ADHD

Sunday, October 26, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: Is partial reversal of autism possible?

New medical findings indicate many children have a genetic ability to excrete the toxic mercury present as a preservative in many childhood shots -- more and more of which are recommended, each year.

But children who become autistic -- or who show lesser signs of heavy metal poisoning, such as attention deficit disorder -- "are the ones that cannot detoxify," according to Laura Bono of North Carolina, the housewife and mom who founded the Right to Fight Mercury Damage Campaign.

The Bono family pediatrician had noted in his charts that by age 16 months "Jackson has 25 words, making good progress," Laura Bono says. "And then it starts to regress within days after the shot, and within two years he's gone. A child who never needed antibiotics, never threw up, suddenly after August 1990 he's having all these weird rashes, it was a mercury rash. ...

"But there was nothing in the literature that autism was anything but mental. It was 1995 before this went from being (categorized as) a mental to a medical/metabolic problem, that they have all sorts of immune deficiencies, we kept saying, `But he's so allergic to everything ... '

The good news in finding the apparent cause of autism, of course, is that if the ailment is caused by the presence of toxic mercury, some partial reversal may be achieved if the mercury can be removed.

"Some of them were able to detoxify, and some not," Laura Bono says. "It's not black and white. How many have attention deficit disorder or other problems, where autism is just those syndromes to the tenth power? We see so many allergies in society now, and these things all link back to problems with the immune system, so it can be hypothesized that these children ended up with autism, but there are other spectrum disorders and (their rates) are also exploding, children who are just partially neurologically affected -- either they got less thimerosal or they were able to detoxify it better. ...

"My son is 14, and we've been chelating for three years, and the more we get out the more my son comes back. Dr. Stephanie Cave in Baton Rouge, Louisiana," (author of "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Vaccination") "has been doing this the longest, and she says, 'If I can get them from the time they're five, I can turn them around, they're nothing like they were if we can catch them early.' ...

"Go watch (Rep.) Dan Burton's hearings. He went crazy over this. He said, `You know this is a horrible thing that you're putting in vaccines,' and they won't tell him how many doses were delivered by January 2001 that are still out there that could have an expiration date as late as May 2004. ..."

"(Dr. and U.S. Sen.) Bill Frist argues, 'These poor vaccine manufacturers, they're going to be bankrupted.' Yet, you know what? Vaccines have to be making a lot of money; there are over 400 new vaccines in the pipeline. ... Let's say we do bankrupt them. There are so many others ready to step in. If Firestone Tires goes bankrupt they reorganize and they learn their lessons. ...

"The government paid people $50,000 apiece who were debilitated by the swine flu vaccine, thousands of them. It wasn't the pharmaceutical firms that paid, it was the taxpayers. So where's the financial incentive to improve the vaccines? ...

"It is going to cost the taxpayers so much money what they have done, the mass poisoning of thousands of children with this thimerosal."

Replies Eli Lilly spokesman Ed Sagebiel: "We recognize autism is a devastating disease, but the trial lawyers are not going to find the possible cure for autism. ... (We need to) continue to let the science guide this, rather than the trial attorneys. In the current debate around thimerosal and autism, the scientific evidence just does not show a relationship between the two.

"A study at the University of Rochester School of Medicine found ethyl mercury has a half life in the blood of seven days, versus methyl mercury which has a half life of 45 days. This would suggest that ethyl mercury does not persist in the body ...

"You have the National Institutes of Health, you have the Academy of Pediatrics, if you go to the Centers for Disease Control Web site you'll find their statement as well; you just cannot find any scientifically credible organization confirming that type of link," the Eli Lilly spokesman concludes.

In 1990, the recorded rate of autism in America was 1 in 10,000. Today the Centers for Disease Control report that number stands at 1 in 150. This dramatic rise in autism rates correlates with the increase in mercury-exposure through vaccines given to children in the late 1980s and through the 1990s -- especially after a vaccine against hepatitis B was added to the standard formulations, Laura Bono says.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-02/mp-alb020204.php

A link between thimerosal and the brain: Can vaccines affect central nervous system function?

According to new research from Northeastern University pharmacy professor Richard Deth and colleagues from the University of Nebraska, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins University, there is an apparent link between exposure to certain neurodevelopmental toxins and an increased possibility of developing neurological disorders including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The research – the first to offer an explanation for possible causes of two increasingly common childhood neurological disorders – will be published in the April 2004 issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry, and earlier as advance online publication.

