-=> Quoting Jane Kelley to Regina Finan <=-
 RF> JK> Have one grand daughter that the schools would love to work over 
ith
 RF> JK> their counselors, etc.  My daughter has taken her to her own 
xperts,
 RF> JK> will not however stop feeding her foods that contain processed 
ugar.
 
 First off this is not my message so it is not my opinion.  This was yours.
 RF> Have the doctors told her to do this?
 I asked this question to find out who gave her this opinion, and it was you.
 JK> Dunno where you live, but she lives in Puyallup, Washington where the
 JK> mental health end of things at Good Samaritan Hospital is above the
 JK> average in the rest of this area.  She took the girl there after the
 JK> local school teachers decided to play doctor and got an entirely
 JK> different opinion from the folks who are credentialed in the treatment
 JK> of mental illness.
 And how is diagnosis different?
 JK> School teachers are not credentialed to diagnose and treat mental
 JK> illness.
 You are correct.  But I don't think it is totally wrong for teachers to
 tell you that something seems wrong and that maybe testing is in order
 to clarify it.  Parents have a tendency not to see how their child could
 possibly be different than other children especially academically or
 behavior wise.  Teachers have gone to school and somewhat learned what the
 child should do at what level.  And although a teacher should never give
 a diagnosis, it is imperative that the teacher inform the parent of anything
 that seems to be out of the "norm".
 JK> Or is it just your opinion?
 That was not an opinion, I just asked a question as to who told her the
 child needs to go off of sugar.
 JK> My opinion on Attention Deficit Disorder is backed by a couple of
 JK> papers I have around here from folks who are experts in their field and
 JK> who do their own learning constantly.
 How much research was done on this?
 JK> And also by some of the professionals in chemical dependency I have
 JK> asked lately.
 JK> I am unable to figure out why any sane person would resist so
 JK> drastically anything that would help a child.  Perhaps you can explain
 JK> that to me?
 First off if your daughter's child is eating a tremendous amount of sugar
 than I see your point.  As with a child without any disorder, sugar does
 have a tendency of hyping them up.  Also children with food allergies
 can mimic ADHD.  Although I am not a medical doctor, I have seen this in
 a handful of children as well as gotten that opinion from experts I know
 personally.
 As far as your last question goes.  Some people totally resist diet and
 some people totally resist meds for the children.  This just the way it
 is.  All that I have read at this point suggests diet will not help an
 ADHD child.  All the doctors including the ones who work with substance
 abuse have said the same thing to me.  I have also tried it on my self
 years back and did have an interest in supplements and well as the few
 different diets for it out there.  Feingold diet for one.  It did not
 help.  Now, this is how most people form an opinion.  Reading, professional,
 and sometimes trying them out themselves.  I formed my opinion on all this.
 When you first posted I read what you had to say.  They were opinions 
ecause
 you did not site anything from anywhere.  I had nothing to look up and
 therefore why should I or anyone else take what you have to say as gospel.
 There has not been enough research in this area to prove that diet has
 anything to do with ADHD.  I would certainly change my opinion if it were
 so.
 Since I am raising my kids and you are not it is up to me to form my opinion
 and take advice according to other professionals.  I am not gonna just have
 anyone tell me this is what I should do and then just do it.
 I also have a friend who is going to school to be a substance abuse 
counselor.
 She is being taught by one of the leading schools (I believe it is one of 
he
 top 5) in the country.  She is also a top student.  She has done research
 on this topic and well as others.  Her opinion suggests the same as other
 professionals, that diet has nothing to do with ADHD. I value her opinion
 as she not only can show me the research done on it, but she is going to
 school now, not in the 1950's.  This suggests that maybe she may be more
 up on what is going on than some people who have formed their opinions on
 what they were taught or learned why back when.
 I realize that you have said you still do research on the subject and are
 keeping up with technology.  I respect the fact that you feel strongly
 about your opinion, but in no way do I respect the fact that you have
 name called everyone else who does not express the same opinion as you.
 You have pretty much concluded that because we do not agree with you that
 we are closed minded.  I suggest you look at the way you post and you will
 find that you are doing exactly what you accuse us of.
 This is a subject that is very controversial.  There are those that suggest
 diet will work and those that suggest not.  I myself had to outweight each
 and had to conclude that ADHD and diet are not related.  Does that make me
 a bad parent?  Does that mean I do not want to help my child?  It means that
 I did my research and until more proof (which one day it may) concludes
 otherwise, I will stick to my conclusion.
 Regina
... "Transporter chief Kelley, beam the landing party to the bridge"
---
---------------