The National ADD Association estimates 17 million people in the United States have ADHD. Attention deficit disorders and hyperactive disorders have reached epidemic levels. Parents and people who are affected by these disorders are beginning to question drug treatments. They are discovering the possible long- term harmful effects and searching for more safe alternatives. They are beginning by taking a look at what they and their children are eating and which foods and beverages negatively and positively affect these disorders. They are also seeing positive results through nutrition, certain vitamins and minerals, and herbal formulas.
Unfortunately, on a whole, the medical profession and “Science” don’t give credence to the possibility that certain foods and additives contribute to and/or may even cause symptoms of ADD/ADHD.
Fortunately, myself and a growing large number of parents are discovering the connection between certain foods, additives and ADD/ADHD. They have discovered the “Science of Common Sense” through education, trial and error. Foods and beverages with added sugar, food colorings, MSG and caffeine, appear to be the worst.
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Headline: No Soda: LA-Area Schools To Go Dry (Los Angeles Times)
Dr. Pepper is about to get expelled from public schools in Los Angeles. So, too, are Coke and Pepsi. To promote better health, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s board is expected this week to ban soft drink sales during school hours at all 677 of its schools. “It’s going to set a national trend,” says Francesca de la Rosa of the Center for Food and Justice at Occidental College’s Urban and Environmental Policy Institute. The Los Angeles district, with 748,000 students, is among the nations largest. Alex Contreras, assistant principal of Los Angeles High School, said that in the past, Coca-Cola has offered the school $50,000 for a three-year exclusive contract, on top of the $5,000 a month the campus earns from soft-drink sales. Texas is the only state that bans the sale of all junk food including soft drinks, during lunchtime in its public schools.
Another Issue:
Not too long ago, HRT (hormone replacement therapy) was under scrutiny. What does this have to do with ADD/ADHD? Keep on reading and you’ll see. For years American women were told HRT was safe. In the USA TODAY, July 11, 2002 issue, the debate was raised. Headlines read, “Troubling drug study raises questions that go unanswered”. For 16,000 women enrolled in a federal study of hormone replacement therapy, the advice this week was clear. After new research showed that the popular drug therapy does more harm than good, federal investigators sent study participants letters telling them to stop taking their pills.
The Lesson:
The point I’m making by sharing these two articles is that most of us trust what we have been told all of our lives. We trust that our doctor’s know best and the medications they are prescribing are harmless and the cure to all of our ailments. We have grown up with the false notion that foods and beverages are safe. We trust they would never put anything in our foods to harm us. That just isn’t the case. It’s time we took responsibility for our health, as well as, the health of our children. I am confident we can do this by becoming involved and educated. It doesn’t take a lot of time, it just takes knowing what to look for and where to find the answers. I will be sharing some of these resources with you.
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Before showing you where to begin and how to “Triumph Over” ADD/ADHD, be encouraged and inspired by these testimonies:
PERSONAL TESTIMONIES
These women have proven that by making wise and healthy choices for themselves and their families, they were able to triumph over ADD/ADHD. Excerpts from their stories follow:
Lene – “Proactive Mom”.
Lene took initiative and learned everything she could about diet and how it affected her son’s mood and behavior. Through unconditional love, perseverance and communication, she was able to help her son without the use of prescription drugs.
“Children are wonderful! We can learn so much from them. My experience with my oldest son, through his early years, has taught me more about food and diet than I ever thought possible. Being my first born, it was hard to know which behaviors were normal and which were not. As his social life became busier, I noticed there were differences between his behavior and the other children. He threw temper tantrums out of frustration. He was strong willed. He would not sit still for very long compared to other children his age. His focus shifted often onto multiple activities. At the age of six we had him tested for ADD and hyperactivity disorder.
My husband and I agreed NOT to put him on medications at that time. I didn’t want my child to be labeled as having a problem when I believed that there must be other solutions to remedy his condition. I discovered a supplement called “attention focus for kids”. After taking them for a short time, we began to see improvement. We also changed my son’s diet, as well as, our own. We replaced milk with rice milk and sometimes soy milk, cut back on snack foods, cheeses, flavored crackers, cookies, and diluted fruit juices with water. Absolutely no soda was available in our home. We also stayed in constant communication with his teachers.
