ADHD Tips

Many psychiatrists have placed themselves on top of the pedestal as the last bastion of help; as experts in the field of the mind; as those who know best when it comes to raising children, fixing relationships, handling depression, judging sanity and insanity, educational failures and so much more. They hold degrees from higher institutions to back up these claims and they demand high hourly fees or are highly paid witnesses.

Interestingly enough they hold the distinction of having the highest rate of insurance fraud convictions and the highest rate of suicide amongst their own ranks. A large number of their own families and they themselves suffer from many of their own made-up diseases that they claim they can cure yet this profession still purports that they can help the rest of us.

MEET THE PSYCHIATRISTS.

These are the people who are driving drugs into the schools; who are excusing poor scholastic performance under the guise of “feel-good” education; who routinely bilk healthcare insurers (and thereby the public) of millions of dollars a year in spurious “treatments” which yield demonstrably negative results and in many cases do not occur at all. These are the people who advocate torture in the form of electroshock and who have tasked themselves with reorganizing the way the world educates its young and deals with its “abnormals”. Yet these are also the people who not only cannot agree on definitions of the diseases they claim to be able to treat, but openly admit that they don’t know what they’re doing.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE who actively seek to wreck our culture and our civilization by legitimizing a viewpoint that treats man as an animal, incapable of improvement and doomed to a life of limitations. In the hands of psychiatrists, Beethoven would have been tranquilized, Rembrandt lobotomized, and Jesus Christ given ECT, put in restraints and locked away, never to see the sky again.

IF YOU ARE WONDERING why the world seems to be coming apart at the seams, why crime, illiteracy, drug abuse and moral decline, depression, suicides, psychotic behaviour, divorce, etc. continue to make headlines daily, and why those who SAY they can do something about mental health CANNOT, you are not alone.

IF YOU WANT to find out about psychiatry, you can’t do much better than listen to the psychiatrists themselves. They will tell you exactly what they think about the human condition, what can be done about it, and how they believe the sane man (and therefore the ideal society) should function.

DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT: Others have come to their senses and know exactly what’s going on. Those few who have the courage to speak out against the majority in their profession deserve attention as well.

“What’s happening in the training of psychiatrists and in the quality of a psychiatrist is that they have become drug pushers. They have … forgotten how to sit down and talk to patients as to what their problems are.” – Walter Afield, psychiatrist, 1994
“… in 40 years, ‘biological psychiatry’ has yet to validate a single psychiatric condition/diagnosis as an abnormality/disease, or as anything ‘neurological’, ‘biological’, ‘chemically imbalanced’, or ‘genetic’.” Dr. Fred A. Baughman Jr., Pediatric Neurologist “Malpractice and Violation of Informed Consent”

“… modern psychiatry has yet to convincingly prove the genetic/biological cause of any single mental illness … Patients [have] been diagnosed with ‘chemical imbalances’ despite the fact that no test exists to support such a claim, and … there is no real conception of what a correct chemical balance would look like.” – David Kaiser, psychiatrist; “Commentary Against Biological Psychiatry” – Psychiatric Times, December 1996

“What do you do when you don’t know what to do? No wonder there are more suicides among psychiatrists than in any other profession.” Psychiatrist R. D. Laing – Wisdom, Madness, and Folly, p. 126
“The way to sell drugs is to sell psychiatric illness.” – Carl Elliot, Bioethicist ; University of Minnesota, 2001

“We don’t have an independent, valid test for ADHD; there are no data to indicate that ADHD is due to a brain malfunction … and finally, after years of clinical research and experience with ADHD, our knowledge about the cause or causes of ADHD remains speculative.” – National Institute of Health; Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis; and Treatment of ADHD, 1998

“The field of mental health is highly subjective, capricious, and dominated by whims, mythologies, and public relations. In many ways it is a pop culture with endless fads but with no real substance.” Dr. Walter Fisher – Assistant Superintendent, Elgin State Hospital – Power, Greed, and Stupidity in the Mental Health Racket

“The young and the old are defenseless against relatives who want to get rid of them by casting them into the role of mental patient, and against psychiatrists whose livelihood depends on defining them as mentally ill.” – Thomas Szasz, psychiatrist ; Cruel Compassion, 1994

The headlines of today’s newspapers tell tales of people driven to acts that can only be termed insane: students who come to school armed for mayhem, workers who blaze away at their fellows, killers stalking innocent victims for no reason at all, mothers who kill their innocent children.