Though some speculation exists regarding this link, Deth and his colleagues found that exposure to toxins, such as ethanol and heavy metals (including lead, aluminum and the ethylmercury-containing preservative thimerosal) potently interrupt growth factor signaling, causing adverse effects on methylation reactions (i.e. the transfer of carbon atoms). Methylation, in turn, plays a significant role in regulating normal DNA function and gene expression, and is critical to proper neurological development in infants and children. Scientists and practitioners have identified an increase in diagnoses of autism and ADHD in particular, though the reasons why are largely unknown.

In their work, the scientists found that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and the neurotransmitter dopamine both stimulated folate-dependent methylation pathways in neuronal cells. At the same time they noted that compounds like thimerosal, ethanol and metals (like lead and mercury) effectively inhibited these same biochemical pathways at concentrations that are typically found following vaccination or other sources of exposure. By better understanding what happens when infants and children are exposed to these materials, the work of Deth and his colleagues helps to explain how environmental contact with metals and administration of certain vaccines may lead to serious disorders that manifest themselves during childhood, including autism and ADHD.

"Scientists certainly acknowledge that exposure to neurotoxins like ethanol and heavy metals can cause developmental disorders, but until now, the precise mechanisms underlying their toxicity have not been known." said Deth. "The recent increase in the incidence of autism led us to speculate that environmental exposures, including vaccine additives might contribute to the triggering of this disorder."

Thimerosal, which was largely phased out in the U.S. and in Europe starting in 2000,was often used for its preservative abilities in multi-dose units of vaccines for diseases like hepatitis, whooping cough, tetanus and diptheria. Today, most vaccines carry only trace amounts of it, according to the CDC. But in larger, multi-dose vials of these vaccines, often shipped to and used in third world countries, thimerosal is still very common. Multi-dose flu vaccines still contain thimerosal.

Additionally, the scientists recently obtained more insight into the mechanism by which thimerosal interferes with folate-dependent methylation. It acts by inhibiting the biosynthesis of the active form of vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin), which is of particular interest because doctors treating autistic kids are having good success with the administration of methycobalamin.

Citation source: Molecular Psychiatry 2004 Volume 9, advance online
publication doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4001476

For further information on this work, please contact Ms. Christine Phelan, Northeastern University, Pharmaceutical Sciences, 716 Columbus Avenue 5th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02120, USA; phone: 617-373-5455; FAX: 617-373-5383; e-mail: cp@ur.neu.edu

Molecular Psychiatry is published by the Nature Publishing Group. http://www.nature.com/mp

Editor: Julio Licinio, M.D.; phone: +1 310 825-7113; FAX: +1 310 206-6715; e-mail: licinio@ucla.edu

For a copy of this article please contact Aimee Midei, e-mail:

molecularpsychiatry@mednet.ucla.edu.

PLEASE CITE MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY AS THE SOURCE OF THIS MATERIAL.

New Research Suggests Link Between Vaccine Ingredients and Autism, ADHD

[Source: Northeastern University.]
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/503041/NewsWise

Newswise — According to new research from Northeastern University pharmacy professor Richard Deth and colleagues from the University of Nebraska, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins University, there is an apparent link between exposure to certain neurodevelopmental toxins and an increased possibility of developing neurological disorders including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The research – the first to offer an explanation for possible causes of two increasingly common childhood neurological disorders – is published today in the April 2004 issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Though some speculation exists regarding this link, Deth and his colleagues found that exposure to toxins, such as ethanol and heavy metals (including lead, aluminum and the ethylmercury-containing preservative thimerosal) potently interrupt growth factor signaling, causing adverse effects on methylation reactions (i.e. the transfer of carbon atoms). Methylation, in turn, plays a significant role in regulating normal DNA function and gene expression, and is critical to proper neurological development in infants and children. Scientists and practitioners have identified an increase in diagnoses of autism and ADHD in particular, though the reasons why are largely unknown.

In their work, the scientists found that insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) and the neurotransmitter dopamine both stimulated folate-dependent methylation pathways in neuronal cells. At the same time they noted that compounds like thimerosal, ethanol and metals (like lead and mercury) effectively inhibited these same biochemical pathways at concentrations thatare typically found following vaccination or other sources of exposure. By better understanding what happens when infants and children are exposed to these materials, the work of Deth and his colleagues helps to explain how environmental contact with metals and administration of certain vaccines may lead to serious disorders that manifest themselves during childhood, including autism and ADHD.

