ADD/ADHD: A Safe, Natural Alternative Solution
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Ray was struggling to remain composed as he explained, "It can be very frustrating, very stressful when your child has ADHD because they don't follow instructions, they don't make eye contact, they don't listen to you. It seems life they're ignoring you, they're always in trouble, they're impulsively hitting, you feel out of control and disciplining just doesn't work." Hyperactive or daydreaming, unable to focus or hyper-focused, 5-10% of children have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). They are not stupid, lazy, or spoiled. They're often quite intelligent but underachieving, creative but unable to complete a project, likeable but exasperating. Mozart probably had ADD/ADHD. He was impatient, impulsive, easily distracted, energetic, innovative, creative and emotionally needy. An irreverent, playful maverick, his flirting, flitting genius-mind was captured by the structure of music. Similarly: Albert Einstein, Salvador Dali, Edgar Allan Poe, George Bernard Shaw, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin--you can add more to the list. How the brain works is still a mystery. Although genetics plays a role in that the brain may not produce enough neurotransmitters, this may also be related to food allergies and chemical sensitivities. In research published in Pediatrics and the Lancet, synthetic food additives, artificial colors, and chemical preservatives, caffeine, monosodium glutamate, and forty-eight allergenic foods were clearly associated with ADD/ADHD. A successful non-drug approach, the Feingold Program makes dietary adjustments and avoidance of environmental chemicals to treat ADD/ADHD. The food industry and chemical manufacturers have sponsored misleading research and public relations campaigns to attempt to discredit this valuable tool for treating ADD/ ADHD. Undiagnosed and untreated, some adolescents discover that they can use alcohol or marijuana to quiet the "inner noise." But there are "side effects." Fifteen percent of cocaine addicts feel focused and clear-headed instead of high. They probably have ADD/ADHD. Cocaine is a stimulant similar to Ritalin, amphetamines, and other drugs frequently prescribed for ADD/ADHD. The use of stimulants, anti-depressants, beta-blockers, and tranquilizers is based on trial and error, guessing at the unknown. Estimates of "side effects" in successfully treated children range from 10-50%. Of course, these are only the gross effects that show up as an identifiable medical manifestation. Many more sub-clinical effects are below the threshold of conventional observation. Pre-sleep agitation is usually twice the normal duration in half of the ADD/ADHD children on medication and this worsens as the medication wears off. To avoid the stunting of growth, medications are often discontinued on weekends and during summer break--leaving the parents to contend with the problems as best they can. Lowest effective dosages must be determined to avoid adverse reactions such as nervousness, insomnia, abdominal pain, anorexia, erratic heartbeat, increased heartbeat, toxic psychosis, headache, blood pressure changes, weight loss, Tourette's syndrome, and others. Children, especially adolescents, often oppose taking medication, especially at first. To take medication is to admit that "something is wrong with them." They feel embarrassed or humiliated. Edward Hallowell, M.D., author and psychiatrist specializing in child and adult ADHD says, *The decision to take medication should never be unilateral and should not be a struggle....no one should try medication without wanting to do so and without a full understanding of the benefits and risks involved." Fortunately, a nutritional supplement that is safe, natural, and drug-free has been successfully used for nearly a decade for ADHD children and adults. Pycnogenol, a complex of bioflavonoids and other antioxidant and antihistamine compounds from the bark of the French maritime pine has been thoroughly studied and tested in Europe for over thirty years and has been found to mitigate many chronic degenerative disorders such as arthritis, allergies, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. Fifty times more potent than vitamin E and twenty times more potent than vitamin C, it scavenges oxidizing molecules {free radicals) that can damage the molecular structure of body tissues. The whole family can benefit from the use of Pycnogenol to the ADD/ADHD child is not singled out as different or defective. Others in the family have received free radical damage but perhaps not in their brain. Since it remains active in the body for 72 hours, there is no need to take it during school hours. Combined with a regimen vitamins and minerals, especially zinc, the use of Pycnogenol will permit the whole family to know better health and forestall chronic degenerative diseases in their later years. Maritime Pine Plus also has enzymes and homeopathic cell salts to increase absorption and assimilation. The focus of the family is the health and well-being of the entire family. Without negative "side effects" it does not have to be discontinued periodically. Information about these successful alternatives to Ritalin and other Schedule II controlled substances is not often available. According to the International Narcotics Control Board and the Drug Enforcement Agency, one of the leading national and local organizations for ADD/ADHD, CHADD, promotes the use of Ritalin and receives funds from CIBA-Geigy, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Ritalin. CIBA-Geigy earns over $350 million a year from Ritalin sales.