But if these people are driven to madness, who’s doing the driving? Digging deeper into the scene, one finds time and again evidence of psychiatrists hard at work, causing the very insanity that they claim to be able to treat. Evidence: Adolf Hitler (yes… he was being treated by psychiatry BEFORE the Holocaust!); Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, George Washington (yes, he too died at the hands of psychiatric treatment!), Ernest Hemingway, John Hinckley (prior to shooting John Lennon!), Kip Kinkel, Columbine shooters, Andrea Yates, Shawn Cooper, and the list can go on for miles… More than 80% of suicides are PRECEDED by the use of psychiatric type treatments (drugs, therapy, etc.).

Why am I writing this article now? Because I’m frustrated of having to clean up and educate the very people that so many psychs have ruined. And make no mistake about it… it’s virtually everyone… we have become a nation of fast fixes, “no responsibility”, “spectators to life”, lacking a true view of ourselves as spiritual beings, humanoids! We view our bodies as “who we are” instead of the thing separate from us that we are in control of. We look for sensations and pleasures. We get our education from the TV commercials about what drugs to tell our doctors we want to ingest that will hopefully change our lives… instead of changing our lifestyles! There is not one person who has not been influenced by psychiatric propaganda. (except the few who have risen above it and are willing to step outside the box and get educated.

The side effects of anti-depressants and drugs like Ritalin, Adderall, Zoloft, Prozac, etc. will fill pages: suicide ideology, blocks the production of hormones, depression, headaches, addiction, high blood pressure, weight gain, impotence, sleep disturbances, itching, dry mouth, dizziness, gastritis, and the list goes on and on… These drugs do more damage and have yet to CURE anyone of the so-called mental diseases.

Our recent culture has been marred greatly by the underhanded dealings of psychiatrists… but as you noticed earlier in this article… there are a few brave souls out there within that profession who have taken a stand against their own group.

You as a consumer or natural health practitioner/consultant simply do not have to bow down to their domination any longer. There are solutions out there that are natural and work. Sure… you may be in such a mess right now that you still want that quick fix… I understand. Now let me point something out to you… there is not A PILL that will handle your life for you. Only YOU can handle your own life.
There is no such thing as ADD or ADHD. There is no disease of Alcoholism. There is no disease of being BI-POLAR. There is no disease of being Manic-Depressed. YES, there are SYMPTOMS! That I know. But they are NOT diseases that need mind altering addictive drugs… those drugs CURE NOTHING! Never have, never will. And YES… fixing the problem takes work.

I understand that not everyone reading this or everyone out there will rise to the occasion and do what they have to do to help themselves reach health and happiness. I understand that I might step on the toes of some doctors. I understand that some of you simply still want the quick fix. But for those of you who are determined to get your life back, determined to do something about it, determined to not live a life drugged, dulled, and numbed… well… you are the ones we in the natural health field want to help.

DESPITE ALL that the psychiatrists and their cohorts would have you believe, remember that there is hope. No one is doomed to a life bound by drugs, shock, psychosurgery, or worse. No society or individual is doomed to the degradation of going to “Hell in a hand-basket”. Much can be done to help the individual naturally. I urge all doctors to learn the truth and quite treating symptoms alone. I urge all patients to sit up, take notice that continuing to do the same thing over and over again simply will not result in a change! Get educated. Become pro-active. Take control of your health and find a natural health practitioner that will assist you in preventing and rebuilding.

