JS>JK> 1.  At least 25 percent of children with ADHD suffer from some type of
JS>JK> communication/learning disability.
JS>JK> 2.  Approximately 40 percent of children with ADHAD exhibit signs of
JS>JK> Conduct Disorder (starting fights, lying, stealingO or Oppositional
JS>JK> Defiant Disorder (disobedience, defiance, and rule breaking.)
JS>JK> [This is the same information given in the article I have on file from
JS>JK> chemical dependency in an adolescent journal for counselors.)
JS>And all of that is common knowledge to us here.  The parents of kids with 
OD
JS>have told particularly heart-rending stories.
So have parents of other children.  It must be very difficult not to
accept any drug that promises to be wonderful.  Got news for you.  The
female alcholics who have been handed Valium or Librium by various
doctors have the same problem when the drug gets very unfriendly.
They are also told that a program of remedial diet and exercise will be
much better for them than continuing to accept the drugs that the
doctor, who incidently seldom did a drinking or drug history, kept
giving them to take.
JS>JK> So, now explain to me why there is no mention at all of remedial diet 
in
JS>JK> this article or why children in families where we know that a problem
JS>I think it falls to you to explain that, since you are the one who is
JS>trumpeting the virtues of diet as a treatment for AD(H)D.  What I see in 
the
JS>NAMI fact sheet is that treatment with medication is common and usually
JS>effective, and that cognitive/behavioral therapy "might be useful."  This
JS>accords with what has been said here often, with such things as karate 
being
JS>recommended as a way of inculcating the impulse control that kids with 
AD(H)
JS>often lack.  I searched the NAMI web site for information about AD(H)D, 
nd
JS>found a lot of information which has been kicked around here before but
JS>nothing particularly startling.  I didn't read all of it, so if there's 
some
JS>particular item you think I missed please let me know.
That is exactly the problem.  In one part of NAMI there is information
concerning the brain chemistry, yet in this area, with children, there
is no movement at all to put anything into practice that is learned from
the studies.
DO YOU THINK THIS IS BECAUSE THE CHILDREN DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE?
I do. Ever talk to a young person who has been handed Ritalin or other
drugs as a kid, become a living zombie, and then had to attempt to solve
the problem all over again as an adult?
I have.  And it isn't a nice picture at all.
 JS>I'm afraid that NAMI doesn't particularly support the stance that
dietary JS>supplements are a valuable tool for dealing with AD(H)D.
NAMI doesn't know a profane thing about dietary supplements. That is the
message I wanted you to find out for yourself.
 JS>As for the consumption of neurotransmitters some things, when
eaten,
Sorry, Jerry, but this one sentence points up your total and complete
lack of any real knowledge or understanding of the entire subject of
brain chemistry.  One does not consume neurotransmitters.  One can and
should consume the amino acids that are the precursors to the production
of specific neurotransmitters if one is aware that one has a problem.
For example, turkey is high in tryptphan.  For some reason I do not
fully understand, my arthritis is much better the next day when I eat
turkey the night before than when I do not.
It also tends to cut down on the irritablity factor.
 have JS>specific effects: that is, after all, the point of orally
administered JS>medications.  Other things, when eaten, have more
general effects.  One goal JS>in developing a medication is for it to
have as narrow an effect as possible JS>and that is quite difficult when
working with natural remedies and dietary JS>supplements.
JS>As I understand your statements, you are suggesting that a deficiency in 
the
JS>presence of or neurochemical activity of some neurotransmitters can be
JS>remedied by the ingestion of those neurochemicals, their analogs, or their
JS>precursors.  That might or might not be true, and that reasoning suggests 

JS>line of investigation but does not promise a favorable result.
JS>Eating serotonin, for example, is not the same thing as taking a 
edication
JS>which boosts serotonin concentrations in some part of the brain.  I'm not
JS>sure quite what all it would do, but I wouldn't want to ingest large
JS>quantities of a vasoconstrictor which is found in various venoms.  And the
JS>research on serotonin's link to depression indicates that (quoting from a
JS>NAMI document) "using a serotonin-releasing drug, doctors observed
JS>significant increases, as well as decreases, in metabolic activity in the
JS>left and right regions of the brain in the healthy patients but not in
JS>patients with depression."  That suggests that eating serotonin or its
JS>precursors would have little effect on depression.
JS>Eating serotonin is probably not going to be the same thing as boosting 
he
JS>metabolism of serotonin in a misfunctioning brain, and in the absence of
JS>plausible theory or scientifically-obtained experimental results any
JS>suggestion to the contrary is just sympathetic magic tricked out in
JS>pseudo-scientific hocus-pocus.
JS>Would I drink willow bark tea if I were lost in the woods, had a fever, 
nd
JS>had no prospect of obtaining aspirin?  Certainly.  But would I drink 
illow
JS>bark tea if the drugstore were open nearby?  Only if I really liked the
JS>taste.
JS>Oh, and as for any "eye-witness accounts" of the effect of this diet or 
that
JS>(or anything else, for that matter), consider this little snippet from the
JS>NAMI web pages about multiple-personality disorders:
JS>"The 'personalities' or 'alters'
JS>     "1 - when under the control of one personality, the person can't
JS>remember events that occurred while other personalities were in control
JS>     "2 - different personalities exhibit differences in speech, 
annerism,
JS>attitude, thought, & gender
JS>     "3 - personalities may differ in physical properties (i.e. allergies,
JS>handedness, or eyeglass prescription)"
JS>Consider that multiple-personality disorder is believed to be non-organic 
in
JS>origin, yet it can still have such dramatic ramifications for 
hysiological
JS>processes such as allergies.  Belief, however extreme it may seem to an
JS>observer, can have effects as powerful as any medication.  Any Christian
JS>Scientist would be happy to expound on that at great length.
JS>That's why double-blind studies are so critically important, especially in
JS>the field of mental health.  Come up with double-blind, replicated studies
JS>showing that eating x, y, or z will bring improvement to any substantial
JS>number of AD(H)D sufferers and you will get a fair hearing, I'm sure.
JS>Jerry Schwartz
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JS>
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 * SLMR 2.1a * All wiyht.  Rho sritched mg kegtops awound?
                                    
--- JCQWK
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