"Scientists certainly acknowledge that exposure to neurotoxins like ethanol and heavy metals can cause developmental disorders, but until now, the precise mechanisms underlying their toxicity have not been known," said Deth. "The recent increase in the incidence of autism led us to speculate that environmental exposures, including vaccine additives might contribute to the triggering of this disorder." Thimerosal, which was largely phased out in the U.S. and in Europe
starting in 2000,was often used for its preservative abilities in multi-dose units of vaccines for diseases like hepatitis, whooping cough, tetanus and diptheria. Today, most vaccines carry only trace amounts of it, according to theCDC.

But in larger, multi-dose vials of these vaccines, often shipped to and used in third world countries, thimerosal is still very common. Multi-dose flu vaccines still contain thimerosal. Additionally, the scientists recently obtained more insight into the mechanism by which thimerosal interferes with folate-dependent methylation. It acts by inhibiting the biosynthesis of the active form of vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin), which is of particular interest because doctors treating autistic kids are having good success with the administration of methycobalamin.

Food Additives Associated With ADHD Symptoms
Laurie Barclay, MD Medscape Medical News 2004. B) 2004 Medscape
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/479056_print

May 27, 2004 b Food additives are associated with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to the results of a randomized trial published in the June issue of the Archives of Diseases in Childhood. The investigators suggest removing these from the diet of all children.

"There have been no population based studies examining the prevalence of hyperactivity related to intolerance to food additives following the initial claims of the detrimental effect of artificial additives on children's behaviour," write B. Bateman, from the University of Southampton in the U.K., and colleagues. "Subsequent studies, despite improved methodology, have failed to substantiate this claim or have only shown a small effect."

To determine whether artificial food coloring and preservatives in the diet influence hyperactive behavior in three-year-old children, a sample of 1,873 children were screened for the presence of hyperactivity at baseline. Skin prick tests to identify atopy were performed in 1,246 children. After baseline testing, children were given a diet free of artificial colorings and benzoate preservatives for one week. For the next three weeks they received, in random order, periods of dietary challenge with a drink containing artificial colorings (20 mg daily) and sodium benzoate (45 mg daily), or a placebo mixture, in addition to their diet.

During the withdrawal phase, there were significant reductions in hyperactive behavior. Based on parental reports, there were significantly greater increases in hyperactive behavior when children were given the drink containing additives than when given the placebo drink. The presence or absence of hyperactivity or of atopy did not influence these effects. There were no significant differences detected based on objective behavioral testing in the clinic by a tester blind to dietary status.

"There is a general adverse effect of artificial food colouring and benzoate preservatives on the behaviour of 3 year old children which is detectable by parents but not by a simple clinic assessment," the authors write. "Subgroups are not made more vulnerable to this effect by their prior levels of hyperactivity or by atopy."

Study limitations include possible self-selection of families to take part in the food challenge, completion of all phases of the study by only 70% (277of 397) of those invited, and inability to demonstrate changes in hyperactivity on the basis of psychologist-administered tests. The authors recommend attempts at replication in other general population samples and extension of this study to older age groups.

"These findings therefore suggest that significant changes in children's hyperactive behaviour could be produced by the removal of artificial colourings and sodium benzoate from their diet," the authors conclude. "The potential long term public health benefit that might arise is indicated by the follow up
studies which have shown that the young hyperactive child is at risk of continuing behavioural difficulties, including the transition to conduct disorder and educational difficulties."

The Food Standards Agency and the South West Regional Research and Development Directorate funded this study. Smith Kline Beecham contributed to the challenge materials.

Arch Dis Child. 2004;89:506-511

Spending Soars for Kids' Behavior Drugs

Mon May 17, 9:42 AM ET Add Health

By LINDA A. JOHNSON, AP Business Writer

TRENTON, N.J. - As more children pop pills for attention deficit and other behavior disorders, new figures show spending on those drugs has for the first time edged out the cost of antibiotics and asthma medications for kids.

A 49 percent rise in the use of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder drugs by children under 5 in the last three years contributed to a 23 percent increase in usage for all children, according to an annual analysis of drug use trends by Medco Health Solutions Inc.

"Behavioral medicines have eclipsed the other categories this year," said Dr. Robert Epstein, Medco's chief medical officer. "It certainly reflects the concern of parents that their children do as well as they can."

Antibiotics still top the list of the most commonly used children's drugs, but parents are paying more for behavioral drugs, such as stimulants or antidepressants, according to the analysis of drug use among 300,000 children under 19.

Medco, the nation's largest prescription benefit manager, was to release the data culled from its customers' usage on Monday.

The most startling change was a 369 percent increase in spending on attention deficit drugs for children under five. That's in part because of the popularity of newer, long-acting medicines under patent, compared with twice-a-day Ritalin (news - web sites) and generic versions available for years.