Marie Pace

http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/psychiatry-the-path-to-destruction-70261.html

i am married and have two children. i am a chef, meaning i work in an industry that rarely supplies health care. with the slump in the economy i am left with just enough money to make my mortgage and put food on the table. though i have little money, i make just enough for the state to decline me for medicaid. i was diagnosed with ADD at age 15 and began a schedule of 30 mg. a day. as soon as this started i noticed an improvement in my grades and ambition to apply myself in a more productive way. this lasted for 4 years. then i was without means to continue to see my dr.
i have read up on buying adderall without a prescription only to find that it seems to be a hoax. when i inquire further to people about this topic the only results i find are complete strangers labeling me a drug addict. that, i am not. i am a hard working husband and father of two who deals with a medical condition day in and day out. i am simply looking for some type of aid for the treatment of my condition. the stress i experience comes solely from my lack of focus. i have many pressures and things that need my attention….attention that i can not apply.

You can try Dexedrine alone but it just doesn’t have enough "kick" as Adderall. What I suggest is trying Vyvance. It is made by the same people that make Adderall. There is a patient assistance program if you are under a certain poverty cut off you can get it free, here it is: https://www.rxhope.com/PAP/info/PAPList.aspx?drugid=4691&fieldType=drugid

Your Doctor should also know this. Once you fill the half page form out & your Doctor fills the rest out & faxes it in, it only takes a few weeks & it’s good for a year or more.

I want to share some of my reasons for sponsoring New Tang Dynasty Television’s (NTDTV) Chinese New Year Spectacular. Of course, I am Chinese, and the Chinese New Year is part of my tradition and heritage. I love the colorful costumes, beautiful music and dance depicting ancient myths and legends. It reminds me of stories from my childhood. In addition, the cause, the people involved and the performances themselves have touched me profoundly, they have a healing effect in more than one sense.

Most people in the West don’t know that traditional Chinese culture has really been destroyed by the communist regime. What people nowadays get in China is very shallow as it has been stripped of all its deeper inner meaning and is laden with communist party culture. So while there are other Chinese New Year Galas, I find that only NTDTV has been able to recreate a New Year celebration that is truly authentic, and at the same time has a charming multicultural flavor. It is performed in dozens of cities around the world, and people everywhere enjoy it tremendously. It contributes to greater harmony and understanding between people and cultures.

Right now Chinese society is in the process of a great transformation as millions of Chinese have quit from the communist party during the past 24 months. China is facing the abolishment of communism and a return to its rich cultural heritage. I believe that the annual NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular is promoting the spreading of traditional Chinese culture globally and helps speed up the rebirth of traditional values in Mainland China.

Another reason why I sponsor this event is because there is a spiritually uplifting energy in these wonderful music performances. It is actually a healing energy. I am a doctor of Oriental Medicine and also have a western degree in Neuroscience. I practice vibrational energy medicine as my profession, and I am very sensitive to healing vibrations. The pure energy produced during these shows is very powerful. During the entire show, I find my mind, body and soul are deeply resonating with the music waves. I realized that this is not just a show for entertainment, it goes way beyond ordinary art performances.

In my practice I am seeing increasing numbers of people suffering from different kinds of mental and physical problems. I believe they are a result of our fast-moving, competitive, materialistic, and stressful lifestyle which causes imbalances in the autonomic nervous systems and blocking mental, physical and emotional energy pathways. Many people, including teenagers, listen to noisy, meaningless and mind-disturbing music, which I feel are also contributing to psychological problems including ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, and more. Many studies indicate that mental stress and negative emotions can cause physical diseases. This is already a common reality today.

One of the treatment modalities in my practice is sound therapy. It involves a complex process of playing certain sounds and frequencies to a patient and monitoring their brain activity to determine what is most harmonious and beneficial in changing their condition. Many patients, including stroke victims, have responded extremely well and recovered from a variety of serious problems using sound therapy.

From my many years of working with sound and music I can tell what kinds of sound and music promote healing and well-being. I found that the NTDTV performances have such an effect. I have shared the DVD of last year’s show with many friends and patients as well.

I plan to close my office on January 9th and take my family to the Los Angeles show at the Kodak Theater. I hope you can see it at a theater near your home. Enjoy the Chinese New Year at its best and have a healing experience! http://shows.ntdtv.com

Jason Liu
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/ntdtvs-global-chinese-new-year-spectacular-a-gift-of-healing-88115.html

ADD-ADHD Non-drug Treatment using Neurofeedback which trains the brain to maintain attention and regulate behaviour. Alex Sevitt, Psychologist, Sydney. Movie by John Buttsworth

Duration : 0:6:44

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This is Dr. Claudia Jensen who appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC on Apr. 22, 2004. She was a practicing Pediatrician in Ventura, California and an instructor at the USC Keck School of Medicine. She was lost to breast cancer on Sep. 15, 2007. R.I.P.

