tourette’s Syndrome (a permanent and irreversible condition characterized by body tics, spasms, screaming obscenities, and barking sounds).

The researchers also reviewed 8 years of injury data on more than 61,000 children ages 3 to 17 and found that those with ADD/ADHD were nearly 80% more likely to be involved in a serious accident resulting in hospitalization for trauma.
According to a Canadian report, Ritalin is responsible for more street crime than any other drug. Kids are selling their Ritalin to other kids. A USA Today report indicated that some kids crush Ritalin into a powder and snort it like cocaine, while others cook it and inject it into their bloodstream.

A well-known criminal attorney, Melvin Nash, from Marietta Georgia, indicated that approximately 60% of the people he defends from everything from DUI to armed robbery have been on Ritalin at some point in their life.

So what are the ADD criteria? Here are a few: often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly, often talks excessively, is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor", often has difficulty awaiting turn, often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat. In order to be classified as ADD, you must have the majority of these characteristics. To tell you the truth, I still possess the majority of these traits. I asked a teenage ADD patient in my office what he thought about school. He said he was bored and didn’t feel challenged. What an answer. How far will we go to control, mold, and conform our children to make them “normal?” Are we turning our geniuses of tomorrow into drug addicts today?

For additional information, please call Northgate Chiropractic at
(206)367-2224.

Depression

Depression touches one in three Americans in their lifetime and comes at great personal and economic cost. Current treatment for this problem in America is often impersonal and focuses primarily on psychopharmacology. The impact of depression is enormous in terms of human suffering and economic costs both nationally and globally. Estimates of the yearly economic cost of depressive disorders, in the United States alone, range from 30 to 44 billion dollars (Wells, 1996). Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and World Health Organizations (WHO) have released a five-year study of the leading causes of death worldwide, which reveals that depression was the fourth leading cause of disease-burden in 1990. By 2020, it will be the single leading cause of death worldwide (Murray & Lopez, 1996). It seems that people are unable to cope with hustle and stress in every day life. Daily T.V. commercials talk about depression and the medical treatment for it, most commonly Prozac. (Prozac) Fluoxetine is now one of the top ten most prescribed drugs in the U.S. with 30 million users (Stokes & Holtz, 1997).

Research showed that rats and mice with artificially induced cancer developed an increased rate of tumor growth when they were given Prozac or other antidepressants. Prozac has been implicated in numerous suicides and acts of violence, and can cause nausea, nervousness and insomnia. So, given the facts and the side effects of the medical choice, what are my alternatives?

Nothing is easy in life, and just taking a pill will not solve problems. Health and happiness comes from within, not from an outside force, pill or potion. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a quick fix? We all know that quick fixes are NOT long-term, but the side effects of a drug can be! Getting down to basics can be part of the solution as well as part of our earthly journey. Therapy, change of diet, exercise, and chiropractic care create the foundation for change and is the “alternative” versus the quick fix. The nervous system is the connection between the brain and body. If there is any subluxation, or misalignment, your mental status, attitude and overall quality of life will be affected. In my nine years experience, I have found that people under chiropractic care lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. Certain lifestyle changes are essential: exercise (secret natural endorphins, which are 200 times more powerful than morphine with no side effects), diet changes (no refined sugars, white flour, or artificial sweeteners), and meditation, which creates focus, balance and better connection with yourself. The combination of these will make a huge impact on you and your family life.
In a recent research project, they compared chiropractic care, exercise and anti-depressants. The results showed that the group that exercised and received chiropractic adjustments had the best results with no side effects. One patient said, “After having depression for fifteen years, chiropractic care, along with exercise and the proper diet, has allowed my body to be the happiest and healthiest it’s ever been.”

By taking a pill, people want a quick fix, while the path to health a lot more of a commitment. Remember, in order to have happiness, you must be willing to change.

For additional information, please call Northgate Chiropractic at
(206) 367-224.