But the use of other behavioral drugs also jumped in the last three years. Antidepressant use rose 21 percent and drugs for autism and other conduct disorders jumped 71 percent, compared to a 4.3 percent rise in antibiotics.

Epstein said 17 percent of total drug spending last year for the group of children under 19 was for behavioral medicines, compared with 16 percent each for antibiotics and asthma drugs, 11 percent for skin conditions and 6 percent for allergy medicines.

Use of such behavior medicines has been controversial, with some experts questioning whether parents and school officials are too eager to medicate disruptive children.

Some experts say no.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing that these medicines are being used more," said Dr. James McGough, associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. McGough said kids on attention deficit drugs tend to avoid substance abuse and other problems and do better in school. However, McGough said increasing adolescent use of antidepressants is a concern, because there's little proof they work in young people and evidence they may increase suicidal tendencies.

Overall, 5.3 percent of children took some type of behavioral medicine in 2003, including 3.4 percent on attention deficit medicines and 2.3 percent on antidepressants, according to the study. Some children are on both types of drugs. That compares with 44 percent who used antibiotics at some point, 13 percent on asthma medicines and 11 percent who used allergy drugs.

Use of asthma medicines increased 15 percent from 2000 to 2003 and use of medicines for gastrointestinal problems jumped 28 percent, mainly due to new drugs for the stomach gas that gives babies colic.

Dr. Richard L. Gorman, director of the American Academy of Pediatrics' drugs committee, said while there may be "initial overprescribing" of attention deficit disorders, the children are typically taken off the drugs if they don't work.

"Either it's better and everyone's relieved, or nothing happens, the kid's still wild and then the parents say to the school, `We tried this stuff and it didn't work,'" he said.

New attention deficit drugs such as Strattera, Adderall and Concerta require only one morning dose, which helps keep children on an even keel all day and eliminates having to line up to get an afternoon dose from busy school nurses or day-care officials.

The side effects are mainly reduced appetite and growth.

Estimates of how many American children have attention deficit problems vary, from 3 percent to 10 percent. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of children aged 3 to 17 with the disorder rose from 3.3 million in 1997 to 4.4 million in 2002.

Franklin Lakes, N.J.-based Medco said average monthly spending per member was still lowest for those 19 and under, $12.31 a month, compared with $125.58 for those 65 and older.

However, the average cost of a daily dose for one medicine was much higher for children than for senior citizens — $2.12 per day versus $1.29 per day — because many more generic drugs are available for conditions of the elderly.

One in 20 children suffers attention disorder

By Marie Woolf, Chief Political Correspondent

15 January 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/story.jsp?story=601133

Five per cent of children in England and Wales have been officially diagnosed with the hyperactivity disorder ADHD ministers said this week, as new figures showed a dramatic increase in the prescription of the controversial drug Ritalin. Health ministers said "it was becoming increasingly common for paediatricians" to diagnose attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which some have warned is simply a symptom of bad behaviour.

Figures released by health ministers showed that at least 345,000 children aged between six and 16 officially suffer from the behavioural disorder, while the number of prescriptions of Ritalin and other drugs to treat it has rocketed over the past two years. Last year, 329,000 prescriptions were written for drugs combating childhood hyperactivity, compared with 271,000 the year before.

Opposition MPs cautioned that many children who had been diagnosed with ADHD were hyperactive because of poor parenting or because they ate junk foods full of chemicals. The Liberal Democrat MP Sandra Gidley, a former pharmacist, warned against parents regarding Ritalin as "a wonder drug" that could cure disruptive behaviour in all youngsters.

"Ritalin is regarded as a magic bullet by some parents. It is becoming so widespread that I have had parents in my surgery who regard it as a wonder drug, complaining that doctors are refusing to prescribe it to their children," she said. "In some kids it is because they are eating so many additives in junk food and often what is needed is some low-level intervention from social services to help with parenting skills. In many cases, Ritalin is a cop-out solution to a wider problem."

Although many parents say that Ritalin has helped treat serious behavioural problems in children who had previously destroyed family life, others fear that the drug is being too generally prescribed and given to many children unnecessarily. Studies by psychiatrists have shown that children with attention deficit disorder are four times more likely than average to suffer mental problems later in life. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have also warned that the misdiagnosis of ADHD in children, followed by the prescription of Ritalin, could lead to a greater likelihood of depression in adulthood.