Cannabis, demonetized in the 30s under the name marijuana since it wasn’t understood back then, is actually not a narcotic. It produces no physical addiction and is extraordinarily non-toxic, meaning that you can’t have a lethal overdose of it as you can with nearly all other drugs, even over-the-counter ones. So cannabis is actually more accurately classified as a herb, which is what the plant is botanically.

This herb has been found to be surprisingly effective as a natural treatment for many medical conditions as an alternative to pharmaceutical chemical drugs with serious side-affects and the significant stresses that they put on the body.

Instead of using powerful psychotropic drugs, cannabis herb has been shown to be more effective in many cases for treating Attention Deficit Disorder (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).

Oral doses and not smoking is recommended for children and teenagers. This way there’s absolutely no health concerns and the medicinal effects will last much longer delivered this way. A single dose with breakfast will last throughout the school day.

Duration : 0:4:5

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When we think of children at risk what comes to mind is drug abuse. Children can be at risk for emotional problems, depression, anxiety, learning disabilities, social problems, school drop-out, sexual acting out and high risk behaviors. How do we know? Children often lack the verbal skills to tell us how they feel. They keep their emotions hidden and seem introverted, shy or withdrawn. On the other hand, they act out, become hyperactive, impulsive and angry.

Children experiencing academic difficulties at school are at risk. Their self-esteem is affected; they are constantly challenged and cannot keep up with the demands of the school. These problems can be caused by a learning disability, a metabolic problem, ADD/ADHD, processing issues or emotional problems such as depression and anxiety. Depending on the child’s temperament they might persevere in school and keep trying to succeed or they may abandon the effort and simply quit. Either way, finding out the underlying causes through a consultation with a professional will help avoid future issues. A professional child psychologist that is able to provide therapy, diagnosis and treatment. This psychologist should specialize in children and understands how depression, anxiety and learning problems are different in children and adults.

Children are at risk when there is a sudden change in their behavior. If your child was an outspoken, self-secured and confident child who all of a sudden becomes angry, withdrawn and insecure, you should be concerned. He might be experiencing problems in school, be the victim of bullying, social ridicule, bad company, or changes in the home. Have there been any recent loses, changes, divorces or upsets in the child’s life? Talking to them about the change, their worries and providing reassurance might be enough. Sometimes they will resist parental intervention. Again, seeking professional help is recommended.

Finally, there’s the risk for sex and drug abuse. Teenagers experiment and many times they are too young to realize the consequences of their behavior. Talking to them about sex and drugs, keeping open communication with them, knowing where your children are and who they are spending time with is crucial. This is when they will request privacy and “trust.” The privacy and the trust must only go so far.

In short, our children can be at risk academically, emotionally or behaviorally. They can show red flags early on and we can deny their existence. This can increase their chances of depression or anxiety, decrease their academic performance and increase the risk of teenage pregnancy, drugs or diseases. When in doubt, contact a professional. Intervention early on may prevent the problem for snowballing out of control.

Mind Spectrum Institute
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/is-my-child-at-risk-for-depression-anxiety-learning-diabilities-or-emotional-problems-176059.html

If you are heading to the doctor to find out whether your child has ADHD, bring this list with you and ask questions before making a final decision.

While doing the research for my books, Learning vs Testing, What’s Food Got To Do With It?, and Instant Learning For Amazing Grades, I discovered nearly 20 things that can mimic the symptoms of ADD or ADHD.

According to Frank Barnhill, M.D., and many other of the world’s top medical doctors, ADD, now officially referred to as ADHD, is a diagnosis of exclusion first.

Dr. Barnhill and I created this list so you can get a thorough and high quality diagnosis for your child. You may be surprised to discover that your child’s ADD symptoms are actually something else in disguise.

