But now there are “official” reports that claim that 3%-5% of the U.S. population has ADD/ADHD, and up to 7,000,000 children (the numbers vary in the reports) have been diagnosed.

What is going on?

I find it almost impossible to believe that human brain chemistry has changed so radically in fifty years. Instead, our environment must have caused this change, and I see two direct links. The first one is the gargantuan profits that pharmaceutical companies are making from their ADD/ADHD drugs. And the second is the enormous change in the quality of our food.

Since the Vioxx scandal has already taught us how ruthless the pharmaceuticals can be in pursuit of their profits, I’m going to talk about our food supply instead. When I was growing up, the only food I knew of that had preservatives was bacon. But now when I go to the grocery store, I can’t find a mayonnaise without them. Most breads, including those baked by the store, have chemicals, and even the raw chicken has sodium phosphates.

There were also few fast-food restaurants when I was a child, while now many children eat several meals a week in them. I remember the time I checked out the ingredients in a plain hamburger, and I found that the bun had more chemicals in it than food! And regular restaurants aren’t much better, since they buy their food from the same manufacturers who make the food in our grocery stores.

In 1974, Dr. Benjamin Feingold, an allergist and pediatrician, published Why Your Child is Hyperactive and discussed the connection between chemicals in food and hyperactivity (now called ADD/ADHD). And since this research has been available for over thirty years, we have to wonder why food manufacturers are continuing to pour chemicals into our food.

The answer, of course, is money. They think preservatives will increase their profits. And they’re not the only beneficiaries. The drug companies are selling billions of dollars of drugs a year. Doctors make money from seeing children and prescribing medications, labs make money from blood tests, therapists make money from individual and family counseling, and some schools make money from having more “disabled” students.

So if your child has been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and is either taking drugs or being pressured to start, I urge you to do your own research.

There could be another way.

How to Successfully Manage ADD/ADHD Without Drugs

http://ADHD-Help-No-Drugs.MustSee.info

About the Author

Cynthia Rymer is a former teacher who had borderline ADD/ADHD as a child and
is a writer, artist and taught a variety of people in a variety of places for 13 years.

Conner’s Rating Scale

This tool is used by parents, teachers, and also by the adolescent in order to report on criteria that he or she feels may be present. It has been designed specifically for ADHD testing, and is used in the first criterion for diagnosing ADHD.

The first criterion of correctly identifying the ADHD dysfunction states that in order to properly be diagnosed, the subject must have had six or more or the following symptoms evident for at least six month prior to the test. In addition, these symptoms must have played a disruptive and inappropriate role for that age level. The symptoms include:

Excessive talking
Blurting out at inappropriate times
Trouble getting activities organized
Frequent losing of objects needed for tasks or activities
A lack of focus on tasks
Careless mistakes or a lack of close attention to details
Failure to complete tasks and to follow instructions
Dislikes prolonged mental effort
Easily distracted
Trouble awaiting a turn
Interrupts
Fidgeting
Frequently “on the go”

As you can see from this list, many of the criteria used to diagnose ADHD are also a part of the natural development of any child. That is why it is so important to measure the child’s symptoms over a period of time, using the correct tools, such as Conner’s rating system.

Although the initial evaluation needs to be done at a personal level, no diagnosis of ADHD is correct without the support of a psychiatrist. Again, it is imperative to note that ADHD follows very strict parameters; misdiagnosing a child could result in irreversible damage.

About the Author

Addiction, anger management, self-esteem and behavioural issues are just a few of our struggles that can be overcome with the assistance of a Psychologist. St. Catharines residents looking to be understood, are only a phone call away from licensed professionals, with years of experience.