Diet
Researchers on the Isle of Wight in Great Britain performed a study involving 1,873 3-year-old children. First, they were all screened for the presence of hyperactivity and of atopy (eczema)—both conditions that have been linked with consumption of additives, colorings, and preservatives in children. The children then had a week’s complete elimination of artificial colorings and benzoate preservatives. Over the next three weeks, they were given drinks containing these ingredients or placebo drinks.
Parents of these children reported a significant decrease in hyperactive behaviors in the weeklong elimination period, and significant increase in those behaviors when the children were challenged with the colorings and preservatives. The children’s behavior worsened when they consumed artificial colorings and benzoate preservatives—whether they had been classified as hyperactive or not.
Abundant research aside from this study points to a diet-ADHD link. Clearly, the typical American child’s diet, consisting mostly of processed foods, white flour, dairy, and sugars, is nutritionally inadequate.
The more organic whole foods you can coax your children to eat, the better. Giving them a high-quality multivitamin is a must whether they have ADHD or not. (One great way to get children interested in whole foods is to grow a vegetable garden together!) For parents who don’t know where to start cooking with whole foods for their families, we highly recommend Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair and Peggy O’Mara (Sasquatch Books, 2008) and The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters (Clarkson Potter, 2007).
Make sure a child with ADHD eats adequate protein. A diet composed mostly of sugars and refined flour along with some fruit now and then is enough to make anyone behave badly. Don’t send children to school on a bowl of sugary cereal with skim milk; try slow-cooked high-protein oatmeal with fruit and yogurt, or try whole-grain toast with butter and cottage cheese or eggs. Or try unconventional foods such as turkey burgers, chicken, fish, or tofu at breakfast. Organic cheeses, nut butters, and toasted, lightly seasoned pumpkin or sunflower seeds are good lunchbox additions to keep protein intake steady throughout the day.
Other recent research has found that children who have been diagnosed with ADHD are far more likely to have inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. This inflammation, similar to Crohn’s disease (an autoimmune disorder), has also been found with greater frequency in children with autism. Gut inflammation can lead to increased gut permeability, meaning that the small-intestinal wall contains “holes” that allow food particles to move into the circulation, in turn causing an immune response that creates a state of low-grade inflammation throughout the body. This is the scenario for food allergy, also a common finding in children with ADHD.
In one study published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) activity—a measurement of electrical activity in the brain—were seen in children with food-induced ADHD when they ate the foods known to provoke their symptoms.
The only reliable way to identify foods to which a child is sensitive is to put the child on an elimination diet. Elimination diets are hard enough for adults, and with children they can be downright frustrating. But consider that many studies have found that a significant proportion of children with ADHD show dramatic improvement when food allergens are removed from their diets. Additives, preservatives, artificial colorings, and artificial flavorings may also exacerbate ADHD symptoms—yet another reason to banish foods that contain them from your family’s life. If you need help with an elimination diet for your child, refer to the work of Dr. Benjamin Feingold, the first scientist to assert that artificial colorings, flavorings, and preservatives were directly related to hyperactivity, learning disorder, and behavior or conduct disorders in children. For those who are trying to eliminate food allergens from their finicky child’s diet but can’t imagine what they might cook, check out The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook by Marjorie Hurt Jones (Rodale, 2001). You can find a lot of Feingold-friendly recipes online.
For further information, check out Is This Your Child? Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in Children and Adults by Doris Rapp (William Morrow & Co., 1992). Dr. Fein-gold has also written a classic book on this subject, which also includes recipes, entitled Why Your Child Is Hyperactive (Random House, 1985).
Nutritional Supplements
Several studies have found that even slight improvements in nutrient intake with low-dose multivitamins have the effect of improving concentration and academic performance, as well as reducing the incidence of antisocial and violent behavior in children.