1. Thyroid Disease. An underactive thyroid can make a child lethargic or too sleepy to pay attention. An overactive thyroid can make a child appear hyperactive. Either one mimics many of the symptoms of ADD or ADHD. Dr. Barnhill says to ask your doctor to rule this out first.

2. Anemia. Low hemoglobin can cause fatigue, irritability, mood swings, and of course, the poor attention span that goes along with ADD – ADHD symptoms.

3. Hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar in a child looks and acts just like low blood sugar in an adult. Sometimes the symptoms of fatigue, lethargy and poor concentration are even more pronounced. Unfortunately, this often goes undiagnosed in children, because they will bounce back fast and lead parents to believe they were just being lazy.

4. Diabetes mellitus. When your blood sugar is high, you will be on edge and others will perceive you as hyperactive. Sometimes ADHD can be cured by changing a diet, or adding blood sugar lowering medicines.

Check the amount of sugar your child eats and see if his or her behavior changes. Also, there is a type II epidemic in young people these days, so make sure your doctor checks your child thoroughly for any signs of it.

5.Seizure disorders. This is a new topic in behavioral science. Some children labeled ADHD actually suffer from mild seizures and it can make your child appear inattentive or spacey when they occur many times an hour. If your child becomes confused or scared, then periods of hyperactivity may follow.

6. Post- concussion syndrome. Mild cases of trauma to the brain that leave no physical evidence of having occurred, can lead to symptoms of ADHD. Brain cell pathways may have been damaged leading to inadequate higher brain cognitive and executive level thought processing abilities. PET Scans will give you this information.

7. Effects of other drugs. Prescription, over the counter, and legal-illegal drugs can cause symptoms that mimic ADHD.

For example, pseudoephedrine found in cold and cough medicines can cause irritability, difficulty sleeping, inability to focus and concentrate and the appearance of being hyper. It is well known that some children actually self-medicate with amphetamines or speed to slow themselves down. Stimulants used to treat ADHD, such as Ritalin, are a form of amphetamine.

8. Effects of certain foods. Everyone knows how some children get hyper when they eat a lot of sugar. But, have you ever wondered whether too much caffeine causing hyperactive states? Each and every child has a different metabolism.

So some tolerate large amounts of sugar and caffeine without becoming hyper, while others can consume little of these stimulants and start ‘bouncing off the wall’.

9. Depression. Mild forms of depression can cause irritability, attitude problems and poor concentration. Other symptoms may include sleepiness, insomnia, appetite changes, crying, and lack of energy and poor self-esteem. All of these can mistakenly lead to an incorrect ADHD diagnosis.

10. Manic depression. This disease is called the rollercoaster of life because one day the affected person will be on the highs of life and maybe the next day or two, will be on the lows. These people have wild mood swings and if not treated, will disrupt classrooms, home life and workplaces.

11. Anxiety, GAD. Anxious kids are almost always hyper in one way or another. It appears that Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is very common in young ADHD children and girls with ADHD without hyperactivity. If the anxiety is not treated with ADHD, then therapy is likely to fail.

12. Mild psychosis. Most parents are surprised to discover that children can hallucinate. Usually, these problems have a sudden onset after a very stressful event in the family, such as a death, divorce, job loss or feelings of impending doom.

There are cases where day terrors and night terrors occur very slowly and simply disrupt the sleep pattern making a child very moody. Teachers feel these children are not paying attention in class because they appear spacey.

13. Sleep apnea is a condition where a person stops breathing multiple times during the night. It requires special diagnosis and treatment since it can lead to the same problems as psychosis. It has been associated with night terrors as a child (or even an adult) may awaken abruptly with a feeling of choking, drowning or being suffocated.

14. Hormone problems in many diseases can cause ADHD like symptoms. Thyroid and insulin related diseases are not the only endocrine disorders that can cause symptoms that look or act like ADHD.

The adrenal gland sits on top of the kidneys and is responsible for everything from regulation of energy to how stable blood sugars remain after running the two-minute mile.

When these disorders are present, a child can have symptoms almost identical to ADHD, such as fatigue, restlessness, poor concentration, changes in weight, and mood swings. Ask your doctor to screen for these.