Many parents are reluctant to give any prescription drug to their children over a long time and have sought a natural alternative. Since ADHD was reported to be linked to abnormal blood circulation, several innovative physicians in the United States and Europe have tried Pycnogenol ® on their ADHD patients. To date, there are numerous anecdotal reports that Pycnogenol ® works extremely well for many people with this problem. *Julie Paull, Ph.D., and *Steven Tenenbaum, Ph.D., licensed psychologists at the Attention Deficit Center in St. Louis, are conducting the first human clinical trail of adults, ages eighteen to sixty-five to determine whether Pycnogenol ® is an effective treatment for this problem. Dr. Paull suffers from one form of ADHD herself, called the predominantly inattentive type. Contrary to popular belief, all people with ADHD are not necessarily overactive; in fact some may appear to be passive and lethargic. What they have in common with other ADHD people is that they typically have difficulty focusing and easily run out of mental stamina. Often, this more subtle form of ADHD goes undetected, as was the case with Dr. Paull. She recognized she had a problem but didn't precisely know what it was. Although she was high functioning and did well in school, she was aware that it took an enormous amount of energy for her to maintain her concentration. In fact, her professors would often comment that she appeared to have difficulty keeping track of details. Only when she began working in an ADHD clinic as a graduate student did Dr. Paull recognize her ADHD and seek help. She tried Ritalin first and found it somewhat helpful, but she didn't like the side effects, which included a twitch. She then switched to a tri-cyclic antidepressant, which is the second choice of conventional medicine for treating ADHD symptoms. Although the drug helped a bit, it did not improve her ability to focus. She felt she had no other alternative. Dr. Paull heard about Pycnogenol ® from a patient who heard from anecdotal reports that Pycnogenol ® was being used for ADHD. After doing some additional research, Dr. Paull was impressed enough by what she had learned to try Pycnogenol herself, adding it to her treatment regiment. The results were amazing. "Five days later, I noticed a huge difference," Dr. Paull recalled. "Some of my patients have likened it to putting on a pair of glasses.....suddenly everything comes into focus. In particular, Dr. Paull noticed that Pycnogenol ® has helped her better organize her thoughts, which has greatly increased her productivity.
"Pycnogenol is important to brain function, not only because it protects blood vessels, but also because it is one of the few dietary antioxidants that readily crosses the blood-brain barrier to protect brain cells. The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from compounds that normally circulate in the blood. Brain cells are very sensitive to some compounds, even though they may not damage other cells in the body or even be needed by other cells... "In laboratory experiments in which blood is rapidly injected into brain blood vessels, dramatically increasing the blood pressure within those vessels for a brief time, Pycnogenol shows a significant protective effect."The Brain-Immune Connection "Top research institutions worldwide ... now understand that there is a two-way chemical dialog between the brain and the immune system. Each can influence the other directly... the ongoing chemical dialog between the brain and the immune system, a connection that depends on two languages: the neurotransmitters of the brain, and the immuno-transmitters of the immune system... "Cytokines - the immune system's own chemical messengers crafted to deliver warnings to speed up or slow down the immune system's responses - may also play a complex role in causing or promoting neurological illness... In recent years, investigators have identified a large number of cytokines as the cause of quite a few - and sometimes detrimental - effects on brain function. For example, certain cytokines are capable of producing fatigue, slowed thinking, and other depressive symptoms." (2) Additional Nutritional Therapies to Consider "Keep up Zinc Levels to Improve ADHD Symptoms... Now, as scientists continue to map out the various ways in which zinc is needed by your body, a number of studies are pointing to an association between zinc deficiency and ADHD. One such 1996 study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, revealed a statistically significant correlation between zinc and fatty acids, in that both were decreased in children with ADHD. In another study, this one conducted at Ohio State University, investigators found a relationship between zinc deficiency and response to stimulant therapy among people with ADHD. (Stimulants such as Ritalin...) Basically, this study showed that children diagnosed with ADHD may be zinc deficient, and that this deficiency may result in their poor response to stimulant therapy." (2) "Omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA (eicosapentaneoic acid) and DHA (docosahexanoic acid) have the potential to support brain and immune function. EPA and DHA are natural anti-inflammatory substances which are able to reduce the potentially harmful effects of arachidonic acid through their ability to inhibit the delta-5 desaturse enzyme... "DHA is the primary structural fatty acid in the gray matter of the brain and promotes communication between brain cells by allowing synapses to remain soft and functional... "A naturally anti-inflammatory agent, DHA protects cells membranes against oxidative damage and is being actively examined for its potential in treating clinical conditions ranging from Alzheimer's disease to multiple sclerosis and attention deficit disorder (ADD)." (2) REFERENCES: Disclaimer: The statements on www.the7thfire.com have not been evaluated by the FDA.
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Lester
Packer of U C Berkeley says, "When experiments in my laboratory first
revealed that Pycnogenol ® had a modulating effect on nitric oxide [a free
radican], I hypothesized that it could be a potential treatment for
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that is
characterized by the inability to concentrate, impulsivity and hyperactivity.
No one knows the cause of ADHD, but at least one major study showed that people
with ADHD have less blood flow directed to the part of the brain that helps to
organize behavior. Since nitric oxide is instrumental in circulation, it
seemed probable that an imbalance of nitric oxide could be at the root of this
common problem.
Younger
at Last: The New World of Vitality Medicine," Simon & Schuster.