The overuse of antibiotics in children fosters an imbalanced environment in their bodies where probiotic bacteria are depleted and never get a chance to replenish themselves. Increased gut permeability, the precursor to food allergy, can be made worse by yeast overgrowth. Children with ADHD may benefit from the regular use of a probiotic supplement to counteract the growth of yeasts. If your child is too young to swallow a pill, buy a powdered form to mix into juice or milk, or try acidophilus milk or kefir, which are available in health food stores.
Studies have shown that ADHD children tend to have low levels of the essential fat DHA. Supplementing diets of kids with ADHD with fish oil high in DHA may help even them out and foster better concentration and impulse control. Chewable children’s DHA supplements are widely available; follow the dosage instructions on the container.
Supplementation with specific amino acids, the building blocks of protein, have been found to help some ADHD kids. If you’d like to try this approach, do so with the guidance of a nutrition-ist or alternative health practitioner.
A significant percentage of children with ADHD have low zinc levels. A good multivitamin should remedy the problem.
Parent Education and Behavioral Approaches
Any parent who seeks nondrug alternatives for ADHD will find many solutions and an active, highly engaged group of like-minded parents. As the risks of stimulants, Strattera, and other psychiatric medications become increasingly evident, more parents are “just saying no” to pharmaceutically leashing their children. They are learning new ways to parent their intense children, and teachers are learning new ways to manage classrooms that almost always contain at least one such child.
Current research shows that counseling and small adjustments in parenting style can make an enormous difference for children who might otherwise be out of control. One of the most promising nondrug interventions was created by psychologist Howard Glasser, who has developed a parenting and teaching technique he calls the Nurtured Heart Approach, a method where parents or teachers focus on the child’s positive behaviors and give little energy to negative behaviors. Glasser believes that difficult children feed on the energy they receive from negative attention, and that if we give positive behavior that kind of energy and all but ignore the negatives, we can help that child to behave better without robbing them of their intensity or feeding them pills. This approach is being used in homes, schools, counseling practices, even whole schools and school systems, with huge success. His books, all published by Nurtured Heart Publications, include Transforming the Difficult Child (1999), The Inner Wealth Initiative: The Nurtured Heart Approach for Educators (2007), and All Children Flourishing: Igniting the Greatness of Our Children (2008).
RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDED READING
Hormone Testing
Virginia Hopkins Test Kits
(888) 438-1211
www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com
Vitamin D Testing
If you get a vitamin D test from your doctor, ask for the 25(OH) D test. You can also get a vitamin D test online that measures both vitamin D2 and D3 in the OH form at www.virginia hopkinstestkits.com.
Online Prescription Drug Information
Drugs.com
www.drugs.com
Drug Digest
www.drugdigest.org
FDA Index to Drug-Specific Information www.fda.go
v/cder/drug/DrugSafety/DrugIndex.htm
Rx List
www.rxlist.com
Online Medical Dictionaries
Medline—National Library of Medicine www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mplus dictionary.html
Medicine.net
www.medterms.com
Finding a Health Care Professional Who Uses Natural Remedies
Two places to ask for a recommendation for a health care professional who uses natural remedies are your local health food store and your local compounding pharmacy. You can also write or call:
American College for Advancement in Medicine
P.O. Box 3427
Laguna Hills, CA 92654
(800) 532-3688
In California: (714) 583-7666
Reporting an Adverse Drug Reaction to the FDA
You can report adverse events to the FDA through their MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form:
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/med watch/medwatch-online.htm.
If you prefer not to make the report online, you can download and print a form at www.fda.gov/medwatch/getforms.htm and either mail or fax the completed 3500 Form and your attachments to:
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20852-9787
(800) FDA-0178 to MedWatch (fax)
(800) FDA-1088 (phone: be prepared to talk to recordings and to wait endlessly on hold)
Newsletters
Virginia Hopkins Health Watch (888) 438-1211
www.virginiahopkinshealthwatch.com
Alternatives: Dr. David Williams www.drdavidwilliams.com/MainSite/Newsletter.aspx
(888) 887-8262
Dr. Julian Whitaker’s Health & Healing www.drwhitaker.com/MainSite/Newsletter.aspx
800-219-8590
Websites and Contact Numbers
The Virginia Hopkins Health Watch
Natural Hormone & Nutrition News, Drug Watch and More . . .