Slowly and surely, we could look at what he ate and how his behavior changed. It was truly amazing for my husband and I to witness the differences in his behavior and mood by what foods he ate. Today my son is 11 and starting 7th grade. He has come a long way and we are proud of him.”
Stephanie – “Mother On A Mission”.
“I really think my nine year old son, Stephen, was always hyperactive. I just didn’t want to admit that he could have anything wrong with him. No parent wants anything to be wrong with his or her child. The most agitating behavior was when he acted like he couldn’t hear me! When I asked him to do something it would take me 10-15 minutes just to capture his attention. He was also constantly moving or messing with something. His mood swings were terrible.
Stephan was diagnosed with ADHD. His doctor prescribed Cylert. It didn’t work and the side effects were awful. Then he was put on Ritalin and Stephen’s reaction to the drug was terrible. I decided to take one of his Ritalin and was appalled at how it made me feel. I felt sluggish, depressed, out of it and had no energy. I am much bigger than Stephen and I thought, “How must Stephen feel?” I asked the doctor if Stephen felt the same way I did after taking Ritalin. He answered, “Yes”.
I believe we brought these souls into the world and it is our responsibility to do everything possible for them until they decide to leave home. Stephen had ADHD and that’s just something I have to put on my priority list. The first thing I did was to learn about ADHD. I got on the Internet and began to search. I didn’t find much information on how to change his diet. So, I began by eliminating anything with sugar and soda during school days. On weekends, Stephen got to choose two of his favorite foods and beverages. On Monday morning, we started all over again. As time went on I began to learn how to read labels. Stephen even started reading labels to look for food colorings, MSG, wheat and caffeine. We learned how to substitute other foods. Then we found an herbal attention focus formula for children and started Stephen on it. It has made a world of difference. He is no longer on Ritalin and looks forward to taking his herbal formula instead.”
Agi’s "Triumph Over ADD"
“I was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when I was ten years old. One of the associated disorders of Tourette syndrome is ADD. I’ve had trouble staying focused ever since I can remember. Over nine years ago, I was diagnosed with a hard to treat form of breast cancer. The alternative healing program I chose included the elimination of all processed foods. Within weeks of doing so, symptoms of ADD lessened dramatically. I could stay focused and concentrated on one task at a time. My moods leveled and I felt grounded and peaceful. Now after five years on my program, when I consume certain foods and additives that I know are bad for me, my attention is shot! I’ll start something and within minutes start another task. My mind feels foggy and my mood is unpredictable. It takes enormous self-control to keep from acting out my irritability. Foods and beverages with food colorings, caffeine, MSG, ginseng, wheat, nitrites, nitrates, and sulfates send me through the roof!
For over five years now, before I buy anything I read the label. Nothing with these additives comes into my home. However, when eating out, I have less control over what is being added to foods. When I avoid the above ingredients I am calm and focused, but if a resturant uses one of these ingredients, I know it.
Since this revelation, my accomplishments include: writing and publishing two books in the “Triumph Over” series, graduating from the School Of Natural Healing as a qualified Herbalist, teaching natural health education and natural foods cooking classes, and sharing this valuable information with parents and teachers internationally. Cancer forced me to reevaluate my lifestyle and to my surprise, added bonuses included getting my mind back!
* Full details of each of these Triumphs appear in the book, “Triumph Over ADD, ADHD and Tourette Syndrome”.
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Two (2) Additives All People With ADD/ADHD Must Avoid or Limit
Source – “The Consumer’s Dictionary Of Food Additives” by Ruth Winters M.S.
Caffeine – An odorless, white powder with a bitter taste that occurs naturally in coffee, cola, guarana, tea and kola nuts. Caffeine is the number one psychoactive drug. It is a central nervous system, heart and respiratory system stimulant. Caffeine can alter blood sugar release and cross the placental barrier. It can cause nervousness, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, noises in the ear and in high doses, convulsions. It has been linked to spontaneous panic attacks in persons sensitive to caffeine.
MSG – Monosodium Glutamate is used to intensify spice flavorings in meats, condiments, pickles, soups, candy and baked goods. Causes brain damage in young rodents and brain damage effects in rats, rabbits, chicks and monkeys. Depression, irritability and other mood changes have been reported.
* A complete list of additives to avoid appear in the book, “Triumph Over ADD, ADHD & Tourette Syndrome”.
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