The myth of ADD / ADHD
Here's a controversial topic. But this one has lots of momentum - particularly from folks in similar positions as martial arts instructors.
ADD / ADHD is a relatively new condition. it is frequently "diagnosed" by teachers. (Funny - Mrs. Usagi is a certified teacher. She never had a class on diagnosis of mental disorders, nor did she become certified by a state board of medical practitioners for diagnosis of anything). All other known illnesses must be diagnosed by a medical professional. Why is ADD different?
ADD / ADHD is not caused by any known abnormality - either physically or chemically. This is why experts say it is a myth. All known disorders / illnesses, diseases have an observable cause. ADD / ADHD does, too - but many simply do not wish to name the cause - poor parenting.
"Poor parenting" in this case is the parents' lack of providing good nutrition and healthy outlets for play and exercise.
Martial arts instructors have known for years how to "cure" the illness. Which is really to say - we have known for years the problem - and the solution. Wanna solve ADD / ADHD symptoms? Do these steps:
1. Diet. The child must not guzzle colas daily, nor be addicted to fast foods.If the child eats like this, then it is up to the adult to provide alternate foods. Link to a professional advising the same.
2. Exercise. A child will burn energy. If this is done as play, or structured exercise, the child will have less pent-up energy to burn when you want them to sit still.
3. Discipline. A child wants boundaries. It is up to the parent to set them. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Follow up with promises / threats of punishment, and the child will learn to obey rather quickly.
Martial arts can provide two of the three main needs here, hence the reason karate classes can help so much. The final one - diet - is strictly up to the parent. The parent must want their child to eat healthy, so they can be healthy.
Post Edit:
Several have taken offense at this article. Good! Something must wake people up! It is time for parents to be parents again.
Also, let me expand a bit on the nutrition aspect:
Identified substances that increase an individual's likelihood of ADD / ADHD symptoms include:
caffeine
artificial colorings
artificial flavorings
artificial preservatives
certain foods to which the individual might have an allergy, often can be: cow's milk corn, wheat, soy, eggs, and yeast (among others)
Additionally, it is well known that a lack or deficiency of certain fatty acids can trigger the same symptoms.
Post - Edit 4/24/2011
Link to an article from MSN Health. And some thoughts on certain parts of it:
Oh, and for all you naysayers who throw around ridiculous claims of me being "unqualified" to write on this, or whatever other excuse you wish to throw out to cover for the fact that you do not wish to parent your son or daughter... First, that point of view is so limiting in nature it is laughable. Second, my son shows all the symptoms... as did I when I was a child. I have the first hand experience, and I've used logic and reason and learned from others. Result: my son is 100% in control of himself, and gets outstanding marks and comments on his behavior.
When are you going to quit making excuses and start making an example instead?
The evidence is right in front of you for the taking, if you are brave enough to be a real father / mother.
ADD / ADHD is a relatively new condition. it is frequently "diagnosed" by teachers. (Funny - Mrs. Usagi is a certified teacher. She never had a class on diagnosis of mental disorders, nor did she become certified by a state board of medical practitioners for diagnosis of anything). All other known illnesses must be diagnosed by a medical professional. Why is ADD different?
ADD / ADHD is not caused by any known abnormality - either physically or chemically. This is why experts say it is a myth. All known disorders / illnesses, diseases have an observable cause. ADD / ADHD does, too - but many simply do not wish to name the cause - poor parenting.
"Poor parenting" in this case is the parents' lack of providing good nutrition and healthy outlets for play and exercise.
Martial arts instructors have known for years how to "cure" the illness. Which is really to say - we have known for years the problem - and the solution. Wanna solve ADD / ADHD symptoms? Do these steps:
1. Diet. The child must not guzzle colas daily, nor be addicted to fast foods.If the child eats like this, then it is up to the adult to provide alternate foods. Link to a professional advising the same.
2. Exercise. A child will burn energy. If this is done as play, or structured exercise, the child will have less pent-up energy to burn when you want them to sit still.
3. Discipline. A child wants boundaries. It is up to the parent to set them. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Follow up with promises / threats of punishment, and the child will learn to obey rather quickly.
Martial arts can provide two of the three main needs here, hence the reason karate classes can help so much. The final one - diet - is strictly up to the parent. The parent must want their child to eat healthy, so they can be healthy.
Post Edit:
Several have taken offense at this article. Good! Something must wake people up! It is time for parents to be parents again.
Also, let me expand a bit on the nutrition aspect:
Identified substances that increase an individual's likelihood of ADD / ADHD symptoms include:
caffeine
artificial colorings
artificial flavorings
artificial preservatives
certain foods to which the individual might have an allergy, often can be: cow's milk corn, wheat, soy, eggs, and yeast (among others)
Additionally, it is well known that a lack or deficiency of certain fatty acids can trigger the same symptoms.