(888) 438-1211
www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com
Harvard Health Publications
Harvard Medical School: Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life
www.health.harvard.edu
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Information
(800) 729-6686
Narcotics Anonymous
(818) 780-3951
For referrals to local meetings, call
(212) 870-3400
People’s Pharmacy with Joe and Terry Graedon Home remedies, drug references, herb library, and more . . .
www.peoplespharmacy.com
Worst Pills, Best Pills
Your expert, independent second opinion for prescription drug information.
www.worstpills.org
Recommended Reading
Alternative Medicine
Bland, Jeffrey, Ph.D. The 20-Day Rejuvenation Diet Program. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, 1997.
Bland, John H., M.D. Live Long, Die Fast. Minneapolis, MN: Fairview Press, 1997.
Galland, Leo, M.D. The Four Pillars of Healing. New York, NY: Random House, 1997.
Glenmullen, Joseph, M.D. Prozac Backlash: Overcoming the Dangers of Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Other Antidepressants with Safe, Effective Alternatives. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
Mindell, Earl, R.Ph., and Virginia Hopkins. What You Should Know About: Herbs, Supplements, Trace Minerals and Homeopathic Remedies. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, 1995.
Pizzorno, Joseph N. Total Wellness. Berkeley, CA: Prima Publishing, 1996.
Smolensky, Michael, and Lynne Lamberg. The Body Clock Guide to Better Health. Owl Books, 2001.
Food
Blaylock, Russell. Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills. Santa Fe, NM: Health Press, 1994.
DeVille, Nancy. Death by Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down and Poisoning of America. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade, 2007.
Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions. San Diego, CA: ProMotion Publishing, 1995.
Robbins, John. Reclaiming Our Health. Tiburon, CA: HJ Kramer, 1996.
Sears, Barry. The Omega Rx Zone: The Miracle of the New High-Dose Fish Oil. New York, NY: ReganBooks, 2002.
_____. The Zone. New York, NY: Harper-Collins, 1996.
Steinman, David. Diet for a Poisoned Planet: How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family—the Twenty-First Century Edition. New York, NY: Running Press, 2006.
Stoll, Andrew L., M.D. The Omega-3 Connection. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Todd, Gary Price, M.D. Nutrition, Health, and Disease. West Chester, PA: Whitford Press, 1985.
Hormones
Arem, Ridha, M.D. The Thyroid Solution. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1999.
Barnes, Broda. Hypothyroidism: The Unsuspected Illness. New York, NY: Harper and Row, 1976.
Colborn, Theo. Our Stolen Future. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1997.
Crook, William, M.D. The Yeast Connection: A Medical Breakthrough. Jackson, TN: Professional Books, 1991.
Khalsa, Dharma Singh, M.D. Brain Longevity. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1997.
Klatz, Ronald, and Robert Goldman. Stopping the Clock. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1996.
Lee, John R., M.D. Hormone Balance for Men: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Prostate Health and Natural Hormone Supplementation. Available online at virginia hopkinstestkits.com.
Lee, John R., M.D., and Virginia Hopkins. Dr. John Lee’s Hormone Balance Made Simple. New York, NY: Hachette Books, 2006.
_____. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause: The Breakthrough Book on Natural Progesterone. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1996.
Lee, John R., M.D., Jesse Hanley, M.D., and Virginia Hopkins. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause: Balance Your Hormones and Your Life From Thirty to Fifty. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1999.
Lee, John R., M.D., David Zava, Ph.D., and Virginia Hopkins. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer: How Hormone Balance Can Help Save Your Life. New York, NY: Warner Books, 2002.
