What Causes the Rise of ADHD in Children? By Dr. Mercola. According to a 2. US government survey,1 1 in 1. American children now has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—a 2. ADHD makes it hard for children to pay attention and control impulsive behavior, and an increasing number of older children, including high school students, are now being labeled as having ADHD. Adult ADHD is also becoming more prevalent. As reported by the Las Vegas Guardian Express,2 nearly 1. American kids are labeled with the disorder. More than twice as many boys are diagnosed with ADHD than girls—one in five, compared to one in 1. The featured article speculates about the cause behind these rising numbers. Some experts feel the increase could be due to increased awareness and better diagnosis, but I think you'll find it interesting that this trend also coincides with increased prevalence of the pervasive weed killer, glyphosate, in the American food supply. There's also plenty of room for overdiagnosis. In fact, an ADHD diagnosis is often made on the subjective observations of teachers or guardians, based on signs that nearly every child will display at some point. Aggravating factors, such as diet or home environment, are oftentimes overlooked entirely. The featured article actually points out some interesting correlations between ADHD diagnoses and changes to the American educational system that might help explain how, if not why, so many children are misdiagnosed or flat out falsely diagnosed. What Is ADHD? But before we get into potential causes for the uptick in prevalence, let's review how ADHD is qualified in the first place. The disorder involves a cluster of symptoms that includes inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behaviors. Often, children with ADHD struggle in school and have difficulty managing interpersonal relationships. They also tend to suffer from low self- esteem. The similar term attention deficit disorder (ADD) has largely been replaced with ADHD, as it describes two of the most common symptoms of the condition, inattention, and hyperactive- impulsive behavior. Diagnosing ADHD really comes down to a matter of opinion, as there is no physical test, like a brain scan, that can pinpoint the condition. This could change, however. According to a recent study, a newer MRI method called magnetic field correlation imaging that can detect low iron levels in the brains of children with ADHD could potentially help parents and patients make better informed decisions about treatment. As reported by Medicine. Because iron is required to process dopamine, using MRI to assess iron levels in the brain may provide a noninvasive, indirect measure of the chemical, explained study author Vitria Adisetiyo.. If these findings are confirmed in larger studies, this technique might help improve ADHD diagnosis and treatment.. The . The lower iron levels in the ADHD patients who'd never taken stimulant drugs appeared to normalize after they took the medicines. Most children with ADHD will display a combination of inattention and hyperactive- impulsive behavior, along with the following symptoms: 4. Frequent fidgeting or squirming Difficulty playing quietly. Always seems on the go. Restlessness. Excessive talking and interrupting others. Difficulty waiting his or her turn. Frequent daydreaming. Frequently has problems organizing tasks or activities. Difficulty following through on instructions and apparently not listening. Many of these . Hence, those who display these symptoms at school but not at home or with friends are not considered to have ADHD. Ditto for children who display symptoms at home but not at school. Only children who struggle with inattention and hyperactive or impulsive behaviors around the clock are deemed to have ADHD—or at least they should be. According to a 2. ADHD. According to some, the disorder may not even be a . Psychiatrist Leon Eisenberg, hailed as the . As reported in the featured article, there's an interesting correlation between the rise in ADHD diagnoses and the implementation of the US Elementary and Secondary Education Act known as . The program was implemented nationwide in 2. The NCLB standardized teaching methods across the US which, contrary to what the name implies, does leave a lot of kids . And bored, discouraged children will oftentimes . Many schools, especially those where the tax base is much poorer.. North Carolina, one of the first states to implement consequential accountability statutes, stands at a ADHD diagnosis rate of over 1. California, one of the last states to implement these policies, ranks at only 6. The difference is staggering. These drugs actually rival illegal street drugs in terms of their dangerous risks to health, which include: Sadly, tens of thousands of American kids are now prescribed dangerous antipsychotic drugs before the age of five—some even before reaching 1. Children in the Medicaid system are at greatest risk for overdiagnosis. Data shows they're prescribed antipsychotic medications four times more often compared to those with private insurance. The price we pay as a society for drugging our children out of objectionable behavior patterns is steep. Bob & Gina Hartwig. About the Restaurants and Owners: Lovely: a bake shop opened in Wicker Park in 2007. Our vision was a unique place for customers to stop in for. Vetiver Essential Oil May Be Useful for ADHD. Considering the risks of ADHD drugs, and their lackluster performance in improving symptoms, there’s good reason to. I could devote an entire blog to this subject, but I’ll try to keep it as brief as I can. That will be hard. Why did we choose not to vaccinate? Some very sensitive individuals with food chemical intolerance require a diet that is restricted beyond the level required by the failsafe elimination diet. In children, the long- term effects of drugs are typically largely unknown, while in the short term, we've seen shocking increases in violent and aggressive acts committed by teens taking one or more psychotropic drugs. These children are also likely to experience health problems as they mature into adulthood. Just look at what happens to street junkies through time, and then consider that Ritalin has a more potent effect on your brain than cocaine.. Being raised firmly within the drug paradigm from an early age may also make them more likely to opt for drug treatment for other ailments rather than exploring other options. What Causes Behavioral Difficulties? Behavioral problems clearly do exist, and do appear