15. Lead poisoning. Lead damages bone marrow’s ability to make red blood cells, resulting in a terrible anemia. These children can be lethargic and have weird hallucinations. Some can have seizures and eventual kidney failure.

16. Inhalation poisoning. Inhalants such as permanent markers, airplane model glue, paint, fingernail polish and other solvents can cause wild mood swings, periods of intense hyperactivity, irritability and irrational combativeness and defiance.

Abusing inhalants may cause paranoia, seizures, and hallucinations. Using even just a little can create symptoms that can mimic many other conditions including ADD or ADHD.

17. Malnutrition including multiple vitamin deficiencies. No child can adequately focus and concentrate when hungry. With prolonged periods of forced fasting, kids become tired, irritable, and unable to process visual-auditory-tactile sensory input correctly. In addition, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause fatigue, and even depression.

18. Eyesight, vision, hearing and speech and language problems. While these three items may seem obvious, they frequently go unchecked when diagnosing ADHD. Take your child to a developmental optometrist, one who specializes in vision therapy, a speech and language evaluation and full frequency hearing exam.

19. Visual-tactile-auditory integration problems. These are very specialized problems that affect a child or adults ability to interact with one or more aspects of his sensory environment.

20. Other learning disabilities. These include minimal brain damage from birth trauma and low oxygen levels at birth. IQ may actually be affected in these circumstances and special training is usually indicated.

Birth trauma can cause a variety of auditory, visual and sometimes tactile problems. These integration difficulties should be thoroughly assessed to provide a game plan for learning success specific to that child.

21. Pregnancy. Although you may only have a young child right now, teenage pregnancy is so prevalent, yet often never given a second thought when it comes to diagnosing ADHD. The hormonal imbalance alone can make a young woman appear sleepy, agitated and moody.

22. Children learn in many ways, but schools test in one. Check that learning and testing styles match or your child may have a difficult time showing what he or she knows on a written test.

Keep in mind that ADHD is a complex diagnosis to make. Get the best diagnosis possible prior to filling a prescription for a stimulant drug.

Take this list to your doctor and ask if there are any more factors to rule out before deciding that your child has ADD or ADHD. Your family doctor is still the best source of advice for you and you should consult him or her if you have any medical concerns.

No portion of this article is intended to provide medical advice. See your doctor or other health care practitioner for more information.

Copyright 1997-2006 Pat Wyman, M.A., and Frank Barnhill, M.D. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Pat Wyman
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/addadhd-kid-think-again-66575.html

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) wasn’t recognized until about twenty years ago. Before that time, children who didn’t sit still in their desk chairs, who seemingly daydreamed all the time, and couldn’t meet homework assignments were considered “bad” kids, whose parents had failed to give them sufficient discipline. The only option was to spank or punish them on a daily basis. We still don’t know what repercussions that type of parenting had on kids who just couldn’t do any better.

Today, we know the symptoms of ADD and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), which include those issues mentioned above, though there are still some doctors and many lay persons who still believe that ADD is caused by bad parenting. Science has proven otherwise. ADD stems from a neurological difference in the brain, and to be diagnosed ADD, its symptoms must have been present for six months or more and be severe enough to have disrupted the person’s life. No scientific test can positively test the condition, though the similarities in those known to have ADD are overwhelming.

It has only recently been determined that ADD is more than a childhood disorder that disappears as the child gets older. Statistics show, however, that 70% of children will outgrow the symptoms by the time they are teens, but as many as 15 to 20% of people with ADD will continue to have ADD throughout their lives. When these symptoms go untreated, they can bring on bigger issues such as drug addiction, work issues, depression, and even marital problems.

Counseling and proper medical treatment, when needed, can help tremendously. But when you have ADD, you need to find ADD-friendly systems to help you just get through the day.

So, what’s an add-friendly system?

Let’s say that you’re a work-at-home mom. You have a husband’s schedule to remember because he works different hours every day. Then, there are the kids with their after-school and summer activities and sports practices. Plus, you’re trying to run your own home-based business. How do you keep everything that you need to know straight?

Force yourself to use some type of planner, every single day.