Dr Stephen Ladyman, the health minister, who released the figures this week to Tory health spokesman Tim Loughton, said that "a treatment programme" for ADHD should not "rely on medication alone". "It is recommended that interventions that focus on the behaviour of the child, family interactions, classroom problems and learning difficulties should be offered," he said. {And, by the next millennium, healing the gut, boosting nutritional status, plus chelation will be mentionable in
polite society (ie, by spokespersons quoted in corporate media)}

The Department of Health added that guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence said that children on Ritalin should "receive regular monitoring and be taken off the drug if there was no improvement of symptoms".

The bill for hyperactivity drugs is believed to exceed £10m a year.In North America, where Ritalin prescriptions have also gone up, the drug has been sold illegally to children.

Recently announced findings: drugs like Ritalin induce learned helplessness. Just what America needs, a growing number of voters who behave, stay in their cubicles, and don't think for themselves. Those with chemically induced Learned Helplessness will channel surf peaceably, without making waves. The learned helplessness news item follows a parent's comment.

A parent had written:
Sadly, I think there's plenty of reason to worry! I worked in public schools for 33 years, as both a teacher and an administrator. MANY educators want to medicate those children who aren't easy to teach. They certainly tried to force me into it with my autistic son, but we were lucky that I knew as much, or more, about the system as they knew. My son is 17, and I'm awfully glad that we're nearing the end of our sojourn with public schools. Isn't it sad that any parent feels they have to say that?

A recent news release described Harvard researchers' findings: drugs like and including Ritalin induce depresssion-like traits and learned helplessness (A-B).

A. Attention Deficit Drugs May Have Long-Term Effects
http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/US/reuters20031208_12.html

Dec. 8 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Drugs given to children to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could have long-term effects on their growing brains, studies on rats suggest. Several studies published on Monday show that rats given a popular ADHD drug were less likely to want to use cocaine later in life, but also often acted clinically depressed and behaved differently from rats give dummy injections.

While rats are different from humans, the studies suggest that doctors should watch children for long-term effects, too. In the United States between 3 percent and 5 percent of children are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, marked by reduced ability to concentrate, difficulty in organizing and impulsive behavior. Patients are commonly prescribed stimulants but the practice is
sometimes controversial. William Carlezon of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston and colleagues raised two groups of rats. One was given Ritalin, known generically as methylphenidate, during the rat equivalent of pre-adolescence, while the other was given a salt water injection.

When they matured, the rats were tested for "learned helplessness" --how quickly they gave up on behavioral tasks under stress. "Rats exposed to Ritalin as juveniles showed large increases in learned-helplessness behavior during adulthood, suggesting a tendency toward depression," Carlezon said in a statement. But rats, which generally like cocaine, were less likely to eat it if they had been give Ritalin.

Carlezon said he did not believe the effects were specific to Ritalin, made by Swiss drug giant Novartis. It could instead be a general effect of stimulant drugs, many of which act by increasing the activity of a key message-carrying chemical called dopamine.

Higher dopamine levels could affect the way brain cells cement their connections during development, Carlezon wrote in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry. A team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas found that adult rats were less responsive to rewarding stimuli and reacted more to stress if they had been given methylphenidate as youngsters. A third study done by a team at Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School found changes in how dopamine neurons responded to methylphenidate.

"These three studies remind us how limited our knowledge is of the neurochemical and functional characteristics of the human brain during childhood and adolescence and on the effects of psychotropic drugs on brain development," Dr. Thomas Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, wrote in a commentary.

B. Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Dec 15;54(12):1330-7. Enduring behavioral effects of early exposure to methylphenidate in rats. Carlezon WA Jr, Mague SD, Andersen SL. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478, USA.

BACKGROUND: Methylphenidate (MPH) is a stimulant prescribed for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Stimulant drugs can cause enduring behavioral adaptations, including altered drug sensitivity, in laboratory animals. We examined how early developmental exposure to stimulants affects behavior in several rodent models. METHODS: Rats received MPH or
cocaine during preadolescence (P20-35). Behavioral studies began during adulthood (P60). We compared how early exposure to MPH and cocaine affects sensitivity to the rewarding and aversive properties of cocaine using place conditioning. We also examined the effects of early exposure to MPH on depressive-like signs using the forced swim test, and habituation of spontaneous locomotion, within activity chambers.
RESULTS: In place-conditioning tests, early exposure to MPH or cocaine each made moderate doses of cocaine aversive and high doses less rewarding. Early MPH exposure also caused depressive-like effects in the forced swim test, and it attenuated habituation to the activity chambers.CONCLUSIONS: Early exposure to MPH causes behavioral changes in rats that endure into adulthood. Some changes (reduced sensitivity to cocaine reward) may be beneficial, whereas others (increases in depressive-like signs, reduced habituation) may be detrimental...

