Mercola: How to treat the symptoms of ADD naturally - NO DRUGS

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> JustSayNo

> Fri, 16 Jul 2004 22:22:08 -0400

> [sSRI-Research] Mercola: How to treat the

> symptoms of " ADD " naturally - NO DRUGS

>

> Adults With ADHD: Don’t Become the Next Drug

> Target ... Here’s How to Treat it Naturally

>

>

http://mercola.com/fcgi/pf/2004/jun/26/adult_adhd_drugs.htm

>

>

> By Dr. Joseph Mercola

> with Rachael Droege

>

> Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is the most

> commonly diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorder

> and rising numbers of children are being found to

> display the tell-tale symptoms: distractibility,

> impulsiveness and hyperactivity (with hyperactivity

> the diagnosis becomes attention deficit

> hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)). Not surprisingly,

> the preferred treatments by many physicians are the

> widespread and well-known stimulant medications like

> Ritalin. Well over 1 million American children are

> on drugs for ADHD.

>

> Many kids take the drugs for years, which is akin to

> a large experiment because the long-term effects are

> not known. In fact, in a Canadian Medical

> Association Journal study researchers found that the

> average length of randomized trials of Ritalin is

> 3.3 weeks, and the effect of treatment beyond four

> weeks has not been demonstrated. In other words, no

> one knows what the long-term effects will be.

>

> Nonetheless, drugs for attention disorders bring in

> $2.2 billion a year. Although these are already huge

> profits, they will soon get even bigger because drug

> companies have discovered a new attention-drug

> market: adults. There is currently only one ADHD

> pill--Eli Lilly’s Strattera--on the market that is

> FDA-approved to treat adults, but others are seeking

> approval.

>

> Although it is estimated that more than 8 million

> adults in the United States have ADHD, the disorder

> is typically thought of as something that is

> outgrown during adolescence. Why, then, would adults

> need these drugs? Perhaps it has something to do

> with one pharmaceutical executive’s statement in a

> Reuters interview, “The adult market is three

> times the size of the children's market. The market

> is ripe and is moving in the right direction. "

>

> The logic behind it, which some experts are now

> echoing, is that lots of adults may have had ADHD as

> children but were never diagnosed.

>

> The major problem here is not new, but rather is an

> extension of the same routine often applied to

> drugs. However, instead of adult drugs being

> marketed to children, “children’s drugs†will

> be targeted at adults. But adults have an advantage

> in this situation in regard to taking drugs: they

> can refuse. Children, on the other hand, are not

> able to decide for themselves whether or not to take

> medication, and, in a sad statement of our world

> today, parents are often pressured to keep their

> kids on psychiatric drugs or face allegations of

> child abuse.

>

> Rather than rely on drugs, both children and adults

> can use natural methods to address ADHD, and rather

> than risking the negative side effects that surround

> most all drugs, if you use natural methods you will

> actually experience positive and pleasant

> improvements in all aspects of your health.

>

> Natural Methods to Treat ADHD

>

> The great majority of people would notice amazing

> improvement in their ADHD by following these three

> steps:

>

>

> Increase intake of omega-3 from fish oil or cod

> liver oil. Omega-3 oil, specifically the type found

> in fish oil, is probably the single most important

> nutrient for someone with ADHD to take. An excellent

> resource on this topic is Dr. Stoll's book The

> Omega-3 Connection. He is a Harvard psychiatrist who

> has done a great job compiling evidence supporting

> the use of fish oils.

>

>

> Drink only water for a beverage, taking care to

> avoid fruit juices, soda and pasteurized milk.

>

>

> Restrict sugars and grains, which cause insulin

> levels to be elevated.

>

> If this sounds too simple to be true, I encourage

> you to give it a try and see the results for

> yourself. No one, no drug company or other corporate

> conglomeration, has anything to gain but you.

>

> Related Articles:

>

>

>

>

> Maybe Attention Deficit Isn't the Real Problem

>

> Ritalin is More Potent Than Cocaine

>

> US Courts Forcing Parents to Medicate Kids for

> ADD/ADHD

>

> Does Your Child Have ADHD? Consider Fish Oil Over

> Ritalin

>

> High U.S. Costs for Treating Attention Disorder

>

> US Congress Told of ADHD Overdiagnosis in Schools

>