Microsoft Outlook has a great feature in its calendar. You can use it to plug in all your appointments and to keep your “to-do” list straight. Since you’re working a home-based business, you probably are at the computer for a good part of the day. Leave the calendar open in your task bar and plug in appointments that you need to remember as they arise. Get Outlook to remind you by setting up an alert that will pop up five minutes or more before the appointment is due.

If you don’t have Outlook, try another piece of software called Time & Chaos. But if you’d rather have something with you all the time, buy a personal data assistant, like a Palm Pilot, or get a cell phone with scheduling capabilities. If you prefer to enter appointments by hand, a simple wall board or wall calendar, with big squares so that you can enter information into them, will work, too. It all depends upon your personal preference.

But if you want something really high-tech and user friendly at the same time, try Mark Joyner’s Simpleology at http://simpleology.com. His “Simple Science of Getting What You Want,” also known as Simpleology 101 will organize every bit of time in your day and help you to see what you want in your life and to get it. Simpleology even has a desktop solution that you can download to see your day plainly, every minute you’re in front of the computer.

ADD sometimes makes it very hard to stay organized, so you must commit to building a system, perhaps with one of these options, and to follow it religiously. If you start the day organizing, and free your mind from worrying that you won’t get something done on time, you’ll be more productive.

Using ADD-friendly systems for everything from organization to achieving better interpersonal relationships can free your life. We’ll be talking about these issues in the future, so be sure to stay tuned.

Tellman H. Knudson
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/how-can-an-addfriendly-system-change-your-life-127884.html

ADHD has clearly been around for quite some time, but it was only recently given the name Attention Deficit Disorder. Previously, the disorder had various names, which changed over the years.

A disorder relating to impulsiveness was first documented in 1902, in Britain. It was diagnosed by Dr. Still, who called it “Defect of Moral Control” and believed that the diagnosed individual had a medical disorder beyond their control.

The next documentation of similar symptoms was in 1922; here, the symptoms we associate with ADHD were given the name “Post-Encephalitic Behavior Disorder”.

The next event in the history of ADHD was in 1937, where Dr. Charles Bradley introduced the use of stimulants in children who were hyperactive. It is interesting that stimulants were used to treat hyperactive children, when these were already bouncing off the walls. While it is true that stimulants calm down hyperactive kids, how did someone hypothesize that this would occur? About two decades later, in 1956, Ritalin was introduced as the drug of choice to treat hyperactivity.

In the early 1960s, the disorder was called “Minimal Brain Dysfunction”. At the end of the decade, though, the name of the disorder was changed to “Hyperkinetic Disorder of Childhood”. The only symptom that was really documented at this point was hyperactivity. During these years, stimulants were used by a wider population.

Somewhat later, new symptoms were added to this hyperactivity disorder: lack of focus and “spaceiness” associated with impulsiveness. Impulsiveness now included verbal, cognitive and motor impulsiveness.

In 1980, the disorder was given its current name of Attention Deficit Disorder, with or without hyperactivity. This was documented in the DSM-III put out by the American Psychiatric Association, with ADD and ADHD being two different diagnoses.

Next, in 1987, ADD was changed to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The American Psychiatric Association noted that this was a medical diagnosis, and not a purely psychological one. It also noted that ADHD could cause behavioral issues.

In 1996, a new medication called Adderall was approved by the FDA for the treatment of ADHD. After a period of time, it was thought to be better at treating the disorder, since its effect lasted longer and it was easier to come down off of. In 1999, other medications were added to treat ADHD such as Concerta and Focalin. In 2003, Strattera was introduced as the first ADHD medication that was not a stimulant, but rather, it acted like an antidepressant, but increased the amount of norepinephrine in the brain.

Aliza Adar Levine
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/stalking-the-adhd-mystery-119054.html

 Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is associated  with over weight and obesity.  This relationship has been established in the scientific literature yet not well understood.  We see from the studies below that children and adults with ADHD are more likely to be overweight when not medicated.  We also see that ADHD children  who are medicated are more likely to be underweight.  This is expected as the most common medication for ADHD is methylphenidate a drug knows to have side effects indicated decrease appetite and weight loss.  So much so that methylphenidate has potential and reputation for abuse.  Here are two recent studies regarding to the relationship between ADHD and weight.

