Ritalin alternative
When my son was diagnosed with ADHD, he was prescribed Ritalin. The drug certainly helped and for once, he started to do well at school. However, it made him so unwell that with our doctor’s agreement, we decided to stop it. Now he’s falling behind again and life is a nightmare. Is there a natural alternative?
I was deeply shocked when a leading University toxicologist recently told delegates at a UK child health conference that Ritalin - or methylphenidate - has almost the exact same chemical properties and toxicology as cocaine.
How many of the parents sending their children to school with this drug to try and control ADHD (or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder) know that? And how many also know that scientists have now linked this and related conditions, including attention deficit disorder (ADD) and dyspraxia or clumsiness to the use of antibiotics in the first six months of life?
Ritalin is now the No. 1 drug given to children. Usage has increased 600-fold since the start of the 1990s yet according to cutting edge research, for some parents, the solution could be as simple as eliminating salicylate-rich foods such as apples, oranges and tomatoes, which can exacerbate the problem, and supplementing the diet with a high dose (1g a day) of essential fatty acids in either fish or flaxseed oils.
A number of children with these disorders have been found to have low levels of the brain chemical, serotonin, so taking a low dose of the herb St John’s Wort which works to boost production of this neurotransmitter could help. Many, especially those aged five to nine, are also low in zinc - so again, parents should consider supplementation.
These are, of course, complex and often linked disorders which will require a sophisticated alternative treatment programme. Thankfully, there are a growing number of nutritionists and mainstream research scientists interested enough in the problem to look beyond ritalin, which has been banned in Sweden, for help.
* Health professionals and parents looking for more details should contact NS3UK; a nutrition organisation with a special interest in topical child health which also trains practitioners on 01344-360033.