Are Drugs the Answer to ADHD Children?

Research has shown that treating children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with drugs is not effective in the long-term. After three years of treatment, drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta work no better than therapy.
Long-term use of the drugs can also stunt children‘s growth, and the benefits of the drugs have been exaggerated.
An influential 1999 study seemed to find that medication worked better than behavioral therapy for ADHD after one year of use. This finding caused a vast increase in prescriptions.
But now, after longer-term analysis, the report‘s co-author, Professor William Pelham of the University of Buffalo, has stated, "I think that we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study. We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn‘t happen to be the case. There‘s no indication that medication is better than nothing in the long run."
Pelham said that medication had "no beneficial effects" and that in fact, the drugs had a negative impact in terms of growth rate.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence in England is currently revising their treatment guidelines for ADHD to include strategies that will likely involve training for parents as well as "behavioral interventions".
"The important thing is that we have an approach which doesn‘t focus just on one type of treatment," Dr. Tim Kendall, chair for the working group, said.
Sources:
BBC News November 12, 2007 Department of Health Statement
BBC News November 12, 2007

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Foods to Avoid with Your ADHD Child

"The University of Adelaide in Australia confirmed that fish oil improves the symptoms of ADHD without any of the side effects of drugs like Ritalin and Concerta -- and more effectively at that!" --Dr. Mercola

Study facts as follows:
They gave 130 children, between the ages of 7 and 12 with ADHD, daily fish oil capsules. The children’s behavior improved dramatically within three months. They also found that:
After seven months, the children were not as restless and showed improvements at school
Improvements in concentration and attention improved by one-third
After 15 weeks, 30-40 percent of the children taking fish oil had improvements
After 30 weeks, 40-50 percent improved
Children taking placebo capsules were later switched to fish oil and subsequently also experienced improved behavior
Improvements were still being seen after the study ended, which suggests that fish oils may have long-term effects.

Your best source of fish oil comes from krill. Yes krill oil, the same small fish that whales survive on. This is the most potent source of Omegas. Out weighing salmon and flax oil.

My focus throughout The Elephant in the Kitchen and this blog is that the fact that today's children are suffering from beyond a poor diet. Most children live on refined grains, processed foods that are loaded with chemicals, additives such as MSG, Red dye 40 and artificial sweeteners. Our children also live on a diet of sugar, juices, and sodas in place of water. With diets like this how can we expect them to not be hyperactive?

It is estimated that almost ten percent of today's school age children are being diagnosed with ADHD. Schools are getting kick backs from pharmaceutical companies for referring parents of these children to medical 'experts' who prescribe....drugs. These drugs are dangerous!

When you look further into the average diet plan of children and adults today you will see that we don't consume enough vegetables and fruits, we eat far to much Omega-6 and barely any Omega-3....it is the 3 that helps with behavior issues, such as ADHD, autism, and others.

Dr. Lendon Smith shares a simple solution to drugs for a natural cure that REALLY works, not just masks the issue.

Eliminate grains and sugars from your diet
Replace soft drinks, fruit juices and pasteurized milk with clean water
Increase your omega-3 fats by taking an effective form of omega-3 oil like krill oil
It will also be important to minimize the use of nearly all vegetable oils -- they are loaded with omega-6 fats, which distort the powerful omega-6:3 ratio
Eliminate all juices and sodas and replace with pure water

Resources:
mercoal.com

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