*The material in this post is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html

Firm Recalls Bottles of ADHD Drug
Associated Press
Saturday, January 15, 2005; Page A24

A pharmaceutical company issued a nationwide recall yesterday of about 500 bottles of a drug used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. One lot of Methylin Chewable Tablets in 5-milligram strength may contain as much as three times the active ingredient, Alliant Pharmaceuticals said in a statement. The Alpharetta, Ga.-based company voluntarily recalled the drug, saying drugs in lot number AMT50402A with an expiration date of April 2006 could pose a serious health risk for some patients. No one had complained or reported adverse effects from the lot as of Friday night, the company said. Alliant estimated that fewer than 500 of the 2,820 bottles in the lot are in distribution.

The company said it is sending letters about the recall to doctors and pharmacists and is asking pharmacists to notify patients who bought the recalled drug. A spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration, Brad Stone, said the agency had been informed of the situation and was working to ensure the proper implementation of the recall.

Diet gains focus in ADHD, autism
Changed eating regimen appears to help children
By Carla McClain
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Brandon had always been a handful at home. But when he started school, his problems spiraled out of control. Hyper. Disrupting the class. Unable to focus. Trouble learning to read. Trouble making friends. Teachers complaining.

It went on four long years - through third grade. Finally, a year ago, a local doctor stepped in and changed Brandon's diet. Took him off sugar, chocolate, wheat cereal, anything with red dye. Added a daily multivitamin and omega-3 fatty acid (fish oil) supplements.

Bingo.

"The turnaround was tremendous," said his mother, Dellma Valles. "He's starting to sleep through the night; he's much more calm during the day. He's getting decent grades, and he's caught up in reading."

Unlike so many kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - the most common childhood psychiatric disorder in the nation - Brandon, now 9, has never had to take Ritalin or any psychoactive stimulant drug to curb his behavior.

"What a blessing," his mother said.

She is among a growing number of parents who, along with their doctors, are beginning to accept and benefit from nutritional treatment for today's exploding behavioral plagues of childhood - attention-deficit disorders and autism. For reasons not well understood, both problems have increased dramatically in the past decade. Attention-deficit problems affect 5 to 10 percent of children, and autism, a more severe brain-damaging syndrome, hits one of 166 U.S. kids, about 0.6 percent.

Although special, sometimes extreme, diets long have been advocated for both problems, only recently has nutrition begun to reach mainstream treatment. And perhaps surprisingly, many dietary changes now recommended for attention deficit are similar to those used to lessen the effects of autism, which can emotionally detach a child from the world and cause lifelong problems.

"There is so much wrong, so much shortfall in what children eat today that we have to pay close attention to what it's doing to them," said Dr. Dorothy Johnson, a Tucson behavioral pediatrician who specializes in the disorders. When faced with either problem in a child, Johnson immediately eliminates foods with artificial colorings, additive and preservatives, and strongly recommends cutting processed and refined foods. "That's not easy," she said. "But I tell parents to shop around the outside aisles of the grocery store, where the fresh foods are. I want to see every child eating a colorful plate of natural food."

Johnson doesn't embrace all dietary changes proposed for the disorders, such as completely cutting wheat and dairy, and, in some cases, eggs, citrus, corn, nuts and soy. And she remains a strong advocate of the benefit of proven stimulant drugs for severe ADD and ADHD. But there are no drugs for autism, a complex neurological disorder that can cause devastating behavioral effects. Rachel Johnson saw almost all of them in her son, Israel Martinez, now 6, starting at 14 months. "He started regressing," she said. "He couldn't do a lot of the things he did before."

By age 4, he had stopped talking, become disconnected from his mother, and defiant, prone to screaming fits. He also had terrible diarrhea. "It just seemed like he was in his own world," his mother said. "No one could reach him."

With Israel all but unfit for school, Johnson took him to Dr. Sanford Newmark - a Tucson pediatrician trained in integrative medicine, combining mainstream and alternative treatment. Newmark also treated Brandon Valles. After a lengthy evaluation, he took Israel off all wheat and dairy - known as the gluten-free/casein-free diet. "One month of that, and he was a different child," Newmark said. "He was more awake, more interactive, his language improved, the repetitive behaviors stopped, and the diarrhea was over."

Israel also started taking a multivitamin and zinc and omega-3 fatty acid supplements, in the form of fish oils. He can eat small amounts of wheat. "The changes were so quick and so remarkable," said his mother, who especially credited the omega-3. "He's a much calmer, happier child." Israel continues conventional treatment for autism - speech, occupational and behavioral therapies, which Newmark also advocates.