Randolph, C.W., M.D., and James Genie. From Belly Fat to Belly Flat: How Your Hormones Are Adding Inches to Your Waistline and Subtracting Years from Your Life. Deer-field Beach, FL: Health Communications Inc, 2008.
Sahelian, Ray. DHEA: A Practical Guide. Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing, 1996.
_____. Melatonin: Nature’s Sleeping Pill. Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing, 1995.
Drugs
Breggin, Peter. Talking Back to Prozac. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1994.
Cohen, Suzy, R.Ph. The 24-Hour Pharmacist: Look Younger, Feel Healthier and Save Time and Money—No Doctor Required! New York, NY: Collins, 2007.
Gaby, Alan R., M.D. A-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition: Improve Your Health and Avoid Side Effects When Using Common Medications and Natural Supplements Together. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, 2006.
Lappe, Marc. When Antibiotics Fail: Restoring the Ecology of the Body. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1995.
Schmidt, Michael, Lendon Smith, M.D., and Keith Sehnert. Beyond Antibiotics. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1994.
Wolfe, Sidney M., et al. Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer’s Guide to Avoiding Drug-Induced Death or Illness. New York, NY: Pocket Books, 2005.
Children
Feingold, Benjamin F., M.D. Why Your Child Is Hyperactive. New York, NY: Random House, 1985.
Lappe, Marc. When Antibiotics Fail: Restoring the Ecology of the Body. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1995.
Rapp, Doris, M.D. Is This Your Child? Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in Children and Adults. New York, NY: William Morrow & Company, 1992.
Rountree, Robert, M.D. The New Breastfeeding Diet Plan: Breakthrough Ways to Reduce Toxins and Give Your Baby the Best Start in Life. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2007.
Schmidt, Michael, Lendon Smith, M.D., and Keith Sehnert. Beyond Antibiotics. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1994.
Smith, Lendon, M.D. How to Raise a Healthy Child. New York, NY: M.
Evans & Co., 1996.
Zand, Janet, O.M.D., Rachel Walton, R.N., and Robert Roundtree, M.D. A Parent’s Guide to Medical Emergencies. Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing, 1997.
Vitamins, Herbs, Supplements
Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th edition. New York, NY: Avery, 2006.
Mindell, Earl, R.Ph. Earl Mindell’s New Herb Bible: A Complete Update of the Bestselling Guide to New and Traditional Herbal Remedies. New York, NY: Pocket, 2002.
Mindell, Earl, R.Ph., and Hester Mundis. Earl Mindell’s New Vitamin Bible: 25th Anniversary Edition. New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing, 2004.
Miscellaneous
Baillie-Hamilton, Paula, M.D., Ph.D. Toxic Overload: A Doctor’s Plan for Combating the Illnesses Caused by Chemicals in Our Foods, Our Homes, and Our Medicine Cabinets. New York, NY: Avery, 2005.
Brownlee, Shannon. Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer. New York, NY: Bloomsbury, 2007.
Doidge, Norman, M.D. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. New York, NY: Viking, 2007.
Graedon, Joe, M.S., and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. Best Choices from the People’s Pharmacy. New York, NY: NAL Trade, 2008.
Lesser, Micheal, M.D., with Colleen Kapklein. The Brain Chemistry Plan: Balancing Mood, Relieving Stress, Conquering Depression. New York, NY: Perigree, 2002.
Moynihan, Ray, and Alan Cassels. Selling Sickness: How the World’s Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients. New York, NY: Nation Books, 2005.
REFERENCES
Chapter 1
Changing the Pill-Popping Mind-Set
Alberti, K. G. M. M. “Medical Errors: A Common Problem.” British Medical Journal 322 (March 3, 2001): 501–2.
Allan, E. L., and K. N. Barker. “Fundamentals of Medication Error Research.” American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy 47, no. 3 (March 1990): 555–71.
Bates, D. W. “Medication Errors: How Common Are They and What Can Be Done to Prevent Them?” Drug Safety 15, no. 5 (November 1996): 303–10.
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