About Time!

Back in the 1970s two of our foster kids had been diagnosed with ADHD and we tried putting them on the Feingold diet. That meant no artificial coloring or flavors, limited sugar, and no preservatives or foods high in salicylates.

I kept careful records of what they ate and how they behaved since results could take several days to happen. We found that eating sugar made no difference at all, but the other things made a huge difference. When on the diet the boys (who also had other problems) went from several tantrums a day to one or less a week. However eating even a tiny bit of the problem chemicals would set them off.

A couple of times the boys went wild when I was sure there hadn't been any exception to the diet, but we later found out the ingredients of certain foods had been changed but the old labels were still used.

Obviously that reaction couldn't have been a psychosomatic. However the Feingold diet was considered quackery by most of the medical community and there was a lot of negative publicity about it.

But a few years ago a study showed that preservatives can cause behavior problems. You can see an article about that here:

http://tinyurl.com/yqu5vh

And this week it hit the news that scientists have discovered artificial colors in foods may be causing the increase in the number of hyperactive kids and the FDA is doing a study about it. Here's a link to an article about that:

http://tinyurl.com/4zujhqa

Finally the Feingold diet is being taken seriously, although the people studying it don't seem to mention Dr. Feingold. The man deserves some credit.

ADHD, Autism and Organophosphates

According to recent news stories, a connection has been found between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Organophosphates. The same chemicals have been implicated in studies with autistic kids. Those chemicals are used in some insecticides and often found in fruits and vegetables, especially celery, strawberries, and blueberries.

Years ago we had two hyperactive foster kids, one of whom was also autistic, and the Feingold Diet helped a lot to improve their behavior. At the time some people thought the connection was purely psychosomatic, but there were times when the boys reacted to things none of us knew they'd gotten. For example, once a cereal manufacturer changed an ingredient but continued using the old packages they had in stock so the change wasn't on the label.

I'm wondering if there could be some sort of connection between the salicylates that cause reactions in kids with ADHD and the organophosphates in the new study. Obviously they aren't the same chemical, but could one influence how people react to the other? Or could they both be found in some of the same foods? The new discoveries may open the door to new research that will result in helpful treatments.

In the meantime, I hope anyone with children who have those conditions will be careful to feed them only organic produce. And doing that with all young children might prevent the development of those conditions.

Brain Connections

When I was a substitute teacher I noticed kids in special education classes often had siblings in gifted classes, and we know some geniuses also had learning disabilities. Einstein is a well known example. Obviously there's some sort of relationship between how their brains work.

I've wondered for years about how other neurological problems might be linked. Are personality disorders similar to learning disabilities? Might OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) be caused by a variation of whatever causes autism? What about Antisocial Personality Disorder and all the others?

According to Temple Grandin, autistic people tend to think in colors instead of words. I think in both and have no symptoms of autism so I'm not sure what Grandin says is necessarily true. But if it is, what does that mean for people with achromatopsia? Are rods and cones in the eyes connected or related to parts of the brain that operate differently in autistic people?

How is narcolepsy related to epilepsy in terms of neurological connections. And, do either or both of those conditions relate to learning disabilities, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) or mental illness?

Our brains are incredibly complex and I doubt that anyone has studied the possible relationships between all these things, but I'd sure like to understand more about how they work.

ADHD?

Have you ever wondered if your child might be hyperactive? After the holidays is a good time to find out.

Of course lots of kids get over stimulated at this time of the year, but there's a difference between behavior problems caused by excitement, stress, and fatigue and those caused by ADHD.

When our hyperactive kids were young we discovered that caffeine had the opposite effect on them compared to how other people react. I read information about the disorder confirming that reaction to be frequent in kids who have the condition. However once people with ADHD reach puberty they tend to react to caffeine in the usual way.

After the holiday excitement is over, things have calmed down, and your family is back to eating as usual. you might want to try giving your kid a lot of chocolate and see what happens. If the child becomes over stimulated he or she is reacting normally. (Obviously it's best not to try this before school or bedtime.)

But if the child becomes sedated after eating the chocolate chances are good that he (more boys than girls have the condition) has ADHD. If that happens please check with your medical practitioner and ask your local school district for an evaluation. Many districts will do tests for free even for children who are not yet of school age because early intervention can make a difference.

MYOB

One of our foster kids had ADHD and autism, resulting in frequent temper tantrums. One day when he had one in a park I pulled him onto my lap and held him in a "bear hug" until he became able to control himself. (The "bear hug" means crossing the other person's arms in front of them and holding them by the wrists from behind so they can't harm anyone. When seated it includes crossing your legs over theirs to prevent them from kicking you.)

As we sat there with him screaming a woman came along and informed me, "If you would spank your child when he misbehaves he wouldn't act like that."

A few minutes later another woman approached and informed me, "If you would stop abusing your child he wouldn't act like that."

Obviously neither of them knew what she was talking about.

If someone visited a person's home for the first time they wouldn't dream of telling them the living room looked ugly and suggesting a "better" way to decorate it, and very few people would be rude enough to tell an acquaintance their clothes or hair style looked terrible and suggest "improvements." But lots of folks seem to think it's okay, and maybe even virtuous, to give unrequested advice to others who are dealing with disabilities. I can't count the number of times I've been advised to consult an acupuncturist, try an herbal remedy, or confess my sins and trust God so I'd be healed.

That sort of thing happens less frequently to people with visible disabilities, but it does sometimes happen even to them.

I hope everyone reading this blog knows there are times when it's best to Mind Your Own Business.