"When you see kids with severe autism, the situation is quite terrible," he said. "It's so discouraging for the parents. But there is no cookie-cutter answer for these kids. Autism is a wide-spectrum disorder, and each child is different." Though many of the kids he's treated for ADD and autism have shown dramatic improvement, Newmark also has seen "nothing happen." "But I have the feeling that if I got to these children earlier, when they're only 1 or 2, it would be more successful."

No one knows how many attention-deficit or autistic kids respond to diet changes. Estimates range from 20 to 60 percent. But there is little mention of nutritional therapies in treatments listed by the National Institutes of Mental Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"You will find some doctors who tell you it's a waste of time, but others who say if you do nothing else, change the diet," said Maria Bardach, whose autistic daughter Marley, 10, went off wheat and dairy, eating only organic food, six years ago. hat ended her diarrhea, constipation and repetitive hand movements. She became more animated.

"With some kids, there are miracles. They are rare, but they happen," she said. "It's one intervention that's not harmful. It's actually very healthy for the whole family."

Contact reporter Carla McClain at 806-7754 or at cmcclain@azstarnet.com.

I found this suggestion on the net for recovering an ADHD child and it sounds good. Willis who wrote the paper Mastering Autism has this suggestion:

There are seven things that reverse ADHD every time. Yea eight.
First, NO sugar, fruit juices, aspartame (Nutrasweet), MSG, or high glycemic foods (meaning limited and controlled amounts). See "Glycemic Index of Common Foods" available on request.

Secondly. NO Phosphates (meaning processed meats, soft drinks, prepared cakes and baked goods with phosphates/phosphoric acid added).

Thirdly, NO colors, dyes, or salicylates (Feingold diet).

Fourthly, eliminate all allergens. These four cost nothing, yet often solve the problem.

Fifth, supplement 100 mg Vitamin B6 (with 50 mg vitamin B2) both 3 times a day. This alone has proven more effective than Ritalin.

Sixth, supplement 50 mg zinc (at evening on empty stomach with a little oil) and supplement 100 mg magnesium 3 times a day.

Seventh: Introduce fatty acids into the diet: Evening Primrose Oil and cod-liver oil. Follow the protocol in the Section "Managing Fatty Acids” from my paper "Mastering Autism".

Eighth: Underneath all this place a good multivitamin/mineral. I suggest GlycoBears™, 26 vitamins/minerals, no iron. No other equals it. Supplement also Ambrotose AO™, both from Mannatech™.

"Dear Robert,

"I have seen some information about the narcotic reaction after people consume milk. I would like to share any information that you provide with my patients. Thank you for your time and consideration."

Dear Doctor Cardin,

Please share the following information with your patients.

Heroin users become addicted after injecting chemically processed poppy juice into their veins. Homer reported that Ulysses suffered the same addiction during his odyssey after being lured into a gentle sleep caused by opiates. After Dorothy laid down in a poppy field in the Wizard of Oz, she too fell into a very deep narcotically-induced sleep. She followed a yellow brick road into a sleepy world of marmalade skies, cellophane flowers and marshmallow pies.

Opiates are narcotics, and they produce intense feelings of pleasure followed by a calm, drowsy feeling. Opiates are addictive. Milk contains opiates. Ergo, milk is addictive. The most wholesome cow's milk from organically raised bovines naturally contains a powerful opiate in the morphine family called casomorphin. Concentrated milk products (cheese, ice cream, and milk chocolate) contain increased quantities of these addictive narcotics.

Let's examine milk chocolate, for example. The three major ingredients of milk chocolate are, in order of abundance, sugar, milk, and chocolate. Three-four pounds of milk are required to make oe pound of milk chocolate. It is no wives tale that milk chocolate addicts crave their "drug." Indeed, that is exactly what milk-morphine is, a drug.

Florida researcher, Robert Cade, M.D., has identified a milk protein, casomorphin, as the probable cause of attention deficit disorder. Dr. Cade found Beta-casomorphin-7 in high concentrations in the blood and urine of patients with either schizophrenia or autism. Eighty percent of cow's milk protein is casein. After eating milk chocolate, casein breaks down in the stomach to produce a peptide opiate, casomorphine.

Visit http://www.notmilk.com/aa.html and find the dairy connection:

"Exorphins appear to produce...lack of awareness of events, anti-social behavior, and decreased verbal skills. Many of these behaviors are similar to those noted on chronic heroin addiction. Studies by Karl Riechelt indicate a very strong association between certain autistic behaviors and ingestion
of dairy..."