Department of Community Health, Brown Medical School, Box G-S121, Providence, RI 02912, USA. molly_waring@brown.edu

OBJECTIVE: As the prevalence of childhood obesity increases, identifying groups of children who are at increased risk of overweight is important. The current study estimated the prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents in relation to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and medication use. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of 62 887 children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years from the 2003-2004 National Survey of Children’s Health, a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents in the United States. Attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was determined by response to the question “Has a doctor or health professional ever told you that your child has attention-deficit disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, that is, ADD or ADHD?” Children and adolescents were classified as underweight, normal weight, at risk of overweight, or overweight according to BMI for age and gender. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and depression/anxiety, children and adolescents with attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder not currently using medication had approximately 1.5 times the odds of being overweight, and children and adolescents currently medicated for attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder had approximately 1.6 times the odds of being underweight compared with children and adolescents without either diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides heightened awareness for pediatric providers about the relationship between attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, medication use, and weight status. Future work is needed to better understand the longitudinal and pharmacologic factors that influence the relationship between attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and weight status in children and adolescents.

1Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects ~2.9-4.7% of US adults. Studies have revealed high rates of ADHD (26-61%) in patients seeking weight loss treatment suggesting an association between ADHD and obesity. The objective of the present study was to test the association between ADHD and overweight and obesity in the US population. Cross-sectional data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys were used. Participants were 6,735 US residents (63.9% white; 51.6% female) aged 18-44 years. A retrospective assessment of childhood ADHD and a self-report assessment of adult ADHD were administered. Diagnosis was defined by three categories: never met diagnostic criteria, met full childhood criteria with no current symptoms, and met full childhood criteria with current symptoms. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 33.9 and 29.4%, respectively, among adults with ADHD, and 28.8 and 21.6%, respectively, among persons with no history of ADHD. Adult ADHD was associated with greater likelihood of overweight, (odds ratio (OR) = 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.05, 2.38) and obesity (OR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.14, 2.64). Results were similar when adjusting for demographic characteristics and depression. Mediation analyses suggest that binge eating disorder (BED), but not depression, partially mediates the associations between ADHD and both overweight and obesity. Results suggest that adult ADHD is associated with overweight and obesity. Obesity (2008) doi:10.1038/oby.2008.587.

The question remains: Does having ADHD predispose you to being overweight or does being overweight predisposed you to ADHD?  Our model proposes that it is the thing associated with being overweight predisposes you to ADHD.  That is modern society’s lack of exercise and increase screen time (T.V., video games, internet).  If we look at the last 2 decades when Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder have increase drastically we find that during this time in western cultures, fast food, video games and computers also have increased.  Our model proposes that it is the lack of exercise (kids playing video games instead of being outside playing) which disturbs motor development as well as input from the  postural and antigravity muscles to the brain which is a factor in the under connectivity and functional disconnect syndrome associated with ADHD and ASD. 

At a recent lecture I attended regarding childhood neurobehavioral disorders a clever cartoon was put up on the screen to make a point.  The cartoon  showed an overweight boy drinking a coke and eating a bag of chips while sitting in a chair playing a video game.  This child’s mother tells the child that it’s time to take his medication.  The boy’s response “not now Mom I’m playing football.”  Exercise has been shown to not only reduce weight and improve health but also improve cognitive function. 

This is not to say that enrolling the child in soccer is going to be the magic pill that solves everything.  It is simply a suggestion that in a condition with many associated possible causes this may be a contributing factor or at least an aggravator.  Let’s face it these kids are picky eaters and at times letting them play video games is the only thing that calms them down and helps mom and dad not pull their hair out.  But it seems at times as if they may be locked into things that can hurt them long term and all of us involved with these children need to be aware.

Dr. Mane offers one on one consultation as well as Group Seminars  for parents and children who suffer from Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders.  If you are interested in scheduling a consultation or to attend a seminar please call 813-935-4744. 

For more information about Dr. Nelson Mane, D.C. and his treatment approach for ASD go to http://www.manecenter.com/ADHD.htm. 

Nelson Mane
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/adhd-overweight-and-obesity-the-chicken-or-the-egg-722406.html