Post - Edit 4/24/2011
Link to an article from MSN Health. And some thoughts on certain parts of it:
"But the evidence is not definitive for a number of reasons. Most of this research just shows an association between diet and behavior but does not prove cause and effect."True, but ADD / ADHD do not have definitive causes that have been observed and reported on, either. So it would be impossible to draw a direct correlation in cause, as there is no known cause at the moment. On the other hand, having definitive proof of an association between diet and behavior establishes the cause / effect needed to make an informed decision.
"And when a whole dietary pattern is changed, many factors are involved, so it can be hard to know for sure what is truly the “active” ingredient."Yes, but the fact is that these observed remedies do not work unless the artificial colorings, and processed sugars are both removed, again we can use the Scientific Method to determine the logical conclusion. Again, observation of facts is what is needed.
"But because a diet close to nature—with an emphasis on plant foods—is good for health anyway, it is certainly worth a try (if you can get your son to agree).Agreed. 100%. It works, and there is indisputable proof.
...
While at it, you might consider another intervention with at least as much promise: more physical activity."
Oh, and for all you naysayers who throw around ridiculous claims of me being "unqualified" to write on this, or whatever other excuse you wish to throw out to cover for the fact that you do not wish to parent your son or daughter... First, that point of view is so limiting in nature it is laughable. Second, my son shows all the symptoms... as did I when I was a child. I have the first hand experience, and I've used logic and reason and learned from others. Result: my son is 100% in control of himself, and gets outstanding marks and comments on his behavior.
When are you going to quit making excuses and start making an example instead?
The evidence is right in front of you for the taking, if you are brave enough to be a real father / mother.
This is a relatively new condition? Early definitions of what we now call ADHD occurred over a hundred years ago. In the 1950's we started treating it with Ritalin.
ReplyDeleteI have one child with severe ADHD. From the time he was an infant, he was hyper. He had a perfect 6-pack abdomen because he constantly raised his head. He was an expert at climbing out of his crib at 10 months.
As for your cure.
Diet: Sodas are not regularly available in our house. The children drink milk, water, or watered-down juice. We have fast food no more than once a week. Treats are limited, and our children love fresh fruit. I will say that he gravitates towards candy and junk food, if allowed. And it significantly degrades his disposition.
Exercise: Our children play outside quite a bit. We have a trampoline and his favorite toy for a long time was a chin-up bar. We encourage exercise. It definitely helps. But this doesn't prove ADHD is false. It demonstrates that exercise is a part of treating ADHD.
Discipline: I think we're reasonably strict with our children. We enforce consequences for their behavior. We put limits on them. But this is always the criticism. If our child misbehaves, it's because we're failing as parents. No other explanation is conceivable.
We had him in martial arts when he was younger. He excelled, but it didn't improve his behavior. It wasn't the magic cure. There isn't one. Medication can be of assistance, for some children. There are therapies that can help as well.
Our child has been diagnosed by experts, not his teachers. Personality isn't caused by any known physical or chemical component, yet each of my children had a distinct personality from birth. Don't deprecate my experience simply because you have not had it.
kakashi,
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that if your child is exhibiting strong symptoms consistent with what so many call ADD / ADHD, and they are not treatable by the remedies above, then there is another cause.
Medical practitioners rush to "diagnose" ADD / ADHD because the medications for it result in far lower instances of malpractice claims.
Your statements on personality not being caused by known physical or chemical component are interesting.
First - personality is caused by a physical component - predominantly neuron arrangement.
Second - Personality is not s disorder or disease, so the analogy you use would be irrelevant anyways.
As far as comments on discipline - I hear the same from people I observe failing to discipline their children - they THINK they are doing enough, when reality is quite different. i am not saying that is the case in your situation, but that argument holds no water.
In fact, the Mrs. and I have a good personal friend that thinks she disciplines and feeds her son properly. Nothing could be further from the truth. No wonder the son was kicked out of his first kindergarten class and still needs diapers at night despite being almost six years old!
I would kindly suggest you look deeper into treatment options for your child. Were I a betting man, I'd bet very large sums of money that your child has a different root cause.
Wow, your kind of making yourself a "self proclaimed expert." Seems to me that your comments are both offensive and full of opinion. Maybe you should stay away from these topics until you are an actual behavioral therapist. In the mean time I will unsubscribe from your blog.
ReplyDeletepc-
ReplyDeleteProblem with being a behavioral therapist is that one is taught erroneously that ADD / ADHD actually exist, and need medication. They are also taught other quasi-truths, but that is best explored in a different blog article.
As for my comments being "offensive and full of opinion," you must realize - this is a BLOG. This is not a medical commentary. Nevertheless, I have stated facts and observations.
It is evident to me that parents (particularly the ones who prefer to rely on excuses on why their children do not behave the way they want) are the ones wanting there to be a magic pill to take care of the behavior - instead of actually parenting. Over-medicating a defenseless child is far easier than actually caring enough to discipline and parent.
As for the threat of removing yourself from the blog - feel free. In fact, until you become an expert on writing, I won't publish any more of your comments. (sounds about as silly - doesn't it?)