Government statistics suggest that America is home to 64 million nicotine addicts (cigarette smokers), 18 million alcoholics, 12 million marijuana smokers, and 2.3 million opiate and cocaine users. Opiates in chocolate have not yet made their top ten drug list, but make no mistake about it, folks. Drugs work, and milk and dairy products are physically addictive. Nature's way is to include chemical messengers that make nursing pleasurable. That same mechanism is what also makes weaning so difficult. Most American adults have never been weaned from the addictive effects of milk.

Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com

CDC: More than 4.4 Million U.S. Kids With ADHD
Thursday, September 01, 2005
By Miranda Hitti

A new CDC report shows how common attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has become in the U.S.

Data came from the parents of more than 102,000 kids. The findings:

—About 4.4 million kids had ever been diagnosed with ADHD.

—More than half of those kids (56 percent, or 2.5 million kids) were taking medication for ADHD when the survey was done.

—ADHD was diagnosed more often in boys than in girls.

—ADHD was diagnosed less often in minority children and those without health insurance.

The national survey was done by telephone. Parents were asked if a doctor or health care professional had ever told them that their child had ADD (attention deficit disorder) or ADHD.

ADHD was previously known as attention deficit disorder, says the CDC.

Learn More About ADHD Meds

Boy-Girl Differences

A history of ADHD diagnosis was more common in kids who were at least 9 years old compared with those who were 4 to 8 years old, the survey shows.

ADHD diagnosis history was most common among 16-year-old boys. About 15 percent of them had ever been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the boys' parents.

For girls, a history of ADHD diagnosis was most common among 11-year-olds. Six percent of them had ever been diagnosed with ADHD, according to the parents' reports.

For boys, ADHD diagnosis was more common in families living below the poverty level. Rates of reported diagnosis for girls didn't vary by income.

Rates were similar for boys and girls with reported ADHD diagnoses who were taking medications for the condition.

Understanding ADHD and the Creative Child

Rates Varied Among States

The survey also showed substantial differences between states.

The number of kids with reported ADHD diagnosis ranged from 5 percent in Colorado to 11 percent in Alabama.

Among kids who had reportedly been diagnosed with ADHD, California had the lowest percentage of kids taking medication for ADHD (more than 40 percent) and Nebraska had the highest percentage (almost 58 percent).

The Fine Print

The survey has a few limits. For instance, the parents' reports couldn't be confirmed.

ADHD treatments that don't involve medication weren't included. It also didn't include people living in institutions, who might have higher ADHD and medication rates.

The survey was only done in English or Spanish. That excludes families who don't speak those languages.

Data didn't cover undiagnosed ADHD cases or kids without an ADHD diagnosis who take medications for similar symptoms.

By Miranda Hitti, reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

SOURCES: CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Sept. 2, 2005; vol 54: pp 842-847. News release, CDC.

Fish Oil and ADHD

Just in time for the new school year, a new study from Australia is encouraging to parents of children with ADHD. Fish oil may calm kids with ADHD. A psychology student of the University of South Australia studied 145 children aged 7 to 12 with ADHD (who were not taking medication) over 15 weeks. The children were given either fish oil supplements or a placebo. The parents of the children taking the fish oil supplements reported significant improvements in the behavior and concentration of their children, while the parents of children on the placebo reported no improvements in their children. When the placebo group was switched to the fish oil supplements for an additional 15 weeks, the parents reported improvements similar to the first group's results.

What does fish oil have to do with ADHD? The study explains that the brain is mostly made up of fatty tissues, with the most important fats being omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oil. The decrease in fish consumption in the Western diet, could cause a deficiency of these important nutrients. This deficiency could affect the brain's processes, and may be linked to health problems like depression and developmental problems like ADHD.

The omega-3 oils in fish oil are known as EPA and DHA. Both are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, and fish oil is usually taken for its ability to lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol. The DHA found in fish oil has even more benefits, as it is known to be an important nutrient for brain development in infants, both before they are born and for several months after birth. DHA is also added to infant formula to increase the amount they get in their diet.

Another study from the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that supplementing with fish oil is effective in preventing the dramatic mood swings commonly observed in depressive states, and the study says such results hold promise for treating other disorders such as ADHD. These studies will increase the number of clinical trials on fish oil supplements, maybe leading to fish oil being used in place of some prescription medications.

The Australian. "Fish oil 'calms kids with ADHD.'"
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,1627950
0%255E23289,00.html

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