to be more prevalent than in decades past, with or without the ADHD label. The question on everyone's mind is what's causing it? The cause of ADHD remains elusive, although there are many contending culprits, including poor nutrition and environmental toxins ranging from food- and vaccine additives to agricultural chemicals. For example, a 2. ADHD. The study also suggested that exposure to lead and/or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can cause ADHD symptoms. Pesticide exposure has also been linked with ADHD. Unfortunately, few are focusing on basic nutrition, which I believe is a key factor. We know that the food choices of most children and adults today are incredibly poor, and how can you possibly expect a child to have normal behavior if he is fed refined grains, sugars, and processed foods loaded with chemicals and largely devoid of natural nutrients? Five Dietary Factors to Address if Your Child Has ADHDFive dietary factors of particular concern are the following. If your child struggles with behavioral difficulties, whether he or she has been diagnosed with ADHD or not, I strongly recommend addressing all of these factors: Too much sugar. High sugar content and starchy carbohydrates lead to excessive insulin release, which can lead to falling blood sugar levels, or hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia, in turn, causes your brain to secrete glutamate in levels that can cause agitation, depression, anger, anxiety, and panic attacks. Besides that, sugar promotes chronic inflammation in your body, and many studies have demonstrated the connection between a high- sugar diet and worsened mental health. Gluten sensitivity. The evidence. 10,1. ADHD, is quite compelling. According to a 2. The study went so far as to suggest celiac disease should be added to the ADHD symptom checklist. Too few beneficial bacteria. As explained by Dr. So many of us have doctor horror stories of being misdiagnosed while suffering from celiac disease. Read these stories and share your own.Natasha Campbell- Mc. Bride, a medical doctor with a postgraduate degree in neurology, toxicity in your gut can flow throughout your body and into your brain, where it can cause symptoms of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression, schizophrenia, and other mental disorders. Reducing gut inflammation is imperative when addressing mental health issues,1. To learn more, please see my previous article, . Research has shown that kids low in omega- 3 fats are significantly more likely to be hyperactive, struggle with learning disorders, and display behavioral problems. Omega- 3 deficiencies have also been tied to dyslexia, violence, and depression. A clinical study published in 2. ADHD. 1. 4 In that study, patients improved their ability to concentrate by an average of over 6. They also reported a 5. Food additives and GMO ingredients. A number of food additives are thought to worsen ADHD, and many have subsequently been banned in Europe. Potential culprits to avoid include Blue #1 and #2 food coloring; Green #3; Orange B; Red #3 and #4. Yellow #5 and #6; and sodium benzoate, a preservative. As a result, the damaging effects of those chemicals and environmental toxins are magnified, and may result in a wide variety of diseases, including brain disorders that can affect behavior. The Hidden Health Hazards of Glyphosate and GMOs. Glyphosate- contaminated food has recently been implicated in the dramatic rise of both ADHD and autism, the latter of which is clearly more extreme in terms of behavioral difficulties. Still, both problems appear to be rooted to some degree in abnormal gut flora, and this is where glyphosate begins its path of destruction. How severe the effect might be in any given person will likely depend on a wide variety of individual factors, including the mother's gut health during and at the time of giving birth. Former US Navy staff scientist Dr. Nancy Swanson has meticulously collected statistics on glyphosate usage and various diseases and conditions, including autism. A more perfect match- up between the rise in glyphosate usage and incidence of autism, shown below, is hard to imagine. To access her published articles and reports, please visit Sustainable Pulse,1. European Website dedicated to exposing the hazards of genetically engineered foods. The Failsafe Diet . Symptoms can appear almost immediately after consuming a food chemical you cannot tolerate, or they may appear the following day, or they may take as long as three to five days before they appear. Reactions can differ depending on the strength, quantity, and the type of chemicals you have consumed. Reactions often build up very slowly and sneakily over several days and may take several more days or a week to abate. Initially you may experience withdrawal symptoms. These may be related to caffeine withdrawal, or to the presence of food chemicals which your body has grown used to. You may find that you crave “forbidden foods” and strong flavours. Try to resist these as they will only make you feel worse. Rarely withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant and can mimic SSRI withdrawal. Try not to worry too much about the unusual symptoms that you experience during the first few weeks of the diet. Do not worry about nutrition. The diet is restricted but still highly nutritious when performed properly. You may even find that your nutrition improves. Meat, eggs, whole dairy foods, pulses, beans and whole grains are some of the most nutritious foods in the human diet. Please use your common sense and eat a normal, balanced diet. Do not use the diet as an excuse to binge on your favourite foods or eat large amounts of refined carbohydrates or vegetable oils. Please do not avoid eating meat or fish, even if you are afraid of amines, just concentrate your efforts on finding a good supplier of fresh meat. If you are concerned about vitamin C, understand that most fruits and vegetables contain only small amounts, and only a specific minority contain high amounts. Brussels sprouts, potatoes and cabbage are all very good sources of vitamin C. Pure ascorbic acid can be purchased if you dislike the taste of these foods. Sometimes people complain that there is “nothing to eat”. This is usually because they are placing additional self- imposed restrictions on their diet or they are struggling to use their imagination in preparing meals. There is no reason why people should go short on calories on the diet.
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